Resources

Material Selection:

The following material property charts can be used for optimal material selection. See "Materials Selection in Mechanical Design" by Michael F. Ashby

1. Modulus vs. Density
2. Strength vs. Density
3. Fracture Toughness vs. Density
4. Modulus vs. Strength
5. Specific Modulus vs. Specific Strength
6. Fracture Toughness vs. Youngs Modulus
7. Fracture Toughness vs. Strength
8. Loss Coefficient vs. Youngs Modulus
9. Thermal Conductivity vs. Thermal Diffusivity
10. Thermal Expansion vs. Thermal Conductivity
11. Thermal Expansion vs. Youngs Modulus
12. Normalized Strength vs. Thermal Expansion
13. Strength at Temperature vs. Temperature
14. Youngs Modulus vs. Relative Cost
15. Strength vs. Relative Cost
16. Wear Rate vs. Contact Pressure
17. Youngs Modulus vs. Energy Content
18. Strength vs. Energy Content

Corrosion Chart

Plastic Identification

Costs of Various Materials

Manufacturing

Machining Operations

1. Machining Flat Surfaces
2. Machining Cylindirical Features

Tolerances

1. Tolerance vs. Part Dimension Guideline
2. Tolerance vs. Rougness for Various Manufacturing Processes (J. A. Schey)
3. Tolerance vs. Rougness for Various Manufacturing Processes and Materials (M. F. Ashby)

Process Charts

1. Surface Area vs. Minimum Section
2. Information vs. Size
3. Size vs. Melting Temperature
4. Hardness vs. Melting Temperature
5. Tolerance Range vs. Surface Roughness

Assembly and Handling Time

1. Handling Time
2. Insertion Time
3. Examples

Design

Design for Manufacturing Examples

1. Design for Machining 1
2. Design for Machining 2
3. Design for Injection Molding
4. Design for Casting
5. Design for Sheet Metal 1
6. Design for Sheet Metal 2

Design for Assembly Examples

The following examples are from "Product Design:Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development" by Kevin Otto and Kristen Wood.

1. Example 1
2. Example 2
3. Example 3
4. Example 4

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

1. SAE Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Reference Manual
2. Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Spreadsheet Template

 

News

Undergraduate Research Positions Available

Research Opportunities

Oportunity for hands on research experience.

Now Accepting Applications.

In the Tribology Laboratory, undergraduates will do experimental research focused on interfacial interactions of condensed matter. This includes studying the fundamental origins of friction, wear, surface deformation and adhesion on complex surfaces and materials ranging from cells to nanocomposites in environments ranging space to kilometers under water.

Active research includes analysis of materials that recently returned from the international space station, evaluating wear of dinosaur dental fossils, developing and patenting ultra-low wear polymer nanocomposites, studying and designing biocompatible and bio-inspired polymeric and hydrogel materials, and collaborating internationally on the physics of soft matter interactions. This research in tribology is at the intersection of mechanical engineering, materials science and surface physics.

Nanomechanical and Tribological Properties on Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs

Nanomechanical and Tribological Properties on Hadrosaurid

Prof. Greg Sawyer, Greg Erickson and Brandon Krick measured nanomechanical and tribological properties on hadrosaurid (duck-billed dinosaur) dental fossils from the American Museum of Natural History. Using custom instruments, we measured tissue hardness and wear rates that were preserved in the 65 million year old tooth. These properties are preserved in fossilized teeth because apatite mineral content is the major determinant of dental tissue hardness. Measured tissue wear rates were used to simulate the formation of hadrosaurid tooth chewing surfaces using a 3-D wear simulation. The simulation results in a surface profile nearly identical to a naturally worn hadrosaurid dental battery. The model revealed how each tissue (of differing wear rates) contributed to the formation of sophisticated slicing and grinding features in these reptiles tens of millions of years before mammals evolved analogous chewing capacity. This capacity to measure wear-relevant properties preserved in fossils provides a new route to study biomechanics throughout evolution. See Journal papers:
Science, October 5, 2012, pp.98-101.

Experiments back from the International Space Station

Space Tribometers and Samples back for analysis

Materials on the International Space Station Experiments Space Tribometerd

Materials on the International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Space Tribometers were the first ever active tribometers directly exposed to the Low Earth Orbit Environment

The Tribology Laboratory at Lehigh University is under construction

The lab as of May 2013

The lab as of July, 3rd 2013

The main laboratory is located in Lehigh's Packard Laboratory.