Selection of Materials and Treatments Using a Knowledge Based System

Summary

There is an industrial need for a selection methodology for materials, treatments and coatings that provides support for the simultaneous engineering approach to design. The methodology, incorporated within the associated knowledge-based system, PRECEPT, has been developed to provide a wider view of alternative solutions and more accurate evaluations of candidate combinations earlier in the design process. PRECEPT aims to match the requirements of the application (what is needed) with the properties available from suitable combinations of materials, coatings and treatments (what is possible). The user’s requirements, such as lifetime, operating environment and load, are converted by the knowledge base into criteria that can be used to select the candidate combinations. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications associated with the introduction of the system and some of the factors that contributed to the success of the project.