Mechanical and Physical Properties

Mechanical Properties

Resistance to manufacturing and in-service loads is a requirement of all products. The material must not buckle or break when the component comes under load. A product must also have an economic life in fatigue or under creep conditions. Where a number of materials meet the minimum strength and stiffness requirements, a preliminary short-list can be made on the basis of cost per unit strength or unit stiffness (or in the case of transport applications, strength per unit weight).

Physical Properties

Physical properties such as specific gravity are important for most applications. As noted above, for some applications optical or electrical properties may be paramount.