Materials Information for Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing

Discusses the use of materials information in engineering design and manufacture and how computerized CAD/CAM systems can change the ways in which this information can be effectively used.

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This book is about the use of materials information in engineering design and manufacture, and how computerized CAD/CAM systems change the ways in which this information can be effectively used. It is estimated that the number of large materials databases will increase by a factor of at least ten during the 1990s, as companies computerize their data holdings to make them truly compatible with, and exploitable by, developing computerized engineering systems. Valid and accessible materials information is vital in terms not only of successful competition in industry but also of recent developments in product liability. The development of materials databases is a "new" subject and this is the first technical review of a fast developing area. Publically funded development programmes include the (international) Versailles Agreement on Materials and Standards as well as initiatives under the Commission of the European Communities and, in the USA, the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the Materials Property Data Network.
This book tackles the challenge of producing appropriate, correct and useful databases, models, knowledge-based systems and integrated CAD/CAM concurrent engineering design environments. Dr. Sargent reviews techniques for integrating the fragmented body of materials information and making it available to design engineers. The discussion is firmly anchored to examples from the manufacturing, automotive and aerospace industries.