Selection Framework for the Implementation of Functional Materials in Product Design

Concept Functional materials, also called “smart materials”, are materials that can “sense environment events, process that sensory information and then act on the environment” [1]. These materials are able to transform a given stimulus into a response. We use the general term “transition phenomenon” to describe this process. These transitions can be as diverse as, e.g.: mechanoluminescence, which is a light emission produced by the application of a strain [2], or thermoelectricity, the convertion of a temperature difference into an electric potential [3]. We designed a specific database and selection process for functional materials. The data structure is organized around their main functionality: the transition phenomenon. This database is implemented in the Cambridge Engineering Selector software, using the “constructor” functionality. Motivations and Objectives The standard selection framework proposed by Ashby [4] relies on 4 successive stages : translation, limits, objectives, documentation. It is not entirely suited to the selection of functional materials, which has to account for the relation between stimuli and responses. Results and Discussion In our database prototype, we introduce a table of transition phenomena, which is organized by families and sub-families of outputs (Fig 1). The relationship between materials and transition phenomena is made by linking the tables together and providing specific attributes that describe the stimuli-responsive properties of the materials. Future developments include tables of existing products and processes used to implement functional materials or functionalize existing ones. In this work, as the entry point to the information system is the stimuli responsive behaviour of functional materials, rather than their structure and properties. The emphasis is thus put on user experience and interaction with materials and products. References [1] M. Addington, D. Schodek, Smart Materials and technologies for the architecture and design professions, Elsevier, 2005 [2] S. M. Jeong, S. Song, K.-I. Joo, J. Kim, S.-H. Hwang, J. Jeong, H. Kim, Bright, wind-driven white mechanoluminescence from zinc sulphide microparticles embedded in a polydimethylsiloxane elastomer [3] A. da Rosa, Thermoelectricity, Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes, Elsevier, 2013, 149–212 [4] M. Ashby, Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, Elsevier, 1992-2005(Third edition)