A novel method for materials selection in mechanical design: Combination of non-linear normalization and a modified digital logic method

In this investigation, a novel numerical method is proposed for materials selection. This method is based on the well known weighting factor approach while combining non-linear normalization with a modified digital logic method. The proposed mathematical functions and their applicability to the materials selection process is verified by examining two case studies in mechanical design and comparing the results with those obtained from the classical weighted property method. It is concluded that the new approach is capable of providing more reasonable selections as opposed to those obtained from the existing method. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.