Example 3: Aluminum Sheets for Architectural Cladding

Context:

An architectural firm is preparing a detailed specification for the exterior cladding of a new landmark high-rise building in Belgrade, Serbia. The design emphasizes sleek, large-format panels that are visually appealing and highly durable. The material needs to be lightweight for ease of installation and to reduce structural loads on the building. Crucially, the sheets must possess excellent formability to allow for intricate bends and curves specified by the design, without cracking or excessive springback during fabrication. The final product needs to maintain its structural integrity and aesthetic over many decades in an outdoor environment, with all relevant mechanical properties considered at room temperature for design and fabrication purposes. The availability of the chosen aluminum alloy in a sheet form is a non-negotiable requirement.

Objective:

Identify an aluminum alloy specifically available in sheet form that provides an optimal balance of strength, formability (ductility), and low density for modern architectural cladding.

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1

Select Total Materia Mode

Begin your search among the 500,000 materials in Total Materia to find the perfect match for your requirements.

2

Define the region or standard

To ensure timely availability and compatibility with local manufacturing processes, add a criterion focusing on adherence to European standards by selecting materials defined under EN (Euro Norms). This strategic choice aligns with the preference for locally available materials, minimizing lead times and simplifying compliance with regional regulations. By integrating this criterion, you emphasize the importance of sourcing materials that meet local industry standards, reinforcing the project's commitment to efficiency and sustainability.

3

Select the Product Form

Include a criterion for the product form, selecting "Flat Products" to specifically target sheet materials. Set this criterion as mandatory to ensure relevance in material form but assign a low importance level (0.1) to allow the final score to emphasize the cost-effectiveness and mechanical performance attributes of the materials.

4

Define the Yield strength

Establish a minimum yield strength criterion of 100 MPa to ensure that the material is sufficiently strong for its architectural application. This threshold guarantees that selected materials can withstand necessary loads and stresses. Mark this requirement as mandatory, but with a medium importance level (1), to ensure strength is balanced with other selection factors in the overall material evaluation process.

5

Good formability

By incorporating a criterion for elongation, you can effectively assess the formability of materials. Setting the target such that "higher is better" ensures that materials with superior ductility are preferred. A minimum threshold of 12% elongation is recommended, helping to identify materials that can be formed as per design requirements. This criterion can be marked as mandatory with a medium importance level (1) to balance its influence in the overall material selection process.

6

Light materials

Incorporating a criterion for lower density is beneficial not only for reducing the overall weight on the building structure but also for simplifying the installation process of the panels. Set a density target with "lower is better" and a maximum density threshold of 3kg/dm³. This criterion is set with a medium importance level (1).

7

Cost

Obviously, cost cannot be ignored. For projects of this scale, small differences per kilogram can quickly lead to exceeding the budget. Include a cost criterion with a "lower is better" approach and assign it a high importance level (5). This ensures that cost-effectiveness is prioritized in the material selection process, keeping the project financially viable.

8

Modulate your parameters

Adjust the importance of the different criteria, and visualize how your results are varying.

Going Further

Your company might want to reduce the carbon footprint of this project although already sourcing materials locally, low manufacturing carbon footprint could also be considered as an additional criteria in the selection.