This article provides a clear but nonexhaustive description of the general principle of atomic emission, with a particular focus on instrumentation, and summarizes the main characteristics of the inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer technique. Basic atomic theory as well as the instrument characteristics and their influence on the instrument performances are presented. The advantages, drawbacks, and developments of this technique are discussed, and, finally, alternative techniques and examples of applications are provided.

This article focuses on the products defined by dimensions and tolerances, made from solid materials, and fabricated by some manufacturing process. It describes three methods of cost estimations: parametric methods, empirical methods, and the complexity theory. The article presents an example to illustrate the parametric cost estimation of aircraft. An example to illustrate the cost estimation of sheet metal and riveted parts is also provided.

This article describes the four basic steps of the purchasing process of cast components. These steps include defining requirements and developing a purchasing plan; requesting and evaluating bids from potential sources; selecting a source and negotiating contract terms; and carrying out the contract and pursuing continuous improvement. It provides guidance on purchasing cast components and explains specific issues and approaches that have proven to be useful in purchasing castings. The article presents a list of the most significant considerations when attempting to determine the overall cost and design requirements of a metal casting.

This article provides a discussion on the principles and terminology of engineering economy and their application to a number of generic corrosion-related problems. It describes the methods of economic analysis that lead to single measure numbers. The article explains the application of the present worth method. Some of the most common methods of depreciation are provided. The article presents the generalized equations that will simplify the solution of a large percentage of engineering economy problems. It also discusses the calculation of the present worth and service life of each material.

Affordability is the key issue facing design engineers and manufacturers of composite components for current and next-generation aircraft, spacecraft, propulsion systems, and other advanced applications. This article describes the software tools available for modeling and analyzing costs associated with design and manufacturing options for advanced composites programs. It presents an example of a composite exhaust nozzle shroud where the design and manufacture options were analyzed and adjusted, based on the use of cost analysis tools. The article also lists some of the attributes found in various cost modeling software and the potential cost benefits.

This article provides an overview of cost analysis in materials selection. It discusses the several categories of alternatives for cost analysis. These include rules of thumb, accounting methods, and analytical methods. The article describes the methods for evaluating materials alternatives on the basis of both direct economic costs and indirect social costs. It considers the life cycle costs of alternative body-in-white designs and life cycle analysis. The various elements of cost are introduced with a case study concerned with the manufacture, use, and disposal of the automobile body-in-white.

A concise and quantified specification is essential to developing suitable product concepts. This article describes an integrated set of structured methods for identifying the customer population for the product and developing a representation of feature demands. The structured methods include design task probing, customer needs analysis, functional decomposition, and competitive benchmarking for directly mapping customer statements to functional requirements.

This article focuses on products defined by dimensions and tolerances and fabricated by some manufacturing process. It describes the general concepts associated with cost estimation. These include domain limitation, database commonality, cost allocation, and elements of cost. The article discusses three methods of cost estimation, namely, parametric methods, empirical methods, and complexity theory, with examples. It concludes with recommendations for cost estimation.

Value analysis (VA) is a team problem-solving process to improve the value of a product from the viewpoint of a user. This article presents a comparison between VA and total quality management in materials selection and design. It discusses the key attributes, concepts, and activities of the VA. The application of value engineering in U.S. government contracts and the construction industry is reviewed. The article describes the eight phases of the VA process: preparation, information, analysis, creation, synthesis, development, presentation and report, and implementation and follow-up. It presents case studies that illustrate the materials-related aspects of the VA process.

This article describes the process of materials selection in relation to the design process, such as materials selection for a new design and materials substitution for an existing design. It reviews the performance characteristics of materials using prototype tests or field tests to determine their performance under actual service conditions. The article describes the selection of a material in relation to the manufacturing process and presents the factors that influence materials selection based on costs and related aspects. These factors include metallurgical requirements, dimensions, processing, quantity, packing, marking, and loading. The article discusses how the needs for materials data evolve as a design proceeds from conceptual to detail design. It describes the methods of materials selection, namely, cost per unit property method, weighted property index method, and limits on properties method.