An educational software to reinforce the comprehensive learning of materials selection

Abstract

An educational software, called CalSev 1.0.2, has been developed for supporting the teaching in materials selection seminars. As a case study, a selection of materials for nuclear reactor pressure vessels has been chosen, because it is a representative example of the relationship between chemical composition, mechanical properties, and in-service behavior. This software has been developed to improve the students' understanding of the materials selection tasks, providing an interactive user-friendly platform that allows to modify-in real time-the content of chemical elements and mechanical requirements to obtain a materials performance evaluation. Due to its versatility, this informatics tool represents a great value for educational purposes, with special impact in blended and distance learning, by simplifying the arduous task of materials selection for a wide range of applications and promoting a collaborative working environment by easing the creation of small groups analyzing different study cases. Finally, to evaluate the functionality, interest, user-friendliness and the educational characteristics of CalSev 1.0.2, a survey among 36 undergraduate students has been carried out. K E Y W O R D Scomprehensive learning, computer-aided tool, educational support, materials selection, materialsEngineering is a practicing profession devoted to harnessing and modifying the three fundamental resources that humankind has available for the creation of all technology: energy, materials, and information [19]. In addition, nowadays, engineers need access to material attributes data and, since the quantity of data is large and the methods tedious to implement by hand, computer-based tools are necessary to enable the right selection of materials depending on the application [5].Selection of suitable materials for a given component is thus one of the hardest tasks to perform and hence, designers need to put their utmost effort in identifying the best materials with specific functionalities to fulfill the application requirements [39]. Design of components is associated with the Abbreviations: ASME B&PV, American society of mechanical engineers boiler and pressure vessels; JSME, Japanese society of mechanical engineers; KTA, Kerntechnischer Ausschuss (German nuclear commission); L e , experimental limit provided by key works; L s , standardized limit as described by the manufacturing codes; L s (Min) , minimum value of the standardized limits; L s (Max) , maximum value of the standardized limits; PWR, pressurized water reactors; RCC-MR, French code of nuclear design; RPV, reactor pressure vessels; SL/SLM, stringency level/stringency level methodology; SL (Max) , maximum stringency level; UTS, ultimate tensile strength (minimum required value); WORA, write once, run anywhere; XML, eXtensible markup language; Y p , yield point (minimum required value); σ max , maximum standard deviation.Comput Appl Eng Educ. 2018;26:125-140.wileyonlinelibrary.com/cae

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