Getting Started Guide (PDF, 2.3Mb) - Granta Design

Getting Started Guide

Getting Started with CES Selector 

These exercises give an easy way to learn to use the CES Selector software. The comprehensive CES Help file 

within the software gives more detailed guidance. 

Brief Description of CES Selector 

There are three main tools in CES Selector: 

� BROWSE Explore the database and retrieve records via a hierarchical index or tree. 

� SEARCH Find information via a full-text search of records. 

� SELECT The central hub of CES Selector, used to apply the Rational Material Selection 

methodology. A powerful selection engine that identifies records that meet an 

array of design criteria and enables trade-offs between competing objectives. 

The following exercises cover the use and functionality of these tools.

Table: 

Subset: 

Browse Search Select 

MaterialUniverse 

All materials 


Ceramics and glasses 

Fibers and particulates 

Hybrids: composites, foams etc. 

Metals and alloys 

Polymers: plastics, elastomers 


Find what: 

Look in 

table: 

Polylactide 


© Granta Design Limited, 2011 

Browsing and Searching 

Exercise 1 Browse Materials 

� Find a record for STAINLESS STEEL 

� Find a record for CONCRETE 

� Find a record for POLYPROPYLENE 

� Open a POLYPROPYLENE record 

(Double-click on the record name in the tree) 

� Find PROCESSES that can shape POLYPROPYLENE 

using the ProcessUniverse LINK at the bottom of the datasheet 

Exercise 2 Browse Processes 

Browse ProcessUniverse: All processes 

� Find a record for INJECTION MOLDING 

� Find record for LASER SURFACE HARDENING 

� Find record for FRICTION WELDING (METALS) 

� Find MATERIALS that can be DIE CAST, 

using the LINK at the bottom of the record for 

DIE CASTING 

Exercise 3 The Search Facility 

� Find the material POLYLACTIDE 

� Find materials for CUTTING TOOLS 

� Find the process RTM 

(Part of a material datasheet and attribute note are shown next) 

Table: 

Subset: 

Getting Started with CES Selector 2 


ProcessUniverse 

All processes 

ProcessUniverse 

Joining 

Shaping 

Surface treatment

m~êí=çÑ=~=Ç~í~ëÜÉÉí=Ñçê=~=ã~íÉêá~äW=éçäóéêçéóäÉåÉ= ^ííêáÄìíÉ=åçíÉ=Ñçê=vçìåÖÛë=ãçÇìäìë= 

PP (Copolymer, UV stabilized) 

General properties 

Designation 

Polypropylene (Copolymer, UV stabilized) 

Density 0.0325 - 0.0328 lb/in^3 

Price * 1.13 - 1.24 USD/lb 

Composition overview 

Composition (summary) 

copolymer of propylene -(CH2-CH(CH3))- and up to 7% ethylene or other comonomer + UV 

stabiliser additives 

Mechanical properties 

Young's modulus 0.179 - 0.183 10^6 psi 

Shear modulus * 0.0635 - 0.0651 10^6 psi 

Bulk modulus * 0.328 - 0.336 10^6 psi 

Poisson's ratio * 0.405 - 0.413 

Yield strength (elastic limit) 3.42 - 3.91 ksi 

Tensile strength 3.39 - 3.57 ksi 

Compressive strength * 4.28 - 4.49 ksi 

Flexural strength (modulus of rupture) * 4.53 - 5.21 ksi 

Elongation 139 - 865 % 

Hardness - Vickers * 7.37 - 7.74 HV 

Fatigue strength at 10^7 cycles * 1.36 - 1.43 ksi 

Fracture toughness * 1.37 - 1.44 ksi.in^1/2 

Mechanical loss coefficient (tan delta) * 0.0312 - 0.0328 

Thermal properties 

Melting point * 292 - 307 °F 

Glass temperature -11.2 - 3.2 °F 

Maximum service temperature * 148 - 179 °F 

Minimum service temperature * -13 - 14 °F 

Thermal conductivity * 0.114 - 0.118 BTU.ft/h.ft^2.F 

Specific heat capacity * 0.448 - 0.457 BTU/lb.F 

Thermal expansion coefficient 65.8 - 67.4 µstrain/°F 

Durability to flame, fluids, sunlight 

Flammability Slow-burning (UL94: HB) 

Fresh water Very good 

(Click on hyperlinked attribute names for attribute notes, which provide 

background information on properties, test notes, and selection guidelines) 

(Right click on the datasheet to see a context menu with further actions 

e.g. copy the datasheet, print the datasheet, export the data to an 

FE package format) 


Young's modulus 


Stiffness in tension (also called Tensile Modulus, Elastic Modulus, Modulus of Elasticity). 

Test notes 

Young's modulus (E) is the slope of the initial linear-elastic part of the stress-strain curve in 

tension. 

Material selection notes 

Use to select materials with sufficient stiffness (high value) or sufficient compliance (low value). 

Modulus in tension, flexure, and compression are similar for most materials so can be 

interchanged for approximate work. 

Typical values: 

Flexible plastics and elastomers < 1 GPa 

Unfilled plastics 1–4 GPa 

Reinforced plastics 5–25 GPa 

Ferrous metals 70–250 GPa 

Non-ferrous metals 10–310 GPa 

Technical ceramics 20–700 GPa 

Ceramics and glasses 1–120 GPa 

Click to see science note. 

(For more information on the property and to drill down to the 

underlying science, follow the hyperlink to the science note)

Exercise 4 Creating a Comparison Table 


Comparing Records 

The performance of different materials can be compared by creating Comparison Tables or Property Charts. 

� Add an unfilled PP (Polypropylene) and an unfilled high-density 

PE (Polyethylene) record to a Comparison Table 

(Find an example of each in the Browse tree, then right-click and select Add to 

Comparison Table) 


� Set the PE-HD record as the reference record 

(Hover over the record name in the comparison table, and click the reference 

record icon ) 

� Change the display to show the differences relative to the reference record as 

percentages 

(click the % Change button in the comparison table toolbar) 

� Clear the Comparison Table

Exercise 5 Creating a Property Chart 

Select MaterialUniverse: All bulk materials 

� Make a BAR CHART of YOUNG’S MODULUS (E) 

(Set y-axis to Young’s modulus; leave x-axis at ) 

(Click on a few materials to label them; double-click to go to their record in the Data Table) 

� Make a BUBBLE CHART of YOUNG’S MODULUS (E) against DENSITY (ρ) 

(Set both x-axis and y-axis; the default is a log-log plot) 

(Materials can be labeled as before – click and drag to move the labels; use DEL to delete a label) 

� Show the Reference Record on the chart 

(Click the Reference Record icon in the Graph stage toolbar) 

(In the chart, all records except the reference record are grayed out) 

DELETE THE STAGE (right-click on stage in Selection Stages and select “Delete”) 


1. Selection Data 

MaterialUniverse: All bulk materials 

Reference: PE-HD 

2. Selection Stages 

Graph/Index Limit Tree 

X-axis Y-axis 

Single Property 

Density 

Yield strength 

Young's Modulus 

etc


Filtering / Screening 

The records in a data table can be screened or filtered using Limit, Graph, and Tree selection stages. 

Exercise 6 Selection using a Limit Stage 

� Find materials with 

MAX. SERVICE TEMPERATURE > 200 °C 

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY > 25 W/m.k 

ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY > 1e15 �ohm.cm 

(Use the limit bars for guidance on suitable values) 

(Enter the limits – minimum or maximum as appropriate – and 

click “Apply”. If a reference record is set, its values for 

each property will be shown to the right of the min/max entry boxes) 

(Example results: aluminum nitride, alumina, silicon nitride) 

= 

DELETE THE STAGE 

Getting Started with CES Selector 6

Exercise 7 Selection using a Graph Stage 

When plotted on a Graph stage, records can also be filtered using the charting Box and 

Line Selection tools. This provides a more qualitative approach to filtering. 

� Make a BAR CHART of YIELD STRENGTH ( � y ) (on the y-axis) 

� Use a BOX SELECTION 

strength) 

to find materials with high values of elastic limit (or 

(Click the box icon, then click-drag-release to define the box) 

� Add, on the other axis, DENSITY (ρ) 

(Either: highlight Stage 1 in Selection Stages, right-click and choose Edit Stage from the menu; 

or double-click the axis to edit) 

� Use a BOX SELECTION to find materials with high strength and low density 







3. Results 

X out of Y pass Rank by: Property A 

Material 1 

Material 2 

Material 3 

Material 4 

etc. 

Selection line, 

slope 1 

2130 

2100 

1950 

1876 




Selection box 

Line 

selection 

Bar chart 

Box 

selection 

Bubble chart 

Density

� Replace the BOX with a LINE SELECTION 

the “specific strength”, � y / � 

to find materials with high values of 

(Click the gradient line icon, then enter slope in the dialog: “1” in this case. 

Click on the graph to position the line through a particular point. 

Click above or below the line 

in this case. 

to select an area: above the line for high values of � y / � 

Now click on the line and drag upwards, to refine the selection to fewer materials.) 

� RANK the results by specific strength (Yield strength / Density) 

(Rank by, Stage 1: Performance Index and click on results column to change order 

from low–high to high–low) 

(Example results: CFRP, Titanium alloys, Magnesium alloys) 



Selection line, 

slope 1 

3. Results 

Show: Pass all Stages 

Rank by: Stage 1: Performance Index 

Name Stage 1: Index 

PEEK/IM Carbon Fiber, UD Composite... 

Cyanate Ester/HM Carbon Fiber, UD C... 

Epoxy/HS Carbon Fiber, UD Composite... 

BMI/HS Carbon Fiber, UD Composite... 

... 


1.55 

1.33 

1.24 

1.08

Exercise 8 Selection using a Tree Stage 

Using a tree stage, you can filter records based on their links to records in other 

data tables, or based on the database hierarchy (tree). 

� Find MATERIALS that can be MOLDED 

(In Tree Stage window, select ProcessUniverse, expand “Shaping” in the tree, select 

Molding, and click “Insert”, then OK) 


� Find PROCESSES to join STEELS 

(First change Selection Data to select Processes: Joining processes) 

(Then, in Tree Stage window, select MaterialUniverse, expand “Metals and alloys” 

in the tree, select Ferrous, and click “Insert”, then OK) 



Tree Selection 






3. Results 

X out of Y pass 

Material 1 

Material 2 

Material 3 

Material 4 

etc. 


Tree stage for material 

Material 

Ceramics 

Hybrids 

Metals 

Polymers 

Steels 

Al alloys 

Cu alloys 

Ni alloys... 

Tree stage for process 

Join 

Cast 

Deform 

Process Shape 

Mold 

Composite 

Surface 

Powder 

Prototype

Exercise 9 Combining Stages 

Change Selection Data to MaterialUniverse: All bulk materials 

Set the Reference Record to POM (thermoplastic) 

Find MATERIALS that have all of the following properties 

DENSITY < 2000 kg/m 3 

STRENGTH (Elastic limit) > 60 MPa 

THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY < 10 W/m.K 

(3 entries in a Limit Stage) 

� Filter the results to find those that can be THERMOFORMED 

(a Tree Stage: ProcessUniverse – Shaping – Molding) 

� Rank the results by PRICE 

(a Graph Stage: bar chart of Price) 

(On the final Graph Stage, all materials that fail one or more stages are grayed-out. 

The RESULTS window shows the materials that pass all the stages.) 

(Example results, cheapest first: PET-GF, PLA, PET, …) 

� Add the lowest-cost materials (top 3) to a comparison table 

(Check the Comparison Table checkboxes in the results list) 

� VIEW the Comparison Table 

Click the “Comparison” button below the selection results 

� GENERATE the SELECTION REPORT 

(Click the “Generate” button below the selection results) 

A selection report is created, containing a summary of the selection project on 

page one, details of each selection stage on page two, and the comparison table on 

page three. 


Putting It All Together 




Reference: 



3. Results Intersection of all stages 

Add to 

comparison table 

X out of Y pass 

Rank by: Property 

A 

Material 1 

2130 

Material 2 

2100 

Material 3 

1950 

Material 4 

etc. 

1876 

4. Reports 

Comparison... 

Set... 

Selection... 


Price 

Stacked stages 

Join 

Cast 

Deform 

Process Shape 

Mold 

Composite 

Surface 

Powder 

Prototype 

Min Max 

Density 

2000 

Yield strength 60 

T-conductivity 

10

Exercise 10 Finding Supporting Information 

(Requires Internet connection) 

� With the PET record open, click on SEARCH WEB to find additional information on 

PET 

(CES Selector translates the material ID to search strings compatible with a group of 

high-quality material and process information sources and delivers the hits. Many of 

the sources require a subscriber-based password. The ASM source is particularly 

recommended.) 

CLOSE THE DATASHEET 



Exercise 11 Selecting Processes 

Change Selection Data to select ProcessUniverse: Shaping processes 

Find PRIMARY SHAPING PROCESSES to make a component with 

� SHAPE = Dished sheet 

� MASS = 10 – 12 kg 

� SECTION THICKNESS = 4 mm 

� ECONOMIC BATCH SIZE > 1000 

(5 entries in a Limit Stage) 

� Made of a THERMOPLASTIC 

(a Tree Stage: MaterialUniverse – Polymers – Plastics – Thermoplastics) 

(Example results: compression molding, rotational molding, thermoforming) 


Process Selection 


Limit 

Title 

Notes 


Stage Properties 

Limit 

4. Selection Report 

Generate... Project Summary 

Project Settings 

Summary 

Title Select all materials 

Notes 

Saving, Copying, and Report Writing 

Exercise 12 Adding Comments to a Project 

You can add comments to a selection project as a reminder of 

why you have applied certain constraints and objectives. 

Comments are displayed on mouse-over in the selection report, 

and are saved in the project file. 

Comments can be added to each selection stage in a project. 

(Click the Notes icon in the stage window heading, then 

type in the dialog) 

Comments can also be added to the selection report summary. 

For example, adding information on which material was finally 

selected, and the reasons why, provides full traceability of the 

material selection. 

Exercise 13 Saving Selection Stages as a Project 

� SAVE the project – (give it a filename and directory location; 

CES Selector project files have the extension “.ces”) 


File 

Open Project 

Save Project 

Print... 

Edit View etc

4. Selection Report 

Generate... Project Summary 


Print Export 

PDF 

Word 

Exercise 14 Saving a Selection Report 

� GENERATE the selection report 

� EXPORT the selection report as a PDF 

(Note: You will require a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader 

to view the exported selection report) 

Exercise 15 Copying CES Output into a Document 

Charts, Records, and Results lists may be copied (CTRL-C) 

and pasted (CTRL-V) into a word processor application 

� Display a chart, right-click on it, 

then COPY and PASTE it into document 

� Double click a selected material in the Results window 

to display its datasheet, right-click on the datasheet, 

then COPY and PASTE 

� To copy the results list, click in the Results window, 

SELECT ALL, right-click in the window, 

then COPY and PASTE 

� To copy individual records in the results list, 

use Shift-Click or Ctrl-Click to select records, 

right-click, then COPY and PASTE 

� Try editing the document 

(The datasheet in Exercise 3 and the selection charts in 

Exercises 4 and 6 were made in this way) 



Getting the Most Out of CES Selector 

Now that you have completed the ‘Getting Started’ exercises, the following exercises introduce you to 

some additional tools and features that will make your use of CES Selector particularly productive. 

Custom Selection 

Exercise 16 Favorites 

The Favorites feature enables users to highlight their favorite records e.g. your 

company’s preferred materials. 

� Browse to the CAST ALUMINUM folder 

� Add the folder as a FAVORITE 

(Right click on “Cast” and select “Add to Favorites”) 

(On the tree and datasheet, favorites are marked with a star ) 

� Add the “Type 66” PA folder as a FAVORITE as well 

(Expand “Polymers” in the tree, then “Plastics”, “Thermoplastics”, “PA (Polyamide/Nylon)”) 


� Make a BUBBLE CHART of YOUNG’S MODULUS (E) against DENSITY ( � ) 

(as in Exercise 4) 

� SHOW FAVORITES 

(Click the favorites icon) 

(On the Graph stage, all materials that are not favorites are grayed-out) 

(Click on a favorite material to label it) 

� CLEAR the favorites 

(Go to Tools > Favorites > Clear) 


Table: 

Subset: 



All bulk materials 



Non-ferrous 

Aluminum 

Cast 

Wrought 


Add to Favorites 

Tools

Exercise 17 Adding User-Defined Records 

New materials are continuously being developed and introduced onto the market. These 

materials can be ‘added’ and compared with other materials in the database using the 

‘User-defined Record’ feature. 




Set the following constraint: 

� THERMAL EXPANSION COEFFICIENT < 100 �strain/°C 

(1 entry in a Limit Stage) 

� Add your own record 

(Right click in the bubble chart and select “Add Record”) 

� For the User-Defined Record 

NAME New material 

DENSITY Min. 1100 kg/m^3 

YOUNG’S MODULUS 70 – 75 GPa 

(Click OK when finished. The new record will be shown on the Graph Stage. 

The default color for a user-defined record is orange.) 

� Show the User-Defined Record (click the icon) 

(On the Graph stage, all materials that are not user-defined are grayed-out) 


Young's modulus 


When a record is added from a chart, only the selection attributes are shown for 

data entry. User-defined records do not fail stages when no value has been entered 

for a specified constraint (such as thermal expansion in this example). 

A user-defined record appears on the Browse tree under ‘My records’. 

User defined records are saved in the selection project file, not the database. 

You may edit or delete a user-defined record. 

DELETE THE STAGES and the USER-DEFINED RECORD 



Exercise 18 Selection with a Custom Subset 

The CES Selector databases are supplied with a range of standard subsets (e.g. All bulk 

materials, Metals, Magnetic materials, etc.) which enable users to restrict their material 

selection to certain material groups within the database. The custom subset feature 

enables users to define their own subsets. 


� Make a BUBBLE CHART of YOUNG’S MODULUS (E) against DENSITY ( � ) 


Change Selection Data to select CUSTOM Materials: 

� Select ALUMINUM and PLASTICS 

(In the Custom Subset dialog, click on checkboxes to include or exclude records or folders. 

A checked box means all records in the folder are selected. 

A cleared box means no records in the folder are selected. 

A filled box means some records in the folder are selected.) 

(Note: The ‘Selection attributes’ setting defines what properties will be available in 

graph and limit selection stages) 

The bubble chart updates. 




Custom: Define your own subset... 

Custom Subset 

Selection table: MaterialUniverse 

Initial subset: All bulk materials 

Selection attributes: All bulk materials 



Fibers and particulates 

Hybrids: composites, foams, etc. 


Ferrous 

Non-ferrous 

Aluminum 

Beryllium 

... 

... 

Polymers: plastics, elastomers 

Elastomers 

Plastics 


Exercise 19 Record Coloring 

The CES Selector databases use a standardized color scheme for displaying records 

(e.g. dark blue for plastics). These default colors can be changed so that particular 

records can be highlighted. 

� Browse to the POLYPROPYLENE folder 

� Change the folder color to YELLOW 

(Right click on Polypropylene and select “Change Color > Yellow”) 

(Note: Record colors can also be changed by right-clicking on a record in a graph 

stage or the selection results list) 

(If the stage from Exercise 18 is still present, the bubble chart updates) 


Exercise 20 Plotting a Combined Property 

Many engineering applications require combined properties to be optimized. For 

example, specific stiffness (Young’s modulus / density) in aerospace, and thermal 

diffusivity (thermal conductivity / (density . specific heat)) in thermal applications. 

These types of properties can be plotted using the advanced property feature. 

� Make a BAR CHART of the combined property DENSITY/(YOUNG’S 

MODULUS^(1/2)) 

(To set the y-axis, click “Advanced”. In the Set Axis dialog, select an attribute, then 

click “Insert” to create the expression) 

(Leave x-axis at ) 





Performance Indices 

One of the main components of the rational material selection technique is the use of performance indices. These are combined 

properties (e.g. Young’s modulus / density) that allow the function of a design to be optimized for a particular application. The 

performance index finder enables users to quickly identify (and plot) the performance indices that are applicable to their design. 

Exercise 21 Performance Index Finder 

� Make a BAR CHART of the performance index for minimizing the mass of a stiffnesslimited 

beam, loaded in bending 

(Set y-axis Function to Beam in bending, Fixed Variables to length and section 

shape, Limiting Constraint to stiffness, Optimize to mass) 

(Leave x-axis at ) 







X-axis Y-axis 

Performance Index Finder 

Function: Beam in bending 

Limiting Constraint: 

stiffness 

Optimize: mass

Exercise 22 Selection with a Trade-off Plot 

Many designs require a compromise to be made between competing objectives, for 

example, maximize performance and minimize cost. The influence of this ‘trade-off’ 

on material choice can be studied by generating a trade-off plot, where candidate 

materials lie along a hypothetical curve or trade-off surface (see picture). Optimal 

materials, for a particular application, are identified by making a judgment on the 

relative importance of the two objectives (e.g. in aerospace, high performance is 

more important than low cost). 

� Make a BUBBLE CHART of the performance index 

BEAM IN BENDING, limited by STIFFNESS 

(Set y-axis to Optimize mass; set x-axis to Optimize cost) 

(The materials on or near the trade-off surface offer the best compromise for 

minimizing mass and cost) 

(Note: The trade-off surface cannot be plotted on a chart by CES) 








Performance Index 

P1: mass, m 

Heavy 

Light 

Cheap 

Trade-off 

surface 

Performance Index 

P1: cost, c 

Expensive


Functional Data 

Some properties within the databases are stored as functional data, meaning that data is available for a number of different 

conditions. This allows users to readily incorporate the conditions of their application into their selection project. For example, 

using the ‘Fatigue strength model’ the user can specify both the stress ratio and number of cycles for the fatigue strength. 

Exercise 23 Viewing Functional Data 



� Display the functional data graphs 

(Click the “Show/Hide” button to show all functional data graphs on the datasheet) 

(Alternatively, click on the , , or buttons to open the graph in a new 

window and view the equation or data points) 

Exercise 24 Setting Parameters for Functional Data 

The parameter values for functional data apply to all applicable functional data types 

within the datasheet and to all datasheets in the selection project. The parameter 

values can be changed using the Parameters hyperlink. 


The value for FATIGUE STRENGTH MODEL is calculated at the given parameter 

values for STRESS RATIO and NUMBER OF CYCLES. 

� Change the parameter value for NUMBER OF CYCLES 

(Click the Parameters link and set a new value in the dialog, then click OK. The 

value in the datasheet will updated.) 

(To view the updated project setting, go to the Select menu > Project Settings > 

Parameter Values) 

Table: 

Subset: 

Table: 

Subset: 


Metals 

Layout: All attributes 



Datasheet 


Fatigue strength model (stress range) 

* 34.1 - 49.7 ksi 

Parameters: Stress Ratio=-1, Number of Cycles=1e7 

10 

0 

Fatigue strength 

model (stress range) 

(ksi) 



Metals 

10 

0 


Number of Cycles 

Stress Ratio=-1 

Datasheet 

1e 

8 


Fatigue strength model * 34.1 - 49.7 ksi 

Parameters: Stress ratio=-1, Number of cycles=1e7 

Parameters 

Number of cycles 1e7 

Stress ratio -1 

Show/Hide

The Eco Audit Tool –which is an optional add-on tool –estimates the energy used 

and CO2 produced during five key life phases of a product (material, manufacture, 

transport, use, and end of life) and identifies which is the dominant phase. This is 

the starting point for eco-aware product design, as it identifies which parameters 

need to be targeted to reduce the eco-footprint of the product. 

Exercise 25 Eco Audit Project 

A brand of bottled mineral water is sold in 1 liter PET bottles with 

polypropylene caps. A bottle weighs 40 grams; the cap 1 gram. Bottles 

and caps are molded, filled, and transported 550 km from the French 

Alps to England by 14 tonne truck, refrigerated for 2 days and then 

sold. The overall life of the bottle is one year. 

An example product file for this case study is installed with 

CES Selector in the ‘Samples’ folder. 

Product Definition 

(For an explanation of the calculations used in each stage, click the help icon 

in the heading) 

= 

Eco Audit Project 

Product Definition New Open Save 

Product name: PET Bottle 


Eco Audit 


1. Material, manufacture, and end of life 

Bill of materials (BOM), primary processing techniques, and end of life 

Quantity Component name Material Recycle content Primary process Mass (kg) End of life 

100 Bottle PET 0% Molding 0.04 Recycle 



Hybrids: composites etc 


Polymers and elastomers 

Elastomers 

Polymers 

Thermoplastics 

PET 

0% 

100% 

Optionally, you can specify secondary processing, joining and finishing 

techniques, end of life treatment and recovery rates. 

2. Transport 

Transportation from site of manufacture to point of sale 

Molding 

Extrusion 

Landfill 

Combust 

Downcycle 

Recycle 

Re-engineer 

Reuse 

100 Cap PP 

0% Molding 0.001 Combust 

100 Water 

1 

Stage name Transport type Distance (km) 

Bottling plant to point of sale 14 tonne truck 550 

Sea freight 

Rail freight 

14 tonne truck 

Air freight – long haul 

...

3. Use 

Product life and location of use 

Product Product life: life: 1 years 

Country electricity mix: 

United Kingdom 

France 

Germany 

United Kingdom 

... 

Static mode 

Energy used to refrigerate product at point of sale (average energy required to refrigerate 

100 bottles at 4°C = 0.12 kW) 

�� 

�� Product uses the following energy: 

Energy input and output: Electric to mechanical (electric motors) 

Power rating: 

Usage: 

Usage: 

0.12 kW 

2 

24 

days per year 

hours per day 

Fossil fuel to thermal, enclosed system 

Fossil fuel to electric 

Electric to thermal 

Electric to mechanical (electric motors) 

... 

4. Report 

View Report 

Energy and CO2 Footprint Summary: 

(Result: Material is the dominant life phase � Focus on minimizing embodied energy of 

bottle and/or mass of bottle to reduce eco-footprint of product) 

Change the “End of life” option for the bottle to “Combust” and note the different impacts 

on the end of life potential Energy & CO2

Exercise 26 Saving an Eco Audit Product Definition 

Eco audit projects do not form part of a selection project and need to be saved 

separately. 

� SAVE the product definition – (give it a filename and directory location; 

CES Eco Audit product files have the extension “.prd”) 

Exercise 27 Saving/Exporting an Eco Audit Report 

� GENERATE the eco audit report 

� EXPORT the eco audit report as a PDF 

(Note: You will require Microsoft Excel, Word, or a PDF reader such as Adobe 

Reader to view the exported eco audit report) 




Hybrid Synthesizer 

Hybrid materials and structures combine the benefits of two or more materials to produce new materials that exhibit unique 

combinations of properties. For example, both composite materials and sandwich panels are commonly used in lightweight 

structures. The Hybrid Synthesizer enables the performance of these structures to be predicted and compared with other 

materials in the database. 

Exercise 28 Sandwich Panels Model 




� Use the SANDWICH PANELS model to create synthesized records 

(Go to Tools > Synthesizer and select ‘Sandwich Panels’ in the Hybrid Synthesizer) 

� Set the Source Materials 

FACE-SHEET Aluminum, 6061, wrought, T6 

CORE Polymethacrylimide foam (rigid, 0.200) 

(Click the Browse button and locate the materials on the tree) 

� Accept the default settings for Model Variables and Model Parameters 

� Set the Material Names 

FACE-SHEET Al 

CORE Rohacell 

(Click the help icon in the headings for an explanation of the calculations used) 

(Click “Create” to run the model) 

(When finished, the new synthesized records will be shown on the Graph Stage) 

Source Materials 

Face-sheet Aluminum, 6061, wrought, T6 

Core Polymethacrylimide foam (rigid, 0.200) 

Model Variables 

Face-sheet 

thickness 

Core thickness 

Model Parameters 

Support and load conditions 

Material names 

Face-sheet Al 

Core Rohacell 

Sandwich Panels 

Span 10 m 

0.05 - 5 mm Number of values 10 

20 mm Number of values 0 

Built in ends 

Central load 


� Use a LINE SELECTION to plot a line corresponding to a light-weight, stiff, panel in bending 

(Click the gradient line icon, then enter slope: “3” in this case) 

� Show the SYNTHESIZED RECORDS on the chart 

(Click the Show Synthesized Records button) 

(Label the parent records, and a few of the synthesized records) 

Synthesized records appear on the Browse tree under 

‘My records > Synthesized’. 

Synthesized records are saved in the selection project file, not the database. 

They may be edited or deleted in a similar manner to user-defined records. 

DELETE THE STAGE and the SYNTHESIZED RECORDS 


� E 

1 3 

f 


... 

My records 

Synthesized 

... 

20mm core 

0.05mm Al face-sheet 

0.0834mm Al face-sheet 

... 


... 

Edit Record 

Delete Record

Standard toolbar 

Browse the 

database 

tree 

Search for 

text in the 

database 

Select entities 

using design 

criteria 

Graph Stage toolbar 

Line selection 

tool 

Cancel selection 

Box selection tool 

Favorites 

and other 

options 

Un-zoom 

Zoom 

Add text 


Eco Au dit 

tool 

Hybrid 

Synthesizer 

tool 

Add envelopes 

Search for 

information 

on the Web 

Black and white chart 

Result intersection 

Show reference 

record 

Show favorites 

Toolbars and General Information 

Open 

CES Help 

Hide failed materials 

Show 

synthesized 

records 

Show 

user-defined 

records 

File Types 

*.gdb Granta Database file 

*.ces CES Selector Project file (text) 

*.cet Selection Template file 

*.frl Favorites file 

*.prd Eco Audit Product Definition file 

Options for Preferred Currency and Units 

Database Options 

Settings Preferred Currency Preferred Unit System 

The Regional Setting from 

the operating system for 

currency is used to view 

data. The regional setting is 

specified after ‘Automatic’ 

e.g. . 

Data is displayed using the 

units stored in the database. 

Currency data is displayed 

using the default Currency. 

Named 

Setting 

Named currency is used to 

display data e.g. ‘US Dollar 

(USD)’. 


The Regional Setting from 

the operating system for unit 

system is used to view data. 

The regional setting is 

specified after ‘Automatic’ 

e.g. ‘‘. 

Data is displaying using the 

units stored in the database. 

Attribute data is displayed 

using the unit for the 

attribute definition. 

Named unit system is used to 

display data e.g. ‘Metric’.

www.grantadesign.com 

info@grantadesign.com 

Corporate Headquarters: Granta Design Limited, Rustat House, 62 Clifton Road, Cambridge CB1 7EG, UK 

UK/Int’l +44 (0)1223 518895 

Copyright © 2012 Granta Design Ltd. 

CES Selector is a trademark of Granta Design Ltd. 

USA (800) 241-1546 

France 08 00 76 12 90 

Germany 0800 182 5026

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