Brazilian student wins materials design challenge

Granta Design has announced the winner of the Ashby Design Award for 2006.

Granta Design has announced the winner of the Ashby Design Award for 2006.

He is Eduardo Avancini Alves of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sol, Brazil.

Granta sponsors this annual award as part of its commitment to encourage innovation in teaching and learning about materials and processes.

Each year, Professor Mike Ashby sets a materials selection problem for students in disciplines including: general, mechanical, manufacturing and aerospace engineering; materials science and materials engineering; industrial and product design; polymer science and polymer engineering; eco-engineering; and architecture and the built environment.

This year's challenge was on the choice of material for a medical application.

Contestants were asked to take the role of a consultant choosing a material with very low thermal conductivity, but able to withstand 1034bar of pressure.

The application involved hot liquid flowing through a tube and a key objective was to minimise heat loss.

Prof Ashby comments: "This year's materials selection problem was the most challenging to date".

"It stimulated an excellent response: 30 submissions from a number of countries".

"The winner, by a narrow margin, was selected for his innovative exploration of tubular structures in nature as a source of inspiration, and for his competent analysis and use of the CES EduPack software to devise a steel-mesh reinforced polyurethane composite tube that meets the design requirements".

"Congratulations to Eduardo and to Professor Wilson Kindlein Jr who guided the project".

The prize for the award winner includes a personal copy of CES EduPack 2006.

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