Materials Properties Window

When you perform an environmental deterioration (ED) analysis for a structural item, you can use the Material Properties window to perform a new evaluation for each material that will be considered. (For information about how to copy or link to a material evaluation that has already been performed for another SSI, see Select Existing Materials.)

To access the Material Properties window from an ED (Metals) or ED (Non-Metals) analysis, choose Structures > Materials > Add New Material.

 The following properties are available:

• Use the fields in the General area to provide basic information about the material. Note that the Heat Treatment field is available only for metallic material properties.
• The next several areas present the rating system for either metallic or non-metallic materials. As discussed in Environmental Deterioration (ED) Analysis:
  • For metals, you will rate the material's sensitivity to Potential Corrosion Types (PCT) such as pitting, fretting, erosion, etc. You will also rate the sensitivity to Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC), how easy it is to detect the damage, the level of exposure to corrosive substances in the environment, and the degree of protection against those substances.
  • For non-metals, you will rate the material's sensitivity to different Potential Environmental Damage Types (PED) such as humidity, solar, lightning, etc., as well as the ability to detect such damage. You will also rate the composition of the skin, the level of exposure to an adverse environment and the degree of protection from that environment.

Note: The values used in the rating systems are configurable at the database level. (See Configurable Options for Structural Analysis.)

• History provides information about when the record was created and last updated. If the history log has been activated at the project level, you can click the View Item History icon to open the Record History Log for the record.