Hi there.
I am (along with my projectgroup) currently working on our 3rd semester project of our industrial engineerin education af the University of Aalborg, Denmark. Our project is to build a crane that can lift a certain type of boats and we've just reached the phase where we are to choose the type of steel the crane should be built in. Our problem with this is due to the problem, that we haven't been introduced to any 'algorithms' for choosing the right type of material nor the type of profile. We really don't want to pick a material without anyh argumentation (even though this is what we've been told to do). Therefore, we've been browsing around the web in hope of finding any recognized methods for choosing the right type of material, but without any luck, and that's where you guys come in :-)
So basically, is there any recognized methods of choosing the correct materials based on various factors. It doesn't need to be to complex, this is still only 3rd semester - but better complex than vague :-)
Thank you for your time. Christian Rasmussen, Denmark.