Michael F. Ashby

Ashby is the son of the leading botanist and educator Lord Ashby. He was educated at Campbell College in Belfast and the University of Cambridge where he studied the Natural Sciences Tripos as a student of Queens' College, Cambridge. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Metallurgy in 1957 (First Class Honours); his Master of Arts degree in 1959 and his PhD in 1961.

By conducting numerous studies on the active deformation mechanisms under different temperature conditions, M.F. Ashby developed a graphical approach for determining these mechanisms. He generalizes this approach to the broader field of material selection by developing the software CMS(Cambridge Materials Selector)in collaboration with David Cebon, with whom he co-founded Granta Design Limited. He also collaborated extensively with Yves Bréchet (CNRS Silver Medal). He continued to work on the software to improve its pedagogical value across Materials Education ( CES EduPack{{cite web|url=http://www.grantadesign.com/education/edupack/|title=CES EduPack - Granta Design|website=Grantadesign.com|access-date=16 November 2018}} – used at more than 1000 universities worldwide and value to industry (CES Selector{{cite web|url=https://www.grantadesign.com/products/ces/|title=CES Selector - Granta Design|website=Grantadesign.com|access-date=16 November 2018}}). This software is currently available from the company Granta Design, of which he is the chairman.

Ashby has revolutionized the approach to the selection of materials to take into account four aspects: feature, material, geometry, and processes; moreover, he worked with the division in classes and subclasses.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} In doing so he has developed a comprehensive approach that associates to the expected mechanical functions of an object a performance index that has to be optimized. These indices allow to better take into account all the properties required of a material, such as specific stiffness (ratio between the elastic modulus and density) instead of single elastic module. His approach allows one to rationally choose the most suitable materials for each application.

In practice, this approach firstly asks to identify the performance index starting from the expected function and geometry. Then it is possible to select thresholds for certain properties in order to select the most useful materials from those present in a database that has some 80,000 materials. The division into classes allows pre-selecting representative materials and therefore working only with certain classes of materials. Finally, the selected materials are shown in a 2-dimensional chart, called the Ashby diagram, in order to view those with the highest performance index. These diagrams often contain also nanostructured materials and composites.

• Materials Selection for Mechanical Design – standard text used around the world.
• Materials and Design – book – Aesthetic attributes as well as technical attributes of materials, making products delightful as well as functional.
• Materials Processing Science and Design- introductory textbook – trying to motivate engineers to learn about materials by starting with design.

In more recent years he has concentrated on materials and the environment and sustainability, writing award-winning textbooks and pioneering teaching methods to get this complex topic across to engineering students.

He has been honored by the American Society of Engineering Education by having a teaching prize named after him.{{cite web|url=http://materials.asee.org/?page_id=20|title=Awards » ASEE Materials|website=Materials.asee.org|access-date=16 November 2018}}

Ashby has achieved innovative work{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} in the areas of materials, design, and sustainability{{cite web|url=http://blog.taaonline.net/2016/03/taa-announces-2016-textbook-award-winners/|title=TAA announces 2016 Textbook Award winners|website=Blog.taaonline.net|date=22 March 2016 |access-date=16 November 2018}} as well as in that of pedagogy. His works on materials are comparable to those of Carrega and Colombié.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} His former doctoral students include Lorna Gibson.

• Ashby, Michael F. 'Materials and Sustainable Development', Butterworth Heinemann, 2015 {{ISBN|9780081001769}}
• Ashby, Michael F. 'Materials and the Environment: Eco-informed Material Choice', Butterworth Heinemann, 2009. 2nd Edition 2012 {{ISBN|9780123859716}}
• Ashby, Michael F., Shercliff, Hugh and Cebon, David 'Materials: Engineering, Science, Processing, and Design'. Butterworth Heinemann, 2007. 3rd Edition 2013 {{ISBN|9780080977737}}
• Ashby, Mike and Johnson, Kara 'Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Materials Selection in Product Design' Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2002 {{ISBN|0-7506-5554-2}}
• Ashby, M.F. 'How to Write a Paper', 7th Edition 2011{{ISBN missing}}
• Ashby, M.F. 'Materials Selection and Process in Mechanical Design', Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 1999 {{ISBN|0-7506-4357-9}}
• Ashby, M.F. and Cebon, D. 'Case studies in Materials Selection', First Edition, Granta Design Ltd, Cambridge, 1996 {{ISBN| 9780750636049}}
• Ashby, M.F. and Gibson, L.J. 'Cellular Solids Structure and Properties', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997 {{ISBN|0-521-49911-9}}
• Asbhy, M.F. and Jones, D.R.H. 'Engineering Materials 1, Second Edition', Butterworth Heineman, Oxford, 1996 {{ISBN|978-0080966656}}
• Ashby, M.F. and Jones, D.R.H. 'Engineering Materials 2, Second Edition', Butterworth Heineman, Oxford, 1998 {{ISBN|9780080545653}}
• Ashby, M.F. and Waterman, N.A. 'The Chapman and Hall Material Selector', Chapman and Hall, London, Volumes 1–3, 1996{{ISBN missing}}
• Ashby, M.F. and Frost H.J. 'Deformation-mechanism maps: the plasticity and creep of metals and ceramics', Pergamon, 1982 {{ISBN|9780080293387}}
• Michael F. Ashby 'Materials Selection in Mechanical Design Pergamon Press 1992 (2nd edition 1999 3rd edition 2005 4th edition 2010) {{ISBN|978-1856176637}}

Ashby's awards and honours include:

• elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1979{{cite web|url=https://royalsociety.org/people/michael-ashby-11007/|website=Royalsociety|publisher=Royal Society|location=London|author=Anon|year=1979|title=Professor Michael Ashby CBE FREng FRS}} One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: {{blockquote|“All text published under the heading 'Biography' on Fellow profile pages is available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.” --{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111170346/https://royalsociety.org/about-us/terms-conditions-policies/|title=Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies|date=2016-11-11}}}}
• received the A. A. Griffith Medal and Prize in 1981{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
• elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1990
• awarded the European Materials Medal of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS) in 1993{{Cite web|url=https://www.fems.org/awards|title=Awards {{!}} FEMS - The Federation of European Materials Societies|website=www.fems.org|access-date=2019-09-06}}
• elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 1993{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
• appointed CBE in the 1997 Birthday Honours
• nominated a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|access-date=25 April 2011}}
• awarded the Eringen Medal in 1999{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

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Category:1935 births

Category:Living people

Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society

Category:Fellows of Clare Hall, Cambridge

Category:Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge

Category:People educated at Campbell College

Category:Engineers from Belfast

Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:British metallurgists

Category:Sons of life peers

Category:Professors of engineering (Cambridge)