An educational software to reinforce the comprehensive learning of materials selection

An educational software, called CalSev 1.0.2, has been developed for supporting the teaching in materials selection seminars. As a case study, a selection of materials for nuclear reactor pressure vessels has been chosen, because it is a representative example of the relationship between chemical composition, mechanical properties, and in-service behavior. This software has been developed to improve the students’ understanding of the materials selection tasks, providing an interactive user-friendly platform that allows to modify—in real time—the content of chemical elements and mechanical requirements to obtain a materials performance evaluation. Due to its versatility, this informatics tool represents a great value for educational purposes, with special impact in blended and distance learning, by simplifying the arduous task of materials selection for a wide range of applications and promoting a collaborative working environment by easing the creation of small groups analyzing different study cases. Finally, to evaluate the functionality, interest, user-friendliness and the educational characteristics of CalSev 1.0.2, a survey among 36 undergraduate students has been carried out.