Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Engineering ...

1 Engineers, regardless oftheir backgrounds, fol-low certain steps whendesigning the products andservices we use in our every-day lives. These steps are:(1) recognizing the need for aproduct or service, (2) definingand understanding the problem(the need) completely, (3) doingthe preliminary research andpreparation, (4) conceptualizingideas for possible solutions,(5) synthesizing the results,(6) evaluating good ideas inmore detail, (7) optimizing theresult to arrive at the best pos-sible solution, and (8) present-ing the TOENGINEERINGDESIGNS ource:Markus Gann /ShutterstockSource:1971yes /Shutterstock 5/21/10 12:40 PM Page 40 Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).

2 Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Design Process41 Engineers are problem solvers. In this chapter, we will introduce you to the engineer -ing design process. As we discussed in Chapter 1, engineers apply physical and chem-ical laws and principles and mathematics to design millions of products and servicesthat we use in our everyday lives. Here, we will look more closely at what the termdesign means and learn more about how engineers go about designing these productsand services. We will discuss the basic steps that most engineers follow when design-ing something. We will also introduce you to the economic considerations, materialselection, team work, project scheduling, and Engineering standards and codes allan integral part of the design process and product and service Design ProcessLet us begin by emphasizing what we said in Chapter 1 about what engineers do.

3 Engineers applyphysical laws, chemical laws and principles, and mathematics todesignmillions of products and ser-vices that we use in our everyday lives. These products include cars, computers, aircrafts, clothing,toys, home appliances, surgical equipment, heating and cooling equipment, health care devices,tools and machines that make various products, and so on. Engineers consider important factorssuch as cost, efficiency, reliability, sustainability, and safety when designing the products, and theyperform tests to make certain that the products they design withstand various loads and condi-tions. Engineers are continuously searching for ways to improve already existing products as alsodesignand supervise the construction of buildings, dams, highways, and mass tran-sit systems. They alsodesignand supervise the construction of power plants that supply power tomanufacturing companies, homes, and offices.

4 Engineers play a significant role in thedesignandmaintenance of nations infrastructures, including communication systems, utilities, and trans-portation. They continuously develop new advanced materials to make products lighter and stron-ger for different applications. Engineers are also responsible for findingsuitable waysanddesigningthe necessary equipment to extract petroleum, natural gas, and raw materials from the us now look more closely at what constitutes thedesign process. These are the basic stepsthat engineers, regardless of their background, follow to arrive at solutions to problems. Thesteps include: (1) recognizing the need for a product or a service, (2) defining and understand-ing the problem (the need) completely, (3) doing preliminary research and preparation, (4) con-ceptualizing ideas for possible solutions, (5) synthesizing the findings, (6) evaluating good ideasin more detail, (7) optimizing solutions to arrive at the best possible solution, (8) and present-ing the final in mind that these steps, which we will discuss soon, are not independent of oneanother and do not necessarily follow one another in the order in which they are presented fact, engineers often need to return to steps 1 and 2 when clients decide to change designparameters.

5 Quite often, engineers are also required to give oral and written progress reports ona regular time basis. Therefore, be aware of the fact that even though we listed presentation ofthe design process as step 8, it could well be an integral part of many other design steps. Let usnow take a closer look at each step, starting with the need for a product or a 5/21/10 12:40 PM Page 41 Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.

6 42 Chapter 3 Introduction to Engineering DesignStep 1: Recognizing the Need for a Product or a ServiceAll you have to do is look around to realize the large number of products and services designed by engineers that you use every day. Most often, we take these products and servicesfor granted until, for some reason, there is an interruption in the services they provide. Some ofthese existing products are constantly being modified to take advantage of new technologies. Forexample, cars and home appliances are constantly being redesigned to incorporate new tech-nologies. In addition to the products and the services already in use, new products are beingdeveloped every day for the purpose of making our lives more comfortable, more pleasurable,and less laborious. There is also that old saying that every time someone complains about asituation, or about a task, or curses a product, right there, there is an opportunity for a productor a service.

7 As you can tell, the need for products and services exists; what one has to do is toidentify them. The need may be identified by you, the company that you may eventually workfor, or by a third-party client who needs a solution to a problem or a new product to make whatit does easier and more 2: Problem Definition and UnderstandingOne of the first things you need to do as a design engineer is to fully understand the is the most important step in any design process. If you do not have a good grasp of what theproblem is or of what the client wants, you will not come up with a solution that is relevant tothe need of the client. The best way to fully understand a problem is by asking many may ask the client questions such as: How much money are you willing to spend on thisproject? Are there restrictions on the size or the type of materials that can be used?

8 Whendo you need the product or the service? How many of these products do you need? Questionsoften lead to more questions that will better define the problem. Moreover, keep in mind thatI needbetter roller skates! 5/21/10 12:40 PM Page 42 Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Design Process43engineers generally work in a team environment where they consult each other to solve com-plex problems.

9 They divide up the task into smaller, manageable problems among themselves;consequently, productive engineers must be good team players. Good interpersonal and com-munication skills are increasingly important now because of the global market. You need tomake sure you clearly understand your portion of the problem and how it fits with the otherproblems. For example, various parts of a product could be made by different companies locatedin different states or countries. In order to ensure that all components fit and work well together,cooperation and coordination are essential, which demands good teamwork and strong com-munication skills. Make sure you understand the problem, and make sure that the problem iswell defined before you move on to the next point cannot be emphasized enough. Goodproblems solvers are those who first fully understand what the problem 3: Research and PreparationOnce you fully understand the problem, as a next step you need to collect useful speaking, a good place to start is by searching to determine if a product already existsthat closely meets the need of your client.

10 Perhaps a product, or components of a product, alreadyhas been developed by your company that you could modify to meet the need. You do not wantto reinvent the wheel! As mentioned earlier, depending on the scope, some projects require col-laboration with other companies, so you need to find out what is available through these othercompanies as well. Try to collect as much information as you can. This is where you spend lotsof time not only with the client but also with other engineers and technicians. Internet searchengines are becoming increasingly important tools to gather such information. Once you havecollected all pertinent information, you must then review it and organize it in a suitable 4: ConceptualizationDuring this phase of design, you need to generate some ideas or concepts that could offer rea-sonable solutions to your problem.