Engineering Design (4^th Ed.)
A Project-Based Introduction

Dym, Little and Orwin's Engineering Design: A Project-Based Introduction, 4th Edition gets students actively involved with conceptual design methods and project management tools. The book helps students acquire design skills as they experience the activity of design by doing design projects.  It is equally suitable for use in project-based first-year courses, formal engineering design courses, and capstone project courses.

FOREWORD x

PREFACE xi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvi

PART I INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER 1 ENGINEERING DESIGN

What does it mean to design something? Is engineering design different from other kinds of design? 3

1.1 Where and when do engineers design? 3

1.2 A basic vocabulary for engineering design 7

1.3 Learning and doing engineering design 12

1.4 Managing engineering design projects 14

1.5 Notes 15

CHAPTER 2 DEFINING A DESIGN PROCESS AND A CASE STUDY

How do I do engineering design? Can you show me an example? 16

2.1 The design process as a process of questioning 16

2.2 Describing and prescribing a design process 19

2.3 Informing a design process 24

2.4 Case study: Design of a stabilizer for microlaryngeal surgery 27

2.5 Illustrative design examples 34

2.6 Notes 35

PART II THE DESIGN PROCESS AND DESIGN TOOLS 37

CHAPTER 3 PROBLEM DEFINITION: DETAILING CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

What does the client require of this design? 39

3.1 Clarifying the initial problem statement 40

3.2 Framing customer requirements 41

3.3 Revised problem statements: Public statements of the design project 43

3.4 Designing an arm support for a CP-afflicted student 44

3.5 Notes 46

CHAPTER 4 PROBLEM DEFINITION: CLARIFYING THE OBJECTIVES

What is this design intended to achieve? 47

4.1 Clarifying a client’s objectives 47

4.2 Measurement issues in ordering and evaluating objectives 53

4.3 Rank ordering objectives with pairwise comparison charts 54

4.4 Developing metrics to measure the achievement of objectives 57

4.5 Objectives and metrics for the Danbury arm support 62

4.6 Notes 66

CHAPTER 5 PROBLEM DEFINITION: IDENTIFYING CONSTRAINTS

What are the limits for this design problem? 67

5.1 Identifying and setting the client’s limits 67

5.2 Displaying and using constraints 68

5.3 Constraints for the Danbury arm support 69

5.4 Notes 70

CHAPTER 6 PROBLEM DEFINITION: ESTABLISHING FUNCTIONS

How do I express a design’s functions in engineering terms? 71

6.1 Establishing functions 71

6.2 Functional analysis: Tools for establishing functions 73

6.3 Design specifications: Specifying functions, features, and behavior 81

6.4 Functions for the Danbury arm support 88

6.5 Notes 91

CHAPTER 7 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN: GENERATING DESIGN ALTERNATIVES

How do I generate or create feasible designs? 92

7.1 Generating the “design space,” a space of engineering designs 92

7.2 Navigating, expanding, and contracting design spaces 99

7.3 Generating designs for the Danbury arm support 101

7.4 Notes 105

CHAPTER 8 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN: EVALUATING DESIGN ALTERNATIVES AND CHOOSING A DESIGN

Which design should I choose? Which design is “best”? 106

8.1 Applying metrics to objectives: Selecting the preferred design 106

8.2 Evaluating designs for the Danbury arm support 111

8.3 Notes 113

PART III DESIGN COMMUNICATION 115

CHAPTER 9 COMMUNICATING DESIGNS GRAPHICALLY

Here’s my design; can you make it? 117

9.1 Engineering sketches and drawings speak to many audiences 117

9.2 Sketching 119

9.3 Fabrication specifications: The several forms of engineering drawings 122

9.4 Fabrication specifications: The devil is in the details 127

9.5 Final notes on drawings 129

9.6 Notes 130

CHAPTER 10 PROTOTYPING AND PROOFING THE DESIGN

Here’s my design; how well does it work? 131

10.1 Prototypes, models, and proofs of concept 132

10.2 Building models and prototypes 135

10.3 Notes 141

CHAPTER 11 COMMUNICATING DESIGNS ORALLY AND IN WRITING

How do we let our client know about our solutions? 142

11.1 General guidelines for technical communication 143

11.2 Oral presentations: Telling a crowd what’s been done 145

11.3 The project report: Writing for the client, not for history 150

11.4 Final report elements for the Danbury arm support 155

11.5 Notes 158

PART IV DESIGN MODELING, ENGINEERING ECONOMICS, AND DESIGN USE 159

CHAPTER 12 MATHEMATICAL MODELING IN DESIGN

Math and physics are very much part of the design process! 161

12.1 Some mathematical habits of thought for design modeling 162

12.2 Some mathematical tools for design modeling 163

12.3 Modeling a battery-powered payload cart 177

12.4 Design modeling of a ladder rung 186

12.5 Preliminary design of a ladder rung 193

12.6 Closing remarks on mathematics, physics, and design 196

12.7 Notes 196

CHAPTER 13 ENGINEERING ECONOMICS IN DESIGN

How much is this going to cost? 197

13.1 Cost estimation: How much does this particular design cost? 197

13.2 The time value of money 201

13.3 Closing considerations on engineering and economics 204

13.4 Notes 204

CHAPTER 14 DESIGN FOR PRODUCTION, USE, AND SUSTAINABILITY

What other factors influence the design process? 205

14.1 Design for production: Can this design be made? 206

14.2 Design for use: How long will this design work? 209

14.3 Design for sustainability: What about the environment? 215

14.4 Notes 218

PART V DESIGN TEAMS, TEAM MANAGEMENT, AND ETHICS IN DESIGN 221

CHAPTER 15 DESIGN TEAM DYNAMICS

We can do this together, as a team! 223

15.1 Forming design teams 223

15.2 Constructive conflict: Enjoying a good fight 227

15.3 Leading design teams 229

15.4 Notes 231

CHAPTER 16 MANAGING A DESIGN PROJECT

What do you want? When do you want it? How much are we going to spend? 232

16.1 Getting started: Establishing the managerial needs of a project 232

16.2 Tools for managing a project’s scope 234

16.3 The team calendar: A tool for managing a project’s schedule 241

16.4 The budget: A tool for managing a project’s spending 243

16.5 Monitoring and controlling projects: Measuring a project’s progress 245

16.6 Managing the end of a project 248

16.7 Notes 249

CHAPTER 17 ETHICS IN DESIGN

Design is not just a technical matter 250

17.1 Ethics: Understanding obligations 250

17.2 Codes of ethics: What are our professional obligations? 252

17.3 Obligations may start with the client . . . 255

17.4 . . . But what about the public and the profession? 256

17.5 On engineering practice and the welfare of the public 261

17.6 Ethics: Always a part of engineering practice 263

17.7 Notes 263

APPENDICES 264

APPENDIX A PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF PROTOTYPING 264

APPENDIX B PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF ENGINEERING DRAWING 279

APPENDIX C EXERCISES 300

REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 309

INDEX 315

Clive Dym was a professor emeritus of Engineering Design and also Director of the Center for Design Education at Harvey Mudd College. He served as the chair of the engineering department at Harvey Mudd College from 1999 through 2002.