2 Engineering Design

Objectives for Today (9/16) Define engineering design Describe the steps of the engineering design process. Highlight the engineering design process in the Marshmallow Design Challenge Explain how to define a problem and its constraints. Summarize the processes of creating and testing design solutions. Explain how to communicate the final design solution. Describe the purpose of an engineering notebook.

Engineering Design Creative application of technology to design systems, products, or processes to solve problems or meet needs yuyangc/Shutterstock.com

Engineers as Problem Solvers Engineers use the engineering design process to solve problems/challenges Take into account design parameters Specifications: design requirements Constraints: design limitations Balance for optimization: best solution to the given problem/challenge given your specifications and constraints Make trade-offs: losing or sacrificing one quality of your design in order to gain a different quality

Engineering Design Process Series of systematic steps that helps guide engineers from problem identification to reporting design solution No one set process, but all engineers use some sort of design process Going back to previous steps in process is common

Common Engineering Design Process Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Step 1: Problem Definition A process used by engineers to: discuss and develop a clear statement about a given problem or challenge (problem statement) define the constraints and requirements of the problem/challenge This process involves: Identifying a real problem from everyday life or being presented with a design challenge Researching this problem to learn more Developing a problem statement

Design Brief Guides the design process Design brief includes constraints and criteria such as size, cost, safety, materials, and quality Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Step 2: Idea Generation Ideation Brainstorming as many ideas or solutions as possible, without evaluating these ideas. No wrong answers More ideas lead to likelihood of good solutions Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Step 3: Solution Creation Evaluate designs Choose solutions Communicate solutions Can base drawings on rough sketches created when brainstorming Renderings can be hand-drawn or computer-generated images Detail drawings show size and shape and include specific dimensions Best solutions must be selected and refined

Step 4: Testing/Analysis Carefully sorting through options and analyzing strengths and weaknesses of each design Testing your solutions and determining which design solution(s) are optimal

Step 5: Final Solution or Output Mechanical drawings Pictorial drawings Orthographic drawings (multiview drawings) Specifications sheets

Step 6: Design Improvement No design is perfect and all designs can be improved in some way Always room for improvement Redesign product to be cheaper, safer, more effective

Engineering Notebooks Used to record thoughts, ideas, sketches, calculations, and designs Legal documents Fixed binding Never remove pages Cross out blank space