Chapter 3: The Engineering Design Process

  • New Unit 3: The Engineering Design Process from Gateway to Engineering, 2nd Edition, Delmar/Cengage Learning 2013

     

    Section 1:The Engineering Design Process

    • Introduction to Design
    • The Concept Stage
    • The Development Stage
    • The Evaluation Stage

    Section 2: Design Considerations

    • Constraints
    • Ethics in Engineering
    • Patents
    • Marketability

    Section 3: The Engineering Notebook

    • Purpose
    • Organization

     

    Vocabulary:

    Engineering Design Process: The engineering design process applies mathematics, science and engineering principles to help in decision making.

    Brainstorming:Brainstorming is a method of shared problem solving in which all members of a shared group engage in unrestrained discussion and spontaneously generate ideas.

    Design Brief: A design brief is a written plan that identifies a problem to be solved, its criteria, and its constraints.

    Optimization: Optimization is an act, process, or methodology that is used to make a design as effective or as functional as possible within the given criteria and constraints.

    Market Research: Market research is a survey of potential product users to find out their likes and dislikes about a product.

    Documentation: Documentation is the organized collection of records and documents that describe a project's purpose, processes, and related activities for future reference.

    Engineering Notebook: An engineering notebook is the documentation of all of the steps and calculations for and an evaluation of the engineering design process for a particular item.

     

    Stretch Your Knowledge Activities:

    1. Describe the types of interpersonal skills that a good design team member should have. Discuss why these interpersonal skills are important.
    2. Why is identifying the design criteria important in the engineering design process before the product is actually designed?
    3. Why is the evaluation of a design based on data and not on personal feelings?
    4. Describe the importance of a well documented engineering notebook to both the design team members and their company.
    5. A perosn or company in the United States holds a patent for 17 years. Discuss whether this period should be longer or shorter.

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