Engineering Design

By
Brian Nettleton

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.
0402616.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the
author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF). June, 2006.
What is Engineering?
 There are many definitions for the term
engineering. Here are a few:
Engineering is the discipline dealing with the art or
science of applying scientific knowledge to practical
problems.
Engineering is the application of science to the needs of
humanity.
Engineering is analysis or design work requiring extensive
preparation and experience in the use of mathematics,
chemistry, physics, and the engineering sciences.
If you have regular access to computers it would be a good
opportunity to have students work in teams to find and
present a definition.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLR,GGLR:2006-
15,GGLR:en&q=define%3Aengineering
 The Engineering Method

The engineering method is the use of heuristics to

cause the best change in a poorly understood situation
within the available resources. Billy V. Koen

What in the world does that

mean?????
A design problem comes with certain criteria and
constraints. A heuristic can be thought of as tools that
engineers use to help keep the design solution within
the criteria and constraints. Engineering heuristics
include:

Rules of thumb and orders of magnitude.

Factors of safety.
Heuristics that determine the engineers attitude
toward his or her work.
Heuristics that engineers use to keep risk within
acceptable bounds.
Rules of thumb that are important in resource
allocation.
 Conceptual Design
Conceptual design is generating a concept,
identifying problems, establishing function
structures, and searching for possible solutions.

The purpose of conceptual design is to find

the best solution possible by using any
means possible.

http://fie.engrng.pitt.edu/fie95/3a5/3a54/3a54.htm
 Analytical Design
Analytical design takes a concept and puts it through
testing and redesign to find the best possible solution.
Analytical design takes into consideration cost, life
expectancy, durability, and marketability in the initial design
stages.

Analytical design usually begins after the conceptual

design phase.
The Engineering Design Process

Engineering design is a process. The process is

comprised of essential steps that engineers follow to
help solve design problems.
The Engineering Design Process

Identify the problem

The Engineering Design Process

Define or refine the

problem
List all of the criteria and constraints.
The Engineering Design Process

Gather information

Research on the internet, in books,

or interview people.
The Engineering Design Process

Develop alternate
solutions
Brainstorm in groups to find as many different
solutions as possible.
The first solution is rarely the best.
The Engineering Design Process

Select and refine the

best solution
Choose the solution that best fits the
criteria and constraints.
The Engineering Design Process

Express the design

solution

Make a sketch or drawing of your

design solution.
The Engineering Design Process

Build a model or
prototype of the
solution
The model or prototype can be made in a
variety of ways and out of a
variety of materials.
The Engineering Design Process

Evaluate, revise and

refine the solution
A design problem is never truly solved
without this step.
The Engineering Design Process

Communicate the
solution
People need to be convinced that the solution is
the best possible one.
Testing and Evaluating Designs

Testing and evaluating is one of the most important

parts of the design process.

During the testing phase engineers collect data and

analyze it.
Engineers look at the data for patterns or
discrepancies to see if the design needs revisions or
if it is working properly.
 Standards and Benchmarks

Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of

design.
G. Requirements for a design are made up of criteria and constraints.
Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.

F. Design involves a set of steps, which can be performed in different

sequences and repeated as needed.
G. Brainstorming is a group problem-solving design process in which each
person in the group presents his or her ideas in an open forum.
H. Modeling, testing, evaluating, and modifying are used to transform ideas into
practical solutions.