MECHANICAL DESIGN is an attempt to introduce the students of mechanical engineering to the total process of designing an engineering product that is to be manufactured. Text books on engineering design generally lay more stress on the innovative and the synthesising aspects of design than on its physical realisation. The product need not necessarily be innovative, but it should be acceptable to the user. Any single component needs to be treated as a part of the product/system to which it belongs – shape and dimension wise, performance wise, cost wise. Nowadays, the access to data/knowledge is greatly facilitated through the internet in addition to Publications. A large variety of computer software is available to carry out analysis, drafting and visualisation. The practical aspects of designing a product are briefly traced from the arisal of its need to the preparation of the design documents that are necessary for its manufacture. Simple examples are given to aid the understanding of the design process. Barring a few exceptions, the engineering community avoids design and development of mechanical equipment and components – the engineering scientist as well as the practising engineer. The purpose of the book is to present in simple language the design of mechanical systems and equipment as the key activity in a flourishing manufacturing industry.

Table of Contents

Preface / Acknowledgements / What this Book is About / The Product and its Life Cycle / Designing the Product / The Nature of Design Work / Product Design and the User / Engineering Materials for Product Design / Manufacturing and Product Design / Design and Environment / Design and Cost / Design and Analysis / Standardisation / Data Handling in Design Engineering / The Engineering Process of Design / Product Development: Case Studies / Design and Quality / Design and the Industry / Computer in Design Engineering / Appendices.