Recently, I have been wondering how real engineers actually design something. Somehow it seems that I am missing understanding of something, but I don't know what. How do engineers of all disciplines, including civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, software, chemical, biological, and other engineers actually design and implement something? What is the process that goes into it? I know it's done on the computer, but could anyone go into a little more detail on the process other than "mostly done on the computer." Thanks!
How do engineers actually design things anyways?
they have a problem solving plan that includes--
understanding the problem
making a diagram
turning the diagram into a model
testing a model
formulating a result
Reply:More often than not, the Engineer wishes to "Improve" things.
Which usually means a helluva lot of work for those of us who have to make such flights of fancy work.
It starts with Imagination. Say a bridge, the engineer wishes to make a new kind of bridge. And the scientific principles. "What can I do to make my idea work?" and "What am I trying to Improve on?"
Well, calculations, experiences, experimentations, go into making a prototype. Or there is a problem with an existing bridge.
Such as Galloping Gertie, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that swayed rather extensively in the wind.
It eventually collapsed into the waters of Puget Sound. So Engineers worked on improving the design of the next bridge to keep it from swaying as much as the original did.
But like anything, there are always unforeseen problems. When the original Engineers designed Gertie, they didn't expect her to be such a swayer.
Thus anytime one improves something to fix a problem, then there are new problems that crop up as a result.
Which is why they need time to establish protocols, testings, and experimentation. And they have to do all of such with applicable Federal, State, and Local regulations.
Which means it gets terribly expensive.
Reply:The suprising answer is most engineers
don't actually do design work. But, rather
a subtle, but important, difference, doing
modelling work. So if you're desiging
a car, engineering will generally do the
airframe and engine and transmission
work. And hire other computer. bio-med,
and material designers to do the controls functions,
and human factors type designing.
Reply:I use standard circuits I know
variations on standard circuits I know
I sleep on a problem
and I doodle on paper
and I find that modelling is quicker than doing the maths
I hate VERBOSE answers ...you got a lot of hot air in your answers
Reply:actually we design things to know the result and actual figure of real things,in design you can see the perfect requirement of your client and the satisfaction.
Reply:I can give you a design/implementation scenario for a civil engineer. Say you have an open field and somebody wants to build a restaurant on it, so they hire you as a design consultant.
1. Get a survey crew out there to get a topographic map of the area. They take position and elevation points around the area. They take shots on any existing utilities (sewer/water, electric, gas, etc.)
2. Surveyors give the information to civil drafters, who basically "connect the dots" on AutoCAD and make a digital picture of the existing area.
3. Once we know what is out there, we talk to the client to see what they want. What size building? Any special features?
4. We then look up local City codes and ordinances to make sure we are in compliance with our design. The design also has to adhere to Department of Natural Resources codes (how are we going to take care of runoff storm water?), Department of Transportation codes (can our driveway connect to their highway? how wide does it have to be? what types of curbs and curves can we use?), Department of Commerce codes (can we hook up to local plumbing? will there be adequate fire protection?), Americans with Disabilities Act codes (are there enough handicap parking spaces? Is the parking lot flat enough to accommodate them?), etc. We also coordinate with all local utility companies to come out and mark their gas, electric, phone facilities.
5. When everyone (government agencies, the customer, the local city board, etc.) approves of the design, the design is put out for bid. We put together the plans, a set of specifications that say how everything should be constructed,, and a bid sheet. The bid sheet lists every item that will have to be done during construction. Contractors take that list and send it back to us with prices for each item. Bids are received and reviewed by the owner. Usually, the company with the lowest price (who meets or exceeds all our standards) is picked for the job.
6. Then the part everyone sees, the actual construction, finally begins. There is usually a representative from the engineer's office out there to over-see construction and act as a mediator between the contractors and the owners.
7. When everything is completed, the job is inspected. If everything meets owner's, DNR's, DOT's, DOC's, and utility's demands, the project is complete. Usually, the surveyors come back out and take a new TOPO of the area for future reference.
Hope this helps, it took me 2 years in the industry to figure it all out. =)
Reply:Good answers so far - one general and one very specific. Can I get in the middle?
An engineer may be working in very tight specifications - like where an assembly line must fit in an existing building or a specialized railcar must fit in all the tunnels and over all the bridges - or may be working with a very loose specification - like "We need a new product for the market"
In most cases, while detailed demensions and rules are being collected, the engineer will sketch solutions and ideas and write out notes, which may be on computers or by hand. Some of these idea will be shot down just by observation of the sketch or notes, but some will be looked at in more detail.
Some of the sketches worked out in more detail will be rejected by management or other people involved - team members, clients, designers - as being unsuitable for various reasons - too costly to make, useful but ugly, etc.
So usually one of the ideas will be selected to work out in considerable detail, such as thickness of parts, form of bearings and fittings, materials, etc. and this is usually done on the computer these days. At this point calculations can be done for strength perhaps resulting in a change of materials and cost. With proper computer software, the parts can actually be made to move in 3D space on the screen and the design can be checked for fitting during manufacture and operation.
If the design is approved, normally a prototype will be built. Depending on need this may be done mostly by hand in a modeling shop, with parts made from the design drawings on computer controlled machines, or actually "printed" in plastic in 3 dimensions. When the model is made, people without computer skills or groups of people can handle the model, discuss it, try things with it. The public may be surveyed for their reaction. If it is a working prototype, people may use it.
Ideally, the people who will manufacture the parts will have been involved from the beginning although too often they are presented with a prototype and asked to come up with manufacturing methods and costs. With a complicated product or one where a few dozen or few hundred are needed for public response, promotion, and testing, a model manufacturing facility or test line may be set up where all the operations are done, but perhaps movement between stations is done by hand instead of conveyor or robot.
When the design is finally approved for manufacture, engineers will be involved in assembly lines, flow of parts from maker thru assembly and testing, task assignment to workers, etc. If the object is a large one off project like a bridge or test vehicle, engineers may be involved in breaking down the project into parts so that the girder that is the last be put in place is not made first to sit around in the weather while all the others are put up. Planning for making and flow of parts may mean that a large part needed in the middle of the project may start manufacture and shipping before smaller parts needed on site are made quicker and shipped faster to be put in place under the large part just before it arrives.
Reply:Been there, and it doesn't start on the computer, which is only a tool to make it faster (hmmmm....sometimes).
I'm talking here about a "typical company", and not about the lone backsteet inventor.
It usually starts with someone saying "wouldn't it be cool if we had....". This message is picked up by sales %26amp; marketing people who constantly are on the lookout for excuses why they didn't make the sales figures which were projected for last year: "...if our product had....well then, we would have sold oodles....")
So The Board decides that they need that thing. Product Management is tasked to specify what that new product should do, and what it should cost. This becomes a product specification that goes to the Engineers.
Engineers use known technology, but also technology that is just emerging, and apply it to design that product. If the technology doesn't exist yet, the Research (or R%26amp;D) department has to come up with something the engineers can use. This latter function is expensive, and only larger global firms can afford it.
All this takes time, typically 12-18 months (R%26amp;D can take years), and while this is happening, someone comes up with new technology, and now it's the time for engineers to say "...would it be nice to (also) include....?" , but sometimes this is not perceived as what the customer wants, or is too expensive. This process goes back-and-fro between marketing and engineering until a product goes finally into production.
So, the creativity of an engineer is somewhat limited by what's available and do-able with present technology, and whether anybody would actually buy it (for that price).
The skill of engineers is to have the imagination to create something seemingly impossible with what they are being given.
fresh flower
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