Principles of Engineering Design

From the Preface: "Methodical procedures in design engineering, in spite of their relatively recent use, have taken on a wide variety of forms. Is this multiplicity only an external characteristic, or is it an integral part of the problem? This question represents a challenge, and has stimulated a search for the common denominator in the efforts to date. One result of this search - the General Procedural Model of Design Engineering - can be viewed as an attempt to synthesise published opinions, contributions to discussions by students and designers, and experiences from teaching in colleges and in continuing education courses. In preparing this work, attention was given to the following requirements: - as far as possible, general applicability to the area of machine systems; - as far as possible, consistent treatment of each step, and consistent terminology; - a rational foundation for all steps and for its sequence; - presentation of the fundamental knowledge that can assist understanding of the procedures; - minimum of descriptive content, to ensure adequate clarity, and to preserve widest generality. The model desrbied in this book will assist both the student and the practising design engineer."