MEC 4630

Vehicle Structural Design &

Materials Selection
Lecture #21:

The Design Process

Dr. Meftah Hrairi
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Summary of Last Lecture

Crashworthiness

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Outline

Definition of Design
Nature of Engineering Design
Design Process
Description of Design Stages

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Definition of Design

There is no universally accepted definition of design or engineering

design. Let us look at a few definitions.
1. "To create, fashion, execute or construct according to plan" Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary,
10th Edition, 1996.
2. "Design establishes and defines solutions to and pertinent structures for problems not solved before, or
new solutions to problems which have previously been solved in a different way". J. F. Blumrich, Science,
Vol. 168 (1970), p. 1551.
3. "Engineering design is the systematic, intelligent generation and evaluation of specifications for
artefacts whose form and function achieve stated objectives and satisfy specified constraints." Dym and
Little, Engineering Design, 2000, p. 8.

4. "Design is the process of translating a new idea or market need into detailed information from which a
product can be manufactured". M. Ashby, Materials Selection in Engineering Design, 1999, p. 1.
5. Mechanical Engineering design is the use of scientific principles, technical information and
imagination in the definition of a mechanical structure, machine, or system to perform prescribed functions
with maximum economy and efficiency. The designers responsibility covers the whole process from
conception to the issue of detailed instructions for production and his interest continues throughout the
designed life of the product in service. W. E. Eder. Int. J. Appl. Engng Ed., 1988, Vol. 4, No. 3.

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Definition of Design

The US Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology

(ABET) defines engineering design as follows:
Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or
process to meet desired needs. It is a decision-making process (often
iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering
sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated
objective. Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the
establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction,
testing, and evaluation.

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The Nature of Engineering Design

The Goal of Engineering Design

The principal goal of engineering design is to create products that perform
their function effectively, safely, at acceptable cost.

What do we design?
Products - pistons, valves, brakes, clutches, tools, knives, vessels, etc
Services - healthcare, water distribution, power distribution, long distance
phone, etc
Systems - computer systems, shop floor procedures for efficient
manufacture, etc
Structures - bridges, buildings

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The Nature of Engineering Design

Who are involved in design?

The designer, the client, and the user. The needs of each are different.
The designer - must get clear idea of the client's objectives, users needs, safety,
etc.
The user - certain expectations
The client - certain objectives (possibly conflicting with the user)

General characteristics of engineering design

In general, engineering design exhibits the following characteristics:
- Difficult
- Complex
- Iterative
- Open-ended
- ??

- Multi-disciplinary
- Problem-solving, and
- Rarely a one-person activity

So, a good engineering design comes from the combined efforts of

a team of engineers with pertinent expertise. Vital to this team is a
materials engineer.

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The Design Process

Design starts with a market need, a need statement, a new idea or

some form of a problem statement.
A need must be identified before it can be met. The need may come
from a client or a user (a customer) when an engineer works
independently or for a company. It may also come from the
company that employs the engineer. The need is usually a tangible
product, a component or a structure.
To attain the desired objectives, the design process typically goes
through stages or phases.

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The Design Process

Different authors have different ideas about how the design process
should work, but we shall concentrate our efforts on the systematic
procedure developed by Prof. Ashby.
His approach requires us to look at all (approximately 120,000)
materials initially, and narrow our list of candidate materials as the
design progresses.
Ashby has broken the design flow path into five stages, namely:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Market Need (or The Need)

Conceptual Design
Embodiment Design
Detailed Design
Product Specification

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Clients
Need

Taskss

Description of Design Stages

Market Need
Problem Statement
1. Clarify objectives
2. Establish user requirements
3. Identify constraints
4. Establish functions

Market Need

Conceptual
Design
Embodiment
Design

Taskss

Embodiment
Design

Taskss

Detailed
Design

Iterate
Product Specification

Client

Product
Specification

Iterate

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Description of Design Stages

In the Market Need stage, we clarify the clients objectives and gather the
information that will enable us to develop an engineering statement of what the
client really wants. This is what engineers call problem statement. At this stage,
there is no thought about materials or processes.
INPUT:

Clients statement

TYPICAL TASKS:

1. Clarify design objectives

2. Establish user requirements
3. Identify constraints
4. Establish functions

OUTPUT:

Revised problem statement

Refined objectives
Constraints
User Requirements
Functions

The sources of information during problem definition include literature on the state-ofthe-art, experts, codes and regulations. The means for obtaining these items of information
include literature review (e.g. journals, textbooks, handbooks, internet, magazines, etc),
brainstorming, user surveys and questionnaires, and structure interviews. This is not the
time to select materials or processes.

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Description of Design Stages

In the conceptual design stage we generate concepts or schemes of

candidate designs.
INPUT:

Revised problem statement

Refined objectives
Constraints
User Requirements
Functions

TYPICAL TASKS:

Establish design specifications

Generate design alternatives
Determine function structure

OUTPUT:

Conceptual designs or schemes

Design specifications

Additional sources of information at this stage include competitive products (if

any). Means include brainstorming, synectics and analogies and reverse
engineering (dissection). All materials and processes are candidates at this stage.

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Description of Design Stages

In the embodiment design stage, we identify the principal attributes

of the design concepts or schemes.
INPUT:

Conceptual designs or schemes

Design specifications

TYPICAL TASKS:

Model, analyze conceptual designs

Develop layout
Optimize functions
Test, evaluate conceptual designs

OUTPUT:

A select design
Test and evaluation results

Sources of information at this stage include rules of thumb

(heuristics), simple models and known physical relationships.
Means include prototype development, lab experiments, simulation
ands computer analysis, proof-of-concept-testing, etc.

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Description of Design Stages

In the detailed design stage, we refine and detail the final design
INPUT:

A select design
Test and evaluation results

TYPICAL TASKS:

Refine and optimize the chosen design

Contact manufactures of materials for property data
Make final choice of material and process
Build and test prototypes (if needed)
Produce detailed drawings

OUTPUT:

Proposed fabrication specifications

Final design review for the client

Sources of information include design codes, handbooks, local

laws and regulations, suppliers component specifications, etc.

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Description of Design Stages

In the product specification stage, we document the fabrication

specifications and their justifications.
INPUT:

Proposed fabrication specifications

Final design review for the client

TYPICAL TASKS:

Check design as to compliance with specifications and

satisfaction of need.
Document the complete design

OUTPUT:

Final report to the client containing

(1) Fabrication specifications
(2) Justification(s) for fabrication specifications

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Description of Design Stages

In the product specification stage, we document the fabrication

specifications and their justifications.
INPUT:

Proposed fabrication specifications

Final design review for the client

TYPICAL TASKS:

Check design as to compliance with specifications and

satisfaction of need.
Document the complete design

OUTPUT:

Final report to the client containing

(1) Fabrication specifications
(2) Justification(s) for fabrication specifications

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Technical System Concept and Functional

Analysis

There are two main types of product, namely:

1.

Products that have only one component (e.g. a common tea spoon, spatula, or soft
drink straw)

2.

Products that have many components (e.g. a bike, a car, or a computer).

Products with several components are called technical systems or systems. A

system is a collection of sub-assemblies and components that interact with each
other to fulfill a prescribed function.

The smallest identifiable element of a

system is called a component.
Collections of components are called
sub-assemblies or subsystems when
not all elements of the system are
included in the collection.
The selection of materials and
processes is carried out at the
component level.

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Function Structure (Function

Decomposition)

For large, complex technical systems, establishing the need and problem
statements may sometimes not adequately formulate the design problem.
In such cases, we may have to also describe the tasks or functions to be
performed by the system and its components.
Hence, the term functional analysis is used to indicate the process for identifying
and describing these functions.
Here, design is modeled as an input-output process.

Input

Technical
system

Output

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Function Structure (Function

Decomposition)

The technical system is broken down into connected subsystems, each of which
performs a specific function.
Hence, the term function structure or function decomposition is given to the
resulting arrangement.
The main characteristic of the functional analysis approach to problem
formulation is that we can focus on what the system does without actually
specifying how it does it.

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Types of Design

Original Design - starts from a new idea, concept or working principle (e.g.
CDs; high purity glass enabled optical fibers; high purity silicon enabled
transistors;)
Adaptive or Development Design - incremental advancement of an existing
design with a view to improving performance. It involves a refinement of the
working principle, substitution of materials or both. (e.g. change hockey stick
from wood to aluminum)
Variant Design - change of scale or dimension without change of function or
method of achieving it. (e.g. a bigger boiler, a taller building, a longer bridge)
Evolutionary Design or Redesign starts from an existing design and seeks to
increase its performance, reduce its cost, or both. Here, we try to learn from inservice failures (e.g. the wirings of commercial airplanes have of late become a
source of major concern; learn from poor market performance (SUVs from US
automakers are not doing well in the market against Japanese equivalents,
especially the hybrid models. The consequence: massive layoff at the end of
2005 and near total collapse in 2008).

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Mechanical Design Vs Industrial Design

Design can be split into two distinct (but interconnected) disciplines, namely:
engineering design and industrial design.
Engineering design concentrates on factors that affect the function of a product.
In particular, Mechanical design deals with:
i.

the physical principles,

ii.

the proper functioning and

iii.

the production of mechanical systems.

Industrial design deals mostly with everything that affects the interaction
between the product and its user or buyer. Examples include
i.

aesthetics (colour, texture, pattern and appeal),

ii.

pleasure in use,

iii. ease of operation/user friendliness,

iv. packaging,
v.

products shape, and so on. In general terms, industrial design aims to make a product sell
while engineering design aims to make it work.

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Factors Considered in the Design of a

Product

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Interaction Between Function, Material,

Process and Shape

Materials selection has to include not only properties, but also SHAPES (what
standard shapes are available, what shapes are possible), and PROCESSING
(what fabrication route can or should be used to produce the part or raw material,
e.g. casting, injection molding, extrusion, machining, etc.).
The point is that materials interact with everything in the engineering design and
product manufacturing process.
In the remainder of this course we will develop a systematic approach for dealing
with all these interactions through the use of Materials Selection Charts.

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Factors Considered in Materials Selection

Many factors or constraints are considered in materials selection. Most are

interrelated. These are:
1. Mechanical Factors: These factors relate to the ability of the material to withstand the
types of stresses imposed on it. They are the mechanical properties of the material that are
used as the failure criteria in the design, namely, the strength, the modulus, the fatigue
strength, the fracture toughness, creep resistance, and so on. The mode of loading dictates
which of these have major influences.
2. Physical Factors: The factors in this group include the size, shape, and weight of the
material needed and the space available for the component. All these factors influence the
processing of the material. For example, the size and shape might constrain the heat-treating
of the material.

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Factors Considered in Materials Selection

Many factors or constraints are considered in materials selection. Most are

interrelated. These are:
3. Processing and Fabricability Factors: These factors relate to the ability to form or shape the
material to produce the product as required. Casting and deformation processing are
commonly used. Very intricate shapes are usually manufactured as castings and small objects
may have to be investment cast. Ductile materials (metals and polymers) are shaped by
deformation processing because it is fast and also amenable to mass production. Ceramics
are brittle and have high melting points. As such, they are usually produced by sintering or
powder metallurgy process (a much slower process). Spray-forming and lay-up techniques are
used in making composite materials.
Fabircability embraces the joining processes (e.g. brazing, welding, riveting, soldering),
forming, and machining processes. The finishing processes include those operations, such as
coating and polishing, which are intended to give the material protection against wear,
corrosion, and oxidation as well as improving its aesthetics.

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Factors Considered in Materials Selection

Many factors or constraints are considered in materials selection. Most are

interrelated. These are:
4. Life Performance Factors: The factors in this group include those that relate to length of
time the material performs its intended function in the environment to which it is exposed. The
properties in this group are corrosion, oxidation, and wear resistance, creep, and the fatigue
and corrosion fatigue life properties in dynamic loading. The performance of materials based
on these properties is the hardest to predict during the design stage.
5. Cost and Availability: In a market-driven economy like the one we have in North America,
cost and availability are difficult to separate. In addition, quantity and standardization are
related to cost. It matters whether orders are made in metric tons, kilograms, or grams. In
addition, the customer pays more when orders are for nonstandard items requiring special
processing or are for nonstocked items due to very little demand from other customers.
6. Codes, Statutory and Other Factors: Codes are sets of technical requirements imposed on
the material or the component. They are normally set by government agencies, technical
organizations (e.g. ASME, ASTM, SAE), the client, and so on and must be complied with.
Statutory factors refer to local, provincial, and federal regulations about materials and
processes used or the disposal of the material. They usually relate to health, safety, and
environmental requirements. Can you cite some common examples where materials,
procedures, or processes are banned or regulated by local, provincial or federal legislation?

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Further Readings
Chapter 1, 2
Ashby M.F., Materials Selection in Mechanical
Design, 3rd Edition, Elsevier ButterworthHeinemann, 2005

verily, god will never change the condition of a people until
they change what is in themselves
al quran 13:11