TEXT ЗА. Engineering Design

Engineering design is the central task of the engineer. Design is the process of conceiving or inventing the forms, parts, and details of a system to achieve a reasoned purpose. It is a complex process in which both creativity and analysis play a central role.

Design activity can be thought of as planning for the emergence of a particular product or system. Design is a structured, innovative act whereby the engineer creatively uses knowledge and materials to spe­cify the shape, function, and material content of a system. The design steps are: 1) to determine a need arising from the values of various groups, covering the spectrum from public policy makers to the con­sumer; 2) to specify in detail what the solution to that need must be and to embody these values; 3) to develop and evaluate various alternative solutions to meet these specifications; and 4) to decide which one is to be designed in detail and fabricated.

Of course, the design process is not a linear, step-by-step activity, but rather an iterative, reactive process. It includes several test points and continuous examination of intermediate results. Another factor in realistic design is the limitation of time. Design takes place under im­posed schedules, and we eventually settle for a design which may be less than ideal, but considered "good enough".

A major challenge for the designer is to write the specifications for the technical product. Specifications are those statements which expli­citly state what the device or product is to be and do. The design of technical systems aims to achieve appropriate design specifications and rests on four characteristics: 1) complexity, 2) tradeoffs, 3) gaps, and 4) risk.

Complexity of design results from the wide range of tools, issues, and knowledge to be used in the process. The large number of factors to be considered illustrates the complexity of the design specification ac­tivity, not only in assigning these factors their relative importance in a

 

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particular design, but also in giving them substance either in numerical or written form, or both.

The concept of tradeoff involves the need to make a judgment about how much of a compromise one makes between two conflicting crite­ria, both of which are desirable. The design process requires an efficient compromise between desirable but conflicting criteria.

In making a technical device there is frequently a design gap or void to the extent that the final product does not appear the same as it had been visualized. For example, our image of the problem we're solving is not what appears in written description and ultimately in the specifications. Such gaps are intrinsic in the progression from an ab­stract idea to its realization.

This inability to make absolutely sure predictions of the perform­ance of a technological object leads to major uncertainties about the actual effects of the designed devices and products. These uncertainties are embodied in the idea of unintended consequences or risk. The result is that designing a system is a risk-taking activity.

Complexity, tradeoff, gaps, and risk are inherent in designing new systems and devices. While they can be minimized by considering all the effects of a given design, they are always present in the design pro­cess.

Within engineering design, there is a fundamental difference be­tween the two major types of thinking which must take place: engi­neering analysis and synthesis. Attention is focused on models of the physical systems which are analyzed to provide insight and which point in directions for improvement. On the other hand, synthesis is the pro­cess by which these new physical configurations are created.

The main approach to the most effective engineering design is pa­rameter analysis and optimization. Parameter analysis is based on: 1) identification of the key parameters; 2) generation of the system con­figuration; and 3) evaluation of how well the configuration meets the needs. These three steps form an iterative loop. Once the key parame­ters are identified and the configuration synthesized, the designer can optimize the parameters. Typically, the designer strives to identify a limited set of parameters - hopefully less than five - to be adjusted.

TASK 2. Read and translate the following words:

emergence, intermediate, schedule, eventually, major, challenge, issue,

criteria, consequence, synthesis.

TASK3. Translate the following derivative groups:

- invent,invention, inventive;

- create,creator, creature, creative, creatively, creativity;

- act,actor, active, activate, activity, actuator;

- alter,alteration, alterable, alternative;

- limit,limited, limitary, limitless, limitation;

- event,eventful, eventuate, eventual, eventually, eventuality;

- complex,complexity, complexion;

- efficiency,efficient;

- predict,prediction, predicted, predictive, predictor;

- identity,identical, identify, identification;

- accuracy,accurate, accurately, accurateness.

TASK 4. Find in the text a word that has the same or a similar meaning to the following:

major, to compose, specific, to investigate, different, to satisfy, to pro­duce, to define, to demand, certain.

TASK 5. Translate the following word combinations: central task, reasoned purpose, complex process, design activity, mate­rial content, various alternative solutions, step-by-step activity, reactive process, major challenge, appropriate design specifications, wide range, relative importance, particular design, numerical or written form, con­flicting criteria, absolutely sure prediction, risk-taking activity, main approach.

TASK 6. Answer the following questions.

1. What are the design steps?

2. What does the design process include?

3. What is a major challenge for the designer?

4. What does complexity of design result from?

5. Why does a design gap appear?

6. Why is designing a system considered to be a risk-taking acti­vity?

7. What is inherent in designing new systems?

8. How can you explain the fundamental difference between engi­neering analysis and synthesis?

9. What is parameter analysis based on?

TASK 7. Complete the following statements according to the text.

 

 

1. Design activity can be thought of as...

2. Design takes place under...

3. The design of technical systems aims at...

4. The design process requires...

5. The inability to make absolutely sure predictions leads to...

6. Attention is focused on models of the physical systems which...

 

7. Once the key parameters are identified and the configuration synthesized...

8. The designer strives to...

TASK 8. Translate into Russian paying attention to different ways of expressing the idea of discrepancy (discrepancy -разногласие, разли­чие, противоречие). Mind the prepositions.

1. These ideas didn't agree with each other.

2. The data are not in agreement with the previous observation.

3. This assumption won't hold for electrons.

4. This type of classification is out of keeping with the fundamental approach to the problem.

5. This equation is not valid for this theory.

6. These ideas do not fit together.

7. The hypothesis is in contradiction to the theory of design gap.

8. This statement is not true for linear activity.

TASK 9. Answer the questions making use of the expressions: not to agree with, to be out of keeping with, to fit into, to be in contradiction to, to be not valid for, to be not true for. Begin your answers with the expressions:

To my knowledge As far as I can judge

From my point of view In my opinion

Example: What do you think of the results obtained?

In my opinion the results obtained are not in agreement with the theory.

1. What do you think of the data (the previous observations) re­ported?

2. What is your opinion of the conclusions (our current knowledge) made?

3. How do you regard the information (experimental facts) avail­able?

4. What can you say about the classification (the current demands) accepted?

5. What can you say about the prediction (our point of view) made?

6. How do you estimate the hypothesis (the theory) advanced?

TASK 10. Translate into English:

1. Результаты этих исследований неверны.

2. Эта оценка сложности проектирования неверна.

3. Этот результат не согласуется с ранее полученными данны­ми.

4. Ваши выводы противоречат проведенным испытаниям.

5. Эти данные не согласуются друг с другом.

6. Полученные экспериментальные данные не соответствуют рассматриваемой теории.

TASK 11. Recast the following sentences making use of the expres­sions: to be characteristic of to be typical of to be characterized by, to be similar to.

1. Design is a complex combination of creativity and analysis.

2. Engineer creatively uses everything he knows to find out the content of a system.

3. To meet these specifications it is necessary to develop and evalu­ate various alternative solutions.

4. The design process includes several continuous test points and a number of intermediate results.

5. If a system is stable, the response to a specific input signal will provide several new measures.

6. This approach is quite useful because there is a reasonable cor­relation between the response of a system to a standard test input and the system's ability to perform under normal operating conditions.

7. Many control systems experience input signals comparable to the standard test signals.

TASK 12. Find in Text A the examples of the construction Verb+Preposition(to think of etc.). Compose sentences with them (in written form) and exchange them with your group-mates for further translation.

TASK 13. Read and translate the text.