Mechanical 

system design
Dr. Arun Kumar Jalan
BITS Pilani Mechanical Engineering Department
Pilani Campus
 BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus

DE ZG525
MECHANICAL SYSTEM DESIGN
LECTURE NO: 9
Ref: Pahl, G.and W.Beitz, Engineering Design–A Systematic Approach – Springer, 3rd Ed.
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Discuss on last lecture

Mid sem review

19 March 2022 3
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

General Considerations
 Designers should also follow a number of embodiment
design guidelines based on the general constraints
 The guidelines are internationally known as Design for X.

 literature covering the selection and design of machine

elements
 Changes in loading conditions with time
 selection of the most suitable failure criteria.
 stress concentrations and multi-axial stress conditions
 Assessments of durability should be based on the
material properties

19 March 2022 4
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Guidelines for Embodiment Design

Guidelines include following topics:-
 General Considerations
 Design to Allow for Expansion
 Design to allow for Creep and Relaxation
 Design Against Corrosion
 Design to minimise wear
 Design for Ergonomics
 Design for Aesthetics
 Design for Production
 Design for Assembly
 Design for Maintenance
 Design for Recycling
 Design for Minimum Risk
 Design to Standards
19 March 2022
5 BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design to Allow for Expansion

 Materials used in technical systems tend to expand in
when they are heated.
 The resulting problems must be taken into consideration
for
 Design of thermal devices
 High-performance engines and devices in which frictional
heating can occur and special cooling is employed
 Components those are effected by local heating
 devices whose environmental temperature fluctuates
 purely mechanical extension of parts subjected to heavy
loading.

19 March 2022 6
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Expansion
For solid bodies, the coefficient of linear expansion is
defined as:

Δl = change in length
l = the length of the component
Δϑm = mean temperature difference

19 March 2022 7
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Expansion contd.
 Linear expansion define along coordinate axis, whereas
coefficient of cubical expansion defines the relative
change in volume per degree of temperature rise.
 For homogeneous solids, its value is three times that of
the coefficient of linear expansion
 It depends also on the temperature. At higher
temperatures, the coefficient usually increases
 Metals with a low melting point have greater coefficients
of thermal expansion than metals with a high melting
point
 Synthetic materials have significantly higher coefficients
of expansion than metals.
19 March 2022 8
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Mean coefficients of linear expansion for various materials

19 March 2022 9
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Expansion of Components
 If the temperature distribution does not change with time,
it is called steady or fixed expansion.
 If the temperature distribution changes with time it is
called unsteady or fluctuating expansion.
 Every component must be clearly located and must only
have as many degrees of freedom as are necessary for
its proper functioning.

19 March 2022 10
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Expansion and dof

 A body clamped at one
point with no degrees of
freedom. Upon thermal
expansion it can expand
freely from this point
along the various axes.
 A plate that can be
rotated thus has one
degree of freedom. Were
this plate to expand, it
would have to rotate
about the z axis

19 March 2022 11
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Expansion and dof contd

 If the slide allowed only

translational movement
and did not also act as a
pivot, then jamming
would occur
 By fitting the slide in the
direction of one of the
coordinates it is possible
to avoid the rotation of
the component.

19 March 2022 12
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Expansion of Components contd.

geometric similarity will only be maintained if :
 The coefficient of expansion α must be constant
throughout the component
 The thermal strains ε along the x, y, z axes must be such
that εx = εy = εz = α ꞏ Δϑm. Thus
 The component must not be subjected to additional
thermal loads, which will not happen if, for instance, it is
completely surrounded by a source of heat

19 March 2022 13
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design of guides
 Sometimes different temperatures are measured in a
single component.
 In case of with the temperature distribution changing
linearly a change in angle is produced which can only be
taken up by a guide with a sliding and pivoting type.

 Some examples on design guides

19 March 2022 14
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design of guides ex-1

Expansion under no uniform temperature distribution

a plate corresponding no uniform temperature distribution produces
deformation
b guide placed on symmetry line of deformed state so that a simple slide
can be used
19 March 2022 15
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design of guides ex-2

 Figure is the plan view of
a device whose
temperature decreases
from the centre to the
periphery. It is supported
on four feet.

Figure b shows
a method of providing guides along lines of symmetry without
a designated fixed point. The intersection of the lines through
the guides constitutes an imaginary fixed point from which the
device can expand evenly in all directions
19 March 2022 16
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design of guides ex. 3

a arrangement of guides does not allow for expansion: oval deformation of the
housings can cause guides to jam
b arrangement allowing for expansion: guides lie along symmetry
lines, no jamming with oval deformation
19 March 2022 17
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design of guides ex. 4

 Figure shows an austenitic steel high-temperature steam

inlet pipe a which must be fitted into a ferric steel outer
casing b while protruding into a ferric steel inner casing c

19 March 2022 18
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Relative Expansion of Components

The relative expansion of two or more components has to

be taken into account, especially in the case of mutual
loadings or when certain clearances must be maintained.
It has two types of components:-
 Steady-State Relative Expansion
 Unsteady Relative Expansion

19 March 2022 19
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Steady-State Relative Expansion

It is characterized by:-
 The relative mean temperature difference does not vary
with time
 The coefficients of linear expansion are identical
Major method of prevention:-
 Minimise the relative expansion is to even out the
temperature
 Select materials with different coefficients of expansion

19 March 2022 20
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

ex 1- Steel stud

19 March 2022 21
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

ex 2- Internal combustion engines

 The temperature distribution over and along the piston

differs even in the near-steady state
 Differences in the coefficients of expansion of piston and
cylinder must also be taken into account
Possible solutions:-
 The use of an aluminium–silicon alloy with a relatively
small coefficient of expansion inhibiting inserts that are
also good heat conductors and of a flexible piston skirt. It
helps to match the shape of the piston skirt to that of the
cylinder (refer fig in next slide)
 making the piston oval shaped.

19 March 2022 22
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Piston of internal combustion engine made of aluminium–silicon

alloy with steel inserts which inhibit circumferential expansion;
moreover the bimetallic effect ensures optimum adaptation of
the piston skirt to the cylinder
19 March 2022 23
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

ex.-3 Power generators

 In this application large lengths of insulated copper rod
must be embedded in the steel rotors.
 For insulation purposes alone, the absolute and relative
expansions must be kept as small as possible.
 However, if fast-running rotors have large dimensions,
thermal imbalances may occur even though the
temperature distribution is relatively uniform.
 The rotor, because of its complicated structure and the
various materials that have gone into it, may not always
display the same temperature-dependent behaviour.
 The only solution is to keep the temperature to a minimum
by cooling
19 March 2022 24
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Unsteady Relative Expansion

Characteristics:-
 If the temperature changes with time, for instance during
heating or cooling processes, we often obtain a relative
expansion that is much greater than that found in the
final steady stateThis is because the temperatures of the
individual components can differ considerably

19 March 2022 25
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Unsteady Relative Expansion Contd.

Assumptions:-
 Heating surface and mean temperatures of the
components are equal
 relatively thin walls and high thermal conductivity

19 March 2022 26
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Unsteady Relative Expansion Contd.

Mathematical characterization:-

Where

c = specific heat of the component

m = mass of the component
h = heat transfer coefficient of the heated surface of the
component
A = heated area of the component

19 March 2022 27
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Unsteady Relative Expansion Contd.

Possible solutions:-
 With two components that have different time constants,
we obtain temperature curves that, at a given critical time,
will have a maximum difference. At this point we have
maximum relative expansion
In order to render the time constants approximately equal:-

 Adapt the ratio of the volume V to the heated surface area

A
 Adjust the heat transfer coefficient h by means of, say,
lagging or selecting different cooling airflow rates
19 March 2022 28
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Volume–surface area relationships for various geometrical bodies

19 March 2022 29
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Ex-1
 The problem is to ensure
adequate clearance for a
valve spindle so that it can
move safely and smoothly
in its sleeve, even during
temperature changes
 When heated, the spindle
will quickly expand
radially, while the sleeve,
which transfers its heat
readily to the housing,
remains cooler to reduce
its clearance
19 March 2022 30
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Unsteady Relative Expansion e.g.-1

 The sleeves are sealed axially but can expand freely

radially. Moreover, the volume-to-area ratio of the
sleeves is such that the spindle

19 March 2022 31
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Ex-2

19 March 2022
32 BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design to allow for Creep and

Relaxation

19 March 2022 33
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Behavior of Materials Subject to Temperature Changes

 When designing components subject to temperature

changes, we must take into account not only the
expansion effect but also the creep properties of the
materials.
 The temperatures involved need not necessarily be very
high, some materials even at temperatures well below
100◦C, behave in much the same way as metals do at
very high temperatures.
 Materials in common use (pure metals as well as alloys)
have a polycrystalline structure and a temperature-
dependent behavior.

19 March 2022 34
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

 Below a critical temperature, the stability of inter crystalline

bonds is largely independent of time, and the yield point
can be used to determine the strengths of components.
 Components at temperatures above the critical
temperature are strongly influenced by the time dependent
behavior of the material.
 After critical temperature, materials under the influence of
load, temperature and time, experience a gradual plastic
deformation and after a given period leads to fracture.
 The ensuing time dependent fracture stress is much lower
than the 0.2% proof stress at the same temperature
determined by short-term experiments

19 March 2022 35
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

the critical temperature is the

intersection of the curves of
0.2% proof stress and stress
for 0.2%creep strain in 105
hours

Characteristic values determined by high-temperature tensile strength and

creep experiments with 21C/1.5% Cr-Mo-V steel at various temperatures
19 March 2022 36
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

 Critical temperature and creep strength depend largely on the

materials used and both must be taken into consideration. For
steels, the critical temperature lies between 300◦C and 400◦C.
 When working with synthetic materials, designers must allow
for their visco- elastic behavior, even at temperatures below
100◦C.
 In general, the modulus of elasticity changes inversely with
the temperature.
 The smallest changes occur with nickel alloys.
 As the modulus of elasticity drops, so does the stiffness of the
components— synthetic components in particular
 In this case, designers must know the temperature at which
the modulus of elasticity suddenly drops to relatively low
values.
19 March 2022 37
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

(metals) (synthetic)
Relationship of modulus of elasticity to temperature for various materials
19 March 2022 38
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Creep
 Components that are put under loads for long periods at
high temperatures will, in addition to the strain given by
Hooke’s Law (ε = σ/E), also experience plastic
deformation (εplast) with time.

 This property of materials, which is known as creep,

depends on stress, the effective temperature ϑ and time.

 A material creeps if the strain of a component increases

under constant load or stress.

19 March 2022 39
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Creep at Room Temperature

 Before we can design components loaded to near the
yield stress, we must know how they react in the
transition region between the elastic and the plastic
states.
 With persistent static loads in this transition region, we
can expect primary creep in metals even at room
temperature.

19 March 2022 40
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Strain, creep rate with duration of load (schematic representation); characteristics

of the various creep phases

19 March 2022 41
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Creep at Room Temperature

 The resulting plastic deformations are small and merely
affect the dimensional stability of a particular component.

 In general, steels show little creep when subject to stress

≤ 0.75 ꞏ σ0.2 or ≤ 0.55 ꞏ σF, whereas, in the case of
synthetic materials, a reliable assessment of the
mechanical behavior can only be made by considering
the temperature and time-dependent characteristics.

19 March 2022 42
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Creep Below the Critical Temperature

 In high dimensional stability components, even at
moderately high temperatures, the characteristics of the
material determined by creep experiments must also be
taken into account
 Unalloyed, low-alloy and austenitic steels show varying
degrees of creep depending on length of operation and
working temperature.
 Synthetic materials experience structural changes, even
at slightly elevated temperatures.
 These transformations may lead to a marked
temperature and time dependence of the properties of
the materials, which is not the case with metals.

19 March 2022 43
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Creep Above the Critical Temperature

 In this temperature region, mechanical loads will cause

deformations in metals at far below the appropriate high-
temperature yield strength, that is, the materials will
creep.

 This creep leads to gradual deformation of components

and can lead to loss of function and possible failure.

 In general, this process can be divided into three phases

19 March 2022 44
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

19 March 2022 45
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Creep Above the Critical Temperature

 For components affected by temperature changes, the

beginning of the tertiary creep phase must be considered
dangerous.
 This region begins at approximately 1% permanent
strain.
 The105-hour creep strengths σ1%/105 at 500◦C for various
steels are :

19 March 2022 46
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Stresses at 1%permanent strain for various steels after 105 hours at 500◦C
19 March 2022 47
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Relaxation
 In loaded systems (springs, bolts, tension wires, shrink
fits), the necessary preload produces an overall strain ε
(elongation Δl).
 Because of creep and settling of the material due to
plastic flow at the bearing surfaces and split lines, the
ratio of plastic to elastic deformation gradually increases.
 The phenomenon of decreasing elastic strain at constant
overall strain is called relaxation.

19 March 2022 48
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Relaxation
 Loaded components are usually preloaded at room
temperature. Because the modulus of elasticity varies
with the temperature, the preload decreases at higher
temperatures, even without a change in length of the
loaded system.
 The preload remaining at operational conditions, though
reduced, will lead to creep at high temperatures and
hence to a further drop in the preload (relaxation).

19 March 2022 49
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

To sum up, we can say that, with metallic components:

 The drop in preload depends on the relative stiffness of
the parts loaded against each other. The more rigid the
connection, the greater the drop in the preload due to
plastic deformation (creep and settlement).
 Although settlement can be appreciably offset during the
tightening of bolted flanges or the assembling of shrink
fits, designers should, where possible, provide for few
but accurately machined surfaces (split lines, bearing
surfaces).
 There is a temperature limit beyond which the material
cannot be properly used. In addition, designers should
always choose materials in which the appropriate high-
temperature yield point is not reached, even with
superimposed operational stresses.
19 March 2022 50
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

 In the short term, high initial preloads (initial clamping

forces) give rise to higher residual clamping forces. In
the longer term, the residual clamping forces become
relatively independent of the initial preload.
 Joints that have already undergone relaxation can be
tightened up if the toughness of the material permits. As
a rule, creep of about 1%, which leads to the tertiary
creep region, must not be exceeded.
 If joints are subjected to an alternating load in addition
to the static preload, then, as experiments have shown,
the amplitudes tolerated during relaxation dependent
decreases in the mean stress are considerably greater
than those tolerated at constant mean stress. However,
relaxation-dependent decreases in the mean stress will
often lead to a loosening of the joint.
19 March 2022 51
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Relaxation
 When using bolted joints made of synthetic materials,
designers try to take advantage of their low electrical and
thermal conductivity, their resistance to corrosion, their
high mechanical damping, their small specific weight,
etc.
 In addition, such joints must, of course, have the
appropriate strength and toughness. Special attention
must also be paid to preload decay, otherwise the
functioning of the joints can be seriously impaired.

19 March 2022 52
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

• Special studies have shown that in synthetic (unlike in

metallic) materials:
– The preload remaining after a given time and at room
temperature is determined by the material itself and
its tendency to absorb moisture.
– Continual changes in the absorption and release of
moisture have a particularly deleterious effect.

19 March 2022 53
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design Features
 In order to increase the potential life of components
subject to long-term loads, designers must familiarize
with the behavior of the materials involved over time.
 It is dangerous to use short-term values to predict load
responses for periods of 105 hours or longer.
 It is impossible to avoid thermal stresses in all
components by specifying the use of highly alloyed
materials.
 Appropriate design features are often more useful than
changing the materials.

19 March 2022 54
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design Features contd…

The design must enable creep to be kept within
permissible limits, which can be done by means
of:
1. A high elastic strain
reserve, which helps to
minimize additional loads
due to temperature
fluctuations

Austenitic–ferritic steel flanged joint intended for operating temperatures of 600◦C

19 March 2022 55
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Design Features contd…

2. Insulation or cooling of components

3. The avoidance of mass concentrations which, in
unsteady processes, may lead to increased
thermal loading
4. The prevention of creep in unwanted directions,
which can cause functional failure (for instance
the jamming of valve spindles) or dismantling
problems

19 March 2022 56
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Centering and sealing of a cover

a) Dismantling is impeded because the material creeps into the relief groove at y
b) convex sealing edge provides a better seal with smaller sealing force. Creep
does not impede dismantling

19 March 2022 57
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
DE  ZG525 Mechanical System Design

Questions?
Contact : arunjalan@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in

19 March 2022 58
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus