Mechanical Engineering is the branch of engineering that is concerned with the conversion of energy

and with the design of machines. The designer of machines is a versatile person, not a specialist,
because he must have knowledge of science, “to know”, and a knowledge of engineering, “to produce”.

For instance, the design of the machinery for missile launching requires, in part, considerable knowledge
of physics, mechanics, aerodynamics, performance of materials in high-intensity. Short time use,
electronics and safety requirements.

Design of machine elements is an integral part of the larger and more general field of mechanical design.
Designers and design engineers create devices or systems to satisfy specific needs. Mechanical devices
typically involve moving parts that transmit power and accomplish specific patterns of motion.
Mechanical systems are composed of several mechanical devices.

Consider the following fields where mechanical products are designed and produced.

1. Consumer products – household appliances (can openers, food processors, mixers, toasters,
vacuum cleaners, clothes washers), lawn mowers, chain saws, power tools, garage door openers, air
conditioning systems.

2. Manufacturing systems – material handling devices, conveyors, cranes, transfer devices, industrial
robots, machine tools, automated assembly systems, forklift trucks and packaging equipment.

3. Construction equipment – tractors with front-end loaders or backhoes, mobile cranes, power shovels,
dump trucks, road pavers, concrete mixers, compressors and many others.

4. Agricultural equipment – tractors, harvesters (for corn, wheat, tomatoes, cotton, fruit and many
other crops), rakes, plows, cultivators, and conveyors.

5. Transportation equipment – automobiles, trucks, and buses (which include hundreds of mechanical
devices), aircraft(which include retractable landing gears, actuators, cargo handling devices, and many
others.

6. Ships – cargo handling cranes, rotating radar antennas, drive gearing and drive shafts and others.

7. Space systems – satellite systems, space shuttle, and launch systems which contain numerous
mechanical systems (antennas, robotic arms, cargo securing devices and propulsion systems).

THE MECHANICAL DESIGN PROCESS

The chief objective of an enterprise that produces a product is to satisfy the customer. It is essential that
you know your customer’s desires before beginning a product design.
The chief objective of an enterprise that produces a product is to satisfy the customer. It is essential that
you know your customer’s desires before beginning a product design.

1. Marketing functions to assess customer requirements.

2. Research to determine the available technology that can reasonably be used in the product.

3. Availability of the materials and components that can be incorporated into the product.

4. Product design and development

5. Performance Testing

6. Documentation of the design

7. Vendor relationships and purchasing functions

8. Consideration of global sourcing of materials and global marketing

9. Work-force skills

10. Physical plant and facilities available

11. Capabilities of manufacturing systems

12. Production planning and control of production systems

13. Production support systems and personnel

14. Quality systems requirements

15. Operation and maintenance of the physical plant 16. Distribution systems to get products to the
customer

17. Sales operations and time schedules

18. Cost targets and other competitive issues

19. Customer service requirements

20. Environmental concerned

21. Legal requirements

22. Availability of financial capital

TYPES OF DESIGN

There may be several types of design such as: Adaptive design

This is based on existing design, for example, standard products or systems adopted for a new
application. Conveyor belts, control system of machines and mechanisms or haulage systems are some
of the examples where existing design systems are adapted for a particular use.
Developmental design

Here we start with an existing design but finally a modified design is obtained. A new model of a car is a
typical example of a developmental design .

New design

This type of design is an entirely new one but based on existing scientific principles. No scientific
invention is involved but requires creative thinking to solve a problem. Examples of this type of design
may include designing a small vehicle for transportation of men and material on board a ship or in a
desert. Some research activity may be necessary.

Types of Design

1. Rational design - This is based on determining the stresses and strains of components and thereby
deciding their dimensions.

2. Empirical design - This is based on empirical formulae which in turn is based on experience and
experiments. For example, when we tighten a nut on a bolt the force exerted or the stresses induced
cannot be determined exactly but experience shows that the tightening force may be given by P=284d
where, d is the bolt diameter in mm and P is the applied force in kg. There is no mathematical backing of
this equation but it is based on observations and experience.

3. Industrial design - These are based on industrial considerations and norms viz. market survey, external
look, production facilities, low cost, use of existing standard products.

SKILLS NEEDED IN MECHANICAL DESIGN

1. Technical Drawing and Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Example: AutoCAD software, Inventor, Mechanical Desktop etc., Pro-Engineer, SolidWorks, Others

2. Properties of materials

3. Manufacturing processes

4. Statics, dynamics and strength of materials.

5. Kinematics and mechanics

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING MACHINE DESIGN DECISIONS

1. Safety
2. Performance ( the degree to which the design meets or exceeds the design objectives)

3. Reliability ( a high probability that the device will reach or exceeds its design life)

4. Ease of manufacture

5. Ease of service or replacement of components

6. Ease of operation

7. Low initial cost

8. Low operating and maintenance costs

9. Small size and low weight

10. Low noise and vibration, smooth operation

11. Use of readily available materials and purchased components

12. Careful use of both uniquely designed parts and commercially available components

13. Appearance that is attractive and appropriate to the application

DESIGN CALCULATIONS

To prepare a careful design record, you should take the following steps.

1. Identify the machine element being designed and the nature of the design calculation.

2. Draw a sketch of the element, showing all features that affect performance or stress analysis. 3. Show
in a sketch the forces acting on the element (the free-body diagram), and provide other drawings to
clarify the actual physical situation.

4. Identify the kind of analysis to be performed, such as stress due to bending, deflection of a beam,
buckling of a column, and so on.

5. List all given data and assumptions

6. Write the formulas to be used in symbol form, and clearly indicate the values and units of the
variables involved. If a formula is not well known to a potential reader of your work, give the source. The
reader may want to refer to it to evaluate the appropriateness of the formula.

7. Solve each formula for the desired variable.

8. Insert data, check units, and perform computations.

9. Judge the reasonableness of the result.

10. If the result is not reasonable, change the design decisions and recompute.