DESIGN #1

ENGR 111 Fall 2015

STUDENT QUESTIONS ON
MODULE CONTENT
What are your questions over the module content?

RAT X.Y DESIGN PROCESS

MODULE
Log onto eCampus
Under Submission Box find RAT 4.1
Once you begin you will have 5 minutes to complete and submit
the RAT
The password is

Identify
the
Need

St
W ake
an ho
ts ld
e

OVERALL DESIGN PROCESS

Define
the
Solution

Implemen
t the
Solution

Ideate
Possible
Solutions

Understa
nd the
Need

ing ns
r
e tio
e
n
a
i
c
g
fi
En eci
Sp

OVERALL DESIGN PROCESS

1. Identify the Need
What do we need that we dont have?

2. Understand the Need

What does it need to do?
How well does it need to do it?

3. Ideate Possible Solutions

Of all the ways to do this, which one do we choose?

4. Define a Solution
Does it meet specifications?

5. Implement the Solution

Put the solution into action

DISCLAIMERS
The design process presented here is not definitive
Almost any book on the design process will have more or fewer
steps
Use different vocabulary words, also

May be different based on specific company or industry or

discipline
BUT, they are all processes
Structured approach to problem solving
Suggests ways to document work design notebooks
Helps organize work among team members
Helps organize work among disciplines or separate business units

WHAT VERSUS HOW

Identify
the
Need

Define
the
Solution

Implemen
t the
Solution

St
ak
W WHAT
an eho
ts ld
(More
e
Abstract) r

Understa
nd the
Need

HOW
(More
Concrete)

Ideate
Possible
Solutions

ing ns
r
e ti o
e
n
gi ifica
n
E ec
Sp

WHAT VERSUS HOW

Before we begin a search for solutions, we want to spend time on
thoroughly understanding the problem
This leads to a more efficient overall process
This prevents solving the wrong problem

This is often not as fun as brainstorming solutions, but it must be

done
Will make the solution process more productive

WHAT VERSUS HOW

We will spend todays class on WHAT
Identify the Need
Understand the Need

This is at a more abstract level than solutions

Understanding the need should result in a set of Engineering
Specifications
The first pass through, these may be called Preliminary Engineering
Specifications
These are subject to change as more information is developed

WANTS VERSUS NEEDS

Wants are what a customer or end user think of first
I want something that will do this

This may be expressed in very non-technical language

May also include suggested solutions
As engineers, we need to turn the wants into needs by using more
technical language and by filtering out the possible solutions.
We only want the WHAT at this point

WANTS VERSUS NEEDS

A simple example:
Customer: I want a truck to move that pile
of dirt from here to over there.
Notice: Using a truck is a solution
The need is actually to move the pile of
dirt
Many possible solutions:
Truck, conveyer belt, suction tubes, transporter.

ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATIONS
We express our understanding of the need with a list of engineering
specifications
Each specification consists of three parts
1.
2.
3.

Metric
Number or range of numbers
Proper Units

Examples:
Maximum bending stress less than 32.0 ksi
Vertical acceleration less than 60 m/s2
Operating temperature between 1500 and 1750 degrees C

ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATIONS (LIST OF
METRICS)

From The Mechanical Design Process by Ullman

ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATIONS
Also a good idea to take note of where the specification came from
Customer
Governmental regulations
Website
Conversation with an expert
Technical handbook

ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATIONS
Should be documented in your Design Notebook
Keep the specifications up-to-date
The specifications will change during the lifetime of the project
As questions are asked and answered, the information will be of higher fidelity

Current specifications should be available to all teammates on the project

Formal process to change specifications
Changing specifications is a team activity
No one person is allowed to change specifications because these changes may affect all aspects of
the project

ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATIONS
The Engineering Specifications are used as a scorecard
Choosing the best solution out of many possible solutions
Prototype Testing
To determine whether the chosen solution really meets the need based on measured prototype data

Remember: If a solution doesnt meet all specifications, it is not a viable solution

ENGINEERING
SPECIFICATIONS
The Engineering Specifications are used as a scorecard
Generally speaking, these are pass/fail judgments
Early on in the project, you may not have actual numerical data to compare to the specifications
This becomes an exercise in judging probabilities
Ask yourself: Which possible solution is more likely to meet this specification?

QFD (QUALITY FUNCTION

DEPLOYMENT)
Quality Function Deployment(QFD) is a structured approach to
defining customer needs or requirements and translating them into
specific plans to produce products to meet those needs. The "voice
of the customer" is the term to describe these stated and unstated
customer needs or requirements.

www.npd-solutions.com/qfd.html

QFD (QUALITY FUNCTION

DEPLOYMENT)
Our design process as described in the Design Process Module and
in our class discussions contains the rudimentary elements of QFD
The emphasis is squarely on understanding the problem prior to
attempting to devise solutions
In this way, the solution has a greater chance of satisfying the
customers wants and needs at the end of the project
You will encounter QFD in the workplace
We are only covering the basics

TECHNIQUES FOR
IDENTIFYING THE NEED
Direct contact with customer or end-user
Surveys
Observation of users interacting with a similar product
Internet searches
What other ways can you think of?

FUNCTIONAL BREAKDOWN
This is a technique that is useful for both understanding the need
and later for devising potential solutions
The idea is to identify and organize the functions that the solution
must perform in order to satisfy the stakeholder needs
Notice that functions are not solutions
Functions are more abstract than solutions and describe WHAT the
solution must do, not HOW to do it

FUNCTIONAL BREAKDOWN
When creating a functional breakdown we are following the flow of
three separate quantities
1.
2.
3.

Energy
Mass
Information

FUNCTIONAL BREAKDOWN
A NAIL GUN

From Product Design and Development by Ulrich and

EXAMPLES OF MECHANICAL
DESIGN FUNCTIONS

From The Mechanical Design Process by Ullman

TEAM EXERCISE: FUNCTIONAL BLOCK

DIAGRAMS
Generating a Functional Model

Input(s)
Variables
Products
Actions

Dirty clothes
Detergent
Water
Energy

Device/Proces
s
(transfer function
catalyst
State transition)

Washing
Machine

outputs(s)
Variables
Products
Actions

Clean clothes
Dirty water

How would you expand the black box of the Washing

Machine into a Functional Block Diagram

EXAMPLE: CLOTHES WASHING DEVICE

Dirty clothes
Detergent

Washing
Machine

Clean clothes

Water
Energy

Dirty
Clothes

Loosen
dirt

Water

Detergent

Dirty water

Separate
dirt

Dirty
Water

Water

Remove
dirt

Remove
water

Water

If we use our imagination we could define a number of

different ways to accomplish each of these functions
Later we will explore ways to manage this innovative

Damp,
Clean
Clothes

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF A
RADIO
Power

RF
Signal

User
choices
(frequency,
volume,
etc.)

Heat

Sound

RADIO
Status
of user
choices

From Dr. Cahill

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF A
RADIO
Power
Power

RF
RF
Signal
Signal

User
User
choices
choices
(frequency,
(frequency,
volume,
volume,
etc.)
etc.)

Convert
Convert
Power
Power to
to
Appropriat
Appropriat
ee Voltage
Voltage

Amplify
Amplify
RF
RF
Signal
Signal

Heat

Select
Select
Frequenc
Frequenc
yy

Displa
Displa
yy
Status
Status

Convert
Convert
to
to Audio
Audio

Amplify
Electric
al
Signal

Convert
Signal
to
Sound

Sound

Status
of user
choices

From Dr. Cahill

TEAM EXERCISE: LIX 3D PEN

(20
MINUTES)
Create a functional block diagram for the LIX
3D Pen

See their website http://lixpen.com/

First list all the functions the device must
perform
Then show the functions relationships to one
another by creating a Functional Block
Diagram (FBD)

TEAM EXERCISE:
UNDERSTANDING THE NEED
(50 MIN TO 1 HOUR)
The National Forest Service would like all patrons at national parks
to be given a wearable communications device as they enter the
park. The word wearable in this case means attached to the
body in some way and not to an item of clothing. Each device
would have a unique signal and would allow forest service
personnel to track park patrons and to communicate with them,
especially in emergency situations.

TEAM EXERCISE:
UNDERSTANDING
THE NEED
Create an electronic Design Notebook for this project in DOC, PPTX, or PDF
format to submit to eCampus at the end of the class period today. The
Design Notebook should include the following deliverables:

1. Cover page with Section Number and Team Roster.

2. Concise statement the objective of the project. (The
Need)
3. List of the stakeholders for this new device/system
4. List of stakeholders wants or needs.
Team members should act in the interests of the stakeholders in developing this list.

5. A Functional Block Diagram for the device/system

Start with a list of functions.
Then, organize into a Functional Block Diagram (FBD)

6. List of Initial Engineering Specifications for the

device/system
Indicate source of the numerical ranges that you use.