FREE online courses on the Basics of a Computer - COMPUTER APPLICATIONS -
ENGINEERING DESIGN
The design of any piece of
engineering, whether an airplane, ship, car, bridge, road, building or machine,
should not merely be pleasing to look at. The piece of engineering must not only
be able to perform the tasks intended for it over its economic or anticipated
life, but it must also be able to withstand all foreseeable mishaps during its
working life. Engineering designs, however sound they may seem to be on paper,
have to be physically tested under simulated or real-life circumstances before
becoming operational.
Computers can help in calculating
that all parts of a proposed design are satisfactory. If modifications are
necessary and further calculations are required, the computer can evaluate the
alternatives more quickly and more accurately then would otherwise be possible.
This means a great saving in time and elimination of technical faults and human
error (which could possibly be disastrous), before a design is further
developed.
Computers can also be used in
calculations of space and layout as well as strength requirements. This not only
helps insure that engine parts are accessible for maintenance, and bridges and
tunnels high and wide enough for unusual traffic; it also insures that there is
enough room for everything-passengers, fuel, cargo, etc. On motorway
construction, the computer can calculate the amount of soil needed to raise an
embankment, or the amount of rock to be removed in cutting through a hill, and
it can work out the most efficient movement of such materials.
When fitting the structural and
spatial requirements of an engineering project into an overall design, the
computer can also help with graphical output. The facility to view a design from
all angles while it is still on the drawing board, and then to be able to modify
it quickly, avoids to having spent
time and money building and testing several designs before determining which is
the right one. The computer can provide graphical and perspective views to show
the shape of a proposed aircraft wing or car body, the slope of a curve of a new
road, the visibility that the pilot or motorist will have, or the accessibility
of the instruments that the might have operate.
Computers are also used as an aid
to electronic circuit design, even assisting engineers in designing circuits for
other computers.
