The author addresses the various topics associated with engineering design. The topics covered are related to technical, non-technical, and business considerations. The book is oriented toward a classroom setting and as a guide for the instructor. The level of detail covered in the individual sections is quite elementary, but, as a whole, the book is more appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate or early graduate course in engineering.

This book is structured as a quick introduction to a series of topics, with an associated set of questions for each topic. Many of these questions require the reader to have a previous background in the material. Such an approach can generate a discussion about instead of black and white answers to questions.

The chapter on the design process shows the multitude of individuals involved with the design and what their specific contributions to the overall design effort are supposed to be. The concept of creativity is addressed, and the author tries to present the various ways to stimulate this process and the factors that limit it. The design process is structured as a series of events beginning with the recognition of the problem and proceeding through the distribution process to the final stages of obsolescence. The most significant part of this chapter is the presentation of the many factors that affect a design. These range from the delivery date, quantities, and material specifications to surface finishes and transportation.

The chapter on decision making covers three main topics: logical decision tree structures, statistical analysis, and optimization theory. The decision tree structures represent the most common ways of looking at options in an hierarchical fashion. The most elementary principles of statistics and their use in the decision making process are introduced. The statistical material is used to support the subsequent discussions on reliability and optimization in a few design conditions.

The material covered in the section related to computer-aided design (CAD) introduces the reader to what a computer is and to some of the most common terminology. The relationship between the design stages and computer-aided design is also discussed. Computer graphics is introduced and is related to CAD and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). The discussion of CAM is extremely weak, and there is no mention of the various support systems that are currently used in modern design environments.

The materials selection chapter presents information on material characteristics, selection considerations, joining, and fabrication techniques. Some of the main properties of materials, for example, melting point and specific gravity, are described. There is a short introduction to the use of the various materials. This chapter considers the factors that should be considered when selecting a material (e.g., cost and availability). The various types of bonding, from glues to welding and riveting, are presented. A few fabrication methods (e.g., machining, forging, and casting) are also discussed.

The chapter on human factors sketches out the various factors to consider when constructing something for human use. The description of some of the anthropometric, physiological, ergonometric, and psychological factors lacks depth.

The chapter on economics is weak. It provides only basic definitions of product life cycle, supply and demand, and product and project costs. There is no discussion of how to derive costs and how they affect the marketing strategy and the sales price.

The discussion on legal factors is cursory, but it seems to be adequate for this book. It would have been better to present more of the issues involved than to present complete documents regarding several patents. An engineer should understand the various types of legal support that might be obtained (e.g., patents, design patents, copyrights, and trade marks). The reader should keep in mind that this information may not apply in all countries. The section on contracts is weak. However, this section does provide a good discussion of the different components of a contract. These components may not apply in all situations. Codes and standards are also introduced here.

The two chapters on communications and management are also introductory in nature. More emphasis should have been placed on the marketing aspects of engineering. This has traditionally been a weak area in the technical community. The section on management contains so little information that I wonder why it is here to begin with. Technical people tend to think in black and white; management must consider compromises. The author should have put more effort into this area as it can make or break a company.

The last chapter, on engineering and society, should not have been included. There are moral considerations in developing technology that can be used for warfare, but the same moral issues occur in any discipline that touches military issues.