ME 2D03 Unit 1: Design, Materials, and Simple Machines

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the design process, design considerations, intellectual property, material selection, and simple machines from Unit 1 of ME 2D03.

Design

The creation of a product, process, or system to fill a need, solve problems, make things better, and improve quality of life.

EcoRotor

A wind turbine technology designed by General Electric that uses a dome centered in the rotor to redirect air from the middle outward to the periphery, increasing power output without increasing blade size.

USA Feedback Framework

A guideline for giving effective design feedback stating it must be Useful (serves a purpose to improve design), Specific (addresses a clear aspect), and Actionable (can be acted upon directly rather than general commentary).

Peregrine Falcon Tubercle (Baffle)

A cone-shaped bone inside a peregrine falcon's nostril that slows down high-speed airflow (over $200\,\text{mph}$ or $320\,\text{km/h}$) to breathable speeds, preventing lung damage during high-speed dives.

SR-71 Inlet Cone

A cone-shaped structure at the front of supersonic jet engines (inspired by the peregrine falcon nostril baffle) that creates shockwaves to decelerate incoming air to subsonic speeds, increasing pressure and decreasing velocity to optimize combustion.

Step 1: Identification of a Need

The initial step of the design process, delivering one to two brief sentences that outline the general, non-technical objectives and problems to be solved while considering both client and user wants.

Step 2: Problem Definition

The stage of the design process where client and user needs are translated into specific goals, constraints, and numerical criteria that the design must achieve.

Mind Mapping

An idea generation technique used in Step 3A of the design process to visually sketch out thoughts, connections, and thought patterns around a central concept.

Affinity Diagram

A method used to organize brainstorming ideas written on sticky notes by grouping them into common themes or categories.

Weighted Decision Matrix

A quantitative evaluation tool that scores potential design concepts against defined criteria multiplied by numerical weightings to objectively select the best option.

Step 4: Problem Refinement

The design process stage where selected concepts are detailed through sketches, layouts, additional constraints, and initial sizing, dimensioning, or weight calculations.

Step 5: Analysis & Optimization

The design step involving in-depth performance modeling, parameter adjustments, and formal calculations for strength, life, safety, manufacturability, and cost to produce the optimal version of each design concept.

Step 7: Implementation & Presentation

The final stage of the design process that delivers production-ready documents, including detail drawings, assembly drawings, bill of materials (BOM), tolerances, surface finishes, materials, and heat treatments.

Design for Assembly (DFA)

A design practice focused on simplifying the assembly process by reducing part count, minimizing fastener types, avoiding complex cable routings, making orientations obvious, and providing necessary tools.

Design for Environment (DFE)

A design methodology that considers environmental challenges such as operating temperature, corrosion, weather exposure (wind, rain, hail), and operational survivability, exemplified by the SeaGen commercial tidal power turbine.

Safety Factor ($n$)

The ratio of the maximum load causing failure to the applied working load: $n = \frac{\text{maximum load (causing failure)}}{\text{applied load}}$, where a value of $n = 1$ denotes operation on the brink of failure.

Standard

A specification for individual parts, materials, or processes designed to ensure uniform dimensions, quality, and interchangeability across different manufacturers and suppliers.

Code

A set of regulatory guidelines governing engineering analysis, design practices, or manufacturing procedures to ensure safety and efficiency across designers and companies.

PEO Licensure Requirements

The qualifications required by Professional Engineers Ontario: a CEAB-accredited bachelor's degree in engineering, passing the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE), and completing $4\,\text{years}$ of engineering experience under a licensed professional engineer.

Products Liability

The legal doctrine in the Canadian legal system holding designers and manufacturers responsible for injury or damage caused by defective products, evaluated by harm probability, intended use, and standard of care.

Patent

A legal monopoly granted for the physical embodiment of a new invention or improvement (excluding scientific theories or pure computer programs) that gives the exclusive right to make, use, or sell it, requiring the invention to be novel, useful, and ingenious.

Industrial Design

A class of intellectual property registered with CIPO that protects the visual features of shape, configuration, pattern, or ornament applied to a finished product, such as the contour of a Coca-Cola bottle.

Copyright

Legal protection granting exclusive rights to copy or authorize copying of original literary, artistic, dramatic, or musical works, including software code, technical reports, and engineering drawings.

Trademark

A distinctive word, symbol, or design registered with CIPO (valid for $15\,\text{years}$ and renewable indefinitely) used to distinguish the goods or services of an entity from competitors in the market.

Trade Secret

Proprietary business information (such as the Coca-Cola formula) that gives a firm a competitive edge, protected exclusively through internal confidentiality without formal government registration or statutory legal monopoly.

Stress ($\sigma$)

The ratio of an applied load ($P$) to the initial cross-sectional area ($A_0$): $\sigma = \frac{P}{A_0}$, typically expressed in units of $\text{MPa}$ or $\text{N/m}^2$.

Strain ($\varepsilon$)

The dimensionless ratio of the change in length to the original unstressed length of a material subjected to load: $\varepsilon = \frac{l - l_0}{l_0}$.

Young's Modulus ($E$)

A material property representing stiffness, calculated as the ratio of tensile stress to tensile strain within the linear elastic region: $E = \frac{\sigma}{\varepsilon}$.

Stress-Strain Curve

A graphical plot showing the relationship between engineering stress and strain, identifying regions such as linear elasticity, yield strength, strain hardening, ultimate strength, necking, and fracture.

Ductile Material

A material that undergoes significant elastic and plastic deformation prior to ultimate fracture when subjected to tensile load.

Brittle Material

A material that undergoes minimal to no plastic deformation and fractures suddenly after a largely linear elastic response under stress.

Ferrous Metal

A metal containing iron (such as cast iron or carbon steel) that is typically magnetic, possesses high strength, and is susceptible to rust unless alloyed.

Non-Ferrous Metal

A metal containing no iron (such as aluminum, copper, and nickel alloys) that does not rust and exhibits superior resistance to environmental corrosion.

Ceramic

An inorganic, non-metallic material formed by shaping and firing at elevated temperatures, characterized by high hardness, extreme thermal resistance, high brittleness, and low electrical/thermal conductivity.

Polymer

A material composed of repeating molecular units (typically petroleum-based), offering lightweight properties, high formability, chemical resistance, and electrical insulation.

Composite Material

An engineered material created by combining two or more distinct constituents with different physical or chemical properties to achieve high strength, high rigidity, and low weight.

Mechanical Advantage ($MA$)

The measure of force amplification achieved through a mechanical system, defined as the ratio of output force to input force: $MA = \frac{F_{\text{out}}}{F_{\text{in}}}$.

Ideal Mechanical Advantage (IMA)

The theoretical force multiplication based strictly on conservation of energy ($F_1 d_1 = F_2 d_2$), assuming zero losses from friction, heat generation, or component deflection.

First-Class Lever

A lever configuration with the fulcrum positioned between the effort and the load, causing the output force to change direction and allowing an $MA$ that can be greater than, equal to, or less than $1$.

Second-Class Lever

A lever configuration where the load is positioned between the fulcrum and the effort (e.g., a wheelbarrow), which does not change force direction and always provides an $MA > 1$.

Third-Class Lever

A lever configuration where the effort is applied between the fulcrum and the load (e.g., a golf club), maintaining force direction with an $MA < 1$ to increase output speed.

Wheel and Axle

A simple machine consisting of two concentric rotating cylinders of different diameters, having an ideal mechanical advantage equal to the ratio of wheel radius to axle radius: $MA = \frac{R}{r}$.

Pulley Mechanical Advantage

The mechanical advantage of a pulley system, determined directly by counting the number of supporting rope segments connected directly to the moving load.

Block and Tackle

A compact compound pulley assembly consisting of multiple pulleys mounted on fixed and movable blocks reeved with rope to gain high mechanical advantage in lifting applications.

Inclined Plane

A sloping surface used to raise loads with an ideal mechanical advantage equal to the ratio of the ramp's slope length to its vertical height: $MA = \frac{s}{h}$.

Wedge

A portable triangular inclined plane used to split, lift, or secure objects, having an ideal mechanical advantage equal to its length divided by its base width: $MA = \frac{l}{w}$.

Screw

A simple machine consisting of an inclined plane wrapped helically around a cylinder, having an ideal mechanical advantage of $MA = \frac{2\pi r}{p}$, where $r$ is input radius and $p$ is thread pitch.

Compound Machine

A mechanism composed of two or more simple machines working in series, whose overall mechanical advantage equals the product of each individual machine's mechanical advantage.

Differential (Chinese) Windlass

A specialized lifting apparatus employing two co-axial spools of unequal diameters that wind rope in opposite directions around a movable pulley to produce high mechanical advantage.