66 Engineering Fundamentals
Experimental Research
Engineers must also perform experimen-
tal research to help develop their solutions to
engineering design challenges. Experimental
research is a type of research that uses tests to
discover information about your potential solu-
tion. The type of experimental research typi-
cally conducted by engineers depends heavily
on which type of engineering fi eld they work
and the specifi c problem they are attempting to
solve. Engineers in different disciplines perform
different types of experimental research from
one another, but there are few considerations
all engineers are interested in discovering
through experimental research: material prop-
erties, feasibility, production possibilities, and
effectiveness.
Material Testing
Materials are critical to any engineered
product. Materials have specifi c properties that
must be considered when producing a product.
Specifi c material properties can be discovered
through library research, but there often needs to
be an experiment to determine if the material is
appropriate for a specifi c solution. Materials have
specifi c properties that are mechanical, electrical,
chemical, thermal, magnetic, acoustical, environ-
mental, optical, atomic, and radiological. Material
properties are discussed in detail in Chapter 7.
Engineers research the ratings of each of the
material properties through library research, but
they often perform experiments either through
digital simulation or physical experiments to
determine a material’s appropriateness for
a specifi c application. These simulations are
discussed in Chapter 6.
Feasibility Study
Feasibility is considered by engineers at many
points throughout the engineering design process,
but it is most important during the research stages
of the design process. Feasibility is the potential
for something to be practically completed. Once
the engineers have brainstormed solutions and
performed historical research, they must also
consider the feasibility of the solution. In general,
cost feasibility is an evaluation of the effectiveness
of the potential solution from a fi nancial perspec-
tive. Estimates for the cost of the materials, produc-
tion, and logistics of the product are considered to
determine if the product is worth the fi nancial and
time costs to the company producing the product.
For example, an engineer may be designing
a cup that needs to be strong enough to survive a
4′ drop without breaking and still be useful. The
engineer would look over the properties of various
materials to fi nd a strong material. While the engi-
neer could select to use steel over plastic, it would
not be very cost effective to have the material made
from steel because of the cost of materials and labor.
The engineer may select a plastic material because
of the potential cost to the company and consumer.
Production Research
Engineers must consider the possibility of
producing a solution during the research stages
of the engineering design process. Engineers
experiment with the ways different solutions
will go from design idea to a produced product.
Production costs must be minimal, and engi-
neers always look for the simplest solution for
a problem. Along with material selection, engi-
neers analyze how the material will be turned
into the fi nal product. Because engineers use
science and technology to produce an actual
solution, they must consider the realistic possi-
bilities of producing the product. Key to this
process is performing experiments while taking
constraints into consideration. For example,
aerospace engineers face many challenges with
the weight of materials. During the research
stages of engineering design, engineers make
sure they have the appropriate materials and
production techniques available to complete the
potential solution. See Figure 4-15.
Another example is the development of
new components for an automobile. Mechani-
cal engineers may be faced with a challenge
to develop a new braking system for an auto-
mobile, but it needs to be able to be produced
with the current equipment and assembly line
personnel. The engineers working on this chal-
lenge must consider how their design fi ts into
the current production possibilities of the auto-
motive facility.