The subject Machine Design is the creation of new and better

machines and improving the existing ones. A new or better machine

is one which is more economical in the overall cost of production
and operation. The process of design is a long and time consuming
one. From the study of existing ideas, a new idea has to be
conceived. The idea is then studied keeping in mind its commercial
success and given shape and form in the form of drawings. In the
preparation of these drawings, care must be taken of the availability
of resources in money, in men and in materials required for the
successful completion of the new idea into an actual reality. In
designing a machine component, it is necessary to have a good
knowledge of many subjects such as Mathematics, Engineering
Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Theory of Machines, Workshop
Processes and Engineering Drawing.
 An iterative decision making process to
conceive and implement optimum
systems to solve societys problems and
needs.
Engineering design is practical in nature
and must be concerned with physical
realizability, or economic and financial
feasibility.
What is Mechanical Engineering Design
Mechanical Engineering Design is
defined as iterative decision making
process to describe a machine or
mechanical system to perform specific
function with maximum economy and
efficiency by using scientific principles,
technical information, and imagination of
the designer.
 Machine Design or mechanical design is
primarily concerned with the systems by
which the energy is converted into useful
mechanical forms and of mechanisms
required to convert the output of the
machine to the desired form. The design
may lead to an entirely new machine or an
improvement on an existing one. Thus
machine design is the production or creation
of the right combination of correctly
proportioned moving and stationary
components so constructed and joined as to
enable the liberation, transformation, and
utilization of energy.
 Adaptive design.
In most cases, the designers
work is concerned with adaptation of
existing designs. This type of design
needs no special knowledge or skill and
can be attempted by designers of ordinary
technical training. The designer only
makes minor alternation or modification in
the existing designs of the product.
 This type of design needs considerable
scientific training and design ability in order
to modify the existing designs into a new
idea by adopting a new material or different
method of manufacture. In this case, though
the designer starts from the existing design,
but the final product may differ quite
markedly from the original product
 This type of design needs lot of research, technical ability and
creative thinking. Only those designers who have personal
qualities of a sufficiently high order can take up the work of a
new design. The designs, depending upon the methods used,
may be classified as follows :
(a) Rational design. This type of design depends upon
mathematical formulae of principle of mechanics.
(b) Empirical design. This type of design depends upon empirical
formulae based on the practice and past experience. (c)
Industrial design. This type of design depends upon the
production aspects to manufacture any machine component in
the industry.
(d) Optimum design. It is the best design for the given objective
function under the specified constraints. It may be achieved by
minimising the undesirable effects.
(e) System design. It is the design of any complex mechanical
system like a motor car.
(f) Element design. It is the design of any element of the
mechanical system like piston, crankshaft, connecting rod, etc.
(g) Computer aided design. This type of design depends upon
the use of computer systems to assist in the creation,
modification, analysis and optimisation of a design.
 To design machine element and devices,
you must be competent in the design of
individual elements that comprise the
system. But you must also be able to
integrate several components and devices
into a coordinated, robust system that
meets your customers need. Design of
machine elements is an integral part of
the larger and more general field of
mechanical design. Designs and design
engineering create devices or systems to
satisfy specific needs.
 At the initial stages of machine design, we face a
dilemma. The designer can not predict with accuracy
what environmental loads the user will subject the
machine to. The dilemma can be resolved only by
iteration, which means to repeat, or to return to a
previous state. We must assume some trial configuration
for each part; use the mass properties of that trial
configuration in dynamic force analysis to determine the
forces, moments, and torques acting on the part, and
then use the cross-sectional geometry of the trial design
to calculate the resulting stresses. Most likely, on the
first trial, we will find that our design fails because the
materials cannot stand the levels of stresses presented.
We must then redesign the part by changing shapes, size,
materials, manufacturing processes, or other factors in
order to reach an acceptable design. It is generally not
possible to achieve a successful result without making
several iterations through this design process.
 1. Identification of need The chief objective of an
enterprise that produces a product is to satisfy the
customer. It is essential that you know your
customers desires before beginning a product design
2. Background research background information is
necessary to fully define and understand the problem.
3. Goal statement after background research it is
possible to restate the goal in a more reasonable and
realistic way than in the original problem statement.
4. Task specification task specification bound the
problem and limit its scope
5. Synthesis as many alternative possible design
approaches are sought, usually without regard for their
values or quality. In this step, the largest possible
number of creative solutions are generated.
 6. Analysis the possible solution from the previous
step are analyzed and either accepted, rejected, or
modified.
7. Selection the most promising solution is selected.
8. Detailed design once an acceptable design is
selected, the detailed design can be done in which all
the loose end are tied up, complete engineering
drawing made, manufacturing specification defined
etc.
9. Prototyping and testing the actual construction of
the working design is first done as a prototype
10. Production finally in quantity in production
note that iteration is require within the entire process,
moving any step back to any previous step, in all
possible combinations, and doing this repeatedly
 Once upon a time there were no standards or even uniformity
among the same products, for example, bolts, nuts and
screw threads. Finding a replacement was not an easy task.
This lack of standards and uniformity was costly and
ineffective for a great variety of reasons. Standardization is
the term applied to the obligatory norms to which various
indices of a product should correspond. These indices are
types, grades, parameters (dimensions), and quality
characteristics, test methods, rules of marking, packing and
storage of products, raw materials and semi-manufactured
goods. Standardisation is the key to cost effectiveness
and quality. Standardisations of specifications for machine
elements promote their quality and increase their service life.
It curtails the time needed for their designing, quickens their
entry into service and simplifies repairs as new standard
ones easily replace worn or damaged parts. An important
feature of standardization, in present day mechanical
engineering is the principle of interchangeability without
which lot and mass production is impossible.
 A standard is a set of specifications for part, materials,
or processes intended to achieve uniformity, efficiency
and a specified quality. One of the important purposes of
a standard is to place a limit on the number of items in
the specifications so as to provide a reasonable inventory
of tooling, sizes, shapes and varieties. Code: A code is a
set of specifications for the analysis, design, manufacture
and construction of something. The purpose of a code is
to achieve a specified degree of safety, efficiency, and
performance or quality. Interchangeability is the
property of machine parts or units making it possible to
utilize them in assembly (or replace them during
repair/service) without any additional machining (fitting)
while preserving the technical requirements for the given
unit, mechanism or machine functioning. For parts to be
interchangeable their dimensions need not ideally
coincide. It is enough that the actual size of each part lies
within the assigned limits.
 In mechanical engineering the following is
standardized: Designation of general
engineering quantities, rules for construction of
drawings; series of numbers applied to linear
dimensions. Structural elements of the majority
of machine components, bar, beams, angle,
channels, plates rounds etc. Accuracy (Fits and
tolerances) and surface finish of parts. Materials,
their chemical compositions, basic mechanical
properties and heat treatment Shape, size of
most common parts and units: bolts, screws,
studs, nuts, washers, cotton pins, rivets, dowels,
keys, forms and dimensions of spline joints etc.
Belts chains, diameter and width of pulleys;
couplings and clutches and antifriction bearings.
Modules of gears and worm wheels etc.
 Essence of machine design is to define and calculate
motions, forces, and changes in energy in order to
determine the size, shape, and materials needed for
each of machine element. Engineers responsibility
is to calculate and predict the mode and conditions
of failure for each element and then design it to
prevent that failure. A good design engineer would
provide a foolproof solution to a problem, obtained at
an economical cost and comprising of minimum
number of parts. To be a successful designer, the
engineer must use the best available scientific
understanding together with empirical information, a
good judgement and often a degree of imagination
or ingenuity. Then only best products suitable to a
welfare society and marketable in a competitive
economy could be turned out.
 In approaching a design, the designer should establish
criteria that will guide the decision-making processes
inherent in any project. Because each design problem has
many alternative solutions, each can be evaluated in terms
of the list of criteria. There may not be a single best design,
but designers should work toward an optimum design, that is
design should maximize benefits and minimize
disadvantages. The following are general criteria for machine
design Safety Performance (the degree to which the
design meets or exceeds the design objectives) Reliability
(a high probability that the device will reach or exceed its
design life) Ease of manufacture Ease of service or
replacement of components Ease of operation Low initial
cost Low operating and maintenance costs Small size and
low weight Low noise and vibration, smooth operation Use
of readily available materials and purchased components
Prudent use of both uniquely designed parts and
commercially available components Appearance that is
attractive and appropriate to the application.
 technical drawing and CAD properties
of materials manufacturing processes
statics, dynamics, and strength of
materials kinematics and mechanisms
Building on these skills, and using this
book, you should now be ready to learn
design of machine element and
mechanical design.
 Springs
Fasteners
Bearings
Machined Universal
Shafts Joint Coiled
Gears
 Finite Element Analysis
Design Optimization
Biomechanics
Nanotechnology
Fracture Mechanics
Mechanical Material Properties
Composite Materials
Designing for Manufacturing
Welding