Design for Failure--First-Year Seminar

Catalog description

This seminar, through the utilization of commonly used examples, discusses the engineering principles which are exploited by such designs. ESC 120 Design for Failure (1) (FYS) Although an important facet of engineering design is to minimize the possibility of failure of a system component, there are many devices which actually protect a system by their controlled 'failure'. Further, some components are designed to "work" through failure. In the former situation are such devices as: a shear pin in an outboard motor driveline, a fuse in an electrical circuit, a valve actuated by heat in a sprinkler system. In the latter situation, "tab tops " allow one to open a beverage can, perforations cause the paper towel to "tear" in a prescribed manner, plasticity/elasticity allows stamped parts, such as automobile hoods, to retain their new shape following stamping.