This volume provides valuable insight into diverse topics related to mechanical engineering and presents state-of-the-art work on sustainable development being carried out throughout the world by budding researchers and scientists. Divided into three sections, the volume covers machine design, materials and manufacturing, and thermal engineering. It presents innovative research work on machine design that is of relevance to such varied fields as the automotive industry, agriculture, and human anatomy. The second section addresses materials characterization, an important tool in assessing proper materials for application-oriented jobs, and emerging unconventional machining processes that are important in design engineering for new products and tools. The section on thermal engineering broadly covers the use of viable alternate fuels, such as HHO, biodiesel, etc., with the objective of reducing the burden on petroleum reserves and the environment.

Owing to their specialized training, engineers play a crucial role in the design and development of new products or infrastructure as well as the creation of wealth. Consequently, engineers recognize that in the performance of these functions they have a specific responsibility to take such measures as are appropriate to safeguard the environment, health, safety and well-being of the public. This book proposes a series of fifteen practical cases, integrating knowledge from different fields of the mechanical engineering discipline, along with basic knowledge in environment, occupational health and safety risk management. The cases are descriptions of a real system, it’s functioning and it’s instructions for use. The systems selected represent a broad spectrum of mechanical engineering issues or problems: fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, heating, ventilation and cooling, vibrations, dynamics, statics, failure of materials, automatic and mecatronics, hydraulics, product design, human factors, maintenance, rapid prototyping to name a few. The professional objective of the cases proposed is to design or improve the design of the described system. This book is a must to transfer knowledge to future engineers with respect to hazards resulting from their work.

It is crucial that engineers – from students to those already practising – have a deep understanding of the environmental threats facing the world, if they are to become part of the solution and not the problem. Is there a way to reconcile modern lifestyles with the compelling need for change? Could new improved technologies play a key role? If great leaps in the environmental efficiency of technologies are needed, can they be produced? Engineers are in a privileged and hugely influential position to innovate, design and build a sustainable future. But are they engaged or uninterested? Are they knowledgeable or ignorant? This book has been developed by a number of committed educators in European engineering departments under the leadership of Delft University of Technology and the Technical University of Catalunya to meet the perceived gap between what engineers know and what they should know in relation to sustainable development. The University of Delft decided as long ago as 1998 that all of its engineering graduates, working towards careers as designers, managers or researchers, should be prepared for the challenge of sustainable development and, as such, should leave university able to make sustainable development operational in their designs and daily practices. The huge amount of knowledge gathered on best-practice teaching for engineers is reflected in this book. The aim is to give engineering students a grounding in the challenge that sustainable development poses to the engineering profession, the contribution the engineer can make to attaining some of the societal and environmental goals of sustainability, and the barriers and pitfalls engineers will likely need to confront in their professional lives. Concise but comprehensive, the book examines the key tools, skills and techniques that can be used in engineering design and management to ensure that whole-life costs and impacts of engineering schemes are addressed at every stage of planning, implementation and disposal. The book also aims to demonstrate through real-life examples the tangible benefits that have already been achieved in many engineering projects, and to highlight how real improvements can be, and are being, made. Each chapter ends with a series of questions and exercises for the student to undertake. Sustainable Development for Engineers will be essential reading for all engineers and scientists concerned with sustainable development. In particular, it provides key reading and learning materials for undergraduate and postgraduate students reading environmental, chemical, civil or mechanical engineering, manufacturing and design, environmental science, green chemistry and environmental management.

This volume provides valuable insight into diverse topics related to mechanical engineering and presents state-of-the-art work on sustainable development being carried out throughout the world by budding researchers and scientists. Divided into three sections, the volume covers machine design, materials and manufacturing, and thermal engineering. It presents innovative research work on machine design that is of relevance to such varied fields as the automotive industry, agriculture, and human anatomy. The second section addresses materials characterization, an important tool in assessing proper materials for application-oriented jobs, and emerging unconventional machining processes that are important in design engineering for new products and tools. The section on thermal engineering broadly covers the use of viable alternate fuels, such as HHO, biodiesel, etc., with the objective of reducing the burden on petroleum reserves and the environment.

A textbook that introduces integrated, sustainable design of urban infrastructures, drawing on civil engineering, environmental engineering, urban planning, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. This textbook introduces urban infrastructure from an engineering perspective, with an emphasis on sustainability. Bringing together both fundamental principles and practical knowledge from civil engineering, environmental engineering, urban planning, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science, the book transcends disciplinary boundaries by viewing urban infrastructures as integrated networks. The text devotes a chapter to each of five engineering systems—electricity, water, transportation, buildings, and solid waste—covering such topics as fundamentals, demand, management, technology, and analytical models. Other chapters present a formal definition of sustainability; discuss population forecasting techniques; offer a history of urban planning, from the Neolithic era to Kevin Lynch and Jane Jacobs; define and discuss urban metabolism and infrastructure integration, reviewing system interdependencies; and describe approaches to urban design that draw on complexity theory, algorithmic models, and machine learning. Throughout, a hypothetical city state, Civitas, is used to explain and illustrate the concepts covered. Each chapter includes working examples and problem sets. An appendix offers tables, diagrams, and conversion factors. The book can be used in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in civil engineering and as a reference for practitioners. It can also be helpful in preparation for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exams.

Transition Engineering: Building a Sustainable Future examines new strategies emerging in response to the mega-issues of global climate change, decline in world oil supply, scarcity of key industrial minerals, and local environmental constraints. These issues pose challenges for organizations, businesses, and communities, and engineers will need to begin developing ideas and projects to implement the transition of engineered systems. This work presents a methodology for shifting away from unsustainable activities. Teaching the Transition Engineering approach and methodology is the focus of the text, and the concept is presented in a way that engineers can begin applying it in their work.

In a competitive and complex world, where requirements from different fields are ever-growing, organizations need to be responsible for their actions in their respective markets. However, this responsibility must not be deemed one-time-only but instead should be seen as a continuous process, under which organizations ought to effectively use the different resources to allow them to meet the present and future requirements of their stakeholders. Having a significant influence on their collaborators performance, the role developed by managers and engineers is highly relevant to the sustainability of an organizations success. Conscious of this reality, this book contributes to the exchange of experiences and perspectives on the state of research related to sustainable management. Particular focus is given to the role that needs to be developed by managers and engineers, as well as to the future direction of this field of research.