Although Reliability Engineering can trace its roots back to World War II, its application to medical devices is relatively recent, and its treatment in the published literature has been quite limited. With the medical device industry among the fastest growing segments of the US economy, it is vital that the engineering, biomedical, manufacturing, and design communities have up-to-date information on current developments, tools, and techniques. Medical Device Reliability and Associated Areas fills this need with broad yet detailed coverage of the field. It addresses a variety of topics related - directly and indirectly - to reliability, including human error in health care systems and software quality assurance. With emphasis on concepts rather than mathematical rigor, a multitude of examples, exercises, tables, and references, this is one resource that everyone connected to the medical device industry must have.

Before a structure or component can be completed, before any analytical model can be constructed, and even before the design can be formulated, you must have a fundamental understanding of damage behavior in order to produce a safe and effective design. Damage Mechanics presents the underlying principles of continuum damage mechanics along with the latest research. The authors consider both isotropic and anisotropic theories as well as elastic and elasto-plastic damage analyses using a self-contained, easily understood approach. Beginning with the requisite mathematics, Damage Mechanics guides you from the very basic concepts to advanced mathematical and mechanical models. The first chapter offers a brief MAPLE (R) tutorial and supplies all of the MAPLE commands needed to solve the various problems throughout the chapter. The authors then discuss the basics of elasticity theory within the continuum mechanics framework, the simple case of isotropic damage, effective stress, damage evolution, kinematic description of damage, and the general case of anisotropic damage. The remainder of the book includes a review of plasticity theory, formulation of a coupled elasto-plastic damage theory developed by the authors, and the kinematics of damage for finite-strain elasto-plastic solids. From fundamental concepts to the latest advances, this book contains everything that you need to study the damage mechanics of metals and homogeneous materials.

The demands of the global economy require manufacturers to produce highly reliable and easily maintainable engineering products. Recent studies indicate that for many large and sophisticated products or systems, maintenance, and support account for as much as 60 to 75 percent of their life cycle costs. Therefore, the role of maintainability, maintenance, and reliability has become increasingly significant. Satisfying the pressing need for a volume that addresses these subjects with an interdiscilinary approach, Maintainability, Maintenance, and Reliability for Engineers distills knowledge specific to each discipline into one comprehensive resource. After reviewing the history of all three fields and their interrelationships, the book covers mathematical concepts such as Boolean algebra laws, probability properties, mathematical definitions, and probability distributions. It includes reliability evaluation methods such as fault tree analysis, network reduction method, delta-method, Markov method, supplementary variables method, and reliabitity management, both mechanical and human. Highlihting maintainibility tools and functions, the author discusses topics in maintainibility management and costing including tasks during product life cycle, program plan, organization functions, design reviews, life cycle costing, investment cost elements, and life cycle cost estimation models. The author also includes coverage of maintenance engineering, focusing on safety, quality, corrective, and preventive maintenance. The book concludes with coverage of maintenance management costing and human errror in engineering maintenance and contains 60 illustrations, 16 tables, and more than 200 equations. There is a definite need to considermaintainibility, maintenance, and reliability during product/system design and other phases. To achieve this goal effectively, it is absoulutely imperative to have a certain degree of understanding of each of these disciplines. Although m

Human error is regularly viewed as an inevitable part of everyday life. In many cases the results of human error are harmless and correctable, but in cases where injury and death can occur, reduction of error is imperative. An integration of useful how-to-do-it information, Human Error: Causes and Control covers theories, methods, and specific techniques for controlling human error. It provides ideas, concepts, and examples from which selections can be made to fit the needs of a particular situation. Detailed, practical, and broad in scope, the book explores the field of human error, including its identification, its probable cause, and how it can be reasonably controlled or prevented. Experts in human factors, design engineering, and law, the authors explore and apply known generic principles effective in the prevention of consumer error, worker fault, managerial mistakes, and organizational blunders. They discuss errors and their effects in our increasingly complex technological society and delineate how to devise a proper framework, select workable concepts and techniques, and then implement them. Exploring widespread applications of the techniques, the book illustrates how to achieve a fully integrated, process-compatible, comprehensive, user-effective, and methodologically sound model.

In today's high-technology world, with flourishing e-business and intense competition at a global level, the search for the competitive advantage has become a crucial task of corporate executives. Quality, formerly considered a secondary expense, is now universally recognized as a necessary tool. Although many statistical methods are available for determining quality, there has been no guide to easy learning and implementation until now. Filling that gap, Statistical Design of Experiments with Engineering Applications, provides a ready made, quick and easy-to-learn approach for applying design of experiments techniques to problems. The book uses quality as the main theme to explain various design of experiments concepts. The authors examine the entire product lifecycle and the tools and techniques necessary to measure quality at each stage. They explain topics such as optimization, Taguchi's method, variance reduction, and graphical applications based on statistical techniques. Wherever applicable the book supplies practical rules of thumb, step-wise procedures that allow you to grasp concepts quickly and apply them appropriately, and examples that demonstrate how to apply techniques. Emphasizing the importance of quality to products and services, the authors include concepts from the field of Quality Engineering. Written with an emphasis on application and not on bogging you down with the theoretical underpinnings, the book enables you to solve 80% of design problems without worrying about the derivation of mathematical formulas.

Due to global competition, safety regulations, and other factors, manufacturers are increasingly pressed to create products that are safe, highly reliable, and of high quality. Engineers and quality assurance professionals need a cross-disciplinary understanding of these topics in order to ensure high standards in the design and manufacturing processes. Reliability, Quality, and Safety for Engineers is the first publication to integrate this information in a single source. The text begins with an introduction that discusses the need for reliability, quality and safety as well as historical information, terms, and definitions. Subsequent chapters discuss relevant mathematics, evaluation models and methods, testing, management, and costing. The author treats each topic in a comprehensive manner that requires no prior knowledge of the subject in order to understand the contents. The author includes numerous examples, problems, and solutions to test the reader's comprehension. He also lists important journals, organizations, standards, and books for further study, creating a comprehensive resource for design, system, safety and manufacturing engineers as well as reliability specialists and quality assurance professionals.

As manufacturing processes become increasingly complex, industry must rely on advanced sensor technology and process control to improve efficiency and product quality. Processes now need a variety of on-line measurements, such as film thickness, particle size, solids concentrations, and contamination detection. Industrial Process Sensors provides a coherent review of the physical principles, design, and implementation of a wide variety of in-process sensors used to control manufacturing operations. Real data from commercial installations illustrates the operation and limitations of these devices. The book begins with a review of the basic physics of sound, light, electricity, and radiation, with a focus on their role in sensor devices. The author introduces the generic sensor model and discusses the propagation of measurement errors. He goes on to describe conventional process sensors that measure temperature, pressure, level, and flow. The second half of the book focuses on more advanced topics, such as particle size measurement in slurries and emulsions, tomography and process imaging of manufacturing operations, on-line measurement of film thickness, identification of polymer type for recycling, and characterization of reinforced polymers and composites. By exploring both theory and final implementation of sensors used to control industrial manufacturing processes, Industrial Process Sensors provides the information you need to develop solutions to a wide range of industrial measurement needs.

Mechanical systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and continually require greater precision, improved reliability, and extended life. To meet the demand for advanced mechanisms and systems, present and future engineers must understand not only the fundamental mechanical components, but also the principles of vibrations, stability, and balance and the use of Newton's laws, Lagrange's equations, and Kane's methods. Dynamics of Mechanical Systems provides a vehicle for mastering all of this. Focusing on the fundamental procedures behind dynamic analyses, the authors take a vector-oriented approach and lead readers methodically from simple concepts and systems through the analysis of complex robotic and bio-systems. A careful presentation that balances theory, methods, and applications gives readers a working knowledge of configuration graphs, Euler parameters, partial velocities and partial angular velocities, generalized speeds and forces, lower body arrays, and Kane's equations. Evolving from more than three decades of teaching upper-level engineering courses, Dynamics of Mechanical Systems enables readers to obtain and refine skills ranging from the ability to perform insightful hand analyses to developing algorithms for numerical/computer analyses. Ultimately, it prepares them to solve real-world problems and make future advances in mechanisms, manipulators, and robotics.

Even when products and systems are highly localized, rarely is there one design suitable for a single, mono-cultural population of users. The products and systems created and used are cultural artifacts representing shared cognitions that characterize mental models that result from interactions with physical environments. Thus, culture is embedded and impacts the extent to which products are usable, accessible, useful, and safe. Products and systems that deviate from users' mental models may have negative consequences for users, ranging from minor annoyance to more serious consequences such as severe injury or death. Both an introduction and a primer, Cultural Ergonomics: Theory, Methods, and Applications demonstrates how cultural ergonomics can be applied in research and practitioner contexts. It covers selection of theories, descriptions of research designs, methods to analyze the results, case studies, and strategies used to draw inferences and conclusions in a vast array of areas including occupational safety, global issues, emergency management, human-computer interaction, warnings and risk communications, and product design. Human factors/ergonomics, as a discipline, is slowly integrating cultural ergonomics into efforts to explore human capabilities and limitations in the context of design and evaluation. Edited by experts and containing contributions from pioneers in this area, this book provides examples and methodologies within a human factors framework. It provides systematic methods to apply what is learned from analysis of culture to the design, development, and evaluation of products and systems.

If there exists a single term that summarizes the key to success in modern industrial automation, the obvious choice would be integration. Integration is critical to aligning all levels of an industrial enterprise and to optimizing each stratum in the hierarchy. While many books focus on the technological components of enterprise information systems, Integration Technologies for Industrial Automated Systems is the first book to present a comprehensive picture of the technologies, methodologies, and knowledge used to integrate seamlessly the various technologies underlying modern industrial automation and information systems. In chapters drawn from two of Zurawski's popular works, The Industrial Communication Technology Handbook and The Industrial Information Technology Handbook, this practical guide offers tutorials, surveys, and technology overviews contributed by experts from leading industrial and research institutions from around the world. The book is organized into sections for cohesive and comprehensive treatment. It examines e-technologies, software and IT technologies, communication network-based technologies, agent-based technologies, and security in detail as well as their role in the integration of industrial automated systems. For each of these areas, the contributors discuss emerging trends, novel solutions, and relevant standards. Charting the course toward more responsive and agile enterprise, Integration Technologies for Industrial Automated Systems gives you the tools to make better decisions and develop more integrated systems.

Originally published in 1943, The Place of Glass in Building is a comprehensive and compact survey of the structural uses of glass in 20th Century architecture. It gives the facts about the physical properties, the possibilities and the limitations of the glass in common use. It also deals with the attributes of specialised and decorative glass and provides detailed descriptions of the principal types which were manufactured in the UK. Intended for architectural students it may also be of interest to architects, for it is a condensed survey of the progress that has been made in this structural and decorative material.

Offering an introduction to the field of expert/knowledge based systems, this text covers current and emerging trends as well as future research areas. It considers both the system shell and programming environment approaches to expert system development.;College or university bookshops may order five or more copies at a special student price. Price is available on request.

Evolved from the lectures of a recognized pioneer in developing the theory of reliability, Mathematical Models for Systems Reliability provides a rigorous treatment of the required probability background for understanding reliability theory. This classroom-tested text begins by discussing the Poisson process and its associated probability laws. It then uses a number of stochastic models to provide a framework for life length distributions and presents formal rules for computing the reliability of nonrepairable systems that possess commonly occurring structures. The next two chapters explore the stochastic behavior over time of one- and two-unit repairable systems. After covering general continuous-time Markov chains, pure birth and death processes, and transitions and rates diagrams, the authors consider first passage-time problems in the context of systems reliability. The final chapters show how certain techniques can be applied to a variety of reliability problems. Illustrating the models and methods with a host of examples, this book offers a sound introduction to mathematical probabilistic models and lucidly explores how they are used in systems reliability problems.

Delineating a comprehensive theory, Advanced Vibration Analysis provides the bedrock for building a general mathematical framework for the analysis of a model of a physical system undergoing vibration. The book illustrates how the physics of a problem is used to develop a more specific framework for the analysis of that problem. The author elucidates a general theory applicable to both discrete and continuous systems and includes proofs of important results, especially proofs that are themselves instructive for a thorough understanding of the result. The book begins with a discussion of the physics of dynamic systems comprised of particles, rigid bodies, and deformable bodies and the physics and mathematics for the analysis of a system with a single-degree-of-freedom. It develops mathematical models using energy methods and presents the mathematical foundation for the framework. The author illustrates the development and analysis of linear operators used in various problems and the formulation of the differential equations governing the response of a conservative linear system in terms of self-adjoint linear operators, the inertia operator, and the stiffness operator. The author focuses on the free response of linear conservative systems and the free response of non-self-adjoint systems. He explores three method for determining the forced response and approximate methods of solution for continuous systems. The use of the mathematical foundation and the application of the physics to build a framework for the modeling and development of the response is emphasized throughout the book. The presence of the framework becomes more important as the complexity of the system increases. The text builds the foundation, formalizes it, and uses it in a consistent fashion including application to contemporary research using linear vibrations.

The application of engineering principles in divergent fields such as management science and communications as well as the advancement of several approaches in theory and computation have led to growing interest in queueing models, creating the need for a comprehensive text. Emphasizing Markovian structures and the techniques that occur in different models, A Course on Queueing Models discusses recent developments in the field, different methodological tools - some of which are not available elsewhere - and computational techniques. While most books essentially address the classical methods of queueing theory, this text covers a broad range of methods both in theory and in computation. The first part of the textbook exposes you to many fundamental concepts at an introductory level and provides tools for practitioners. It discusses the basics in queueing theory for Markovian and regenerative non-Markovian models, statistical inference, simulation and some computational procedures, network and discrete-time queues, algebraic and combinatorial methods, and optimization. The second part delves deeper into the topics examined in the first part by presenting more advanced methods. This part also includes general queues, duality in queues, and recent advancements on computational methods and discrete-time queues. Each chapter contains a discussion section that summarizes material and highlights special features. Incorporating different queueing models, A Course on Queueing Models achieves an ideal balance between theory and practice, making it compatible for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, applied statisticians, and engineers.

With stock market swings due to unethical behavior, fuel price escalation due to increased demand, and climate disasters due to global warming, operating in a socially responsible manner is quickly moving from the realm of a nice idea to a business imperative. Taking a continuous improvement approach to social responsibility, Social Responsibility: Failure Mode Effects and Analysis offers a process for driving actions that can be taken by those interested in the "doing of" rather than the "talking about," who are ready to move toward making positive change. Although many books cover market response and interest in this global concern, this is quite possibly the first one to focus on methods for assessing an organization's path to social responsibility performance. Authors Holly Duckworth and Rosemond Moore move beyond talking about improving social responsibility risk to doing something about it, using a well worn tool-Failure Mode Effects and Analysis. They define social responsibility, explain the ramifications of the new ISO 26000 standards in the market place, and provide problem-solving methods that can be put to immediate use. With vast experience and solid credentials in engineering and management, Duckworth and Moore are both old school types. Their point of view is not academic, political, or theoretical, but firmly based in hands-on, action oriented shop-floor work. It may seem unusual for authors with such traditional backgrounds to be writing about a topic that, on the surface, seems untraditional. But from their experience with continuous improvement as Six Sigma Master Black Belts, they have personally witnessed the waste that can be so easily removed from the work place. This book proves that when hard-hitting experts tackle a subject perceived to be as fuzzy as social responsibility, the result is methods and strategies that work.

Most books on standardization describe the impact of ISO and related organizations on many industries. While this is great for managing an organization, it leaves engineers asking questions such as "what are the effects of standards on my designs?" and "how can I use standardization to benefit my work?" Standards for Engineering Design and Manufacturing provides hands-on knowledge for incorporating standards into the entire process from design bench to factory floor. The book's five self-contained sections consider the scope of design and manufacturing, standards for the design of discrete products, standards for the manufacture of discrete products, standards for the use of discrete products, as well as support standards. The authors survey in detail the major standards-setting organizations and outline the procedure for developing standards. They consider standards from the perspective of product, equipment, and end-user, using this as a platform to explain the economic benefits of standardization. Case studies in every section illustrate the concepts and offer practical insight for using standards in CAD/CAM, selection of components, process planning, human/machine interaction, and computer interfacing. With its modular approach and practical wisdom based on the authors' years of broad experience, Standards for Engineering Design and Manufacturing supplies the tools to incorporate standards into every stage of design and manufacturing. For a summary of chapters, as well as illustrations and tools from the book, visit

A practical guide to industrial safety. It seeks to assist specialists in managing operations in industrial settings, including high-risk personal exposure such as inhalation hazards and direct chemical contact. It covers hazards in the chemical process industries, inhalation hazards in refineries, indoor air quality management, personal protective equipment, process safety emergency preparedness, safety in the laboratory, and more. There are Web site listings, NFPA hazard ratings, and other sources of information.

The effective and interrelated functioning of system reliability technology, human factors, and quality play an important role in the appropriate, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of health care. Simply put, it can save you time, money, and more importantly, lives. Over the years a large number of journal and conference proceedings articles on these topics have been published, but there are only a small number of books written on each individual topic, and virtually none that brings the pieces together into a unified whole.

The first manufacturing book to examine time-based break-even analysis, this landmark reference/text applies cost analysis to a variety of industrial processes, employing a new, problem-based approach to manufacturing procedures, materials, and management. An Introduction to Manufacturing Processes and Materials integrates analysis of material costs and process costs, yielding a realistic, effective approach to planning and executing efficient manufacturing schemes. It discusses tool engineering, particularly in terms of cost for press work, forming dies, and casting patterns, process parameters such as gating and riser design for casting, feeds, and more.

For a solid foundation of important statistical methods, the concise, single-source text unites linear regression with analysis of experiments and provides students with the practical understanding needed to apply theory in real data analysis problems. Stressing principles while keeping computational and theoretical details at a manageable level, Applied Regression Analysis and Experimental Design features an emphasis on vector geometry and least squares to unify and provide an intuitive basis for most topics covered... abundant examples and exercises using real-life data sets clearly illustrating practical of data analysis...essential exposure to MINITAB and GENSTAT computer packages , including computer printouts...and important background material such as vector and matrix properties and the distributional properties of quadratic forms. Designed to make theory work for students, this clearly written, easy-to-understand work serves as the ideal texts for courses Regression, Experimental Design, and Linear Models in a broad range of disciplines. Moreover, applied statisticians will find the book a useful reference for the general application of the linear model.

Introduces the nature of ethical decision making as applied to engineering values and issues. Helps readers develop a detailed ethics toolkit that identifies options and solutions and allows them to monitor and adjust as necessary. Features topics such as safety, sustainability, bioethics, diversity and equality, information technology and AI, as well as critical areas often overlooked in engineering texts, such as mentoring, advertising (for consulting firms), engineering sales, and much more Includes more than 50 case studies to illustrate a variety of scenarios. Offers an international perspective with codes of ethics from around the world, including Saudi Arabia, India, New Zealand, Chile, and Japan. Adds further cases and samples for discussion and a summary of key ideas.

For almost every sensationalized media report of product failure, a closer look often determines these failures occurred due to inadequate reliability theory and methodology. Current theories and practices cannot solve these problems, mainly because test specifications, especially lifetime tests, express their results as either pass or fail; these results thus provide little useful quantitative information. In a clear, concise presentation, Improving Reliability and Quality for Product Success discusses how to eradicate failures in hardware products and, consequently, achieve greater success in the marketplace. Evolved from the author's more than thirty years of experience, the book redefines quality and reliability terminology, explains failure mechanics, and analyzes why reliability accidents occur in the products of established corporations. The author presents a new prevention methodology in easily understood qualitative and scientific terms. Without excess discussions of the complex related mathematics, he creates principles that enable readers to identify problems before product release into the market. These novel concepts and methodology can reduce product troubles by establishing test specifications that produce quantified outcomes that constitute conclusive judgment data. Many books that cover reliability theory/engineering/practice are geared towards professionals with advanced mathematical skills and would not necessarily be of use to executives and CEOs, who may not be quality or reliability experts but need to understand these principles when making decisions. This book addresses this important but neglected audience, introducing novel ideas based on back-to basics quality/reliability concepts in an easily understood manner. In addition, it explains basic, fresh new methods for maximizing customer satisfaction and securing a competitive edge in performance.

Offers designers and users of mechanical systems an overview of structural stiffness and damping and their critical roles in mechanical design. The text assesses the relationship between stiffness and damping parameters in mechanical systems and structural materials. An accompanying disk contains detailed analyses of stiffness- and damping-critical systems.

Measure twice, cut once. Although applicable to all areas of human factors research, the old adage is especially relevant to simulation and training. As a tool, simulation is an aid to the imagination, however, if incorrectly or inadequately used, it can lead to inaccurate outcomes that not only limit the possibilities but potentially cause harm. A comprehensive overview of the topic from a human factor perspective, Human Factors in Simulation and Training not only reflects the state-of-the art but also integrates the literature on simulation into a cohesive resource. The editors have collected chapters on a wide variety of topics, beginning with theory and application in areas ranging from traditional training to augmented reality to virtual reality. This coverage includes surface ships, submarines, naval aviation, commercial aviation, space, and medicine. The theory based section focuses on human factors aspects of simulation and training ranging from the history of simulators and training devices, to future trends in simulation from both a civilian and military perspective. The chapters expand on concepts regarding simulator usage particularly with respect to the validity and functionality of simulators as training devices. They contain in depth discussions of specific issues including fidelity, interfaces and control devices, transfer of training, simulator sickness, effects of motion in simulated systems, and virtual reality. As more, and more sophisticated, simulation tools and training technologies become available, a complete understanding of how to use them appropriately will be even more crucial. Elucidating theory and application, the book addresses numerous issues and concepts pertaining to human factors in simulation and training, making this volume an important addition to the bookshelf of any human factors professional.