Without standardized construction elements such as nuts, bolts, bearings, beams, resistors and the like, the design of physical equipment is hopelessly inefficient, and engineers are continually bogged down with re-designing these elements over and over again. The same can be said for the domain of ideas and performance requirements. Only through a process of standardization of the corresponding functional elements will systems engineering truly live up to its potential of increased efficiency and quality. Designing Complex Systems: Foundations of Design in the Functional Domain introduces students and practitioners in the field of system design to a particular methodology that addresses design issues in a rigorous and consistent top-down fashion. It also reassesses the characteristics of engineering and its place within the field of intellectual activity, in particular, examining the creative aspects of design as reflected in the difference between engineers and technicians. Erik W. Aslaksen brings forty years of experience to the table with this groundbreaking work. He examines how the concept of value can provide a quantitative measure of that wider interaction of the engineered object with its environment. With its forward-looking approach and holistic perspective, this volume is sure to advance the field of knowledge of systems engineering for years to come.

Most Fortune 1000 companies still struggle with workspace planning and design issues. They invest millions of dollars each year with the expectation that new buildings and major renovations will help transform their culture, support innovation, strengthen desired behaviors and increase organizational effectiveness. And let's not forget reducing costs. But there is rarely any actual measurement of the success of a new workplace against specific business or design goals (apart from cost savings). Even less often is there any ongoing measurement program to assess and improve the quality of the workplace. Measuring Workplace Performance, Second Edition explores a fundamentally new way of thinking about how organizations behave and change and what this means for planning and measuring the success of the facilities that house them. This is not a planning guide or a step by step design "cookbook." Rather, author Michael O'Neill presents a thought-provoking "biological" model for thinking about organizations and workplaces, describes the tools to gather information and analyze success, and presents plenty of scientific case studies with "hard" performance and financial metrics. O'Neill addresses issues such as: What are the effects of adding flexibility into facility and workplace design, in terms of improving employee and organizational performance? How do we measure the performance of facilities in terms of supporting desired behaviors (like communication, collaboration), efficient business processes and other concrete performance/financial improvements? Using real-world case studies across a variety of industries, O'Neill shows the types of performance measures that leading-edge companies use as well as the improvements they attain by incorporating flexibility and control into their workspaces. He uses the data from these studies to create models showing credible links between specific design features, and behavioral and business process outco

A comprehensive review of international and national standards and guidelines, this handbook consists of 32 chapters divided into nine sections that cover standardization efforts, anthropometry and working postures, designing manual material, human-computer interaction, occupational health and safety, legal protection, military human factor standards, and sources for human factors and ergonomics standards. The book delineates the role standards and guidelines play in facilitating the design and optimal working conditions in regards to occupational safety and health as well as system performance in the context of technological advances and opportunities for economic development worldwide.

Small and big persons, disabled and elderly, expectant mothers and children. Everyone will fall into one of these categories at least once in their lifetime. In fact, demographics show that at least two of every five people vary from the norm in height, width, and weight at any given time. Yet customarily, designers design for adults of regular size with standard abilities. Written by an expert in human factors and ergonomics, Extraordinary Ergonomics explores designing for population groups that do not meet the customary standards in age, size, and abilities. Underscoring the need for extraordinary ergonomics, the book illustrates various approaches to measuring the characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of those who differ from the norm. It provides the how-tos of designing for people who are smaller, weaker, or bigger, discusses specifically the design for persons with disabilities and the aging population, and covers human factors engineering for expectant mothers and ergonomics for children and teenagers. The author explains how to assess and determine abilities and needs and demonstrates how to design tools, homes, and environments to make working space safe and living space easy.

Muscle strength is an important topic for ergonomics practitioners and physiologists to understand, especially as it relates to workplace injuries. Muscle strength and function is at the heart of many injuries that lead to reduced productivity and economic strain on the worker, the company, and society as a whole. This comprehensive source of information and data relating to muscle strength is the first to present such information in a single source. Muscle Strength explains the general determinants of muscle strength such as gender, age, and muscle type. It illustrates physical data in the context of theoretical background and examines the protocols, techniques, devices, and data used to record muscle strength in various parts of the body. This is followed by a discussion of overexertion, strength prediction, strength and endurance, torque and EMG relationship, and muscle fatigue. Finally, the material is applied to the use of muscle in jobs, to product design, and to studies of job accommodation and the effect of disability on strength. Professionals in ergonomics, biomechanics, sports science, and physiology will find that this unique text provides insight and data on an important subject in their field.

Bringing together the concepts of design control and reliability engineering, this book is a must for medical device manufacturers. It helps them meet the challenge of designing and developing products that meet or exceed customer expectations and also meet regulatory requirements. Part One covers motivation for design control and validation, design control requirements, process validation and design transfer, quality system for design control, and measuring design control program effectiveness. Part Two discusses risk analysis and FMEA, designing-in reliability, reliability and design verification, and reliability and design validation.

As a safety manager in today's work environment, you wear hats in many different fields. Sometimes you need only a specific formula or drawing to understand the current situation. This resource supplies it. Or maybe you want to know where to find more information on a specific subject. This resource has it. The Safety Officer's Concise Desk Reference covers the basics in a user-friendly format and provides specific references of where and how to obtain additional information on each subject. While there are entire books devoted to almost every item in this book, nowhere else will you find these issues covered in a concise reference format. It gives you the essentials to get through the task immediately before you, providing the necessary information and references, while not burdening you with unimportant information. And, after a specific crisis is contained, it provides you with resources for where and how to obtain additional information. Need to make doctor's reports and fill out workers compensation forms? Detailed explanations make these easy to reference, understand, and explain. Need a mathematical formula or conversion? Again, available in an easy-to-find format. During a crisis, you need a resource that puts information at your fingertips. You need go no further than The Safety Officer's Desk Reference.

Modern analytical theories of fatigue coupled with a knowledge of processing effects on metals make up the sound basis for designing machine parts that are free from unexpected failure. Fatigue Design: Life Expectancy of Machine Parts provides the information and the tools needed for optimal design. It highlights practical approaches for effectively solving fatigue problems, including minimizing the risk of hidden perils that may arise during production processes or from exposure to the environment.The material is presented with a dual approach: the excellent coverage of the theoretical aspects is accented by practical illustrations of the behavior of machine parts. The theoretical approach combines the fundamentals of solid mechanics, fatigue analysis, and crack propagation. The chapters covering fatigue theories are given special emphasis, starting with the basics and progressing to complicated multiaxial nonlinear problems.The practical approach concentrates on the effects of surface processing on fatigue life and it illustrates many faceted fatigue problems taken from case studies. The solutions demonstrate the authors' detailed analyses of failure and are intended to be used as preventive guidelines. The cases are a unique feature of the book. The numerical method used is the finite element method, and is presented with clear explanations and illustrations.Fatigue Design: Life Expectancy of Machine Parts is an extremely valuable tool for both practicing design engineers and engineering students.

Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) are becoming more and more widely used in a braod range of fields, including telecommunications, optical computing, consumer electronics, laser material processing and the biomedical sciences, to manipulate light through micro-optical systems. In order to get the most out of such DOEs, knowledge of the design process, fabrication, packaging in a particular system, and operation is required.

Digital Diffractive Optics discusses in detail the design and simulation of DOEs, before considering the main fabrication techniques. The increasingly important CAD/CAM tool requirements for the production of DOEs are covered, and a chapter is devoted to the crucial area of systematic fabrication error compensation. Finally, the integration and use of DOEs in a number of different systems, including various opto-electronic and opto-mechanical systems, are discussed.

Digital Diffractive Optics will be of great interest to all those involved in the fields of optical engineering and photonics. It presents a clear view of the whole process, from design to fabrication and application, without overstressing the, often complex, mathematics, and will thus be accessible to postgraduate students and those entering the field, as well as more experienced engineers and scientists.

A Practical Guide to the Safety Profession: The Relentless Pursuit will help reshape the way we talk about safety, prompt action, and engage workers from all levels of an organization. The book includes real-life experiences and characters that are relatable to anyone who has worked in the safety and health field for any amount of time. It will provide answers for every safety professional who has ever asked: "Is this actually making people safer?" It shines a light on ineffective practices that drive a wedge between the safety professional and the people they support and then provides meaningful alternative practices. Features Provides a streamlined process for eliminating high impact hazards Emphasizes concepts that are immediately actionable with little to no investment costs Includes real-life studies and examples

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.

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.

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.

"Provides previously unavailable material in sound quality crucial for a more effective design process. Presents all aspects of product sound quality, such as ""rules of thumb"" and design formulas and charts. Covers sound radiation and targeting, resolving, and testing design features."

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.

The book demonstrates how Resilient Health Care principles can enable those on the frontline to work more effectively towards interdisciplinary care by gaining a deeper understanding of the boundaries that exist in everyday clinical settings. This is done by presenting a set of case studies, theoretical chapters and applications that relate experiences, bring forth ideas and illustrate practical solutions. The chapters address many different issues such as resolving conflict, overcoming barriers to patient-flow management, and building connections through negotiation. They represent a range of approaches, rather than a single way of solving the practical problems, and have been written to serve both a scientific and an andragogical purpose. Working Across Boundaries is primarily aimed at people who are directly involved in the running and improvement of health care systems, providing them with practical guidance. It will also be of direct interest to health care professionals in clinical and managerial positions as well as researchers. Presents the latest work of the lauded Resilient Health Care Net group, developing applications of Resilience Engineering to health care, furthering safety thinking and generating applicable solutions that will benefit patient safety worldwide Enables health care professionals to become aware of the boundaries that affect their work so that they are able to use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses Written from a Safety-II perspective, where the purpose is to make sure that as much as possible goes well and the focus therefore is on everyday work rather than on failures. There are at present no other books that adopt this perspective nor which go into the practical details Provides a concise presentation of the state of resilient health care as a science, in terms of major theoretical issues and practical methods and techniques on the overarching and important topics of boundary-crossing and integration of care settings

The book demonstrates how Resilient Health Care principles can enable those on the frontline to work more effectively towards interdisciplinary care by gaining a deeper understanding of the boundaries that exist in everyday clinical settings. This is done by presenting a set of case studies, theoretical chapters and applications that relate experiences, bring forth ideas and illustrate practical solutions. The chapters address many different issues such as resolving conflict, overcoming barriers to patient-flow management, and building connections through negotiation. They represent a range of approaches, rather than a single way of solving the practical problems, and have been written to serve both a scientific and an andragogical purpose. Working Across Boundaries is primarily aimed at people who are directly involved in the running and improvement of health care systems, providing them with practical guidance. It will also be of direct interest to health care professionals in clinical and managerial positions as well as researchers. Presents the latest work of the lauded Resilient Health Care Net group, developing applications of Resilience Engineering to health care, furthering safety thinking and generating applicable solutions that will benefit patient safety worldwide Enables health care professionals to become aware of the boundaries that affect their work so that they are able to use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses Written from a Safety-II perspective, where the purpose is to make sure that as much as possible goes well and the focus therefore is on everyday work rather than on failures. There are at present no other books that adopt this perspective nor which go into the practical details Provides a concise presentation of the state of resilient health care as a science, in terms of major theoretical issues and practical methods and techniques on the overarching and important topics of boundary-crossing and integration of care settings

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.

This book is designed as an interdisciplinary platform for specialists working in electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles powertrain design and development, and for scientists who want to get access to information related to electric and hybrid vehicle energy management, efficiency and control. The book presents the methodology of simulation that allows the specialist to evaluate electric and hybrid vehicle powertrain energy flow, efficiency, range and consumption. The mathematics behind each electric and hybrid vehicle component is explained and for each specific vehicle the powertrain is analyzed and output results presented through the use of specific automotive industrial software (AVL Cruise , IPG CarMaker, AVL Concerto). This methodology of electric and hybrid powertrain design serves to broaden understanding of how the energy flow, efficiency, range and consumption of these vehicles can be adjusted, updated and predicted via development processes.

This book contains state-of-the-art contributions in the field of evolutionary and deterministic methods for design, optimization and control in engineering and sciences. Specialists have written each of the 34 chapters as extended versions of selected papers presented at the International Conference on Evolutionary and Deterministic Methods for Design, Optimization and Control with Applications to Industrial and Societal Problems (EUROGEN 2013). The conference was one of the Thematic Conferences of the European Community on Computational Methods in Applied Sciences (ECCOMAS). Topics treated in the various chapters are classified in the following sections: theoretical and numerical methods and tools for optimization (theoretical methods and tools; numerical methods and tools) and engineering design and societal applications (turbo machinery; structures, materials and civil engineering; aeronautics and astronautics; societal applications; electrical and electronics applications), focused particularly on intelligent systems for multidisciplinary design optimization (mdo) problems based on multi-hybridized software, adjoint-based and one-shot methods, uncertainty quantification and optimization, multidisciplinary design optimization, applications of game theory to industrial optimization problems, applications in structural and civil engineering optimum design and surrogate models based optimization methods in aerodynamic design.

Ergonomics often seems to be involved too late in commercial project development processes to have substantive impact on design and usability. However, in the automotive industry, and specifically in relation to In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS), a lack of attention to usability can not only lead to poor customer satisfaction, it can also present a significant risk to safe and efficient driving. Usability Evaluation for In-Vehicle Systems describes how to apply a range of usability evaluation methods for IVIS. The authors explore the driving context and the range of driver-IVIS interactions, using case studies that show how Ergonomics methods can add considerable value throughout the product development process. They emphasize practical approaches that can be used to predict and analyze driver behavior with IVIS. The authors also present validation evidence for the methods covered. The book has three key objectives: Define and understand usability in the context of IVIS. This guides the specification of criteria against which usability can be successfully evaluated. Develop a multi-method framework to support designers in the evaluation of IVIS usability. The underlying motivations for the framework are a need for early-stage evaluation to support proactive redesign and a practical and realistic approach which can be used successfully by automotive manufacturers. Develop an analytic usability evaluation method which enables useful predictions of task interaction, whilst accounting for the specific context-of-use of IVIS. The major challenge of this particular context-of-use is the dual-task environment created by interacting with secondary tasks via an IVIS at the same time as driving. Written for students, researchers, designers, and engineers, the book is not only a guide to the practical application of evaluation methods, it also presents important th

Marking a distinct departure from the perspectives of frame theory and discrete transforms, this book provides a comprehensive mathematical and algorithmic introduction to wavelet theory. As such, it can be used as either a textbook or reference guide. As a textbook for graduate mathematics students and beginning researchers, it offers detailed information on the basic theory of framelets and wavelets, complemented by self-contained elementary proofs, illustrative examples/figures, and supplementary exercises. Further, as an advanced reference guide for experienced researchers and practitioners in mathematics, physics, and engineering, the book addresses in detail a wide range of basic and advanced topics (such as multiwavelets/multiframelets in Sobolev spaces and directional framelets) in wavelet theory, together with systematic mathematical analysis, concrete algorithms, and recent developments in and applications of framelets and wavelets. Lastly, the book can also be used to teach on or study selected special topics in approximation theory, Fourier analysis, applied harmonic analysis, functional analysis, and wavelet-based signal/image processing.

Hearing is a prerequisite for the evolution of language and thus the development of human societies. It is the only major sense whose evolution can be traced back to vertebrates, starting with sarcopterygians. The book explores the evolution of auditory development that has remained largely unexplored in contemporary theories of neurosensory brain evolution, including the telencephalon. It describes how sensory epithelia from the basilar papilla evolved in the ear and connected dedicated cochlear neurons to neuronal centers in the brain, and deals with how sound is converted through sound modulations into reliably decoded messages. The loss of hearing with age is expected to reach 2.6 billion people by 2050. As such, the book explains and reviews hearing loss at the molecular level to the behavioral level, and provides suggestions to manage the loss.