Gain insight into today's ever-emerging field of mechanical engineering as you develop an appreciation for how engineers design the hardware that builds and improves societies around the world. AN INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 4E is an ideal resource during your first or second year of your mechanical engineering program. It's also a useful tool if you are pursuing a closely related field. The book balances timely treatments of technical problem-solving skills, design, engineering analysis, and modern technology to provide the solid mechanical engineering foundation you need for future success.

Discover today's fascinating, challenging, and constantly changing field of mechanical engineering with Wickert/Lewis' ENHANCED EDITION OF AN INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, SI, 4th Edition. This engaging book helps you master technical problem-solving skills as you gain a balanced understanding of the latest design, engineering analysis, and advancements in engineering-related technology. The authors use their expertise to present engineering as a visual and graphical activity. Nearly 300 photographs and illustrations give you an exciting glimpse into what you will study in later courses and practice in your career. Meaningful content, interspersed with numerous real-world applications and interesting examples, helps you develop the solid foundation in mechanical engineering that you need for future success.

Consider the statement, 'A system has two coupled subsystems, one of which dominates the design process. Each subsystem consists of discrete and continuous variables, and is solved using sequential analysis and solution.' To address this type of statement in the design of complex systems, three steps are required, namely, the embodiment of the statement in terms of entities on a computer, the mathematical formulation of subsystem models, and the resulting solution and system synthesis. In complex system decomposition, the subsystems are not isolated, self-supporting entities. Information such as constraints, goals, and design variables may be shared between entities. But many times in engineering problems, full communication and cooperation does not exist, information is incomplete, or one subsystem may dominate the design. Additionally, these engineering problems give rise to mathematical models involving nonlinear functions of both discrete and continuous design variables. In this dissertation an algorithm is developed to handle these types of scenarios for the domain-independent integration of subsystem embodiment, coordination, and system synthesis using constructs from Decision-Based Design, Game Theory, and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization. Implementation of the concept in this dissertation involves testing of the hypotheses using example problems and a motivating case study involving the design of a subsonic passenger aircraft.