Test 1

Subject :

Engineering Design

Code :

BDA4023

Date:

12 October 2011

Time:

2000-2200

Location:

Examination Hall F2

This paper consists of 3 pages of paper. Please read carefully and understand the instruction given in
the following questions.
1.0 General Knowledge and Interpretation (10 marks)
1.1 Select only 6 words from list below and describe briefly about those words. (3 marks, 0.5
mark/word)
a. Engineering Design - the set of decision making processes and activities to determine
the form of an object given the functions desired by the customer
b. Prescriptive Model - An exact process, or systematic recipe, for realizing a system. It is
often algorithmic in nature and expressed on flow charts with decision logic.
c. Creativity - ability to bring something into existence that was not there before. OR
Creativity is the connecting and rearranging of knowledge in the minds of people, who
allow themselves to think flexibly - to generate new, often surprising ideas that others
judge to be useful.
d. Objective Tree Tool to clarify design objectives and sub-objectives, and the
relationships between them.
e. Benchmarking - Benchmarking is the process of identifying "best practice" in relation
to both products (including) and the processes by which those products are created and
delivered. The search for "best practice" can take place both inside a particular industry,
and also in other industries (for example - are there lessons to be learned from other
industries?).
f. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) - a team-based method that draws upon the
expertise of the group members to carefully integrate the voice of the customer in all
activities of the company; product, part, process, production information.
g. Abstract Embodiment the part/component that works according to the physical
principle defined.
h. Physical Principle - the means by which some effect is caused, or produced.
i. Activity Analysis - used to learn how the customer will use and ultimately retire the
product. It helps to understand all the required functions, not just those during daily use
and how the product interacts with the environment.
j. Decomposition Diagram consists of component and functional decomposition
diagram for better overall understanding of how individual components interact with
each other and ultimately contribute to overall product function and how one function
interact with another functions.
k. Function Structure Tool to establish the function required, and the system boundary,
of a new design.

l. Pughs Method Tool used for the concept evaluation stage and the characteristic of it
is that, it is using one datum concept as reference concept to evaluate whether the other
concepts are better or worse than the datum concept .
1.2 Discuss and give 2 examples of design type other than New Design in engineering design. (1
marks, 0.5 mark/type)
Revised design - Change design to meet the latest or new market requirement.
Variant design - Design with variety of changes in term of shape, form, geometry etc
Repeat design - Same design with changes of technological equipment involved etc.
1.3 Explain profoundly about Design Process in the form of process flow together with the description
of each process. (2 marks)
Define Task: Initial stage to briefly define the product purpose and task involved in the product design.
(0.4 mark)

Conceptual Design: Stage in the evolution of product when alternative design concepts are generated,
evaluated, and selected for further development. (0.4 mark)

Embodiment Design: Stage where the design concept is invented with physical form. (0.4 mark)

Detail Design: Stage to finalize all detail design including product specification, drawings, tests, BOM
and manufacturing details. (0.4 mark)

Prototyping and Testing: Stage to produce reduced scale or full scale prototype to show and validate
the proposed concept and drawing. (0.4 mark)
1.4 Explain how to build a House of Quality in Quality Function Deployment and show it in diagram.
(2 marks)
Steps
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

(1mark):
Identify customer requirements
Determine customer importance weights
Identify technical requirements/engineering characteristics
Correlate ratings of the customer requirements to the technical requirements
Conduct an evaluation of competing products or services for benchmarking of satisfaction
ratings
6. Benchmark performance values
7. Determine the new product design target values
8. Coupling matrix between technical requirements

Diagram (1 mark):
8. Coupling

1. Customer
requirement /
Voice of
customer

2. Importance weight

3. Technical requirements/
Engineering characteristics

4. Correlation ratings
between customer
requirements and technical
requirements

5. Benchmark
satisfaction of
competitive
products

6. Benchmark performance
7. New product performance
target

1.5 What are the basic rules/parts of embodiment design? Explain. (2 marks)
Product architecture - The arrangement of the physical elements of a product to carry out its
required functions. (0.7 mark)
Configuration design Establishment of shape and general dimensions of the components. (0.7
mark)
Parametric design - The determination of the exact values, dimensions, or tolerances for the
critical design parameters. (0.7 mark)
2.0 Application and Analysis
Instruction: Select any questions from the following questions so that the total marks are 30.
2.1

You are requested by your client to design a floor cleaning machine for housewife use. It
must be easy to use by the housewife, good in design, and low in price. (20 marks)
i)
Propose what are the other features that possible for the machine to increase the value of
the machine. Please describe it in the form of features and sub features (objective and sub
objective) available. (3 marks, 0.25 mark/objective)
Safety : Safe to use, no risk of injury, no risk to health

Maintenance : Easy to maintain, require less maintenance, low

maintenance

ii)

Cost : low price, low maintenance cost

Energy : low energy consumption, use clean energy,
Durability : Low possibility of breakdown, long life cycle, high quality
Function : Easy to use, has a lot of additional functions
Environment : environmental friendly material, quiet, no pollution.

Clarify the objective of the product by using the Objective Tree. The OT must consist
of at least 4 levels of tree diagrams. (4 marks) (0.25 mark/objective)

Example:
Floor cleaning machine
Handling
Easy to use

Easy to
maintain
Attractiveness

iii)

Cost

Design

Environment

Manufacturing

Quality

Energy

Use
clean
energy

Safety

Materials

Low
energy
consu
mption

Green
materia
ls

Noise

Safe to
use

Quiet
No risk of
injury

Set the weighting of the OT. (3.0 marks)

Please refer to the attachment 1.
Weighting conducted according to OT, 2.5 marks.
Total of weighting = 1.0, 0.5 mark

iv)

Construct 6 market survey questions consists of three characteristics that should have in a
market survey questionnaire. (3 marks, 0.5 mark/question)

Attitude (how the customers feel or think about something.)

1. What do you think about floor cleaning works?
2. Do you think that floor cleaning work is tiring?
3. What are the types of floor cleaning that you like most?
4. What do you feel when you use the current product?
Knowledge (questions asked to determine whether the customer knows the specifics about a
product or service.)
1. Do you know about existing floor cleaning machine?
2. Do you know the price of the existing cleaning machine?
3. Do you know any companies that provide floor cleaning service?
4

Behavior (usually contain phrases like how often, how much or when.)
1. How often do you always clean your floor?
2. How long do you always spend for floor cleaning?
3. How much do you think you want to spend for the newly proposed product?
4. When do you always clean you floor?

2.2

v)

Construct the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) or House of Quality (HoQ) for the
product. (6 marks)
Please refer to Attachment 2.

vi)

Provide the Specification List (SL) or Engineering Design Specification (EDS) for the
product. (4 marks)
Please refer to Attachment 3.

Provide an Activity Analysis, Component Decomposition Diagram, Function Decomposition

Diagram and Function Structure for water spray battery fan. (10 marks, 2.5 marks/task,
0.25 mark/item)

Activity Analysis List for Water Spray Battery Fan Use and Retirement
Use

Setup

1. Open package
2. Examine fan, case, water box, and cleaning brush
3. Read instruction booklet
4. Fill out warranty card
5. Insert batteries into the battery case
6. Put the fan into suitable storage

Daily use

7. Take out the fan from storage

8. Fill water into the water storage/box.
9. Turn on the fan.
10. Use fan until the water gone.

Refill water

11. Refill water into the container.

12. Repeat steps 8-11 until batteries need replacement.

Replace batteries

13. Remove battery cover

14. Install new batteries
15. Repeat steps 8-14 until the fan broken and unrepairable

Retire

Dispose of fan

16. Throw out fan and auxiliaries

Component Decomposition Diagram

Product
Battery

Water Spray

-Battery case
-Battery
charger
device

-Water box
-Plastic tube
-Water pump

Fan
-Blade
-Plastic tube

Controller
-ON/OFF
switch
-Fan speed
controller
-Water pump
controller

Body
-Main body
-Supporting body
-Blade cover
-Blade supporter

Function Decomposition Diagram

Function

Supply
electrical
power
-Move the fan
blade
-Stop the fan
blade
-Operate the
water pump

Spray water
-Store water
-Supply water
-Control
quantity of
water supply

Blow wind
-blow wind
-blow water
mist

Function Structure

Protect user
from blade

Control
speed
-Change speed

Black box
Wind

Wind and
water mist

Water
Input

Function

Output

Speed
controller

Wind

Switch
ON/OFF

Move
fan

Adjust
speed

Move water
pump

Power from
battery

2.3

Combine wind
and water

Wind and
water mist

Adjust water
amount

Water pump
controller

Use suitable tools or methods to generate alternatives for a floor cleaning machine and define
the criteria to analyze the feasibility of each alternative. (5 marks)

Suitable tool Morphological Chart (4 marks, 0.25 mark/feature or means)

No.

Features/Functions

Means
1

1.

Handle
1.1 Shape

1.2 Material
2.

Plastic PP

Stainless steel

Main body
7

2.1 Shape

2.2 Material

Plastic PP

Stainless steel

2.3 Foldable

Yes

No

Power source

Petrol

Electric

Rechargeable
battery

None

Movable
mechanism

Roller

Wheel

Safety device

None

Cleaning
component

Brush

Sponge

Replaceable

Varieties

Method to hold
the cleaning
component

Attach to body
by screw

~by cable tight

~by specially
fabricated
component

Speed control

Available

None

Box to store floor

detergent

Attached to the
main body

None

10
Criteria to analyze the feasibility of each alternative (1 mark, 0.25/criteria):
The screening criteria should focus on functionality and manufacturability, and should include:
a. Will the concept likely function?
b. Will the concept likely meet the customers minimum performance requirements?
c. Will the concept likely survive the operating environment?
d. Will the concept likely satisfy other critically important customer requirements?
e. Will the concept be manufacturable (i.e. materials, manufacturing processes)?
f. Will the concept likely satisfy the financial and/or marketing requirements?
2.4

Use weighted rating method to evaluate and select the best concept according to the following
criteria (importance weights) and available concepts. (5 marks)
Criteria: a- Low price (15%), b- low in handling cost (5%), c- environmental friendly (10%), dattractive (15%), e- safe to use (10%), f- user friendly (5%), g- easy to maintain (5%), h- easy
to manufacture (5%), i- high durability (10%), j- light in weight (5%), k- low energy
consumption (10%), l- easy to store (5%).
Concept: 4 available concepts

Relevancy rating:
1
Very Low

2
Low

3
Moderate

Importance
Concept 1
Concept 2
Weight (%) Rating WR Rating WR
Low price
15
3
.45
4
.60
Low in handling
5
2
.10
5
.25
cost
Environmental
10
5
.5
4
.40
friendly
Attractive
15
1
.15
3
.45
Safe to use
10
4
.40
1
.10
User friendly
5
4
.20
5
.25
Easy
to
5
3
.15
3
.15
maintain
Easy
to
5
2
.10
4
.20
manufacture
High durability
10
2
.20
1
.10
Light in weight
5
3
.15
5
.25
Low
energy
10
1
.10
3
.30
consumption
Easy to store
5
2
.10
3
.15
100
2.15
3.20
WR: Weighted Rating
Example make sure calculations are correct.

No. Criteria
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

4
High

5
Very High

Concept 3
Rating WR
5
.75
2
.10

Concept 4
Rating WR
1
.15
3
.15

.30

.40

4
3
2
5

.60
.30
.10
.25

5
2
4
2

.75
.20
.20
.10

.15

.15

3
3
5

.30
.15
.50

5
4
4

.50
.20
.40

.10
3.60

.20
3.40

The best concept is concept 3.

2.5

Considerable effort has been put into making climbing or cycling helmets more comfortable
and lighter in weight as well as protecting from knocks. All helmets are made from a number of
components: an outer shell, an inner liner (for good fit and comfort), fitting straps, and perhaps
a decorative covering. (10 marks)
i) What are the possible material for the outer shell and why this materials being used for this
component?
(2 marks)
ii) The best materials for an inner liner for both examples of the helmets are molded block of
polystyrene foams. What are the main considerations to select this material as an inner
liner?
( 3 marks)
iii) Why cycling helmets often have striking shapes?
( 3marks)
iv) What is the possible manufacturing process to make helmet shells? (2 marks)
Climbing helmet

Cycling helmet

2.6

You are assigned to improve the design of an electric paper shredder and you should do the
following (10 marks):
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

By using system approach, determine the input and output. (2 marks)

Create a reasonable working principle in which mechanical components are used!
(3 marks)
Draw a function structure or function decomposition for the paper shredder which
shows clear flows of energy, materials and information.
(3 marks)
Find possible solutions (at least 2) to shred papers. (2 marks)

10