Function and Design requirements

The ultimate objective of mechanical design, of course, is to produce a useful device that is safe, efficient,
economical, and practical to manufacture. When beginning the design of a machine or an individual
machine element, you should define the functions and the design requirements for the device clearly and
completely.
Statements of functions tell what the device is supposed to do. They are often some- what general,
but they should always employ action phrases such as to transmit, to support, or to lift. After the functions
are defined, a set of design requirements is prepared. In contrast to the more general statements of
function, design requirements must be detailed and specific, giving quantitative data wherever possible.

Example of Statements of Function and Design Requirements

Consider that you are the designer of a speed reducer that is part of the power transmission train for a
small tractor. The tractor's engine operates at a fairly high speed, while the drive for the wheels must
rotate more slowly and transmit a higher torque than is available at the output of the engine.

To begin the design process, let us list the functions of the speed reducer. What is it supposed to do?
Some answers to this question are as follows:
1. To receive power from the tractor's engine through a rotating shaft.
2. To transmit the power through machine elements that reduce the rotational speed to a desired value.
3. To deliver the power at the lower speed to an output shaft that ultimately drives the wheels of the tractor.

Now the design requirements should be stated. The following list is hypothetical, but if you were on the
design team for the tractor, you would be able to identify such requirements from your own experience
and ingenuity and/or by consultation with fellow designers, marketing staff, manufacturing engineers,
service personnel, suppliers, and customers. The concept of concurrent engineering requires that
personnel from all of these functions be involved from the earliest stages of design.

1. The reducer must transmit 15.0 hp.

2. The input is from a two-cylinder gasoline engine with a rotational speed of 2 000 rpm.
3. The output delivers the power at a rotational speed in the range of 290 to 295 rpm.
4. A mechanical efficiency of greater than 95% is desirable.
5. The minimum output torque capacity of the reducer should be 3 050 pound- inches (lb-in).
6. The reducer output is connected to the drive shaft for the wheels of a farm tractor. Moderate shock will be
encountered.
7. The input and output shafts must be in-line.
8. The reducer is to be fastened to a rigid steel frame of the tractor.
9. Small size is desirable. The reducer must fit in a space no larger than 20 in × 20 in, with a maximum height
of 24 in.
10. The tractor is expected to operate 8 hours (h) per day, 5 days per week, with a design life of 10 years.
11. The reducer must be protected from the weather and must be capable of operating anywhere in the United
States at temperatures ranging from 0 to l30°F.
12. Flexible couplings will be used on the input and output shafts to prohibit axial and bending loads from
being transmitted to the reducer.
13. The production quantity is 10 000 units per year.
14. A moderate cost is critical to successful marketing.

Careful preparation of function statements and design requirements will ensure that the design effort is
focused on the desired results. Much time and money can be wasted on designs that, although technically
sound, do not meet design requirements. Design requirements should include everything that is needed,
but at the same time they should offer ample opportunity for innovation.