By: Martina Celegato
Submitted: 2009-11-12 09:43:36 | Word Count: 499
The fundamental objective of any and mechanical engineering project is to build a machine or device that offers benefits to humanity.
A well-known engineer has suggested that the fundamental objective of engineering design as other human activities is to improve the quality of life in our society and that this can be measured by an index of quality of life. The engineers in the past, before giving the proper attention to safety, turned their attention to functional and economic effects of new equipment. After all, if the equipment does not carry out their duties properly, they are of particular interest to the engineer.
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Furthermore, if a new device can not be produced at a cost that is sustainable by contemporary society, it is a waste of time continue to study it. But engineers who have come before us have managed to develop a multitude of products that work successfully and that can be produced economically. Partly because of this, a growing engineering effort is being aimed at broader considerations about the influence of engineering products and engineering on humans and the environment. Personal safety is a consideration that the engineers have always been present but that now requires more emphasis. In addition to the awareness of risk, the second main point of the security is the ingenuity. The engineer must be imaginative and clever enough to anticipate situations, related to the product, potentially dangerous and therefore create effective solutions.
Some useful techniques and guides for addressing this challenge, are for example the review of the total product life cycle from initial production to final disposal, with particular attention to research of significant risks. Wondering what kind of situations can reasonably occur during the various stages of production, transportation, storage, installation, use, service, and so on. Be sure that safety conditions are met in a balanced way. Do not accept the penalty of 1,000 lire to eliminate a risk with a simple adjustment, ignoring the possibility of eliminating an equal risk with a cost of 200 lire. Another common way is to make security an integrated aspect of the basic project, wherever possible, rather than "adding" security devices after the key project has been completed. Usually we try to produce a system that is safe in case of breakdowns. In this case, the philosophy is to avoid breakage, but if a rupture occurs, the product is still safe, that is, the break will not be catastrophic. A crucial element is so obviously comply with European regulations, which set the minimum security requirements for each product.
Certainly security is not a concept fixed and stable, we must pay attention to all aspects of the problem and even to imagine any danger. That is how our objects are created each day in an increasingly safe environment for all of us around.
