2013 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

Engineering Design and Development Component 2 Viability

of the Proposed Solution

Page 1
Viability of the Proposed Solution
Introduction
To develop or not to develop the product

that is the question. Often, the decision not todevelop a product is financial

based on a thorough analysis, it is determined that theanticipated income from the product cannot support the
anticipated cost of development.However, if a financial analysis indicates that the sales of a new product (when
compared tothe cost of development) could potentially produce an acceptable profit, you must ask,

Should

the product be developed? But this is not always an easy question to answer.
A designer or engineer has an ethical responsibility to his client, his profession, and tosociety. In
light of these responsibilities, the designer should consider all potentialconsequences, good and bad, resulting
from development of a product and then compare thebenefits of product development to potential negative
impacts. Do the benefits outweigh therisks? Is continuing with product development the right thing to do?The
design, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and use of any new product will result inconsequences, both
positive and negative. These consequences are far reaching and wideranging. For example, will the manufacture
and distribution of the product consumenonrenewable natural resources or produce pollution? How will the
development of theproduct affect the workers that will help produce, transport, and sell the product? What
affect(intended or not) will the use of the product have on the consumer, the environment, andsociety? On the
other hand, development of the product may create jobs, use abandonedfacilities or discarded waste materials,
and improve the lives of people.The considerations mentioned above assume that the product is well designed
and functionsas intended. However, another important ethical responsibility of the designer is to ensurethat the
product is well designed and does not suffer unintended failure. What will happen ifyour product does not work as
intended or suffers a catastrophic failure? Will the failurecause harm? It is important that the designer has the
knowledge and expertise, or seeks outpeople with that knowledge and expertise, to properly design the product
in order to minimizethe risks of failure.In this activity you will consider the consequences of your product design,
compare thepositive and negative impacts, and assess the ethical implication of continuing to developyour
product.
Equipment

Engineering notebook

Internet access

Access to trade journals, magazines, newspaper, and other printed material

Product Lifecycle handout (from Lesson 1.1)

Product working drawings

Procedure
Work together as a team to complete the following.
 2013 Project Lead The Way, Inc.Engineering Design and Development Component 2 Viability
of the Proposed Solution

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1. Revisit the Project Proposal that you created and your design specifications. Consider the technical expertise
and knowledge that is required to properly design your product. Has your team acquired the math, science, and
engineering knowledge necessary to properly design your product? Have you contacted experts in order to gain
the necessary knowledge or obtain assistance with the parts of the design that your team is not well equipped to
perform? It is impossible to include an exhaustive list of math, science, and engineering principles that you should
incorporate into the design of your product because each product design will require consideration of different
concepts. The following list is intended only to get you thinking about concepts that you may need to investigate
further.

Loads. How will loads be transferred from the environment to your product, and how will loads be transferred
within your product? Will the loads be static(unchanging) or dynamic (changing)? How can you calculate the
loads? Will the components of your product be able to withstand the magnitude of these loads?
Loads will be transferred to the product through contact with both the wearer of the helmet, and the helmet itself.
The product will be one piece, so there are no other parts for the load to pass through. The loads will be both
static and dynamic with the static load coming from the weight of the helmet and the vibrations from riding the
motorcycle. The dynamic load on the other hand would be much greater as it would most likely be caused by an
impact on the helmet. The product must be able to withstand these forces in order to keep the helmet safe. We
could calculate the forces by putting a force meter in the helmet to measure impact fore and force of vibration.

Materials. Will your choice of materials withstand the test of time? Will the density/weight of the materials
adversely affect your design? Will mechanical properties of your materials provide sufficient strength, stiffness,
and abrasion resistance? Will the material be able to withstand repetitive loading without premature failure? Will
the material operate well within the range of temperatures to which the product will be subjected? How will the
material react to sunlight, temperature variations, chemicals to which it will be exposed?
Plastic does stand the test of time, as is seen in the fact that pieces are still floating around in the ocean after
many years. Plastic is very light, so it is ideal to use in the design, because of the fact that a heavy material could
through off the balance of the helmet, or the rider. The plastic is strong enough, as it will not have to go through a
large force, nor will it go through any abrasive conditions. We also dont want the plastic to be stiff, as
that will be uncomfortable for the wearer. The material will also be able to withstand the loads repeatedly, as the
plastic sheets will not be under a very large load. Also, the material will not be subjected to extreme temperatures,
chemicals, or a lot of sunlight, so those properties are not much of a concern.

Mechanical Engineering. Does your design require an input of heat ormechanical power? Are there moving
parts in your design? What simple machines are employed in the design? Will all the components of your product
interact effectively? Will the loads be efficiently transferred from part to part? Do all the parts move at an ideal
speed?

2013 Project Lead The Way, Inc.Engineering Design and Development Component 2 Viability
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There is no input of heat or mechanical energy needed.

Energy. Does your product require an input of energy? In what form is the energy supplied? How is it converted
by your product to produce the desired output?
Our product requires no energy input.

Chemical/Bio Engineering. Does your design involve conversion of raw materials to another form during
manufacture or use? What chemical or biological transformations are involved in the process(es)?
There is no conversion to a raw material needed.

Electrical Engineering. Will your design involve electricity, electronics, control systems, telecommunications, or
computers? How will these systems be integrated into your design?
No electronics needed
2. Have you researched laws, codes, and regulations that could potentially impact your design? Do you feel that
your team has met its ethical responsibility for technical expertise related to the design of your product? If not,
perform additional research at this time. Revise your product design as necessary.
We did research on existing laws, and as far as we found, there are no laws at the moment that prohibit the
installation of an insert into the inside of a helmet. As long as the insert does not compromise the integrity of the
helmet, we will not be ethically responsible for whatever happens.3.
Create a graphic to document your products anticipated lifecycle. Research the efforts
necessary to take your product from raw materials to the end of its lifecycle (and potentially be reused or recycled
into new products). Detail each phase of the cycle with information specific to your product. For example, in the
Raw Material Extraction phase, indicate the raw materials that must be obtained in order to create your product.
In the Material Processing phase, detail the processes necessary to convert the raw materials to usable
substances in your product. In the Assembly and Packaging phase, detail the anticipated method of assembly
(one-off, hand assembled, human assembly line in a large manufacturing facility, fully automated robotic
assembly, etc.) and the anticipated type of packaging that will be used. See diagram below
4. Consider the consequences of the development of your product at each phase in its lifecycle to people
(designers, users, nonusers, employees of the manufacturers, distributors, sellers, etc.), the environment
(including the use of nonrenewable natural resources; the potential release of toxins, waste, or pollution; the
creation of visually unappealing facilities or noise pollution; the effect on animal and plant species, etc.), and
society.
The product will have any negative consequences to people, anywhere in its development. However, it will
negatively impact the environment as plastic is made from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource. Also,
the melting of the plastic together will release some toxins that are not exactly the best for the environment. We
would need some sort of factory to manufacture the product, so that would probably contribute some noise
pollution and the construction of an unappealing building.