ENGINEERING DESIGN FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE

Engineering design is an iterative decision- making process involving interactions between three elements: geometry, materials and loads. The objective is to provide an optimum combination of these design parameters. Unfortunately, the absolute optimum can rarely be achieved because the design criteria typically place counter opposing demands and uncertainties must be accommodated. To this end, the integration of both deterministic and stochastic methods into the product development process is encouraged. The deterministic method allows designers to calculate a design safety factor based on the uncertainties of a loss-of-function parameter and a maximum allowable parameter. Stochastic methods are based on the statistical nature of the design parameters and focus on the reliability of the design. Links between these elements will thus be emphasized and supported with examples from the recreational product industry.