1Sue McNeil Dept. of Civil & Environmental Eng.University of DelawareFall 2005Lecture 9CIEG -125Introduction to Civil EngineeringToday’s class• Presentations – Groups 13, 14 and 15• Engineering Design• The Engineering Method and Team-based Creative Problem Solving• An exercise (Basis for Project 2/ Report 2 –a group project)The Engineering Method and Team-based Creative Problem SolvingCIEG-125 Introduction to Civil EngineeringFall 2005Outline• Engineering Design• The Engineering Method for Solving Problems• Teams and Team Composition• In class exercisesEngineering DesignEngineering design is a systematic, intelligent process in which designers generate, evaluate, and specify concepts for devices, systems, or processes whose form and function achieve clients’ objectives or users’ needs while satisfying a specified set of constraints.Engineering Design Thinking, Teaching, and Learning --http://www.asee.org/about/publications/jee/upload/2005jee_sample.htmSkills often associated with good designers – the ability to:• tolerate ambiguity that shows up in viewing design as inquiry or as an iterative loop of divergent-convergent thinking;• maintain sight of the big picture by including systems thinking and systems design;• handle uncertainty;• make decisions;• think as part of a team in a social process; and• think and communicate in the several languages of design.Engineering Design Thinking, Teaching, and Learning --http://www.asee.org/about/publications/jee/upload/2005jee_sample.htm2The Engineering Method• Recognize and Understand the Problem• Accumulate Data and Verify Accuracy• Identify Appropriate Principles/Theories• Make Necessary Assumptions• Solve the Problem• Analyze, Verify and Evaluate the Solution• Implement the SolutionThe Engineering Method• Recognize and Understand the Problem• Accumulate Data and Verify Accuracy• Identify Appropriate Principles/Theories• Make Necessary Assumptions• Solve the Problem• Analyze, Verify and Evaluate the Solution• Implement the SolutionCharacteristics of problems• Open-ended• Ill-defined• Poorly formulated• Multiple solutions possible• Associated uncertainty• Social influences• Abstract elements• Complex• ImmediacyExamples• poor water quality• bad traffic• lack of affordable housing• earthquake/hurricane damageAnalyze & Define Objectives• Determine if problem exists• If so, collect as much information/data as possible related to problem• Talk with people familiar with problem• View the problem first hand• Confirm all findings• Produce a problem definition statementUse Defining Questions Like:• What makes this a problem?• What makes this problem different?• How was the problem discovered?• What events caused this problem?• What changes occurred that might be causes?• What threats does problem pose for whom?• Is problem related to other problems?• Can problem be decomposed?• Are there constraints to solution to problem?3Kepner-Tregoe (KT) AnalysisIdentify:What:What is theproblem?What is not theproblem?Is versus is not? Possible cause?Locate:Where:Where is theproblem found?Where is theproblem not found?Differnce inlocations?Possible cause?Timing:When:When does theproblem occurWhen does theproblem not occur?Differnce in timing? Possible cause?When was it firstobserved?When was it lastobserved?Distinctionbetweenobservations?Possible cause?Magniture:Extendt?How far does theproblem extend?How localized isthe problem?Distinction?Possible cause?How many unitsare affected?How many units arenot affected?Distinction?Possible cause?How much of anyunit is affected?How much ofanyone unit is notaffected?Distinction?Possible cause?IS IS NOT DISTINCTION CAUSEExample• You are a field inspector for a large construction project in charge of concrete quality control• You must receive concrete from several concrete firms, A, B and C• Occasionally, you must reject B’s concrete because its slump is too high causing expensive delaysExample - KT Analysis• What is the problem? Excessive slump.• Where is problem? Firm B’s operation.• Where isn’t problem? Firms A and C• Difference? A and C cover aggregate• When does problem occur? After storms• When doesn’t it occur? Sunny weather• B is likely putting too much water in its concrete because it is not considering excess water in aggregateThe Engineering Method• Recognize and Understand the Problem• Accumulate Data and Verify Accuracy• Identify Appropriate Principles/Theories• Make Necessary Assumptions• Solve the Problem• Analyze, Verify and Evaluate the Solution• Implement the SolutionData Collection and Verification• For a given problem, keep a notebook:• general information about problem• specific data collected about problem• results of data analyses (e.g., statistical analyses, simulations, fault-tree analysis)• things tried that didn’t work• This will eventually be assembled into a briefing documentThe Engineering Method• Recognize and Understand the Problem• Accumulate Data and Verify Accuracy• Identify Appropriate Principles/Theories• Make Necessary Assumptions• Solve the Problem• Analyze, Verify and Evaluate the Solution • Implement the Solution4Identifying Relevant Principles• Theories/principles are models of how natural physical, chemical or biological systems behave.• When faced with a problem, we must determine what models exist to describe the behavior of the system we are debugging• If no models exist, then we as engineers seek to develop such models• For example, what principles might we bring to bear on this problem?Crack in Concrete PierSteel Wide-Flange Steel BeamConcrete DeckAssumptions• Engineers make assumptions• To be able to use or create a model of how a system behaves, • we need to make assumptions that simplify the problem so it can be modeled• To use any model, we need to know:• what assumptions were made?• are those assumptions appropriate?• For Example, the real connection in a truss as shown at the left is often modeled as shown on the right.The Engineering Method• Recognize and Understand the Problem• Accumulate Data and Verify Accuracy• Identify Appropriate Principles/Theories• Make Necessary Assumptions• Solve the Problem• Analyze, Verify and Evaluate the Solution • Implement the SolutionSolving the Problem• Solving a problem does not just mean equation