Petroski, Henry.

Invention by design : how engineers get from thought to thing / Henry Petroski.

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1996.

viii, 242 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

Engineering entails more than knowing the way things work. What do economics and ecology, aesthetics and ethics, have to do with the shape of a paper clip, the tab of a beverage can, the cabin design of a turbojet, or the course of a river? How do the idiosyncrasies of individual engineers, companies, and communities leave their mark on projects from Velcro to fax machines to waterworks? Invention by Design offers an insider's look at these political and cultural dimensions of design and development, production and construction.
This book explores the nature of engineering and technology through case studies of familiar objects, from paper clips and aluminum cans to airplanes and modern high-rise buildings. These real-world artifacts (some of which I have written about before) are approached here from a perspective designed to illuminate different facets of the engineering enterprise -- design, analysis, failure, economics, aesthetics, communications, politics, and quality control, to name but a few. The case studies also touch on a variety of engineering fields, including aeronautical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, manufacturing, mechanical, and structural engineering. - Preface.

0674463676
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Design 2016
Engineering design Social aspects.
Engineering design Political aspects.
Engineering design Case studies.
Engineering design
Conception technique Aspect social.
Conception technique Aspect politique.
Conception technique Études de cas.
Angewandte Kunst
Entwurf
Gerät
Kunst
Politik
Sozialer Wandel
Technik
Ästhetik
Fallstudiensammlung
Uitvindingen.
Engenharia (projeto)
Conception technique.
Inventions.

Case Reports
Fallstudiensammlung.
Case studies
Études de cas.

Location: Library main 131148
Call No.: ID TA174.P4735; ID:97-B2351
Status: Available