Engineering Reports and Case Studies

Engineering Studies – P2 Product Engineering – The Engineering Profession

This topic outlines the purpose and contents of an engineering report. Case studies of Australian innovation and achievement in product development are key concepts for this topic.

Key Concepts

Reports

• The key components and the purposes of a transport engineering report
• Why engineering reports are relevant
• Engineering research, documentation and communication
• Data collection and representation methods
• The process of developing an engineered product considering:
  • Material selection based on material properties
  • Manufacturing selection based on material properties
  • Structural design based on mechanical analysis
  • Testing and evaluation processes
• Australian achievements and innovation

Case Studies

• The process of developing a product considering:
  • Material selection based on material properties
  • Manufacturing selection based on material properties
  • Structural design based on mechanical analysis
  • Testing and evaluation processes
• Australian achievement and innovation

Discussion Questions

Reports

1. What are the purposes of engineering reports?
2. Discuss possible sections in a transport industry report.
3. When might an engineering report be written?
4. Who might be the audience for an engineering report?
5. What might be typical types of data collected for an engineering report?
6. In what ways might the data be collected and displayed?
7. Why is the test data and the method of testing important?

Case Studies

1. When investigating an example engineered object:
   1. What engineering technologies could be identified?
   2. What typical engineering materials can be identified?
   3. What skills would the team members need that worked on the design of the object?
   4. How might the design of the object have change during development?
   5. What can be stated about how engineering decisions were made, and how are engineering ‘criteria’ used to determine the ‘best’ engineering answer?
   6. What might have been the most difficult engineering challenge in developing the object?
   7. What role did Australian Standards have in the design and communication of the design?
   8. How do you think the object might be developed in the future?
2. Sample Case Study
   1. Discuss the development of an object in terms of:
      • Engineering design process
      • Safety guidelines and Australian Standards
      • Materials selected
      • Environmental considerations
      • Manufacturing techniques
      • Technical communication
      • Engineering reports
   2. Discuss the process for design development (teamwork, project management). What role do engineers take at this stage?
   3. Describe examples of material choice and manufacturing options. Explain specific detail about polymer/metal/composite choices. What criteria are used to make engineering decisions with materials and processes? What are the technical specifications?
   4. What mechanical analysis was conducted? Was this done using particular testing equipment or modelling? How are the specifications for the product determined regarding strength and other properties?
   5. What role did engineers take in developing manufacturing specification and the technical drawings/graphics?
   6. What modelling was done? Was a prototype constructed and how was that made? How was the prototype tested?
   7. When was the engineer report written?
   8. What are the future plans?