Wolfgang Beitz & Gerhard Pahl 
Engineering Design [PDF ebook] 
A Systematic Approach

The a Im of the first two German editions of our book Kon- struktionslehre (Engineering Design) was to present a comprehensive, consistent and clear approach to systematic engineering design. The book has been translated into five languages, making it a standard international reference of equal importance for improving the design methods of practising designers in industry and for educating students of mechanical engineering design. Although the third German edition conveys essentially the same message, it contains additional knowledge based on further findings from design research and from the application of systematic design methods in practice. The latest references have also been included. With these additions the book achieves all our aims and represents the state of the art. Substantial sections remain identical to the previous editions. The main extensions include: — a discussion of cognitive psychology, which enhances the creativity of design work; — enhanced methods for product planning; — principles of design for recycling; — examples of well-known machine elements*; — special methods for quality assurance; and — an up-to-date treatment of CAD*.