It offers an entry-level note-style treatment of the main topics in an engineering design syllabus. The material is presented concisely using predominantly bullet-points and short statements, and is particularly useful in providing many explanatory images, including system and process diagrams and drawings.

Topics covered includes basic design, product design, specifications, design methods, conceptual design, human factors/ergonomics, management, design teams, administration, concurrent engineering, design for x (DFX), computer aided design (CAD), geometrical modelling of parts, geometrical modelling for design, and computer aided engineering (CAE).

The performances of materials in the following types of environment are covered:
water and aqueous environments
acids and alkalis
fuels, oils and solvents
halogens and gases
built environments
flammability
UV radiation
thermal environments

Further reading references are also given.

It is written for the benefit of someone who has (or can gain access to) basic hand and power tools. The sections of the document are arranged in logical order presuming a minimal knowledge of the metalworking trades in general or of springmaking in particular, and cross-linked to provide a forward path that leads from this point through the entire manufacturing process. There’s a glossary of spring terminology and an addendum, which should help you to define terms and find additional resources. Three basic types of springs are described: compression, extension, and torsion, alongside clock and power and other types of springs.

The experience in the design and analysis of aircraft wheels and brakes, brake systems, brake control systems, and antiskid systems is summarised.

The static and fatigue strength of aircraft wheels, calculation of brake service life, brake dynamics, techniques for increasing brake energy absorption capacity, and design of the basic antiskid system elements are also examined.

The book can be read online or downloaded in pdf, EPUB, Kindle, and plain text formats.

The site contains the book chapters as pdf files as they are completed and revised and are divided into the following 7 chapters.

Table of contents:

[1] Introduction to Design
[2] Exploration
[3] Users, Experts, and Institutions
[4] The Architecture of Artifacts
[5] Aesthetics in Design
[6] Variety
[7] Problem Solving and Design

The printed version of the class notes was a book of over 400 pages long. The notes were derived in part from course notes developed by Fred Martin for a class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but a considerable amount of new material has been added, and every subject area has undergone major revision for use at Rice. The many people who contributed to the book are listed in the acknowledgements. The majority of the 1998 printed book is available here, largely in its original form. It should be considered a work in progress. In particular, web navigation within the book is, to put it kindly, inconvenient, primarily because some of the sections are quite long. Sections covered by the book includes:

• Assembly Manual – The Assembly Manual is still printed, and is included here as a pdf file. Information on wiring sensors, motors, and cables used for an ELEC 201 robot is included on this web page.
• Basic Mechanics – Describes basic mechanics, friction, and the simple machines that comprise the building blocks of more complex machines, like robots.
• Basic Electronics – Introduces the concepts of charge, current, voltage, and electronic components to the uninitiated.
• Hardware – Describes the functionality and architecture of the ELEC 201 RoboBoard, assuming minimal prior background in electronics.
• Motors – A brief primer on the dc motors used in the course.
• Batteries – Discusses battery technology in general, the battey used in ELEC 201, and the battery charger operation.
• LEGO Construction – The secrets of using LEGO Technics building materials to construct robust machines, including gear trains.
• Sensors – Explains the principles of operation and applications of various robotics sensors in the ELEC 201 kit; specific wiring diagrams are in the Assembly Manual.
• Interactive C – A reference manual for the C language dialect that has been developed for the ELEC 201 course. Students new to programming or the C language will find the the new IC Tutorial worthwhile.
• Control – Investigates how to program a mobile robot to face up to the uncertainties and challenges of practical operation.
• Assembly Language Programming – How to program the Motorola 68HC11 microprocessor using assembly language; for enthusiasts only, not something ELEC 201 students need to know.
• Circuit Board Data – Schematics and printed circuit board layouts.

A glossary and a short bibiliography to other sources of information are also provided.

Note:
• The instructions for assembling the circuit boards is still printed so that students can check off the steps as they proceed. To avoid confusion, the possibly incorrect assembly instructions have been removed from the online book, but are available as Postscript and pdf files.
• The presentation of Interactive C in the book is still valid, but the student may find the new IC tutorial more helpful initially.
• Material that changes yearly, such as dates, the game, registration details, etc., has been moved to the web pages under the tabs at the left. Some additional non-essential, dated information has been removed pending its revision.

[Description and screenshot taken from the Rice University page for these course notes. This work is licensed by Jim Young under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.]

The guide comes in 3 parts: approaches to product design in Delft, design methods, and competences in design. Each part is available to download in .pdf format: Introduction, Overview, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 or viewable as a SlideShare presentation.

Topics covered by the guide includes the product innovation process, the design cycle, engineering models of product design, the Fish Trap Model, creating product ideas and concepts, planning and design, and concept development.

The Guide presents an overview; short descriptions of approaches and methods. For beginner designers it is necessary to study more detail using the references mentioned in the guide.

The book is over 200 pages long, although some of the later sections are incomplete or draft, and is available as a PDF, postscript or LaTeX file.