Nineteen-ninety-seven was another good year for engineering. Salaries were up, according to the latest Design News salary survey (see "Engineers on a wild ride," June 7, 1997), and so was job satisfaction. And, thanks to some spectacular technical feats and the publicity they garnered, respect for the engineering profession was up too.
One of the highest-profile engineering achievements of the decade was the mission to Mars. It was engineers who took the nation there, and the fuel for the trip was their knowledge of components, materials, and design tools.
Here on Earth, several developments caught the attention of Design News readers. We ask readers to tell us which stories in each issue are the most useful to them. Among the stories readers say they found most useful this year were:
A description of SatCon's Reaction Mass Actuator, which senses noise and vibration in helicopters. The heart of the device is a cylinder of Terfenol-D, a magnetostrictive material, developed by the former Naval Ordinance Laboratory. (January 6, 1997)
"Barnstormer of the deep," the profile of the work of engineer Graham Hawkes, a pioneer in advanced submersibles. Hawkes won the 1997 Design News Special Achievement Award for his work. (March 3, 1997)
The explanation of technology in Porsche's new Boxster. Instead of air cooling, it employs water cooling. The Boxster uses a Bosch Motronic M5.2 electronic engine management system, variable camshaft timing, and a four-valve-per-cylinder design. (March 24, 1997)
A report on a pump that replaces the chain in a bicycle drive. It could also be used in IC engines and air motors. (June 23, 1997)
The Fastener Productivity Kit, with reports on innovative products to solve fastening problems. (July 21, 1997)
Overall, these stories show the wide range of interests of our readers and their need for the latest technical information in a variety of fields. Which was the story most useful to you in '97?
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Plastic may not be the most beloved of materials to the more environmentally minded, but Plasti 2012 aimed to mold a different opinion of the material in people's minds.
The rare earth element market has become steadily more rational, and new sources coming online will continue to reduce costs. Still, it is unlikely that prices will drop to their former lows.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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