Engineering Magazines

For some unfortunate souls SEO is simply the learning of tricks and techniques that, according to their understanding, should propel their site into the top rankings on the major search engines. This understanding of the way SEO works can be effective for a time however it contains one basic flaw … the rules change. Search engines are in a constant state of evolution in order to keep up with the SEO’s in much the same way that Norton, McAfee, AVG or any of the other anti-virus software companies are constantly trying to keep up with the virus writers.

Basing your entire websites future on one simple set of rules (read: tricks) about how the search engines will rank your site contains an additional flaw, there are more factors being considered than any SEO is aware of and can confirm. That’s right, I will freely admit that there are factors at work that I may not be aware of and even those that I am aware of I cannot with 100% accuracy give you the exact weight they are given in the overall algorithm. Even if I could, the algorithm would change a few weeks later and what’s more, hold your hats for this one; there is more than one search engine.

So if we cannot base our optimization on a set of hard-and-fast rules what can we do? The key my friends, is not to understand the tricks but rather what they accomplish. Reflecting back on my high school math teach Mr. Barry Nicholl I recall a silly story that had a great impact. One weekend he had the entire class watch Dumbo The Flying Elephant (there was actually going to be a question about it on our test). Why? The lesson we were to get from it is that formulas (like tricks) are the feather in the story. They are unnecessary and yet we hold on to them in the false belief that it is the feather that works and not the logic. Indeed, the tricks and techniques are not what works but rather the logic they follow and that is their shortcoming.

And So What Is Necessary?

To rank a website highly and keep it ranking over time one must optimize it with one primary understanding, that a search engine is a living thing. Obviously this is not to say that search engines have brains, I will leave those tales to Orson Scott Card and other science fiction writers, however their very nature results in a lifelike being with far more storage capacity.

If we consider for a moment how a search engine functions; it goes out into the world, follows the road signs and paths to get where it’s going, and collects all of the information in its path. From this point, the information is sent back to a group of servers where algorithms are applied in order to determine the importance of specific documents. How are these algorithms generated? They are created by human beings who have a great deal of experience in understanding the fundamentals of the Internet and the documents it contains and who also have the capacity to learn from their mistakes, and update the algorithms accordingly. Essentially we have an entity that collects data, stores it, and then sorts through it to determine what’s important which it’s happy to share with others and what’s unimportant which it keeps tucked away.

So Let’s Break It Down …

To gain a true understanding of what a search engine is, it’s simple enough to compare it to the human anatomy as, though not breathing, it contains many of the same core functions required for life. And these are:

The Lungs & Other Vital Organs – The lungs of a search engine and indeed the vast majority of vital organs are contained within the datacenters in which they are housed. Be it in the form of power, Internet connectivity, etc. As with the human body, we do not generally consider these important in defining who we are, however we’re certainly grateful to have them and need them all to function properly.

The Arms & Legs – Think of the links from the engine itself as the arms and legs. These are the vehicles by which we get where we need to go and retrieve what needs to be accessed. While we don’t commonly think of these as functions when we’re considering SEO these are the purpose of the entire thing. Much as the human body is designed primarily to keep you mobile and able to access other things, so too is the entire search engine designed primarily to access the outside world.

The Eyes – The eyes of the search engine are the spiders (AKA robots or crawlers). These are the 1s and 0s that the search engines send out over the Internet to retrieve documents. In the case of all the major search engines the spiders crawl from one page to another following the links, as you would look down various paths along your way. Fortunately for the spiders they are traveling mainly over fiber optic connections and so their ability to travel at light speed enables them to visit all the paths they come across whereas we as mere humans have to be a bit more selective.

The Brain – The brain of a search engine, like the human brain, is the most complex of its functions and components. The brain must have instinct, must know, and must learn in order to function properly. A search engine (and by search engine we mean the natural listings of the major engines) must also include these critical three components in order to survive.



The Instinct – The instinct of a search engines is defined in it’s core functions, that is the crawling of sites and either the inability to read specific types of data, or the programmed response to ignore files meeting a specific criteria. Even the programmed responses become automated by the engines and thus fall under the category of instinct much the same as the westernized human instinct to jump from a large spider is learned. An infant would probably watch the spider or even eat it meaning this is not an automatic human reaction.

The instinct of a search engines is important to understand however once one understands what can and cannot be read and how the spiders will crawl a site this will become instinct for you too and can then safely be stored in the “autopilot” part of your brain.

The Knowing – Search engines know by crawling. What they know goes far beyond what is commonly perceived by most users, webmasters and SEOs. While the vast storehouse we call the Internet provides billions upon billions of pages of data for the search engines to know they also pick up more than that. Search engines know a number of different methods for storing data, presenting data, prioritizing data and of course, way of tricking the engines themselves.

While the search engine spiders are crawling the web they are grabbing the stores of data that exist and sending it back to the datacenters, where that information is processed through existing algorithms and sp@m filters where it will attain a ranking based on the engine’s current understanding of the way the Internet and the documents contained within it work.

Similar to the way we process an article from a newspaper based on our current understanding of the world, the search engines process and rank documents based on what they understand to be true in the way documents are organized on the Internet.

The Learning – Once it is understood that search engines rank documents based on a specific understanding of the way the Internet functions, it then follows that in order to insure that new document types and technologies are able to be read and that the algorithm be changed as new understandings of the functionality of the Internet are uncovered a search engine must have the ability to “learn”.

Aside from a search engine needing the ability to properly spider documents stored in newer technologies, search engines must also have the ability to detect and accurately penalize sp@m and as well as accurately rank websites based on new understandings of the way documents are organized and links arranged. Examples of areas where search engines must learn in an ongoing basis include but are most certainly not limited to:

Understanding the relevancy of the content between sites where a link is found Attaining the ability to view the content on documents contained within new technologies such as database types, Flash, etc. Understanding the various methods used to hide text, links, etc. in order to penalize sites engaging in these tactics Learning from current results and any shortcoming in them, what tweaks to current algorithms or what additional considerations must be taken into account to improve the relevancy of the results in the future.

The learning of a search engine generally comes from the uber-geeks hired by and the users of the search engines. Once a factor is taken into account and programmed into the algorithm it them moves into the “knowing” category until the next round of updates.



How This Helps in SEO

This is the point at which you may be asking yourself, “This is all well-and-good but exactly how does this help ME?” An understanding of how search engines function, how they learn, and how they live is one of the most important understandings you can have in optimizing a website. This understanding will insure that you don’t simply apply random tricks in hopes that you’ve listened to the right person in the forums that day but rather that you consider what is the search engine trying to do and does this tactic fit with the long term goals of the engine.

For a while keyword density sp@mming was all the rage among the less ethical SEOs as was building networks of websites to link together in order to boost link popularity. Neither of these tactics work today and why? They do not fit with the long-term goals of the search engine. Search engines, like humans, want to survive. If the results they provide are poor then the engine will die a slow but steady death and so they evolve.

When considering any tactic you must consider, does this fit with the long-term goals of the engine? Does this tactic in general serve to provide better results for the largest number of searches? If the answer is yes then the tactic is sound.

For example, the overall relevancy of your website (i.e. does the majority of your content focus on a single subject) has become more important over the past year or so. Does this help the searcher? The searcher will find more content on the subject they have searched on larger sites with larger amounts of related content and thus this shift does help the searcher overall. A tactic that includes the addition of more content to your site is thus a solid one as it helps build the overall relevancy of your website and gives the visitor more and updated information at their disposal once they get there.

Another example would be in link building. Reciprocal links are becoming less relevant and reciprocal-links between unrelated sites are virtually irrelevant. If you are engaging in reciprocal link building insure that the sites you link to are related to your site’s content. As a search engine I would want to know that a site in my results also provided links to other related sites thus increasing the chance that the searcher was going to find the information that they are looking for one way or another without having to switch to a different search engine.

In Short

In short, think ahead. Understand that search engines are organic beings that will continue to evolve. Help feed them when they visit your site and they will return often and reward your efforts. Use unethical tactics and you may hold a good position for a while but in the end, if you do not use tactics that provide for good overall results, you will not hold your position for long. They will learn.

For some unfortunate souls SEO is simply the learning of tricks and techniques that, according to their understanding, should propel their site into the top rankings on the major search engines. This understanding of the way SEO works can be effective for a time however it contains one basic flaw: the rules change. Search engines are in a constant state of evolution in order to keep up with the SEO’s in much the same way that Norton, McAfee, AVG or any of the other anti-virus software companies are constantly trying to keep up with the virus writers.

Basing your entire websites future on one simple set of rules (read: tricks) about how the search engines will rank your site contains an additional flaw, there are more factors being considered than any SEO is aware of and can confirm. That’s right, I will freely admit that there are factors at work that I may not be aware of and even those that I am aware of I cannot with 100 percent accuracy give you the exact weight they are given in the overall algorithm. Even if I could, the algorithm would change a few weeks later and what’s more, hold your hats for this one: there is more than one search engine.

So if we cannot base our optimization on a set of hard-and-fast rules what can we do? The key my friends, is not to understand the tricks but rather what they accomplish. Reflecting back on my high school math teach Mr. Barry Nicholl I recall a silly story that had a great impact. One weekend he had the entire class watch Dumbo The Flying Elephant (there was actually going to be a question about it on our test). Why? The lesson we were to get from it is that formulas (like tricks) are the feather in the story. They are unnecessary and yet we hold on to them in the false belief that it is the feather that works and not the logic. Indeed, the tricks and techniques are not what works but rather the logic they follow and that is their shortcoming. And So What Is Necessary?

To rank a website highly and keep it ranking over time one must optimize it with one primary understanding, that a search engine is a living thing. Obviously this is not to say that search engines have brains, I will leave those tales to Orson Scott Card and other science fiction writers, however their very nature results in a lifelike being with far more storage capacity.

If we consider for a moment how a search engine functions; it goes out into the world, follows the road signs and paths to get where it’s going, and collects all of the information in its path. From this point, the information is sent back to a group of servers where algorithms are applied in order to determine the importance of specific documents. How are these algorithms generated? They are created by human beings who have a great deal of experience in understanding the fundamentals of the Internet and the documents it contains and who also have the capacity to learn from their mistakes, and update the algorithms accordingly. Essentially we have an entity that collects data, stores it, and then sorts through it to determine what’s important which it’s happy to share with others and what’s unimportant which it keeps tucked away. So Let’s Break It Down

To gain a true understanding of what a search engine is, it’s simple enough to compare it to the human anatomy as, though not breathing, it contains many of the same core functions required for life. And these are:

The Lungs & Other Vital Organs – The lungs of a search engine and indeed the vast majority of vital organs are contained within the datacenters in which they are housed. Be it in the form of power, Internet connectivity, etc. As with the human body, we do not generally consider these important in defining who we are, however we’re certainly grateful to have them and need them all to function properly.

The Arms & Legs – Think of the links from the engine itself as the arms and legs. These are the vehicles by which we get where we need to go and retrieve what needs to be accessed. While we don’t commonly think of these as functions when we’re considering SEO these are the purpose of the entire thing. Much as the human body is designed primarily to keep you mobile and able to access other things, so too is the entire search engine designed primarily to access the outside world.

The Eyes – The eyes of the search engine are the spiders (AKA robots or crawlers). These are the 1s and 0s that the search engines send out over the Internet to retrieve documents. In the case of all the major search engines the spiders crawl from one page to another following the links, as you would look down various paths along your way. Fortunately for the spiders they are traveling mainly over fiber optic connections and so their ability to travel at light speed enables them to visit all the paths they come across whereas we as mere humans have to be a bit more selective.

The Brain – The brain of a search engine, like the human brain, is the most complex of its functions and components. The brain must have instinct, must know, and must learn in order to function properly. A search engine (and by search engine we mean the natural listings of the major engines) must also include these critical three components in order to survive.

The Instinct – The instinct of a search engines is defined in it’s core functions, that is the crawling of sites and either the inability to read specific types of data, or the programmed response to ignore files meeting a specific criteria. Even the programmed responses become automated by the engines and thus fall under the category of instinct much the same as the westernized human instinct to jump from a large spider is learned. An infant would probably watch the spider or even eat it meaning this is not an automatic human reaction.

The instinct of a search engines is important to understand however once one understands what can and cannot be read and how the spiders will crawl a site this will become instinct for you too and can then safely be stored in the “autopilot” part of your brain.

The Knowing – Search engines know by crawling. What they know goes far beyond what is commonly perceived by most users, webmasters and SEOs. While the vast storehouse we call the Internet provides billions upon billions of pages of data for the search engines to know they also pick up more than that. Search engines know a number of different methods for storing data, presenting data, prioritizing data and of course, way of tricking the engines themselves.

While the search engine spiders are crawling the web they are grabbing the stores of data that exist and sending it back to the datacenters, where that information is processed through existing algorithms and spam filters where it will attain a ranking based on the engine’s current understanding of the way the Internet and the documents contained within it work.

Similar to the way we process an article from a newspaper based on our current understanding of the world, the search engines process and rank documents based on what they understand to be true in the way documents are organized on the Internet.

The Learning – Once it is understood that search engines rank documents based on a specific understanding of the way the Internet functions, it then follows that in order to insure that new document types and technologies are able to be read and that the algorithm be changed as new understandings of the functionality of the Internet are uncovered a search engine must have the ability to “learn”.

Aside from a search engine needing the ability to properly spider documents stored in newer technologies, search engines must also have the ability to detect and accurately penalize spam and as well as accurately rank websites based on new understandings of the way documents are organized and links arranged. Examples of areas where search engines must learn in an ongoing basis include but are most certainly not limited to:

* Understanding the relevancy of the content between sites where a link is found * Attaining the ability to view the content on documents contained within new technologies such as database types, Flash, etc. * Understanding the various methods used to hide text, links, etc. in order to penalize sites engaging in these tactics * Learning from current results and any shortcoming in them, what tweaks to current algorithms or what additional considerations must be taken into account to improve the relevancy of the results in the future.

The learning of a search engine generally comes from the uber-geeks hired by and the users of the search engines. Once a factor is taken into account and programmed into the algorithm it them moves into the “knowing” category until the next round of updates. How This Helps in SEO

This is the point at which you may be asking yourself, “This is all well-and-good but exactly how does this help ME?” An understanding of how search engines function, how they learn, and how they live is one of the most important understandings you can have in optimizing a website. This understanding will insure that you don’t simply apply random tricks in hopes that you’ve listened to the right person in the forums that day but rather that you consider what is the search engine trying to do and does this tactic fit with the long term goals of the engine.

For a while keyword density spamming was all the rage among the less ethical SEOs as was building networks of websites to link together in order to boost link popularity. Neither of these tactics work today and why? They do not fit with the long-term goals of the search engine. Search engines, like humans, want to survive. If the results they provide are poor then the engine will die a slow but steady death and so they evolve.

When considering any tactic you must consider, does this fit with the long-term goals of the engine? Does this tactic in general serve to provide better results for the largest number of searches? If the answer is yes then the tactic is sound.

For example, the overall relevancy of your website (i.e. does the majority of your content focus on a single subject) has become more important over the past year or so. Does this help the searcher? The searcher will find more content on the subject they have searched on larger sites with larger amounts of related content and thus this shift does help the searcher overall. A tactic that includes the addition of more content to your site is thus a solid one as it helps build the overall relevancy of your website and gives the visitor more and updated information at their disposal once they get there.

Another example would be in link building. Reciprocal links are becoming less relevant and reciprocal-links between unrelated sites are virtually irrelevant. If you are engaging in reciprocal link building insure that the sites you link to are related to your site’s content. As a search engine I would want to know that a site in my results also provided links to other related sites thus increasing the chance that the searcher was going to find the information that they are looking for one way or another without having to switch to a different search engine

The United States has the world’s largest GDP, which currently stands at around $13 trillion. This makes it the most powerful economy worldwide. Since the United States is the largest manufacturer, engineering is an attractive option for those who aspire to pursue careers in this field. The role of engineering is the application

of knowledge derived from a variety of fields such as science and mathematics to develop solutions for humanity’s practical needs.

Engineering consists of a variety of disciplines, such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and computer applications engineering. Its study requires aptitude and

imagination. Engineering is a highly satisfying and rewarding career field and offers its members prestige in contemporary society.

Currently, engineers are in great demand in the corporate world. There are always requirements for engineers in sectors like manufacturing, software, information technology, and research and development. For this reason, engineers command high salaries and can expect long-term employment opportunities.

The remuneration that engineers receive is commensurate with their experience, so their salary range spreads over a broad spectrum. Employers consider a variety of factors before they finalize salaries. Some of these factors include previous experience, responsibilities, education, training, and employer credentials.

These days, newly graduated engineers can expect to earn approximately $45,000 a year. Senior engineers can expect to earn around $90,000. There is no upper limit for engineers with exceptional experience and skills.

The minimum educational requirement for becoming an engineer is an Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology (ABET) accredited degree or a degree from a recognized engineering program. Students are required to have an appropriate understanding of high school-level mathematics and physics and some knowledge of computer programming or related studies. Admission requirements vary slightly from one university to another, so it is advisable to inquire with programs’ offices about specifics.

Completing an engineering program is no simple task. The course load is usually heavy, and students need to put in long hours to meet their programs’ requirements and obtain satisfactory grades. Many students choose careers after graduating. Others go on to pursue higher qualifications such as master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, as well.

Many employers require that their employees be professionally qualified; for example, they might need to obtain licenses or become members of professional bodies. Licensure not only enhances an engineer’s status but also reflects competence and positions him or her for advanced employment opportunities.

Furthermore, experienced licensed engineers can anticipate getting impressive projects and prestigious placements. Some employers even reimburse licensure application fees to employees who successfully obtain their engineering licenses. Licensed engineers enjoy considerable privileges. Some government jobs are only open to licensed engineering graduates. In some cases, only licensed engineers can officially represent their companies to public authorities.

Most states have also made possessing a license a legal necessity. Licensed engineers are eligible to utilize the abbreviation PE (professional engineer) after their designations. ABET-accredited engineering degree candidates must possess at least four years of work experience and pass the Fundamental Engineering (FE) Exam. Most states accept additional work experience in the cases of non-ABET engineering degree holders. Candidates are also required to pass the Electrical and Computing Examination, usually referred to as the PE examination.

Even though the path to a career in engineering may sound complex and intricate enough to discourage prospective applicants, it is a path that many have taken in the past and have found immensely satisfying. If an applicant has the right qualifications, a career in engineering is well worth considering.

For more information Visit www.engineeringcrossing.com Now!

In the aerospace industry, there are few positions that are as important as that of aeronautical engineers. The aeronautical engineering profession is responsible for a number of tasks in the commercial, military, and governmental aerospace industry. The bedrock job responsibility for aeronautical engineers is inspecting aircrafts to determine areas of improvement needed in future designs and renovations. As well, aeronautical engineers work closely with aircraft technicians and mechanics to troubleshoot problems with aircrafts within their area of expertise. As well, aeronautical engineers are tasked with communicating to aerospace clients about comments, concerns, and questions on particular projects.

Due to the diverse nature of aeronautical engineering positions throughout the industry, there is often a need for engineering professionals to choose a specialty. For example, chartered engineers are licensed aeronautical engineers that oversee aeronautical projects and managing human resources for these projects. As well, incorporated engineers are necessary for supervising individual design, engineering, and accounting teams in coordination with chartered engineers.

There are a number of skills that aeronautical engineers need to possess no matter which specialization they choose. The ability to communicate effectively and in a variety of media is necessary, as aeronautical engineers need to speak with managers, designers, engineers, and clients. As well, aeronautical engineers need to be aware of the latest in aerospace technology in order to provide the best input to design and engineering teams. Aeronautical engineers also need to be creative, as they often need to develop solutions to design, mechanical, and other problems aboard commercial airliners.

Aeronautical engineers can break into the aerospace industry in a variety of ways. Engineers are needed for the daily maintenance and inspection of commercial airlines. As well, the RAF and other government-sponsored agencies need engineers to help develop better solutions for commercial and military airlines. For engineers who want to select their clients and determine the amount of work they receive, contract work found through self-employment is often possible for exceptional engineering graduates.

The qualifications necessary for an aeronautical engineer include high grades and Honors in degree areas like physics, mathematics, and engineering. For certified positions and upper level engineering management, a Master of Science in aeronautical or aerospace engineering is necessary to make it in the aerospace industry. Many aerospace companies and government agencies require that aeronautical engineers stay current on the latest in aerospace industry news and trends. As such, aeronautical engineers spend time traveling to conferences and courses that allow them to stay on the cutting edge.

Aaron Lucas

Ashlyn C Williams

1101-001

12/10/08

What is Automotive Design and Engineering?

The art of designing a car or a truck is nothing short of a miracle.  In this piece I am looking at personal motor vehicles, those that are made with both form and function in mind.  This, to some people, is a very daunting task.  The amount of perfection that people demand in today’s market is almost unfair but somehow all of the engineers and designers can keep up.  People want a vehicle that can reach at least one hundred and thirty miles an hour, zero wind noise, twenty five miles to the gallon minimum, and a sleek attractive body to top it all off.  All the engineers and designers are the people with the amazing minds that create these amazing pieces of art.  What they do is what I want in this piece.  (Fujimoto, 3-24)

            To understand the reason for this paper, you need to know a little bit more about me.  I know this is unconventional but it’s the only way that this paper will make any sense as to why some one would ever want to investigate such a vast field.  Also, why stick to convention if you really want to live.  I am a first year mechanical engineering student at UNC Charlotte.  After I get my bachelors degree in mechanical engineering I hope to get masters in business administration.  With all this work I hope to become the head of automotive design for any car company.  (GM Announces, par.1)

            There is a distinct difference between designers and engineers.  The designers are the people that draw the fancy little pictures of what everyone wants a car to be; big wheels, big engines, and radical lines that could never be made on mass scale for consumer consumption (with today’s technology).  The engineers are the people that take that design and make it doable.  In short the designers are Van Gogh and engineers are Leonardo De Vinci.  Meaning that even though what the designers create is beautiful and simply amazing it has no real purpose and can’t be produced or even function on a custom scale.  Engineers make beautiful things that work like so many of Leonardo De Vinci’s inventions.  (Bob Boniface, par.7)

            There are many aspects of designing a vehicle and designers do play a major part in some of them, mainly in the ascetic aspects of it.  Two of the areas that they have the most say in are the exterior and interior of the car.  But both have to fit the engineer’s numbers for tolerances and so forth.  With the Exterior there are three things that have to be heavily considered besides the obvious safety of passengers and pedestrians and that is aerodynamics, ergonomics, and styling.  Aerodynamics is a highly refined science that vies for position with the other key vehicle design considerations, styling and ergonomics.  (Fujimoto, 223-230)

Early aerodynamics started as more of an art then a science.  Fish were one of the first things to really inspire an aero dynamic design. This is also were the “teardrop” approach evolved from.  But most of the early developments were based on trial and error.  Today there are definite basic principals that every designer and engineer follow to create an aerodynamically efficient vehicle.  Some of the basics are that the underbody should be as smooth as possible.  There should be no sharp angles and the front windscreen should be raked as much as possible.  The front end should start at a low stagnation line and curve up in a continuous line.  That is just a taste of the basic principals but the general idea is to make everything line and contour flow as best it can.  The more interruptions the more drag so if things like door handles and mirrors can flow better or even disappear then designers will jump on it.  (Car Design Online, Aerodynamics, par.1-2)

The interior, unlike aerodynamics, has relatively few things to be held back by.  An interior number one has to fit inside the body of the car and safely hold the passengers in their seats with seat belts and in case of a crash airbags to further protect them.  After that budget and ergonomics are the biggest things that a designer has to worry about.  With an endless list of materials to choose from all with different properties this is one of the biggest factors in designing an interior.  Also one needs to consider how many people can comfortably be sat in the space given.  But ergonomics is not to be forgotten.  People vary dramatically in size and proportion around the world.  And standardizing the production process is the biggest factor of keeping the cost of cars down.  So the main parts of the passenger’s arrangement are adjustable, today more than ever.  Today’s seats can adjust in at least 6 different ways and the streering wheels are no longer just tilting but telescoping as well.  This is were the wheel doesn’t just go up and down like it has but can move in and out to allow the steering wheel to be set to your specific wants.  But things like the gauges and stereo controls are not adjustable in production cars.  In some concept cars they are experimenting with adjustable gauges that would adjust with your height that would be read by a sensor near the sun visor. (Car Design Online, Ergonomics, par. 2-3)

For Engineers there job in creating this vehicle are all the parts that one can’t see but are crucial for the car to work, things such as the engine and transmission.  The engine of the car is an infinitely complex piece of engineering.  Today’s cars, normally, use one of three engines, piston with gas, piston with diesel, or the rotary engine.  The two piston engines are almost exactly the same except for how they combust their fuel.  Gas engines use spark plugs while diesel engines use pure pressure to cause spontaneous combustion.  Though some will use glow plugs (heating element) to help the process along.  Both of these engines have many moving parts that have to work in perfect unison for it to do what it has to do.  Things like springs, belts and pumps can break at any time.  That’s where the rotary motor comes in.  Also known as the Wankel engine after its creator Felix Wankel.  It has an oval like housing with a rounded triangle or epitrochoid shape inside it that rotates around the oval.  It has vastly less moving parts and so is both smaller and lighter.  But it has its disadvantages as well.  While it is more reliable in the short run it wears out much faster then a piston engine and is not as efficient as a piston engine.  So the largest automobile use for this type of engine is for racing but the automobile maker Mazda still has a major investment in personal vehicles with rotary engines.  (Fujimoto, 85-88)

Another unseen component that plays a major part in a vehicles success is the chaise and suspension.  For both there are acceptable variations depending on the application.  The differences for both are directly related.  The Stiffer either the suspension or chaise is the better the vehicle will handle but the worse the ride of the car will feel.  This is because vibrations travel through solids much better then non-solids.  When you have a softer suspension and chaise then the ride will be very comfortable but the body of the car will roll and this shifting weight will throw the handling of the car right out the window.  All of these things are variables that an engineer has to consider when working with the designer to make a great vehicle.  (Fujimoto, 99-105)

To get in this industry where perfection is demanded is not an easy task either.  For the engineers there is a lot of school time involved.  Some have compared getting an engineering degree to pre med for doctors.  With the countless amount of math classes that one has to take just to get his bachelors.  The natural talent that is needed to become an engineer is usually apparent.  Though it is not needed it is usually only those that posses it that make it through all the schooling to a great job.  Most engineers are at least good at math but one of the dead give a ways is the undying need to know how things work.  And to get up to the higher levels of the corporate engineer, like any other job not much helps more then having some good connections.  (GM Announces, par. 2)

With designers it takes a bit less schooling but a lot more natural talent.  The drawings that they have to do for their original design are phenomenal and are almost identical to the end product and have to be.  One example is Bob Boniface he started off his career as an accountant with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and economics from Vanderbilt.  But drew cars in the evenings.  He was eventually talked back into going back to school to College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts. He started at Daimler Chrysler but is now with GM working with Chevrolet concept vehicles.  (Bob Bonifice, par. 1-5)

Another successful designer that I would like to mention, to get an idea of what it takes to become a designer, is Bryan Nesbitt.  His father took him to the campus of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California when he was 12 because he said that he could see his talent.  After studying architecture and industrial design at Georgia Institute of Technology he went to the school that his father took him to and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial design.  He also interned at Daimler Chrysler and was later hired by them in 1994 and designed them the PT Cruiser.  In April 2001 he joined General Motors as Chief Designer for Chevrolet. In January 2002, he was appointed Executive Director, Design, Body-Frame Integral Architectures, for all of GM’s North American Brands.  Then in February 2004 was named Executive director of GM Europe Design.  Which means that he is responsible for all Opel, Saab, and Vauxhall design activities.  So as you can see it takes some schooling but a lot of talent.  (Bryan Nesbit, par. 1-10)

When personal motor vehicles first came along back with Henry Ford and others the only way to plan out the design was to draw it out.  There have been many innovations since then.  Some low tech and others mind bogglingly high tech.  One thing that a lot of designers do today well before production is make clay models.  There are several stages to producing a clay model.  First, the scale of the model is determined by using drawings and sketches.  They then make a rig based on these dimensions and they will scale it to be either smaller then the actual size or to the exact actual size of the vehicle.  They put the clay on the form that is part of the rig, a foam core to reduce the amount of the expensive and heavy clay that they have to use.  When it comes to shaping it there used to be only one way to go about it.  That was by hand, manually carving out the model using system of 10-lines. These are the reference points that they use to transfer from the drawings to the model.  From there the designers can either strictly follow their drawings or use templates or they can begin to experiment and develop the form freely.  That’s the beauty of using clay; it can always be reworked and adjusted in tangible form.  (Car Design Online, Modeling, par. 1-3)

In today’s technological world laboring over the clay for weeks is unnecessary.  With today’s technology most of the designing can be done on computers with CAD.  CAD stands for ‘Computer Aided Design.’  These designs done on the computer can give you automatic measurements and can be sent to machines that can recreate them with no manual work.  This technology has even brought clay modeling forward.  Instead of the designers having to carve the entire clay model them selves taking weeks a machine can give the rough out line and then designers can come back and prefect it and change it all they want.  And with the giant leaps with materials they don’t even have to use clay any more to make large three-dimensional models.  After the designers are happy with what the have done in CAD and have made any changes to a clay model and then put that new information into the computer they can make a machine mill down a block of high density foam into a exact replica of the vehicle.  (Car Design Online, Modeling, par. 4)

The Future of design most defiantly lies in computers.  The things we see in the movies are not that far off.  For those who have seen the new movie “Iron man” (2008) when you see him using holograms to make his suit and move it around before he produced it that is a example of were the industry could be in a couple years (Paramount Pictures).  If we ever do reach that point then we may not need to use materials at all before production.  But it’s going to be hard to replace the ability to truly feel what you are working on (Car Design Online, Modeling, par. 4-5).

All of these major tasks have to be completed before a vehicle can even be considered for production.  The way that this paper was worded might have let on that there are only a few people that work on a vehicle at a time but in reality there are full teams of engineers and designers that all have to work one vehicle.  And even with these large teams creating an entirely new vehicle can take years.  And to become one of these few it takes much more then just schooling or talent, it takes determination and patience.  As it does to create one of these works of art.  (Car Body Design, Manufacturing Processes, par. 1-3)

The true importance of this has come painfully apparent over the last couple of months.  The big three of Detroit, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, are begging congress to bail them out of their swift fall from being a big as they once were.  This is a perfect example of the free market system; the company with the better product started small but found its way on top of the former big dogs.  I am of course talking about the two big boys from Japan, Toyota and Honda who are now on top of all of Detroit’s big three.  (Fitzgibbons, Patrick, par. 1-2)

There are some very distinct reasons for this.  One of the biggest ones is the rise in energy costs.  The Japanese cars more often then not are more efficient on gas then the American cars.  Also Japan was the first to really capitalize on the Hybrid cars, leaving America to play catch up with their well-established models.  Another big factor was the sub-par quality that was produced back in the 80’s.  The Japanese cars would last a good ten years if you kept the general maintenance up but American cars were falling apart left and right.  (Webster, Larry, par. 2, 5)

That is where I thought that the designers and engineers should have stepped in and made sure that the products that these companies were putting out were any good.  Because now, even though the quality of these cars has stepped up they still carry around the label that their cars are low quality, “Perception trails reality.”  (Webster, Larry, par. 5) For years the Japanese have been making a better product and now the big three are paying for it.  And now they are going to have to do something big to come back to the status that they used to hold, if they can at all.  (Fitzgibbons, Patrick, par. 35)

Aaron Lucas

Ashlyn C Williams

1101-001

12/10/08

Work Cited Page

·      Fujimoto, Takahiro. The Evolution of a Manufacturing System at Toyota. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999.

·      “Bob Boniface.” Car Body Design: Automotive Design & Engineering, 24 September 2008.

·      “Bryan Nesbit.” Car Body Design: Automotive Design & Engineering, 6 March 2007.

·      “GM Announces Design Executive Appointments.” Car Body Design: Automotive Design & Engineering, 2 May 2007.

·      Car Design Online: Dedicated to Automotive Design Information, 23 October 2008.

·      Fitzgibbons, Patrick.  “U.S. auto execs plead for Congress to fund bailout.” Reuters, 18 Nov. 2008

·      Webster, Larry.  “GM in Crisis-5 Reasons Why America’s Largest Car Company Teeters on the Edge.”  Popular Mechanics, 18 Nov. 2008



By: Aaron Lucas

About the Author:

I am a first year student at UNC Charlotte