Mechanical design is the design of parts, components, products, and systems with mechanical properties. For example, the design of shafts, bearings, clutches, gears, fasteners, and many other mechanical elements fall within the scope of mechanical design.
The less thought and knowledge that is required for a given device, the simpler that device will be. This applies equally to manufacturing, testing, and use. Use these criteria to judge your design. Of course, you may arrive at a design that requires a lot of thought and knowledge and very little of either.
But some devices are more elaborate than others. What simple design means is that everyone involved in its manufacture and use sees nothing that looks complex from their own perspective or convention. Complexity becomes buried and invisible. In other words, there is a hierarchy of knowledge and thought. Each hierarchy may be inherently complex, but if complexity exists only within that hierarchy, the apparatus remains simple.
About the Book
This book is a compilation of principles and practices for mechanical designers. They are derived from the experience, know-how, and intuition of professional designers, but they represent the fundamentals of engineering in a practical way. Consider two examples. Even a child quickly learns that it is easier to carry two pails of water, one on each side, than it is to carry one pail on each side.
This is not an isolated observation, but a useful principle of design described in this book (self-help). Also, have you ever spilled a drinking glass on a table that is swinging from side to side on two legs, now resting on the third, now on the fourth? But in this book, they become principles and guide lines that apply to other design problems and are clearly stated.
This book is not an engineering book. There are well-established books on mechanical design, structural analysis, and kinematics. Nor is it about design for manufacturability or the design process. Excellent books have been written on these subjects, especially in recent years. Never the less, despite the increasing emphasis on design and manufacturing in both university curricula and the practical literature, few existing books have been written on mechanical design as practiced by experienced designers.