Engineering Library

This page contains a list of mostly mechanical engineering resources.

Some contain lots of technical detail. If you find yourself scratching your head, contact a relevant supplier for support. They typically have applications engineers with deep technical expertise to help answer questions quickly.

Design

Data and formulae

• Schaeffler Technical Pocket Guide, a reference manual for mechanical engineers with a beautiful layout.
• COMSOL Multiphysics Cyclopedia, an encyclopedia covering the theory behind engineering physics.
• RoyMech website, a mechanical engineering catalogue put together by the late Roy Beardmore.

Dimensions and tolerancing

• Tolerances of Manufacturing Processes, a short guide explaining tolerances achievable using typical manufacturing processes. Consult your go-to manufacturer if you think your tolerances might be challenging.
• GD&T chart, a well-illustrated chart explaining the different geometric tolerance types. Beware of subtle differences between ASME Y14.5 and ISO GPS.
• Limits and Fits chart, a set of tables for identifying and specifying fits. Having a set of pin and ring gauges to hand, which have varying clearances, is useful for getting a hands-on feel.

Materials databases

• UL Prospector, a database for finding a material and its supplier.
• MatWeb, a database for finding material properties.
• Total Materia, a database for finding more detailed and proprietary material property data, which costs, but might be useful for detailed analytical calculations/FEA.

Human Factors

• Strength Data for Design Safety - Phase 1 and Strength Data for Design Safety - Phase 2, a set of reports with physical strength data to provide designers with ergonomics information for designing safe easy-to-use products.
• Applying Human Factors and Usability Engineering to Medical Devices, a guide written by the FDA specifically for medical device development, but whose techniques can be applied to all products in general.

Component selection

Fasteners

• NASA Fastener Design Course, a comprehensive course covering all things fastener related, including '...materials, plantings and coatings, locking methods threads, joint stiffness, rivets, inserts, nut plates, thread lubricants, design criteria, etc.'

Adhesives

• Henkel Adhesive Selector, a tool for identifying an appropriate adhesive. Don't neglect surface preparation (cleaning/abrasion/priming).

Seals

• James Walker O-ring Guide, a guide to sealing with O-rings. Follow these steps:

1. Review page 29 to determine the housing arrangement
2. Use the charts to find an O-ring that fits your geometry
3. Flick between pages 29 and 30 to finalise the housing dimensions and tolerances

There are nuances when it comes to robust seals, so follow the guide as closely as possible. General tips:

• • Choose as large a cross-section as possible t give yourself as wide a tolerance as possible for achieving a nominal squeeze.
  • Radial seals are generally more robust than axial seals, and if using a radial seal, choose a piston seal over a rod seal as it's easier to machine and inspect a groove on the OD of a rod than on the ID of a bore.
  • Grease the O-ring, even if it's a static seal, to ease assembly. It can also help to seal a gas against a surface finish which is not smooth enough (vacuum grease).
  • Beware of hysteresis in dynamic applications. The greater the nominal squeeze, the greater the effect.
  • Follow all the other recommendations in the design guide as closely as possible, not forgetting surface finish, lead-ins etc.

Manufacturing methods

Injection Moulding

• DuPont Engineering Polymers - General Design Principles. * In the UK, DuPont also offers a complimentary day course which covers the basics of designing for injection moulding.
• Protolabs injection moulding design aids. It includes
  • An order page for a free 'design cube', an excellent tool for giving you a hands-on feel for the different features that are possible, and general design dos and don'ts.
  • A material selection guide.
  • An Injection Moulding for Dummies e-book.
• Periodic Table of Thermoplastics by Tangram Technology.

Die Casting

• Metal Die Casting Design Guides by Chicago White Metal Casting.

Inspiration and Learning

Mechanical Engineering 101

• Tim Hunkin's The Secret Life of Components, a YouTube playlist explaining basic mechanical components through practical demonstrations.
• Tarkka's Mechanical Engineering Design Basics, a YouTube playlist covering the fundamentals.

Machines and Mechanisms

• MISUMI application library, a database of ready-made machines and mechanisms.
• Jared Owen's YouTube channel, a series of beautiful 3D animations demonstrating the inner workings of complex mechanical assemblies.
• Branch Education YouTube channel, 3D animations showing the inner workings of mostly electronics.

Reverse Engineering

• Big Clive's YouTube channel, a channel with teardowns of cheap and cheerful consumer products. The focus is on electronics, but includes some mechanical design too.
• Fictiv Teardowns, a catalogue of teardowns of high-end consumer products.
• AvE's BOLTR series, a YouTube channel with a teardowns of mechanical hand tools. His BOLTR playlist doesn't include his recent releases, so scroll through his video uploads instead.
• Munro Live Teardowns, a YouTube playlist covering teardowns of car components, with a focus on benchmarking and costing.
• WeberAuto, a YouTube channel with teardowns of car components, with a focus on technical detail for training automotive engineers.

Textbooks

• BC Open Collection, a library of free and open-source educational textbooks.

Academic Research

• Sci-Hub, a database of free academic papers.

Although research is nearly always taxpayer-funded, with authors receiving no royalties, most papers remain stuck behind publishers' paywalls. Accessing Sci-Hub is illegal in many countries, so use a VPN if required.

Alternatively, directly ask the author for a copy, through their university email or ResearchGate, or try and find it through an open-access publisher.

• National Technical Reports Library, a free open-access database of US-funded research.

Other

Medical Device Development

• CDRH Learn: Medical Device Education Basics 101, a YouTube series made by the FDA explaining medical device regulatory requirements.
• Nelson Labs' YouTube channel, a series of videos from a microbiological test house, covering topics such as Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilisation, and Biocompatibility testing.
• MAUDE database, an FDA database of suspected medical device-associated deaths, serious injuries and malfunctions.
• Institute of Human Anatomy YouTube channel, a channel using real human cadavers to teach people about the body.

Microfluidics

• Microfluidics and BioInstrumentation Lab @ Wayne State University

NASA Technical Standards

• NASA Technical Reports
• NASA Technical Standards
• NASA Electronics Workmanship standards, graphical illustrations of acceptable and unacceptable electronics workmanship.

DIY

• UK DIY Wiki, a Wiki covering all things DIY.