professional english engineering

1.1 Complete the sentences. Look at A opposite to help you. 1 Enlarged drawings show components larger than their ................................................................ . 2 For engineering drawings, 1:5 is a commonly used ................................ . 3 Whole machines or structures are shown on ................................................................ drawings. 4 Electrical drawings don''t usually show sizes. They''re shown as ................................ . 5 A ................................ of drawings for a large project can consist of hundreds of pages. 6 Most drawings are produced on computers, using ................................ software. 1.2 Match the descriptions (1-6) with the names of views used on drawings (a-f) . Look at B opposite and Appendix I on page 98 to help you. 1 a 2D view of the side of an object 2 a 2D view inside an object, as if it is cut through 3 a a plan b a section c an d an e an f an a 2D view, looking down on top of an object 4 a 3D view, showing an assembly taken to pieces 5 a 3D view, with the 2D face of the object at the front 6 a 3D view, with a corner of the object at the front 1.3 isometric projection oblique projection exploded view elevation Write the full forms, in words, of the abbreviations and shortened terms below. Look at A and B opposite and Appendix I on page 98 to help you. 1 GA 2 3 4 5 6 1.4 ................................................................ CAD ................................................................................................ dwg 3D section 1:50 Complete the sentences, taken from conversations about drawings, using the words and abbreviations in the box. Look at A and B opposite and Appendix I on page 98 to help you. 3D detail elevation GA plan scale schematic section 1 We need a ................................ through the bridge, showing the profile of the deck. 2 The only drawing we have is the ······-························ , which is 1:100, so it obviously doesn''t show things in detail. 3 On drawing 12, there''s a large ................................ of the entire top deck of the ship. 4 This is the ................................ showing the front face of the tower. 5 Modern CAD systems can produce ................................ drawings that look almost as realistic as photographs. 6 We don''t need dimensions and positions at this stage. We just need a ................................ showing how many branches come off the main supply pipe. 7 We don''t have a proper drawing. We''ve just got a rough sketch, which is not to 8 The fixings aren''t shown on the 1:50 general arrangement. But there''s a ................................ , at 1:5, on drawing 42. Ove,r .f-o tjou ~ Imagine you are in a meeting at the start of a project. You and your colleagues are about to begi n work on the design of a device, instal lation or structure you''re familiar with. What types of drawing w ill be neede d to communicate the design? Professional English in Use Engineering 9 Design development - Initial design phase A structural engineer from a fum of consulting engineers has sent an email to a more senior colleague, with an update on a project for a new airport terminal. Delete Reply Reply All Forward Pri nt ---- Stefan, We had our first design meeting with the airport authority and the architect yesterday. As you know, the client just gave the architect a short list of essential requirements for the terminal, so the design brief was pretty open. As a result, the ideas he''s come up with form quite an adventurous concept . However, things are still at an early stage - there are no scale drawings yet, just eight sketches showing roughly what he wants the building to look like. So it wasn''t possible to assess the design in detail. The next step is for the architect to develop the sketches into preliminary drawings. These are due at the end of April. - - Collaborative development When a design team consists of engineers and consultants from different organizations, the design development process needs to be carefully co-ordinated. Before the first draft (version) of a drawing is sent to members of the team, a decision is made about who needs a copy. Sometimes, a drawing will only be issued to certain specialists in the team. Sometimes, it will be circulated to all the team members. After team members have received a drawing, they can comment on it, and may ask for the design to be changed. Following these comments, the drawing will be revised- that is, drawn again with the requested changes made to it. Every drawing is numbered, and each time a drawing is amended (revised), the letter next to the drawing number is changed. Therefore drawing 11 OA, after a revision, becomes 11 OB. When revision B is issued, it becomes the current drawing, and A is superseded. With each new revision, written notes are added to the drawing. These describe the amendments that have been made. When engineers revise drawings during the early stages of the design process, they may have to go back to the drawing board (start again), and redesign concepts completely. For later revisions, the design should only need to be refined slightly. After a preliminary drawing has been finally approved (accepted), a senior engineer can sign off (authorize) the drawing as a working drawing- that is, one that the production or construction team can work to. However, this does not always mean the drawing will be final. Often, working drawings go through more revisions to resolve problems during production. Pre-production phase Design brief Rough sketches Production phase Preliminary drawings Working drawings --------------- - ~ Revisions 10 Professional English in Use Engineering '' Revisions 2.1 Find words in A opposite with the following meanings. a description of design objectives 2 a rough, hand-drawn illustration 3 an initial diagram, requiring further development 4 an overall design idea 2.2 Put the words in the box into the table to make groups of verbs with similar meanings. Look at B opposite to help you. amend approve 2.3 circulate redesign refine ISSUe revtse sign off supersede 1 2 3 4 change rmprove send out distribute accept agree replace Choose the correct words from the brackets to complete the sentences about drawings. Look at B opposite to help you. 1 Has the drawing been revised, or is this the first (draft/refine)? 2 3 4 5 2.4 This has been superseded. It''s not the (current/preliminary) drawing. Has this drawing been signed off? Can they (circulate/work) to it in the factory? I still need to (comment/note) on the latest set of drawings. Construction can''t start until the first (current/working) drawings have been issued. Complete the email using the correct forms of the words in the box. Look at B opposite to help you. The first one has been done for you. amendment current draft ISSUe note revtswn supersede work C) There seems to be a problem with dwg 1120, which you (1) ......... i ~.?..l:i.~~t ....... yesterday. The drawing is marked as (2) ................................ C, but there are no (3) ................................ in the right-hand column detailing the (4) ................................ made. And on the actual drawing, there are no visible differences from the first (5) ................................ . Has the (6) ................................ version (11208) been sent accidently, incorrectly labelled as 1120C, instead of the new drawing? Please advise asap, as we are assuming this is not the (7) ................................ drawing, and I have therefore told the fabrication team not to (8) ................................ to it until we receive clarification. Ove-r .f-o tjotc ~ Think about design development on a project you have worked on, or on a type of project you know about. Describe the key stages from the design brief to the issue and ongoing revision of working drawings. Say how designers, consultants and production teams are involved at each stage of the process, and explain what procedures are used. Professional English in Use Engineering II Design solutions Design objectives The web page below is from a manufacturing company''s intranet. Company design procedure- the design brief A design brief for the proposed product should be drawn up by the project engineer. This should consist of a detailed list of technical objectives which the design team must work to, in order to produce a design solution . Key elements of the brief are: • function - the product''s intended use (what it is designed to do), including performance targets (strength, power, durability, etc.) • constraints - limits on the design (for example, it must not exceed a maximum size or weight limit) • comparative targets- how well the product should perform, compared with existing models (competing products already on the market. or the current model that the new product will replace) • design features - specific things the new design must have (for example, rechargeable batteries, or a lid with a lock) e budget - the cost limits that must not be exceeded, in order to make the design cost-effective. - - Design calculations Design information is shown on drawings, and written in specifications - documents which describe the materials, sizes and technical requirements of components. In order to specify this detailed information, an engineer must evaluate- that is, identify and calculate- the loads (forces) that key components will have to carry. To do this, the engineer needs to determine (identify) the different loads, then quantify them- that is, calculate them in number form. Usually, each load is quantified based on a worst-case scenario- in other words, the engineer will allow for the maximum load, such as an aircraft making a very hard landing, or a bridge being hit by extremely high winds. After maximum loads have been quantified, an engineer will apply a factor of safety. This is an extra margin to make the component strong enough to carry loads that are higher than the worst-case scenario. For example, a factor of 1.5 increases the load a component can carry by 50%. After this has been factored in, the engineer will then size the componentsthat is, calculate their required size. Engineers are sometimes criticized because they overdesign things (add excessive factors of safety), which increases costs. However, according to Murphy''s Law, ''Anything that can go wrong, will.'' This suggests that belt and braces- an expression often used in engineering, based on the safest method of holding up trousers - is a sensible approach. 12 Professional English in Use Engineering 3.1 Complete the sentences from technical con versations using the words in the box. Look at A opposite to help you. budget constraint cost-effective designed exceed existing feature function proposed !Ju-t Of Cou(se.., mone''j i.s limi-ted. C..O.s-t limi-taiion.s ace alwa''j.s a ................................ A ................................ has been a lloca-ted fQ( -the pceliminac''j of •:.?,000. !Ju-t we mu.s-tn ''- t ................................ Tha-t amoun-t. some fina nce i.s available . de.sign phase. - 2 a -to-tal Obviou.sl''j, if we have -to spend €BO on componen-ts fQ( each appliance, and -the appliances ace .sold fo( €70, -tha.-t ''.s no-t a ................................ des ign .soluTion. 3 lhe ................................ of fui.s de-tec-to( Is -to loca-te unde(g( Oe.f of -the. s-taifcase wi-th COOfdina-te dimensions. lhe.fe should be -two ................................ dimensions, -ta((.en fcom -two gndlines . 6 5.3 We ''11 use -the. -theodoli-te -to ................................ -the. gndline and mac((. a nine.-t''::l-degfee offse-t. Match the two parts of the sentences to complete the extract from a training manual. Look at A and B opposite to help you. In civil engineeri ng, the following precautions can help to prevent costly setting-out mistakes. (1) (2) (3) (4) Always use a steel tape measure (never a plast ic one) Check that both diagonals of rectangular shapes are equal Measure dimensions in two directions, from parallel gridlines, Add up cha in dimensions to give ru nning dimensions a to check that corners are right-angles. c to prevent slight errors being multiplied. b to ensure it does not stretch under tension . d to double-check you r measu rements. Ove,r .f-o 1:fou ~ Choose a nearby object, or part of a building. Describe it, using language from A and B opposite. (You could also give approximate measurements.) Then imagine you are designing the object or the part of the building. What dimensions and lines will be needed on the drawings in order to locate its features? Professional English in Use Engineering 17 Dimensions of circles - Key dimensions of circles An engineer is giving a training course to a group of technical sales staff who work for a tyre manufacturer. During the talk, she mentions a number of dimensions relating to circles. ''Obviously, the outside edge of a tyre forms a circle, as you can see in this simple diagram. The outer circle in the diagram is the outside of the tyre, and the inner circle - the circle with the smaller diameter - represents both the inside of the tyre and the outside of the wheel. And, clearly, the inner circle is right in the middle of the outer circle - it''s exactly in the centre. So because it''s central, that means the inside and outside of the tyre form concentric circles. And as the tyre is circular, simple geometry tells us that measurements of the radius, taken from the centre of the circle to different points on its edge -points on the circumference- are equal. All the radii are the same. In other words, the tyre has a constant radius.'' ''But when a tyre is fitted to a vehicle, it''s compressed against the road surface. That means its geometry changes. So while the wheel - the inner circle - obviously remains round, the circumference of the tyre - the outer circle changes shape. It deforms. Before deformation, this part of the tyre forms an arc of the circle, between points A and B. So, as you can see in this diagram, it''s not a straight line - it''s a curved line. But after deformation, it''s no longer a curve. The tyre becomes deformed between points A and B. It becomes a chord of the same circle, forming a straight line between A and B. However, the length of a chord and the length of an arc, between the same two points on a circle, are different. So the design of the tyre has to allow for this change in shape- from a rounded edge to a straight edge.'' Note: See Appendix II on page 99 for more on shapes. - circumference of outside of tyre L diameter of wheel diameter of tyre road ------~~~~~~~--surtace chordl- -----!- - '' A crown Specific terms are used to describe the circular dimensions of pipes. The width of the inside of a pipe is called the inside diameter (ID). It can also be called the bore. The outside width is called the outside diameter (OD). When pipes are laid horizontally, the top of the outside of the pipe is called the crown, and the bottom of the inside of the pipe is called the invert. inside diameter (ID) or bore outside diameter (OD) Professional English in Use Engineering : '''' '' . ----· : ~ Pipe dimensions 18 1 B arc