Ethical issues in engineering design - 3TU.Centre for Ethics and ...

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Design of a lightweight trailer such a meeting, an engineer proposed including a hatch somewhere in the trailer so spare parts could be put away behind the hatch. That same engineer had indicated, in a discussion between the CLC engineers, that he did not like hatches in structural parts bearing loads and above that “a hatch might be used by illegal immigrants to cross borders unseen”. There were about four meetings between the engineering company and the customer. Liz made the presentations for those meetings. The options for certain parts were sketched in those presentations. For example, in the first meeting after the requirements meeting, the presentation featured three different options to get the design stiff enough. In a normal trailer design aluminium or steel beams are used under the trailer floor to provide stiffness. This structure of steel or aluminium beams under the floor of a trailer is usually called the chassis. In this case this had to be solved in another way, using different materials and designs. There were three options, one making a kind of beam from composites and two involving “torsionboxes” underneath the floor. These options were sketched, then the advantages and disadvantages were listed and the customer could decide between them. Liz preferred one of the torsionbox options. That was the option the customer chose. Later on in the design process the customer indicated that the “torsionbox chassis” might be too exotic. He said that transportation companies might not be interested in a design that was completely different from that which they are familiar with. The customer thought that transportation companies and truck drivers were generally quite conservative. In later presentations different materials for the side panels and the floor were proposed with subsequent estimated costs and masses and strains in the material during the calculated load scenarios. The format was similar in all meetings. Liz or Hans presented some options or some finite element calculations followed by a discussion. The customer indicated what his preferences were during these meetings. Some of his preferences seemed biased. For example, including wood and steel were not an option because he claimed that ‘wood is an old fashion material and steel will always rust’. According to the engineers, using steel could make the trailer lightweight. Although this could indeed cause problems with corrosion, corrosion can be prevented with a coating. The decisions that were taken during the meetings were recapitulated at the end so everyone knew what was to be done next. 7.3 Safe in what sense? Traffic safety was not often mentioned by the engineers in discussions. In one discussion on the different designs of the chassis, it was mentioned that safety 131
Ethical issues in engineering design guardrails to protect cyclists could be integrated in one option. In the finite element models and load scenarios safety factors were mentioned but these were related only to structural reliability. However, safety aspects concerning trailers are much broader than those concerning structural reliability. Accidents in traffic are common, and in the Netherlands about 13 % of them involve trucks. Nowadays the concept of crash compatibility is becoming increasingly important. In crashes between different vehicles the masses, stiffness and height of vehicles may be different leading to severe injury to occupants in one of the vehicles and little or no injuries to occupants of the other. For example, a truck is very heavy, this cannot easily be changed. A truck is, however, usually constructed in such a way that when crashing against a car the truck will not deform. A car can go under the truck thereby decapitating or seriously injuring the driver and passengers (see figure 7.2). Note that the ground clearance of a trailer is about 1,15 m, therefore most of the bonnet and a large part of the safety cage of a car can skid underneath a trailer. The possibility of a car skidding under a truck or trailer during a crash can be reduced by changing truck and trailer design. 132 Figure 7.2: Truck and trailer. This is a trailer without cyclists safety guardrails to illustrate the point that cars and cyclists can get under a trailer. Legislation requires that between the three wheels at the back and the one in front there are two beams to prevent cyclists and pedestrians from getting under the trailer [picture courtesy of Piet Knapen]. Cyclists can go under the wheels of trailers when a truck turns, especially in city traffic truck drivers sometimes overlook a cyclist when turning. The government requires trucks to have blind spot mirrors and safety guardrails installed. This should prevent such accidents but the blind spot mirrors are not always correctly installed and the safety guardrails do not shield bicyclists and pedestrians completely from the wheels. Guardrails and blind spot mirror are added to a trailer when it is finished. It is possible to prevent cars going under
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Ethical issues in engineering desig
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Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd doo
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Contents 1 Introduction 9 1.1 Resea
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Contents 7.3 Safe in what sense? 13
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2 Engineering ethics and design pro
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Engineering ethics and design proce
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2.2.2 Design problems Engineering e
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3 Introduction to the case-studies
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9.2 Radical design Towards warrante
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Samenvatting Ethische aspecten in o
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Samenvatting 1a. De soort ethische
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Samenvatting Sommige details worden
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Samenvatting buiten beschouwing gel
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Samenvatting zijn. Als alleen de no
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Samenvatting zelf waardevol vinden
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Appendix 2 Members of the DutchEVO
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Appendix 2 Ryan: Industrial designe
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Curriculum Vitae Anke van Gorp was
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Simon Stevin Series in the Philosop
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