English 102 third essay

Running Head: Sustainability in Mechanical Engineering

Sustainability in Mechanical Engineering

Vipan Parajuli

Ms. C. Badeaux

ENGL 102-W3

5 March 2021

Sustainability is a word that has overtime become so monotonous due to the numerous number of times that it has been used in written and spoken speech. From UNEP’s environmental sustainability framework, to the World Trade Organization’s Sustainable Development goals, one cannot help but notice how the term sustainability has been thrown here and there. For starters, sustainability basically refers to consumption of available resources by the current generation without compromising the availability of those resources for the next generation. In lay-man terms, it is basically a continuous reminder of prudent use of available resources (Haliscelik, Ergul, and Mehmet A. Soytas).

So, what about in engineering? Does mechanical engineering require the current generation to prudently use the available resources? Can governments sustain projects for the long term or the next generation will have to pay for the consequences of our decisions? That is what we seek to discuss and find out in this paper.

It has been pointed out that one cannot understand sustainability if he or she does not grasp the three crucial pillars of sustainability. These pillars, economic growth, environmental protection and social equality, have recently been incorporated into engineering schools following the coming into effect of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accreditation criterion. Under these criteria, schools are required to ensure that students must at all times demonstrate enough education so as to grasp the kind of effect engineering has in the context of environment, economy and society at large.

To further improve the discussion, I shall aim to discuss three areas in which engineers can focus on so as to ensure they promote sustainability. Through material selection, resource allocation and finding the correct tools for the job, engineers can ensure sustainability in their projects without compromising the future of the next generation.

Material Selection

This concept has been defined as a process through which engineers can identify the materials they require for their work. Additionally, through this process, engineers can also identify the materials they do not need for their work. In this whole selection, engineers apply the cost benefit analysis in identifying the most cost effective materials for the utmost benefit for the engineers (Biron, Michael).

Wear, Tear and Corrosion

For appropriate sustainability, experts have provided that any material selection should involve concern for material wears. Wear and tear is proving to be a headache for many engineers no matter the field one is working in. For many materials chosen by engineers for their projects, engineers have reported that almost 80% of them are rendered ineffective due to wearing.

This especially occurs to machines that come into contact with other machines or those that rub against each other. An example would be conveyor belt machines that run on top of other machines. To ensure there is no wear and tear, engineers must design or select machines with resistance to rust or wear. At the top of an engineer’s priorities there should be nothing less than consideration for wear, tear and rust.

Under the economic growth pillar of sustainability, identifying materials that are resistance to wear and tear help not only the engineer but also the contractors to save money and channel the money into other areas. Avoiding wastage of commodities by buying the necessary materials, identifying the ones that can be recycled or live longer, go a long way in ensuring sustainable projects.

Picking the right size of materials or tools for the job.

For many years, engineers have been guilty of overdesigning buildings or project structures. This has then had an effect on the cost of materials, energy used for construction whether through manual labor, electrical connections, water usage among other energy resources that can be put into use. To ensure sustainability, engineers must be aware that a buildings sustainability begins from the planning phase all the way to the building’s deconstruction (Cummings, J, et al)

To prevent wastage, engineers must first start by identifying the correct products for the design he or she aims at constructing. Going into the market and specifically choosing materials augurs well with the concept of sustainable development. Designing materials for smaller well designed spaces ensures that one has a durable and quality structure, that the engineer has materials and structures that promotes and protects the health of not only the engineer but also the workers.

Furthermore, identifying right sizes of materials ensures financial stability in the whole engineering process, employment of skilled labor force and adequate waste disposal. Once all of this is done, then the quality of life of the people involved in the firm and those surrounding the firm would have been improved. Alternatively, the prudent use of resources by our current generation would ensure that the next generation is well taken care of and that they too would enjoy the same resources without depletion.

In conclusion, mechanical engineers cannot escaped from the duty imposed to all of us in environment protection and ensuring prudent use of resources. Their work, which involve designing, building and testing among others, must also be accompanied by necessary sustainability measures with regards to the three key pillars of sustainability.

Resources allocation

Any project requires a crystal clear deliberation on the amount of resources that are required to be expended so as to fully complete the project. Any person wishing to start a project, ideally, consults with the engineers well skilled in that particular field. The engineer then designs and comes up with all the necessary requirements to complete the project.

This task may appear simple for the engineer but he or she has been tasked with the responsibility of coming up with a self-sustaining project. So how does he, the engineer, ensure that whatever designs he or she comes up with are affordable and long lasting? Does he know places where they can source materials at a cheaper or affordable price? Are those materials of high quality or the decrease in value indicate that they shall get substandard products?

To ensure there is prudent use of resources, the engineer and the contractor must design a self-sufficient procurement system to oversee procurement of the necessary materials for the project. To do this, they must realize that the real market is characterized by diversity. Presence of multiple individual sellers in the market shall ensure that even though the sellers are driven by the sole motive of making profits, there is competition for goods leaving he buyer with the option of buying from the seller with the best prices without wasting any resources.

In conclusion, it is the duty of the engineer to come up with alternative sources for both renewable and non-renewable energy resources such as water, electricity and gas. Financial resources too, fall under the rapporteur of the engineer. It is his or her duty to ensure that resources are not channeled into purchasing materials that could cause harm to the environment or cause the contractor to go into bankruptcy. This is so since sustainable development aims at improving the life and well-being of people and bankruptcy is not one way through which the life of a person is been improved.

References

Biron, M. (2016). Thermoplastic material selection. Material Selection for Thermoplastic Parts, 1-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-7020-6284-1.00001-5

Cummings, J., Withers, C., & Kono, J. (2015). Cooling and heating season impacts of right sizing of fixed- and variable-capacity heat pumps with attic and indoor ductwork. https://doi.org/10.2172/1215272

Halisçelik, E., & Soytas, M. A. (2019). Sustainable development from millennium 2015 to sustainable development goals 2030. Sustainable Development, 27(4), 545-572. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1921