Reverse Engineering

Question 1

What is design

Answer 1

A subset of the technical activities within the product development process

Question 2

Name three major subsections of product development

Answer 2

1. Marketing and business case
2. Design process
3. Manufacturing process

Question 3

Define an original design

Answer 3

Involves elaborating original solutions for a given task

• they disrupt the market
• replace old equipment and the infrastructure around it
• often high risks involved

Question 4

Define an adaptive design

Answer 4

Involves adapting a known system to a changed task

• can be novel but doesn’t require significant restructuring of the system within which the product operates
• reflection of the marketplace
• reasonable risk

Question 5

Define variant design

Answer 5

Involves varying the parameters (size, geometry, material properties) of a product to develop a new or more robust design

Question 6

Define redesign

Answer 6

Implies product already exists which falls short of some criteria - new solution required
For this new solution we can use any design approach e.g. original, adaptive etc.

Question 7

Technology innovations typically manifest themselves into a market along what kind of curve

Answer 7

S - curve

Question 8

What drives redesign

Answer 8

profit

Question 9

What is reverse engineering

Answer 9

The prediction of what a product should do followed by modelling, analysis, dissection and experimentation of its actual performance

Question 10

What follows reverse engineering

Answer 10

Redesign

Question 11

First task of reverse engineering

Answer 11

Understand the market for current product - done by doing a customer needs analysis

Question 12

Second task of reverse engineering

Answer 12

Make estimates of how product ought to function - dissect product, understand how it satisfies/doesn’t satisfy the customers

Question 13

Customer needs:
explain these terms
- direct needs
- latent needs
- constant needs
- variable needs
- general needs

Answer 13

direct needs:
well defined that customers declare

latent needs:
customers will not express without probing

constant needs:
intrinsic to the task and always will be

variable needs:
difficult to define but important

general needs:
apply to every person in customer population

Question 14

List ways of gathering customer needs

Answer 14

• interviews
• questionnaires
• focus groups
• be the customer yourself

Question 15

Describe: function

Answer 15

function:

a clear statement of a reproducible relationship between input and desired output

Question 16

Describe: product function

Answer 16

product function:

overall intent function of product

Question 17

Describe: Abstraction

Answer 17

Abstraction:

process of ignoring what is particular and emphasizing the essential

Question 18

Describe: Constraint

Answer 18

Constraint:

A statement of a clear criterion that must be satisfied by the product

Question 19

Describe the tear down process

Answer 19

step1 - list the design issues

step2 - prepare for product tear down

step3 - examine the distribution and installation

step4 - disassemble, measure and analyse assemblies

step5 - form a bill of materials

Question 20

During reverse engineering a product is:

Answer 20

• predicted
• observed
• disassembled
• analysed
• tested
• documented

Question 21

In what terms is reverse engineering completed

Answer 21

1. functionality
2. form
3. physical principles
4. manufacturability
5. assemblability
6. general strengths
7. general weakness

Question 22

For cast aluminium alloys, what do the second 2 digits indicate.
What does Y indicate
1XX.Y

Answer 22

2 digits:
indicated minimum % of aluminium
i.e. 150Y - 99.5% alu

Y either (0,1)
0 - cast
1 - ingot

Question 23

For wrought aluminium allows, what do final 2 digits indicate
what does second digit indicate
1XXX

Answer 23

Final 2 digits indicate minimum purity
e.g. 1050 is 99.50% Al

second digit indicates close relationship
e.g. 5052,5252,5325 are all very similar

Question 24

Properties of non-heat treatable alloys

Answer 24

have low yield point, low tensile strength in the fully annealed condition. Hence easily formable

Question 25

Properties of heat treatable

Answer 25

alloys that can be strengthened using heat treatment. The majority used for structural components

Question 26

Basic temper designations:
F - 
O - 
H -
T -

Answer 26

F - As fabricated
O - Annealed and recrystallised
H - Cold worked
T - Heat treated

Question 27

Example of commercially used Aluminium alloys

Answer 27

1060 - chemical equipment, tankers

2618 - aircraft engines

Question 28

How are steel alloys classified

Answer 28

according to composition

e.g. first two digits indicate the type of allow additions made to iron

Question 29

Example of steel alloy

Answer 29

4140 - pressure vessels & aircraft structural parts

Question 30

How are titanium alloys classified

Answer 30

according to phases in the material

either: alpha, beta or alpha + beta

Question 31

Properties of alpha phase in titanium alloys

Answer 31

• non heat treatable

- HCP

Question 32

Properties of beta phase in titanium alloys

Answer 32

• heat treatable

- BCC

Question 33

Example of titanium alloy

Answer 33

Ti - 6Al - 4V

Question 34

How are nickel alloys designated

Answer 34

Designation consists of letter N, followed by 5 digit code

e.g. N02XXX - no alloying elements, impurities defined

Question 35

Definition of fatigue

Answer 35

fatigue:

a fracture that propagates normal to the direction of maximum principle stress under cyclic loading

Question 36

What materials are more likely to fail under fatigue

Answer 36

more likely: metals and polymers (tough)

less likely: ceramics (brittle)

Question 37

What is the primary design criterion in rotating parts

Answer 37

cyclic loading stress limit < static stress capability