Mechanical Engineering equivalent to Art of Electronics?.......... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 07:26:06 pm
content: What is the equivalent reference book in the mechanical engineering world? Specifically something with the "cookbook" aspect with real world problems and solutions using real world components and real world sources.For example, say you need a compact rotational joint that has both axial and lateral loading in some range. You could flip to the rotational joint section and look for something that supports that type of loading and it would give you equations but more usefully the name of the joint with component names that you could then go look up at McMaster Carr or something.Does such a thing exist?

author: tpowell1830
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2018, 07:34:27 pm
content: Machinery's Handbook =https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=machinery%27+handbook&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=228954355368&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5867574697746946670&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027821&hvtargid=kwd-377985493863&ref=pd_sl_7rppvmghq2_e_p38

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 12:58:30 pm
content: I have a feeling your ranges of prefab components for what your looking for are gonna be small.In electronics we are used to E96 component choice... in mechanics you won't have that option

author: PointyOintment
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 01:34:34 pm
content: I suggest the books and websites titled like "N  movements [and devices]" where N is a number and the individual words are optional. I have the book "1800 Mechanical Movements and Devices", one of several by different people and published under different title and number variations around 100 years ago. (The one I have is a reprint that Lee Valley sells.) I also have a PDF of the "507 Mechanical Movements" book (scanned by Google Books, these being in the public domain in the US due to age). There's also website by that name, which I assume has the same assortment of movements (animated?).There's also a Vietnamese retired engineer who's made a hobby out of making CAD animations of mechanisms:https://makezine.com/2015/04/20/understand-1700-mechanical-linkages-helpful-animations/AFAIK, none of these gives part numbers or anything like that, though. They just have diagrams of varying generality. I would also like one that's a bit more cookbook-like. Maybe a company like McMaster–Carr or Misumi should write one to promote their products.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 01:47:51 pm
content: Also good to check out Thingiverse. Here's one example:https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2901179

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 04:01:05 pm
content: W.M. Berg has an amazing array of mechanical componentshttps://www.wmberg.com/It certainly doesn't offer exactly what you requested, but is a great source for inspiration of what is available in the market.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 05:06:56 pm
content: What can be considered typical distribution of mechanical components like ball bearings, bolts, brackets, springs ?Like what kind of system could be similar to in terms of electronics, like E-series for passive components? in terms of bin sorting per 'decade'It's like the first thing they tell you in a EE course. It would help alot to know if you are looking for something hard to get or standard. i honestly have no clue, i just look onmcmaster but i dont know the sorting...I have an idea from tap and die charts, but other then that

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 08:04:49 pm
content: I had to go to my stash of books and make sure of the title.Engineer's Handbookby Lionel S. Marks AKAMarks' Handbookis a good source of basic information and a good starting point.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 08:31:07 pm
content: For things that are more mechanical, the kind of things a physical designer or machinist would often need,Machinery's Handbookis currently in it's 29th edition. That's typically the go-to reference for things like threads and gears and physical stuff like that without getting into advanced materials analysis, etc.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 08:38:36 pm
content: ^^ Make that the30thedition...Here's a link to a (presumably completely unauthorized) bootleg copy of the 26th edition:http://theminimachineshop.com/Technical/Machinerys%20Handbook.pdf

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2018, 08:51:52 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on October 07, 2018, 12:58:30 pmMechanical engineering is full of prebuilt building blocks. Especially the industrial stuff tends to be fairly modular.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2018, 08:06:52 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on October 07, 2018, 08:51:52 pmThis was the hope. Just like with EE design, it's going to obviously be supremely more cost effective to use off the shelf components than it is to design and manufacture custom chips. With 3D CAD being relatively easy to use these days it's not that hard to make custom models for some mechanical linkage but that doesn't mean it's economical or even sometimes possible to actually have those pieces manufactured.Without a breadth of ME experience (or some simple cookbook style reference book) it's way too easy to skip over something that may be cheap and off the shelf that would get the same job done with significantly less time/effort/money. That reference is what I'm looking for."Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design" looks like a good reference for all the analysis aspects, but not necessarily for the "cookbook" aspect of knowing what type of mechanical components you need to use.https://www.amazon.com/Shigleys-Mechanical-Engineering-Design-McGraw-Hill/dp/0073398209

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2018, 08:47:17 pm
content: This is getting closer:Mechanisms And Mechanical Devices Sourcebookhttps://www.amazon.com/Mechanisms-Mechanical-Devices-Sourcebook-5th/dp/0071704426?keywords=Mechanisms+And+Mechanical+Devices+Sourcebook&qid=1539118018&s=Books&sr=1-1&ref=sr_1_1

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2018, 11:27:15 pm
content: https://www.mcmaster.com/

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2018, 12:33:18 am
content: Quote from: rstofer on October 09, 2018, 11:27:15 pmYes. But that's like linking to digikey when someone asks how to make a low noise diffamp circuit. Sure they probably have what you need but if you lack the understanding to know which parts to get then that's not so helpful. The more useful thing is to point them to the right page of art of electronics.