Page 9 - Mechanical Engineers' Handbook (Volume 2)

xii Vision for the Third Edition

sulting firms as well as federal, state, and local government agencies. A rationale for an
expanded general mechanical engineering handbook is that every practitioner, researcher,
and bureaucrat cannot be an expert on every topic, especially in so broad and multidiscipli-
nary a field, and may need an authoritative professional summary of a subject with which
he or she is not intimately familiar.
Starting with the first edition, which was published in 1986, our intention has always
been that the Mechanical Engineers’ Handbook stand at the intersection of textbooks, re-
search papers, and design manuals. For example, we want the handbook to help young
engineers move from the college classroom to the professional office and laboratory where
they may have to deal with issues and problems in areas they have not studied extensively
in school.
With this expanded third edition, we have produced a practical reference for the me-
chanical engineer who is seeking to answer a question, solve a problem, reduce a cost, or
improve a system or facility. The handbook is not a research monograph. The chapters offer
design techniques, illustrate successful applications, or provide guidelines to improving the
performance, the life expectancy, the effectiveness, or the usefulness of parts, assemblies,
and systems. The purpose is to show readers what options are available in a particular
situation and which option they might choose to solve problems at hand.
The aim of this expanded handbook is to serve as a source of practical advice to readers.
We hope that the handbook will be the first information resource a practicing engineer
consults when faced with a new problem or opportunity—even before turning to other print
sources, even officially sanctioned ones, or to sites on the Internet. (The second edition has
been available online on knovel.com.) In each chapter, the reader should feel that he or she
is in the hands of an experienced consultant who is providing sensible advice that can lead
to beneficial action and results.
Can a single handbook, even spread out over four volumes, cover this broad, interdis-
ciplinary field? We have designed the third edition of the Mechanical Engineers’ Handbook
as if it were serving as a core for an Internet-based information source. Many chapters in
the handbook point readers to information sources on the Web dealing with the subjects
addressed. Furthermore, where appropriate, enough analytical techniques and data are pro-
vided to allow the reader to employ a preliminary approach to solving problems.
The contributors have written, to the extent their backgrounds and capabilities make
possible, in a style that reflects practical discussion informed by real-world experience. We
would like readers to feel that they are in the presence of experienced teachers and con-
sultants who know about the multiplicity of technical issues that impinge on any topic within
mechanical engineering. At the same time, the level is such that students and recent graduates
can find the handbook as accessible as experienced engineers.