Engineering

The Gravity of Error - Part 3: The Blade’s Last Breath: Analyzing Propeller Failures in High-Speed Transit

1 December 2019·681 words·4 mins

Systems and Innovation Propeller Failure Aircraft Fatigue Forensics Engineering Technological History Disaster Analysis Design and Innovation Systems Thinking

Examination of propeller blade failures in aircraft and the forensic techniques used to analyze them.

The Gravity of Error: Forensic Engineering in Flight

29 November 2019·286 words·2 mins

Systems and Innovation Engineering Failure Analysis Aerospace Forensics Disaster Technological History Disaster Analysis Design and Innovation Systems Thinking

A forensic examination of engineering failures in aerospace systems, from orbital joints to propeller blades.

The Gravity of Error - Part 1: The Orbiting Abrasion: Solving the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint Crisis

29 November 2019·693 words·4 mins

Systems and Innovation Aerospace Failure Analysis Lubrication ISS Engineering Technological History Disaster Analysis Design and Innovation Systems Thinking

Forensic analysis of the ISS Solar Alpha Rotary Joint failure and its resolution through lubrication changes.

The Tangible Soul - Part 3: Satisfaction Engineering: Balancing Functionality and Emotional Appeal

27 November 2019·480 words·3 mins

Human Systems and Behavior Design Satisfaction Psychology Engineering Emotional Appeal Consumer Psychology Design and Innovation Social Dynamics Systems Thinking

How to engineer satisfaction by balancing technical functionality with emotional and psychological appeal in product design.

Bauhaus, Consumerism, and the Economics of Waste - Part 4: The Automotive Industry as the Perfect Counterexample

17 October 2019·577 words·3 mins

Systems and Innovation Automotive Manufacturing Engineering Obsolescence Technology Design and Innovation Systems Thinking Innovation History Sustainability

How the automotive industry demonstrates the contradiction between technical capability and systemic waste, where advanced engineering is subordinated to demand maintenance.

Bauhaus, Consumerism, and the Economics of Waste - Part 3: From Functional Design to Demand Engineering

16 October 2019·585 words·3 mins

Systems and Innovation Marketing Design Advertising Consumer Culture Engineering Design and Innovation Systems Thinking Innovation History Sustainability

How design was transformed from an engineering discipline focused on functionality into a marketing tool designed to stimulate unnecessary replacement.