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Heavy machinery design text book 3
- Thread starter engrnick
- Start date
In my courses, dynamics was one course (with the frictionless spinning stuff, etc) while "Machine Design" or something of the sort was a different course. Seems like the textbook was by M.F.Spotts, and googling turns up a "Design of Machine Elements" by him. But I haven't used any similar textbook, so can't really say how it compares. The book in question was reasonably well written, and basically addresses a variety of specific problems (stresses on threads, gear tooth geometry, etc.) which may or may not pertain to your needs.
1. Engineering Creativity by T.F. Hanson is an excellent book on design in general--very practical stuff. I've given away a bunch of those books.
2. Designing Cost-Efficient Mechanisms by Lawrence J. Kamm. Also very general, but surprisingly helpful.
3. Engineer to Win by Carroll Smith. Best general design book around.
I realize that none of those are specifically targeted at heavy machinery. I've never found that one.
I would also suggest, at the danger of derision from aerospace fellows, that you look into book in the Agricultural Engineering section of a college bookstore. When it was time to solve heavy equipment problems, my friends that majored in Ag Engineering always seemed to be a step ahead. I'm sure all that stuff is also available in the ME world, but tends to get pushed out of the curriculum by Differential Equations and other, more egg-headed types of classes.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.....
2. Designing Cost-Efficient Mechanisms by Lawrence J. Kamm. Also very general, but surprisingly helpful.
3. Engineer to Win by Carroll Smith. Best general design book around.
I realize that none of those are specifically targeted at heavy machinery. I've never found that one.
I would also suggest, at the danger of derision from aerospace fellows, that you look into book in the Agricultural Engineering section of a college bookstore. When it was time to solve heavy equipment problems, my friends that majored in Ag Engineering always seemed to be a step ahead. I'm sure all that stuff is also available in the ME world, but tends to get pushed out of the curriculum by Differential Equations and other, more egg-headed types of classes.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.....
shawnpeter
Mechanical
Handbook of Machine Design, Mcgraw hill... all I can think of. Just multiply every number by 2.
JStephen's suggestion of Spotts' "Machine Design" is also excellent. My copy of that is pretty dog-eared.
I used to work with a guy who made it a habit to write down his knowledge. When he figured out the best way to do something, he condensed it down to one or two concise sheets, with illustrations, and it wound up in everyone's notebooks. If only one or two people with that kind of ability would spend their retiring years writing instead of playing golf or building better firearms (you know who you are), what a better world we would have, eh?
I used to work with a guy who made it a habit to write down his knowledge. When he figured out the best way to do something, he condensed it down to one or two concise sheets, with illustrations, and it wound up in everyone's notebooks. If only one or two people with that kind of ability would spend their retiring years writing instead of playing golf or building better firearms (you know who you are), what a better world we would have, eh?
okeng....
I just couldn’t resist... , I think M.F.Spotts book is good also, but....
Gosh, I thought that was what we were doin here (and I don’t mean golf or firearms, either), I sure ain’t doin this for my health or the pay here. And, now you want us to do sketches and print it for you too. You were lucky to have worked with that guy, that’s called mentoring in one form or another. And, remember your boss was paying him to do that for you, during his work hours and years of experience. Now it’s your turn to put some of this stuff down in hard copy form, with our help. I’m waiting for my copies.
I just couldn’t resist... , I think M.F.Spotts book is good also, but....
Gosh, I thought that was what we were doin here (and I don’t mean golf or firearms, either), I sure ain’t doin this for my health or the pay here. And, now you want us to do sketches and print it for you too. You were lucky to have worked with that guy, that’s called mentoring in one form or another. And, remember your boss was paying him to do that for you, during his work hours and years of experience. Now it’s your turn to put some of this stuff down in hard copy form, with our help. I’m waiting for my copies.
I had never heard of the Spotts book... so I looked it up in Amazon... not much positive feedback.
I am familiar with Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design and Juvinall's Fundamentals of Machine Component Design. Both excellent.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Pretty good with SolidWorks
I am familiar with Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design and Juvinall's Fundamentals of Machine Component Design. Both excellent.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Pretty good with SolidWorks
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- #8
GregTirevold
Mechanical
Well I have been doing heavy equipment design for 12 years and I have never run across a design book that is specific to the industry. Most heavy equipment tends to be a composite device like a crane mounted on a truck, or a trencher mounted on a crawler, and so on. You will find yourself with a pretty diverse set of reference material.
The SAE has an Off-Highway engineering magazine you might find worthwhile and while most of their standards and books deal with automobiles and commercial vehicles there are some topics covered that pertain to heavy/construction equipment. You don't mention specifically what type of heavy equipment you are interested in so you'd just have to look through what they have. This one ( has some great sections as long as you realize much of it won't apply to what you're doing.
On a more general note:
Don't discount the elementary engineering problems because they are still some of the best first-order approximations you will find. Heavy equipment has more in common with structural design than you might think as they both are focused on steel, bolts, welds, shear loads and moments for massive structures. The initial sketches for a lot of equipment will like truss bridges and idealized lever systems than you may realize.
My advice:
Get a book on welded structure design like the excellent Blodgett text from Lincoln Electric (Get Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers because you are going to be faced with many, many things for which there is no "spec" or "code book" and you will need to resort to first principles, creativity and testing. (Get Machinery's Handbook because it has some of the best condensed information you can get on standard ways things get made and it can point you in the right direction on problems that don't have cookie-cutter solutions. (Get Fluid Power Circuits and Controls: Fundamentals and Applications. It is an excellent CRC Press title that is going to give you a practical way to approach industrial motion control via hydraulics. Remember heavy equipment is portable and self-contained so hydraulics tend to dominate over Gen-set/electric motor set-ups.
You will also want to pick up a book on Steel design that covers all the nuances of how steel is made, what the various grades mean and what applications they are used for since it will be the primary material you use.
These will get you in the ballpark and never go "out-of-date". The more specific things depend on what type of equipment you are intending to deal with.
The SAE has an Off-Highway engineering magazine you might find worthwhile and while most of their standards and books deal with automobiles and commercial vehicles there are some topics covered that pertain to heavy/construction equipment. You don't mention specifically what type of heavy equipment you are interested in so you'd just have to look through what they have. This one ( has some great sections as long as you realize much of it won't apply to what you're doing.
On a more general note:
Don't discount the elementary engineering problems because they are still some of the best first-order approximations you will find. Heavy equipment has more in common with structural design than you might think as they both are focused on steel, bolts, welds, shear loads and moments for massive structures. The initial sketches for a lot of equipment will like truss bridges and idealized lever systems than you may realize.
My advice:
Get a book on welded structure design like the excellent Blodgett text from Lincoln Electric (Get Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers because you are going to be faced with many, many things for which there is no "spec" or "code book" and you will need to resort to first principles, creativity and testing. (Get Machinery's Handbook because it has some of the best condensed information you can get on standard ways things get made and it can point you in the right direction on problems that don't have cookie-cutter solutions. (Get Fluid Power Circuits and Controls: Fundamentals and Applications. It is an excellent CRC Press title that is going to give you a practical way to approach industrial motion control via hydraulics. Remember heavy equipment is portable and self-contained so hydraulics tend to dominate over Gen-set/electric motor set-ups.
You will also want to pick up a book on Steel design that covers all the nuances of how steel is made, what the various grades mean and what applications they are used for since it will be the primary material you use.
These will get you in the ballpark and never go "out-of-date". The more specific things depend on what type of equipment you are intending to deal with.
I had MF Spott"design of machine elements" in my college years and it is excellent resource to understand the mathematics involved; it not however targeting heavy machinery specifically. My suggestion is to talk to manufacturers of heavy machinery and find out if they publish their own technical books like Combustion Engineering or Bobcock and Wilcox which published their own boiler books.
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- #10
I recommend a copy of:
"Machine Design for Mobile and Industrial Applications"
by Gary W. Krutz, John K. Schueller, Paul W. Claar, II
table of contents
I refer to mine often. Used copies can be found quite easily and are relatively inexpensive.
"Machine Design for Mobile and Industrial Applications"
by Gary W. Krutz, John K. Schueller, Paul W. Claar, II
table of contents
I refer to mine often. Used copies can be found quite easily and are relatively inexpensive.
- Thread starter
- #11
thanks, all!
I've picked up a few of these and have been looking thru them. It really is handy to see different approaches to the same problem in some of them.
The lincoln electric book specifically has been covering topics that I've been uncertain about.
thanks again,
Nick
I've picked up a few of these and have been looking thru them. It really is handy to see different approaches to the same problem in some of them.
The lincoln electric book specifically has been covering topics that I've been uncertain about.
thanks again,
Nick
- Thread starter
- #12
There is an excellent book dealing with the design of heavy equipment design that was used by the Letourneau Company. I don't remember the name so you will have to contact say the library or Engineering Dept. at Letourneau University.
Many, many years ago I attended seminar about the design and manufacture of Letourneau Equipment and all I remember is forgings and more forging.
Some books concerning the history of heavy machinery.
Many, many years ago I attended seminar about the design and manufacture of Letourneau Equipment and all I remember is forgings and more forging.
Some books concerning the history of heavy machinery.
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