Planning & Design of Engineering Systems

This newly updated book offers a comprehensive introduction to the scope and nature of engineering work, taking a rigorous but common sense approach to the solution of engineering problems.

The text follows the planning, modelling and design phases of engineering projects through to implementation or construction, explaining the conceptual framework for undertaking projects, and then providing a range of techniques and tools for solutions. It focuses on engineering design and problem solving, but also involves economic, environmental, social and ethical considerations.

This third edition expands significantly on the economic evaluation of projects and also includes a new section on intractable problems and systems, involving a discussion of wicked problems and soft systems methodology as well as the approaches to software development. Further developments include an array of additional interest boxes, worked examples, problems and up-to date references.

Case studies and real-world examples are used to illustrate the role of the engineer and especially the methods employed in engineering practice. The examples are drawn particularly from the fields of civil and environmental engineering, but the approaches and techniques are more widely applicable to other branches of engineering.

The book is aimed at first-year engineering students, but contains material to suit more advanced undergraduates. It also functions as a professional handbook, covering some of the fundamentals of engineering planning and design in detail.

Graeme Dandy is Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Adelaide. He has co-authored more than 100 journal papers in the fields of water resources management and environmental engineering. His research interests include optimisation and artificial intelligence techniques applied to water resources and environmental systems. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Trevor Daniell is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide. He has co-authored books and edited journals on hydrology and water resources as well as on engineering planning and design. He has had an active interest in the International Hydrological Program of UNESCO for 30 years and is a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Bernadette Foley is the Associate Dean of Education for the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. She has a combination of industry and academic experience in urban master planning and storm water management. More recently, she has developed a special interest in the teaching of professional practice within the engineering curriculum.

Robert Warner is Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Adelaide. He has co-authored text books on reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete, as well as on engineering planning and design. His academic interests include non-linear analysis of concrete structures and engineering education. He has been a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering since 1998.