Insight, design principles and systematic invention

Design synthesis depends critically on the nature of the problem and the engineering science involved. Progress depends on the related tasks of recognising the key issues and developing insight into the problem, both of which demand work on the engineering science, although quite rough calculations will often clarify important issues. Engineering designers frequently approach problems in just such an ad hoc way, concentrating on the key issues. It is important to gain insight rapidly, and plenty of simple calculations help. Examples are given. Design principles are a powerful aid, but most are not widely recognised. Five sample principles of great value are given, with examples of their use. Often, arguments based on engineering science can be strung together to approximate to systematic design. An example on a wave energy collector is given.