ABSTRACT

As it has been emphasized throughout this book, the perspective from which it is written is engineering. The main charges in engineering are to protect life and to ensure the safety of humans. The general population thinks that engineering is simply involved with the design and construction of a variety of equipment, machines, and structures. While this is basically true, the responsibility is to perform these actions so that there is a significant reduction in the potential for injury of the human animal. In order to ensure safety, a variety of calculations must be made. Let us look at a few examples. We can take these examples from the simple design of a structure such as a building that will be occupied by the general population. A multitude of the elements of a building have a potential to injure people. For example, glass in doors and windows must be shatterproof and significantly resilient because people will normally bump against these features. The risk of lacerations from broken glass can maim, disfigure, and kill humans. Another example deals with hallways and doors, which are under the category of means of egress or more commonly referred to as exits or escape routes. They are necessary in case of an emergency such as a fire, a collapse of a building, or a crazed individual perpetrating havoc. Building codes require certain dimensions for the exit ways and maximum force to operate the doors. This force is, of course, produced by humans so that the strength of normal humans needs to be considered. This strength is analyzed in terms of the capability of the normal individual, which is a function of their bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles as well as their respective joints.