Design paradigms
case histories of error and judgment in engineering
by Henry Petroski · first published 1994
4mentions
4recommended by
4HN commenters
2014–2018first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
One of the best general Engineering books I've read is 'Design Paradigms'. It's an excellent book about the importance of understanding failures in Engineering. The author is Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at Duke University, so all the examples…
on “Structural engineers are unsung heroes” ↗…of all the big engineering catastrophes, maybe even most of them. For everyone interested in similar case studies, and in reliability from a wide engineering perspective, I strongly recommend the book "Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering" by Henry Petroski.
on “Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle (1986)” ↗Invention by Design; How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing by Henry Petroski: http://www.amazon.com/Invention-Design-Engineers-Thought-Thi... Previously, I've read his book Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Paradigms-Histories-Judgment-En... I can't speak on the former yet, but the latter is excellent, and provides a framework…
on “Ask HN: What is HN reading?” ↗…engineering failure) I recommend to engineers of all stripes that they go read the works of Henry Petroski. In particular: - To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design (1985) [1] - Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering (1994) [2] and - Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and The Spanning of America (1995) [3] He also wrote a salient op-ed after the 2007…
on “Italy bridge: Genoa motorway collapse kills at least 22” ↗