Here you can find an assortment of mechanical design tools intended to help reduce the monotony of mechanical engineering. The hope is that these guides and help you located frequently need information and will help streamline your design process.
There are tables, formulas, shortcuts and advice. All these should be taken as aids, but never accepted without your own validation of the mechanical design tools within the context of your own application and your own analysis.
If there are any areas where you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us to recommend a new design tool.
A practical, step-by-step guide to sizing a hydraulic cylinder — bore from required force and pressure, rod diameter for buckling, retract force, and speed from flow — with a full 50 kN worked example.
Learn how to calculate bearing L10 life step by step using ISO 281 — dynamic load rating, equivalent load, and the adjusted life factor — with a full 6205 deep-groove worked example.
Mix two-part epoxy and resin correctly: why weight and volume ratios differ, how to convert between them using density, and worked examples for batching a casting, coating, or composite layup.
Understand the reinforced-concrete column interaction diagram: the pure-axial cap, the balanced point, tension- vs compression-controlled regions, the variable phi factor, and a worked anchor calculation per ACI 318.
Size a fillet weld correctly with AISC 360 Chapter J: effective throat, the 1.392-kips-per-sixteenth rule, minimum and maximum weld sizes, and a complete LRFD worked example.
Learn how to design a sawn-lumber wood beam to the NDS 2018: the adjustment-factor cascade (C_D, C_M, C_t, C_L, C_F, C_r), allowable bending stress, and a full worked example.
Calculate tension development length for deformed bars using ACI 318 §25.4. Worked example with bar size, concrete strength, and the modification factors that matter.
Understand the bolt torque equation T = K·D·F, why the nut factor K drives accuracy, and how lubrication changes your torque spec — with a worked Grade 5 example.
Size hydraulic hose correctly from flow rate and recommended fluid velocity, then verify pressure drop. Practical guidance for pressure, suction, and return lines.
Calculate rolling-bearing L10 life with the ISO 281 rating equation. Step-by-step worked example covering basic dynamic load rating, equivalent load, and the life exponent.