January 2008 Mechanical Engineering Departments: Bookshelf

bookshelf

Igor L. Pioro and Romney B. Duffey. ASME Press, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990. 2007. 334 pages. Includes CD-ROM. ASME members, $120; retail, $150. ISBN 0-7918-0252-3.

Heat Transfer and Hydraulic Resistance at Supercritical Pressures in Power Engineering Applications

Development and design of advanced power plants require knowledge of high pressure, pressure drop, and thermal hydraulics at supercritical pressures, and demand for reliable information is high. Until now, according to the publisher, there has been no single book on this topic. This volume brings together the results from more than 500 of the latest sources devoted to heat transfer and hydraulic resistance of fluids flowing inside the channels of various geometries at near-critical and supercritical pressures. The book is aimed at nuclear and mechanical engineers in industry and academia who are concerned with next-generation reactors, as well as engineers and technologists working with supercritical steam generators and power systems. Included is a CD-ROM with fully linked references to help readers navigate the material.

Mia Doucet. Bankerman Press. Available through the author's company at orders@ chinainmotion.
com, or through the Sales Development Institute, Picton Place, 22 Picton St., Suite 1501, London, Ontario N6B 3R5. 2005. Softcover. 224 pages. $26.95, U.S.; $34.95, Canadian. ISBN 0- 9735409-0-7.

China in Motion

We were introduced to China in Motion recently when the author, Mia Doucet, offered us a series of articles discussing cultural knowledge that she has leveraged into a consulting business. These articles will appear in Mechanical Engineering from time to time. One of them, on page 29 in this issue, discusses the need for patient building of relationships with Asian, particularly Chinese, business associates. Doucet has offered courses that teach communications skills to engineers and now has developed a cross-cultural consulting business with insight particularly into the ways of China. She specializes in advising technology companies and manufacturers on ways to avoid pitfalls created by the marked differences in the expectations of Asians and Westerners. The book discusses many of the differences in detail, beginning with trust and how that is influenced by differing views of the individual in the East and the West. The Westerner has a strong sense of self, Doucet says, whereas Asians are more likely to see themselves in terms of "group-connectedness." The implications are far-ranging and of practical concern to anyone who needs to protect intellectual property or encourage productivity in an unfamiliar culture. The subtitle of the book is "17 Secrets to Slashing the Time to Production, Market, Profits in China, Japan, and South Korea." Secrets discussed include "Trust Is Not What You Think It Is" and "To the Chinese Mind, an Idea Is Not Something You Can Own or Sell." Doucet says the book grew out of work she began in response to a training proposal, and the text is based on more than 1,000 hours interviewing executives, engineers, and others who travel to Asia regularly or who work there. She gives pointers on topics ranging from the hiring and training of employees to table manners and social drinking conventions. The 11 appendices include travel recommendations, methods of recruiting an intermediary, and lists of contacts, useful words and phrases, and even the lyrics to karaoke favorites. Throughout the book, marginal notes give brief tips on how best to get along and communicate, and they also deliver some warnings, like Million Dollar Mistake No. 1: "Assuming that everyone is just like us."

James P. LoFaso. The Goodheart-Willcox Co. Inc., 18604 W. Creek Dr., Tinley Park, IL 60477-6243. 2007. 322 pages. Includes CD-ROM. $53.28. ISBN 1-59070-620-X.

Parametric Modeling Using Inventor

Aimed primarily at high school and college students, this book seeks to emphasize feature-based parametric modeling with Inventor as the tool used to illustrate parametric concepts. Basically, parametric modeling is 3-D modeling with intelligence. It derives its name from the extensive use of parameters in creating parts and assemblies. In each chapter, there is a discussion of parametric modeling as it pertains to the chapter topic. This is followed by a section that covers the basics of Inventor. The aim is to make the Inventor discussion easy to understand. Once the general concept of parametric modeling is understood, the basic essentials of Inventor can be readily learned. With this knowledge, the reader will have the necessary tools to explore the software in greater detail, according to the author, who is a mechanical design engineer.

Myer Kutz. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774. 2007. 408 pages. $120. ISBN 978-0-741-72636-4.

Environmentally Conscious Mechanical Design

The first volume in a new series from the publisher on environmentally conscious engineering, this book focuses on understanding and implementing the foundations of environmental design. Coverage includes the important technical and analytical techniques and best practices of designing industrial, business, and consumer products that are environmentally friendly and meet environmental regulations. Among the topics are: optimizing designs; design for environment practices, guidelines, methods, and tools; life cycle assessment and design; and reverse engineering.

Gabriela Goldschmidt and William L. Porter, Editors. Springer-Verlag, 233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013. 2004. 222 pages. $99. ISBN 1-85233-753-2.

Design Representation

Design Representation covers the common roots of representation in design disciplines through case studies, historical investigation, and theoretical constructs. Rather than addressing the larger framework directly, a series of smaller case studies is presented. Each case study deals with aspects of representation in mechanical engineering and architecture. The international contributors to this volume focus on worldwide research activities, offering a wide perspective on the subject matter.

Bernard R. Berson and Douglas E. Benner. Kaplan Publishing, 30 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60606-7481. 2007. Softcover. 304 pages. $22.95. ISBN 1-4195-8439-1.

Career Success in Engineering: A Guide for Students and New Professionals

Drawing on their own experiences, as well as those of other engineering leaders, authors Bernard Berson and Douglas Benner wrote this book to help young engineers transition from an academic environment to a successful engineering career. "Today's effective engineers need to be technically competent and current," Benner said. "They must also learn to work in a multicultural and multinational environment, handle multidisciplinary projects, understand business needs and economics, learn and deal with the organization's culture, and maintain integrity in engineering ethics." Berson added, "Years ago, for example, employers or unions provided clear career plans. Today, however, career planning and development is left up to the individual." The authors point out that college instructors have little time to discuss with students real-world matters of employment and all that encompasses. Included in the book are samples of balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, project management timetables, and résumés.

Ronald W. Mitchell. ISA-The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society, 67 Alexander Dr., P.O. Box 12277, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 2004. Softcover. 192 pages. $49. ISBN 1-55617-862-X.

Profibus: A Pocket Guide

This compact volume (3.5 inches wide and 5.5 high) provides a basic overview of Profibus operations, installation and configuration, wiring schemes, troubleshooting, and tips and tricks. It's a convenient reference to enable engineers and technicians to quickly retrieve the essentials for successful understanding and use of Profibus. It is also useful for engineering management seeking a summary understanding of Profibus, according to the publisher.