A design choice describes the planned way to satisfy an
engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
development
requirement
In engineering, a requirement is a condition that must be satisfied for the output of a work effort to be acceptable. It is an explicit, objective, clear and often quantitative description of a condition to be satisfied by a material, design, pro ...
in a way that could be satisfied differently. Often, there are multiple ways to satisfy a requirement, which necessitates making choices to select from possible design options. Selection is often based on financial considerations, often resulting in the least expensive option.
In
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...
, design choices typically derive from basic principles of
materials science
Materials science is an interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries.
The intellectual origins of materials sci ...
and
structural design. A suspension bridge, for example, uses the fact that
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
is extremely efficient in
tension, while a prestressed concrete bridge takes advantage of
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
's relatively low cost by weight and its ability to sustain high compressive loading (see
compression).
References
Engineering concepts
Design
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