Mechatronic Systems Engineering 3301A/B Lecture 37: Materials & Environment
19 Aug 2020
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Includes the manufacture and use of products, with their associated consumption of materials and energy. At a global growth rate of 3% per year we will mine, process, and dispose of more stuff (materials and products) in the next 25 years than in the entire industrial history of humanity up to now. Adjust present design methods to correct for known, measurable, environmental degradation. Time scale is 10 years or so, an average product"s expected life. Adaptation to a lifestyle that meets present needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Key is knowing where the most effective changes can be made. Ore and feedstock are mined and processed to yield a material. These are manufactured into a product and, at the end of its life, discarded or recycled. Energy and materials are consumed in each phase. Conservative estimates for long-term equilibrium envisage a reduction in the flows of the figure by a factor of four or more.
