“Engineering” wrote Thomas tradegold [Florman (1987)] is the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience.
“Design” is the transformation of concepts and ideas into useful machinery
useful machinery
To “direct the great sources of power in nature" in machine design the engineer must recognize the function of the various machine elements and the types of load they transmit.
A machine element function may be as a normal load transmitter, a torque transmitter, an energy absorber, or a seal.
Engineers must produce safe, workable, good designs, as state in the firth fundamental canon in the code of Ethics for engineers [ASME (1997)]:
Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties.