Sustainability and Ethical Issues in Engineering - Coursework Example

XE121Engineering Concepts Lab4 – Report writing Academic Year 2013/2014 Name: Student ID: Group ID: Course title: Date of submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Ethics 4 Sustainability or Definition 5 Placing a heavy rubber bladder inside the gas tank 5 Installing a plastic part 5 Placement of the fuel tank 6 Placing a piece of steel between the tank and the bumper 6 Installation of a strong bumper 7 Putting a frame on Ford Pinto 7 Conclusion 8 References: 9 Introduction As far as the mechanical engineering is concerned, the ethical issues are related to the defects and faults that engineers make during car manufactures. These defects and faults are of great ethical concerns since they can be responsible for terrible loss of innocent lives. Therefore, some of the defects and faults that have been committed by one of the car manufacturers are going to be highlighted in this case as part of the ethical issues in mechanical engineering. The background illustrates the mechanical fault committed in the manufacture of the Pinto car model, its consequences to the car users, and the appropriate mechanical solution. Consequently, the mechanical faults are examined as the flaws, which were realized in the location of gas tank In addition. The solution part contains the proposed solutions to these mechanical flaws. This constitutes the main discussion whereby it is suggested that the protection of the gas tank and correct positioning of the tank would really bring the appropriate solution to the mechanical faults realized in Ford Pinto car models (Birsch & John, 1994). The Pinto car is one of the cars that took the attention of many due to the make and performance. It took less than 25 months from conception to production to launch the car. This was contrary to the estimated normal time of at least 45 months used to produce other Ford models. This resulted to competition from Volkswagen for the small car market that was emerging. It should be noted that even though the engineers discovered the fault with the gas tank at pre-production. And during the crash test, they ignored it and went ahead to release the car into the market. To make matters worse, even after several deaths were caused by the explosion of the gas tank, Ford lobbyist continued to lobby against the proposal to introduce safety measures in the Pinto that would have corrected the gas tank (Samuel & John, 1999). Ethics During crash test of the model, it was realized that if the car was to be knocked on the rear-end by a car travelling at 25 miles per hour, the gas tank would rapture and spill over. Even though the company managed to defend this model for a while, public outcry, motorists dissatisfaction and government intervention led to the recall of over 1.5 million cars that had been sold by 1979.The number of vehicles, which were burned each year because of the presence of unsafe tanks added up to 2,100. From these burned and crashed vehicles the number of serious burn injuries was 180. On the other hand, the number of burn deaths also reached 180 (Dowie, 1977). The crash tests revealed that the distorted gas tank would be wedged up touching the differential housing , giving an impression of a big protuberance in the middle of the rear axle containing sharp bolts which protrude in such a way that they can easily gash holes in the gas tank, spilling still more gas. In the test it was also noted that what was only needed for the Pinto cars to engulf in fiery flames was just a cigarette spark, scraping metal, or ignition. By giving Pinto a good force at for instance 40 mph, there were higher chances of its doors jamming and the trapped passengers burning to death before you (Martin & Roland, 1996). It was also revealed in the car tests that running your car into the Pinto car ahead of you at a speed of over 30 miles per hour, during the rear-end collisions would cause the Pinto car to crumple like an accordion. The tube that led to the gas-tank lid would be torn away from the gas tank itself, and gas spillage will be apparent (Birsch & John, 1994).  Sustainability or Definition Placing a heavy rubber bladder inside the gas tank The Ford Motor Company conducted the crash test by running another car on the Pinto car having its gas tank covered with the rubber bladder. From this test, though the tank could rapture, there was no gas leakage seen. Therefore, the first and foremost solution suggested by many ford pinto engineers was the placement of a heavy rubber inside the gas tank. The rubber lining would have essentially protected the tank by cushioning it against the various external impacts that could lower the tank’s integrity. The rubber placement therefore, was one of the best solutions and the engineers should have done it in advance before the car model spread into the market. The strength of the tanker should be able to withstand various forces subjected to it from the external environment as well as the pressure from inside the tank. Before the placement of this rubber, a small force during a crash could lead to explosions. The rubber will therefore, make the tanker much stronger to withstand much force (Murray, 1994). Installing a plastic part The kind of differential housing selected in the Ford Pinto Car Model exposed the gas tank to a line of bolt heads around. Through the installation of a polyethylene plastic cover therefore, the rear impact on the gas tank would be reduced. This means that, in case a rear end collision occurs, the polyethylene plastic will ensure a reduced rear impact reduction [p.48]. Such an action would have made the speeds resulting in low rear impact not to result in the creation of a significant risk of injury or death. When the plastic is used therefore, the rear impact will be safe even at a speed of 50 miles per hour. The proposed plastic part had been tested and found to be effective in reducing the exposure of the gas tank to the bolts (Pasquarello, 2010). Placement of the fuel tank Capri, one of the cars manufactured by Ford Motor Company had the same problem with its gas tank. However, the engineers, due to consideration of the safety of the motorist changed the design of the model by changing the position of the fuel tank. Therefore, if the Ford Pinto engineers had positioned the tank on top of the rear axle and differential, they would have reduced the direct contact between the tank and rear axle. The vehicle would have therefore, been made to pass the integrity of the fuel system at a speed of 31-miles-per hour. The same design could have been applied in the production of the Pinto. The design where the tank is placed above the rear axle and the differential would have reduced the vulnerability of the gas tank on impact thus could have made Pinto a safe car (Lawrence, 2004). Placing a piece of steel between the tank and the bumper Just is like the plastic part, the steel would have helped to reduce the amount of impact reaching the gas tank after a collision. The use of steel is very important in this case for a number of reasons. First, steel is very resistant to rusting. Consequently, rusting is regarded as one of the potential factor that can interfere with the integrity of the fuel tank, resulting in leakages. The second quality of steel is that it is a very strong material because it has strength of 95000 pound per square inch (p.s.i.). Considering this strength, it is much higher than the strength that can guarantee safety in the pinto car (Pasquarello, 2010). Installation of a strong bumper One of the simplest ways that could have been used to protect the tank was to have a strong bumper that can withstand a pressure of 4000 pounds. With a strong bumper in place, the effects of the impact could not reach the fuel tank especially with a speed of less than 25 miles per hour. By installing a strong bumper in form of a tank or a bladder within a tank, or protecting the tank with a shield, there would have been a possibility of making the car safe in a speed of 40 to 45-mile-per-hour rear impact. The materials for making the bumpers include the plastic, fiberglass, aluminum, and steel. Considering these materials used for making the bumpers, it is true that they can absorb a lot of force and prevent the gas tank from breaking and exploding (Samuel & John, 1999). Putting a frame on Ford Pinto Considering the chassis of the faulty Ford Pinto, the strength was low since it was thin. Therefore, in case of a crash, chances of it buckling were very high. With a thicker chassis like the one shown in the figure below, chances of buckling are too low since the thickness will add more strength. If the chassis does not bend, then it means that the chances of the gas tank crashing will be low. The chassis has to be put on the frame machine in order to ensure that in case there is a crash, the chassis does not bend. The technicians should therefore, be consulted so that they can help in locating all reference points, which are prone to bending on the chassis apart from making corrections to any bends. Considering the issue of bending, it means that the frame should be made of a stronger material to withstand the bending by using steel, which has the required strength. Therefore, steel makes up one of the strongest materials that is recommended for this purpose by the engineers (Lawrence, 2004. Conclusion This paper has highlighted several important things regarding the Pinto car model. The analysis has reviewed the defects of the fuel tank that were discovered in the Pinto car models. Actually, if Ford Motor Company had redesigned the positioning of the fuel tank in the Pinto, the story would have been different today. However, due to ignorance of the essential installations and rush to sell rather than consider the safety of motorists, the Pinto model became a failure after the company ceased its production in 1980. With all the proposed mechanical adjustments, the number of defects in the Pinto car models will reduce significantly. At the same time, this reduction will lead to an improved performance of the car and hence a significant drop in the accident rate (Murray, 1994.   References: Birsch, D. &v John, F., 1994, The Ford Pinto case: a study in applied ethics, business, and technology. New York: Suny Press. Dowie, M., 1977, Pinto Madness: Mother Jones, [Online], 1977 Sep. 23. [Cited 2011 Nov. 10], Available: http://motherjones.com/politics/1977/09/pinto-madness. Jeurissen, R., 2007, Ethics & Business. Uitgeverij Van Gorcum. Martin, M. & Roland, S., 1996, Ethics in engineering. New York: McGraw-Hill. Pasquarello, G.,2010, Ford Pint, Engineering Library. [Online document], 2010 Apr. 12, [Cited 2011 Nov. 10], Available: http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/articleType/ArticleView/artic leId/166/Ford-Pinto.aspx. Samuel, A. & John, W., 1999, Introduction to engineering design: modeling, synthesis, and problem solving strategies. Butterworth-Heinemann. Lawrence, S., 2004, Encyclopedia of White-Collar & Corporate Crime, Volume 1. New York: SAGE. Murray, N., 1994, When it comes to the crunch: the mechanics of car collisions. New York: World Scientific. Read More