UNIT II ENGINEERING AS SOCIAL EXPERIMENTATION

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1 UNIT II ENGINEERING AS SOCIAL EXPERIMENTATION Engineering as Experimentation Engineers as responsible Experimenters Research Ethics Codes of Ethics Industrial Standards A Balanced Outlook on Law The Challenger Case Study 1

2 ENGINEERING AS EXPERIMENTATION Experimentation (Preliminary tests or Simulations) plays a important role in the design of a product or process. Experimentation refers the activity, process or practice of making experiments In all stages of converting a new engineering concept into a design like, First rough cut design, Usage of different types of materials and processes, Detailed design, Further stages of work design and The finished product, Experiments and tests are conducted to evaluate the product. Modifications are made based on the outcome of these experiments. SIMILARITIES TO STANDARD EXPERIMENTS 1. Like science exp, engg experiments are carried out in particular uncertainties Any engineering project or plan is put into practice with partial ignorance because while designing a model there are several uncertainties occurred. Reason: Engineers don t have all the needed facts available well in advance 2. The final outcomes of engineering projects are generally uncertain like that of experiments what we do 3. Similar to standard experiments, engg experiments requires thorough knowledge about the products at the pre-production and post-production stages Learn from past 2

3 DISIMILARITIES TO STANDARD EXPERIMENTS Experimental Control Members for two groups should be selected in a standard experimental control ie.,group A and Group B. The members of the group A should be given the special experimental treatment. The group B do not receive the same though they are in the same environment. This group is called the control group Though it is not possible in engineering but for the projects which are confirmed to laboratory experiments. Because, in engineering the experimental subjects are human beings who are out of the control of the experimenter So An engineer has to work only with the past data available with various groups who use the products. DISIMILARITIES TO STANDARD EXPERIMENTS Informed Consent When new medicines have been tested, it should be informed to the persons who undergo the test. They have moral and legal rights to know about the fact which is based on informed consent before take part in the experiment. Engineering must also recognize these rights. Informed consent has two main principles such as knowledge and voluntariness Knowledge: The persons who are put under the experiment has to be given all the needed information to make an appropriate decision Voluntariness: they must enter into the experiment without any force, fraud and deception 3

4 Valid informed consent The consent must be given voluntarily and not by any force. The consent must be based on the relevant information needed by a rational person and should be presented in a clear and easily understandable form. The consenter must be capable of processing the information and to make rational decisions in a quick manner. The information needed by a rational person must be stated in a form to understand without any difficulty and has to be spread widely. The experimenter s consent has to be offered in absentia of the experimenter by a group which represents many experiments. DISIMILARITIES TO STANDARD EXPERIMENTS Knowledge Gain: Scientific experiments have been conducted to acquire new knowledge. Whereas engineering projects are conducted as experiments not for getting new knowledge Suppose the outcomes of the experiment is best, it tells us nothing new. Mean while, the unexpected outcomes put us search for new knowledge. 4

5 Responsible engineers in social experimentation The engineers have so many responsibilities for serving society Conscientiousness: A primary obligation to protect the safety of human subjects and respect their right of consent. Relevant information: A constant awareness of the experimental nature of any project, imaginative forecasting of its possible side effects and a reasonable effort to monitor them. Moral autonomy: Autonomous, personal involvement in all steps of the project. Accountability: Accepting accountability for the results of the project. CONSCIENTIOUSNESS (sense of awareness) Conscientious means showing that one cares about the doing things well and thoroughly It means commitment to live according to certain values Engineers have to be sensitive to range of moral values and responsibilities Willingness to develop the skill and expend the effort needed to reach the best balance possible among various considerations. Conscientiousness means consciousness because mere intent is not sufficient. 5

6 RELEVANT INFORMATION: Conscientiousness is impossible without relevant factual information. Engineers have to show the commitment to obtain and properly gauge all the information related to meeting one s moral obligations. Moral concern involves a commitment to obtain and assess all available pertinent information. Accountablility Means being responsible, liable, answerable or obligated. Morally responsible peoples are expected to accept morally responsibility for their actions According to standley milgram, people are not willing to accept personal accountability when placed under authority 6

7 CODES OF ETHICS Engineering Codes of Ethics have evolved over time Codes of ethics are propagated by various professional societies These codes of conduct are guidelines for professionals to help them to perform their role specific group of What are codes of ethics: it is also referred as codes of conduct. It express the commitment to the members of a profession. ethical conduct shared by It also define the roles and responsibilities of professions This is used to help the professionals to apply moral & ethical principles to the specific situations encountered in professional practice The codes are based on 5canons- principles of ethics-integrity, competence, individual responsibilities, professional responsibilities and human concerns It is also noticed that ethical codes do not establish new ethical principles Positive Roles of codes of ethics 1. Inspiration It provides +ve inspiration for the professional to exercises their duties effectively 2. Guidance It provide the guidelines for achieving the duties of professionals 3. Support for Responsible Conduct It offers +ve and potential support to engineers to perform their duties in ethical manner 4. Deterring and disciplining professional conduct These codes can be used to discouraging & punishing unethical professional conduct 7

8 Positive Roles of codes of ethics 5. Education and promotion of mutual understanding The ethical codes can be used in educational institutions and other places for highlighting the importance of moral issues and values 6. Contributing to positive image of the profession It discuss a positive image to the public of an ethically committed professions 7. Protecting the status quo(current situations) and destroying disagreement within the profession 8. Promoting business interests through limit of trade Some of engineering societies ASME- American society of Mechanical Engineers IE- The Institution of Engineers NSPE- National Society of professional Engineers IEEE- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 8

9 Limitations of Codes of ethics 1. Codes are restricted to general and vague wording. They cannot be straightaway applied to all situations. 2. It have internal conflicts, which may result in morel dilemma 3. The codes cant serve as the moral authority for professional conduct 4. The circulation of codes of ethics for different branches of engineering gives a feeling that ethical codes are relative Balanced Outlook of Law A balanced outlook of laws emphasizes the necessity of laws and regulations and their limitations in governing engineering practice What is Law? It is a body of rules of action prescribed by controlling legal authority and having binding legal force In general laws means all the rules established by authority or custom for regulating the behavior of members of a community or country Relationship between Laws and ethics: Ethics- what is ought to do, what is not Law standard behavior required for individual Santa Barbara (offshore Spril) gallon crude oil babylons Building Code 1852 US Streamboat Code Baby Cribs 9

10 Balanced Outlook of Law Laws with respect to social implementation Laws are necessary because People are not fully responsible The companies are not encouraged to have moral initiative due to competition Engineers are expected to play vital role in framing implementing and propagating the rules of engineering. Strictly follow rules Laws lag in technological development Industries feel that laws are imposing excessive restrictions on engineering applications Industrial Standards Standardization primarily means setting up standards by which level, quality, quantity, value performance or service may be evaluated Simply, It is the process of defining and applying conditions required to ensure that a given range of requirements can be easily met with minimum changes in an economical and reproducible manner by the latest technique. What are standards? They are formed by companies for their in-house use and by professional associations and trade associations for industry-wide use. Some times standards are parts of laws and official regulations The financial industry has given us countless scandals and front-page news stories about financial professionals who have defrauded investors, employers and their peers. There is no doubt that greed is a powerful emotion, but sometimes unethical behavior boils down to a lack of education on basic principles of financial standards 10

11 Standards Facilitate Interchangeability Accuracy in measurement Ease of handling Prevention of harms Decreased production costs Quality products Types of standards 11

12 Benefits of standards It helps manufacturers, clients and public It maintain a steady and balanced competition among industries It ensure a measure of quality Negative aspects of standards Reduce choice for customers It reduce initiative and interests of workers 12

Problems with law in engineering Minimal compliance Technological development Many laws are nolaws (without enforceable sanctions) Influential powerful

13 Problems with law in engineering Minimal compliance Technological development Many laws are nolaws (without enforceable sanctions) Influential powerful persons violate the laws The Challenger Disaster A Case-study in Engineering Ethics Shuttle Components Orbiter Liquid Rocket Booster Solid Rocket Booster 13

14 Shuttle Components Chronology of the Related Events NASA contracts Morton Thiokol NASA accepts the design based on the Titan missiles The joints are sealed by Two synthetic rubber O-rings, 177 clevis pins, Heat shield putty 14

15 The Cause of the Disaster Early Problems Tests at Thiokol show O-ring leakage Joint is made stronger by changing sizes Post-launch investigation showed O-ring erosion due to hot gages. 15

16 Early Problems January of 1985 launch First cold-weather launch Post-launch investigation showed joint failure Tests showed O-rings inability to fill the gap due to joint rotation at lower temperatures Early Problems July 1985 Thiokol redesigns the joints w/o O-rings The design was not ready for Challenger launch 16

17 Political Climate Congress is unhappy with NASA Competition with Russians to be the first to observe Halley s comet. Pressure to launch before President Reagan s State of the Union Address Days before Launch First launch attempt postponed The next launch date was set and was to be attended by Vice President Bush. The temperature at launch: 29 degrees F. 17

18 Days Before Launch NASA starts an investigation of the effect of low temperatures on the O-ring seals Organization involved NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Morton Thiokol Engineering Investigation Before Launch Players at NASA Larry Mulloy: SRB Project Manager at Marshall Players at Thiokol Roger Boisjoly: A SRB engineer Arnie Johnson: A SRB engineer Joe Kilminster: SRB engineering manager Alan McDonald: SRB engineering director Bob Lund: Vice president for engineering Jerald Mason: General manager 18

19 Engineering Investigation Before Launch Boisjoly and Johnson recommend the launch to be postponed. Bob Lund, the VP for engineering agrees and makes a similar recommendation. Investigation Before Launch Larry Mulloy, the NASA manager of SRB asks Joe Kilminister, the SRB manager at Thiokol, for his opinion. Kilminister agrees with other Thiokol engineers and recommends a launch delay. 19

20 Investigation Before Launch After discussion with Mason Lund reverses his decision regarding launch! Thiokol recommend the launch to proceed The Launch in January 1986 The overnight temperatures drop to 8 F The temperature of SRB at launch is 28 F There is an immediate blow-by of hot gas at launch. The seal fails quickly over an arc of 70 degrees. 20

21 The Launch in January 1986 The by-products of combustion forms a glassy oxide that reseals the joint. The brittle oxide is shattered Hot gases quickly burn through the liquid rocket booster The Aftermath Causes of the accident are attributed to Inability of the O-rings to expand and seal at low temperatures. Heat shield putty did not perform at low temperatures Fits and seating of the O-ring was affected by low temperature. 21

22 The Aftermath After all the testimonials Biosjoly is taken off the project and subtly harassed by Thiokol management. 22

Ethics in Materials Engineering

Ethics in Materials Engineering Dr. Parviz Yavari Dr. Ehsan Barjasteh Picture : https://www.linkedin.com/topic/ethical-reasoning Contents 1.Ethics/ Morality/Laws 2.Ethics in Engineering 3.Ethics in material