Product Design for the Environment: A Life Cycle Approach - Chapter 1 ppt

From Sustainable Development 1.1.1 Key Factors in Sustainable Development and the Role of Environmental Protection 2 1.2.1 Scope and Evolution 1.2.3 Objectives and Approaches of Indus

Product Design for the Environment

A Life Cycle Approach

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

A CRC title, part of the Taylor & Francis imprint, a member of the Taylor & Francis Group, the academic division of T&F Informa plc.

Product Design for the Environment

A Life Cycle Approach

Fabio Giudice Guido La Rosa Antonino Risitano

Boca Raton London New York

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

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The Tao works to use the excess, and gives to that which is depleted

The way of man is to take from the depleted, and give to those who already have an excess

La Via del Cielo toglie il sovrappiù e aggiunge ciò che manca

La Via degli uomini, al contrario, non è così:

essi tolgono dove c ’ è mancanza per offrirlo dove c ’ è un sovrappiù

Tao Tê Ching

VI-III BC Design, if it is to be ecologically responsible and socially responsive,

must be revolutionary and radical in the truest sense

It must dedicate itself to nature’s principle of least effort [ ] That means consuming less, using things longer, recycling materials,

and probably not wasting paper printing books

La progettazione, se vuole essere ecologicamente responsabile e socialmente

rispondente deve essere rivoluzionaria e radicale nel senso più vero

Deve votarsi al principio del minimo sforzo adottato dalla natura [ ] Ciò signifi ca consumare meno, usare più a lungo, riciclare i materiali,

e probabilmente non sprecare carta stampando libri (come questo)

1 From Sustainable Development

1.1.1 Key Factors in Sustainable Development

and the Role of Environmental Protection 2

1.2.1 Scope and Evolution

1.2.3 Objectives and Approaches

of Industrial Ecology 10 1.2.4 Typologies of Cycles in Nature and

1.2.5 Effi ciency of Industrial Ecosystems

1.3 Design in the Context of the Environmental

1.4.2 Approaches to

1.4.4 Implementation of DFE and

1.5 Concepts, Tools, and Approaches to

1.6 Standards and Regulations

Oriented toward Environmental Quality of Products 24 1.6.1 Environmental Standards

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viii Contents

Extension of Manufacturer Responsibility 26

Part I—Life Cycle Approach

Life Cycle Approach and

the Product–System Concept and Modeling

2.1.2 Life Cycle Theory in the Management

2.3.1 Environmental Aspects of the

2.3.2 Emission Phenomena and Environmental

Effects 47

2.4.1 Approach to Environmental

Performance 492.4.2 Modeling by Elementary Function or Activity 49

2.5.2 Flows of Material Resources

3.2 Life Cycle Design Oriented toward

3.2.1 Characteristics, Objectives, and Approach 67

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1.6.2

2

37

Contents ix

3.2.3 Tools to Evaluate Environmental

4.1 Environmental Analysis and Evaluation

4.1.2 Introduction of Life Cycle Assessment

4.2 Premises, Properties, and Framework of Life

4.2.1 Defi nition of Life Cycle and Product–System 88

4.4 Overview of Practical Approaches and Tools

5.1.1 From Assessment of Production Costs

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x Contents

6 Integrated Economic–Environmental Analysis

6.1 Life Cycle Cost Analysis

6.1.1 Scenario of LCCA Extended

6.2 Environmental Costs and Environmental Accounting 139

6.2.2 Typologies of Environmental Accounting 141

6.3.1 Integrated Economic–Environmental

6.4 Other Approaches to Economic–Environmental

Part II—Methodological Statement

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Contents xi

7.1.1 Contexts and Perspectives of Product

7.1.2 Summary of the Product Development Process 156

7.2.3.1 Typologies of Design Process Models 163

7.2.4 Product Design in the Context

7.2.4.1 Relation with the Development

7.2.4.2 Relation with the Postdesign

7.3.2 Design for X and Design-Centered

7.3.2.2 Objective Properties and

7.3.2.3 Choice of Design for X Tools

and Their Use in the Design Process 1797.3.2.4 Design for X and Design-Centered

Model in Relation to Other Methodological Approaches 181

8 Integration of Environmental Aspects in Product Design 187

8.1 Orientation toward Environmental Aspects in the Design

Process 1878.1.1 Premises for the Integration of Environmental

Requirements 188

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xii Contents

8.1.2 Interventions in the Product Development Process 1908.2 Environmental Strategies for the Life Cycle Approach 191

8.2.1 Environmental Strategies in Product Design 193

8.2.4 Introduction of Environmental Strategies

8.3 Tools and Techniques for

8.3.2 DFX Tools for Environmental

Strategies 2028.4 Integration in Product Development: Proposed

Framework 2038.4.1 Tools and Techniques for Integrated

8.5 Toward an International Standard:

8.5.1 General Premises and Fundamental

Concepts 2098.5.2 Environmental Objectives and Design

Strategies 2108.5.3 Integration of Environmental Aspects

9 Life Cycle Environmental Strategies and

9.1 Strategies for Improving Resources Exploitation and

9.1.1 Infl uence of External Factors and Product

Durability 219

9.2 Strategies for Extension of Useful Life and Design

Considerations 224

9.2.1.1 Main Aspects of Serviceability 2269.2.1.2 Parameters of Constructional

9.3.2 Management and Optimization of Recovery

Strategies 234

9.3.4 Quantitative Evaluation of the Potential

9.4 Product Modularity as a Key Concept

for the Application of Environmental Strategies 244

10 Engineering Methods for

10.3.1.1 The Concept of Effective Stress 26510.3.1.2 Connection between Strain

10.3.2 Cumulative Damage Fatigue and Theories

10.3.2.2 Theories Based on Fracture Growth 274

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xiv Contents

10.4.2.2 Construction of the Wöhler Curve 286

Part III—Methods, Tools, and Case Studies

11 Product Constructional System Defi nition Based

11.2.1 Product Constructional System

11.2.2 Analysis and Decomposition

11.2.3.1 Analysis of Criticality and

Potentiality of the Conventional System 301

11.3.2 Implementation of Matrices for Analysis

11.4 Case Study: System Analysis and Redesign

11.4.2 Analysis of Criticality and Potentiality

11.4.3 Redesign of the Constructional System 31211.4.4 Focus on the Results of the Modularity

Concept and Ease of Disassembly Approach 317

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Contents xv

12.1 Materials Selection and Environmental Properties 325

12.2 Environmental Characterization of Materials

12.8 Case Study: Selection of Material

12.8.4 Evaluation of Life Cycle Indicators

12.8.5 Introduction of Environmental

Impact of Use: Evaluation of Life Cycle

13.1.1 Design Approaches to Ease of Disassembly 348

13.1.1.2 Orientations of the Design Intervention 350

13.5.1 Preliminary Modeling of the Constructional

System 35513.5.2 Characterization of Components on the Basis

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xvi Contents

13.5.2.1 Procedure and Rules

13.5.2.2 Improving the Characterization 361

13.5.3.1 Disassembly Diffi culty

13.6 Effi ciency of Ease of Disassembly Distribution 363

13.6.1 Evaluation of the Objective Properties

13.6.2 Evaluation of the Effi ciency

14.1.2 Extension to Design of the Life Cycle 37814.1.3 Application of Artifi cial Intelligence 379

14.3.2 Disassembly Sequence and Operation Time 38414.3.3 Structure and General Characteristics

14.4 Development of the First Tool: Goals of Servicing 388

14.4.3 Generation of Disassembly Sequences and

14.5 Development of the Second Tool:

14.5.2.1 Functions of the Environmental

14.5.2.3 Functions of the Costs

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Contents xvii

14.5.4 Generation of Disassembly Sequences and

Identifi cation of the Optimal Solution 397

14.6.2 Prototype 2: Partial or Complete

Disassembly 400

15 Product Recovery Cycles Planning and

15.3 Calculation Models for Recovery Cycles Planning 411

15.3.1 Basic Procedure for Implementing

15.3.3 Determinant Factor Matrices

15.4 Case Study: Analysis and Optimization

15.4.1 Construction Standards of Heat Exchangers 41715.4.2 Operations for Recovery at the End

15.4.3 Application of the Calculation Models 418

15.4.4.1 Comparison CFU- and AES-Type

Architectures 42215.4.4.2 Optimization of CFU-Type Architecture 423

15.5.1 Calculation Models for Cost–Benefi t

15.5.2 Case Study: Implementation

xviii Contents

16 Methodological Framework and Analysis Models

16.2 Approach to the Problem and Methodological

Framework 436

16.3.3.2 Recovery Cycles and Extension

16.4.1 Environmental Impact of the Life Cycle 445

16.5.2 Performance Evaluations and Analysis

16.5.3 First Analysis of the Performance

16.5.4 Analysis of the Environmental Impact

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Triangle of sustainable development

Figure 1.2 General scheme for a biological ecosystem 11

Figure 1.5 Main phases of product life cycle

Figure 1.6 Overview and relations between concepts, tools,

and approaches to the environmental question 23 Figure 2.1 Life cycle theory: Product–entity application 40

Figure 2.2 Schematic representation of product–system 43

Figure 2.3 Scheme for the defi nition of a product’s

Figure 2.5 Activity model: Flows of material resources 52

Figure 2.6 Main phases of physical life cycle

Figure 2.9 Complete physical life cycle of product

Figure 3.1 Life cycle approach in product design:

Figure 3.2 Life cycle design: Schematization of the concept 65

Figure 3.3 Process of life cycle design oriented toward

Figure 4.2 LCA framework and impact assessment

Figure 5.1 Determination of life cycle cost,

costs incurred, information acquisition, and possibility of change as the life cycle develops 116 Figure 5.2 Perception of life cycle: Producer versus buyer 117

Figure 5.4 Decomposition of costs (Cost Breakdown Structure) 121

Figure 6.1 Scenario of environmental LCCA: Systems,

Figure 7.1 Product development process: Sequential model 157

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xx List of Figures

Figure 7.3 Product design and development process:

Figure 7.4 Product development process:

Figure 7.5 Comparison between product development processes

typologies: Sequential Engineering—Concurrent

Figure 7.6 Product design and development process:

Figure 8.1 Approaches to factors impeding

the implementation of environmentally

Figure 8.2 Environmental strategies for the life

Figure 8.3 Introduction of environmental strategies

into the design process: Preliminary

Figure 8.4 Introduction of environmental strategies

into the design process: Equilibrium between conventional design and environmental aspects 200 Figure 8.5 Product design and development process:

Integration of environmental aspects

Figure 9.2 Identifi cation of optimal strategies:

Figure 9.3 Identifi cation of optimal strategies:

Figure 9.4 End-of-life strategies: Recovery options 233

Figure 9.5 Recovery curves and optimization

Figure 9.6 Tree diagram for the analysis

Figure 9.7 Precedence diagram for disassembly modeling 241

Figure 10.4 Stress gradients corresponding to (a) coves

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

List of Figures xxi

Figure 10.6 Amplitude of total strain—cycles of life 262

Figure 10.9 Representation of Marco–Starkey damage law 272

Figure 10.10 Rotation hypothesis: H–L loading sequence 273

Figure 10.11 Rotation hypothesis: L–H loading sequence 274

Figure 10.12 Damage curve passing through apparent

Figure 10.15 Interpolation of points ⌬T/⌬N–⌬␴

Figure 10.16 Trial with stepped increase in applied load 285

Figure 10.17 Localization of fracture point in the last

Figure 11.3 Analysis and decomposition

Figure 11.4 Application of a strategy evaluation matrix

Figure 11.5 Conventional system: Matrices for life

cycle strategy evaluation and strategy indices

Figure 11.6 Conventional system: Matrices for life cycle

strategy evaluation and strategy indices

Figure 11.8 Redesign: Matrices for life cycle strategy

evaluation and strategy indices

Figure 11.9 Redesign: Matrices for life cycle strategy

evaluation and strategy indices

Figure 11.10 Redesigned system: Layout, materials,

Figure 11.12 LCA: Comparison between

Figure 11.13 Modular architecture of redesigned

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xxii List of Figures

Figure 12.3 Procedure for selection of potential solutions 330

Figure 12.4 Summary of production feasibility analysis 331

Figure 12.5 Evaluation of solution fi tness: C LC –EI LC graph 336

Figure 12.7 Composition of indicator EI LC in relation

Figure 12.9 Breakeven point of EI LC for the two solutions 343

Figure 12.10 Composition of indicator EI LC in relation

Figure 12.11 Study of multiobjective function ␥

Figure 13.3 Junction distribution matrix: Columns

Figure 13.4 Characterization of components: Spatial constraints 359

Figure 13.5 Characterization of components: Junction constraints 361

Figure 13.6 Case study: Electromechanical system, abstraction

for disassembly analysis and component

Figure 13.8 Analysis of alternative design solutions 369

Figure 13.9 Distribution of disassembly depth DD

(comparing all solutions under examination) 370 Figure 13.10 Distribution of disassembly depth effi ciency ⌰

(comparing all solutions under examination) 371 Figure 13.11 Comparison of overall objective function ⌳

Figure 14.2 Structure of genetic algorithm implemented 386

Figure 14.3 Formalization of solution type: (a) selective

disassembly; (b) partial or complete disassembly 389

Figure 14.5 Selective disassembly: Results of simulation 400

Figure 14.6 Partial or complete disassembly: Results of simulation 402

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

List of Figures xxiii

Figure 15.5 Distribution of components’ durability

Figure 15.11 Increase in EUL between fi rst and second recovery 427

Figure 15.12 Trend of UL over successive recovery cycles 427

Figure 16.2 Model of system behavior: Reference scheme 440

Figure 16.3 Decay of performance: Reference diagram 441

Figure 16.6 Design alternative IIb: Motor shaft

Figure 16.7 Comparison between design alternatives I, IIa, and IIb 451

Figure 16.8 Comparison between design alternatives IIa and IIb 452

Figure 16.9 Comparison between design alternatives IIa and IIb:

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

List of Tables

LCA methodological frameworks prior

to ISO standards Table 4.2 ISO international standards

Table 5.1 LLC standards and relationship

with main activities as illustrated in Figure 5.3 128 Table 5.2 Decomposition and defi nition of cost

Table 6.1 Product life cycle costs and life cycle actors 139

Table 8.1 Environmental strategies and life cycle phases 193

Table 8.2 Design parameters, design strategies,

Table 9.1 Environmental strategies for improving

exploitation of resources and determinant factors 229 Table 9.2 Design for Disassembly: Guidelines,

Table 11.1 Extension of useful life strategies

Table 11.2 End-of-life strategies and determinant factors 306

Table 11.3 Functional units and main performances requested 309

Table 11.4 Functional interaction between main units 309

Table 11.5 Irreversible junctions and separability

Table 11.6 Irreversible junctions, separability of components,

separability of functional units 317 Table 12.1 Performance volume, weight, and variable

Table 12.2 Results of the evaluation of Life Cycle Indicators 340

Table 12.3 Results of the evaluation of Life Cycle Indicators

Table 14.1 Indices of element typologies and characterization 383

Table 14.3 Partial or complete disassembly: Defi nition of

materials and reusability of elements 401

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90 Table 4.1

Table 15.1 Data on the CFU architecture 420

Table 16.1 Performance evaluation and analysis of criticality:

Design alternative I 449

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Preface

Technological innovation prompted by the need to satisfy the changing needs

of society, ever more effi ciently and economically, involves complex

interac-tions between three basic systems: the production system, the economic

system, and the ecosystem

An analysis of the relationships between these systems can provide an

interesting index of the quality of technological innovation In a high-quality

innovative process, the economic system should adapt to the necessities of

the production system, which in turn adapts to those of the ecosystem

Directives should, therefore, come from the ecosystem and pass through the

production system to the economic system

A lack of environmental awareness has led us to mistakenly consider

ourselves to be outside the global ecosystem and, consequently, to satisfy our

needs according to the sole criterion of “the greatest effi ciency at the lowest

cost.” The resulting environmental crisis has shown how the ecosystem has

been seriously degraded by the use of modern means of production, conceived

without concern for either the environment or the balanced use of resources

It has also evidenced the negative effects of another closely related issue—the

incompleteness of the innovator’s understanding, often resulting in

unfore-seen side effects

It is appropriate to note that, with regard to the problems inherent in

the economic, political, and social systems, the constraints imposed by

economic pressure must be challenged, and this is possible on the basis of

some considerations

Above all, the widespread idea that profi t and respect for the environment

are incompatible (a dangerous prejudice delaying a process of recovery

that can no longer be postponed) is based on an inadequate vision of the

problem Any costs avoided by a production system in neglecting

environ-mental issues will fall, redoubled, onto the community Clearly, industry

must respect the elementary condition of earning more than it spends, but

it is crucial that profi t is made while reducing environmental impacts to a

minimum

Regarding explicitly industrial activity, establishing company strategies

that give due consideration to environmental issues must not be seen solely

as an obligation toward the community, but also as an opportunity to

produce benefi ts at various levels An approach to the planning of

produc-tion activities with the objective of achieving economically advantageous

eco-compatible production is of primary strategic importance; the

manufac-turer can anticipate regulatory norms and so avoid the costs involved in

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

xxviii Preface

adapting to them, and can also obtain substantial advantages in market

competition, offering the transparency necessary to improve its relations

with a public ever more sensitive to environmental issues

The process of technological innovation that is taking shape in this way,

still motivated by economic expediency, is far from the ideal where

produc-tion and economic systems are subordinate to the priorities of the ecosystem

Nevertheless, it is tending in this direction and will continue to do so if

prompted by ever-greater environmental awareness and by an effective

regulatory structure

The factors associated with environmental degradation, identifi ed in the

level of pollution, and in the intensity of resources consumption and the

search for an industrial ecology that attains the complete equilibrium of

resources typical of biological cycles, lead to those aspects of the

environ-mental question that are the subject of this book—the scientifi c and

techno-logical factors at the base of product innovation

Frame of Reference

Of the vast range of human activities, without doubt industrial activity has

the most signifi cant effect on the environment The main environmental issues

concerned can be summarized as: controlling and limiting the consumption

of resources; avoiding the saturation of waste dumps; achieving maximum

energy conservation in production processes; reducing as much as possible all

types of emissions, whether inherent to the process or accidental; and

intensi-fying the processes for the recovery of resources

Increasing awareness of environmental issues has recently materialized in

a move toward the optimization of production systems to ensure an elevated

level of product eco-compatibility This process has led to the development

of a new methodological approach to product design, known as Design for

Environment (or Green Design, Ecodesign) According to this approach, the

most effective interventions guaranteeing the compatibility of an industrial

product with the environment are those undertaken in the fi rst phases of

product development

This perspective resulted in Life Cycle Design, a design intervention which

considers all the phases of the product’s life cycle (development, production,

distribution, use, recovery, and disposal) during the entire design process,

from concept defi nition to detailed design development It therefore uses

design methods and tools to correlate product evolution, from conception to

disposal, and a wide range of design requirements

The characteristics distinguishing this approach from other design

approaches make it more suitable when the aim is to design for the

environ-mental quality of products One of the principal objectives of Life Cycle

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Preface xxix

Design, that of safeguarding the environment, is particularly relevant to this

book, which intends to identify effective methods and tools for a product

design oriented toward the environmental performance of products over

their life cycles

Objectives and Directions

Given the large number of issues involved, which clearly require a

multidis-ciplinary approach, we choose to focus on one particular aspect in the fi eld of

product design: the need to develop design methodologies which, by

opti-mizing the physical properties of products (architecture, geometries, systems,

junctions, parts, materials), ensure an effi cient product life, with full support

during their useful life and different types of recovery at end-of-life This is

necessary to reduce the consumption of resources and limit all emissions

involved in the various subprocesses making up the life cycle

A design intervention oriented in this way requires the development of

methodologies and mathematical models that can provide an overall vision of

the problem and address product optimization We, therefore, defi ne a series

of tools and techniques that can be used to improve the environmental

perfor-mance of the life cycle phases, conferring elevated eco-compatibility on the

fi nal product while respecting the constraints imposed by conventional design

criteria (functionality, safety, reliability, quality) and other company functions

(production, marketing) The proposed approach regards the study of

tech-niques for Life Cycle Design, with particular attention given to methodologies

for the optimization of product life, guaranteeing the extension of a product’s

useful life, and the recovery of resources at the end of its life through the

disas-sembly of components, maintenance and repair, and reuse and recycling

The fi nal objective is to develop a set of design tools to aid designers in

making choices regarding the defi nition of product characteristics, integrating

a series of analysis, calculation, and optimization tools in the most appropriate

manner in order to allow as complete an approach as possible to the design

problem A secondary objective is to develop all these tools in strict correlation

with the parameters of conventional engineering design, seeking to highlight

the needs and potentials of an integrated approach to the problem

Structure of This Book

This book is divided into an introductory chapter and three parts which

present main concepts, basic design frameworks and techniques, important

themes and related innovative design methods and tools, and practical

applications

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

xxx Preface

Ecology, and Design for Environment as defi ned in the literature The life cycle

Management, Life Cycle Assessment) This part also considers the bases of Life

Cycle Cost Analysis for the full integration of the economic problems linked to

product development

development, delineating how it is possible to achieve an effective

integra-functional performance of the product and its components and, therefore, to

considered useful to introduce phenomena of performance deterioration,

the assessment of residual life

entirely new methods and tools are defi ned in relation to some issues of Life

Cycle Design deserving further analysis, given their effectiveness in the

design intervention Each theme provides an introduction to the problem

and some original proposals based on the authors’ experience The new

concepts developed are then implemented in design practice, differentiating

between different levels of intervention (materials, components, system) and

demonstrating their use and effectiveness in specifi c case studies In this fi nal

phase, we intend to concretize the knowledge acquired, presenting

experi-ences that not only evidence the potential of the approach and methods

proposed, but also analyze some of the problems involved in developing

eco-compatible products in the company context

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

main premises and reference models for the process of product design and

particular attention is given to the environmental strategies that can help

some aspects of conventional engineering design In this respect, it was

the product life cycle, and to how these strategies are closely correlated to the

(Chapters 2 through 6), defi ning the main techniques (Life Cycle Design and

tion of environmental aspects in modern product design In this context,

the designer achieve the requisites of eco-effi ciency in the various phases of

together with principles of design for component durability and methods for

C

hapter 1 introduces the concepts of Sustainable Development, Industrial

theory and approach are presented and applied in Part I—Life Cycle Approach

P

art II—Methodological Statement (Chapters 7 through 10) includes the

In Part III—Methods, Tools, and Case Studies (Chapters 11 through 16),

Acknowledgments

The contents of this book are the fruit of several years of research activity, still

in progress today, at the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering

at the University of Catania, Italy Clearly, many people have contributed to

this activity in various ways during its development

In the early years, invaluable research was undertaken at CRIED—European

Institute Design Research Center of Milan, and particular thanks are given

for the untiring help of Matteo Ragni, designer; Prof Amilton Arruda

(Department of Design, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil);

and Prof Carlo Vezzoli (Research Unit on Design and Innovation for

Environmental Sustainability, Milan Polytechnic)

Subsequently, prolifi c and stimulating collaboration was offered by CRF—

Fiat Research Center of Orbassano (Turin), and our sincere thanks go to Eng

Gian Carlo Michellone, CRF’s Managing Director; Eng Giuseppe Rovera; Eng

Edoardo Rabino; and to Alessandro Levizzari (now at CRF—Bari Branch)

More recently, we have been involved in setting up an interesting research

program, organized and coordinated by our research team, and currently in

progress This consists of an interuniversity program of scientifi c research,

entitled Environmental Quality-Oriented Product Design, approved by the

Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, and involving three

other Italian universities Encountering the experience, competence, and

ideas of the other partners in this project has proved extremely stimulating

and has greatly enriched our knowledge and understanding In this respect,

our thanks go to the directors of the other research groups: Prof Raffaele

Balli (Department of Industrial Engineering, Perugia University); Prof Paolo

Citti (Department of Mechanics and Industrial Technologies, Florence

University); Prof Piermaria Davoli (Department of Mechanical Engineering,

Milan Polytechnic); and to all those collaborating in the research

Again regarding this same initiative, particular thanks are given to

Prof Rinaldo Michelini (Department of Mechanics and Machine Construction,

Genoa University), who encouraged us to organize the program, and who

has always shown great interest in our research activity

Within our own department, we would like to thank Prof Luigi Marletta

for his interest shown in our research and for his readiness to exchange ideas;

the whole Machine Construction faculty for their unfailing esteem and

support; and the students and graduates who over the years have responded

with enthusiasm to the themes treated in this book Among our colleagues,

special thanks go to Dr Giuseppe Mirone and Eng Guido Strazzeri for his

help in the fi nal drafting of some parts of the manuscript

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

xxxii Acknowledgments

For their contribution to some of the studies presented in this book,

partic-ular thanks go to Dr Giovanna Fargione and Dr Lia Maiolino (Department

of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Catania University), and to Eng

Rino Furnò (CRF—Fiat Research Center, Catania Branch)

Finally, we would like to thank Mike Wilkinson for the care he has taken in

the translation, and Cindy Renee Carelli and Jessica Vakili of CRC Press/

Taylor & Francis, whose enthusiasm and constant support for this publishing

venture cannot be overestimated

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Author Biographies

Fabio Giudice

Ph.D., Associate Researcher

Fabio Giudice is currently Associate Researcher at the University of Catania,

Italy He graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Catania,

obtained a Master’s in Industrial Design at the Research Centre of the

European Institute of Design in Milan, and a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering

at the University of Catania With research interest in product design and

design for X, at present Dr Giudice is developing research on design for

environment, with particular interest in life cycle design, design for

disas-sembly, cost–benefi t analysis of recovery, and life cycle simulation, and has

published a number of papers in this area

Guido La Rosa

Full Professor of Design of Mechanical Structures

Guido La Rosa is a Full Professor of Design of Mechanical Structures at

the University of Catania, Italy Graduated in Electronic Engineering at the

University of Pisa, Italy, he has held prior teaching and research position in

the areas of mechanical engineering and biomechanics Responsible for

the program of the National Research Council (CNR) and of Ministry of the

University and Scientifi c Research (MIUR), Prof La Rosa is author of more

than 100 papers, presented at congresses and published in national and

inter-national journals, in the fi eld of machine design, structural and experimental

mechanics, biomechanics, and design for environment

Antonino Risitano

Full Professor of Machine Design

Antonino Risitano is a Full Professor of Machine Design at the University of

Catania, Italy Graduated in Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic

of Torino, Italy, he has held prior teaching and research position in the areas

of mechanical and aeronautical engineering Formerly dean of the Faculty of

Engineering at the University of Catania, Prof Risitano is currently head of

the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering at the same

univer-sity With research interest in vibration, fatigue, strength analysis,

noncon-ventional methods in mechanical analysis of materials, connoncon-ventional and

water engines, environmental protection, he has published more than 100

scientifi c papers

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Chapter 1

From Sustainable Development to Design

for Environment

The last 40 years or so have seen a more attentive examination of the factors

characterizing the processes of development in industrialized countries,

evidencing the environmental risks implicit in an industrial development

conditioned exclusively by economic mechanisms

One result of our new comprehension of the limits to resources and of the

risks from phenomena of pollution is the concept of sustainable development

This advocates the reconciliation of processes of development with respect for

the environment, in the interests of future generations Going as far as

draw-ing an analogy between the processes of natural transformation and those of

industry, sustainability concepts take inspiration from the teachings of nature

in seeking to optimize the fl ows of resources characterizing the whole

indus-trial system and the life cycles of products From this perspective, whether

directed at processes or products, the design phase is that stage in the life of

systems or products with the greatest potential

This fi rst chapter presents an overview, trying to defi ne, contextualize, and

correlate the main concepts and approaches to environmental protection in

the ambit of industrial production, considering in greater detail those held to

be more important to the goals of this book

1.1 Sustainable Development

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the

pres-ent without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs” (WCED, 1987) With this defi nition of sustainable development, in

1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)

mapped out what is now widely recognized as the guiding objective of the

current process of economic and technological development—to ensure that

the use of environmental resources to satisfy present demands is managed in

a way that they are not left so damaged or impoverished they cannot be used

by future generations

© 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC