The image below shows an engineering system a hairdryer Ide

The image below shows an engineering system – a hairdryer.

Identify the main components of the system. Label them on the image.

Do a self-guided study to learn what the various components and subsystems do (their functions).

Write the functionality of each component in a table, one row per component.

Discuss how the system’s functionality emerges by the components working in sync.

Solution

Components in the photo: Motor-driven fan (right) and heating element (left).

Other parts and their functions:

Cover: It Protects all the inner parts of the Hair dryer.
Side Cover: It provides shielding to the Motor and acts as a vent for the inflow of air. It also prevents the people from touching the motor accidentally.
Nozzle : This concentrates and focusses the flow of air in a particular direction.
Motor : Its main function is to turn the fan found inside of the dryer
Fan : It blows air over the heating coils
Heating coils : Gets heated up when electricity is passed through it.
Bracket (Metal wire Net) : Protects things from getting into the heater.
Switch : It regulates the amount of air that is allowed to pass over a given time.
Electrical wire: This receives the electrical energy from the source and powers the whole system.

System\'s functionality:

The functioning of the hair dryer depends partially on the chemical properties of one of the materials used. Nichrome is an alloy which is used for making the metal coils inside of a hair dryer. Nichrome has a very high electrical resistivity and melting point, and it does not gets oxidize when heated, thus making it a perfect material to be used to get very hot repeatedly. Once current is put into these wires, they slowly get very hot as the fan in the back turns on, resulting in an air flow of hot air. In order to determine the ideal temperature that the nichrome wire should get to, the engineers must take into consideration how hot the flow of air can get without burning the skin of the user, and also the melting point of the plastic covering of the hair dryer. Also, the plastic covering must remain at a well-situated temperature for the user while they are holding it. On average, most humans experience a burning sensation at about 111 degrees Fahrenheit, so the designer should make sure that the current is limited so the coils do not reach this temperature. In order to ensure this, most hair dryers are manufactured with a temperature cutoff switch that forbids the coils from increasing to too high of a temperature. The fan must also be adequately efficient to rapidly move the warm air produced by the coils through the hair of the user that it removes moisture quickly.