Resources for Researching Engineering Designs

Engineering 2181

Databases Available from the Coates Library Home Page:  http://lib.trinity.edu

• Applied Science and Technology Abstracts
• Academic Search Complete
• Derwent Innovations Index (available through October 21, 2007)—access via Web of Science
  database
• IEEE Xplore

Patent Information

• U. S. Patent Office:  Patent Full-Text and Full-Page Image Databases
  http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
• freepatentsonline (useful for getting images if your computer doesn't have TIFF software installed)

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/
• European Patent Office  (includes patents worldwide)
  http://ep.espacenet.com/

Product Information

• Thomas Register—quick access to online company catalogs and websites as well as millions of CAD drawings
  http://thomasregister.com
• McMaster-Carr—over 400,000 products described; good for components & prices
  http://www.mcmaster.com/

Design Sites

• U.S. Patent Office:  Patent Full-Text and Full-Page Image Databases
  http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
• howstuffworks website—nice graphics and clear explanations
  http://www.howstuffworks.com

Standards

• ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)
  http://www.astm.org  (items may be purchased online.  There is some local availability at the UTSA Library.)
• ANSI (American National Standards Institute)—search for standards at
  http://www.nssn.org  (Standards available at Southwest Research Institute Library)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/ssd.htm
• IEEE/IEE Standards via IEEE Xplore database
• ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
  http://www.iso.org/
• DOD Index of Specifications and Standards—military standards.  Search from
  ASSIST ("Acquisition Streamlining and Standardization Information System")
  http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/

Prepared by Barbara MacAlpine

Science Librarian/Trinity University

September 27, 2007