Conference Session

Capstone Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Wesner, Carnegie Mellon University; Richard Hoff, Carnegie MellonUniversity; Cristina Amon, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-598: IDENTIFYING AND IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS FOR AMULTIDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECTS COURSE ATCARNEGIE MELLONCristina Amon, Carnegie Mellon UniversityJohn Wesner, Carnegie Mellon UniversityRichard Hoff, Carnegie MellonUniversity Page 11.712.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Identifying and Implementing Projects for a Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Projects Course at Carnegie MellonAbstractThis paper describes the process of identifying, selecting, and implementing sponsored projectsin a multidisciplinary Engineering Design Projects Course at Carnegie Mellon University. Inorder for the course to be most effective, the

Conference Session

Incorporating Projects into the Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Choate, Western Kentucky University; Kevin Schmaltz, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-1533: INDUSTRY-BASED DESIGN PROJECTS IN THE JUNIOR YEAR:MAKING THE TRANSITION TO SENIOR PROJECTSRobert Choate, Western Kentucky University Robert Choate teaches thermo-fluid and professional component courses in Mechanical Engineering, including the Sophomore Design, Junior Design, the Senior ME Lab I and the ME Senior Project Design course sequence. Prior to teaching at WKU, he was a principal engineer for CMAC Design Corporation, designing and verifying thermal management solutions for telecommunication, data communication and information technology equipment.Kevin Schmaltz, Western Kentucky University Kevin Schmaltz teaches thermo-fluid and professional component courses in Mechanical

Conference Session

Incorporating Projects into the Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua Vaughan, Georgia Institute of Technology; William Singhose, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Technology. He received a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His primary research interests are spacecraft control, sway reduction in cranes, control of flexible structures, and active seat technology. Page 11.230.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 ARLISS: A Multidisciplinary Extracurricular Design Project for UndergraduatesAbstractDesign projects that require students to build working prototypes are an invaluable sup-plement to traditional lectures and laboratory exercises. Additionally, allowing students toparticipate in challenging design projects outside of any

Conference Session

Incorporating Projects into the Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregg Dixon, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

A Solar Distiller as a Thermal Systems Design-Build-Test ProjectAbstractIn an effort to improve Mechanical Engineering (ME) students’ ability to design and realizethermal systems, a hands-on design project has been developed for a junior level thermal systemsdesign course. Previous presentations1 have reported on the development of three projects withan emphasis on the design of a solar water-heating device. This paper describes, in more detail,experience in implementing a project to design, construct and test devices using solar energy todistill rather than just to heat water.In this project, teams are given a limited set of materials and specifications that constrain theirdesign options while giving them plenty of

Conference Session

Incorporating Projects into the Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Louis Everett, University of Texas-El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-324: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF AN MSC.ADAMS CONTROLDESIGN PROJECT IN UNDERGRADUATE MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGLouis Everett, University of Texas-El Paso Louis J. Everett is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas El Paso. Dr. Everett is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Texas and has research interests in the use of technology in the classroom. His technical research interests include robotics, machine design, dynamics and control systems. leverett@utep.edu http://research.utep.edu/pacelab Page 11.95.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006A

Conference Session

Incorporating Projects into the Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shanzhong (Shawn) Duan, South Dakota State University; Li Qian, South Dakota State University; Teresa Hall, South Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. This new course has addressed the need for engineering design linkedto manufacturing. To make the course substantially fulfill its role of a bridge between the designcurriculum and manufacturing curriculum, the course outcomes have been tied to the students’senior design projects. Student surveys and course assessments indicate that the course plan anddesign provides a promising solution to the need for integration between design curriculum andmanufacturing curriculum.IntroductionDesign curriculum and manufacturing curriculum are two key subject areas in many engineeringprograms. Specific requirements in curricula may vary, but they encounter similar issues andchallenges as far as design concept through final manufacturing production is

Conference Session

Incorporating Projects into the Curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

B. Terry Beck, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

is progressively introduced to explain experimental results or to addressnecessary design issues as they arise. The course is further structured around a semester teamdesign project in which students gradually develop their own airplane design (a glider model)based on the aerodynamic principles, and practical design topics, that are introduced throughoutthe semester. Subsequently, each design team constructs a working model of their glider design,and these models are flight tested at the end of the semester. Course topics introduced during thesemester include basic wind tunnel testing and instrumentation, airplane stability and tail design,wing and fuselage design, basic propeller theory, and introductory numerical vortex paneltheory, along

Conference Session

What's New in Dynamics?

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Tracy Van Zandt, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jeffrey Hodgkins, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Nels Wirkkala, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-727: DYNAMIC SYSTEMS TEACHING ENHANCEMENT USING ALABORATORY BASED PROJECT (RUBE)Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell Peter Avitabile is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Director of the Modal Analysis and Controls Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is a Registered Professional Engineer with a BS, MS and Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and a member of ASEE, ASME and SEM.Tracy Van Zandt, University of Massachusetts-Lowell Tracy is a graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts. She is currently working on her Master’s Degrees in the Modal Analysis and Controls

Conference Session

What's New in Dynamics?

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Stephen Pennell, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; John White, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Charles Van Karsen, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.Charles Van Karsen, Michigan Technological University Chuck Van Karsen is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Michigan Technological University. Page 11.204.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006AN INTERWOVEN MULTISEMESTER DYNAMIC SYSTEMS PROJECT TO INTEGRATE STEM MATERIALAbstractStudents generally do not understand how basic math and science material fits into all of theirengineering courses. Because they have no clear-cut reason to embrace these concepts, thestudents hit the

Conference Session

Capstone Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelley Racicot, Washington State University; Charles Pezeshki, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

uses of web-based group platforms, such as wikis and weblogs in industryand education, have been adopted for project management, to support “folio thinking”1,to encourage reflective practice and to build communities of practice. This qualitativeand quantitative study looks at the pilot semester of using social software in a well-established senior capstone design course to support collaborative knowledgemanagement and group assessment. We want to answer the question: How do we assessteam or group learning?From this research question, we developed three project goals: 1. Leverage the group-editing capabilities of WSU Wiki to facilitate a new course dimension: collaborative knowledge management. 2. Pilot the use of social software as a

Conference Session

Capstone Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Janna, University of Memphis; John Hochstein, University of Memphis

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Pennsylvania State University (1979), and a Ph.D. from The University of Akron (1984). Page 11.328.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 COLLABORATION OF FRESHMAN WITH SENIORS IN A CAPSTONE DESIGN COURSEAbstractAn innovative capstone design course titled “Design of Fluid Thermal Systems,” involves groupsof seniors working on various semester-long design projects. Groups are composed of 3, 4 or 5members that bid competitively on various projects. Once projects are awarded, freshmenenrolled in the “Introduction to Mechanical Engineering” course are assigned

Conference Session

Capstone Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Burkhardt, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

DesignIntroduction A senior level project requiring the design, fabrication and testing of an idealized lifthook is discussed. The primary objective of the project is to address the issue of solutionaccuracy1 and its importance in computer aided design (CAD). Secondary objectives of theproject are to reinforce the CAD process, introduce the computer numerically controlled (CNC)machining process, and to provide some of the tools and skill helpful to students during theirsenior capstone design projects. The primary CAD tools used in the completion of the project are solid modeling and thefinite element method (FEM). Critical to the successful application of the FEM, under allcircumstances, is the generation of an accurate solution. As defined

Conference Session

Capstone Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edwin Odom, University of Idaho; Russ Porter, University of Idaho; Steven Beyerlein, University of Idaho; Adrian Gomez, University of Idaho; Lloyd Gallup, University of Idaho

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-1497: LIBRARY OF STUDENT-AUTHORED INTERNET VIDEOS FORJUST-IN-TIME LEARNING IN SUPPORT OF THE CAPSTONE DESIGNEXPERIENCEEdwin Odom, University of Idaho Edwin Odom is professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Idaho where he has been instrumental in expanding design infrastructure in the ME Machine Shop and CAD labs that support major design projects. Dr. Odom maintains an avid interest in the literature of creativity and management and is especially well-versed on the subjects of engineering mechanics and machine design. He was recognized for his role in development of the Idaho Engineering Works by a university teaching award in 1998.Steven Beyerlein, University of Idaho

Conference Session

Introducing Active Learning into ME Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pedro Orta, ITESM Monterrey; Ricardo Ramirez Medoza, Institute Tecnologico De Monterrey; Hugo Elizalde, Monterrey Tech; David Guerra, Monterrey Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, the student occupies a main role, revolvingaround his/her self-learning, and following fundamental principles such as constructivismand experimentation [1, 2]. The active-learning (AL) technique is specifically emphasized in this model [2],following these basic principles: • Students must discover new phenomena and concepts by themselves, and they must be able to relate these concepts with previous knowledge. • Motivation is the key driving force. • Team work is strongly promoted. • More established techniques such as Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Project Oriented Learning (POL) are incorporated into this model [3, 4]. The learning process is inductive instead of deductive, so the students can develop

Conference Session

Improving ME education: Broad Topics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Schuster, California Polytechnic State University; Andrew Davol, California Polytechnic State University; Joseph Mello, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

- The Benefits and ChallengesAbstractIntercollegiate design competitions are a popular means to engage students in design activitiesthat extend beyond the curriculum. When students gather around a project in their spare timeand use their classroom skills to design, build, and test a product for an intercollegiatecompetition, something amazing happens: They develop a passion for engineering. This paperdiscusses the key benefits to engineering undergraduate students that flow from involvement in ateam design competition. Advisor involvement plays a key role in both project success andstudent learning throughout the process. Different approaches to advising student competitionteams are compared. Specific examples are taken from the authors

Conference Session

Improving ME instructional laboratories

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Layton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; James Mayhew, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-133: MECHANICAL MEASUREMENTS: REWRITING THE SCRIPTRichard Layton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Richard A. Layton earned his doctorate from the University of Washington in 1995 and is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Layton worked for twelve years in consulting engineering, culminating as a group head and a project manager. His professional interests include physical systems theory for modeling and simulation of dynamic systems and curriculum development and lab development in mechanical engineering.James Mayhew, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology James E. Mayhew received his

Conference Session

Meeting ABET Requirements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Freeman, Tufts University; Douglas Matson, Tufts University; Grant Sharpe, Tufts University; Chris Swan, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

anddepartments were brought together to implement an engineering project supporting county healtheducation in Gyatsa, China (Tibet Autonomous Region). The value of this experience isdiscussed with particular emphasis on the contributions to the engineering student education byteam members with a non-engineering background. It is concluded that the interdisciplinaryteam approach provides a valuable pedagogical tool for educating engineering students.Introduction Tufts University aspires to achieve an international reputation for educating engineeringleaders with an emphasis on communication skills, interdisciplinary technical preparation,management skills, globalization, and the societal impact of technology. The University missionstatement

Conference Session

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Mueller, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

such as EES, TK Solver,CyclePad and FEHT.Students in this course were encouraged to use software to solve many of homework problems,as well as the projects. The approach used in this course was to present examples and solutionsin MATLAB and EXCEL because these packages are taught to students in our program in a“computer-tools” class. However, students were allowed to use any software package that theydesire. During one seventy-five minute lecture, two example problems were worked in detailusing the thermodynamic cycle analysis software CyclePad.6 A screenshot of the CyclePadinterface is shown in Fig. 1. Page 11.81.4 Figure 1. Screen

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qingli Dai, Michigan Technological University; Zhanping You, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

numericalproblems and generate charts and graphs using MATLAB. This course is designed to givestudents opportunities for hands-on practice through the lab work and project studies. The authoralso instructed senior students to use MATLAB for experimental data analysis in course MEEN4131 (Mechanical Engineering Laboratory). In this paper, these successful teaching experiencesare summarized and some additional suggestion is also addressed.IntroductionMATLAB has been largely used in many engineering schools, because it provides a friendlyinteractive system that incorporates numeric computation, symbolic computation, and scientificvisualization [1-2, 4-10]. Authors taught a sophomore course to help the students apply theMALAB tool for engineering problem

Conference Session

Software and e-learning in the ME curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Van Karsen, Michigan Technological University; Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jason Blough, Michigan Technological University; Henry Sodano, Michigan Technological University; Harold Evensen, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Page 11.722.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Implementation of Some Dynamic Systems Material into the Mechanical Engineering CurriculumIntroductionIn today’s engineering education environment it is important to provide students with educationalmaterial that will enhance or supplement their learning process. It is obvious that the multimediaand internet capabilities available today, provide a tremendous opportunity for innovativelearning pedagogy. An example of this innovation is a new multisemester interwoven dynamicsystems project that has been developed by UMass-Lowell through a grant from NSF. Theproject goal is to better integrate material from differential equations, mathematical methods

Conference Session

Improving ME education: Broad Topics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Mobasher, Alabama A&M University; Ruben Rojas-Oviedo, Alabama A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Alabama A&M university. He has lead the development of a new mechanical engineering program for the school of engineering and technology. Among his academic, research and industrial research interests are developing engineering higher education towards world class quality and prominence, facilitate collaboration among university’s faculty for project development and research, research and project development in a diverse range of engineering discipline. Page 11.1089.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Retention and Recruiting Activities in a Mechanical Engineering

Conference Session

Meeting ABET Requirements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Gunn, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

impetus, three more classes were targeted for technical writing skillswork. The 332/333 series fluids lab classes under Dr. John Foss gave the junior engineeringstudents a chance to look closely at the writing that they were doing in the form of memos andlater in formal reports. The 422 Design Projects class emphasized the added skills needed ingroup work on a much larger scale coupled with the presentation skills needed to explain andchampion the proposed designs.In an effort to continue and expand this course of action, a writing class was designed in thesummer of 1987 especially for and contained within the Mechanical Engineering Department.The articles read, the communications prepared, and the papers presented all contain informationrelevant

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paris von Lockette, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

nextverbally and pictorially and then tasked with translating those known operations into Matlabcode using Matlab’s extensive help menus. The help menus allow users to employ keywordsearches to find descriptions and examples of commands with the needed functionality.Results of student projects show improvement from the first to second years. Student responseto the course also shows an increased respect for Matlab as a useful engineering tool. In bothyears, students who were unable to verbally describe the needed operations in the programsgenerated less efficient or inoperable code.IntroductionComputational Materials Science (CMS) is a cross-listed senior elective and graduate course inMechanical Engineering that meets for 75 minutes twice weekly. The

Conference Session

Improving ME education: Broad Topics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Renuka Thota, University of Louisiana-Lafayette; Suren Dwivedi, University of Louisiana-Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-2180: IMPLEMENTATION OF PRODUCT REALIZATION CONCEPTS INDESIGN AND MANUFACTURING COURSESRenuka Thota, University of Louisiana-Lafayette Renuka Thota is originally from India and is currently a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She received her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India in 2004. Her research interests include Artificial Intelligence, Product Realization and Integrated Product and process developmentSuren Dwivedi, University of Louisiana-Lafayette Dr. Suren N. Dwivedi currently serves as a Professor and project director of Manufacturing in the Mechanical in University of

Conference Session

Improving ME instructional laboratories

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Perwez Kalim, Wilkes University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

efforts of severalstudent teams in fluid mechanics laboratory class. The main objectives of the project wereclearly articulated to all participating students. The process began with the assignment of distinctand different tasks to each team in the beginning of the semester. As a group they were requiredto design and build a modular pump experimental setup from scratch, and test the system tovalidate the engineering principles, determine the pump performance parameters and plot itscharacteristics. The collaboration and time management among all teams were overseen by theinstructor and a teaching assistant. Finally, the requirements of submission of a project report onthe designed system and its presentation by each team at the end of the semester

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Theodore Heindel, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Filters 9 Resistance/Capacitance Sensors Op-Amps 10 Linear Variable Differential Transformers, Strain Gauges Thermocouples, Thermistors 11 Accelerometers, Exam Thermocouples and Multi- channel Data Acquisition 12 Piezoelectric and Semiconductor Devices, Accelerometers Experimental Design 13 Electrical Noise LVDT “Design” Project 14 Standards and Codes, Review LVDT “Design” Project 15 Optional Topics No Lab 16 Final

Conference Session

Software and e-learning in the ME curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frank Fisher, Stevens Institute of Technology; Constantin Chassapis, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

11.675.3and reinforcement across classes. To fulfill the competencies required of engineering graduates,the design spine promotes an increased emphasis on topics relating to professional practice,communication skills, teaming, project management and economics of design, skills that aredeveloped progressively and reinforced throughout.Table 1. The Mechanical Engineering undergraduate curriculum at Stevens Institute ofTechnology.While the Design Spine has been successful in closely integrating aspects of engineering designto the core fundamentals of the engineering curriculum, a similar integration of CAE softwareacross and thorough the curriculum has to date been lacking. Currently, in-depth coverage of theuse of CAE software tools in the context of

Conference Session

Introducing Active Learning into ME Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ali Al-Bahi, King Abdulaziz University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

important feature of effective assessment12. The more tools used to assess a specificcourse learning objective, the greater the likelihood that the assessment will be both valid andreliable. It is usually advised to use both direct and indirect assessment tools.Direct assessment tools are used to measure the degree to which each student has achievedeach course learning objective by the completion of the course. These direct tools mayinclude classical as well as non-classical methods such as2: Written tests or test items clearly linked to course learning objectives Homework assignments and reports Written project reports Oral presentations Student portfolios, learning logos, and journals Abstracts, executive summaries, term papers Peer

Conference Session

Introducing Active Learning into ME Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ibrahim Olwi, King Abdulaziz University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

21 M7_3 Lab 3 8 22 M8_1 Conservation of energy 172-192 23 M8_2 Team work exercises on the energy equation 24 M8_3 Lab 4 9 25 M9_1 Individual exam 3 26 M9_2 Dimensional analysis (homogeneity) 293-302 27 M9_3 PI theorem 303-308 MID TERM COMMON EXAM 2 10 28 M10_1 Design Project Lab1 29 M10_2 Design Project Lab2 30 M10_3

Conference Session

Software and e-learning in the ME curriculum

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Benson Tongue, University of California-Berkeley; Eric Lew, University of California-Berkeley

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

2006-172: A WEB ENABLED STUDY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGBenson Tongue, University of California-Berkeley Benson Tongue is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his MS from Stanford University and his BSE, MA, and PhD from Princeton University. He taught from 1983-1988 at the Georgia Institute of Technology and has been at Berkeley since 1988.Eric Lew, University of California-Berkeley Eric Lew is an undergraduate student, majoring in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His projected graduation date is May 2007