Conference Session

Anything New in Dynamics?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Geoff Rideout, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

. Page 13.1168.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Teaching Multi-Body Dynamics in an Undergraduate Curriculum: An Intuitive and Explicit Formalism Based on Parasitic ElementsAbstractTypical undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula in North America do not include acourse in multi-body dynamics. A rigid body dynamics course covering single-body kinetics isusually completed in early semesters, and often the material is not revisited before graduation.Students typically graduate without a sense of how to simulate the forward dynamics of evensimple multi-body systems such as slider-crank or four-bar mechanisms. Engineers should havesome increased depth of understanding in this

Conference Session

Mechanics and the Internet

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Siamak Faridani, University of Oklahoma; Kurt Gramoll, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

designers in industry and academics to communicate their designs withtheir colleagues and students. Authors of this paper have made an effort to bridge the gapbetween the design/analysis and presentation by introducing interactive tools that can mimic thebehavior of the real MEMS devices and their outputs. By using the tools provided, students canlearn about different fabrication methods and basic MEMS elements. They can also design theirown device and analyze it using the free tools provided. Video of the real experiments are also atthe website. Students can play with a simulator of the experiment remotely and obtain thesimulated results that follow the behavior of the real experiment. Adobe Flash plays a crucialrole in the website, whereas 3D

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cliff Lissenden, Pennsylvania State University; Nicholas Salamon, Pennsylvania State University; Andrew Miller, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

understanding the physical problemis key to communicating ideas within the team. From that understanding, they can create amodel to analyze using the course theory. Conceptual design sketches are critical to thiscommunication. Most textbook homework problems provide the model as a given, so this is anextremely valuable experience in preparation for engineering practice.Material selection is an integral part of all engineering designs. While material selection is not atopic typically covered in elementary strength of materials courses, material behavior is coveredin a reasonable amount of detail. By supplementing knowledge of material behavior in terms ofstrength, serviceability, and environmental sustainability with a basic material selectiontechnique

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bridget Wadzuk, Villanova University; David Dinehart, Villanova University; Edward Glynn, Villanova University; Shawn Gross, Villanova University; Frank Hampton, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

engineeringcurriculum and importance for a civil engineering graduate. The Department has taken theinformation collected from the survey and catalog to develop a sequence of mechanics coursesthat incorporates the most important topic areas with innovative practices, such as integration oftopic areas across disciplines, integration of lecture and laboratory experiences and applicationsto real world examples. The new mechanics sequence will be launched in fall 2009.The authors have found the survey to provide a wealth of information and it played an importantrole in the development of a reformed mechanics curriculum. Future curriculum changes canbenefit from this survey and surveys directed at specific ideas, such as problem based learningand service learning

Conference Session

Anything New in Dynamics?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Nordenholz, California Maritime Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

that generally grow with time (due to the time integration). An estimationof acceleration and angular velocity measurement errors can be made by calibrating theaccelerometer and rate gyro using simple homemade devices.After describing how these experiments can be set up and performed in general, this paper willdescribe a specific experiment done in the author’s junior mechanical engineering laboratorycourse. The rigid body object under study is a remote controlled car. The technique describedabove is used to find the position, velocity, orientation, and angular velocity of the car as afunction of time. Results of the measurements and data analysis are compared with observationsof the car’s motion viewed by a video camera. An examination of

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Papadopoulos

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

AC 2008-2537: ASSESSING COGNITIVE REASONING AND LEARNING INMECHANICSChris Papadopoulos, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Chris Papadopoulos earned BS degrees in Civil Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, and a PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University. He previously served on the faculty of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he is currently a research associate, grant writer, lecturer, and director of educational programs. His research interests include biomechanics, nonlinear structural mechanics, computational mechanics, engineering education, and engineering ethics. He is an active member of American Society for

Conference Session

Anything New in Dynamics?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Byron Newberry, Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

students are challenged to formulate an appropriate dragmodel through a literature search and must justify their choice. A second flight model isformulated using an equivalent impulse, based on the experimental thrust data, as loading. Thestudents calculate flight trajectories based on both nonlinear models using numerical methods andcritically compare/contrast the results. The project has been found to engage students and toeffectively provide hands-on insight in the value, and limitations, of impulse loading methods.Introduction & MotivationA typical mechanical engineering program will address the concept of impulse loading at multiplepoints within the curriculum. The mathematical definition of impulse loading and the subsequentsolution of

Conference Session

Anything New in the Mechanics of Materials?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rani Sullivan, Mississippi State University; Masoud Rais-Rohani, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

loading isoften used in the Aerospace industry, with the grade of complexity depending on the number ofdiscrete loading points on the structure and the number of levels in the WLM. Regardless of itsloading complexity, such experiments embody many of the basic principles covered in staticsand mechanics of materials courses such as the calculation of the magnitude and location of theresultant force associated with a distributed load. This experience provided the impetus for theauthors to pursue the topic presented in this paper.After an initial brainstorming, authors submitted a proposal and received a grant to pursue a planto integrate hands-on activities into the mechanics of materials curriculum. A simple beamtesting system (BTS) was

Conference Session

Anything New in the Mechanics of Materials?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arturo Fuentes, University of Texas-Pan American; Stephen Crown, University of Texas-Pan American; Bob Freeman, University of Texas-Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

is the process ofbuilding an integrated knowledge base that will ultimately prepare them for applying thatknowledge in their career.IntroductionThis paper presents a series of solid mechanics challenges that are being developed to reinforcesolid mechanics concepts and to illustrate the relationship between classical mechanics of solidsand finite element stress analysis while highly motivating students. The challenges are beingdeveloped through an interaction with VANTH, an NSF funded Engineering Research Center forBioengineering Educational Technologies, that introduced the authors to the How People Learn1(HPL) framework for the design of effective learning environments and challenge/problem basedinstruction. The challenges are based on the

Conference Session

Enhancing Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary L. Gray, Pennsylvania State University; Francesco Costanzo, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

. D. M C V EY, and J. M C M ASTERS (1999) “Industry Expectations of New Engineers: A Survey to Assist Curriculum Designers,” Journal of Engineering Education, 88(1), pp. 43–51.4 W ILSON , J. M. (1995) “National Issues in Engineering Education,” in Workshop on Re-Engineering Engineering Education (R. T. Lahey, ed.), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, August 21–22, pp. 5–10.5 G RAY, G. L., F. C OSTANZO, D. E VANS, P. C ORNWELL, B. S ELF, and J. L. L ANE (2005) “The Dynamics Concept Inventory Assessment Test: A Progress Report and Some Results,” in Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, paper presented in Session No. 3268 of the 2005 American Society

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sridhar Condoor, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.; Sanjay Jayaram, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.; Lawrence Boyer, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

. • A lack of physical feel due to emphasis on structural problems. This can be attributed to a strong civil engineering influence in the texts.These fundamental disconnects manifest themselves as lower-than-expected abilities in thestudents when applying the concepts to design/analyze real systems in subsequent courses. Theresulting disappointment in engineering educators is well documented and common1,2.II. Literature ReviewMost recent efforts revamp the statics/mechanics curriculum by incorporating advances incomputer/video/web technologies, affording a physical feel for the concepts, and fostering activelearning. Kuznetsov3 developed a software-based teaching aid which reinforces concepts throughan iterative learning process. It was