Conference Session

Anything New in Dynamics?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Nordenholz, California Maritime Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

AC 2008-393: RIGID BODY DYNAMICS IN THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGLABORATORYThomas Nordenholz, California Maritime Academy Thomas Nordenholz is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The California Maritime Academy. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1998. His present interests include the improvement of undergraduate engineering science instruction, and the development of laboratory experiments and software for undergraduate courses. Page 13.1054.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Rigid Body Dynamics in the Mechanical Engineering

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

that enable civil engineering studentsto identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems. The Department of Civil andEnvironmental Engineering at Villanova University is investigating how to better presentmaterial in the core mechanics courses to better meet the educational needs of the students andimprove learning. The core sequence in mechanics at Villanova University consists of fivecourses: Statics/Dynamics, Mechanics of Solids, Civil Engineering Materials, Fluid Mechanicsand Fluid Mechanics Laboratory. To determine the current state of practice in mechanicseducation, the authors conducted a survey of civil engineering mechanics curricula at fiftyuniversities. Civil engineering curricula present mechanics in a variety of courses and

Conference Session

Enhancing Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Cornwell, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

2001. Dr. Cornwell serves on the executive committee of the Mechanics Division of the American Society of Engineering Education. Page 13.1382.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Vibration Labs to Help Achieve a Resonance in LearningAbstractA sequence of laboratories has been designed and implemented in an undergraduate course inmechanical vibrations to introduce students to experimental aspects of vibrations andexperimental modal analysis. Unfortunately, undergraduate vibration courses, especially if theydo not have a lab associated with them, are often perceived by many students to be courses

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

to only one or two laboratory courses. Recent research1-6 on the merit of active studentinteraction with physical models has revitalized interest in the use of such models, not just inlaboratory classes but—more importantly—as an integral part of traditional lecture-basedengineering courses.Couple of years ago, the authors had an opportunity to design and develop a structural testingsystem at the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University. In oneexperiment, a whiffletree loading mechanism (WLM), as shown in Fig. 1, was designed and usedfor static testing of a full-scale composite aircraft wing. For simplicity, the wings were mountedupside-down and loaded downward to simulate the lift force distribution. Whiffletree

Conference Session

Enhancing Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gangbing Song, University of Houston; Mithun Singla, University of Houston; Christy Chang, University of Houston; Richard Bannerot, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

can be changed without altering the Simulink file. ̇ Remote Controller Testing – Again, the micro-controller’s ability to allow programmed controllers to be downloaded to the smart beam’s hardware allows the remote implementation of control schemes. However, it should be noted that this ability extends to remote implementation of controllers. The implementation of remote controlled laboratories with student access over the internet using the smart flexible beam with a similar electronic architecture has previously been reported 8. Through the use of web-based virtual instruments (VI), students could access the smart beam hardware remotely. The VI allows students to upload their controller

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

media/interactive video) in comparison to a traditional instructor-led course.Several teaching instruments focused on exploiting the role of physical experience in teachingthe concepts. Ji and Bell12 argue that making abstract concepts more observable and tangibleenable students to better learn them. To make concepts observable and tangible, they use threethemes in their teaching: providing simple demonstration models, providing good engineeringexamples, and improving teaching material by including new research concepts. A goodcollection of the teaching material is available online13. Williams and Howard14 emphasize therole of laboratory experience for a physical insight. They outline the design of a versatile andeconomical apparatus for both

Conference Session

Anything New in Dynamics?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Self, California Polytechnic State University; Charles Birdsong, California Polytechnic State University; Eileen Rossman, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

themotion first hand. Similarly, toy gyroscopes can be used to help teach students about precessionand demonstrate how gyroscopic navigational devices operate. These hands-on laboratories canbe much more powerful than demonstrations and lecturing – the students can actually feel thegyroscopic moments generated. These demonstrations were assessed through two problems onthe final examination. The first asked what happens to the motion of a gyroscope when you pushgently on the outer gimble. The second involved the action-reaction moments involved withgyroscopic motion (e.g., if you are riding your bike and lean to the left, which way to do youhave to push on your handlebars). Scores on these different problems along with subjectivesurvey results were

Conference Session

Mechanics and the Internet

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Calvin Ashmore, Georgia Institute of Technology; Bo Yeon Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology; Geoff Thomas, Georgia Institute of Technology; Daniel Upton, Georgia Institute of Technology; Sneha Harrell, UC Berkeley; Christine Valle, Georgia Institute of Technology; Wendy Newstetter, Georgia Institute of Technology; Janet Murray, Georgia Institute of Technology; Laurence Jacobs, Georgia Institute of Technology; Sue Rosser, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

better engineering education overlap withstrategies that have been shown to be particularly effective for the recruitment, success, andretention of women and minorities12. Of particular importance is offering students extendedexperience in experimentation, observation, and holistic problem-solving, throughinteractive methods. Engineering is an intrinsically “hands-on profession,” historically learnedby apprenticeship, but increasingly distanced from laboratory experiences 13. With previousgenerations of engineering students, it was common for extended experience opportunities tooccur prior to entering university. Backyard explorations and repair of the family car,disassembly and reassembly of common household devices or machines often served as

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Hennessey, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

). Page 13.1095.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Statics and Dynamics Projects Emphasizing Introductory Design and ManufacturingAbstractThis paper describes in detail 4 major projects undertaken by mechanical engineering students inan abbreviated laboratory (lab) component of a combined statics and dynamics course, oftentaken by sophomores. For each of the projects, there was a significant analysis, design,manufacture, and testing aspect with significant interdependent synergy. Specific requirementswere provided and the projects were essentially fun-spirited design contests with either aperformance index or a class vote determining the best overall project. Two projects were in

Conference Session

Mechanics and the Internet

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shahnam Navaee, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

LabVIEW.Even though LabVIEW is mainly used for controlling laboratory instrumentations and acquiringexperimental data, this tool can also effectively be utilized to develop the theoretical solution forengineering problems. In an earlier publication of the author some of the more importantadvantages of LabVIEW were outlined and discussed3. A brief summary of these advantages areprovided below: ‚ LabVIEW has an attractive, convenient, and easy-to-use user interface. Using this interface (LabVIEW’s front panel) problem input can be issued in variety of ways to display the output in any desired format. ‚ Ease with which MATLAB script files can be imported and used in LabVIEW. This is a very attractive feature of LabVIEW, since