Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nidal Al-Masoud, Central Connecticut State University; Peter Baumann, Central Connecticut State University; Alfred Gates, Central Connecticut State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2009-569: DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATEDOUTCOMES-BASED ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR A NEW ENGINEERINGPROGRAM.Nidal Al-Masoud, Central Connecticut State University Dr. Al-Masoud, Associate Professor, earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York in 2002. Dr. Al-Masoud has taught at both graduate and undergraduate level courses at University at Buffalo, he joined Central Connecticut State University as an Assistant Professor in 2003. At CCSU, he teaches courses at all levels in the three major areas in mechanical engineering, namely: mechanics, Thermo-fluid, and Control Systems and Dynamics. Dr. Al-Masoud research

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ping Ren, Virginia Tech; Janis Terpenny, Virginia Tech; Dennis Hong; Richard Goff, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Planning Dr. David National University7 CS 5247 and Application Hsu Computer Science of Singapore G Electrical Massachusetts CSAIL Robotics: Science Dr. Daniela8 6141 and Systems Rus, et al. Engineering and Institute of G Computer Science

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Enrique Barbieri, University of Houston; Raresh Pascali, University of Houston; Miguel Ramos, University of Houston; William Fitzgibbon, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

) MEdepartments can better focus on advanced/graduate level education with better utilization ofprofessorial staff.This article examines a 2-year common curriculum template for ME and MET programs basedon CDIO, and summarizes preliminary assessment results of the proposed educational modelcollected from industry participants. The template assumes a full-time course of study in 4semesters after which the student selects to either complete a BS in Engineering Technology in 2additional years, or transfer to an ME degree plan which may be 2-, 3-, or 4-years long. Bothplans are assumed to be constructed so as to be ABET Accredited by the appropriateCommission. An Electrical/Computer Engineering and Electrical/Computer ET 2-yearcurriculum template is being

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Willis, Southern Methodist University; Paul Krueger, Southern Methodist University; Alice Kendrick, Southern Methodist University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Memorial Award in Aeronautics and the Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award for distinguished research in Hydrodynamics. In 2004 he received the Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation. His research interests are unsteady hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, vortex dynamics, bio-fluid mechanics, and pulsed-jet propulsion.Alice Kendrick, Southern Methodist University Alice Kendrick is professor of advertising in the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Her research in advertising account planning, message content, and educational issues has appeared in journals including Journal of Advertising Research

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pramod Chaphalkar, Grand Valley State University; Shirley Fleischmann, Grand Valley State University; Janice Pawloski, Grand Valley State University; Hugh Jack, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

course on Finite Element Analysis. Thethird component of the approach is to reorganize the sequence of the course throughout thecurriculum.The proposed plan of study is also presented. Expected benefits from the endeavor are discussed.Brainstorming and discussions preceded the preparations. This paper also presents challenges oftextbooks, scheduling and resource allocations. The paper concludes with the discussion of thefuture work. In summary this paper presents identification of issues, innovation, approach taken,and the necessary preparations. The main objective of the paper is to disseminate the innovativeapproach and seek the constructive comments from the engineering educators.IntroductionThe School of Engineering at Grand Valley State

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andre Butler, Mercer University; William Moses, Mercer University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

coefficient of performance of the refrigeration cycle under various evaporator and condenser pressures. Page 14.52.3≠ Heat Transfer – Determine the thermal diffusivity of an aluminum bar.Student groups are provided little additional information and work on each experiment for twoweeks. During the first week, students familiarize themselves with all relevant equipment anddetermine a procedure for conducting the experiment that they will execute the following week.Groups are required to submit a lab plan prior to the week two activities. Groups rotate amongthe three labs until all have been completed.Description of MAE 402LIn MAE 402L, each

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wael Mokhtar, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, professional technical meetings, and team work.The course objectives include the following: 1. Perform and document research activities in a professional manner a. Perform literature searches b. Maintain a journal denoting all research activities c. Create a master research plan for future research direction 2. Summarize the research project’s past, present, and future goals 3. Complete research related tasks in a timely fashion with limited faculty supervision a. Create a plan for specific research activities b. Update and document progress on research activities c. Perform open-ended tasks as assigned by the instructor 4. Participate as an effective team member on the project a

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tony Jones, United States Army; Daisie Boettner, United States Military Academy; Joel Dillon, United States Military Academy; Stephanie Ivey; Anna Lambert, University of Memphis; Brian Novoselich, United States Military Academy; Stephen Suhr, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

most challenging academic and leadership experience I’ve had thus far. Not only is it extremely time-consuming and laborious, but it involves peer leadership which has been a very difficult task for me as team leader. 2 I’ve also garnered several lessons that will be highly relevant to my Leader Army experience; particularly in regards to group management, project planning and goal-execution. Despite the difficulty, the project was a rewarding experience, From this project, I will take the process of getting a problem that has limitations and find a way to solve it. As a lieutenant, it is my job to find solutions, to

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tony Jones, United States Army; Daisie Boettner, United States Military Academy; Anna Lambert, University of Memphis; Brian Novoselich, United States Military Academy; Stephanie Ivey

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

planning stage, we divided the project into separate parts so that everyone could work on something or some part that he was experienced with, 6 - X but we had some problems getting everybody to work together yet separately. This is evident by the fact that work on the tank has not been equal. Page 14.936.9Interpretation - Characteristic 2: Clearly Defined Individual RolesFor a more accurate interpretation of these findings, it should be noted that

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University; Enayat Mahajerin, Saginaw Valley State University; Anca Sala, Baker College

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

assessment data collected during aparticular term. This is developed based on a meeting of the instructor with all facultygenerally involved in teaching this course. The report among the other details containsthe identified deficiencies of the concepts and the difficulties faced by the students andthe planned actions for continuous improvement. For example, offering help sessions, or Page 14.475.5including recitation period to the course credits (for example, 3 hours of lecture instead of4 hours, with 1 or 2 hours of mandatory recitation periods to solve problems). Thesummary report also serves as an evaluation and assessment tool for ABET purposes

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Anderson, United States Air Force Academy; Matthew Snyder, United States Air Force Academy; Michael Maixner, United States Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

machine shop lessons were taughtby one of the lab technicians, an expert machinist, while the Excel lessons were taught by afaculty member with a special affinity for it.The course content was developed systematically by creating course objectives (table 1) from theprogram outcomes; individual lesson plans were then developed to meet the course objectives.This process highlighted some outcomes that could be addressed more deliberately in ourengineering programs. Specifically engineering ethics, technical communication and computerproblem solving were identified as subjects that, although ubiquitous in our program, are notoften singled out as specific topics of study, or as essential skills to be honed. Therefore, wemade it a top priority to

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emilia Bratschitsch, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences; Adrian Millward-Sadler, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

also a very useful opportunity for both young engineers and employers tomeet each other, and most seniors undertake their diploma thesis in the same company anddepartment.Description of the industrial internshipThe industrial internship has four stages: 1. Planning the internship 2. Application to the host-company 3. Carrying out the internship 4. Final report and oral presentationThe internship starts with a kick-off lecture at the beginning of the junior year summer-semester (March/April). Here the students learn more about the content, formalities, terms,aims, assessment criteria, final report, etc.The internship process is regulated by the department. The students apply to host-companiesand report all applications, which

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Forsberg, Hofstra University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

course led to theextension of KSB usage to the ENGG 170 laboratory course.The ENGG 170 laboratory course is taken by mechanical engineering seniors. Therewere twelve (12) students in the Spring 2008 offering of the course. This paper describesthe course and the use of KSBs in detail. It includes one of the KSB documentsdeveloped for the course. It also discusses the students' responses to the use of KSBs andoutlines planned future work.BackgroundKnowledge and Skill Builders (KSBs) were originally developed for middle schoolstudents. They are a progression of short, focused activities by which students increasetheir knowledge and skill base before addressing a specific design problem. The KSBsare an integral part of the "informed" design process

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Goodarz Ahmadi, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

impaction. The sections on interactions of particles with turbulence and turbulent depositionare normally taught in the second course. Computational modeling of turbulent flowswas discussed, and classical models of turbulent deposition were described. In additionthe process of aerosol charging and transport under the action of electrical forces and Page 14.942.3turbulence were presented. 2 A number of computational modules were added to make the coursepresentations of the materials more interactive. The plan was to have sufficient numberof calculation modules for the student to experiment with. As a

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anne-Marie Lerner, University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

; Gagne’s learning theorydivides learning into eight different classifications, with the assertion that higher-order learningclassifications cannot be achieved without lower-order learning first having occurred3. However,this method was designed for engineering-specific homework evaluation, and in particularexamines the mistakes students make during the learning process.This error assessment is meant to be conducted on an on-going basis, where the instructor usesthe feedback in real-time to adjust lesson plans to address any deficiencies in students’understanding. Appropriate actions for error assessment depend on which group the particularerror code belongs to. A minor issue error is expected to pop up periodically throughout astudent’s work, and

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Novoselich, United States Military Academy; Joel Dillon, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. The rivalry throughout thesemester remained healthy and constructive, with teams seeking advice from each other on howto overcome various design hurdles. Interestingly enough, each team ultimately gauged successnot by their Gantt chart, but by comparing their progress to the other team’s progress. Page 14.1285.5The internal pre-competition took place about 3 weeks later than originally planned due toincomplete vehicles. When the competition was finally held, both vehicles were far fromcomplete, but, were adequately complete for safe land-based operation. Shortly before the pre-competition, funding became available to send both teams to

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jiang Zhou, Lamar University; Paul Corder, Lamar University; Hsing-wei Chu, Lamar University; Kendrick Aung, Lamar University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Students answer questions on a Likert [10] scale of 1 (truly inadequate) to 7 (trulyoutstanding). The result is shown in Table 1. While there is no hard evidence yet, the results ofimplementation of the both projects in spring 2008 are very promising. The students indicatedthat they felt that doing the projects helped them better understand course concepts. The realworld projects improved student satisfaction and student examination performance in the course.Full formal assessment and evaluation for both projects are planned for spring 2009. Table 1: Student satisfaction survey in spring 2007 Number of Students Average Rating Standard Deviation 35 5.8

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

B. Terry Beck, Kansas State University; Bill Whitson, Kansas State University; Greg Payne, Kansas State University; Trevor Heitman, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

accomplished with the rapidprototyping capability, and is a planned future activity. Future additions planned include thetesting of more complex wing morphing, perhaps more focused on wing morphing as a means ofboundary layer control, and refinement of the image illumination system to extend the field ofview and clarity of image captures. A more flexible (i.e., two or more degree of freedom)sectioned wing model is envisioned as the next logical step, which would require moresophisticated internal joint control.AcknowledgementsThe MNE research engineer and instrument shop machinist Jason Selland is gratefullyacknowledged for his work in conjunction with the rapid prototyping system, which was used toconstruct the smoke rake and flapped wing designs

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Wagner, Clemson University; Katie Knaub, National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Conservation Act of 1973,returning the concept of daylight saving time on a national level. There has always beenopposition to daylight saving time, with some states or parts of states refusing to observe it.Those working in the agricultural industry have always been the most vehement opposers of itand there has always been debate as to whether or not it saves energy18.The history and controversies of time keeping can be integrated into the laboratory experiments.Mumford1 stated that “… the clock was the most influential of machines, mechanically as well associally” which invites an accompanying societal perspective to the planned exercises. Thebench top experiments to be discussed in Section 3 can be integrated with the above societalissues to

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sophoria Westmoreland, University of Maryland; Ashley Grenier, University of Maryland; Linda Schmidt, University of Maryland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

ability to create hand-drawn sketches is still a relevant skill for design engineering. [1] Theidea that thoughts and cognitive processes can be captured by pencil and paper is the basicessence of sketching. Engineers and architects alike have long been used sketching as a tool fordocumenting mental processes, organizing ideas, creating plans, and presenting their ideas toothers via a comfortable medium. The authors present a sampling of literature to remind all thatsketching helps the designer work through his or her own cognitive processes in a self-documenting fashion. This paper reports on the sketching habits of capstone design students atThe University of Maryland, College Park in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.Student sketching

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yaomin Dong, Kettering University; Jacqueline El-Sayed, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

to work on project10 Lecture 8, assignment 8 Assessment/exam 211-14 Lecture 9, assignment 9, project Lecture 10, assignment 10, projectFinal week Final presentation with experts Final examBest PracticesIn order to provide some of the wisdom that comes from experience, the followingrecommendations are provided. Working with projects that are based in industry createschallenges, however the rewards in student learning are worth the extra effort. Havingclear mutual expectations and communication are keys to success. Underestimate the time requirements. There will always be fires, so plan for this. Keep open communication, when in doubt ask for approval. Remember that the

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Marlor, Michigan Technological University; Gretchen Hein, Michigan Technological University; Nathan Manser, Michigan Technological University; Brett Hamlin, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

regarding the week’s course material on an interactive courseweb page (Blackboard). While completing the assessment, students learn why a certain answer iscorrect and what some common misconceptions are. For each assessment completed, studentsmay earn points that are added to their exam score.This paper will discuss these changes, along with providing preliminary assessment data and willrecommend planned steps for a detailed study to follow.IntroductionBeginning in 2000, Michigan Tech implemented a curriculum that was designed to homogenizethe first two years of a four year engineering degree, such that all incoming freshman andsophomore engineering students take essentially the same classes. These classes actively helpstudents to learn more about

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura L. Pauley, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

insert the appropriate property values. More text description willbe added to the problem solutions as they are refined.Overall, I find the current Mathcad solutions to be readable and easily modified with newvalues of the flow variables. I plan to develop more problem solutions using Mathcad so thathomework and exam problems can be easily modified each year.References1 F.P. Beer & E.R. Johnston “Vector Mechanics for Engineers”http://www.mhhe.com/engcs/engmech/beerjohnston/vm/solutions.mhtml2 Bedford, Keith W., Streeter, Victor L., Wylie, E. Benjamin, Fluid Mechanics 9th Ed., WBC/McGraw-Hill,New York, NY.ISBN 0-07-062537-9(Bundled with The Student Edition of Mathcad 7.)3 http://www.mpassociates.gr/software/distrib/science/mathsoft

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthias Lang, University of Texas, Austin; Dinesh Rabindran, University of Texas, Austin; Tricia Berry, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

motor. Thementioned path that a robot arm follows can also be controlled more safely. For example, we areable to vary the speed at which the arm moves through the specified paths as needed and theapplied force can be changed as well. Figure 6. Mapping of Torque vs. Current for the PR110 Joint ModulePersonally, I have learned that it takes a lot of motivation to be successful in graduate school.You need to be self-driven and set yourself manageable goals in order to keep your research inprogress. I have also gained valuable technical writing and presentation skills and experience. Ialso feel better prepared than some of my counterparts when it comes time to start applying forgraduate school, which I plan on attending.Future

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashland Brown, University of the Pacific; Kris Wood, University of Texas; Kristen Kaufman, Grad Student Universiy ot Texas; Daniel Jensen, United States Air Force Academy; Joseph Rencis, University of Arkansas; Christina White, Columbia University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

in designing structural solutions is a noted problem for some engineering graduates26,27.Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET, Inc.) expects engineeringgraduates to have: “an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering toolsnecessary for engineering practice”14 such as FE analysis. Hence, schools have, or are planningto, add FE analysis to their curriculum1-5,10, but this plan is not happening quickly enough tomeet the demand of firms competing in the global economy. To support schools in theirteaching efforts, the finite element exercises developed in this work will provide a valuable, web-based resource to engineering instructors throughout the world.An NSF funded Course, Curriculum, and Lab

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Horacio Vasquez, University of Texas, Pan American; Carlos Gomez, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Energy, v 28, n 3, March, p 345-362[7] Corbyn, Andrew. 2007. Small wind-turbine community-based renewable energy systems in the Philippines. Wind Engineering, v 31, n 5, p 353-361[8] Piggott, Hugh. How to build a wind turbine? The axial flux windmill plans. 2005. Page 14.523.11 10[9] Ogawa, K.; Yamamura, N.; Ishda, M. 2006. Study for small size wind power generating system using switched reluctance generator. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology, p 1510-1515[10] Amano, Yoko; Kajiwara, Hiroyuki. 2006. Maximum output power control for variable- speed small

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathy Schmidt, University of Texas, Austin; Juan Garcia, University of Texas, Austin; Michael Webber, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Copyright © 2009 American Society for Engineering Education Figure 3 Blogs are useful sources of informationWhen class ended, fewer students had created podcasts than initially expected. When asked onthe post-survey if they had made a podcast, only 24% had done so. Half of the class had optedout, but 21% had initially planned to do so and had changed their minds. Another 5% wishedthey had created a podcast. Their perceptions of whether or not a podcast is a good medium tolearn technical content did not vary substantially between the beginning and end of the semester.They did indicate, however, that they invested more time creating a podcast (average of 39hours) over writing a paper (31 hours). Keep in mind that that is not a

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dianne Pawluk, Virginia Commonwealth University; Curtis Taylor, University of Florida; Marcia Hoffman, Virginia Commonwealth University; Maria McClintock, Virginia Commonwealth University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. For example, we have plans to simulate nanoscale fabrication processes and toolsfor building nanostructures and nanoscale devices.4. ConclusionHow things interact at the small scale of a nano-environment can be difficult for students tounderstand. This is particularly true for students who are visually impaired, as currentpedagogical methods heavily rely on 2-D visual diagrams or molecular-scale images. In thispaper we have introduced two teaching modules that will allow students to haptically interactwith virtual worlds both at the nano-level and the macro-level, allowing all students a hands-onexperience of the difference between these two worlds. The first module deals with explainingthe concept of scale between the two worlds and how they

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Karimi, University of Texas, San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering