Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joao Vinhas, Politecnico de Viseu; Joao Paiva, Politecnico de Viseu

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

havebeen introduced since then. It also discusses students’ and teachers’ strategies, aiming atadapting their behaviour to the way they have perceived those new paradigms. Somesignificant changes were detected, namely those related to students’ work, expected to beautonomous and continuous throughout the semester, benefiting from teachers’ tutorialguidance and reflected in a continuous evaluation.Nonetheless, it has been a road dotted with some difficulties: changing students’ attitudestowards work and persuading instructors of the importance and need to look for innovativepedagogical strategies is not an easy task. Still, in a significant number of courses, some newteaching/learning models were introduced, based on skills development models

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nashwan Younis, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the development of stress concentration as well as reinforcing the Saint-Venant’s theory. The paper introduces the visualized photostress images in improving Page 15.1352.3the understanding of SCF near notches/edges.PhysicsThe optical method of reflected photoelasticity is utilized to achieve the goals about someof the above learning outcomes. Most engineering students learn the fundamentals ofoptics in a physics class. They are introduced to the geometrical and physical optics andmost likely will not use the knowledge learned in the rest of the curriculum. A quickreview of the fundamentals of polarized light is linked to the principal strains.In a

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yunfeng Wang, The College of New Jersey; Christopher Ault, The College of New Jersey; Teresa Nakra, The College of New Jersey; Andrea Salgian, The College of New Jersey; Meredith Stone, Independent Evaluator

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and successful solutions to engineering problems.All students will: Develop strategies and processes for managing a complex project involving diverse areas of expertise; Page 15.166.5 Develop competencies in collaborative learning and working strategies through interdisciplinary team activities; Develop competencies in fields other than their major.5. Course Objective AssessmentThe objectives of this course are mainly assessed through topic-related graded individualhomework assignments, graded teamwork assignments, self and team evaluation forms, andstudents’ anonymous reflection journals.5.1. Graded individual homework

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Shepard, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Camille George, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

allowed an objective way to compare performance whileproviding students an opportunity to see multiple solutions to a common problem.The open-ended project relied heavily on team-based learning and allowed students to becreative while addressing issues during the design phase. A student survey and gradedassignment were utilized to assess the resultant student learning. The project culminatedin a final report incorporating three main components: Design Analysis, Lab Analysis,and Reflective Analysis.During this project students were given a first look at topics which will be covered morethoroughly in following engineering courses such as heat transfer and fluid mechanics.Additional benefits of the project included its ability to appeal to a variety

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Goulet, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

ofindividualized assignments, the mandatory correction policy and the work of correcting andgrading, especially the surprising reduction of time required to grade, score and return theassignments. The paper also presents the author’s reflections regarding class delivery and studentbehaviors, and results of informal student and instructor surveys.BackgroundThis report pertains to the mechanics of materials, a required core course offered to allundergraduate engineering students of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at theUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The catalog description of ENGR 246 reads: UTC ENGR 246 Mechanics of Materials, 3 credit hour lecture: Stress-strain concepts and relations. Bending, shear, torsion, and

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer-Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Simin Hall, College of Engineering at Virginia Tech; Catherine Amelink, Virginia Tech; Sam Conn, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

reflective environment. One indelibleaspect of web learning is the opportunity for learners to collaborate during problem solving andactively be involved in their learning. However, Ravert and Evans2 showed that expecting Page 15.12.4students at earlier stages of development to learn from courses based on principles ofnegotiation, shared construction, and peer-to-peer learning could be problematic. Therefore, iftools employed in teaching and learning or instructional design run contrary to students‟epistemic beliefs, it would lead to frustration and distress. Students may require greaterscaffolding with aspects of online teaching mostly those who see

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

participants.Some of the evaluation questions were updated in the final year to reflect the possibility thatstudent motivations for participating in the program were altered by the economy.The theme of the program was “Experimental Methods in Mechanical Engineering,” which was Page 15.949.2selected by the PIs due to the emphasis on experimental research by the majority of faculty in thedepartment. The theme was also chosen because hands-on research is appealing to engineeringstudents3 and can be a useful retention mechanism.4,5 The research laboratories that participatedin the program were the Experimental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, the Laboratory for Micro

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brent Nelson, Northern Arizona University; Constantin Ciocanel, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

design utilized scavengedevaporator coils from several refrigerators and housed them inside another refrigerator with itsdoors replaced with plexiglass, as shown in Figure 1a. Three of these cavity/tube designs alsoused a reflective collector to draw more sunlight into the cavity, one of which is shown in Figure1b. Two teams utilized scavenged satellite dishes covered with a reflective material toconcentrate sunlight onto a small surface through which water was flowing, one of which isshown in Figure 1c. One team formed a parabolic trough to concentrate sunlight onto a longpipe, as shown in Figure 1d. All twelve design teams met the minimum requirement of a 10 °Ctemperature rise in the water, with most teams achieving a temperature rise of at

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer-Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

B.K. Hodge, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

presents the real and nominal cost per gallon of motor gasolinefrom 1978 to 2008. In real dollars gasoline was $2.25/gallon in 1980, a price not reached againuntil 2004. As of the springl of 2010 , gasoline is just over $2.50/gallon, reflecting the rapidincrease since 2004. Indeed, only after 2000 has the rate of increase of the price of gasoline Page 15.527.10exceeded that of inflation. The argument could be made that in 1998, the inflation-adjusted priceof gasoline was cheaper than it had ever been! During the prosperous years, relative to inflation,gasoline prices declined. No wonder that conservation, higher gas mileage vehicles, andalternative

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ivana Milanovic, University of Hartford; Tom Eppes, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

goals thatare expected of alumni. PEOs are re-visited and assessed on a six-year cycle unless there is aneed to do so sooner. In the most recent assessment cycle, it was found that some PEOs wereworded like outcomes and did not appropriately reflect career accomplishments. As a result,changes were made to more accurately state the near term expectations of graduates. Further,alumni surveys revealed that some graduates had chosen a career path outside or tangential tothat of their undergraduate program so PEOs were changed to accommodate a broader range ofcareer possibilities.During each PEO review cycle, input is solicited from the program constituents; however, someare engaged to provide more specific feedback. The key constituents are

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Vuksanovich, Youngstown State University; Darrell Wallace, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

students’ retention of lessons and comprehensionof the concepts.Comparisons between the present curriculum and that of the past showed that while the courseshad been updated, the content was essentially of the same quality as before. Overall, this can beconsidered a positive. As any discipline matures, the curriculum must reflect the advancements.The critical aspect here is that the updates were usually driven by the new editions of the text,instead of being initiated by the instructor. While it is unreasonable to expect that each and everyclass improvement is driven by an instructors direct experience in that particular area, it shouldbe noted that almost none of the improvements were initiated by the instructor’s personalknowledge in that area

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University; Richard Dippery, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

topicson Creativity, Attitude, and Tasks. For example, on creativity, the students embrace new ideas,generate inventive thinking, and display an inquisitive nature. Although these are difficult tomeasure and assess quantitatively, the survey reflects the students’ perception on these topics tosome extent. Figure 7 below shows the average response from creativity topic. The x-axisindicates to what extent this topic affected the students’ perception on creativity topic. It showsvery little ‘immersion’ of the students on creativity as it pertains to the final project in the class.The y-axis indicates the number of students participated in this survey.Figure 7: Sample chart on Creativity topic versus the level of students’ involvement

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angkee Sripakagorn, Chulalongkorn University; Kuntinee Maneeratana, Chulalongkorn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Technical usage is highlighted and the research workinvolves open-ended design tasks rather than strict procedural steps of work.In the academic year 2008, 94 students registered for the course. The numbers of groups,classified by areas and types, are shown in Table 1. In recent years, on average, over 70% of allprojects belonged to the design type. The data in Table 1 reflects this general trend. Table 1. Number of Groups by Areas and Types Area \ Type Design Investigation Total AM 8 3 11 AU 7 1 8 TF 7 4 11

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashok Kumar Manoharan, Auburn University; P.K. Raju, Auburn University; Chetan Sankar, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

this article is based partially upon work supported by the NationalScience Foundation under grant numbers: 0934800, 0736997 and 0442531. Any opinions,findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authorsand do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Page 15.1307.13References:1. Nichol, D.J. and Boyle, J.T. (2003). “Peer Instruction Versus Class-wide Discussion in LargeClasses: A Comparison of Two Interaction Methods in the Wired Classroom,” Studies in HigherEducation: 28(4): 457-473.2. National Academy of Engineering (2004). Educating the Engineer of 2020, Washington, DC.3

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Post, Bradley University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

retaliation. Others were reluctantto reflect critically on their own attitude, behavior, and performance and have those commentsvoiced publicly during the focus group.” Haag also notes: “Although numerous studies have been done to assess the effect "gender ratio" has on a group and its members, the literature is inconsistent. Some researchers feel that increasing the proportion of females in a group will have a positive effect on its members. Others disagree and propose that an increase in female proportion in certain areas could have a detrimental effect. The Foundation Coalition female evaluation findings (including attitudes and implications), although more consistent with new research in other disciplines, are somewhat

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Patterson, San Diego State University; Christopher Paolini, San Diego State University; Subrata Bhattacharjee, San Diego State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

(ICCHMT), Guangzhou, China, May 18–21, 2009, pp. 413-418. [5] S. Gordon, F. J. Zeleznik, and V. N. Huff, "A General Method for Automatic Computation of Equilibrium Compositions and Theoretical Rocket Performance of Propellants," NASA, TN D-132, October 1959. [6] B. J. McBride and S. Gordon, "FORTRAN IV Program for Calculation of Thermodynamic Data," NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, NASA TN-D 4097, 1967. [7] S. Gordon and B. J. McBride, "Computer Program for Computation of Complex Chemical Equilibrium Compositions, Rocket Performance, Incident and Reflected Shocks, and Chapman-Jouguet Detonations," NASA, SP-273, 1971. [8] W. C. Reynolds, "The Element-Potential Method for Chemical Equilibrium Analysis

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kuntinee Maneeratana, Chulalongkorn University; Angkee Sripakagorn, Chulalongkorn University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

only. Additionally, the final grade average was found topredominantly reflect the performances in lecture-based engineering courses.I. IntroductionThis paper originated during the ongoing process of program revisions in the Department ofMechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand. The current bachelor’s andgraduate programs have been in use since 2002 and are due for a major adjustment in 2011. Bothcurrent and proposed bachelor’s degree curricula are very traditionally structured as they are bestdescribed by a series of courses and the corresponding content [1].As the opening for formal curriculum flexibility is very limited due to the stringent requirementson compulsory courses and credits, as demanded by the Commission on

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions - Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Green, LeTourneau University; Carolyn Conner Seepersad, University of Texas, Austin; Katja Holtta-Otto, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

aredocumented in Table 9. As reflected in the table, customer needs were often expressed in muchmore detail in the extreme experience interviews; for example, customers often commented onthe spacing of buttons and the size and location of handles rather than simply summarizing theirthoughts with comments on good or poor ergonomics. Also, it was apparent that many of thecustomer needs were linked specifically to the impairments (oven mitts and one-handedoperation). These impairments made it very difficult to remove a jar/bowl from its base,remove/replace the lid, disassemble components for cleaning, and sometimes perform even basicoperations such as switching the unit on or off and selecting speeds

Conference Session

Teaching Mechanical Systems: What's New

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arun Chintalapati, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Hong Sheng, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Richard Hall, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Robert Landers, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

information: actively (engagement in discussion or physical activity) or reflectively (introspection) 4. Their progress towards understanding: sequential (step by step incrementally) or globally (large jumps)Learning outcomesLearning outcome refers to the perceived knowledge gained by the students through the use ofdifferent methods of teaching or studying. Methods of teaching or studying typically includereading of textbooks, performing experiments in laboratory setting, and using informationtechnologies. Assessment of learning outcomes often include quantitative measures for notionssuch as motivation to learn, real world applicability, and knowledge or learning awareness 13.IV. Research TechniquesEye tracking and its role in usability

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer-Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the laser light sheet. For safety reasons, precautions were taken to minimizestray laser reflections. It is also important to instruct students about the safe use of lasers. Ageneric camcorder with tripod mount was used to capture both video and single frame images ofthe streamline flow. The camcorder was positioned about 10 ft (3 m) from the image plane tominimize parallax effects and to also provide large depth of field to keep everything in focus.Small Pitot-static Probe Directional MeasurementsFigure 5 shows the simple setup used for investigation of the directional characteristics of thesmall-scale Pitot-static tube. The probe was inserted in a special-purpose side mount fittingspecifically made for Pitot-static probe access. A simple