Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Duffy, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Linda Barrington, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Cheryl West, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; John McKelliget, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Eugene Niemi, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Sammy Shina, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Hongwei Sun, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Chris Niezrecki, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Robert Parkin, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Majid Charmchi, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

difference,” value of teamwork (among others) students recorded a range ofagreement to non-agreement on a 1-9 point Likert scale. The averages were all 6 or Page 12.1274.3above, disagreement ranged from 7 % to 14% and agreement from 60 to 75%. Mostfaculty cited time as the biggest barrier to implementation. Improvements are plannedwith more student/faculty analysis of broader impacts.IntroductionService-learning is the integration of academic subject matter with service to thecommunity in credit-bearing courses, with key elements including reciprocity, reflection,coaching, and community voice in projects (Jacoby, 1996)1. Service-learning (S-L) hasbeen shown

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Messiha Saad, North Carolina A&T State University; Taher Abu-Lebdeh, North Carolina A&T State University; Devdas Pai, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, andmechanical engineering students (CAAE331/MEEN335); Dynamics for architectural,civil, and mechanical engineering students (CAAE 334/MEEN 337), and strength ofmaterials for civil and mechanical engineering students (CAAE332/MEEN336).Introduction In college classes, lectures are still the primary mode of content delivery tostudents. The disadvantages of such methods are: (1) students cannot remember all of thelecture material; (2) students typically record only 20-40% of the important lecture ideas;(3) approximately 80% of what is not noted is forgotten after two weeks; (4) lecturingtechnique is a one-way teaching process (students receive information delivered byfaculty). On the other hand, recitation (usually, small class size), allows

Conference Session

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vladimir Sheyman, Wayne State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

transfer coefficient, variable residence drying time, andmoisture reduction of 30-40kg/h per 1.0m2 of the screen surface area.Fluid Dynamics of the Vibration Powder BedW. Kroll introduced one of the models of dynamics of the vibration powder bed withoutforce filtration through the layer. The author7,8 assumed that the cylinder with a layer ofparticulates is working as a piston and has a central vertical hole. When piston is movingupward, it intakes the outside air and push the air through the layer while it moving in theopposite direction.The equations are:  d 2s d 2h m 2 + 2  + mg + (Pa − Pi ) ⋅ F = 0 (1)  dτ dτ Equation of the State for airPi hF = GRT (2)The Hagen - Poiseuille equation for the air

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Kean, California Polytechnic State University; Glen Thorncroft, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

unexpected answers to some creative questions. Their analysis isbased on the two key concepts: 1) that human behavior is strongly influenced by incentives, and2) the conventional wisdom is often wrong.With these fundamental concepts in mind, we present a methodology for the specific applicationof assessment of engineering programs. Ewell (1989 and 1998) has pointed out previously thatcapitalizing on existing data is a key approach for assessment implementation. The hope of theauthors of the present work is to provide a useful technique for understanding the performance of Page 12.432.2our students and faculty better.Most university campuses have some

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Miller, Saint Cloud State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, orshould both methods be taught?Mechanical engineering students generally take their introductory thermodynamics course atsome point in their first two years. A lot of new terminology and concepts are introduced in thefirst half of the course, making it a significant hurdle for students. 1There is no explicit mention of this issue in the ABET criterion for mechanical engineeringprograms. Thermodynamics are only mentioned in program criterion 1 on curriculum, “…theability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas including the designand realization of such systems”.2A more direct impact on the use of tables comes from The National Council of Examiners forEngineering and Surveying (NCEES). The vast majority of mechanical

Conference Session

Improving ME Instructional Laboratories

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Yang, Troy High; Mariappan Jawaharlal, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and ultrasonic), two temperature sensors, a light sensorand accelerometer.The entire system is constructed on the lid of a plastic storage box for easy transportation. Thestorage box goes over the board and snaps shut, enclosing the entire model. The AC poweradaptor is mounted on the side of the storage box, so the entire unit can be transported withoutany shifting parts. The system, by default, operates in a demo mode in which each sensoroperation is demonstrated.Demo mode is very useful for new users as they can step through various functionalities of thesystem. Once acquainted with the basic operations, users can design and develop their ownexperiments. The general layout of the board is shown in Fig 1. Fig 2 shows fully

Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laila Guessous, Oakland University; Qian Zou, Oakland University; Brian Sangeorzan, Oakland University; Xia Wang, Oakland University; Chris Kobus, Oakland University; Gary Barber, Oakland University; Alex Alkidas, Oakland University; Michael Latcha, Oakland University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

on automotive research. The Automotive Research and IndustrialMentorship (ARIM) REU program at Oakland University 1 aims to engage participants inrewarding automotive research experiences that excite and motivate them to pursue careers inscientific and engineering research, and seeks to address the nationwide problem of the under-representation of women and minorities in the sciences, technology, engineering andmath (STEM).The automotive focus of this program was a natural choice given OU’s close ties to and locationnear the world headquarters and engineering centers of the Big-Three automakers, as well asover one hundred automotive suppliers in southeast Michigan. So, in the summer of 2006, tenundergraduate engineering students from across

Conference Session

Introducing Active and Inductive Learning and Improving the Learning Curve in ME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Byrne, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Keith describes how entering into the position of engineeringprofessor is in some ways similar to starting up a company.1 This perception is based, in part,upon the premise that excellence and achievement is expected in all categories. Moreover, thereis reported an increasing emphasis on more research for scholarship, even at many of the smaller,regional institutions.There is a conventional knowledge within the engineering education community regarding theexpectations of faculty at different institutions or in different faculty positions. As it relates toindividual professional preferences, this has been categorized by Andrew Rose2 as: “Tenure-Track Position in Engineering at a Research University Tenure-Track Position in

Conference Session

Meeting ABET Requirements

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Biney, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

first courseobjective is to teach students to design systems, components, and processes to meet a desiredneed by following a well defined design process. The anticipated outcomes for this objective arethat students will (1) demonstrate the ability to apply the design process systematically in anydesign environment, (2) conduct research on the economical, global impact, ethical and technicalaspects of the engineering design, and (3) have the knowledge to optimize engineering solutionsand designs in accordance with technical and contemporary constraints.The second course objective is to teach students to function in a multidisciplinary design team.The anticipated outcomes for this objective are that students will (1) demonstrate team workthrough

Conference Session

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cuneyt Sert, Middle East Technical University; Gunes Nakiboglu, ROKETSAN Missiles Industries Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

parameters, boundary and initial conditions,etc. is prepared. The generated mesh and this input file is fed into the solver to obtain thenumerical results. These results need to be analyzed using a visualization software. This is not avery user friendly approach. It is also not economical due to the need of separate pre- and post-processing software. Virtual Flow Lab tries to include relatively simple but functional pre-processing, solver and post-processing tools in a single software.Screenshots of Virtual Flow Lab taken during the geometry definition and mesh generation stepsare given in Figures 1 and 2. The user can draw the geometry of the problem using elementarygeometrical entities such as lines, circular arcs, splines, etc. Then the mesh

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nihad Dukhan, University of Detroit Mercy; Michael Jenkins, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

is chair and professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Detroit Mercy where is specializes in materials, mechanics of materials, machine design and reliability/probability. He has been involved in pedagogy in higher education for the past 15 years and test engineering and R&D activities for the past 25 years. His post PhD positions include 12 years at University of Washington in Seattle, 5 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and 1 year as a postdoctoral invited researcher at the University of Tokyo. Prior to his PhD he worked at PACCAR Technical Center for 2.5 years. He has authored or co-authored over 75 archival publications, over 100 proceedings publications, and

Conference Session

Software and E-learning in the ME Curriculum

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John-David Yoder, Ohio Northern University; Mihir Sen, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

course will be thecontrol of nonlinear systems through ‘intelligent’ algorithms.Course Description:Nine students, including seven mechanical engineering students and two electricalengineering students, were enrolled in the new course at ONU. The course met for threefifty-minute lectures and a one-hundred-ten minute laboratory each week. Students hadtwenty-four-hour swipe-lock access to the laboratory. The ten-week course followedroughly the following schedule: Week 1: o Lecture: Introduction, limitations of linear assumption o Lab: Demonstration of inverted pendulum and saturated amplifier to Page 12.529.3 demonstrate

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Marchetta, University of Memphis; Edward Perry, University of Memphis

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

assessment. Thisself-administered online tool poses 40 conjectures to the student. Upon completion of theinstrument the student’s learning style is characterized and reported to the student in terms ofeach of the following learning style pairs: ‚ Active vs Reflective Learning Style ‚ Sensing vs Intuitive Learning Style ‚ Page 12.1126.3 Visual vs Verbal Learning Style ‚ Sequential vs Global Learning Style Figure 1. Sample homework assignment using an online learning object.For this study, the Visual vs Verbal learning style was used to compare the learning styles of thestudents populating these courses.Material related to

Conference Session

Meeting ABET Requirements

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anne Spence, University of Maryland-Baltimore County; Liang Zhu, University of Maryland-Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

outcomes (l) Knowledge of chemistry and calculus-based physics with depth in at least one (m) The ability to apply advanced mathematics through multivariate calculus and differential equations (n) Familiarity with statistics and linear algebra (o) The ability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas including the design and realization of such systems.Upon identification of these outcomes, the arduous task of outcomes measurement andassessment began. Course work is the mechanism used to produce the program outcomes.Students take courses in four broad areas: 1. General Foundation Courses (30 credits, 10 courses) These courses in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Language and Culture

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Perwez Kalim, Wilkes University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

that the sophomore year course load often appeared more demandingthan the course load of other years in the curriculum. This was noticeable in our curriculum aswell, where students suffered from sharply decreased self-esteem and enthusiasm. It was also tosome extent apparent from their course work and examination preparedness. Table 1 shows theWilkes University’s Mechanical Engineering curriculum. In this course structure the first trulyrelevant mechanical engineering course the students are exposed to is thermodynamics, whichwas also offered at the sophomore level. Previous outcome based analysis indicated that students Page 12.859.2struggled

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Widmann, California Polytechnic State University; Kim Shollenberger, California Polytechnic State University; Jane Kennedy, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Investor's Free Internet". Page 12.1319.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Student use of Author’s Textbook Solution Manuals: Effect on Student Learning of Mechanics FundamentalsAbstractEvidence indicates 90% of engineering students have used author’s textbook solutions manuals,and up to 75% of these students regularly use the manuals when working graded homeworkassignments.1 Many faculty intuitively believe that the use of these manuals by students is notonly a form of academic dishonesty, but has negative effects on student learning; however theeffect on learning is not well documented

Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Madara Ogot, Pennsylvania State University; Gül Okudan, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the mechanics of using them – as they areoften required to do so by the course instructor – but proceed with the concept generation stepwithout using or referring to most of the gathered information. The Needs-Problem Matrix (NPM), loosely based on the Quality Function Deployment’sHouse of Quality,7 aims to tie seemingly disparate data from several pre-ideation tools together,presenting student designers with clear connections and a path forward in the ideation process.Use of the NPM ensures that relevant information is not omitted or ignored during conceptgeneration. With reference to Figure 1, the NPM incorporates information garnered from patent

Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen McClain, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the students todesign a hot-water heating system for the Secret-Lair’s Engineering Office Building. Whilebeing funny and engaging students, the projects have also been very useful in 1) providing aghost audience for the students’ technical documents, 2) introducing environmental and ethicalconcepts, 3) introducing the bidding process, 4) demonstrating the engineering-relatedimplausibility of plots common to many “evil villain-world domination” films.IntroductionIn many ways, this paper may seem to be just another example of what happens when a classclown grows up to become a professor [1-5]. However, the benefits of using humor whileteaching are well documented [6-8]. The process of learning is uncomfortable! Teaching withactive learning

Conference Session

Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Instruction

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen McClain, Baylor University; Christopher Smitherman, University of Alabama-Birmingham

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

thermodynamic property functions needed to teach anundergraduate applied thermodynamics course. While the function development was directed atthe applied thermodynamics course, which is commonly taught early in the undergraduatemechanical engineering curriculum, the functions are excellent tools for upper-level electivessuch as HVAC, internal combustion engines, thermal systems design, and turbomachinery.IntroductionLearning with a combination of a textbook and a software package is a contemporaryengineering-thermodynamics pedagogy. Many software tools are available for evaluatingthermodynamic properties of engineering fluids. Many of these software tools are proprietarypackages sold by textbook publishers, such as “Interactive Thermodynamics: IT” [1

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hyun Kim, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

graduates. The ABET requires all engineering programs todemonstrate their students’ achievement and to develop an assessment program that ensurescontinuous improvement and successful accomplishment of the outcomes.Although there are other desired outcomes1 that are added by some schools, accomplishing theselearning outcomes are generally accepted by educators as a benchmark for successfulassessment. Consequently, most engineering programs adopt an assessment program with atypical feedback loop process2, as shown in Figure 1. The skills and ability associated with these Page 12.881.2learning outcomes are essential for the success of engineering

Conference Session

Introducing Active and Inductive Learning and Improving the Learning Curve in ME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Malicky, University of San Diego; James Kohl, University of San Diego; Ming Huang, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

other’s safety; no significant injuries occurred throughout thecourse.Woodworking Projects: Fast-Return Actuator and Acoustic GuitarAs their introductory project to woodworking equipment, students constructed a simplemechanism (Figure 1). This fast-return actuator (an inversion of the slider-crank mechanism) isthen analyzed in the concurrent Dynamics class. This project taught skills on the miter saw,table saw, drill press, sander, and band-saw. The basic design was adapted and modified fromLevy5. Mechanical engineering students sometimes have pre-existing skills in woodworking;this project was designed to allow both basic and advanced versions, to provide challenge to alllevels. This project typically took 1 lab period

Conference Session

Meeting ABET Requirements

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bobby Crawford, USMA

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

place “that demonstrates that these program outcomes are being measured andindicates the degree to which the outcomes are achieved.”1 This paper describes a process that iscurrently in use at USMA to incorporate student performance indicators into the assessment ofcourse objectives and program outcomes.Mechanical Engineering Program Outcomes Page 12.1565.2In accordance with ABET, Inc. guidance, the ME program leadership began by defining theoutcomes (those things that our students should know and be able to do by graduation) for ourprogram that would support our program objectives. We then performed an analysis to ensurethat the program outcomes

Conference Session

Introducing Active and Inductive Learning and Improving the Learning Curve in ME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Veronica Addison, University of South Carolina; Christian Hipp, University of South Carolina; Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

as engineers in theworkplace. The NSF project’s research questions are: 1. What computer experiences do students have when they enter college-level engineering class? 2. In what ways does varying the timing of the introduction of computer techniques affect students’ expectations and creative use of these methods? 3. In what kinds of problems does the computer specifically enhance understanding? In what kinds of problems does the computer act as an obstacle to understanding? 4. How can we emphasize the importance of setting up problems for computer-aided solutions instead of emphasizing the results of the process?In the Fall 2006 semester, a sixty-student class of EMCH 201 was divided into two sections

Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Efstathios Michaelides, University of North Texas; Reza Mirshams, University of North Texas

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

civilization are indelibly connected to the harnessing of energy in the formof fire: The caveman improved his and his clan’s life by bringing fire (energy) into theircaves/dwellings and using it for heating and cooking. Centuries later, the industrial revolution,which altered drastically the history and destiny of mankind, has its foundations in theharnessing of thermal energy by engines that produce mechanical work. Today, the wealth ofmodern nations and the welfare of their citizens depend greatly on the availability of affordableenergy. Figures 1 and 2 that have been produced from data of the International energy Agency[1] show that the use of energy, either as total primary energy consumption or as electric poweris directly correlated to both the

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to ME Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jakob Bruhl, United States Military Academy; James Ledlie Klosky; Elizabeth Bristow, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

who watched the videosas part of their study performed on average 2.3% better than predicted (with a median increase of2.8%) while those who did not watch any of the videos performed 1.8% better (median increaseof 2.2%). Figure 1 presents this increase in academic performance. The lowest incoming GPAof any student was 1.93 (average incoming GPA was 3.09). The lines shown in Figure 1 arebest-fit trendlines of the final grades for each group of students (those who used Video AI andthose who did not) along with the grade scale (which is the standard grade scale across ourinstitution). Figure 1 thus represents a strong data set since little manipulation of the data wasundertaken and the data can thus be considered relatively raw

Conference Session

Design Project Based Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Forsberg, Hofstra University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

instructor provided the locations of the diffusers and also the location ofthe fan. Figure No. 1 shows the required location of the fan and the required locations ofthe five diffusers. The possible duct routings are shown as dashed lines. The studentshad to size and route the ductwork from the fan to the diffusers. At first, it was planned Page 13.129.2to temporarily support the ducts from the ceiling. This proved to be unfeasible due tolack of suitable ceiling supports. Therefore, it was decided to support the ducts on chairsin the aisles and other open areas of the room. Some experiments in the room are onmovable carts, and these were allowed to be moved

Conference Session

Accreditation Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Biney, Prairie View A&M University; Raghava Kommalapati, Prairie View A&M University; Michael Gyamerah, Prairie View A&M University; Annamalai Annamalai, Prairie View A&M University; Pamela Obiomon, Prairie View A&M University; Xiaobo Peng, Prairie View A&M University; Mohan Ketkar, Prairie View A&M University; Nripendra Sarker, Prairie View A&M University; Ravindra Iyengar, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the program outcomes listed forEngineering programs (EAC Criterion 3, a-k outcomes), Engineering Technology programs(TAC Criterion 2, a-k outcomes) and Computer Science programs (CAC criterion 1, a-ioutcomes). Performance criteria have been used to break down each program outcome intoconcrete measurable actions students are expected to be able to perform to demonstrateproficiency in the outcome. For each of the listed outcomes for the ABET Accreditation bodies,detailed performance criteria are presented in this paper. Suggestions on how the performancecriteria can be used in a program are described in detail to allow selective adoption of theperformance criteria for different programs and for different courses. The methodology fordefining and

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Petru-Aurelian Simionescu, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

most widely used in practice, being preferred overcycliodal and circular profile gears (like Wildhaber-Novikov), because of the followingfavorable properties16,17: ‚ the transmission ratio between two involute gears is not sensitive to the center distance modification; ‚ the same cutting tool can be used to manufacture gears with any number of teeth - the module (or diametral pitch) and whole depth of these gears will of course be the same; Page 13.781.2 1 ‚ the cutting tools used to fabricate involute gears (in particular the

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering Fundamentals is a three credit senior level course that serves asa senior elective for the BSME requirements. It has been a popular course with over 1/3 of theannual BSME graduates (about 50) enrolling in the course. When Michigan State Universitywas on quarters, a three course sequence in aerospace engineering existed that coveredaerodynamics, propulsion, and design. The current course was established in the transition tosemesters, but staffing issues led to it being rarely taught and was nearly dropped from thecurriculum. At the last moment, this was avoided due to a faculty member stepping forward toclaim the course and student/employer input on the need for such a course. The current coursedescription is: Aerodynamics

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New?

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marisa Orr, Clemson University; Lisa Benson, Clemson University; Matthew Ohland, Purdue Engineering Education; Sherrill Biggers, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

students completed the survey; 169 students selected at least one of themultiple choice answers for each of the questions. Write-in answers were also accepted, but theywere not used in this analysis. All methods were approved by the Institutional Review Board;confidentiality of student identities and survey responses was maintained throughout the study.CodingQuantitative analysis of the survey responses varied depending on the format of the question.The first survey question was regarding homework, with 6 close-ended and one open-endedresponse choices: 1) I did the homework for this class (circle all that apply) a) by myself b) with help from my team or table c) with help from classmates not at my table d) at SI e) with