Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Foley, United States Coast Guard Academy; Michael Plumley, United States Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

a real feel as to what theproperty is telling us. The paper presents an analysis therefore of a simple hot water pipe to show specific issuesand areas of confusion with second law control volume selection. It concludes emphasizingthe importance of consistently listing assumptions both for the student solving, and theinstructor setting an assignment. In summary, this paper highlights and gives an example ofnovel teaching methods that have been successfully used by the authors to overcome this‘bottleneck’ in thermodynamic instruction.Introduction Foley [1] derived the property entropy from consideration of a simple orifice plate in apipe. This derivation was unique in that the entropy term derived did not arise from any heattransfer

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Foley, United States Coast Guard Academy; Michael Plumley, United States Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

vaguely and randomly enthalpy is introduced inmany engineering texts, many justifying its introduction simply by saying ‘because the sumU+pV occurs so frequently …. It is convenient to give the combination a name, enthalpy”[1]Some texts allude to it is an energy property that includes ‘flow work’, and this in turn issomewhat diversely defined. Indeed the root of the problem could be traced back to theGreek origins of the word itself, ‘enthalpos’ [2], translated to ‘to put heat into’. Again asmost undergraduates will recite, enthalpy is a property and heat is not, so immediately we arerunning into problems here. Another early discussion by Planck [3] does attempt to be moreprecise by referring to Gibb’s description of a property, H called ‘the

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Plumley, United States Coast Guard Academy; Andrew Foley, United States Coast Guard Academy; Earnest Greene, US Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

course is required of all students seeking mechanical, civil, or navalarchitecture and marine engineering degrees. Many electrical engineering and marine sciencestudents take the course as an elective. The need for a lab, along with the complexities ofincorporating one into already crowded student schedules, was recently addressed in a localprogram review. The issue of balancing thermodynamic instruction and student course load isnot unique to this institution [1]. To account for the lack of lab time, the authors, who were newto teaching this course at this institution, endeavored to introduce hands on demonstrationsduring typical lectures. This resulted in the design, construction, and use of three stand alonedemonstration units. The devices

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

surfaces. Forsighted students, the corresponding visual graphics are also presented. For describing theinteraction forces, mathematical equations are used directly to describe a probe tip interactingwith a flat surface, with gravity and inertia dominating at the macroscale, and van der Waals andelectrostatic forces dominating at the nanoscale. The student is able to move the Falcon towardsand away from the surface, at the different scales, to feel the contribution of the different forces. Page 14.471.2They are also able to “turn-off” components of the net force to enable understanding of theeffects of individual types of forces.1

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

.Measuring Student Retention; The Evaluative InstrumentFor this study, the authors set out to make a quantitative rather than qualitative measure of term-to-term student retention rather than gathering anecdotal or qualitative data. To accomplish this,students’ medium-term retention of the material covered in Video AI clips was measured using ashort quiz given the first day of the Mechanics class, which most students take one semester afterthe Statics-Strengths class. This quiz, presented as Figure 1, contained three simple applicationproblems that are essential to Mechanics and for which Video AI clips had been available in theprevious semester. The problems required students to find the centroid of a compound shape,solve a two-dimensional

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

graduate students and engineers, and learn about graduate schooland other undergraduate research options. Graduate students participate in career developmentworkshops and gain mentoring, project management and teaching experience. The program alsoinvites guest speakers that provide information on the topics most relevant to applying andgetting through graduate school successfully.The goals of GLUE are to:1. Contribute to the overall goal of WEP to recruit, retain and graduate women in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin2. Provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to experience research first-hand3. Increase the number of female engineering students pursuing graduate degrees and research careers4

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

Page 14.17.3various math and trigonometry functions. Among the engineering functions are Besselfunctions, error functions, and other functions appearing in heat transfer equations. To usefunctions in the Excel worksheet, the insert button on the Excel menu bar is clicked. Thenselecting function among a list of options, a dialogue box appears on the screen, as shown onFig. 1. One can search for the desired function by typing a description of the function (financial,engineering, etc.) in the search box or using the “select category” box by scrolling throughoptions for the desired function.For problems requiring iterative calculations, the “Goal Seek” or “Solver” tools can beemployed. By using the tool menu and selecting the solver option a

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenny Mahan, University of Alabama; Jesse Huguet, University of Alabama; Joseph Chappell, University of Alabama; Keith Woodbury, University of Alabama; Robert Taylor, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

functionsbecause they are computed directly using these relations from Tillner-Roth and Baher.Since the equations provided by Tilner-Roth and Baehr’s paper only solve the primary equationswhen a single phase relation exists, it was important to insert logic checks into the coding of theprimary equations to determine if the thermodynamic state resides in the two phase region. Anexample of the coding of a typical primary function, p_Tv_R134a, can be seen in Figure 1. Ifthe state resides in the saturated region the pressure would simply be the saturation pressure atthe corresponding temperature; otherwise the single phase relationship from the paper would beused to solve for the pressure.After the primary functions were coded in the R134a module, the next

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sangram Redkar, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, simulations and interpretation of test results. Thus, the lectureschedule comprised of topics (shown in table 1) from vehicle dynamics introduction tosimulation and testing incorporating MSC training material as appropriate.Topic Topic Name Weeks Focus AreaNo1 Introduction 1 Course Outline, Projects discussion and project assignments.2 Kinematics and Dynamics of 2,3 Review of concepts in Dynamics Rigid Bodies of Multi-body systems3 Multi-body Systems Simulation 4,5 Introduction to ADAMS

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Raghu Echempati, Kettering University; Andrew Fox, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

presented in this paper may pave a way to the development of a newtextbook that combines the mechanism design and finite element analysis.A typical senior/mezzanine level Mechanism course would deal with rigid bodykinematic and dynamic analyses of machinery. Commercial CAE software is alsogenerally used to model complex mechanisms, however, after validating with handcalculations the simple mechanism cases. Position synthesis is also introduced in thesyllabus to leave some room for creative design of mechanisms based on functionalrequirements. On the other hand, an introductory finite element analysis (FEA) coursetypically introduces the theory of FEM with simple applications to real world structuralcomponents. Both 1-D and 2-D formulations are

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wael Mokhtar, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Page 14.798.3 2The project has three main goals: 1. Expose the students to a hands-on engineering experience in the freshman year. 2. Introduce soft skills such as writing, oral presentation and project management. 3. Introduce the students to critical thinking and engineering problem solving (EPS) techniques.Course objectivesFour objectives were selected to meet the research course goals. The objectives are designed toaddress both technical and communication skills. Technical skills include problem solvingtechniques, project management, and literature survey. Communication skills include technicalwriting, oral presentations

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

reactions,determining equilibrium composition, equilibrium flame temperature, and analyzing open andclosed systems with equilibrium or complete chemistry. Through a few button clicks, the user Page 14.1187.3friendly graphical user interface will produce equilibrium composition or temperature in acombustion chamber as the equivalence ratio is varied over a wide range. Comparisons will bemade with other established chemical analysis applications. Figure 1. Chapters 13 and 14 of the Problems and Examples sections deal with combustion and chemical equilibrium.Combustion and Equilibrium ProblemsTEST can be used as courseware for thermodynamics

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Miller, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

M&IE Department contains three Bachelor of Science programs: MechanicalEngineering, Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology. The MechanicalEngineering program has a ten-year average undergraduate enrollment of approximately 400students, as seen in Figure 1. Page 14.538.2Departmental Size and RetentionAs seen in Figure 1, the number of undergraduate students in the MSU ME program hasremained fairly stable over the past ten years (394 students). This is an excellent trait in light ofthe fact that the department hasminimally tracked, studied and respondedto trends in undergraduate enrollmentnumbers, and has performed

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

interval of time. In 1400 BC, water clocks (clepsydras) werecreated to improve time keeping without the sun by using a known amount of water flow15 asshown in Figure 1. Early water clocks involved simple containers that dripped water at a constantrate. Later versions were more advanced, using an upper reservoir and allowing only a slow flowof water into a tall and thin lower metered reservoir for accurate measurement. Around 725 BC aChinese polymath, Su Sung, built a mechanical clock tower which used a water drivenescapement to power the clock16. NATURE Calendars – Early Mankind Obelisks (3500 BC) – Egypt ELECTRONICS

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

andprofessional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve ”1. Thus, theyapply to what the graduates should accomplish in the work place a few years after thegraduation. Therefore, the assessment plan and data collection primarily rely on externalconstituencies.The mission of the mechanical engineering program is to provide and sustain a quality, state-of- Page 14.465.2the-art education in mechanical engineering that enables students to develop specializedknowledge and experience required to practice as professional mechanical engineers or to pursuea course in graduate studies. To fulfill this mission, the department has adopted

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Sutherland, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and kinematic closure equations12. Once the basic principles of the ICA are understood, the dynamic analysis of mechanisms isquite straightforward. In a manner similar to the approach in undergraduate statics courses, afree body diagram is formed for each moving body. The joint reaction forces (which arefunctions of the body motion variables) are applied along with any external applied forces,gravity forces and d’Alembert 1 (inertia) forces. The equations of equilibrium are then formedbased on each free body diagram. The number of equations and unknowns will equal each otherwithout further manipulation, so these equations can be directly numerically integrated usingstandard methods. The equations also have a convenient matrix form since the

Conference Session

Statics and Dynamics: What's New

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Walchko, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

dynamics course.The students agree that their conceptual knowledge increases when both course instruction andexams utilize the “no numbers” methodology. Exam scores also increase when this methodologyis applied throughout the entire course (classroom instruction, in-class example problems,homework problems, and exams). While the “no numbers” methodology is successful in anundergraduate dynamics course, further application of the methodology to other engineeringcourses seems promising.1. Introduction Conceptual learning is commonplace in current engineering education curriculum.Students taught to develop a conceptual understanding of various aspects within a particularengineering course will be more proficient at problem solving and abstract

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

competent in the theoretical underpinnings and also have the skills and confidenceto apply these to real applications demanded by current practice. This paper first introduces theimportance of robotics courses in the curricula of engineering programs, followed by results of asurvey that reports on the features of robotics courses in several universities in the United States.The difficulties of designing a robotics course are then addressed. Finally, a suggested structureof a senior level robotics course is proposed.IntroductionIn the year of 2005, the Robotics Education Workshop took place in Robotics Systems andScience symposium at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)1. The main goal of thisworkshop was to discuss how to turn robotics into

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Recktenwald, Portland State University; Robert Edwards, Pennsylvania State University, Erie; Douglas Howe, Portland State University; Jenna Faulkner, Portland State University; Calvin Hsieh, Portland State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

confrontingmisconceptions and exposing students to qualitative reasoning. These common themes arediscussed more detail in conjunction with specific examples from the set of EET experiments.The equipment used in the project is listed here: 1. Blender 2. Hair dryer 3. Toaster 4. Bicycle pump 5. Tank filling/draining 6. Sudden Expansion 7. Power supply The EET equipment is designed to be useful in different ways. The obvious use case is aspart of an undergraduate engineering laboratory experience. For example, we have use the tankfilling exercise, the tank draining exercise, and the sudden expansion exercises in the lab sectionsfor an undergraduate fluid mechanics course. The Blender, Hair Dryer, Toaster and BicyclePump have

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Impelluso, San Diego State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

improved learning by non-traditional engineeringstudents. This paper also reports on two additional teaching strategies that were deployed toimprove learning. Finally, this work points to the next step in this evolving redesign.Introduction Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) provides guidelines to present information in a mannerthat encourages learning and optimizes intellectual performance [1]. As an example, considerthe obstacles in learning new material in a non-native language. Clearly, there is an overload:learners must master both the new material and the language itself. Interestingly, this is resonantwith the challenge of learning to program a computer which faces those students not in thecomputer science major. Such learners must master

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arnaldo Mazzei, Kettering University; Richard Scott, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Technology. He is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has obtained a teaching award from the College of Engineering and was selected as professor of the semester four times by the local chapter of Pi-Tau-Sigma. Page 14.811.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Introduction of some optimization and design problems into undergraduate solid mechanicsIntroductionIn previous works 1, 2, 3 examples were given illustrating benefits of introducing modernsoftware, such as MAPLE®I, into undergraduate mechanics courses. The emphasis there wasmainly

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wayne Whiteman, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

teaching and learning experiencefor their students, the assessment process should be considered a success.In addition, there are requirements for educational institutions to be in compliance with a numberof accreditation bodies.1 This will include a regional accreditation board, such as the Southern Page 14.1109.2Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for schools in the southeast. For engineering and “Proceedings of the 2009 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2009, American Society for Engineering Education”engineering technology programs, periodic accreditation

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Goodarz Ahmadi, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

processes of particle transport,deposition and removal and re-entrainment were described. Computational simulationmethods as well laboratory experiments are integrated into the curriculum. In addition, acomprehensive website was developed for these courses, and the courses were taught attwo universities simultaneously on several occasions.Course Modules Four course modules are included into these combined research and curriculumdevelopment (CRCD) courses. These are: Page 14.942.2 ≠ Fundamentals of particle transport, deposition and removal. 1 ≠ Computational modeling of particle transport 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

are challenged to design, build, and test a robust, single-person, off-roadvehicle designed for the “weekend enthusiast”1. Today, all vehicles are designed around thesame 10 hp gasoline engine donated by a prominent engine manufacturer, making the designaspects of the vehicle very important. Students compete in one of three domestic competitions:East, Mid-West, and West. A unique aspect of the Baja SAE East competition that West Pointhabitually attends is that the vehicle must also be amphibious. Page 14.1285.2 Figure 1. One of two West Point Baja teams at the 2008 Baja East competition.The

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven O'Halloran, University of Portland; Timothy Doughty, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

experimental testing is described in detailalong with the associated results. . After that, the results of a student survey designed to quantifythe effectiveness of the two-part project are presented with a discussion of the results. This isfollowed by the conclusion.Theoretical Analysis and Finite Difference SimulationA semester project involving writing a finite difference code to determine the temperature(centerline and surface) of a small aluminum cylinder was assigned to introductory heat transferstudents. The project demonstrates heat transfer concepts of conduction and convection as wellas numerical solutions to time-dependant partial differential equations. The geometry of thecylinder is shown in Figure 1 below. Cylinder is

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nihad Dukhan, University of Detroit, Mercy; Mark Schumack, University of Detroit, Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

and Page 14.102.3assessment rubrics can be extremely useful for assessing the impact of service-learning onengineering students.In this project, the students were required to reflect on their experience considering severalreflective questions. The questions categorized as “reflection questions (RQ)” or “multiple-choice questions (MCQ)”, along with the targeted outcomes, are shown in Table 1. There were atotal of 14 reflections submitted by students and analyzed by the authors. The assessment wasoutcome-based as explained below. Table 1. Targeted outcomes and reflection questions used to assess them. outcome

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

student'scapability of integrating into professional teams and coping with completely new topics andtools that they have never worked before with. The main challenge is the harmonization ofindustrial and academic expectations and requirements that at times differ. We also have tocope with the extremely high degree of secrecy in the automotive and railway industry.IntroductionThe third phase of our 3-Phase Multi Subject Project Based Learning1,2,3,5 method is a part ofthe degree program curriculum, Figure 1. During the industrial internship the students leavethe department for at least 3 months and work under real industrial conditions. The students’aims are to improve their technical knowledge and collect professional experience in the realworld, as well as

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

available as audio files, and distributed in the MPEG-1, AudioLayer 3 digital encoding format, or what is more commonly known as “MP3” files. Today, Proceedings of the 2009 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2009 American Society for Engineering Educationpodcasts have expanded capabilities, and can include many file types, including audio, video,synch slide presentations or even PDF document files for distribution over the Internet. Whatmakes podcasting possible, and stand apart from streaming media, is found in the media type’sdistribution method. Using what is known as “RSS feeds” podcasts can be “pushed” via a mediaserver and “pulled” by an end user audience

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to Mechanical Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hakan Gurocak, Washington State University, Vancouver; Linda Chen, Washington State University Vancouver; Dave Kim, Washington State University, Vancouver; Amir Jokar, Washington State University, Vancouver

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

at theperformance criteria for each of the program outcomes (Appendix). To be measurable, eachperformance criteria had to start with an action verb, such as “apply”, “choose”, “analyze”,“validate”, corresponding to the levels of learning. The performance criteria were then presentedto the Industry Advisory Board for their input and approval.We developed 38 performance criteria for the 11 program outcomes. In the next step the PCswere mapped to the curriculum (Figure 1). Page 14.258.3 A A A A A A A B B B B C C C C D D D E E E F Course

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