Conference Session

Teaching with Technology in Dynamics and Mechanics of Materials

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Honghui Yu, The City College of New York; Feridun Delale, The City College of New York

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

so well defined that the content and coverage of the course have been almostfixed for many decades. Most of the textbooks are similar. On the other hand, due to theadvancement of technology, MoM has found many new applications. Mechanicalengineering students are having more and more employment opportunities in emergingtechnologies other than conventional industries such as automobile companies. There isa need to expose students to many applications of MoM in real life especially inemerging technologies. The work reported in this article is part of the department’s effort in incorporatingemerging technologies into undergraduate curriculum, which is supported by a grant fromthe National Science Foundation. For this particular course, the

Conference Session

What's New in Statics?

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dong, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

; stability, center of mass, shear and moment diagrams, moment of inertia, andhorizontal shear, etc... The models also provide a natural means for incorporating three-dimensional equilibrium into the curriculum. There were two goals in mind when using modelmaking as a learning tool: integrate three-dimensional activities from the start since buildingproblems are naturally three-dimensional and show how most three-dimensional problems can besimplified into two-dimensional problems. This meant that most examples were rectilinear, butthis conceptual way of teaching allows for students to relate building forms to structural behaviorand also allows students to apply abstract concepts to problems that model the built environment.As an example, a “12-node

Conference Session

What's New in Statics?

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shane Palmquist, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

and practitioners.For example, in a sophomore level mechanics course at WKU, engineering students worked inteams to perform a preliminary physical field inspection and analysis of a historic steel trussbridge located in Bowling Green, Kentucky.The focus of the paper is to present the work performed by the students and how the project wasintegrated into the course curriculum where the concepts of engineering mechanics discussed inclass were related directly to the bridge. Students appreciated this approach to learning whichoffers a unique hands-on experience where students actively participate by working in the fieldon an existing structure.I. IntroductionIn recent years, there has been a growing trend in engineering education to include

Conference Session

Innovative Teaching Techniques in Mechanics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shanzhong (Shawn) Duan, South Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

equations of motion and constraint equations but without proper use of commercial virtual prototyping computer software.(3) Introducing both multibody dynamics theory and computer software functions in an integrated way.Each way has its strengths and weaknesses. The following table shows a brief comparison: Table 1: A Brief Comparison of Three Different Ways to Organize AMD Emphasis on course Level of course Time % of use of Difficulty of contents constraint software course Software- Workshop to train High High Low orientated software user Theory- Ph.D. level graduate Low Low

Conference Session

Innovative Teaching Techniques in Mechanics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Louis Everett, University of Texas-El Paso; Arunkumar Pennathur; Elsa Villa, University of Texas-El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

engineering curriculum byall UTEP engineering departments, except Electrical and Computer Engineering/Science, itimpacts the majority of the undergraduate engineering students. The average pass rate of studentsin Dynamics since fall 2000 is 55.3%. Of course, many of the unsuccessful students repeat andpass; but an initial failure certainly slows their progress to graduation. The interventionsdescribed in this paper attempt to increase the number of graduates by helping more studentslearn the concepts in Dynamics so they become successful the first time they take the course. This paper describes an experiment using RWST in a classroom environment. It is expectedthat a properly designed curriculum using RWST will increase graduation rates with

Conference Session

Back to Basics in Mechanics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Malmgren, University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

-machinery) prior to teaching Mechanical Engineering Technology. Page 11.1338.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 THE “BACK TO THE FUTURE” EXPERIENCE OF GRAPHICAL ANALYSISAbstractGraphical analysis has always been an integral part of the medley of techniques to solveengineering problems. In the past, the accuracy of the graphical analysis solution was limited bythe precision of the instruments associated with producing it. Rudimentary tools such as pencils,scales, protractors, T-squares, planimeters, slide rules, etc., provided a solution within acceptablelimits of error. However, the

Conference Session

Teaching with Technology in Dynamics and Mechanics of Materials

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Salim Haidar, Grand Valley State University; Ali Mohammadzadeh, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

powerful tool in analysis and design of dynamical systems.The authors used SIMULINK in analysis and design of an automobile suspension system6 as an Page 11.1141.2exemplary model in vibrations’ class.This model example, which provided for follow-up homework assignments and a project, helpedstudents learn about efficient numerical methods, and how to employ technology tools,MATLAB and SIMULINK, in solving engineering problems, early in the dynamics class. Whatstudents learned here helps them a great deal in the subsequent courses in the curriculum. Thestate form of the governing differential equations of motion, introduced to students in the follow

Conference Session

What's New in Mechanics of Materials?

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lucas Passmore, Pennsylvania State University; Aiman Kuzmar, Pennsylvania State University-Fayette

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

, civil, industrial,and aerospace engineering and engineering technology disciplines. It provides a fundamentalunderstanding of the mechanical properties of various materials which makes them useful for amultitude of applications. It also provides an introduction to the analysis of staticallyindeterminate structures which allows more complex problems to be solved than is possible withstatics analysis alone. These important topics are, however, approached in different ways fortraditional engineering, and engineering technology students here at Penn State. The similaritiesand differences in the two courses are addressed in this paper. The paper also explains theimportance of this comparison to the students and the educators in both