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Session 1526

Hands-on Learning Tools for Engineering Mechanics

Jennifer Kadlowec1, Paris von Lockette 1, Eric Constans1, Beena Sukumaran2, Douglas Cleary2 1 Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028 2 Civil Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028

Abstract

A team of faculty and students in the College of Engineering at Rowan University are developing hands-on and visualization tools for use in mechanics courses. The developed tools consist of physical simply-supported and cantilever beams that are instrumented with load cells. The students can apply various loading conditions to the beams and for the simply-supported case, also move the location of the supports. A data acquisition card is used to import the measurements from the load cells and displacement transducers and a Labview graphical user interface allows the user to find reaction loads and plot deflections, stresses, and shear and bending diagrams. The tools are designed to help students overcome difficulties in working with forces, moments, displacements and stresses. The tools are being developed so that critical thinking and problem solving skills of students will be improved by engaging them in the learning process through individual experimentation. The equipment will have a positive an impact on student learning in courses the Mechanical and Civil Engineering programs and the interdisciplinary design clinic sequence as well as benefit students with various learning styles.

Introduction

Statics and Solid Mechanics are typically taught at the sophomore level in lecture format. Several multimedia courseware initiatives in these subject areas have been developed that focus on theory, problem solving, or drill and practice. 1,5,9,10 Hands-on or computer-aided simulations have also been used in engineering education. 2,4,6,7,12 The investigators have found that curriculum improvement is needed in the areas of problem formulation and integration of hands-on force input with computer visualization tools. In entry-level engineering courses, students often do not know where to start a problem or how to determine which external and reaction forces must be included in free body diagrams and equations of equilibrium. Furthermore, the stresses caused in objects by axial, torsional, bending, and combined loadings are often quite difficult for students to visualize.

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Constans, E., & Kadlowec, J., & Sukumaran, B., & von Lockette, P., & Cleary, D. (2002, June), Hands On Learning Tools For Engineering Mechanics Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10616