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Incorporating Finite Element Analysis-based Projects in Teaching Machine Component Design

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Conference

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Tampa, Florida

Publication Date

June 15, 2019

Start Date

June 15, 2019

End Date

June 19, 2019

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Technical Session 5

Tagged Division

Mechanical Engineering

Page Count

8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--32958

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/32958

Download Count

569

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Paper Authors

biography

Shengyong Zhang Purdue University Northwest

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Shengyong Zhang (syzhang@pnw.edu) is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Purdue University Northwest. He has teaching and research interest in the areas of computer modeling and simulation, vibration and acoustics, system dynamics, and automobile lightweight design.

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Abstract

Finite element analysis (FEA) has widely applications in industries as a powerful tool for engineering modelling and simulation during the product development process. FEA has also been adopted as a pedagogical tool in the mechanical engineering curriculum. Integrating FEA into the machine design course provides students with a visual insight into the concepts covered in lectures, and an opportunity to learn the capabilities and limitations of FEA.

This paper documents an effort to integrate FEA into the machine design course at the Purdue University Northwest. Students learn to build various FE models in the assigned class projects, including plane truss, auto frame, plate, thin-walled member with closed-hat section. The FEA visual features enable students to visualize the resulting stress and strain distributions, enhancing their comprehension and retention of lecture materials. These FEA-based projects also help students understand the capabilities of FEA and how beneficial FEA can be in the machine design and optimization process.

Zhang, S. (2019, June), Incorporating Finite Element Analysis-based Projects in Teaching Machine Component Design Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32958

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