MANE-4260 Design of Mechanical Systems

MANE-4260 Design of Mechanical Systems

Fall 2002 Course Syllabus

Course Description and Learning Objectives:

This course is intended to be a challenging capstone design experience for mechanical engineering students prior to graduation. This primarily self-directed course builds upon the knowledge and skills that students have gained from other engineering and professional development courses taken as part of the ME baccalaureate curriculum. It provides a meaningful culminating experience that introduces students to the multidisciplinary aspects of design. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students will develop an appreciation for the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills necessary for successful implementation of a significant development effort. Design methods will be learned in the context of a realistic engineering problem. The integrative aspects of a capstone design experience will be emphasized. Professional development in areas of leadership, team dynamics, interpersonal relationships, technical communications, and project management will be discussed and learned via active participation in a design project that is important to a sponsor.

The following learning objective is considered to be an essential part of this course:

Practicing skills, competencies, and points of view needed by engineering professionals

The following learning objectives are considered important for this course:

Acquiring skill in working with others as a member of a team
Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas
Developing skills in expressing oneself orally and in writing

The following activities are used to reinforce essential and important learning objectives:

Projects are used to exercise knowledge and skills gained from prior coursework
Students work together to learn teamwork and project management
Students perform engineering analyses to guide and justify design decisions
Students write reports, proposals, and memos, and make impromptu and formal oral presentations

The following discussion topics will be used to reinforce essential and important learning objectives:

Product Development Process / Risk Assessment
Requirements Definition / Technical and Professional Communications
Project Planning / Experimental Methods and Testing
Concept Generation and Selection / Design Optimization and Quality Engineering
Engineering Analysis and Calculations / Patents, IP, and Entrepreneurship
Design for Manufacture / Professional Ethics

Meetings and Milestones:

Student teams will be formed by the second week of classes. After teams are formed, students should plan for regular weekly meeting(s) with their faculty advisor during the following timeframes:

Section 1: Monday & Thursday 10:00 to 11:50 AM

Section 2: Monday & Thursday 12:00 to 1:50 PM

Section 3: Monday & Thursday 2:00 to 3:50 PM

A major portion of the scheduled lab time will be allocated for student teams to work on their projects. Faculty advisors will meet with teams during lab time to provide instruction, consultation, and to discuss team status. Mondays & Thursdays from 9:00 to 9:50 AM are reserved for lectures, information sharing, and impromptu status reviews. During the first few weeks of classes, this time will be used primarily for lectures and information sharing, after which time students will be called at random to review their individual progress with faculty advisors and fellow students during an open forum. Students should come prepared to make individual status presentations during the Monday and Thursday 9:00 to 9:50 am time period should they be asked to present. Students can expect at least one opportunity during the semester to review their individual progress during these open forum meetings and will be assessed on their performance. All students are expected to be present during these sessions to listen and provide constructive feedback.

Major course milestones and due dates are as follows (see attached list of assignments):

Course Milestones / Due Dates
Introductory Memos / Thursday, August 29, 2002
Team Semester Proposals / Thursday, September 12, 2002
Preliminary Engineering Analysis / Thursday, September 26, 2002
Mid-Term Design Reviews / Thursday, October 10, 2002
Mid-Term Reports / Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Final Engineering Calculations / Thursday, October 31, 2002
Final Project Reviews / Thursday, December 2, 2002
Final Design Reports & Memos / Monday, December 5, 2002

Course milestones are subject to change at the discretion of the faculty advisors.

Faculty Advisors:

Section 1 / Section 2 / Section 3
Rich Alben
Mailbox: JEC 2050
Phone (home): 370-1522
Email: / Mark Steiner
Office: JEC 3232
Phone: 276-2613
Email: / Henry Sneck
Office: JEC 4020
Phone: 276-6746
Email:

Textbook: “The Mechanical Design Process,” by David G. Ulman, 2nd or 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1997 or 2003

Attendance: Design is not a spectator sport. Active participation is required for a meaningful capstone experience. You are expected to attend and participate in meetings with your faculty advisor, project team, and sponsor mentor. You are also expected to make relevant contributions outside of regularly scheduled class time. Your active participation and initiative are a critical part of your individual success and that of your team.

Grading: You will receive direct feedback on a regular basis from your faculty advisor on your progress. Individual assignments, teamwork, written reports, and oral presentations will be used to make assessments. Your faculty advisor will assign a final semester grade based upon your cumulative performance throughout the semester. Forty percent (40%) of your grade will be awarded based on individual performance using the following distribution:

Written Assignments / 20%
Oral Presentations / 20%
Engineering Analysis & Calculation / 30%
Team Participation / 30%

Sixty percent (60%) of your grade will be awarded based on project results according to the following distribution.

Proposal / 10%
Mid-term Presentation / 15%
Mid-term Report / 15%
Final Presentation / 25%
Final Report / 25%
Teamwork / 10%

A 10-point scale will be used to make performance assessments based upon the following interpretations:

Interpretation / Score
Outstanding / 10
Excellent / 9
Good / 8
Satisfactory / 7
Marginal / 6
Failing / < 6

Project challenge level and the degree of success in achieving proposed project objectives are important factors that can and will influence your semester grade. Be aware that although your faculty advisor has sole responsibility to assign grades, he or she will also solicit inputs on your progress from other faculty members, your sponsor mentor(s), your peers, and you. Remediation on graded assignments will be at the discretion of the individual faculty advisor.

Laboratory and Facilities: We will make every effort to have the laboratory equipped for your project needs. Please see your faculty advisor for assistance when special supplies and equipment are needed.

Purchasing Procedures: To make purchases, students should contact Valerie Masterson in JEC 3018 (276-6626).

Report Outlines and Formats: Mid-term and final report outlines are provided for guidance only. It is possible (depending upon the project) that reports may either include or exclude selected sections. It is expected that reports will be completed in a professional fashion.

Faculty Advisor Responsibilities: Faculty advisor responsibilities include: 1. Providing guidance and instruction to the project team. 2. Assessing project team progress and individual student efforts. 3. Encouraging a productive working relationship between all team members, the sponsor, and others. 4. Helping the team overcome obstacles and encouraging good design practice. 5. Recommending sources for help and helping to provide resources.

Teacher Assistant Responsibilities: A TA will generally be available during regular lab hours and help maintain lab access during off-hours when students are working on their projects. Your TA will assist students to identify appropriate methods to solve their design problems and help them obtain resources. Your TA will help maintain lab space in an orderly fashion and promote safety and security in the lab. Your TA will maintain regular communications with the faculty advisors, propose opportunities to enhance the learning experience, and report on team issues.

Project Sponsorship: Most (if not all) projects will have a sponsor. The sponsor may be an organization, group, or person that is interested in seeing you be successful with your project. Sponsors provide motivation and relevance to your project, and can make a project much more fun and worthwhile. In some cases the sponsor is providing support in terms of funding, materials, information, and services. In accepting this support you may be requested to sign an intellectual property and confidentiality agreement (see attached MDL Sponsorship Agreement). Your sponsor “mentor” is expected to help the project team. You are encouraged to make appropriate, frequent, and direct contact with your sponsor mentor.

Project Scope: In the spirit of making this a realistic experience, student teams are challenged to properly scope the level of effort, and seriously consider the resources and time they have available to successfully accomplish project objectives. Team success will be assessed based upon a team’s ability to realistically scope project objectives, make plans to achieve those objectives, and ultimately deliver on the project plan.