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Item Board 136: MAKER: Laboratory Improvements for Mechanical Engineering (Phase 2)(ASEE, 2018) Derrick, Joseph Michael; Golub, Michael; Shrivastav, Vaibhav R.; Zhang, Jing; Mechanical and Energy Engineering, School of Engineering and TechnologyThe convection heat transfer is explored for a new academic laboratory experiment to help address the lack of practical experimentation due to the continued integration of technology. The objective is to design an experiment to be used in the laboratory that enhances the student understanding of convection process and principles. A cost-effective design is generated with three core principles: 1) Low Cost, 2) Low Maintenance, and 3) Concept Visualization. This is achieved through the following description of the apparatus. The plexiglass chamber has a square base with a designated height. At the bottom of the chamber, there is a rectangular section removed to act as an inlet to the chamber. A high powered mini turbine fan is located at the top of the chamber. The fan acts as the driving force that pulls in the surrounding air from the inlet to generate a flow within the chamber. A door is located on the front of the chamber to allow for interchanging of different test geometries. The geometries being used are 3D printed to components either in the form of a fin (External Flow) or a hollowed channel parallel to the flow (Internal Flow). The components are mounted to the door with cylindrical heater connecting the two. The components are heated to steady state, where the average temperature along the surface is calculated. The velocity, surface temperature, and ambient temperature are recorded using a data acquisition system. The resulting convection coefficients are then determined.Item Capstone Design Project Experience: Lunar Ice Extraction Design(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-01) Zusack, Steven Anthony; Patil, Raveena; Lachenman, Sean; Johnson, Chanel Antoinette; Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyA group of senior undergraduate students came together as part of a non-traditional capstone design project. The assignment was to take part in the NASA RASC-AL competition and required adjustment to the class curriculum. Two examples are that a direct point of contact from the customer would not be possible as there is no specific person at NASA meant to act as the customer and the submission deadline was after the semester concluded. The students were all from the mechanical engineering department and had a fascination with space technology but came from vastly different demographic backgrounds representing multiple spheres of diversity. This diversity brought unique and unexpected approaches to the project. The project required close interaction of the group throughout and after the semester to accomplish a very difficult goal: the design of a full scale lunar ice extraction facility capable of running autonomously and producing at least 100 metric tonnes of ice per year. The operational plan is to be accompanied by a detailed budget and launch plans to begin taking effect in 2025. Having no experience working with one another prior to this project, the group was required to quickly develop a productive team ethos to address such a large challenge. The aim of this study is to assess the outcomes and reactions during a project from a diverse group of students attempting to complete an unusual capstone design. Accompanying this are pre-, intra-, and post-project surveys to assess effectiveness of the group on key project issues. The primary research questions to answer are: does the perception of the group regarding effectiveness positively correlate with the feelings of ownership of the project and feelings that the individual students’ passions are being considered. Further, because the competition is staged and set to go on the full academic year, the students are interviewed regarding plans on continuing the project beyond the current semester when the majority of the team will have graduated.Item New Modes of Instructions for Electrical Engineering Course Offered to Non- Electrical Engineering Majors(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06) Shayesteh, Seemein; Rizkalla, Maher E.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyAn issue of “too abstract and not too visible” ECE content materials was often cited by non electrical engineering majors when pursuing an electrical engineering course. Close scrutiny to the issues suggests that new modes of instructions are to be pursued in order to meet students’ satisfaction and successful delivery of the course. The ECE20400 “Electrical and Electronics Circuits”, a required course for the mechanical engineering program, has been offered for near 10 years in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at our school with the traditional text book format, covering linear circuits and digital electronics with a lab that is integrated with the course materials. Feedback from ME students throughout the years, has led to the new approach covered in this paper. New modes of instructions using mechanical/electrical system analogy, attached learning with real engineering applications to each section of the course, and project based portfolio with students’ engagement in multidisciplinary teams. In the latter, designated assignments to group individuals has led to positive impact on the course. In this paper, we are providing the new approach on the modified course in recent offering at our campus. Feedback from summer 2105 in addition to fall 2015 will be incorporated to the outcomes of the new development. With the advancement of integrated electrical systems from sub-micron integrated circuit technology to high frequency Wi-Fi wireless applications and as global market competition demands systems with enhanced functionalities and yet - lower cost, lighter weight and smaller size - the role of mechanical engineers in a multidisciplinary team in the workplace is highly critical in the success of the system design and performance. The non-electrical disciplines such as manufacturing, packaging, board layout, wire bonding, heat transfer, etc. have a profound impact on an electrical design. It is critical that non-EE team members know the basic electronics. To boost students’ interest, this message is conveyed to a mostly mechanical engineering student population in this required introductory analog / digital course. In addition, peer led teams from class present effective analogies to observe the connection of electrical engineering concepts to mechanical engineering equivalence. These, in addition to circuit simulation and hands-on laboratory experiments, encourage creative thinking, teamwork and active class participation, in an effort to prepare students in the global work force. Students’ feedback from summer 2015 supported much of the new modes detailed in this paper.Item Topology optimization and 3D printing of a lightweight protective robotic vehicle structure(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Charlton, Kerri A; Kello, ClaytonThe goal of this project is to design and 3D print a lightweight protective structure of a robotic vehicle structure. Lightweight structure design is a prevalent technology considered by aerospace and automotive engineers that carries challenges associated with protection capabilities under impact. The design problem to be addressed is the optimal structural layout that preserves the mechanical integrity of the structure subjected to external loading using the minimum amount of material. Our work addresses this problem using three-dimensional structural topology optimization. The use of topology optimization allows the designer to synthesize a concept structure by distributing a given amount of material within a volume, referred to as the design domain. The design domain does not include any predetermined structural feature, allowing topology optimization synthesizing innovative, non-conversional designs. In our work, the concept structural design is refined using computer-aided design tools and 3D printed. The final 3D printed component is tested and assembled to the robotic device. This technology involving three-dimensional topology optimization and 3D printing can be applied to the design of innovative structures in micromechanical applications and extended to the aerospace and automotive industries.