College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 2
College of Engineering
Department - Author 2
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Engineering
Department - Author 3
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 4
College of Engineering
Department - Author 4
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Date
6-2021
Primary Advisor
Peter Schuster, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
This document will describe the development of a solution for enforcing the topics covered in the ME 329 - Mechanical System Design curriculum by bringing quality equipment to a classroom setting. The project Sponsor, Professor Lauren Cooper, has also noticed a lack of hands-on experience for many students entering this class. Our team is attempting to develop a solution for this problem.
To better understand what students would want to learn, or would have liked to learn more about, we conducted surveys of past, present, and future students as well as conducted interviews with professors that have taught the course. We also researched past projects from different schools as well as articles of similar products that are and were on the market. All of this information led to the conclusion that students will most benefit from (and enjoy) a lab project where they first learn fundamental gear train concepts with an exploratory approach, then work on a project that combines the theoretical concepts learned in the course with the experimental results obtained from a physical apparatus.
Through ideation, concept prototyping, functional decomposition, and morphological decision-making, we came up with a two-part solution. The solution will be a pair of activities that students will complete over a multi-week period. The first activity will be a modular, hands-on apparatus that students can configure with different parameters to see how these changes affect the system's performance. In the second, students will apply their knowledge from the exploratory lab into a design activity that models a real-world scenario, in this case a wind turbine.
To prototype the activities, we purchased a number of components, screws, and measuring devices. Many of the components came from a single online supplier, ServoCity. These components were picked for their configuration capability, being able to be arranged into many configurations. The rest of the components require only a small amount of modification or are 3D printed.
Both designs were tested against technical engineering specifications, as well as at least some amount of user testing from current or former students and faculty. Both designs met the specifications, and we are confident they will serve well as solutions to the problem posed.
In addition to creating prototypes, we also developed lesson plans and lab manuals for both activities. The former provides suggestions to professors for how to implement the activity including optimal group sizes, time to spend on each activity, and work to require of students. The latter prepares students to interact with the activities and walks them through guided activities to facilitate discovery of important concepts.
The following report describes the background, objectives, design process, prototyping process, and verification process for this project as well as the recommendations and next steps for our Sponsor after receiving the results.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/mesp/618