Function Modeling: A Study of Sequential Model Completion Based on Count and Chaining of Functions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apurva Patel ◽  
William Kramer ◽  
Joshua D. Summers ◽  
Marissa Shuffler-Porter
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Backward Chaining ◽  
Forward Chaining ◽  
Engineering Design Problems ◽  
Initial Seed ◽  
Function Models ◽  
Model Completion

Function models are widely recognized as a useful tool in mechanical engineering conceptual design as a bridge between problem and solution space. Unlike many other engineering design tools that are collaborative allowing many designers to contribute to the design task, function modeling has not been historically presented as a collaborative tool. This paper presents a controlled experimental study that explores the how different initial function models are completed by novice engineers influence the number of functions added to the model. Eighty-eight senior mechanical engineering students were given partial function models to two similarly complex engineering design problems. Each student was asked to complete the function model to best address the problem presented. The number of added functions was compared considering two variables: percent completed of initial seed model (10%, 40%, and 80%), initial chaining of functions (forward, backward, and nucleation). It was found that models for Backward Chaining and Nucleation at 10% initial seed resulted in the greatest addition of functions by the students. Further, Backward Chaining and Nucleation yielded more added functions than Forward Chaining in all seed configurations. Recognizing that there is a difference between Forward Chaining and Backward Chaining or Nucleation, further study is warranted to understand how individuals create function models and which approach yields more useful models to either understand the problem presented or to explore solution options.

A Comparison of Variety Metrics in Engineering Design

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Henderson ◽  
Kevin Helm ◽  
Kathryn Jablokow ◽  
Seda McKilligan ◽  
Shanna Daly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Problem ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
New Variety ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Correlation Analyses ◽  
Design Ideas

This paper focuses on comparing and contrasting methods for assessing the variety of a group of design ideas. Variety is an important attribute of design ideas, because it indicates the extent to which the solution space has been explored. There is a greater likelihood of successfully solving a design problem when a more diverse set of ideas is generated in the early stages of design. While there are three existing metrics for variety, it has not been established how well they correlate with each other, so it is unknown whether they provide similar assessments of variety. This uncertainty inspired our investigation of the three existing metrics and, eventually, the development of a new variety metric — all of which we compared statistically and qualitatively. In particular, 104 design ideas collected from 29 sophomore mechanical engineering students were analyzed using the existing and new variety metrics. We conducted correlation analyses to determine if the four metrics were related and to what degree. We also considered the qualitative differences among these metrics, along with where they might be used most effectively. We found varying levels of statistically significant correlations among the four metrics, indicating that they are dependent. Even so, each metric offers a unique perspective on variety and may be useful in different situations.

A Pillar of Mechanical Engineering Design Education in Australia: 25 Years of the Warman Design and Build Competition

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren F. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Engineering Design Education ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Institutional Learning ◽  
History Of

The “Warman Design and Build Competition”, running across Australasian Universities, is now in its 26th year in 2013. Presented in this paper is a brief history of the competition, documenting the objectives, yearly scenarios, key contributors and champion Universities since its beginning in 1988. Assuming the competition has reached the majority of mechanical and related discipline engineering students in that time, it is fair to say that this competition, as a vehicle of the National Committee on Engineering Design, has served to shape Australasian engineering education in an enduring way. The philosophy of the Warman Design and Build Competition and some of the challenges of running it are described in this perspective by its coordinator since 2003. In particular, the need is for the competition to work effectively across a wide range of student group ability. Not every group engaging with the competition will be competitive nationally, yet all should learn positively from the experience. Reported also in this paper is the collective feedback from the campus organizers in respect to their use of the competition as an educational experience in their classrooms. Each University participating uses the competition differently with respect to student assessment and the support students receive. However, all academic campus organizer responses suggest that the competition supports their own and their institutional learning objectives very well. While the project scenarios have varied widely over the years, the intent to challenge 2nd year university (predominantly mechanical) engineering students with an open-ended statement of requirements in a practical and experiential exercise has been a constant. Students are faced with understanding their opportunity and their client’s value system as expressed in a scoring algorithm. They are required to conceive, construct and demonstrate their device with limited prior knowledge and experience, and the learning outcomes clearly impact their appreciation for teamwork, leadership and product realization.

How Function Ordering Within Morphological Charts Influence Exploration1

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant Chawla ◽  
Joshua D. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Design Space Exploration ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Space Exploration ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Input Function ◽  
Output Function ◽  
Design Concepts

Although morphological charts are widely taught used tools in engineering design, little formal guidance is provided regarding their representation and exploration. Thus, an experiment was conducted to elucidate the influence of functional ordering on the exploration of morphological charts. Two design prompts were used, each with five different functional arrangements: (1) most-to-least important function, (2) least-to-most important function, (3) input-to-output function, (4) output-to-input function, and (5) Random. Sixty-seven junior mechanical engineering students were asked to generate integrated design concepts from prepopulated morphological charts for each design prompt. The concepts were analyzed to determine the frequency with which a given means was selected, how much of the chart was explored, the sequence of exploration, and the influence of function ordering. Results indicated a tendency to focus upon the initial columns of the chart irrespective of functional order. The most-to-least-important functional order resulted in higher chances and a uniformity of design space exploration.

Cultivating Students’ Ability of Applying Knowledge in Engineering Design Through Course Project

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jining Qiu ◽  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Huimin Dong ◽  
Yuan Gao
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Gear Train ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Engineering Design Problems ◽  
Wind Power Generator

The ability to solve engineering design problems using academic knowledge flexibly is essential for mechanical engineering students and is also quality that employers look for. This paper introduces how students could explore and experience the process of mechanical design in the course project of Theory of Machines and Mechanisms (TMM) in Dalian University of Technology (DUT) through sharing the design process of accelerator (gear-box) in wind power generator by one representative team of students in the course project. Firstly, design requirements are set based on industrial need and the choosing of the best scheme of multi-stage gear train is conducted. Following that is the design of kinematic parameters of gears and the evaluation of selected system. Then, a possible solution to control the input speed of the generator is proposed. In the end, a survey to 279 students who participate in the course project shows the importance of course project in cultivating their ability to apply knowledge in design.

The Influence of Physical Examples on Originality and Fixation in Engineering Design

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher C. Simmons ◽  
Trina C. Kershaw ◽  
Alexander LeGendre ◽  
Sankha Bhowmick
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Garbage Collection ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
The Relationship

Improving creativity in engineering design continues to be a challenge. The relationship between fixation and creativity within engineering is mixed, as engineers desire to be innovative, yet are usually working from their existing knowledge to redesign existing products. In the current study, we wanted to examine the influence of physical examples on originality and fixation at the freshmen and senior level in a Mechanical Engineering program. We compared concepts for garbage collection systems generated by two groups — one provided with an example product (Example group), and another who did not receive an example product (No Example group). Using metrics established in prior publications, we found that seniors had higher levels of originality than freshmen whether an example product was received or not, reinforcing our previous findings. Fixation scores were higher for the group that did have an example. Receiving an example product was not a predictor of originality on its own, but did interact with curriculum and fixation level. Within the group that received an example product, there was a negative relationship between fixation and originality, particularly for the seniors. Within the group that did not receive an example product, there was no significant relationship between fixation and originality. Further analysis of our results are required to delineate how not receiving an example product influences design approach in freshmen and senior engineering students.

Improving students’ freehand sketching skills in mechanical engineering curriculum

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Uziak ◽  
Ning Fang
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Modern Engineering ◽  
Computer Aided

Freehand sketching is a fundamental skill in mechanical engineering and many other engineering disciplines. It not only serves as a communication tool among engineers, but plays a critical role in engineering design and problem solving. However, as computer-aided drafting has replaced traditional drawing classes nowadays, the training of students’ freehand sketching skills has been almost completely eliminated in modern engineering curricula. This paper describes the attributes of freehand sketching and its roles in several essential aspects of engineering; in particular, in its roles in problem solving, of which current literature has ignored. Representative examples are provided to show students’ freehand sketching skills in problem solving in a foundational undergraduate mechanical engineering course. Pedagogical suggestions are made on how to teach freehand sketching to engineering students.

Thermal Engineering Design Project: A Calorimeter That Measures the Specific Heat of Aluminum

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-75
Author(s):  
R. S. Mullisen
Keyword(s):  
Specific Heat ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Thermal Capacity ◽  
Thermal Engineering ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Aluminum Plates

A thermal engineering design project requiring the design, construction, and operation of a calorimeter that measures the specific heat of aluminum was assigned to a class of third-year mechanical engineering students. Before making the assignment, the author developed his own design, which consisted of two individual calorimeters — each an assembly of 13 aluminum plates with electric resistance heater wires laced between the plates. The exterior surfaces of both calorimeters and the surrounding insulation were identical. However, the interior plates were different — one calorimeter had solid interior plates and the other had perforated interior plates. By initially adjusting the electrical power into each calorimeter the temperature versus time curves for each calorimeter were matched. This curve match allowed cancellation of the unknown heat loss from each calorimeter and cancellation of the unknown heater thermal capacity. The final result was a specific heat for the aluminum alloy that deviated by 4.4% from a published value. A class of third-year mechanical engineering students, working in teams, produced designs using the method of mixtures (aluminum and water) and electrically heated aluminum samples. The 17 student groups plus the author produced 129 data points with a mean specific heat value that deviated by 19.5% from a published value.

Functional Design Tree for Mechatronic Projects in Mechanical Engineering Design Course

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meltem Korkmazel ◽  
Abdülkadir Erden
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Functional Approach ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Engineering System ◽  
Systematic Design ◽  
Functional Design ◽  
Mechatronic Systems ◽  
Design Projects

Abstract The functional approach utilizes a ‘Functional Design Tree’, which is a decomposition hierarchy of functions involving sub-functions of an engineering system at various levels of resolution. Use of functional approach in the design of mechatronic systems is investigated in the senior level mechanical engineering design projects. A survey is conducted on the senior mechanical engineering students after an engineering design course. It is attempted to find out whether the students followed the systematic design approach, and to what extent they used the functional design tree. The results of the survey are presented and evaluated in the paper, and some conclusions are derived for possible outcomes of the survey.

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