Engineering design project : series 1

This book is a compilation of engineering design projects which illustrates a detail explanation on the design process including all tools and methods involved in each design stage. The presented projects have been selected to prepare engineering students with the adequate knowledge and skills required in organizing product based project, formulating problems, generating and evaluating alternatives, preparing technical documentation and considering the sustainable and economic constraints for the product development and realization stage using the integration of various disciplines in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. This book is generally suitable as a reference to project-oriented problem-based learning (POPBL) activities at engineering institutions

Engineering design project : series 2

This book is a compilation of engineering design projects which illustrates a detail explanation on the design process including all tools and methods involved in each design stage. The presented projects have been selected to prepare engineering students with the adequate knowledge and skills required in organizing product based project, formulating problems, generating and evaluating alternatives, preparing technical documentation and considering the sustainable and economic constraints for the product development and realization stage using the integration of various disciplines in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. This book is generally suitable as a reference to project-oriented problem-based learning (POPBL) activities at engineering institutions

Management of multi-method engineering design research: a case study

There is a need for a research management methodology that will utilise research methods on an individual basis and when combined in a multi-method approach. An agreed methodology would enable rapid progress in achieving agreement on the main issues within engineering design research. Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed a conceptual management methodology, testing it on three engineering design research projects. This paper describes the methodology and presents results indicating its ability to enable rigorous triangulation of research results obtained via different methods and across different research projects forming the basis of an effective management tool

DIDET: Digital libraries for distributed, innovative design education and teamwork. Final project report

The central goal of the DIDET Project was to enhance student learning opportunities by enabling them to partake in global, team based design engineering projects, in which they directly experience different cultural contexts and access a variety of digital information sources via a range of appropriate technology. To achieve this overall project goal, the project delivered on the following objectives: 1. Teach engineering information retrieval, manipulation, and archiving skills to students studying on engineering degree programs. 2. Measure the use of those skills in design projects in all years of an undergraduate degree program. 3. Measure the learning performance in engineering design courses affected by the provision of access to information that would have been otherwise difficult to access. 4. Measure student learning performance in different cultural contexts that influence the use of alternative sources of information and varying forms of Information and Communications Technology. 5. Develop and provide workshops for staff development. 6. Use the measurement results to annually redesign course content and the digital libraries technology. The overall DIDET Project approach was to develop, implement, use and evaluate a testbed to improve the teaching and learning of students partaking in global team based design projects. The use of digital libraries and virtual design studios was used to fundamentally change the way design engineering is taught at the collaborating institutions. This was done by implementing a digital library at the partner institutions to improve learning in the field of Design Engineering and by developing a Global Team Design Project run as part of assessed classes at Strathclyde, Stanford and Olin. Evaluation was carried out on an ongoing basis and fed back into project development, both on the class teaching model and the LauLima system developed at Strathclyde to support teaching and learning. Major findings include the requirement to overcome technological, pedagogical and cultural issues for successful elearning implementations. A need for strong leadership has been identified, particularly to exploit the benefits of cross-discipline team working. One major project output still being developed is a DIDET Project Framework for Distributed Innovative Design, Education and Teamwork to encapsulate all project findings and outputs. The project achieved its goal of embedding major change to the teaching of Design Engineering and Strathclyde's new Global Design class has been both successful and popular with students

Collaborative Engineering Environments. Two Examples of Process Improvement

Companies are recognising that innovative processes are determining factors in competitiveness. Two examples from projects in aircraft development describe the introduction of collaborative engineering environments as a way to improve engineering processes. A multi-disciplinary simulation environment integrates models from all disciplines involved in a common functional structure. Quick configuration for specific design problems and powerful feedback / visualisation capabilities enable engineering teams to concentrate on the integrated behaviour of the design. An engineering process management system allows engineering teams to work concurrently in tasks, following a defined flow of activities, applying tools on a shared database. Automated management of workspaces including data consistency enables engineering teams to concentrate on the design activities. The huge amount of experience in companies must be transformed for effective application in engineering processes. Compatible concepts, notations and implementation platforms make tangible knowledge like models and algorithms accessible. Computer-based design management makes knowledge on engineering processes and methods explicit

Systems integrated human engineering on the Navy's rapid acquisition of manufactured parts/test and integration facility

Human Engineering in many projects is at best a limited support function. In this Navy project the Human Engineering function is an integral component of the systems design and development process. Human Engineering is a member of the systems design organization. This ensures that people considerations are: (1) identified early in the project; (2) accounted for in the specifications; (3) incorporated into the design; and (4) the tested product meets the needs and expectations of the people while meeting the overall systems requirements. The project exemplifies achievements that can be made by the symbiosis between systems designers, engineers and Human Engineering. This approach increases Human Engineering's effectiveness and value to a project because it becomes an accepted, contributing team member. It is an approach to doing Human Engineering that should be considered for most projects. The functional and organizational issues giving this approach strength are described

Problem Based Learning and its use on the Automotive Engineering Design Course at Coventry University

The Automotive Engineering Design course at Coventry University has been in operation since October 1989 and has earned a reputation for creating able engineers well prepared for industry. When originally conceived, a problem led approach to learning was adopted across the course. This approach best enables the course objectives to be satisfied. However, there is nothing new about problem-based learning for engineering design educators but for our engineering science colleagues a degree of novelty has been encountered by this approach. But is the success of the course purely down to this teaching and learning approach? This paper will discuss the opportunities, benefits and limitations of the problem-led approach being extended across a whole course. The paper also will address how the use of industrially defined problems in engineering design projects has been critical to the development of the course. The paper will then attempt to identify the key factors that lie behind the success of the Automotive Engineering Design course. Finally, a set of best practice guidelines for engineering design education will be presented based upon my experiences as the Course Tutor and a teacher of engineering design on this course

Development of a Rooftop Collaborative Experimental Space through Experiential Learning Projects

The Solar, Water, Energy, and Thermal Laboratory (SWEAT Lab) is a rooftop experimental space at the University of Texas at Austin built by graduate and undergraduate students in the Cockrell School of Engineering. The project was funded by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office and the University’s Green Fee Grant, a competitive grant program funded by UT Austin tuition fees to support sustainability-related projects and initiatives on campus. The SWEAT Lab is an on-going experiential learning facility that enables engineering education by deploying energy and water-related projects. To date, the lab contains a full weather station tracking weather data, a rainwater harvesting system and rooftop garden. This project presented many opportunities for students to learn first hand about unique engineering challenges. The lab is located on the roof of the 10 story Engineering Teaching Center (ETC) building, so students had to design and build systems with constraints such as weight limitations and wind resistance. Students also gained experience working with building facilities and management for structural additions, power, and internet connection for instruments. With the Bird’s eye view of UT Austin campus, this unique laboratory offers a new perspective and dimension to applied student research projects at UT Austin.Cockrell School of Engineerin

A methodology to introduce sustainability into the Final Year Project to foster sustainable engineering projects

The introduction of sustainability skills into higher education curricula is a natural effect of the increasing importance of sustainability in our daily lives. Topics like green computing, sustainable design or environmental engineering have become part of the knowledge required by today’s engineers. Furthermore, we strongly believe that the introduction of this skill will eventually enable future engineers to develop sustainable products, services and projects. The Final Year Project is the last academic stage facing students and a step towards their future professional engineering projects. As such, it constitutes a rehearsal for their professional future and an ideal opportunity for reflecting on whether their Final Year Project is sustainable or not, and to what extent. It also provides a good tool for reviewing the lessons learned about sustainability during the degree course and for applying them in a holistic and integrated way. In this paper, we present a guide that allows both students and advisors to think carefully about the sustainability of engineering projects, in particular the Final Year Project.Postprint (author’s final draft