Undergraduate mechanical engineering students struggle in comprehending the fundamentals presented in an introductory level mechanical vibrations course which eventually affects their performance in the posterior courses such as control theory. One salient factor to this is missing the visualization of the concept with hands-on learning since the vibrations and control laboratory course is offered in the following semester. This study presents the design, development of three portable and 3D-printed compliant vibratory mechanisms actuated by a linear motor and their implementation in vibrations course and vibrations and control laboratory. The proposed setups consist of flexible and compliant springs, sliders, and base support. Mechanisms are utilized to demonstrate free and forced vibrations, resonation, and design of a passive isolator. In addition to the 3D-printed, portable lab equipment, we created the Matlab Simscape GUI program of each setup so instructors can demonstrate the fundamentals in the classroom, assign homework, project, in-class activity or design laboratory.
Learning by doing has proven to have numerous advantages over traditionally taught courses in which the instructor teaches the topic while students remain passive learners with little engagement. Although laboratories give hands-on opportunities for undergraduate mechanical engineering students, they have to wait for a semester for the lab course for instance the prerequisite of the vibrations and control laboratory is the mechanical vibrations course. Since the nature of the dynamics branch consisted of dynamics, vibrations, and control theory courses are highly mathematical, students struggle comprehending the introduced topic and relate the theory to its real-world application area. Furthermore, it’s almost impossible for an instructor to bring the existing educational laboratory equipment to the class since they are bulky and heavy. The advents in manufacturing technology such as additive manufacturing bring us more opportunities to build complex systems new materials.
This study presents the design, development, and implementation of low-cost, 3D printed vibratory mechanisms to be utilized in mechanical vibrations, control theory courses along with their associated laboratories. A pendulum, cantilever beam integrated with springs, and a rectilinear system consisted of two sliding carts, translational springs, and a scotch yoke mechanism are designed. The main parts of the mechanisms are 3D printed using polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 2002350
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10334759
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Limited resources available to the engineering faculty and students impede student learning and deep understanding of the material that is presented in the dynamics and mechanical vibrations courses. Active learning practices such as learning by doing is an effective way to not only build a solid foundation in knowledge but also help students develop engineering skills. However, these courses are mainly taught in a traditional manner and many students struggle in connecting the theory to its real-world application and lose interest. Although mechanical engineering students get more hands-on opportunities in the laboratories, they take vibrations and control laboratories in the following semesters since vibrations is a pre-requisite for these labs. To address this issue, we designed 3 low-cost, compact, and portable laboratory equipment and fabricated them using 3D printing technology. The first equipment is a 3-pendulum system with different lengths and tip loads that can be utilized in the engineering dynamics course. While the second equipment is a 2 DOF compliant vibration isolator consisting of flexible beams, masses, and a linear actuator, the third equipment is a non-linear cantilever beam to be utilized in the vibrations courses and their associated laboratories.
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This paper describes the implementation of innovative 3D-printed laboratory equipment linked to inquiry-based learning activities designed to improve learning, increase engineering identity and motivation, and foster a growth mindset in students taking undergraduate level mechanical vibrations courses, control theory courses, and associated laboratories. These innovative designs create new opportunities for hands-on learning, are low-cost, portable, and can be adapted for use in multiple science and engineering disciplines. The learning activities are based on the POGIL model, which has been used across a variety of disciplines including engineering. We describe the features of three separate devices (spring-connected sliding carts, compliant parallel arms with fixed-free ends and a slider mass, and a pendulum with variable tip load) implemented using a quasi-experimental approach with 510 duplicated students across three semesters during the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple lecture courses and laboratory sections. We also present an assessment of impact based on descriptive statistical analyses of survey data for student-reported learning gains and pre-post paired comparison tests on validated instruments measuring perceptions of engineering identity, engineering motivation, and growth mindset. Further, we conducted a student focus group and include salient instructor observations. Results show most students participating in the learning activities using these devices report that it supported their learning “a lot” or “a great deal.” In addition, on six of seven surveyed learning outcomes, most students reported feeling confident enough to complete them on their own or even teach them to someone else. Our data did not show a measurable impact on engineering identity, engineering motivation, or growth mindset, though it does suggest further investigation is merited.
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The highly mathematical nature of introductory level vibrations and control theory courses results in students struggling to understand the concepts. Hands-on activity demonstrated in class can help them better understand the concepts. However, there is still an ongoing effort to lower the currently substantial cost of educational laboratory equipment for undergraduate-level engineering courses. Also, with the COVID-19 crisis, the Spring 2020 academic year took an unexpected turn for academics and students all over the world. Engineering faculty who teach laboratories had to move online and instruct from home. Online course preparation takes more time and effort compared to traditionally designed face-to-face courses and was compounded considering the unprecedented situation where many instructors didn't have time to record data from existing lab equipment or record video in their laboratories. In this paper, we present a Matlab Simscape GUI program designed to simulate modeling and control of dynamical systems for vibrations and control theory courses, and their associated laboratories, as one potential solution for online instruction. To complement the simulation program, online classroom and homework activities were designed using a learning sciences approach connecting several critical educational theories which can bolster student motivation, engagement with the material, and overall learning performance. The simulation is presented along with data from 19 students who completed the associated classroom and homework activities. Survey results probing student perceptions about the value of the learning tasks for the simulation were overwhelmingly positive and indicate this approach holds promise in supporting student learning.more » « less
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Abstract Data driven advanced manufacturing research is dependent on access to large datasets made available from across the product lifecycle — from the concept design phase all the way down to end use and disposal. Despite such data being generated at a rapid pace, most product design data is archived in inaccessible silos. This is particularly acute in academic research laboratories and with data generated during product design and manufacturing courses. This project seeks to create an infrastructure that allow users (academia and the general public) to easily upload project data and related meta-data. Current manufacturing research must shift from siloed repositories of product manufacturing data to a federated, decentralized, open and inter-operable approach. In this regard, we build ‘FabWave’ a cyber-infrastructure tool designed to capture manufacturing data. In its first pilot implementation, we focused our attention to gathering information rich 3D Mechanical CAD data and related meta-data associated with them, with the intent to make it easier for users to upload and access product design data. We describe workflows that we have initially tested out within the two academic universities and under two different course structures. We have also developed automated workflows to gather license appropriate CAD assemblies from commercial repositories. Our intent is to create the only known largest available CAD model set within academia for enabling research in data-driven computational research in digital design, fabrication and quality control.
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2021-69866
