Development and evolution of a new mechanical design laboratory course

Abstract

A new sophomore-level mechanical design laboratory course was developed two years ago at Johns Hopkins University to support a required lecture course entitled Mechanics Based Design. The laboratory course was created because students requested more instruction about machine components and they desired additional hands-on design experiences. The laboratory course is structured into three components which build on each other throughout the semester. Lectures, given every one to two weeks, introduce the students to various machine components, terminology, standards, and design tools and methodologies. Laboratories, also scheduled every one to two weeks, provide the students with opportunities to apply the lecture material to real machine components and systems and to develop practical skills in design and machining. Each laboratory includes three separate activities for the students to perform, and almost all of the laboratory equipment was designed and constructed in-house specifically for the course. The third component of the course is a design project, which is assigned at the beginning of the semester and requires the students to integrate what they learn from the weekly lectures and laboratories, in addition to the material they learn in the Mechanics Based Design lecture course. The students work in small teams to design and build a mechanical device to meet a set of performance and budget specifications. The devices are tested at the end of the semester and the students submit a design report for evaluation. The mechanical design laboratory course was added to the curriculum in the Spring of 2012 and included five lecture topics and five laboratories. The subjects of these lectures and laboratories included screws and threaded fasteners, bearings, gears, pressure vessels, fits and tolerances, finite element modeling, and mechanical failure. Additional lectures and laboratories were added in 2013, including two laboratories at the start of the semester in which the students learn how to operate a milling machine and a lathe. Subsequent laboratories require the students to use one of these machines to fabricate a component of their design for a specific activity. Additional changes were made for the 2014 course offering, including a new laboratory on belt and chain drives, and a new design project. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2014.