Engineering 220 – Dynamics

Group Design Project

Spring 2003

Design project rationale:

In the early 1800’s tools were generally used by hand with few options to power them. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, approved in 1803, involved the need to construct canoes and other equipment needs from readily available materials such as wood. This involved hours of sawing by hand that could possibly be eliminated if a bit of engineering were employed. In this project you are to design a mechanical linkage to operate a handsaw run from a rotating axis attached to a turning waterwheel.

Design Project Goals:

Design a device that meets or exceeds the following criteria:

· Connects to a rotating wooden axis 2in. in diameter

· Connects to a handsaw configured to cut vertically or horizontally

· Extends (with attachments) up to 20 feet from the rotating shaft

· Allows for the saw to automatically move through the wood as the cut is made

· Uses materials available during the expedition

(see http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/idx_equ.html )

Design a scaled-down (1:4 or smaller) prototype demonstration device that is:

· As safe and easy as possible to use

· Is able to saw through a piece of 2x4 horizontally or vertically

· Inexpensive (your prototype should not exceed $100 for parts and outside labor)

Design Methodology:

Follow the process outlined in Introduction to Engineering Design, by Eide, Jenison, Mashaw, and Northup, published by McGraw-Hill’s BEST series, pages 71-75.

Design team structure:

Effective teams must work together. Although all members do not have to get along personally to create a successful team, each member of the team must have a common goal and be willing to execute their fair portion of the work. Some structure is usually necessary in order to form a successful team. As such, your design team will consist of the following roles:

· Leader (makes final decisions, organizes and sets up team meetings, leads team meetings, participates in design process)

· Secretary (records group discussions and ideas, writes reports, participates in design process)

· Analysts/Designers (carries out analyses, builds prototype parts, participates in design process)

Each team member should spend a portion of the semester in each role. This is easily accomplished by dividing time in the various roles according to the due dates in the timeline below.

Timeline:

As stated in the syllabus, there will three design progress reports. The final design report and oral presentation will be prepared for presentation during the IAS conference April 11. The following dates will be your design project deadlines:

February 11 – First design report due

March 4 – Second design report due in form of abstract for IAS conference

March 25 – Third design report due

April 11 – Final design paper and oral presentation at IAS conference

Grading:

For each progress report, the final design report, and the oral report, each team member is to e-mail the instructor with peer grades assigned to each group member (including yourself) with a short explanation of the assigned grade. These peer grades will constitute one-half of the total grade assigned. The instructor will determine the remaining portion of the grade.

3 design progress reports (15 points each)

The primary purpose of these reports is threefold:

1) to ensure that your group is making sufficient progress

2) to demonstrate that your use of the principles of engineering dynamics

3) to practice documenting your design work in a clear and concise manor.

Your progress reports should include the current status of the design project, a summary of your group’s activities as pertaining the engineering design cycle, and a summary of any engineering analysis (calculations) you have performed. These progress reports are to be submitted in to the instructor via e-mail in Memo form using MS Word. They must not exceed three pages but they can be single-spaced.

Final design report (40 points)

This report is a formal paper to be included in the proceedings of the IAS confernce. It should include the following parts:

· Abstract (a technical one paragraph summary of your work)

· Introduction (defines project criteria and gives background information)

· Design Details and Supporting Calculations (describes design in detail)

· Conclusions (highlights success/failures of design and makes recommendations)

The final design report is NOT the place to describe HOW you came to your final design, it is a report only on the specifics of the final design itself.

Oral presentation on final design (15points)

Your group will be responsible for giving an oral poster presentation at the IAS conference on April 11 showing off the features of your design. In this type of presentation conference attendees wonder through a room full of posters and ask question of the presenters about their work. Your presentation should include a demonstration of the use of your device and a poster summarizing the work you have performed.