Educational Materials for a Mechanical Engineering Systems Laboratory

机械工程实践需要研究和分析复杂的热和机械系统的能力。提高学生对机械工程系统的认识的一个有效途径是在实验室环境中以小组形式进行实践。为了提供这些机会，本项目正在修订一门必修的机械工程顶峰实验室课程。新的工程系统实验室课程以汽车及其子系统的综合实验室实验序列为基础。选择汽车作为学习系统，是因为它结构紧凑，相对便宜，而且是大多数学生直接体验的领域。更重要的是，它的许多复杂的子系统为学生提供了应用他们的机械工程知识的机会，包括力学、动力学、热力学、传热学和控制的原理。该项目正在为课程编写一份实验室手册、一系列图书馆/互联网研究练习和教师指南，评估编写的课程材料的有效性和课程内容的适当性，并为编写的材料确定适当的商业传播机制。这些材料被分成学习模块，在这个概念验证项目中将产生四个模块。在这门修订的实验室课程中，采取的方法是让学生通过一系列复杂的实验和分析来研究同一系统。课程结束时，学生对学期的结果进行综合分析，并建议对实验设计、车辆设计或两者都进行修改。工程系统实验室帮助学生发展系统观点，并为学生提供设计实验、应用基于计算机的仪器来研究系统性能、以书面形式记录结果以及进行口头报告的经验。

The practice of mechanical engineering requires the ability to investigate and analyze complex thermal and mechanical systems. An effective way for the students to develop their understanding of mechanical engineering systems is for them to get hands-on experience by working in small groups in a laboratory environment. To provide these opportunities, a required mechanical engineering capstone laboratory course is being revised in this project. The new Engineering Systems Laboratory course is based upon an integrated sequence of laboratory experiments on an automobile and its subsystems. The automobile is chosen as the system to study because it is compact, relatively inexpensive and in the direct realm of experience of most students. More importantly, its many complex subsystems provide opportunities for the students to apply the spectrum of their mechanical engineering knowledge, including the principles of mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and controls. This project is developing a laboratory manual, a series of library/internet research exercises, and an instructor's guide for the course, evaluating the effectiveness of the developed course materials and appropriateness of the course contents, and identifying the appropriate commercial dissemination mechanisms for the materials developed. The materials are grouped into learning modules, and four modules will be produced in this proof-of-concept project.The approach taken in this revised laboratory course is to have the students investigate the same system through a sequence of complex experiments and analyses. The course culminates with the students performing an integrated analysis of the semester's results and recommending changes in the experimental design, the vehicle design, or both. The Engineering Systems Laboratory helps students to develop a systems perspective and also gives the students experience in designing experiments, applying computer-based instrumentation to study system performance, documenting their results in writing, and making oral presentations.