AME 40463: SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT

CATALOG DATA:
A course that provides a comprehensive team-oriented, project-based design of selected mechanical system or process.  Projects involve design specification development, engineering design, documentation and prototype fabrication.  Projects are assessed by industrial reviewers

PREREQUISITES: AME 20212, AME 30361, AME 30362, AME 40423

TEXTBOOK:
None.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This capstone course is intended to provide the opportunity for students to integrate several mechanical engineering disciplines into the design and development of an engineering product or system.  Particular emphasis is placed on products or systems with electro-mechanical components and embedded intelligence or automation. Projects include issues related to economics and emphasis is also placed upon design cost, assembly and manufacturability.  The primary goals are:

    1. work as part of a design-build team,
    2. establish design specifications, requirements and constraints,
    3. formulate and perform individual parametric trade studies resulting in a preliminary system design,
    4. participate in preliminary design reviews,
    5. prepare and present  formal written and oral reports documenting the design,
    6. fabricate a prototype to validate the design concept and
    7. present design proposal to an industrial panel in a Concept Design Review.

TOPICS COVERED:

    1. Team work, team building
    2. Project task scheduling and planning
    3. Preliminary and critical design reviews
    4. Prototype fabrication

SCHEDULE:
Course meets for two hours and forty-five minutes, twice weekly, for fourteen weeks. The course meetings are devoted to presentations, small-group discussions and design group studio work.

CONTRIBUTION TO PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT:
100% engineering design.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT:

Outcome criterion

Topic

Students’ previous knowledge

Direct measures of outcome

(c)

Design and fabricate an engineering product or system

Design of components and the product design process from earlier courses on engineering design

Each student design team prepares a comprehensive design proposal and functioning prototype

(d)

Participate as part of a product design team

Team building and interpersonal communication skills developed in prior courses

Peer review of group performance and each student develops a peer review of other team members

(g)

Oral communications

 Question from faculty in prior courses

Two graded individual design reviews and participation in a group CDR

(g)

Written communications

Lab reports and individual projects from discipline specific courses

Detailed written individual trade  or feasibility study

 

Prepared by: Stephen Batill, August 29, 2006

 

 

Direct comments, questions, and corrections to amedept@nd.edu