NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Session xxxx Integrating Dynamic Systems, Vibration, and Control Colonel Wayne E. Whiteman, Ph.D., P.E., Major Blace C. Albert Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering United States Military Academy West Point, NY 10996 Abstract Undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula often provide Dynamic Systems, Control System Theory, and Vibration as separate course offerings. Students and faculty tend to compartmentalize these subjects. The approach toward teaching these subjects is also often separated and aggravates the problem of compartmentalization. This paper presents a proposed outline of an integrated two-semester course sequence in dynamic systems, vibration, and control at the junior or senior level of the undergraduate experience. Selected topics could also be arranged to provide a one-semester course. Prerequisites for this proposed offering include a basic knowledge of linear algebra and calculus through differential equations, statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, and basic electrical circuit theory and analysis. A graphical overview, or mind map, of the course is provided along with a detailed description of the various topics covered and the sequencing of the material. Introduction This paper addresses the need for integrating topics within the mechanical engineering discipline. Specifically, the topics of system dynamics, vibrations, and controls should be integrated. These topics are often treated as separate course offerings in traditional undergraduate mechanical engineering programs. Textbooks are often separated along these disciplinary lines as well. Teaching and learning engineering in this fashion causes students and faculty to compartmentalize subject material, which in turn stifles creative problem solving. By treating dynamic systems, vibration, and control system theory as distinct subjects, the problem of compartmentalizing engineering topics is aggravated. One way to alleviate this problem, within the mechanical engineering discipline, is to combine system dynamics, vibrations, and controls. These three topics blend together well, and can therefore be included in an integrated sequence that uses a simple, common sense approach to presenting the material. A proposed outline for an integrated, two-semester course sequence in these areas is presented in this paper. The target audience of the course would be at the undergraduate junior or senior level. Selected topics, from the same prospectus, could be arranged to provide a one-semester course as well. In the sections that follow, the rationale of the need for this type of offering is presented, along with the course prospectus that provides a summary of the course topics. The necessary prerequisites are also discussed. In addition to this, a graphical overview, or mind map, is provided to give the reader a sense of the overall objectives of the potential course. This graphical overview illustrates how well the topics of dynamics, vibrations, and controls can be integrated. “Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education”

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Session 1566 EC2000 Impact on Mechanical Engineering Curricula Colonel Wayne E. Whiteman, Major Joseph K. Hitt United States Military Academy, West Point, New York Abstract Starting in 2001, all engineering programs will be accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) under the new Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000). The philosophy of Engineering Criteria 2000 is to allow institutions and programs to define their mission and objectives to meet the needs of their constituents and enable program differentiation. Emphasis is placed on continuous improvement of programs based on the input of constituents and a process that links outcomes and assessment to program objectives. This paper is a preliminary study of selected mechanical engineering programs to discern the impact of EC2000 on curriculum development. Data on the layout and composition of mechanical engineering curricula for nine schools with Ph.D. programs and nine schools without Ph.D. programs is presented. This research establishes a baseline for these mechanical engineering programs at the beginning of EC2000 implementation. A follow-on study in two to three years is envisioned. This follow-on study will compare results and identify any significant changes in curricula as the EC2000 assessment process matures. I. Introduction This paper is a preliminary study of selected mechanical engineering programs to discern the impact of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology’s new Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000) on curriculum development. All engineering programs will be accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) under the new EC2000 starting in the fall of 2001. The philosophy of EC2000 is to allow institutions and programs to uniquely define their mission and objectives to meet the needs of their constituents and enable program differentiation. Emphasis is placed on continuous improvement of programs based on the input of constituents and a process that links outcomes and assessment to program objectives. This research establishes a baseline for selected mechanical engineering programs at the beginning of EC2000 implementation. A follow-on study is envisioned in two or three years to compare results and identify any significant changes in curricula as the EC2000 assessment process matures. Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Educacation Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2001, American Society for Engineering Education

This paper surveys fourteen distance learning programs offering the master of science in mechanical engineering degree in the United States. The results of this study look at the approximate length of time these programs have been in existence. The equivalency of the distance learning degree and the on-campus degree are examined with regard to admission standards, opportunities to conduct thesis research, and the approximate number of courses offered each year via distance education delivery. Approximate costs of the distance learning course work per credit hour is also noted and the approximate enrollments in these online programs are cited for the fall of 2010. The data collected in this study provides a single comprehensive source of distance education programs in the United States that offer the master of science degree in mechanical engineering.

The Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) is recognized by the US Department of Education as the sole agency responsible for accreditation of educational programs leading to degrees in engineering, engineering technology, and related engineering areas. A new set of criteria for accreditation was established by ABET in the late 1990s, Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000). By 2001, all engineering programs were required to be accredited under the new criteria. The philosophy of EC2000 is to allow institutions and programs to define their mission and objectives to meet the needs of their constituents and enable program differentiation. Emphasis is placed on continuous improvement of programs based on the input of constituents and a process that links outcomes and assessment to program objectives. A preliminary study was conducted by the author in 2000 that looked at the initial effects of EC2000. It examined selected mechanical engineering programs to discern the impact of EC2000 on curriculum development during the initial implementation of the new criteria. Data on the mechanical engineering curricula at nine schools with PhD programs and nine schools without PhD programs were presented. This paper looks at changes since the original study. Current results are also compared with those from a study by Robert E. Mates from the State University of New York at Buffalo entitled a ‘Survey of Undergraduate ME Programs’, conducted in 1987.

The Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech requires all Ph.D. students to complete a Teaching Practicum course during their doctoral studies. Students work closely with faculty mentors in teaching a course. While the focus of the class is on pedagogy, the goal is for students to find the experience useful regardless of whether they are going into academia, industry, a research laboratory, or other career pursuits. In addition to issues dealing with teaching engineering, sessions are organized for career planning, success in both academia and industry, ethics, and basic counseling and mentoring skills. This paper is a study of the effectiveness of the Teaching Practicum experience. Survey responses are analyzed from nearly 100 Ph.D. alumni for the period from the summer of 1996 to the spring of 2009. The results show that the Teaching Practicum class is well received and valued. A retrospective look at the course and lessons learned are offered.

A stability analysis is conducted of an autonomous single-degree-of-freedom system damped with negative viscous damping and a displacement-dependent Coulomb friction force. The geometry of the dry friction damping element yields a friction force that grows linearly with the system displacement. The most direct application of this system is in the study of a turbomachinery blade with shroud interfaces designed to achieve this geometry. Recent studies have shown that the damping of systems with this type of displacement-dependent dry friction force resembles linear structural damping and suggests that this arrangement may be an effective means of flutter suppression in these turbine and fan blade applications. For this study, the inclusion of negative viscous damping is used in order to approximate destabilizing aerodynamic forces. An exact analysis is conducted to determine the stability of this autonomous system. Results show that energy losses from the displacement-dependent dry friction damper are large enough to achieve local and even global stability under certain conditions.

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Session 3155 How Long Does it Take to Earn a Ph.D. in Engineering: A Case Study Wayne E. Whiteman, Ph.D., P.E. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0405 Abstract A case study is conducted of the length of time it takes to earn a Ph.D. in engineering. Four hundred twenty-one individuals who earned their Ph.D. from the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia are studied. This case study looks at data over nearly a twenty year period from 1985 to 2004. The individuals earned doctorates in the disciplines of mechanical engineering, nuclear and radiological engineering, and health physics. The study focuses on two major subcategories; the time to earn a Ph.D. beyond a Bachelor’s degree, and the time to earn a Ph.D. beyond a Master of Science degree. Various analyses are conducted and some comparisons are made with previous studies. Introduction and Background This paper presents a case study that was conducted to determine the length of time it takes to earn a Ph.D. in engineering. The data for this study was gathered at the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Previous studies suggest that the time to the doctorate in science and engineering fields has been lengthening. In a study conducted by Tuckman and others on data from 1967 to 1986, the median total time to doctorate beyond the undergraduate degree increased from 7.09 years to 7.83 years in the field of engineering.1 The mean total time during this same time frame rose from 8.39 years with a standard deviation of 4.49 years to a mean total time of 9.27 years with a standard deviation of 4.88 years. Interestingly, another study in 1995 by Massy and Goldman2 found that attainment rates (percentage of students who eventually attain the Ph.D. degree) correlate positively with time-to- degree calculations. A higher percentage of students attain the degree if they complete their studies relatively quickly. Their study found that those students who took longer, struggle to attain the degree, and may never complete the degree requirements. Another interesting observation of this study was that the “slow tail” of graduates tends to take longer to get the degree in the less elite institutional segments. This effect appeared more pronounced in public than private institutions. “Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

A stability analysis is conducted of an autonomous single-degree-of-freedom system damped with negative viscous damping and a displacement-dependent Coulomb friction force. The geometry of the dry friction damping element yields a friction force that grows linearly with the system displacement. The most direct application of this system is in the study of a turbomachinery blade with shroud interfaces designed to achieve this geometry. Recent studies have shown that the damping of systems with this type of displacement-dependent dry friction force resembles linear structural damping and suggests that this arrangement may be an effective means of flutter suppression in these turbine and fan blade applications. For this study, the inclusion of negative viscous damping is used in order to approximate destabilizing aerodynamic forces. An exact analysis is conducted to determine the stability of this autonomous system. Results show that energy losses from the displacement-dependent dry friction damper are large enough to achieve local and even global stability under certain conditions.

Validating the design and reliability of equipment prior to fielding is a critical stop in the materiel development and manufacturing process. Success requires that the new equipment undergo and survive testing. Stress screen vibration testing determines the equipment's design capability. Traditionally, stress screen vibration tests have been conducted by sequentially applying uniaxial excitation to test articles along three orthogonal axes. Simultaneous multiaxial excitation is an advanced method of vibration testing with the goal of more closely approximating real-world operating conditions. Multiaxial testing achieves the synergistic effect of exciting all modes simultaneously and induces a more realistic vibrational stress loading condition. This research begins an effort to explore the difference in predicting fatigue failure between sequentially applied uniaxial and simultaneous triaxial tests. The research plan starts with simple cantilever beam structures. Once initial results are complete, more complex and typical components in actual vehicles will be tested. This paper provides results that reveal inadequacies in traditional uniaxial test methods. It is shown that the order in which orthogonal uniaxial excitation is applied has a significant effect on fatigue failure.

AbstractThe art of engineering involves developing models of the world and acquiring information with which to design solutions to meet the needs of society. Historically, engineering educators have spent significant time applying mathematical techniques to analyze these models. Decades ago, the slide rule and electronic calculator transformed the way basic mathematical operations were performed. Today, the digital computer is similarly impacting the way more complex analytical techniques are applied. Specifically, mathematical software packages are introducing revolutionary changes to engineering problem solving and design. This paper considers the appropriate role of mathematical assistant software packages in engineering education. Recommendations to properly focus teaching effort within the classroom are provided.

A multi-mode analysis of a beam-like structure undergoing transverse vibration and subjected to a displacement-dependent force is conducted. The system model uses a ramp configuration to increase the normal force of the dry friction damper proportional to the beam's transverse displacement. The system is studied by using harmonic balance as an approximate analytical solution and then by using a time integration method. Interesting findings include the appearance of internal resonance peaks when multiple beam modes are considered. Also, as with the earlier single-degree-of-freedom study, two dynamic response solutions exist at certain parameter values. It is found that the ability to control the amplitude of the response is a function of the frequency range considered. In general, near modal resonance peaks, the amplitude of the response decreases with increasing ramp angle. However, in an “overlapping” region between resonance peaks, the amplitude of the response actually increases with increasing ramp angle. It is also found that the damping contribution from the displacement-dependent dry friction damper is “linear structural-like” in nature and relatively insensitive to the amplitude of the response. This result suggests that in the case of turbine or compressor blades, this type of damping arrangement may be effective in the suppression of flutter.

The flexural vibration of a beam-like structure damped with a displacement-dependent Coulomb friction force is examined. Due to the geometry of the dry friction damping element, the friction force grows linearly with the beam’s transverse displacement. Recent studies have shown that the damping of systems with displacement-dependent dry friction forces resembles linear structural damping. Taking advantage of this fact, the energy loss per cycle can be made to grow like the square of the vibratory displacement amplitude rather than linearly with amplitude as in the case of frictionally damped systems with constant normal forces. Furthermore, dry friction is well suited to hostile environments such as the high temperatures and high rotation speeds associated with gas turbines. These observations suggest that displacement-dependent dry friction may be an effective means of flutter suppression in turbine and fan blade applications. Destabilizing aerodynamic forces are represented in this study as negative viscous damping. This simple aerodynamic model is often used to capture the basic features of flutter in aeroelastic systems. Both single and multiple-mode analyses are conducted. Results show that energy losses from the displacement-dependent dry friction damper are large enough to overcome the destabilizing negative viscous damping under certain conditions. This result further suggests that it may be possible to design the geometry and location of frictional interfaces in turbine blade systems so that damping may be enhanced and flutter better controlled.

Abstract The dynamic behavior of a beam-like structure undergoing transverse vibration and subjected to a displacement-dependent dry friction force is examined. In Part I, the beam is modeled by a single mode while Part II considers multi-mode representations. The displacement dependence in each case is caused by a ramp configuration that allows the normal force across the sliding interface to increase linearly with slip displacement. The system is studied first by using first-order harmonic balance and then by using a time integration method. The stick-slip behavior of the system is also studied. Even though the only source of damping is dry friction, the system is seen to exhibit “viscous-like” damping characteristics. A strong dependence of the equivalent natural frequency and damping ratio on the displacement amplitude is an interesting result. It is shown that for a given set of parameter values, an optimal ramp angle exists that maximizes the equivalent damping ratio. The appearance of two dynamic response solutions at certain system and forcing parameter values is also seen. Results suggest that the overall characteristics of mechanical systems may be improved by properly configuring frictional interfaces to allow normal forces to vary with displacement.

Extensive theoretical treatment is given to damping as the process of energy dissipation during mechanical vibration. The challenge in the classroom is to adequately convey this concept and extend it by teaching students practical applications in engineering analysis and design. Students are motivated by real-world problems; applying these types of problems with strong instructional classroom content significantly enhances the learning environment. This paper proposes the adaptation of an actual research project to a simple, yet innovative, mechanical vibrations laboratory. The adapted project involves an ongoing effort at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to investigate damping factors of various alloys used in military tank munitions. The kinetic-energy penetrators used in these tank rounds are cylindrical in shape and are a major class of weapons designed to defeat heavy armor. Unwanted transverse oscillations of these penetrators degrade the accuracy of the rounds and may lead to glancing blows off the target. 5 refs., 3 figs.

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Combined BS/MS Programs in Mechanical Engineering: A Benchmark Study Abstract The G.W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) started offering a combined BS/MS degree in fall 2001. This program allows meritorious undergraduate students, desiring graduate studies beyond the bachelor of science degree, an accelerated path towards the granting of the master of science degree. Students may pursue a thesis or non-thesis option in completing the MS degree. Since inception of this program, a majority of the BS/MS students have chosen the non-thesis (course work only) option. A recent goal of this BS/MS program in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech is to increase the number of students choosing the thesis, or research, option. This paper compares BS/MS programs in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech and its peer institutions. The purpose is to analyze how various academic institutions address this issue (minority of BS/MS students doing a thesis), to collect lessons learned, and to provide recommendations that could promote an increase in thesis participation in BS/MS programs in the future. Introduction Engineering curricula in the United States has typically changed very little in the past 30-50 years. Most changes that did occur typically have been in the form of course redesign and new courses replacing existing ones. However, there is a growing call for fundamental changes in the engineering curriculum to address the dramatic technological challenges in fields such as healthcare, energy, and security, and to continue to develop and maintain the appropriate infrastructure to support such new areas of research. A recent development has been the creation of combined BS/MS programs within engineering disciplines. The BS/MS program is usually defined as an accelerated curriculum geared towards providing both degrees faster than if pursued sequentially. This is a relatively new approach in American universities, generally observed since the late 1980’s, though in other parts of the world such as Europe, the first engineering degree has always required a minimum of five years of study and been considered equivalent to the MS degree. These BS/MS programs vary in their details at different academic institutions. For the most part, they offer the qualified student: 1) the possibility to earn their BS and MS degrees in less time than it would take to pursue both degrees separately, and 2) the opportunity to deepen and diversify their technical and professional skills, which will help make them more competitive and marketable in the global marketplace. As BS/MS programs grew more popular with both students and faculty, many different programs have reported on their implementation and lessons learned 1-8.

Properly managing graduate engineering programs can significantly enhance the educational experience of graduate students and help ensure that they are able to focus on their academic studies.This paper offers improvements to graduate program processes that leverage information technology and enhance the graduate scholarly experience.Two major areas of enhancements are presented.The first area is in the recruitment and admission processing of graduate students.Administering graduate student financial aid is the second area.The efficiency and effectiveness of these enhanced services are documented.The Structured Query Language (SQL) was used to build a relational database to implement these improvements.Similar procedures could easily be incorporated for use at other educational institutions.

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract Is it Real or is it Memorex?: A Distance Learning Experience Abstract Distance learning in engineering education is becoming more prevalent. The literature in educational research extensively covers technology issues. This paper focuses more on the pedagogical issues related to student-instructor interactions, and other issues that both the instructors and students can face in this distance learning environment that are unique and different from the traditional classroom. The constant challenge is to maintain at least the same learning environment as the traditional classroom and, if opportunities arise, enhance the learning environment whenever possible. The venue for discussing these topics is a typical engineering course offering during the summer term of 2006 in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Background Earning a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) completely through distance learning has been an option at the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech for about ten years. Since its inception in 1996, nearly 720 graduate students have chosen this option and, to date, approximately 158 individuals have graduated through the program. The admission standards for students applying for the distance learning option are exactly the same as on-campus students. Students participate in the same courses as their on-campus counterparts. There is no distinction in the degree awarded or the annotations on the transcript. The selection of course work for completing the distance learning MSME degree is quite robust. Each term approximately twelve to fifteen courses are offered via the distance option. Exactly like their on-campus colleagues, distance learning graduate students must complete thirty hours of course work (normally 10 courses). This course work must meet the guidelines published in the Georgia Tech General Catalog and the Woodruff School Graduate Handbook to qualify for the awarding of the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) degree. Distance learning and on-campus graduate students register for the same courses and participate in the same lectures. Classes are integrated so that there are no “distance only” course offerings. This common experience captures the sentiment of the title for this paper “Is it Real or is it Memorex?” In this manner, the learning experience for the distance learning and on-campus students is the same. Delivery of the course material to the distance learning students is asynchronous. Historically the completion of graded material for the distance learning students has been on a two-week delay. This delay allows for the delivery of course material and provides some flexibility with the work schedules of the off-campus students who are often working full-time while completing their studies.