ME 4570
RESEARCH PROJECT
Spring 2016
This research project involves a semester long effort to research from ASTM standards,
engineering journals, and other reliable sources about a topic that is related to mechanical
testing but not fully covered as part of your class work. Your research material will be
presented to the class in the form of poster, the preferred method of presentation at
today’s engineering conferences. Also, you have to write a three-page summary of your
work (just text; pictures and references can be additional pages).
Teams of three (or two) students will be formed during the early weeks of the semester.
Your team will be assigned a topic from the list shown on the next page, and you will be
required to do a case study on it throughout the semester. ASTM standards on your topic
can be found using databases at the library and should cover topics such as objectives,
specimens, equipment and test procedures used. This information must be presented in
such a way that an engineering colleague will be able to understand your topic, and have
a good idea how to prepare and conduct a test. Also, you will need to locate and read up
engineering journals (available at the library or the Internet) about experimental work
done in the area that you are researching. You have to report main objectives, the
experimental methods used, and the results and conclusions. The journal papers must be
pertinent to the topic and be concisely discussed. At least 2 journal papers must be
referenced in your poster and summary, in addition to ASTM standards, textbooks,
internet sites, etc.
You will be monitored by bi-weekly progress reports. These reports are one or two page
summaries accompanied by photocopies of all the material you have found or worked on
as proof of your efforts. In the case of journal articles or ASTM standards, just copying
the first title page will suffice as proof. The final form of your research effort will be a
neat, attractive, illustrative, and concise poster. Words and pictures in your poster must
be legible at 8 to 10 feet distance and convey as much information as possible with the
physical restrictions of the poster board. The oral 12-minute presentation will be
scheduled during your laboratory session in week of April 4th. You will be required to use
only your poster as a visual aid. However, you are allowed the option of using two
additional transparences for anything you wish to convey, e.g. important conclusions or
charts that you wish to emphasize. But aside from these, you have to rely solely on your
poster to make your presentation effective. An effective oral presentation includes a good
technical understanding, logical and fluent message and clear visual aids.
You will be graded as follows: bi-weekly progress reports (10%), presentation and poster
(50% peers, 25% instructor), and summary (15%).
In addition, the two best posters from each lab session will be selected to enter a poster
contest, where a whole class will get to judge the posters in a conference environment.
The best poster will win its team members +1.5 points to their final grades, the second
place poster will win +1.0 points, and the third place will receive +0.5 point. This is to
allow for friendly competition between teams and to ensure high quality of work.
ME 4570
RESEARCH PROJECT
Research Project Topics:
Spring 2016
Related ASTM standards:
1. Young's modulus, shear modulus
and Poisson's ratio determination
E111-04, E132-04, E143-02
2. Residual stress measurements
E1426-98, E1685-00, E837-08, E1544-99
3. Tension testing
E8/E8M-08, B557M-07e1
4. Tension Testing of Metallic Foil
E345-93 (2008), E796-94 (2008)
5. Dynamic Tear Testing of Metallic
Materials
E604-83 (2008), E399-08
6. Test Method for Tensile
Strain-Hardening Exponents
E646-07
7. Electrolytic Polishing
E1558-99, E407-07, E3-01
8. Production and Evaluation of
Field Metallographic Replicas
E1351-01
9. Stress relaxation testing
E328-02
10. Compression testing
E9-89a, E209-00
11. Crack closure
E647