ME 340.3
Fall 2011
Mechanical Engineering Design Methodology
Catalog Description: The product design process; Development of design problem definitions by evaluating customer
inputs, technology, and competitive products; Generation of conceptual design using structured and unstructured
approaches; Evaluation of concepts using engineering modeling and decision matrices; Product detail design including
design for manufacturability and profitability; Effective communication: oral, written, and graphical.
Credits:
3 (2 hours lecture+2 hours lab/week), nominally taken in 6th semester
Prerequisites: EDSGN 100, ME320 concurrent, prerequisite for ME440/441W,
Location:
314 Hammond
Time:
M W 3:35-5:30 pm
Instructor:
H.J. Sommer III 337 Leonhard 863-8997 hjs1@psu.edu
Required Text: Product Design and Development, third/fourth/fifth edition, by K. Ulrich and S. Eppinger, Irwin
McGraw-Hill, (same text as ME440W/ME441W)
Other things you must acquire: Lab Journal with numbered
pages ($13.79 @ Student Book Store on
College Ave), shop safety glasses
Course Objectives:
A. To understand the relationship of art and science to design
B. To develop proficiency in design skills and methodologies
C. To gain first-hand experience of the design process in the context of a ‘real’, openended multidisciplinary design project
D. To work effectively and professionally in a team while executing a design project
E. To apply engineering analysis tools in the design process
F. To understand the holistic context of design, including global, societal, ethical, economic and environmental
concerns
G. To improve proficiency in professional communication skills
Course Outcomes: After completing this course, each student should be able to:
1. Formulate a design problem by translating customer needs into design objectives and constraints
2. Construct and modify a Gantt chart using MS Project and use it to plan and execute a project
3. Function effectively in a team environment; and can identify, assess and resolve team problems
4. Generate multiple design concepts and select and refine the best design concept using appropriate qualitative
and quantitative techniques, (including brainstorming, decision matrix, and economic analysis)
5. Use a solid modeling CAD package to represent the geometry of a part or an assembly of parts
6. Produce professional-quality reports, oral presentations, web pages, and graphical illustrations for design
communication and documentation purposes
7. Access multiple sources of design information, including patents, previous courses, catalog data, reverse
engineering, web search, consumer focus groups, empirical tests, etc
8. Demonstrate professionalism and ethical conduct
9. Assess the ergonomics and aesthetics of a design
10. Identify the environmental, safety and societal implications of a design
11. Assess the manufacturability and assembly of a product and suggest improvements
12. To model and analyze design solutions and correlate to actual performance
13. Produce physical prototypes
Academic Integrity - http://www.engr.psu.edu/faculty-staff/academic-integrity.aspx
The University defines academic integrity as the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. All students
should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in
which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts (refer to Senate Policy 49-20. Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this
course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic
dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used
without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Students who are found to be dishonest will
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receive academic sanctions and will be reported to the University's Office of Student Conduct for possible further disciplinary sanctions
(refer to Senate Policy G-9).
Academic Integrity: We expect academic honesty of all of you. If you have problems getting assignments
done on time or preparing for an exam, please speak to your instructor as soon as possible so that we can agree
on a way to deal with the problem. Please do not put yourself into a position where lack of preparation tempts
you to use the work of others as your own. In the event that evidence of academic dishonesty arises, we will
deal with it immediately according to the rules of the University. http://www.engr.psu.edu/CurrentStudents/acadinteg.aspx
.
Course Requirements:
Homework: Homework problems based on the class lecture/discussions and reading material will be assigned
as needed. Most assignments will be related to the final design project.
Class Participation: Preparation, attendance and participation is expected at all class meetings. As a
professional courtesy, please notify the instructor (by email) of any expected absence. You will be expected to
make up any missed sessions or team duties on your own. Students are allowed a maximum of two unexcused
absences. Each additional absence will result in a partial letter grade deduction (i.e. from A to A-, B+ to B, etc).
Additional absences to accommodate legitimate professional or personal reasons should be discussed with the
instructor as soon as possible. Makeup quizzes will not be given. Opportunities will be provided to earn extra
credit which can be used to drop low or missing quiz grades.
Extra Credit:
Various colleges, departments, and the Distinguished Speaker Series regularly bring world-renowned speakers
to Penn State. Hearing these speakers can augment the world-class education you are receiving for your hardearned tuition dollars. To encourage your participation, extra credit will be awarded for attending on-campus
lectures. This credit may be used to replace a missing or low quiz score. The lecture topic can be on a technical,
political or social topic. To earn extra credit, you must submit a well written 1-2 page document, justifying why
this lecture contributes to your development as an engineer and a citizen. You must also summarize the content
of the speech, and provide a critique of the presentation style (aspects that should be emulated, and items that
could be improved). You may submit up to two lectures for extra credit. The cutoff date for submission is one
week before the last class meeting date. For a partial list of upcoming speakers, see
http://www.spa.psu.edu/dss.html or Penn State Live (http://live.psu.edu/).
Late Assignments: All assignments are due at the time and on the date specified. Late submittals within 24
hours will receive an automatic 10% grade reduction. Items will not be accepted more than 24 hours after the
due date.
Reading Assignments: Deep reading (not just web skimming) is still one of the most effective ways of
learning on your own, and is an essential professional skill that will directly benefit your career. In order to
practice this skill, you will be required to complete regular reading assignments from the text and other handout
materials. Class sessions are too valuable to spend on things which you can do on your own. Class sessions
will be used to add further examples not covered in the reading, for group activities, and to apply the material in
realistic situations. In-class quizzes will be given on the reading material.
Design Journal: Each individual is required to keep a design journal. A design journal is a permanently bound
(not three ring or spiral) notebook with pre-numbered pages. It contains dated entries of all your notes,
sketches, concepts, ideas, CAD drawings, meeting notes, calculations, doodles, and any other record of thoughts
and activities related to this course. In other words, it is a complete record of all activities in the course, written
in such a way that it
a) has archival value to you
b) can be used as a legal record for patent and intellectual property purposes.
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The journals will be reviewed by the teaching staff twice during the semester. The first review is to provide
feedback and suggestions on how you are using the journal. The second review will be graded and recorded.
The journal grade is based on content, completeness and neatness. Additional guidelines are provided on the
final page of this document.
Learning by Doing: The best way to learn design is by doing it. Hands-on activities will be the primary
instructional tool of this course. Most of the work will be team and project oriented. The first several weeks
consist of applications that illustrate the important issues in the design cycle. The last half of the semester will
be devoted to a significant design activity, culminating in a design competition. The output of the design
activity will be several written reports and a functioning hardware system. The final project will provide an
opportunity for you to demonstrate your proficiency with the concepts learned in this course.
Team Effectiveness: Many of the activities of this course will be done in teams and will receive a team grade.
Each individual is expected to participate fully and equally in all team activities. Each individual will complete
a peer evaluation of their team members which will be a factor in the final grade.
ANGEL: An ANGEL web site will be used for posting of course materials, calendar and grades. Please make
sure that you forward all email sent to the ANGEL site to your regular email account.
Calculation of Final Grade: A weighted average grade will be calculated as follows:
Homework
5%
Quizzes
15%
Design Journal
10%
Bracket Rev. Eng.
10% (team grade)
Drill Dissection
10% (team grade)
Project
40% (team grade)
Peer Evaluation
10%
Final Average
Letter Grade
> 93.0
A
90.0-92.99
A-
Final Average
Letter Grade
65-72.99
D
<65
F
87.0-89.99
B+
83.0-86.99
B
80.0-82.99
B-
77.0-79.99
C+
73.0-76.99
C
Note: We do not curve grades in this course. It is theoretically possible for everyone in the class to receive an
A (or an F). Your performance depends on how well you perform, not on how everyone in the class does. It is
therefore in your best interests to help your classmates, while acting within the bounds of the university’s
academic integrity policy. Education research has shown that helping others also increases your own learning.
Re-Grading Policy: If you believe that an error was made in grading of any assignment, report, test or quiz,
you must write a short, clear justification of your claim, attach it to the original assignment in question, and
submit it to the instructor. The statute of limitations for submitting such claims is one week after that
assignment is returned. Note that the entire assignment will be-regraded, not just the item in question, in order
to ensure consistency and fairness.
Instructor’s role and commitment
You can expect your instructor to be courteous, punctual, well-organized, available for appointments outside of
class time, prepared for all class meetings, answer reasonable questions clearly, and grade uniformly and
consistently according to posted guidelines. You should not expect the instructor to narrate the text for you,
provide instant answers so that you do not have to do any thinking, or tolerate immature or unprofessional
behavior.
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Work Load
Consistent with University policies for 3 credit hours, this course requires 8-10 hours per week of individual
effort, outside of scheduled class times. Please plan accordingly. It is critical that you establish regular times
when your team can meet outside of class, since most of the activities are team-based.
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Good Practices for Keeping a Design Journal
(Adapted from Protecting your intellectual property, Office of Technology Development, University of
Oklahoma, http://www.otd.ou.edu/protectIP.html)
Use bound journals with consecutively numbered pages. Number journal volumes sequentially.
Use permanent ink. (We will waive this for ME 340.)
Never tear or cut pages from a laboratory journal.
Do not leave blank pages. Draw a diagonal line across any intentionally blank pages or sections, and date
and initial
5. Identify the project to which all data relate. If possible, indicate the project or experiment number, or at a
minimum give a brief descriptive heading.
6. Date and sign all entries. If you do not work on the project for a period of time, indicate the reasons and
dates spent away from the research.
7. Record all concepts, drawings, calculations, experimental data and other observations on a daily basis.
8. Define all abbreviations and acronyms when first used.
9. Avoid fragmentary diagrams and sketches. Include explanatory notes with all figures. Draw circuit
diagrams, for instance, as comprehensively as possible, using blocks or similar notations to indicate
conventional parts.
10. Make notations of the progress and completion of compounds, assemblies, or models being prepared for
testing. Relate these entries to previous sketches or entries that explain how the compound or equipment is
being made.
11. Record significant events. Successful testing of a compound or particular setup or piece of equipment is
“reduction to practice” and the date of such an accomplishment is important. Make notations of such tests,
identifying the compound or equipment and commenting on the results of the test. Give tabulated test data,
if available.
12. Make corrections by drawing a single thin line through the entry. Do not erase or obliterate mistakes.
13. Avoid loose pages and inserts. If a sketch or note is made on a loose piece of paper, and you wish to place
it in your book without making another entry, permanently affix it in the journal and have its placement
witnessed by another investigator.
14. Permanently attach additional material or data, such as computer printouts and photographs, and refer to
the attached information in a journal entry.
15. Use photographs. Photographs are useful in keeping a complete journal. Particularly when a model has
been made, it is desirable to take photographs which will serve as future identification. Permanently paste
the photographs into the lab journal, giving the date, the identification, and the name of the photographer.
16. Have entries witnessed. At least one other person—not a co-investigator or joint inventor—should review
and witness the entries by signing and dating the journal pages on a regular basis (weekly, if not daily).
17. Avoid splitting entries between books. When two or more investigators are working on the same project,
they should not split entries between laboratory books. One book should be complete in itself, and
investigators should initial and date their own entries.
18. Keep lab journals in a safe place when not in use.
19. Keep lab journals relating to patent applications for at least 20 years. The term of most patent
applications filed in recent years is 20 years. Because laboratory journals can help establish the date an
invention was conceived, and by whom, the journals should be kept for at least as long as the term of the
patent.
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