Sample Project Description for MECH 460/462
This document outlines the formatting for project descriptions and gives an example from a
past project. Given the wide variety of projects, there is room to modify the format to fit.
Where it would be useful, please include photos, tables, or graphics to describe the project.
These descriptions will be posted on the web for students to review.
Organization Name or Banner Graphic
Project Title
Introduction
Provide a brief description of the organization and background to provide context for the
project.
Objectives
Detail the scope of the project with a list of clear objectives for the students to accomplish.
This would be a good place to include a deliverables list. Keep in mind that there are two
phases to the project offering:
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Conceive and Design (MECH 460, Required for all students) is usually the completion
of a design to solve a particular problem, or an engineering analysis of a system, but
may include some minor prototyping or testing.
Implement and Operate (MECH 462, Optional for students, so only some will
continue) is usually the prototyping and testing of the design created in MECH 460,
but may be the creation of a detailed design and implementation plan for a full scale
system. All projects must include the potential for a MECH 462 Implement and
Operate phase.
Quantitative Analysis Required
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Bullet points – all projects must include an analysis component
Typically it would include FEM of components, CFD in a flow, dynamics simulation,
or some other complex quantitative analysis.
Recommended background
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Bullet points – particular skills that should be available in the project teams
Client Representative: Faculty Member’s Name (if known). We will find a suitable
representative within our department to manage the project teams.
Human Mobility Research Centre
Triaxial Mechanical Articulator
Introduction
The Human Mobility Research Centre is a multidisciplinary group of clinician-scientists,
scientists, and engineers interested in the mechanisms of musculoskeletal diseases and
disorders. One of the Centre’s core research activities is the measurement of human joint
motion during activities of daily living as well as occupational and recreational activities. This
involves the use of motion capture systems (i.e. high speed digital cameras that record 3D
position data) to record the motion, and biomechanical models to analyse and describe the
motion. The motion of human joints can be modeled as rotation about axes whose location is
known with respect to the joint anatomy. There are a variety of measurement techniques to
record the motion (ex. optical, radiographic, electromagnetic), and there is a variety of
modelling techniques that are used to describe the motion. A mechanical model with known
behaviour that replicates human joint motion would provide a means to determine the
accuracy of techniques used to measure joint motion.
Objectives
The objective is to design a mechanical “joint” with three rotational degrees of freedom that
can be used to simulate human joint motion. The orientation of the axes and range of motion
should be designed to replicate the three rotations of the human knee joint. However, it would
be beneficial if it were possible to adjust the range of motion to simulate other joints, or
diseased conditions. The device should be instrumented to measure the motion about each axis
with an accuracy better than +/- 0.10 degrees. The device must also include two rigid bodies
secured to the joint that replicate the body segments that make up the joint (in the case of the
knee, this would be the thigh and the shank segments). These segments must allow for the
rigid attachment of motion capture sensors.
This project will continue in MECH 462 where the objective will be the construction and
testing of a prototype based on successful designs developed in MECH 460.
Quantitative Analysis Required
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Kinematic simulation of the system
FEM of significant components for deflection and effects on kinematics
Recommended background
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Strong interest in biomechanical engineering
Skills in solid modeling and instrumentation
Good background in kinematics (3D kinematics would be beneficial)
Academic Supervisor: Kevin Deluzio