bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CURRENT PRACTICES IN FINAL YEAR ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSES
Authors: Vincent Colin , Wild Peter
Published: April 2017

In order to gain understanding of the current practices in capstone design courses, a comprehensive literature review of Canadian electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering capstone courses was undertaken. To classify this information, primary elements of a capstone design course, such as project scope and project sourcing, were defined. The results of the review are presented and compared with US capstone data. The major themes are identified and the results provide insight into the state of the art of North American capstone education.
RETHINKING THE FIRST YEAR PROGRAMMING COURSE
Authors: Lubitz William David
Published: April 2017

The use of microcontrollers in beginning programming classes has been found to increase student learning and enthusiasm. Microcontroller programming has been successfully used in advanced undergraduate courses as a way to reinforce previous learning and to practice design, and in beginning undergraduate courses to introduce basic programming concepts in an engaging and relevant manner. Based on observations in a third year undergraduate course that included both traditional and microcontroller programming, a case is made for using a user-friendly microcontroller, instead of a traditional full-featured language, to teach fundamental programming concepts to novice engineering students.
"SPACE WORM": BORE-HOLE ANCHORING MECHANISM FOR MICRO-G PLANETARY EXPLORATION DRILL
Authors: Gagnon Hugo , Abou-Khalil Emile , Azrak Omar , Morozov Alexei , Jones Howard , Ravindran Gita
Published: April 2017

Planetary drilling has become an essential need in the search for life or resource identification on the Moon and other near-Earth objects. This paper focuses on the mechanical design aspects of a bore-hole anchoring mechanism architecture that is relatively independent from its “mother” vehicle. The recommended solution comprises a two member actuated anchoring mechanism. Each actuator is driven by one leading screw thus providing a considerable mechanical advantage to the anchor shoes. The anchor’s ability to “walk” up and down the hole is similar to that of an earthworm, hence the naming “Space Worm”. The present paper is not an extensive technical solution to a planetary drilling unit, but rather proposes general concepts that could eventually constitute the backbone of such a sophisticated machine.
PRIORITIZING DESIGN CANDIDATES IN ADAPTABLE DESIGN USING THE GREY RELATIONAL ANALYSIS APPROACH
Authors: Li Y. , Xue D. , Gu P.
Published: April 2017

A new method to evaluate design candidates in adaptable design is introduced in this research using the grey relational analysis approach. In this method, the functions of different adaptable design candidates are classified into fundamental functions and adaptable (optional) functions. These design candidates are evaluated by different life-cycle evaluation measures including adaptability of design, part and assembly costs of manufacturing, operationability by customers, etc. The grey analysis approach is employed in this research to integrate the different evaluation measures for prioritizing different design candidates with different fundamental and adaptable functions. A case study is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the introduced approach.
SCALING ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH USING CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGIES
Authors: Foster Jason
Published: April 2017

The modern engineering classroom has associated with it a myriad of educational technologies. Proponents of such technologies suggest that instructors avail themselves of technologies such as wikis, blogs, vidcasts, podcasts, screencasts, clickers, and backchannel instant messaging, in addition to managing their courses using the nigh ubiquitous online learning management systems. While the educational value of these technologies remains in question, their eventual inclusion into the classroom seems almost a certainty. Many of the discussions of educational technologies take place in the context of pilot studies or special-purpose initiatives. These contexts, where the ratio of students to teaching staff is generally small and where dedicated technical resources are usually available, do not mirror the usual Canadian undergraduate engineering classroom. This paper discusses the challenges faced when introducing education technologies into contexts where the number of students is much greater than the number of teaching staff, and where the resources to execute, support, and enhance the technologies are lacking.
COMPARING STUDENT ASSESSED COMPETENCIES IN PBL AND TRADITIONAL ECE PROGRAMS
Authors: Lawrence P. D. , Hennessey C. A. , Calviño-Fraga J. , Ivanov A. , Pulfrey D.L. , Salcudean S.E. , Yedlin M. , Davies M.S. , Chrostowski L. , Madden J. , Mirabbasi S. , Walus K.
Published: April 2017

Since 1999, both traditional and project based learning (PBL) programs have been offered to second year ECE students at the University of British Columbia. This paper describes the structure of the PBL program and a student evaluation of their competencies. The evaluation was carried out by a survey of third and fourth year students who passed through either the PBL or the traditional program. Results of the evaluation indicate that the former PBL students felt significantly more improved than the traditional students in their design-related abilities and some of their teamwork abilities evaluated by the survey.
USING BIOLOGICAL ANALOGIES FOR ENGINEERING PROBLEM SOLVING AND DESIGN
Authors: Shu L. H.
Published: April 2017

This paper summarizes various aspects of identifying and using biological analogies in engineering design. To avoid the immense as well as potentially biased task of creating a database specifically for this purpose, the chosen approach searches biological knowledge in natural language format, e.g., books, papers, etc., for instances of functional keywords describing the engineering problem. Strategies developed to facilitate this search as well how text descriptions of biological phenomena were used in problem solving are summarized. Case studies in design for remanufacture and microassembly are used to provide an overview of the method.
INTEGRATING CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN THROUGHOUT THE CURRICULUM
Authors: Jackson Barrie
Published: April 2017

Over the years we have observed that many Chemical Engineering and Engineering Chemistry students when they come into the fourth year one term Capstone Process Design course claim that most of the material is completely new to them. Making allowance for the expectations that students would claim this in any case, we believe that there are many advantages to trying to integrate preceding courses as much as possible with the fourth year design course. What we are proposing is to develop a framework process model using a simulator such as PRO/II, UniSim, or ASPEN that would serve as a thread to link assignments in preceding courses such as heat and mass transfer. This model would then be used as the basis for the Capstone design exercise. Although there are several potential advantages to this such as reducing duplication of effort and having a more cohesive design concept throughout the three years, there are bound to be teething problems. One potential problem is a common understanding of design. There are many concepts as to what Chemical Process Design consists of, which reflects the background and experience of the instructors. What we hope to do is to keep in mind the definitions of Science, Engineering and Technology as stated at the Inaugural CDEN conference by Dr. Tom Brzustowski P.Eng., the president of NSERC. This talk clearly pointed out the difference between Research and Development as well as Design. These are a continuum, Research, particularly speculative research is the least expensive and to a large degree the easiest of the three since there is not often the pressure to achieve a specific outcome. Development on the other hand which is primarily an engineering activity is considerably more expensive and usually has a fixed deliverable. Development is a team effort. There is a direct link between development and design since design cannot take place without the engineering development phase. The design and implementation of an artifact is the most expensive item by far and requires inputs from Economics, Environmental Health and Safety as well as knowledge of the market. We are also aware of increasing demands on our engineering graduates from the two perspectives, the increasing competition on a global basis and the expanding core body of knowledge expectations
CROSS-COURSE INTEGRATED GROUP DESIGN PROJECTS: 1 + 1 = 11
Authors: Pop-Iliev Remon , Nokleby Scott B.
Published: April 2017

Design is the ultimate integrating activity in an engineering program. Design engineering is exactly the coherent thread that correlates the various engineering and scientific subjects taught. Integrated courses that take basic engineering concepts and connect them to related concepts in other subject areas provide superior learning experiences for students and help produce engineers who can better understand the “global picture.” As a test of the above, and with an objective to advance the theory of teaching design engineering in an integrated fashion, the authors of this paper launched a pilot program at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).
IS ENGINEERING EDUCATION DELIVERING WHAT INDUSTRY REQUIRES
Authors: May Elizabeth , Strong David S.
Published: April 2017

Engineering graduates from the current Canadian university system leave school expecting to be well-equipped for engineering practice. After years of intense study, these bright and eager engineering graduates plan to design cars, construct bridges, and develop computer systems. However, for some time, surveys have suggested that employers find engineering graduates to be weak in the field of engineering design, innovation, communication, and associated professional skills. It is not likely that this is the fault of the student, but one may question whether design and professional skills requirements in engineering curricula are adequate [1]. Industry feedback suggests that changes are required in Canadian engineering education.
INSTRUMENTED BALL DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Martins Suda , Li Wei , Radziszewski Peter
Published: April 2017

In the mineral processing industry, tumbling mills are used in the size reduction or comminution of ore to a target size distribution. As the tumbling mill environment is quite violent it is difficult to monitor mill charge motion let alone single ball or particle motion. An effort was initiated to investigate the development of an instrumented ball that includes data collection capabilities. A variety of sensors, including accelerometers and gyros, form the instrument package. The data collected by the instruments allow the calculation of a number of dynamic and kinematic quantities as a function of time. Using instrumented ball data, the error model of the instrument can be found. Finally, the importance of the data with respect to ball mills is discussed along with the relationship between the instrumented ball data and charge motion simulation results is discussed.
USE OF CONCEPT MAPS TO AID EARLY ENGINEERING DESIGN
Authors: Weerasinghe J. S. , Salustri F. A.
Published: April 2017

This paper reports on the use of concept maps as a tool to facilitate innovation and aid in the communication of ideas during the initial stages of engineering design. The authors propose that engineering design, especially in the early stages, is a learning exercise. In exploring the different characteristics, requirements, and constraints of a design problem, a design team can better understand the limitations of their design, as well as encourage more innovative thinking that works within these limitations. For engineering purposes, the organization of different ideas with concept maps may provide insight into the kinds of subsystems the design may require as well as the interconnectivity between these subsystems as represented by the links between various nodes and the evolution of concept maps may help understand the collaborative design processes used by the designers who created the maps.
PROPERTIES OF TECHNICAL SYSTEMS - KEY TO CROSSING DESIGN BOUNDARIES
Authors: Eder W. Ernst
Published: April 2017

Based on a model of a transformation system, a complete set of classes of properties for all products is developed. The design specification should give a clear statement of the requirements for the product. Various kinds of product can be recognized. Consequently three typical design processes are: design engineering, industrial design, and integrated product development. For a design process, the proposed set of classes of properties provides a good guideline or heuristic for setting up a design specification. This set of classes of properties supports a directed creativity. It indicates where expertise is needed to obtain an optimal designed product.
UTILISATION DU PRINCIPE DE CHECKLISTS POUR L'ÉLABORATION DE PROCÉDURES FACILITANT LE DÉVELOPPEMENT DU SAVOIR-FAIRE DANS LES PROJETS DE CONCEPTION
Authors: Charron François , Desbiens Jean-Philippe
Published: April 2017

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A NOVEL DESIGN COMPETITION FOR THIRD-YEAR CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENTS
Authors: Ruwanpura Janaka Y.
Published: April 2017

At many Canadian universities, there are few courses for design education in the civil engineering curriculum except in fourth year. This paper explains an innovative approach introduced by the author to promote design education using a design competition at the University of Calgary. Through this design competition, third-year students learn design concepts and apply them using a real project, integrate several civil engineering deliverables in one project without doing them in a separate course, and gain experience that prepares them for their final-year design course. The eight courses included in the competition comprise all civil engineering aspects, including structural, geotechnical, transportation, environmental, construction, material, and project management. This inaugural year’s design competition is based on the new Alberta Children’s Hospital Project. The paper discusses the competition’s purpose, structure, student participation, deliverables, and successful outcome.
INTEGRATED LEARNING IN ENGINEERING - DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING CURRICULUM AT UNB
Authors: Couturier Michel , MacIsaac Dawn , Chang Liuchen
Published: April 2017

Following its rich tradition of over 150 years of excellence in engineering education, the Faculty of Engineering at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) is currently implementing an exciting first year program. In consultation with Atlantic businesses, governments and members of the Faculty, an Engineering Education Task Force was formed in the summer of 2003 with the mandate to enhance integrated learning in undergraduate engineering programs at UNB. The Task Force proposed a substantially-common first year program for all engineering disciplines with design projects in both the first and second terms. The design projects are used to integrate knowledge gained in the first year and are part of two new design courses. The first design course is centered on Design and Communications. The second design course is centered on Design and Computations. This new approach requires that teaching of core materials be integrated at a level that crosses disciplinary boundaries.
COGNITIVE STRATEGIES IN STUDENT TEAM PROJECTS
Authors: Jensen Nick , Fukuda Brent , Daum Philip
Published: April 2017

This paper illustrates the learning benefits and the collective efficacy of student project teams in engineering design education. We describe the impact of learning for a fourth year design project on student lifetime knowledge at both ends: project builders (fourth year students enrolled in the three programs of Electrical, Computer and Software engineering of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Calgary) and product users- all students taking electric circuits laboratories (for our programs or from the Faculty of Engineering-common core). Much understanding about learning and cognition has been achieved during the cognitive analysis of the course outcomes for the first course on digital circuits offered in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Calgary. As a result, we present cognitive strategies and their use in the introduction of simple digital circuits (flip-flops) and the design of a traffic light controller. We have developed a virtual laboratory with digital circuits and instrumentation components is a first attempt to motivate students to do the pre-lab exercises for digital and electric circuits and reuse them to refresh their training in using the appropriate functions of the buttons and devices needed for any electronic data generation and acquisition. The components of this educational environment have been created based on the criteria of professionalism stated by the guidelines of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geophysicists and Geologists of Alberta (APEGGA) and the University of Calgary learning plan. Over the past four years, six student teams have undertaken and successfully accomplished design projects which produced the main components of the departmental virtual laboratory: real-time control of electronic instruments and of a traffic light, traffic signal simulation with a digitized voice synthesis tool and operational simulation of simple finite state machines. The educational site integrates exercises with progressive degree of difficulty, from simple gates to digital controllers. The students are invited to take a virtual visit of the laboratory rooms in which they will perform course required experiments in order to easier locate the devices to be used as well as operate them appropriately. For project completion, the teams have been trained to adopt a framework for implementing a hierarchical model of learning as the basis for developing skills and methods.
SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL AT THE 500 ML/D BONNYBROOK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
Authors: Do Paul , Amatya Prasanna L. , Keller Wolf E.
Published: April 2017

This paper presents the 1989-1999 implementation of the biological phosphorus and nitrogen removal (BNR) technology carried out in 4 separate stages at Calgary’s 500,000 m3/d Bonnybrook WWTP. The paper also summarizes Bonnybrook’s successful BNR experiences in terms of 90 – 100% chemical cost savings, the production of an excellent effluent quality that is much better than the conventional activated sludge processes and consistently meeting Alberta Environment’s stringent effluent standards, as well as the various advantages and disadvantages associated with the BNR processes.
THE CDEN E-DESIGN PORTAL
Authors: Brennan Robert W.
Published: April 2017

In this paper we provide an overview of the current work that is being conducted to develop a single point of entry or “e-Design Portal” for engineering design courseware for the Canadian Design Engineering Network (CDEN). The general architecture of the e-Design Portal is described and examples of its use with existing CDEN modules are provided.
DESIGN LEARNING AND THE ASSESSMENT OF INSTRUCTION
Authors: Fauvel O. R. , Johnston C. R. , Caswell D. J.
Published: April 2017

The accreditation of engineering design components of the curriculum is based upon a characterization of design as “… creative, iterative, and often open-ended …”1. The Universal Student Rating of Instruction (USRI) is based upon a composite of expectations including those involving: organization, detail in course outline, responses to questions, opportunities for assistance, evaluation methods, and perception of instruction. In this paper we examine the competing nature of these two characterizations. Even the most casual perusal of the questions posed by the USRI reveals that the premise underlying this instrument is one that clearly (albeit implicitly) points to a number of expectations. The nature of the subject matter, the nature of the learning process, the learning environment, the role of the student, that of the instructor, and that of the relationships between all of these are all assumed to benefit from adherence to a particular pre-ordained form. Specifically, the curriculum is perceived to consist of a body of facts, the learning process involves a transfer of these facts from instructor to student, the role of the student is passive, and responsibility for learning is the sole preserve of the instructor. The authors hold that this most sterile and simplistic set of expectations is fundamentally at odds with what should be happening in a design course. In this paper we juxtapose the nature of design and design learning with the teaching algorithm underlying the USRI.
UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN SHARE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Authors: Jackson Barrie , Dilamarter Dale , Spasov Peter
Published: April 2017

This paper describes a pilot collaboration between Queen’s University and Sir Sandford Fleming College of Applied Arts and Technology in Peterborough Ontario. Since 1994 Queen’s has offered projects where students learn by solving problems for fee paying industrial clients. Known as Technology Engineering and Management (TEAM) student participants form multidisciplinary teams to consult for business clients. In addition to engineering students, commerce and arts students have often participated in the teams. In the Applied Projects program at Fleming College, third year engineering technology student teams solve problems for enterprise sponsors. A pilot group of engineering technology students from Fleming College worked with students in two Queen’s University TEAM projects. In industrial practice, engineers and engineering technologists often collaborate on solving problems. This collaboration rarely occurs in an educational setting. In the 2002-2003 academic year the pilot exercise simulated the professional working relationship between engineers and technologists. This paper gives a description of the experience and the motivation to undertake this unique collaboration. The most important aspect of the presentation is a critical assessment of the University/College collaboration -- what worked, what problems arose, and what improvements are suggested.
JOINT DESIGN FOR A HYPER-REDUNDANT SERIAL MANIPULATOR
Authors: Alonso Mark , Stephenson Mark , Naqvi Afaan
Published: April 2017

We propose a joint design for a low-cost, light-weight, hyper-redundant serial manipulator. The proposed design consists of two rigid end plates connected by a universal joint; two sets of agonist/antagonist linear actuator pairs allow independent 2-DOF control. In tethered configuration, power and control signals are delivered to the robot by wire; the proposed control scheme is an open-loop relay system. The actuators consist of approximately helical coils of shape memory alloy wire. Current is alternately directed (at a frequency of 10Hz) through the members of each actuator pair; joint deflection is achieved by varying the respective duty cycles.
A FORMULATION OF THE PRELIMINARY DESING PHASE USING COMPLEXITY-BASED RULES
Authors: Khan Waseem A. , Angeles Jorge
Published: April 2017

This paper focuses on the application of complexity theory and entropy concepts in the design process. Broadly speaking, the design process involves three phases: problem definition, conceptual design and embodiment. In the conceptual design phase, concepts that satisfy the functional requirements of the desired product are identified and compared. It is said that approximately 75% of the total product life-cycle cost is committed in this phase. The conceptual design phase has two essential sub-phases, namely, obtaining a solution set and selecting the most suitable solutions. Our work focuses on the selection sub-phase. The aim within this sub-phase is to minimize the number of selected concept variants and to reduce their chances of rejection in later stages. However, the solution to this problem is quite elusive, mostly because information about concept variants is scarce and rather qualitative at this stage. A common method is to perform a cost-benefit analysis. However, the analysis relies heavily on expert intuition and is thus subjected to high uncertainties. Recently, axiomatic design is gaining popularity. This is a framework that incorporates two axioms, namely, the Independence Axiom and the Minimum Information Axiom, accompanied by several corollaries. However, criticism on the integrity of the Independence Axiom has appeared recently in the literature. Further, the formulation of axiomatic design appears to have logical flaws. Finally, the conceptual design phase, a distinct phase in the design process, cannot be distinguished clearly in axiomatic design. In this paper we try to improve the selection phase of the conceptual design by improving the existing cost-benefit approach. In this vein, performance features against which concepts would be evaluated are established. We propose the use of Kolmogorov complexity theory and entropy concepts from information theory and physics to evaluate the complexity of the performance features. The design concepts are then improved based on the rule to reduce complexity of each performance feature. Weights are finally assigned to each performance feature and an overall complexity index is obtained which is suitable to compare designs. The ideas are further elaborated on by examples.
MOVING TOWARD SUSTAINABLE DESIGN THROUGH THE UTILIZATION OF ECONOMIC INPUT-OUTPUT-BASED LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT METHODS
Authors: Ferguson Thomas M. , Norman Jonathan , MacLean Heather L.
Published: April 2017

An Economic Input-Output based Life Cycle-based Assessment tool developed for the Canadian economy is presented, which estimates selected environmental implications (e.g. energy use, greenhouse gas emissions) throughout the entire economy associated with given demand for a product/material. An example application illustrates a comparison between concrete and steel use for columns in office buildings. Steel columns are found to be more energy intensive, but both column types result in similar levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The model’s advantages and limitations as a tool to assist designers in evaluating the environmental implications of their designs are discussed.
ENGINEERING DESIGN COACHES: FACULTY OR GRAD STUDENTS?
Authors: Caswell Daryl , Johnston Clifton , Fauvel Rod , Douglas Diane , Eggermont Marjan
Published: April 2017

The Boyer Commission Report on Undergraduate Education of 1998 calls for universities to make a greater commitment to the training and involvement of graduate students as teachers. Should this apply to the Engineering Design environment? Are there issues of responsibility, technical expertise and professional experience that exclude graduate students from the role of design coach? At the University of Calgary, in eight years of involvement with both faculty and graduate students as design coaches, we have come out strongly in favour of our graduate students. In fact, in most cases, graduate students get as good or better results from the undergraduate students than the faculty members. This paper explores the reasoning behind this result and the environment that produces the result. The focus is on the nature of the design environment as one of participatory inquiry. Perhaps the most significant feature of participatory inquiry is the creation of an environment in which all members (students and design coaches) are simultaneously student and teacher. In fact, the coaches regularly remark that they learn more about design by being a coach than through any other experience they have had. The faculty members, however, are often handicapped by their expertise. This is partly due of the narrow focus of their research area and partly due to the assumption by the students that the knowledge of the faculty member is more important than their own. In a participatory environment, the properly trained and supported graduate student is better able to develop a relationship with the student design teams that fosters the types of thinking and activity necessary for effective design work. This includes responding appropriately to vague, poorly defined problems that characterize design work, developing and defending independent solutions to open-ended problems, and communicating effectively on several levels. The coaches are not required to become experts on each of the projects they coach and in fact, are encouraged to stand back and allow the students become the experts for their projects. Further, the mandate of the coaches is to allow students to uncover the answers regarding design process even if it means they may flail somewhat. The students begin to take ownership of their knowledge and authentic design work results.
REVIEW OF METAMODELING TECHNIQUES FOR PRODUCT DESIGN WITH COMPUTATION-INTENSIVE PROCESSES
Authors: Wang G. Gary , Shan S.
Published: April 2017

Computation-intensive design problems are becoming increasingly common, especially for large-size manufacturers such as those in the aerospace, automotive, and electronics industries. The computation burden is often caused by expensive analysis and simulation processes. Approximation or metamodeling techniques are often used to model these computation-intensive processes in order to improve efficiency. This work will review the current state-of-the-art on metamodeling-based techniques in support of product design. The review is organized from a practitioner’s perspective according to the role of metamodeling in supporting design. Challenges and future development of metamodeling will also be analyzed and discussed.
EXPERIENCES AND PROPOSALS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING DESIGN COURSES
Authors: Jazayeri Pouyan , Rosehard William (Bill) , Westwick David
Published: April 2017

This paper presents some of the experiences gained from the interdisciplinary design course offered at the university of Calgary in the 2004-2005 academic year. It also provides a few proposals and recommendations to improve the course (or similar versions) in the future. The components of the course—lecture content, group structure, design projects, and general course structure—are analyzed and some of the challenges—equal contribution from members, scheduling, grading, and more— are described in this paper. The approaches used in overcoming these problems, along with further suggestions, are also detailed.
KNOWLEDGE-BASED ROBUST PIPING DESIGN
Authors: Lu Blake , Wang Guobiao , Gu Peihua
Published: April 2017

Substantial reduction of the cycle time between the piping layout design and the stress analysis is still a challenge that engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) are facing. This paper discusses such a design problem. The research proposes a knowledge-based expert system, which integrates professional knowledge and codes, expert experiences, and the effective robust design concept, in order for piping designers to create ready-to-approve layouts in an easy and fast way. This paper aims to eliminate the unnecessary cycle time for the current design procedure – not to change the procedure.
THE DESIGN OF THE DRILL BIT & SAMPLE ACQUISITION MECHANISM DBSAM
Authors: Bhaiji Moortaza , El-Saddi Michel , El-Khouri Naji , Jones Howard , Morozov Alexei
Published: April 2017

Space scientists and technologists spend more and more efforts developing principles and technologies for Mars exploration. One of the most important tasks is to analyze subsurface Martian soil and rocks for traces of past or present life. The Mars Lander should possess a reliable and compact drilling and sample acquisition mechanism which can be stored on board the Lander and be assembled automatically during operation. An important part of this mechanism is a drill bit and sample acquisition mechanism (DBSAM). Its primary functions are going to be drilling deep into rock or regolith and sample acquisition. Samples are to be either of particulate or solid material and must be contained within the device until ejection. This article discusses and elaborates a design of the DBSAM.
AN OPEN SOURCE EXERGY CALCULATOR TOOL
Authors: Montelongo-Luna Juan M. , Young Brent R. , Svrcek William Y.
Published: April 2017

The constant tightening of environmental regulations and the ongoing need to reduce operating costs have posed a challenge for the design of any chemical process. Exergy is a potential indicator that can aid in the design of energy efficient chemical processes and plants. An open source exergy calculator has been created by embedding the calculation procedure in an open source chemical process simulator. This serves as a potential tool for design teams to quickly evaluate several process options in detail in order to understand their energy utilization. A simulation case study is presented to show the application of the tool.
OPTIMAL DESIGN OF TWO K-OUT-OF-N SYSTEMS CONNECTED IN SERIES
Authors: Duan Jingtao , Wu Siyan , Zuo Ming J
Published: April 2017

The safety monitoring system in an underground mine consists of mainly methane sensors and smoke sensors. It can be described as a k-out-of-n:F system with dual failure modes. This paper is to determine the values of k*1 and k*2 that maximize system reliability and minimize average system cost for fixed n1 and n2 values; and the values of n*1 and n*2 that maximize system reliability and minimize average system cost for fixed k1 and k2 values. Two approaches to find n*1 and n*2 for fixed k1 and k2 values by explicitly considering the constraint n*1 +n*2 ≤ n will also be illustrated. The results presented in this paper are useful for optimal design of safety monitoring systems in underground mines.
DESIGN OF A CLOSE-UP STEREO VISION BASED SHEET METAL INSPECTION SYSTEM
Authors: Goldstein M. S. , Mitchell J. P. , Fleisig R. V. , Spence A. D.
Published: April 2017

This paper describes the design and implementation of a close-up stereo computer vision based sheet metal strain and geometry inspection system. A square grid pattern is first applied to the part using either electrochemical etching or screen printing. The part is formed, and measured using a two camera sensor that can be attached to a CMM or FARO arm. Image processing is used to extract the corners of the deformed grid for either three dimensional reconstruction, or for strain analysis. Graphical results are conveniently displayed using HOOPS. Sample measurements using both steel and aluminum test domes indicate an achievable accuracy comparable to other systems.
FOUR WEB TOOLS TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC DESIGN ACTIVITIES
Authors: Salustri Filippo A.
Published: April 2017

In this paper, the author describes four Web-based tools currently being developed to support academic design activities (teaching, collaboration, and research). The author proposes that CDEN should adopt tools such as those described as building blocks for a more vital and active organisation.
A GRAPHICAL EXPLORATION OF THE GENERAL PERFORMANCE INDICES FOR BENDING STIFFNESS DESIGN
Authors: Pasini Damiano
Published: April 2017

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VIRTUAL LABORATORY IN MECHANISMS DESIGN
Authors: Vinogradov Oleg
Published: April 2017

A concept of virtual laboratory as a tool to teach kinematics and dynamics of mechanisms is presented. A virtual laboratory has many advantages vs physical laboratory: it is not limited to a specific variety of mechanisms, it allows to “measure” the trajectory, velocity and acceleration of any point, it allows to “measure” internal forces in the joints, and, what is most important, it allows changing the links dimensions and observe the consequences in terms of the mechanism’s output function. An important component of the virtual lab is the motion animation, which allows student to develop a visual perception and intuition.
MACHINE ELEMENTS - REVISION AND OUTLOOK FOR DESIGN EDUCATION
Authors: Eder W. Ernst
Published: April 2017

Technical Systems (TS) are products intended to perform a task. Machine elements (ME) are technical systems of the two (of four) lower complexity levels, mostly mechanical engineering items. The literature presents loosely classified listings, but hydraulic, thermal or control elements usually do not appear. The dominating TS-internal process concerns energy, characterized by a static and a dynamic property. ME carry functions, and have active connections to other constructional parts. A systematic classification of ME according to functions is presented. Systematic classification and variation assists creativity, and can produce many hundreds of alternatives, but increases demands for suitable selection and evaluation.
THE "GRAY BOX" APPROACH: THE POTENTIAL OF SYMBOLIC MATHEMATICAL SOFTWARE IN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND EDUCATION
Authors: Lee Tom
Published: April 2017

The proverbial "black box" refers to computing tools where the user is shielded from the inner algorithms and interacts with the system from a purely and input and output point of view. Most modern engineering modeling and simulation software are based on this notion. The "gray box" is a term that describes the symbolic approach to engineering computation that offers distinct benefits in education and research. This paper offers an introduction to the tools and techniques of successfully deploying symbolic tools. The Maple system will be used as the software context.
POSTPONING PRODUCT RETIREMENT THROUGH ENGINEERING DESIGN
Authors: Hashemian M. , Gu P.
Published: April 2017

The environmental impacts of a product can be reduced in the three phases of its life cycle: production supply chain, service and retirement. The reduction of production volume, especially by extending the service life of existing products would mitigate environmental impacts. Durability, maintenance and repair can prolong normal operation. However, if service requirements change, the product may be retired while still in working condition. In these cases, retirement could be postponed if the product is capable of “adapting” to the new requirements. This paper shows the scope of “postponing retirement” in environmental design research, and discusses the benefits of adaptable design.
LA RECHERCHE D'UNE VALEUR AJOUTÉE CACHÉE DANS UN PROJET DE GÉNIE CIVIL
Authors: Côté Bertrand
Published: April 2017

Cet article suggère que dans chaque projet de conception en génie civil se cache une valeur ajoutée cachée qu’il appartient au concepteur de découvrir. La valeur ajoutée proviendra de travaux additionnels qu’on inclura à l’appel d’offres, travaux don’t l’ampleur est mineure par rapport aux coûts totaux du projet, mais dont l’impact est assez important qu’il leur confère un caractère incontournable. L’article propose aux concepteurs une approche simple permettant de rechercher une valeur ajoutée dans n’importe quel type de projet, avec plusieurs exemples en appui.
THE SEMANTICS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Authors: Bourke Julia
Published: April 2017

Sustainability. Is it philosophy, theology, policy, environmental science?--a utopian or reactionary world view? And is there actually such thing as Sustainable design? If so, what does it mean, and does it relate to design as process, product, or both?
A FORMAL DESIGN SCIENCE
Authors: Zeng Yong
Published: April 2017

This paper presents the framework of a formal design science through summarizing and reviewing the author's research of design over the last decade. The paper firstly defines the scope of design science: nature-designer system. The reasoning capability of design science is developed on the basis of five axioms proposed by the author. Some theorems of design are briefly derived from these axioms. An industrial application of this formal design science is also presented. All these results are in the framework defined by the nature-designer system. Future directions are also given in the paper.
ESTIMATION OF STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS OF A MODEL BOOM OF DRAGLINE DRE-23 BY OUTPUT-ONLY SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION METHODS
Authors: Faruquee Zakir , Gurgenci Hal
Published: April 2017

Two output -only system identification methods namely Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) and Frequency Domain Decomposition (FDD) were used to estimate the dynamics (Mode shape, natural frequency and damping ratio) of the model boom of the dragline DRE 23. The boom was excited separately with an impulse hammer and with an electrodynamic shaker with chirp, random and simulated field excitations. In all cases, the excitations as well as the responses of the model boom were measured. The dynamics were obtained from the response measurements using Output-Only methods as well as from both the excitations and responses using conventional modal analysis methods. In all cases, the estimations of the dynamics by Output-Only methods were comparable if not better than those estimates obtained by the convention modal analysis methods.
DESIGNING DESIGN TEAM EXPERIENCES: CREATING STEAMER
Authors: MacGregor Carolyn , Talukdar Taneem , Bains Jasvir , Jo Jason
Published: April 2017

A challenge in teaching engineering design lies in guiding the collaboration of students in a design team environment. We have identified a need for a virtual design space application that enhances the user experience so as to encourage teamwork and project management skills. The Student Team Electronic Resource (STeamER) project arose out of lessons learned over the past nine years teaching project-based design courses to engineering students. The overall objective of STeamER is to support students and instructors involved in team-based projects. We describe the rationale as well as identified requirements for the STteamER application.
A COMPETENCY-BASED, STUDENT-CENTERED ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN
Authors: Johnston C. R. , Caswell D. J. , Douglas D. M. , Eggermont M. J.
Published: April 2017

The new first-year engineering design and communications course at the University of Calgary has adopted a competency-based, student-centered model for assessing learning. Satisfactory performance in this course requires mastery of core competencies in four categories: ability to function as a member of a team, ability to contribute effectively to product or process design, ability to communicate effectively using the written word, ability to communicate effectively through the medium of drawing. Every assignment in the course is aimed at evaluating one (or more) of the core competencies from these categories. Student work is assessed as Excellent, Good, or Requires Additional Work. Because our focus is on competency, we permit students to redo any of their work to achieve a better assessment. Students must achieve the minimum of a Good on every assignment to have established competency and pass the course. Students can also redo assignments to move from a Good to Excellent assessment. Students compile term work into portfolios. The portfolios illustrate the progression of learning to both instructors and students. Students also use the portfolio to highlight their design and communication abilities to future employers. The new competency-based approach used at the University of Calgary is more effective than traditional assessment models because it requires students to learn from one another and to reflect on their learning. Students receive feedback by following a four-step process: 1) Comparison to posted examples of student work, 2) Discussion with other students, 3) Generation of a written self-assessment, 4) Feedback on self-assessment by instructors. This assessment approach reinforces the skills needed for engineering design.
MENTOR-MANAGED DESIGN CHALLENGES FOR FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING
Authors: MacGregor Carolyn , Carson Linda
Published: April 2017

The authors identify the main challenges facing engineering students and instructors during hands-on design projects and give an overview of the mentor-managed approach they take in a first year design course. Key features of the course include mentor management, choosing a design challenge of a suitable scope, providing an appropriate systematic design methodology, and structuring the design project around staged deliverables. They describe, in more detail, two distinctive components of the course: usability testing with modified design walkthroughs, and an introduction to creative practice and design through a Scrapheap Challenge.
TOOLS FOR THE DESIGN OF MULTIPHASE PROCESSING OPERATIONS
Authors: Al Taweel A. M. , Azizi F. , Podila K. , Madhavan S. , Koksal M. , Gupta Y. P.
Published: April 2017

Although multiphase systems are encountered in a broad range of operations it is still very difficult to design such operations without recourse to a large degree of empiricism and know-how. This is mainly caused by the difficulty of properly simulating bubble/drop breakage and coalescence processes. The use of population balance equations and computational fluid dynamics offer an avenue for overcoming this obstacle. The ability to properly understand and quantify the complex phenomena taking place in multiphase systems was found to promote the innovation process which can enable the achievement of order-of-magnitude improvement in process performance.
A DESCRIPTIVE MODEL OF THE DESIGNER'S PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITY DURING THE LATER PHASES OF THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS
Authors: Motte Damien , Andersson Per-Erik , Bjärnemo Robert
Published: April 2017

Many specific and precise methods that support the mechanical engineering designer’s work during the conceptual design phase exist, while only a few general methods address the embodiment design and detail design phases. Our study presents the pattern of the designer’s problem-solving activity during the later phases of the design process. This model is in-tended to serve as a basis for further development of tools and methods directly oriented towards the de-signer at work in these stages of the design process. The descriptive model presented here is developed through observations of six designers at work in con-trolled experiments, and follows a previous study published elsewhere.
ÉVALUATION COMPARATIVE DE DEUX MÉTHODES D'ANALYSE DE CYCLE DE VIE SIMPLIFIÉE DANS UN CONTEXTE DE CONCEPTION DE PRODUIT AU SEIN DE PME
Authors: Côté C. , Gouvinhas R. P.
Published: April 2017

Ce projet cherche à repérer et à évaluer différents outils d’aide à la conception de produits à moindre impact environnemental utilisables au sein de petites et moyennes entreprises (PME). Le but de notre recherche consiste à analyser deux outils d’analyse de cycle de vie simplifiée (Environmentally Responsible Product Assesment. ERPA [3] et Ecoindicator´99 [19]) les plus utilisés dans la phase de conception. Notre choix tient au fait qu’ils sont bien documentés et que les types d’analyse qu’ils proposent sont très différents un de l’autre. Afin de réaliser cette étude, nous procéderons à l’évaluation du cycle de vie d’un produit à l’aide de ces deux méthodes. Le produit choisi est fabriqué par une PME brésilienne située dans la région du Nord-Est, dans l’État de Rio Grande do Norte. Les résultats de cette analyse permettront d’identifier, dans le cas des PME brésiliennes, quels sont les avantages et les inconvénients liés à l’utilisation de ce type d’outil en regard de leur fiabilité, de leur accessibilité et de leur faisabilité. Finalement, nous proposerons certaines modifications, afin de rendre ces méthodes plus facilement utilisables par les PME.