Engineering design: Lighter, faster, stronger

Synopsis

This unit develops a process for the analysis and design of static and dynamic structures and mechanisms using engineered materials. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the fundamentals of mechanical, civil and material engineering will be explained and the basic concepts of loads and motions are introduced.

Team-based projects will highlight the multidisciplinary nature of modern engineering. These concepts will be practised through hands-on projects carried out by teams. Communication and teamwork skills will be developed through teamwork tasks.

Outcomes

At the successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

Identify different structural systems (e.g. beams and trusses) and translate physical structures into appropriate models for analysis and design.
Determine forces acting in simple beams and truss systems using free body diagrams and rigid body equilibrium.
Determine internal axial and bending stresses in beams, struts and/or trusses structures and select appropriately sized members.
Determine the motion of particles and rigid bodies using fundamental concepts of kinematics and kinetics.
Determine the motion of particles and rigid bodies using energy methods.
Describe the key properties of structural materials for specific applications.
Describe, determine and summarise the importance of the microstructure of materials and analyse the microstructure-property relationship.
Describe how different material processing routes directly influence material structural properties.
Function as part of a team and communicate effectively with team members to prepare and present engineering prototypes and oral and written reports in a professional engineering format.

Assessment

Continuous assessment: 60%
Examination (3 hours): 40%

Students are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component and at least 45% in the final examination component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit. Students failing to achieve this requirement will be given a maximum of 45% in the unit.

Assessment task	Value	Due date
Weekly Pre-Lecture Online Quizzes	6%	Each weekly quiz will close 10 minutes before the start of your scheduled Workshop time
Lecture/Workshop Participation	12%	Worksheets are required to be handed in at the beginning of students’ practice class the following week
Project 1: Spaghetti Bridge	17%	Week 6 in practice class
Project 2: Trebuchet	17%	Refer project brief for details
Materials Assignment	8%	week 8 – refer assignment brief for exact date
SPECIAL ASSESSMENT FOR REPEATING STUDENTS (instead of 2 projects and materials assignment)	42%	Week 6 & 12 -to be confirmed
Examination	40%	To be advised