Senior Design

1. Senior Design Fall 2005 Week 4

2. Lecture overview • Course overview – where is this class heading. What should you expect. Grade distribution. • Technical Presentations (brief overview) • New assignment • Engineering Design Specification • Written and ppt presentation • Generating conceptual design alternatives • Discussion of last week’s assignment. • Each group will present their customer attributes • Specify what meeting times you have decided on

3. Groups • Thanks to all that were willing to work on projects that were not their first pick.

4. Course overview • Where is this class heading? • Come up with a functional design and build it. Gain experience in design and manufacturing, working with people. • What should you expect? • Semester 1: Mostly overview of design methodology. Presentations. Design and Reports. • Semester 2: Less lecturing. Some lecturing on manufacturing processes. Mostly working on your designs. Presentations. Design and Manufacturing, reports, and papers to symposia and conferences. • Grade distribution. • Participation: 25 % • Project update presentations: 10 % • Design Specification: 10 % • Evaluation of Alternatives: 15 % • Preliminary Design Report: 20 % • Preliminary Design Presentation: 20 % • Project engineering with Dr. Campbell.

5. Course overview

6. Know your audience. What are they interested in? What do they know? Make sure all of the members are up to speed. Explain it from the starting point. Be organized. Outline Objective Method Results Conclusion Flashy ppt presentations can be fun but often take away from the important points Jokes are OK – but only if they are appropriate and add to the presentation. Practice! Sell your presentation. Technical Presentations - overview

7. New Assignments • Group assignment • Engineering Design Specification (10% total) • Type this up neatly (7 % of grade) – it will become part of your semester report. • Include a section on your customer attributes. • 5 min presentation per group next week (3 % of grade). • Start creating a master report document.

8. Just a question… • Don’t answer. Just think about the answer. • If you had a third eye – where would you place it?

9. Generating Conceptual Design Alternatives • Approaches to generating alternative designs • Function first decomposition • Examining the potential use of alternative physical laws and effects • Use of one or more well known applied techniques for creative idea generation • Conducting an information search

10. Function First Decomposition • Discussed last week • Define the functions, sub functions, and sub-sub functions of the product • Search for ways to meet the functions using different physical principles an hardware • Search for ways to modify the functional decomposition by (i) combining functions, and (ii) separating functions into sub-functions

11. Function First Decomposition • Example: Define the functions, sub functions, and sub-sub functions of the product Space heater Convey energy to unit Control energy flow Convert electrical to thermal energy Distribute energy to room Enclose, protect and support the unit and its parts Provide user on-off control Provide temperature sensitive on-off Provide safety off control Support unit above floor Protect humans Support all internal components

12. Function First Decomposition • Example: Search for ways to meet the functions using different physical principles an hardware • Using radiation instead of convection for the space heater • Support unit above floor by hanging it from the ceiling

13. Function First Decomposition • Example: Search for ways to modify the functional decomposition by (i) combining functions, and (ii) separating functions into sub-functions • Combining functions: • Original product: Sequential process of mixing ingredients, kneading the mixture, allowing time for rising, punching out entrapped air, forming into loaves, and baking. • Product combining functions: at-home baking machine

14. Function First Decomposition • A variation to function first decomposition • Begin with a hardware decomposition and then define the functions of each of those sub-assemblies • Perhaps less abstract approach

15. It is important to have a fundamental understanding of physical laws in science Example of some physical laws Conservation laws Of energy Mass Momentum Newton’s laws Ohm’s law Thermodynamic laws First – conservation of energy Second – entropy increases, and work potential decreases in isolated systems; efficiency of heat engine is limited Third – can’t reach absolute zero temperature Archimedes principle Heat transfer Conduction law Convection Radiation Electro Magnetic Laws Periodic Table Examining the potential use of alternative physical laws and effects

16. Selected physical effects Absorption Anisotropy Buoyancy Doppler Friction Photoelastic Thermal expansion Surface tension Stress-strain Creep Examining the potential use of alternative physical laws and effects

17. Examining the potential use of alternative physical laws and effects • Example: How can a load be carried over an open space • Beam (load perpendicular to a long slender structural member can be carried by longitudinal bending stresses) • Pontoons (buoyancy) • Helium balloons (buoyancy)

18. Creative Idea Generation • Brainstorming • Systematic search for new combinations • Synectics

19. Creative Idea Generation • Brainstorming • Very useful for generating ideas for general technical problems. Perhaps less useful in generating ideas for highly technical or specialized problems. • Generally used in a group but can be used by just one person. • In a comfortable setting generate as many solutions as possible in a free and open way. • The design team and the brainstorming group can include different people • Good to include people that are not knowledgeable about the technical details (perhaps include technical people not on your team, perhaps include marketing people)

20. Creative Idea Generation • Brainstorming rules • No criticism evaluation or comments about ideas expressed • As many ideas as possible must be generated • Speak out freely about the ideas without inhibitions • Let one idea lead into another • Don’t evaluate the ideas – this will be done later • Wild, “off the wall”, unusual ideas are wanted • Maybe the idea itself is not practical but it may lead into something that is • Have a leader that keeps the brainstorming exercise on track (ensure that no one evaluates ideas) • A brainstorming exercise • How to separate green (unripe) tomatoes from ripe tomatoes

21. Creative Idea Generation • Systematic search for new combinations • No of combinations = M1 x M2 x M3 x…x Mn • M is the number of alternatives for a particular function • N is the number of functions • For 2 functions a matrix can be generated • For more functions a list (a long list) will be generated • Example: 3 functions each with 3 alternatives would generate 3*3*3=27 combinations • Perhaps one or more of these will be a practical solution

22. Systematic search for new combinations. Example continued F1A1, F2A1, F3A1 F1A1, F2A1, F3A2 F1A1, F2A1, F3A3 F1A1, F2A2, F3A1 F1A1, F2A2, F3A2 F1A1, F2A2, F3A3 F1A1, F2A3, F3A1 F1A1, F2A3, F3A2 F1A1, F2A3, F3A3 F1A2, F2A1, F3A1 F1A2, F2A1, F3A2 F1A2, F2A1, F3A3 F1A2, F2A2, F3A1 F1A2, F2A2, F3A2 F1A2, F2A2, F3A3 F1A2, F2A3, F3A1 F1A2, F2A3, F3A2 F1A3, F2A3, F3A3 F1A3, F2A1, F3A1 F1A3, F2A1, F3A2 F1A3, F2A1, F3A3 F1A3, F2A2, F3A1 F1A3, F2A2, F3A2 F1A3, F2A2, F3A3 F1A3, F2A3, F3A1 F1A3, F2A3, F3A2 F1A3, F2A3, F3A3 Creative Idea Generation F1, F2, and F3 are the functions; A1, A2, and A3 are the alternative solutions

23. Synetics • A term coined to describe a set of four techniques for idea creation that includes • Inversion • Fantasy • Analogy • Empathy

24. Synetics • Inversion • Turn things inside-out, upside down, stop moving parts, start stationary parts, … • Helps in finding new decompositions and new configurations • Ex: things placed outside can be placed inside, things on the left can be placed on the right or in front, use plastics for metals • Armor project (plastic gear from RPM instead of Aluminum) • W. Lorenz (new design discussed location of the cam)

25. Synetics • Fantasy • Imagining or wishing that something is possible • Sometimes impossible, but more importantly – sometimes possible and sometimes the ideas can be modified to be possible • Airplane, car, Polaroid camera, Xerox machine, telephone, …

26. Synetics • Analogy • Analogy to other physical phenomena • Think about the problem in general enough terms so that the characteristics that it has with other disciplines/situations become apparent • Remember to think about the natural world • Design in Nature • The hinge and the shell of an oyster

27. Synetics • Empathy • Putting one’s self in another’s place • Identifying physically and personally with the part, product, or process that is to be created • Body/mind must actually perform the function(s) • State how it feels and what we would need or do if we were to do the task • Difficult for people that are inhibited in a group of people. • Either trust that the members will be nice • Thick-skinned • Exercise: Improve the design of a 33 rpm records player. Problem is that the payer would be too sensitive to vibrations in the dorm room. • Note that this example is not brainstorming as the people are deliberately trying to use synetics techniques (analogy, fantasy, empathy, and inversion)

28. Literature search Trade Magazines (Mechanical Engineering, Machine Design, …) Full of advertisements Articles Should review on a regular basis to build your basic knowledge base (you also need to stay on top of new trends in the market) Handbooks Machinery’s handbook (very good!) Industry Manuals Gears, springs, motors, belts,… Research Journals Research in Engineering Design ASME Journal of Heat Transfer ASME Journal of Fluid Mechanics Published data bases Now most are available on the web Can search for a particular topic, author, theory,… UNF subscribes to numerous data bases (many available on line) Learn how to use these data bases if you haven’t already – make an appointment with a librarian People as sources Your colleagues (do you know anything about…, do you know where I can find information on, do you know someone else that can help Vendors Thomas register (on line) Yellow pages Searching for Information

29. Creativity Inhibitors • Set • Reluctance to change, habits, something worked reasonably well in the past. • Examples • School busses • Time cards (punch cards) • Gasoline driven cars • Inches vs. mm • People may justify reasons why change is bad or no needed. • The competitors may be willing to change and may develop superior products

30. Creativity Inhibitors • Fear • Afraid of making a mistake • Often one person will not be blamed for a failure. Hopefully the team will be able to evaluate all suggestions and determine a good solution. The pressure is off! • Afraid of embarrassment • Stupid or impractical ideas • What is the opposite fear? • What if the competitor comes up with your idea and proceed while you are too afraid to act on it…

31. Creativity Inhibitors • Pressure of time • There may not be time to always explore new ideas • Important to have a Research and Development team. • Lack of reward • Failure to patent

32. Long term enhancement of personal creativity • Subscribe to trade magazines • Keep a memory support book • Also start creating your portfolios • Practice curiosity • How was the product designed? How was it made? How can it be improved? • Take things apart • Children are often considered more creative than adults – Where would you put a third eye?

33. Discussion of last week’s assignment • Customer attributes with priorities • Meeting times • Group leader • Status of spec discussion