Course ME 3310 - Kinematics of Mechanisms
Student Information
This course will probably be unlike any course you have previously taken. Our approach to the subject will not rely on ‘rote’ learning and subsequent regurgitation of ‘facts’, but will rather emphasize understanding and application of the subject matter in a realistic and practical context. To do this, we will rely on project work as well as quizzes. The grading algorithm is listed on the syllabus. The majority of your grade is based on the individual quizzes and group projects, with homework making up the balance. The three principal objectives of this course are:
- To develop your understanding of the fundamentals of kinematics.
- To introduce you to the ‘Design Process’ as it applies to the solution of real-life, unstructured engineering design problems.
- To improve your ability to communicate your understanding of the subject through preparation of professional quality technical reports.
You may be the cleverest person in the world, but if you cannot communicate your ‘cleverness’ clearly and concisely, no-one (including us) will know how good you are. Thus, what may appear to you to on the surface to be an irrelevant emphasis on these communications aspects of the course, is in fact crucial to your understanding of the subject matter. You may think you understand the concepts of any subject, but unless you can clearly explain what you have done, and why it does (or doesn’t) work, then you do not, in fact, understand the concepts. Remember that negative results are still results. Part of engineering is understanding the reasons for our designs' failures.
Thus, we will judge your understanding of the subject matter based in large part on your communication of that understanding in your formal project reports. Some students misinterpret this requirement to mean "you don’t have to know the material, you just have to talk a good game." This is most emphatically not the case. Your level of understanding, or lack thereof, will be glaringly evident in your writing, even showing through bad grammar.
So, what is expected of you in this course? You are expected to:
- Download all handouts from the MyWPI course page and check it periodically
- Attend all lectures
- Attend all section meetings (where homework will be collected)
- Read the assigned portions of the book!
- Do all homework on time (no late homework is accepted)
- Do all projects and submit them in the form defined in the handout ‘Project Report Specifications’. (You really must start the projects when assigned - you cannot throw them together at the last minute and have a satisfactory result!)
- ALL your work must be your own!
In addition, you are expected to approach this course with the WPI philosophy of education in mind, as described in the undergraduate catalog, "... WPI educated people should be able to cope with change, to learn by themselves, to think for themselves, to analyze and deal with problems in a confident and realistic manner."
Kinematics is a very broad and interesting subject, though not a terribly difficult one. It is not possible to cover all of its varied aspects in only seven-weeks of lectures. Therefore, the readings, QUIZZES, and the projects may deal with topics NOT specifically covered in class lectures. Nevertheless, you are expected, in the spirit of the WPI Plan, to extend yourself, learn on your own, and rise to the challenges of the course objectives.
I will always welcome you in my office to answer your questions at any time. As with anything, you will get out of it only in proportion to what you put into it.
R. L. Norton, 8/15/04
Syllabus for WPI ME 3310 - Kinematics of Mechanisms A-04
| Name | Office | Phone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor: | Robert L. Norton | HL210 | 831-5537 | norton@wpi.edu |
| Teaching Assistant: | Sid Rupani | HL301 | 831-5976 | sidrup@wpi.edu |
| Texts: | Design of Machinery 3ed, by R. L. Norton, McGraw-Hill, 2004 | |||
| The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White | ||||
| Materials: | Computation Notebook # 43-648 at WPI Bookstore, or equivalent | |||
| Week 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 1 | Th | 8/26 | Introduction, Definitions, Links, Joints, Degrees of Freedom | Ch 1, Sects 2.0 - 2.4 and Ch 16 | 2-25, 2-7 a thru e |
| 2 | F | 8/27 | Grubler, Grashof, Isomers, Inversion, Transformation | Sects 2.5 - 2.18 and Tape #1803 | 2-22, 2-43 |
| Week 2 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 3 | M | 8/30 | Graphical Two and Three Position Synthesis, Quick-Return Mechanisms | Sects 3.0-3.5 and Tapes #1804, 1842 | 3-57 |
| 4 | Tu | 8/31 | Coupler Curves, Fourbar and Fivebar, Cognates | Sects 3.6 - 3.7 | 3-34, 3-30 |
| Sec | Tu | 8/31 | Homework review and Intro to software: Fourbar - Fivebar - coupler curves | Experiment with programs | HW sets 1-3 due |
| 5 | Th | 9/2 | Straight Lines, Dwells and QUIZ #1 | Sects 3.8 - 3.9 | 3-72 |
| 6 | F | 9/3 | A Design Process - Project 1 assigned, Discuss Project, Report Writing | Strunk & White, Report Specs | BEGIN PROJECT NOW! |
| Week 3 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| M | 9/6 | LABOR DAY - NO CLASSES | |||
| 7 | Tu | 9/7 | Working Model Program | Sects 4.0 - 4.9 | 4-57 in Working Model |
| Sec | Tu | 9/7 | Homework review - Intro to software - Working Model - Symech? | Experiment with programs | HW sets 4-6 due |
| 8 | Th | 9/9 | Position analysis and QUIZ #2 | Sects 4.10 - 4.13 | 4-19 (graphical OK) |
| 9 | F | 9/10 | Design review - Student project presentations | Sects 5.0 - 5.5 | |
| Week 4 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 10 | M | 9/13 | Analytical Linkage Synthesis | Sects 5.0 - 5.13 | 5-15 - (can use Mathcad, Matlab, TKSolver, or other) |
| 11 | Tu | 9/14 | Instant Centers - Centrodes, Mechanical Advantage - Toggles | Sects 6.0 - 6.5 | 6-86, 6.87b |
| Sec | Tu | 9/14 | Homework review - Intro to software - Symech | Appendix A | HW sets 7 - 9 due |
| 12 | Th | 9/16 | Graphical Velocity Analysis and QUIZ #3 | 6-28, 6-30, 6-31 | |
| 13 | F | 9/17 | PROJECT 1 DUE - Project 2 assigned and discussed | BEGIN PROJECT NOW! | |
| Week 5 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 14 | M | 9/20 | Velocity Analysis | Sects 6.6 - 6.9 | 6-65 |
| 15 | Tu | 9/21 | Acceleration Analysis | Sects 7.0 - 7.7 | 7-25, 7-26, 7-12 |
| Sec | Tu | 9/21 | Computer Programs - Project review | Appendix A | HW sets 10 - 14 due |
| 16 | Th | 9/23 | Acceleration Analysis and QUIZ #4 | ||
| 17 | F | 9/24 | Design review - Student project presentations | ||
| Week 6 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 18 | M | 9/27 | Cam Design - Definitions, s, v, a, j diagram | Sects 8.0 - 8.3 | 8-5, 8-23 |
| 19 | Tu | 9/28 | Cam Design - Useful Programs - Polynomials | Sects 8.3 - 8.6 | 8-8, 8-9 (Dynacam) |
| Sec | Tu | 9/28 | Computer Program Dynacam | Appendix A | HW sets 15 - 18 due |
| 20 | Th | 9/30 | Pressure Angle - Radius of Curvature - QUIZ #5 | Sects 8.7 - 8.9 | 8-6, (8-13, 8-14 Dynacam) |
| 21 | F | 10/1 | PROJECT 2 DUE - Project 3 assigned and discussed | Appendix A | BEGIN PROJECT NOW! |
| Week 7 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 22 | M | 10/4 | Gear Tooth Theory | Sects 9.0 - 9.6 | 9-3 |
| 23 | Tu | 10/5 | Gear Types & Mfg | Sect 9.7 - 9.8 | 9-18 |
| Sec | Tu | 10/5 | HW Review and Project help | HW sets 19 - 22 due | |
| 24 | Th | 10/7 | Gear Trains - Simple / Compound / Reverted - QUIZ #6 | 9-7, 9-12 | |
| 25 | F | 10/8 | Design review - Student project presentations | ||
| Week 8 | |||||
| Cl | Day | Date | Topic | Reading | Homework |
| 26 | M | 10/11 | Epicyclic Gear Train Design, Ferguson's Paradox | Sect 9.9 - 9.10 | 9-37 |
| 27 | Tu | 10/12 | Transmissions - Differentials - Applications | Sect 9.11 - 9.12 | |
| Sec | Tu | 10/12 | HW Review and Project help | HW sets 23 - 26 due | |
| 28 | Th | 10/14 | QUIZ #7 | PROJECT 3 DUE | |
| Whew! - It’s Over! | |||||
Grading
| Project 1 (Group) | 15% |
| Project 2 (Group) | 15% |
| Project 3 (Group) | 15% |
| 6 Quizzes counted | 42% |
| Homework | 13% |
Notes
All homework assigned Tuesday through Monday is due at the following Tuesday's Section meeting. Homework and progress reports will not be accepted late!
Late project reports will have grade reduced by 5 points per 24 hours late.
Lowest grade of 7 quizzes will be dropped. No makeup quizzes will be given.