June 15, 2019
June 15, 2019
October 19, 2019
Mechanisms have been around for millennia dating back to the Egyptians. More recently, the slider-crank mechanism was invented by Leonardo da Vinci over 500 years ago. Up until 30 years ago, the design of mechanisms was mechanical, but in the present mechatronic age, the design is multidisciplinary, i.e., mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic. Mechatronics is the synergistic integration of physical systems, electronics, controls, and computers through the design process, and is the best practice for synthesis by engineers driven by the needs of industry and human beings. One of the most common mechanisms in the world is the slider crank. Its most common application is the internal combustion engine, but it is also used in an automatic toothbrush. A mechatronic approach to the design and implementation of any mechanism has been developed and is applied in a case study to the slider crank. The approach reflects both the traditional mechanism analysis and synthesis methods together with the best industry practices, e.g., Rockwell Automation, Procter & Gamble. The mechatronic mechanism design process was implemented, and a slider crank was built to accomplish a prescribed task. This process was used in Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Design during the fall 2018 semester. Seven design teams, with four students in each team, created four-bar mechanism applications using this mechatronic process, first creating a MatLab Simulink virtual prototype of the complete system, and then building a working prototype with LabVIEW and the NI myRIO. The 7 four-bar mechanisms were: robot gripper, quick return, pick and place, windshield wiper, landing gear, flipping mechanism, and straight line. This paper documents this capstone design experience, including extensive student evaluation of the course.
Currie, E. H., & Craig, K. C. (2019, June), Mechatronic Mechanism Design and Implementation Process Applied in Senior Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33100
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