Development Of Engineering Case Studies For Integrating Finite Element Analysis Into A Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Abstract

The Mechanical Engineering Department at California State University, Northridge uses SolidWorks and related analysis applications such as CosmosWorks and FloWorks as the computational tools of choice for solid modeling (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA). Originally the use of these tools was concentrated in the senior design capstone course, but one of the Department's goals is to integrate the use of this software throughout the curriculum. While the addition of new freshman and sophomore design courses have helped to fulfill this mission, some engineering courses have been slow to adopt the use of FEA for solving practical design problems. Barriers for adopting FEA in traditional engineering courses include time constraints related to covering the necessary breadth of material and the learning curve for faculty who are not especially proficient with creating complex assemblies in SolidWorks. An approach for lowering these barriers is to create SolidWorks model files for a number of engineering case studies in a variety of mechanical engineering disciplines. These files and associated documentation are made available to faculty and students to facilitate the assignment of design problems which require the use of FEA for their solution. Use of a Design Table to vary key geometric dimensions by referencing SolidWorks objects via the Applications Programming Interface allows a student to easily create modified parts and analyze the effect of the changes with the appropriate FEA package. This paper describes models that have been created for courses in fluid mechanics and machine design. Emphasis is placed on a specific assignment created for a fluid mechanics course, including a comparison of the results from FloWorks with one-dimensional flow models. A preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of this assignment for demonstrating the role of FEA in analysis and design is also given.