Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering - University

270 Pages·2004·3.68 MB·English

Program Self-Study Report
for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in

M E
ECHANICAL NGINEERING

Submitted by the

C E
OLLEGE OF NGINEERING

U A
NIVERSITY OF RIZONA

to the

E A C
NGINEERING CCREDITATION OMMISSION
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.
111 Market Place, Suite 1050
Baltimore, MD 21202-4012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Degree Title ................................................................................................................................. 1

2. Program Modes ............................................................................................................................. 1

3. Actions to Correct Previous Deficiencies .................................................................................... 1

B. ACCREDITATION SUMMARY

1. Students ........................................................................................................................................ 3

1.1. Admission ........................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Evaluation of Students: Mathematics, Writing Placement, and
Writing Assessment......................................................................................................... 3
1.2.1. Mathematics ....................................................................................................... 3
1.2.2. Writing Placement ............................................................................................. 4
1.2.3. Writing Assessment ........................................................................................... 4
1.3. Advising and Monitoring/Mentoring .................................................................................. 4
1.3.1. Freshmen Registration/Orientation .................................................................... 5
1.3.2. Transfer Student Orientation: Transfer Credit ................................................... 7
1.3.3. AME Advising Procedure .................................................................................. 8
1.3.4. Student Evaluation, Monitoring/Mentoring ....................................................... 9
1.3.5 Requirements for Graduation ............................................................................. 9
1.4. Career Services .................................................................................................................. 10
1.5. Quality of Students ........................................................................................................... 10

2. Program Educational Objectives ................................................................................................ 13

2.1. Missions and Objectives as Enunciated by the University, the College,
and the Department ........................................................................................................... 13
2.1.1. The Mission of The University of Arizona .......................................................... 13
2.1.2 The Mission of the College of Engineering ......................................................... 13
2.1.3. The Strategies/Educational Objectives of the College of Engineering ................ 13
2.1.4. The Mission of the Department of Aerospace and
Mechanical Engineering ...................................................................................... 14
2.1.5. Overview of the Educational Objectives of the Department
and Program ......................................................................................................... 14
2.1.6. Detailed and Specific Learning Outcomes of the ME Program ........................... 15
2.1.7. Development of Educational Objectives and Learning Outcomes ...................... 15
2.2. Constituencies and Stakeholders of the Program .............................................................. 16
2.2.1. Internal Constituencies ........................................................................................... 16
2.2.2. External Constituencies .......................................................................................... 17

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

3. Program Outcomes and Assessment .......................................................................................... 19

3.1. Program Outcomes ............................................................................................................ 19
3.2. Assessment Process .......................................................................................................... 21
3.2.1. Senior Exit Survey ............................................................................................... 32
3.2.2. AME Letter of Solicitation ................................................................................... 34
3.2.3. Alumni Survey (by College of Engineering—COE) ............................................ 34
3.2.4. Evaluation of Senior Design Projects by Judges from Industry............................ 50
3.2.5. Student Course/Instructor Evaluations ................................................................. 51
3.2.6. Fundamentals of Engineering Examination ......................................................... 54
3.2.7. Review and Assessment by Industrial Advisory Council (AME Advisory
Board) ................................................................................................................... 54
3.2.8. Performance Assessment from Industry ............................................................... 55
3.2.9. Faculty (Undergraduate Studies Committee) Assessment of Curriculum ............ 58
3.2.10. Academic Program Review .................................................................................. 58
3.2.11. Job Placement Data .............................................................................................. 59
3.2.12. Life-Long Learning .............................................................................................. 61
3.2.13. Summary of Assessment Results ......................................................................... 61
3.2.14. Improvements as a Result of Assessment Activities ............................................ 65

4. Professional Component ............................................................................................................. 71

4.1. Basic-Level Curriculum for Mechanical Engineering ...................................................... 71
4.2. Preparation of Students for the Practice of Mechanical Engineering ................................ 71
4.3. The Capstone Design Program .......................................................................................... 71
4.4. The Technical Elective Program ....................................................................................... 72
4.5. General Education ............................................................................................................. 72
4.6. Distribution of Units .......................................................................................................... 72
4.7 Professional Organizations ................................................................................................ 72

5. Faculty ........................................................................................................................................ 77

5.1. Preliminary Comments ...................................................................................................... 77
5.2. Academic Credentials of the Faculty ................................................................................ 77
5.3. Faculty Workload Summary ............................................................................................. 77
5.4. Size of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty ..................................................................... 77
5.5. Support of Mechanical Engineering by the Aerospace Engineering Faculty .................... 77
5.6. Adequacy of the AME Faculty in the Technical Areas of the Mechanical
Engineering Program ......................................................................................................... 78
5.7. Adequacy of the Faculty in Service to Undergraduates in the Mechanical
Engineering Program ........................................................................................................ 78

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

6. Facilities ..................................................................................................................................... 81

6.1. The AME Building ........................................................................................................... 81
6.2. Classrooms ........................................................................................................................ 81
6.3. Undergraduate Computer Laboratories ............................................................................. 81
6.4. Instrumentation Laboratory .............................................................................................. 82
6.5. Mechanical Engineering Laboratory ................................................................................ 82
6.6. The Machine Shop ............................................................................................................ 82
6.7. The Design Studio ............................................................................................................ 82
6.8. Campus Computer Facilities and Services Available to Undergraduate Students ........... 82
6.9. Aerospace Engineering Laboratory .................................................................................. 83

7. Institutional Support and Financial Resources ........................................................................... 85

7.1. How the Budget is Determined ........................................................................................ 85
7.2. Institutional Support in Achieving Objectives ................................................................. 85
7.3. Faculty Professional Development .................................................................................. 85
7.4. Facilities and Equipment (Acquisition, Maintenance, and Operation) ............................ 85
7.5. Support Personnel ............................................................................................................ 85

8. Program Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 87

8.1. Curriculum ........................................................................................................................ 87
8.2. Faculty .............................................................................................................................. 87

APPENDIX I—ADDITIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

A. TABULAR DATA FOR PROGRAM ....................................................................................... 89

Table I-1. Basic-Level Curriculum............................................................................................ 90
Table I-2. Course and Section Size Summary .......................................................................... 92
Table I-3. Faculty Workload Summary .................................................................................... 95
Table I-4. Faculty Analysis ....................................................................................................... 96
Table I-5. Support Expenditures ............................................................................................... 98

B. COURSE SYLLABI ................................................................................................................... 99

Required AME Courses
AME 230 Thermodynamics .......................................................................................... 100
AME 250 Dynamics ...................................................................................................... 101
AME 300 Instrumentation Laboratory .......................................................................... 102
AME 301 Engineering Analysis ................................................................................... 103
AME 302 Numerical Methods ...................................................................................... 104
AME 324a Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials ........................................... 105
AME 324b Engineering Component Design ................................................................... 106

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

AME 331 Introduction to Fluid Mechanics ................................................................... 107
AME 352 Dynamics of Machines ................................................................................. 108
AME 400 Senior Mechanical Laboratory ...................................................................... 109
AME 412a Mechanical Engineering Design.................................................................... 110
AME 412b Mechanical Engineering Design ................................................................... 111
AME 413a Mechanical Engineering Design Laboratory I .............................................. 112
AME 413b Mechanical Engineering Design Laboratory II ............................................. 113
AME 432 Heat Transfer ................................................................................................ 114
AME 455 Control System Design ................................................................................. 115
AME 495s Senior Colloquium ........................................................................................ 116

Required Non-AME Courses
CE 210 Engineering Graphics .................................................................................... 117
CE 214 Statics ............................................................................................................ 118
CHEM 103a Fundamentals of Chemistry I ........................................................................ 119
CHEM 103b Fundamentals of Chemistry II ....................................................................... 120
CHEM 104a General Chemistry I Laboratory ................................................................... 121
ECE 207 Elements of Electrical Engineering ............................................................... 122
ENGR 102 Introduction to Engineering .......................................................................... 123
MATH 125 Calculus I ...................................................................................................... 124
MATH 129 Calculus II ..................................................................................................... 125
MATH 223 Vector Calculus.............................................................................................. 126
MATH 254 Differential Equations ................................................................................... 127
MSE 331L Engineering Materials Laboratory ................................................................ 128
MSE 331R Fundamentals of Materials for Engineers ..................................................... 129
PHYS 141 Introductory Mechanics ................................................................................ 130
PHYS 241 Introductory Electricity and Magnetism ....................................................... 131

Technical Electives
AME 320 Aeerodynamics ............................................................................................. 132
AME 321 Aircraft Performance .................................................................................... 133
AME 323 Gasdynamics ................................................................................................. 134
AME 401 Senior Aerospace Laboratory ........................................................................ 135
AME 416 Material Selection ......................................................................................... 136
AME 420 Aircraft Conceptual Design .......................................................................... 137
AME422 Aerospace Engineering Design ..................................................................... 138
AME 424 Introduction to Space Technologies .............................................................. 139
AME 425 Aerospace Propulsion ................................................................................... 140
AME 427 Stability and Control of Aerospace Vehicles ................................................ 141
AME 428 Space Mission Conceptual Design ................................................................ 142
AME 430 Intermediate Thermodynamics ..................................................................... 143
AME 431 Numerical Methods in Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer ......................... 144
AME 433 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics ....................................................................... 145
AME 440 Energy Utilization and Management ............................................................ 146
AME 442 HVAC System Design .................................................................................. 147
AME 443 Power Systems Analysis ............................................................................... 148
AME 445 Renewable Energy Systems .......................................................................... 149
AME 452 Computer Aided Analysis and Design of Mechanical Systems .................... 150
AME 454 Optimal Control of Parametric Systems ....................................................... 151
AME 460 Mechanical Vibrations .................................................................................. 152
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued)

AME 461a Finite Element Methods ............................................................................... 153
AME 462 Composite Materials ..................................................................................... 154
AME 463 Finite Element Analysis with ANSYS ........................................................ 155
AME 466 Biomedical Engineering ............................................................................... 156
AME 472 Reliability Engineering ................................................................................. 157
AME 473 Probabilistic Mechanical Design .................................................................. 158
AME 474 Reliability and Quality Analysis .................................................................. 159
AME 489 Engineering Properties and Micro/Nano Technologies for
Biological Systems........................................................................................ 160
AME 320 Agricultural Systems Analysis and Design .................................................. 161
BME 410 Biology for Biomedical Engineering............................................................. 162
BME 411 Physiology for Biomedical Engineering....................................................... 163
BME 416 Principles of Biomedical Engineering .......................................................... 164
BME 417 Measurement and Data Analysis in Biomedical Engineering ...................... 165
ENGR 498a Cross-Disciplinary Design ............................................................................ 166
ENGR 498b Cross-Disciplinary Design ............................................................................ 167
MSE 110 Introduction to Solid State Chemistry .......................................................... 168

C. FACULTY CURRICULUM VITAE ......................................................................................... 169

Ara Arabyan ............................................................................................................................... 171
R. Reid Bailey............................................................................................................................. 173
Thomas F. Balsa ........................................................................................................................ 175
Francis H. Champagne ............................................................................................................... 177
Cho Lik Chan.............................................................................................................................. 179
Weinong (Wayne) Chen ............................................................................................................ 181
Eniko T. Enikov ......................................................................................................................... 183
Hermann F. Fasel ....................................................................................................................... 185
Barry D. Ganapol ....................................................................................................................... 187
Juan C. Heinrich ........................................................................................................................ 189
Jeffrey W. Jacobs ....................................................................................................................... 191
Dimitri B. Kececioglu ................................................................................................................ 193
Edward J. Kerschen ................................................................................................................... 195
Oleg A. Likhachev ..................................................................................................................... 197
Erdogan Madenci ....................................................................................................................... 199
John J. McGrath ......................................................................................................................... 201
Parviz E. Nikravesh ................................................................................................................... 203
Alfonso Ortega ........................................................................................................................... 205
Kumar Ramohalli ....................................................................................................................... 207
Sergey V. Shkarayev .................................................................................................................. 209
Bruce R. Simon .......................................................................................................................... 211
Anatoli Tumin ............................................................................................................................ 213
John G. Williams ....................................................................................................................... 215
Israel J. Wygnanski .................................................................................................................... 217
Yitshak Zohar ............................................................................................................................ 219

APPENDIX II - INSTITUTIONAL PROFILE (from Dean’s office)

Background Information Relative to the Institution ......................................................................... 222
Background Information Relative to the Engineering Unit .............................................................. 225
Tabular Data for Engineering Unit ................................................................................................... 242
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A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

1. Degree Title

The title of the degree for a Mechanical Engineering graduate is Bachelor of Science in Mechanical
Engineering.

2. Program Modes

The Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) offers all classes and laboratory
sessions during the time period of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The University is on
a semester system, including short winter (and somewhat longer) summer sessions. Graduation is
possible at the end of the spring (May), second summer (August), and fall (December) semesters.

3. Actions to Correct Previous Deficiencies

The ABET visit in 1998 resulted in a three-year accreditation. The Department was asked to submit a
report to ABET by January 2001 for an extension of the period of accreditation to the year 2005
without a campus visit. The report, submitted in January 2001, received favorable review, and the
Mechanical Engineering Program was accredited to September 30, 2005.

Responses to the specific items in the ABET report to President Likins regarding the evaluation visit
of October 1998 are listed below. Each item raised in the ABET report is printed in boldface and is
followed by a response.

While it appears that the educational objectives are consistent with the mission of the
institution and college, the educational objectives are numerous and are also employed
as program outcomes. This choice complicates the task of outcomes assessment.

The College Assessment Team, comprised of representatives from each department, provides
leadership for assessment activities within the College. An assessment plan is established where each
department follows the established guidelines and defines the educational objectives and learning
outcomes for each program. The most recently adopted educational objectives and learning outcomes
were discussed at the college and department levels, and were approved by the faculty and the
Industrial Advisory Council of the College of Engineering (Sections B.2.1.5-B.2.1.7)

The existing process for establishing and periodically reviewing educational objectives
does not appear to have a well articulated plan for gaining significant input from
constituents, particularly industry or employers, as required in EC2000 Criterion 2.(b).

The constituents of the AME department are students, faculty, alumni, and industry/employers. The
AME department has established specific mechanisms for gathering input from them (e.g., the Senior
Exit Survey and Course Evaluations, results of the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination, the
Alumni Questionnaire, Letter of Solicitation, Industrial Advisory Council, and Performance
Assessment Survey). These activities are described in Section B.3. A new AME Advisory Board has
been formed by the new Department Head. Information describing the Industrial Advisory Council,
and on the successful activities of the former Associate Department Head in this context, is
documented in Section B.2.2.2.
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Program graduates appear to satisfy all of the attributes identified in EC2000 Criteria
3(a) through 3(k), but the program has not documented and regularly monitored these
attributes in graduates, as required in Criterion 3.

. . . However, performance criteria have not, in general, been established that would
allow assessment for the purpose of continuous improvement.

. . . It is important to identify the threshold of program outcome achievement, i.e., its
performance criterion, associated with each assessment measure.

As mentioned previously, the AME department has established a wide range of mechanisms for
gathering input from its constituents on the performance of the program. The systematic collection of
these data at set intervals (each semester and annually) results in timely and actionable feedback. This
information is discussed at faculty meetings, Industrial Advisory Council (AME Advisory Board)
meetings, and at departmental committee meetings in order to evaluate and incorporate the
recommendations into the educational objectives and curriculum. The Undergraduate Studies
Committee will be responsible for evaluating this information on a continuous basis and making
recommendations for improvements to the general faculty periodically.

The department is urged to develop a long-range plan for continuous improvement of
the laboratories, and for funding the necessary upgrades to keep the laboratory
equipment current.

The Undergraduate Laboratory Committee, comprised of faculty and technical staff, has been
appointed to oversee the operations of the undergraduate teaching laboratories and to recommend
upgrades and improvements on a continuous basis. The department is also investigating ways of
raising intramural and extramural funds for the purpose of upgrading undergraduate laboratories.
Possible options include special fees for courses that use these laboratories, industry sponsorship of
specific laboratories, and allotments from a special state tax designated for improvement of the state’s
educational infrastructure.

There are clear inconsistencies in the teaching of design in courses designated to have
design content. This appears to be a result of inadequate mentoring of younger faculty
including conveying clearly the requirements for design content. The department is
encouraged to implement means to ensure consistent coverage in required courses.

The department hired Dr. Reid Bailey (PhD in design area, Georgia Tech), whose area of interest is
design, to teach the capstone design classes (AME 412/413a 412/413b). He is also coordinating the
Freshman ENGR 102 class. Dr. Bailey serves as consultant/resource for all design-related issues in
AME. Although the department does not have general guidelines regarding what constitutes “design
content,” faculty who teach courses with design content generally supplement the science content of
their courses with design projects (often in teams), case studies, and instruction in the use of industry-
standard prototyping and design software.
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