Integrating the curriculum using a small-scale hybrid power train

The project, a bench-scale hybrid electric powertrain system, is designed, analyzed and fabricated by students in six modules, starting in their sophomore year and culminating in their final semester as seniors. This complex project has been selected in order to integrate the core mechanical engineering courses: Mechanical Design, Thermodynamics, System Dynamics and Control, and Fluid Mechanics. A bench-scale hybrid-electric vehicle powertrain has sufficient complexity to involve all Mechanical Engineering disciplines and the simplicity to be built by students over the course of five semesters. The work is designed to test two hypotheses: 1) A long-term design project that integrates knowledge from multiple courses strengthens student knowledge retention; 2) A large-scale design project requiring tools from many courses improves student problem-solving and design skills. By integrating five semesters of the mechanical engineering curriculum into a cohesive whole, this project has the potential to transform the way undergraduate education is delivered. Before and after testing is being conducted to assess: a) Change in retention between courses and b) Change in student problem-solving and design skills. Students at Rowan University have built all of the hardware for the HPT (air engine, planetary gearset, tachometer, etc.) in earlier semesters. The control system is the "capstone" for the five-semester design project, which has been described in an earlier publication [1]. This thesis describes the development of the "faculty prototype" of the control system, and gives preliminary results of implementing the control system design project in the classroom. Also, it includes the mathematical behavior of each of the components for better understanding of the reader.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S. Mechanical Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Salas Acosta, Mariaeugenia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Constans, Eric

• Automobiles--Power trains; Mechanical engineering--Study and teaching
• Mechanical Engineering

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/274

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1273