Elements of Mechanical Design
Advanced study of modeling, design, integration, and best practices for use of machine elements, such as bearings, bolts, belts, flexures, and gears. Modeling and analysis is based upon rigorous application of physics, mathematics, and core mechanical engineering principles, which are reinforced via laboratory experiences and a design project in which students model, design, fabricate, and characterize a mechanical system that is relevant to a real-world application. Activities and quizzes are directly related to, and coordinated with, the project deliverables. Develops the ability to synthesize, model and fabricate a design subject to engineering constraints (e.g., cost, time, schedule). Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Enrollment limited.
Spring 2009
Topics
- Principles: overview, assessment, group formation
- Fundamentals: mechanics, dynamics, heat transfer, matrices, and errors
- Shafts & ways: deformation, stresses, and integration
- Fatigue: fundamentals and modeling methods
- Structures: architectures, homogeneous transfer matrices, and system models
- Constraints I: constraint-based design, alignment, preloading, and stability
- Constraints II: rolling and sliding element bearings
- Constraints III: flexure bearing elastomechanics & dynamics
- Connections I: alignment interfaces
- Connections II: bolted joints
- Drives I: screw drives
- Gears II: mechanics and selection
- Actuators: DC motors, piezos, magnet-coil, and hydraulics
- Actuators: thermal and electrostatic microactuators
- Vibrations: machine dynamics and damping
- Linkages: degrees of freedom and kinematics
- Friction elements: clutches and brakes
- Project work
- Project report outline
- Carriage errors
- Project report 1 st draft
- Project report
- Last day of class overview, demonstrations and assessment
Readings
- [S&M] = Shigley, Joseph, Charles Mischke, and Richard Budynas. Mechanical Engineering Design . Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2003. ISBN: 9780072921939.
- SES #: 4 · TOPICS: Fatigue: fundamentals and modeling methods · READINGS: None
- SES #: 5 · TOPICS: Structures: architectures, homogenous transfer matrices, and system models · READINGS: None
- [S&M], chapter 11
- Skim the rest of chapter 6
- [S&M], chapter 8
- SES #: 10 · TOPICS: Connections II: bolted joints · READINGS: [S&M] 8.2
- [S&M], chapters 13 and 17
- Skim the rest of chapter 17
- [S&M], chapter 14
- Skim the rest of chapter 14
- SES #: 13 · TOPICS: Gears II: mechanics and selection · READINGS: None
- SES #: 14 · TOPICS: Actuators: DC motors, piezos, magnet-coil, and hydraulics · READINGS: Chen, Skim, Shih-Chi, and Martin L. Culpepper. “Design of a six-axis micro-scale nanopositioner - µHexFlex.” Precision Engineering 30 (2006): 314-324.
- SES #: 15 · TOPICS: Actuators: thermal and electrostatic microactuators · READINGS: None
- SES #: 16 · TOPICS: Vibrations: machine dynamics and damping · READINGS: Skim gear selection reading
- SES #: 17 · TOPICS: Linkages: degrees of freedom and kinematics · READINGS: None
- SES #: 18 · TOPICS: Friction elements: clutches and brakes · READINGS: [S&M] 14.1-14.7, 16.2, 16.6, 16.9
- SES #: 19-25 · TOPICS: Project work · READINGS: None
- SES #: 26 · TOPICS: Last day of class overview, demonstrations and assessment · READINGS: None
Prerequisites & course information
Subject meets with 2.720 Prereq: 2.008 and ( 2.005 or 2.051); Coreq: 2.671 U (Spring) 3-3-6 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2009
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.