California State University, Fullerton

Department of Mechanical Engineering

EGME 554
Applied Optimal Mechanical Design
Spring 2014

Instructor Nina P. Robson; nrobson@fullerton.edu

Description Formulation of design optimization problems in mechanical engineering.
Review of mathematical programming methods. Practical aspects of
optimization. Design of complex mechanical systems. Individual projects
will be assigned to apply optimization techniques to an engineering system
or component. Units: (3)

Prerequisites EGME 454 Optimization of Engineering Design

Class Times TR 5:30 - 6:45 pm, CS 304 (T discussion, R work on individual projects)

Office Hours T 4:30 pm 5:30 pm, R 2:30 pm 5:30 pm, E 406

Final Exam TBA

Text Jasbir Arora, Introduction to Optimum Design, 3
rd
edition, Academic
Press 2012.
C. Dym, P. Little, Engineering Design: A Project Based Introduction,
3
rd
edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010.

References J. J. Uicker, G. R. Pennock, J. E. Shigley, Theory of Machines and Mechanisms, 4
th

edition, Oxford University Press 2011.
J. M. McCarthy, G. S. Soh, Geometric Design of Linkages, 2
nd
edition, Springer
2010.

Software Excel, Matlab, Mathematica 4.0 (or later version)

=============================================================
Dates Topics
=========================================================================
January 21, 23 Project Identification. Background Research.
January 28, 30 Introduction to Mathematica. Vector and Matrix Algebra: Review.
Feb. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20 Mechanism Analysis. Optimum Design Problem Formulation: Criterion and Constraints.
25, 27 Mechanism Analysis Individual Project Presentations.
March 4, 6,11, 13 Engineering Design. Functions and Requirements.
18, 20, 25, 27 Functional Analysis. Generating and Evaluating Design Alternatives.
Apr. 1-6 Spring Recess.
8, 10,15,17 Design Modeling, Analysis and Optimization. MIDTERM EXAM
22, 24, 29, May 1 Preliminary Design: Analysis and Simulation.
6, 8 Detailed Design. Communicating the Design: Building models.
10-16 FINAL PROJECT REPORT AND PRESENTATION
==========================================================================
Topics may be changed/added at the discretion of the instructor.




Homework is due on the due date and must be submitted by the beginning of the lecture.
Homework must consist of:
1. Homework cover page with the students name and ID #.
2. Problem solutions.
Late homework will not be accepted.

Quizzes will be given in class, based on the current material and homework.

Grading

The final grade will be based on the following five criteria.

First, students will be required to lead class discussions on selected material. All discussions
must be revised and approved by the instructor, prior to the discussion. Discussions will take
place throughout the semester. Late discussions will not be accepted. Remember, the presentations
are meant to be discussions, not lectures. Do your best to facilitate class participation. Please,
bring a hard copy of the material presented, on the day of the discussion.

The second factor that will be taken into account for your final grade is the homework
assignments, and quizzes that will be given throughout the semester. Some of the homework
assignments will involve computer usage for symbolic and numerical calculations, as well as
graphical solutions.

The Mechanical Analysis Individual Projects and Presentations will be the third criterion. The
goal of this project will be to disassemble, analyze and propose possible improvements to an
existing device of your choice. In addition, the students will be asked to translate a descriptive
statement of the problem into a mathematical statement for optimization, including problem
description, data collection, definition of design variables, optimization criterion, formulation of
constraints. More details will be given in class, prior to the project.

Fourth, there will be a Midterm Exam.

The last criterion is the Final Project Report/Presentation. Details on the format and contents
are going to be given in class later in the semester.

Final Grades based on
Weekly Discussions/Progress Reports 20%
Homework/Quizzes/Attendance 10%
Mechanism Analysis Individual Project 20%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Project Report 30%


Course Grade
90% - 100% A
80% - 89.9% B
70% - 79.9% C
60% 69.9% D

The above ranges for the course letter grades may be adjusted based on the overall performance of the
class. That will be determined at the end of the semester; +/- grading will be used in this course.


Important Notes

The University requires students with disabilities to register with the office of Disabled
Student Services, located in UH-101 and at (657) 278-3117, in order to receive
accommodations appropriate to their disability. Students requesting accommodations should
also inform the instructor during the first week of classes about any disability or special needs
that they have. Additional information is available at: http://www.fullerton.edu/DSS.

During an emergency it is necessary for students to have a basic understanding of their
personal responsibilities and the Universitys emergency response procedures. Please, review
these procedures at: http://www.fullerton.edu/emergencypreparedness/ep_students.html.

Disruptive activities that cause distractions for other students in the classroom are not
allowed. Such disruptive behaviors include: late arrival to the classroom, early exit from the
classroom, using mobile phones/pagers, texting and conversations outside the course related
discussions led by the instructor. Additional information on this issue and possible disciplinary
actions can be found in the Student Handbook at: http://www.fullerton.edu/handbook.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. According to the CSUFs University policy,
Academic dishonesty includes cheating, inventing false information or citations, plagiarism and
helping someone else commit an act of academic dishonesty. It usually involves an attempt by a
student to show possession of a level of knowledge or skill which he/she does not possess.
More details are available at: http://www.fullerton.edu/senate/PDF/300/UPS300-021.pdf.