Institute for Systems Research
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/4375
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Item A Taste of the Future: The Summer Engineering Program(1994) Zhang, G.; Berman, M.; Fines, J.; ISRThe problem of increasing engineering enrollment of female students to meet the national need has been of great concern to engineering educators. This paper presents the experience gained from the 1993 summer engineering program. Thirty female high school students in grade 11 participated. The program teaches engineering design through a product realization process and introduced engineering disciplines through laboratory work and field trips. With a stimulating first experience in engineering, the participating students built up their confidence. Evaluation results show that the program has been extremely successful in encouraging female students to consider choosing the path to an engineering career.Item An Experimental Study of Surface Roughness Assessment Using Image Processing(1992) DeVoe, Don L.; Knox, L.; Zhang, G.; ISRA surface roughness measurement technique, based on an area measurement method using a computer vision system, was investigated for applicability to in-process inspection of surface quality during a machining process. The vision system uses a monochrome CCD camera to provide a gray-scale image based on the pattern of light scattered from an area of the machined piece. This gray-scale image is sent to image manipulation software for analysis. For this investigation, an optical camera was used to photograph four aluminum samples with different roughnesses, and the resulting photographs were scanned into a computer using an 8-bit flat-bed scanner to produce the digital image used by the image manipulation software. Three parameters were derived from the images based on their gray-scale histograms, and these parameters were plotted against the corresponding average roughness (Ra) values determined using a stylus instrument. The resulting correlation curves were inspected to determine which optical parameter was most suitable for use in the system, based on relative accuracy and sensitivity of the parameters to changes in Ra.Item Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of Intermittent Turning Process(1991) Xu, W.; Zhang, G.; ISRIncreasing attention has been paid to the intermittent cutting process in modern metal machining industry. Research has been done in this thesis to develop a system model which can describe the intermittent turning process more precisely. In the development of the system model, the intermittent turning process is mathematically formulated and analyzed as a system associated with three periods, namely, the impact, cutting, and noncutting periods. The main methodologies used in this investigation are (1) applying modern control theory to perform dynamic cutting analysis in the cutting and noncutting periods, (2) employing wave propagation theory to study the impact force during the impact period, and (3) using numerical simulation and finite element method to examine the impact process and its effect on the machining performance. In this thesis, emphasis is focused on the effect of impact on the tool motion and the effect of the workpiece damping on the machining performance. The research results indicate that the impact between cutting tool and workpiece at the every beginning of each cutting period is the main cause leading to mechanical failures of tool during the intermittent machining. Laboratory experiments have been conducted, and the obtained results show a general, good agreement with the results predicted by the developed system model. An attempt has been made to construct a stability boundary map, which could be useful in practical applications.Item An Expert System Approach for Economic Evaluation of Machining Operation Planning(1991) Zhang, G.; Lu, Stephen C-Y.; ISRA comprehensive understanding of machining operation planning, which covers both the machining domain and the managerial domain, is essential to assure a practical and satisfactory decision- making process. This paper presents an expert system approach to integrating economic and manufacturing systems during the evaluation of machining operation planning. the manufacturing system functions as an alternative generator that provides meaningful and practical plans to ensure product quality. The management system performs cost analysis for the alternatives and makes the decision in selecting the optimal plan based on the defined goal. A simulation-based inductive learning process is adopted to acquire the engineering knowledge for machining operation. The modularity architecture of the reasoning system illustrates the information flow between the manufacturing and management systems, which balances their needs for efficient machining of a quality product.Item Experiences in Offering a Freshman Design Course in Engineering(1991) Dally, James W.; Zhang, G.; ISRThis paper describes experiences gained by offering a pilot class in design to freshman students. The objectives of the course included: design, graphics, analysis methods, teamwork, computer applications and computer programming. Design, the main emphasis of the course, was covered using a project approach. The project involved a swing set that was designed, produced and assembled during the term. The design specifications and constraints were developed during classroom discussion. Assembly drawings and detail drawing were prepared using a CAD program. The piece parts and hardware for swings were produced and arranged in kits. The swings were then assembled at off campus locations. Graphics was briefly introduced by the conventional lecture process. The students then continued the development of their drawing skills by using Autosketch in the computer laboratory. Analysis methods were introduced on an as needed basis during the discussion of the design of the swing sets. A total of ten basic engineering concepts were introduced in responding to these questions. The aspects of teamwork and cooperative learning in engineering design was emphasized by having groups of five or six students participate together in the design, building and assembly of a single swing set. We showed the importance of teamwork of team performance by grading the teams instead of individual on project accomplishments. The use of computers in engineering was addressed in two different ways. First, application software such as Word Perfect for word processing and Lotus 123 for spreadsheet applications were introduced. We also taught programming in QuickBasic.