KOC UNIVERSITY
Department of Mechanical Engineering
MECH 491 Mechanical Engineering Design

Overview:

Mechanical engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. It is a decision making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering principles are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective. Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing and evaluation. Mech 491 is a unique design activity within the ME curriculum. It is a capstone design course meant to demonstrate knowledge and skills attained during your academic career by completing a design project. All the projects provide the opportunity to incorporate concepts learned throughout the ME curriculum. Projects also provide an opportunity to organize, manage and complete a product development project in its entirety.

Objectives:

1. Follow a process for designing a system.

2. Design a system to meet defined functional requirements.

3. Build a working prototype of a designed system.

4. Write a formal technical document that describes a system, its operation and its construction.

5. Practice group dynamics and team building.

6. Follow a project plan for completing and managing a project.

7. Operate test equipment and/or design tools for the design, test and troubleshooting of a system.

8. Demonstrate the functionality and operation of a system for a general audience.

Instructor: Prof. Cagatay Basdogan
ENG-247
Extension: 1721
e-mail: cbasdogan@ku.edu.tr

Teaching Assistant:  TAs of this course are located in ENG 258 and 259

Lectures:                     Mon        17.30 - 18.45

Tentative Schedule

• September 23: The academic coordinator will meet with all senior Mechanical Engineering students. General information about the course will be provided. Potential project ideas will be posted.
• September 30: The academic coordinator will meet with all senior Mechanical Engineering students. More detailed information about the course will be provided along with a Q&A session. Please finalize forming a project group by this date (no more than 3 students)
• October 01-11: Please visit faculty advisors to discuss the details of the projects in the project pool.
• October 11: Please finalize project selection by this date (submit the first two pages of the proposal template electronically to the shared folder, format for the file: GroupNo_ProjectName_Abstract).
• October 21: Project proposal must be submitted electronically to the shared folder by this date (submit your full proposal electronically to the shared folder, format for the file: GroupNo_ProjectName_Proposal)
• Two additional meetings will be organized to check the progress of the groups
o October 21: Present your project. Prepare power slides to present the goals of your project, your approach, conceptual design, and Gantt chart.
o November 18: Initial demonstration of your hardware design.
• December 16: Towards the end of semester, students will present their work in the form of posters and demonstrate their project. The best poster award will be given to the best project (submit your poster electronically to the shared folder). 

• December 20: Poster Day (upload the short video of your project to Youtube). 
• December 27: Each project group will submit a final report to the faculty advisor and academic coordinator. 

Grading Policy

o Proposal 20 %

o Progress meetings (technical evaluation and presentation) 20%

o Project demonstration 40 %

o Final report 20 %

While successful completion of the project is the most important aspect of this activity, there are several intermediate steps as listed above. Failure to observe the completion of these requirements will result in a reduction of your course grade.

Purchasing Parts and Materials

In many cases, parts and other materials will be needed for the projects. It is expected that the students will purchase the necessary items.

There are three ways to obtain the parts you need:

1. Purchase them locally (e.g. Selanik Pasajı, Karaköy Pasajı-Karaköy, Perpa)

2. Order them directly from supplier

3. Get them directly from the manufacturers as samples.

4. Ask our technician Muzaffer Butun.

“Free” parts may be acquired by obtaining “samples” from manufacturers and distributors. This source can often be tapped by calling the manufacturer and identifying yourself as a KU student and explaining what your project is and how their part would be applied.

Machine Shop:

The machine shop (http://eng.ku.edu.tr/machine) is located in ENG -212. It provides service to engineering students and faculty. Several power-driven tools are available in the shop for making, finishing, or repairing machines or machine parts. Contact Muzaffer Butun (mbutun@ku.edu.tr, technician).

Academic Regulations and Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty in the form of cheating, plagiarism, or collusion are serious offenses and are not tolerated at Koç University. University Academic Regulations and the Regulations for Student Disciplinary Matters clearly define the policy and the disciplinary action to be taken in case of academic dishonesty. Failure in academic integrity may lead to suspension and expulsion from the University. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, copying from a classmate or providing answers or information, either written or oral, to others. Plagiarism is borrowing or using someone else’s writing or ideas without giving written acknowledgment to the author. This includes copying from a fellow student’s paper or from a text (whether printed or electronic) without properly citing the source. Collusion is getting unauthorized help from another person or having someone else write a paper or assignment.