Session T4D 0-7803-7444-4/02/$17.00 © 2002 IEEE November 6 - 9, 2002, Boston, MA 32 nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T4D-7 VISUAL BEAMS: TOOLS FOR STATICS AND SOLID MECHANICS Jennifer Kadlowec 1 , Paris von Lockette 2 , Eric Constans 3 , Beena Sukumaran 4 and Douglas Cleary 5 1 Jennifer Kadlowec, Rowan University, 232 Rowan Hall, 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro, NJ 08028 kadlowec@rowan.edu 2 Paris von Lockette, Rowan University, vonlockette@rowan.edu 3 Eric Constans, Rowan University, constans@rowan.edu 4 Beena Sukumaran, Rowan University, sukumaran@rowan.edu 5 Douglas Cleary, Rowan University, cleary@rowan.edu Abstract  A team of faculty and students in the College of Engineering at Rowan University are developing hands-on and visualization tools for use in mechanics courses. The developed tools consist of physical simply-supported and cantilever beams that are instrumented with load cells to which students can apply various loading conditions. Measurements from the load cells and displacement transducers are used in a Labview graphical user interface allows the user to find reaction loads and plot deflections, stresses, and shear and bending diagrams. The tools are designed to help students overcome difficulties in working with forces, moments, displacements and stresses in courses the Mechanical and Civil Engineering courses as well as benefit students with various learning styles Index Terms  hands-on learning tools, mechanics education, visualization tools, beam bending INTRODUCTION Statics and Solid Mechanics are typically taught at the sophomore level in lecture format. Several multimedia courseware initiatives in these subject areas have been developed that focus on theory, problem solving, or drill and practice. 1,5,9,10 Hands-on or computer-aided simulations have also been used in engineering education. 2,4,6,7,12 The authors have found that curriculum improvement is needed in the areas of problem formulation and integration of hands- on force input with computer visualization tools. In entry- level engineering courses, students often do not know where to start a problem or how to determine which external and reaction forces must be included in free body diagrams and equations of equilibrium. Furthermore, the stresses caused in objects by axial, torsional, bending, and combined loadings are often quite difficult for students to visualize. Enhancement of these topics can be brought about through development of visualization and hands-on learning aids to supplement the theory taught in the classroom. Because Statics and Solid Mechanics form the foundation of a large portion of upper-level engineering courses, it is critical that students have a strong working knowledge of concepts in these subjects. Recognizing that students learn in a variety of ways, it is important to employ various formats for learning along with the traditional lecture. 3,6,8,11 Incorporating the use of touch and visualization into the learning process by having students pull, bend and twist a structure and view the resulting reactions, deformations and stresses will aid in development of student skills in problem formulation, solving and analysis. This paper describes hands-on and visualization tools to enhance student learning in statics, solid mechanics and other engineering courses involving the concepts of forces, moments, displacements and stresses. Since statics and solid mechanics courses are core courses in the Mechanical and Civil Engineering programs and taught commonly between these programs, faculty in these programs have joined together in this effort. The tools were developed to meet the goals and objectives listed below. These tools will be used in classes for the first time at Rowan University in Fall 2002. DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOOLS The development of hands-on and visualization tools are primarily for use in the core courses of Statics and Solid Mechanics and secondary use in upper level courses in Mechanical and Civil Engineering and the Engineering Clinics. The tools will address the following difficulties students often have: 1. Determining reaction forces and moments required for stability of a system. 2. Visualizing the deformation of a structure under applied loads. 3. Determining the types of stresses resulting from axial, torsional and bending loads. 4. Obtaining shear and bending moment distributions in beams. Goals The goals of this initiative are to 1. Develop hands-on and visualization tools to aid students in problem formulation and enhance learning opportunities. 2. Integrate software simulation and hands-on experiences into lectures. 3. Ensure that the equipment that is developed has an impact on core courses in Statics and Solid Mechanics as well as advanced courses in the Mechanical and Civil Engineering programs and the interdisciplinary design clinic sequence. 4. Improve the critical thinking and problem solving skills of students by engaging them in the learning process,