Mechanical Engineering

This course gives students a basic insight into different components relevant to electric mobility, including their basic function and relevant design parameters. Secondly, a system based holistic approach is taught, considering drive train concepts, storage systems and charging technologies. The lecture covers the following topics: Introduction to electric mobility, Drivetrain concepts (HEV, BEV, FCV) and fundamentals of electric motors in electric vehicles, Storage systems (SuperCap, Fuel Cell, Battery), Charging strategies and technologies (for passenger vehicles, trucks and buses), and Auxiliaries and their influence on energy consumption.

The course starts from the challenges facing current internal combustion engines. The historical development of engines is reviewed to better understand the reasons for current engine designs. Next, experimental and numerical tools are reviewed for investigating the processes occurring in engines, which are used in studying and improving engine designs. Advanced engine concepts and fuels are then discussed, with their merits and challenges. This includes advanced engine controls. Finally, an outlook is given as to where continued research and development of engines and fuels can lead, and how the combustion engine can be part of a sustainable future. Engine combustion is analyzed in laboratory exercises. Simulation exercises are also conducted with the purpose of making the students identify the engine's response to changes to its components and settings as well as running engines virtually. Normally a guest lecture is given by an expert from industry.

Students will gain an awareness and basic understanding of some of the non-engineering aspects that will be encountered by professional engineers working in a professional environment. The main topics include: engineering finance; project management;ethics and professional responsibillity; and intellectual property. After this class, students will understand the range of responsibilities of a professional engineer. We will examine how organisations and projects are financed and investment decisions made, as well as studying the difficulties of managing projects and provide some tools for planning and managing projects. We will look at the importance of ethical standards and be able to discuss some example ethical situatIons.

This course provides students with the ability to apply the principles of engineering mechanics to determine elastic behavior of members and components subjected to bending moment, shear force, axial force, and torque, including elastic deflections of beams (statically determinate and statically indeterminate) and torsion of circular and thin-walled sections. Behavior of beams is also extended to simple cases of plastic-bending behavior.

In this course, students work individually and in groups to learn brainstorming techniques and design methodologies, improve drafting and drawing skills, improve communication and presentation skills, and expand creativity. Students learn to think more creatively about engineering design and discover the modern design landscape. The course culminates with a product design challenge project and essay, as well as an exhibition of each student’s work throughout the term. Students also keep a daily drawing journal to experiment with different drawing styles and techniques as well as keep track of individual progress. Assessment is by coursework.

Design analysis in the given context primarily concerns the utilization of computer based analysis methods/techniques for quantitative problem solving in the engineering design process. The finite element method (FEM) is primarily dealt with for the analysis of these mechanical systems. An important part of the design analysis is modelling and handling of the interactions between the different software (structural, thermal and flow) utilized. The goal is to transfer the obtained analyses results into the actual design solution, thus facilitating the preceding design activities. The course also covers how a given design solution subjected to a single or complex phenomena is given a mathematical formulation (model), which in turn can be transformed into an optimization problem. Based on this formulation a suitable optimization method and tool is selected. The software utilized in the course are: ANSYS WorkBench, Autodesk CFD, modeFRONTIER and PTC Creo. The lectures are focused on modelling and selection of analysis type, optimization methods and design of experiments as well as showing industrial applications. Guest lecturers with deep insights in specific techniques are invited.

This class on statics and strength of materials introduces students to the following topics: force/moment, static equilibrium conditions, general force systems, center of gravity, bearings, trusses, foundation of strength theory, stress, distortion, Hooke's Law, beam bending, torsion, shear, and composite stress.

The course includes parts of 3D product modelling by surface modelling, scanning, product simulation, modelling and Rapid Prototyping in 3D. The computerized surface modelling (Rhino och Maxwell studio) deals with the following areas: introduction to 3D modelling; interface basics, primitive objects (spheres, cubes, cylinders); transformation, mirror, and duplicate objects; NURBS-curves (CVs, Edit points and Key-points curves); turn curves into different types of NURBS surfaces (skinned, revolved, planar, extruded and swept); edit CV-curves; working with layers and use layer symmetry; trim excess of surfaces; create advanced double bent surfaces. Other areas covered in the course are: create STL (Sterio Lithography) file; export model to CAD-program; rendering basics using different types of renders including light setup, shaders and textures; animation basics. The computerized product simulation deals with the following areas: introduction to Virtual Reality; interface basics; importing 3D objects; associate behaviors with the objects; create interactivity; the 3D scanning part includes some basic 3D scanning methods; scanning objects and exporting the data to a computer program. The rapid prototyping part of the course includes creating a 3D print from a computerized product model to a physical object.

This course covers the basic processes of manufacturing technology, including technical and organizational methods. In addition to an overview of the most important manufacturing processes, it includes the various mechanical, thermal and chemical principles for the fabrication of technical products.