Özdemir Göl

On Objectives of Instructional Laboratories, Individual Assessment, and Use of Collaborative Remote Laboratories

Three key issues should be addressed to enable universities to deliver engineers who have a solid documented laboratory experience enabling them to design goods and services complying with the requirements of a sustainable society. First, introduce learning objectives of engineering instructional laboratories in courses including laboratory components. Second, implement individual student assessment. Third, introduce free access to online experimental resources as a supplement to the equipment in traditional laboratories. Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in Sweden and the University of South Australia (UniSA) have created online laboratory workbenches for electrical experiments that mimic traditional ones by combining virtual and physical reality. Online workbenches not only supplement traditional ones, but they can also be used for low-cost individual assessment. BTH has started a project disseminating the BTH workbench concept, The Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality (VISIR) Open Laboratory Platform, and invites other universities to set up replicas and participate in further development and standardization. Further, online workbenches offer additional learning possibilities. UniSA has started a project where students located in different countries can perform experiments together as a way to enhance the participants intercultural competence. This paper discusses online laboratory workbenches and their role in an engineering education appropriate for a sustainable society.

An evolutionary algorithm for the optimal design of induction motors

This paper describes the application of an evolutionary algorithm to the design of induction motors. It is shown that the use of an evolutionary algorithm offers advantages over other approaches. These include a high rate of global convergence and the ability to handle discrete variables.

Project-based teaching in engineering programs

Student projects are commonly seen as the major vehicle to inculcate the generic skills now required by bodies responsible for accreditation and by employers, in addition to their traditional role in developing technical implementation skills. They might also be viewed as fostering student centred learning, which in turn may be interpreted as catering for alternative learning styles. The Capstone approach envisages a final year project as distinctly different from preceding studies. So much rides on the final year project that it is not possible for most students to fulfil all the expectations placed upon them. At the University of South Australia we have ameliorated the problem and in the process increased motivation and therefore success by incorporating project work at all stages of the program. The comparative luxury of having more time to devote to higher level activities opens the possibility of inter-institutional co-operative projects in a global environment.

Effect of continuity of potential on accuracy in magnetic field analysis using nonconforming mesh

Methods of analyzing magnetic fields in rotating machines using nonconforming meshes, in which only an interpolation technique is applied, are investigated. The effect of the continuity of potentials at nonconforming surfaces on accuracy is examined, it is shown that although the flux distribution is not affected by the discontinuity of the potential, the force and torque are fairly affected by the discontinuity. Therefore, it is shown that a continuous method, or a discontinuous method using a fine mesh should be used especially in force and torque calculation. An analysis of an induction motor is also carried out using a nonconforming mesh.

An approach to enhancing the intelligence of a three-fingered automated flexible fixturing system by using adaptive control theory

Abstract A new approach to clamping workpieces for the machining process has been developed. The new approach is based on the identification of the workpiece stiffness, during the machining process, which enables the fixturing system to determine whether the clamping force should be changed. Using this approach, a three-fingered intelligent automated flexible fixturing system for planar objects has been successfully designed and implemented. The conventional and traditional clamping methods use a hydraulic vise to clamp workpieces with a fixed amount of clamping forces. This often causes the workpieces to deform under such force, thus contributing to machining error. It is therefore desirable to control the clamping force according to the progress of the machining process. The implementation of this approach to the three-fingered automated flexible fixturing system enhances the system’s ability to achieve intelligent clamping force control and deal with abnormal machining, thus making the system intelligent. A thin ring-shaped workpiece was successfully used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility and validity of this approach. It also demonstrates that the developed system can be used in the highly automated manufacturing system of the future.

Active learning in the University of South Australia

The authors analyse the justification, placing, validity and degree of success of some of their innovations in intra-mural experiential learning, in the light of their own theoretical understanding of the reasons for engaging in experience based methodologies for engineering education. These include: problem based learning for teams of first year students; student-managed investigations, seminars and peer assessment of papers in place of didactic teaching in mainstream second year subjects; practically based teaching in third year subjects; problem based learning for final year elective subjects; and team projects for industry clients. Evaluation has demonstrated high levels of student satisfaction in most instances. Students believe taking charge of their own learning is highly relevant to their preparation for the engineering profession. An exception was the attempt to engage first year students in medium scale, real life problem based learning from the outset. It is obvious in retrospect that neither secondary-educated students nor the university are adequately prepared for self-learning, problem based approaches.

Professional accreditation toward outcome-driven curricula

In Australia, all professional engineering programs are subject to accreditation by the Institution of Engineers, Australia (IEAust). After a major review of engineering education by IEAust in 1996, new program assessment processes and guidelines were introduced. The revised guidelines had strong emphasis on the demonstration of outcome-driven curricula to inculcate generic attributes in graduates. This followed similar developments in the professional practice of several Washington Accord signatories. Examples of outcomes striven for by the Ten IEAust Commandments, like its counterparts elsewhere are attributes varying from the ability to apply knowledge and to display in-depth confidence, to understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities of the professional engineer. The stated purposes of accreditation include a critical certification to governments, licensing bodies and the public of the competence of graduate engineers. IEAust accreditation constitutes an independent evaluation of the programs and the standing of the schools offering them in a national and international context. This paper discusses the philosophical and practical aspects of the accreditation process based on the authors experiences with the most recent accreditation of the professional engineering programs in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering in July 2000.

Enhancement of an insular power system in the outback of South Australia

The outback of Australia is characterised by its remoteness from traditional electrical energy supplies and vast distances between inhabited areas which impede supply of commodities. Insular power systems are typical solutions for such localities, usually consisting of a generator energised by diesel fuel or liquefied petroleum gas. In this paper an enhanced, hybrid system is considered by adding solar energy to the existing energy generating installation, and reliability, economics and the environmental aspect of the proposed solution, are considered.

Finite Element Analysis of a Polymer- Polymer Sliding Contact for Schallamach Wave and Wear

Sliding polymer-polymer surface contacts, due to their inherent elastic properties, exhibit detachment waves also termed as Schallamach waves. Such waves effect the initiation and propagation of wear along the sliding contacts. This paper presents quasi steady-state analysis of such a sliding contact using finite element. The contact is modeled and nodal solutions for pressure are obtained for small sliding steps. Analysis of orthogonal pressure components at the contact nodes reveals the formation of Schallamach wave phenomenon. Further, appropriate wear law is used for calculation of wear at nodal level.

Congestion management of IP traffic using adaptive exponential RED

In an IP network, if the source rates are increased beyond the service rates of the routers, then queues of packets waiting to be routed at the buffers, build up and exceed the buffering capacity of these routers leading to packets getting dropped. This results in low throughput and congestion collapse. In such networks, an AQM mechanism manages queue lengths in buffers and enables the end-systems to react to such losses by reducing their packet rate, avoiding severe congestion. Random Early Detection (RED) is one of the first AQM mechanisms to be used to avoid congestion in this manner. In this paper, the existing Normal and Gentle RED algorithms of Floyd as well as the justification for the proposed modified exponential RED algorithm have been discussed along with the results obtained on the functioning of the algorithms. Functioning of the algorithm proposed has also been tested using ns2 Simulator.