41054
APPLIED MECHANICS
AND DESIGN A
Assessment Task 2 - 2024
Dr Terry Brown
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Contents
Assessment task 2: Project ........................................................................................................................... 3
Intent ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Task Description ................................................................................................................................... 3
Due Dates ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Project part 1 – suspension mechanism ................................................................................................. 3
Project part 2 – torsion bar ................................................................................................................... 4
Workload ............................................................................................................................................. 5
How to Submit...................................................................................................................................... 5
Marking ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Relevant Subject Learning Objectives .................................................................................................... 5
Relevant Course Intended Learning Outcomes and Graduate Attributes .................................................. 5
Contribution to the development of Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies ....................................... 5
Applied Mechanics and Design Problems Assessment Criteria and Requirements .................................... 6
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Assessment task 2: Project
Intent
Students to apply subject knowledge and methods at more advanced levels and/or to more authentic, real-life
problems.
Task Description
Complete an engineering report for the advanced/authentic analysis and design problems described below.
Due Dates
Submit anytime before 5pm Friday 22nd November. TREAT THIS AS THE DUE DATE.
Late submissions without penalty will be accepted up until 11:59pm Wednesday 27th November. Submissions
will not be accepted after this date. Do not treat this as the due date. Treat it as an automatic 5-day extension
without having asked for it. Requests for extensions beyond the 27th November will be ignored unless they
come through the official Special Consideration process with accompanying documented evidence, e.g.
medical certificate, and have been submitted before Monday 25th November.
Project part 1 – suspension mechanism
Specify the dimensions for a planar multibody suspension mechanism such as the one shown below.
For the purposes of the assessment task, the dimensions you can choose are arbitrary, but the overall
dimensions must be less than 250 mm x 250 mm and the mechanism must be roughly the same shape and
configuration as shown below.
Determine the load required for the lower suspension arm to be horizontal when the spring is stretched to 100
mm. The suspended component connection points should be vertically aligned when the lower suspension arm
is horizontal. The upper arm should be at an angle between 10 and 30 degrees from horizontal.
Use either of the springs with specifications as shown below.
For the purposes of the assessment task you may assume that the weights of the members of the mechanism are
negligible.
Include in your project report, your analysis and design calculations and a drawing showing your design. The
drawing may be hand-drawn (with drawing instruments) or created in drawing/CAD software.
An exemplar analysis and design is provided in the Assessment Task link in Assignments on Canvas.
Disclaimer: for the purposes of the assessment task the suspension mechanism is over-simplified.
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Project part 2 – torsion bar
Design a torsion bar to achieve a stiffness of 20 kN/m ± 5%. Stiffness here is defined as the force applied at the
end of each lever divided by the relative vertical displacement between the two lever ends. Specify the
maximum force that can be applied to the torsion bar.
You do not need to know anything about racing cars, or cars in general, to do this project.
ARB
ARB
A simple starting point is shown below. You may make the following simplifications:
The short section of the torsion bar between the bearing and lever arms is approximately zero.
The connection between the torsion bar and the lever arms may be 90 degrees (i.e. not curved as shown in the
pictures above).
Length of torsion bar (bearing to bearing) = 0.5 + X/20 [m] where X is the last digit in your student I.D.
Length of lever must be between 1/3 and 2/3 x length of torsion bar.
Applied
force
lever
Torsion bar
lever
Applied
force
Include in your project report, your analysis and design calculations and a drawing showing your design. The
drawing may be hand-drawn (with drawing instruments) or created in drawing/CAD software.
An exemplar analysis and design is provided in the Assessment Task link in Assignments on Canvas.
Disclaimer: for the purposes of the assessment task the torsion bar mechanism is over-simplified.
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Workload
I expect that to do a decent job of this assessment task you would need to spend 2-3 days working on it. This
should be roughly equivalent to what I expect you would need to spend studying for a final exam. This subject
does not have a final exam.
How to Submit
Submit your project report as a single pdf or MS Word doc or docx file via the assignments link on Canvas.
Marking
Analysis and designs will be assessed according to the assessment criteria provided below.
Relevant Subject Learning Objectives
1. Design simple machine structural components for strength and stiffness.
2. Analyse relatively simple machine structural components by applying fundamental engineering mechanics
and mechanics of materials concepts to calculate internal actions.
Relevant Course Intended Learning Outcomes and Graduate Attributes
Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply abstraction, mathematics and discipline fundamentals, software,
tools and techniques to evaluate, implement and operate systems.
Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design and decision-making methodologies to
develop components, systems and processes to meet specified requirements.
Contribution to the development of Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
1.1. Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the
engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline.
2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
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Applied Mechanics and Design Problems Assessment Criteria and Requirements
Demonstrates correct understanding and ability to apply and communicate engineering mechanics problem
solving, stress and deflection analysis, and design for strength and stiffness proficiently and competently. Rubric
for Part 1 is shown below. Part 2 is the same. The rubrics will be in the same location in Assignments on Canvas
where you found this document.
Exemplars of what is required for H grade for the two parts of the Assessment Task can be found in the same
location in Assignments on Canvas where you found this document.
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