Undergraduate - UnitMEC4426 - Computer-aided design

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering
Organisational Unit	Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Offered	Clayton First semester 2015 (Day)

Synopsis

Finite element analysis (FEA) in computer-aided design; finite element formulation; first-order and second-order elements; stiffness matrix; integration points and stress recovery; convergence and mesh refinement; FEA of plane stress and plane strain problems; FEA of axisymmetric problems; FEA of nonlinear materials; FEA of contact problems; FEA of large deformation problems; FEA of dynamic problems; FEA of fracture mechanics.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

recall the basic theories related to the application of the finite element method in computer-aided design of structures
explain the basic terminologies and concepts related to the application of the finite element method
choose correct element type and design proper mesh to obtain accurate results from a finite element analysis
create finite element models for truss structures, plane stress, plane strain, axisymmetric and general 3D structural problems
use a commonly-used commercial software to carry out finite element analysis on a range of structural problems.
recall the basic theories and concepts of advanced solid mechanics, such as nonlinear materials, contact mechanics, finite deformation and fracture mechanics
carry out the finite element analysis on the above-mentioned advanced solid mechanics problems

Assessment

Continuous assessment: 60%
Examination (2 hours): 40%
Students are required to achieve at least 45% in the total continuous assessment component and at least 45% in the final examination component and an overall mark of 50% to achieve a pass grade in the unit. Students failing to achieve this requirement will be given a maximum of 45% in the unit.

Workload requirements

2 hours of lectures, 2 hours of laboratory/tutorial classes and 8 hours of private study per week.

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Chris Davies

Prerequisites

Must have passed 96 credit points including MEC3455 or MAE2401 or TRC2201.