Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding: Students will acquire the basic knowledge of the laws of static, kinematics and dynamic, along with the transmission of motion and forces in simple mechanisms.
Applying knowledge and understanding: Through practical classroom exercises connected to some important topics, students learn how to analyze the basic mechanisms, laws of motion, simple dynamical systems analysis.
Making judgements: one of the objectives of the course is to skill the mechanical designer, who is able to analyze and draw a required functionality in an efficient and economic design.
Learning skills: The student who has attended the course will be able to deepen his knowledge of applied mechanics through the autonomous consultation of specialized books, scientific or divulgative journals, even outside the topics explained during lectures. The student will develop the ability to critically analyze simple mechanisms.
Communication skills: Through the front lessons and the assistance of the teacher, the student acquires the specific vocabulary inherent to the mechanical systems. At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to present and discuss the basic problems of applied mechanics, the main contents of the course, both written and orally, such as ideas, engineering issues and related solutions. The student must communicate his knowledge through appropriate tools, so numerical problems are solved using common methods in the industry such as tables, diagrams, and numerical spreadsheets.
Prerequisites
There are no mandatory propedeuticities, although knowledge of Mathematics and Physics is strongly recommended.
Course unit content
The course aims to provide the students with the general criteria for designing and realizing the main mechanical machines. Therefore, the contents proposed during the course include in the first part of the course the systems of forces, the balance of bodies, the kinematics and the fundamental laws of dynamics and conservation of energy. In the second part of the course, the engines and their features. The third part of the course deals with the vibrations and the frequency response of the linear systems.
Full programme
1. Introduction and presentation of the course
2. Fundamentals of mechanics
3. Laws of the statics
4. Balance of forces systems
5. Balance of bodies
6. Kinematics of the point
7. Kinematic chains
8. The fundamental laws of dynamics
9. Conservation theorems
10. Dissipated energy, efficiency
11. The generation of movement: the engines
12. Constructive and functional characteristics of the engines
13. The characteristic curves of the engines
14. The toothed wheels
15. Frictions
16. Adaptation of speeds: transmissions
17. Start-up transients in the machines
18. Braking of the machines
19. Periodic machines
20. introduction to the vibrations at one degree of freedom
21. Resonance
22. Forced linear systems: frequency response
23. Operation of a seismograph
24. Operation of an accelerometer
Bibliography
The reference book, which is part of the teaching material and which is used both during the lectures and exercises, is:
Franco Giordana, “Lezioni di meccanica delle macchine”, Spiegel, 1999.
The book is recommended for both attending and non-attending students.
Teaching methods
The course counts 9 CFUs (one CFU, University Credits equals one ECTS credit and represents the workload of a student during educational activities aimed at passing the exams), which corresponds to 72 hours of lectures. For practical reasons, the whole amount of lectures is split into 6 and 3 CFUs, although the course shall be intended as one unit. The didactic activities are composed of frontal lessons alternating with exercises. During the frontal lessons, the course topics are proposed from the theoretical and design point of view.
During classroom exercises students are allowed to bring their own computers and tablets, and they will apply theoretical knowledge to an exercise, a real case study, or a project.
For non-attending students, it is important to stay up-to-date on the course through the Elly platform, the only communication tool used for direct teacher / student contact.
Assessment methods and criteria
For the students who are attending the course, the verification of knowledge includes two written tests, one in-itinere and one at the end of the lessons. The tests are based on 1.5-hour open-answer questions. The test normally consists of 3/4 questions that may relate to theoretical content, demonstrations, exercises developed during the course; demonstrations and theoretical treatises have a weight of 1.0; technical drawings weight 1.5; exercises 2.0. The final vote is calculated by assigning to each question an evaluation from 0 to 30 and making the weighted average of the individual evaluations, with final rounding up; the test is passed if it reaches a score of at least 18 points. The dates of the partial tests will be communicated by the teacher during the lessons. To complete the score obtained in the written tests (which does not expire) the student can ask the teacher for an integration through an oral examination, consisting of a discussion on the course contents, both theoretical and practical (drawings and exercises). The oral exam is evaluated with a scale of 0-30. To obtain the final mark it is necessary to compute the arithmetic average of the marks of the two tests.
For students who did not take the tests in-itinere, and who present themselves directly to an exam session, the exam is delivered only in oral form. The test consists in a discussion on the contents of the course, both theoretical and practical (drawings and exercises); it is evaluated with a scale of 0-30 and the vote is immediately communicated to the student.
Please note that online registration is MANDATORY both in the case of a written test and in the case of an oral exam. “30 cum laude” is given to students who achieve the highest score on each item and use precise vocabulary.
Other information
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