Group 22 - Tecumseh Engine
Contents |
Overview
- Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Practice (MAE277) is a course designed to give students the opportunity to apply and understand the basics of engineering. Throughout the semester students learn the principles of Mechanical Engineering such as the design process, types of manufacturing and important steps of problem analysis. The students are then able to apply this knowledge to a group project based around the reverse engineering of a mechanical system.
Summary
- During the project each group was able to pick a mechanical system to disassemble, analyze and reassemble. It is divided into five seperate checkpoints called "Gates" that focus on different aspects of the project as described below. In order to complete each gate the group must do the necessary research for each topic discussed in the assignment to relate to their product. The group then provides this knowledge in an orderly documentation on the wiki website including tables, figures and links for the convenience of the user.
- The project not only covers the main knowledge and application of skills through engineering practice but also forces each group to work with other people as a team to accomplish each task. For some groups this may not be a problem as each group member is easily available, hard working and dedicated to each assignment given. For our group however it became apparent that this would be a huge disadvantage.
- Our group has taken the responsibility to analyze a small Tecumseh 5hp internal combustion engine.
Product Specs
The Tecumseh 5hp Engine (See Figure 1)
- Internal Combustion
- One Cylinder
- Four Stroke (Two Valves)
- Gasoline Powered
Group Members
Ryan Sans:
Project Manager
Matthew Whitman, Darroch Moorhead:
Co-Technical Experts
Kevin Perez:
Communication Liason
Sangjoon Bark:
Research Expert
Gates
The project consists of five gates that describe each step of the processes of planning, dissection, analysis and reassembly on the engine as described below:
Gate 1: Project Planning
The purpose of this initial gate was to lay the ground work for the rest of the project. We analyzed our group's initial strengths and weaknesses, developed a tentative meeting schedule, and planned out the dissection of our product. Our preliminary dissection plan was completed by researching the manufacturer of our product and products of a similar size and function.
Gate 2: Product Dissection
As our group began to become a team, we set off to reverse engineer our product. Most of the group members gathered in lab to finally see the inner workings of our product. This gate shows the results of our dissection along with review of the group's cohesiveness.
- Main Article: Gate 2: Product Dissection
Gate 3: Product Analysis
With the engine completely dissected, the group set off to gain a better understanding of our product. Through research of engines in general, we were able to see the subsystems and overall flow of the engine. The results of our work are shown in Gate 3.
- Main Article: Gate 3: Product Analysis
Gate 4: Product Explanation
The main purpose of Gate 4 was to reassemble the product. The group learned a lot more from assembling the product than from disassembling it as we gained a better understanding of engines. Smaller systems and components were investigated and parts were researched and replaced. Individual group members took charge at this point as will be discussed in the Cause for Corrective Action section.
- Main Article: Gate 4: Product Description
