2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

MECH5880M Team Design Project

15 creditsClass Size: 230

Module manager: Dr Daya Pandey
Email: D.Pandey@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module enables students to participate in a group activity involving a multi-disciplinary approach to achieve a solution to a programme specific industrially relevant design problem. Designs will consider the full product or system lifecycle and will have a practical component involving the mechanical testing of materials.

Objectives

This module is designed to provide the skills and practical experience necessary to enable professional engineers to contribute to major industrial multi-disciplinary design team projects. A main objective is that, on completion of this module, they are able to generate and evaluate options and make decisions based on multiple criteria: technological, societal, logistical, economic, environmental, etc and to communicate their recommendations both orally and in the form of a written report.

This team project will also have a practical component involving the testing of materials to be taken into account in product or system design, following the engineering, commercial, societal and environmental specifications. Projects will formulate a full design exploitation plan that considers all the likely requirements throughout the working life of the product or system including; material selection, manufacturing processes, failure modes and risk, safety and environmental impact, maintenance, serviceability and end-of-life disposal, business plan including economic considerations.

Projects are supported by a series of classes and seminars, for example on;
- Professionalism and codes of ethics;
- Environmental concerns, climate ethics and sustainability;
- Project management (eg, individual approaches to teamwork and creativity, project management, risk management);
- Design processes including design standards / regulatory requirements;
- Introduction to CAD modelling (Solidworks);
- Introduction to Matlab;
- Rapid prototyping;
- Experimental techniques.

Aim:
At the end of the module students will be able to;
- Collaborate as a member of a team to solve a defined problem;
- Plan and execute a work programme to design and test a prototype that is specific to their programme of study;
- Be practiced in the analysis of products or systems through simulation and/or physical testing;
- Develop a product exploitation plan;
- Communicate project results through presentation and written report.

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module students will have acquired the following skills:
- engineering reasoning and problem solving
- professional skills and attitudes
- teamwork and leadership
- communications
- conceiving / modelling / experimenting / analysis / designing / synthesis

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Collaborate as a member of a team to solve a defined problem;
2. Plan and execute a work programme to design a prototype product or system that is specific to their programme of study;
3. Be practiced in the analysis of products or systems through simulation and/or physical testing;
4. Develop a product exploitation plan;
5. Communicate project results through presentation and written report.

On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Collaborate as a member of a team to solve a defined problem;
2. Plan and execute a work programme to design a prototype product or system that is specific to their programme of study;
3. Be practiced in the analysis of products or systems through simulation and/or physical testing;
4. Develop a product exploitation plan;
5. Communicate project results through presentation and written report.

Upon successful completion of this module the following Engineering Council Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes (AHEP) learning outcome descriptors (fourth edition) are satisfied:

6. Formulate and analyse complex problems to reach substantiated conclusions. This will involve evaluating available data using first principles of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering principles, and using engineering judgment to work with information that may be uncertain or incomplete, discussing the limitations of the techniques employed. (M2)
7. Select and critically evaluate technical literature and other sources of information to solve complex problems. (M4)
8. Design solutions for complex problems that evidence some originality and meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate. This will involve consideration of applicable health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards. (M5)
9. Evaluate the environmental and societal impact of solutions to complex problems (to include the entire life-cycle of a product or process) and minimise adverse impacts. (M7)
10. Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or leader of a team. Evaluate effectiveness of own and team performance. (M16)

On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills:
Engineering reasoning and problem solving
Professional skills and attitudes
Teamwork and leadership
Communicating

Syllabus

Students undertake a short engineering project in groups of 3 to 6 supervised by a member of staff involving the design and test of a prototype product or system. Projects are supported by a series of classes and seminars, for example on;
- Professionalism and codes of ethics;
- Environmental concerns, climate ethics and sustainability;
- Project management (eg, individual approaches to teamwork and creativity, project management, risk management);
- Design processes including design standards / regulatory requirements;
- Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA),
- Introduction to CAD modelling (Solidworks);
- Introduction to Matlab;
- Rapid Prototyping;
- Experimental techniques.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Supervision	8	1.00	8.00
Lecture	10	1.00	10.00
Practical	1	2.00	2.00
Private study hours			130.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Independent study of background materials concerning the development of a design exploitation plan, including ethical, legal and societal issues, materials and manufacturing and design processes etc. Also requires extensive use of software and simulation methods, additive manufacturing, testing and interpretation of results in collaboration with project team.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

A Checkpoint will be set mid-term to track the level of engagement in the team project. Supervisors can give formative feedback at this point.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	Team Project Report	50.00
Oral Presentation	Team Presentation	30.00
Project	Individual Conduct	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

An individual assignment will be offered as a coursework resit which will cover the group element of the learning outcomes of the module. Students must satisfy certain threshold conditions of competence in order to be awarded the credits for this module. These additional competences are specified in the project module handbook, and typically relate to; - Participation in any activities deemed necessary by the university or the project supervisor to undertake work to ethical standards, safely, and competently using workshop or research laboratory facilities - Certain UK-SPEC Engineering Council learning outcomes required for accreditation that are uniquely assessed in this module - Technical writing meeting a minimum standard expected by the Office for Students (OfS)

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 13/09/2024

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