A Design-and-Build Project to Introduce Concepts Relating to Dimensional Variation

Abstract

A design-and-build project which has been used to introduce Year 2 students of Mechanical Engineering to the concepts of dimensional variation and the influence of dimensional variation on function and assembly. The project simulates the cylinder head cylinder block assembly problem and specifies requirements in terms of a tolerance on concentricity of the cylinders in the head and block, and the interchangeable assembly of the head and block. Materials which are easily and cheaply sourced and tools which are easily manufactured and safe to use in a classroom environment are used throughout. During the project the students are exposed to concepts such as worst-case and statistical tolerance analysis, sensitivity analysis, geometric moment effects, minimum constraint design, co-variance and gauging. The exercise also emphasizes that good design means components that function and assemble with the minimum number of tight tolerances.