Abstract:

The majority of the projects carried out in mechanical engineering programs are theoretical and very few of them end up being connected to practical activities. It is quite unusual to find mechanical engineering students with the possibility of using their creativity to solve real engineering problems, try the proposed solutions and safely learn from their own mistakes. This paper describes the challenges posed to Machine Design students at Växjö University in Sweden, and the results found, when the class was assigned a real mechanical project. The task consisted of designing and constructing different types of muscle-driven vehicles for various purposes. The final design was tested in a public competition where every vehicle had to run for at least 30 km to be qualified. Results including the multiple alternatives proposed by the students, and the problems found in the physical realization and trial of the vehicles are presented in the article.

Keywords:

design in practice, machine design project, muscle-driven vehicle.