ME 14: Introduction to Mechanical Design

Following the introductory manual machining course, ME14 is the first class where MechE students at Caltech get to step into the shop and go beyond the traditional theory and engineering fundamentals learned in earlier classes. We learned the fundamentals of GD&T, methodologies for choosing various mechanical components like gears, motors, bearings, how to design for manufacturing, and many other relevant engineering practices. Much of the class is based on teachings from Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design.

The main project in ME14 is a transmission design contest. Given a test bench setup with a 12V motor on one end and a bicycle wheel on the other end, groups are tasked with designing a transmission capable of slotting into the system and rapidly accelerate the wheel and maintain a high rate of speed. To fit the demanded footprint, our group designed a two stage gear-reduction with acetal gears and an overall ratio of 6.38. The acrylic pieces were machined from extruded acrylic stock and the shafts were turned to accommodate retaining rings. The subsequent two years, I was a Teaching Assistant for this class and aided the students in the design of this transmission and other projects