MECHANICAL DESIGN APPLICATIONS II
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING/REPORTING TASK
Your task is to self-learn and create a technical report on a topic of your choice that is related to the tribology of
an individual/class of machine elements or a mechanical system. The machine element(s) you choose could either
be those covered in class or otherwise (e.g., worm gears, a specific clutch type, plain surface bearings, ball
bearing screw, etc.) If you choose a mechanical system, it should be a standard integrated device or product
that contains one or more of the machine elements you learned in this course (e.g., tool spindle of a CNC
machine, hand drill, drive shaft assembly, car jack, chainsaw, garage door opener, etc.), but NOT a
generic/custom gearbox (like the one for your final design project). Choose an element/system that enables you
to discuss the relevant tribological details (friction, wear and/or lubrication) at sufficient depth. You will need
to explore various sources such as your textbook, Canvas resources, and other print/online reference material
such as handbooks, professional society resources, other university course material, journals, conference
proceedings, etc. Make sure to NOT copy material as is! Provide ample references (you are not creating new
info, rather you are reporting on (i) a technical topic, and (ii) the advances in the field).
DELIVERABLES
A. Proposal (Needs to be approved, to proceed):
Provide me with a proposal document (half-page maximum) that contains:
(1) A topic title, and (2) A bulleted outline of the major sub-topics/items you intend to report on.
B. Final Report: (A single pdf file)
Provide me with a professional final report (~5000 words) that contains:
A detailed technical report on your pre-approved topic, which covers the tribology of a machine element/
class or mechanical system. Note that your report should cover two major items – one is the technical
description of the details of the machine element/system, and the other is its tribological aspects (at least
~50% of the report). This should be a self-contained and comprehensive document that details (i) the
technical background, and (ii) a literature review of the advances in the field. Use standard sections (as
needed) such as an abstract/summary, introduction/background (of the machine element/system), technical
information and state-of-the-art literature review (on tribological aspects), relevant design/manufacturing/
commercial info, discussions/conclusions, and references (use of a reference manager is recommended).
GUIDELINES/RESTRICTIONS
– Major grading criteria include report quality, completeness, technical aptness/detail, referencing, etc.
– Use (and cite) figures as necessary, but not excessively.
– Use a ‘comfortable’ reading format, such as 11-12 point font, standard type font, 1-1.15 line spacing, 0.75-1”
page margins, page numbers, formatted headings/navigation, etc.
– Note that the primary focus of this report is the tribology of the components/system!
