Project Overview
Slideshow Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pl6yWmhPZa_CGM_DWb_zSUlAlz66sw7WAB67IJNtAbQ/edit?usp=sharing
For this project, we had to disassemble any object of our choosing. This object had to have a system that we were to explain what it is, why it is like that, how it was built, and how we could make it better. For this project, our group decided to go with a tabletop fan made around the 2000's. One group member disassembled it and drew some observations she had about what she saw while disassembling it.
For this project, we had to disassemble any object of our choosing. This object had to have a system that we were to explain what it is, why it is like that, how it was built, and how we could make it better. For this project, our group decided to go with a tabletop fan made around the 2000's. One group member disassembled it and drew some observations she had about what she saw while disassembling it.
Content
There are a lot of concepts when it comes to designing and manufacturing a table fan. When it comes to the materials the case of the fan is made out of to the efficiency of the motor to how many settings there are on the speed of the fan.
System/Subsystems: A system is something that takes in energy/information, has movement, and then outputs information/energy . Our fan was a system in and of itself, with the intake of energy being the socket and information being the speed switches, and the output of energy being the movement of air.
Gantt Chart: A Gantt chart is a type of chart used for organizing what needs to be done in a certain project. It outlines the goals set within the project, when they need to be done, and how far it has been done. Our Group used a Gantt chart in order to organize ourselves in what we were supposed to do.
Reverse Engineering: Reverse engineering is the concept of taking something that already exist and making a reproduction using observations and detailed examinations. We reversed engineered the fan in order to find out how it worked and how we could make it better.
Exploded View: An exploded view is a type of drawing that shows all the components of an object with space between each component. We viewed Exploded View Diagrams of Fans in order to get a general sense of how they are put together.
Engineering Ethics: The ethics of engineering is a complex topic, but to sum it all up, it essentially points out what is morally good when engineering something that other people will use. For example, do you go over budget to use a material for a bridge that will for sure not fall apart with pressure? Or do you stay within budget and let out the risk of people being hurt. For this project, we didn't really use the ethics that much because there was nothing reasonably unethical we could do with a fan.
System/Subsystems: A system is something that takes in energy/information, has movement, and then outputs information/energy . Our fan was a system in and of itself, with the intake of energy being the socket and information being the speed switches, and the output of energy being the movement of air.
Gantt Chart: A Gantt chart is a type of chart used for organizing what needs to be done in a certain project. It outlines the goals set within the project, when they need to be done, and how far it has been done. Our Group used a Gantt chart in order to organize ourselves in what we were supposed to do.
Reverse Engineering: Reverse engineering is the concept of taking something that already exist and making a reproduction using observations and detailed examinations. We reversed engineered the fan in order to find out how it worked and how we could make it better.
Exploded View: An exploded view is a type of drawing that shows all the components of an object with space between each component. We viewed Exploded View Diagrams of Fans in order to get a general sense of how they are put together.
Engineering Ethics: The ethics of engineering is a complex topic, but to sum it all up, it essentially points out what is morally good when engineering something that other people will use. For example, do you go over budget to use a material for a bridge that will for sure not fall apart with pressure? Or do you stay within budget and let out the risk of people being hurt. For this project, we didn't really use the ethics that much because there was nothing reasonably unethical we could do with a fan.
Reflection
I worked well on this project, but my communication had a bit to be desired. I worked on the report, presentation, and made the Gantt chart mostly myself, however I didn't really know if it was good enough because I just showed it to my group mates and they just said it was good enough. What I should have asked instead was how I could improve upon my work and then I could have made it better depending on their opinions. One thing I learned about myself was how I really like to do physical work instead of work on the computer. I enjoyed myself when I was looking at the parts of the fan and looking them up online to see what they did, however I found actually working on the presentation and Gantt chart kind of boring. Another thing I learned during this project is how spreadsheets really worked. I always thought that you had to do the calculations yourself, but now I know how to use them to automatically process data. One last thing I could have improved while working on this project was my work ethic. I often got distracted by other things online on my computer, and most likely hindered my work on this project.