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Materials degradation from environmental conditions is a common factor that will often occur in mechanical equipment used in every type of environment. These processes can frequently materialize in unpredicted and harmful ways, especially when they interact and lead to early component damage or failure. Captured from five, two-hour sessions, this course summarizes the mechanisms that cause materials and mechanical components to degrade in service through exposure to deleterious mechanical and environmental conditions.

While the topic of profile is covered in a basic Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) course, those discussions often ignore the variations allowed with these symbols that enable them to be used in complex ways. This advanced web course will clarify the proper use of the profile tolerances in GD&T and uncover the nuances of these two symbols. Since the profile of a surface is arguably the most powerful GD&T symbol, its full potential will be explored. It can be used to control size, form, orientation, and location and its relationship to datums can be varied.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a powerful and well recognized tool used in the analysis of heat transfer problems. However, FEA can only analyze solid bodies and, by necessity thermal analysis with FEA is limited to conductive heat transfer. The other two types of heat transfer: convection and radiation must by approximated by boundary conditions. Modeling all three mechanisms of heat transfer without arbitrary assumption requires a combined use of FEA and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

While the basics of datums are covered in a standard Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) course, those discussions often overlook the variations that enable datums to be used in complex ways. This advanced course will detail the proper use of datums, showing their full potential to make your drawings as effective as possible. Most people who use GD&T are familiar with traditional datums derived from flat surfaces, and have adequate knowledge of the principle of establishing 3-2-1 contact points.

Analysis of tolerance stacks varies widely. This web course introduces the basic tools to create a common methodology for tolerance stack-ups, and ensure seamless documentation. Participants will create 1-D tolerance stacks for parts and assemblies that use geometric dimensioning and tolerancing using a tolerance stack spreadsheet. This simple, manual spreadsheet method produces an easily interpreted and checked documentation trail, and is easily adaptable to common electronic spreadsheet programs. Multiple examples will be provided to assist engineers in applying tolerance stack-up fundamentals to Y14.5 issues.

Additive manufacturing (AM), is a manufacturing process of choice for functional part production, adding to the suite of choices a designer has available when designing a part for manufacturing. Like other traditional processes like casting and machining, AM has its set of constraints. An added layer of complexity comes from the fact that there are several different AM processes, and some of the design constraints are process-specific. On the other hand, AM offers a range of opportunities in design freedom and mass customization as well as in cost and lead time reduction in some cases.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been an indispensable tool for design simulation for several decades but this wide spread use has been limited to simple types of analyses. Relatively recently, more advanced analyses have given easy-to-use interfaces enabling design engineers to simulate problems formerly reserved for analysts. FEA Beyond Basics targets the FEA users who wish to explore those advanced analysis capabilities. It will demonstrate how to move past the ubiquitous linear structural analysis and solve structural nonlinear problems characterized by nonlinear material, large displacements, buckling or nonlinear connectors.

Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is used as a symbolic way of showing specific tolerances on drawings. GD&T is a valuable tool that effectively communicates the design intent to manufacturing and inspection. It is governed by the technical standard ASME Y14.5-2018 (recently revised from the 2009 edition).

This six-session course introduces vibration analysis performed with Finite Element Analysis (FEA). By considering time-dependent loads and inertial and damping effects, vibration analysis allows for a more in-depth product simulation thus reducing product development cost and time. The course reviews basic concepts of vibration analysis and illustrates how they are implemented in FEA to simulate product behavior. The most common types of vibration analysis such as modal, time response, and frequency response will be covered. The textbook, Engineering Analysis with SolidWorks® Simulation, by Paul Kurowski, is recommended reading.

While the basics of position are covered in a standard Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) course, and sometimes a lone example of composite position is given, those discussions often overlook the variations allowed that enable more accurate control based on part function. This advanced web course will clarify the proper use of “double-decker” position controls in GD&T. There are two distinct types: composite position (one symbol) and two single-segment position controls (two symbols). These are commonly used to locate patterns of features (bolt circles, etc.), but they are rarely taught in any depth.