2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

During ABET Assessment Cycle 2 (Fall 2023-Summer 2024) Department of Mechanical Engineering at our institution unanimously included a sophomore course, Mechanics of Materials, to be assessed for Student Outcome 6 (SO6) starting from Spring 2024 (January-April) semester. SO6 evaluates a student's ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions. To assess this outcome innovative labs were developed with a focus on solid mechanics where hands-on experiments help bridge the gap between theory, numerical analysis, simulations and real-world applications. The traditional lab exercises at majority of undergraduate engineering colleges (including ours) include compression, tension (flat and round), shear, torsion and bending. While these traditional lab assignments provide in depth knowledge of stress, strain, and mechanical testing machines such as Instron, MTS and Tinius Olsen; when it comes to ABET SO6, we need labs that challenge students to integrate theoretical analysis, experimentation, and simulation, to further deepen their grasp of material behaviors and structural design by designing their own lab with little to no instructor supervision. In this paper we have identified at least 5 different labs 1) Stress Concentration Analysis Around a Circular Hole, 2) Thermal Stress in Bi-Metallic Strips, 3) Buckling of Slender Columns, 4) Tensile Testing at Extreme Temperatures: Material Behavior and Performance, and 5) Testing of Riveted Connections. This paper will serve as a comprehensive resource for mechanical engineering instructors, providing not only detailed lab modules but also optimized variables for three experiment, troubleshooting methodologies, and state-of-the-art lab manuals, references, and other resources. Additionally, the paper will include formative assessment rubric for theoretical, numerical, and simulation-based information to help instructor effectively assess ABET SO6. Currently, the paper will focus on three fully developed labs: Stress Concentration Analysis, Testing of Riveted Connections, and Tensile Testing at Extreme Temperatures: Material Behavior and Performance.