2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work-In-Progress: Further Work on a Learning Tool to Enhance Understanding of Stress States and Mohr’s Circle

Presented at Mechanics Division (MECHS) Technical Session 4

Mohr’s circle is a fundamental concept discussed in introductory Mechanics of Materials courses to help visualize and analyze stress and strain in materials. Despite its importance, students often struggle with its abstract nature and its application to real-world stress states in physically loaded structures. To bridge this gap and enhance student understanding, a MATLAB app and a handheld tool are currently under development designed to facilitate experiential learning of stress transformations and Mohr’s circle. When linked together, this tool will provide students with real-time feedback on the stress state of physically loaded structures, enabling them to explore stress transformations in axial, torsional, and flexural loading scenarios.
This paper presents updates on the development of the app, assessment for the app, and fabrication of the handheld tool. The MATLAB app has been refined to enhance user experience and understanding, offering clearer instructional guidance and warnings for buckling and failure. The paper discusses design of an assessment to evaluate the app’s effectiveness in improving student comprehension of stress transformations and Mohr’s circle. For the assessment, multiple choice questions using three levels of abstraction are used to measure students’ level of knowledge acquisition. Additionally, the paper outlines updates to the handheld tool design, focusing on cost reduction and simplified manufacturing. The paper reports the manufacturing process and costs, along with details of the electronic and software configurations required to link the handheld tool with the MATLAB app. Future work will involve executing a study to collect and analyze data on the app’s effectiveness and finalizing fabrication of the tool, ensuring readiness for the next phase of research.

Authors

Mr. Matthew M Grondin University of Wisconsin - Madison [biography]

Matthew is a graduate student completing a joint-degree in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Educational Psychology-Learning Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research revolves around application of embodied learning in engineering education with a primary focus on assessments that bring equitable and inclusive practices to the diverse population of engineering undergraduate students. Matthew has been nominated for numerous teacher awards including Early Excellence in Teaching, Innovation in Teaching, and Honored Instructor. His kind nature and consideration brings connection, community, and ongoing mentorship for his students.
Dr. Jennifer Detlor University of Wisconsin - Madison [biography]

Jennifer Detlor is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She earned a B.S in Mathematics, Chemistry, and English, a M.S. in Engineering Mechanics and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She teaches core, large-enrollment courses at the first- through fourth-year level in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, such as statics, mechanics of materials, fluids, and heat transfer. Her research includes engineering education focused on interactive tools for the classroom and recruitment and retention of underserved students.
Mr. Wensheng Hu University of Wisconsin - Madison [biography]

Wensheng Hu is an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. His academic interests include automation control theory, mechanical design, and robotics.
Simon Livingston-Jha University of Wisconsin - Madison
Kyle Ma University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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