| Timothy Cameron, Ph.D. | Brenda Henderson, Ph.D. | Daniel Russell, Ph.D. |
| Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering | Applied Physics |
Strong demand from students and corporate sponsors has prompted the development of a new Center of Excellence in Acoustics, Noise and Vibration at GMI. An instructional laboratory has been established with grants from the National Science Foundation and industry, and two courses related to acoustics, noise and vibration have been developed.
These achievements represent the initial step in establishing the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center at GMI - a cooperative effort of the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Applied Physics Group of the Science and Mathematics Department. With the new sequence of courses being developed, GMI will be the only school in the United States offering an undergraduate specialty in acoustics, noise and vibration.
This paper discusses reasons for developing the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center (ANVC), gives statements of the vision, mission and goals of the ANVC, and presents the current status of, and development plan for, the ANVC.
There has been a dramatic resurgence of interest in noise and vibration (n&v) within the last decade due to increased global competition and the simple realization that n&v are significant factors in a customer's perception of product quality. The original surge of interest followed WWII industrialization, and was focused on the effects of n&v on manufacturing processes and on humans (to set exposure limits for preventing impairment). These remain as major concerns in addition to recent focus on the relationship of n&v to the comfort and perceived quality of products such as motor vehicles, consumer electronics, appliances, and lawn equipment.
Under General Motors ownership, GMI offered elective courses in acoustics and industrial n&v control. These were taught by Jim Pyne, an expert in industrial n&v control who went to GM when GMI became independent in 1982. The courses were rarely offered after that.
That situation began to change in 1993 when two somewhat independent influences converged. First, pursuant to developing a new degree program in Applied Physics, Prof. Richard Bolander, Chair of the Applied Physics Group in the Science and Mathematics Department (SM), surveyed GMI's industrial sponsors to see if they would be interested in sponsoring students majoring in Applied Physics (AP). Companies that expressed an interest in the Applied Physics major were also asked what concentration areas were of greatest interest to them. There was a strong positive response to the survey, and the area of greatest interest was n&v.
Second, throughout 1993 a surprising number of students asked both Richard Bolander and Tim Cameron, an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering (ME), to offer a course in acoustics and vibrations beyond the introductory vibrations course. Some of the students were anticipating thesis assignments in noise or vibration control, some were considering graduate work in these areas, and some really wanted a course in car audio systems and speaker box design.
This demand on the part of corporate sponsors evidenced by the Applied Physics survey, and the student requests for courses in acoustics and n&v, prompted the Applied Physics Group and the ME Department to pursue cooperative development of a new Center of Excellence in Acoustics, Noise and Vibration.
The vision, mission, and goals of the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center (ANVC) must help accomplish GMI's mission "to serve society by preparing technical and managerial leaders." Using GMI's academic vision, mission, and goals statements as a guideline, the following are proposed for the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center.
ANVC Vision: To be recognized as the world leader in providing undergraduate training and practical experience in acoustics, noise and vibration.
ANVC Mission: To provide an environment for students, faculty, and industrial partners that fosters learning, scholarly achievement, and creative problem solving in the areas of acoustics, noise, and vibration.
ANVC Goals:
"Acoustics, Noise and Vibration" was introduced by Prof. Cameron in the summer of 1994. This senior level course begins with a review of vibrations and an introduction to acoustics theory, then focuses on practical methods of noise and vibration control. Laboratory exercises (listed in Appendix A) and a design project illustrate and apply many of the principles presented in the course. Student enrollment in the course has been strong. Professor Cameron also introduced "Automotive Noise, Vibration, Harshness and Ride" beginning in the fall of 1995, with thirty-three students enrolled the first term.
Initial funding for an Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Laboratory was $46,832.00, half from GMI and half from a National Science Foundation grant to Prof. Cameron in the spring of 1994.
Industry support has been strong. Cash donations include $5,000.00 from AP Parts Manufacturing, $100,000.00 over five years from TRW, and a cash and equipment commitment valued at $200,000.00 from LEAR Seating. PCB Piezotronics contributed a new modal impact hammer and accelerometers, and valuable used equipment has been donated by the Industrial Technology Institute of Ann Arbor, General Motors Proving Grounds, and Robert Bosch Corporation. Prof. Cameron contributed his office computer.
The Delphi Division of General Motors is leaving a hemi-anechoic room as part of its donation of a building to GMI. This facility will be a valuable asset to the ANVC.
Most of the funding is reserved for new laboratories to be located in the Delphi Building. The present laboratory occupies a corner of GMI's former "Industrial Research and Development Center." Equipment purchases have been limited to portable items that can be taken to Building 35 when the move occurs. This has not posed an obstacle in acquiring essential equipment for the instructional laboratory exercises. Items acquired to date include:
Two new faculty members were added to the ANVC team in July, 1995 - Daniel Russell in Applied Physics and Brenda Henderson in Mechanical Engineering. They, along with Professors Bolander and Cameron, are primarily responsible for developing the ANVC. The following are brief biographies of the principal team members.
The following faculty - shown with their departments and the specific area of expertise they contribute to the ANVC - also serve as adjunct ANVC team members:
The development plan - an itemized strategy for fulfilling the goals of the ANVC - is divided into 1-, 3- and 5-year plans. While all goals must be pursued in parallel to some extent, the focus of the 1-year plan is on completing Goals 1 and 4: to develop the courses that comprise the acoustics, noise and vibration specialty, and to devise and implement an assessment plan. The focus of the 3-year plan is on completing Goal 2: to develop the laboratories to the point that they can support research and design projects, as well as instructional exercises. Lab development is constrained by the Delphi Building renovation. The focus of the 5-year plan is Goal 3: to establish strong partnerships with business and industry. Development plans for meeting the four goals are presented below.
Acoustics, noise and vibration will be a "specialty" option for ME majors and a "concentration" option for AP majors. The ANVC will also offer elective courses for all GMI students and continuing education courses for practicing engineers.
The following are draft catalog descriptions of the courses being developed to fulfill Goal 1. The first four courses are common to ME and AP. The fifth course is a "capstone" design course primarily for ME majors, and the sixth course on advanced topics is primarily for AP majors.
The 1-year laboratory development plan is to equip a laboratory for the instructional exercises in the new courses. A partial list of anticipated equipment requirements is in Appendix B.
The 3-year laboratory development plan is focused on supporting scholarly research. One objective is to instrument the hemi-anechoic room. Key requirements are a good data acquisition system, computer, and software for data display and analysis. On the software side, GMI has SDRC's Ideas Master Series and GenRad's SMS StarStruct. Inquiries are being made toward obtaining LMS software with a Hewlett-Packard (HP) data acquisition front end and an HP-750 workstation. Other areas to be developed include:
The 5-year laboratory plan is to integrate all capabilities--test and measurement, computer modeling and analysis, computer and analytical design tools, fabrication and prototyping--into a concurrent/simultaneous engineering design and development center.
Corporate partners are companies willing to work with the ANVC to ensure its continual improvement. Ideally, corporate sponsors will employ GMI students in the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration specialty, and will provide financial support for maintaining and enhancing the facilities of the ANVC. In return, the partners obtain student employees who possess both the technical and communication skills to be strong contributors. Furthermore, students will be able to bring real-world design problems from their jobs and solve them at school for project credit and for the benefit of their employers.
We anticipate strong support from automakers and automotive suppliers, but want the base of partners to be as industrially diverse as possible. This allows for greater technology transfer across industries and between industry and academia.
Surveys of students, graduates, students' employers and corporate partners are likely to be the primary means of assessing progress toward meeting the ANVC goals. Surveys will answer questions such as: what are students most interested in, what skills do employers want them to have, and how effectively is the ANVC addressing these needs? Implicit in all the goals is the desire of the ANVC to help students develop the knowledge and practical skills required to make a strong contribution to their employers. Recent graduates, and students employed in noise and vibration related jobs, are a particularly valuable resource since they are acutely aware of differences between what they are exposed to at GMI and what they are expected to know on the job.
A new Center of Excellence in Acoustics, Noise and Vibration has been created at GMI in response to demand on the part of students and corporate sponsors. At present the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center offers the courses "Acoustics, Noise and Vibration" and "Automotive Noise, Vibration, Harshness and Ride," and has a new laboratory made possible by grants and donations from the National Science Foundation and industry.
A development plan designed to serve the vision, mission, and goals of the Center is presented. The plan includes the addition of six courses comprising a new specialty in Acoustics, Noise and Vibration, as well as 1-, 3-, and 5-year laboratory development plans. The plan also includes an assessment process involving surveys of students, alumni, employers, and corporate partners. Biographies of the principal faculty involved in creating the Center are also presented.
Establishing a strong and industrially diverse base of corporate partners is critical to the long-term success of the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center. Partners sponsoring students obtain employees reared within their corporate culture and trained to contribute in critical areas. Companies can assign their students real design problems to solve as class projects. Longer-term design and research problems, continuing professional education classes, and faculty consulting can also be arranged.
Initial development of the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Laboratory of GMI's Acoustics, Noise and Vibration Center of Excellence was made possible by generous grants from the National Science Foundation (DUE-9451747), LEAR Seating, TRW, and AP Parts Manufacturing, and by equipment and facility donations from General Motors, PCB Piezotronics, Robert Bosch Corp., and the Industrial Technology Institute of Ann Arbor. Thanks to Professor Richard Bolander for helping to spearhead creation of the ANVC, and to Professors Dan Russell and Brenda Henderson for contributing to the ANVC laboratory and curriculum development.
Laboratory exercises in "Acoustics, Noise and Vibration," ME-530/PHYS-580
Equipment for Instructional Laboratory Exercises (1-Year Laboratory Plan)