Joining Aluminum to Aluminum and Dissimilar Materials – a New Course Development for Designers and Technicians

Final Paper pdf 217KB

Aluminum is replacing steel for its strength to weight ratio, equal or better stiffness and
toughness properties, durability and manufacturability considerations. It has other major benefits
such as corrosion resistance, fuel economy in vehicles, sustainability, enhanced image and
maintenance advantage. Aluminum components can be joined among themselves and with other
materials using numerous methods. The selection of an adequate joining technique depends on
the material combination to be joined, the required joint characteristics, and the boundary
conditions given by design and engineering as well as production engineering and, last but not
least, economic considerations. The course learning outcomes (CLOs) of programs at research
universities and community colleges are very different. This paper presents a new course,
“Joining Aluminum to Aluminum and Dissimilar Materials” that focuses on student learning
outcomes for community college students, future designers, and technicians. The course was
developed for the Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), which is funded by the
National Science Foundation. One of its missions is to create a curriculum that meets the needs
of educating people in new technology developments in the automotive industry. The material
developed in this course contains the course syllabus, course learning objectives, course
materials, homework assignments, term projects and tests.

Author(s):

Azadeh Sheidaei    
mechanical engineering
Kettering University
United States

Yaomin Dong    
mechanical engineering
Kettering University
United States

Javad Baqersad    
Mechanical engineering
Kettering University
United States

Craig Hoff    
Kettering University
United States