INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KANPUR

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

August 3, 2018
ME 451A: PROJECT-I
Preamble
The course description, as given in the 'Courses of Study' bulletin of the Institute is as
follows:
ME 451A: Project I (0-0-6-0-4)
Project work involving the analysis, synthesis, material/component selection and detailed
design of a mechanical system including the preparation of working drawings. The system
may be integrated with electronic, electrical, hydraulic and other systems. Projects may be
selected by students from any of the four streams: Thermal Sciences and Fluid Mechanics,
Solid Mechanics and Design, Manufacturing Science, and Robotics.
(The second semester’s work, Project-II, will consist of the fabrication of the system designed
during the first semester).
Therefore, as you can see, the B.Tech. Project that you are going to do during this academic
year is actually the climax of the entire B.Tech. program that you have gone through and
going through at IIT Kanpur.
Our department and Institute encourage the students by giving a “Jayesh Memorial Award”
for the best B.Tech. project which provides a fair amount of cash prize along with the
certificates. There are few more very prestigious awards from the institute for the best
B.Tech. project.
Tentative Project Evaluation Schedule
Evaluation 1: 25th August, 2018, Saturday, 9:30 AM onwards
Objective: Present the project ideas to the Committee (PEC)
Students should present several ideas (at least two)

Evaluation 2: 26th September, 2018 (Wednesday), 2:30 pm onwards

Objective: Detailed design and analysis

Evaluation 3: 10th November (Saturday) and 11th November 2018 (Sunday)

From 9:30 AM onwards
Objective: Detailed final engineering drawings

All the above evaluations will take place in the ME conference room, FB-364

Submission of Drawings to Central Workshop : 16th November 2018 (Friday)

The division of credit for the first semester’s work will be as under:
15 for Evaluation 1
30 for Evaluation 2
35 for Evaluation 3
20 to be awarded by the project adviser
The first evaluation is primarily for the purpose of clearly presenting the project ideas to the
Project Evaluation Committee (PEC). The second evaluation will look at the detailed design
and analysis. The third evaluation amounts to the submission of the semester’s work; this
submission will be in the form of the final assembly and parts drawings and the project report.
The First Evaluation
Each group will have a maximum of 6 minutes to present its project proposal. An additional 4
minutes will be given for discussion.
The presentation will be through slides/power point. It is important that the presentation be
planned with care and rehearsed. Presentation is expected to be coherent, brief and
articulated. The idea is to make everything absolutely clear to the Committee --- the problem,
as well as its solution --- within the six minutes. Neat sketches and diagrams, preferably
pictorial, will be helpful.
The outline of the presentation will take the following form:
 Name of the Project
 Problem Statement
 Description of the Conceptual Solution(s)
 Statement regarding what will be achieved or demonstrated in the end (at
the time of the second evaluation, the Committee will demand specifications
of the goals of the project).
A conceptual design consists of a presentation of the solution concept; it leaves out the
details of this solution. For example, if a fast rapid transit system is to be designed and
compressed air levitation is the solution concept, the conceptual design at the first level will
probably show the train with its air bearing pads and the track. Just how the pads are going
to be made or deployed, the air flow paths, the dimensions of the pads, the capacity of the
compressors, will not be included in this presentation. The presentation of conceptual
designs is greatly enhanced by pictorial (3-D) diagrams rather than orthographic views. In a
conceptual design, one designs the idea, not the hardware.
The Committee will assess the merits of the proposal in the context of its feasibility, its
content in terms of the amount of design/analysis that will be needed for its success, and the
anticipated degree of difficulty in the execution of the project within the constraints of time,
the capabilities of the Central Workshop, and finances.
Financial Constraint
At present, the Department subsidises each project to the tune of Rs. 6000 for purchases.
By purchases we mean those items and services that are not available inside the Institute
and must be bought from outside agencies. Steel, aluminium, brass stocks are normally
issued from the Central Workshop depending on their availability. Likewise, electric motors
and other items of hardware are often obtained on loan from one lab or another (also,
students are encouraged to salvage parts from old projects). Machining time, likewise, is not
charged to this subsidy. Casting and complex welding jobs often have to be taken out and
have to be paid for; likewise, rolling element bearings or some other item of hardware may
have to be bought.
Projects sponsored by outside agencies or supported by funds from the Adviser’s projects
are also welcome.
Project Evaluation Committee
The Committee will consist of the following members:
1. Dr. Sounak K. Choudhury (Convener)
2. Dr. P.S. Ghoshdastidar
3. Dr. Nachiketa Tiwari
4. Dr. Jishnu Bhattacharya
5. Representatives from Central Workshop

What the Committee will look for

In addition to evaluating the project, the Committee will pay attention to such details as
 Clarity in respect of the goals of the proposed project
 Execution in respect of the design and the presentation of the design
 Seriousness of purpose and the effort put in
Students should maintain a log book for this course. All ideas, analysis, calculations, and
sketches should be recorded in this log book, as should records of meetings with the Adviser.
At the end of each meeting with the Adviser, the students should obtain his signature, with
date, on the relevant page of the log book. The log book should be presented at each
evaluation.
All the evaluations are OPEN TO ALL OF YOU.