MEC 411

COMMON ASSIGNMENT
SEMESTER OCTOBER 2022 – FEBRUARY 2023

Submission Date: 8th January 2023

PROBLEM STATEMENT
You are required to design a new storage rack/cabinet for a small bedroom (3m x 3m x 3m).
The size of the storage rack/cabinet should be 130 (L) x 50 (W) cm and made of wooden
material. Assume the appropriate height for this rack/cabinet. You should also consider the
maximum safe loading that the rack/cabinet can support to prevent it from breaking.

Complex Engineering Problem

Instructions:
1. Students are required to carry out this assignment in a group consists of maximum 5 persons.
2. Each student in the group should provide one design of a storage rack/cabinet according to the
requirement stated above. The group should report all proposed designs by each member (state the
student name for each design). Based on all proposed ideas/designs, the group should select one
best design or combine several ideas into one best design. The selected design should then be
analysed, in detail, by the group via static equilibrium analysis.
3. The ideas of the design may originate from the actual storage rack/cabinet designs that are available
in the market or available at your house or elsewhere. You may improve the design to ensure that the
rack/cabinet is stable. The details of the ideas or literature review should be stated and reported in
the final report.
4. Photos or clear description of the selected design should be provided. The rack/cabinet should be
built up of several parts (minimum 5 parts). These parts should be studied/analysed from the
perspective of MEC411: Mechanics of Materials course. For example; its dimensions such as cross
section and height, types of external loadings and their points of application.
5. Construct a proper free body diagram for each part and do the analysis by considering the whole-
body part or at selected critical component (such as a pin connection or a bolt).
6. Complexity of the analysis is taken into consideration, in which a more complex analysis will be given
a higher mark.
7. For the analysis, state all assumptions, when necessary, and make sure all assumptions are justifiable
and logical.
8. For analysis and report, determine all internal forces (internal torque, moment, shear and normal
forces), stresses and deformations. If applicable, determine also the maximum or critical stress and
the maximum or critical deformation.
9. Discuss your results and findings. You may discuss your results by comparing the calculated values
with the failure strength/yield strength of the respective material available from the textbook.
10. Write a report of your findings.
11. The report must be at least 5 pages long. The maximum is 15 pages excluding the front page, table
of contents and list of references.
12. This assignment will contribute 20% to the overall course mark.
 Report Writing Rubric Assessment

Scale 1 2 3 4 5
Criteria Poor Acceptable Excellent Factor
• Topic is poorly • Topic is fairly
introduced. Lack of introduced. Moderate
• Topic is well introduced.
understanding on the understanding of on the
Clear explanation of on the
related principles related principles
related principles and 5
and theories of the and theories of the
Introduction and objectives theories of the topic.
topic. topic.
• Objectives are well defined.
• Objectives are poorly • Objectives are fairly
defined. defined.
• Literature review is • Excellent literature
• Literature review is
inadequate and may review. Provides 5
adequate, relevant but
not be relevant to the excellent critical
Literature review may not be focussed
topic. analysis about the
enough.
topic.
• Chosen structure • Chosen structure is
• Chosen structure is
is very simple. complex consisting of 5
consisted of 3-5 parts.
Consists of only more than 5 parts.
Complexity of Structure & 1- 2 parts. • Assumptions are fairly • Assumptions are well
Assumptions • Assumptions are made and justifiable. made and perfectly
poorly made and justifiable.
unjustifiable.
• Photos of structure are
• Photos of structure are
• Photos of structure clear.
clear.
are unclear. • Free body diagrams are
• Free body diagrams
• Free body diagrams well translated from the
are fairly translated
are poorly translated photos of structure. Every
Photos and free body from the photos of 5
from the photos of detail in the photos is
diagrams structure. May not be
structure. accurately described in
fully accurate.
• Dimensions and the FBDs.
• Dimensions and labels
labels are missing. • Dimensions and labels are
are adequate.
complete.
• Detailed procedures.
• Detailed procedures.
• Incomplete • Attempted to calculate all
• Attempted to calculate
procedures. values (maximum normal,
more than two values.
Results & calculations • Attempted to calculate stress, maximum shear 5
only o1-2 value. stress, deformations, strain,
deflection, etc.).
• Discussions are very well
• Discussions are fairly
elaborated. Able to relate
made. Able to relate the
and discuss
estimated calculations
• Poorly made comprehensively the
with the strength
Discussions discussions. estimated results with the 5
properties of the
strength properties of the
material used in the
material used in the
structure.
structure.
• Unclear concluding
Conclusions • Topic is fairly concluded. • Topic is well concluded. 5
remarks.
• The report is • The report is organized • The report is well-organized,
5
unorganized and does and convey much of the clearly and concisely describe
References & Overall not clearly describe the information obtained the information obtained.
impression information obtained. • At least 5 references. • More than 5 references.
• Less than 3 references.

Total 40
 UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, SHAH ALAM

MEC 411: MECHANICS OF MATERIALS

Group Name : ………………………………………………

Lecturer : ……………………………………………….

No. Group Members Student ID

After you complete this task, you should be able to:

CO3 Develop solutions to a complex engineering problem using appropriate analytical

Report Assessment Marks

Literature review

Complexity of structure and assumptions

Photos of structure and free body diagrams

Results and calculations

Discussions

Conclusions

Overall impression of the report including references

Total marks

Scale 1 2 3 4 5
Level Poor Acceptable Excellent