Learning Tool to Enhance Understanding of Stress States and Mohr’s Circle
Problem statement
Mohr’s circle is a fundamental concept in mechanical engineering, typically introduced early on in courses such as UW-Madison’s Mechanics of Materials (ME 307). However, many students struggle to connect the 2D and 3D graphical methods to real-world stress states in physically loaded structures, limiting their intuitive understanding of stress-strain relationships. To address this challenge, the Mohr Badger Capstone Team will design, and test a prototype handheld tool that measures strain under axial, torsional, and flexural loads and transmits data to a MATLAB application. This MATLAB application will also be operational without the handheld tool, making it accessible outside of the classroom. This integrated system provides both a tangible and visual learning experience with real-time feedback. The project builds on the foundation described in Work-In-Progress: Learning Tool to Enhance Understanding of Stress States and Mohr’s Circle (ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 2024), which underscores the educational value and need for interactive tools to make challenging concepts such as stress-strain relationships and Mohr’s Circle more accessible to engineering students.
In addition to the primary goal of enhancing student comprehension, the Mohr Badgers Capstone Team aims to benefit a range of stakeholders. Instructors gain an interactive teaching aid that enriches lectures and lab demonstrations, while future researchers also gain a proven model for integrating real-time experimental learning into mechanics instruction, one they can build upon and refine in subsequent studies.
Team members
Andrew Battenberg – admin
Lubna Barzanji – communicator
Jack Tuchtenhagen – facilitator
Client
Jennifer Detlor
UW – Mechanical Engineering