Dissertation

Code:

EM0089

Acronym:

D

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Production

Instance: 2015/2016 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Materials and Technological Processes Group
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Mechanical Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIEM	10	Syllabus since 2006/2007	5	-	30	6,5	810

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Objectives:
An individual project that should comprise the knowledge acquired during the degree through problem resolution in the area of Manufacturing, Product Development and Automobile Engineering.
This assignment can either be an investigation project or a project involving experimental and/or simulation means, which foster students’ initiative, decision making, individual or group work, innovation and student’s creative and critical thinking.

Learning outcomes and competences

Learning Outcomes:
It should foster the analysis of new situations, the research of important information, the selection of approach methods and tools to solve the problem, its resolution, summary and conclusions, report writing, public presentation (oral, webpage and a poster) and discussion.

It will take place in an entrepreneurial or academic environment (or both).

Working method

Presencial

Program

Projects related with Manufacturing, Product Development and Automobile Engineering, and depending on the theme that has been chosen, it may be focused on:
- Metallic construction materials and their behaviour, namely wearing, flow, fatigue and fracture;
- Funding technologies;
- Processes of plastic conformation and numerical simulation;
- Rapid tools development;
- Conversion processes;
- Coatings;
- Ceramic materials;
- Materialography;
- Molding technologies;
- Automobile technology;
- Productive processes management

In general, projects include the following tasks:
-literature review (databases);
- Calculation/ previsions/ simulations (approximation methods, analytical models, finite elements method, etc.)
- Experimentation (tests, component manufacturing, etc)

Mandatory literature

Dean C. Millar; Ready for takeoff. ISBN: 978-0-13-608127-2

Comments from the literature

Bibliography depends on the specific theme

Teaching methods and learning activities

According to what have been defined, the different stages of the project will be oriented by an academic supervisor, both in the theoretical and practical parts of the project.
The relationship between students and their academic supervisors can be both formal (scheduled meetings) and informal (visits and other activities outside the faculty).
Students can be helped not only by their academic supervisors, but also by any other professor.

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Defesa pública de dissertação, de relatório de projeto ou estágio, ou de tese	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	170,00
Estudo autónomo	250,00
Trabalho de investigação	400,00
Total:	820,00

Eligibility for exams

According to General Evaluation Rules, students should exclusively work on this project.

Students are supposed to:
At the beginning of the year
- To be enrolled on the course
Up to the beginning of the project:
- theme of the project and academic supervisors must be approved
- contest for project distribution
- Seriation
- distribution of projects
- date of delivery


During the project:
- Appointment of the Panel
- Project monitoring
- Panel’s final assessment (Final exam)

Calculation formula of final grade

- A mark from 10 to 12 out of 20 represents a work which complexity is low, where only minimum objectives were reached;
- A mark from 13 to 15 out of 20 represents a work which complexity is medium, where all objectives were reached in an autonomous way;
- A mark from 16 to 17 out of 20 represents a very good work which complexity is high, where all objectives were reached or surpassed with an high level of autonomy;
- A mark of 18 out of 20 represents an excellent work that is presented and defended outstandingly, with a very well structured, concise and complete report and with an high level of autonomy and performance that was noticed by the academic supervisor(s);
- Marks above 18 out of 20 should have an extraordinary character and should only be given to students who have reached an outstanding level in all of the items of assessment and that have presented innovative solutions. The mark should be unanimously given and a document should be attached to it and signed by all of the members of the Panel in order to justify the decision.

Examinations or Special Assignments

- Progress report
- Final report
- Webpage
- Presentation

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Project presentation and its defence can exceptionally take place at the special season of exams.