Teaching Heat Transfer Using Automotive-Related Case Studies with a Spreadsheet Analysis Package

Five automotive-related projects used to teach the principles of heat transfer are presented. The projects were completed by students from Ford Motor Company in the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering programme offered by the University of Detroit Mercy. Students were required to perform their engineering calculations with the spreadsheet package Microsoft Excel™. The objectives for the use of these projects in the heat transfer course were to increase student understanding of and interest in heat transfer principles by presenting problems in a familiar context, to improve the students' ability to use spreadsheets as an engineering analysis tool, and to provide experience in dealing with the open-endedness of real engineering problems. The problem statements and solutions are described, and student performance and reaction are discussed. The projects may serve as useful course material for other instructors of heat transfer, even for students outside the automotive industry.