Collaborative Project to Improve Teaching of Cams’ Kinematic and Dynamic Analysis Using Spreadsheets

Abstract In this paper, we present a learning experience for the improvement of kinematic and dynamic cam analysis teaching through the development of a collaborative project among subject students, based on the realisation of an application in Excel using its ease of use and matrix calculation capacity. For the examination of various cam types, motion programmes, and kinematic response curves, a large class of families of preconfigured curves is evaluated. Similarly, cam sizing is determined by geometric constraints such as pressure angle and radius of curvature. Students from the UNED School of Industrial Engineering perform all of the tasks described. This experience is part of a series of similar projects aimed at improving the academic performance of students involved in these activities by teaching the theory of machine elements.