Quality Engineering

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

The prerequisites for this subject are 620-370 Statistics for Mechanical Engineers;

or for Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Commerce (955-AM) students: 316-130 Quantitative Methods 1;

or for Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Management) Students (680-AF): 431202 Engineering Analysis B.

Topics covered may include total quality management, productivity and cost relationships; quality systems and their components, including international standards; interaction between quality and design functions; alternate systems approaches, including leading international concepts; quality control: the control function in quality; theory of sampling; the operating characteristic curve; the use of statistical distributions; sampling scheme design and analysis; quality improvement: process variability - measures and interaction with design; process capability and improvement studies; control charting; state of statistical stability; computerisation of process monitoring; cumulative sum techniques for quality studies; experimental design for quality improvement.

Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to -

• Understand what constitutes a quality system (both generally and with respect to international standards);
• Develop strategies for implementing a quality system and its components;
• Identify quality costs and use them for the economic analysis of quality projects;
• Understand and quantify the relationships between process capability and tolerances;
• Design a 'single' attribute or variables sampling scheme to meet stated requirements, analyse and assess all common types of sampling schemes;
• Design, analyse and interpret 'Shewhart-type' process control charts and CUSUMS for process control.

Assessment includes -

• One 3-hour examination at the end of semester (70%)
• 3 assignments and 1 lab report not exceeding 2200 words each excluding appendices, computations, diagrams, tables and computer output due throughout the semester (30%).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Ability to communicate effectively, not only with engineers but also with the community at large

• In-depth technical competence in at least one engineering discipline

• Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution

• Ability to utilise a systems approach to design and operational performance

• Ability to function effectively as an individual and in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams, with the capacity to be a leader or manager as well as an effective team member

• Understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities of the professional engineer, and the need for sustainable development

• Understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities and commitment to them

• Expectation of the need to undertake lifelong learning, capacity to do so

• Capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning

• openness to new ideas and unconventional critiques of received wisdom