John E. Beard

Contact

jebeard@mtu.edu
906-487-3110
MEEM 929

Professor Emeritus, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Faculty Advisor, Hybrid Electric Vehicle Enterprise

PhD, Purdue University

Biography

Dr. Beard's research interests include design for manufacturing in two areas. He is investigating the influence of manufacturing variation on the response of planar and three-dimensional mechanisms. He has examined the influence of design parameters on the wear rates of gerotor types, and has developed a pump that demonstrates the potential for decreased wear rates, while also decreasing the cost of manufacturing. Vehicle suspension systems are also being modeled to determine the influence of the kinematic parameters on the tire/road interactions. In this way, the impact of manufacturing and assembly variation on the vehicle performance may be assessed. Such a model may then be used as a design tool to develop a suspension system with improved handling characteristics, while decreasing production costs. Beard is the Faculty Advisor for Challenge-X, the hybrid vehicle design competition sponsored by GM and DOE. Beard advised the team that designed and built a power-split transmission for the FutureTruck Competition and was the 2002 NSF Faculty Advisor of the Year. Beard is also applying his manufacturing experience in tool-and-die design, forming, turning, and grinding in teaching effective design for manufacturing in the preliminary design courses as well capstone design courses. The creative teaching process in the capstone design courses produced three patents.

Areas of Expertise

Design of Mechanical Systems
Bioengineering
Manufacturing

Research Interests

Manufacturing variation on the response of planar and three-dimensional mechanisms
Influence of design parameters on the wear rates of gerotor types

Recent Publications

Beard, John, Weinmann, Klaus J., Emblom, W.J., 2009, "Strains Generated In Selected Regions For An Intelligent Die During Stamp Forming," Transactions of the NAMRI/SME, Vol. 37.
Manor, N., Anderson, J., Beard, J., 2003, “Design and Development of the 2003 Michigan Tech Futuretruck, a Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle,” SAE Publication 2003-01-1257.
Wright, D.D., Beard, J.E., Nelson, D.A., Michigan Tech University, In: Enderle, J.D. and Hallowell, B., editors. NSF 2002 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, 2003.
Beard, John, Manor, Nicholas Allan, 2003, "Design and Development of the 2002 Michigan Tech Futuretruck, a Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle," SAE Publication, No. 2003-01-1257.
M. J. Hurt, J.E. Beard, “Non-Steady State Simulation of a Hybrid-Electric Vehicle,” 03AE-142 Society of Automotive Engineering
Bartley, B., Manor, N., Muehlfeld, C., Rutkowski, B., Trombley, J., Curlee, J., Pero, J., Lobbestael, B., Kiisskila, J., McGinn, J., Beard, J., 2003, “Design and Development of the 2002 Michigan Tech Futuretruck, a Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle,” AE Publication 2003-01-1257.
Beard, John, Minor, M.A., 1995, "Finite Element Analysis of a Powered Gait Orthosis," Proceedings of the ASME Advances in Bioengineering, ASME Publication, Book No. H010041995.