University professor in Mechanical Engineering. Research interests Applied materials and manufacturing, Applied mechanics and design, and Engineering reliability. Over 200 technical publications. Worked on funded projects of over 4 million USD. Also worked in the industry as Quality control engineer, Production engineer, Deputy manager design, and Manager research and development.
Design is one of the highest-level activities in the engineering profession. Compared to many oth... more Design is one of the highest-level activities in the engineering profession. Compared to many other areas predominantly involving closed-form solutions, design is an open-ended activity, with many possible solutions for the same problem. This shift from the concrete to the abstract makes teaching of engineering design courses more challenging. The target set forth by good academic institutions is to have a system in place that can produce graduates who are well equipped and suitably qualified to practice professional engineering in a continually changing and increasingly complex global environment. Bloom's taxonomy outlines the skill levels required for education at any level, and in any discipline. Accreditation agencies such as ABET also establish criteria that can be generally applied to any type of education, but are primarily focused on engineering education. The current paper describes a methodology for Product Design education, integrating both Bloom's taxonomy and ABET student outcomes in an activity-based environment. Creative Design course taught at the Mechanical Engineering Department at Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat is presented as a case study. Example design activities are described for each of the six levels in Bloom's taxonomy. A mapping table is also presented to relate these levels to student outcomes of ABET criterion.
There has been a gradual shift from a content-centered to an outcome-based approach for more effe... more There has been a gradual shift from a content-centered to an outcome-based approach for more effective teaching and learning, especially in engineering courses. Employers have been increasingly demanding engineering graduates possessing an optimal blend of technical (discipline-oriented) and non-technical or soft skills. This paper presents a unique pedagogical approach of blending Bloom’s taxonomy and ABET criteria to develop student outcomes and to conduct a course in an activity-based environment. A mapping has been developed to correlate Bloom’s taxonomy levels and ABET student outcomes. A mid-level course in the area of Applied Mechanics (Mechanics of Solids) is presented as a case study. Instructional strategy and implementation in the course is discussed through various activities, involving some key principles of solid mechanics. Integration of ABET criteria and Bloom’s taxonomy, correlation matrix for the two philosophies, and improved course delivery. Effectiveness of the proposed innovative approach was evaluated through a students’ survey. The methodology was well received, and the survey results were very encouraging. This integrated strategy can be easily adopted for other courses in the Applied Mechanics and Design stream, and for other engineering and science courses.
Solid expandable tubular technology and swelling elastomer seals find extensive use in the repair... more Solid expandable tubular technology and swelling elastomer seals find extensive use in the repair of aging reservoirs. To improve productivity and cost-effectiveness, they have also become an integral part of new developments such as slim wells and completions with reduced or no cementing. This work reports the use of numerical simulation to investigate the joint use of expandable tubulars and swell packers in various petroleum drilling applications. Material properties of steel tubular and five different swelling elastomers are obtained through mechanical testing. Simulations are performed to study the sealing pressure at the elastomer-formation boundary. Different parameters are studied, such as elastomer material, expansion or compression ratio, seal length, seal thickness, tubular end condition, and formation type. Higher values of rubber elasticity, tubular expansion (expansion ratio), and elastomer compression result in higher seal contact pressure. Contact pressure is higher when the elastomer is pressing against wellbore formation as compared to steel outer casing (zero friction vs. friction), and when the formation is assumed to be rigid as compared to elastic or elastic-plastic. Results of this investigation can be used both for performance evaluation and design enhancement of coupled solid-expandable-tubular and swellable-packer applications.
Design is one of the highest-level activities in the engineering profession. Compared to many oth... more Design is one of the highest-level activities in the engineering profession. Compared to many other areas predominantly involving closed-form solutions, design is an open-ended activity, with many possible solutions for the same problem. This shift from the concrete to the abstract makes teaching of engineering design courses more challenging. The target set forth by good academic institutions is to have a system in place that can produce graduates who are well equipped and suitably qualified to practice professional engineering in a continually changing and increasingly complex global environment. Bloom's taxonomy outlines the skill levels required for education at any level, and in any discipline. Accreditation agencies such as ABET also establish criteria that can be generally applied to any type of education, but are primarily focused on engineering education. The current paper describes a methodology for Product Design education, integrating both Bloom's taxonomy and ABET student outcomes in an activity-based environment. Creative Design course taught at the Mechanical Engineering Department at Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat is presented as a case study. Example design activities are described for each of the six levels in Bloom's taxonomy. A mapping table is also presented to relate these levels to student outcomes of ABET criterion.
There has been a gradual shift from a content-centered to an outcome-based approach for more effe... more There has been a gradual shift from a content-centered to an outcome-based approach for more effective teaching and learning, especially in engineering courses. Employers have been increasingly demanding engineering graduates possessing an optimal blend of technical (discipline-oriented) and non-technical or soft skills. This paper presents a unique pedagogical approach of blending Bloom’s taxonomy and ABET criteria to develop student outcomes and to conduct a course in an activity-based environment. A mapping has been developed to correlate Bloom’s taxonomy levels and ABET student outcomes. A mid-level course in the area of Applied Mechanics (Mechanics of Solids) is presented as a case study. Instructional strategy and implementation in the course is discussed through various activities, involving some key principles of solid mechanics. Integration of ABET criteria and Bloom’s taxonomy, correlation matrix for the two philosophies, and improved course delivery. Effectiveness of the proposed innovative approach was evaluated through a students’ survey. The methodology was well received, and the survey results were very encouraging. This integrated strategy can be easily adopted for other courses in the Applied Mechanics and Design stream, and for other engineering and science courses.
Solid expandable tubular technology and swelling elastomer seals find extensive use in the repair... more Solid expandable tubular technology and swelling elastomer seals find extensive use in the repair of aging reservoirs. To improve productivity and cost-effectiveness, they have also become an integral part of new developments such as slim wells and completions with reduced or no cementing. This work reports the use of numerical simulation to investigate the joint use of expandable tubulars and swell packers in various petroleum drilling applications. Material properties of steel tubular and five different swelling elastomers are obtained through mechanical testing. Simulations are performed to study the sealing pressure at the elastomer-formation boundary. Different parameters are studied, such as elastomer material, expansion or compression ratio, seal length, seal thickness, tubular end condition, and formation type. Higher values of rubber elasticity, tubular expansion (expansion ratio), and elastomer compression result in higher seal contact pressure. Contact pressure is higher when the elastomer is pressing against wellbore formation as compared to steel outer casing (zero friction vs. friction), and when the formation is assumed to be rigid as compared to elastic or elastic-plastic. Results of this investigation can be used both for performance evaluation and design enhancement of coupled solid-expandable-tubular and swellable-packer applications.
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Papers by Zahid Qamar, Sayyad