Dept. of Mechanical Engineering recently organized a tour cum industrial visit to Bangalore, Mysore and Coorg. 46 students participated in the tour and they were accompanied by two faculties, Mr. Hans M H and Mr. Roy Varghese. The tour bus started from AISAT at 8:00 pm on 19th Jan 2016 Tuesday.
On 20th morning, the group reached Wonderla Amusement Park, Bangalore. Firsmt Industrial Visit was arranged at Bangalore Wonderla, where students were able to see and understand the various hydraulic machines, power transmission drives and other mechanical equipment. Students were also able to enjoy the various rides and games set up at Wonderla.
Two Industrial Visits were conducted the following day (21st Jan). S M Kannappa Automobiles (P) Ltd. (Bangalore) is a reputed industry specializing in building automobile bodies. The students were able to see the various processes used in building automobile bodies as well as dozens of bus bodies in their various stages of production. The materials used for building of various parts, engines and other components used and the painting procedure were explained in detail by their employees. The plant visited has a capacity to manufacture over 60 buses in a month.
Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore, a constituent unit of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, was established in memory of Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya. Engine Hall, How Things Work, Fun Science, Electrotechnic, Space Emerging technology in the Service of Mankind, Biotechnological Revolution, BEL hall of Electronics and Children Science gallery are some of the attractions at the Museum. The “Engine Hall” exhibits engines of various automobiles, machines used in industry, a jet aircraft engine, and other mechanical devices. The predictability and precision of mechanics is demonstrated by the rolling balls that travel endlessly within metal tracks. It is delighting to watch the balls moving over roller coaster, looping a loop and bouncing high to be caught by a basket. Principle of conservation of energy can be explained convincingly through this exhibit.Exhibits on Pulley system, Gears, different ways of transferring motion, reducing effort by levers, inclined plane, screw etc. introduces the visitors to the story of simple machines. Another section deals with the application of these simple machines in our daily life. In short, the Museum is not a ‘museum’ in its classical sense, because it has interactive exhibits unlike stationary models of a museum. It is more of a science center.
The next destination was Mysore and accommodation was arranged at The Atrium Boutique Hotel. 22nd Jan 2016 was dedicated for sightseeing and shopping. Some of the places visited were St. Philomena’s Church, Mysore Palace, Mysore Zoo and Chamundi Temple.
The tour bus started towards Coorg on 23rd early morning. On reaching Coorg, opportunity for sightseeing was provided for students as they were taken to Bamboo Forest and Tibetan Golden Temple at Kushalnagar. A camp fire was also arranged that night. The tour bus left Coorg on 23rd night and reached AISAT Campus at 5:30 am on 24th Jan 2016 Sunday.
The study tour was a great experience for the students as they were able visit industries and organizations outside Kerala and interact with their personnel. The students were able to have a glimpse of the vast opportunities outside the state and were able to learn new stuff while having fun.