Activity 7.

2 Sectional Views
Introduction
Have you ever noticed that some objects have more going on inside than outside?
Take an apple, for instance. How would you communicate the intricate details
hidden inside an apple’s core? You would have to cut the apple in half in order to
show someone that there are spaces inside that house seeds. If you were to make a
sketch of the apple, you could show the spaces and the seeds as hidden lines, but
too many hidden lines can serve to confuse the issue. Sectional views are another
alternative.

The main purpose of a sectional view is to effectively communicate internal

information to enhance the viewer’s understanding of the part. There are several
different types of section views that engineers use to communicate internal
geometry.

In this activity you will visualize and create section views, both by hand sketching
and CAD of parts that have interior features not easily documented with orthogonal
projections.

Equipment
 Engineering notebook
 Pencil
 Computer with 3D CAD solid modeling software

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Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 1
Procedure
1. Study the figure below. Use points and construction lines to lay out a section
view on the grid provided. The cutting plane line will tell you where the full section
is cut. Delineate the visible edges of the sketch with object lines. Use section
lines to indicate which surfaces were cut by the cutting plane. DO NOT ERASE
YOUR POINTS AND CONSTRUCTION LINES.

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Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 2
2. Study the figure below. Use points and construction lines to lay out a section
view on the grid provided. The cutting plane line will tell you where the full section
is cut. Delineate the visible edges of the sketch with object lines. Use section
lines to indicate which surfaces were cut by the cutting plane. DO NOT ERASE
YOUR POINTS AND CONSTRUCTION LINES.

© 2012 Project Lead The Way, Inc.

Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 3
3. Study the figures below. Use points and construction lines to lay out a half
section view of the object. The cutting plane line will tell you where the section
occurs. Delineate the visible edges of the sketch with object lines. Use section
lines to indicate which surfaces were cut by the cutting plane. DO NOT ERASE
YOUR POINTS AND CONSTRUCTION LINES.

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Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 4
4. Create a section view as indicated by the cutting plane line. Use appropriate
object and section lines.

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Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 5
 5. Create a solid model of drill block in number 4 above. Then create a computer-
generated fully dimensioned multi-view part drawing showing the front view and
full section view (as indicated by the cutting plane line A-A). Save the files and
document the file name and location below.
Part file Part file
name: location:
Drawing Drawing
file file
name: location:

Conclusion
1. What do the arrows on a cutting plane line indicate?

2. What is the difference between a half and a full section?

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Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 6
3. Are hidden lines shown in a section view?

4. What conventions are associated with section lines?

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Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 7.2 Sectional Views – Page 7