Integration of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Experimentation in Undergraduate Fluid Mechanics

A combination of computational and experimental analyses with the conventional lectures and problem-solving in a fundamental course such as fluid mechanics can enhance students' learning enormously. This teaching model has been examined within the mechanical engineering curriculum at WSU Vancouver, and successful results have been obtained thus far. The goal in this course was first to seed concepts and theorems of fluid mechanics in general terms, followed by numerical solutions and hands-on experimentation on selective subjects. This would allow the students to gain a deep understanding of the contents within the course timeframe. For selective fluid problems with more complications, such as the flow in the entrance region of a pipe, a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software known as FlowLab was used to obtain numerical solutions. The assigned computational projects could open the eyes of students to the world of CFD analysis in thermal/fluid systems design. The results of the numerical analysis were then compared to the theoretical and experimental results. For experimentation, the students were divided into groups to design experimental procedures, conduct experiments, collect and interpret data, and report the results in an appropriate format. The selective experiments were relevant to the course topics including Burdon pressure gauges, manometers, flow-rate measurements, pipe flow, and flow around immersed bodies in a water tunnel. The present study addresses the details, results, and advantages of such a multi-dimensional and more interactive learning model.

Clearing the Way: Using Turbines to Reclaim or Remediate Acid Mine Drainage

Pennsylvania has a long history of coal mining. Unfortunately, it has left many scars. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) is looking at the potential of using micro hydro turbines in acid mine drainage streams. They hope to make it profitable for business to "clean-up" the streams by providing seed money to initiate the hydro turbine projects. It is believed that businesses can profit from both the energy created by the turbines and the extraction of the acid mine drainage (AMD) minerals. The minerals and concentrations vary with each stream. Some possess precious metals, others contain minerals that are used in paint pigment, and still others are being researched for use in powder metallurgy. The paper outlines an undergraduate research project done at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The study is to create a comprehensive diagnostic spreadsheet to be used by the PA DEP to determine viable economical turbines based on waterway conditions. The study has parallel phases: one addressing issues related to turbine parameters and a second dealing with waterway variables. Also to be discussed in the paper is the use of the project as an undergraduate research study for technology students. For students interested in research or graduate school, it is immensely important to introduce them to research. By guiding them through the process they are better prepared for their future.

Development of a More Efficient Defrost Control System for Heat Pumps

The purpose of this research project was to design a more efficient defrost control system for residential heat pumps. Defrost systems are used to melt the accumulated ice on evaporator coils of outdoor units. The purpose of the new control system is to prevent the initiation of defrost cycle when there is no substantial ice accumulation on the outdoor unit. Two of the envisioned ice accumulation sensing methods were (a). Increase in pressure loss across the evaporator coil and (b). Resistance change across two electrodes when ice bridges the electrodes. A differential pressure sensor was used to sense an increase in pressure loss across outdoor coil for this research project. Results indicate that, although maximum time interval of 90 minutes was used, about 55% of defrost cycles initiated were not necessary since there was no ice to melt. An ASYST based data acquisition system was used to monitor, measure and store key parameters. It is expected that with the new control system one can improve efficiency by about 3%. A similar project has been undertaken on a heat pump recently installed on our HVAC experimental unit as an undergraduate research project. Installation of temperature and humidity controlled enclosure, and thermocouples have been completed. Some results were reported here. If any additional progress is made, results of this project will be reported at the meeting.

Skill-Centered Syllabus for Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Education

Recent changes in higher education policy in Colombia (South America) have forced educational institutions and universities to consider reducing undergraduate engineering programs from the traditional 5 or 6 years (170 credit hours) to four years (136 credit hours). This reduction is a worldwide trend, mainly due to a lack of financial resources supporting high standards of professional education. Additionally, institutions are restructuring their curricula to adjust to the broader spectrum of career development opportunities for the graduating engineer and the new challenges faced by practicing engineers. Also, engineering education in Colombia needs to adjust to Colombia's necessities as a developing country. In response to the above-mentioned circumstances, the mechanical engineering department of the Universidad de Los Andes (UdLA) has proposed a new mechanical engineering (ME) undergraduate syllabus. This paper summarizes the process undergone by the ME department of the Universidad de Los Andes to review our syllabus and propose alternative approaches. Our new ME syllabus applies a skill-centered approach structured by four priorities: 1) the primary professional role of an engineer is in project development, 2) the engineer needs an in-depth knowledge of the sciences (physics, chemistry and biology) and mathematics; 3) the engineer also needs a general education in the social sciences and arts and, 4) the engineer should master the core concepts of mechanical engineering. These four priorities agree with the US study of the Engineer of 2020. Our restructured syllabus evenly introduces these priorities early in the undergraduate ME program. Our ME Department implemented the new syllabus for first year students in January 2006. Positive results have already started to emerge. This article provides an overview of the higher education quality assurance system in Colombia and a description of the Universidad de Los Andes new ME syllabus.

Mechatronic System Integration for Senior Students

This paper describes the design and implementation of a senior level course in mechatronic system integration for students completing a mechatronics engineering option in mechanical engineering. The course is designed to give students theoretical and practical experience with a large-scale mechatronic system, and a variety of control, sensing and actuating architectures. The lecture component of the course introduces students to large-scale project integration and interface design, as well as system architecture design. Students learn about alternative control hardware platforms commonly used in industry, such as motion control hardware, field programmable gate arrays and programmable logic controllers. The selection and system integration of various industrial sensors, including vision, are presented. Students also learn about networked control and discrete event control approaches for large-scale industrial systems. The course contains a significant practical laboratory component. In a series of laboratory sessions, students develop and implement subsystems of a part sorting machine, culminating in the integration and demonstration of an automated, autonomous, sensor driven electro-mechanical system for sorting randomly delivered parts. The course offers students a theoretical background as well as significant practical experience with large scale mechatronics systems, as would be encountered in industry. This paper describes the lecture and laboratory content, and the experiences from the first offering of the course.

Using Assessment as a Teaching Tool

Based upon two personal beliefs, with regard to teaching that firstly "teaching is helping others to discover" and secondly that "assessment is a necessary inconvenience", a method has been developed in teaching Fluid Dynamics to undergraduate students, in a Mechanical Engineering Course. The main goal of this method is changing from a traditional theoretical approach of teaching "what is in the book" to a much more practical confrontation between theory and what can be found in laboratory experiment. The program contents are covered by four laboratory apparatuses: • Reynolds experiment, • Head losses in tubes, • Hydraulic turbines, • Centrifugal pumps, which are presented to all the students during a particular class so they can prepare for their next return to the laboratory, now organized into small groups. Meanwhile, each group must define their specific objectives and work planning, so the students can accomplish the experiments off-line, with the laboratory supervisor's eventual help and subsequent report must be written within a determined period. The main results achieved a success rate which has risen from about 50%, of the evaluated students before setting up the method to 70%, but keeping the same lecturer, i.e. the same quality demand.

A Model for Implementing Practical Design in the Education of Mechanical Engineers

In this paper the PBL model used at Aalborg University in the mechanical engineering is shortly presented. A specific semester with a both theoretical and practical content that allow the students to is presented in detail. It is then used as a reference project for a subsequent discussion on three potential concerns with respect to the continued succes of problem and project based learning in mechanical and mechatronics engineering namely: individual assessment, bologna (student exchange) model and research based teaching.

On the Integration of Remote and Virtual Experiments Into a Comprehensive Student Laboratory Experience

Student laboratories have always played a key role in the engineering education at Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT). Recently, SIT has designed and implemented several innovative Web-based tools for engineering laboratory education and evaluated their learning effectiveness in pilot deployments in various engineering courses. These Web-based tools include both remotely operated experiments based on actual experimental devices as well as virtual experiments representing software simulations. These tools facilitate the development of learning environments, which - possibly in conjunction with traditional hands-on experiments - allow the expansion of the scope of the students' laboratory experience well beyond the confines of what would be feasible in the context of traditional laboratories. This becomes possible because of the scalability of resources that are shared through the Web and the flexibility of software simulations in varying the characteristic parameters of the experimental system under investigation. Further educational benefits of the proposed laboratory approach are that asynchronous learning modes are supported and discovery-based self-learning, of the students is promoted. This paper will present the details of the approach taken at SIT in integrating these Web-based tools into a comprehensive student laboratory experience. As an example for the implementation of such Web-based experiments, an Industrial-Emulator/Servo-Trainer System will be described, which is used at SIT in a junior-level course on mechanisms and machine dynamics.

An Undergraduate Laboratory: The Effect of Nanoparticle Self Assembly on the Electrical and Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposites

Recent research into the effect of nanoparticle organization on the electrical properties of nanocomposite films was used to create a hands-on laboratory for undergraduate education in nanomanufacturing. Students created two composites using solvent-based solution and polymer emulsion to show that a non-random microstructure can produce the required electrical conductivity with less added nanoparticles. Students evaluated the materials by 4-point probe and scanning electron microscopy.

Materials Science and Fabrication Techniques in the Entertainment Industry: A Collaboration Between Fine Arts and Engineering

The College of Engineering and the College of Fine Arts at UNLV are collaborating in the creation of an interdisciplinary program in Entertainment Engineering and Design. In one of the first classes that has been offered in the program, the students learn materials science fundamentals through applications in basic fabrication techniques. Combining traditional lecture sessions from engineering and studio sessions from fine arts, the students work in teams on projects derived from the entertainment industry. This paper describes the format of the course, the projects that the students are assigned and how the course will fit into the overall curriculum of the new program.