Using Computing and Modern Measuring Equipment in Undergraduate Fluid Mechanics Experiments

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This project implements a realistic, inexpensive plan for using computing and modern measuring equipment in experiments designed for a civil engineering undergraduate fluid mechanics laboratory course. Previously, the laboratory study of basic concepts and significant phenomena in fluid mechanics and the undergraduate development in experimental fluid mechanics and hydraulics have been hampered by a lack of modern instrumentation. With the purchase of an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter for measuring flow velocity in open channels, a differential pressure transducer for measuring head loss in pipe flows, and two PC-based data acquisition systems for data collection and display, this problem can be remedied. The equipment is used in developing six new experiments (acceleration field, conservation of linear momentum, hydraulic jump, turbulent shear stress, friction loss along a pipe, and fundamentals of data acquisition). These experiments allow for a better understanding of fluid mechanics principles and give undergraduates experience with modern equipment. Because the experimental setup and procedures are simple and practical, experiments may be readily adapted at similar institutions. Test results and students' evaluations can be obtained to assess the impact of this project on undergraduate learning of fluid mechanics principles and modern laboratory techniques. The development plan and the outcome assessment can be disseminated through publication in the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference Proceedings. Experiments can also be documented in a Fluid Mechanics Laboratory Manual to be published locally at South Dakota State University.