Bulletin of the American Physical Society
68th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics
Volume 60, Number 21
Sunday–Tuesday, November 22–24, 2015; Boston, Massachusetts
Session H4: Fluid Dynamics Education |
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Chair: Jay Tang, Brown University Room: 103 |
Monday, November 23, 2015 10:35AM - 10:48AM |
H4.00001: An undergraduate lab on measuring fluid viscosity using a miniature ball drop device Jay Tang I would like to describe measurement of fluid viscosity using a small ball drop device. It requires as little as 100 microliters of fluid. Each measurement can be performed in seconds. Through simple experimentation, students observe fluid flow confined in a thin cylindrical tube. They analyze forces and torques on a tiny ball falling and rolling down in an inclined tube. They gain practice in observing and identifying sources of errors and variability in their measurements beyond those indicated by standard error bars. The experiment is designed to yield reliable viscosity values by operating at properly chosen tilt angles and with calibration using well-characterized fluids such as mixtures of glycerol and water. The technique is also useful in research and technological applications as the device is easy to assemble and it allows the measurement of viscosity even when the fluid samples are too small to measure using most commercial viscometers or rheometers. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 10:48AM - 11:01AM |
H4.00002: FlowGo: An Educational Kit for Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer Dominic Guri, Merredith Portsmore, Erica Kemmerling The authors have designed and prototyped an educational toolkit that will help middle-school-aged students learn fundamental fluid mechanics and heat transfer concepts in a hands-on play environment. The kit allows kids to build arbitrary flow rigs to solve fluid mechanics and heat transfer challenge problems. Similar kits for other engineering fields, such as structural and electrical engineering, have resulted in pedagogical improvements, particularly in early engineering education, where visual demonstrations have a significant impact. Using the FlowGo kit, students will be able to conduct experiments and develop new design ideas to solve challenge problems such as building plant watering systems or modeling water and sewage reticulation. The toolkit consists of components such as tubes, junctions, and reservoirs that easily snap together via a modular, universal connector. Designed with the Massachusetts K-12 science standards in mind, this kit is intended to be affordable and suitable for classroom use. Results and user feedback from students conducting preliminary tests of the kit will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 11:01AM - 11:14AM |
H4.00003: A formal derivation for the Blasius similarity solution for flat-plate boundary layer Hao Lin The Blasius solution is a classical solution for a laminar boundary layer attached to a semi-infinite flat plate. The key of the solution strategy is to reduce the boundary layer equations, which are PDEs, to a set of ODEs, using a similarity variable transform. Conceptually, the similarity suggests that the velocity profile in each transverse cross-section appears ``self-similar''. In many classical text books and typical classroom lectures on fluid mechanics, the existence of the similarity solution is argued heuristically. The similarity variable is defined \textit{a priori} so as to collapse the PDEs. It appears somewhat mystical that the PDEs can be perfectly reduced via such an approach. Here we present a rigorous derivation for the existence of a similarity solution, which naturally arises from the fact that there is no apparent streamwise length scale for a semi-infinite plate. Conversely, a similarity solution cannot exist if the plate size is finite. This derivation can be useful in fluids education, in topics including similarity, scaling arguments, and boundary layer theory. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 11:14AM - 11:27AM |
H4.00004: Experimental Approach to Teaching Fluids Catalina Stern For the last 15 years we have promoted experimental work even in the theoretical courses. Fluids appear in the Physics curriculum of the National University of Mexico in two courses: Collective Phenomena in their sophomore year and Continuum Mechanics in their senior year. In both, students are asked for a final project. Surprisingly, at least 85{\%} choose an experimental subject even though this means working extra hours every week. Some of the experiments were shown in this congress two years ago. This time we present some new results and the methodology we use in the classroom. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 11:27AM - 11:40AM |
H4.00005: Design and Testing of an Educational Water Tunnel Srinivas Kosaraju A new water tunnel is being designed and tested for educational and research purposes at Northern Arizona University. The university currently owns a wind tunnel with a test section of 12in X 12in X 24in. However, due to limited size of test section and range of Reynolds numbers, its application is currently limited to very few experiments. In an effort to expand the educational and research capabilities, a student team is tasked to design, build and test a water tunnel as a Capstone Senior Design project. The water tunnel is expected to have a test section of 8in X 8in X 18in. and be able to test up to Re $=$ 30,000. The water tunnel will be designed to accommodate multiple experiments for drag and lift studies. It will also have dies of different colors to study the streamlines and vortex shedding from the surfaces. Numerical models will be used to optimize the flow field inside the test section before building the physical apparatus. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 11:40AM - 11:53AM |
H4.00006: Ups and downs of using ''kitchen sink'' experiments in an introductory fluid mechanics class Nigel Kaye Both positive and negative experiences from two semesters of using take home ``kitchen sink'' experiments in an introductory civil engineering fluid mechanics class are reported. Four different experimental assignments were given each semester to groups of four students. The students were tasked with using common household equipment to measure various properties of fluids or fluid flows. These included the density of cooking oil, the exit velocity from a garden hose, and the mass flux of air from a compressed air can. Students were given minimal guidance on how to do the measurements and each measurement had to be done in at least two different ways. The labs were used to relate their course work to everyday situations and was also used as a platform for discussing experimental uncertainty and error propagation in calculations. In general the students successfully completed each task using at least one method. Finding a second method sometimes proved problematic. The presentation will discuss the logistics of running the program and the positive and negative aspects from the instructor viewpoint. A summary of student feedback on the labs will also be presented. Links to resources for those interested in implementing such a program will be provided. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 11:53AM - 12:06PM |
H4.00007: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Open Days at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Jason Hyatt, Claudia Cenedese, Anders Jensen This event was hosted for one week for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014. It targeted postdocs, graduate students, K-12 students and local community participation. The Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution hosted 10 hands-on demonstrations and displays, with something for all ages, to share the excitement of fluid mechanics and oceanography. The demonstrations/experiments spanned as many fluid mechanics problems as possible in all fields of oceanography and gave insight into using fluids laboratory experiments as a research tool. The chosen experiments were `simple' yet exciting for a 6 year old child, a high school student, a graduate student, and a postdoctoral fellow from different disciplines within oceanography. The laboratory is a perfect environment in which to create excitement and stimulate curiosity. Even what we consider `simple' experiments can fascinate and generate interesting questions from both a 6 year old child and a physics professor. How does an avalanche happen? How does a bath tub vortex form? What happens to waves when they break? How does a hurricane move? Hands-on activities in the fluid dynamics laboratory helped students of all ages in answering these and other intriguing questions. The laboratory experiments/demonstrations were accompanied by `live' videos to assist in the interpretation of the demonstrations. Posters illustrated the oceanographic/scientific applicability and the location on Earth where the dynamics in the experiments occur. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 12:06PM - 12:19PM |
H4.00008: Computational simulations of frictional losses in pipe networks confirmed in experimental apparatusses designed by honors students Nicholas A. Pohlman, Eric Hynes, April Kutz Lectures in introductory fluid mechanics at NIU are a combination of students with standard enrollment and students seeking honors credit for an enriching experience. Most honors students dread the additional homework problems or an extra paper assigned by the instructor. During the past three years, honors students of my class have instead collaborated to design wet-lab experiments for their peers to predict variable volume flow rates of open reservoirs driven by gravity. Rather than learn extra, the honors students learn the Bernoulli head-loss equation earlier to design appropriate systems for an experimental wet lab. Prior designs incorporated minor loss features such as sudden contraction or multiple unions and valves. The honors students from Spring 2015 expanded the repertoire of available options by developing large scale set-ups with multiple pipe networks that could be combined together to test the flexibility of the student team's computational programs. The engagement of bridging the theory with practice was appreciated by all of the students such that multiple teams were able to predict performance within 4\% accuracy. The challenges, schedules, and cost estimates of incorporating the experimental lab into an introductory fluid mechanics course will be reported. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 12:19PM - 12:32PM |
H4.00009: OpenFOAM for beginners Ivaylo Nedyalkov, Martin Wosnik OpenFOAM has gained significant popularity in academia and industry, but is still not widely introduced to CFD novices – e.g., undergraduate students. This is likely due to the steep learning curve of the software. A relatively short tutorial was developed to introduce students to the basic features of OpenFOAM, allowing them to modify and create simulations, and to better understand other online resources. The tutorial has been successfully introduced to students working on undergraduate capstone projects at the University of New Hampshire and parts of it were presented at a tech-camp for K-12 students. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, November 23, 2015 12:32PM - 12:45PM |
H4.00010: The art of scientific writing Mohamed Gad-el-Hak The humanities teach students how to learn and communicate. Science teaches why everything works. Engineering teaches how to make things work. But scientists and engineers need to communicate their ideas amongst themselves as well as to everyone else. A newly developed technical writing course is outlined. In the class, offered to senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students, we read numerous short novels, essays, and op-eds. Some of the reading materials are technical but many are not. The students also have weekly writing assignments. When the first assignment is returned to the students with a grade of 20--30\%, their first reaction is, ``how come I did not receive my usual 80--90\%?'' I retort, ``you reach that level only when your essay is ready to be published in {\em The New York Times}.'' What is emphasized in the class is the process of creating something to write about, researching that something, expressing ideas coherently and comprehensibly, then endlessly editing the essay. The elective class has been offered three times thus far, all of its available seats are always filled, the students' evaluations have been outstanding, and the improvements in the students' ability to write by the end of the semester is quite impressive. [Preview Abstract] |
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