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Hands On Design And Manufacturing In An Undergraduate Fluid Mechanics Course

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Conference

2001 Annual Conference

Location

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Publication Date

June 24, 2001

Start Date

June 24, 2001

End Date

June 27, 2001

ISSN

2153-5965

Page Count

6

Page Numbers

6.534.1 - 6.534.6

DOI

10.18260/1-2--9322

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/9322

Download Count

617

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Paper Authors

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Eric Constans

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Joseph Orlins

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Abstract

This paper presents an effort to combine design and direct application of fundamental principles in a basic fluid mechanics course. Civil Engineering students designed and manufactured pumps, then tested them to investigate head-discharge relationships. In this project, students in a junior-level introductory fluid mechanics class worked in teams to design and build simple reciprocating piston pumps. The project was assigned in the middle of a 15-week semester, and spanned a period of about five weeks. Students had to determine pump discharge as a function of piston size, stroke length, and speed of operation. Based upon specific design constraints, students had to select a particular motor to use with their pump. Students then worked in the machine shop, fabricating the pumps from stock materials. Completed pumps were then tested in a competition between teams to determine maximum discharge and pressure head. This project enabled students to apply basic fluid mechanics principles early on in their fluids- related coursework by designing and building working pumps. The early exposure to all elements of design, testing, and evaluation aided student understanding of the basic concepts of fluid mechanics, and familiarized students with design and fabrication techniques.

Constans, E., & Orlins, J. (2001, June), Hands On Design And Manufacturing In An Undergraduate Fluid Mechanics Course Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--9322

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