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Visualizing tensor component transformations using virtual reality and web-based applications

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Incorporating Technology in the Classroom

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--40389

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/40389

Download Count

262

Paper Authors

biography

John Sanders California State University, Fullerton

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John W. Sanders is currently an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Fullerton. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.S. in Engineering Physics and Mathematics from Saint Louis University. His research interests include clean energy, fracture mechanics, nonlinear dynamics, and STEM education research.

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Serop Kelkelian California State University, Fullerton

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Serop Kelkelian is currently a senior undergraduate at California State University, Fullerton majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Computer Science. Presently, he is completing a summer internship with the United States Department of Defense. After graduation, he plans to pursue a graduate degree in Computer Science with a focus on artificial intelligence.

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Markus Wieser

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Markus Wieser obtained his B.Sc. degree in Automotive Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum Graz. Currently, he is completing his M.Sc. studies at the same faculty.

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Guenter Bischof Joanneum

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Günter Bischof holds a doctorate in physics and is currently an Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum in Graz.

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Abstract

Tensors of the second rank, such as stress, strain, and the inertia tensor, are of fundamental importance in structural analysis and many other engineering applications. Unfortunately, the way in which these tensor components transform under coordinate rotations can be difficult to visualize and comprehend, and this poses a major conceptual challenge for many students. Mohr's circle is a graphical method commonly used to visualize planar stress transformations in traditional solid mechanics courses, but it has several drawbacks, including that it only applies to rotations about a single axis and that the angle subtended on the circle is not the actual angle of rotation. More recently, tensor component transformations have been illustrated in three dimensions with the aid of computer software. Currently these programs are static, in that the user specifies the initial tensor components and the rotation to be applied, and the program displays the final results without any intermediate history. In an effort to make these programs more engaging for students, the present authors have developed two pedagogical tools that illustrate three-dimensional tensor transformations dynamically, in real time: one using virtual reality software, the other using traditional web-based software. Both applications were created using the Unity game engine. In each case, the user manually manipulates a given system using either the hand controller (in a VR headset), the cursor (on a traditional computer), or their finger (on a mobile device), and the relevant tensor components update continuously while the transformations are being performed. All rotations are handled using quaternions in order to avoid gimbal lock. Both apps are available online completely free of charge for anyone to use. Here we give a detailed account of the development of these applications and the underlying theory.

Sanders, J., & Kelkelian, S., & Wieser, M., & Bischof, G. (2022, August), Visualizing tensor component transformations using virtual reality and web-based applications Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40389

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