Large-Scale, Multidisciplinary Laboratory Teaching of Fluid Mechanics

Abstract

The nature of fluid mechanics makes experimentation an important part of a course taught on the subject. Presented here is the application of a novel, large-scale multidisciplinary model of practical education in a fluids engineering laboratory. The advantages of this approach include efficiencies through the economy of scale leading to better pedagogy for students. The scale justifies dedicated academic resources to focus on developing laboratory classes and giving specific attention to designing activities that meet learning outcomes. Four examples of applying this approach to fluid mechanics experiments are discussed, illustrating tactics that have been developed and honed through many repeated instances of delivery. “The measurement lab” uses a flow measurement context to teach identifying and managing general experimental uncertainty. In this lab, new students, unfamiliar with fluid mechanics, are guided through a process to gain understanding that can be applied to all future experimental activities. The “pressure loss in pipes” lab discusses the advantage of and process for sharing equipment and teaching resources between multiple cohorts. Here, the provision for students is adapted for context, such as the degree program or year of study. The “weirs big and small” lab provides a methodology for teaching the power of dimensional analysis to mechanical engineers using a field of fluid mechanics that is outside their usual theoretical studies. Finally, the “spillway design” lab discusses mechanisms for delivering independent, open-ended student experiments at scale, without excessive staff resource requirements.

On having the right size laboratories

“…An alternative is to have a lecturer or graduate teaching assistant (GTA) deliver the introduction to the single laboratory group. Online introductions 10,11 can ensure that students arrive well-prepared for the activity without using up valuable laboratory time.…”

“…The actual experiment is 'Weirs big and small' and is described in the work. 11 Here Mechanical Engineers use equipment originally requested by the Civil Engineering department (1 large and 20 small flumes). All of the equipment in any of our laboratories is available for use by any cohort of students.…”

Contributions to the Teaching and Learning of Fluid Mechanics

“…The first article in the collection [8] by authors Garrard, Bangert, and Beck discusses an innovative pedagogical approach by planning and delivering large scale, multi-disciplinary labs with as many as 80 students in a single cohort and nearly 1000 students over a year.…”

“…The second article by Pérez-Sánchez and López-Jiménez [9] in this collection highlights the use of PBL in a fluid mechanics course taught at a Hydraulic Engineering Department in Spain that caters to over 2000 students. Just as in an earlier paper [8], the project described in this article proposes the coordination of fluid-based labs in different subjects at both the bachelor's and master's degree levels. The paper discusses the improvement in student performance, as well as the new teaching approaches which the authors note to have "increased the student's satisfaction index".…”

Análisis de las pérdidas de carga en flujo turbulento en un laboratorio universitario de mecánica de fluidos

“…La mecánica de fluidos estudia el comportamiento de los fluidos a través de tres leyes físicas denominadas principios de conservación de masa, momentum (leyes de Newton de la mecánica clásica) y energía (ecuación de Bernoulli) (Cengel y Cimbala, 2018), convirtiéndose en un componente curricular dentro del bloque de asignaturas de ciencias básicas aplicadas en los planes de estudios de programas en ingeniería mecánica, ingeniería civil, ingeniería ambiental, entre otros (Huilier, 2019). Su estudio es complejo porque incluye enfocarse simultáneamente en el dominio de conceptos basados en modelos matemáticos y sus comprobaciones a través de observaciones reales y mediciones controladas de variables físicas en equipos experimentales (Baldock y Chanson, 2006;Anaya-Durand et al, 2014;Garrard et al, 2020).…”