MECH 322 InstrumentationLecture 42

Miles Greiner

GoalsCourse Evaluation

Possible Elective Course• MSE 467: Radiation Detection and Measurement

– Professor N. Tsoulfanidis nucpower@sbcglobal.net • TuTh 5:30-6:45 PM, LME 316 • Pre/Co-requisites:

– Interest in Nuclear Energy – MATH 181

• Textbook: – Measurement & Detection of Radiation, N. Tsoulfanidis

and S. Landsberger, 3rd Ed, CRC Press (2010); ISBN-10: 1420091859

Lab Practicum Finals • Start this afternoon• Guidelines

– http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/greiner/teaching/MECH322Instrumentation/Tests/Index.htm

• Revised Schedule• Starts at 4 PM Today• See next page and WebCampus

Finals Schedule

Career Overview Survey• Name (not necessary)_________________________________________________• What year did (or will) you:

– ___________ Graduate High School – ___________ Enter UNR – ___________ Take your first Calculus Class– ___________ Enter ME Department– ___________ Plan to graduate with a BS degree

• What will you do this summer (can chose more than one)?– Work

• ___________ ME-related job (where ___________, on-campus___________)• ___________ “Non-ME” job• ___________ Did the College’s internship/placement program help?

– ___________ Volunteer– ___________ Summer school– ___________ Other (military, …)– ___________ Don’t know

• What can the Department do to help qualified students complete their degrees more quickly?– _______________________________________________________

• What are you thinking about doing after graduation (can chose more than one)?– ___________ ME-related job– ___________ Non-ME job– ___________ Graduate School

• ___________ ME at UNR• ___________ UNR’s accelerated BS/ME program• ___________ ME elsewhere (where ___________)• ___________ Non-ME (what ___________)

– ___________ Something else (what ___________)

Course Objectives, Overview & Evaluation• Observe and measure important physical

phenomena, and compare to expectations – Manometer fluid movement, Hydrostatic pressure head– Beam bending, strain, elastic modulus, density measurements

• Steel and aluminum– Bernoulli fluid pressure variation with speed

• Venturi tube and Pitot probe– Boiling water temperature dependence on atmospheric pressure– Seebeck effect

• Thermocouples produce measureable repeatable voltage at junctions of dissimilar metals

– Heat transfer coefficient depends on fluid conductivity– Predictable beam vibration frequency and damping– Karman vortex frequency– Feedback control (full on/off, proportional, integral)– Errors in processing time-varying signals caused from noise and aliasing – Predicted, Unpredicted, and “Unpredictable” behaviors

• In lab we sometimes observe things we did not expect• Requires reinterpretation and/or troubleshooting (can be interesting)

Develop “comfort” using instruments, data acquisition and control systems

• Understand theory of operation and possible errors of specific devices– Electronic pressure transmitters, Monometers– Strain gages, Strain indicator bridge– Pitot probes, Venturi, Hot film anemometers– Thermocouples, signal conditions, LM35– myDAQ and LabVIEW– Accelerometers– Digital Relays – DMM, micrometers, rulers, scales…

Develop Good Lab Practices• Prepare for measurements before conducting them and

allocate sufficient time to performing them– Use mathematical models to predict behaviors, to the extent possible

• Troubleshoot hardware, computer and software problems• Perform steady and transient measurements, and understand

potential errors – Bias (calibration) – Random (not repeatable)– Transient (instruments require time to respond)

• Communicate– Use clear tables and charts to present engineering data– Analyze and draw conclusions based on data

• Engineering understanding begins after the measurements (or calculations) are completed

• Practice reduces “stress” of doing experiments– Helps students to find them “rewarding” and a possible career path.

To Focus on Objectives, course has • Reasonable work load• Each Lab had Stages

– Clear handouts and lectures (I tried!)– Web Site – access to required and supplemental materials– Lab Preparation Homework and Sample Reports

• Help students know what is expected • Reduce lab-time confusion• Do these make the lab too easy?

– LabVIEW programming by example (not theory)– Write reports in lab:

• Analyze soon after data acquisition (allows re-acquisition)• Gives student access to instructor help

– Bulleted conclusion format • Outlines formal reports (prepare for senior year)

• Structured Extra-Credit opportunities (~3%)

Next Year• Use Differential fees to

– Offer LabVIEW to students for no or limited-cost• Prepare LabVIEW at home

– Offer to check out “Labs-in-a-Box” from DeLaMare Library, containing myDAQ, equipment, sensors and signal conditioners for Thermocouple and Beam Vibration Labs

• Boiling Water Temperature, Transient TC, and Control, and Vibration labs• Use in ECC, DeLaMare or at home

• Removes time constraints and gives students more unstructured time with the equipment to– Troubleshoot programs before labs– Practice for final – Use in other classes or projects– Explore programming and equipment

• Potential cost, breakage and liability problems

Feedback• Did you like ?

– Lab preparation problems– Finishing labs in three hours– Lectures slides on web

• Were the lectures– Too detailed (waste of time) – Just right (Clear and helpful)– Too vague (can’t understand)

• What about the mathematical lectures?– Transient Thermocouple, Beam vibration, controls

• Were the lab assistants able to help you, or did they solve too many problems for you?

• Was the lab too structured– Would you have liked more time to explore things?

• Would you like to see more low-priced chip-based transducers that you can buy online and use on your own?

Feedback

• E-mail (greiner@unr.edu) • Please do the evaluation now

• www.unr.edu/evaluate

New 2015

• Elastic modulus and density of Steel and Aluminum beams– Next year purchase stain gases with attached leads

• Measure beam vibration for two beam lengths

ABET Student Learning Objectives• This course is designed to help Mechanical

Engineering students develop abilities to:– Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and

engineering– Design and conduct experiments, as well as to

analyze and interpret data– Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

PART I A: EVALUATION OF THE INSTRUCTOR

1. The instructor was effective in facilitating learning in the classroom2. The instructor was well prepared and organized 3. The instructor encouraged student questions and participation in class4. The instructor was available and helpful outside of class5. The instructor demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the course content6. The instructor provided a clear course syllabus and completed the course objectives7. Exams and assignments were appropriate and covered the course content and objectives.8. The pace and amount of work required for this course were appropriate

PART I B: COURSE INFORMATION AND EVALUATION1. The textbook and handouts contributed to your learning2. The audiovisual materials used in the classroom contributed to your learning3. The computer resources were adequate and were effectively incorporated into teaching4. The classroom environment was conducive to learning

5 Statistical Methods Labs1. UNR Quad Measurement

– Find grass seed cost and uncertainty, very practical 2. Quad Data Analysis

– Mean, St. Dev (Data Exclusion, Correlation Coefficient)– Wide range of results highlights need for calibration

3. Monometer Calibration– Calibration removes bias – Standard Deviation of output and input quantifies impression

4. Strain Gage Installation– length error estimates

5. Elastic Modulus Measurement– Uncertainty in best fit slope – Propagation of error, compare calculated to literature value

• Written Midterm

3 Steady and Data Acquisition Labs

6. Air Speed and Volume Flow Rate – Use pressure transmitters, check consistency– Propagation of error

7. Steady Temperature of Boiling Water at Elevation– TC, signal conditioner, LabVIEW, compare with

prediction8. Numerical Differentiation and Spectral Analysis of

Unsteady Signals– Sampling Rate Theory, Time derivatives– Demonstrate unsteady data processing errors and

solutions• Written Midterm

4 Unsteady Measurement Labs

9. Transient Response of a Thermocouple– Heat transfer in water and air (effect of kFluid)– uncertainty

10.Vibration of a Weighted Cantilever Beam– Natural frequency prediction and damping– uncertainty

11. Karmon Vortex Unsteady Speed– Dynamic measurement and spectral analysis– uncertainty

12.Temperature Feedback Control– Analog output, digital relay, logic

• Lab Practicum Final

EvaluationME Curriculum has 14 outcomes

1. The course increased my ability to apply the principles of mathematics, science, and engineering

Instrument models, dynamic response of TC, vibrating beam, error analysis

2. The course increased my ability to conduct and design experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data

Focused on understanding and performing experiments 3. (not applicable) The course increased my ability to identify and

document desired needs and to design a system component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability

4. (not applicable) The course increased my ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams

5. The course increased my ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

Lab experiences require interpreting measurements, dealing with unexpected results, and troubleshoot problems

6. (not applicable) The course increased my ability to explain professional and ethical responsibility and identify professional and ethical issues

7. The course increased my ability to communicate effectively

Quantitative engineering communication using tables and charts Draw bulleted conclusions from dataAbstract of resultsFormal citations

Evaluation (cont)8. (not applicable) The course enhanced my broad education

necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and social context

9. (not applicable) The course increased my ability to explain the need for, and an ability to, engage in life-long learning

10. (not applicable) The course increased my ability to identify and analyze contemporary issues

11. The course increased my ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Modern measurement instrumentation Computer Data Acquisition and Control program

12. The course increased my ability to apply the principles of science, including chemistry and calculus-based physics, in the identification, formulation, and solution of engineering problems; with depth in at least one of chemistry or calculus-based physics knowledge domains.

Newton’s law analysis: Vibrating beamFirst law analysis: Dynamic response of thermocouple

13. (not applicable) The course increased my ability to apply the principles of mathematics and computational methods, including multivariable calculus and differential equations, in the identification, formulation, and solution of engineering problems.

14. The course increased my familiarity with statistics and linear algebra.

Sample mean, standard deviationLinear Regression, St Dev of fit, Propagation of Error

New 2014

• Detailed Lecture Slides with Examples on the White Board– Corrected after each lecture– Updated nomenclature, consistent with lab

instructions • Lab 3, Pressure Standards• Fully integrated myDAQ’s into labs• Lab 10, Time-dependent decay constant• Lab 12, Integral Control