Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Exposing students to hands-on experiments has been a common approach to illustrating complex physical phenomena that have been otherwise modelled solely mathematically. Compressible, isentropic flow in a duct is an example of such a phenomenon, and it is often demonstrated via a de Laval nozzle experiment. We have improved an existing converging/diverging nozzle experiment so that students can modify the location of the normal shock that develops in the diverging portion to better understand the relationship between the shock and the pressure. We have also improved the data acquisition system for this experiment and explained how visualisation of the standing shock is now possible. The results of the updated system demonstrate that the accuracy of the isentropic flow characteristics has not been lost. Through pre- and post-laboratory quizzes, we show the impact on student learning as well.

Keywords

Converging/diverging nozzle Compressible flow Undergraduate laboratory

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Feisel

Rosa

. The role of the laboratory in undergraduate engineering education. J Eng Educ 2005; 94: 121–130.

Grant

. The effective use of laboratories in undergraduate courses. Int J Mech Eng Ed 1995; 23: 95–101.

Luecke

. Educating engineers: a history of engineering education at Valparaiso University. Valparaiso, IN: Valparaiso University Press, 2009, pp. 11, 35–36, 55, 78–99.

Fosheim

Gagne

Johnson

, et al. Enhancing the undergraduate educational experience: development of a micro-gas turbine laboratory. Int J Mech Eng Ed 2014; 42: 267–278.

Lam

Liu

. An experimental facility for compressible flow. Int J Eng Ed 1999; 15: 58–63.

Rapp

Jacobsen

Lawson

, et al. Construction and testing of a desktop supersonic wind tunnel. Am J Undergrad Res 2005; 4: 1–10.

Bruckman

II Traub

. Design of a continuous portable indraft supersonic wind tunnel. Int J Mech Eng Ed 2020; 1–14.

Kudav

. Development of undergraduate laboratories in thermal-fluids area through student involvement. In: 1998 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, 28 June–1 July 1998. Washington, DC: ASEE.

Navaz

Henderson

Berg

, et al. A new approach to teaching undergraduate thermal/fluid sciences—courses in applied computational fluid dynamics and compressible flow. Int J Mech Eng Ed 2002; 30: 35–49.

10.

Stein

Fredrick

Peterson

. Undergraduate advanced laboratory studies on supersonic nozzle flow, 2015 BFY Proceedings, College Park, MD, July 22-24, 2015, edited by M. Eblen-Zayas, E. Behringer, and J. Kozminski. AAPT.

11.

Goushcha

. Revival of water table experiments in fluid mechanics courses, Part I. Int J Mech Eng Ed 2019; 48: 284–293.

12.

Hannigan

Koenig

Hamm

, et al. Back to the basics: increasing student understanding of aerospace engineering experimentation and instrumentation. In: 2008 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, 22 June–25 June 2008, pp. 13.246.1–13.246.11. Washington, DC: ASEE.

13.

Ibrahim

Abohelwa

, et al. Design, fabrication, and realization of a supersonic wind tunnel for educational purposes. Int J Mech Eng Ed 2009; 37: 286–303.

14.

Pourmovahed

. The energy systems laboratory at Kettering University. In: 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Honolulu, HA, 24 June–27 June 2007, pp. 12.1421.1–12.1421.22. Washington, DC: ASEE.

15.

Sawyers

Marquart

. The use of student-generated lab plans in the thermal sciences. In: 2006 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, 18 June–21 June 2007, pp.11.1335.1–11.1335.9. Washington, DC: ASEE.

16.

White

. Fluid mechanics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2016, pp. 603–609.

17.

Valparaiso University. “Undergraduate Catalog, 1982–1983”. Undergraduate Catalogs. 1982, pp. 189–190. https://scholar.valpo.edu/undergradcatalogs/11

18.

Oswatitsch

. Kondensationserscheinungen in Uberschalldusen. Z Angew Math Mech 1942; 22: 1–14.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

4.49 MB