Alamgir Choudhury

A New Curriculum in Fluid Mechanics for the Millennial Generation

The learning habits of a new generation of students, i.e., those growing up with cell phones, access to social media, and video games, are significantly different from the habits of the educators who are preparing them for the future workplace. The effectiveness of traditional lecture-based classrooms has been questioned by educators, parents, industry, and government. In the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the importance of hands-on learning and traditional classroom teaching underscores the need for curriculum reform. This paper presents a methodology to improve graduates’ knowledge and skills in the area of fluid mechanics in an ongoing curriculum reform process. The course syllabus is reformed to support a multi-modal student learning process. Beyond current lecture-based classroom teaching, tools are developed to foster flexible, inductive learning through hands-on applications, and online learning tools. A multipurpose laboratory equipped with fluid power processes, sensors, data acquisition systems, and application programs has been established and it is being developed every semester. The laboratory experiments utilize fluid mechanics principles in industrial applications to provide students a robust understanding of the subject. Because of the practice of industrial processes, use of sensors, data acquisition hardware, and application programs in the laboratory, the technical skills of program graduates improve significantly. Finally, the project evaluation, assessment, and dissemination process for monitoring and evaluating project activities, outcomes assessment of student learning, and feedback for continuous curriculum improvement are presented.

Bend Radius Analysis for Water Monitor in Capstone Design Project

To be effective, a fire fighting water monitor needs to be able to pump water onto the fire at a very high rate. Most of the commercially available water monitors pump up to 2500 gallons per minute (GPM) of water. Developing costeffective solutions of high capacity flow systems translates directly into saving of property and life. Currently, the largest commercial monitors have a four-inch outlet diameter. The goal for this project is to design a monitor with a six-inch diameter outlet that can pump at least 3,000 GPM. This would allow fire fighters to pump considerably more water in a shorter period of time, in turn, save money, time, and prevent distresses in already affected families and businesses. Based on research on current commercially available monitors and other similar systems, it was decided to investigate the effect of bend radii on performance of an existing monitor. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools were used to predict how geometry designs and materials can be optimized in order to minimize pressure loss and withstand the effect of higher water pressure. Analyses were done for various raddi (R1 and R2), and the results led to the design of a six-inch water monitor, with a 34% improvement in pressure loss. Initial test results have been successful, and commercial production has been approved, thus confirming the validity of the design proposed in this project. Keywords—Water Monitor, CFD, FEA, Capstone Project.

Redesign of a Power Slider Taking Into Account Design, Assembly and Distribution Factors

Whenever an improved design is proposed or required, it is important to consider more than just the technical aspects of the new design, e.g., strength, deformation, safety, weight, cost. Nowadays it is essential to take into account several factors regarding the total production cycle of the new or improved product. Ideally every factor in the life cycle of the product should be included, but there are always limitations. In this work, in order to demonstrate the importance of other factors besides the technical one, an automotive subassembly was redesigned and evaluated. The system is a power slider assembly which is currently installed in the rear of cabin trucks and powers the rear window. The current design is bulky, expensive, and takes a long time to install. The objective was to introduce a new design for the power slider, which is more efficient in terms of operation, assembly process, and cost. A CAD model was created for the proposed design with inclusion of the new design features. Free body diagrams represented forces acting on the system, which were evaluated using finite element analysis (FEA). Based upon the results of FEA, the design will see a maximum stress of 33.9 MPa concentrated at the lower segment of a new snap feature, which provides an acceptable safety factor. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) showed potential failures and their possible causes. A prototype and cycle testing to recommended standards was performed, which provided evidence that the proposed design is ready for production. Benchmarking of proposed design versus the current design was done and significant cost savings and other benefits can be realized when all factors are taking into account. Final recommendations are presented for future evaluations. This collaboration industry-university has been a great experience and a successful one. Keywords— Power slider, management factors, design. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): http://dx.doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2015.1.1.253 ISBN: 13 978-0-9822896-8-6

A curriculum reform in fluid mechanics for the millennial generation

Learning habit of new generations of students growing up with cell phone, social media and video games are significantly different from that of the educators preparing them for the future workplace. Effectiveness of traditional lecture based class room are questioned by educators, parents, industry and government. In the field of science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM), besides class room teaching method, importance of hands-on learning underscores the need for reform of curriculum. This paper studies need for graduate knowledge and skill in fluid mechanics area and presents an ongoing curriculum reform process. A multi-mode student learning process is developed and course is reformed to support an interactive pedagogical methodology. Beyond current teaching methods, tools are developed to foster a flexible inductive learning through hands-on applications and online learning tools. A multipurpose laboratory equipped with fluid power process, sensors, data acquisition system, and application programs are being developed. A series of laboratory practices based on use of fluid mechanics principles in industrial applications would provide students a strong theoretical foundation on the subject covered in the class, and create opportunity to practice current industrial methods prior to graduation. These practices with industrial processes, sensors, data acquisition hardware, and application programs in the laboratory will enhance technical skills of program graduates. Finally, the project evaluation, assessment, and dissemination process for monitoring and evaluating project activities, outcomes assessment of student learning and feedback for continuous curriculum improvement is presented. Keywords— Hands-on practice, adaptive learning, inductive learning, fluid mechanics, fluid power Digital Object Identifier (DOI): http://dx.doi.org/10.18687/LACCEI2015.1.1.077 ISBN: 13 978-0-9822896-8-6 ISSN: 2414-6668 A Curriculum Reform in Fluid Mechanics for the Millennial Generation Alamgir A. Choudhury, Ph.D., Jorge Rodriguez, Ph.D. EDMMS Department, Western Michigan University, USA alamgir.choudhury@wmich.edu , Jorge.rodriguez@wmich.edu Abstract: Learning habit of new generations of students growing Learning habit of new generations of students growing up with cell phone, social media and video games are significantly different from that of the educators preparing them for the future workplace. Effectiveness of traditional lecture based class room are questioned by educators, parents, industry and government. In the field of science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM), besides class room teaching method, importance of hands-on learning underscores the need for reform of curriculum. This paper studies need for graduate knowledge and skill in fluid mechanics area and presents an ongoing curriculum reform process. A multi-mode student learning process is developed and course is reformed to support an interactive pedagogical methodology. Beyond current teaching methods, tools are developed to foster a flexible inductive learning through hands-on applications and online learning tools. A multipurpose laboratory equipped with fluid power process, sensors, data acquisition system, and application programs are being developed. A series of laboratory practices based on use of fluid mechanics principles in industrial applications would provide students a strong theoretical foundation on the subject covered in the class, and create opportunity to practice current industrial methods prior to graduation. These practices with industrial processes, sensors, data acquisition hardware, and application programs in the laboratory will enhance technical skills of program graduates. Finally, the project evaluation, assessment, and dissemination process for monitoring and evaluating project activities, outcomes assessment of student learning and feedback for continuous curriculum improvement is presented.

Opportunities and challenges for collaboration industry-academia via sponsored design competitions

Collaborations between industry and academia have been recognized as a valid alternative to expose students to more realistic problems and situations than the ones that are typically offered to them. One particular way to implement the industry-academia collaboration is by means of design competitions. These design competitions can be at the local, regional, or even national level. These industry-sponsored design competitions usually imply to design and develop a product/system, which then is evaluated and tested under specific competitions. The idea of having well-defined and controlled competitions as pedagogical technique to motivate and get students involved, particularly in pre-college years, is not a new concept. Competitions such as Science Olympiads and FIRST in the USA are good examples of successful nationwide events. The interesting situation is that more industry are getting involved as direct, and sometimes sole, sponsors of design competition for college students. On the academic side, such industry-sponsored design competitions are typically carried out as senior design projects or as capstone design projects. This situation presents both opportunities and challenges for all parties involved. Faculty recognize the value of industry-sponsored projects for involving students in genuine practice of the design process, and participating in major competitions can result in substantial resources, supportive sponsors, and enhanced motivation for students. However, such competitions may also impose timing, process, materials, fabrication, and performance constraints that are not always encountered in a more typical semester, senior, or capstone design project. This paper discusses the participation of students, from Western Michigan University (WMU)s engineering and engineering technology programs, in local and national international industry-sponsored competitions. Innovative product design based on specified design criteria led students through each step of a complete engineering design process, and the eventual ranking in the local/national competition. Incorporating long-term performance criteria of a product at an early stage of the design cycle was beneficial, and this experience is discussed. However, the team encountered a number of challenges in working through the many constraints of the competition. Because such competitions typically work from a corporate rather than an academic timeline, prototyping, design refinement, fabrication of the final product, and a performance-based competition may be overwhelming as an academic activity. Variability of the design team, integration of multiple design concepts in the final design, component fabrication, and performance issues related to selection of available industrial components in lieu of specified components in the design are also discussed. All of these specific conditions affect the implementation method of a traditional engineering design process and must be addressed by the technical advisors/faculty involved. Thus, while design competitions sponsored by industry with global presence offer exciting potential for academics, it is important that faculty, students, and sponsors recognize and respond to the constraints and challenges they are likely to face in successful completion of these projects.

On the commutativity of sequential finite rotations

Non-commutativity of finite rotations is a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed in mathematical models dealing with sequential finite rotations. Comprehending rotational motions required to orient a rigid link or associated reference frames in a three-dimensional space can be quite challenging for beginning students. In this paper we present the problem of non-commutativity of finite rotations and a constraint to allow their commutativity. The constraint, in the form of a chain rule, consists of a lemma for forward and backward propagation of the prescribed rotations. The proposed scheme has been implemented using a commercial graphics package for visual demonstration of a rigid body going through three identical finite rotations but in different sequences. The unique final orientation of the body in each of the cases confirms the commutative nature of the constrained rotations. Using this method, sequential finite rotation becomes easy to comprehend and can be used as a tool for learning the concepts associated with finite rotations as well as for kinematical analysis involving sequential rotations.