A low-cost affordable viscometer design for experimental fluid viscosity verification and drag coefficient calculation

Abstract

Current laboratory equipment used for undergraduate engineering courses can be enriched inexpensively by adding acquisition boards and requiring students to write code to enable to obtain data from these devices. Programming can be completed prior to the lab session, and then the code will be tested. This paper presents one lab experiment developed at Indiana-University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The primary objectives of the project were to develop a viscometer apparatus prototype (1) with a significantly lower acquisition cost compared to current model and (2) that enhances students' understanding of viscosity and drag principles. The apparatus is implemented for use in the IUPUI Mechanical and Energy Engineering Department's fluid mechanics laboratory. Current acquisition cost is shown to be expensive and can produce inaccurate data due to the method of testing. Increasing accuracy of the results will allow students to feel more confident in learning the fundamental theory they are being taught. A prototype was developed that met sponsor requirements, engineering requirements and abided by ASTM viscometer measurement standards. The fully built and assembled prototype provides a cost-effective way for students to accurately and precisely determine the viscosity of different oils. Compared to the older model, the newer model showed 30-40% reduction in error. An assessment study is a work in progress to identify the overall impact the redesign and programming add to student learning.