Air flow test bench: A senior capstone project

Abstract

An airflow test bench system was designed, built and tested for the undergraduate mechanical engineering thermal fluids laboratory at Western Kentucky University. A two-semester senior capstone design sequence, ME 400 - Mechanical Engineering Design and ME 412 - Mechanical Engineering Senior Project, provided a four-member mechanical engineering student team with sufficient time to plan and execute this engineering process. The final airflow test system is primarily intended for instructional situations, but has the potential for external industrial interaction as well. The system delivered by the project team is usable over a range of flows and system impedances. Primary benefactors of this test bed will be future students in Mechanical Engineering Senior Labs. These hands-on laboratory courses now have an airflow test bench for use in the demonstration of the impedance characteristics of various system geometries, which can then be compared with their theoretically predictions, and the characterization of the performance characteristics of air moving devices through the generation of pressure head and rpm versus volumetric flow rate curves. The system can provide further extension for student engagement in industrial projects. During the course sequence, the students had a variety of meaningful engineering experiences. The design and selection of the critical test bed components clarified uncertainty regarding measurement impact on the final system. Through the test bed construction, teamwork, project management and maintaining a schedule within time and budgetary constraints were reinforced. Finally, the system testing development and implementation of an experimental test plan yielded the delivery of a quality product. This paper will detail faculty observations and project outcomes. This project was completed with the assistance of an Undergraduate Senior Project Grant from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2007.