Contents

Syllabus (Fall 2016)

Professor: Dr. Andrew Ning: aning@byu.edu
Office Hours: M 3; T 1; W 3; Th 12; F 3 (CTB 435F)
Course: MWF 12:00-12:50 (CTB 240)
TA: Mark Fernelius: mark.fernelius@byu.edu
TA Office Hours: M 10, 11; T 12; W 10 (CTB 450 CAEDM Lab)
Recitation: Th 10 (BNSN W112), F 11 (CB 392)

Overview

This course is intended to reinforce principles covered in ME EN 312, expose you to new fluid mechanics principles, and apply these principles to a variety of interesting fluid dynamic applications (e.g., aircraft, wind turbines, flow around an island, dolphins, etc.). ME EN 312 introduced you to fluid mechanics and covered roughly the first half of the textbook. In 412 we cover the topics in the second half of the textbook. After completing this course, you will have a solid foundation to pursue advanced fluids topics such as: applied aerodynamics (415), gas turbine and jet engine design (426), compressible fluid flow (510), intermediate fluid dynamics (512), and computational fluid dynamics (541). As the title of the class suggests, our focus is developing an understanding of fluid dynamics by studying various applications.

At this stage I expect you to take charge of your own education. What you take away from the course will greatly depend on your attitude, diligence, initiative, and willingness to work with and learn from others.

Prerequisites

You are required to have taken ME EN 312 or some other undergraduate course in fluid mechanics. While not formally required, it is strongly recommended that you have taken a course on numerical methods and computer programming (e.g., ME EN 273).

Learning Outcomes

Governing Equations

Understand and be able to apply conservation of mass, momentum, and energy in differential and integral form to fluid dynamics problems.

External Flow

Be able to predict lift and drag for bodies in external flow fields using computational and empirical methods. Understand important viscous behavior like boundary layer growth, transition, separation, and wake development and their implications for performance and design.

Compressible Flow

Be able to solve quasi-one-dimensional compressible flow problems including the effects of area change and Mach number. Understand the behavior of shock waves and expansion fans.

Turbomachines

Be able to predict performance and understand fundamental design principles for various turbomachinery applications (e.g, jet engines, wind turbines, propellers, compressors).

Computational Fluid Dynamics

Become familiar with the basic terminology and methods of CFD including equation discretization, mesh generation, boundary conditions, convergence behavior, and post-processing. Be able to use CFD software to simulate basic fluid flow applications.

Course Content

This course is organized around four main topics: external flow, compressible flow, turbomachines, and computational fluid dynamics. Throughout these topics we will reinforce our understanding of different forms of the governing equations of fluid flow and explore a wide variety of applications. An overview of some of the topics we will discuss are listed below.

Course Work

Please keep in mind the level of time commitment expected (from the registrar’s office):

The expectation for undergraduate courses is three hours of work per week per credit hour for the average student who is appropriately prepared; much more time may be required to achieve excellence.

This means that the average student will need to put in at least 6.5 hours of work outside of the classroom each week.

Participation

Good: attend class regularly and punctually.
Better: attend and be attentive in class.
Best: attend, be attentive, and actively participate in the classroom discussion.

Don’t be afraid to ask what you think might be a simple question, usually someone else is wondering the same thing and you are doing them a favor by asking. Be respectful of your peers and arrive to class on time (but if you are late please don’t feel like you can’t come in). You may use electronic devices in the classroom only if they are being used appropriately for class activities (e.g., taking notes).

Class time should not be a passive experience. In addition to asking questions, you should come prepared to work on problems in class. I will often ask you to work individually or with small groups on example problems in class. Many of these problems will be ones that you haven’t seen and don’t know how to solve. That may be uncomfortable at first, but this practice will help you to learn concepts more deeply and become better engineering problem solvers.

I provide slides for each lecture. They are intentionally sparse. Studies suggest that you will learn and retain information better by taking notes, so I intentionally avoid providing you with detailed notes. On the other hand, requiring you to copy down lots of information won’t give you space to think in class. The goal of the slides is to hopefully reach a happy medium. The lecture slides are used to provide organization and display items that would be time consuming to write down (e.g., images, long equations). Important details are elaborated on in class, and it is expected that you will be taking good notes. Some students like to use the slides as a background to write their notes on.

Reading

Most class periods will have an assigned reading, and I expect you to complete the readings beforehand. I cannot, not would it be effective to, cover all the content you need to know in class. Instead, class time will be used for discussing difficult concepts, diving deeper into or expanding on concepts you were exposed to in your reading, answering questions, working examples together, and testing understanding. Readings will come from Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics by Munson, Okiishi, Huebsch, and Tohmayer (7th Ed.), as well as notes that I will provide.

Homework

Homework will typically be due every Wednesday at midnight (actually 11:59pm) and will be turned in via Learning Suite. Late homework will be accepted with a penalty of 25% per day. Last minute issues often happen in life so be sure to start your work early and submit early! Homework will involve a mix of traditional textbook problems, computational implementation and analysis, experimental data gathering and processing, and the use of computational fluid dynamics software.

Homework will be primarily self-graded. I will provided detailed solutions/guides, and you will assess your own work. Reviewing your own work with a guided solution will help you better understand concepts you may have missed. For some problems, you will also be given the opportunity to rework the problem. Mistakes can be some of our most effective teachers, but to take advantage of the learning opportunity we must try again.

Assignments are expected to be produced in report format. A series of equations and “solutions” is insufficient. Each report should introduce the problem and any assumptions, detail the methodology, and discuss the results and conclusions. Use full sentences, not bullet points. Imagine your audience to be a colleague or supervisor—someone who understands your field but is not necessarily familiar with the details of your particular problem. Why a report format? You will learn deeper by having to explain in words, improve your writing skills, practice for future reports in your engineering career, and be able to access and understand your work when referring to it later.

Working with others on homework is certainly encouraged, but you must prepare your own reports. Referring to solution manuals or prior student’s homework is a violation of the honor code.

Project

You will work in pairs to explore a fluid dynamic application of interest. You will produce an end product with the goal of helping others learn about your application. The medium of this product is up to you. Examples include: a report, a video, a poster, a tutorial, etc. Final products will be made available publicly unless extenuating circumstances exist. You will also have an opportunity to give a brief in-class presentation. More details on this project are available here. You may also see past projects under Resources.

Quizzes and Exams

There will be frequent quizzes to engage your thinking on important concepts, assess your understanding, and practice for the exams. There will be two midterm exams and one comprehensive final exam.

Grading

An approximate percent breakdown is as follows:

Homework and Labs 50%
Quizzes and Exams 35%
Project 15%

Getting Help

The TA and I both hold office hours, and want to make ourselves as available as possible. Office hours will be much less effective if you go in expecting to see homework problems worked out for you. This will rob you of much of the learning the problem was designed for. Even asking for examples of similar problems is usually not the best place to begin if your objective is real learning. The most effective engineers, and the most exciting and rewarding careers, will involve solving problems that are unlike those anyone has solved before. The goal of office hours (and homework) is to help you to that end. In other words, we are less interested in getting to “solutions”, and more interesting in developing problem skills and engineering understanding.

Instead of asking how to solve the problem or to see a related example, describe where you are stuck and what you think you need help with, ask questions on concepts you don’t understand, brainstorm ideas on how to move forward and ask for feedback, try things and don’t be afraid to fail. On some problems you may feel like you don’t know where to begin and don’t even know what questions to ask. Simplify the problem and make at least one attempt even if it seems horribly wrong. Be prepared for the TA or I to ask you lots of questions to probe understanding and help guide you in the discovery process. After wrestling with the problem and discussing concepts for a while, working out related examples or parts of the homework problem together is entirely appropriate, but this shouldn’t be the starting place.

In addition to normal office hours, we use Piazza to assist you in asking for and giving help. Piazza is a discussion forum and will allow you to get help efficiently from other classmates, the TA, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, please post your questions on Piazza. After signing up for an account, you may want to visit your notification preferences.

Finally, we will have a weekly TA-led recitation section. In this session we will review concepts, work through examples, demonstrate Star-CCM+ tasks, and answer questions. Attendance is optional. We try to anticipate common problems/questions to discuss in the session, and answer the questions that you bring. The primary focus of these sessions will be Star-CCM+ examples to help you with the homework assignments.

Advice

Beginning engineering students sometimes get stuck in the mindset of trying to find the “right way” or “right answer” to a problem. Real problems are complex and open ended. Good engineers take the time to deeply understand the problem before trying to find solutions, are able to think of various potential approaches and justify their selected methodology, and can clearly present their findings.

Engineers need to be able to work well with others. Learn from and help your peers. Form study groups. Get to know the TAs and the instructor in office hours. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

The importance of technical writing skills are often under-appreciated by engineering students. Take advantage of opportunities to practice your writing and oral communication skills and learn how to express ideas clearly.

Scientific programming skills are highly valued and will help you explore engineering concepts. Many students understand syntax, but fewer can effectively translate ideas and concepts to code, debug effectively, and organize code clearly and logically.

Worry less about grades and more about learning. Have fun! Find things that interest you and take the initiative to dive deeper!

University Policies

Honor Code

In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university’s expectation, and every instructor’s expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.

Preventing & Responding to Sexual Misconduct

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Brigham Young University prohibits unlawful sex discrimination against any participant in its education programs or activities. The university also prohibits sexual harassment—including sexual violence—committed by or against students, university employees, and visitors to campus. As outlined in university policy, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking are considered forms of “Sexual Misconduct” prohibited by the university.

University policy requires all university employees in a teaching, managerial, or supervisory role to report all incidents of Sexual Misconduct that come to their attention in any way, including but not limited to face-to-face conversations, a written class assignment or paper, class discussion, email, text, or social media post. Incidents of Sexual Misconduct should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at t9coordinator@byu.edu or (801) 422-8692. Reports may also be submitted through EthicsPoint at https://titleix.byu.edu/report or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours a day).

BYU offers confidential resources for those affected by Sexual Misconduct, including the university’s Victim Advocate, as well as a number of non-confidential resources and services that may be helpful. Additional information about Title IX, the university’s Sexual Misconduct Policy, reporting requirements, and resources can be found at http://titleix.byu.edu or by contacting the university’s Title IX Coordinator.

Student Disability

Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 422-2767. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the UAC. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.

Academic Honesty

The first injunction of the Honor Code is the call to “be honest.” Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life’s work, but also to build character. “President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education” (The Aims of a BYU Education, p.6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.

Devotional Attendance

Brigham Young University’s devotional and forum assemblies are an important part of your BYU experience. President Cecil O. Samuelson said, “We have special and enlightening series of devotional and forum assemblies…that will complement, supplement, and enrich what will also be a very productive period in your classrooms, laboratories, and libraries. We look forward to being with you each Tuesday…and hope that you will regularly attend and bring your friends and associates with you…A large part of what constitutes the unique ‘BYU experience’ is found in these gatherings where the Spirit has been invited and where we have the opportunity to discuss and consider things of ultimate worth and importance that are not afforded to the academic community on almost any other campus” (from the address “The Legacy of Learning”, 30 August, 2005). Your attendance at each forum and devotional is strongly encouraged.

Inappropriate Use Of Course Materials

All course materials (e.g., outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, etc.) are proprietary. Students are prohibited from posting or selling any such course materials without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. To do so is a violation of the Brigham Young University Honor Code.

Plagiarism

Intentional plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft that violates widely recognized principles of academic integrity as well as the Honor Code. Such plagiarism may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action administered through the university Honor Code Office, in addition to academic sanctions that may be applied by an instructor. Inadvertent plagiarism, which may not be a violation of the Honor Code, is nevertheless a form of intellectual carelessness that is unacceptable in the academic community. Plagiarism of any kind is completely contrary to the established practices of higher education where all members of the university are expected to acknowledge the original intellectual work of others that is included in their own work. In some cases, plagiarism may also involve violations of copyright law. Intentional Plagiarism-Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one’s own without providing proper attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote. Inadvertent Plagiarism-Inadvertent plagiarism involves the inappropriate, but non-deliberate, use of another’s words, ideas, or data without proper attribution. Inadvertent plagiarism usually results from an ignorant failure to follow established rules for documenting sources or from simply not being sufficiently careful in research and writing. Although not a violation of the Honor Code, inadvertent plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose appropriate academic sanctions. Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance. Examples of plagiarism include: Direct Plagiarism-The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source. Paraphrased Plagiarism-The paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake for the author’s own. Plagiarism Mosaic-The borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and blending this original material with one’s own without acknowledging the source. Insufficient Acknowledgement-The partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source. Plagiarism may occur with respect to unpublished as well as published material. Copying another student’s work and submitting it as one’s own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism.