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Welcome to my ePortfolio for the Fluid Mechanics course! As a Mechanical Engineering student, I am excited about the opportunities this class presents for learning and growth within the field.
Throughout this course, I expect to gain a comprehensive understanding of fluid mechanics principles and their applications in solving real-world engineering problems. Specifically, I aim to grasp the intricacies of fluid properties, develop the skills to compute pressure and forces in stagnant fluids, explore buoyancy, analyze fluid dynamics in pipes, apply conservation principles to fluid flow, calculate friction losses, and tackle specific industrial challenges. Additionally, I look forward to delving into the complexities of fluid machinery, with a particular focus on pumps.
Visitors to this page can expect to find a journey through my learning experiences and achievements in the Fluid Mechanics course. I will document my progress, share insights gained from class discussions and projects, and showcase how I apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations. The content here will serve as a reflection of my growth as a Mechanical Engineering student, highlighting my ability to identify, analyze, and solve engineering problems within the fluid mechanics domain.
Reflective Letter
During the Fluid mechanics course I gained a comprehensive understanding of fluid mechanics principles and their applications in solving real-world engineering problems. Many topics were covered in the Course and my mastery of them is displayed through the homework and tests displayed on this website:
- Describe the nature of fluids and define different fluid properties such as viscosity and pressure.
- Compute pressure and the forces associated with a stagnant fluid.
- Understand buoyancy and determine object stability while floating or submerged in a fluid.
- Explain the fluid dynamics in pipes and fittings.
- Apply Bernoulli’s equation and conservation of mass to fluid flow systems.
- Compute friction losses in pipes for a variety of configurations (series, parallel, network, etc.)
- Identify and solve for different very specific industrial problems, such as, open-channel flow, cavitation, water hammer, drag, lift, and forces in pipes.
- Learn about different instruments to measure fluid flow quantities (such as, pressure, fluid velocity, flow velocity, etc.)
- Explain how fluid-machinery, like pumps, work.
- Compute and select the appropriate pump for different pipe system configurations.
I believe that I improved the most in my Excel skills in this course. I learned how to do iterations and got a lot better with long, complicated formulas. This will invariably help me in my professional career, as the world runs on Excel.
I have already used iterations to solve a complex problem for one of my other classes already, and I’m sure that what I have learned this semester will have a great impact on the rest of my life. The problem solving skills I have cultivated in Fluid Mechanics will be useful in whatever profession I choose.
If I had to retake this class I would tell myself to study more and start the assignments earlier.
Fluid Mechanics has taught me to think critically about how to solve any problem instead of how to solve a specific set of problems. This has helped me to become a better engineer.
My biggest accomplishment in this course has been the project. You can read about it here.
This course helped me learn many skills: How to design an open channel, fluid dynamics in pipes and fittings, cavitation, and hammer flow, and how to apply fundamental fluid flow analysis principles to a real-world scenario.
As seen in Test 1 I have strengths in analysis and conclusions while there is always area for improvement in my calculations and procedure. I showed a decent ability to identify and solve specific problems encountered in engineering as seen in Test 3.
Before I took Fluid Mechanics I don’t think I had any real understanding of the subject apart from some random general knowledge. I had heard that it was a difficult class, obviously, but was fairly confident I could pass it. In hind sight that was a fairly accurate assessment. Now that the class is over I understand the core concepts much better, and have a better appreciation of what it takes to deal with fluids as an engineer.