Design of a Water Table
University of California Davis, MAE Department, Davis, CA, USA
ID: LMD2
Relevant Skills: fluids, instrumentation, software, robotics
The watertable experiment is a simple yet effective method to visualize air flow phenomena. It uses the hydraulic analogy, that the height of the water column in the water table is related to the density of a two dimensional compressible flow over a given object. There are two options to run the experiment. The first is to move a model in a thin water layer. The other is to fix the model and run the water around it. The water table experiment is very inexpensive compared to high-speed wind tunnels. The theory is applicable in transonic flows and the water table is used in Educational Institutes as well as in Industry.
The aim of this project is to design a new water table to be used in a new class on aerospace design and manufacturing. The course development and water table design are part of NSF award 1505080. This project is sponsored by Prof. Barbara Linke and Prof. Mohamed Hafez in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
An outdated water table is available at UC Davis, but needs to be updated with regard to mechanical design and embedded electronics. The tasks for preferably two design teams are as follows:
- Design a water table that can be moved between different locations in Bainer Hall
- Implement safety measures for in-class demonstrations
- Implement a feed drive for the model
- Develop a quick-release model holder
- Design a water pump and die injectors (to color thin streams of water)
- Build an appropriate measurement /visualization device for the local height of the thin water layer
- Set-up the motors and controls with NI LabView