ME- 495

Mechanical and Thermal Systems Lab

Fall 2015
Professor: Hamid Nourollahi
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
San Diego State University
HDNOUROLLAHI@aol.com

ME 495 Course Structure

Course Description/Contents

Two broad categories:

1.Data acquisition theory, instrumentation, sensors, data reduction, statistical
and uncertainty analysis, and design of experiments.
2.Experience in designing, performing, and reporting experiments on
mechanical and thermal systems, mechanisms, vibrations, structures,
thermodynamics, and heat transfer.
Prerequisites:
Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Engineering Materials/Strength of Materials

Course Structure:
1 hour lecture; 3 hours of lab.
The first 2-3 weeks will be, however, predominantly lecture hours.

ME 495 Course Structure

Course Descriptions

Textbook:
Beckwith, T and Marangoni, R. and Leinhard, Mechanical
Measurements, 6th Edition, Addison Wesley Publishing Company.
[4th and 5th editions are acceptable as well; however 5th edition is costly].
Grades:
Homework
5%
Lab Reports
30%
Mid-term Exam
40%
Project Presentation
25%
Office Hours:
Monday 1:00 4:00 PM.
Room PS-127.
E-mail: kassegne@mail.sdsu.edu

ME 495 Course Structure

Topics:

1.Measurement Overview
2.Standards and Units of Measurement
3.Statistical Topics
4.Data Analysis
5.Engineering Technical Report Writing
6.Instrumentation Theory
7.Uncertainty Analysis
8.Design of Experiments

Lecture I: Measurement Overview

Definition
Measurement: Comparing a measurand to a

standard to generate a meaningful result.

Standards are usually defined by a legal or
authoritative agency:

NIST; National Institute for Standards and

Technology
NBS; National Bureau of Standards
ISO; International Organization for
Standardization
ANSI; American National Standards Institute

Significance of Mechanical Measurement

Measurement provides a comparison

between what was intended and what was

actually achieved.
Measurement is vital to commerce/industry

Costs are established on the basis of amounts

of materials, power, time, and labor

However, measurements are never exact.

Fundamental Methods of Measurement

Direct Comparison: Comparing a standard

directly to the measurand

e. g. length, height

Indirect comparison: uses a measuring

system

Measuring system: a chain of devices which

convert basic input into a analogous form then
processes and presents the output in a
comprehensible form
e. g. strain gage; strain voltage %
elongation

Generalized Measuring System

Stage 1 Sensor/Transducer

Detects the measurand

Ideally insensitive to all other possible inputs (e.g. strain gage

insensitive to temperature)
Undesirable sensitivity is a measuring error
Varying rapidly noise
Varying slowly drift

Stage 2 Signal Conditioning

Modifies the transduced information into a comprehensible

signal for the third stage; may also include filtering to remove
noise, perform integration or differentiation etc.
Stage 3 Readout/Recording
Provides information sought in a format comprehensible to
one of the human senses or a controller
Relative displacement: movement of a hand, O-scope
Digital form: counter, LCD, LED

Example of Measuring System

Types of Input Quantities

Static Constant over time: Thermocouple
Dynamic Time dependant
Steady State periodic: Damped

Mech.Vibration
Transient non-repetitive
Aperiodic single pulse: Impact
Random continuous non-repetitive: train
track surface

Analog and Digital Signals

Analog Signal that is analogous to physical

property

e.g. Spedometer, pressure gage, temp, fluid flow,

stress, strain

Digital signal that changes in steps

e.g. counter on cam, on/off signal, digitized signal

Calibration
Definition: Observing the systems output for input of known

magnitude and adjusting the system to correct for errors

Single Point Calibration use when the output input
(y = bx)
Multipoint Calibration used when input and output have a
complex relationship and generally improves accuracy of calibration
Dynamic Calibration calibration using time dependant input
standard
Spot Calibration calibration of a sampling of a larger group, often
used in strain gage calibration

Accuracy of Results
Error: difference between measured result and true

value

Exact magnitude of error cannot be known

Uncertainty: the likely upper bound on the error

Bias/Systematic Error: error that occurs for every

measurement (offset or proportional error)

Precision/Random Error: error that is variable for
each measurement, may be estimated by statistical
analysis

Reporting Results
Executive Summary: a few paragraphs describing

what was done and what was learned

Laboratory Note/Technical Memo: note written to
someone intimately familiar with the research
Progress Report: describes progress made
Full Technical Report: tells complete story to
someone with technical knowledge but not project
specific knowledge
Technical Paper: brief summary of project