MECH 398, MECH 399

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MECH 398, MECH 399

• Third year labs, fall and winter
• New alternative MECH 396 and MECH 397
• ME2 students must take MECH 396
• ME1 students may take MECH 396 if also taking
  MECH 370

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Requirements

• For each of 5 labs
• Sign up ahead of time
• Attend lecture/tutorial and submit problems as a
  group of up to 3
• Attend lab and participate with group of 3
• Submit lab report as individual

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MECH 398 Staff

• Course co-ordinator
• Dr. Louise Mallory, mallory_at_me.queensu.ca,
  533-2783
• McLaughlin 108
• 5 Lab Lecturers
• 10 Lab Instructors (Teaching Assistants)
• 1 Tutorial Assistant

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Marking for this course

• Each lab is worth 20. 4 is for
  lecture/tutorial and 16 is for lab report.

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Lecture/tutorials

• Each lecture will be given twice during the term,
  once on a Monday, once on a Wednesday.
• Lectures are Mechanical Engineering professors
  from each subject area.
• Do tutorial problems in class for background and
  practice.

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Lecture schedule

• This may change if one of the professors has a
  conflict.

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The Labs

• You wont necessarily do these in order.
• Airflow in pipes
• Electric robot control
• Measuring moments of inertia
• Refrigeration
• Loading of pressurized cylinders

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Changes from other courses

• Choose your own partners and lab times
• No formal full reports
• Shorter reports done individually
• No final exam

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Building on MECH 215 other courses

• Content from various courses
• Deciding what to measure, how to measure it, and
  how many measurements to take
• Observing transient effects
• Considering measurement uncertainties
• Writing reports and making graphs
• Working in groups
• Working safely

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Recording data

• Record descriptive observations as well as
  numbers
• Remember that actual measurements are more
  important than tidy intervals
• Note problems, questions, fluctuations, etc.
• Hardcover notebook recommended but not required
  for MECH 398

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Lab Scheduling

• There are many possible lab times, not just the
  ones QCARD knows about.
• For example
• Mon 930, 130, 330, Tues 830, 1230, 230
• Wed 930, 230, Thurs 1030, 230
• Fri 830, 130
• Evening times may be available as well.

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Lab sign-up part 1

• Sign up for each lab separately. You dont have
  to do each one at the same time or with the same
  people.
• Slots which arent full (2 groups of 3) may be
  cancelled.
• Check your schedule before you sign up.

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Lab sign-up part 2

• You will sign up using a web-based application
  similar to that used for APSC 141 exam
  registration.
• The booker is scheduled to open on Friday at
  noon.
• Start from the course website,
• me.queensu.ca/courses/mech398

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Lab sign-up part 3

• You need your QLINK id and original password.
• You cant cancel your own bookings.
• E-mail me if you have problems or cant find a
  slot that fits your schedule.
• Please be patient!

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Lab reports

• Work individually once you leave the lab
• Consulting about your findings is okay using
  someone elses explanation isnt
• See manual and website for more information
• Reports due one week after the lab, 430 pm, McL
  submission box
• Marking template will be posted next week

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Report writing

• How these reports differ from MECH 215
• No table of contents, introduction, theory
  required.
• Things that Im still looking for
• Separate the results and discussion.
• Use citations 2 and a references section.
• Refer to each figure or table in text before it
  appears.
• Start the results section with text (sentences).

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Analysis of Uncertainty 1

• Note sources of uncertainty (a.k.a. error)
• Where possible, estimate magnitudes.
• Fluctuating dial or digital display estimate
  range for 95 of time
• Resolution of instrument ½ of smallest
  division (95 confidence level)
• Other info on calibration, bias error, precision
  of strain gauges etc also should be 95
  confidence level
• Many repeated measurements Use student-t dist.

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Analysis of Uncertainty 2

• Recall uncertainty propagation using
  root-sum-squares method
• Thot f(Tref, Vmeasured, Tthermocouple)

Now figure out partial derivatives
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Feedback

• There will be opportunities for mid-term feedback
  
• USAT will be done during the 2 lectures of Week 9
  (the last lectures)

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What you need to do now

• Check details of each lab
• Buy lab manual and read first writeup.
• Check with QCARD to make sure youre registered
  in the course. (Section doesnt matter.)
• Check your schedule, start lab sign-up Fri.
• Attend lecture/tutorial next week, Monday
  (Electric Robot Control) or Wednesday (Moments of
  Inertia). Take lab manual and relevant textbook
  with you.