Experiences In An Undergraduate Laboratory Using Uncertainty Analysis To Validate Engineering Models With Experimental Data

Traditionally, the goals of engineering laboratory instruction have been to introduce the students to the use of various measurement devices along with the associated methods to interpret the results in the context of experimental uncertainties. There is usually an emphasis on the demonstration of fundamental engineering principles in applications-oriented projects. Often, theoretical engineering models are used to compare predicted outcomes with the experimental results in order to demonstrate the appropriateness and/or limitations of the theoretical model. When making these comparisons, the uncertainty associated with the experiment measurements is usually included; however, there is usually no consideration of the uncertainty associated with the theoretical model calculations. Students in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) program at Mississippi State University (MSU) are applying the concept of engineering model validation using uncertainty analysis into the undergraduate laboratories in addition to graduate research projects. In this paper, experiences are discussed which illustrate how this approach has been implemented into the undergraduate laboratory classes. The methodology is developed for the model validation, and a case study from our senior mechanical engineering laboratory is presented which illustrates how the uncertainty of the model is combined with the experiment results to provide a comparison.