Engineering HELP

[Goodie_2_Shoes]

Ok so I am having huge difficulties with one of my University subjects. I understand that here on FG there is a range of people with a verity of employment backgrounds. I was wondering if there were is an engineering wiz out there that could give me a hand.

Here is a couple of the questions I’m struggling with; sorry to be a pain but could any answers be in Metric SI units. There questions are not part of an assessment, I just can’t get my thick head around them.

1) A pipe discharges liquid into a 1.5m diameter tank. Another pipe 150mm in diameter located near the base of the tank is used to discharge the liquid out of the tank. Calculate the volumetric flow rate into the tank if the liquid was to remains constant at 2.5m????

2) A 70% glycerol solution at 20 ̊C, with a density of 1.1825g/cm³ and a viscosity of 22.5cP is flowing through a 35mm diameter pipe. If the flow rate is 1m³/min, what is the pressure loss due to friction of a 30m length of smooth pipe?

Any help would be greatly appreciated..
Cheers

[2walla]

Been a while since I did any of these! The first one is a simple Bernoulli equation. There is a plug and chug formula for exactly this problem. I would assume that the discharge coefficents you should use are for short tubes and direct discharge.

For the second problem, you need to first determine if the flow is laminar or turbulant.-- Calculate the reynolds number.Looks like they give you all of the data you need for that.. If the flow is laminar you are not concerened about the pipe roughness. There is a formula for each type of flow, it is plug and chug from there..
Good luck!

R/Mike

[Goodie_2_Shoes]

Thanks Mike, I really appreciate your help. It make if a bit easier when someone else explains it. My lecturer is hopeless! I think I know what I’m doing now... hopefully they are right; this engineering stuff is kind of beyond me. We have to teach ourselves this stuff, because the subject is via distance and the materials we have been given are not very good at all...

[phippsj]

If these fluids problems are tough for you, then you need to join a study group or just a group of "study buddies". These are usually not your running-around or drinking buddies.

If your lecturer cannot answer your questions in class, then you need to ask for help from the professor during their office hours. It's tough to get five minutes with them, but if they are reasonable and they can see you want to learn the material, then most will be glad to help. If they see that you are just looking for a quick answer just to slide by with little effort, then they probably won't be as helpful.

Just my experience, and I'll tell you like I would my son who will be in college in a couple of years. I struggled with electrical, heat transfer and Diff/E, but found good study groups and spent alot of time studying and working on it.

Good luck!

BTW, I believe 2walla has the correct approach.

[The Dirt Doctor]

Good advice as to the study groups! It's been a while since I was in school but that's what we did in PChem, diff eq, adv organie etc back when. It's really good doing it this way as it teaches you how to be part of a team working on a problem sort of like in "real life" work world. Nobody these days does everything by himself anymore! - it's always a team effort!

Bobby aka TDD

[mahak213]

I'm in the same situation as you right now. My professors don't speak English well at all, and that makes it very difficult to follow them. I've never struggled with class before, so I guess this is a new experience for me. Finding TA's who know what they are doing has been helpful, but there's only so much they can do when you get nothing out of an hour long lecture on "prorons, ewectoons, an narble garses"

[BTerry]

I forgot about the language issues in engineering schools. That was a huge problem at my school. Most of the T.A.'s were from Eastern Europe, Pakistan or India, or China.

Definitely get in a study group! That is the best advice.

Also, tell the "running around buddies" and "drinking buddies" you will see them in a few months after the semester is over. Park (or sell) ALL of your planes for a few years as well, or maybe get a park flyer just to keep the fingers trained. Eliminate any distractions from your life to the extent possible.

Plan on doing 3-4 times as much homework and studying as friends with other majors, less than 15-20 hours a week is nowhere near enough. The minute you feel behind, get help! Either from a friend, teacher, teachers assistant, or tutor. Pay for a tutor if necessary. I had an instructor who FAILED about 60% of his students one semester. No easy way out, that is sure!

I made my greatest breakthroughs when I finally decoded the "system" of whatever subject I was studying down into its smallest parts. Once I broke it down and UNDERSTOOD the basic parts of the subject, I found I was able to solve any problem. Typically every subject broke down to a force balance or an energy balance (or a combination thereof). Throw in Fourier transforms to switch between "system types" (electrical, mechanical, fluid, etc) and suddenly something clicked in my head and the very complex things became easier to understand.

Stick it out, the benefits are great once you get out. Just to get the engineering degree you will do about as much work as a BS and Masters degree in most other subjects.

Good luck!

Brett
(B.S. Chemistry/Human Physiology, and later Mechanical Engineering)

[The Dirt Doctor]

	Quote: Originally Posted by BTerry
	I forgot about the language issues in engineering schools. That was a huge problem at my school. Most of the T.A.'s were from Eastern Europe, Pakistan or India, or China. Definitely get in a study group! That is the best advice. Also, tell the "running around buddies" and "drinking buddies" you will see them in a few months after the semester is over. Park (or sell) ALL of your planes for a few years as well, or maybe get a park flyer just to keep the fingers trained. Eliminate any distractions from your life to the extent possible. Plan on doing 3-4 times as much homework and studying as friends with other majors, less than 15-20 hours a week is nowhere near enough. The minute you feel behind, get help! Either from a friend, teacher, teachers assistant, or tutor. Pay for a tutor if necessary. I had an instructor who FAILED about 60% of his students one semester. No easy way out, that is sure! I made my greatest breakthroughs when I finally decoded the "system" of whatever subject I was studying down into its smallest parts. Once I broke it down and UNDERSTOOD the basic parts of the subject, I found I was able to solve any problem. Typically every subject broke down to a force balance or an energy balance (or a combination thereof). Throw in Fourier transforms to switch between "system types" (electrical, mechanical, fluid, etc) and suddenly something clicked in my head and the very complex things became easier to understand. Stick it out, the benefits are great once you get out. Just to get the engineering degree you will do about as much work as a BS and Masters degree in most other subjects. Good luck! Brett (B.S. Chemistry/Human Physiology, and later Mechanical Engineering)

Brett, I found out exactly the same reasoning.
Bobby aka TDD (B.S. Chemistry, MS Microbiology, PhD Soil Chemistry)

[Goodie_2_Shoes]

Hey guys

Thanks for all the awesome advice and encouragement. I have looked into getting a study buddy, though they are in short supply and as my mates go; I don't trust their judgement when it comes to this type of thing. The only other option I have is that if I have a problem that I don't understand I can take it to student services and they can try to help explain it to me. It’s a very strange that the UNI has me doing a wine science engineering subject when I am becoming an Industrial arts teacher?!

The only other problem with this subject is that it is not an internal subject, meaning that I don't go to classes or anything. I received a package in the mail with all my assessments items and a very poorly constructed study guide. Then we are expected to teach ourselves how to do it all. I have been to see my lecturer a few times but he is very vague when giving answers or advice.

The only thing I can do now is heads down and tail up and study study study....

Once again thanks everyone I really appreciate it

[Edge 540]

OOOOh A thread I can relate to!!!!!


I completely understand, I'm an ME undergrad. I have had SEVERAL classes where the professors simply failed 50-60% of the class, refused to curve and moved on. Lots of foreign professors, TA's who barely speak english etc etc etc. In a chemistry class I had a test where I got a 72%. I was disappointed and made an appointment to meet with the professor in his office hours to review what I was having difficulties with. I got there early and when he arrived he looked over my test. "Oh, actually this problem is incorrect too and I missed it when I graded this"

I walked out of his office with a 67%. HE TOOK MORE POINTS OFF WHEN I WENT FOR HELP!!!!!! I never went back.

[Mithrandir]

question one, to be accurately answered, you need the characteristics of the fluid under the conditions of the experiment.

The length of the discharge pipe is also important as the longer the discharge pipe, the more boundary layer that develops and that can affect the flow... not to mention, is there a bell mouth leading into the exit pipe? how the flow enters the pipe can make a huge difference....as poorly done, seperation can occur........

what are the assumptions???

[mikaelmiki]

fluids, im in that class right now and just finished doing the volumetric flow rate. but a study groud will really be helpful when this stuff gets really hard

[mikaelmiki]

and i know the professors care only about their research, and in one of my classes the teacher is a student going for a masters, he doe not care about us. we are just a few extra dollars in his pocket.

[Mithrandir]

I dunno... depends on the university.....

some universities are all about research and grants from industry... so professors spend a lot of time looking for money to do the research and a lot of effort trying to get published....

other universities, (Like Cal Poly Pomona) are teaching universities... the professors are into instruction.

[Goodie_2_Shoes]

I walked out of his office with a 67%. HE TOOK MORE POINTS OFF WHEN I WENT FOR HELP!!!!!! I never went back.


WOW he docked you 5 marks! Thats harsh, considering it take so much effort just to get those few marks. Well it seems like everyone has the same problems. I have made several appointments to see the subject coordinator, a few of those times he was a no show. Another time he actually turned up only gave me a page in the study guide and said 'here this should explain it'.....

Good luck everyone