Proposal No. CTS-0320634 Principal Investigator: J. Rossman, Harvey Mudd College
The PI is establishing an experimental fluid mechanics laboratory at Harvey Mudd College. In the summer of 2002, construction began on a subsonic wind tunnel facility for which all design decisions were made by undergraduate researchers with guidance from the PI. This facility may be used to study a wide variety of external flows. Its limited current instrumentation consists of a Pitot-static probe and a hot-wire anemometer. The flow visualization equipment acquired under the grant will significantly increase the capabilities of this facility by adding pressure-sensitive paint as well as a high-speed video-rate and still camera system. This equipment will enable visual qualitative and quantitative study of complex fluid dynamics, including those of curveballs and bird wings, at high resolution, and will significantly expand our students' exposure to and training in experimental techniques and instrumentation. This camera system will also be extremely useful to the ongoing research of other faculty at Harvey Mudd College and in the Claremont Colleges Consortium, for projects ranging from droplet formation and dynamics to lizard biomechanics.
The following equipment will be acquired under the grant: (1) High-resolution CCD camera, including lenses, PCI card and software from Roper Scientific, (2) High-speed Phantom CMOS camera, including PCI card and software from Vision Research, (3) Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) kit, including LED light source and software for data acquisition and processing, from ISSI, and (4) Personal computer with sufficient memory for image processing, and color printer.
The equipment will have a tremendously positive impact on several research projects, and perhaps even more significantly, on the research training of Harvey Mudd College undergraduates. This equipment will provide exceptional research and training opportunities for these students using two state-of-the-art cameras and the PSP technique, furthering the College's goal of providing substantial and meaningful research opportunities for all of its students.
