ENGR 331 – Fluid Mechanics
Class Policies and General Information
Instructor: Mark W. Muller, Ph.D.
office: HS 305F; 410-677-0023
hours:
MW 1:30-3:30, Tu 3:00-4:00
Class Meetings: MW 12:00-1:15, class: HS 360 / lab: HS 357
Description: Engineering 331 is a requirement for students pursuing aerospace or mechanical
engineering and is recommended for physics majors on the engineering track. ENGR 221, MATH
310, and PHYS 225 are pre-requisites and a comfortable working knowledge of algebra and
third-semester calculus is required.
Catalog description: Introduction to the principles of fluid mechanics. Topics include mass,
momentum and energy conservation, hydrostatics, control volume analysis, internal and external
flow, boundary layers, and modern measurement techniques. A design project related to the
material is given. Prerequisites: C or better in ENGR 221, MATH 310, and PHYS 225. Four hours
lecture/activity per week.
Textbook: The required textbook for this class is Fluid Mechanics, Fundamentals and Applications
3rd Ed., by Cengel and Cimbala, McGraw-Hill. All of the homework will be assigned from this book.
Calculator: You will often need to use a calculator for numerical problem solving. Using a
preprogrammed calculator in an exam to store information not available to the entire class,
including solutions or equations, is considered cheating.
Academic Dishonesty: I fully comply with and support the policy of academic dishonesty outlined in
the student handbook. I assume any submitted work alleges to be your own unless you have
indicated otherwise. Any violations will lead to a lowered grade, or in extreme cases, failure of
the class.
Inclement Weather: In case of inclement weather, call the Gull Line at 410-546-6426 for weather
related closing information or check the Salisbury University web page.
Writing Across the Curriculum: I completely endorse the campus-wide emphasis on writing and
written communication. You will be expected to provide written explanations for most homework
problems, some in-class group work, and exam problems.
Students with Disabilities: Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or
her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me as soon as possible so that
we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation in this class and facilitate
educational opportunities.
Class Format: The class will consist of small group work (labs), class discussion, and lecture. You
are expected to come to class prepared to ask and answer questions and to participate actively.
There will be out-of-class components, such as homework assignments, as well. You should plan
to spend at least four hours outside of class each week interacting with the material and solving
problems.
General Goals for the Course:
1. To gain a fundamental understanding of general engineering problem formulation,
organization, and solution.
2. To develop mathematical descriptions of fluid systems, and how to simplify generalized
conservation equations for a fluid in an appropriate manner to apply to specific problems.
3. To develop skills in self-taught learning through completing of a semester project. The main
topic required for the project is not lectured in class, but supporting materials are provided
and all questions are discussed and answered. Project is deliberately open-ended to foster
creativity in problem solutions and application of learned material in a more realistic
environment.
4. To develop skills in technical writing through detailed technical reports on semester project.
Each report is given extensive feedback by the instructor, and used as a draft for
successive version. Feedback is given both on technical content as well as organization and
presentation of material.
Requirements and Grading
Attendance and Participation in Group Work: Course attendance is required. We will be doing
small group work in class. These group learning activities will only be effective if you show up
and participate. You are expected to participate actively in group and class discussions.
Homework: You may work together on the homework. Homework will not be collected.
Exams: There will one mid-semester exam and a comprehensive final exam. See the Tentative
Schedule for the dates. There will be no make-up exams given. If a student must miss an
exam and provides a written excuse prior to the exam, the instructor may, at his discretion,
replace the zero with the grade earned on the final exam.
Labs: In-class labs will be collected on Wednesdays at the end of class. No make ups will be
allowed except in extreme circumstances.
Grade Determination: Your grade will be determined based on the following percentages:
Exams (3 x 20%)
Lab Assignments (7 X 5%)
CFD Project
60%
35%
5%
Total = 100%
Grade Scale: The letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale applied to the
total percentage earned in the course:
90 – 100% = A Superior work. Student demonstrates a thorough and complete
understanding of the subject. No absences.
80 – 89% = B Excellent work. Student demonstrates an above average understanding of the
subject. No more than 2 absences.
70 – 79% = C Good work. Student demonstrates an average understanding of the material.
No more than 4 absences.
60 – 69% = D Fair work. Student demonstrates below average understanding of the
material and has completed most of the assignments. No more than 6
absences.
0 - 59% = F Unsatisfactory work; Student does not demonstrate adequate understanding
of the subject and has not turned in all assignments.
Additional Policies:
1. Absolutely no late lab assignments will be accepted. See schedule for due dates. Lab
reports are due at the beginning of class on the due date. (This means 12:00 on the
designated due date.) You will work in groups in lab but only 1 lab report is due per group
(everyone’s name and initials should be on the report).
2. An independent CFD project is required for the course. A short proposal is due at the
beginning of class on April 1. The project must be completed independently.
3. Your independent CFD project must be original or you may use one of the problems listed in
Chapter 15. I will google your project and any copied projects will result in a zero.
4. All exams will be open notes/open book. No electronics (e.g. smart phones, computers, etc.)
are permitted other than a calculator. It is suggested you complete the suggested
homework problems to be successful on the exams.
Additional Announcement:
The instructor has been assigned jury duty for the month of February. In the event of the
instructor’s absence due to jury duty, class will be cancelled. If the instructor is absent during a
lab day you are expected to continue on as scheduled. It is your responsibility to check your email
each day in the event of the instructor’s absence due to jury duty.
ENGR 331 Tentative Schedule
1/27
2/1
2/8
2/10
2/15
2/17
2/22
2/24
2/29
3/2
3/7
3/9
3/21
3/23
3/28
3/30
4/4
4/6
4/11
4/13
4/18
4/20
4/25
4/27
5/2
5/4
5/9
5/18
Introduction and Fluid Properties (Ch. 1-2)
Fluid Statics and Kinematics (Ch. 3-4)
Bernoulli, Energy, and Momentum (Ch. 5-6)
Dimensional Analysis (Ch. 7)
Internal Flow (Ch. 8)
Take-home Exam Due
Lab 1: Laminar Pipe Flow
Lab 1: Laminar Pipe Flow
Lab 2: Turbulent Pipe Flow
Lab 2: Turbulent Pipe Flow
Continuity and Stream Function (Ch. 9)
Labs 1 & 2 due
Navier-Stokes and Boundary Layer (Ch. 10)
Lab 3: Flat Plate Boundary Layer
Lab 3: Flat Plate Boundary Layer
Exam #2 (Ch. 7-10)
Lab 3 due
Drag (Ch. 11)
Lift (Ch. 11)
Lab 4: Steady Flow Past a Cylinder
Project Proposals Due
Lab 4: Steady Flow Past a Cylinder
Lab 5: Flow Over an Airfoil
Lab 4 due
Lab 5: Flow Over an Airfoil
Compressible Flow (Ch. 12)
Lab 5 due
Normal and Oblique Shocks (Ch. 12)
Lab 6: Compressible Flow in a Nozzle
Lab 6: Compressible Flow in a Nozzle
Lab 7: Supersonic Flow over a Wedge
Lab 6 due
Lab 7: Supersonic Flow over a Wedge
Open-Channel Flow (Ch. 13)
Lab 7 due
Final Exam (Ch. 11-13) 1:30-4:00 Final Projects Due