Project C.2: Fluid Power OpenCourseWare
Project Team
Project Co-Leaders:
Other personnel:
Prof. Will Durfee, University of Minnesota
Prof. Jim Van de Ven, University of Minnesota
Prof. Paul Michaels, Milwaukee School of Engineering
Prof. Andrea Vacca, Purdue University
1. Project Goals
The purpose of the Fluid Power OpenCourseWare (FPOCW) project is to create, digitally publish,
disseminate and use high-quality, college-level teaching materials in fluid power. The material can be
used in fluid power elective courses, but more importantly can be inserted into core engineering courses
taken by all students. Materials exist in the lecture notes, problem sets and lab exercises of CCEFP
faculty, as well as faculty outside the center. A small number of engineering undergraduate students
nationwide will take fluid power elective courses, but all students in mechanical and related engineering
ABET accredited degree programs take required courses in fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, system
dynamics and machine elements. These courses cover topics that form the core of fluid power yet
currently do not contain fluid power applications. The FPOCW materials can also be used as training
materials for BS level engineers at fluid power companies.
Open courseware is an education concept that is backed by a consortium (www.ocwconsortium.org), has
been popularized by MIT (ocw.mit.edu) and is related to current education experiments such as MOOCs.
This project brings the open courseware concept to fluid power education. Education materials that are
part of the FPOCW collection are archived under a Creative Commons intellectual property license which
essentially allows unlimited use, with attribution for non-commercial purposes. This includes use at
companies so long as the FPOCW education materials are not sold for profit.
2. How Project Supports the EO Program Strategy
New departments or four-year majors in fluid power are unlikely. Insertion of fluid power into standard
engineering courses is not only achievable but also the most direct route towards increasing the number
of engineering students trained in the basics of fluid power.
3. Achievements
●
Fluid Power in Fluid Mechanics continues to be developed and used by Prof. Andrea Vacca, Purdue
University within ME 309, Fluid Mechanics. In this class fluid power examples are used to illustrate
basic concepts of fluid mechanics. Lecture notes, a fluid power lab and a collection of exercises
collected in the mini-book “Fluid Power in Fluid Mechanics”(under development) support the project,
permitting undergraduate students in ME 309 to become familiar with the fluid power discipline. The
material is also being used by Professor Randy Ewoldt at UIUC.
●
“Systems Engineering with Fluid Power Applications” mini-book under development by Robert
Cloutier, Stevens Institute of Technology. First draft completed.
●
Lectures from ME 4232, Fluid Power Control Laboratory, spring semester 2012, taught by Prof. Jim
Van de Ven, were captured on video and added to the FPOCW site.
4. Plans
(1) Continue working on mini-books.
(2) Develop a MOOC (massive open online course) for college-level fluid power system dynamics. This
will be based on current content in FPOCW including mini-book, problem sets, video lectures and lecture
slides.
5. Member Company Benefits
Member companies can use the FPOCW repository for internal training, or sales forces can use to
educate customers. Member companies also benefit as more engineering students receive training in
fluid power.