Combination of analytical, numerical and experimental approaches to enhance engineering concepts in a heat transfer course

Abstract

This paper discusses a one-quarter long Heat Transfer course for Mechanical Engineering curriculum. The primary objective of this course is to provide the fundamental knowledge necessary to understand the behavior of different thermal systems. This course provides a detailed calculus-based analysis, including the applications of differential equations, of heat transfer through different media. Conduction, convection, and radiation heat transfer in one- and two- dimensional steady and unsteady systems are examined. Covering all of these topics in a one quarter long course is very challenging to complete in a satisfactory manner. Therefore, we use a combination of analytical, numerical and experimental studies to strengthen the students’ conceptual understanding beyond the classroom lectures. The learning process starts with a one-dimensional heat transfer problem using a straight fin. First, students learn how to solve for the temperature distribution using the standard differential equations. Then, students solve the same problem numerically using the finite element analysis (FEA). In this case, students solve the problem using both matrix algebra and the FEA package, ANSYS. Finally, students perform the experiment and compare the experimental outcomes with analytical and numerical results. Similar learning strategies are used to analyze the heat transfer from 3D objects made of different materials. Problems are solved for temperature distribution using the lumped capacitance model. Then the analytical solutions are compared with numerical and/or experimental results. Finally, several parametric analyses, using ANSYS, are conducted to extend the students’ understanding for more complex systems. The teaching methodologies using these approaches offer a great experience for students to learn numerous heat transfer concepts in the limited time. The purpose of this paper is to explain the details of this teaching methodology in our heat transfer curriculum.