The Future of Engineering Laboratory Courses: Virtual Laboratory Experiments

Abstract

The Mechanical Engineering Laboratory I course at Lehigh University has a simple objective and that is, to introduce basic engineering measurement concepts to students. Experimental data from sensors in experimental setups that are loaded by testing machines are collected using digital acquisition techniques. Programming for data acquisition using LabVIEW is also introduced. While it is desirable to have the actual machines for touch and feel, these is not necessary for achieving the objectives of this laboratory course. What is important are: the understanding of the purpose and theory behind the experiment, the mathematical and engineering skills in manipulating the acquired data into something that is meaningful and, drawing correct conclusions from the resulting calculations. This paper proposes using LabVIEW in conjunction with an animation software such as SolidWorks, to simulate virtual experiments. Since the experiments are virtual, they can provide a way to include variations on the experiments. Thus, students can try these different variations for a better understanding of the theory behind the experiments. With the many advantages of having actual simulation of the experiments such an approach presents an alternative path for the engineering laboratory courses, but only for those with the right kind of experiments.

Keywords

• Virtual laboratory experiments
• Laboratory courses
• LabVIEW
• Computer-based laboratory
• Engineering education

References

1. Agrawal, R., & Pati, U. C. (2012). Internet based boiler drum level control system using LabVIEW. UACEE International Journal of Advances in Electronics Engineering, 2(2), 99–103.
2. Basher, H. A., & Isa, S. A. (2006). On-campus and online virtual laboratory experiments with LabVIEW. In Proceedings of the IEEE SoutheastCon 2006 (pp. 325–330). Memphis, TN: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/second.2006.1629372
3. DeLong, K., Harward, V. J., Bailey, P., Hardison, J., Kohse, G., & Ostrocsky, Y. (2010). Three online neutron beam experiments based on the iLab shared architecture. In IEEE EDUCON 2010 Conference (pp. 145–150). Madrid, Spain: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/EDUCON.2010.5492587
4. Dumitrescu, C., Olteanu, R. L., Gorghiu, L. M., Gorghiu, G., & State, G. (2009). Using virtual experiments in the teaching process. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 776–779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.138
5. Ertugrul, N. (2000). Virtual laboratories: A survey of LabVIEW-based teaching/learning tools and future trends. International Journal of Engineering Education, 16(13), 171–180.
6. Hemalatha, B., Juliet, A., & Natarajan, N. (2010). Boiler level control using Labview. International Journal of Computer Applications, 1(17), 85–88.
7. Kaleli, A., Dumlu, A., Çorapsız, M. F., & Erentürk, K. (2013). Detailed analysis of SCARA-type serial manipulator on a moving base with LabView. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 10(4), 189. https://doi.org/10.5772/56178
8. Kavianpour, A. (2014). LabVIEW: A teaching tool for the engineering courses. In ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 24.842.1–24.842.11). Indianapolis, IN: ASEE. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--20733

9. Kypuros, J. A., & Connoly, T. J. (2005). Collaborative experimentation and simulation: A pathway to improving student conceptualization of the essentials of system dynamics and control theory. In Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 10.317.1–10.317.11). American Society for Engineering Education.
10. National Instruments Corporation. (2011). Getting started with NI SoftMotion for SolidWorks. National Instruments Corporation.