ABSTRACT

 The objective of this project was to develop an educational tool for use in an undergraduate fluid mechanics laboratory. The apparatus was designed such that the head loss and the flow rate of a fluid can be determined through a piping system the use ofpressure meter and stopwatch respectively. The device cycles watei' through a closedcircuit, pressurized network. Water is drawn out of a reservoir and pumped through a filter. It then enters the experimental section and passes through a flow meter. Finally, the water flows through a pressure-control valve and then returns to the reservoir. In the experimental section, valves direct the flow of water through one ofthree equal lengths, equal diameter pipes, the same diameter, one of smaller diameter, and one of larger diameter. The control section, the inlet valve called gate valve, is used to calculate the head loss at the inlet. The segment made of three outlets is used to experimentally determine the head loss at each outlet with different diameters. The segment constructed as the volumetric tank is used to determine the flow rate at each outlet. The pipe loss experimental apparatus provides undergraduate students with practical fluid mechanics experience to supplement lecture material.