Session: ASME Undergraduate Student Design Expo

Paper Number: 172918

Immersive Fluid Mechanics Learning Experience With Virtual Reality 

Over time, engineering education has found itself taking advantage of the recently developed technology available to further develop the educational journey for students. One of the many tools that has been revolutionary to both the technological field and academia has been the growth of Extended Reality (XR). More specifically, Virtual Reality (VR) has been able to completely immerse the user in a digital environment, engaging all focus. The fully immersive learning experience allows for students to be more engaged, broadens the accessibility of the classroom, decreases safety risks, etc. Similarly, the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data visualization has allowed for the integration of developing technology, such as augmented and virtual reality. The approach using virtual reality alongside CFD allows for a fully immersive experience to be brought in real time in order to gain further knowledge and understanding of conceptual topics, creating a vivid, spatial reality. The implementation of virtual reality throughout engineering education allows for the study of fluid dynamics to be experienced through time and space, solidifying conceptual concepts even further. In the current effort, Paraview, a CFD result processor, was used to edit and analyze a simulation of a person on a motorcycle, using the large eddy simulation (LES) method. The rider travels at 20 m/s (44.74 mph). For reference, this flow has a Reynolds number of 544 based on the height of the motorcycle and motorcyclist. The flow presents some recirculations behind the motorcycle, but it quickly returns to laminar flow. These characteristics pose interesting flow patterns relevant for fluid mechanics education. The mesh analyzed included individual parts of the motorcycle, the motorcyclist, the inlet, the outlet, and the flow itself. The mesh is a polygonal mesh, made up of different polygons, visualizing the flow. The mesh consists of 3,772,588 cells, allowing for a well-depicted flow and simulation to be viewed. Different frames were able to be constructed, such as longitudinal slices of the domain to view velocity (magnitude, x and y-components) and pressure fields. Paraview was then paired with Steam VR, a software platform used for virtual reality experiences on PCs. Steam VR allowed for the simulation to be viewed and experienced through a Valve Index VR headset. The Valve Index headset carries a high refresh rate, allowing for the time-dependent simulation to be observed adequately throughout different frames. The changes in pressure and velocity were able to be shown through color-changing surfaces, applied to the flow, motorcycle, and motorcyclist, individually, to depict the flow behavior. For future development in the learning experience of fluid dynamics, virtual reality can be used to develop educational activities that emphasize the time and space relevance of conceptual topics. 

 

Presenting Author: Celeste Marquez Westmont College

Presenting Author Biography: Celeste Marquez is a senior Mechanical Engineering major and an Applied Math minor at Westmont College currently working under Dr. Douglas Fontes. The work focuses on the visualization of fluid mechanical systems with the goal of improving immersive educational tools in the subject. Under Dr. Fontes' guidance she has been using systems such as Paraview and other CFD simulation processors to adapt data into visual fields that can be viewed in numerous VR settings. Her work hopes to bring clarity to conceptual topics that can be difficult to grasp without spatial imaging allowing for greater learning outcomes.

Authors:

Celeste Marquez Westmont College
Douglas Fontes Westmont College