PDF
Laboratory report
PDF · 2.7 MB
The project
An optical particle-tracking laboratory investigating motion in a fluid. Recorded tracer trajectories and MATLAB analysis reveal the difference between shear-band behavior and vortical flow.
≈24.0Reported transition Reynolds number
The team lab
This was a collaborative ME 240 lab. The portfolio presents the experimental observations and analysis documented in the team report.
From question to method
- Observed tracer motion under different experimental flow conditions.
- Used image-based particle tracking and MATLAB analysis to examine trajectories.
- Compared shear bands with the appearance of vortices.
- Estimated the experimental transition using the Reynolds number reported in the lab.
Inside the project
Results & perspective
The report identifies a transition near a Reynolds number of 24.0 in the experimental apparatus. This is a result for the laboratory conditions, rather than a universal transition criterion.
What I took from it
Tracer trajectories turn an otherwise difficult-to-see flow into measurable evidence. Image quality and interpretation remain central to the reliability of the analysis.