Workshops and Laboratories
The department has well equipped workshop and a number of laboratories equipped with modern state of the art machines procured through global tender.
The department has the following lab facilities,
- Fluid Mechanics,
- Hydraulic Machines,
- Heat Engines,
- Thermodynamics,
- Heat Transfer,
- Instrumentation and Control,
- Mechanisms & Machine Dynamics,
- Metallurgy,
- Pollution Control,
- Renewable Energy,
- Strength of Materials,
- Mechanics of Solids, and
- Aerodynamics Laboratory (subsonic wind tunnel)
Most of the equipment is of the latest design with digital display console. Some of the equipments are interfaced with PCs. Apart from that, the department has its own setup of twenty-four PCs interconnected through local area network with e-mail and Internet facilities.
The laboratories are suitable not only for teaching, but are equally for research and consulting works. The Department is now capable of undertaking a variety of consultancy projects for industries in Nepal. It is difficult to describe the full capabilities of different laboratories in this document. The following very briefly outlines the kind of the projects that can be undertaken with the help of the equipment.
Pelton and Francis turbine setups with dynamometer complete with pump for the creation of necessary head and the flow measuring and re-circulation setup allows precise measurement of different performances. The modern and easily operable water flume facilitates various kinds of experiments and analysis works.
Heat conduction apparatus allows measurement of one dimensional heat conduction in solid and composites materials. Thermal radiation apparatus can show the properties of emissivity, absortivity and reflectivity. Centrifugal fan test set permits a comprehensive investigation of the behavior of the centrifugal air-pumping machine. Air and water heat pump unit allows the performance testing of typical heat pump system. Air-conditioning and refrigeration system performance, including that of automobile air conditioner can be studied in derail thermodynamics laboratory.
The engines testing system up to 5 KW engine, allows testing of the fuel consumption and other engine performance parameters.
Solar panel setup allows performance testing of solar panel in terms of useful heat output and efficiency. The dust sampler and gas analyzer of the pollution can be very effectively put in studying air pollution. The three different wind generators can be useful in the study of renewable wind energy.
The strength of materials laboratory is equipped with a state-of-the-art Instron material testing machine. It is a computer interfaced testing machine for up to 250 kN capacity with a capability of holding test samples of diameter up to 27mm. The test results are displayed in computer monitor. There is also a similar machine of smaller capacity (30kN) which is especially used for the compression and tension test of flat test specimen.
Comprehensive studies of the behavior of various sensors can be carried out in instrumentation and control laboratory. The behavior of first to fourth order systems can be studied in a pneumatic trainer and velocity and position control system can be studied in a hydraulic unit.
Specimen preparation equipment, such as grinder, polisher, box, furnace an microscope in the metallurgy laboratory, allows surface studies and other related works.
(Visit the Chief Instructor’s website for more info on the Mechanical Workshop.)