Introduction

Engineering is an area that has diversified over the past few years. This has been due to the current
advancement in technology. A good example of engineering area that has largely diversified is the
mechanical engineering. This has been attributed to the need of more advanced and efficient
machines. Most of the hard work is done by machines with man being reduced to a mere overseer
or remote controller. In other words, there has been a machine improvised for almost every kind of
work. However, for these machines to be of help to man, they should be efficient and worker friendly
(Bozinovski, 1991). These qualities of machines being efficient and worker friendly is the main factor
that has led to the never ending researches to improvise new machines or better the already existing
ones. Several mechanical manufacturing companies have focused on manufacturing mechanical
machines that meet this growing demand of high accuracy. In doing so, they engage in several
experiments as they try to explore possible new inventions that will improve the accuracy of the
already existing machines or introduce better machines that will make work more easier and
friendlier. These experiments involve a series of try outs and data collection.
Various advanced experiment and data collection methods have been improvised to meet the
growing demand of accuracy. A good example of the area that has had diversified experiments and
analytical data collection methods improvised include motor engineering and large aircraft
manufacturing. These are some of the area that accuracy has been given more emphasis due to the
risks involved. These machines carry people over long distances at high speeds. As such, people's
safety takes the centre stage in most of the experiments as each manufacturer works hard to get the
best rating of their machines (Bozinovski, 1991).
Advanced experimental and data collection methods have been geared by advancement in science
technology. With the advanced scientific methods, new phenomena can be tried out through a body
of techniques. These techniques always help in acquisition of new knowledge or advancing the
already existing knowledge. They have a high accuracy rating as they are bound by principles of
factual reasoning and measurable evidence. The procedure my involve gathering data through
observation and experiments. The collected data can then be tried out through testing of
hypotheses. However, the procedure may vary according to the field of inquiry. That is, the
experimental procedures of an aircraft experiment can be different from that of a motor vehicle.
However, the basic concepts governing the techniques are the same (Putnam, 1992).

Advanced experimental methods

As stated earlier, current scientific methods have diversified scientific experiments done today. As
such, various institutions have come up with programs to equip learners with adequate information
and technology know-how of carrying out these experiments. The institutions equip the learners with
experience through the various projects done during the study. The institutions' goals are to
produces quality engineers. As Putnam (1992) states:
There is an increasing demand, therefore, for high-quality engineers with flexible postgraduate
experience and a good range of transferable skills in the broad field of mechanical engineering. This
demand has been demonstrated by recent surveys indicating salaries for young Professional
Engineers significantly outpacing national averages. As such, the primary aim of this program is to
create master's degree graduates with qualities and transferable skills for demanding employment in
the engineering sector. The graduates will have the independent learning ability required for
continuing professional development and acquiring new skills at the highest level. Specific aims are
as follows:
* To provide education at postgraduate level in mechanical engineering that will enable graduates to
proceed to Chartered Engineer status.
* To develop the versatility and depth to deal with new and unusual challenges across a range of
engineering areas.
* To develop imagination and creativity to enable graduates to follow a successful engineering
career with national and international companies and organizations. (p. 72).
Having gotten the Ph.D. in various mechanical fields, the engineers come up with hypotheses
supported by scientific phenomena and propose them for trial. They then formulate experiments to
test their hypotheses. The experiments may be on thermal, stress or shock analysis. However, the
experiment designs should be easy, time conscious and worker friendly (Putnam, 1992). Below are
some of the advanced experimental methods designed for various mechanical phenomena.
A number of experiments have used applied fluid mechanism. Fluids have been used adversely in
transmission of pressure and force. A glance at the liquids and gases may give the impression of the
softest types of matter. However, these fluids have some scientific properties that are largely used in
transmission of force especially around corners. This is because of the liquids' property of being
flexible but uncompressible (Ziman, 2000). Having worked in various areas, scientists and engineers
try to research more on what else the fluids can do. This has led into fluid mechanics and
technology, an area that concentrates more on the dynamics of fluids. Motor vehicle and aircraft
engineering have used the concept in many areas. For example, the breaking systems of these
machines use the concept of pressure transfer via liquids.
Another concept of fluid dynamics is the thermofluids. Thermofluids experiments emphasis on fluid
flow and the effect of temperature changes on this flow. Te fluid flow also acts as heat transfer. The
main topics in designing thermalfluid experiment may be diverse. However, Franklinstates, "Main
topics include: methods and instruments in fluid flow measurements: laser doppler anemometry
(LDA), particle image velocimetry (PIV), hot-wire anemometry (HWA); Fluid flow and heat transfer
simulations by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) modelling, large eddy simulation (LES)
and direct numerical simulation (DNS)." (Franklin, 2009, p. 95). As such, the experiments involve
advanced modeling research tools in the thermalfluids field.
A thermalfluids experiment may take a design that includes tests of heat transfer, heating/boiling of
fluids, and the exchange of heat. Similarly, the designs may focus on concepts and equipments of
mass transfer. In other words, the applications of fluids are very dynamic. However, the basic
concepts that bind all these dynamics are the constant properties of fluids. These properties can be
manipulated in many ways with each manipulation resulting into a new application of fluids or better
the already existing one. This is the factor that has pushed for more researches and experiments on
the properties of fluids (Ziman, 2000). Engineers come up with hypotheses and test them. In the
course of doing so, they unknowingly discover an extra application that helps make a certain type of
work easier.
Like fluid mechanism, solid body mechanics has received similar attention from clients and
manufacturers. For clients, they go for the best machines in the market. Manufacturers on their side
have been in competition to produce unique and efficient machines that help them win customers
trust in the effort of increasing their customer base. When it comes to solid body mechanics, the
concepts are diverse as it involves a wide area of mechanics. Solid body mechanics entails the solid
parts of the machines. These may include the engine, the engine body and the whole body of the
machine. This is the area that involves the most numbers of experiments in mechanical engineering.
This is because of the many concepts that accompany the area. For example, in motor engineering,
several experiments have been on the engines with all of them aimed at discovering a better engine
performance. Several manufacturers have ventured in exploiting the untapped tricks of the engine
dynamics. Areas that have been widely researched on include engine's general performance, speed,
safety and power among others. Manufacturers such as Bugatti, BMW, Ferrari and Mercedes Benz
among other have been seen to battle out with each competing to manufacture the fastest cars
(Franklin, 2009). On the other hand, aircraft manufacturers have also intensified their research on
inventing faster, bigger and safer aircrafts. More emphasis has been put on improving space going
vessels such as rockets. All these innovations have resulted from a series of experiments based on
hypotheses that try to expound on scientific phenomena. In solid body engineering, the experiments
are diverse because of the nature and broadness of the topic. They may be drawn from a number
topic. For example, Franklin (2009) states:
Advanced Solid Body Mechanics Covers specialist advance research topics in solid body mechanics
and introduces further techniques and analytical topics in experimental stress analysis. Main topics
of study include: applications of contact mechanics; time dependent fracture mechanics; engineering
design and analysis of silos; biomechanics; biomaterials; experimental stress analysis; strain
gauges, photoelasticity, brittle coatings; stress functions in Cartesian and polar coordinates;
plasticity in structural elements; analysis of plates in bending. (p. 103).
With such topics involved, the experiments are dynamic. However, the main concept still remains
creating solid parts and assembling them according to the proposed hypotheses. The engineers
supervise the creation of these parts to ensure that they are created to the specified dimensions.
The dimensions may be presented as engineering drawings of through animations. The major
challenge of solid body experiments is that it requires a lot of accuracy. In carrying out mechanical
experiences on the solid body of the machines, there is less room for mistakes as compared to that
of applied fluid mechanics. For example, experiments on engine systems such as starting, cooling
and lubrication systems always have a high accuracy rating. Advanced experiments on engine
speed will involve creating specialized piston according to dimensions proposed, creating cylinder
and cylinder heads and improving air-fuel mixture and trying out the new machines in an open field
(Franklin, 2009).
There are several advanced mechanical experimental methods. However, what makes them
different from other experiments is the amount of accuracy emphasized on these experiments. For
example, a mere plant experiment in the lab cannot compare to an engine experiment done by
Mercedes Benz of BMW. This is because of the different in the nature of the two experiments. In
most cases, mechanical experiments are innovation and business oriented thus giving little room for
mistakes. For this reason, several measures have been put in place to help oversee the smooth
administration of the experiments. Besides the scientists and engineers carrying out the experiment,
several other things are set in place to ensure acquisition of the most appropriate results. For
example, most advanced experiments have a control unit. The unit concentrates on eliminating any
external factors that can affect the experiment.
On the other hand, there is need of a program that should help in monitoring the progress of the
experiment. As stated earlier, mechanical experiments require high levels of accuracy. Some of this
accuracy can not be monitored be naked eyes. As such, engineer too come up with control
programs that help in monitoring experiment accuracy so as to ensure that the results are as true
and accurate as possible. The programs may include a set of computer systems loaded with the
information on the experiment being done. These programs monitor the proceeding of the
experiments' procedures with high accuracy. They indicate any slightest diversion from the set down
procedure. In so doing, it is easier to pin point any trouble shooting. A good example of such
programs is the programmable logic controllers (PLC). The PLCs have a structured approach to
sequential control design. With PLC data is collected and automatically updated on the control panel
via the program's software such as BridgeVIEW.

Data collection method

It is important to note that proposing a hypothesis is one thing and carrying out the actual experiment
another. The hypotheses may look simple and easy to understand. However, the actual experiment
may be more complicated than it appears on the paper. Similarly, to determine whether the
experiment is bound to produce any good results or it is going according to the procedure then there
should be close supervision of every step. Moreover, all experiments are result oriented. However,
for this result to obtained, data should be collected, analyzed for accuracy and then evaluated
according to concrete scientific facts and phenomena. As such, data collection is an important part
of experiment especially during evaluation of the whole procedures.
Just like experiments, scientific data collection methods have greatly diversified due to advanced
scientific technology. Gone are the days where data was collected manually. With this improvement
in technology, the whole process can be computerized and data automatically collected and updated
on a programmed system. This is largely used in computer aided manufacturing. Similarly one does
not have to keep one checking the proceedings so as to update data. Such systems can be
programmed to update on their on at a set interval of time (Franklin, 2009). However, other simple
data collection methods can too be incorporated together with the advanced data collection methods
so as to achieve better and more accurate results. For example, observation is the simplest method
of data collection that applies to all experiments.
Advanced modern data collection methods may involve a number of aspects. What determines the
type of method to be used is the kind of experiment or the reactants used in the experiment.
Moreover, the expected results can also be used to determine the method and equipments to be
employed. There are complex experiments such as thermal management experiments that require
advanced data collection methods. In thermal analysis, data that should be collected include heat
changes with time. As such, simple methods such as feeling or observing may not apply due to the
complexity nature of the data to be collected. More advanced methods such as heat gauges and
thermal equipments such as TECs, heat spreaders amd PCB plane thickness can be used to collect
data. Temperature changes can be monitored through the use of thermometer and heat gauges.
The readings can then be loaded into the control/monitoring program for analysis at the end of the
experiment.
A machines stress analysis and fatigue life prediction experiment may involve various data collection
methods. As the experiment itself suggests, it involves more complex procedures. Bauer (1992)
states:
When dealing with stress analysis and fatigue life prediction experiment, run FEA to find out the
maximum stress, strain, deformation or deflection and their locations. Recommend modification to
meet the strength and/or stiffness requirements. We can predict the fatigue life based the FEA
results and S-N or ï•¥-N curves. Acoustic analysis can also be performed in the similar way after
converting acoustic energy to the force energy. (p. 63).
As such, data collection in such an experiment may involve diverse collection and recording
methods. Among the data to be collected and record include pressure and force changes.
Shock and vibration experiments may involve data collection of information such the revolutions per
minute. Shock and vibration experiments are usually done on moving parts of the engine or vehicle
body. Not only are severe vibrations uncomfortable in the general running of the engine, but also can
be adverse because the can make joints to be loose due to the back and forth movements during
vibration. A good engine should have minimized vibration, a property that show that several parts of
the engine are tightened properly (Burks, 1977). On the other hand, there are some parts that
vibrations are desirable. As such, monitoring vibrations of any running engine experiment or actual
engine is very important. The monitoring can involve tests and data collection. Among the data to be
collected may include revolution per minute RPM of various shafts, wheel wobbles among others.
There are various measuring equipments that can be used to collect this data.
There are minor data collection methods that can be used to collect various types of data for various
experiments. These minor methods may not be advanced as such. However, they are used together
with other advanced and more modern ones. For example, an experiment involving speeds,
equipments such as speedometers can be used to determine the changes in speed with time.
Similarly, where time is involves a simple stop watch can be used as a method of collecting data. On
the other hand, the proceedings of an experiment can be recorded visually on a VCD or DVD for
analysis to be done later on. This will call for the use of digital cameras and camcorders. A video
record is always efficient as it records the real proceedings on moving pictures. Moreover, the
recorded DVD or VCD can be reminded over and over again during data analysis to pin point any
trouble shout if any. This can be applicable on complex mechanical experiments that need proper
scrutiny during analysis. Sampling is another minor data collection method that can be used to
collect data.

Conclusion
Mechanical engineering is a very diverse area of engineering. It is an area that involves a lot of
scientific phenomena. Moreover, mechanical engineering applies various other concepts from other
engineering fields such as electrical and structural engineering. As such, the area has always been
on the urge for more new and better innovations. Advanced scientific technology has been the main
reason for this push for new innovations. Through advanced manufacturing various experiments
have been done with the goal of discovering new dynamics of science techniques. However, a good
experiment should be worker friendly. More over, the experimental designs should be pocket
friendly. A good proposal should put in consideration capital put in during preparation. In addition,
there should be control measures that oversee the whole experiment procedures. Therefore, there
should be proper data collection methods and the data collected analyzed in the laboratory during
material testing and problem solving.