Fluid Mechanics: Broad Crested Weir Project

What it was: A fluid mechanics course project for CIVE 1170, where our team designed a 3D-printable weir extension kit to help high school students visualize open-channel flow concepts on a lab-scale flume.

What it covered: 

• Applying Bernoulli's equation and the continuity equation to derive a broad-crested weir discharge relationship

• Designing the weir geometry in TinkerCAD for 3D printing in PLA, sized to fit an Armfield teaching flume

• Predicting flow rate and head relationships, with a plan to validate against experimental data

• An entrepreneurial mindset reflection connecting the design to real-world stormwater engineering and its educational value

My role: Iled a five-person team,  helping to deligate tasks and schedule meeting times. I contributed to the hydraulic calculations, design documentation, and the accompanying infographic summarizing the project for a general audience.

Outcome: The design gives high school students a low-cost, reusable, hands-on way to see hydraulic principles in action, the same broad-crested weir concept municipal engineers use to manage stormwater detention basins.