Dr. Russell V. Westphal
Professor & Coordinator
Mechanical Engineering Program
Tri-Cities Branch Campus
School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Washington State University

Teaching for 2006

• ME 404 HEAT TRANSFER (3 cr) Tues/Thurs 4:15-5:30 pm SPRING 2006
• ME 406 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN (3 cr) Tues 7:15-8:05 pm & lab work by arrgmt. SPRING 2006
• ME 220 MATERIALS LAB (1 cr lab) Tues 7-10 pm SUMMER 2006
• ME 311 MANUFACTURING LAB (1 cr lab) Thurs 7-10 pm SUMMER 2006
• ME 305 THERMAL AND FLUIDS LAB (1 cr lec, 1 cr lab) lecture: Mon 8:40-9:30pm; lab: Tues 7-10 pm FALL 2006
• ME 401 MECHATRONICS (2 cr lec, 1 cr lab) lecture: Tues 5:45-7:25 pm & lab: Thurs 5:45-8:45 pm FALL 2006

Teaching for 2007 (draft)

• ME 220 MATERIALS LAB (1 cr lab) Tues 7:15-10 pm SPRING 2007
• ME 439 APPLIED AERODYNAMICS (3 cr) Tues/Thurs 4:15-5:30 pm SPRING 2007
• ME 406 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN (3 cr) Mon 4:15-5:05 pm & lab work by arrgmt. SPRING 2007
• ME 305 THERMAL AND FLUIDS LAB (1 cr lec, 1 cr lab) lecture: Mon 8:40-9:30pm; lab: Tues 7-10 pm FALL 2007
• ME 521 FLUID MECHANICS I (3 cr) Tues/Thurs 4:15-5:30 pm FALL 2007

Research interests

• autonomous flow measurements in flight
• low-cost experimental apparatus and measurement techniques for fluid flow
• advanced pressure probe anemometry methods
• oil film interferometric skin friction measurement
• flow phenomena responsible for drag and heat transfer
• viscous flow on wings
• forced convection electronic cooling
• wind turbine aerodynamic performance and design

Recent Publications

• "A Compact, Self-Contained System for Boundary Layer Measurements In Flight", (with M. Bleazard, A. Drake, A. Bender, S. Jordan, and D. Frame), AIAA-2006-3828, presented at AIAA 24th Aerodynamic Measurement Technology and Ground Testing Conference, June 2006, San Francisco, CA
• "Generalized Response Functions for Pressure Probe Anemometry", Proceedings of the 54th Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, American Physical Society, Seattle WA November 2004
• "Cascade Throat Flow Measurements Using a Rotatable Single-Hole Pressure Probe", (with A. Ortega), AIAA-2004-2601, AIAA Gas Turbine and Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Conference, June 30-July 2, 2004, Portland, OR.
• "Skin Friction and Heat Transfer in the Impingement Region of a Slot Jet", (with A. Ortega and J. Wodrich), Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Fluid Control, Measurement, and Visualization, August 25-28, 2003, Sorrento, Italy.
• "Interferometric Skin Friction Footprint for Tripped Boundary Layers", (with A. Drake, R. Kennelly, and D. Driver) Best of the Gallery of Fluid Motion, publication scheduled for 2003.
• "Rotatable Single-Hole Pressure Probe for Flow Velocity and Direction", AIAA 2002-3138, presented at AIAA 22nd Aerodynamic Measurement Technology and Ground Testing Conference, 24-26 June 2002, St. Louis, MO

Research & Projects

• Prototype Preston tube system for in-flight skin friction measurement (2006; WSU students: Mark Bleazard, Derek Dixon; WSU staff: D. Frame, S. Jordan)
• Prototype boundary layer survey system for in-flight profile measurement (2005; sponsor: Northrop Grumman; collaborators: A. Drake, A. Bender; WSU student: Mark Bleazard; WSU staff: D. Frame, S. Jordan)
• PNNL's "SENSORFISH": data for trajectory model (2005; sponsor: PNNL; collaborator: M. Richmond; WSU student: Sita Devi)
• Modelling of thawing of frozen fruit juice (2005-2006; WSU student Nathan Whitcomb)
• Direct measurement of heat sink flow bypass (2005-2006; WSU student: Dean Crockett)
• Manufacturing tolerance requirements for laminar flow wings (sponsor: Northrop Grumman, 2004; collaborators: A. Drake, A. Bender, and A. Vavra; WSU students: Mark Bleazard & )
• Probe calibration, flow quality, transition (sponsor: Northrop Grumman, 2004; collaborators: A. Drake and A. Vavra; WSU students: Rajesh Vedula & Mark Bleazard)
• Rotatable single-hole pressure probe applications (sponsor: Northrop Grumman, 2002-2003; collaborators: A. Drake and C. Martin; WSU students: Justin Williams and Chris Breeding)
• Impinging slot jet flow (Univ. Arizona, 2002-2003; collaborators: A. Ortega and J. Wodrich)
• 3-D Flow in turbine blade passageway (Univ Arizona, 2002-2004; collaborator: A. Ortega)
• Flow bypass models for convective cooling with finned arrays (Univ. Arizona, 2002-2003; collaborators: A. Ortega, M. Udenata, B. Dogruz)
• Ellipsometry for oil films (2002; MS student Jeff Morris)
• Pressure probe response and calibration (sponsor: Boeing 2001, Boeing collaborator J. P. Crowder, with Martin Prather and BS student Mike Toyooka)
• Development of next-generation single-tube yawmeter: the "Chu tube" (Student/collaborators: Les Walling (summer 95) - new mechanical design & calibration research, Dustin Dobson (summer 98) - roll calibration, Dan Wandler (summer 97) - extendable shield design/performance), Martin Prather (1999-2000) - calibration, implementation, uncertainty
• Tripping of wing model boundary layers for wind tunnel testing (sponsor: NASA Ames Research Center 96-98) (WSU-TC PhD student: Aaron Drake (completed May 1998); senior project students: Tracy Hawkins & Teresa Knox (summer 1998 award-winning project); NASA Ames collaborators: Rob Kennelly, Dave Driver)
• Soap film "wind tunnel" for simulation of boundary layer flow phenomena
• Analysis of a novel wind turbine (sponsor: Washington Technology Center, 97-98) (collaboration with Cirrus Technologies; WSU-TC student: Sarah Barker)
• Contractionless low-speed wind tunnel (student collaborators: Aaron Drake, Mark Peres, Cherlyn Kelser)
• Oil film skin friction interferometer uncertainty (MS student: Scott Estey - evaporation... transport properties, theory, and measurement; completed May 1998)
• Oil film interferometry enhancements for transonic/supersonic wind tunnel tests (sponsor: NASA Ames Research Center 94-95) (collaborators: Rob Kennelly, George Mateer, Dave Driver at NASA Ames)
• Oil film skin friction interferometer quantitative analysis (sponsor: Boeing 95-96) and technique improvements (collaborators: Rob Kennelly & Dave Driver at NASA Ames, Jacqueline Bays-Muchmore & Tim Purcell at Boeing) (Ph.D. student: Aaron Drake)
• Demonstration-scale Stirling engine (student collaborators: Tren Cramer, Dana Miller S2000)
• Demonstration-scale hydraulic rams (student collaborators: Tony James S99, Mike VanCorbach S2000 )
• Low-cost air data system for vehicle-based and other aero/fluid testing
  (student collaborators: Jim Roal, Eric Richman, and Aaron Drake)

Other Activities & Interests

• ASME student section faculty advisor
• Coordinator/instructor for Mechanical Engineer's License Review course
• WSU Tri-Cities Student Research Symposium Organizing Committee, 1999-2001
• WSU Committees: WSU MME Undergraduate & Graduate Studies Cttees, MME Curriculum Advisory Cttee, MME Internal Advisory Group, WSU-TC Resident Faculty Organization (former Chair)


• Favorites...
  • Favorite computer: Toshiba 3505, a TABLET PC... if you ever wished you could annotate with a pen directly on screen (think LECTURE/PRESENTATION), you will LOVE a "Tablet" PC coupled with the extended version of Windows XP for Tablet.
  • Favorite gearhead TV ad: Honda's UK ad for their new Accord, no contest (click here for more on this fantastic ad)
  • Favorite gearhead ME WEB site:eMachineShop has its own downloadable CAD software, allowing you to draw something and then order it made and delivered to you!
  • Favorite WEB museum: COOL CLICK!
  • Favorite junk man: MONTE HOLM
  • Favorite gadjet sites...
    • Low-cost solutions for interfacing stuff with your computer from B & B Electronics
    • If you MUST tinker, you MUST read Nuts & Volts Magazine
    • Control stuff with codes transmitted via AC power lines using X-10 protocol from SMARTHOME.COM
  • Favorite free WINDOWS software tools...
    • GNUPLOT: a fine, scriptable engineering plotting program... plot data, functions, 3-D too
    • TClockEx: makes your WINDOWS clock into a thing of beauty
    • ATNOTES: notes and a calendar for your WINDOWS desktop
    • NOTEPAD: OK, you have this little text editor with Windows, but have you tried the .LOG feature? Put this file in your startup folder and you have a nice place to store a daily log (phone calls, reminders, etc.) with automatic time/date stamp of entries.

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