MAE244 REPORT b. 1

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A LAB REPORT

Many young engineers find that writing a good lab report is a difficult task and those who have “mastered” this task found that it took hours of practice. Report writing is an important part of any project. Its purpose is to tell other people, not nearly as familiar about the experiment as the experimenter, what was done, how it was done, why it was done, and having done it, what the results and conclusions are (Doyle, 1987). It also helps the experimenter to organize his thoughts and is a permanent record of the work that can be referenced at a later date. The lab report should be concise, legible and well organized. The format provided below is designed to help students learn how to communicate results from the experiments performed in this class. It will be followed throughout the semester.

Lab Report Format

1. Cover Sheet

a) Experiment Titleb) Experimenter’s Namec) Group Numberd) Course Section and Instructor’s Namee) Date of experiment performed

2. Introduction (1 page double-spaced maximum length)

a) Background information as to why the experiment is being performedb) Brief review of theoryc) Clearly state the questions (or objectives) that are intended to be answered in this experiment.d) Briefly describe the experiment that will be used to answer the questions posed.

3. Schematic (1 page per experiment)

The schematic is the only reference you will have as to how the experiment was set up and performed. It is the "experimental procedure". Therefore, it should be descriptive and representative of the experiment. These following guidelines must be followed:

a) Draw the set-up (3-D drawing is encouraged)b) Label all equipmentc) Draw all connections using straight edged) Where multiple connections are required, add notes to avoid confusione) Add notes insofar as it is necessary to explain procedures that are not

readily apparent.f) Additional pages of detailed drawings (e.g. specimens) can be added as

necessary but should be kept to a minimum. Lab handout drawings may also be included in the appendix and referenced as necessary.

1

MAE244 REPORT b. 2

4. Analysis of Results

This section should include answers to the questions posed in the Report section of the lab handout. The section is divided into two sub-headings:

a) Data Reduction - here an outline is presented of the methods used to reduce the data. Equations should be introduced, followed by an explanation of each term in the equation followed by a reference to a sample calculation in the appendix.

Example: The bending stress was calculated using the equation from simple beam theory

Mc

I (1)

(1)

where is the bending stress, M is the applied moment, c is the distance from the neutral axis to the point of interest and I is the moment of inertia. The moment is calculated using .......(etc.). Sample calculation #1 of bending stress is given in the appendix C.

b) Comparisons - Graphs and tables requested from the report section are included in this section. Comparisons with expected results or with other experimental results also should be placed in this section. See comments on tables and graphs in "Important Tips on Writing a Lab Report."

5. Discussion

The Discussion section is for evaluating the experiment by discussing the results, the comparisons and the limitations. To aid in preparing the discussion, the Report section of the lab handouts have questions in Italics that should be addressed in this section. The answers to these questions as well as general conclusions and limitations that need be added should be placed in the following sub-headings.

a) Conclusions - clearly state the conclusions to the questions posed in the Introduction as derived from the experiment. The conclusion should be well supported by the results. As an example, "Good correlation (r = 0.99, or % difference < 5%) between theory and experimental results indicate that linear beam theory is a good assumption for the aluminum beam in bending." The questions posed in the introduction would have been "Is linear beam theory applicable for a thin aluminum beam in bending?” The section must also discuss answers to the questions posed in the report section of the handout.

b) Limitations and Experimental Error - Limitations to the experiment and theory as well as possible reasons for experimental error should be discussed. Limitations consist of those things the experimenter would have liked to show by

2

MAE244 REPORT b. 3

experiment or by analysis but were not able to due to the limitations of the experiment or the theory. Experimental error can consist of two types: (1) those that are a result of the experimental design (e.g. boundary conditions, misalignment, load rate, etc.) or limitations of the equipment used (e.g. inadequate number of digits for measuring resistance when high precision is required); and (2) those types caused by the experimenter (e.g. improperly recording data, bumping the test fixture, etc.). The second type of error will be minimized by proper laboratory technique. Therefore, when errors are discussed, reports should focus on error type (1) and not "human error", unless the human error is clearly indicated.

This section should also address questions pertaining to specific questions in the Report section that pertain to limitations and error.

6. References

List any pertinent references (if any) that may have been used in preparation of the report.

7. Appendix

This section contains all supplementary material that is referred to in the report, such as handouts, raw data in the data sheet, sample calculations, and in general, anything that would clutter up the report if it were located elsewhere.

THE ABOVE REPORT GUIDELINE MUST BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO OR THE REPORT WILL BE RETURNED WITH NO GRADE!!

3

MAE244 REPORT b. 4

Short Lab Report

A short report is to be hand-written (neatly please) on engineering paper. If you already have it typed, or If you prefer to have it typed, it is also acceptable.

The following is parts of the short report in sequence:

1. A cover page. Cover page contains: - Experiment Title - Experimenter's Name - Group Number - Course Number (MAE 244) and Instructor's Name (Dr. Sierros) - Date of Experiment Performed

2. Simple Schematic: - It may be drawn in 3D (2D is okay too). Please use a straight edge.- Or to save time, instead of drawing it, you may use a digital picture (picture may be printed on regular white paper, instead of on engineering paper).- All major components must be labeled (what needs to be labeled will be announced in the lab or by email)- Feel free to add your own pictures and/or drawings.

3. Analysis of Results: The questions in the handout guides you in performing the analysis. Refer to the questions in the handout. Only questions that are typed in regular letters are the ones that needs to be answered in this section. Plots from spreadsheet programs on regular white papers may be included in this section. Also, this section does not have to be divided into a separate "Data- Reduction" and "Comparisons" sections (as shown in the "GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A LAB REPORT"), however, which equations that are being used must be shown as you are answering the questions. note: You don't have to show any equation when performing regression (such as in finding the slope of the stress strain curve by linear regression).

4. Discussion: Almost similar to the analysis section but slightly different, only questions that are typed in italics are to be answered in this discussion section. Answers must be clearly supported by the results by including numbers (for example ..% difference was small...% difference < 5%). At the end of this section, limitations and experimental errors must be listed. Any possible source of error that was observed during the experiment, or that was introduced when performing the analysis should be mentioned. 5. Appendix: The raw data sheet must be included in this section. This is very important as it will aid the instructor/grader in confirming your analysis results. If a raw data sheet is lost or misplaced, obtain a copy from your group mate, or contact me so I can arrange a copy to be emailed or given to you. You may also include any other material that is related to this lab in this section (optional).

4