Computation and Experimentation on the Web with Application to Internal Combustion Engines

The internal combustion (IC) engine is a complex engineering system with rich thermal/fluid science applications. We have developed Web‐based software written in Java to introduce thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer applications typical of IC engines. In addition, an “on‐line” engine research facility has been constructed to allow engine experimentation over the laboratory Internet using Web browsers. We include a discussion of pedagogical guidelines to be considered for effective on‐line experiments. The engine hardware and architecture of the data acquisition/control/ communication systems are described.