Browsing by Autor "Watson L. Vargas"

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Distribución de fuerzas en medios granulares no cohesivos: Observaciones experimentales y computacionales
(Military University Nueva Granada, 2005) Watson L. Vargas; Juan Carlos Murcia
La comprensión de las propiedades mecánicas de los medios granulares es importante en aplicaciones de Ingeniería civil, Ingeniería química, ciencias geofísicas al igual que en otras áreas del conocimiento. Es bien sabido que las fuerzas dentro de un medio granular se distribuyen siguiendo una red altamente no-lineal de partículas bajo esfuerzo. Las fuerzas por arriba del promedio se concentran en una red de “cadenas de esfuerzo” que soportan la gran mayoría de la carga, mientras que existen partículas dentro del lecho que se encuentran prácticamente aisladas de sus vecinas y que no soportan carga alguna. Dado que las fuerzas inter-partícula y su distribución determinan las propiedades macroscópicas de un sistema granular, dicho comportamiento tiene consecuencias muy importantes en fenómenos de transporte tales como conducción de calor, propagación de sonido y conducción eléctrica. En este trabajo se presentan resultados de una investigación tanto experimental como computacional sobre el comportamiento de la distribución de esfuerzos en un medio granular estático. Los resultados expuestos proveen conocimientos nuevos sobre la física de medios granulares y complementan observaciones previas.
Impacto inelástico de una partícula sobre una superficie
(Military University Nueva Granada, 2016) Watson L. Vargas; Lyda M. Pineda; Juan Carlos Murcia
En este estudio se presentan fundamentos básicos sobre la evaluación experimental del coeficiente de restitución aplicando tres métodos de estimación diferentes. Experimentalmente se ha estudiado la colisión normal de una esfera sin rotación sobre una pared plana lisa, explorando un rango significativo de materiales, velocidades de impacto y tamaños de partícula. Los resultados muestran la consistencia de las tres metodologías, las cuales rinden información complementaria. Se ha aplicado un modelo simplificado que reproduce de manera satisfactoria las observaciones experimentales.
Integrating Multi-scale Approaches and Innovation into Product and Process Design in Chemical Engineering Curricula
(2015) Watson L. Vargas; Óscar Álvarez; Jorge M. Gómez
Abstract Integrating Multi-scale Approaches and Innovation into Product and Process Design in Chemical Engineering Curricula AbstractEngineering education is fundamental in enhancing the well-being of people and theenvironment, and therefore, it is important to take the necessary steps to develop it and enhanceit. There is no secret in the fact that education translates into development particularly if a highquality education is provided in the so—called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering andMathematics) fields. Finding the most effective ways to teach students and translate that learninginto productive skills is an everyday challenge in engineering education. Current research showsthat educational quality, more than quantity, has a causal impact on economic growth. The samecan be said of innovation which drives competitiveness.In today’s increasingly competitive global economy, science, technology, and innovationcapacity building can no longer be seen as a luxury, suitable primarily for wealthier, moreeconomically dynamic countries. Rather, if developing nations hope to prosper in the globaleconomy, and if government leaders expect globalization to foster sustainable development andsustainable poverty reduction, strong STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) capacitybuilding is an absolute necessity. For developing nations, globalization is not a choice, but areality. To compete in world markets in the so-called knowledge age, developing economiescannot depend only on geography, natural resources or cheap labor. They can only flourish onbrainpower, organization, and innovation. Is in such a context that curricular reform ofengineering programs becomes an important issue.Currently, there are two frontiers of engineering, each of which has to do with multi-scales intime and space and each of which is associated with increasing levels of complexity. One frontierhas to do with smaller and smaller spatial scales and faster time scales, the world of so-calledbio/nano/info. The other frontier has to do with larger systems of great complexity and,generally, of significant importance to society. This is the world of energy, environment, food,manufacturing, product design and development, logistics, health care, and communications.This frontier addresses some of the most demanding challenges to the future of the world. Manyof these challenges are the challenges that current and future engineering students have to facewhether the skills for dealing with such difficult problems are imparted on them or not.In this contribution we will provide a quick look at how a Chemical Engineering Department in adeveloping nation is dealing with the insertion in their current curricula of multi-scaleapproaches to product and process design as well as the incorporation of innovation initiativesboth for curricular reform and the developing of skills for creative thinking and entrepreneurshipin future Chemical Engineers, whose purpose is that of changing the local stereotype of ChemicalEngineers as only problem solvers of a well-defined technical problems for that of a professionalincreasingly skilled in understanding value creation and management of such generated value.Specific examples of implementations both at undergraduate and graduate level will bepresented.