"Smart" pumps: A cautionary tale of human factors engineering

In hydraulic engineering, sluice gates are essential for managing water flow through channels, reservoirs, and irrigation systems. Sluice gates, acting as vertical barriers, regulate water by adjusting the gate's opening height, which changes the velocity and pressure of water flowing beneath the gate. Understanding the forces involved is crucial to designing sluice gates that can withstand dynamic pressure differences, especially when the gate is closed or partially open.
Key variables in...

Concrete in large quantities can be pumped across long distances for placing in inaccessible sites. This system comprises a hopper that receives concrete from a mixer, a pump to propel the concrete, and pipelines that facilitate its delivery.
For direct-acting pumps, the concrete enters the pump via the inlet valve under the action of gravity and suction created by the movement of the piston. This concrete is then forced into the pipeline and out through the outlet valve by the forward movement...

Scaled hydraulic models of dam spillways provide a practical way to replicate and study the intricate flow dynamics of these structures. Often built to a 1:15 ratio, these models allow for observing critical water behavior, such as velocity distribution, flow patterns, and energy dissipation.

Fluid mechanics model studies often utilize scaled-down systems to predict fluid behavior in full-scale environments, such as river flows, dam spillways, and structures interacting with open surfaces. Maintaining Froude number similarity in river models is crucial, as it replicates surface flow features like wave patterns and velocities.

The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) was first proposed by Susan Fiske and her colleagues (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002; see also Fiske, 2012 and Fiske, 2017). The SCM specifies that when someone encounters a new group, they will stereotype them based on two metrics: warmth—or that group’s perceived intent, and how likely they are to provide help or inflict harm—and competence—or their ability to carry out that objective. Depending on the warmth-competence categorization, a person will feel...

When designing a water slide, controlling the speed of water flow is crucial for rider safety while maintaining an exciting experience. As water flows down the slide, gravity causes it to accelerate, with its speed at the bottom depending on the height from which it starts. The higher the slide, the more potential energy the water has at the top, which is converted into kinetic energy as it descends, increasing its speed.
Bernoulli's principle determines the water's velocity along the slide.