Laboratory Automation

The Federal Highway Administration's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Research Laboratory is adding the ability to manipulate its various data collection sensors and other physical modeling apparatus under preprogrammed computer control.  

The automated flume carriage fitted to the main flume.

From the main flume's automated carriage, data on flow characteristics (velocities, depths, etc.) can be collected across the width of the flume.  In addition, cross sections of the stream bed may be measured optically at any number of points along the flume allowing detailed collection of scour hole geometry. 

The carriage is a node on the laboratory's computer network so its sensors may be programmed and manipulated from any of the laboratory's workstations.