Format of Lab Reports

MEC 531 Mechanics of Deformable Bodies

To have a neat and concise report is addressed. Use 12 point font size in typing and the length of the main text should be within 10 pages. The report usually contains the following.
Cover page Lab # and title Course # and lab section # Names, ID# of authors Date of lab session completed Date of the report submission Name of the GA Executive Summary Provide a brief description of the objectives, procedure, results and conclusions in ~ 250 words. Objectives Provide a short statement of the goals of the lab, such as to familiarize the participants with some specific measurement techniques and associated instrumentation for obtaining certain parameters or to verify certain relations or theory, to better understand the theoretical background and assumptions (if any) of the lab involved topic(s), and to know the data and error analysis procedures. Description of experiment(s) Provide detailed description of the test setup used to obtain the test results. The description should be clear enough to allow future followers to learn and run a successful test using the same setup. Provide also the procedures, steps and precautions followed in doing the experiments, tests or measurements. Describe also the test parameters and how they were chosen. The description should include the type of the experiment or test, the material tested, and the apparatus used, with an illustration or photo of each piece of the actual setup. Figures should be numbered and with a proper caption. If necessary, detailed descriptions of main apparatus can be contained in an appendix, which should, if possible, include the make, model and serial number, the specification for the material and the material samples geometry. The appendix should be referred to in the text of the report. Results Raw data or measurements may be placed in an appendix. The result section should include equations and calculated results, and results presented in graphs and tables. Provide brief illustration on how the results are obtained and leave detailed result explanations and interpretation to Discussion section. The graphs and tables must have captions or headings, and be referred in the text of the report. Discussions and conclusions Provide detained discussion on the results of the experiment or test. Include the data interpretation, error analysis such as error sources and magnitude (in absolute and relative terms). For material properties, compare the experimental results to published data. In case the results obtained go beyond prior expectation, explain the possible reasons. Explain also new findings if any. Final conclusions should be made referring to the objectives of the lab. Appendices Include all equations (original, intermittent and final), calculations that are used leading to the final results. Each appendix should then be clearly labeled with a title.