Tesla turbine as a student learning tool

![CDATA[The aim of this paper is to present an example of a challenging engineering project given to students in their final year of study, as it embodies all the facets of engineering research and through this, facilitates students’ learning by self-discovery. Challenges include a literature survey, formulation of the principal analytical elements of the flow mechanism, designing of the machine, liaising with the workshop during its manufacture, helping in its assembly and testing, data generation, analysis and interpretation. Finally, writing an engineering report rounds off the exercise considered by this author to be a valuable pedagogic tool because of the above challenges that prepare the student for the next step: working in industry or follow a research path. The turbine was built and designed in the UWS School of Engineering based on the patent lodged by Nikola Tesla in 1913 and was used in the study of different aspects of its operation by several generations of students under the author’s supervision. This paper focuses on the pedagogical aspects of the project topic and offers comments that highly endorse this type of approach when deciding on the type of a project for students to tackle.]]