Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

The Effect Of Zephyr Layer Orientation On Zephyrboard Made From Oil Palm Petiole, Lusita Wardani, Muhamad Yusram Massijaya, Yusuf Sudo Hadi, I Wayan Darmawan

Makara Journal of Technology

It is very important to utilize oil palm petiole for the production of zephyr boards. This study aimed to analyze the effect of layer orientation on zephyr board quality. Zephyr boards were made with three coating patterns (A = cross perpendicular, B= combine A and C, and C= paralell) and five zephyr layers using urea formaldehyde adhesive. They were pressed for 20 min at a pressure of 25 kgf/cm² and a temperature 120 ºC, to a target density of 0.80 g/cm³ and a size of 300 mm X 300 mm X 12 mm. Our results showed that the physical and …

Team Poly Cup, John Adkins, Scott W. Hart, Elise Kiland

Mechanical Engineering

This project involves the use of mechanical engineering expertise to develop, design, and create a functioning prototype of a collapsible coffee cup. The prototype is to be designed to the specifications given by Jason Blum, the project sponsor. Allowances may be given for design freedom as specified by Jason Blum. The goal of this project is to create a product which may replace the both the disposable coffee cups distributed at coffee shops as well as to create a product which may replace the traditional travel mug due to its increased portability.

Team Poly Cup has worked throughout the year …

Transit As An Alternative Mode Of Transportation: A Case Study Of Its Usage, Availability, Patterns And Value For Non-Commuter Trips, Sara Hardman

Honors Theses

The mode of transportation a user picks impacts the environment, the social environment, and the user himself/herself. While research on alternative modes of transportation is prevalent in both the engineering and sociology fields, little attention has been given to the choices people make concerning how they run errands and other social trips, focusing instead on commuter trips. This case study examines three different shopping malls and the surrounding bus stops in order to determine the role distance plays in bus usage and the value that shopping centers place on access to local bus routes. Determination of the value and potential …

Dynamic Characteristic Identification Of Seismic-Excited Multi-Story Buildings Through Response-Only Technique, Agung Budipriyanto, Priyo Suprobo

Makara Journal of Technology

Identifying dynamic characteristics of civil engineering structures is still a challenging task. It intends to assess behavior of the structures under time-dependent loads. This paper discusses a methodology suitable for identifying the characteristics of multi-story buildings using only their measured response under earthquake ground excitations. Appropriateness of technique used for structural identification was corroborated through coherence of the structure’s responses. The methodology was applied for identifying the characteristics of 14-story and 20-story office buildings located in a high seismic region. Responses of these two buildings recorded during three different seismic ground motions were investigated. The buildings’ response spectral densities and …

Free Vibrations Of Interspersed Railway Track Systems In Three-Dimensional Space, Sakdirat Kaewunruen, Alex M. Remennikov, Akira Aikawa, Hirotaka Sakai

Sakdirat Kaewunruen

Statistically, the actual loading conditions for railway tracks are rather dynamic and transient. The dynamic loadings due to train and track interactions redistribute from the rails to the rail pad, from the rail pad to the railway sleeper, and from the railway sleeper to the underlying ground. Commonly, railway sleeper in track systems is modeled as a beam on elastic foundation. This study makes use of a calibrated finite element model of railway sleepers in a track system, in order to investigate the resonant frequencies and associated mode shapes of railway components in interspersed track systems. The numerical model takes …

Dynamic Responses Of Railway Bridge Ends: A Systems Performance Improvement By Application Of Ballast Glue/Bond, Sakdirat Kaewunruen

Sakdirat Kaewunruen

Accelerated deterioration of railway bridge approaches often induces downtime or restricted railway operation; and importantly causes more frequent maintenance, which is costly and time-consuming. Such deterioration is believed to occur because of high dynamic impact loading from: the difference of stiffness between the railway track and the bridge; and the poor condition of the track support at the bridge ends. The abrupt change in track stiffness often causes accelerated degradation of the track geometry and components and poor ride quality, demanding higher maintenance. There are a number of improvement programs that have been implemented in order to provide a smooth …

Mechanical Design And Analysis Of A 1-U Cubesat, Ben Kading, Jeremy Straub, Ronald Marsh

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter Small Spacecraft De-velopment Initiative seeks to create a low-cost, easy-to-assemble CubeSat1 design that can be produced with a parts budget of under USD$5,0002. In [1], an initial design was presented; this design was enhanced in [3] and has been revised further. The current design, which has switched focus from defining specifications, requirements and constraints to identifying real parts which meet these previously defined constraints, is presented herein.

Development Of Nhtsa’S Side Impact Test Procedure For Child Restraint Systems Using A Deceleration Sled : Part 1, Janet Brelin-Fornari, Sheryl Janca

Mechanical Engineering Grants

This report presents the results of the research and development of the child seat side impact tests performed at Kettering University’s Crash Safety Center for NHTSA. The tests were conducted using a deceleration sled. The objective of this testing was to obtain data for the development of a side impact test procedure for child restraint systems.

Junior Design: Automatic Page Turner, Matthew Stewart, Jesse Mcintire, Seth Tilson, Hector Ortiz, Ed Meserve

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

This project details the design and build process of an automatic pageturner. The primary goal of this project is to design and manufacture a product that not only has an efficient operation, but is easy to use for people with disabilities and minimal assistance. The device will consist of a mechanical structure to support the book, an electrical system to facilitate the turning of pages in both directions, and additional features to support comfort and readability, such as LED reading lights.

Hand Prosthesis, Tru Nguyen, Aaron Delano, Kyle M. Green, Jorge Maderal, Cody Poland

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

This project deals with engineering students’ prosthetic hand design, submitted to the University of Southern Maine’s engineering department. The primary goal of the prosthetic hand design is to allow an impaired individual to grasp and hold everyday objects ranging from a toothbrush to a jug of milk. The project consists of three teams each designing their respective portion of the prosthetic device. The teams will deal with three specific design areas; computer aided design of the mechanism, electronic integration, and manufacturing implementation. The design team turns notebook doodles into virtual models in SolidWorks. The electronics team will control a battery …

Particle Deposition On Superhydrophobic Surfaces By Sessile Droplet Evaporation, Mercy G. Dicuangco

Open Access Theses

Prediction and active control of the spatial distribution of particulate deposits obtained from sessile droplet evaporation is essential in ink-jet printing, nanostructure assembly, biotechnology, and other applications that require localized deposits. In recent years, sessile droplet evaporation on bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces has become an attractive method for depositing materials on a site-specific, localized region, but is less explored compared to evaporative deposition on hydrophilic surfaces. It is therefore of interest to understand particle deposition during droplet evaporation on superhydrophobic surfaces to enable accurate prediction and tunable control of localized deposits on such surfaces. The purpose of the present work is …

Quantitative Imaging Of Radiation Intensity From A Turbulent Sooting Flame, Robert Kapaku

Open Access Theses

Quantitative imaging of radiation intensity (QIRI) is a method of investigating temporally and spatially resolved radiation from species and particulates in turbulent flames. The current study reports quantitative images of radiation intensity from a turbulent ethylene flame that matches the Reynolds number (15,200) of a non-sooting flame from the International Workshop on Measurement and Computation of Turbulent Non-premixed Flames. A calibrated high-speed infrared camera with four band-pass filters was used to acquire images of radiation intensity in wavelengths corresponding to carbon dioxide, water vapor, and soot. The luminous flame measurements show thin radiating structures corresponding to soot layers and higher …

Unsteady Forces On A Spherical Particle Accelerating Or Decelerating In An Initially Stagnant Fluid, Yashas Mudlapur Phaneesh Keshav

Open Access Theses

Flows with particles play an important role in a number of engineering applications. These include trajectories of droplets in sprays in fuel-injected-reciprocating-piston and gas-turbine engines, erosion of materials due to particle impact on a surface, and deposition of materials on surfaces by impinging droplets or particles that could solidify or bond on impact. For these applications, it is important to understand the forces that act on the particles so that their trajectories could be predicted.

Considerable work has been done on understanding the forces acting on spherical particles, where the Reynolds numbers (Rep ) based on the particle …

Phase Field Modeling Of Shear Yielding And Crazing In Glassy Polymer, Yunzhe Mao

Open Access Theses

Glassy polymers are very important in industrial and commercial components manufacturing. For instance, it is used to manufacture polymer-matrix composites, the type of composite used in the Dreamliner 787. But this kind of material is also limited by its tendency to fail in brittle manner. In this study, we use phase field model to characterize the yielding condition of glassy amorphous polymer under a wide range of loading conditions. The main failure mechanisms in amorphous glassy polymers, such as poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA), are crazing and shear yielding. Crazing is formed because of the nucleation of micro-voids in the location of stress …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of The Air Distribution In An Airliner Cabin, Wei Liu

Open Access Theses

Nowadays, more people, including those with impaired health or who are otherwise potentially sensitive to the cabin environment, are traveling by air than ever before. The flying public demands a higher comfort level and a cleaner environment because they encounter a combination of environmental factors including low humidity, low air pressure, and sometimes, exposure to air contaminants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, various organic chemicals, and biological agents. Moreover, international air travel has increased the potential risks associated with airborne disease transmission and the release, whether accidentally or intentionally, of noxious substances during flight. Many studies suggest that the risk …

Probabilistic Fault Detection And Diagnostics For Packaged Air-Conditioner Outdoor-Air Economizers, Andrew L. Hjortland

Open Access Theses

Poor economizer control, economizer damper failure, and excess outdoor-air contribute to these performance degradations. In order to promote optimal rooftop air-conditioner (RTU) performance and reduce operating costs, an automated fault detection and diagnostics (AFDD) tool has been designed for RTUs with integrated economizers. Based on previously proposed methods, the proposed method advances the economizer fault detection and diagnosis components by using statistical classifiers in order to provide more robust, probabilistic fault outputs. A set of air-side virtual sensors has also been added to the method in order to expand the applicable range of conditions fault detection and diagnostics can be …

A Novel Three Degree-Of-Freedoms Oscillation System Of Insect Flapping Wings, Yi Qin

Open Access Theses

We propose an oscillation system to replicate the dynamic behavior of flapping wings, inspired by insect flight muscles. In particular, we study the flight of the fruit fly Drosophila virilis . We model the wing as a rigid body with three degree-of-freedom, described by three Euler angles: the stroke angle, the rotation angle and the deviation angle. Insect flight muscles are separated into two types: power muscles and control muscles. One actuator and one torsional spring at the stroke angle act as the power muscles. Two torsional springs at the rotation angle and the deviation angle mimic the control muscles. …

Characterization Of Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Porous Material For Electronic Cooling Applications, Ninad Tushar Trifale

Open Access Theses

Metal foams are considered beneficial for several applications because of its significantly large surface area for a given volume. Foams form a high thermal conductive network in a thermal interface for electro cooling applications. The porous structures are relatively compliant and can provide for a better contact and thereby have a lower thermal resistance. Porous heat sinks made of aluminum foam have been well studied in the past. It is not only cost effective due to the unique production process, but also attractive for the theoretical modeling study to determine the performance. A study on the thermal and mechanical characterization …

The Influence Of Gaps On The Frequency Response Of A Beamspring Contact System, Wenbin Zhang

Open Access Theses

Some mechanical systems with gaps such as in disc brakes and Cardan joints exhibit nonlinearity under certain load conditions, which is unpredictable and highly sensitive to initial conditions. Previous studies were mainly focused on either a single-degree-of-freedom (DOF) system or a flexible beam with uniform elastic foundation. The analysis of this thesis is a combination of these two where gaps are first introduced to a flexible beam model. A model of a beam resting on compliant foundation with gaps has been developed and analyzed. The assumed modes method is used to derive the equations of motion (EOM's) for the system. …

Bioethanol Production From Iles-Iles And Sorghum Starch As Raw Materials (Effect Of Cacl 2 Addition And Saccharification Time), Kusmiyati Kusmiyati, Ali Mahmudi

Makara Journal of Technology

Bioethanol produced from agricultural sources is one alternative energy that has been developed to substitute for petroleum. However, the use of food sources such as corn and cassava to produce bioethanol still face obstacles that lead to the scarcity of food and an increase in food prices. The aim of this study was to produce bioethanol from sorghum and iles-iles, which are not used by humans as food, especially in Indonesia. For both materials, the variables studied were saccharification time (4, 8, 24, and 48 h) and concentration of CaCl2 added to the liquefaction slurry (0, 100, 200, 300, and …