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Investigation Of An Optimized Occupancy-Driven Hvac Control Strategy And Development Of A Scalable House/Grid Simulation, Kaleb Pattawi
Investigation Of An Optimized Occupancy-Driven Hvac Control Strategy And Development Of A Scalable House/Grid Simulation, Kaleb Pattawi
Mechanical Engineering Master's Theses
Energy consumption in buildings is projected to increase more than 50% by 2050. Renewable energy sources are expected to increase and will help alleviate some of the energy demand; however, the intermittent nature of renewables makes it tough to effectively use energy in buildings. Various pricing schemes, including time of use electricity pricing, are used to encourage users to shift loads. Buildings need to be able to proactively react to changing energy sources and electricity prices in order to reduce over-generation of electricity and save money. This work demonstrates an optimized Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control strategy that …
Adaptive Navigation Of Three-Dimensional Scalar Fields With Multiple Uavs, Robert Ka-Hing Lee
Adaptive Navigation Of Three-Dimensional Scalar Fields With Multiple Uavs, Robert Ka-Hing Lee
Engineering Ph.D. Theses
Adaptive Navigation (AN) control strategies allow an agent to autonomously alter its trajectory based on realtime measurements of its environment. Compared to conventional navigation methods, AN techniques can potentially reduce the time and energy needed to explore scalar characteristics of unknown and dynamic regions of interest (e.g., temperature, concentration level). Multiple Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) approaches to AN can improve performance by exploiting synchronized spatially-dispersed measurements to generate realtime information regarding the structure of the local scalar field for use in navigation decisions. This dissertation presents initial results of a comprehensive program to develop, verify, and experimentally implement mission-level AN …
Predictive Energy Optimization Model For Grid-Interactive Residential Buildings, Patrick J. Mccurdy
Predictive Energy Optimization Model For Grid-Interactive Residential Buildings, Patrick J. Mccurdy
Mechanical Engineering Master's Theses
The consumption and production of energy are more dynamic as distributed energy resources (DER) such as solar photovoltaic (PV) are deployed within the electric distribution system. The traditional energy price at a predetermined rate cannot accommodate these dynamics and can lead to wasted energy and higher costs for both utility companies and consumers. Commercial building and residential energy management systems are usually on a fixed schedule and are not able to respond to changes in energy price instantaneously. There is a need for a real-time pricing structure that can accommodate the fluctuating cost of energy based on supply and demand, …
Bi-Directional Kerr-Lens Mode-Locked Titanium Sapphire Laser, Ricky Arnold, Stratos Koutroulis, Dylan Meyer
Bi-Directional Kerr-Lens Mode-Locked Titanium Sapphire Laser, Ricky Arnold, Stratos Koutroulis, Dylan Meyer
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
Precision near-infrared absorption spectroscopy is a highly desired scientific method, but the blooming technology has not yet come to fruition. Field deployments are limited, and some methods come with limitations that hamper the viability. The laser cavity completed for this thesis project is a single cavity Dual Comb Spectroscopy laser, which improves myriad limiting characteristics of previous lasers in this application. Crucially, it can produce two simultaneous pulse trains with unique repetition rates. The laser cavity has been designed, built, and aligned for improved stability, including vibrational, noise, and thermal control. The design, analysis, and results of a dual comb …
Adaptive Robotic Chassis (Arc): Robocrop A Smart Agricultural Robot Toolset, Steven Bucher, Krissy Ikeda, Brooke Broszus, Alejandro Gutierrez, Ariana Low
Adaptive Robotic Chassis (Arc): Robocrop A Smart Agricultural Robot Toolset, Steven Bucher, Krissy Ikeda, Brooke Broszus, Alejandro Gutierrez, Ariana Low
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
RoboCrop is a payload system that attaches to an existing modular drivetrain to support the agriculture industry with their primary challenge of labor shortages. ARC: RoboCrop features three degrees of freedom as an XYZ Cartesian robot and is intended specifically for pruning strawberry flowers. The image bay camera attached to RoboCrop’s frame identifies the strawberry flowers, communicates their XYZ coordinates, and then the Cartesian robot moves to the desired locations. The snipping toolhead is interfaced at the bottom of the Z-stroke and performs the snipping process. RoboCrop has a proven success rate of at least 70% of flowers pruned in …
Wildfire Prevention & Suppression System, Johnny Dimas Flores, Ansh Jetly, Antonio Lorenzo
Wildfire Prevention & Suppression System, Johnny Dimas Flores, Ansh Jetly, Antonio Lorenzo
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
The Bay area community has continually been at threat to wildfires. The current trend showed that wildfires would be an even more prevalent threat in the near future. Despite this, there still exists a lack of knowledge involving wildfire safety and protection for people’s property. Current systems were found to be too expensive, needed constant maintenance, or access to isolated storage of 1,000+ gallons of water. Through research of misting systems, the effectiveness of mist as a radiation shield, and working with members of CalFire, it was determined that the system needed to meet the following parameters to be effective …
Mobile Nanogrid, Daniel Mendoza, Ben Mahony, Charles Ju, Michael Batshon
Mobile Nanogrid, Daniel Mendoza, Ben Mahony, Charles Ju, Michael Batshon
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
The mobile nanogrid is a standalone mobile power solution which uses a combination of automatic and manual tracking mechanisms to maintain a solar panel's perpendicularity to the sun over the course of the day in order to maximize energy generation. The power can then be consumed by a user or stored. It is designed to be placed on the roof of a vehicle for the recreational camping market to meet the need for mobile power generation. A scaled-down functional prototype was designed in SolidWorks, modeled in MATLAB Simulink, fabricated in the machine shop using a combination of off-the-shelf and custom …
Marine Robot Deployment And Control System, Nicky Castillo, Nick Ellis, Trent Kelsall, Matt Kiyama
Marine Robot Deployment And Control System, Nicky Castillo, Nick Ellis, Trent Kelsall, Matt Kiyama
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
A full operations package for underwater research, including the mid-sized ROV Nautilus with a distributed control system, a topside graphical user interface (GUI), and a dedicated launch and recovery system (LARS), was developed to increase the operational efficiency of scientific exploration and experimentation missions through Santa Clara University’s (SCU’s) Robotics Systems Laboratory (RSL). Design of the mechanical subsystems on Nautilus added flexibility of usage and protection of components. The new GUI improved pilot control of Nautilus with an added heads-up display and easy access to sensor readouts. The simulated Nautilus altitude control system has an error of ±1% and a …
Project Shearwater Ground Effect Uav, Duncan Clark, Justin Cole, Zachary Karat, Aidan Nickels, Cole Wolfe
Project Shearwater Ground Effect Uav, Duncan Clark, Justin Cole, Zachary Karat, Aidan Nickels, Cole Wolfe
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
The Shearwater unmanned aerial vehicle is a maritime fixed-wing drone that is designed to use ground effect force generated between the aircraft and a body of water to efficiently propel itself near the surface of a body of water. Shearwater features a virtual reality pilot interface and will act as a hybrid underwater vehicle that will eventually be able to operate both above and beneath the ocean’s surface. The Shearwater team developed existing design work to produce major subsystems that culminated in a flyable functioning prototype. An existing airframe was updated with working control surfaces tested in simulation and in …
Electric Hydrofoil Board, Zach Flood, Nick Potter, Wesley Sava, Trent Walker
Electric Hydrofoil Board, Zach Flood, Nick Potter, Wesley Sava, Trent Walker
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
The electric hydrofoil community has become very popular in recent years with its two major subsections being divided up into those that buy their boards commercially and those that build their own (the DIY community). The commercial boards are extremely expensive and can reach prices of over $12,000. This is the root cause of the rapidly growing DIY community who can build functioning boards for around $3000. Reducing this entry cost has made the sport much more accessible to new members and has allowed both the size of the community and awareness of the sport to increase. For this report …
Elastic Tail Propulsion At Low Re, Rafaela Barreto, Jennifer Miranti, Yoel Park, Elijah Vidal
Elastic Tail Propulsion At Low Re, Rafaela Barreto, Jennifer Miranti, Yoel Park, Elijah Vidal
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
The use of microswimmers, or microscopic swimming robots, in the medical field is becoming more sought after for applications such as targeted drug delivery and microsurgery. While such microswimmers do not yet exist for use on patients, many researchers are working on this front to make them a reality. One of the main challenges in making these microswimmers a reality is creating propulsion in a low Reynolds number environment. This project aims to create and test a prototype of a swimmer which employs 3D circular movement of its tail for propulsion in a very viscous fluid, mimicking a low Reynolds …
Soft Robot Locomotion Via Mechanical Metamaterials: Application In Pipe Inspection, John Barr, Andrew Boyle, Matthew Goodfellow, Nick Rogers, Caroline Stephens
Soft Robot Locomotion Via Mechanical Metamaterials: Application In Pipe Inspection, John Barr, Andrew Boyle, Matthew Goodfellow, Nick Rogers, Caroline Stephens
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
Pipe inspections are performed using large robots that utilize wheels or tracks for locomotion. Due to their large size, weight and hard exterior, these robots can occasionally cause damage to the pipe interiors during inspection. In addition, these pipe inspection robots struggle with the ability to move in a congested environment and adapt to obstacles or geometry changes within the pipe. This project investigates the capabilities of auxetic and conventional metamaterials to achieve locomotion in an enclosed channel through the different metamaterials reactions to an axial force. The resulting robot is capable of both horizontal and vertical locomotion. Computer simulation …
Ninja 300 Motorcycle Luggage Rack, Mikel Hirigoyen, Ethan Gatchalian, Eric Tsuchiya
Ninja 300 Motorcycle Luggage Rack, Mikel Hirigoyen, Ethan Gatchalian, Eric Tsuchiya
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
The product is a motorcycle luggage rack compatible with the Kawasaki Ninja 300. This report elaborates on all aspects of the team’s work in developing this product. First, the motivations and foundational work for this project are discussed. Then, the team’s design of the entire product as a whole, and each of its subsystems are clearly laid out. System testing and results are also provided, followed by a cost breakdown of the whole process. Next, patents and engineering standards are listed as a documented justification for the team’s project. Finally, an overall project evaluation is conducted by the team.
Generating Rock Volumes Of Lower Radii (Grvlr) - Rock Crusher, Samuel Broyles, James Forman, Karla Raigoza, Hailee Silva
Generating Rock Volumes Of Lower Radii (Grvlr) - Rock Crusher, Samuel Broyles, James Forman, Karla Raigoza, Hailee Silva
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
The GRVLR team designed and constructed a human powered rock crusher intended to assist impoverished widows in Birendranagar, Nepal. These women crush rocks for a living as a result of intense gender discrmination which limits their access to better employment opportunities. The goal of this device was to provide an alternative method to this work that was superior under the criteria of efficiency, ergonomics, and safety. In order to inform the design of the machine, the GRVLR team used customer needs data to generate design requirements and success metrics, and finite element analysis (FEA) in order to evaluate and improve …
The Drier Dryer, Daniel Anderson, Justin Lee, Thomas Morey, Josh Sunada
The Drier Dryer, Daniel Anderson, Justin Lee, Thomas Morey, Josh Sunada
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
With our product, The Drier Dryer, we aim to increase the efficiency of clothing dryers. This report contains an indepth look at the design approach we are taking to create our product. Our design utilizes a thermoelectric cooler combined with heat sinks and heat pipes to efficiently cool air to its dew point temperature and then reheat the air prior to sending it into a clothes dryer intake. Cooling the air to dew point temperature allows moisture to be removed from the air consequently decreasing the relative humidity. Throughout our design process we obtained simulation results providing a theoretical temperature …
Frugal Urban Greenhouse, Alexandra Rivera, Emma Rosicky, Connor Pearson
Frugal Urban Greenhouse, Alexandra Rivera, Emma Rosicky, Connor Pearson
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
This project collaborates with Valley Verde, a San Jose nonprofit organization, to build a greenhouse as a prototype for their Super Jardinero urban gardening program. This project also partners with the Frugal Innovation Hub, and has the goal to be affordable, rugged, and simple. The group created a design that ultimately met the desired metrics for weight, cost, and ergonomics. The design style makes hardening-off easier and specializes this greenhouse for seedlings, while structures currently on the market are built for larger plants. It is cheaper than any alternatives on the market and effectively meets Valley Verde’s needs.
Portable Bicycle-Powered Refridgeration, David Gilbert, Zach Gotvald, Kerri-Ann Kamei, Lindsay Mcconville, Brooke Watson, Brian Woo-Shem
Portable Bicycle-Powered Refridgeration, David Gilbert, Zach Gotvald, Kerri-Ann Kamei, Lindsay Mcconville, Brooke Watson, Brian Woo-Shem
Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses
Lack of access to viable, life-saving vaccines is a major public health problem worldwide. Our project objective is to create a feasible, frugal, and environmentally conscious transportation solution for vaccines. Our design for a bicycle-powered refrigeration system can function in both urban environments and rural areas with unreliable electricity and minimal infrastructure. This is enabled by integrating power generation from bicycle kinetic energy, thermoelectric cooling, voltage regulation, temperature control, and heat dissipation subsystems. The system is enclosed in solid housing to protect fragile vials against bumps and crashes and can be adapted to fit onto existing bicycle racks.
The Modular Oceanic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle For Novel Actuation, Bryan Gilbertson, John Elstad, Matthew Holmes, Sean Even, Robert Percell, Andrew Kambe, Gregor Limstrom
The Modular Oceanic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle For Novel Actuation, Bryan Gilbertson, John Elstad, Matthew Holmes, Sean Even, Robert Percell, Andrew Kambe, Gregor Limstrom
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
A low-drag, high endurance, and high efficiency Long Range Autonomous Underwater Vehicle is a desired asset to Santa Clara University to aid future underwater vehicle development efforts. Such an vehicle will demonstrate novel actuation methods and provide the on-campus Robotics Systems Laboratory with a modular prototype to aid research and academic efforts. In this paper, we document the construction of a low cost, modular, demonstration vehicle that satisfies the requirements for high-efficiency operation and modular interfaces. The completed vehicle features standard actuation abilities utilizing low-drag methods that qualify it for shallow water operation. Furthermore, the vehicle demonstrates the feasibility of …
Feasibility Study Of Serial Hybrid-Electric Systems In Small Aircraft, Kyle Rosenow
Feasibility Study Of Serial Hybrid-Electric Systems In Small Aircraft, Kyle Rosenow
Mechanical Engineering Master's Theses
Three different small aircraft, a Diamond DA40, a Cessna Skyhawk 172S and a Cirrus SR22, are used to assess the feasibility of converting an existing aircraft's power system to a serial-hybrid system or an all-electric system. The serial-hybrid system uses a gasoline engine to generate electricity that can power the main electric motor or charge onboard batteries, while the all-electric system uses batteries only and does not carry a gasoline engine. General system designs are proposed, and a calculation model was developed to allow for analysis of the three different aircraft and their variants. The all-electric and serial-hybrid variants are …