Digital Commons Network^™

Cluster Control Of Automated Surface Vessels, Paul David Mahacek

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

This research focuses on the design and control of a fleet of robotic kayaks, and presents experimental data regarding the functionality and performance of the system. One of the key technical challenges in fielding multi-robot systems for real-world applications is the coordination and relative motion control of the individual units. Coordinated formation control of the fleet is implemented through the use of the cluster space control architecture, which is a full-order controller that treats the fleet as a virtual, articulating, kinematic mechanism. The resulting system is capable of autonomous navigation utilizing a centralized controller, currently implemented via a shore-based computer …

A Comparative Evaluation Of An Educational Program Designed To Enable Mechanical Engineering Students To Develop Global Competence, Aaron Gerald Ball

Theses and Dissertations

The 'flattening of the world', using Thomas Friedman's phraseology, is driving corporations to increasingly use collaborative engineering processes and global teams to operate on a global scale. Globalization of the traditional university engineering curriculum is necessary to help students prepare to work in a global environment. More scalable and economically sustainable program types are needed to enable the majority of students to obtain a globalized education. The purpose of this research was to determine how effectively a global team- and project-based computer aided engineering course provided learning opportunities that enabled students to develop elements of global competence in comparison to …

Dynamic Test Scheduling In Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulation Of Commercial Vehicles, Tenil Cletus

Master's Theses

Modern day commercial vehicles are controlled by various Electronic Control Units (ECU). They are not only tested as single units, but also by networking them in Controlled Area Network bus (CAN) to form a complete electrical control system. This is achieved using Hardware In the Loop (HIL) Integration Lab. In HIL, the electrical system is connected to a real time mathematical model of the vehicle plus it’s environment so as to form a loop.

Testing functionality of the electrical system begins by defining functional tests. An example would be testing cruise control activation. Executing each test is made possible by …

An Experimental Study Of Formation Of Circulation Patterns In Laminar Unsteady Driven Cavity Flows Using Particle Image Velocimeter (Piv) Techniques, Jon Farkas

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

An experimental study is conducted to determine the velocity fields, from development to steady state, in a square enclosure due to movement of a constant velocity lid using Particle Image Velocitmetry (PIV). Experiments were conducted with water, seeded with hollow glass sphere particles 10 microns in diameter, at three different lid velocities leading to Reynolds numbers in the high laminar to transitional range. Driven Cavity Flow is a classic fluid dynamics case often used for benchmarking of computational codes. Previous work has primarily focused on improving computational codes, experimental work is lacking and focused on obtaining steady state readings. …

The Development And Fabrication Of A Modular Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor System For The Transportation Of Materials To And From A Mezzanine., Matthew Paul Crum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this developmental project was to design and fabricate a vertical reciprocating conveyor in order to eliminate the process of manually carrying 27 pound containers of plastic resin up and down a flight of offset space saver stairs. This project took place and was built for Phoenix Closures Incorporated. The conveyor was designed and built in house because there are no commercially available vertical reciprocating conveyors available that meet the necessary requirements.

The capabilities of the proposed vertical reciprocating conveyor are not limited to the carrying of the containers but designed to carry vacuum cleaners, tool boxes, and …

Innovative Design: Design Of A Press System And Molds To Produce A Skateboard Deck., George William Linke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Skateboarding is a passion for many people. Homemade skateboard machinery has been fabricated throughout the country. While the demand for skateboards is steady; there is a steady growth in the homemade skateboard deck market. The desire to create a one of a kind deck that expresses a person's individualism is growing. This applied research and development effort - designing and fabricating a fluid powered press system and 2-part mold assembly for forming glue up laminations for skateboard decks - is an attempt to gain understanding of the different phases of the product design process.

Analysis Of Biomass/Coal Co-Gasification For Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (Igcc) Systems With Carbon Capture, Henry A. Long Iii

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Technology (IGCC) has become more common in clean coal power operations with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Great efforts have been spent on investigating ways to improve the efficiency, reduce costs, and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study focuses on investigating two approaches to achieve these goals. First, replace the subcritical Rankine steam cycle with a supercritical steam cycle. Second, add different amounts of biomass as feedstock to reduce emissions. Finally, implement several types of CCS, including sweet- and sour-shift pre-combustion and post-combustion.

Using the software, Thermoflow®, this study shows that utilizing …

Detail Extraction From Electron Backscatter Diffraction Patterns, John A. Basinger

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-correlation based analysis of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns and the use of simulated reference patterns has opened up entirely new avenues of insight into local lattice properties within EBSD scans. The benefits of accessing new levels of orientation resolution and multiple types of previously inaccessible data measures are accompanied with new challenges in characterizing microscope geometry and other error previously ignored in EBSD systems. The foremost of these challenges, when using simulated patterns in high resolution EBSD (HR-EBSD), is the determination of pattern center (the location on the sample from which the EBSD pattern originated) with sufficient accuracy to …

Model Decomposition And Constraints To Parametrically Partition Design Space In A Collaborative Cax Environment, Felicia Diane Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

An industry survey was conducted to collect information on current collaboration methods and project management and communication structures. The results, along with other design collaboration philosophies, were used to develop a method of coordinating users in a multi-user design space. These thesis methods will regulate collaboration and avoid user collisions in the same model space, either by cooperative interaction or by spatial decomposition with regional blocking. The method partitions the design space by integrating a graphical user interface tool into the engineering application used to define and assign the necessary tasks of the project. A simple implementation of this method …

The Development Of A Phase Locked Excitation Testing Method For Full‐Scale Wind Turbine Blades, Waleed Fathi Gowharji

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Full scale blade testing provides blade manufacturers with quantitative data regarding their blade design, manufacturing processes and durability. Structural fatigue tests are designed to assess the structural health of the turbine blade as well as simulate a lifespan worth of damage in a laboratory environment. These tests also provide a further understanding of the dynamics involved in modern turbine blades. Blade tests are typically conducted in one of the following manners: a dual-axis forced displacement, single axis or dual axis resonant configurations. Historically, fatigue testing has been performed by utilizing forced displacement systems. These systems do not allow for the …

Robust Multichannel Functional-Data-Analysis Methods For Data Recovery In Complex Systems, Jian Sun

Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years, Condition Monitoring (CM), which can be performed via several sensor channels, has been recognized as an effective paradigm for failure prevention of operational equipment or processes. However, the complexity caused by asynchronous data collection with different and/or time-varying sampling/transmission rates has long been a hindrance in the effective use of multichannel data in constructing empirical models. The problem becomes more challenging when sensor readings are incomplete. Traditional sensor data recovery techniques are often prohibited in asynchronous CM environments, not to mention sparse datasets. The proposed Functional Principal Component Analysis (FPCA) methodologies, e.g., nonparametric FPC model and semi-parametric …

Micromechanical Studies Of Intergranular Strain And Lattice Misorientation Fields And Comparisons To Advanced Diffraction Measurements, Lili Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

Inhomogeneous deformation fields arising from the grain-grain interactions in polycrystalline materials have been evaluated using a crystal plasticity finite element method and extensively compared to neutron diffraction measurements under fatigue crack growth conditions. The roles of intergranular deformation anisotropy, grain boundary damage, and non-common deformation mechanisms (such as twinning for hexagonal close packed crystals) are systematically evaluated. The lattice misorientation field can be used to determine the intragranular deformation behavior in polycrystals or to describe the deformation inhomogeneity due to dislocation plasticity in single crystals. The study of indentation-induced lattice misorientation fields in single crystals sheds lights on the understanding …

Golf Club Quality Control Device, David Mcdermott, Mark Severy

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Historic Calculator Project, Will Harris, Dan Marioni, Kevin Webb, Chad Williams

Mechanical Engineering

The Deutsches Museum of Munich, Germany requested add-on components to their mechanical calculator exhibit. The end-goal is to produce an interactive 3D model in software to demonstrate the functions of the Braun-Vayringe Machine (BVM). There will be four students working on this project at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: two mechanical engineers (Dan Marioni and Will Harris) and two computer engineers (Chad Williams and Kevin Webb).This project involves the coordination of three facilities; the Deutsches Museum, and the Mechanical and Computer Science Departments of Cal Poly. The name of the project is known as the Historic Calculator Project …

Surface Wetting And Friction Studies Of Nano-Engineered Surfaces On Copper Substrate, Julius Sheldon Morehead

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nano-engineered-textures on a material surface can dramatically improve the wetting and non-wetting properties of a surface, and they also show promise to address friction issues that affect surfaces in contact. In this work, aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) was used to produce nano-textures on copper (Cu) substrates. A study was performed to examine the effects of changing the annealing conditions and a-Si thickness on nano-texture formation. The creation of various nano-topographies and chemically modifying them using octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8) was performed to control hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, and oil affinity of nano-textured surfaces. A video-based contact angle measurement system was used …

Raytheon Uav Launcher, Chad Amonn, Spencer Chin, Alexander (Alex) Deuitch, Mark Jastrzebski

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Robotic Turret, Daniel Romero, Matthew (Matt) Martelle, Scott Mullens, Rachel Diamant

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Golf Prosthesis Final Design Report, Joseph Barcus, Lauren Wilson, Ryan Satcher

Mechanical Engineering

A prosthetic attachment designed to allow an upper extremity bilateral amputee to golf.

Ergonomic Lifter, Bejan Brian Banihashemi, Dylan James Schockemoehl, Andrew Ouellet

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Floating Tube Heat Exchangers, Patrick Harris, Christina Gedeon, Leonel Medrano, George Milam

Mechanical Engineering

With the slowly diminishing supply of fossil fuels across the world and the heightened risk of carbon dioxide pollution leading to global warming, a shift towards renewable energy is gaining momentum. Recent advances in wind and solar power technology have increased the power density of alternative sources while decreasing the cost per kilowatt-hour, but the technology has not become advanced enough yet for large scale deployment. Combined Power Cooperative has developed a revolutionary design for a concentrated solar power plant that utilizes Fresnel reflectors and a large body of water in which to install them. In addition to being low-cost, …

Investigation On Interactions Of Unsteady Wakes And Film Cooling On An Annular Endwall, Matthew J. Golsen

HIM 1990-2015

In recent decades, greater interest in the effect of rotational wakes on gas turbine film cooling applications has produced increasing numbers of studies on these unsteady phenomena. Wakes are primarily shed from upstream components such as transition duct walls, stator vanes, and rotors. Studies have shown that in areas of unsteady flow, the best performing parameters in conventional steady investigations may not be the best for unsteady applications. One common method of modeling the unsteady wake interaction in subsonic flows is the use of spoke wheel type wake generators using cylindrical rods to produce the velocity detriment and local increase …

Evaluating The Use Of Functional Representations For Ideation In Conceptual Design, Benjamin Caldwell

All Dissertations

Functional representations are often used in the conceptual stages of design because they encourage the designer to focus on the intended use and purpose of a system rather than the physical solution. Function models have been proposed by many researchers as a tool to expand the solution search space and guide concept generation, and many design tools have been created to support function-based design. These tools require designers to create function models of new or existing artifacts, but there is limited published research describing what types of functions should be included in a model or the appropriate level of abstraction …

Linear Electromagnetic Energy Scavenging Device Designed In Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramics, Hope A. Bateman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

For a soldier deployed in a remote location on the earth or a recreational hiker in the wilderness or a wild land firefighter battling a destructive wildfire, access to a power source is problematic. Local and regional communication systems, navigation, lights, imaging: all of these require a power source. For short time periods, batteries may be sufficient but with extended time periods the weight of the batteries and cost of replacement becomes a problem. Energy scavenging devices could fill this need and be used as a secondary power source when solar or batteries are not available.

A linear electromagnetic generator …

An Investigation Of The Application Of Phase Change Materials In Practical Thermal Management Systems, David Ewing

All Dissertations

This work investigates the application of alternative cooling techniques to thermal management. In the first section, this work presents models and extensive simulation studies on an alternative cooling strategy based upon phase change materials (PCMs) for the thermal management system of a LED headlight assembly. These studies have shown that properly chosen PCMs, when suspended in metal foam matrices, increased the thermal conductivity of the PCM. The increased thermal conductivity can enhance the cooling characteristics of a practical thermal management system for a LED headlight system. To further enhance the advantages of using PCMs, nanoparticle enhanced fluids (nanofluids) are desirable …

Optimization-Based Power Management Of Hybrid Power Systems With Applications In Advanced Hybrid Electric Vehicles And Wind Farms With Battery Storage, Hoseinali Borhan

All Dissertations

Modern hybrid electric vehicles and many stationary renewable power generation systems combine multiple power generating and energy storage devices to achieve an overall system-level efficiency and flexibility which is higher than their individual components. The power or energy management control, ``brain' of these ``hybrid' systems, determines adaptively and based on the power demand the power split between multiple subsystems and plays a critical role in overall system-level efficiency. This dissertation proposes that a receding horizon optimal control (aka Model Predictive Control) approach can be a natural and systematic framework for formulating this type of power management controls. More importantly the …

Development Of A Design Method To Reduce Change Propagation Effects, Prabhu Shankar

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
This dissertation presents a design method to reduce engineering changes caused due to change propagation effect. The method helps designers to systematically plan a verification, validation, and test (VV&T) plan. The rationale behind such a method is founded on a well-accepted principle that a robust validation plan can reduce design changes. However, such method has not yet been developed in mechanical engineering domain, so a method from software engineering has been adopted and extended to address the limitations in the existing design evaluation tools.
Tools extensively used in industry, such as FMEA, and in academia have been reviewed to …

Fabrication Of Grooved Hollow Fiber Membrane For Nerve Regeneration: Process Modeling And Performance Evaluation, Jun Yin

All Dissertations

Nerve injury is a general but intractable disease in traumatic injuries, leading to a significant reduction of functions in the nervous system. Extensive efforts are made on nerve injury rehabilitation. Since the appropriate connections between neurons and their targets are necessary, guiding axonal outgrowth is an essential step for neuron outgrowth in nervous system development, functioning, and regeneration. Besides the direct surgical nerve connection, an artificial means of guiding nerve regeneration called nerve conduits is widely applied in nerve injury rehabilitation. The main function of nerve conduits is to bridge the nerve gap, to help regenerating axons across damaged regions …

Evaluation Of An Incompressible Energy-Vorticity Turbulence Model For Fully Rough Pipe Flow, Doug F. Hunsaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Traditional methods of closing the Boussinesq-based Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are considered, and suggestions for improving two-equation turbulence models are made. The traditional smooth-wall boundary conditions are shown to be incorrect, and the correct boundary conditions are provided along with sample solutions to traditional models. The correct boundary condition at a smooth wall for dissipation-based turbulence models is that which forces both the turbulent kinetic energy and its first derivative to zero. Foundations for an energy-vorticity model suggested by Phillips are presented along with the near-smooth-wall behavior of the model. These results show that at a perfectly smooth wall, the turbulent …

Optimization Of A Low Reynold's Number 2-D Inflatable Airfoil Section, Todd A. Johansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A stand-alone genetic algorithm (GA) and an surrogate-based optimization (SBO) combined with a GA were compared for accuracy and performance. Comparisons took place using the Ackley Function and Rastrigin's Function, two functions with multiple local maxima and minima that could cause problems for more traditional optimization methods, such as a gradient-based method. The GA and SBO with GA were applied to the functions through a fortran interface and it was found that the SBO could use the same number of function evaluations as the GA and achieve at least 5 orders of magnitude greater accuracy through the use of surrogate …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Multi-Functional Non-Spherical Particles Via Mechanical Deformation, Venkata Shilpa Varahagiri

All Theses

Nanoparticles bridge the gap between bulk materials and molecules. They possess exciting but contrasting mechanical, chemical, magnetic and optical properties when compared to their bulk counterparts due to their shape and size. When the size of noble metal nanoparticles is reduced to less than the wavelength of light, the particles intensely absorb and scatter light at wavelengths that depend on the particle size, shape, and local dielectric environment due to Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) modes. Recently, plasmonic particles have been used in a wide variety of sensor and optical device applications including immunoassays and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates. …