Digital Commons Network^™

Dice Testing With The Running Chi-Square Distribution, Warren Campbell, Hunter Wimsatt

SEAS Faculty Publications

Dice are not fair. Producing a geometrically precise, uniform die is not possible. Casino dice come as close as possible to perfectly random dice because they are machined to an accuracy of a few ten-thousandths of an inch and the putty used for the pips (dots) is the same density as the plastic die body. Polyhedral dice used in games like Dungeons and Dragons are far more difficult to manufacture to high tolerances. Some dice are fairer than others. Since 20-sided dice (D20s) are very difficult to manufacture precisely, they were the focus of this study. The running chi-square distribution …

A Low-Cost And Low-Tech Solution To Test For Variations Between Multiple Offline Programming Software Packages., Steffen Wendell Bolz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research paper chronicles the attempt to bring forth a low-cost and low-tech testing methodology whereby multiple offline programming (OLP) software packages’ generated programs may be compared when run on industrial robots. This research was initiated by the discovery that no real research exists to test between iterations of OLP software packages and that most research for positional accuracy and/or repeatability on industrial robots is expensive and technologically intensive. Despite this, many countries’ leaders are pushing for intensive digitalization of manufacturing and Small and Mediumsized Enterprises (SMEs) are noted to be lagging in adoption of such technologies. The research consisted …

The Impact Of Gemba Walks On Preventative Maintenance Productivity, Jake Donald Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Gemba Walks are a tool to get management involvement in areas where the work is taking place. Gemba Walks allow individuals involved first-hand to voice and reduce waste within the process and general operations. This research measured the benefits and improvements Gemba Walks had on the availability of equipment. For example, reducing the number of events that equipment is down for maintenance and its duration to repair these events, therefore improved availability. Maintenance is a critical aspect of keeping a company running, and making improvements found during this research significantly impacted the company by creating lean improvements. The improvements focused …

Manufacturing: The Qualitative Study Of A Transition To A Green Facility, Brandon David Staves

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This qualitative study focused on answering three core questions: How have facilities reduce pollutions in regards to the quality of air, water, land, light and noise? Which Types of pollution reduction projects are more or less successful to implement? What types of pollution are facilities focusing on and why? The results of the 15 companies surveyed show a variety of projects that facilities have used to reduce pollution, it also shows that cost is a major factor in the unsuccessful projects, and that facilities are actively focused on reducing Air, Land, and Water pollution. While the data shows a variety …

Statistical Study Of The Effect Of Implementing An Airveyor System On The Warpage Of Injection Molded Closures, Charles Wesley Bozarth

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Berry Global in Bowling Green, Kentucky produces predominantly polypropylene container closures. One variant, the 83mm lined jar closure, is produced by first being injection molded, placed in work-in-progress (WIP) hold for 24 hours to cool, and then finished through the auxiliary liner operation into a final product. While this process is an effective method to produce a quality large-diameter closure and allows the polypropylene adequate time to cool without warping out of shape, the 24-hour WIP time and the manpower needed to accomplish this can negatively impact several business metrics as well as employee safety.

The purpose of this thesis …

Diving Into Reliable Numerical Observability And Stabilization Of The One-Dimensional Wave Equation, Emma Moore

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In this project, a one-dimensional wave equation, which is a partial differential equation (PDE) describing vibrations on a string, is considered. It is known that the PDE model is exactly observable and exponentially stabilizable. The main goal of this project is to construct a numerical approximation technique, so-called the direct filtering technique, to prove that the Finite Difference and Finite Element space-discretized 1-D wave equations (i) with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions are uniformly observable, (ii) with controlled boundary conditions are uniformly exponentially stable, as the approximation parameters tend to zero. It is crucial to develop reliable numerical approximation techniques for …

Team Creation Methods In Practice: Understanding The Potential Effects Of Nonverbal Communication In The Leadership Of Team Formation, Troy Allen Robertson

Dissertations

Teams require leadership, even if they are self-managed. The group of individuals who make up a team must be gathered in some form or another. For self managed teams to function successfully, the first step is the process of creating the team. Many aspects may factor into the creation process. Often time is of the essence and methods to quickly assess and form teams show merit. First impressions in general are based largely on nonverbal communication. The focus of this mixed-methods concurrent embedded study is to analyze the potential effects of nonverbal communication on influencing team creation. A group of …

Generic Project Plan For A Mobile Robotics System, Jay Anilkumar Joshi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis discussed the mobile land robots for the robotic competitions. The topics discussed in this thesis are robotic systems, mobile land robots, robot competitions, and example of robot designs. Question-answer sections are added to help understand the requirements to build the robot. Examples include three different teams who participated in different robotic competitions to provide a context for robotic competitions. The thesis was divided into the five chapters. The first and second chapters explained the different kind of robotics systems, and opportunities. The focus of the information was the mobile land robots, which was explained under the third chapter, …

Maquiladoras In Central America: An Analysis Of Workforce Schedule, Productivity And Fatigue., Jose L. Barahona

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Textile factories or Maquiladoras are very abundant and predominant in Central American economies. However, they all do not have the same standardized work schedule or routines. Most of the Maquiladoras only follow schedules and regulations established by the current labor laws without taking into consideration many variables within their organization that could affect their overall performance. As a result, the purpose of the study is to analyze the current working structure of a textile Maquiladora and determine the most suitable schedule that will abide with the current working structure but also increase production levels, employee morale and decrease employee fatigue. …

Asme Student Design Competition, Marcus Todd

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

For the completion of my capstone project with the Western Kentucky University Honors College, the following document details my experience with the American Society of Mechanical Engineer (ASME) Student Design Competition. This project was completed in a two semester sequence through working with a team of four. One semester focusing primarily on the design and the other on fabrication and evaluation. The 2019 ASME competition was the Pick and Place Race. In this event, 46 teams were challenged to design and construct a device having the ability to pick up balls of varying size. Both the design and assembly process …

2019 Ieee Southeastcon Hardware Competition: A Systems Engineering Approach, Emily Sage

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Huntsville section invites college students to participate in their annual SoutheastCon Conference. Western Kentucky University sends a team of engineering students to the hardware competition, an opportunity for students to design and build autonomous robots. The 2019 hardware competition called for students to develop a robot that could collect and sort debris by color. This thesis outlines the project lifecycle of the WKU 2019 SoutheastCon robot with an emphasis on implemented systems engineering tools and techniques. Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary approach to project management that focuses on treating the overall project …

Ua66/9/3 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Engineering Student Organizations, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Engineering department student organizations.

Ua66/9/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Engineering Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about the Engineering department.

Ua66/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Architectural & Manufacturing Sciences, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by the Architectural & Manufacturing Sciences.

Files are arranged in the following subseries:

1. Administration
2. Publications
3. Centers & Institutes

Ua1c2/37 Facilities Services & Heating Plant Photos, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Images of Facilities Services and the Heating Plant.

Ua66/1/5 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Dean's Office Centers, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about centers associated with the Dean's office in the Ogden College of Science & Engineering.

Ua66/9/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Engineering Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

No abstract provided.

Weir Family Collection (Mss 651), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Collection 651. Letters and papers of the Weir family of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, and related members of the Rumsey and Miller families. Well-to-do merchants and farmers, the Weirs were leading supporters of the Union during the Civil War, providing advocacy, financial support, and military service. Includes full-text scans of a letter from the brother of steamboat pioneer James Rumsey defending his legacy as an innovator; James Weir's journal; James Weir's will; the annotated recollections of Edward Weir, Sr.; and two letters from former Weir slaves recolonized in Liberia (Click on "Additional files" below).

An Evaluation Of Induction Heating In Healthcare Food Industry, Barrett Alexander Hampton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis addresses the problem healthcare facilities are having in maintaining proper food temperatures while transporting meals to patients after food has left the kitchen area. Induction heat has been a known method for generating heat for many years. The commercial food industry currently uses this technology, which is beginning to appear in the residential sector as well because of developments made by manufacturers. This study focuses on the top commercial brand models of induction heaters and the supporting materials currently used to create heat sources to maintain food temperatures in hospitals and long term care facilities.

The research in …

Comparing Building Modeling Software To The Energy Record Of A Preexisting Structure, Nathan Lasley

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Buildings are complex systems - even "simple" residential structures. Many factors go into building energy consumption and the design to reduce it. Computer energy modeling allows the simultaneous consideration and balance of many of those variables. Computer models are only as good as the information provided however. Tools like blower door and duct blaster can be used to aid in verifying the model or to provide more information to build a better model. In order to verify of building computer energy simulation methods, the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Office of Sustainability located at 503 Regents Ave. in Bowling Green KY …

A Wood-Powered Lawn Mower: Separating The Rules Of Thumb From Engineering Design, William White

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Biomass gasification, the thermal process of exracting combustible gasses from organic matter, is an established procedure that has been used for many years to provide fuel in various applications. It is a potential source of renewable fuel and has proven useful as a crisis energy source. This thesis investigates the primary engineering science principles involved in gasifier-engine system design. It arises from and supplements a WKU mechanical engineering senior project. The senior project has developed a wood gasification system designed to power a riding lawn mower. The thesis reiews theory-based design and separates it from informal hit and miss approaches—rule …

Performance Prediction Of Drying Process In Residential Clothes Dryer Using Multiphysics Modeling And Simulation, Molly Shircliff

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The clothes dryer is the second highest consumer of electricity among household appliances in the U.S. However, few improvements have been made to the overall design of dryers since the 1970s. For this reason, energy efficiency research in domestic clothes dryers is a promising topic. In order to effectively and accurately research and test efficiency and design of new prototypes of the dryer, a mathematical model of the air-vented, residential dryer was created in the Energy Systems Lab at Western Kentucky University, using the text-based environment of MATLAB. This model was developed and simulated using numerical solver techniques. This model …

An Engineering Approach To Industrial Research And Development Of Pillows, Wesley Patterson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Comfort during sleep, though taken for granted, involves a great amount of research and engineering. Few give it a second thought, but nearly one-third of a person’s life is spent with their head on a pillow, thus making them a point for increased quality. Having been approached by a tier-1 bedding manufacturer, a team of both mechanical and electrical engineers was been tasked with the goal of creating a valid research tool that the customer, Tempur-Sealy, will utilize in the company’s research and development of high-end pillows. The team sought to tackle this project utilizing tools and knowledge gained throughout …

Designing And Building An Automatic Chamfer Grinder, William Johnson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Modern day manufacturing is a demanding environment with a constant need for process improvement. As automation becomes more advanced, there are fewer jobs that must be completed by a human. In the case of Stupp Bridge Company, a local manufacturer of steel bridge girders, their workforce is highly skilled, so replacing mundane tasks with automation allow the skilled workers to focus on the difficult jobs. One such task is grinding a chamfer onto every leading edge of each girder flange, eight edges in total, ranging from 20 to 200 feet long. The purpose of this project was to design an …

Sound Data Collection And Transmission Noise Reduction, Bradley Cockrel

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The WKU Engineering Department Senior Student Team, The Synchronizers, has been contracted to modify a MTD transmission’s sound characteristics. This project entails developing a sound data acquisition apparatus and method, developing a sound test stand which will fully load the transmission and load characteristics, and suggesting modes of sound modification. The Sound Data Acquisition method entails using a specialized microphone calibrated to operate on IOS devices to measure Sound Intensity. The sound intensity will be found over a collective area, in order to evaluate to the sound power generated. The sound test stand will consist of a system designed to …

Optimizing An Organizational Program For Halton Company, Chandler Clark

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A team of WKU Mechanical Engineering students is collaborating with Halton Company to create an organizational system for their plant. Each job performed at Halton is custom, leading to several different processes needing to be accounted for at once. The team is designing a program in Visual Studio that will be used to control the progression of the plant as well as store data to optimize future processes involved. Visual Studio will be implemented by summer of 2016 in order to give the team and company time to troubleshoot the program and insert optimizing options into the c ode of …

Optimization Of Process Parameters In Micro Electrical Discharge Machining (Edm) Of Ti-6al-4v Alloy, Farshid Alavi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Ti-6Al-4V has a wide range of applications such as in the automotive and aerospace industries. Nevertheless, titanium alloys are very difficult to machine by conventional methods. Micro-EDM is a non-conventional machining method that uses the thermal effect of precisely controlled sparks. Manufacturers are looking for the methods and optimal settings to increase the productivity of micro-EDM in terms of lessening machining time and tool wear. Moreover, surface integrity of the machined area is crucial for some products such as biomedical implants.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the micro-EDM process parameters on response variables, in …

A Study On The Sustainable Machining Of Titanium Alloy, Abdulhameed Alaa Dawood

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Titanium and its alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) are widely used in aerospace industries because of their light weight, high specific strength, and corrosion resistance. This study conducted a comparative experimental analysis of the machinability of Ti-6Al-4V for conventional flood coolant machining and sustainable dry machining. The effect of cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut on machining performance has been evaluated for both conditions. The machining time and surface roughness were found to be lower in dry machining compared to flood coolant machining. The tool wear was found to be unpredictable, and no significant difference was observed for dry and coolant …

Application Of Goldratt’S Thinking Process To Constraints Within An Emergency Department—A Case Study, Augustine O. Amonge

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Emergency department (ED) acts as a feeder to many hospitals as it determines a large proportion of admissions. ED also acts as a buffer zone for many patients who cannot get care in other institutions due to insurance issues. Most hospitals are trying to invest heavily on their EDs, but cannot meet patients’ satisfaction in terms of cost and quality of care. There is great need for EDs to understand customers’ expectation given the rising cost of healthcare.

The focus of this study is at an ED center in Bowling Green Kentucky, using theory of constraints (TOC) thinking process application …

A Case Study Of Multiple-Use Finish Electrodes For Die-Sinking Edm, Troy A. Robertson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examines the use of one finishing electrode to finish multiple dies without remachining the electrode. The multiple-use electrode finishing experiment in this study addresses technology in the die-forging industry. Methods of manufacturing spherical straight bevel forge gear dies have relied on die-sinking Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) practices that showed great potential for advancement. The focus of this study is solely on the improvements of electrode use in EDM finishing-processes. The surface finish quality itself is not an area of concern other than maintaining that it does not diminish. The focused concern is maximizing the process by using one …