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Application Of Pca To Cardiac Optical Mapping, Louis Woodhams Dec 2017

Application Of Pca To Cardiac Optical Mapping, Louis Woodhams

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Structural remodeling of the heart due to pathologies such as hypertension and myocardial infarction leads to the appearance of myofibroblasts, a phenotype largely absent in physiologic myocardium. While myofibroblasts are responsible for wound healing and structural repair of damaged myocardium, they are thought to have deleterious effects on electrical and mechanical properties of the heart. Understanding these effects is critical to developing effective treatments, and has motivated the development of a series of in vitro engineered heart tissues and cardiomyocyte-myofibroblast co-cultures whose mechanical and electrophysiological function can be deduced from video analysis. Electrophysiological properties are evident from changes in intensity …


The Inter-Laminar Shearing Effect On Wrinkle Development In Composite Forming Processes, David Sundquist Dec 2017

The Inter-Laminar Shearing Effect On Wrinkle Development In Composite Forming Processes, David Sundquist

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Composite materials are becoming prevalent in aerospace industries as the uniqueness of the composite structure allows the composite to be tailored specifically for individual applications. Many fabrication techniques produce defects in composite parts such as wrinkles, fiber waviness, fiber misalignment, and porosity. The driving mechanisms behind these defects occurring during forming processes are not fully understood and, thus, characterization formation of these defects in a uncured state is beneficial to optimize composite processing. This work primarily investigated the influence of how uncured pre-impregnated carbon ply properties affect the wrinkling behavior of a composite laminates. Several factors affecting composite ply forming …


Characterizing Anisotropy In Fibrous Soft Materials By Mr Elastography Of Slow And Fast Shear Waves, John Larson Schmidt Dec 2017

Characterizing Anisotropy In Fibrous Soft Materials By Mr Elastography Of Slow And Fast Shear Waves, John Larson Schmidt

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The general objective of this work was to develop experimental methods based on magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to characterize fibrous soft materials. Mathematical models of tissue biomechanics capable of predicting injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), are of great interest and potential. However, the accuracy of predictions from such models depends on accuracy of the underlying material parameters. This dissertation describes work toward three aims. First, experimental methods were designed to characterize fibrous materials based on a transversely isotropic material model. Second, these methods are applied to characterize the anisotropic properties of white matter brain tissue ex vivo. Third, …


Cloth Folding Machine, Yiwei Liu, Dung Tran, Kexin Wang Dec 2017

Cloth Folding Machine, Yiwei Liu, Dung Tran, Kexin Wang

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The project was designed to meet the needs of folding clothes for college students, housewives or anyone who has trouble folding clothes. Lots of college students are annoyed by spending time folding clothes based on our customer interviews. In addition, most of clothes folding machine in market are either for industry use or too expensive. We are trying to build a portable automatic clothes folding machine at a cheap cost to serve most people. It not only combined the metrics from existing products but also have two folding patterns, which is more convenient and efficient.


Tissue Stretcher Research Device, Taylor Vitunic, Zhang Liu, Edward Tiemann Dec 2017

Tissue Stretcher Research Device, Taylor Vitunic, Zhang Liu, Edward Tiemann

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This senior design project resulted in a prototype of a tissue stretcher for a particular need in a lab at WashU. The prototype uses a stepper motor, micrometer, force transducer, linear slide, and manufactured couplings to precisely record the stress strain response of a bio-tissue through different protocols. This is a holistic report encompassing all parts of the design process from the initial goal to design creation and evaluation to assembly.


3d Printed Below-The-Knee Prosthetic Leg, Sam Jamison, Katelin Fournier, Isabelle Agostini Dec 2017

3d Printed Below-The-Knee Prosthetic Leg, Sam Jamison, Katelin Fournier, Isabelle Agostini

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

There are over 2 million amputees in the United States and more than 90 percent of amputations done today are for lower limbs. While there are highly advanced options on the market today, there are still several areas of improvement. For instance, there are not many options that are completely waterproof, and the more advanced ones are extremely expensive and heavy. Our project idea is to create a below-the-knee prosthetic leg that is water resistant, affordable, and promotes comfort. The leg will be designed to disperse the loads and stresses over the whole structure using 3D printing and supporting metal …


Group G: Drink Mixer Ii, Yvette Anguiano, Tristram Wilson, Jacob Rother Dec 2017

Group G: Drink Mixer Ii, Yvette Anguiano, Tristram Wilson, Jacob Rother

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

We, group G, want to address the needs of the restaurant industry by facilitating it with the products, alcoholic beverages, that often brings in the most income in a night for the business and for its bartenders. Mixing drinks takes specialized attention, energy, and time and can be a stressful task for bartenders to perform when a restaurant is packed with customers. Waits become longer and drink orders back up until the restaurant empties again. Our group strives to create a product that will ensure each customer is served with fast and efficient service, while still providing the special attention …


Threading Mechanism For A Home Warp Knitting Machine, Daniel Martin, Samuel Fortmann, Andrew O'Sullivan Dec 2017

Threading Mechanism For A Home Warp Knitting Machine, Daniel Martin, Samuel Fortmann, Andrew O'Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

A home warp knitting machine has a huge disadvantage compared to weft knitting in that it is very difficult to start up. Though it can provide better quality garments, each needle requires a thread to be individually loaded. If this problem could be mechanically solved, a home warp knitting machine would be feasible. Our machine should be able to spool out the appropriate amount of thread onto smaller spools which can then be loaded into the various needles. However it is able to do this, it should not take up more space than reasonably allocated by thread volume itself, and …


Asme Soccer Robot- Group V, Gonzalo Berluzconi, Lyndon Zhao, Chan-Hwi Cho Dec 2017

Asme Soccer Robot- Group V, Gonzalo Berluzconi, Lyndon Zhao, Chan-Hwi Cho

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The ASME design challenge, featuring a soccer playing robot theme, was attempted and successfully completed. A robot was built that could move in all directions for translational motion, while a Foosball inspired kicking function completed the design.


Bi-Axial Tissue Stretching Machine: Mems 411 Senior Design Project, Wending Zhu, Martin Valkov, Jordan Patterson Dec 2017

Bi-Axial Tissue Stretching Machine: Mems 411 Senior Design Project, Wending Zhu, Martin Valkov, Jordan Patterson

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This report contains information on the development of a device to strain polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel samples. The device was made with the purpose of gathering data on the creation of anisotropy in brain tissue-like materials, such as PVA, by repeatedly subjecting materials to strain in low temperatures.


3d Printed Prosthetic Hand, Mark Sullivan, Bryan Oh, Ian Taylor Dec 2017

3d Printed Prosthetic Hand, Mark Sullivan, Bryan Oh, Ian Taylor

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

3D printed prosthetic hands are a common medical device for pediatric partial hand patients due to their manufacturability and cost-effectiveness. Current designs employ a single fist grip, but prosthetists agree that the most useful grip is the three-finger chuck. We aim to modify an existing 3D printed prosthetic hand to enable the user to switch between a single fist grip and three-finger chuck as well as lock the grip that is being used.


Blind-Automation Device, Melinda Lai, Dalton Nonweiler, Haley Nichols Dec 2017

Blind-Automation Device, Melinda Lai, Dalton Nonweiler, Haley Nichols

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This project is intended to be a safe, easy, and inexpensive addition to existing window covers to maintain consistent indoor lighting by automatically adjusting blinds in response to ambient light levels. Our target customers are homeowners/renters and business owners concerned about employee productivity and wellness. This product will allow homeowners, business owners, and building tenants to increase occupant productivity. Bright sunlight can cause glare, making employees uncomfortable and reducing their productivity, along with their health. The product will automatically adjust window blinds to maintain a comfortable interior lighting level, promoting productivity and the bottom line. The product can also reduce …


Light Activated Blinds Group K, Griffin Beriont, Kessashun Arthur, Madeline Stadler Dec 2017

Light Activated Blinds Group K, Griffin Beriont, Kessashun Arthur, Madeline Stadler

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The purpose of this project is to develop an attachable device to a pair of rolling blinds that will automatically open them when sunlight is detected and close them when the sun goes down. This device will promote energy efficiency during warmer and colder months. And be a commodity for those who tend to forget to open close blinds.


Group Q- Automatic Ball Launching Entity, Zachary White, Tim Grote, Joshua Norlin Dec 2017

Group Q- Automatic Ball Launching Entity, Zachary White, Tim Grote, Joshua Norlin

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The goal of the project is to create a machine that can track and aim at a target and deliver a tennis ball at a safe speed. The machine can be calibrated to ensure accurate aim. The application of the product is for entertainment and sports training, with calibration being able to be used to make easy shots for fun, and difficult shot for training. The device uses a two-axis rotation, allowing it to aim up/down and left/right. The device uses a microprocessor to calculate aim based on position of target and knowledge about the strength of the firing mechanism.


Mems 411 Design Project: Dry Ingredients Dispenser, David Robinson, Maya Wong, Elijah Kessler Dec 2017

Mems 411 Design Project: Dry Ingredients Dispenser, David Robinson, Maya Wong, Elijah Kessler

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

No abstract provided.


Group F Drink Mixer - Mixotron, Rebecca Danielle Stone, Christina Bell, Devon Roell Dec 2017

Group F Drink Mixer - Mixotron, Rebecca Danielle Stone, Christina Bell, Devon Roell

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Bars are a great setting for friends to meet and drink however there aren’t many special features that set one bar apart from the rest. What you won’t find in any bar today is robotic bartender able to make any drink to order. In addition, there are many ways to make certain drinks, allowing for much variation. Automating the cocktail making process eliminates the variation in alcohol levels and in ingredients used. In addition, it guarantees that a customer’s drink will not have anything in it that the customer does not explicitly see. Giving the customer options of existing drinks …


Torsional Stiffness Measuring Device, Cheyne Shiroma, Clayton Over, Nadab Wubshet Dec 2017

Torsional Stiffness Measuring Device, Cheyne Shiroma, Clayton Over, Nadab Wubshet

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This device will measure the torsional stiffness of a FSAE race car frame. Our design will apply a torsional load to the frame while simultaneously providing precise measurements required to calculate the applied load, displacement, angular deflection, and torsional stiffness. Unlike the most popular method of testing torsional stiffness by applying load with a lever, our device twists the frame using hydraulic bottle jacks with an integrated pressure gauge. This aspect enables precise control of the twist, and the pressure gauges provide the capability of load-measurement. The validity of measurements will be assessed by comparing results to theoretical calculations.


Automated Color Selector, Mark Mcmillin, Mike Mehaffy, Nicholas Mcmillan, Andrew Krieger Dec 2017

Automated Color Selector, Mark Mcmillin, Mike Mehaffy, Nicholas Mcmillan, Andrew Krieger

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Design, build, and sell a safe automated primary color dye mixer to schools for the purpose of teaching children how 12 secondary colors (and shades) on a color wheel can be made via the primary colors. The user will select the desired color (on a color wheel) and the machine will automatically deposit the correct amount of each primary color to create the selected color (or shade). The dye will diffuse in the cup, to create the desired color. Dye will be used in the machine so that if a mess is made, the cleanup is easy. However, we will …


2018 Asme Student Design Competition - Group T Senior Design Project, Thomas Hess, Anker Anderson, Drew Daugherty, Jack Dufelmeier Dec 2017

2018 Asme Student Design Competition - Group T Senior Design Project, Thomas Hess, Anker Anderson, Drew Daugherty, Jack Dufelmeier

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The purpose of this project is to create a single soccer playing robot to compete in the 2018 ASME student design competition. The robot, along with spare parts and all other devices must fit inside a 50x50x50 cm box. This robot must be able to traverse the field via remote control and have the ability to control a tennis ball and shoot it with sufficient force.


The Automatic Bartender, Richard Wu, Alex Nassar, Keegan Lathrum Dec 2017

The Automatic Bartender, Richard Wu, Alex Nassar, Keegan Lathrum

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The automatic bartender will hold 2 liquors and 2 mixers. When the user selects the option to make a drink, the device will pour out the required amounts of liquid into a container, via tubing that feeds into the container. The container has an internal stirrer to mix the components together, and then empties into a cup. The end result is a finished cocktail, and the machine is designed for residential use.


Tissue Stretching Device, Usama Ismail, Humza Ismail, Elvir Sarajlic Dec 2017

Tissue Stretching Device, Usama Ismail, Humza Ismail, Elvir Sarajlic

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This tissue loading project consists of designing an apparatus that has two main functions. The first, and most obvious of these, being creating a device that will deform a band or disk of tissue with cells pre-seeded on them uniaxially while recording the stress and strain, specifically strain rate, that is applied to the tissue. While the deformation aspect of this device will be key, an equally important part of this project will be designing a part of our tissue loader that mimics the environmental chamber that the lab already uses or is compatible with the environmental chamber that is …


Dry Ingredient Dispenser, Group S, 2017, Nick Caywood, Noelle T. Wojciechowsi Dec 2017

Dry Ingredient Dispenser, Group S, 2017, Nick Caywood, Noelle T. Wojciechowsi

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

We wanted to come up with a way to automate the process of measuring and dispensing dry ingredients for baking.


Macroscopic Model Of A Cilium Appendage, Laura Barber, Rachel Mickelson, Wilson Roen, Isabella Merz Dec 2017

Macroscopic Model Of A Cilium Appendage, Laura Barber, Rachel Mickelson, Wilson Roen, Isabella Merz

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The goal of this project is to develop a macroscopic model of the cilia appendage and a realistic testing environment for the model. The model should be created with materials that effectively replicate the material and mechanical properties of the appendage in the human body. Additionally, the testing environment should mimic the viscous fluid that surrounds cilia in the human body to allow for more accurate testing. The fluid’s flow should be parallel to the model and induce instability in the system. This instability should force the cilia model to oscillate like a flag in the wind. Upon completion of …


Modeling Acoustic Microfluidic Phenomena In Unconventional Geometries, Andrew Ledbetter Dec 2017

Modeling Acoustic Microfluidic Phenomena In Unconventional Geometries, Andrew Ledbetter

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this work, the performance of a piezoelectrically-actuated ultrasonic droplet generator is analyzed by modeling the harmonic response of a two-dimensional representation of the device cross-section. Observed vibrational and acoustic resonances provide insight into optimal design conditions to achieve efficient, robust droplet ejection. Numerical simulations highlight the importance of the coupled electrical and mechanical behavior of the resonator assembly and show that elastic modes can effectively amplify or dampen acoustic modes within the fluid chamber. Experimentally-validated modeling results guide development of an optimization strategy to further improve device performance. In addition, the standing acoustic field that is the focus of …


Jme 4110 Final Design Report - Plant Growth Chamber, Deontez Myers, Chad Szwargulski Aug 2017

Jme 4110 Final Design Report - Plant Growth Chamber, Deontez Myers, Chad Szwargulski

Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110

To facilitate study of resource use efficiency in crop plants, it is necessary to pulse-saturate them with certain stable isotopes. This is done by exposing the shoots to gases and the roots to liquid. We were tasked with designing a system to deliver and control this process.


Jme 4110 Phenode Camera Arm Design Project, Kelsey M. Wortmann, Paul Masnica, Matthias Sommer Aug 2017

Jme 4110 Phenode Camera Arm Design Project, Kelsey M. Wortmann, Paul Masnica, Matthias Sommer

Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110

The goal of this design project was to create an extendable camera arm capable of attaching to the shell of the PheNode in-field apparatus created by researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. The camera arm extends 36 inches in length, can rotate 180 degrees, and successfully holds a camera for plant imaging with minimal vibrations. We have designed an affordable camera arm that is stable and meets the design parameters given. Our design process is documented in the following report.


Jme 4110 Seed Cross-Breeze Distance Tester, Ty Krewson, John Jensen, Emily Dahlberg Aug 2017

Jme 4110 Seed Cross-Breeze Distance Tester, Ty Krewson, John Jensen, Emily Dahlberg

Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110

Because seeds vary in shape, size, and weight, their behaviors in cross-breezes vary as well. The customer’s laboratory is researching seeds for prairie grasses. Their laboratory currently has data for seed structures; however, data for seed dispersion is needed to provide a better correlation to known environmental and genetic factors such as precipitation and DNA changes. The Seed Cross-Breeze Distance Tester is a controlled chamber designed to test the distance a seed will travel in a user-specified windspeed.


Jme 4110 Seed Aerodynamics, Kristin Gonzalez, Vladimir Sidorov Aug 2017

Jme 4110 Seed Aerodynamics, Kristin Gonzalez, Vladimir Sidorov

Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110

This is a report discussing the analysis and results of a wind tunnel that was created to find the terminal velocity of a variety of seeds.


Jme 4110- Solar Panel Tracker, Bob Stretch, James Eimer, Patrick Kraus Aug 2017

Jme 4110- Solar Panel Tracker, Bob Stretch, James Eimer, Patrick Kraus

Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110

Our design is a passive solar panel tracker using fundamentals of thermodynamics. A fixed solar tracker only operates at peak efficiency for a short period during the day. Our tracker uses the sun's energy to power pistons that push the panel to face the sun throughout the day, increasing efficiency.


Fundamental Studies Of Flame Structure Through Laser Plasma Diagnostics, Wendong Wu Aug 2017

Fundamental Studies Of Flame Structure Through Laser Plasma Diagnostics, Wendong Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Increasing concerns about air pollution and global climate change are drawing attention to the need for efficiency improvements and emission reductions for combustion processes, which account for more than 85% of energy production in United States. Combustion efficiency and emissions are affected by the mixing and reacting of fuel and oxidizer. Understanding such behavior plays a critical role in flame structure studies and combustion optimization. However, experimentally obtaining mixture fraction, which is a widely used quantity to describe the mixing behavior, has proven to be a challenge, especially for heavier hydrocarbon fuels or fuel rich flames. Moreover, measuring flame temperature …