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Articles 1 - 30 of 37
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Robotic Arm Extrusion End Effector, Nicholas Viamin, David Blouin, Savannah Hunt, Nico Figueroa
Robotic Arm Extrusion End Effector, Nicholas Viamin, David Blouin, Savannah Hunt, Nico Figueroa
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
This senior design project aims to enhance the capabilities of the Rotrics AIO Desktop Arm (Dexarm) by designing and implementing an extrusion device capable of smooth and consistent extrusion for 3D printing applications. The project focused on ensuring safety, affordability, and ease-of-use for users, while achieving precise control over the extrusion process. Various mechanical and electrical components were carefully selected to ensure compatibility with the Dexarm and to provide optimal performance. To maintain safety, extensive testing and risk assessments were conducted to minimize any potential hazards associated with the extrusion process. To achieve smooth and consistent extrusion, precise control mechanisms …
Novel Locomotion Methods In Magnetic Actuation And Pipe Inspection, Adam Cox
Novel Locomotion Methods In Magnetic Actuation And Pipe Inspection, Adam Cox
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
There is much room for improvement in tube network inspections of jet aircraft. Often, these inspections are incomplete and inconsistent. In this paper, we develop a Modular Robotic Inspection System (MoRIS) for jet aircraft tube networks and a corresponding kinematic model. MoRIS consists of a Base Station for user control and communication, and robotic Vertebrae for accessing and inspecting the network. The presented and tested design of MoRIS can travel up to 9 feet in a tube network. The Vertebrae can navigate in all orientations, including smooth vertical tubes. The design is optimized for nominal 1.5" outside diameter tubes. We …
Optical Microresonator-Based Flow-Speed Sensor, Elie Ramon Salameh
Optical Microresonator-Based Flow-Speed Sensor, Elie Ramon Salameh
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
Optical sensors have become more prominent in atmospheric measurement systems, with LiDAR instruments deployed on a variety of earth-bound, air-borne, and space-based platforms. In recent years, the interest in the human exploration of Mars has created a substantial push towards reliable and compact sensing elements for Mars exploration missions, particularly during a spacecraft’s entry, descent, and landing stages. Real-time sensors able to reliably measure the craft’s speed relative to the surrounding atmosphere during these stages are thus of great interest. In this dissertation, a proof-of-concept for an optical microfabricated sensor, which leverages the whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) and Doppler shift principles, is …
Marine Robot Sample Retrieving System, Valeriya Chulyukina, Noah Villar, Kekoa Blair, Mandeep Singh, Nathan Burke
Marine Robot Sample Retrieving System, Valeriya Chulyukina, Noah Villar, Kekoa Blair, Mandeep Singh, Nathan Burke
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
The exploration of our underwater ecosystems is critical. The aquatic ecosystem has a significant effect on human life, yet our understanding of the oceanic environment is severely lacking. Santa Clara University’s Robotic Systems Lab contributes to subsea exploration through its investment in remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology. This project was done with the guidance of not only professors in the Robotics Systems Lab, but also stakeholders from the US Geological Survey scientists and researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Our team goal was to further advance SCU’s efforts by creating a sediment sample collection system consisting of …
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 …
Development Of A Computer Model To Simulate Battery Performance For Use In Renewable Energy Simulations, Arjun Sundararajan
Development Of A Computer Model To Simulate Battery Performance For Use In Renewable Energy Simulations, Arjun Sundararajan
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Renewable and clean energy has been the driving force behind the booming storage industry. The need for producing energy from clean and quickly replenishable energy sources has never been as high as it is now. However, renewable energy only supplies a little over a quarter of the world’s electricity needs and much less of the world’s total energy requirements. One reason is the intermittent nature of renewable energy. Inexpensive and convenient storage technologies are required to solve this issue. It is believed that batteries offer the most viable solution to conquer the problem of renewable energy intermittency. To aid the …
Effect Of Cloud Cover On Optimum Orientations Of Fixed Solar Panels For Maximum Yearly Energy Collection, Prethew Prasad
Effect Of Cloud Cover On Optimum Orientations Of Fixed Solar Panels For Maximum Yearly Energy Collection, Prethew Prasad
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
The amount of cloud cover present in the sky is a significant factor when determining the solar radiation impinging on a solar panel. The optimum tilt required to achieve maximum energy impingement on a surface is also influenced by the amount of cloud cover. This work presents a method for determining the optimum tilt angle for a fixed solar panel when a set amount of cloud cover is present in the sky. Fixed tilt angles that have the most incident solar energy over the course of a year as a function of cloud cover, latitude, and azimuthal angle orientation are …
Utilizing Rotational Energy In Wind Turbine Blades With The Flywheel Mechanism And Predicting The Power Output By Neural Networking, Anamika Mishra
Utilizing Rotational Energy In Wind Turbine Blades With The Flywheel Mechanism And Predicting The Power Output By Neural Networking, Anamika Mishra
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
As we expand and innovate for better and safer living, there will always be a need for new energy sources. By replacing fossil fuels, renewable energy is becoming a viable option for primary power generation. That is why researchers are turning their attention to renewable energy sources and ways of making the most of them. WIND ENERGY is a promising renewable and clean energy source harvested from the wind which is plentiful on the planet. We already have the technology to harvest it, but the efficiency and power output are not optimal. In this thesis, to enhance the energy harvesting …
Computer Modeling Of Solar Thermal System With Underground Storage Tank For Space Heating, Mohammad Yousef Mousa Naser
Computer Modeling Of Solar Thermal System With Underground Storage Tank For Space Heating, Mohammad Yousef Mousa Naser
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Space heating is required in almost every dwelling across the country for different periods of time. The thermal energy needed to meet a heating demand can be supplied using different conventional and/or renewable technologies. Solar energy is one example of a renewable resource that can be used for supplying heating needs. It can be utilized either by using photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, that in turn can be used to operate heaters, or by using solar thermal panels. Solar thermal panels obtain higher operating efficiencies than photovoltaic panels, but solar energy for heating purposes suffers from a mismatch between supply …
Utilizing Rotational Energy In Wind Turbine Blades With The Flywheel Mechanism And Predicting The Power Output By Neural Networking, Anamika Mishra
Utilizing Rotational Energy In Wind Turbine Blades With The Flywheel Mechanism And Predicting The Power Output By Neural Networking, Anamika Mishra
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
As we expand and innovate for better and safer living, there will always be a need for new energy sources. By replacing fossil fuels, renewable energy is becoming a viable option for primary power generation. That is why researchers are turning their attention to renewable energy sources and ways of making the most of them. WIND ENERGY is a promising renewable and clean energy source harvested from the wind which is plentiful on the planet. We already have the technology to harvest it, but the efficiency and power output are not optimal. In this thesis, to enhance the energy harvesting …
A Cathode Support Structure For Use In A Magnetron Oscillator Experiment, Daylon Black, Ryan Harper, Patrick Ward, Jacob Davlin, Omar Bentancourt, Donald Plumlee, Jim Browning
A Cathode Support Structure For Use In A Magnetron Oscillator Experiment, Daylon Black, Ryan Harper, Patrick Ward, Jacob Davlin, Omar Bentancourt, Donald Plumlee, Jim Browning
Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
A Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) material system has been used to develop a protype field emission cathode structure for use in an experimental magnetron oscillator. The structure is designed for used with 30 Gated Field Emission Array (GFEA) die electrically connected through silver metal traces and electrical vias. To approximate a cylinder, the cathode structure (48 mm long and 13.7 mm in diameter) is comprised of 10 faceted plates which cover the GFEA dies. Slits in the facet plates allow electron injection. The GFEA die (3 mm x 8 mm) are placed in axial columns of 3 and spaced …
Heavy Lift Drone, Sam Carhart, David Cooper, Luis Gaitan, Michael Kaliterna, Sami Lama, Paul Rogel-Herrera, Yuya Yabe
Heavy Lift Drone, Sam Carhart, David Cooper, Luis Gaitan, Michael Kaliterna, Sami Lama, Paul Rogel-Herrera, Yuya Yabe
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
Despite the rapid rise in the number of drones in the past few years, there has been little work done to produce a drone that is optimized for the FAA' s 55 lb upper takeoff limit. This gap in the market is one that the Heavy Lift Drone (HLD) fills - a light-weight, higher payload capability, and inexpensive drone to be used in commercial applications - most notably irrigation monitoring. The HLD is a contra-rotating hexagonal configuration system featuring two levels of propellers that allow for larger propeller diameter and generate greater lift. After performing extensive finite element analyses and …
Application Of Optimal Switching Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming In Power Electronics, Ataollah Gogani Khiabani
Application Of Optimal Switching Using Adaptive Dynamic Programming In Power Electronics, Ataollah Gogani Khiabani
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
In this dissertation, optimal switching in switched systems using adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) is presented. Two applications in power electronics, namely single-phase inverter control and permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) control are studied using ADP. In both applications, the objective of the control problem is to design an optimal switching controller, which is also relatively robust to parameter uncertainties and disturbances in the system. An inverter is used to convert the direct current (DC) voltage to an alternating current (AC) voltage. The control scheme of the single-phase inverter uses a single function approximator, called critic, to evaluate the optimal cost …
Control And Locomotion Of Inertially And Magnetically Actuated Multi-Scale Robotic Systems, Ehab Al Khatib
Control And Locomotion Of Inertially And Magnetically Actuated Multi-Scale Robotic Systems, Ehab Al Khatib
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
In this research, two actuation systems were introduced, inertial and magnetic actuation. In the inertial actuation, the robot used the transfer of momentum to navigate, and this momentum could be generated by spinning masses and wheels. Recent studies in our System Laboratory proved that a wide range of inertially actuated locomotion systems could be generated. This can be achieved by using a family tree approach, starting from a very simple system, and progressively evolving it to more complex ones. The motion diversity of these robots inspired us to extend their locomotion from a macro scale to millimeter and micro scales. …
Optimization Study Of A Combined Wind-Solar Farm For A Specified Demand, Venkat Siddhartha Rama
Optimization Study Of A Combined Wind-Solar Farm For A Specified Demand, Venkat Siddhartha Rama
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
At the present time, using wind and solar energy for producing electricity in the United States is becoming cost competitive. According to Lazard’s 2019 [36] levelized cost of energy (LCOE) analysis of a number of energy sources used for producing electricity in the United States, wind and solar are cheaper than natural gas and coal. While capital, maintenance, operation, and fuel costs are included in LCOE numbers, energy source intermittency is not. Intermittency is an important issue with wind and solar energy sources, but not with natural gas or coal energy sources. Combining wind and solar energy sources into one …
Computational Assessment Of Aortic Valve Function And Mechanics Under Hypertension, Saurav Kadel
Computational Assessment Of Aortic Valve Function And Mechanics Under Hypertension, Saurav Kadel
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), the most common valvular heart disorder, is associated with complications such as stroke, heart attack, aortic aneurysm, left ventricular hypertrophy, and ultimately death. While hypertension has been identified as a major risk factor for CAVD, the mechanisms by which it may promote calcification are still unknown. Given the sensitivity of valvular tissue to mechanical stress alterations, the hemodynamic abnormalities linked to hypertension may play a role in the development of CAVD. Further, the effects of hypertension on the left ventricular functionality and coronary flow resistance remain largely uninvestigated. Hence, the objectives of this thesis were …
Investigation Of The Electrode Polarization Effect For Biosensor Applications, Anil Koklu
Investigation Of The Electrode Polarization Effect For Biosensor Applications, Anil Koklu
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
My research focuses on electrokinetic transport. Particularly, in this dissertation, we focus on fabrication and testing of micro electrodes with nanostructured surfaces to minimize the electrode polarization (EP) effects for biosensor applications. In the first study, electrochemical deposition of gold nanoparticles on to planar gold electrodes was used to generate rough surfaces. Dendritic nanostructures that reduced EP up to two orders of magnitude was obtained by optimizing the deposition conditions. These structures also enhanced dielectrophoresis (DEP) response of our bio-chips, making them usable in physiological buffers. In further studies we discovered a universal scaling of EP in the frequency domain, …
Design Of An Urban Garden Aquaponics System, Riley Albright-Borden, James Wang, Sydney Thompson
Design Of An Urban Garden Aquaponics System, Riley Albright-Borden, James Wang, Sydney Thompson
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
The project objective is to create a durable, off-the-grid, large-scale aquaponics system consisting of over 90 sq. ft of growing space, a 650-gallon fishpond, and four types of sensors to transmit water quality data to the internet for remote water quality monitoring. The end goal of the project is to supplement produce grown in the garden to further increase fresh, nutritional options available in meals cooked and distributed by Loaves and Fishes Family Kitchen to combat food insecurity in San Jose. This report presents the need for a system, details the various subsystems, and the rationale for the designs. It …
Design And Control Of Fiber Encapsulation Additive Manufacturing, Matt Saari
Design And Control Of Fiber Encapsulation Additive Manufacturing, Matt Saari
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
This work presents the design, development, and analysis of the Fiber Encapsulation Additive Manufacturing (FEAM) system developed at the Laboratory for Additive Manufacturing Robotics \& Automation at the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University. The innovation introduced by FEAM is the ability to insert a continuous fiber of different material into the flowing extrudate. Correctly positioning the fiber feed inside the extrudate while turning the fiber in arbitrary directions is a critical aspect of the technology. This will allow for the full exploitation of the capabilities of the FEAM technology to produce robotic components that actuate and sense. …
Robust Impedance Control Of A Four Degree Of Freedom Exercise Robot, Santino Joseph Bianco
Robust Impedance Control Of A Four Degree Of Freedom Exercise Robot, Santino Joseph Bianco
ETD Archive
The CSU 4OptimX exercise robot provides a platform for future research into advanced exercise and rehabilitation. The robot and its control system will autonomously modify reference trajectories and impedances on the basis of an optimization criterion and physiological feedback. To achieve this goal, a robust impedance control system with trajectory tracking must be implemented as the foundational control scheme. Two control laws will be compared, sliding mode and H-infinity control. The above robust control laws are combined with underlying impedance control laws to overcome uncertain plant model parameters and disturbance anomalies affecting the input signal. The sliding mode control law …
Transmission Electron Microscopy Analysis Of Silicon-Doped Beta-Gallium Oxide Films Grown By Pulsed Laser Deposition, Cynthia Thomason Bowers
Transmission Electron Microscopy Analysis Of Silicon-Doped Beta-Gallium Oxide Films Grown By Pulsed Laser Deposition, Cynthia Thomason Bowers
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
Due to the large band gap of β-Ga2O3 and recent improvements toward high quality native substrates and the ability to shallow dope epitaxial β-Ga2O3 it is an attractive material for applications in power electronic devices. Such devices require advances in the areas of thin film growth and carrier concentration control to deliver high mobility films appropriate for the device structures. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis can provide information concerning doping, crystal structure, and internal strain which will be valuable to assess the role of defects and impurities on the transport properties for feedback to optimize the bulk and epitaxial growth …
Optical Micro-Seismometer Based On Evanescent Field Perturbation Of Whispering Gallery Modes, Jaime Da Silva
Optical Micro-Seismometer Based On Evanescent Field Perturbation Of Whispering Gallery Modes, Jaime Da Silva
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
This thesis proposes a light-weight, compact, and accurate optical micro-seismometer that could be used in many applications, such as planetary exploration. The sensor proposed here is based on the principle of whispering gallery optical mode (WGM) resonance shifts of a dielectric micro-resonator due to disturbances of its evanescent field. The micro-seismometer could be used in place of the traditional bulky seismometers. The design of a waveguide-resonator and mechanical structure to disturb the evanescent field are presented. A proof-of-concept a seismometer model that uses a 5µm ring resonator is numerically tested with actual seismic data. The results show that a WGM-based …
The Vessel For Autonomous Research Underwater (The Varuna), Tyler Briles, Shae Connor, Erin Guthrie, Anthony Jackson, Madeleine Peauroi
The Vessel For Autonomous Research Underwater (The Varuna), Tyler Briles, Shae Connor, Erin Guthrie, Anthony Jackson, Madeleine Peauroi
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
Humans are intimately connected to the Earth’s ocean, and yet only 5% of it has been explored. Learning more about marine life and ocean chemistry can only improve our stewardship efforts. The addition of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to the Santa Clara University Robotic Systems Laboratory’s collection of marine robots will contribute to this quest for knowledge. It will assist researchers by providing a low-cost, easy-to-use, portable, reliable, and safe alternative to operator-controlled vehicles. This report describes our motivations for this project, the decisions we made in the design and manufacturing of the VARUNA, and tradeoff analyses of possible options. …
Near-Optimal Control Of Switched Systems With Continuous-Time Dynamics Using Approximate Dynamic Programming, Tohid Sardarmehni
Near-Optimal Control Of Switched Systems With Continuous-Time Dynamics Using Approximate Dynamic Programming, Tohid Sardarmehni
Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations
Optimal control is a control method which provides inputs that minimize a performance index subject to state or input constraints [58]. The existing solutions for finding the exact optimal control solution such as Pontryagin’s minimum principle and dynamic programming suffer from curse of dimensionality in high order dynamical systems. One remedy for this problem is finding near optimal solution instead of the exact optimal solution to avoid curse of dimensionality [31]. A method for finding the approximate optimal solution is through Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP) methods which are discussed in the subsequent chapters.
In this dissertation, optimal switching in switched …
Derivative-Free Kalman Filter-Based Control Of Nonlinear Systems With Application To Transfemoral Prostheses, S. Mahmoud Moosavi
Derivative-Free Kalman Filter-Based Control Of Nonlinear Systems With Application To Transfemoral Prostheses, S. Mahmoud Moosavi
ETD Archive
Derivative-free Kalman filtering (DKF) for estimation-based control of a special class of nonlinear systems is presented. The method includes a standard Kalman filter for the estimation of both states and unknown inputs, and a nonlinear system that is transformed to controllable canonical state space form through feedback linearization (FL). A direct current (DC) motor with an input torque that is a nonlinear function of the state is considered as a case study for a nonlinear single-input-single-output (SISO) system. A three degree-of-freedom (DOF) robot / prosthesis system, which includes a robot that emulates human hip and thigh motion and a powered …
Pcb Prototyping, Kasey Chun, Dylan Hack, Ilja Medan, Michael Rudolf, Ryan Sidley
Pcb Prototyping, Kasey Chun, Dylan Hack, Ilja Medan, Michael Rudolf, Ryan Sidley
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
In today’s world, Printed Circuit Boards, also known as PCBs, are part of our daily lives. However, it is currently difficult for students in university classes or hobbyists to quickly produce custom made PCBs since no system exists where every step in the production process is on one platform. There are four main steps that go into manufacturing a PCB once it is fully designed which are: milling, solder dispensing, component placement, and a reflow process. The goal will be to create various toolheads and place them onto a single platform allowing the user to perform the aforementioned production processes. …
Marv: Marine Autonomous Research Vessel, Drew Azevedo, Sam Beltram, Gregorio Delvecchio, Ben Hopner
Marv: Marine Autonomous Research Vessel, Drew Azevedo, Sam Beltram, Gregorio Delvecchio, Ben Hopner
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
Conducting hydrologic research in remote areas is currently performed manually, making it a labor intensive and inaccurate solution. Due to the size, weight, and cost of automated solutions on the market today, a need has arisen for a low cost, highly portable, autonomous solution. Working closely with Santa Clara University’s Robotics Systems Lab (RSL), our team has developed a low cost, highly portable autonomous marine research vessel named MARV (Marine Autonomous Research Vessel). It is an autonomous surface platform where scientists outfit the vessel with their own data acquisition equipment. The mechanical chassis is collapsible for modes of remote transportation …
Rsl Autonomous Rover, Cris Madrigal, Jiachi Zhang, Nicholas Peacock, Brogan O'Hara
Rsl Autonomous Rover, Cris Madrigal, Jiachi Zhang, Nicholas Peacock, Brogan O'Hara
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
Autonomous vehicles are useful for a variety of applications such as military, urban, and agricultural environments. This paper discusses adding an autonomous navigation system to an all-terrain vehicle by implementing controllers that interface with its current system, installing sensors on the vehicle for obstacle detection, and developing effective safety mechanisms to prevent injury to others. The result is a vehicle capable of waypoint navigation and obstacle avoidance. Testing the vehicle showed that the LIDAR and the autonomous navigation system were integrated seamlessly, and that the sensor output signals were successfully translated into vehicle commands the existing system uses. This system …
Might-E Wheel, Abigail Grills, Daniel Doke, Jared O'Rourke, Zach Jesberger
Might-E Wheel, Abigail Grills, Daniel Doke, Jared O'Rourke, Zach Jesberger
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
Electric bikes are proving to be an increasingly reliable source of transportation, but with large price tags and existing conversion kits proving too complicated and unapproachable for the average user, commuters are failing to consider electric bicycles as an option. A prototype of a wireless, rear-wheel replacement to convert a bicycle from manual to full-power electric was built. This motorized wheel is called Might-E Wheel. Might-E Wheel was designed as the most approachable and user-friendly way to convert a bicycle from manual to full-power electric. Might-E Wheel was able to achieve a top speed of 27.5 km/h, a range of …
Mobile Music: A Musical Therapy Assistance Device, Alex Hildebrand, Tanner Malkoff
Mobile Music: A Musical Therapy Assistance Device, Alex Hildebrand, Tanner Malkoff
Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses
Children suffering from Cerebral Palsy often undergo gait therapy in order to strengthen and coordinate their trunks and legs. The patients often feel unmotivated to perform their gait training because the physical movements associated with it are difficult and there is no immediate reward. Physical therapists (PT) will often play music as an incentive to get the children focused on their physical therapy, but this is inefficient and impedes the PT from analyzing and tuning the patients' gait. Mobile Music is a small device designed for automating musical therapy during gait training. In this paper, we go through several design …