Engineering Commons^™

Production Of A Banjo: Development Of Manufacturing Processes For Banjo Resonators,Rims, And Necks., Kevin N. Zollinger

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This body of research focused on the development of prototype tooling and manufacturing processes to produce resonators, rims, and necks for building banjos. The resulting fixtures and manufacturing processes were designed for ease of use by a single employee in a small shop environment. This research required proficiency in interdisciplinary mediums (ie. 2D modeling, 3D modeling, centerline tool path program generation, 2D modeling, 3D modeling, rendering, design, and woodworking).

The resonator required development of a matching set of forming surfaces, a bending/gluing fixture, a work-holding fixture for utilizing a wood lathe, and a steam chamber required for bending strips of …

Best Practices Using Building Information Modeling In Commercial Construction, Simon Beveridge

Theses and Dissertations

There has been an increase in adoption of building information modeling (BIM) by commercial contractors over the past few years but there is not a clear indication of current application or the frequency of each use. This research was undertaken to determine the frequency and best practices of using BIM in commercial construction. Leading commercial contracting firms were contacted and employees were selected to complete a telephone survey that was designed to determine how they are using BIM. It was found that BIM is being used with more frequency on projects, with plans to continue to implement it even further …

Integration Of Process Parameter Control And Digital Image Correlation Methods In An Investigation Of The Variability Of Marine Polymer Matrix Composite Material Properties, Keith Andrew Berube

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The very nature of continuous fiber composite materials, with their heterogeneous structure of layered and interwoven fibers bound together by a polymer resin matrix, lead to an inevitable variability in mechanical properties. This is especially true if the fabrication process is not well controlled. Unlike fabricating components with metals, where the properties of the material are known beforehand, the final properties of the composite material are determined during the process of fabricating the composite part. The research described herein was undertaken to better enable the use of polymer matrix composites in the marine construction industry by developing a knowledge base …

Sustainability For Die Manufacturing: Comparative Study Of Wedm And Milling, Matthew S. Kalus

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sustainability is more important in today's culture due to the increasing demand for a more eco-friendly society. Concentrations in minimizing and reducing environmental impacts, energy and natural resources have been forthcoming in industry. The tool, mold and die industries are the most well known industries that machine harder materials using mills and WEDM. The objective of this thesis was to compare the sustainability differences in both of these machines utilizing the accepted standards for evaluating the manufacturing process performance for sustainability. These standards include the evaluation of the process parameters, raw materials, power, tools and fluids which all contribute to …

Strider: Manufacturing Processes, Michael Warren-Angelucci

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The goal of the Strider Project is to create a mobility device that can support a person with weakened leg strength and enable them to be supported and maintain a standing position. A prototype of the Strider was created by three Mechanical Engineering students as their senior project. The topic of this senior project was to analyze and create a manufacturing process for the manufacture of the Strider that will be ergonomic and cost effective.

There were many things that needed to be accomplished in order to create the manufacturing process. The first step was to verify that the prototype …

Handitrike - Recumbent Tricycle, Sean Higginson, Kevin Howie, Vinay Patel

Mechanical Engineering

This report covers the design and construction of the recumbent racing tricycle for Mr. Robert T. Kelly, a disabled veteran. Unfortunately Rob’s right leg is five inches shorter than his left one and therefore is unable to properly operate standard cranks. Our team HandiTrike is composed of Sean Higginson, Kevin Howie, and Vinay Patel and our project requires us to come up with a design that is feasible to complete within the given three quarters, as well as allow Rob to gain full use of his tricycle. Currently Rob ‘s trike uses the standard crank set up found on most …

Solar Turbines Creep Test Fixture, Rene Maciel, Eric Nelson, Chris Ewald

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Formula Sae Turbocharger Engine Development, Eric Griess, Kevin Mccutcheon, Matthew Roberts, William Chan

Mechanical Engineering

This project, Formula SAE Turbocharger System Development, was sponsored by the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Formula SAE team. The team proposed this project in order to have a powerful yet lightweight engine so they can be extremely competitive at their competition. The baseline output of the single cylinder 450cc engine (2006 Yamaha WR450F) was 46 horsepower and 27 ft-lb of torque. The goal of this project was to increase the output of that engine to 60 horsepower and 35 ft-lb through the use of a turbocharger.

Wolfpack Gear Inc. Composite Frame Firefighter Backpack, Gabriel Mountjoy, Blair Ridings, Carl Drummond Buchenroth

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Droplet Spray Behavior Of An Atomization-Based Cutting Fluid (Acf) System For Machining Of Titanium Alloys, Chandra Nath, Shiv G. Kapoor, Anil K. Srivastava, Jon Iverson

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this research is to study droplet spray characteristics of an atomization-based cutting fluid (ACF) spray system including droplet entrainment angle and flow development regions with respect to three ACF spray parameters, viz., droplet and gas velocities, and spray distance. ACF spray experiments are performed by varying droplet and gas velocities. The flow development behavior is studied by modeling the droplets entrainment mechanism, and the density and distribution of the droplets across the jet flare. Machining experiments are also performed in order to understand the effect of the droplet spray behavior on the machining performances, viz., tool life/wear, …

Process Improvements For Establishing Cmmi Certification At Company Xyz, Megan Farrell

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

CMMI stands for Capability Maturity Model Integration and is an enterprise-wide Process-Improvement model that provides a set of best practices that addresses productivity, performance, costs, and stakeholder satisfaction. This improvement model is generally used in computer software companied and not only does it improve their processes, but many contracts will only be awarded with those companies who are CMMI certified, so it is very important for Company XYZ. This goal of this project was to help improve the CMMI efforts at Company XYZ in 4 of the 20 distinct processes areas to attain a CMMI Maturity Level of 3. Improvement …

Design And Manufacture Of Natural Composite Canoe, Derek Baptista

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Abstract

This report looks into the application and feasibility of manufacturing natural composite canoes. The main fabrics that were analyzed are flax, hemp, and jute. These were then compared to carbon fiber and fiberglass to see the difference in mechanical properties. It was found that the natural fibers have lower mechanical properties but that this could be overcome by designing a balsa wood core with ribs running up the walls. After manufacturing a hemp canoe, many lesson were learned and areas of interest were further explored. With the use of different natural fibers, these canoes can greatly reduce the carbon …

Chsr Clothing: How To Start A Small Business Clothing Line To Be Run Efficiently With Minimum Capital And Maximum Profit, Kayvon Banisalam

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Executive Summary

Many clothing brands have failed because they did not design marketable products with a suitable business plan. Often times, clothing brand owners do not use the capital they possess in efficient ways. They can get caught off guard with unexpected costs and are not running the business in the most resourceful and professional way.

The goal of this project is to create a clothing brand that portrays distinctive designs to go along with an effective business model. This includes implementing decision analysis at several points of the planning phase, along with quality and cost controls. Creating quality products …

Facilities Planning For An Aerospace Manufacturing Company, William Petrossi

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Absolute Technologies Inc. (ATI) has been growing for years, and is running out of space at their current manufacturing facility in Yorba Linda, CA. ATI will be moving to a much larger facility this winter. They are looking for an efficient way to utilize this space. The machine positions were taken as fixed, seeing as a lean expert was brought in to give advice on placement. With the machines fixed, the scope was narrowed to other areas.

A systematic approach to facilities design is utilized. First, a goal needs to be defined. The goal is to reduce the time wasted …

Consolidation Of Company Abc, Estelle Sillari-Owen

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This project aims to solve Company ABC’s issues in order to keep the company afloat and to keep the company profitable. This was done by reducing Company ABC’s organizational and inventory build-up issues. The project aims to reduce the company’s dependence on outside storage, with plans of consistent inventory reduction over the next year. An implementation plan was created to ensure the company keeps on track to increase profits and prevent against increasing inventory costs.

Development Of A Lightweight, Monolithic, Aspheric Mirror Utlizing Fdm Technology, Josiah Thomas

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Phenolic Compounds And Antioxidant Capacities Of Traditional Sorghum Beers With Other Alcoholic Beverages, Fatouma Abdoul-Latif, Romaric G. Bayili, Louis C. Obame, Mamoudou H. Dicko Prof.

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

Thirty samples of sorghum beers “dolo” were selected from traditionally fermented household manufacturers from Burkina Faso. Dolo samples were screened for their total phenolic content, proanthocyanidins and putative antioxidant capacities, and were compared with industrial beers and wines. Total phenols were measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Proanthocyanidins content were determined by the method of HCl-butanol hydrolysis. Antioxidant activities were evaluated both with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and by the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) using 2,2’-azinobis(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical) (ABTS•+). The average contents of total phenols and proanthocyanidins were 506 μg GAE/ml of dolo and 45 μg APE/ml of dolo, respectively. An …

Work In Progress: Outreach Assessment: Measuring Engagement, Lizabeth Schlemer, John Oliver, Katherine Chen, Sophia Rodriguez Mata, Eric Kim

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The Learn By Doing Lab (LBDL) at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo is an on-campus laboratory where 5th through 8th grade students are taught by undergraduates who may be planning a careers in teaching. The two populations - elementary students and undergraduates - are equally important in the process. Since 2008, the lab has seen over 4000 elementary and junior high students and over 100 undergrads have participated. In most outreach assessment the number of individuals participating is an important metric, but this last Spring we experimented with a more in depth measure of effectiveness. As in any learning experience …

Warehouse Redesign, Cristine Carmel Dewar

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

A young, growing biomedical company is expanding its warehouse space to keep up with the increasing production. This project’s goals were to recommend a layout and improve a process that would minimize the distance traveled by the material handlers, increase the safety of the warehouse by implementing visual controls, implement ergonomics to reduce chance of injury, and save money for the company. To achieve this first I familiarized myself with their current processes and department and the space required for their current and future production levels. Next I created two alternative layouts, the first (Layout A) to minimize distance and …

Studying The Effect Of Laser Welding Parameters On The Quality Of Zek100 Magnesium Alloy Sheets In Lap Joint Configuration, Masoud Harooni, Fanrong Kong, Blair Carlson, Radovan Kovacevic

Mechanical Engineering Research

Magnesium, as the lightest structural metal, has been widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Porosity is the main issue in the welding of magnesium alloys and can be caused by surface coatings, hydrogen gas, pre-existing porosity, the collapse of an unstable keyhole and vaporization of alloying elements. In this study, the effect of the oxide layer on pore generation in the welding of AZ31B-H24 magnesium alloy is investigated. A fiber laser with a power of up to 4 kW is used to weld samples in a lap joint configuration. Two groups of samples are studied: as received (AR) …

Mitigation Of Pore Generation In Laser Welding Of Magnesium Alloy Az31b In Lap Joint Configuration, Masoud Harooni, Fanrong Kong, Blair Carlson, Radovan Kovacevic

Mechanical Engineering Research

Magnesium, as the lightest structural metal, has been widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Porosity is the main issue in the welding of magnesium alloys and can be caused by surface coatings, hydrogen gas, pre-existing porosity, the collapse of an unstable keyhole and vaporization of alloying elements. In this study, the effect of the oxide layer on pore generation in the welding of AZ31B-H24 magnesium alloy is investigated. A fiber laser with a power of up to 4 kW is used to weld samples in a lap joint configuration. Two groups of samples are studied: as received (AR) …

Characterization Of Conducting-Polymer-Based Bimorph Vibration Sensors, Weihua Li, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Lianbin Zhao, Yanzhe Wu, Dezhi Zhou, G G. Wallace

Professor Weihua Li

This paper presents theoretical and experimental investigation of mechanical-electrical properties of conducting polymers based bimorph sensors. A material parameter, hCP , is proposed to represent linear relationship between induction charge and the applied external deformation. Based on this assumption, a constitutive equation for bimorph sensors under steady-state external loadings are constructed and then solved. Mechanical-electrical properties of bimorph sensors are experimentally studied using both vibration-amplitude sweep mode and frequency sweep mode. The material parameter hCP , is identified by comparing theoretical analysis and experimental results. The applications of conducting polymers based bimorph sensors in smart structures are also discussed.

Friction Stir Spot Welding Of Ultra-High Strength Steel, Trent J. Hartman

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is quickly becoming a method of interest for welding of high strength steel (HSS) and ultra high strength steel (UHSS). FSSW has been shown to produce high quality welds in these materials, without the drawbacks associated with fusion welding. Tool grade for polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools has a significant impact on wear resistance, weld quality, and tool failure in FSSW of DP 980 steel sheet. More specifically, for a nominal composition of 90% CBN, the grain size has a significant impact on the wear resistance of the tool. A-type tools performed the best, …

Toxicity Assessment And Analgesic Activity Investigation Of Aqueous Acetone Extracts Of Sida Acuta Burn F. And Sida Cordifolia L. (Malvaceae), Medicinal Plants Of Burkina Faso, Kiessoum Konate, Adama Hilou, Raïssa Rr Aworet-Samseny, Alain Souza, Nicolas Barro, Mamoudou H. Dicko Prof., Jacques Datté, Bertrand M’Batchi

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

Background Sida acuta Burn f. and Sida cordifolia L. (Malvaceae) are traditionally used in Burkina Faso to treat several ailments, mainly pains, including abdominal infections and associated diseases. Despite the extensive use of these plants in traditional health care, literature provides little information regarding their toxicity and the pharmacology. This work was therefore designed to investigate the toxicological effects of aqueous acetone extracts of Sida acuta Burn f. and Sida cordifolia L. Furthermore, their analgesic capacity was assessed, in order to assess the efficiency of the traditional use of these two medicinal plants from Burkina Faso. Method For acute toxicity …

Thermoelectric Module-Variable Conductance Heat Pipe Assemblies For Reduced Power Temperature Control, Corey Melnick, Marc Hodes, Gennady Ziskind, Martin Cleary, Vincent Manno

Vincent P. Manno

Thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are used to precisely maintain the setpoint temperature of photonic components generating variable heat loads under varying ambient conditions. The non-component side of TEMs is mounted onto conventional heat sinks (CHSs). At any combination of setpoint temperature, heat load and ambient temperature, there is a unique thermal resistance between the non-component side of a TEM and the ambient corresponding to minimal TEM power consumption. Indeed, a zero thermal resistance heat sink minimizes power consumption when a TEM operates in refrigeration mode, but when it operates in heating mode a relatively high thermal resistance one is optimal. This …

Comparison Of Compression Molding And Selective Laser Sintering Processes In The Development Of Composite Bipolar Plates For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Ehsan Taghipour, Ming-Chuan Leu, Nannan Guo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bipolar plates are key components of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. They carry current away from the cell and withstand the clamping force of the stack assembly. Therefore, PEM fuel cell bipolar plates must have high electrical conductivity and adequate mechanical strength, in addition to being light weight and low cost in terms of both applicable materials and production methods. In order to attain these goals, we have manufactured graphite-carbon- polymer composite plates using Compression Molding (CM), which is suitable for mass production, and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), which is suitable for making prototypes. In this paper, the electrical …

The Applications Of Additive Manufacturing Technologies In Cyber-Enabled Manufacturing Systems, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The application of networked sensors and control in various areas, such as smart grids and infrastructures, has become a recent trend, called cyber-physical systems. The Cyber Enabled Manufacturing (CEM) environment is to apply these technologies in manufacturing systems to handle a significantly greater magnitude of manufacturing data. Additive manufacturing techniques print or place material layer by layer to form a part, thus have a great potential to help accelerate CEM process by printing or embedding sensors and actuators in the proper locations. This paper summarizes the roles of additive manufacturing technologies to help establish a CEM environment.

Freeze-Form Extrusion Fabrication Of Functionally Graded Material Composites Using Zirconium Carbide And Tungsten, Ang Li, Aaron S. Thornton, Bradley K. Deuser, Jeremy Lee Watts, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas, Robert G. Landers

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultra-high-temperature ceramics are being investigated for future use in aerospace applications due to their superior thermo-mechanical properties, as well as their oxidation resistance, at temperatures above 2000⁰C. However, their brittleness makes them susceptible to thermal shock failure. As graded composites, components fabricated as functionally-graded materials (FGMs) can combine the superior properties of ceramics with the toughness of an underlying refractory metal. This paper discusses the grading of two materials through the use of a Freeze-form Extrusion Fabrication (FEF) system to build FGM parts consisting of zirconium carbide (ZrC) and tungsten (W). Aqueous-based colloidal suspensions of ZrC and W were developed …

Experimental Study Of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells Using A Graphite Composite Bipolar Plate Fabricated By Selective Laser Sintering, Nannan Guo, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) can be used to fabricate graphite composite bipolar plates with complex flow fields for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The additive manufacturing process can significantly reduce the time and cost associated with the research and development of bipolar plates as compared to other fabrication methods such as compression molding. In this study, bipolar plates with three different designs, i.e., parallel in series, interdigitated, and bio-inspired, were fabricated using the SLS process. The performance of these SLS-fabricated bipolar plates was studied experimentally within a fuel cell assembly under various operating conditions. The effect of temperature, relative …

Interactions Of An Additive Manufacturing Program With Society, Frank W. Liou, Ming-Chuan Leu, Robert G. Landers

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has shown considerable promise for the future but also proposes some challenges. Many AM barriers tend to be non-technical and instead are human-centric issues such as lack of education of practitioners in AM capabilities, cultural differences, vested interests, and potentially lack of imagination. It is highly desirable for all research and educational institutions to help address these issues. This paper summarizes the additive manufacturing research and education program at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) and its interactions with various constituents, including K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate students, distance students, and industry.