Engineering Commons^™

Recent Developments In Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Drones, Seyed Mohammad Sanjari Pirmahalleh

ATU Research Symposium

Hydrogen fuel cells have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional batteries for powering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. In recent years, there has been a significant amount of research and development in hydrogen fuel cell powered drones, with several successful demonstrations and commercial deployments. This research provides a comprehensive review of the recent developments in hydrogen fuel cell technology for UAVs and the current state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cell powered drones. The research first discusses the advantages of using hydrogen fuel cells in drones, such as higher energy density, longer flight time, and lower environmental impact. It …

Kayak Automated Steering, Nick Gilbert, Emily Trotter, David Asimbaya, Jorge Garcia, Natalie Nyatsanza

ATU Research Symposium

The problem presented is to automate a fishing kayak to make traveling long distances more manageable while maintaining the flexibility, portability, and size of the kayak without making major modifications to the already working item. The proposed design is aimed to solve the steering issues that a fixed seat in a kayak may have and the consistent paddling by supporting them with an automated system. The device is not meant to interfere with the system's manual operation but to provide a sense of aid when needed.

Design And Fabrication Of Gearbox, Mohammed Al Omairi, Ibrahim Alshammari, Nawaf Alshammari, Abdullah Aljohani, Hezam Al Marri

ATU Research Symposium

In this project, the gears and other mechanical parts of the gearbox will be created using 3D printing technology, and they will be joined to shafts and combined with ball bearings for smooth motion. This is constructed to make the ideas of gear mechanics and gear shifting simple to visualize and comprehend.

The Aerocap Aerodynamic Attachment For Pickup Trucks, Andrew J. Tucker, David Silk

ATU Research Symposium

As the pickup truck continuously becomes more popular in both commercial and family applications, the fuel efficiency of modern pickup design should be brought into question. According to CBS News, pickup trucks accounted for around 20% of all new vehicles sold in America in 2022, with the three most popular vehicles sold during the year all being pickups. However, these vehicles consistently have higher drag coefficients than other types of vehicles, namely sedans or crossovers. This leads to decreased fuel economy and more overall greenhouse gas emissions. Even in the case of an electric pickup truck, the high drag coefficient …

Functional Integrated Storage Housing, Noah M. Disheroon, Christopher Dew, Andrew L. Hilsdon, Vana Ducusin, Thomas Dodds, Alexander J. Holland

ATU Research Symposium

The vertical rotating shelf is a new design concept for a robotics laboratory that provides a compact and efficient storage solution for a variety of components and materials. The shelf is designed to maximize storage capacity while minimizing the amount of space required. The shelf consists of a sturdy metal frame with multiple shelves attached to it. The shelves are modular and the bins on the shelves can be changed to accommodate items of varying sizes. The rotating mechanism is powered by a motor, which allows for easy access to all items on the shelf without having to move or …

Gesture-Based American Sign Language (Asl) Translation System, Kayleigh Moore, Stefano Pecile, Mahdi Yazdanpour

Posters-at-the-Capitol

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5% of the world's population experiences severe hearing loss. Approximately 9 million people in the U.S. are either functionally deaf or have mild-to-severe hearing loss. In this research, we designed and implemented a translation interface which turns American Sign Language (ASL) gestures captured from a pair of soft robotic gloves into text and speech instantaneously.

We used a combination of flex sensors, tactile sensors, and accelerometers to recognize hand gestures and to record hand and fingers positions, movements, and orientations. The digitized captured gestures were then sent to our proposed translation interface …

Examination Of Installation Effects On Multi-Jet Meter Performance, Domenic Quiquero

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Alongside Mitchell Boody and Dr. Eric Savoury's supervision, the effect of additional internal friction of multi-jet flow meters caused by various orientations was experimentally analyzed. Multi-jet flow meters are commonly used in multi-unit residential buildings, thus by understanding the effects of the corresponding orientational loss, our industry partners can better assess water cost. This study coincides with Mitchell Boody's work using simulations to demonstrate the impact of frictional loss in multi-jet flow meters and building upon the work of Paulo Barros Rodrigues with other orientations.

Normative Joint Angles And Compensation During Fit-Hansa Test, Jennifer J. Villeneuve

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Imagine a world where no injuries occurred, muscular compensation was able to be detected early on and imbalances resolved before any risks appear. Muscular compensation can cause injuries, especially with repetitive motion or through activities of daily living. The study I conducted focuses on the compensation methods of shoulder abduction and trunk lean during the FIT-HaNSA series. Determining the normative ranges of motion can increase early detection of fatigue for all individuals. This can help make repetitive jobs such as working in a factory much safer for all employees, as they can switch tasks as soon as fatigue is identified. …

Mathematical Analysis Of A Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope, Sean Mcevoy

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

A Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (HRG) is a gyroscope that uses vibrations to measure the orientation of a device based on the Coriolis effect. A mathematical model was confirmed so that a mathematical simulation could be made and used for a simulation of the HRG in operation.

Analysis Of Preload In Bolted Joints Under Impulse, Albert Dusseault

Thinking Matters Symposium

From transportation to storage to construction, bolted joints are utilized everywhere. Bolted joints in closures such as pressure vessels/tanks require a preload, or a specific amount of tightening of the bolts to seal the vessel when pressurized to avoid leaking. Low preload can result in joint loosening whereas high preload can result in yielding. Therefore, finding feasible and even better optimal values of preload is of great practical importance. In an earlier work in 1996, this problem was tackled with an exponentially decaying pressure applied on a pressure vessel closure. In the present analysis, however, the pressure variation is considered …

Classroom Room Acoustics And Effect On Speech With And Without Face Coverings In Direct And Reverberant Sound Fields, Danny Hernandez-Borjas

Symposium of Student Scholars

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, life consisted of seeing people in dense public areas such as malls, parks, and schools. But the life these people once knew has changed with face coverings becoming more prevalent in society along with social distancing which caused these public places to limit their capacity. However, a certain faction of society-this being students, have been affected immensely due to this transition of life at school which includes mandatory face coverings in the classroom and social distancing. This research focuses on the effects on speech with and without face coverings in a classroom setting in certain …

Confocal Laser Microscopy On Acid-Etched Titanium Surfaces And Roughness Measurements, Caleb Schaible, Gabriel Weiss, Holly Monson, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Determining The Effect Of Embedding Sensors In The Hosting Composite’S Mechanical Properties, Arianna Verbosky, Ephraim Zegeye

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Testing Dielectric Elastomers In Uniaxial Tension, Carolyn Haase, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Observations On The Use Of Chemical Treatment For The Modification Of Dielectric Elastomer’S Mechanical Properties: A Work In Progress, Isaac Liu, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Drones And Spatial Artificial Intelligence For Improving Crop Yield, Carson Farmer, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Hydrogen Combustion Engines In Fluid Dynamics, Isabelle Ambrose, Wayne Strasser

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Bombardier Beetle Fire Extinguisher, Elijah Yoder, Wayne Strasser

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Development Of Uavs And Propulsion Systems For Exploration On Other Planets, Aaron Young, Wayne Strasser

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Reverse Osmosis; Addressing Freshwater Shortage With Sustainable Desalination, Jessica Savage

Sustainability Conference

Water security is an imperative part of high-functioning societies. Currently, large populations of the globe live in water-impoverished or water-stressed areas. With climate change and growing global populations, projections show more people being impacted by issues of water shortage.

One solution to water security is the implementation of desalination, specifically with reverse osmosis systems. This presentation walks through the history, capabilities, future work, and explanations on how reverse osmosis systems work. With continued research on improving desalination, communities in both developed and developing nations around the world can work towards total water security.

Adaptable Clean Energy Laboratory, Joao Marcelo Rocha Belmonte, Marc D. Compere

Sustainability Conference

The Adaptable Clean Energy (ACE) Lab is a real-world, long term, test platform that will guide the courses of the Energy Systems track. The lab will provide realistic electrical and HVAC loads that mimic a solar powered office. The lab is a 20’ high cube shipping container modified with a door, windows, lights computers, air conditioner and appliances. The lab is Net-Zero and powered entirely from the sun. Two insulation test sections expose the exterior walls for research access to real external heat loads in a real building

Enviromentally Conscious Industrial Renewable Energy Storage Design, Kouroush Jenab, Travis C. Porter

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The storage of energy on an industrial scale is the biggest obstacle we face regarding renewable energy sources; which, until the past decade has been at a miniscule scale. Since 2012, the capability and emphasis on finding solutions to this problem have grown exponentially, fueled by a spike in technology advancements. This has led to a growth of over fifteen hundred percent in scalable renewable energy storage, globally. Finding an easily scalable solution to industrial scale renewable energy storage is an important issue that needs to be addressed to mitigate the effect on our environment. This would be a massive …

Progress In Micro-Layered Fast Neutron Detectors, Priyarshini Ghosh, W. Fu, Mark J. Harrison, Patrick K. Doyle, Jeremy A. Roberts, D. S. Mcgregor

Symposium on Advanced Sensors and Modeling Techniques for Nuclear Reactor Safety

The study of accident tolerant fuels is ongoing at the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at Idaho National Laboratory. The TREAT Facility provides quick, high-energy neutron pulses that simulate various accident conditions. These neutron pulses are presently detected using an array of fast-neutron detectors called Hornyak buttons. Hornyak buttons suffer from poor detection efficiency and significant Ĉerenkov radiation contamination in the signal. A new enabling technology, the micro-layered fast-neutron detector (MLFD), is presented to monitor neutron flux changes during mild-to-severe reactor accidents. The MLFD was designed to overcome the shortcomings of the Hornyak buttons and to improve detection efficiency. The …

Solar Energy R & D Project: Teachers Incorporating Stem- Modules To Yield An Energy Literate Generation, Tricia Kirkland, Lindsay Snowden

ENERGY Research and Lesson Plans

Background- Photovoltaic (PV) cells produce the largest amount of electricity when they are directly facing the sun. Solar panels that use tracking systems to position the panel to constantly face the sun have the greatest efficiency. But, these systems are expensive.

Aim- Design a dual axis tracking solar panel with microcontroller and sensors (light, humidity, temperature, and compass) that are both cost effective and efficient. Sensors will be used to determine performance depending on environmental factors.

Ethics Statement: Researchers will keep honest, clear, and accurate records when collecting all data in lab and communication of information learned.

Epics Torch, Madi Rogers, George Townsend, Brandon Henman, Holly Gregory, Patrick Leal, Brennan Mcpherron, Xinyue Pan

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

The Indiana Bicentennial Commission (IBC) was created by former governor Mitch Daniels to plan and execute a statewide celebration of Indiana’s 200th birthday in 2016. The commission has requested that researchers at Purdue University develop a high-tech Indiana-made flame torch a la the Olympic torch to be used in the celebration and displayed throughout all 92 counties of the state. In addition, the IBC requested that Purdue’s EPICS program develop a kid-friendly torch that can be used alongside the actual torch in relays, celebrations, and community outreach events throughout the state.

By collaborating with Purdue researchers throughout a range of …

Design And Implementation Of An Interactive Animatronic System For Guest Response Analysis, Brian Burns

Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium (2012-2016)

In theme park based entertainment applications, there is a need for interactive, autonomous animatronic systems to create engaging and compelling experiences for the guests. The animatronic figures must identify the guests and recognize their status in dynamic interactions for enhanced acceptance and effectiveness as socially interactive agents, in the general framework of human-robot interactions. The design and implementation of an interactive, autonomous animatronic system in form of a tabletop dragon, Kronos, and the comparisons of guest responses in its passive and interactive modes are presented in this work. The dragon capabilities include a four degrees-of-freedom head, moving wings, tail, jaw, …