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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Design Of A Tandem Rotor Hovering Vehicle, Brent Kostich
Design Of A Tandem Rotor Hovering Vehicle, Brent Kostich
Honors Theses
An investigation of thrust vectoring and an examination of existing tandem rotor dynamics were used to develop a structural body for a tandem rotor vehicle, derive the equations of motion of the system, and simulate a dynamic model of the vehicle. A vehicle prototype was constructed while further application of remote control capabilities, flight testing, and control development were researched. The dynamic simulation was based on a linear model of the system so as to open the possibility of implementing a control system. The simulation results show that thrust synchronization yields a predictable motion response. The prototype constructed did not …
Design And Fabrication Of An Instrumented Cane For The Blind, Aaron Dean
Design And Fabrication Of An Instrumented Cane For The Blind, Aaron Dean
Honors Theses
The most commonly used tool for navigation by the blind is the white cane. A greater understanding is essential in improving the design and performance of these canes. An existing cane was modified with integrated force and acceleration sensors, in order to study the relation between cane vibration characteristics and obstacle or drop-off detection. Data was gathered by these sensors, and then transmitted wirelessly to a computer workstation, where it was recorded and analyzed. Exertion of the forearm muscles was also measured. Care was taken to insure that the cane sensors and transmitter are ergonomically unobtrusive for the user. The …
Kinetic Modeling Of Catalytic Aerogels, Yi Cao
Kinetic Modeling Of Catalytic Aerogels, Yi Cao
Honors Theses
As pollution becomes an increasing concern globally, strict regulations have been set on vehicle pollutant emissions. The three-way catalytic converter is capable of converting toxic emissions such as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides to less hazardous waste such as carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen. Current catalysts employ platinum group metals, which are expensive and environmentally damaging to mine. Catalytically-active aerogels such as Co-Al, Cu-Al and V-Al aerogels have shown promise as alternatives to these metals. The work presented here adapts and extends a global kinetic model which predicts the conversion of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide on platinum catalyst …
The Design Of An Optimized Patient-Specific In Vivo Spinal Fusion Cage Using Additive Manufacturing, Gorman Donnelly
The Design Of An Optimized Patient-Specific In Vivo Spinal Fusion Cage Using Additive Manufacturing, Gorman Donnelly
Honors Theses
This project involved the design of an all-in-one patient-specific lumbar spinal fusion cage using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) manufacturing. The cage is zero-profile and does not need the use of supplemental fixation. It was manufactured out of the titanium alloy Ti 6Al-4V using a DMLS rapid prototyping machine from a third party company. The endplates of the cage are patient-specific allowing for a larger surface contact area between the cage and the vertebral bodies than most cages on the market. This fosters a more successful fusion as well as decreases surgery time, effectively decreasing recovery time. Different porosity variations …
Investigation Of Boat Hull Performance With Superhydrophobic Coating, Nolan Sayre
Investigation Of Boat Hull Performance With Superhydrophobic Coating, Nolan Sayre
Honors Theses
Aerogels are a nano-porous material that have the ability to be made chemically superhydrophobic. A durable boat hull coating of superhydrophobic aerogels could form the boundary conditions necessary to reduce drag in water and in turn improve overall boat performance. This project investigated whether a superhydrophobic aerogel coating could effectively reduce skin friction drag on a boat. Various techniques for superhydrophobic surface fabrication were researched and tested with the goal of maximizing the surface water contact angle. It was concluded that Nafion solution is not an effective material to adhere aerogels to a surface. Hydrophobic and non-hydrophobic aerogels were adhered …
Cfd Modeling Of The Flow Of Resin Into A Preform Mold Of Carbon Fibers, Caelan Lapointe
Cfd Modeling Of The Flow Of Resin Into A Preform Mold Of Carbon Fibers, Caelan Lapointe
Honors Theses
Sandwich structures are formed by separating load bearing face sheets with a light weight core material. This type of structural design is both strong and light, making for an extremely efficient structure. Sustainable sandwich structures made using face sheets of natural fiber mats and natural oil based resins separated by a fungal mycelia core. The vacuum infusion of resin into the fiber mats is investigated numerically using Star CCM+, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package. The methodology focuses on ease of use while emphasizing good modeling practices. The models generated are compared to the experimental results and provide a theoretical …
The Development Of A Composite Additive To Increase Safety And Performance Of Wooden Baseball Bats, Cj Worley
The Development Of A Composite Additive To Increase Safety And Performance Of Wooden Baseball Bats, Cj Worley
Honors Theses
Many youth baseball leagues are in the process of doing away with metal bats and using solely wood bats. They claim the game will be safer since ball exit velocities off of wood bats are lower than that of their metal counterparts; however, they are overlooking the fact that wood bats shatter causing new safety concerns that are not experienced with metal. It was the goal of this project to develop and test new additive materials to coat wood baseball bats in order to improve strength without decreasing performance. Polyurethane sealant, carbon fiber fabric, and duct tape were chosen to …
Examination Of Heat Flux Through A Surface Using Digital Image Processing Of Infrared Images, Nicholas D. True
Examination Of Heat Flux Through A Surface Using Digital Image Processing Of Infrared Images, Nicholas D. True
Honors Theses
The task for this project was to design and construct a system that could be used to examine heat transfer through a surface by analyzing images produced using thermal imaging cameras. A long rectangular box made of pinewood was constructed and a light bulb was inserted to provide a heating element. The front face of the box was made to be interchangeable so that various materials could be tested. Two Flir I5 thermal imaging cameras were used to take pictures of both sides of the front face at specific time intervals in order to determine the temperature distribution of the …
We All Go Home! The Evolution Of Firefighter Accountability Systems, Jeremy Roy
We All Go Home! The Evolution Of Firefighter Accountability Systems, Jeremy Roy
Honors Theses
Accountability is arguably the single most important tool that a fire department has at its disposal. Although accountability systems have been used throughout history, one thing is proven: when there is no accountability system in place, it is only a matter of time before firefighters will get injured, or worse, lose their lives. This work will discuss the history of fire department methodology dealing with the creation of incident management accountability systems. In order to provide historical evidence that lack of an accountability system can cause injury or death, case studies of multiple fire departments that have reported line of …
A Stroke Of Shear Genius: The Development Of The Blade Bandit, Abdulrahman Hamid
A Stroke Of Shear Genius: The Development Of The Blade Bandit, Abdulrahman Hamid
Honors Theses
This thesis will document and analyze the experience of two members of the Shear Genius team, Mr. Abdulrahman Hamid and Mr. Colin Wattigney, as they worked to complete the CME Senior Capstone Project. This team, under the leadership of CEO Ethan Veazey, developed the Blade Bandit, a lawn mower blade sharpening system conceptualized by Mr. Jacob Moorhead. Ms. Kristen Gaddis, Mr. Nick Rocco, and Ms. Allie Winters were also members of Shear Genius. The team members had educational backgrounds in the realms of engineering, business and accountancy. The combination of these disciplines allowed for the simulation of a real business …