Engineering Commons^™

Boat-Lift Design And Analysis, Nathan Schick

Honors Theses

A current in production 6000 lb. rated boat-lift is being sold at “Great Lake Lifts”. The lift was tested experimentally and proved to hold at least 8000 lb. The design team successfully modeled the current lift on Ansys to help the customer understand where the weakest points in the design were. Following the creation of the initial lift design, the design team proposed and tested modifications that could be made in order to make the lift more structurally sound. The initial lift had a maximum deflection of 0.43846 inches, a maximum stress of 15880 psi, and a safety factor of …

Low-Cost Control Engineering Experiments, Megan Arduin

Honors Theses

The disciplines found within the area of motion and controls is a vital element of each engineer’s education. The ability to understand and then control dynamic systems is a fundamental skill required for many working engineers today. The aim of this project is to further develop the tools and methods available to teach and prepare engineering students to effectively design control system architecture, and then successfully implement their design into real world systems. The main goal is to design an apparatus that can be used to teach control system methods and has an affordable price. There are few experiments where …

A Comparative Analysis Of Professional Pilot Jobs, Ryan Snoeyink

Honors Theses

Professional Pilots fly aircraft for a living. Just like there are many different types of aircraft, there are many different types of professional pilot jobs. While it is an impossible task to describe every single job a professional pilot could have, there are four "groups" in which most jobs can be classified. These groups are Part 121 Scheduled Airline Service, Part 135 On-demand Charter, Part 91 Corporate/Private, and Part 61/141/142 Flight Instruction. The goal of this thesis is to examine the differences between these four groups; and by doing so, aid in the education and career decision making of those …

Triboelectric Turbines: Design And Construction Of A Multi-Rotor Counter-Rotating Wind Turbine Utilizing Direct-Current Triboelectric Nanogenerators, Adam Forti

Honors Theses

Direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators (DC-TENG) harness the friction generated between dissimilar rotating materials and convert it to useable electrical power. One of the many potential applications of this technology is in small scale renewable energy. A wind turbine was designed in which multiple DC-TENG generators would be attached to turbine blades of varying dimensions. This project involved the design and construction of several rotating DC-TENG prototypes, followed by measuring the electrical output of each nanogenerator at various rotational speeds.

Electronic Dive Mask: A Heads Up Display For Deep Diving, David Fishman

Honors Theses

The top five dangers in diving are marine life, malfunctioning equipment, asphyxiation, pulmonary embolism, and nitrogen narcosis. These risks exist even with the current standards of diving equipment. Most of these risks can be attributed to a lack of information, either due to inattention or because the information is not accessible to the diver. The current solution to these risks are dive computers, wearable devices around the diver's wrist which provides numeric displays of various information. One value the devices do not display is orientation. These devices also have insufficient methods of warning the user. As such a device is …

Design Of A New Ice Thermal Energy Storage System, Andrew Fontaine

Honors Theses

Over the past 30 years, alternative energy sources and concepts have been researched and desired as current energy resources are diminishing. One such alternative energy concept is an Ice Thermal Energy Storage system (ITES). ITES systems both store and create ice that helps them serve as a cold sink that can be used to cool down buildings using only the ice in the system. This project explores a new and more complex type of ITES system that decreases the heat transfer into the system, lengthens the amount of time the ice in the system stays frozen, and lessens the amount …

Design And Manufacture Of A Tick Collecting Robot, Jeremy Manus

Honors Theses

The overall goal of this research project is to fully design, manufacture, and test a robot for tick collection. The robot will be designed to collect ticks in regions with thickly branched vegetation, specifically including shrubs, trees, and leaf liter. The robot will be useful to biologists who collect ticks for research or disease control purposes, because it will reach areas that are inaccessible to human-powered collection methods and thus provide them with a more accurate estimate of the tick density in a given region. Obtaining a more precise tick density is crucial, because it provides more detailed information about …

Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling And Analysis Of Small Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, Madeline Samuell

Honors Theses

As the demand for wind power grows the technology used to research and further develop wind power must become more sophisticated. Experiments are expensive and require high end test facilities; a commonly used alternative to experimentation are computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of wind turbines. For this project Star- CCM+ a CFD software was used to determine the power generated by small scale horizontal axis wind turbines. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations were applied to the models in order to solve for the average flow. Though a variety of different types of simulations were used the focus was on …

Design Of Three And Four Link Suspensions For Off Road Use, Benjamin Davis

Honors Theses

This thesis outlines the process of designing a three link front, and four link rear suspension system. These systems are commonly found on vehicles used for the sport of rock crawling, or for recreational use on unmaintained roads. The paper will discuss chassis layout, and then lead into the specific process to be followed in order to establish optimal geometry for the unique functional requirements of the system. Once the geometry has been set up, the paper will discuss how to measure the performance, and adjust or fine tune the setup to optimize properties such as roll axis, antisquat, and …

Dual-Purpose Air Conditioner, Bo Dubois

Honors Theses

A dual-purpose air conditioner was designed to cool the air in the sunroom at my house in New York State while simultaneously heating the water in my pool. During the summer, the air in the sunroom reaches temperatures over 120°F, which has damaged electronic equipment in the room and makes the room undesirable to use. The proposed system utilizes a stainless-steel tube-fin cross flow exchanger to transfer heat from the air in the sunroom to the water in the pool. The system was designed to use a 115V fan kit to circulate the air at 520 CFM and a 2/25 …

Co-Flow Jet (Cfj) Airfoils Practicality In Engineless Airplanes, Kathleen Matthews

Honors Theses

This paper investigates the co-flow jet (CFJ) airfoils ability to further current aviation designs to be more environmental. With high cost and large contribution to carbon footprints, aeronautical designers look to drag reduction to decrease dependencies on fuel. Primary research on CFJ airfoils is led by Dr. Zha at the University of Miami. Through various forms of analysis, CFJ airfoils use a jet stream to create movement of air in the boundary layer region that helps create more lift reduce flow separation, thereby increasing stall margin and creates a thrust force. However, with further investigation, the magnitude of thrust created …

Synthesis Of Electrically Conductive Polylactic Acid Composites For 3d Printing, Zhixin Kang

Honors Theses

3D printing technology is a process of synthesizing an object by slicing a three-dimensional object into two-dimensional layers. It is making its mark as it reshapes product development and manufacturing industry in which everyone can participate in the process of 3D printing.The demand for various types of materials is increasing as customers become more innovative with designs. The overarching goal of this project was to create innovative 3D printing materials for a conventional 3D printer. Conductive filaments allow us to 3D print electrically conductive components using almost any commercially available desktop 3D printer. The electrically conductive filament for this research …

Implementing Spatial Symmetry In The Tensor Contraction Engine, Kevin Hartline

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Creating A Zero + Energy Building Model, Ashley N. Thompson

Honors Theses

The goal of this project was to create an accurate representation of a zero + energy home both for physical experimentation and for numerical modeling. This means that the home does not rely on power from the grid, but only on alternative energy sources such as solar. The project consists of two major subcategories. The electrical portion of the project consists of implementing the energy source and control system, and the mechanical portion of the project consists of thermal analysis, thermal flow simulations, and physical construction. A 50 W solar panel was chosen as an energy source, which directs power …

New Work Center Optimization, Clarissa Stanton

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

Design Of A Cubesat Separation Mechanism, Ross Hiller

Honors Theses

CubeSats are compact, relatively inexpensive satellites that are often used for space research. In order to perform research related to electric propulsion devices, the Western Aerospace Launch Initiative (WALI) requires a medium-sized CubeSat capable of separating into two bodies while in orbit. Intentional separation is not common in CubeSats, so two original concepts were designed and simulated using 3D CAD and finite element analysis software. These designs were compared based on factors including weight, cost, size, and their potential to fail due to creation of debris or binding between components, in order to determine which will more effectively execute the …

Reprinter, Christian Brower

Honors Theses

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a rapidly growing technology, though, expensive printing filament and wasted material make it less affordable and an unsustainable process. The RePrinter combats these issues by recycling scrap 3D printed plastic parts and household plastics, such as pop bottles, and creates filament for fused deposition modeling (FDM). This product is a fully automated system which grinds, extrudes, and spools the filament for immediate use in FDM. The RePrinter works to control the extrusion speeds and tensions to optimize precise filament dimensions for quality 3D printing, while delivering the product in a timely cost effective manner.

Torsion Element Test Bench Design, Trevor Gick

Honors Theses

A test apparatus has been designed to apply a torque to a range of suspension products developed and sold by ROSTA USA Corporation (ROSTA). The products tested here are used in industrial applications, including vibration damping and suspension for industrial machines.

The designed device takes several specifications into account. To withstand the forces applied to it, the structure of this device is created from steel with bracings to support heavily loaded areas. The device is designed with a “sled” type design so that a forklift will be able to move the sled if needed. To apply torque to the elements, …

Biogas Separator And Storage Tank, Brandon Nimtz

Honors Theses

The general concept of this project is to design, simulate, and build a biogas separator system that will also store the separated methane and carbon dioxide within pressure vessels. This system is constructed of many subcomponents that will combine to separate the biogas and store the methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The components included in the project consist of a liquid-gas separator vessel, two heat exchangers, one methane gas compressor, and one pressure vessel each to hold methane and carbon dioxide each. While the base goal in this project was to design and simulate the necessary parts to theoretically …

Sensory Interfaces: Intelligent Surgical Box Trainer, Krystal York

Honors Theses

The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) box trainer currently offers medical students the opportunity to practice their dexterity with laparoscopic surgical tools and accustom themselves to the disconnect between their actions and their visible frame of reference. However, at this stage the box trainer offers few ways to test, practice, or improve upon important factors in laparoscopic surgery including disturbance of and pressure applied to patient tissue. The purpose of this project was to add sensory interfaces to the FLS box trainer to offer more concrete feedback for medical students practicing the required tasks, consolidate the information gathered by the …

Ceas Student Center Expansion, Turner Solterman

Honors Theses

Western Michigan University has had a long-standing tradition of engineering excellence. To keep up with the modern culture and to maintain that Western will be on the forefront of universities providing an excellent engineering education, an expansion to the current CEAS building on the Parkview campus is necessary. Aptly named the CEAS Student Center Expansion, this project will be a space exclusively for student engineering groups to work in a space where collaboration across different engineering disciplines will be as easy as walking across the floor to talk to someone else. Through the floor plans of the different alternatives …

Quantitative Analysis Of High Pressure Hazards In Oil And Gas Field Operations, Giuseppe Feo

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Light Intensity On The Growth Kinetics Of The Cyanobacteria Synechococcus Elongatus And Synechocystis Sp., Aleshia Lexus Hector

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Chiral Coefficient: Rapid Optimization Of Plasmonic Circular Dichroism, Jon Wilson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Hardware Algorithm For Self-Balancing Binary Search Trees, Joseph Deiermann

Honors Theses

Binary search trees are binary trees with an ordering mechanism that makes the time to search for any given item within the tree is greatly reduced compared to an unordered array of numbers. More specifically, a balanced binary search tree is faster at finding a specific item in the tree than an unbalanced tree. There are several algorithms that can automatically balance a binary search tree. Most of them do this through rotations directly in their respective insert functions. These algorithms are mostly implemented in software. This paper will present a hardware-based algorithm to balance binary search trees. This algorithm …

Impacts Of Aplysina Red Band Syndrome On Secondary Metabolite Profiles And Antibacterial Activity Of The Caribbean Sponge Genus Aplysina, Mafie Claire Vickers

Honors Theses

Coral reef ecosystems continue to decline due to abiotic and biotic factors, including disease. Although much of the existing scientific literature has focused on coral diseases, reports of sponge diseases have been increasing. This is a cause for concern, as sponges are increasingly dominant components of coral reef communities, where they are responsible for a wide range of ecological functions. A sponge disease of particular interest is Aplysina Red Band Syndrome (ARBS), which impacts the Caribbean's most abundant genus of sponges, Aplysina. Three morphotypes of branching sponges within this genus are affected, including Aplysina fulva, and the thin and thick …

The Pharmacodynamic Functions Of Low-Dose Rapamycin As A Model For Universal Influenza Protection, William Gust

Honors Theses

One of the most sought after breakthroughs in modern influenza research is the creation of a universal influenza vaccine that would protect against all strains of avian influenza. An unlikely model for this kind of protection might be found in the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. Traditionally used to prevent organ transplant rejection, low doses of rapamycin have been found to protect mice against infection with distinct subtypes of influenza. However, it is not understood how a partial block in this pathway provides optimal heterosubtypic immunity. Interestingly, previous experiments have shown that low dose rapamycin inhibits germinal center formation to reduce antibody …

Evaluation Of Sigma Ligand Az66 Analgesic Potentiation Of Cannabinoids, Jacqueline Morris

Honors Theses

Sigma receptors have become a popular subject for research the past few decades, but there is still much mystery behind these receptors and how they work. Sigma receptors, like cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptors, have effects on the human body including appetite regulation, depression, and analgesia. AZ66 is a highly selective sigma receptor ligand that has antagonistic properties. Sigma receptor antagonists have been shown to potentiate the analgesic effects of opiates; however, there are no known literature reports about the interaction between the sigma receptor system and the endocannabinoid system, including CB1 receptors. The purpose of this study is to evaluate AZ66 …

The Evaluation Of Az66, A Highly Selective Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptor Antagonist, For Its Anti-Convulsive Effects In C57bl/6 Mice, Jamie Stone

Honors Theses

The Evaluation of AZ66, A Highly Selective Sigma-1 and Sigma-2 Antagonist, for Anticonvulsive Effects in C57Bl/6 Mice (Under the direction of Lisa Wilson and Dr. Christopher McCurdy) Sigma receptors have become a popular subject for research the past few decades, but there is still much mystery behind these receptors and how they work. Researchers have found that sigma receptor antagonists can attenuate cocaine induced convulsions, however, limited research has been conducted on the effects of these antagonists on convulsions that mimic the types of seizures associated with epilepsy. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate AZ66 (20 …

The Effect Of Golf Shoe Characteristics On Static Balance Over An Extended Duration, Jordan Colbert

Honors Theses

Golf performance is greatly impacted by balance ability, specifically during a golfer's swinging and putting motion. Previous studies have found that certain shoe characteristics can affect balance; however, no such study has been conducted for golf shoes. This study's objective was to compare balance scores between three different golf shoe styles and determine which style or characteristics serve golfers best in improving balance under quiet standing conditions over time. Twelve adults (age: 23.4 ± 2.2 years; height: 181.5 ± 9.0 cm; mass: 95.8 ± 18.6 kg) participated in this study. Each participant made four visits, one for each footwear condition: …