Engineering Commons^™

A Genetic Algorithm Incorporating Design Choice For The Preliminary Design Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Kenneth Michael Mull

Masters Theses

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are currently at the forefront of aerospace technologies. The design of these aircraft is complex and often performance characteristics are coupled to multiple design attributes. At the early design phase both discrete and continuous design choices are present limiting the feasibility of traditional derivative based optimization techniques. In place of these methods, the design space can be explored using a genetic algorithm that mimics the process of natural selection, providing a capable and reliable base airframe constructed from the required performance metrics. By incorporating a genetic multidisciplinary optimization algorithm early in the conceptual design phase, aircraft …

Optimal Design Of Automotive Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator (Aeteg), Hassan Fagehi

Masters Theses

A consumption of energy continues to increase at an exponential rate, especially in terms of automotive spark ignitions vehicles. About 40% of the applied fuel into a vehicle is lost as waste exhaust to the environment. The desire for improved fuel efficiency by recovering the exhaust waste heat in automobiles has become an important subject. The thermoelectric generator (TEG) has the potential to convert exhaust waste heat into electricity as long as it is improving fuel economy. The remarkable amount of research being conducted on TEGs indicates that this technology will have a bright future in terms of power generation. …

Design And Validation Of An Electro-Hydraulic Pressure-Control Valve And Closed-Loop Controller, Jerry Boza

Dissertations

Electro-hydraulic pressure-control valves are used in many applications, such as manufacturing equipment, agricultural machinery, and aircrafts to name a few. They are often used to actuate hydraulic clutches, such as those found in power shift transmissions. A traditional pressure-control valve with open-loop control algorithm is typically used in clutch applications. This scheme often results in inconsistent or undesirable system behavior due to the nature of open-loop control as well as the nonlinear system dynamics and uncertainties.

In this research two new electro-hydraulic pressure-control valves were designed in order to decouple the valve and control port (hydraulic) dynamics. This was achieved …

Design And Prototyping Of An Adjustable Putter, Daulton Morgan

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Being able to demo a golf putter is essential for a golfer since the feel of the putter is critical in determining what suits the golfer best. Due to the market being primarily dominated by right-handed players, it is difficult for left-handed players to demo high quality putters since the selection is sparse.

This report is about designing and integrating an interchangeable fastening system that allows a putter to be altered between a right and left-handed orientation, while still maintaining the traditional look of a putter. The report covers the necessary design steps, the prototyping of the putter, the projected …

Designing Fixed-Base Operations Utilizing Systems Engineering Principles, Ross L. Stephenson Jr., David A. Carroll

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

There are currently over 3,200 fixed-base operations (FBOs) conducting business in the United States attempting to meet the demands of FAA Part 91, Part 135, and a limited number of Part 121 operations. With the US economy slowly climbing out of the trough during 2013, the utilization of fixed-base operations has become more attractive and economical to the corporate business and the affluent recreational traveler. Despite the increased flight activities utilizing the services of fixed-base operators, keen competition, rising fuel cost, and the economies of scale recognized by large FBO franchises significantly erode the profitability and sustainability of smaller FBOs. …

Co-Design: A Contemporary Path To Innovation And Entrepreneurship For People With Disabilities, Liz Depoy, Stephen F. Gilson

Poster Presentations

40 Year History: Began as participatory design. Was aimed at redressing product failure. Today: Co-design engages service and product users as full collaborators in a collective intelligence and invention process at the fuzzy front end of the design process.

A Real-Time Programmable Pulsatile Flow Pump For In Vitro Cardiovascular Experimentation, Rahul Raj Mechoor, Tyler Schmidt, Ethan Kung

Publications

Benchtop in vitro experiments are valuable tools for investigating the cardiovascular system and testing medical devices. Accurate reproduction of the physiologic flow waveforms at various anatomic locations is an important component of these experimental methods. This study discusses the design, construction, and testing of a low-cost and fully programmable pulsatile flow pump capable of continuously producing unlimited cycles of physiologic waveforms. It consists of a gear pump actuated by an AC servomotor and a feedback algorithm to achieve highly accurate reproduction of flow waveforms for flow rates up to 300 ml/s across a range of loading conditions. The iterative feedback …

The Design Of An Extradosed Bridge, Drilon Rraci, Milan Kuhta

UBT International Conference

Bridges are attractive structures consisting of great interest in both aspects: professional and the general public one. At the end of 19. and start of 20. century, one of the most relevant contributions to bridges engineering has been the introduction of prestressed technique, aiming to be a great solution to the need of controlling stress on elements in bridges. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze the design model and structural behavior of an Extradosed bridge. The strategies and factors that must be considered in the design of an Extradosed bridge are included in this paper. The …

Mechanical Design And Optimization Of An Interactive Animatronic Bald Eagle, Eric Burns

Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium (2012-2016)

Animatronics is a specialized sub-category of mechatronics, a fusion of mechanical and electrical engineering. The field has grown from small, individual projects into a major industry. As animatronics progress, mechanical engineers are pushed to design internal structures which occupy ever-decreasing spaces and to ensure designs can undergo maintenance and modifications smoothly. This research investigates methods of reducing space required for mechanisms and several other beneficial methods of development as well as varying satisfactions for audiences when exposed to actor-controlled systems rather than pre-scripted functions. The mechanical systems are designed using CAD software available at Georgia Southern. On-campus, resources are used …

An Engineering Approach To Industrial Research And Development Of Pillows, Wesley Patterson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Comfort during sleep, though taken for granted, involves a great amount of research and engineering. Few give it a second thought, but nearly one-third of a person’s life is spent with their head on a pillow, thus making them a point for increased quality. Having been approached by a tier-1 bedding manufacturer, a team of both mechanical and electrical engineers was been tasked with the goal of creating a valid research tool that the customer, Tempur-Sealy, will utilize in the company’s research and development of high-end pillows. The team sought to tackle this project utilizing tools and knowledge gained throughout …

Design, Testing And Evaluation Of Robotic Mechanisms And Systems For Environmental Monitoring And Interaction, James K. Higgins

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

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have significantly lowered the cost of remote aerial data collection. The next generation of UAVs, however, will transform the way that scientists and practitioners interact with the environment. In this thesis, we address the challenges of flying low over water to collect water samples and temperature data. We also develop a system that allows UAVs to ignite prescribed fires. Specifically, this thesis contributes a new peristaltic pump designed for use on a UAV for collecting water samples from up to 3m depth and capable of pumping over 6m above the water. Next, temperature sensors and their …

Design For Manufacturability: Off-Road Toyota Bumper, Drew Donlon

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The purpose of this project is to design a new off-road bumper that is improved from the stock form of a 1996-2002 Toyota 4Runner and a 1996-2004 Toyota Tacoma. The current state of the component is too weak to endure to off-road endeavors, and a kit bumper market is virtually untapped for these vehicles. The objectives of this project were met by redesigning the stock front bumper, conducting a finite element analysis on the model to test for strength, prototyping the bumper with CNC cut cardboard, and conducting a full cost analysis including the costs for waterjet and laser cutting …

Corrosion Of Steel In Concrete And Its Prevention In Aggressive Chloride-Bearing Environments, Luca Bertolini, Maddalena Carsana, Matteo Gastaldi, Federica Lollini, Elena Redaelli

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

This keynote paper deals with the durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures exposed to aggressive environments characterized by high concentration of chloride ions, namely, marine environments or the use of de-icing salts. The mechanism of chloride-induced corrosion of steel in concrete is introduced, and its influence on the service life of RC structures is analyzed. Factors affecting the time to corrosion initiation are described with regard to both concrete properties and environmental exposure conditions. Design approaches available for achieving durability targets associated with the design service life are analyzed, focusing on studies carried out by the authors in recent years …

E-Learning Design For Microsoft Access & Asp.Net, Jonathan Choi, Christopher Hom

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The problem definition is that the current video tutorial series is outdated and lacks interactive features that aid with E-Learning. The goal of the project is to create a platform that incorporates features such as structure, interaction, assessments, and competency tests. The project revolved around integrating four softwares together in order to create an effective E-Learning platform. The four softwares were Adobe Captivate, Camtasia, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Visual Studios. Adobe Captive is used to store the tutorial video and assign quizzes. Camtasia is used to record the tutorial videos. Microsoft Access is used to store all the questions given …

Crop Selection, Cost Analysis, And Irrigation System Design For The Replanting Of A Nut Orchard, Maximilian Bricker

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report was made to help the landowner of Bricker Farms make decisions regarding the replanting of his orchard. The decisions that need to be made in this process include: which crop to plant, how to plant it, and how to improve the distribution uniformity of irrigation water on the orchard. The report does not give definitive final decisions, but presents viable options that the landowner can utilize when deciding. In addition to the options that are presented, the report offers suggestions to the landowner so that the replanting process is done properly in a timely and economically-friendly manner.

Control System For 3d Printable Robotic Hand, Htoo Wai Htet

Honors Theses

Humanoid robotics is a growing area of research due to its potential applications in orthosis and prosthesis for human beings. With the currently available technologies, the most advanced robotic hands used in prosthetics or robotics can cost from $11,000 to $90,000, making it inaccessible to the general population of amputees and robotics hobbyists. Most of the features provided by these expensive technologies are superfluous to many users, creating a great gap in cost and services between users and technology. Using the emerging 3D printing technology, my project is to construct a 3D printed robotic hand that can reproduce as many …

An Iteration On The Horizon Simulation Framework To Include .Net And Python Scripting, Morgan Yost

Master's Theses

Modeling and Simulation is a crucial element of the aerospace engineering design pro- cess because it allows designers to thoroughly test their solution before investing in the resources to create it. The Horizon Simulation Framework (HSF) v3.0 is an aerospace modeling and simulation tool that allows the user to verify system level requirements in the early phases of the design process. A low fidelity model of the system that is created by the user is exhaustively tested within the built-in Day-in-the-Life simulator to provide useful information in the form of failed requirements, system bottle necks and leverage points, and potential …

Automated Bearing Press, David Baker, David Brock, Engelbert Diec

Mechanical Engineering

Our group was presented with a challenge to design an automated machine to replace Micro-Vu’s current manual pressing operation. We moved, planned, and scheduled our tasks for the three quarters we will be working on this project by using a Gantt chart. In designing the machine, we generated concepts and used analysis and prototyping to select the most promising ones. Our final design uses a pneumatic press to press the parts, and it includes magazines to hold the parts before pressing, pneumatic actuators to move the parts to and from the pressing location, and a lever to separate the defective …

Seismic Design Of A Prestressed Concrete Bridge, Alperen Ozel

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Latest advancements in software have become an indispensable tool in structural analysis. The main goal of this thesis is to examine dynamic responses of bridges in seismic activity with the help of such tool as CSi Bridge. Therefore, throughout this study, a prestressed concrete bridge model will be thoroughly designed. In the first section, the required materials and structural components will be introduced. The following section will cover calculations required for modeling. The actual modeling of the structure will be carried out in Section 3. In Section 4, the set of required analysis for seismic design such as modal, pushover …

Walking Simulator Mechanism, Titus Lungu, Igor Tachynskyy, Omri Tayyara

The Downtown Review

This paper presents the design, simulation, and kinematic evaluation of a mechanism aimed at simulating both the motion and ground reaction forces produced by a human foot while walking. Such a mechanism can be used to test the durability of shoes through life cycle analysis. In attempting to mimic the physical motion of the human foot as closely as possible, the forces experienced by the human foot were also accurately replicated through the incorporation of a non-stationary testing platform. As is shown in the paper, this testing environment allows for simple adjustments to be made in order to simulate different …

Usability Simplified: A Basic Guide To Undertaking Effective Usability Testing, Garrison Reeves

Professional Writing and Information Design Capstone Projects

Usability can be complicated but I provide simple guidelines to effective usability. Every product has an intended purpose, and the scope and aim of usability testing is measuring if a product meets this purpose with regards to a user. Testing is used in many fields, but I intend to focus on user-centered interaction design and how to test when designing and developing such a product. I provide a simple head-start to usability testing based off of my research. Usability testing is a technique used for evaluating a product by testing the product on users who are part of the respective …

Steel Compression Members With Partial-Length Reinforcement, Morgan Herrell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Steel wide-flange columns in existing truss bridges may be built-up with flange cover plate reinforcement to increase compressive capacity. This thesis investigates the use of partial-length steel cover plates about column mid-height to improve the weak-axis buckling resistance.

The present research first reviews literature concerning the Euler buckling of members with partial-length reinforcement. Inelastic buckling is simulated by 3-D finite element analysis accounting for cover plate length, cover plate area, bolt hole perforations, yield stresses, residual and locked-in dead load stresses, and initial out-of-straightness. The model is validated by a load test of a full-scale column with bolted reinforcement plates. …

Transfers To A Gravitational Saddle Point: An Extended Mission Design Option For Lisa Pathfinder, Andrew D. Cox

Open Access Theses

Any possible LISA Pathfinder extended mission will immediately follow the primary mission after completion of scientific observations and technical demonstrations in a Sun-Earth L1 libration point orbit. One extended mission concept with scientific appeal is a spacecraft path that includes multiple encounters with a gravitational equilibrium point. This point, also termed a saddle point, exists where the total gravitational acceleration sums to zero and is distinct from the five Lagrange points in the three-body problem. This investigation seeks a strategy to design such a path subject to a variety of constraints. Periodic, quasi-periodic, and manifold structures are explored to …

Sustainable Architecture Design: Environmental And Economic Benefits, Michael Babcock

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the movement of environmentalism, and its impact on architecture and construction. During an interview with a professional architect, a basis for research of sustainable design was devised, when he explained that “good” architecture attempts to holistically integrate the external and built environment. Presently, the main measurement for sustainability is energy efficiency. Therefore, architects constantly implement new technology in an attempt to unify both the external and built environment in an energy efficient manner. Furthermore, this thesis provides an environmental and financial cost analysis of implementing sustainable design and build. Research shows that the life cycle and up-front …

Methods For Designing Partially Inflated Geotubes, Shu-Wang Yan, Jing Chen, Li-Qiang Sun

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

A widely used technique in constructing dikes for land reclamation is to use tubes made of sewn geosynthetic sheets. These tubes are usually filled with slurry comprising soils, such as sand, silt, and clay. The tension stress that develops in geosynthetic tubes during tube filling is the dominant factor considered in constructing safe dikes. Existing design methods are effective for sausage-shaped tube designs; however, they cannot be directly applied in flat tubes, which are commonly used in dike construction. This paper presents a procedure that can determine the relationships among tube size, pumping pressure, unit weight of the slurry, and …

Thinking Like A Pro: How Experts And Novices Solve Problems Differently | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Jan. 7, 2016 – Engineering education experts at Utah State University are narrowing in on new insights into why young engineering students drop out of their programs or change majors.

It’s an increasingly important conversation as government and industry leaders push for more college graduates in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields. And yet nationwide, only about half of all engineering students complete their degrees.

Orchard Bin Atv Trailer, Neil F. Leitz

All Undergraduate Projects

A local orchardist was experiencing a problem that was being caused by their lack of apple picking bin moving equipment. The orchardist needed a well-engineered solution to this lack of equipment. The solution arrived at was a five bin trailer. There were multiple design requirements for this trailer, including the device needing to be able to interface with an ATV, be able to be loaded by hand, be able to carry five bins, and not exceed a budget of $750. While perfecting the design of the trailer, a number of different disciplines were utilized, which included dynamics, kinematics, static loading …

Asme Mini Rc Baja: Drivetrain, Jason M. Moore

All Undergraduate Projects

Title and author: ASME mini RC Baja Drivetrain by Jason Moore; partner Mike Cox. (Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction)

Abstract/Artists Statement: The issue that this project is concerned with is how to design and build a drivetrain, steering and suspension systems for an RC car. The systems must be simple and functional. Furthermore, these systems will be designed to fit on a small chassis and not interfere with each other. They also need to be strong and durable enough to propel the car forward and maneuver through various obstacles and be built in a way that is easy to take …

Solving Continuous Network Design Problem With Generalized Geometric Programming Approach, Bo Du, David Wang

SMART Infrastructure Facility - Papers

To satisfy growing travel demand and reduce traffic congestion, the continuous network design problem (CNDP) is often proposed to optimize road network performance by the expansion of road capacity. In the determination of the equilibrium travel flow pattern, equilibrium principles such as deterministic user equilibrium (DUE) and stochastic user equilibrium (SUE) may be applied to describe travelers' route choice behavior. Because of the different mathematical formulation structures for the CNDP with DUE and SUE principles, most of the existing solution algorithms have been developed to solve the CNDP for either DUE or SUE. In this study, a more general solution …

Orthogonal Experimental Design Of Titanium Dioxide - Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Electrospun Nanocomposite Membranes For Photocatalytic Applications, Andrew Vild, Sara Teixeira, Klaus Kuhn, Gianaurelio Cuniberti, Vitor Sencadas

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

An orthogonal experimental method was designed to assess the influence of the electrospinning processing parameters on average diameter and distribution of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fibers. Based on the orthogonal experimental design analysis, electrospun TiO2-PMMA nanocomposites were processed with the optimal polymer processing conditions to obtain thin fibers with a high overall surface area. Further it was found that the average fiber diameter decreases from 2.0 ± 0.5 down to 1.2 ± 0.2 μm with increasing photocatalyst content. Moreover, the wettability of samples was independent of the filler amount, and showed strong hydrophobic behavior. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that for polymer solutions …