Engineering Commons^™

Parametric Bicycle Yoke, Colin Reay, Walter Minehart, Robby Harrigan, Jordan Olson

Mechanical Engineering

This report outlines the entire design, fabrication, and validation process of a parametric yoke design that addresses the packaging problem of the bottom-bracket chainstay junction in modern bicycle frames. The goal was to create an elegant, space-efficient solution that is accessible to the Cal Poly Bike Builders Club. The report includes documentation of the three-part fixture system, manufacturing process, and testing results for the yoke.

Our yoke design outperforms traditional round-tube weldments in torsional and vertical stiffness. Additionally, all manufacturing fixtures and machining operations function as intended, resulting in a finished yoke that meets all required tolerances in under an …

B.A.C.O.N. (Battery-Powered Autonomous Cart Conversion) Autonomous Vehicle Design, Robyn C. Ribet, Damond Li, Tanner Hillman, Christopher Or

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of our project is to convert an electric go cart into an autonomous testing platform. We must enable autonomous braking, steering, and acceleration with electro-mechanical systems. We began the project with ideation to create our initial design and have since received ample feedback from faculty, students, and our sponsor. With this feedback we were able to refine our preliminary ideas and produce a detailed design supported with ample analysis, research, and external advice. We have developed our project in four main subsystems: Steering, braking, acceleration, and emergency braking. Following, we procured, manufactured, and assembled all of our designed …

Precast Concrete Manufacturing Business Plan, John F. Will Jr.

Construction Management

The Central Coast of California has been under development since the Great Recession of 2008. Throughout this development, there has been an exceedingly high demand for precast concrete products, specifically in the civil sector of the construction industry. These products are being utilized by more and more by contractors around the world. This demand has emerged from the lack of concrete product manufacturers in this region of California. This project introduces a business plan for a new precast concrete product manufacturer by the name of J.W. Concrete Products LLC. The objective of this business plan is to reflect the benefits …

Utilization Of Resin-Based Additive Manufacturing For Investment Casting, Matthew Frost, Isaiah Hong

Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Xuan Wang, an Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering (IME) professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, has sponsored the resin-based 3D printing investment cast senior project. The objective of the project was to thoroughly research the process and document the findings of using a resin-based 3D printed part as the pattern for investment casting. While this manufacturing process is not necessarily a new idea, the lack of technical research and documentation limits its ability to be reproducible. The research portion of the senior project included analyzing the limitations to the printing/casting manufacturing process. Measurements of part thicknesses, hole …

Effect Of Indentation On Sandwich Composite Structure Mechanical Behavior, Marius V. Jatulis

Master's Theses

Composite sandwich structures are prevalent in engineering applications where high strength to weight ratios are critical. A composite sandwich includes the addition of a core material between two composite face sheets to increase ultimate stress in compression and bending loading cases. The performance of many composite sandwich structure configurations is well understood in the undamaged case. This analysis examines a type of damage, low velocity indentation, and determines the effect on mechanical behavior. The scope of the analysis includes manufacturing sandwich composite structures, creating indentation in the composite, and testing the sandwich composite structure. The mechanical behavior of the composite …

Configurable Seat Track Latching Mechanism, Emily Sun, Kai Quizon, Rick Hall, Daniel Turn, Nicholas Holman, Alexander Kuznik, Jacob Winkler, Audrey Trejo, Phoebe Zeiss, Steven Kam

Mechanical Engineering

The reconfigurable seating system is a flexible seating solution for transit vehicles that allows operators to change the configuration of the floor plan in a timely manner in order to accommodate change in needs. This project consists of three senior project teams each working on a component of the design: system, track & latch, and articulation. Descriptions of the responsibilities of each team will be discussed below.

Adjustable Height Pedestal Grinder Stand, Josef Zagorski, Zachary Wedel, Michael Sitar, Daniel Zevenbergen

Mechanical Engineering

Pedestal grinders are one of the most common machines found in machine shops today. The current industry standard for mounting a grinder is on a fixed single pillar, cast iron pedestal. A fixed pedestal allows for no vertical adjustment for shop users of different sizes and is a safety hazard. This report further defines this problem and proposes an iterative design process to meet the needs and wants of the customer. The adjustable-height pedestal grinder stand Senior Project team used this problem and design process to successfully complete the project within the allotted time. The first major deliverable and milestone …

Vibratory Tumbling Machine, Laurence William Duclos Iii, Aaron Phillip Shein, Jared Edward Nash

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to highlight the overall Vibratory Tumbling Machine project background, objectives, concept design, final design, manufacturing, and design verification. This final design review outlines the process, creation, and testing of the chosen final design for this redesign of the vibratory tumbling machine. The FDR shows the steps the team took towards completing a CAD package and a verification prototype of the final design while adapting to COVID-19 restrictions.

2 Degree Of Freedom Robotic Leg, Oded Tzori, Henry Terrell, Adan Martinez

Mechanical Engineering

Professor Xing, an assistant professor at Cal Poly, proposed the 2 DOF Robotic Leg project for this quarter’s senior project class. The project is to build a robotic leg attached at the hip to a stand, which will be used as a teaching tool and eventually help develop Cal Poly’s very own robotic quadruped. Since this project has multiple uses after its completion, there are multiple customers that it must perform well for: the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department, the ME Lab instructors, and the students. The Scope of Work (Sections 2 & 3) is composed of 2 main …

Cal Poly Prove Lab Endurance Car Composite Body Paneling Design, Emma Wheelock, Sarah Rutland, Noah Fisher, Brian Menard

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Prototype Vehicles Laboratory (PROVE Lab) needs a body paneling design for their Endurance Car aeroshell which optimizes strength, weight and accessibility while minimizing complexity. Additionally, a low-complexity, accurate manufacturing process for the PROVE Lab Endurance Car aeroshell needs to be developed. PROVE Lab designed the shape of the aeroshell. The aeroshell will serve to reduce the aerodynamic drag on the car at high speed, and is not a structural component of the car. Due to the high-strength and lightweight nature of composites, PROVE Lab requests the senior project team investigate using composites for automotive body paneling applications. …

Fox Factory Bearing Assembly Rundown And Torque Automation Project, David Ethan Daley, Eric Michael Forrester, Christopher Enrique Hansen, Riley Jacob O'Connor

Mechanical Engineering

A machine design was created to partially automate the rundown and torque of a Fox Factory shock bearing housing. This machine is needed at the factory to keep line associates safe by reducing ergonomic strains associated with this stage in the shock assembly process. Due to the lack of applicable torque drivers for this operation, an open ended, geared drivetrain was designed to allow for engagement of the bearing housing while allowing clearance for the shock shaft that the bearing rides on. This open drivetrain is held by a structure of linear rails and bearings to allow the line associate …

Mass Manufacturing 8x20 Tiny Homes For Low Income Housing In Slo, Tyler James Morales

Construction Management

The United States housing prices have been on the rise for years. This increase has led to an extremely large number of citizens in this country who are unable to afford their rent, much less buy a home. One of the many potential solutions to this problem are tiny homes. Tiny homes have been around since the 1850’s but have just recently been thrusted back into the spotlight. Today Tiny Homes is more than a style of housing but a movement to return to simpler times and simpler lifestyles by living out of a much smaller home. Our project goal …

Fiberglass Mat-Roll Carryover, Bryce Youngson, Aaliyah Ramos, Johann Cayaban, Tony Ledesma

Mechanical Engineering

The asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle that uses asphalt for waterproofing. Its low cost and easy installation make it one of the most common roof covers in North America. General Aniline and Film (GAF) is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of roofing materials and produces asphalt shingles at their Shafter, California manufacturing facility. To manufacture asphalt shingles, a base material of fiberglass passes through a series of processes that sequentially add asphalt, ceramic-coated mineral granules, and thermoplastic adhesive. The fiberglass base-material arrives at the manufacturing facility in large rolls that workers must periodically splice together in …

Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge - The Incompressibles - Final Design Report, Nicholas Gholdoian, Russell Posin, David Vitt, Alex Knickerbocker, Kyle Franck, Julian Rodkiewicz

Mechanical Engineering

This report provides a comprehensive description of the research, analysis and design work that The Incompressibles have completed thus far in the senior project process. This document includes all the work that The Incompressibles have completed for the team’s Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), the work leading up to the 2019 FPVC competiton and the competition results. This report includes the initial research that the team completed for the fluid power competition, first iterations of designs, final iterations of designs, manufacturing results and processes, and finally testing and results from competition. With a new design for the …

Universal Bike Suspension Design, Ernesto Huerta, Gregory Ryan Ritter, Chris Michael Fedor, Michael Wu

Mechanical Engineering

Cal Poly Bike Builders (CPBB) is a student club at Cal Poly helping students design and fabricate their own bicycles. Currently, club members build rigid frames and mountain bikes with only front-suspension–commonly referred to as a “hardtail”. As more students join the club, interest grows in building full-suspension mountain bikes (FSMTB). Designing and manufacturing a mountain bike rear-suspension system requires a diverse skillset and a substantial time commitment. As a result, individual efforts building FSMTB have proven unsuccessful. The scope of this project is to develop a defined method and necessary tools such that all CPBB members can efficiently build …

High Strollers, Braeden Hammond, Morley Perrin, Reid Bartels, Juan Rodriguez

Mechanical Engineering

This report documents the final product of Jonathon’s new lightweight stroller. The Mechanical Engineering team from Cal Poly, High Strollers, began the project to create a lightweight stroller for the project sponsor, Nina Aguayo, and her son, Jonathon Aguayo, in Fall of 2018. Jonathon is diagnosed with Delayed Brain Development and Hypotonia with some characteristics of Cerebral Palsy. He has a 50lb high intensity stroller to go to and from school. Mrs. Aguayo needed a stroller that is easier to transport while still meeting all of Jonathon’s needs. The re-designed stroller will make leisurely outings for Mrs. Aguayo and Jonathon …

Investigation Of Design, Manufacture, Analysis, And Test Of A Composite Connecting Rod Under Compression, Thomas Juhl Rohrbach

Master's Theses

Composite materials hold great potential for the replacement of traditional materials in machines utilized on a daily basis. One such example is within an engine block assembly where massive components inherently reduce the efficiency of the system they constitute. By replacing metal elements such as connecting rods, cylinder caps, or a crank shaft with composite alternatives, a significant increase in performance may be achieved with respect to mechanical strength, thermal stability, and durability, while also reducing mass. Exploration of this technology applied to a connecting rod geometry was investigated through a combination of process development, manufacturing, numerical analysis and testing. …

Multi-Purpose Heart Valve Therapy Assembly Fixture, Alec John Foster, John Patrick Hofstetter, Emily Lim

Mechanical Engineering

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY: The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsors. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Additive Manufacturing Powder Removal, Madison A. Lignell, Tyler W. Laird, Kurt K. Reed

Mechanical Engineering

Metal powder-bed fusion is an additive manufacturing process which enables the creation of unique shapes in metal parts that would otherwise be difficult, expensive, or impossible to machine. Metallic powder is melted and fused together by either a laser or electron beam to produce parts quickly. The excess powder covers newly printed parts and can be difficult to remove from small internal features. The scope of this project is to design a device that effectively removes the powder from newly printed parts safely, while reclaiming as much powder as possible for reuse. The solution for this project must be able …

Development Of An Additive Manufacturing Compression Molding Process For Low Cost In-House Prototyping, Grant Forrester Warden

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Composite parts can be manufactured using various processes. Generally, a mix of resin and fiber is formed into the desired geometry using a mold and pressure. One process used by Dr. Joseph Mello in his research is known as compression molding. Compression molds are generally made from large billets of aluminum or stainless steel, are machined by a CNC mill, and are then hand-finished with polishes and mold preparation products. This process is expensive, requires large machinery and experienced operators, and introduces long lead times relative to the design cycle of the part being manufactured. The nature of Dr. Mello's …

Slm Materials Development, Justin G. Reiner, Michael T. Schembri

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The purpose of this project was to create a procedure to efficiently determine a “recipe” of parameter values that create a desired set of mechanical properties. Research was conducted into the laser powder bed fusion process with focus on underdeveloped materials. A design of experiment was used with a set of density correlated parameters to establish a method of producing nearly dense parts. Our methods include SLM printing, metrology, and statistical analysis. An experimental procedure for materials development was designed, but unable to be validated during the scope of this project, due to unforeseen safety issues (exposure to Chromium 6, …

Abbott Alarm System, Galen Wu

Computer Engineering

In order to improve production efficiency of implantable cardioverter defibrillators, the Sylmar’s Abbott product manufacturing team requested assistance from the Sylmar hardware development team to construct a system to monitor a UB25, a resistance welder. This system shall monitor the welder for false welds, regulate the number of welds the operator executes, and alerts the operator and floor supervisor of these events. These tasks will ultimately improve the quality of the product and decrease the risk and cost to the customer.

Annuloplasty Mti: Improved Tooling For Annuloplasty Ring Manufacturing, Justin David Smith, Spencer Lee Combs, Luke Edward Maly

Mechanical Engineering

The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Composite Suspension For A Mass Market Vehicle, Sarah M. Chapiama, Brian Auyeung, Jose Guerrero, Ethan Lau

Mechanical Engineering

Statement of Confidentiality: The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Creating An Organized/Safer Way For Contractors To Carry Oversized Spare Tires, Thomas Arismendi

Construction Management

Construction is an industry that needs trucks/vehicles to travel across large dirt construction sites without getting stuck. This typically means upgrading to a larger wheel width/diameter to create the largest possible surface area for the tire to cover while off-road. Managing to get a flat tire whether it is rolling a bead in the dirt from being aired down or running over objects such as nails/screws, it is always important to carry a spare tire that fits the application. This causes an increased need to safely lock down an oversized spare when the time comes for one. Most of the …

Crystal Engineering Manufacturing Facility Analysis, Maximiliano Cortes, Eric Dustin Kornrumpf, Sthefano Alvarado

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This report will encompass a two-quarter long senior project effort to provide a recommendation for the client, Crystal Engineering. Crystal Engineering is currently in the process of introducing three new products, one now and two within the next six months. However, their existing lines already occupy the available production space and as a result, they are unable to determine how to effectively incorporate new production lines within the facility. Therefore, the main objectives of this project were to deliver several facility redesign layouts backed by a holistic justification for each. The formulation of the facility redesign layouts incorporated several industrial …

Additive Manufacturing For Post-Processing, Nathan D. Goodwin, Andrew Furmidge

Mechanical Engineering

Additive Manufacturing for Post Processing (AMPP) is a team comprised of two Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering students: Nathan Goodwin and Andrew Furmidge. The project is focused in the area of metal additive manufacturing (AM) machines, which are still a developing technology. Improvements have been made to the quality of the machines in the past years, but many limitations still exist. One of these is the inability to print parts that are larger than the build volume. In an effort to solve this problem, whole parts are divided into pieces that are printed individually. This team’s senior project is to create …

A Study Into The Production Efficiency Of Cal Poly Chocolates, Fernando Calderon

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The project objective was to: identify ways to reduce the production cost of Cal Poly Chocolates. The project was executed through the DMAIC approach, a data driven improvement cycle. Using several industrial engineering tools, six improvement opportunities were found. Three project deliverables were created and three process changes were recommended. The total annual savings, if recommendations are implemented, sum to $1700.

Compression Molded Composite Component, Greg Hermansen, Larsson Johnson, Joanne Medrano, Kyle Hammell

Mechanical Engineering

The following final design report outlines the design and fabrication of a carbon fiber compression molded sunglasses case. It intends to guide the development of a future lab activity for a composites undergraduate course at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo. The activity aims to support an educational investigation in "out-of-autoclave" composites manufacturing methods, such as compression molding, which offer some key benefits over autoclave molding. The methodology behind the creation of a conceptual design, an initial prototype, and a final product is laid out in detail below.

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 …