Engineering Commons^™

Cadent Diffusion: Permeating The Membrane, Isabella M. Kubo

Theses and Dissertations

cadent diffusion: permeating the membrane explores and documents KUBO's journey of cultivating a sustainable and curious artistic practice during their Master’s program in Richmond, Virginia (Powhatan Land) from the Fall of 2020 to the Spring of 2022.

KUBO's practice is the affirmation between life and change in an attempt to work along the forces of singularity; to free lines, scores, concepts, and events from structures that otherwise bind them.The cadent diffusion is the rhythm in this force. Or perhaps, it is the force itself.

3d Printed Microwave Hyperthermia Applicator, Umar Hasni, Christopher Deloglos, Patricia Moseh

Capstone Design Expo Posters

According to the CDC, every year approximately two million people are diagnosed with some type of cancer in the United States alone. Common procedures for cancer treatment include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Hyperthermia, an effective collateral treatment, is not included as part of regular cancer care. This is primarily due to its high cost.

Clinical studies for hyperthermia coupled with chemotherapy/radiation therapy have indicated up to a three-fold increase in survival rates of cancer patients. Unfortunately, current microwave hyperthermia systems are bulky, expensive and require special infrastructure in hospitals thus driving up the cost. The objective of this project …

Next Generation Diapers: Increasing Elastic Laminate Toughness, Taylor Atkinson, Dana Klein, Palmer Matthew, Austin Pleconis

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Disposable diapers are prone to accidental damage during use, since a caregiver may accidentally rip or puncture the elastic material. To reduce the incidence of material failure, the toughness of the apertured elastic trilaminate body paneling material needs to be improved without reducing the elasticity, breathability, and material cost. A “tougher” material was defined as a material with greater tensile strength and puncture resistance than standard, commercial product. The design team took a two-pronged approach to this problem. First, experiments were designed to quantify the effects of altering the die temperature, the resin blend, the cross directional stretch activation depth, …

Cartridge Filter Testing And Development, Joshua Byrd, Daniel Phan, Tejeswini Shrestha

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Problem statement The goal is to determine the parameters which produce the optimal filters.

Rationale Melt-blowing is a process by which Delta Pure uses to manufacture water filters. Several production parameters affect the characteristics of these filters and the goal is to determine which variables impact these characteristics the most.

Approach Three different production parameters were chosen; air pressure, polymer temperature, and extruder speed. Eight filters were produced with each parameter set to high and low points, as well as one filter which served as a midpoint for the data. These filters were run in the testing rig (pictured above) …

Improved Lower-Arm Prosthesis, Trent Ernst, Eric Henderson, Patrick Borges, Taylor Powell

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Over the past few decades, innovations in myoelectric sensing in upper limb prostheses have given systems the ability to read, detect, and emulate fine motor control in an increasingly realistic manner. However, the practical impact that these scientific accomplishments yield is significantly limited by the lack of adoption witnessed by patients who are given such prosthetics. Some people see the device as a burden rather than an improvement. To address this issue, we propose the development of an improved lower arm prosthesis. This prosthesis is intended to encourage patient adoption and retention by emphasizing simplicity and comfort over technical precision. …

Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Fusor, Cody Boyd, Brian Hortelano, Yonathan Kassaye, Dimitris Killinger, Adam Stanfield, Jordan Stark, Thomas Veilleux, Nick Reuter

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The VCU Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusor design project is a multi-year and multi-disciplinary venture. It was started as a means to build a neutron generator for the Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering department at VCU. The IEC fusor is a device based on the designs of Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of the cathode ray tube. Our design utilizes a high voltage cathode located in a vacuum chamber that is filled with deuterium gas. This high voltage accelerates the deuterium particles towards the center of the chamber, resulting in deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion. This reaction creates a bright purple glow that can …

Photocell Optimization Through Thermoelectric Generation, Dante Johnson, Brian Nguyen, General Roberts, Taylor Powell

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Photovoltaic units, also known as solar cells have an ideal operating temperature of about 25 C or 77 F, for each degree Celsius above the optimal operating temperature, we can expect the efficiency of the unit to drop 0.5%. On any given summer day, it is not uncommon for solar cell temperatures to reach upwards of 70 C which is about 158 F, this results in a drop of 25% efficiency. If we think of efficiency as the quantity energy produced divided by energy supplied, we can quantitatively see how loss of efficiency corresponds to a loss in energy produced. …

Modification And Evaluation Of A Brain Computer Interface System To Detect Motor Intention, Christopher V. Hagerty-Hoff

Theses and Dissertations

It is widely understood that neurons within the brain produce electrical activity, and electroencephalography—a technique used to measure biopotentials with electrodes placed upon the scalp—has been used to observe it. Today, scientists and engineers work to interface these electrical neural signals with computers and machines through the field of Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI). BCI systems have the potential to greatly improve the quality of life of physically handicapped individuals by replacing or assisting missing or debilitated motor functions. This research thus aims to further improve the efficacy of the BCI based assistive technologies used to aid physically disabled individuals. This study …

Women In Science And Engineering: Politics Of Gender, Ibironke Lawal

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Women are fewer than men in science and engineering, therefore, the assumption is that women generally prefer arts and humanities. But to some analysts, the reason for the low percentage of women in these careers may be due to innate mental and psychological differences between them and men. Others contend that women have the capacity to excel in any profession and that their fewness in science and engineering can be attributed to other factors. They urge educational institutions and employers to develop programs and specific policies that would allow women to strike a better balance between the demands of work …