Engineering Commons^™

Attitude Determination Control Testing System (Helmholtz Cage And Air Bearing), Nicolas Theoret

Honors Theses

The WALI team at Western Michigan University requested a test environment to validate their CubeSat’s de-tumbling control system and hardware. The test environment required a Helmholtz cage and spherical air bearing. The Helmholtz cage provides an adjustable magnetic field to simulate low earth orbit; the spherical air bearing simulates the friction free environment the CubeSat will experience in space. In conjunction, the two components create an adjustable system that simulates a satellite in low earth orbit.

Extended Gamut Printing In Flexographic Packaging And The Impact Of Brand Management, Andrew Bogan

Honors Theses

Flexography is the dominant print process in regards to the reproduction of packaging products. Packaging, particular the color and graphics, is an essential tangible element for brand owners striving for brand management. Extended gamut printing is a printing technique that can produce high color saturations on packaging samples, which can have positive implications for brand management. Currently, most information on extended gamut printing is proprietary, making it very difficult for non-print industry members to obtain and utilize information relating to the benefits of extended gamut printing. The aim of this study was to provide evidence that packaging samples with extended …

The Comparison Of Effectiveness Between Print Media & Electronic Media In Terms Of Promotion And Recruitment, Katherine Dayton

Honors Theses

This research project’s objective was to determine whether print media such as brochures and booklets are more or less effective than electronic media such as e-mails and webpage advertisements in attracting consumers. A special interest was taken in higher education recruitment and the research was completed by advertising to high school students who are in the process of choosing a school for their higher education experience. The research featured an advertising campaign launched through both print and electronic platforms, directing the consumers to an online survey they were able to take to provide feedback about the experience. This project led …

Least Cost Analysis For Solar Photovoltaic Maintenance Of The Wmu Miller Auditorium Array, Kelsey Pitschel

Honors Theses

The solar photovoltaic array at Miller Auditorium is a 50 kW DC system that has relied on five seasonal angle adjustments and no cleaning measures to reach an average of 64.7 MWh annual energy generation since 2012 1 . This amount of energy generation yields $7,046 in annual energy savings based on current market pricing for end use electricity of $0.1089/kWh 2 . The current adjustment schedule based on seasonal tilts accounts for an annual costs between $760 and $848, but actual adjustments have historically not taken place according to the existing schedule. The analysis focuses on optimizing net energy …

Designing An Accessible Hall Effect Thruster, Matthew Baird

Honors Theses

A group of three Mechanical Engineering students have selected to design a 200 W Hall Effect Thruster to fulfill the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering senior design project. Preliminary studies were performed on the theory behind electric propulsion and plasma physics. The group designed the Western Hall Thruster and used COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation software to refine the magnetic circuit. The group then fabricated and performed magnetic testing of their thruster in Western Michigan University’s Aerospace Laboratory for Plasma Experiments. This testing will seek to prove that a standard research HET can be built by universities without substantial financial resources.

The United States Aviation Industry And The Professional Pilot Training Environment, Andrew Marvin

Honors Theses

This study provides background and analysis of the legislation enacted following the crash of Colgan Air 3407, and the impact that the more stringent qualifications have had on aspiring professional pilots. Participants in the study include professional pilots and aspiring professional pilots, governmental law-making agencies such as the United States (U.S.) Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), major and regional airlines, and collegiate flight training programs. The study drew from the National Transportation Safety Board investigation (NTSB) of Colgan Air 3407, federal regulations regarding pilot training and certification standards, and current airline hiring and training programs.

Findings of this …

Human-Assisted Fluid Power Vehicle, Aaron Huntoon

Honors Theses

The rising cost of energy has prompted industrial and technology companies to research and implement renewable or green energy sources in every aspect of their business. This green technology can consist of sources such as: solar, wind, fluid, or others to create energy from renewable sources. The use of these various sources reduces the pollution associated with standard methods of energy development, and it will ultimately drive costs down to benefit the general population. One of the largest benefactors to the use of renewable energy sources is the transportation industry. Billions of people rely on various modes of transportation every …

Modeling Product Cooling For Baked And Snack Crackers, Jenna Hagenloch

Honors Theses

The cooling of snack crackers, after the baking process is an important step prior to packaging. A model was developed for cooling the crackers. The model allows for the adjustment of multiple operating conditions, such as temperature, depth of the crackers, and the speed of the line. The completed model provides the user with the ability to predict cooling requirements and to validate pre-existing equipment operating conditions. The model will aid in the design of new equipment as well as modifications to improve existing installations to operate within the desired specifications for each process.

Solar Tracking And Lighting Design For A Multimedia Sculpture, Alexandra Ferguson

Honors Theses

A lighting system utilizing solar energy was built to illuminate a wireframe multimedia sculpture. Increased power generation from the solar cells was achieved using a solar tracking mechanism. Color-selectable light emitting diodes were used to provide the user with unlimited customization options. A digital control system was designed using an Arduino® microcontroller to configure the color of the lights and the positioning of the solar panel. The sculpture will create a sense of community and sustainability among students at the school.

Desolventizer Toaster Design Evaluation For Maintenance Reliability, Stephanie Kilbourn

Honors Theses

No abstract available.

An Analysis Of Preflight Inspection Practices In The Collegiate Training Environment, Seth Laws

Honors Theses

Preflight inspections are a crucial part of flight operations and are required by the Federal Aviation Administration prior to flight. A properly performed preflight by an educated and experienced pilot follows a standard procedure and permits detection of conditions that render an aircraft un-airworthy. A study at Western Michigan University was conducted to determine the effectiveness of this normal procedure in the collegiate training environment. Results indicate the standard procedures for preflight inspections and good supporting habits are in place, but some complacency and a lack of understanding of the standard procedure prevents it from being totally effective among less …

Comparison Of Shareholder Value Between Full-Service Airlines (Fsas) And Low-Cost Carriers (Lccs)., William Kee

Honors Theses

Shareholders in the airline industry invest in a service industry that is met with high fixed costs, capital, and external factors such as customer satisfaction and fluctuations in crude oil prices. On one end of the airline spectrum in the United States lie the full-service airlines, such as Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, or United Airlines adopting a product differentiation approach to capture a competitive advantage by providing greater benefits, comfort, and experience to the customer. This approach attracts customers that value the experience more so than simply the price of the fare, but is often met with high operating …

Site Development At The Corner Of Drake And Stadium, Ahmad Sear Rahimi

Honors Theses

This report presents the site layout alternatives for the development located at the corner of Drake and Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In the report four different layouts are suggested and followed by best management practices for grading and earthwork plans, porous asphalt pavement design, storm water retention design for the proposed site, and storm sewer pipe design. The redesign of the Costco Development Site aims to maximize efficiency of the development area through the warehouse and gas station location, parking lot layout, and trucking routes. Grading design is developed based on the existing site conditions before construction took place. The …

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 …

Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Jacob Dean, James Mixter, Jordan Barr

Honors Theses

An open-source Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) capable of performing at the same capacity as many top commercially available multi-rotor vehicles is developed. The system allows users unfamiliar with multi-rotor vehicles to achieve flight and land safely, while also serving as a flexible foundation for other UAV projects and opening the door to features that are not currently available. Applications of drone technology are explored.

The Development Of An Autonomous Proximity Operations Demonstration System, Spencer Watza

Honors Theses

An Autonomous Proximity Operations Demonstration System is being developed to evaluate low cost hardware for aerial robotics and proximity operations in a GPS denied environment. This report highlights the design work and initial prototypes that have been finished along the project goals. The preliminary and detailed design of the vehicle has been completed and initial prototypes constructed. The demonstration system is a multirotor flight vehicle using a hex configuration (6 rotors). The vehicle carries onboard sensing and computational equipment to perform the mission weighing in at 28 pounds. The primary sensor chosen is the Microsoft Kinect™ to perform visual sensing …

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 …

The Effects Of Colorimetry And Spectroscopy Using The Iso M0, M1 And M2 Modes, Kaylee Flannery

Honors Theses

The use of Optical Brightening Agents (OBA’s) in printing and proofing papers has drastically increased and, while the use of OBA’s has improved the appearance for end-use consumers, it represents great challenges to those attempting to successfully color manage the print. Therefore, standards have been created in order to assist in the measurement of these papers, and can be found within ISO 13655-2009: Spectral Measurement and Colorimetric Computation for Graphic Arts Images. This newly defined measurement standard is referred to as the “M” series. While this new standard has its advantages, it also poses some disadvantages. This report will …

Substantiate Percent Yield Within Aerosol Personal Care Plant, Gregory Maxwell

Honors Theses

The project identified losses of bulk product throughout the mix and packaging process substantiating percent yield. Support data for yield calculations was found by mapping multiple equipment trains, collecting and weighing samples, tracking waste streams, and executing engineering studies. The completed studies identified and verified product loss ensuring the accuracy of yield calculations. This project identified potential cost savings to the facilities.

Development Of Long Endurance Small Unmanned Aerial System, Andreas Quainoo

Honors Theses

The purpose of this Senior Design Project is to design, build, and test an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). This will be used as a test platform for airborne electronics. The intended capabilities of this project include a 12-hour flight time, the ability to carry 5 lbs of payload, and the ability to recharge the batteries of electronics while in the air. With these parameters in mind, the focus of the design was on endurance, and, by extension, efficiency and durability. Upon completion, the aircraft and its onboard systems was constructed and evaluated. Secondary products of this project include an instrumented …

Aviation Internship Toolkit: Helping Employers Reach The Next Generation Of Aviation Professionals (Ngap), James Fox

Honors Theses

It has been recognized by the international aviation community that there will be an anticipated shortage of skilled aviation professionals in the near future. In order to address this important issue, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) launched the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) initiative to ensure that enough qualified and competent aviation professionals are available to operate, manage, and maintain the future international air transport system (ICAO, 2014). This highly complex industry is growing at a significant rate around the globe, and this shortage needs to be addressed before it becomes a threat to this increasing vital and intricate …

Dynamically Reconfigurable Miniature Golf Course, James Lind

Honors Theses

The purpose of this report is to inform the reader of the Senior Design Project lead by 3 students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Western Michigan University. The project is in needed for use within the ECE department as a tool for showcasing to prospective students the attributes of electrical and computer engineering.

At the heart of the project lies an Arduino microcontroller acting as the commanding brain of the system. Its task is to manipulate various types of obstacles throughout the playing field with a goal of delivering a dynamic experience to the player(s). Additionally, a …

Design And Analysis Of A Cold Gas Propulsion System For Stabilization And Maneuverability Of A High Altitude Research Balloon, Mitchell Brownell

Honors Theses

The need for a cold gas propulsion system is crucial to the scientific industry which allows for maneuvering and stabilizing a high altitude research balloon and propose an inexpensive, light weight design that researchers can reproduce. The methodology to the design of this system was based on factors that are all dependent upon one another. The parameters that directed the decisions made throughout this design project was the thrust needed to rotate the unit, and the allowable weight permitted by federal regulations. The frame was designed with a gas storage system, gas transmission system, and nozzle assembly which was integrated …

Position Tracking Using Wifi, Tyler Bayne

Honors Theses

Position tracking using WiFi is needed as a more accurate method of intra-building tracking due to Global Positioning System's (GPS) lack of accuracy in buildings. The main application of this project is to provide a safety system, which may be either tracking employees within a building and allowing them to send an emergency message through a device, or to track objects throughout a building. The devices can send simple messages to a central location. These messages will include position information and which emergency has been selected. The devices consist of two buttons and two LEDs, and with a button press, …

Position Tracking Using Wifi, Nathan Conrad

Honors Theses

Position tracking using WiFi is needed as a more accurate method of intra-building tracking due to Global Positioning System’s (GPS) lack of accuracy in buildings. The main application of this project is to provide a safety system, which may be either tracking employees within a building and allowing them to send an emergency message through a device, or to track objects throughout a building. The devices can send simple messages to a central location. These messages will include position information and which emergency has been selected. The devices consist of two buttons and two LEDs, and with a button press, …

Subtalar Fusion Fixture Design And Test, Andrew Campbell

Honors Theses

An experiment was designed to quantify the relative displacement between the calcaneus and talus ankle bones during various types of loading. The ankles were embedded in an epoxy resin and three loads were applied: compressive forces, flexion moments, and inversion moments. A stereo camera system took photographs during the loading process, and the images were correlated via digital image correlation (DIC). The DIe was carried out via a suite of homemade programs written using the open-sourced computational program Octave.

Subtalar Fusion Fixture Design And Test, Nathan Ortiz

Honors Theses

Subtalar arthrodesis is performed when cartilage in the talo-calcaneal (the ankle) joint is degraded in a patient and there are multiple approaches to this surgery. Using synthetic bone material, fixtures were cast from aluminum, using the process of evaporation pattern casting, and epoxy. This casting was used to grip the calcaneus bone of the foot in order to load it mechanically, simulating different scenarios that would be encountered during walking. The relative displacement of the ankle joint was measured using a digital image correlation (DIC) program that was modified to work in both two- and three-dimensional space. This program can …

Effectiveness Of Tsa Regulations In General Aviation, Samantha Somers

Honors Theses

General aviation (GA) security is one the industry’s most prominent topics. With a direct and indirect economic impact of over a billion dollars annually and many lives at stake, concerns of this matter cannot be ignored or taken lightly. It is difficult to reconcile the opinions of all parties involved to create a safe, affordable way to conveniently fly. The resolution process must begin by examining the sector as a whole, identifying its weaknesses, and determining its current security state. What improvements need to be made by the pilots, corporate flight departments, and general aviation businesses, if any? Are current …

Industrial Wireless Communication System For Notification, Jolica Dias, Devin Semrau, Jumana Abukabbos

Honors Theses

An industrial wireless communication system for short structured messages was needed to support lean manufacturing environments. While first generation prototypes of end devices were previously constructed for the network, it lacked the range, robustness and battery operation desired. The advances made in the new system incorporate multiple small rechargeable user modules that communicate with and through one or more higher powered fixed location message router stations. This configuration ensures that wireless signal integrity is maintained throughout an industrial facility, and that the messages are successfully sent and received. XBee wireless transceivers were imbedded onto the router to enable communication between …

Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (Phev) Component Pre-Heater, Ria Pereira

Honors Theses

In plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the optimum temperatures of the cabin and various fluids are achieved through the dissipating heat of the internal combustion engine. In colder climates the initial warm-up of components requires the internal combustion engine to run causing unnecessary consumption of fuel. This project improved the pre-heating system formerly in place. It uses a variety of electric heaters along with the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater and blower motor already installed on the vehicle. A system utilizing a microcontroller turns the heaters on and off based on the inputs from the temperature sensors installed on the vehicle. …