Engineering Commons^™

Kettle Cooling And Sustainability Project, Nico Degiorgio

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A particular frozen food processing facility uses a once-through cooling process to bring their kettle-cooked product’s temperature down from nearly boiling temperatures to the eighty degree Fahrenheit range. This process is water intensive and facility managers are seeking to reduce their potable water consumption. Sales engineers from Air Treatment Corporation, an HVAC&R manufacturers’ rep, initiated a number of meetings to propose heat rejection solutions and illustrate their associated payback potentials.

This report contains methods of analyzing a food production process, the technical sales process, thermodynamic principles, refrigeration technologies, and the application of technical knowledge to provide a long-term, system solution. …

Design Of A Drip Irrigation System For 80 Acres Of Almonds In Arbuckle, California, Alexander E. Marsh

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the detailed steps and calculations involved with the design of a dual line buried drip irrigation system. The system is specifically for an 80 acre orchard of almonds in Arbuckle, California. The new design distribution uniformity of the design in 0.92.

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of A Gas Forge, Spencer M. Davis

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report covers the design, construction, and evaluation of a propane forge. The purpose for building this propane forge was to replace an old charcoal forge in order to improve upon certain points of performance such as adjustability of heat, portability, and fuel cost by being able to run the forge for any amount of time with an easy on/off control. The design of this forge consisted of a steel pipe body insulated with ceramic fiber blanket, and was heated by a single atmospheric burner.

Design And Testing Of An Autonomous Ground Robot For Agricultural Applications, Lukas L. Hannemann

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design and testing of an autonomous ground robot for agricultural applications such as strawberries. The vehicle will feature a robotic arm that will be programmed to perform various tasks, such as collecting soil and leaf samples of the crop or measuring soil moisture and salinity. Various components were chosen to be implemented on the vehicle due its power requirements and operating environment. Finite Element Analysis testing was done on the frame of the vehicle to ensure the adequacy of the design.

Design And Construction Of A Motorcycle Drum To Disc Brake Conversion, Matthew Pekin

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design and construction of a motorcycle drum to disc brake conversion. The conversion involved creating a custom caliper mount and machining wheel spacers.

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.

The Design And Construction Of A Rear Bumper With Incorporated Spare Tire Rack, Alan C. Isaacson

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project outlines the design and construction of a rear bumper with incorporated spare tire and equipment rack for a 1946 Willys CJ2A Jeep. The spare tire rack is capable of swinging out away from the vehicle to allow for the use of the vehicle’s tailgate. The bumper was designed for strength, functionality and aesthetic qualities alike. Additionally, the bumper design considered all vehicle codes and regulations.

Testing Feasibility Of Inductive Power Coupling For Modern Applications, Andrew Burman

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project takes two bifilar tesla coils and uses them to find a % efficiency of power transfer as distances between the coils decrease. The reason this experiment is being conducted is to find possible implications for wireless charging of vehicles using similar style coils. This project conducted experiments on 60 Hz, 400 Hz, and 1 kHz frequencies for a small input signal. The general conclusion is that as the frequency increases more power can be transferred and higher efficiency of power transfer is seen. This project also concluded that it could be possible to get higher efficiency at a …

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of An Almond End-Row Nut Sweeper, Andrew J. Mancini

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, construction, and evaluation of an almond end-row nut sweeper. The sweeper attached to the three-point hitch of a John Deere orchard tractor using a Category 2 hitch and was used to sweep nuts back into the orchard after they had been swept into windrows. This system worked by utilizing the tractor hydraulics to power an 18 inch diameter cylinder brush.

Proper field testing of the implement could not be done during the academic year in which this project was constructed since this implement was designed to be used as part of the California almond …

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of Off-Road Rock Sliders, Jake M. Freedman

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project describes the design, fabrication, and evaluation of off-road rock sliders which can be used with Toyota Tacoma trucks of model year 2005-2012. Rock sliders are a form of trail armor and are a common aftermarket addition to trucks that are often used in off-road conditions. Rock sliders, in their simplest form, consist of a steel beam (either tubular or rectangular) that runs underneath the doors of the vehicle providing protection to the undercarriage, rocker panels, and doors as well as reducing the likelihood of becoming stuck or “high-centered” on the underside of the vehicle. The sliders will …

Design Of A Folding V-Scraper With Roller For Orchard Applications, Chase Ulrich

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design of a folding 15 ft. wide leveler for orchard use. This design utilized a category 2 three-point hitch to connect the implement to a tractor. The folding mechanism uses the tractors hydraulic system to actuate the folding movement using hydraulic cylinders. The blades, when wings in operational position, are rigid with one another after some assembly. When the implement is folded the width is reduced to nine feet.

Design And Build Of An Automated Animal Feed Dispenser, Soroush Sedigh

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, construction, and evaluation of automated animal feed dispenser on a small-scale level. The system consists of three main components with various sub-components. Those three components are the outer-casing, the hardware and circuitry, and lastly the code to make sure the hardware operates properly.

System tests have indicated that the feed dispenser is able to provide one week’s worth of feed to the end user with no human interference

Conversion Of A Gas Combustion Engine To An Electric Motor In A Porsche 924, Ashley Weed

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This paper is a walk-through of converting a gasoline Porsche 924 to and electric engine. The paper begins with steps on how to remove the gasoline engine. It then goes into setting up the electrical system for the new electric vehicle and then follows up with the motor installation. The end of the report discusses the testing and results of the electric vehicle and finishes up with recommendations to anyone who attempts a similar project.

Drip Hydraulics Program, Garret Blocher

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project report lays out the production of drip hydraulics software composed in Microsoft Excel and backed by coding in Visual Basic for Applications. The program performs 2 main functions useful in the design of irrigation systems. The first is based on performing single hose computations under three different circumstances. It can solve for the average emitter flow rate given the hose inlet pressure, the inlet pressure given the average emitter flow rate, and can model hose pressures and flow rates while flushing. The second function is to place a manifold in the hydraulically optimum location on a slope. …

Installation, Evaluation, And Modification Of Adcon Telemetry Systems, Caitlin Held

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis For Updating An Irrigation Pumping Station With Variable Frequency Drives, Kirk Teixeira

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Comparison And Cost Analysis Of Growing Hops In A Greenhouse Versus An Outside Environment, Preston Way

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Irrigation Drip System Design For A Vineyard, Riley Way

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design And Construction Of A Solar Water Purification System Using Ultraviolet Radiation, Bryan Wilson

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of San Luis Obispo Historic Precipitation Data And Calibration Of The Cal Poly Weather Station, Hilary Olsen

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design And Analysis Of The Brae Tractor Pull Tow Vehicle, Alexander R. Paulsen

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design and analysis of a towing vehicle for the tractor pulling team and the BRAE department. This report examines different types of existing hand operated towing vehicles and their strengths and weaknesses and how they can be modified to design a custom tow vehicle for the BRAE department. The purpose of this report was to make transporting and handling of the modified pulling tractors in the BRAE department safer for the operator and bystanders.

Design, Fabrication And Analysis Of A Utility Strip For Light Utility Trucks, Ian D. Hare

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design and fabrication of a utility strip for a light utility truck. The utility strip is desirable for off road enthusiasts with its double use as a dirt bike ramp as well as a traction strip. This report will show the cost of materials as well as labor, and if it is feasible for mass production.

Tests were conducted which indicated that the Utility Strip was able to support the weight of a dirt bike as a ramp, as well as regain traction to a two-wheel drive truck stuck in the sand. This product can …

Design And Evaluation Of An Irrigation Storage Reservoir, James Tomac

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Modification Of A Draw Bar Type Arena Harrow To Three Point Mounted Type Harrow, Clayton Alan Brown

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project will be the design, and construction of a three point hitch to be attached to a draw bar type spike tooth harrow. Currently used by the Cal Poly Rodeo Team to cultivate their arena before performances, and practices.

The attachment will allow the harrow to be pulled in both directions to create different types of soil affects.

Also the fabrications has a minimal budget so the majority of the materials will be scrap material already in position of the rodeo team or donated to the project.

Micro-Irrigation Design For Avocado Orchard In California, Michael C. Meyer

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project encompasses the design and recommendations for a micro-irrigation system on an avocado orchard owned by Underwood Family Farms in Somis, California. The main objective of this report is to improve the existing irrigation system’s efficiency and uniformity with the new design and recommendations. The analysis includes information about good irrigation practices, irrigation system design and all the processes herein. Although there are many opinions on growing, irrigating and maintaining an avocado orchard, all of the methods, procedures and suggestions must be based on accurate data to provide reliable information to the grower. Evaluating the irrigation system and suggesting …

Analysis Of Flap Gate Design And Implementations For Water Delivery Systems In California And Nevada, Kerilyn Ambrosini

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of A Cotton Module Tarp Roller, Bradon Spain

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Of Water Reuse In Solano County, Dakari Barksdale

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design, Testing, And Development Of An Internal Combustion Engine Throttle Controller, Michael Burlingame

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Pump Station Calculations And Irrigation System Evaluation For Trestle Vineyard, Linda Bushey

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.