Engineering Commons^™

Full Body Harness Design Modifications And Evaluation: A Senior Design Project, Martin Mead, Jordan Von Seggern

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Full-body harness (FBH) is critical for the safe operation of industrial and recreational activities, from installing and maintaining infrastructure such as wind turbines to ziplining and mountaintop adventures. However, harness design remains in the proprietary information of companies with limited technical information available for improvements or readjustments to specialized applications. As the outcome of the Capstone project, the paper focuses on multiple technical aspects and the engineering processes for designing FBH for ziplining recreational users, from selecting and testing materials for operation in cold weather to improvements in design and manufacturing for user comfort. The project is guided by technical …

Design Of A 3d Printed Bioreactor For Bone Cancer Research, Brooklyn K. Vanderwolde, Katelyn Hillson

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bone cancer is an aggressive disease and has peak occurrence during physiological stimulation of growth and aging. Astronauts who undergo long-term space missions also acquire an increased risk of bone tissue degeneration and cancer. Few in-vitro models currently exist capable of reproducing the complex microenvironment of bone tissue to support multicellular activity in a three-dimensional structure. This limits the ability to understand disease progression and develop suitable treatment strategies. Therefore, developing a bone tissue model and an associated bioreactor is critical to understand the risks associated with cancer progression and improve treatment and preventions related to those risks. The goal …

Impact Resistant 3-D Printed Structures, Anna Schleper

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper discusses the impact resistance of the mantis shrimp structure. Using past studies, an experiment was performed to identify an optimal wall thickness of a modified mantis shrimp structure. Various samples were 3-D printed using PLA and subjected to compression testing. Analysis of the data resulted in the finding that a wall thickness of 1.4 mm is the optimal thickness to obtain a lightweight, but impact resistant structure. These results are discussed further, along with any limitations of the findings.

Design Of An Affordable Rotating Drum Electrospinner For Classroom Education, Peder Solberg

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Electrospinning is a technology used to generate small fibers down to nano-scale size. This method of fiber creation has been around for many years. However, in recent years electrospinning has found increased applications, especially in the area of tissue engineering due to its ability to create fibers with properties similar to the extracellular matrix in tissue. An electrospinning platform can illustrate concepts of engineering, electro-mechanical system design, manufacturing, and biomedical applications in one single package. Hence, it provides an excellent opportunity to integrate into secondary (middle and high school) and post-secondary (undergraduate) technology education.

Furthermore, just as integration of 3D …

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: 2019

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 17.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: 2017

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 15.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: 2018

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research , Volume 16.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 14.

Applications Of Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing In 3d Printing, Parker Lawley

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

To determine the capabilities of ultrasonic non-destructive testing methods in 3D printing, test specimens were designed to evaluate advantages and limitations in using ultrasoundC-scanning to determine 3D printing effectiveness. A Matlab program was written to process the data obtained from the UTwin software and ultrasound tank, as well as produce 3D models of the parts being tested. Thickness, types of features, and various printing methods were evaluated to determine how these characteristics vary in effectiveness of C-scan imaging. Results from the UTwin software C-scans were compared to the Matlab program’s imaging and three-dimensional modeling. After determining the capabilities of ultrasonic …

High Definition 3d Printing – Comparing Sla And Fdm Printing Technologies, Tyler Finnes

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

For consumer level additive manufacturing, there are currently two main methods to 3D print objects: Stereo lithography and Fused Deposition Modeling. Both processes add material, layer by layer, to create objects. Stereo lithography (SLA) uses a UV light source to selectively cure resin while Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) extrudes semi-liquid plastic in a specific layout to create objects. As with most technologies, both styles of printing have advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage of SLA 3D printing is very high resolution. SLA 3D printing can produce objects with more than double the resolution of FDM printers. The mUVe 3D SLA …

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: Volume 13

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 13.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: Volume 12

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 12.

Vibrations Analysis On Tennis Racket String, Jenny Blackburne

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to investigate and analyse the vibration of a tennis racket string when a ball is hit. This was done using concepts of mechanical vibrations and modelled using Microsoft Excel. The displacement of the tennis string over time was graphed for two different positions on the racket and two different relative speeds of the tennis ball. It was found that the position of the tennis ball on the racket has very little effect on the displacement of the strings. If the ball or racket is moving faster when the ball is hit, then the displacement …

Integration Of A Pulsating Heat Pipe In A Flat Plate Heat Sink, Mitchell Hoesing

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The ongoing development of faster and smaller electronic components has led to a need for new technologies to effectively dissipate waste thermal energy. The pulsating heat pipe (PHP) shows potential to meet this need, due to its high heat flux capacity, simplicity, and low cost. A flat plate PHP was integrated into an aluminum flat plate heat sink with a simulated electronic load. The PHP heat sink used water as the working fluid and had 20 parallel channels with dimensions 2 mm × 2 mm × 119 mm. Experiments were run under various operating conditions, and the thermal resistance of …

Design, Fatigue, And Strength Analysis Of A Tie Rod Hydraulic Cylinder Bolt, Jacob Roemen, Donald Webber

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This report illustrates strength and fatigue analysis completed on a tie rod hydraulic cylinder bolt from a Lion TX 2500 tie rod hydraulic cylinder. The goal was to: solve for total clamping force, damping force per bolt at 90% proof load strength, amount of force per bolt, find the required number of bolts to hold the hydraulic cylinder together, solve for bolt spacing requirements, estimate a safety factor based on proof load strength, nut shear strength, required nut thickness, the least number of threads that must be engaged, estimate R.R. Moore Bending Fatigue Strengths, estimate the maximum value of P …

Measurements Of Three-Dimensional Velocity Fields Under Breaking Waves, Matthew Auch

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The three-dimensional (3D) velocity fields under breaking waves were measured using a Volumetric Three-Component Velocimetry (V3V) system. The V3V instrumentation determines the 3D positions and velocities of seed particles within a 3D measurement volume by using a synchronized laser-camera system and image processing algorithms. Measured velocity fields showed 3D vortex structures descending to the bottom and quickly dissipating as breaking waves propagated onshore.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: Volume 11

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 11.

Analysis Of Corn Stover Structural Properties For Mechanical Processing Applications, Taylor Suess

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The research objective of this study is to examine the behavior of chopped corn stover biomass as it undergoes a variety of mechanical loading conditions. Biomass materials, including corn stover, have unique properties that make it challenging to effectively and efficiently feed into thermochemical conversion systems that produce biofuels and bioproducts. These properties include large particle size, fibrous structure, and low density, to name a few. The most common difficulty in creating a system like this for corn stover is plugging within mechanical and pneumatic feeding systems. It is hypothesized that the material properties of fibrous corn stover contribute to …

Hydraulic Test Bench Circuit Construction, Testing, And Analysis, Shane Michelson, Mitch Mueller, Brett Schurman

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Hydraulic power control systems are a common and important part of mechanical and agricultural systems. In hydraulic power system design, power, pressure, flow rates, and mechanism of circuitry are all important factors when analyzing any hydraulic system. Pumps, electric motors, reservoirs, working fluid properties, hydraulic circuitry, and a large variety of valves make up a functional hydraulic system. Applications for hydraulic systems vary widely from automotive, agricultural, mechanical etc. It is the engineers’ job to design a hydraulic system that will be functional, efficient, and safe.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: Volume 10

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 10.

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: Volume 09

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 13.

Vibrational Analysis Of Soloflex Whole Body Vibration Platform, Zachary Croatt, Josh Robers

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

A Soloflex Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platform was tested for its frequency and magnitude of vibration at multiple settings on the supplied dial. An accelerometer was used to measure the vibrations on different points mapped across the platform. The motor attached to the board was also tested for its frequency using a high-speed camera. The amplitude measurements found from the accelerometer data was compared to the readings on the supplied control module to “calibrate” the platform for medical testing.

Vibrational Analysis Of An Electromechanical Toothbrush, Mark Wager

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The effectiveness of an electromechanical toothbrush is based entirely on its ability to remove plaque through vibrations. This paper contests that the three-dimensional motion of more inexpensive models of electromechanical toothbrushes can be accurately modeled in one-dimension so as to predict the motion of future toothbrush designs using simply the material properties, motor specifications, and grip design. Vibrational modeling, mathematical modeling, and experimentation were used in the analysis to confirm the outcome of the study and the assumptions of the model.

Long Term, Continuous Temperature Monitoring Of A Simple Anaerobic Digester And Open Manure Storage Pond In Eastern South Dakota, J. Darrington, E. Cortus

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

A two-cell manure storage system with a cover on the first cell was constructed in the late summer of 2009 in Eastern South Dakota. The covered cell acts as a simple anaerobic digester. Continuous temperature monitoring for 8 months shows the winter effluent temperature equilibrated to around 6°C, and that the effluent temperature trend lagged the ambient temperature trend by a month. Manure composition was also analyzed and was found to be relatively steady throughout the system. Volatile solids were the only component that dropped appreciably across the treatment cell, with an observed maximum of 50% reduction.

Residual Stress Analysis Of Composite Cannon Barrel, Tyler Brockel, Ozan Ozdemir

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objective of this paper is to describe the process and results of a residual stress analysis done on a composite cannon barrel. A cross section of a full cannon barrel was cut off to be used in the analysis. The barrel cross section was composed of an inner steel layer that was wrapped in an outer composite layer. The residual stress analysis was done using x-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD machine uses different types of x-ray tubes based on what material it is analyzing. For this reason, the first portion of the experiment dealt with finding the exact material …

Formula Sae Impact Attenuator Testing, Chad Abrahamson, Bill Bruns, Joseph Hammond, Josh Lutter

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this paper is to validate the impact attenuator designed by SDSU Formula SAE team according to 2010 Formula SAE rules. The impact attenuator is made of Plascore PCGA-XR1-5.2-1/4-P-3003 aluminum honeycomb that is pre-crushed to 245 psi. The test was dynamically performed using a 661 lb mass dropped 8.3 ft onto the material sample at 23 ft/sec, and data was measured with an Olympus i-SPEED 3 high speed camera. The impact attenuator must have an average deceleration equal to or less than 20 G’s and a peak deceleration equal to or less than 40 G’s. Two specimens were …

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: Volume 08

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 8.

Modeling Of The Interior Electric Field In Photovoltaic Cells, Tara Jeatran

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

With the emergence of photovoltaic technologies, there is a strong technological demand for high-performance photovoltaic devices. One of the most promising device concepts developed at SDSU is organic-based photovoltaic cells. The performance of the PV cells is controlled by charge generation and charge separation, and charge transportation processes. Extraordinary control over the properties of the organic photovoltaic materials will be needed in order for this research to succeed. Therefore, the interior electric field and the macro electric properties of the system are the foundation behind these facts and are critical properties on their performance. In this paper, the fundamentals of …

Vibratory Feeder Bowl Analysis, Chris Green, Jeff Kreul

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Vibratory feeder bowls are used to feed small parts into various stations. At each station the parts will be rejected or accepted depending on the orientation of the part. This analysis was for Royal Plastics, Inc. who was looking to increase the production by increasing the part feed rate of one of their vibratory feeder bowls. As the parts are orientated they will be fed to a new station and often used in robotic systems that produce larger assembled products. The scope of this analysis is to produce a detailed analysis of the vibration system required to move parts through …

Measurements Of Turbulent Pressure Under Breaking Waves, Christopher Olsen

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The experiments discussed in this paper describe the turbulent fluid pressures in breaking waves. Before actual data measurements could be made, the instruments used were put through various tests to determine their ability to capture accurate data. These tests were both static and dynamic in nature. Following the tests on the pressure measurement system, waves were produced such that they were breaking at the instrument panel. Wave height, subsurface pressure, and three components of velocity were measured at this point. Using MATLAB to produce plots, waves that produce strong turbulence were isolated and their respective pressures, as well as theoretical …