Engineering Commons^™

Design Of Flight Control Laws For A Novel Stratospheric Dual-Aircraft Platform, Cindy Nshuti

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Dual-aircraft platform (DAP) is a novel concept that features two glider-like unmanned aerial systems (UAS) tethered via a thin adjustable cable allowing them to sail back-and-forth, without propulsion, using vertical wind shear. DAP offers the potential of a low-cost atmospheric satellite. This thesis presents the results of an initiative to demonstrate this novel flight concept through modeling, simulation, and flight testing at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). A realistic simulation environment, described herein, was developed to support the development and testing of flight control systems. This environment includes nonlinear aerodynamic models for the aircraft, a multi-element cable dynamics model, propeller-motor thrust …

Analyses Of Densely Crosslinked Phenolic Systems Using Low Field Nmr, Jigneshkumar Patel

Doctoral Dissertations

A uniform dispersion of reactants is necessary to achieve a complete reaction involving multi-components, especially for the crosslinking of rigid high-performance materials. In these reactions, miscibility is crucial for curing efficiency. This miscibility is typically enhanced by adding a third component, a plasticizer. For the reaction of the highly crystalline crosslinking agent hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) with a strongly hydrogen-bonded phenol formaldehyde resin, furfural has been traditionally used as the plasticizer. However, the reason for its effectiveness is not clear. In this doctoral thesis work, miscibility and crosslinking efficiency of plasticizers in phenolic curing reactions are studied by thermal analysis and spectroscopic …

Design, Synthesis And Sustainable Applications Of Animal Protein-Based Thermoset Polymers And Covalent Organic Frameworks, Xiaoyan Yu

All Dissertations

Extensive research has been undertaken in recent times on finding suitable, alternative, non-feed and non-fertilizer applications for proteinaceous materials in the animal rendering industry. In this regard, use of such proteins to derive plastics, especially thermoplastics and derived composites, has emerged as a potentially acceptable choice. However, the widespread use of such proteins for aforementioned applications is limited by their poor mechanical properties, high moisture absorption and their inherent odor. In this study, we have engineered, for the first time, high-strength, toughened thermoset polymers from proteinaceous materials obtained from the rendering industry so that they can be employed in high …

Electric Vehicle Drivetrain, Jimmy Andrew King, Kevin Kristopher Moore, Charissa Cadence Seid

Mechanical Engineering

This document serves to outline the design and development of Sharpell Technologies' ST5 electric vehicle drivetrain. Background research was conducted on various drivetrain components and testing methods, leading to the development of our drivetrain’s design requirements. Compiled in this report are the specifications of the components that will be integrated into our drivetrain design. All component calculations and specifications can be located in the appendices. An in-depth manufacturing plan features the modifications necessary to create several key components such as the shafts and housing. The assembly plan details a step-by-step process in which the components are arranged to ensure a …

Small-Scale Intelligent Vehicle Design Platform, Christopher Grant, Jay Miley, Evan Phillips

Mechanical Engineering

Intelligent Vehicle Design is a growing field with the potential to save many lives by actively minimizing the impacts of human error. Though there are many ways to research intelligent vehicle control, full-scale implementations are expensive and dangerous and computer simulations have extremely steep learning curves. Researchers and students need an accessible, adaptable, and robust development platform to rapidly create and test autonomous control algorithms. While small-scale platforms are often designed from the ground up for specific projects, this requires analysis, design, and manufacture. The goal of this project is to develop a small-scale intelligent vehicle that can be configured …

Sae Small Vehicle Lifts, Augustus G. Holz, Nathan K. Harry, Tobias W. Shirts

Mechanical Engineering

The SAE (Society for Automotive Engineers) vehicle teams at Cal Poly need an easy way to access the undersides of their vehicles to facilitate maintenance and servicing. The purpose of this project was to provide a solution that could lift the vehicles effectively and safely from above so that the underside of the vehicles can be accessed, as well as elevating the vehicles to an ergonomic working height. Design specifications were determined based off each vehicle’s requirements in addition to what the team intends to do with their suspended vehicle. After several concept iterations, the team decided to purchase an …

Carbon Fiber Monocoque Chassis Platform For Formula Sae And Formula Sae Electric Race Cars, Ford Eimon, Michael Gonzalez, Michal Kramarz, Nathan Powell, Kevin Ziemann

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Soft Target For Advanced Emergency Braking System Daimler Trucks, Kurt C. Ebert, Kolter Knapp, Esgar Pulido

Mechanical Engineering

This report provides an overview of the AEBS Soft Target project delivered to Daimler Trucks North Amer- ica as part of the 2016-2017 Mechanical Engineering Senior Design class at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The purpose was to build a soft target to test Advanced Emergency Braking Systems, or AEBS, on Daimler 0 s large trucks. Though this design is for Daimler specifically, there may be other interested parties such as highway safety groups and rival auto manufacturers. Currently, there are no suitable alternative products that satisfy every requirement for Daimler to validate their systems. They require a …

Guided Target Control System Final Design Report, John Barry, Zachary Eagan, Ryan Mackintosh

Mechanical Engineering

Daimler Automotive, the parent company of Mercedes-benz requires improved methods for testing their Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems. To this end they have presented a series of four senior projects to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. One of the Projects is to build a facsimile of a human crossing the street. The other three projects of which this is a part; are to produce an autonomous car facsimile. These projects are intended for use in testing new Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems and may serve as the basis for future senior projects.

Formula Sae Power Distribution Controller, Daniel Baron

Electrical Engineering

The Power Distribution Controller senior project aims to replace the current Power Distribution Module (PDM) on Cal Poly’s Formula SAE internal combustion vehicle with a more advanced, configurable, and reliable system. The Power Distribution Controller is a MOSFET based system that can be controlled through either controller area network or a parallel interface to distribute and control power from the vehicle’s battery to the several electrical devices on the car. The Power Distribution Controller also collects output voltage and current data, and communicates this data to the vehicle’s data logger. This will allow engineers to troubleshoot electrical problems on the …

Auxiliary Power System, Karianne Laplante, Nidia Vara, Eve Wassenaar, Carter Whittington

Electrical Engineering

The main objective for this project is to design and build a prototype for an all-electric SUV for the start-up company, Sharpell Technologies. This vehicle will comprise of the following configurations: auxiliary power system (APS), battery management system, battery pack wiring, CAN bus system, DC-DC charging converter, DC/DC auxiliary converter, instrument cluster, and motor controller/inverter. Each car configuration is a project assigned to a 2-4 student team; in total, eight EE senior projects and one ME project is produced. New lightweight batteries are also in the process of being developed to provide a viable electric source for the car. A …

Are Solar Panels A Viable Power Source For A Green Energy Vehicle?, Mason C. Adams

Senior Theses

A solar cell powered go-kart has been built and tested. The result shows using solar energy alone cannot meet the requirement of running a regular passenger car. This is due to the limited surface area of the passenger car. This thesis also discusses the operating principles of solar panels, the physics of P type and N type semiconductors, and the formation of the PN junction, as well as the solar current. Modifications of an existing go-kart are described in detail in this thesis. Suggestions for making green vehicles are discussed as well.

An Experimental Study On Drag Reduction Of Aftermarket Additions On An Suv, Christiana L. Katsoulos

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Over recent years, the awareness of climate change has become more prevalent worldwide and one major contributor to global warming has been the use of transportation. Vehicles contribute to global warming by releasing petroleum based emissions such as significant amounts of carbon dioxide and numerous other harmful environmental pollutants. SUVs contribute to the emissions problem more so than sedans, since they have lower gas mileage and need more gasoline regularly. The main functionality of sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, includes hauling or off-roading and fuel efficiency is not always the focus in the design process. However, aerodynamic enhancements could improve …

Automotive Inductive Position Sensor, Lingmin Shao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Inductive angular position sensors (IAPS) are widely used for high accuracy and low cost angular position sensing in harsh automotive environments, such as suspension height sensor and throttle body position sensor. These sensors ensure high resolution and long lifetime due to their contactless sensing mode and their simple structure. Furthermore, they are suitable for wider application areas. For instance, they can be miniaturized to fit into a compact packaging space, or be adopted to measure the relative angle of multiple rotating targets for the purposes of torque sensing. In this work, a detailed SIMULINK model of an IAPS is first …

Optimization Of Roadway Electrification Integrating Wireless Power Transfer: Technoeconomic Assessment And Lifecycle Analysis, Braden J. Limb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electric vehicles are the main technology currently being pursued to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in the transportation sector. These vehicles provide both reduced greenhouse gas emissions and decreased operating costs when compared to conventional internal combustion vehicles, while providing the flexibility to use both renewable and fossil energy. However, these vehicles have seen limited consumer adoption due to their large purchase prices and limited driving range. Both purchase price and driving range are related to the large onboard battery systems required for electric vehicle travel.

One solution to decrease dependence on large battery systems has focused on charging vehicles …

Electrical Optimization Of A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Andre J. Napier

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Hybrid electric vehicles electrification and optimization is a prominent part of today’s automotive industry. GM and the Department of Energy challenge 16 universities across North America to redesign a Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid electric vehicle. This thesis will address how Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s EcoCAR team electrified and optimized the vehicle. The objective of the thesis is to optimize the electric portion of the vehicle, particularly the low voltage circuitry. Prior work is discussed in detail on the vehicle communication bus, building the power distribution unit and the approach the electrical team took when building the electric portion of …

Built-In Bicycle Rack For Cars, Scott A. Hansberry

All Undergraduate Projects

Transporting a bicycle after riding somewhere and then needing to be pickup can be problematic. Bicycles will not fit in most vehicles without removing components. There is also the risk of damaging the inside of the vehicle. Expecting everyone to have a bike rack for their vehicle is unrealistic because the bike rack could be considered unappealing visually, take up to much space in the trunk, or limit the vehicle owner’s access to the trunk. The solution to this problem is a bike rack that mounts onto your car and then mounts your bike onto the rack. Most people don’t …

Asme Baja Rc Car Drivetrain, Walter Lackey

All Undergraduate Projects

The ASME Baja car is a student built radio controlled car, which will compete with other schools in a variety races. The drivetrain aspect of the car must smoothly transfer power from the motor to the rear wheels of the car. The drivetrain must be designed in collaboration with the other team member’s suspension system to avoid interference. The majority of the parts in the drivetrain are purchased parts intended for various applications. These parts were chosen based on their proximity to the optimal calculated values. Power flows from the electric motor through a single gear reduction, then through a …

Strategically Managing Product Innovation To Create Consumer Value: An Analysis In The Context Of The Australian Electric Vehicle Market, Brendan Koehler

Theses

This thesis encompasses a body of research which looks to explore how strategic management, consumer value and product innovation interrelate. In particular, this research will evaluate such a unilateral relationship in specific reference to product innovations developed as a result of emerging and disruptive technology. Therefore, this research will be conducted in the context of the Australian electric vehicle industry. This industry was selected as it has displayed traits of an industry with companies that have a desire to incorporate electric vehicle product innovations into their portfolio from a strategic perspective; yet these product innovations have no particular consumer demand …

Model-Based Control Of Hybrid Electric Powertrains Integrated With Low Temperature Combustion Engines, Ali Soloukmofrad

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Powertrain electrification including hybridizing advanced combustion engines is a viable cost-effective solution to improve fuel economy of vehicles. This will provide opportunity for narrow-range high-efficiency combustion regimes to be able to operate and consequently improve vehicle’s fuel conversion efficiency, compared to conventional hybrid electric vehicles (HEV)s. Low temperature combustion (LTC) engines offer the highest peak brake thermal efficiency reported in literature, but these engines have narrow operating range. In addition, LTC engines have ultra-low soot and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, compared to conventional compression ignition and spark ignition (SI) engines. This dissertation concentrates on integrating the LTC engines (i) in …

Easily Verifiable Controller Design With Application To Automotive Powertrains, Mohammad Reza Amini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Bridging the gap between designed and implemented model-based controllers is a major challenge in the design cycle of industrial controllers. This gap is mainly created due to (i) digital implementation of controller software that introduces sampling and quantization imprecisions via analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), and (ii) uncertainties in the modeled plant’s dynamics, which directly propagate through the controller structure. The failure to identify and handle these implementation and model uncertainties results in undesirable controller performance and costly iterative loops for completing the controller verification and validation (V&V) process.

This PhD dissertation develops a novel theoretical framework to design controllers that are …

การพัฒนาวัสดุกันกระสุนจากวัสดุผสมอีพอกซีเสริมแรงด้วยเส้นใยชานอ้อย, นนทลี อึ่งแก้ว

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาวัสดุกันกระสุนจากวัสดุผสมที่ผลิตจากอีพอกซีเรซินเสริมแรงด้วยเส้นใยชานอ้อย ตามมาตรฐานที่กำหนดคือ NIJ-Type IIIA โดยทำสอบตามมาตรฐาน NIJ 0108.01 ballistic test วัสดุผสมใช้เส้นใยชานอ้อยในปริมาณ 0, 30, 50, 70 และ 90 Vol.% แผ่นวัสดุผสมถูกนำไปยึดติดกับแผ่นอะลูมิเนียมอัลลอยเกรด AA5083-H116 ที่ความหนาแตกต่างกัน และมีการวิเคราะห์ชิ้นงานทดสอบที่จัดลำดับชั้นวัสดุแตกต่างกันในการประกอบเป็นวัสดุกันกระสุน จากการทดสอบพบว่ามอดุลัสยืดหยุ่นของวัสดุผสมเพิ่มขึ้นถึง 54.32% จากการทดสอบยิงกระสุนจริงพบว่า เมื่อนำแผ่นวัสดุผสมมาไว้เป็นแผ่นหน้าของวัสดุกันกระสุนจะสามารถต้านทานการเจาะทะลุตามมาตรฐาน NIJ-Type IIIA ได้ดีกว่าเมื่อนำแผ่นอะลูมิเนียมอัลลอยเกรด AA5083-H116 มาไว้ที่ด้านหน้า

การพัฒนาวัสดุผสมชนิดใหม่เพื่อต้านทานขีปนาวุธในการใช้งานเกราะกันกระสุน, ธีระนันท์ มาลัยวงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การพัฒนาผนังวัสดุผสมจากยางพารามาตรฐาน STR 5L เพื่อการป้องกันกระสุน โดยทำการศึกษาเกี่ยวกับพารามิเตอร์ที่สำคัญที่มีผลต่อการป้องกันกระสุน เช่น ความหนาของวัสดุผสม, การเรียงลำดับชั้นวัสดุผสมที่เลือกใช้ในการออกแบบ และการเลือกใช้วัสดุ เป็นต้น และต้องพิจารณาถึงน้ำหนักที่มีความเหมาะสมในการใช้งาน รวมถึงต้นทุนในการผลิตจริง ซึ่งการวิเคราะห์ผลการวิจัยจะใช้ ทฤษฏีพลังงานจลน์ (Kinetic Energy) เพื่อเปรียบเทียบผลการทดลองระหว่างการจำลองการทดสอบความเร็วต่ำในห้องปฏิบัติการและการทดสอบยิงกระสุนจริงภาคสนาม ตามมาตรฐานการทดสอบ EN1 522 โดยการนำยางพารา STR 5L ที่ผ่านกระบวนการแปรรูปแล้วมาขึ้นรูปโดยการอัด โดยการเสริมแรงด้วยลวดตาข่ายเหล็ก มาทดสอบในห้องปฏิบัติการพบว่า การเสริมแรงด้วยลวดตาข่ายเหล็กทำให้วัสดุสามารถรับแรงเจาะทะลุได้เพิ่มขึ้นโดยสามารถเพิ่มขึ้นสูงสุดได้เท่ากับ 5 ชั้น ต่อความหนาชิ้นงานเท่ากับ 12 mm โดยคิดเป็นอัตราส่วนเท่ากับ 2.4 mm/Layer ซึ่งการเพิ่มขึ้นของจำนวนลวดตาข่ายเหล็กส่งผลโดยตรงกับน้ำหนักที่เพิ่มขึ้นของชิ้นงานทดสอบวัสดุผสม โดยการเพิ่มจำนวนชั้นลวดที่ 5 ชั้นมีค่าความหนาแน่นเฉลี่ยเท่ากับ 1,975.9 kg/m3 และมีค่าความหนาแน่นเพิ่มขึ้นเมื่อเทียบกับการไม่เสริมด้วยเส้นลวดตาข่ายเหล็กคิดเป็นเปอร์เซ็นต์ 6.7% และมีค่าพลังงานการแตกหักเท่ากับ 126,679.34 J/m2 มีความคลาดเคลื่อน 25% และมีค่า Ultimate Tensile Strength เท่ากับ 5.01x106 N/m2 และมีค่า Yield Strength 2% เท่ากับ 0.588x106 N/m2 และมีค่า Young's Modulus เท่ากับ 0.05 GPa เมื่อนำไปทดสอบการยิงด้วยกระสุนจริงพบว่าวัสดุผสมตามด้วยแผ่นอลูมิเนียมสามารถให้ความหนาที่ใช้ในการป้องกันกระสุนน้อยกกว่า การใช้แผ่นอลูมิเนียมประกบหน้าวัสดุผสมถึง 54%-60% ซึ่งมีขนาดความหนาและน้ำหนักที่เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับผลิตภัณฑ์ ARMORCOR โดยมีความหนาน้อยกกว่าเมื่อคิดเป็นเปอร์เซ็นต์ 0.72% และมีความหนามากกว่าเท่ากับ 106% และมีน้ำหนักต่ำสุดน้อยกว่า 0.018 % และมีน้ำหนักสูงสุดมากว่า 132% ตามลำดับ

Development Of A High-Fidelity Model And Kalman Filter Based State Estimator For Simulation And Control Of Nox Reduction Performance Of A Scr Catalyst On A Dpf, Venkata Rajesh Chundru

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Reduction of emissions and improving the fuel consumption are two prime research areas in Diesel engine development. The present after-treatment systems being used for emissions control include diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for NO, HC and CO oxidation along with catalyzed particulate filters for PM (particulate matter) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for controlling NOx emissions. Recently an after-treatment system called SCR catalyst on a DPF capable of simultaneously reducing both NOx and PM emissions has been developed in order to reduce the overall size of the after-treatment system.

The goal of this proposed research is to create a state estimator …

Effect Of Spark Advance And Fuel On Knocking Tendency Of Spark Ignited Engine, Abhay S. Joshi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Knock, in spark ignition engine is the combustion caused by the autoignition of the fuel-air mixture. It is the phenomenon that limits engine performance and thermal efficiency. Knock also has an adverse effect on emissions and fuel economy. Engine designers target engines with maximum power and torque output without compromising on fuel economy. Engine downsizing is the method generally adopted. The main goal of engine downsizing is to achieve better fuel economy while increasing the power and torque output of the engine. Better fuel economy is achieved by reducing the displaced volume which in turn means a much higher brake …

Analytical And Boundary Element Solutions Of Bulk Reacting Lined Ducts And Parallel-Baffle Silencers, Jundong Li

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Lined silencers of various configurations are used to attenuate the noise from building HVAC equipment, gas turbines, and other machinery. First-mode analytical solutions are presented for sound attenuation along rectangular lined ducts, parallel-baffle silencers, and circular lined ducts. The sound absorptive lining is treated using a bulk property model. The analytical solutions entail solving a nonlinear characteristic equation in the transverse direction after the rigid-wall boundary condition is applied. The solution is compared to the boundary element solution and a local impedance analytical solution for several test cases.

Simulation Study On Effect Of Gas Charging And Egr In A Dual-Fuel Engine, Satyavenkata Naga Sai Sharath Gorthy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Natural gas combined with diesel as micro pilot has the capabilities of achieving lower NOx and soot emissions. Optimization of the combustion process in engines with natural gas and diesel micro-pilot is essential to achieve higher efficiencies and loads. Gas charging (intake air boosting) and EGR are two technologies which when implemented in the natural gas-diesel engines, provide the opportunity to achieve higher efficiencies and loads and low emissions. Simulation study is one of the approaches to investigate the extent and effects of gas charging and EGR on the performance of the engine. With the rapid improvements over the past …

An Optimal Energy Management Strategy For Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Amir Rezaei

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) are used to overcome the short-range and long charging time problems of purely electric vehicles. HEVs have at least two power sources. Therefore, the Energy Management (EM) strategy for dividing the driver requested power between the available power sources plays an important role in achieving good HEV performance.

This work, proposes a novel real-time EM strategy for HEVs which is named ECMS-CESO. ECMS-CESO is based on the Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS) and is designed to Catch Energy Saving Opportunities (CESO) while operating the vehicle. ECMS-CESO is an instantaneous optimal controller, i. e., it does not …

The Impact Of Active Aerodynamics On Motorcycles Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations, Aditya Sripathi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Motorcycles are mostly utilized by commuters whose requirements are cheap and affordable transportation from point A to point B. Motorcycles also provide means to tour various places and have a leisure time for the majority of motorcyclists. Unfortunately, with pros also come cons such as accidents which are disabling or life-taking. According to motorcycle crash statistics produced every year, the majority of motorcycle crashes are caused due to facing unexpected obstacles in the path causing collisions due to insufficient braking time. Thus, this thesis serves as a mean to overcome this issue and provide a technological solution to the world …

Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition, Austin R. Tyler, Chris R. Estock, Johnathan P. Johenning, Garrett W. Chonko, Allen C. Gilleland

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) draws teams from various universities to compete in the annual autonomous vehicle challenge at the Oakland University campus. To compete, a vehicle must be fully autonomous and can navigate a course designated by various obstacles and painted white lines. Some design challenges are motor control, navigation, environment sensing and safety. A complex navigation system will utilize several tools including a high-precision differential GPS. The vehicle’s surroundings will be mapped using a combination of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and computer-vision enabled imaging. To comply with IGVC rules, the vehicle must also follow several safety …