Engineering Commons^™

All American Soap Box Derby Competition, Justin E. Yager, Spencer Cullen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Design Of A Horizontal Creep Testing Machine, Michael Presby

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The design process for a horizontal creep testing machine is presented along with the material selection of grips for high temperature tensile tests. The design process consisted of creating multiple sketches of the testing machine in order to determine the best design to satisfy the given design parameters. The critical points of the frame were determined and derivations were performed in order to determine the maximum stress at the critical points and the maximum deflection due to the applied load. The information gathered from these derivations will be useful in comparing the two material choices for the frame which are …

2015 Zips Sae Baja Brakes And Throttle System, Philip A. Bennett

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The SAE Baja student design team at The University of Akron is one of the longest-standing design teams at the university. The purpose of this team is to design, manufacture, test, and race an off-road vehicle within the guidelines of competition established by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The vehicle is made up of a small number of subsystems including frame, drivetrain, suspension, steering, and braking. The following will discuss all aspects of the design process of the braking and throttle system of the 2015 Zips Baja car. This process includes several steps and considerations such as design goals, system …

Senior Design: Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Ashley N. Cuthbert, Marianna R. Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The team’s goal is to design and test a prototype and procedure that will automate the insertion of the Kong toy instructions into the cardboard packaging. This automation will increase the speed at which the product is packaged and will serve as an aid to workers with limited dexterity who find the task cumbersome.

Oil Filter Wrench Attachment, Steven J. Greenbank

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose for this report is to outline the design process for an oil filter remover/installer intended to be used with a ratcheting socket wrench. The goal of this project was to design an attachment for a socket wrench that could be used to remove or install oil filters in a vehicle. This report will discuss design criteria for the new design, a few current designs for similar tools and their problem areas, initial design ideas, the design process of the chosen design, and the prototype building and testing for the project.

Magnus Effect In Duct Flow, Cameron W. Clarke, Jesse S. Batko, Kenneth W. Smith Jr.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following research paper details the preliminary research carried out by this team. The project was originally conceived to determine if Magnus Lift could be utilized in an unconventional way to assist rockets during takeoff. Several conceptual designs were proposed, but the idea was scrapped when it became apparent that the team would not be able to generate the desired lift without inducing significant amounts of drag and additional weight on a rocket. Instead, the team focused on researching an interesting topic that hasn’t been previously explored: Magnus lift on a cylinder within a duct. An experimental procedure that could …

Designing A Heat Sink For Lithium-Ion Battery Packs In Electric Vehicles, Dylan Irvine, Evan Foreman, Christopher B. Remington, Aaron Jackson, Sam Endrizzi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report addresses the concepts and implementation of fluid cooled heat sink designs for an electric or hybrid vehicle battery. To determine the battery’s temperature and heat flux profile, testing was performed by measuring these values at multiple locations on a lithium-ion pouch battery using heat flux sensors and thermocouples during the charge and discharge cycles of the battery. Once the data was collected and analyzed, trendlines were fit to the heat flux data then used to create equations for the heat flux profile during the discharging stage. Each equation represented a specific region on the battery geometry. Four heat …

Creation Of A Portable, 3d-Printable, Iphone-Compatible Spectrophotometer, Elise K. Grasse

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Spectroscopy is a widely used chemical and medical analysis tool. While spectrophotometers are commonly found in many universities and laboratories, they are not available to all high schools or laboratories in developing countries. The objective of this project was to design a high-quality, 3D-printable, iPhone-compatible spectrophotometer that uses a cell phone camera and interface to collect data. The created 3D-print file will be available to anyone with access to a 3D printer which are increasingly found in many laboratories and schools across the country. A low cost pre-printed kit will also be made for those without access to a 3D …

2015 Afrl University And Service Academy Design Challenge, Andrew P. Killmeyer, Jacob Stein, Casey Hale, Jeff Quartermaine, Kevin Rolik, Brandon Null, Nick Tsangeos, Marissa Seeley, Sam Moats, Nicholas Garafolo Phd, Daniel Slattery

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The University of Akron’s Air Force Research Laboratory’s Design Challenge Team has engineered a Heat Stress Prevention Kit that includes a facial mask in which the soldier will cool down from the inside out by breathing in the cool air circulating throughout the mask. This cool air is produced from a thermoelectric chip, which has a specific temperature difference on either side, one hot and one cold. Each of the sides are isolated from one another and with the combination of heatsinks, fans, and the simple process of breathing, a system is created by inhaling cool air. The entire system …

Design Of The University Of Akron's 2015 Fsae Electric Vehicle Braking System, Nicholas D. Galbincea

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following report encompasses the design of the 2015 University of Akron’s FSAE formula electric braking system. The system is one based on hydraulic braking and designed for a one man performance racing vehicle. The objective of the system is to convert the kinetic energy of the vehicle into thermal energy, allowing the vehicle to decelerate optimally and safely. The design includes three major categories: calculation and evaluation of the hydraulic system in order to select calipers and master cylinders, the design of the pedal box, and the design of the rotors.

The results and findings of the proceeding report …

The Use Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Aluminum To Stiffen A Portaledge Structure, Jacob Palmer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Increased stiffness will be achieved through a unidirectional carbon fiber tube that will encase the aluminum tubing. This will give the structure the stiffness it needs to resist bending enabling the elimination of the spreader bar, while still maintaining the ductile material properties of the 6061 T-6 aluminum.

Design Of An Sae Baja Racing Off-Road Vehicle Powertrain, Eric T. Payne

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Senior Design: Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Marianna R. Smith, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Ashley N. Cuthbert

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The team’s goal is to design and test a prototype and procedure that will automate the insertion of the

Kong toy instructions into the cardboard packaging. This automation will increase the speed at which

the product is packaged and will serve as an aid to workers with limited dexterity who find the task

cumbersome.

Fsae Electric Vehicle Cooling System Design, Jeff Lamarre

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

2015 Afrl University Design Challenge, Daniel Slattery, Andrew P. Killmeyer, Brandon Null, Brendan Jones, Casey Hale, Jake Stein, Jeff Quartermaine, Kevin Rolik, Nick Tsangeos, Sam Moats, Marisa Seeley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The University of Akron’s Air Force Research Laboratory’s Design Challenge Team has engineered a Heat Stress Prevention Kit that includes a facial mask in which the soldier will cool down from the inside out by breathing in the cool air circulating throughout the mask. This cool air is produced from a thermoelectric chip, which has a specific temperature difference on either side, one hot and one cold. Each of the sides is isolated from one another and with the combination of heat sinks, fans, and the simple process of breathing, a system is created by inhaling cool air. The entire …

Senior Design:Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Ashley N. Cuthbert, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Marianna R. Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The team’s goal is to design and test a prototype and procedure that will automate the insertion of the Kong toy instructions into the cardboard packaging. This automation will increase the speed at which the product is packaged and will serve as an aid to workers with limited dexterity who find the task cumbersome.

Magnus Effect In Duct Flow, Jesse S. Batko, Cameron W. Clarke, Kenneth W. Smith Jr.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The following research paper details the preliminary research carried out by this team. The project was originally conceived to determine if Magnus Lift could be utilized in an unconventional way to assist rockets during takeoff. Several conceptual designs were proposed, but the idea was scrapped when it became apparent that the team would not be able to generate the desired lift without inducing significant amounts of drag and additional weight on a rocket. Instead, the team focused on researching an interesting topic that hasn’t been previously explored: Magnus lift on a cylinder within a duct.

An experimental procedure that could …

Design Of The Structural And Propulsion Systems For The 2015 University Of Akron Rocket Team, Kyle W. Dehoff, Nicholas J. Hrusch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Designing A Heat Sink For Lithium-Ion Battery Packs In Electric Vehicles, Evan Foreman, Dylan Irvine, Aaron Jackson, Christopher Brandon Remington, Sam Endrizzi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report addresses the concepts and implementation of fluid cooled heat sink designs for an electric or hybrid vehicle battery. To determine the battery’s temperature and heat flux profile, testing was performed by measuring these values at multiple locations on a lithium-ion pouch battery using heat flux sensors and thermocouples during the charge and discharge cycles of the battery. Once the data was collected and analyzed, trendlines were fit to the heat flux data then used to create equations for the heat flux profile during the discharging stage. Each equation represented a specific region on the battery geometry. Four heat …

Swagelok Probing Station Tester Improvement Project, Ross Crocker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A step in the inspection process for the Swagelok ends is performed using Probing Station testing. This testing process involves fitting a cylindrical probe into the open end of the fittings. Contact between the probe and the fitting causes the probe to wear. Spare probes are kept at each inspection machine to replace a probe that becomes too worn to function. These spare probes occasionally fall out of their storage location and break without ever being used in inspection. This project seeks to reduce the wear on the probes in service and reduce the number of dropped spare probes that …

Composite Tie Rod Research, Design And Testing For Sae Baja, Amanda M. Nauman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Composite materials have become increasing popular in recent years. For the Baja SAE team, composites are typically only used for body panels. To grow as a team and to earn additional points in design competition, it was decided to explore composite use in mechanical applications, specifically for the tie rods. Research was conducted, looking into composite materials basics, types, and material properties. Additionally, manufacturing was explored, including a few projects separate from the tie rod application. 3D models were created after the materials were selected, and FEA analysis was conducted on the parts. Once theoretical testing was finished, the physical …

The University Of Akron 2015 Sae Zips Baja Off-Road Racing Team 2015 Suspension System Design, Ryan W. Timura

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Baja SAE has been an important part of the University of Akron for the last 20 years. In the early stages, Zips Baja won many races and was one of the best Baja teams around. In more recent years, the teams have not been able to keep up the high place finishes. The 2015 Baja team aims to start a new trend of high place finishes for the years to come. With many design leaders returning from the previous year, passed down knowledge, and experience from last year, it should be an attainable goal.

Prosthetic Thermal Management Device, Garrett Dowd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

High temperatures in lower-limb prosthetics can lead to poor user skin conditions and mechanical slippage between the user’s limb and the prosthetic. This report presents an air-cooling device for a lower-limb prosthesis. This device’s purpose is to maintain a constant skin-prosthesis interface temperature. A compact heat sink and small fan were used to transfer the bio-heat to the ambient surroundings. By changing the power of the fan, the thermal resistance of the whole system can be adjusted to match various thermal loads and environmental temperatures. Heat pads were used to mimic the heat generation of a residual limb, and cooling …