Engineering Commons^™

Design, Manufacturing And Control Of An Advanced High-Precision Robotic System For Microsurgery, Arezoo Ebrahimi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microsurgeries like ophthalmic surgery confront many challenges like limited workspace and hand motion, steady hand movements, manipulating delicate thin tissues, and holding the instrument in place for a long time. New developments in robotically-assisted surgery can highly benefits this field and facilitate those complicated surgeries. Robotic eye surgery can save time, reduce surgical complications and inspire more delicate surgical procedures that cannot be done currently by surgeon’s hands. In this thesis work, the requirements for ophthalmic surgeries were studied and based on that a robotic system with 6 DOF is proposed and designed. This robotic

system is capable of handling …

Developing And Testing An Anguilliform Robot Swimming With Theoretically High Hydrodynamic Efficiency, John B. Potts Iii

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

An anguilliform swimming robot replicating an idealized motion is a complex marine vehicle necessitating both a theoretical and experimental analysis to completely understand its propulsion characteristics. The ideal anguilliform motion within is theorized to produce ``wakeless'' swimming (Vorus, 2011), a reactive swimming technique that produces thrust by accelerations of the added mass in the vicinity of the body. The net circulation for the unsteady motion is theorized to be eliminated.

The robot was designed to replicate the desired, theoretical motion by applying control theory methods. Independent joint control was used due to hardware limitations. The fluid velocity vectors in the …

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 …

Machine Components Test, Brandon Younger, Lauren Romero, Carlos Padilla

Mechanical Engineering

To enhance California Polytechnic State University’s Mechanical Engineering program, Dr. Schuster has sponsored Brandon Younger, Lauren Romero, and Carlos Padilla to design and develop a new lab for students in the Intermediate Design class to test real mechanical components. This report discusses the background and ideation process that lead to the development of the Educational Mechanical Breadboard for Transmission System Components (Machine Components Test). Additionally, detailed drawings, 3D modeling, testing plans, and analysis are included to show how the Machine Components Test design will work and be validated.

High Temperature Hepa Filter Test Unit Upgrades, Alexander Krippner, Ian Corcorran, Michael Burlando

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Underwater Rope Fatigue Testing Machine, Napoleon Nino, Andrew Pimentel

Mechanical Engineering

The design and fabrication of an underwater rope fatigue testing machine meant to simulate the effects of an oceanic environment and the effects on rope.

Squirting Balloon Toy, Rachael Schelley, Elizabeth Wilhelm

Mechanical Engineering

The main goal of the Squirting Balloon Toy project was to create a new toy that combined both a helium balloon and a squirting water component near the base of the balloon. The toy will be sold at theme parks, fairs, and to other retailers such as toy stores with the target audience of primarily children and their parents, or any individuals seeking a good laugh when they spray their unsuspecting target. As a result, the toy was designed to be both visually appealing and to have an element of surprise. After testing and analyzing four different conceptual designs, two …

Evaluation Of Fuel Flow Measurement Uncertainty In A Turbine Engine Test Cell, Paul Andrew Wright

Masters Theses

The evaluation of measurement uncertainty is an essential part of measurement and data analysis. Measurement uncertainty is itself a measure of the “goodness” of the measured data and helps the analyst to make decisions based on the data. In the turbine engine testing world, accurate measurement of fuel flow is critical. Specific fuel consumption is a combination of thrust and fuel flow and is used to calculate the allowable payload and range of an aircraft as well as the cruising speed. Naturally, test customers (engine manufacturers, aircraft designers, and operators) are very sensitive to the accuracy of fuel flow measurement. …

Zero Energy Ready Multifamily Dwellings For The Redevelopment Of Downtown Knoxville, Tn, William Twickler, Ben Webb, Georgia White

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Concept Validation Of A Magnetometry-Based Technology For Detecting Concealed Weapons In Vehicle Door Panels, Nar Vang

Master's Theses

Acts of insurgency have become an increasing threat resulting in extensive measures being taken by the law enforcement authorities to mitigate their devastating effects on human life and infrastructure. This thesis introduces a magnetometry-based information, and signal processing methodology for detecting concealed ferrous objects in vehicle body panels. From extensive literature research, it was observed that while magnetic sensors have been used in a variety of related applications, but they have not been extensively applied to the on-road detection of firearms and explosives concealed in vehicles. This study utilized an extensive experimental protocol for preliminary concept validation. The main idea …

Solar Decathlon Plumbing Subsystem Final Design Report, Robert Burtt, Chris Lutze, Tyler Dunaway

Mechanical Engineering

The U.S. Department of Energy announced it will be hosting an international public competition called the Solar Decathlon in Irvine, CA during October 2015 to showcase high-efficiency houses. Cal Poly students created a team – Solar Cal Poly – to participate. Three mechanical engineering students joined the team to work on the plumbing section of the competition. The team completed multiple iterations and designs of the plumbing system within the Solar Cal Poly house as the house was designed and redesigned. The construction and final design of the plumbing system will be decided by the construction crew and architecture team …

Solar Cal Poly Active Hvac Project, James Cornish, Jake Cosmo, Patrick Weston

Mechanical Engineering

For this project, the goal was to conceptualize, design, test, and implement an active HVAC system to be used in the Solar Cal Poly house competing in the Department of Energy’s 2015 Solar Decathlon. With many house iterations, it was decided to use a split system with an outdoor heat pump and indoor air handler, paired with a HRV for ventilation. Through system modeling using Design Builder and Energy Pro 6.5, the cooling load of the house was determined along with the cooling schedule. The foreseen safety precautions and limited construction time guided the entire project, along with the active …

Solar Decathlon 2015, Solar Cal Poly; Solar Cal Poly Project Engineers, Cristina Paquin, Julien Blarel, Sanchit Joshi

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Jonathan’S Natural Juices Mechanical Juice Dispenser, Andrew Meyer, Jesus Gutierrez, Danielle Lauinger

Mechanical Engineering

Team AJD was tasked with trying to create a juice dispenser that did not utilize pumps, but rather explore the venturi effect to see if it could be a suitable substitute. The venturi effect is when a fluid in a pipe goes through a gradual reduction in diameter in a pipe to increase the velocity and lower the pressure of a fluid. Utilizing this principle the team constructed a testing device to be able to run tests and verify the theory. The team was able to verify that the venturi effect was able to make juice at the correct mix …

Solar Cal Poly Water Systems, Jake L. Morris, Zachary F. Yasuda, Lauren P. Jones

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Tadpole Tandem Electrically Assisted Tricycle, Austin Frederickson, Anthony Jacques, Kris Lawrence, Preston Mcelroy

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this senior project was to investigate the possibility of making bikes (as a regular mode of transportation) look much more appealing to the general public. To that end, an electric motor assist system was added to make it easier for the operators of the vehicle. A fairing was added to protect the rider from wind and rain, and an electrical subsystem consisting of a microcontroller and many other components was also added. The electrical subsystem was meant to store the information of different riders, calculate calories burned using a heart beat sensor, and increase visibility using strategically-placed …

Smart Water Meter, Jeff Hufford, Eric Adler, Garrett Hall

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Vibration Table For Environmental Chamber, Michael Czabaranek, Dylan De Caussin

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Freedom Ski, Toby A. Goldsteinholm, Ashley Scharff, Justin Satnick, Markus Rutner

Mechanical Engineering

The current availability of water skis for people who are paraplegic or quadriplegic is very limited. The aim of our project is to design a system that improves upon the current models of specialized water skis. Our intent is to create a waterski system that is structurally stable and handles responsively, in order to ensure that anyone is capable of effectively using our system to waterski.

The main client of our project is Quality of Life Plus, an organization that aims to aid veterans of the armed forces who have physical disabilities to still enjoy a good quality of life. …

Beverage Dispensing Backpack Design And Business Plan, Sterling Blake Grande

Biomedical Engineering

Grande Beverage Equipment

Mission Statement:

To deliver beverage dispensing products, services, and solutions to our customers in innovative and cost effective ways.

Product:

We provide portable beverage dispensing backpacks that can deliver soda or beer from pressurized tanks.

Evaluation Of Design Tools For The Micro-Ram Air Turbine, Victor Fidel Villa

Master's Theses

The development and evaluation of the design of a Micro-Ram Air Turbine (µRAT), a device being developed to provide power for an autonomous boundary layer measurement system, has been undertaken. The design tools consist of a rotor model and a generator model. The primary focus was on developing and evaluating the generator model for the prediction of generator brake power and output electrical power with and without rectification as a function of shaft speed and electrical load, with only basic manufacturer specifications given as inputs. A series of motored generator evaluation test were conducted at speeds ranging from 9,000 to …

Design Improvements Of Wirelesshart Enabled Field Device, Yuxuan Zeng

Graduate Theses - Electrical and Computer Engineering

WirelessHART, as an improvement of HART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer), provides a simple, reliable, and cost-effective method to deliver information without the trouble of wiring in the field. WirelessHART is being used more and more in field devices. Several years ago, Endress + Hauser (U.S.) Automation Instrumentation Inc. designed a WirelessHART solution by attaching a wireless adapter to a field device. The goal of this thesis is to improve the WirelessHART solution of Endress + Hauser to make it less expensive, smaller, and less power-consuming. The work is done in two parts. The first part is to redesign an I/O …

A Study Of Microwave Curing Of Underfill Using Open And Closed Microwave Ovens, Aditya Thakare

Dissertations and Theses

As the demand for microprocessors is increasing with more and more consumers using integrated circuits in their daily life, the demand on the industry is increasing to ramp up production.

In order to speed up the manufacturing processes, new and novel approaches are trying to change certain aspects of it. Microwaves have been tried as an alternative to conventional ovens in the curing of the polymers used as underfills and encapsulants in integrated circuits packages. Microwaves however being electromagnetic waves have non uniform energy distribution in different settings, causing burning or incomplete cure of polymers.

In this study, we compare …

Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge 2014-15 Senior Design Project, Matt Pallotta, Nathan Klammer, Kemper Whaley, Jack Rechtin

Mechanical Engineering

California Polytechnic State University has been invited to compete in the Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge Competition in 2014-15. Cal Poly has chosen a team of mechanical engineering students to take part. We have named our team “Bike Under Pressure” and all references as such refer to the team.

The challenge is to build a bicycle which does not have a solid mechanical connection between the power input of the rider to the power output of the wheel(s). After conducting research into different previous designs and brainstorming designs of their own, Bike Under Pressure developed two conceptual designs. One design featured …

Net Zero Residential Design For Solar Calpoly, Bryce Reiko Willis

Master's Theses

The Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed Team Solar Cal Poly from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, as a competitor in the 2015 Solar Decathlon in February 2014. The Solar Decathlon is a biennial collegiate competition to construct a net-zero home and operate it for a week of “normal use”. Solar Cal Poly needed assistance with passive and active HVAC systems for the design, and thermal load models. The competition will take place in Irvine, CA [33.67⁰, 117.82⁰ W] from September 27 – October 3, 2015. After the completion, a potential final location for the house will be Santa …

The Development Of Advanced Control Laboratories, Matthew Randall Winter

Graduate Theses - Mechanical Engineering

In this thesis, a series of advanced control labs have been developed for use in the senior/graduate-level advanced controls course. Advanced controls laboratories are non-existent at many institutions, and since hands on laboratories are such an integral part of engineering education it was decided to develop a few. The goal of these laboratories is to reinforce some of the more advanced topics in control theory. Topics of the laboratories include Parameter Identification, Eigenstructure Assignment, Linear Optimal Regulators and Linear Quadratic Gaussian Control with Loop Transfer Recovery. These laboratories are carried out on the Educational Control Products Model 210 Rectilinear Control …

Torque Testing System: Flowserve Corporation, Taylor Catlin, David Reese, Bodin Rojanachaichanin, Kyle Stangland

Mechanical Engineering

Flowserve Corporation provides products and customer support to companies in the process industry for the design, testing, and manufacturing of mechanical seals. This includes, but is not limited to, companies concerned with power generation, fossil fuels, water resources, and chemical processing. In industries where fluid transportation is leveraged, mechanical seals have been utilized in pumps to increase performance. A mechanical seal is a design feature in pumps that seal the impeller housing and allow for little to no leakage. This technology is cutting edge and a considerable amount of research pertaining to the advantageous effects of specialized surface features is …

Compact Deployable Antenna For Cubesat Units, Sarah Bolton, Dominic Doty, Peter Rivera

Mechanical Engineering

CubeSats are an appealing platform for space exploration due to their low build and launch costs. Due to their small size, communication rates are often severely limited, preventing missions beyond low earth orbit. A low cost, high gain, high frequency antenna is needed to extend the capabilities of CubeSats.

The goal of the project was to design and build an axisymmetric parabolic antenna that could be deployed from a 10cm x 10cm x 15cm (1.5U) volume and operate at Ka band frequencies. The design selected consisted of an expanding perimeter truss supporting a tensioned mesh reflector. The perimeter truss was …

Advancement And Validation Of A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Model Utilizing Experimental Data From Vehicle Testing, Kevin Lloyd Snyder

Wayne State University Theses

The objective of the research into modeling and simulation was to provide an iterative improvement to the Wayne State EcoCAR 2 team's math-based design tools for use in evaluating different outcomes based on hybrid powertrain architecture tweaks, controls code development and testing. This thesis includes the results of the team's work in the EcoCAR 2 competition for university student teams to create and test a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for reducing petroleum oil consumption, pollutant emissions, and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

Plant model validations and advancements brought the vehicle plant model directionally closer to the actual vehicle's experimental data …

The Study Of Ionization In A Military, Heavy-Duty, Diesel Engine, Steven Zielinski

Wayne State University Theses

This thesis is an investigation of ionization in a military, heavy-duty, diesel engine. Ionization is a phenomenon which occurs in both spark-ignited and diesel engines. During the reactions of combustion, charged molecules and electrons are produced. The current produced, ion current, from these charges can be measured. The measurement of ion current can serve as an in-cylinder diagnostic for closed-loop engine control strategies. In this work, a literature review was performed to survey previous work as it pertains to ionization in diesel engines. In addition, a detailed description and comparison of the HEUI injection system was made to HPCR. This …