Engineering Commons^™

Applications Of Latent Heat Storage Using Phase Change Materials, Daniel Giroux

Honors Theses

Thermal Storage Systems are gaining more attention in recent years with the increased emphasis on more renewable energy sources. Energy storage is necessary whenever there is greater amounts of energy being produced than is required. Various improvements to the conventional heat storage system can be made by integrating latent heat storage into the conventional heat storage system. Latent heat storage can be utilized for thermal storage applications by using phase change materials, materials that will undergo a change in their physical state in the temperature range desired for heat storage.

Analysis was conducted on four different waxes considering the waxes …

Environmentally Friendly Sneakerboot Shanks And Their Effect On Aerobic Performance And Human Walking Gait, Adam Ashcroft

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research endeavor is to identify and record the differences in human performance from altering the shank material of a Forsake “Trail” sneakerboot. Three materials were analyzed in this study: the legacy nylon material that is currently used in Forsake boots, a PEEK thermoplastic impregnated carbon fiber, and a resin impregnated flax composite. The stiffness of each material was calculated using a standardized ISO 18896 longitudinal stiffness test. Each shank was then installed in size 10.5 (USA) “Trail” boots using an identical installation method in Forsake’s factory. The human performance tests were quantified by measuring the heart …

Measurement Of Skin Friction Drag On Hydrophobic Silica Aerogel Surfaces With Potential Application To Technical Swimsuit Design, Matthew R. Wahl

Honors Theses

The goal of this project was to fabricate and test a prototype technical swimsuit (low-drag suit worn by swimmers in their most important races) that utilized the hydrophobic properties of silica aerogels. This process involved coating a preexisting suit with aerogel material and completing the build of the newly redesigned water channel at Union College. To evaluate performance of materials, surface drag testing of airfoils coated in aerogel materials was performed using a dynamometer in the water channel. Several additions were made to the water channel in order to reduce variation in drag results. Variation was successfully decreased from 134% …