Engineering Commons^™

Simulating Electric Vehicle Short-Notice Wildfire Evacuation In California Rural Communities, Gudrun Derickson

Master's Theses

The transportation sector in California has begun a shift toward adopting Electric Vehicles (EVs) as a primary source of individual and corporate mobility. The US Government and the State of California are initiating public-sector financed charging station infrastructure to help in this change-over to EVs. Automobile companies and private enterprises are also heavily investing in Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) infrastructure going forward. The state of California is subject to natural disasters such as Fire, Earthquakes, and periodic flooding. Increasing numbers of BEVs may add new challenges to mass evacuations that are often associated with natural disasters. This work focuses on …

Nonlinear Model Development And Validation For Ball And Plate Control System, Zachary Richter

Master's Theses

Ball and plate balancing control systems are commonly studied due to the complex dynamics associated with the instability of the system in open-loop. For simplicity, mathematical models describing the ball and plate dynamics are often linearized and the effects of complex motion are assumed to be negligible. These assumptions are rarely backed with evidence or explanations validating the simplified form of the dynamical equations of motion. This thesis focuses on developing a nonlinear model that more accurately defines the dynamics of the system, in order to quantify the error of linear and nonlinear models when compared to a Simscape physical …

Simulation Of A Configurable Hybrid Aircraft, Brandon Bartlett

Master's Theses

As the demand for air transportation is projected to increase, the environmental impacts produced by air travel will also increase. In order to counter the environmental impacts while also meeting the demand for air travel, there are goals and research initiatives that aim to develop more efficient aircraft. An emerging technology that supports these goals is the application of hybrid propulsion to aircraft, but there is a challenge in effectively exploring the performance of hybrid aircraft due to the time and money required for safe flight testing and due to the diverse design space of hybrid architectures and components. Therefore, …

Modeling And Control Of A Vertical Hopping Robot, Bradley Y. Kwan

Master's Theses

Single degree-of-freedom hopping robots are typically modeled as spring loaded inverted pendulums (SLIPs). This simplified model, however, does not consider the overall leg geometry, consequently making it difficult to investigate the optimized inertial distribution of the leg for agile locomotion. To address this issue, the first part of this thesis establishes an accurate mathematical model of a DC-motor-driven, two-link hopping robot where the motors are modeled as torque sources. The equations of motion for the two distinct phases of locomotion (stance and flight) are derived using the Lagrangian approach for holonomic systems. A Simulink/Stateflow model is developed to numerically simulate …

A Simulation Study On Baggage Screening At San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, Marian Ott

Master's Theses

Efficient passenger flow is a crucial objective at both small and larger airports. One central part of this is the handling of checked luggage which is influenced by necessary security screening. Within this thesis, these processes are studied at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport. The underlying problem of the airport is its outbound luggage system which was already suffering from delays prior to Covid-19. Delays were never measured and the bottleneck responsible for them was never identified. However, expected growth in passenger and flight volume necessitates to predict when customer dissatisfaction and extensive luggage delays are inevitable, given that …

Cubesat Astronomy Mission Modeling Using The Horizon Simulation Framework, Alexander W. Johnson

Master's Theses

The CubeSat Astronomy Network is a proposed system of multiple CubeSat spacecraft capable of performing follow-up observations of astronomical targets of interest. The system is intended to serve as a space-borne platform that can complement existing systems utilized for astronomical research by undergraduate and high school students. Much research and development work has been performed to develop model-based system engineering methodologies and products for CubeSat missions, including the Horizon Simulation Framework. The Horizon Simulation Framework enables the development of system models using the Extended Markup Language (XML), and its simulation program can generate system simulations over model-specified timespans. System requirements …

Design, Simulation, And Hardware Construction Of A 600 W Solid State Dc Circuit Breaker For The Dc House Project, Calin Matthew Bukur

Master's Theses

DC circuit breakers must be able to arrest overcurrent conditions to prevent electrical equipment and wiring from causing building fires or other hazards from occurring. With more DC renewable sourced structures such as Cal Poly’s DC House, an inexpensive and reliable protection system is necessary to ensure safe energy transfer to the loads. One method of protecting a system is preventing excessive amounts of current to be drawn by the load when the surrounding components are rated at a lesser value. DC circuit breakers act as a monitoring system and barely presents an effect on the voltage or power. With …

Optimizing Control Of Shell Eco-Marathon Prototype Vehicle To Minimize Fuel Consumption, Chad Louis Bickel

Master's Theses

Every year the automotive industry strives to increase fuel efficiency in vehicles. When most vehicles are designed, fuel efficiency cannot always come first. The Shell Eco-marathon changes that by challenging students everywhere to develop the most fuel-efficient vehicle possible. There are many different factors that affect fuel efficiency, and different teams focus on different vehicle parameters. Currently, there is no straightforward design tool that can be used to help in Shell Eco-marathon vehicle design. For this reason, it is difficult to optimize every vehicle parameter for maximum fuel efficiency.

In this study, a simulation is developed by using basic vehicle …

Sysml Based Cubesat Model Design And Integration With The Horizon Simulation Framework, Shaun Luther

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the feasibility of substituting the system input script of Cal Poly’s Horizon Simulation Framework (HSF) with a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) model designed with the Systems Modeling Language (SysML). A concurrent student project, SysML Output Interface Creation for the Horizon Simulation Framework, focused on design of the HSF Translator Plugin which converts SysML models to an HSF specific XML format. A SysML model of the HSF test case, Aeolus, was designed. The original Aeolus HSF input script and the translated SysML input script retained the format and dependency structure required by HSF. Both input scripts …

A Simulation Model For Decision Support In Business Continuity Planning, Marissa Anne Mosunich

Master's Theses

Enterprises with a global supply network are at risk of lost revenue as a result of disruptive disasters at supplier locations. Various strategies exist for addressing this risk, and a variety of types of research has been done regarding the identification, assessment and response to the risk of disruption in a supply chain network.

This thesis establishes a decision model to support Business Continuity Planning at the first-tier supplier level. The decision model incorporates discrete-event simulation of supply chain networks (through Simio software), Monte Carlo simulation, and risk index optimization. After modeling disruption vulnerability in a supply chain network, costs …

Open Source Toolkit For Reentry Object Modeling, Christopher Lloyd Ostrom Ii

Master's Theses

Predicting the mass, position, and velocity of an object during its reentry are critical to satisfy NASA and ESA requirements. This thesis outlines a 3-D orbit and mass determination system for use on low earth orbit as applicable to general objects, of various material and size. The solution uses analytical models to calculate heat flux and aerodynamic drag, with some basic numerical models for simple orbit propagation and mass flow rate due to ablation. The system outlined in this thesis currently provides a framework for rough estimates of demise altitude and final mass, but also allows for many potential accuracy …

Aerospike Rocket Motor Structural Webbing, Andrew Brock

Master's Theses

A labscale hybrid rocket motor test stand has been developed for research at Cal Poly. The primary focus of research using this rig has been the development of regenerative cooling techniques using nitrous oxide as coolant and oxidizer, as well as validation of technologies relating to the annular aerospike nozzle. In order to prevent undesirable deflection of the cantilevered spike, a structural stiffening web, referred to as “The Spider,” is proposed. The Spider resembles a three-spoked wheel, with the aerospike held by the inner hub and the chamber walls abutting the outer radius.

The Spider, placed upstream of the nozzle, …

Enhancing Gan Led Efficiency Through Nano-Gratings And Standing Wave Analysis, Gabriel M. Halpin

Master's Theses

Improving energy efficient lighting is a necessary step in reducing energy consumption.Lighting currently consumes 17% of all U.S. residential and commercial electricity, but a report from the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy projects that switching to LED lighting over the next 20 years will save 46% of electricity used in lighting.GaN LEDs are used for their efficient conversion of electricity to light, but improving GaN efficiency requires optically engineering the chip to extract more light.Total internal reflection limits GaN LED performance since light must approach the chip surface within 23.6° of normal to escape into air.This thesis …

Uav Formation Flight Utilizing A Low Cost, Open Source Configuration, Christian W. Lopez

Master's Theses

The control of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a swarm or cooperative team scenario has been a topic of great interest for well over a decade, growing steadily with the advancements in UAV technologies. In the academic community, a majority of the studies conducted rely on simulation to test developed control strategies, with only a few institutions known to have nurtured the infrastructure required to propel multiple UAV control studies beyond simulation and into experimental testing. With the Cal Poly UAV FLOC Project, such an infrastructure was created, paving the way for future experimentation with multiple UAV control systems. …

Determination Of Human Powered Helicopter Stability Characteristics Using Multi-Body System Simulation Techniques, Sean M. Brown

Master's Theses

Multi-Body System Simulation combined with System Identification was developed as a method for determining the stability characteristics of a human powered helicopter(HPH) configurations. HPH stability remains a key component for meeting competition requirements, but has not been properly treated. Traditional helicopter dynamic analysis is not suited to the HPH due to its low rotation speeds and light weight. Multi-Body System Simulation is able to generate dynamic response data for any HPH configuration. System identification and linear stability theory are used to determine the stability characteristics from the dynamic response. This thesis focuses on the method development and doesn't present any …

A Stochastic Simulation Model Of Alarm Response Strategies On A Telemetry Floor, Tasneem M. Pishori

Master's Theses

The large quantity of alarms characteristic of clinical settings have resulted in nursing staff suffering from a phenomenon termed ‘alarm fatigue’. Alarm fatigue is desensitization via habituation – as these commonly heard noises cause caregivers to have delayed or no response to alarms. Alarm management was ranked number one on the annual top ten list of technology hazards afflicting healthcare institutions published by the ECRI Institute for 2012. Several patient safety organizations have established alarm fatigue as a priority concern, and are working to eradicate the issue from the healthcare environment by 2017. To better understand the problem, a simplified …

Integration Of Aeroservoelastic Properties Into The Nasa Dryden F/A-18 Simulator Using Flight Data From The Active Aeroelastic Wing Program, Alexander Wong Chin

Master's Theses

Aircraft structures have varying stiffness levels making them flexible. Consequently, this elastic property becomes increasingly important at high speeds affecting the flight dynamics of the aircraft. In high speed aircraft such as the F/A-18, elastic structural properties must be accounted for to ensure confidence in predicted flight dynamics in order to avoid adverse aeroelastic phenomena throughout flight.

Data from the F/A-18 Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) program was used to create aeroservoelastic (ASE) models at varying flight conditions. The discretized ASE models were integrated into the NASA Dryden F/A-18 simulator in parallel with the traditional 6-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) flight dynamics calculations to …

Modeling And Simulation Of Autonomous Thermal Soaring With Horizon Simulation Framework, Zhenhua Li

Master's Theses

A thermal is a column of warm rising air triggered by differential heating on the ground. In recent studies UAVs were programmed to exploit this free atmospheric energy from thermals to improve their range and endurance. Researchers had successfully flown UAVs autonomously with thermal soaring method. Most research involved some form of flight simulation. Improvements to the aircraft and thermal models for simulation purpose would enable researchers to better design their UAVs and explore any potential flaws in their designs. An aircraft simulation with a thermal environment was created in Horizon Simulation Framework, a modeling and verification framework that was …

Picasso Interface For Horizon Simulation Framework, Brian E. Kirkpatrick

Master's Theses

The Horizon Simulation Framework, or HSF, is a modeling and simulation framework compiled from C/C++ source code into a command line program. Picasso is an interface designed to control the input files to Horizon by providing visual tools to create and manipulate the XML files used to define an HSF system of assets, their environment, and other simulation parameters. Picasso also supports the visualization of Horizon output in several different forms, and import mechanics from online space object catalogues.

Enhanced Cal Poly Super System Simulink Model, Matthew Ogden Mcfarland

Master's Theses

The Cal Poly Sustainable Power for Electrical Resources (SuPER) project is a solar power DC distribution system designed to autonomously manage and supply the energy needs of a single family off-the-grid home. The following thesis describes the improvement and re-design of a MATLAB Simulink model for the Cal Poly SuPER system. This model includes a photovoltaic (PV) array, a lead-acid gel battery with temperature effects, a wind turbine model, a re-designed DC-DC converter, a DC microgrid, and multiple loads. This thesis will also include several control algorithms such as a temperature controlled thermoelectric (T.E.) cooler, intelligent load switching, and an …

High Resolution Simulation Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging, Cindy G. Romero

Master's Theses

The goal of this Master’s thesis is to develop a more realistic simulation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that has the ability to image detailed targets, and that can be used for Automatic Target Recognition (ATR). This thesis project is part of ongoing SAR ATR research at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) sponsored by Raytheon Space & Airborne Systems and supervised by Dr. John Saghri.

SAR is a form of radar that takes advantage of the forward motion of an antenna mounted on a moving platform (such as an airplane or spacecraft) to synthetically produce the effect of a …

Control Law Design And Validation For A Helicopter In-Flight Simulator, Brian T. Fujizawa

Master's Theses

In-flight simulation allows one aircraft to simulate the dynamic response of another aircraft. A control system designed to give RASCAL, a JUH-60A Black Hawk helicopter based at Moffett Field, CA, in-flight simulation capabilities has been designed, optimized and validated in this research. A classical explicit model following control system with a frequency dependent feedback controller was used. The frequency dependent controller allows model following of the attitude in the short term and the velocity in the long term. Controller gains were optimized using a high order, linearized model of UH-60 dynamics. Non-linear simulations of the control laws were performed, first …