Engineering Commons^™

Structural Health Monitoring Of Composite Parts: A Review, Jacob Pessin

Honors Theses

Structural health monitoring has the potential to allow composite structures to be more reliable and safer, then by using more traditional damage assessment techniques. Structural health monitoring (SHM) utilizes individual sensor units that are placed throughout the load bearing sections of a structure and gather data that is used for stress analysis and damage detection. Statistical time based algorithms are used to analyze collected data and determine both damage size and probable location from within the structure. While traditional calculations and life span analysis can be done for structures made of isotropic materials such as steel or other metals, composites …

Design Of Natural Composite I-Beam For Sampe 2019, Brian Harkness

Honors Theses

In recent years, the demand for high performance, lightweight, fiber-reinforced composites have grown substantially. Fiberglass and carbon fiber have exemplary material properties that meet the demand and have set the industry standard for performance materials. Although these materials meet their design function, they suffer from high environmental impacts throughout their life cycle and are not cost effective to produce. Flax fiber composites have comparable properties to fiberglass but can be produced more efficiently and production requires much less energy consumption. Flax is a readily available, renewable material that will easily biodegrade once it is the end of its useful life …

Thermoplastic Composite Heat Recovery Ventilator, Keegan Guinn

Honors Theses

Heat recovery ventilation continues to increase in importance as building codes mandate reduced air infiltration and increased energy efficiency. Heat recovery ventilators are able to reduce building heating and cooling loads by transferring heat between the exiting air and incoming ventilation air. In the role of heat recovery ventilation, additively manufactured polymer composite heat recovery ventilators offer significant advantages over traditionally manufactured metallic alloy heat recovery ventilators. Through the implementation of additive manufacturing, the internal geometry of the heat recovery ventilator can be optimized to decrease the head loss across the system and features to improve heat transfer such as …

Applying An Innovative Idea To Kidney Stone Removal, Jack Beaty

Honors Theses

Renal lithiasis, commonly referred to as “kidney stones” is a condition in which the urine composition crystallizes and cannot pass through the ureter, causing pain and discomfort. Renal lithiasis can be caused by diet, infection, reduced water retention, or hereditary disorders; each of which results in a distinct stone composition [1]. Stone compositions can vary between calcium oxalate, struvite, uric acid, and cystine[2]. Each stone type, however, provides the same pain to the patient and the same potential risk of blocking the urinary system.

Kidney stone symptoms may include but are not limited to: pain in the lower back, the …

The Theia Soteria: Alternative Design For Safer Initial Entry During Laparoscopic Procedures, Kayla Dubois, Patrick Ryan, Madelyn Joanis

Honors Theses

Laparoscopic procedures account for 15 million surgeries worldwide [1], with the initial entry into the peritoneal cavity accounting for 33-50% of all major laparoscopic complications [7]. This initial entry is the most dangerous as surgeons must enter the cavity using a sharp object with no visibility and space between the outer surface of the cavity and internal tissues. During the initial entry into the peritoneal cavity, the patients undergoing laparoscopic procedures are at a high risk for damage to internal organs and vasculature, necessitating the development of a device to protect these internal tissues and increase patient safety.

Exploring The Behavior Repertoire Of A Wireless Vibrationally Actuated Tensegrity Robot, Zongliang Ji

Honors Theses

Soft robotics is an emerging field of research due to its potential to explore and operate in unstructured, rugged, and dynamic environments. However, the properties that make soft robots compelling also make them difficult to robustly control. Here at Union, we developed the world’s first wireless soft tensegrity robot. The goal of my thesis is to explore effective and efficient methods to explore the diverse behavior our tensegrity robot. We will achieve that by applying state-of-art machine learning technique and a novelty search algorithm.

Designing A Low-Cost Ultrasound Pulser, Andrea Huey

Honors Theses

Ultrasound imaging allows for those studying living beings to see inside a subject without causing it harm. This allows for real-time images to be taken, leading to ease of observational research. However, while this technology is beneficial to those who utilize it, the devices used to create and receive ultrasound pulses can be incredibly complex, allowing for precise adjustment of the output signal and various other functions, and therefore expensive. The focus of this senior project is the design of a low-cost pulser for use with an ultrasound transducer. While it does not have all the high-level functions of the …

Automated Greenhouse Watering System For Schenectady Arc, Lisa Gu

Honors Theses

All people need to feel useful and able to perform productive jobs. Since 1952, the ARC has strived to provide people with developmental disabilities the resources, services, and support that enable them to advocate and participate within their communities. One way in which the ARC accomplishes this mission is by encouraging people with disabilities to develop skills and hobbies that give them independence and purpose. An integral part of their center is the greenhouse. Individuals at the Maple Ridge Center are responsible for operating the water system to irrigate the plot daily and ensuring that the proper amount of water …

Ar Blockers, Emma Merlino, Charles Nelson, Brendan Laing

Honors Theses

Access Recirculation (AR) severely decreases the efficiency of dialysis while having the potential to lead to a variety of complications (Fig. 3). If recirculation occurs during treatment, the patient may be at risk of developing stenosis (narrowing of blood vessels), leading to thrombosis (the local coagulation/clotting of blood) [4]. The most influential cause of recirculation results from the misplacement of the arterial and venous needles that will significantly harm the patient, wasting both money and resources. It is clear that the medical community has focused their energy on developing a proactive approach to monitoring AR, instead of preventing it. Creating …

Design Of A Model Rocket Flight Logging System And In-Air Deployable Rover, Sirus Negahban

Honors Theses

The goal of the project laid out in this paper is to develop a model rocket range and altitude tracking system and a payload for said rocket which conducts an experiment of some scientific merit. The requirements for the project are defined by the rules of an international model rocket design and build competition for undergraduate and graduate students. This paper presents a design to accomplish the specified goals to the standards of the competition rule set, for use by the Union College Rocket Team at the competition. First, an off-the-shelf flight computer is purchased to implement the range and …

Gesture-Controlled Quadcopter System, Wenhao Yang, Anthony Xu, Kendra Crawford

Honors Theses

According to the statistic given by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 514 police officers casualties have been attributed to gunfire in the last decade(2008-2017). It is the leading cause of death among police officers and accounts for more than a third of the total 1511 police casualties in the past decade. In this project, we want to provide a safer solution to police officers that are surveying a building for one or multiple potential dangerous personnel. We are working to design and build a gesture-controlled quadcopter that can scout ahead of the officer and provide information about the …

Design & Evaluation Of Cooling Systems For Photovoltaic Modules, Peter Leary

Honors Theses

There is a persistent need for further development and implementation of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Due to the increase in global population, the disappearance of fossil fuels, and the reality of climate change, renewable power is needed now more than ever. One such renewable power technology is solar photovoltaic, otherwise known as PV. These modules work via silicon cells which are as semiconductors, outputting electrical energy when incident with solar radiation. This is done by separating electrons and protons within the cell. One of the largest issues with PV technology is that there is a linear …

Prevention Of Access Recirculation During Hemodialysis Treatment, Brendan Laing, Emma Merlino, Charles Nelson

Honors Theses

Approximately 660,000 Americans are being treated for kidney failure or end stage renal disease annually. Access recirculation can happen to any patient, varying from treatment to treatment, as it is a problem with the current technology of two butterfly needles used during a dialysis procedure and not with the patient. Access Recirculation severely decreases the efficiency of dialysis while having the potential to lead to a variety of complications.There is a clear need for a device that can be implemented during hemodialysis treatments to reduce the percentage of recirculated blood, thusly reducing the occurrence of treatment for an individual and …

Cuffed Pediatric Endotracheal Tubes, Jennifer Nutter, Emmanuela Oppong, Colleen Pouliot

Honors Theses

Endotracheal tubes (ET) are used to provide patients with an adequate airway when they are unable to breathe on their own. ET tubes can be used in emergency situations, surgical procedures, and on-floor intubations. The two main types of ET tubes are cuffed and uncuffed. Due to the fragile structure of a child's throat, uncuffed tubes are primarily used in pediatric patients. Uncuffed tubes can slip out of place resulting in air leakage and improper oxygenation. In contrast, cuffed ET tubes provide a proper seal to the airway and prevent against aspiration. The following work proposes an improved design for …