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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Engineering Success On The Field: A Reflection On The Epics Ironman Pediatric Prosthetic Project, Glynn Gallaway Nov 2018

Engineering Success On The Field: A Reflection On The Epics Ironman Pediatric Prosthetic Project, Glynn Gallaway

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Glynn Gallaway is a student in the Purdue Mechanical Engineering Class of 2020 with interests in the health care, assistive technology, and medical device industries. Glynn is from Dallas, Texas, and was inspired to pursue this career path through her interactions with youth with special needs. She joined the EPICS Ironman team in the fall of 2016 during her first year at Purdue as a part of the learning community. In this article, she discusses her experiences on the Ironman team creating a pediatric prosthetic for a young local athlete. The goal of the Ironman team is to create a …


A Perceptual Comparison Of “Black Box” Modeling Algorithms For Nonlinear Audio Systems, Paul G. Mayo Aug 2018

A Perceptual Comparison Of “Black Box” Modeling Algorithms For Nonlinear Audio Systems, Paul G. Mayo

Audio Engineering Theses

Nonlinear systems identification is a widespread topic of interest, particularly within the audio industry, as these techniques are employed to synthesize black box models of nonlinear audio effects. Given the myriad approaches to black box modeling, questions arise as to whether an “optimal” approach exists, or one that achieves valid subjective results as a model with minimal computational expense. This thesis uses ABX listening tests to compare black box models of three hardware audio effects using two popular nonlinear implementations, along with two proposed modified implementations. Models were constructed in the Hammerstein form using sine sweeps and a novel measurement …


A Swing Generator Using Water Power Produced By The Wind, Ruka Ozaki Jun 2018

A Swing Generator Using Water Power Produced By The Wind, Ruka Ozaki

The International Student Science Fair 2018

I focus on various kinds of natural energy sources, especially wind. Wind power generation is the most-used method of electricity generation using wind power. Wind power generation has many merits; it achieves high efficiency of electric power generation, it can generate electricity even during the night, it doesn’t make any hazardous materials. However, there are not only merits but also demerits. It can cause bird strike, environment disruption from noise and low-frequency wave. And besides, we must comply building laws when we build wind power generators. Thus I built ‘a swing generator using water power produced by the wind power’, …


High Performance Thermal Insulation: Silica Aerogels In Construction Technology, Matthew Giarrusso Jun 2018

High Performance Thermal Insulation: Silica Aerogels In Construction Technology, Matthew Giarrusso

Honors Theses

The United States is a world leader in the production and expenditure of energy, accounting for 18% of the total global energy consumption in 2016, 40% of which was used for the heating, cooling, and lighting of commercial and residential buildings. Currently, traditional air-based insulation products are being used in thicker and more numerous layers in an attempt to keep up with contemporary codes and standards. One promising alternative to traditional insulation is silica aerogel. With a remarkably low density and thermal conductivity, silica aerogel could save energy, space, and weight in new and retrofit structures. Silica aerogels are currently …


Ut Football Automated Practice Target, Mary Elizabeth Iannuzzi, Lee Fullam, Lindsay Little, Julia Meyer May 2018

Ut Football Automated Practice Target, Mary Elizabeth Iannuzzi, Lee Fullam, Lindsay Little, Julia Meyer

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.


Additive Manufacturing Of High Solids Loading Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains, Stephen P. Johnson Apr 2018

Additive Manufacturing Of High Solids Loading Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains, Stephen P. Johnson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Hybrid rocket motors offer many of the benefits of both liquid and solid rocket systems. Like liquid engines, hybrid rocket motors are able to be throttled, can be stopped and restarted, and are safer than solid rocket motors since the fuel and oxidizer are in different physical states. Hybrid rocket motors are similar to solid motors in that they are relatively simple and have a high density-specific impulse. One of the major drawbacks of hybrid rocket motors is a slower burning rate than solid rocket motors. Complex port geometries provide greater burning surface area to compensate for lower burning rates …


Rc Baja Car Suspension, Tyler Martin Jan 2018

Rc Baja Car Suspension, Tyler Martin

All Undergraduate Projects

This year the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department at CWU is holding an R/C Baja car competition using the same rules as the ASME competition. The designed car must compete in three separate events: the slalom course, drag race, and obstacle course. By not only completing, but also being competitive in each of the events, the car will be deemed a success. Suspension and steering are two essential components of any R/C car, and was the main focus for this report. The suspension must be able to support the car in the event of impacts. In addition, the steering must be …


Senior Project Hauff Tree Pruner, Brian Woolery Jan 2018

Senior Project Hauff Tree Pruner, Brian Woolery

All Undergraduate Projects

Neil Hauff, a business owner and entrepreneur from the Yakima valley challenged a team of engineering students from Central Washington University to design a motorized apple tree pruner. This report will discuss the engineering and construction that went into creating the housing of the tree pruner. The housing component needed to be able to protect the moving parts of the pruner, while withstanding the rotational torque produced by the Makita power drill used to drive the pruner. The biggest constraint in designing the housing was to keep the weight of the housing component under 1.5 lbs, while still keeping the …


H.F. Hauff Pruner Cutting Blades, Wyley Stewart Jan 2018

H.F. Hauff Pruner Cutting Blades, Wyley Stewart

All Undergraduate Projects

Apple orchards are a critical component of agriculture in the United States, and keeping the apple trees in the best shape for optimum growth and production is hard work. Neil Hauff, an agriculture industry expert, challenged students at CWU to engineer a power assisted tree pruner. Across the country, apple orchards need pruned every season. The pruning of the trees is strenuous manual labor that requires many man hours. The proposed solution is to create a power assisted tree pruner that would minimize the amount of work needed to trim each tree branch. This project has been separated into three …


Optimization Of Heat Sinks In A Range Of Configurations., Archibald Allswell Amoako Jan 2018

Optimization Of Heat Sinks In A Range Of Configurations., Archibald Allswell Amoako

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, different heatsink geometries used for electronic cooling are studied and compared to each other to determine the most efficient. The goal is to optimize heat transfer of the heat sinks studied in a range of configuration based on fin geometry. Heat sinks are thermal conductive material devices designed to absorb and disperse heat from high-temperature objects (e.g. Computer CPU). Common materials used in the manufacturing of heat sinks are aluminum and copper due to their relatively high thermal conductivity and lightweight [1]. Aluminum is used as the material for the heatsinks studied in this research project. To …


Neuromuscular Reflex Control For Prostheses And Exoskeletons, Sandra K. Hnat Jan 2018

Neuromuscular Reflex Control For Prostheses And Exoskeletons, Sandra K. Hnat

ETD Archive

Recent powered lower-limb prosthetic and orthotic (P/O) devices aim to restore legged mobility for persons with an amputation or spinal cord injury. Though various control strategies have been proposed for these devices, specifically finite-state impedance controllers, natural gait mechanics are not usually achieved. The goal of this project was to invent a biologically-inspired controller for powered P/O devices. We hypothesize that a more muscle-like actuation system, including spinal reflexes and vestibular feedback, can achieve able-bodied walking and also respond to outside perturbations. The outputs of the Virtual Muscle Reflex (VMR) controller are joint torque commands, sent to the electric motors …


Non-Intrusive Optical Measurement Of Electron Temperature In Near Field Plume Of Hall Thruster, Peter J. Urban Jan 2018

Non-Intrusive Optical Measurement Of Electron Temperature In Near Field Plume Of Hall Thruster, Peter J. Urban

ETD Archive

Currently there is a large interest in the use of more efficient means of propulsion in long term missions due to the costs and difficulties associated with placing and maintaining the needed fuel for conventional chemical systems in orbit. Mass reduction of upper stages will return large returns due to the great reduction in required lower stage fuel. Due to these factors, alternatives are undergoing active research, though this paper is concerned with the area of electrical propulsion. Electric propulsion is broadly defined as propulsion where the energization of the exhaust occurs via application of electromagnetic fields as opposed to …