Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Husker Motorsports Active Drag Reduction System, Creighton Hughes, Evan Killian, Micah Busboom, Aj Johnson, Jude Steffen

Honors Theses

Formula SAE is a multifaceted competition that involves student teams designing and competing with an open-wheel style race car. There are 5 different dynamic events included in the competition. Each event requires a unique aerodynamic setup to have the best performance possible. This design project focuses on a drag reduction system (DRS) that will improve aerodynamic performance, resulting in faster lap times and increased competitiveness. Key features include a direct electronic actuation mechanism that will allow the rear wing to be adjusted during a race. The benefits of the DRS system, include increased speed, improved handling, and greater fuel efficiency …

Crafting Comfort: The Design And Production Of A High-End Poolside Lounge Chair, John Hollis Tackett, Robert Griffis

Honors Theses

This report focuses on the development, design, and manufacturing of the Adjustable Lounge Chair, a high-end poolside lounge chair created to address un-met customer demand in the market. The investigation began with a market analysis to identify sought-after features not currently offered by competitors' products. This analysis drove the design of the chair, which was developed using CAD software, followed by the construction of a physical prototype to validate the concept.

The chair's innovative features include adjustable lumbar support and chair height, as well as a removable face-piece that enables users to comfortably lie prone without straining their necks. These …

The Engineering Challenges Of Designing And Manufacturing A Tensegrity Cup Stand, Yaniv Goulet, Daniel Ferro

Honors Theses

Progressing from a simple idea into a fully developed product is one of the main goals of any engineer. Through Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence’s capstone program, the team was tasked with realizing a tensegrity cup stand. The tensegrity structure consists of a top and a bottom of some form only supporting itself by tension. The team had to research the concept, create an initial design, create a prototype of the product, improve the design after the prototype’s mistakes, apply lean principles to improve the manufacturing efficiency, and analyze all the economic impacts of the engineering decisions. In the …