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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Indicator-Supporting Fixture Based On A Time And Motion Study, James Anthony Jan 2018

Indicator-Supporting Fixture Based On A Time And Motion Study, James Anthony

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The design goal of this project was proposed by the sponsor company, Jay-Em Aerospace in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I was tasked with observing a process carried out in the Assembly department by multiple people and charged with coming up with a fixture to improve safety, speed, and accuracy of this task. To determine how to make the process safer, interviews were conducted with the people who would usually be carrying out this process and determined their top concerns and issues with how it is carried out currently. To improve the speed and accuracy of the process, a "time and motion …


Mht Assembly Line, Sean Lundholm Jan 2018

Mht Assembly Line, Sean Lundholm

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this report is to record the process followed and steps taken to design and implement a new product assembly line. While the implementation of the line required more than what is in this report, the projects outlined are those I was personally involved in and responsible for. This report will outline why the project was required, the steps taken to complete the project, and the challenges faced. Throughout the progression of the project, many different parts and areas were considered. As each of these was brought into focus, new challenges presented themselves and were dealt with accordingly. …


Guardian Condor, Kevin Bayonnet Jan 2018

Guardian Condor, Kevin Bayonnet

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our group has teamed up with Dr. Williams from Discovery Lab Global to research the capabilities of 3D printed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The goal of our project is to deliver a 3D printed glider prototype which can later be fitted with electronics for controlled flight. The glider must also carry a payload of 2 to 3 pounds in addition to the electronics. These requirements must be met all while using a basic 3D printer with low cost plastic

Throughout the Fall 2017 semester, our group made a significant amount of progress by completing the conceptual design portion of the …


Human Powered Vehicle Frame Design, Analysis, Manufacturing, And Testing, Christopher Reed, Kole W. Williams Jan 2018

Human Powered Vehicle Frame Design, Analysis, Manufacturing, And Testing, Christopher Reed, Kole W. Williams

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The University of Akron Human Powered Vehicle Design Team began this academic year with a mission to create a practical, lightweight, safe, and efficient human powered vehicle. The main objectives of ZC18 were inspired by competition in the 2018 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge at ASME E-Fest East. In addition to adhering to the rules of this competition, scoring high on the submitted reports, and competing well in the racing events, the team set a goal to assist in furthering knowledge related to the topic of human powered vehicles.

ZC18 was constructed nearly completely in the University of Akron’s Design Center …


Lighted Ear Curette, Kaitlin Klotzle, Kelsey Ashmore, Crysta Yamamoto, Katrina Elfrink, Cynthia Stoller Jan 2017

Lighted Ear Curette, Kaitlin Klotzle, Kelsey Ashmore, Crysta Yamamoto, Katrina Elfrink, Cynthia Stoller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The ear canal is a sensitive and small part of the human body that is prone to accumulate cerumen or lodge foreign bodies. In order to clean the ear canal or remove foreign bodies, three hands are required: one to brace the patient's head, one to maneuver the curette that is used to clean the ear, and one to hold a light source in order to make the small, dark area visible. Therefore, a design is needed that can allow a doctor to safely clean an ear with an instrument that only requires two hands. Furthermore, the design must have …


Water Jet Cutting Head Actuator, Jacob D. Augustynovich Jan 2017

Water Jet Cutting Head Actuator, Jacob D. Augustynovich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In an effort to increase efficiency and productivity, WARDJet was seeking a better actuation method for the cutting head on their waterjets. Current actuation methods were, for the most part, purely mechanical, relying on compressed air, springs, and water pressure to open and close the valve to 60,000 psi of water. Increasing the speed of the on/off cycle times of the waterjet would allow for faster movements of the cutting head from one cut to the next, increasing the overall amount of products cut in a day, week, and year. This obviously points to increased sales, increased profit, and increased …


Chocolate Bar Wrapping Machine, Austin M. Hoff, Daniel R. Trepke, Caleb B. Krichbuam Jan 2017

Chocolate Bar Wrapping Machine, Austin M. Hoff, Daniel R. Trepke, Caleb B. Krichbuam

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Gilbert Chocolates has proposed to manufacture a machine to wrap chocolate bars. This machine is intended to replace two people wrapping the chocolate bars by hand, which is a time consuming method. This is especially apparent between October and January when the workers are working long hours in preparation for the Christmas rush of customers. Currently wrapping a bar takes about a minute and Gilbert Chocolates wants this time reduced down to 20-30 seconds. The budget for this project is set at $1000, and is being funded by the company. This machine needs to fit in a cubic foot of …


Swagelok's Hand Tube Bender, Chapin Hutama, Seth Bills, William Mcconnell, Tyler Brown Jan 2017

Swagelok's Hand Tube Bender, Chapin Hutama, Seth Bills, William Mcconnell, Tyler Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In our project, we are assigned to develop a hand tube bender that is able to bend medium, high pressure, and standard 1/4” and 3/8” tubing. The bender also shall be capable of being used with two hands without the aid of a bench vise and have provisions for use in a bench vise for convenience. The bender shall not damage the tube during bending and induce a maximum of 8% ovality in the bent tubing. In addition, the cost of the bender shall be less than the existing hand tube bender and be resistant to rusting from ordinary use. …


Wardjet Waterjet Cutting Head Actuator Design, Micah Steiner, Jacob D. Augustynovich, Benjamin Heckert Jan 2017

Wardjet Waterjet Cutting Head Actuator Design, Micah Steiner, Jacob D. Augustynovich, Benjamin Heckert

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In an effort to increase efficiency and productivity, WARDJet was seeking a better actuation method for the cutting head on their waterjets. Current actuation methods were, for the most part, purely mechanical, relying on compressed air, springs, and water pressure to open and close the valve to 60,000 psi of water. Increasing the speed of the on/off cycle times of the waterjet would allow for faster movements of the cutting head from one cut to the next, increasing the overall amount of products cut in a day, week, and year. This obviously points to increased sales, increased profit, and increased …


Instruction Pamphlet Insertion Machine, Jim Griggs, Scott Miller, Michael Kubala Jan 2017

Instruction Pamphlet Insertion Machine, Jim Griggs, Scott Miller, Michael Kubala

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Weaver Industries in Akron, Ohio provided us with our senior design project. Weaver Industries seeks individuals with disabilities and provides them with job opportunities. One of their products is a “Kong” dog toy. As of now, the instruction pamphlet that comes with this dog toy is placed into each piece of packaging individually by hand. We are tasked with automating this process. Two years ago, a group of students worked on this project, but the reliability of their prototype was only around 60-70%. Then last year, another group of students worked on this project, but again, the reliability of their …


Nfpa Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, Ean H. Dickerhoof Jan 2017

Nfpa Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, Ean H. Dickerhoof

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Every year the National Fluid Power Association hosts a Fluid Powered Vehicle Challenge, this exposes students from universities all around the United States to the power and possibilities of hydraulics. This year the University of Akron’s team of engineers set out to design a bicycle that would be competitive and innovative in all aspects of the competition. In order to accomplish this, the designed bicycle must excel in three categories of competition; a sprint race, an endurance race, and an efficiency challenge.

To accomplish this task the University of Akron’s team of engineers used a lightweight bicycle frame with many …


The University Of Akron Human Powered Vehicle Team, Maria E. Rizzo, Andrew J. Derhammer, Christopher M. Trowbridge, Timothy M. Nutt, Joseph R. Boyd, Jeremy W. Marcum, Jonathan E. Adams, Donald G. Haiss, Julia Wood, Brian D. Goshia, Scott T. Fagan, Joshua D. Everhard, Rebecca L. Slivka Jan 2016

The University Of Akron Human Powered Vehicle Team, Maria E. Rizzo, Andrew J. Derhammer, Christopher M. Trowbridge, Timothy M. Nutt, Joseph R. Boyd, Jeremy W. Marcum, Jonathan E. Adams, Donald G. Haiss, Julia Wood, Brian D. Goshia, Scott T. Fagan, Joshua D. Everhard, Rebecca L. Slivka

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The University of Akron Human Powered Vehicle Team’s 2016 vehicle, Klokan, was designed, manufactured and tested with safety, reliability, performance and ease of use in mind. The vehicle is a fully faired tadpole trike with a lightweight aluminum frame constructed from 6061-T6 tubing having a total weight of 8.9 lbs. To complement the lightweight frame, the fairing is constructed from polycarbonate, PETG and carbon fiber strips which combine into a lightweight, easy to manufacture weather barrier and aerodynamic structure. Klokan was designed to be a safe and efficient mode of everyday transportation which ensures that riders are sufficiently protected by …


2015 Zips Sae Baja Brakes And Throttle System, Philip A. Bennett Jan 2015

2015 Zips Sae Baja Brakes And Throttle System, Philip A. Bennett

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The SAE Baja student design team at The University of Akron is one of the longest-standing design teams at the university. The purpose of this team is to design, manufacture, test, and race an off-road vehicle within the guidelines of competition established by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The vehicle is made up of a small number of subsystems including frame, drivetrain, suspension, steering, and braking. The following will discuss all aspects of the design process of the braking and throttle system of the 2015 Zips Baja car. This process includes several steps and considerations such as design goals, system …


Senior Design: Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Ashley N. Cuthbert, Marianna R. Smith Jan 2015

Senior Design: Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Ashley N. Cuthbert, Marianna R. Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The team’s goal is to design and test a prototype and procedure that will automate the insertion of the Kong toy instructions into the cardboard packaging. This automation will increase the speed at which the product is packaged and will serve as an aid to workers with limited dexterity who find the task cumbersome.


Design Of An Sae Baja Racing Off-Road Vehicle Powertrain, Eric T. Payne Jan 2015

Design Of An Sae Baja Racing Off-Road Vehicle Powertrain, Eric T. Payne

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.


Senior Design:Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Ashley N. Cuthbert, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Marianna R. Smith Jan 2015

Senior Design:Kong Toy Instruction-Manual Insertion, Ashley N. Cuthbert, Rachael L. Innocenzi, Marianna R. Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The team’s goal is to design and test a prototype and procedure that will automate the insertion of the Kong toy instructions into the cardboard packaging. This automation will increase the speed at which the product is packaged and will serve as an aid to workers with limited dexterity who find the task cumbersome.


Swagelok Probing Station Tester Improvement Project, Ross Crocker Jan 2015

Swagelok Probing Station Tester Improvement Project, Ross Crocker

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A step in the inspection process for the Swagelok ends is performed using Probing Station testing. This testing process involves fitting a cylindrical probe into the open end of the fittings. Contact between the probe and the fitting causes the probe to wear. Spare probes are kept at each inspection machine to replace a probe that becomes too worn to function. These spare probes occasionally fall out of their storage location and break without ever being used in inspection. This project seeks to reduce the wear on the probes in service and reduce the number of dropped spare probes that …