Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Alternative Materials For Dental Restorations, Tyler Poole, Pierce Dunwoody, Adarsha Sapkota, Mario Rodriguez

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The senior design project ‘Alternative Materials and Methods for Dental Restoration’ has a purpose of addressing the unmet need or engineering problem related to dental restoration by determining the available manufacturing methods and materials as an alternative to ‘Intra-oral digital scanners’. The project deliverables for this project were the tooth crown prototypes with the tolerance within 50 microns. The CAD model for this tooth was tested for its strength, physical properties, and suitability. The prototypes were developed through an additive method, i.e., 3D printing. The constraints for this project were related to budget and printer. Buying a highly qualitative 3D …

Vcu Neuroguard: Multi-Person Radiation Shielding Device, David Bauserman, Abigail Haines, Laynold Pilson, Madelaine Simmons

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The objective of the VCU Neuroguard project was to design and build a device to shield all medical personnel in Operating Room-33, at MCV Hospital, from radiation during neurological procedures that utilize a Siemens Artis Zee biplane X-ray machine. The initial goal was to develop a fully working prototype but due to monetary reasons this goal was adjusted to a working prototype minus the radiation shielding materials.

There were many requirements for the VCU Neuroguard set forth by the customer and by the team, including the ability to shield all the medical staff in the room, the ability for them …

Improved Way To Affix Iv Components To Gurneys From Operating Tables, Corey Gilbert, Braulio Rosales, Jason Warren

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The current issue in the process of transporting a patient from the operating room (OR) to the intensive care unit (ICU) is the risks involved with the IV stand being top-heavy due to two or three IV pumps weighing approximately 15 pounds each. This can lead to injury to the patient, or other personnel, if an instance occurred where the IV stand were to tip over. Having a single person to manage both the IV stand and gurney during transport can increase this risk.

To remedy these problems, the project team established the goals of developing a working prototype, testing …

Tracking Surgical Instruments, Akia Wells, Samuel Samvura, Brandon Santiago

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Surgical instruments and sponges are mistakenly left inside patients for more than a dozen times a day. Hospitalizations involving a lost instrument or sponge can average costing more than $60,000 for a hospital. The objective of this design project is to develop a simple, innovative tracking flow process that will better keep track of surgical instruments and sponges before and after surgeries. Using high temperature stickers with matrix barcode technology attached to the surgical instruments, the instruments will be easily scanned into a database to track when instruments are checked in and checked out. Before all instruments are used and …

Remote Control Aircraft, Thomas Gutema, Catherine Jones, Judy Liang, Kendall Moore

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of the RC aircraft design was not to address a problem that has not been solved, but to redesign an aircraft with the intent to understand the practical applications of the building process. Our approach to completing this project involved two phases; the planning phase and the building phase. In the planning phase, we made selections for the airfoil, wing, fuselage, tail, elevators, and ailerons. These choices were made using aeronautical engineering concepts and theory. For the building phase, we focused on materials selection, fabrication, and testing.

During our design process, a lot of time went to choosing …

Transparent Furnace For Observing Electrochemical Separation Of Used Nuclear Fuel, Hoor Almazmi, Abbie Dewitte, Kelli Mckenna, Svetlana Ruseva

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Electrochemical separation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) operating at 500°C is confined within a furnace, making it difficult for a visual observation. Thus, flow characteristic predictions from the furnace are often calculated through advanced computational modeling methods. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an innovative idea, combining mechanical and chemical skill sets to design and build a transparent furnace that provides a clear visualization that can later be coupled with an optical flow-visualization method, such as Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). Deliverables of the project include the complete design and illustration of the prototype operating up to 500°C. Challenges of the …

Design And Optimization Of A Molten Metal Loop Driven By An Electromagnetic Pump, Eric Mallon, Miguel Bustamante Perez, Joseph Keegan

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Liquid Metal Fast Reactor (LMFR) utilizing liquid metal as a coolant is still being considered for future nuclear energy. In this concept, transporting liquid metal still poses many challenges in engineering design and material detection and accountability. In this senior design project, the team has been exploring a design and optimization of a molten metal loop driven by an electromagnetic pump. Here, a manometer type solution was deemed the best method to achieve meaningful results. Transparent Pyrex tubing was selected for the manometers, as the visual column difference would indicate pressure differences. Tin was selected for the working fluid, and …

Emergency Glucagon Injection Device, John Corbett, Zachary Cullingsworth, Christopher Ducic, Ryan Meekins

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Glucagon is a drug administered to people with diabetes that are experiencing a seizure due to low blood glucose levels. The current method of injecting glucagon during a hypoglycemic seizure is lengthy and complicated when time equates to minimizing the effects of an emergency situation. This project is student created and the result of the design team recognizing a serious problem and deciding to find a better solution. The goal of this project was to streamline this process. Several working prototypes were developed and evaluated before a final design was chosen. Safety, durability and usability were all considerable factors. The …

Thermo-Regulated Device For Extremities Affected By Raynaud’S Disease, Jessica L. Bishop, Nathaniel P. Kirby, T. Ryan Beaver, Alisa B. Sverdlov

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Raynaud’s condition is a disease in which blood vessels in the extremities constrict in response to emotional stimuli and cold environments. This results in extreme discoloration and pain in the regions affected (Figure 1), and can cause permanent tissue damage. Although there is no current cure for this disease, there are several methods of pain mitigation including the use of drugs, gloves, avoiding exposure to cold weather, and using heating devices. However, these solutions are only temporary. Most gloves do not provide adequate insulation or have a short battery life.

This project is aimed at mediating the negative physiological effects …

Non-Destructive Testing Of Hardface Cladding, Hunter Andrews, Karson Clark, Jared O’Hara

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Valves, such as the ones shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, are very common throughout Navy vessels in systems which transport various materials such as water, steam, and oil. Over their lifetime the valve Stellite seatings are rehabilitated by being ground down to create a smooth surface. If the seating surface is ground to a thickness lower than 3/32 in, the valve will be considered inoperable. It was necessary to design a portable device that can be used by Newport News Shipbuilding to measure the thickness of Stellite coatings on valve seating surfaces. A device that could be used …

Tapered Roller Bearing Accelerated Life Test Rig Design And Fabrication, Laith Naeem, Andrew Nguyen, Bryson Sin, Ramon Vargas

Capstone Design Expo Posters

L₁₀ bearing fatigue life testing is a costly and prolonged process, as the bearing is characteristically designed for durability and reliability. Within the current testing methods, faulty materials still have the potential of passing the test. However, with this life test rig, the bearing will be tested to failure, thus providing an indicator for its predicted life span.

The purpose of this project is to optimize and construct a L₁₀ life test rig for accelerated fatigue testing of the Association of American Railroad Class K, 6 ½ x 9-inch double-row tapered roller bearing to their maximum fatigue life …

Underhull Material Transport Rig: Aircraft Carrier Maintenance Processes, Hunter Alford, Christopher Brady, Michelle Runion, Spencer Trevisan

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The clearance under a ship in the Newport News Shipbuilding dry dock is approximately 62 inches. As a result, workers are either crouched or hunched over as they carry materials and equipment underneath the ship to their work zone. This can cause physical strain on workers’ bodies, leading to safety and health problems. This design project solves the problem by creating a transport system that uses a cart suspended from two trolleys that ride on a track attached to the bottom of the hull.

A working prototype was built, demonstrated, and tested. This prototype cart maneuvered through a straight and …

Robotic Inspection Of Geometrically Complex Tank Systems, Andrew Casalenuovo, Andrew Rubio, Charles Hockett, Peter Donaldson

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The goal of this project was to continue the development of a temporary rail system for a robotic tank inspection device. The tanks to be inspected are in a hazardous environment that is dangerous to work in and navigate. A remotely controlled robot could reduce the need for manual labor in the tanks to initial setup, final removal, and touch ups. Similar setups have been created for inspecting tanks, but they are permanent installations and are meant only for inspections.

The goal of the current phase of the project was to employ a new concept for supporting the rail system, …

Highway 66 Structural Foundation Redesign, Devyn Borum, Joshua Clarke, Lorenzo Dingcong, Korey Smith

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The primary project goal was to reduce the cost per unit of the structural foundation (sublane) of the Route 66 miniature bowling lane by 10%. Additional project goals were: 1) reducing the cubic volume for shipping, (2) reducing the lane assembly time, and 3) maintaining current 10 to 15-year product life. Ten sublane sections are used to assemble two lanes of a Route 66 unit. The project constraints included: 1) maintaining outside height, width and length of the sublanes, 2) load bearing strength greater than or close to the current design and 3) no significant change in manufacturing processes. After …

Friction And Wear Measurements In Automatic Transmission Clutch, Steffen Harm, Dabin Kim, Jean Paulo Mulles, Eric Stavitzski, Hoang Tran

Capstone Design Expo Posters

In order to create alternate pathways to increase fuel efficiency, flexible ways to alter and test fluid properties are needed when transmission manufacturers change the operating conditions or components used in automatic transmissions. A prototype was fabricated to satisfy this need by reducing the cost, time of conducting tests while producing accurate results, and also increasing the amount of trials that can be conducted in a laboratory setting. The limitations of developing a new prototype are: safety, weight, ease of use, laboratory size, and establishing accurate results within the amount of time given. This project was approached using the Engineering …

3d Heart Model For Mapping Rf Ablation Sites, Danielle Corsino, Ashleigh Mims, Andrew Potter, Alejandro Rivera

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Electro-Cardiologists routinely insert radiofrequency probes into the heart and conduct targeted ablation procedures to correct irregular heartbeats. Current techniques are very experience and “touch” based, and require the novice cardiologist about 50 procedures to become proficient. There is a need for a functional heart model device that can be used to reduce the amount of procedures on human patients before cardiologist become proficient. Project constraints included limited software availability for segmenting accuracy, available 3D printing technology and materials, and cost to 3D print heart models due to the complex geometry. The team began with a CT scan, ITK SNAP and …

3d Printed Teeth: Anatomically Correct Primary Replicas, Anh Nguyen, Stefan Harris

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The current method of molding teeth, especially primary teeth, cannot accurately reproduce internal tooth structures. Therefore, there is a need for primary teeth to be made anatomically accurate on-demand with the ability to customize a model for specific patients. This project aims that any tooth extracted digitally from a Dental Cone Beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan of a child's mouth can be 3D printed into an accurate replicate with which dental students can practice. Constraints include viable materials that can be printed by a 3D printer, represent tooth anatomy and provide desirable mechanical properties compatible with the dental drilling operation. …

Continuously Expanding Mandrel, Cory Bleistein, Dylan Dawson, Anton Rabinky, Marshall Smith

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of this project was to develop a better, safer, more efficient system for Sealeze to manufacture spiral-wrapped strip brushes in a continuous fashion at a variable diameter. The end results produced a finalized drawing sheet for machining and production, numerous design variations within CAD drawings, and extensive mechanical evaluations and analyses proving the strength and capabilities of the proposed design. In production of these brushes, various different materials will be used for the core, backing, and filament, creating a need for a mandrel that will be strong enough to handle the most resiliant of materials while maintaining a …

Adjustable Pipe Hanger: Newport News Shipbuilding, Ryan Fitzgerald, Ahmad Othman, Emily Holland, Zinullah Ghaznawi

Capstone Design Expo Posters

This senior design project is sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding. The objective of this project is to design a pipe hanger system that could be installed during initial fabrication while still allowing adjustment when the pipe path deviates from the initial drawings. The design must be cheap and utilize already existing parts. One key constraint is to hold a load of 250 pounds and withstand a velocity between 100-120 inches per second. The original design created utilizes a C-channel track attached to the ceiling and a spring locking mechanism to provide flexibility. This final design eliminated the spring device with …

Super-Efficient Condiment And Detergent Storage Containers, Anurag Baral, Rehman Chaudry, Andree Cochran

Capstone Design Expo Posters

(1) unmet need - engineering problem being addressed: Approximately fifteen percent of ketchup, detergent and shampoo still remain on the walls of storage containers. Due to this problem, billions of dollars are wasted annually. (2) project deliverables: Models are created to represent working prototypes that are more efficeint for the products. (3) constraints: Glass bottles are less expensive to produce, but are more expensive to transport. (4) approach: Ketchup, shampoo and detergent droplets were placed onto plastics to test which plastic best suited the products. Then, the plastics were coated with candlewax, car wax, beeswax, Alkyl Ketene Dimer (AKD) and …

Flow-Differential Pressure Test Rig, Stuart Jennings, David Keegan, Juan Ramonet, Nicholas Upton

Capstone Design Expo Posters

provider of filters for critical applications in various industries, Porvair Filtration Group often needs to validate the pressure drop across a given filter medium at various flow rates and to perform quality assurance prior to delivery. The Flow-Differential Pressure Test Apparatus will allow for a test cycle with significant savings in time and money for Porvair going forward.

The design uses high-purity deionized water as the test fluid and performs continual filtration to ensure consistent properties. Flow rates of 0-100 gallons per minute at pressures up to 100 psi gauge are achieved by controlling a pump with i) a variable-frequency …

Educational Nuclear Reactor Simulator, Kevin Jeunang, Koueni Tchamambe, Mutasem Albulushi, Malcolm Breckenridge

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The VCU Reactor Simulator provides a solid technical and visual approach to simulating a commercial pressurized water nuclear power plant. The simulator provides several benefits for VCU including: a hands on learning instrument that can be used in nuclear engineering courses, an opportunity for students to gain experience in nuclear modeling and simulation, and a community outreach tool to expand the public’s knowledge of nuclear technology.

In the six years since its inception, the only prior major modification to the simulator was the replacement of in-house written LabVIEW coding as the calculation engine with the RETRAN- 3D code, a program …

Sustainability: Reusing Data Center Waste Heat, John Boushra, Kyle Duncan, Aleksandr Kogan, Giang Pham

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Data Centers are facilities used to house a large number of computer systems and their associated components, such as telecommunications and data storage systems. Nowadays many organizations depend on the reliable operation of their data centers for their day to day business operations. Data centers are designed with redundant and backup power supplies, redundant data communications connections, robust cybersecurity protocols and very strict environmental controls. The many computer systems held in a typical data center generate large heat loads that need to be continuously removed with high grade air conditioning systems. Anthem currently owns a large corporate data center in …

Electromechanical Robotic Platform For Patient Motion Management In Radiotherapy, Thomas Dwyer, Ross Cruikshank, Daniel Martinez, Melvin Rosario

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Head and neck cancer is often treated with radiation therapy. During this treatment, patient movement causes healthy cells to receive excessive radiological dose. We have designed an electromechanical robotic platform that enables compensation of patient movement during treatment. This project includes analysis of materials and motion of the system, design of the control system and model, and the functional prototype. The design of the robotic platform will be compatible with pre-existing head and mouth harnesses in order to keep a patient’s head steady while the patient’s headrest in motion. For radiotherapy, this system requires radio-compatible materials. Through the use of …

Formula Hybrid At Vcu: Epicyclic Power Distribution System, Brandon Rivera, Dmitriy Kirzhner, Maxwell O’Neill, Ryan Witko

Capstone Design Expo Posters

In today’s automotive industry, the need for more performance and power efficiency is ever increasing. However, with the growing concern of greenhouse gases and their impact on the environment, petrol burning cars need to be improved. Hybrid powertrains in automotive vehicles are being designed to increase fuel economy, reduce emissions, and improve engine efficiency through gearing all the while being competitive.

Our senior design team has developed an epicyclic power distribution (EPD) system which combines two independent power inputs from an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE). This system has been designed specifically for the Formula Hybrid race …

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle For Vertically Profiling Ultrafine Particle Distribution, Ahmed Almutawa, Ola Saadeh, Mudaher Alkhawajah, Grant Carey

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Recent epidemiologic studies show that ultrafine particles (UFPs) may play a definitive role in development of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer related mortality. In order to support the growing interest in understanding the effects of UFPs on human health, Dr. Chen has developed a miniaturized electronic ultrafine particle sizing device, or mini-eUPS. This device utilizes many of the functions of equipment currently used in laboratory environments to test and measure UFP levels in aerosols, but has been miniaturized to maximize mobility and ease of use. The small size and weight of the device allow a unique ability …

Molten Metal Loop Driven By Electromagnetic Pump, Dominic Espiritu, Dor Granek, Jerald Moore, Scott Torres

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The first challenge of this proposed study was the gauges for the loop, which were not functioning properly and giving off inaccurate data due to a loop flow issue. Therefore a new loop design, including gauges, was created to gather accurate data for the electromagnetic pump. The electromagnetic pump used in this experiment differs from the standard electromagnetic motors by using rare earth magnets set into opposing steel plates that rotate simultaneously. Accurate data from the velocity and pressure gauges is necessary so the correlation between the EM pump’s speed and the flow velocity could be calculated. This technology could …

Main Body Aerodynamics, Michael Al-Badini, Christopher Buettner, Wesley Russell, Steven Summerville, Marcus Wardlow

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Our senior design project entails designing, analyzing the front upper aerodynamic nose for the Formula SAE at VCU’s race team. Currently there are no provisions on the chassis to provide relief for parasitic loss of speed & efficiency due to drag. Since Formula SAE is focused on building a engineered, safe, and efficient vehicle our aerodynamic design will help with handling, downforce, and fuel economy all while reducing drag. Our Aerodynamic design will play a key role not only in how the Formula car is perceived aesthetically, but our calculations will be a large determining factor in the cars overall …

Fsae Rear Diffuser Team, Zarwan Waqar, Sohail Hossini, Saman Usodan

Capstone Design Expo Posters

To generate additional force that is applied to the rear of the FSAE race car The importance of the rear diffuser is to add a rear force to the vehicle. The rear force is generated from the airflow coming from underneath the vehicle. The way the airflow creates a force is through generating a pressure differential in which the air exiting the rear of the race car is now causing a downward force from the diffuser. The use of a diffuser is known to be of use at high speeds and if designed correctly creating the aerodynamics needed to keep …

Fsae Pedal Box: Controlling Stop And Go, Christopher Hathcock, Tyler Munden

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The VCU FSAE team has a need for foot controls for the brakes and throttle on their newest race car. The assembly must meet the rules set forth by the FSAE organization to compete, and must be as light and low as possible to conserve the acceleration and handling characteristics of the car. Furthermore, the project must be completed on a budget of $500 allotted to Senior Design teams. The FSAE team has been working on the current car since 2005 and has yet to produce a drivable race car. The Senior Design teams this year cover the major systems …