Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Undergraduate Research: Experiences From A Three-Year Project, Peter Schuster, Charles Birdsong

Mechanical Engineering

There are significant benefits of research for the involved undergraduate student. These include exposure to advanced topics, introduction to research methods, and direct interaction with faculty and other students. Faculty and institutions benefit as well by the increased interaction with students – fresh eyes in research projects, more energized research groups, and more engaged alumni. However, there are some challenges in designing a research program to work primarily with undergraduates. These include the students’ lack of exposure to advanced topics, short tenure on the project, and potentially lower commitment to the results. There are a number of ways to address …

A Pre-Crash Simulator To Evaluate Vehicle Collision Prediction Algorithms, Dana Desrosiers, Charles Birdsong, Peter Schuster

Mechanical Engineering

This paper describes a software simulator for pre-crash collision predictions. The simulator is a surrogate test bed for evaluating the performance of proposed pre-crash algorithms. It reads data from a file, transfers distance and angular position of a target to a test algorithm, and then records the algorithm’s predictions. To illustrate the simulator functionality, a simplified test algorithm is also described. This algorithm predicts collision risks based on assumptions about the size and acceleration of a target object, and the turning and braking limits of the host vehicle. The test algorithm is shown to be effective for cases where both …

Articular Cartilage Mechanical And Biochemical Property Relations Before And After In Vitro Growth, Timothy Ficklin, Gregory Thomas, James C. Barthel, Anna Asanbaeva, Eugene J. Thonar, Koichi Masuda, Albert C. Chen, Robert L. Sah, Andrew Davol, Stephen M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

The aim of this study was to design in vitro growth protocols that can comprehensively quantify articular cartilage structure–function relations via measurement of mechanical and biochemical properties. Newborn bovine patellofemoral groove articular cartilage explants were tested sequentially in confined compression (CC), unconfined compression (UCC), and torsional shear before (D0, i.e. day zero) and after (D14, i.e. day 14) unstimulated in vitro growth. The contents of collagen (COL), collagen-specific pyridinoline (PYR) crosslinks, glycosaminoglycan, and DNA significantly decreased during in vitro growth; consequently, a wide range of biochemical properties existed for investigating structure–function relations when pooling the D0 and D14 groups. All …

Design Integrated In The Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: Assessment Of The Engineering Clinics, Jennifer Kadlowec, Krishnan Bhatia, Tirupathi R. Chandrupatla, John C. Chen, Eric Constans, Harriet Hartman, Anthony J. Marchese, Paris Von Lockette, Hong Zhang

Mechanical Engineering

At Rowan University, design has been infused into the curriculum through an eight-semester course sequence called the Engineering Clinics. Through this experience, students learn the art and science of design in a multidisciplinary team environment and hone their design skills throughout their 4-year career. This paper describes the objectives of the clinics, types of projects, and how the clinics complement traditional core courses in the curriculum. Impacts and benefits of the clinics on students and faculty are discussed, including retention and graduate study rates comparing Rowan University mechanical engineering students to their peers nationally. An assessment of the clinics is …

Thermal Fatigue Test Apparatus For Large Superconducting Coils, J.T. Kephart, B.K. Fitzpatrick, John Chen, J. Lopez, M. Miller, L. Wong, M. Zimmerman, J. Kostic, C. Rakus

Mechanical Engineering

The United States Navy has a continued interest in the development of High Temperature Superconductivity (HTS) to provide power dense, efficient propulsion and electrical power generation. These machines have large HTS rotor coils that will undergo many thermal cycles during the life of the ship. Thermal fatigue tests for large coils are necessary to understand any degradation and life issues that could arise. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) has sponsored Rowan University to design and build a device that will assist in the thermal fatigue testing of a superconducting coil. It was designed to be autonomous with …

Developing A Matlab/Simulink Rtwt Based Hydraulic Servo Control Design Experiment, Charles Birdsong

Mechanical Engineering

While one of the stated goals of the Mechanical Engineering Controls course is to develop the tools to design a controller, previous lab experiences did not include an experimental exercise in controller design. This was primarily due to the difficulty in implementing a controller that is robust and flexible enough to accommodate different student designs within the short time constraints of a three hour lab period. This paper describes an effort to use the Mathworks Real Time Windows Target to implement student controller designs on real hardware in a lab setting. Students use experimental data and a physically based model …

Application Of Transformative Learning Theory In Engineering Education, John Chen

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this work-in-progress is to improve student engagement and learning in courses that form the core of a discipline. Such gateway courses represent critical milestones in a student's academic career and have a strong influence on his or her attitude and future success in engineering. We contend that students who struggle in gateway courses do so because they are having difficulty with conceptual transformation, and this project aims to facilitate this change through the ideas advocated within Transformative Learning Theory. The essential elements of this project include the integration of information technologies, provision of rapid feedback to students …

Crack Growth Induced By Sonic Ir Inspection, John C. Chen, Jacob Kephart, Kyle Lick, William T. Riddell

Mechanical Engineering

We have developed an experiment to study the propagation of laboratory-synthesized fatigue cracks under various controlled conditions during Sonic IR inspection. The experiment provides for good repeatability in testing. The parameters of interest include the initial crack length, load history (stress intensity and load ratio) during crack generation, geometry of the crack, material and also the various conditions involving the ultrasonic excitation source. In general, we find that under typical sonic IR inspection conditions, the initial crack will propagate under sonic IR testing. The crack growth after each inspection event varies and exhibits a distribution in length of propagation. The …

Development Of A Biofidelic 'Legform' Impact Test Device, John Davis, Peter Schuster

Mechanical Engineering

Current EuroNCAP test specifications attempt to predict pedestrian lower limb injury in a lateral impact with a rigid legform test device developed by the UK's TRL (Transportation Research Lab). Research shows that the measurements taken from this device (knee bending angle, knee shear, and upper tibia acceleration) do not necessarily correspond to accurate injury prediction. Recent research suggests that the primary improvement to the current test device would be a flexible legform, or one that has more biofidelity (i.e., simulates actual human lower limb response).

The work presented in this paper first reviews current legforms developed for pedestrian impact testing, …

Response Of A Warped Flexible Rotor With A Fluid Bearing, Jim Meagher, Xi Wu, Chris Lencioni

Mechanical Engineering

A two complex degrees of freedom model is developed and compared to experimental data for various amounts of rotor bow and its orientation to mass imbalance of the rotor. The equation of motion is developed by adding constant forces that rotate with the rotor to a Bently-Muszynska two-mode isotropic rotor model with a plane journal bearing. Diagnostic information discernable from probes at the bearing is emphasized and compared to midspan response where previous research has concentrated. Good agreement between the analytical model and experiment demonstrate that the analysis presented can be useful to diagnose and balance residual shaft bow from …

Investigation Of Coupled Lateral And Torsional Vibrations Of A Cracked Rotor Under Radial Load, Xi Mu, Jim Meagher, Clinton Judd

Mechanical Engineering

A practical cracked rotor model with two disks representing a turbine and generator is studied using a four degree of freedom model; two transverse displacements and two torsional angular displacements. The differential equations of a rotor with a crack, unbalance, and constant radial force are first derived in detail using energy principles. The nonlinearities related with a “breathing” crack are incorporated, which distinguishes this paper from others studying stiffness anisotropy of a rotor with a similar rotor configuration. Through numerical simulations, this paper demonstrates the lateral-torsional coupling that occurs with a shaft crack and predicts torsional critical speed frequencies at …

Using Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles As An Engineering Education Tool, Hong Zhang, John Chen, Eric Constans

Mechanical Engineering

Starting in 2004, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rowan University introduced a new tool into its program: Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs). The tool is used at different aspects ofeducation. As a coursework project, graduating ME seniors researched, designed, built, competed and reported with underwater ROVs to assess their design skills before heading out to start their careers. It tests a wide range of engineering background in one single project and gauges the soft skills such as teamwork, self-learning, communication and evaluation. As a student research project, a multidisciplinary student team developed a robotic field ROV to help biological scientists …