Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Formula Sae Interchangeable Independent Rear Suspension Design, Mike Mccune, Daniel Nunes, Mike Patton, Courtney Richardson, Evan Sparer

Mechanical Engineering

The Suspension Solutions design team has completely designed built and tested an independent rear suspension system for the 2008 FSAE car. The car currently features a solid rear axle, and the task of converting it to incorporate an interchangeable rear suspension has been undertaken in order to quantify the advantages and disadvantages of each design philosophy. The car has been properly tested with both the solid axle and independent rear suspension side-by-side, however more testing is suggested. After pushing both setups to their limits on a 50ft diameter skid pad, the test results were quantified, and a final comparison between …

Broccoli Floret Cutter: Gold Coast Packaging, Inc., Sean Stamm, Walter Salguero, Felipe Gomez Jr, Ruben Duenas

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design, Reconstruction And Evaluation Of A Dynamometer For Quarter Scale, Samuel Sanchez

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project discusses the design, reconstruction, and evaluation of a dynamometer. A new test stand for the Quarter Scale team would improve the testing of the engines and the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). All the readings will be done electronically in order to provide the most accurate data collection. The dynamometer will be a closed hydraulic system for ease of use. This system will be able to test all of Quarter Scale engines. The data collected will be used to determine which engines are in the best condition, and which may need to be fixed. With the new design, the …

Module Cover Conductivity Enhancement, Niles Dhanens, James Fortner

Mechanical Engineering

A clam shell module cover for printed circuit boards (PCB) has been designed for use in Boeing’s AECM cabinet. The cover utilizes materials with high thermal conductivity and cools the PCB by conducting the heat to a cold plate interface. Materials were compared and aluminum 6061-T6, aluminum 3003, and annealed pyrolytic graphite (APG) were chosen. A prototype was built and tested using aluminum 6061-T6 which was able to dissipate 57.7% of the projected wattage. Issues may include unforeseen complications in assembly along with components performing at lower levels than specified by manufacturers. The APG prototype was unable to be tested …

Development Of An Air-Cycle Environmental Control System For Automotive Applications, Christopher James Forster

Master's Theses

An air‐cycle air conditioning system, using a typical automotive turbocharger as the core of the system, was designed and tested. Effects on engine performance were kept to a minimum while providing the maximum amount of cooling possible and minimizing weight and space requirements. A test stand utilizing shop compressed air was developed to measure component performance. An unmodified automotive turbocharger was tested initially as a baseline in a Reversed‐Brayton Cycle air cooling system. Once the baseline was established, another aircycle machine, assembled from commercial turbocharger components chosen individually to optimize their performance for cooling purposes, was tested to improve the …

Hydraulic Hand Press Final Project Report, Nathaniel Marc Brown, Matthew Thomas Knorr

Mechanical Engineering

This report provides a thorough description of the design of a hydraulic hand-operated press by mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, for the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, California. It begins with research into hydraulic operations, a brief study of fluid power and incompressible fluids, and a look into existing products. Specified customer requirements stipulate the loading and general size constraints. As part of the project, a schedule is laid out following industry techniques. Brainstorming and decision matrices are utilized as well, conveying our design process. A basic structure is developed using strength …

Best-In-Class Global Bumper Reinforcement Beam, Garret Anthony Bautista, Chad Anthony Hardin, Benjamin Ray Taylor

Mechanical Engineering

Modern bumper systems are governed by laws and regulations imposed separately by various countries. Today, the regulations in China, North America, and Europe are becoming more similar, but there is not a widely accepted bumper reinforcement that meets the requirements of all markets around the globe.

A universal bumper reinforcement beam incorporating Plug-n-Play techniques was developed to meet and exceed all testing requirements and performance standards of each country. These Plug-n-Play techniques consist of adding energy absorbing attachments to the front of a base bumper beam. Simple beam analysis and FEA were the primary analysis tools in the development of …

Pump Sequencing Optimization, John S. Allan, Kyle J. Nekimken, Spencer B. Weills

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to demonstrate the design, production, and testing of optimum pump sequencing logic for variable frequency drive (VFD) pumps in commercial heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The product will be developed by Pump Efficiency Solutions (PES), which is a group of Cal Poly students working on their senior project. The product is being developed for Trane, an industry leader in large scale HVAC systems. MATLAB™, Microsoft Excel, Pump System Improvement Modeling Tool™ (PSIM), and fluid mechanics hand calculations were used during software development. Next, we converted the program into Trane’s graphical programming language …

Boundary Layer Data System (Blds) Heating System, John Hauge, Drew Hutcheson, Paul Scott

Mechanical Engineering

The boundary layer data system (BLDS) is the result of a collaborative effort between Dr. Westphal, a researcher and instructor at Cal Poly, and Northrop Grumman. The BLDS is capable of measuring the boundary layer profile and characteristics of flow over aerodynamic surfaces and is intended for high altitude, high speed use. The instruments inside the BLDS malfunction at the low temperatures present when operating in flight at altitudes above 30,000 ft. To solve this problem, analysis was done on the existing BLDS which determined the heating requirements, around 50 watts, needed to keep the internal temperature within the rated …

Two-Material Cylinder Stress Response Software, Katherine Gage, Matt Highstreet, Liz Del Cid

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Callaway Golf: Variable Curved Impulse Sealer, Justin Cook, Ben Jones, Sean Reynolds

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Indirect Pipe Pressure Measurement, Clayde Barkley, Mikel Betts, Anthony Olay

Mechanical Engineering

Statement of Confidentiality The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Chip Removal Tool Project, Brett Mori, John Cote, Kyle Rowland, Micah Wells

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly senior project team worked with Helical Products Inc. to develop an automated method for removing swarf and chip buildup from the drill bits of their CNC milling machines. The removal methods in this report were designed for and tested using a Fanuc Robodrill while keeping the potential in mind for their use in other CNC milling machines. After extensive background research, preliminary and prototype design and testing the final chosen design is shown below. The cleaning device is made from flexible sheet metal and placed on a fixture that occupies one of the two pallet locations inside …

Supermileage Team - Urban Concept Competition Vehicle Chassis Design Report, Andrew Allport, Kevin Braico, Kevin Charles, George Kyi, William Lai

Mechanical Engineering

This research and design project was proposed by the Cal Poly Supermileage team. They have requested for our team to design an Urban Concept car, a new category of vehicles to compete for fuel efficiency in the Shell Eco-marathon in 2010. The primary focus of our team is in the design and construction of a chassis the Supermileage team can use for the 2010 competition in Fontana, CA. This design must meet dimensional and functional requirements set by Shell while being designed to maximize efficiency in the competition.

There were various chassis concepts under consideration that would possibly work for …

Air Cooling For Aecm Module, Final Project Report, Kevin Whipp, Abraham Bruno Caulk

Mechanical Engineering

Advancements in electronics have created the need for improved cooling standards. The AECM standard, created to replace the antiquated ARINC 600 specification for aircraft, draws inspiration from a cooling specification known as VITA 48.2. The ARINC standard is in early stages of development and this project researches the feasibility of using air as a convective fluid instead of a liquid, the fluid used in the VITA specification.

A performance factor calculated from the ratio of the heat dissipated by convective heat exchanger plates over the power used to cause forced convective flow over said plates helps to quantify the effectiveness …

Enhanced Vehicle Identification Utilizing Sensor Fusion And Statistical Algorithms, Stephane Roussel, Hemanth Porumamilla, Charles Birdsong, Peter Schuster, Christopher Clark

Mechanical Engineering

Several studies in the area of vehicle detection and identification involve the use of probabilistic analysis and sensor fusion. While several sensors utilized for identifying vehicle presence and proximity have been researched, their effectiveness in identifying vehicle types has remained inadequate. This study presents the utilization of an ultrasonic sensor coupled with a magnetic sensor and the development of statistical algorithms to overcome this limitation. Mathematical models of both the ultrasonic and magnetic sensors were constructed to first understand the intrinsic characteristics of the individual sensors and also to provide a means of simulating the performance of the combined sensor …

The Next Generation Router System Cooling Design, Garrett A. Glover

Master's Theses

Advancements in the networking and routing industry have created higher power electronic systems which dissipate large amounts of heat while cooling technology for these electronic systems has remained relatively unchanged. This report illustrates the development and testing of a hybrid liquid-air cooling system prototype implemented on Cisco’s 7609s router. Water was the working fluid through cold plates removing heat from line card components. The water was cooled by a compact liquid-air heat exchanger and circulated by two pumps. The testing results show that junction temperatures were maintained well below the 105°C limit for ambient conditions around 30°C at sea level. …

Work In Progress - Role Of Faculty In Promoting Lifelong Learning, Jonathon Stolk, Susan M. Lord, Candice Stefanou, John Chen, Katharyn E. K. Nottis, Michael J. Prince

Mechanical Engineering

Students’ development of self-directed and lifelong learning capacities is vital for their success in today’s engineering environment. Instructors play a critical role in influencing outcomes related to self-directed learning (SDL) through their design of courses that support students’ transitions from controlled to autonomous learning behaviors. Yet there is a critical lack of research examining how instructor choices promote self-directed (and eventually lifelong) learning development in undergraduate engineering students. In this work in progress, we introduce a project that explores how instructor choices affect a range of student outcomes related to their development as self-directed and lifelong learners. Drawing on existing …

A Nonlinear Constituent Based Viscoelastic Model For Articular Cartilage And Analysis Of Tissue Remodeling Due To Altered Glycosaminoglycan-Collagen Interactions, Gregory C. Thomas, Anna Asanbaeva, Pasquale Vena, Robert L. Sah, Stephen M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

A constituent based nonlinear viscoelastic (VE) model was modified from a previous study (Vena, et al., 2006, “A Constituent-Based Model for the Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behavior of Ligaments,” J. Biomech. Eng., 128, pp. 449–457) to incorporate a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-collagen (COL) stress balance using compressible elastic stress constitutive equations specific to articular cartilage (AC). For uniaxial loading of a mixture of quasilinear VE constituents, time constant and relaxation ratio equations are derived to highlight how a mixture of constituents with distinct quasilinear VE properties is one mechanism that produces a nonlinear VE tissue. Uniaxial tension experiments were performed with newborn bovine AC …

Composite Manufacturing Of Small Wind Turbine Blades- Utility Scale Methods Applied To Small Wind, Bryan Kyle Edwards

Master's Theses

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo’s first wind turbine explores the methods and processes that are employed to manufacture utility scale wind turbines, and applies them to small scale wind turbines. The primary objective is to promote the development of small scale wind turbine blades in ways that resemble, as closely as possible, the construction and methods of utility scale turbine blade manufacturing. Vacuum infusion is employed to create a hollow, multi piece, lightweight design using carbon fiber and fiberglass with an epoxy based resin. A “rapid prototyping” method is developed using high density foam molds that allows short cycle time …

Hole-Type Aerospike Compound Nozzle Thrust Vectoring, Stanley Ikuo Beebe

Master's Theses

Compound aerospike nozzles were designed and tested as part of an ongoing

experimental study to determine the feasibility of thrust vectoring an aerospike

nozzle with the addition of a secondary port. Earlier phases of the study have

indicated that a compound aerospike nozzle could provide sufficient thrust

vectoring. The addition of a hole-type secondary port was found to provide

effective thrust vectoring.

Experiments were carried out to determine the effects of secondary port size,

secondary port inlet geometry and compound aerospike nozzle chamber

pressure. Results show good predictability, axisymmetric flow, and emphasize

the importance of a radius on secondary port …

Rayleigh Flow Of Two-Phase Nitrous Oxide As A Hybrid Rocket Nozzle Coolant, Lauren May Nelson

Master's Theses

The Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo currently maintains a lab-scale hybrid rocket motor for which nitrous oxide is utilized as the oxidizer in the combustion system. Because of its availability, the same two-phase (gas and liquid) nitrous oxide that is used in the combustion system is also routed around the throat of the hybrid rocket’s converging-diverging nozzle as a coolant. While this coolant system has proven effective empirically in previous tests, the physics behind the flow of the two-phase mixture is largely unexplained. This thesis provides a method for predicting some of its …

Development Of A Low Cost Handheld Microfluidic Phosphate Colorimeter For Water Quality Analysis, Sean C. Kaylor

Master's Theses

This thesis describes the design, fabrication, and testing process for a microfluidic phosphate colorimeter utilized for water quality analysis. The device can be powered by, and interfaced for data collection with, a common cell phone or laptop to dramatically reduce costs. Unlike commercially available colorimeters, this device does not require the user to measure or mix sample and reagent. A disposable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluid chip, powered by an absorption pumping mechanism, was used to draw water samples, mix the sample at a specific ratio with a molybdovanadate reagent, and load both fluids into an onboard cuvette for colorimetric analysis. A …

Performance Analysis And Life Prediction For Small Wind Turbine Blades: A Wood Laminate Case Study, Christopher James Nosti

Master's Theses

A detailed study of the fatigue life of wooden wind turbine blades for a new 10 kilowatt system was undertaken. A numerical model of the blades was created using the technical software package MATLAB in order to estimate the maximum stress occurring within the blade in response to changes in wind velocities based on a wind profile approximating the location where these turbines are expected to operate. The material properties of the wooden laminate were measured using an Instron tensile test machine and were found to be in line with published values. In parallel with this effort, a three dimensional …

Drop Impact Reliability Of Edge-Bonded Lead-Free Chip Scale Packages, Andrew Farris, Jianbiao Pan, Albert Liddicoat, Michael Krist, Nicholas Vickers, Brian J. Toleno, Dan Maslyk, Dongkai Shangguan, Jasbir Bath, Dennis Willie, David A. Geiger

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This paper presents the drop test reliability results for edge-bonded 0.5 mm pitch lead-free chip scale packages (CSPs) on a standard JEDEC drop reliability test board. The test boards were subjected to drop tests at several impact pulses, including a peak acceleration of 900 Gs with a pulse duration of 0.7 ms, a peak acceleration of 1500 Gs with a pulse duration of 0.5 ms, and a peak acceleration of 2900 Gs with a pulse duration of 0.3 ms. A high-speed dynamic resistance measurement system was used to monitor the failure of the solder joints. Two edge-bond materials used in …

Design And Development Of Rapid Battery Exchange Systems For Electric Vehicles To Be Used As Efficient Student Transportation, Jonathan A. Bevier

Master's Theses

Rapid battery exchange systems were built for an electric van and pedal assist electric bike as a method of eliminating the need to recharge the vehicles batteries in order to increase the feasibility of using electric propulsion as a method of efficient student transportation. After selecting proper materials it was found that the systems would need a protective coating to ensure consistent operation. 1020 cold rolled steel samples coated with multiple thicknesses of vinyl resin paint, epoxy resin paint, and powder coating were subjected to environmental wear tests in order to determine if the type and thickness of common protective …

Development Of A Reusable Aerospike Nozzle For Hybrid Rocket Motors, Patrick Lemieux

Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, has developed an innovative program of experimental research and development on hybrid rocket motors (where the fuel and the oxidizer are in different phases prior to combustion). One project currently underway involves the development of aerospike nozzles for such motors. These nozzles, however, are even more susceptible to throat ablation than regular converging-diverging nozzles, due the nature of their flow expansion mechanism. This paper presents the result of a recent development project focused on reducing throat ablation in hybrid rocket motor nozzles. Although the method is …

Design, Construction And Evaluation Of A Multi Layered Solar Distillation Prototype, Arlen A. Flanagan

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Water is arguably the most important resource to any individual; especially in areas of deserts and open oceans where drinkable water suppliers are scarce. The prototype Solar Desalination Unit allows normally undrinkable water to be distilled into a potable source with minimal inputs. The unit’s main power source is focused sunlight to thermally heat water inducing evaporation which is then condensed and collected. While solar desalination has been around for many years, lately more complex designs have been investigated in order to increase yields and efficiency. This paper focuses on the design, construction and testing of a Multi-Plate Solar Desalination …

Simulation Of An Oxidizer-Cooled Hybrid Rocket Throat: Methodology Validation For Design Of A Cooled Aerospike Nozzle, Peter Alexander Brennen

Master's Theses

A study was undertaken to create a finite element model of a cooled throat converging/diverging rocket nozzle to be used as a tool in designing a cooled aerospike nozzle. Using ABAQUS, a simplified 2D axisymmetric model was created featuring only the copper throat and stainless steel support ring, which were brazed together for the experimental test firings. This analysis was a sequentially coupled thermal/mechanical model. The steady state thermal data matched closely to experimental data. The subsequent mechanical model predicted a life of over 300 cycles using the Manson-Halford fatigue life criteria. A mesh convergence study was performed to establish …

Carbon Fiber Leaf Springs For Adaptive Cross Country Skiing, William Drew Atkinson

Master's Theses

This work describes the development of a custom sit ski for US Ski Team paralympian Greg Mallory from concept through prototype fabrication. The ski consists of a custom seat molded specifically for the athlete, carbon fiber leaf springs, and a custom binding attachment system compatible with NNN style cross country bindings. The sit ski is designed to maximize poling power through the use of an upright rather than reclined seating position, allowing for increased utilization of core muscle strength. The springs were designed based on information gathered by a custom National Instruments data acquisition system, and stiffness analysis was conducted …