Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Enhancing Bifacial Pv Efficiency With The Addition Of A Rear Side Reflector, Neila Watson

Honors Theses

Bifacial photovoltaics are an expanding sector of solar electricity production, collecting solar energy on the front, back, and sides of the module. This increases the efficiency by around 10% to 30% over a typical mono facial cell, which only collects sunlight on the front. However, the performance of bifacial PV arrays depends on a variety of factors, including temperature, shadows, solar insolation, and set-up geometry. The geometry is affected by the tilt angle, the azimuth angle, the height from the ground to the panel, and the reflectance from the ground surface. The addition of a reflector, usually white in color …

Ventilator: An Analysis Of The History, Design, And Current World Implications, Joana Santos

Honors Theses

Due to the sudden COVID-19 pandemic, many countries around the world were not prepared to provide such large amounts of artificial mechanical ventilators to its citizens, causing a shortage around the globe. Artificial ventilators have been continuously developed and improved since the 1900s, and because of their importance in the healthcare industry, technological advancements continue to be made today. This thesis aims to guide its readers through the history of the artificial ventilator, which leads to some of the designs seen in hospitals and intensive care today. It will also show some of the designs that have been developed in …

Derivation And Exploration Of Analytical Aircraft Stability Analysis, Roderick Landreth

Honors Theses

A comprehensive measure of the in-flight stability of an aircraft is essential, though it can take a large amount of resources to do accurately and usefully. Small companies and colleges often don't have the resources to attain accurate experimental or analytical data to describe stable flight before potential failure. This composition investigates methods of completing a static and dynamic stability analysis for an aircraft feasible for a college, small business or hobbyist to complete, with the goal to eliminate the 'barrier of entry' concerning a lack of information and resources. A sample analytical calculation for static stability of Union College's …

Structural Health Monitoring Of Composite Parts: A Review, Jacob Pessin

Honors Theses

Structural health monitoring has the potential to allow composite structures to be more reliable and safer, then by using more traditional damage assessment techniques. Structural health monitoring (SHM) utilizes individual sensor units that are placed throughout the load bearing sections of a structure and gather data that is used for stress analysis and damage detection. Statistical time based algorithms are used to analyze collected data and determine both damage size and probable location from within the structure. While traditional calculations and life span analysis can be done for structures made of isotropic materials such as steel or other metals, composites …

Design Of Natural Composite I-Beam For Sampe 2019, Brian Harkness

Honors Theses

In recent years, the demand for high performance, lightweight, fiber-reinforced composites have grown substantially. Fiberglass and carbon fiber have exemplary material properties that meet the demand and have set the industry standard for performance materials. Although these materials meet their design function, they suffer from high environmental impacts throughout their life cycle and are not cost effective to produce. Flax fiber composites have comparable properties to fiberglass but can be produced more efficiently and production requires much less energy consumption. Flax is a readily available, renewable material that will easily biodegrade once it is the end of its useful life …

Thermoplastic Composite Heat Recovery Ventilator, Keegan Guinn

Honors Theses

Heat recovery ventilation continues to increase in importance as building codes mandate reduced air infiltration and increased energy efficiency. Heat recovery ventilators are able to reduce building heating and cooling loads by transferring heat between the exiting air and incoming ventilation air. In the role of heat recovery ventilation, additively manufactured polymer composite heat recovery ventilators offer significant advantages over traditionally manufactured metallic alloy heat recovery ventilators. Through the implementation of additive manufacturing, the internal geometry of the heat recovery ventilator can be optimized to decrease the head loss across the system and features to improve heat transfer such as …

Design & Evaluation Of Cooling Systems For Photovoltaic Modules, Peter Leary

Honors Theses

There is a persistent need for further development and implementation of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Due to the increase in global population, the disappearance of fossil fuels, and the reality of climate change, renewable power is needed now more than ever. One such renewable power technology is solar photovoltaic, otherwise known as PV. These modules work via silicon cells which are as semiconductors, outputting electrical energy when incident with solar radiation. This is done by separating electrons and protons within the cell. One of the largest issues with PV technology is that there is a linear …

Applications Of Latent Heat Storage Using Phase Change Materials, Daniel Giroux

Honors Theses

Thermal Storage Systems are gaining more attention in recent years with the increased emphasis on more renewable energy sources. Energy storage is necessary whenever there is greater amounts of energy being produced than is required. Various improvements to the conventional heat storage system can be made by integrating latent heat storage into the conventional heat storage system. Latent heat storage can be utilized for thermal storage applications by using phase change materials, materials that will undergo a change in their physical state in the temperature range desired for heat storage.

Analysis was conducted on four different waxes considering the waxes …

Development Of A Fully Instrumented, Resonant Tensegrity Strut, Kentaro Barhydt

Honors Theses

A tensegrity is a structure composed of a series of rigid members connected in static equilibrium by tensile elements. A vibrating tensegrity robot is an underactuated system in which a set of its struts are vibrated at certain frequency combinations to achieve various locomotive gaits. Evolutionary robotics research lead by Professor John Rieffel focuses on exploiting the complex dynamics of tensegrity structures to control locomotion in vibrating tensegrity robots by finding desired gaits using genetic algorithms. A current hypothesis of interest is that the optimal locomotive gaits of a vibrating tensegrity exist at its resonant frequencies.

In order to observe …

Role Of Diagnostic Monitoring Software Versus Fault-Tolerant Components In The Development Of Spacecraft Avionics Systems, Andrew Attorri

Honors Theses

In any spacecraft, there are several systems that must work simultaneously to ensure a safe mission. One critical system is the ‘avionics’ system, which is comprised of all of the electronic controls on-board the spacecraft, as well as radio links to other craft and ground stations. These systems are present for both manned or unmanned spacecraft.

Throughout the history of spaceflight, there have been several disasters related to avionics failures. To make these systems safer and more reliable, two main strategies have been adopted. The first, more established approach is through use of fault-tolerant components, which can operate under a …

Analysis Of The Properties Of Supercapacitors And Possible Applications For The Technology, Vincent Oliveto

Honors Theses

Supercapacitors have a lot of excellent qualities that would make them a great substitute for batteries when it comes to electrical energy storage systems. Supercapacitors can discharge and charge very rapidly, they have a lifespan in the realm of millions of cycles, and they are much more efficient than batteries. Unfortunately, they cannot hold nearly as much charge as batteries. This paper seeks to further investigate the properties of supercapacitor technology and the best way to exploit these properties with the purpose of integrating them into renewable energy systems. There is currently a lot of research occurring around the world …

Optimization Of Superhydrophobic Surface Production Using Ambient-Dried Silica-Based Aerogels, Elizabeth Donlon

Honors Theses

Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit particular properties that make them functional in various anti-sticking, anti-contamination, self-cleaning and drag reduction applications. Though such surfaces are found in nature - most notably the lotus leaf - they are difficult to produce. There are numerous methods and techniques for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces. One such method is the sol-gel method, in which aerogel, a highly porous and lightweight material that can be made hydrophobic or superhydrophobic, is coated onto a surface. The purpose of this project is to devise a simple and repeatable procedure for making hydrophobic silica aerogel coatings that can be used for drag …

Design Of A Robotic Cownose Ray, Mark Marzotto

Honors Theses

Nature often inspires advances in science and technology and a promising example of this is mimicking locomotion of underwater animals. The main ways in which manmade aquatic vehicles propel themselves are water jets and propellers, which are inconsistent with how underwater animals swim. The cownose ray displays very efficient thrust with low frequency strokes by using a combination of oscillations and undulations with its pectoral fins. The goal of this paper is to mechanically replicate the actual fin motion of the cownose ray in order to capture these attractive features. The design will account for both the oscillations by designing …

Environmentally Friendly Sneakerboot Shanks And Their Effect On Aerobic Performance And Human Walking Gait, Adam Ashcroft

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research endeavor is to identify and record the differences in human performance from altering the shank material of a Forsake “Trail” sneakerboot. Three materials were analyzed in this study: the legacy nylon material that is currently used in Forsake boots, a PEEK thermoplastic impregnated carbon fiber, and a resin impregnated flax composite. The stiffness of each material was calculated using a standardized ISO 18896 longitudinal stiffness test. Each shank was then installed in size 10.5 (USA) “Trail” boots using an identical installation method in Forsake’s factory. The human performance tests were quantified by measuring the heart …

High Performance Thermal Insulation: Silica Aerogels In Construction Technology, Matthew Giarrusso

Honors Theses

The United States is a world leader in the production and expenditure of energy, accounting for 18% of the total global energy consumption in 2016, 40% of which was used for the heating, cooling, and lighting of commercial and residential buildings. Currently, traditional air-based insulation products are being used in thicker and more numerous layers in an attempt to keep up with contemporary codes and standards. One promising alternative to traditional insulation is silica aerogel. With a remarkably low density and thermal conductivity, silica aerogel could save energy, space, and weight in new and retrofit structures. Silica aerogels are currently …

Diesel Particulate Generation, Matthew Ferdenzi

Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to design a diesel particulate generator to test aerogels as diesel particulate filters. Diesel particulate generators are machines that generate diesel particulate matter, or diesel soot. Diesel particulate filters have been recently put into the market to help many car companies meet the ever-changing diesel emission regulations set by the EPA and other international agencies. The main goal of the filter is to block soot from exiting to the environment. Once the filter is full, the soot is oxidized and released. The problem with these filters is that they are large, costly, detrimental to …

Design Of Diffusiometer For Aerogel Monoliths, Kamin Sylvia

Honors Theses

Aerogels’ have great potential to be used as catalytic substrates and filters. To use them as such, we must first understand how gas flows through them. Diffusivity is a property of aerogels that relates the gas flow through a sample with the pressure gradient driving the flow. This project sets out to design an experimental apparatus (diffusiometer) and methodology that can be used to obtain diffusivity values of various kinds of aerogels. Adapting the method outlined in Stumpf et. al 1992[1], a diffusiometer was designed and built for aerogels at sub-atmospheric pressures. This device utilizes a control mass system rather …

Multicomponent Working Fluids In Organic Rankine Cycle Evaporators, Jennifer Fromm

Honors Theses

Organic Rankine cycles are a promising technology to convert waste heat energy into usable mechanical or electric power, giving them the potential to reduce fossil fuel emissions generated by traditional energy generation. The heat exchangers of these devices are of particular interest, as maximizing energy extraction from these free heat sources will increase net electrical power output. For this project I created a model to predict the effects of mixture working fluids on the evaporator performance of an organic Rankine cycle generator for a wide range of waste heat source temperatures. This model combines empirically derived heat exchanger performance parameters …

Triboelectric Turbines: Design And Construction Of A Multi-Rotor Counter-Rotating Wind Turbine Utilizing Direct-Current Triboelectric Nanogenerators, Adam Forti

Honors Theses

Direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators (DC-TENG) harness the friction generated between dissimilar rotating materials and convert it to useable electrical power. One of the many potential applications of this technology is in small scale renewable energy. A wind turbine was designed in which multiple DC-TENG generators would be attached to turbine blades of varying dimensions. This project involved the design and construction of several rotating DC-TENG prototypes, followed by measuring the electrical output of each nanogenerator at various rotational speeds.

Design And Manufacture Of A Tick Collecting Robot, Jeremy Manus

Honors Theses

The overall goal of this research project is to fully design, manufacture, and test a robot for tick collection. The robot will be designed to collect ticks in regions with thickly branched vegetation, specifically including shrubs, trees, and leaf liter. The robot will be useful to biologists who collect ticks for research or disease control purposes, because it will reach areas that are inaccessible to human-powered collection methods and thus provide them with a more accurate estimate of the tick density in a given region. Obtaining a more precise tick density is crucial, because it provides more detailed information about …

Design Of Three And Four Link Suspensions For Off Road Use, Benjamin Davis

Honors Theses

This thesis outlines the process of designing a three link front, and four link rear suspension system. These systems are commonly found on vehicles used for the sport of rock crawling, or for recreational use on unmaintained roads. The paper will discuss chassis layout, and then lead into the specific process to be followed in order to establish optimal geometry for the unique functional requirements of the system. Once the geometry has been set up, the paper will discuss how to measure the performance, and adjust or fine tune the setup to optimize properties such as roll axis, antisquat, and …

Dual-Purpose Air Conditioner, Bo Dubois

Honors Theses

A dual-purpose air conditioner was designed to cool the air in the sunroom at my house in New York State while simultaneously heating the water in my pool. During the summer, the air in the sunroom reaches temperatures over 120°F, which has damaged electronic equipment in the room and makes the room undesirable to use. The proposed system utilizes a stainless-steel tube-fin cross flow exchanger to transfer heat from the air in the sunroom to the water in the pool. The system was designed to use a 115V fan kit to circulate the air at 520 CFM and a 2/25 …

Design Of A New Ice Thermal Energy Storage System, Andrew Fontaine

Honors Theses

Over the past 30 years, alternative energy sources and concepts have been researched and desired as current energy resources are diminishing. One such alternative energy concept is an Ice Thermal Energy Storage system (ITES). ITES systems both store and create ice that helps them serve as a cold sink that can be used to cool down buildings using only the ice in the system. This project explores a new and more complex type of ITES system that decreases the heat transfer into the system, lengthens the amount of time the ice in the system stays frozen, and lessens the amount …

Synthesis Of Electrically Conductive Polylactic Acid Composites For 3d Printing, Zhixin Kang

Honors Theses

3D printing technology is a process of synthesizing an object by slicing a three-dimensional object into two-dimensional layers. It is making its mark as it reshapes product development and manufacturing industry in which everyone can participate in the process of 3D printing.The demand for various types of materials is increasing as customers become more innovative with designs. The overarching goal of this project was to create innovative 3D printing materials for a conventional 3D printer. Conductive filaments allow us to 3D print electrically conductive components using almost any commercially available desktop 3D printer. The electrically conductive filament for this research …

Co-Flow Jet (Cfj) Airfoils Practicality In Engineless Airplanes, Kathleen Matthews

Honors Theses

This paper investigates the co-flow jet (CFJ) airfoils ability to further current aviation designs to be more environmental. With high cost and large contribution to carbon footprints, aeronautical designers look to drag reduction to decrease dependencies on fuel. Primary research on CFJ airfoils is led by Dr. Zha at the University of Miami. Through various forms of analysis, CFJ airfoils use a jet stream to create movement of air in the boundary layer region that helps create more lift reduce flow separation, thereby increasing stall margin and creates a thrust force. However, with further investigation, the magnitude of thrust created …

Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling And Analysis Of Small Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, Madeline Samuell

Honors Theses

As the demand for wind power grows the technology used to research and further develop wind power must become more sophisticated. Experiments are expensive and require high end test facilities; a commonly used alternative to experimentation are computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of wind turbines. For this project Star- CCM+ a CFD software was used to determine the power generated by small scale horizontal axis wind turbines. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations were applied to the models in order to solve for the average flow. Though a variety of different types of simulations were used the focus was on …

Gasoline Confined In Nano-Porous Media, Matthew Giso

Honors Theses

The heat of combustion was determined for gasoline confined in nano-porous media of differing pore size by bomb calorimetry. The heat of combustion of the confined fuels was comparable to that of bulk within the experimental uncertainty. This suggests that all of the confined fuel burns without any flame quenching and no chemical interactions at the interface between pore walls and fuel mitigate combustion.

Heat Of Fusion Of Primary Alcohol Confined In Nanopores, Harrisonn Griffin

Honors Theses

Melting behavior of physically confined 1-decanol in nano porous silica was probed using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). In agreement with the Gibbs-Thomson prediction, we observe that the melting temperature of the confined 1-decanol scales inversely with the physical size of the pores. Contrary to the assumption used in developing the Gibbs-Thomson equation, however, the apparent heat of fusion decreases as the pore size decreases. Previously, several models have been proposed where interfacial layers of molecules do not participate in the phase transition and thereby would not contribute to the heat of fusion. While these could reconcile the seeming contradiction, …

Kinetic Modeling Of Catalytic Aerogels, Yi Cao

Honors Theses

As pollution becomes an increasing concern globally, strict regulations have been set on vehicle pollutant emissions. The three-way catalytic converter is capable of converting toxic emissions such as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides to less hazardous waste such as carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen. Current catalysts employ platinum group metals, which are expensive and environmentally damaging to mine. Catalytically-active aerogels such as Co-Al, Cu-Al and V-Al aerogels have shown promise as alternatives to these metals. The work presented here adapts and extends a global kinetic model which predicts the conversion of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide on platinum catalyst …

The Design Of An Optimized Patient-Specific In Vivo Spinal Fusion Cage Using Additive Manufacturing, Gorman Donnelly

Honors Theses

This project involved the design of an all-in-one patient-specific lumbar spinal fusion cage using Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) manufacturing. The cage is zero-profile and does not need the use of supplemental fixation. It was manufactured out of the titanium alloy Ti 6Al-4V using a DMLS rapid prototyping machine from a third party company. The endplates of the cage are patient-specific allowing for a larger surface contact area between the cage and the vertebral bodies than most cages on the market. This fosters a more successful fusion as well as decreases surgery time, effectively decreasing recovery time. Different porosity variations …