Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

An Experimental Method To Calculate Coefficient Of Friction In Mecanum Wheel Rollers And Cost Analysis Using Dfma Techniques, Nishant Sonawane

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Mecanum wheel is a special kind of omni-directional wheel which is designed for robot vehicles. The purpose of this thesis is to work on geometry and working of Mecanum wheel rollers and to conduct experiments on these rollers to find its values of coefficient of friction in different conditions. This thesis also includes the work conducted to formulate the equations which can be used to find different parameters of roller for its motion, kinematics, rolling, friction and overall impact with respect to the working of a robot. The work is tested in experiments and the values are compared with previous …

Development And Prototype Validation Of An Additive Manufactured Cubesat Propulsion Tank, Geovanni A. Solorzano

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine if a cubesat propellant tank using the additive manufacturing technology of direct metal laser sintering meets the requirements, and material properties of a conventionally manufactured tank. Additionally, to see if additive manufactured parts are a viable option to be used in cubesat applications. This was accomplished by designing a model which will be used by the ARAPAIMA cubesat that meets all the Air Force's University Nanosatellite Program (UNP), NASA's and Department of Defense's requirements for pressurized vessels and material properties. A finite element analysis study was conducted to determine where and when …

Lumped Parameter Model For A Self Powered Fontan Palliation Of The Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Jang Ho Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Out of all newborn infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), 8% have a single functioning ventricle. The Fontan surgical procedure, where the superior and inferior venous returns are connected directly to the pulmonary arteries to allow the single functioning ventricle to perfuse the systemic circulation, has been around for decades, yet the patients who undergo this operation suffer from chronic illnesses and their survivability is less than 50% by adulthood [1-10]. Some suggest that the Fontan operation can be improved by implanting a synthetic pump. However, synthetic pumps also present some complications due to mechanical failure, risk of stroke, and …

Random Actuation Pattern Optimization By Genetic Algorithm For Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring Of Plates, Pierrot R. Derjany

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The objective of this research is to investigate an optimized two-dimensional random pattern of uniformly excited points using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique for structural health monitoring. The point excitations generate ultrasonic waves in both isotropic and anisotropic materials that can be effective in diagnosing structural defects. The formed ultrasonic waves can constructively interfere and send out an intense wave beam to a predetermined target. The constructed wave beams can be steered to different directions with variable target distances. In the GA, the cost function is constructed to reduce main lobe beamwidth, eliminate grating lobes and suppress sidelobes’ levels. Mathematical …

Design And Validation Of Hardware-In-The-Loop Testbed For Proximity Operations Payloads, Kristia K. Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The research presented here is a new testbed design for CubeSat and payload testing and development. This research demonstrates a low-cost, hardware-in-the-loop testing apparatus for use with university CubeSat programs for testing throughout the different levels of the development process. The average university CubeSat program undergoes very little hardware-in-the-loop testing. Most of the focus is the targeted towards performance testing and environmental testing which occur after completion the development process. This research shows that, for minimal schedule and cost impact, testing can occur early in the development process. The testbed presented here demonstrates suitable accuracy to be used for advanced …

The Epa P3 Program: An Opportunity For Growing Student Entrepreneurs, Marc Compere, Yan Tang, Yung Wong

Publications

In this paper we will share our experiences of fostering entrepreneurial spirit through projects funded by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Program which hosts the P3 collegiate competition for designing solutions for a sustainable future. Since 2012, we have integrated the P3 competition with the capstone design course of Clean Energy Systems track in mechanical engineering as an effective educational vehicle for introducing the concept of sustainable design. Since the competition focuses on designs which have values of real world application, it is also a great opportunity to create entrepreneurial spirit. We have successfully turned …

Supersonic Retro-Propulsion Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Applied To Future Mars Mission, Margarita Nataly Brandt

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Supersonic Retro-Propulsion is one of the most promising emerging technologies being considered by NASA for use in future Mars missions. This new form of Entry Descent Landing has the potential to help increase the allowable payload mass currently constraining many science instruments and operations. Computational Fluid Dynamics was used to show the feasibility of supersonic retro - propulsion in Mars atmospheric conditions. The results presented show the SRP will be able to perform satisfactory using the same conditions that the Curiosity Rover was exposed to during its landing sequence. The plume expansion was analyzed for various cases, moving from free …

Design And Manufacturing Of A Mecanum Wheel For The Magnetic Climbing Robot, Shruti Deepak Kamdar

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

An AndyMark Mecanum Wheel has been re-designed for better performance and utilization by Helical Robotics. Mecanum Wheel is a complex "Omni-Directional" wheel that currently contains several drawbacks. The drawbacks include design, usage of hobby grade material, bumps in rollers, etc. A comprehensive design of the Mecanum wheel is being presented using Computer Aid Software, CAD and analysis tools, such as Finite Element Analysis, FEA. The different concepts were hand sketched using various parameters and then implemented in a CAD software-- CATIA. The Mecanum Wheel's feasibility was thoroughly studied through ANSYS software. Load analysis was performed using various materials and several …

The Design For Manufacturing And Assembly Analysis And Redesign Of An Aircraft Refueling Door Hinge Utilizing Additive Manufacturing, Kurt A. Schwarz

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In this thesis, an aircraft door hinge assembly provided by Gulfstream Aerospace was analyzed following an established process called DFMA. The hinge was then redesigned to be additively manufactured, which is uncommon currently in industry for load bearing components. It was shown that the Design for Manufacturing (DFM) guidelines were inadequate when applied to the new technology of additive manufacturing (AM). This was primarily due to AM's unique and unprecedented manufacturing capabilities.

A conservative redesign approach was followed due to a limitation in current AM material properties and time available for analysis. Despite this, a significant improvement in weight reduction …

Nasa Human Exploration Rover Challenge, Gabriella E. Fortes, Zach Henney, Mo Sabliny, Johnnie Perry, Jessica Chow, Jessica Turcios, Aaron Taylor, Brenda Haven

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge, held annually in at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is an engineering design challenge that asks teams of student engineers to design a human-powered vehicle capable of traversing a simulated lunar surface. The rover must be able to be transported in a 5x5x5 foot cube, echoing the design constraint faced by the engineers who built the Lunar Roving Vehicles used by the astronauts of the later Apollo missions.

Suborbital Spaceflight: A Student Team’S Plan To Send A Rocket To Space, Bryce Chanes, William Carpenter, Julio Benavides, Matthew Haslam, Brenda Haven

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The Eagle Space Flight Team was created with the goal of becoming the first undergraduate team to design, build, and launch a rocket capable of suborbital spaceflight. In order to achieve this goal, the team will have to design a rocket capable of atmospheric flight at speeds over Mach 5 and launch it on one of the largest amateur rocket motors ever made. Over the next three years, the team will progress towards accomplishing this feat through a series of incremental test flights. Before the space flight, the team will build three sub-scale rockets designed to reach altitudes of 30,000’, …