Computer-Aided Engineering and Design Commons^™

Ballistic Impact Mitigation Pad, Adam Pianalto, Nathan Mayer, Wyatt Smith, Nick Green, Douglas Wild

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In our senior design project we have decided to work under Dr. Jon Gerhardt on creating a gel pad to mitigate blunt force behind bulletproof vests. Extensive research on injury, materials, manufacturing methods, and NIJ standards was completed during this project. Through the use of advanced modeling software and additive manufacturing, we prototyped a functioning pad to test and compare to a pad that is currently available in today's market. The results proved to be very successful, but there are many areas to improve upon down the road.

Energy Analysis Of Heating, Ventilation, And Air Conditioning Systems, Erica Ferguson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project studied Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems for commercial buildings. I completed an energy model Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department in West Virginia. This building’s HVAC has been completed by the consulting engineering firm: Scheeser Buckley Mayfield. I intern at this company, so they allowed me to use their original design as a basis for comparison. Load calculations, utility costs, energy consumption, and carbon footprint were derived from this energy analysis. The energy model compared three systems: variable air volume (VAV) with electric reheat, variable air volume with hydronic reheat, and variable refrigerant volume (VRV). Based on the …

Human Powered Vehicle Team Challenge, Sydney Nedlik, Spencer Brodie, Maria Griffin, William Schell, Ryan Serraglio

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Design and build a Human Powered Vehicle in a team of five. Compete at the ASME HPVC competition in March of 2022. Re-establish the Human Powered Vehicle Team at the University of Akron.

Schaeffler E-Motor, Jenne Harasin, Zachary Zatta, Christopher Tvaroch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will be focusing on the work accomplished at Schaeffler to convert an existing internal combustion engine, Ford F-250 truck, into a battery electric vehicle. This report focuses on the vehicle's integration with an emphasis on the bearing design, e-Axle housing's method for mounting, bus bar design, resolver design, differential options, wiring for low and high voltage, and oil pump and cooling system for e-Beam. The bearings for the differential as well as the power transmission system from the electric motor to the e-Axle will need to be specified. By late summer 2022, Schaeffler will have a working prototype …

Design Of Composite Joints Using Machine Learning Approaches, Natalie Richards

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Adhesively bonded joints have an advantage in joining dissimilar engineering materials due to their high structural efficiency and being lightweight. These joints are either between two opposite laminates or between a composite laminate and a metal structure. The aerospace and automotive industries have seen an increase in utilizing these adhesive joints in their engineering applications. Joint strength along with the failure mode (adhesive, delamination, etc.) is the most important parameter to evaluate when understanding the capability of the adhesive joint. In this paper, a regression and a classification machine learning (ML) model are utilized to predict the failure load and …

Golf Club Cleaner, Owen Roach, Chris Wertenberger, Michael Skerlong

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Cleaning golf clubs can be a tedious process, however a necessary one to maintain equipment. Clubs are normally cleaned by filling a bucket with soap and water, soaking all the clubs to be cleaned, then scrubbing each one individually. An automatic club cleaner would make this process much easier and more enjoyable. Using electric motors, the club cleaner would have spinning brushes in soap and water to quickly and easily clean the club head. The machine would have different sections for cleaning the club head, polishing the club face, and cleaning the grip. The cleaner should be inexpensive and easy …

Multi-Platform Suppressor Design Project, Wyatt A. Openshaw, Alex B. Chiples

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Multi-Platform suppressor is a design that is meant to bridge the gap in the suppressor market by being compatible and configurable with both rifle and pistol platform firearms. In the specific design and prototype referenced in this report, the Multi-Platform suppressor was designed to be used with 9mm pistol and 5.56x45mm rifle calibers with safety, effectiveness, and practicality in mind. To achieve this, the suppressor is configurable, utilizing a Nielsen device in the pistol configuration and a solid mount adapter that replaces the Nielson device piston and spring while in the rifle configuration. This allows the suppressor to retain …

The Study Of 3d Micro-Fluid Printing In Aqueous Two-Phase System, Mian Huang

Dissertations and Theses

Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a technology that allows phase separation in an aqueous environment. This technology can be used for the separation, extraction and purification of a variety of biomolecules and thus gained great attention in industry and academia. This thesis is a combination of ATPS, 3D printing, and microfluidics technologies and realizes the printing of biocompatible aqueous structures in another aqueous matrix. The objectives of this thesis include 1) customizing a regular thermal extrusion 3D printer for printing 3D aqueous structures, 2) printing 3D aqueous structure in an aqueous matrix, and 3) studying the stability of the printed …

Prolonged Exposure To Microgravity Increases Susceptibility To Traumatic Brain Injury, Ryan Baskerville

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the prospect of semi-permanent and permanent habitable fixtures on the moon and Mars, the complications associated with long-term exposure to microgravity should be investigated exhaustively. Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), a group of neurological and ocular effects resulting from prolonged exposure to microgravity, is characterized by significant fluid shifts into the cranium, namely cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and an upward shift of the brain relative to the skull. This syndrome, along with its immediate effects on visual acuity, cognitive ability, and motor function are recognized by NASA, but its effects on susceptibility to traumatic brain injury have yet to …

Modeling Of Patient-Specific Periaortic Mechanics And Pulmonary Artery Hemodynamics Based On Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sequences., Johane H. Bracamonte

Theses and Dissertations

Inverse modeling in cardiovascular medicine is a collection of methodologies that can provide non-invasive patient-specific estimations of clinical risk factors using medical imaging as inputs. Its incorporation into clinical practice has the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment planning with low associated risks and costs.

Herein, three different phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities were implemented as input data, displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE MRI) applied, and time-resolved velocity encoding phase-contrast MRI, in 1D and 3D, applied to pulmonary artery (PA) hemodynamics.

A model to account for the effect of periaortic interactions due to static and dynamic structures …

Development And Optimization Of A Low Volume Air-Jet Dry Powder Inhaler (Dpi) Platform For The Delivery Of High Dose Aerosolized Powder To Infants, Connor Howe

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research project was to develop an infant air-jet dry powder inhaler (DPI) platform for high-efficiency nose-to-lung (N2L) aerosol administration to infants through optimization of individual system components followed by expansion of the system to higher doses and different formulations using a new approach. Primary challenges associated with aerosol delivery to infants using the N2L route include the extremely narrow extrathoracic airways, short inspiratory times (~0.2 sec), low safe airway pressure (H₂O), and very low volumes of air (~10 mL) available to form the aerosol. The infant air-jet DPI system was comprised of three main …

Cfd And Heat Transfer Analysis Of Rocket Cooling Techniques On An Aerospike Nozzle, Geoffrey Sullivan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In recent years the development of rocket engines has been mainly focused on improving the engine cycle and creating new fuels. Rocket nozzle design has not been changed since the late 1960s. Recent needs for reliable and reusable rockets, as well as advancements in additive manufacturing, have brought new interest into the aerospike nozzle concept. This nozzle is a type of altitude adjusting nozzle that is up to 90% more efficient than bell nozzles at low altitudes and spends up to 30% less fuel. Since the nozzle body is submerged in the hot exhaust gasses it is difficult to keep …

Analytical Modeling Of A Novel Elastohydrodynamic Seal Design For Supercritical Co2 Power Cycles, Ikenna C. Ejiogu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) power cycles show great potential for higher plant efficiencies and power densities for a wide range of power generation applications such as fossil fuel power plants, nuclear power production, solar power, and geothermal power generation. sCO₂ leakage has been one of the main concerns in such applications, penalizing the cycle efficiencies. The effect of the seal leakage on the cycle efficiency could be as high as 0.65% for a utility sCO₂ power cycle. Therefore, there is a pressing need for effective sealing solutions to get the full benefit of sCO₂ power …

Workforce Development Strategies In Additive Manufacturing, Mel Cossette, Ismail Fidan, Gaffar Gailani, Angran Xiao

Publications and Research

Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D Printing (3DP), is one of the newest manufacturing technologies with growing utilization in our daily life. Parallel to this growth, new materials, machines, and specific processes are being developed to produce parts in better-finished quality, at lower cost, and with shorter production time. However, workforce education in this evolving field has not advanced at the same pace as the technology, lacking proven curriculums, high-quality/accredited degree programs, and specialized advanced degrees. In this paper, some best practices established by the authors are introduced. The list is far from exhaustive but is proven to be …

Development Of A Thermal Desalination System Using Low Quality Thermal Energy, Takudzwa C. Chipunza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Development of a Thermal Desalination System Using Low Quality Thermal Energy

Takudzwa Chipunza

The blowdown water from the cooling tower of the power plant and the produced water from shale gas industry cannot be disposed directly to the environment as they may contain dissolved solids that are harmful to the environment. A detailed physical and chemical process to remove the mineral and organic solids has been developed in West Virginia University. Such a process includes running the blowdown and produced water through a softening tank, activated carbon tank, and a reverse osmosis (RO) system. The RO reject contains a …

A Parametric Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) Study Of In-Line Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (Hawts) With Yaw, North Alyster Yates

Masters Theses

Because of the constant use of non-renewable fossil fuels, and the enormous impact they have on global warming and pollution, there has been a push to use more eco-friendly and renewable sources for power. One such form is wind power via turbines. The most common form, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs), can generate massive amounts of power. However, they also have a serious flaw in their design. As the wind passes through the swept area of the blades and past the tower, it creates massive disturbances in the airflow. These disturbances are called a ‘wake’. When trying to create a …

The Development Of A Finite Element Model For Ballistic Impact Predictions, Richard Allen Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

Concrete is a widely used product and is an important application throughout industry due to its inexpensive cost and wide range of applications. This work focuses on understanding the behavior of high strength concrete in high strain rate ballistic impact loading scenarios. A finite element analysis was created with the implementation of the Concrete Damage and Plasticity Model 2 (CDPM2) to represent the material behavior. The model’s parameters were calibrated to existing literature and the results were analyzed by a comparison of the impact velocity to residual velocity and a qualitative assessment of the impact crater. The model captured the …

Process Improvement Of Honeysuckle Biscuits And Bakery, Jevon Franklin, Kaela Bellamy, Manuel Quintal, Suheyl Polat

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Honeysuckle Biscuits and Bakery is a locally owned restaurant in Downtown Kennesaw, Georgia. Mitch and Lori Phillips, the owners, opened the restaurant in 2018. The restaurant serves breakfast (with biscuits as its specialty), lunch, coffee, desserts, and specialty cakes. As the business is beginning to outgrow itself, the project manager, Kaela Bellamy, felt it was a need to look at how to best accommodate the growing demand within the new space.

Deep Learning Strategies For Pool Boiling Heat Flux Prediction Using Image Sequences, Connor Heo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of bubble dynamics during boiling is critical to the design of advanced heater surfaces to improve the boiling heat transfer. The stochastic bubble nucleation, growth, and coalescence processes have made it challenging to obtain mechanistic models that can predict boiling heat flux based on the bubble dynamics. Traditional boiling image analysis relies on the extraction of the dominant physical quantities from the images and is thus limited to the existing knowledge of these quantities. Recently, machine-learning-aided analysis has shown success in boiling crisis detection, heat flux prediction, real-time image analysis, etc., whereas most of the existing studies are …

Mission Profile Effects On Automotive Drivetrain Electronics Reliability: Modeling And Mitigation, Bakhtiyar Mohammad Nafis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The reliability of electronic devices is dependent upon the conditions to which they are subject. Temperature variations coupled with differences in thermal expansion between bonded materials results in thermomechanical stresses to build up, which can instigate failure in the interconnects or other critical regions. With the move towards electrification in the automotive industry, there is the increasingly important consideration of powertrain electronics reliability, the pertinent conditions being governed by the drive cycle or mission profile of the vehicle. The mission profile determines the power dissipated by the electronic devices, which determines the peak and mean temperature, temperature swing and the …