Computer-Aided Engineering and Design Commons^™

Senior Project #7: Longboard Test Apparatus, Derek Chan, Colin Harris, Nico Lee

Mechanical Engineering

The aim of this project is to create a machine that will test longboards made by Method Sports and Freebord. Through analysis and many iterations, Board Busters has assembled a design to fulfill the requirements set forth by these companies, who also sponsor the project. Through use of a four-bar, frame, and two spinning disks, the machine will accurately simulate riding conditions seen by a board in use by customers, allowing the sponsoring companies to improve designs and verify warranties.

Thermocouple Calibration Device, Angelica M. Larios, Cameron D. Peck, Andrew J. Smith

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this project is to develop a thermocouple calibration unit with a high degree of confidence and accuracy. This thermocouple calibration device will be designed and developed at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and delivered to Tesla Motors Inc.

To best utilize thermocouples, they must be calibrated to a known accuracy. Non-commercially produced thermocouples have unknown accuracies. The final deliverable will be a semi-automated device that produces a calibration curve for each thermocouple with a known confidence and accuracy.

Finite Element Modeling Of Ballistic Impact On A Glass Fiber Composite Armor, Dan M. Davis

Master's Theses

Finite Element Modeling of Ballistic Impact on a Glass Fiber Composite Armor

Dan Davis

Experiments measuring the ballistic performance of a commercially available fiberglass armor plate were used to guide the development of constitutive laws for a finite element model of the impact. The test samples are commercially available armor panels, made from E-glass fiber reinforced polyester rated to NIJ level III. Quasi-static tensile tests were used to establish material properties of the test panels. These properties were then used to create models in the explicit finite element code LSDYNA.

Ballistic impact testing of the panels was conducted using a …

Advanced Design Optimization For Composite Structure: Stress Reduction, Weight Decrease And Manufacturing Cost Savings, Shayan Ahmadian

Master's Theses

An injection moldable chopped fiber composite actuator with detailed drawing and tolerances was designed within one year. A vendor was selected and a quote for injection molding tooling cost for production was obtained and the first prototype was built in addition of six months. The risks are identified and material characterization tests are proposed.

The objective of this project was redesigning an aluminum made actuator with a continuous fiber composite for weight saving purposes. After searching the literature and consulting with experts in the field it was concluded that manufacturing costs associated with continuous fiber composite are 3 times as …

Computer Modeling Of The Influence Of Structure Plan Areas On Tornado Forces, Nashmi Hassan M Alrasheedi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of the conventional Straight Line (SL) wind flow dominates research into wind loads on structures. Most structure design takes into account only research into SL flow. Few researchers have studied tornado forces on buildings and attempted to distinguish between tornadic wind loads and SL flow loads. Using a computer simulation, this research addresses and distinguishes between the tornadic forces and SL forces on structures. In the numerical simulation, tornado forces and SL forces will be compared on large structure plan areas and on thin structure plan areas. Additionally this research investigates how the increase in the vortex strength …

Design Of Orbital Maneuvers With Aeroassisted Cubesatellites, Stephanie Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances within the field of cube satellite technology has allowed for the possible development of a maneuver that utilizes a satellite's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and increased atmospheric density to effectively use lift and drag to implement a noncoplanar orbital maneuver. Noncoplanar maneuvers typically require large quantities of propellant due to the large delta-v that is required. However, similar maneuvers using perturbing forces require little or no propellant to create the delta-v required. This research reported here studied on the effects of lift on orbital changes, those of noncoplanar types in particular, for small satellites without orbital maneuvering thrusters. …

The Engineering Process For The Design Of A Motorcycle Chassis And Suspension, Derek J. Noce

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The thesis objective is to define and establish an engineering process for the design of a modern motorcycle chassis and suspension. The engineering process focuses on the interdisciplinary fields of engineering dealing with design and structural optimization. Specialized software, such as Motorcycle Kinematics, MATLAB, CATIA, HEEDS Professional, and NASTRAN are utilized. Motorcycle Kinematics is used to set up the preliminary motorcycle geometry, and MATLAB is a used to analyze the kinematics and stability of the motorcycle based on this geometry. CATIA (Computer Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application) is used to graphically illustrate the geometry of the motorcycle in three dimensional space. …

Feasibility Analysis Of Solid Particles As A Thermal Energy Storage Medium Using Fluidization Process, Sebastian De La Rosa^, Arturo Sepulveda, Vinod Kumar*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Pore Network Model Construction From Ct Scanned Rock Samples For Carbon Sequestration Simulation, Daniel Llausas^, P. Delgado, Vinod Kumar*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Development And Recommendations For A Non-Proprietary, High-Tension, Cable End Terminal System, Ryan J. Terpsma

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cable guardrail systems have been increasing in popularity in recent years due to several perceived benefits over the commonly used W-beam guardrail. A non-proprietary design was desired as an alternative to the many proprietary designs available. A non-proprietary, high-tension cable end terminal was necessary to accompany the non-proprietary, high-tension cable guardrail system under development.

The objective of this research project was to develop design recommendations for a non-proprietary, high-tension cable end terminal. An analysis of several cable guardrail end terminals was undertaken to identify any common features that may prove to be beneficial or detrimental to end terminal designs. Next, …

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Of Alternative Reinforcement Materials For Bridge Superstructures Considering Cost And Maintenance Uncertainties, Christopher D. Eamon, Elin A. Jensen, Nabil F. Grace, Xiuwei Shi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

A life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was conducted on prestressed concrete bridges using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) bars and strands. Traditional reinforcement materials of uncoated steel with cathodic protection and epoxy-coated steel were also considered for comparison. A series of deterministic LCCAs were first conducted to identify a range of expected cost outcomes for different bridge spans and traffic volumes. Then, a probabilistic LCCA was conducted on selected structures that included activity timing and cost random variables. It was found that although more expensive initially, the use of CFRP reinforcement has the potential to achieve significant reductions in life …

Lunalight Project: Solar-Rechargeable Led Lantern And Cell Phone Charger, Sean C. Dawson, Michael E. Deagen, Francisco N. Dye, Brian S. Mircheff, Ryan O. Ramelb

Materials Engineering

Today, 1.6 billion people in the world do not have access to grid electricity. Villagers living off the grid in developing nations resort to kerosene lanterns to light their homes. The fumes from burning kerosene are toxic and lead to respiratory illnesses over time. Our sponsor, OneMillionLights, plans to help people to escape poverty by providing them with a clean source of light at night. Children that must work in the fields during the day can use a solar-rechargeable lantern at night to read or study, and street vendors can use the lanterns at night to improve their businesses.

The …

Feature-Based Neuro-Symbolic Networks For Global Diagnostics, Tracy Lynn Schantz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Engineered system diagnostics have been researched over the years with many successful results. From transportation systems to office technologies, many have been equipped with self-diagnostic capabilities and are called Smart Machines. In spite of these advances, current diagnostic systems are driven by direct sensory information without much concern for patterns of the system behavior or features associated with them. For large-scale systems with complex dynamics, global as well as local diagnostics become of great importance, where sensory information is used as input for the local diagnostics, and patterns of behavior or features are utilized for global diagnostics.

The main objective …

Implementation And Assessment Of A Virtual Reality Experiment In The Undergraduate Themo-Fluids Laboratory, Sushil Chaturvedi, Jaewan Yoon, Rick Mckenzie, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Hector M. Garcia, Shuo Ren

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Results are presented from an NSF supported project that is geared towards advancing the development and use of virtual reality (VR) laboratories, designed to emulate the learning environment of physical laboratories. As part of this project, an experiment in the undergraduate thermo-fluids laboratory course titled "Jet Impact Force" was transformed into a 3-D virtual reality experiment using the widely used MAYA R and VIRTOOLS R software. In order to facilitate students' interactions with the newly created 3-D interactive, immersive and stereoscopic virtual laboratory environment, the human computer interfaces (HCI) were programmed and incorporated in the simulation software. Two immersion levels …

The Effect Of Magnetic Bearing On The Vibration And Friction Of A Wind Turbine, Mark Ryan Vorwaller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Demands for sustainable energy have resulted in increased interest in wind turbines. Thus, despite widespread economic difficulties, global installed wind power increased by over 20% in 2011 alone. Recently, magnetic bearing technology has been proposed to improve wind turbine performance by mitigating vibration and reducing frictional losses. While magnetic bearing has been shown to reduce friction in other applications, little data has been presented to establish its effect on vibration and friction in wind turbines. Accordingly, this study provides a functional method for experimentally evaluating the effect of a magnetic bearing on the vibration and efficiency characteristics of a wind …

Computationally Efficient Finite Element Models Of The Lumbar Spine For The Evaluation Of Spine Mechanics And Device Performance, Sean D. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Finite Element models of the lumbar spine are commonly used for the study of spine mechanics and device performance, but have limited usefulness in some applications such as clinical and design phase assessments due to long analysis times. In this study a computationally efficient L4-L5 FSU model and a L1-Sacrum multi-segment model were developed and validated. The FSU is a functional spine unit consisting of two adjacent vertebral bodies, in this case L4 and L5. The multi-segment model consists of all lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum. The models are able to accurately predict spine kinematics with significantly reduced analysis times, …

Finite Element Analysis Of The Contact Deformation Of Piezoelectric Materials, Ming Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Piezoelectric materials in the forms of both bulk and thin-film have been widely used as actuators and sensors due to their electromechanical coupling. The characterization of piezoelectric materials plays an important role in determining device performance and reliability. Instrumented indentation is a promising method for probing mechanical as well as electrical properties of piezoelectric materials.

The use of instrumented indentation to characterize the properties of piezoelectric materials requires analytical relations. Finite element methods are used to analyze the indentation of piezoelectric materials under different mechanical and electrical boundary conditions.

For indentation of a piezoelectric half space, a three-dimensional finite element …

Historic Calculator Project, Will Harris, Dan Marioni, Kevin Webb, Chad Williams

Mechanical Engineering

The Deutsches Museum of Munich, Germany requested add-on components to their mechanical calculator exhibit. The end-goal is to produce an interactive 3D model in software to demonstrate the functions of the Braun-Vayringe Machine (BVM). There will be four students working on this project at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: two mechanical engineers (Dan Marioni and Will Harris) and two computer engineers (Chad Williams and Kevin Webb).This project involves the coordination of three facilities; the Deutsches Museum, and the Mechanical and Computer Science Departments of Cal Poly. The name of the project is known as the Historic Calculator Project …

Predicting The Acoustic Response Of The Golf Club & Ball Impact Using Finite Elements And The Boundary Element Method, Scott Henry Moreira

Master's Theses

An improved and repeatable method for meshing golf club heads using finite elements in TrueGrid® was developed. Using solid brick elements through the thickness of the club head instead of shell elements better represents the many thickness variations throughout each section of a club head. This method also results in a high quality mesh at the center of the club head sections while still maintaining high quality at the edges. A simulation procedure was also developed to predict the acoustic pressure at a designated point in an acoustic medium of a golf club and ball impact using the BEM and …

Seamless Bridge And Roadway System For The U.S. Practice, Nima Ala

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Expansion joints are one of the main causes for high maintenance costs in bridges. The search for ideal expansion joints has proven fruitless. That is why it has been said that “the best joint is no joint”. A seamless bridge system is envisioned that results in bridges with long service lives by eliminating the joints over the entire length of the bridge, approach slab and a segment of the roadway called transition. All bridge thermal movements are dissipated to zero in the transition. The system is similar to a system developed in Australia but modifications had to be made to …