Digital Commons Network^™

Brush Seal Cycling Test Rig, Angelo J. Reis, Neil M. Bedagkar, Max A. Soury, Eoin K. Lenham

Mechanical Engineering

To prevent backflow from the high pressure compressor stages of their gas turbines to lower pressure regions, Solar Turbines utilizes brush seals along their driveshafts. Due to manufacturing limitations, no shaft is perfectly symmetric about its rotating axis, leading to orbiting that creates asymmetric friction on the shaft through rubbing. With this biased application of friction comes a hotspot on one side of the shaft, causing bowing of the shaft and cascading into an amplified vibrational response. Our goal is to gather data on this phenomenon and offer a potential solution.

Micro Mobile Home R3, Roha Y. Ali, Yuka M. Iwashita, Luke C. Douglas, Joshua Q. Le

Mechanical Engineering

Homelessness is an ever-growing issue all around the world. In 2023, over 250,000 or ~40% of all people experiencing homelessness did not have access to shelter spaces in the U.S. [1]. All people have the right to a place where they are safe from violence, crime, and the constant fear that they will be forced out.

Both homeless people and outdoor enthusiasts need a new way to keep themselves and their belongings safe when living outdoors, since existing products do not offer adequate security, portability, or versatility.

Large Backflow Check Valve Life Cycle Test Stand, Colin Bentley, Christopher Carloni, Ethan Gray, Luke Romanini

Mechanical Engineering

Backflow preventers are plumbing devices containing internal check valves used to prevent cross-contamination between downstream contaminants and potable water supply. Zurn Wilkins needs a life cycle test stand to mechanically force open check valves submerged in contaminated water and verify check performance. The stand needs to be modular to work with a range of check types and sizes.

Zurn Wilkins is the primary stakeholder for this project. Secondary stakeholders include commercial and residential building owners, contractors, and water utility companies, who rely on their products for safe and efficient water management. The team for this project consists of four Cal …

Characterization Of Indoor Air Quality And Thermal Comfort Of University Classrooms, Andrew Sugamele

Master's Theses

Indoor air quality (IAQ) significantly affects cognitive performance, yet many older buildings at Cal Poly, such as Building 20, struggle to maintain healthy indoor environments due to outdated ventilation systems. This thesis aims to identify issues and provide suggestions on how we can improve the learning environment to improve student success within Building 20. Temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration inside Building 20 were measured from January to April 2025. To determine the effects of different ventilation strategies, a model of Building 20, room 128, was developed and validated using DesignBuilder. Additionally, ventilation rates were measured …

Developing Machine Learning Models And Graphene-Based Flexible Humidity And Temperature Sensors For Machine-Learning-Assisted Sensing, Seth Hajian

Dissertations

Flexible sensor technology has recently gained tremendous momentum in both academic research and industrial applications, transitioning from conceptual frameworks to practical implementations across diverse fields. This remarkable advancement can be attributed to several converging factors, including the maturation of nanomaterial science, the advancements of machine learning algorithms, and the critical demand for intelligent sensing solutions in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation. The growing emphasis on personalized medicine and real-time health monitoring, accelerated by global health challenges, has further highlighted the necessity for accurate, cost-effective, and adaptable sensing platforms. This dissertation presents the fulfillment of three interconnected research projects focused …

Farmnav-Uav: A Field-Ready Autonomous Uav For Tracking Static And Dynamic Trajectories In Agricultural Applications, Veera Venkata Ram Murali Krishna Rao Muvva

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study presents the design and development of a custom-built uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) tailored for precision agriculture. Unlike commercial UAVs, which are often constrained by proprietary systems and limited hardware customization, the proposed platform emphasizes modularity, upgradeability, and cost-effectiveness. The UAV is equipped with a Cube Blue flight controller for reliable low-level actuation and a Raspberry Pi 4 companion computer that executes a Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm for high-level trajectory optimization and stability enhancement.

Most conventional UAV autopilot systems rely on non-optimal control strategies, such as proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers, which can be inadequate for dynamic or resource-constrained environments. …

Degradation Characterization Of Nopal-Based Biopolymer Made From Opuntia Sp. Juice, Beeswax, Animal Protein, And Polyvinyl Alcohol, Logan Williams, Mary Elizabeth Holland, Spencer Williams

Materials Engineering

Since the introduction of polymers in the 1960s, there has been an exponential increase in use. Driven by rapidly growing demand, the volume of polymers in the production, application, and end-of-life stages has surged. The widespread use of these materials has led to escalating environmental pollution, which disrupts ecosystems, and contributes to global ecological degradation. While advancements in recycling technologies and infrastructure have shown promise, they have not maintained pace with polymer production and disposal. This imbalance warrants research into sustainable alternatives. Environmentally benign polymers derived from renewable sources and exhibiting minimal ecological impact at the end of their life …

Automation Of Post Fermentation Must Removal, Grace Hurley, Jakob Spink, Ariel Metscher

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The Harvest Haulers project addresses a critical operational inefficiency at Saucelito Canyon Winery, where post-fermentation must removal from wine barrels was labor-intensive and potentially hazardous. This project aimed to develop a custom forklift attachment that could securely handle Bordeaux and Burgundy barrels, streamline the dumping process, and improve worker safety.

The resulting solution is a forklift-compatible fixture designed to lift, secure, and tilt barrels using a robust combination of a modified aluminum pallet, padded hoop, ratchet straps, and a custom hinge mechanism. The design meets all engineering requirements, including a 600 lb. load capacity, 135° tilt, and a single-operator setup …

Integrating High Throughput Phenotyping Approaches To Characterize Plant Traits And Support Nutrient Management Research, Katie J. Bathke

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past decade, considerable research has addressed the social, economic, and agronomic challenges posed by imbalanced nutrient applications, particularly nitrogen and, more recently, sulfur. In response, high throughput plant phenotyping, as one of the latest approaches, has contributed to the development of innovative techniques for assessing key plant phenotypes under stress over time in both field and greenhouse environments. However, there is a limited number of studies applying these techniques for nutrient management, particularly in scenarios where two abiotic stressors coexist, such as the combination of water stress and nitrogen deficiency, or concurrent nitrogen and sulfur deficiencies.

In chapter …

Building Confidence, Building Careers: An Industry-Informed Evaluation Of A High School Aec Camp, Madisen Berube

Construction Management

This study assesses the effectiveness of the Girls Build Summer Academy, an architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) summer camp for high school girls, and similar programs by gathering and analyzing feedback from industry professionals. The research aims to identify which program elements most successfully inspire interest and build foundational skills for young women considering careers in architecture, engineering, and construction. An anonymous survey was distributed to AEC professionals, some who were familiar with the program. The survey included multiple choice, rankings, and open-ended questions to evaluate areas for improvement and future curriculum development. Findings revealed strong support for interactive learning …

A Review Of Work-Life Balance Among Recent Cal Poly Graduates, Max Murphy

Construction Management

Work-life balance has been a heavily debated topic in the construction industry, especially post-COVID. Due the popularization of the topic as well as the introduction of “hybrid” work schedules among multiple industries the idea of work-life balance within the construction industry has become prevalent. This paper aims to gather data about work-life balance and stress among the construction management industry. A survey was distributed to recently graduated construction management students from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo to gather quantitative data regarding work-life balance, commuting, work hours, stress, and mental health. This survey also features a voluntary section …

Assessment Of Mental Wellbeing Programs In The Construction Industry, Evan James Olszak

Construction Management

Mental health problems are very prevalent within the construction industry, and there is not enough attention put towards the mental wellbeing of employees in the industry. The construction industry is ranked #2 for deaths by suicide, and #1 when mining and extraction are included (CDC, 2021). Previous research has been done to understand the severity of the issue, and some programs have been started to spread awareness and train employees. The issue arises in a lack of analysis of these programs. The programs that are being used are still in their infancy and require a comprehensive review to understand the …

Discovering The Effective Actions Of Upstanders And Tackling Implicit Bias In The Workplace: Findings From A Workshop, Jacob H. Defreeuw

Construction Management

This project focused on exploring how both university students and construction industry professionals recognize and respond to opportunities to act as upstanders in workplace settings, particularly in support of underrepresented groups. The research aimed to bridge the gap between current industry practices surrounding implicit bias and the practical realities of advocating for inclusiveness on construction sites and in office environments. To achieve this, surveys were distributed to industry professionals, an in-depth literature review of modern upstander and implicit bias training strategies was performed, and a student-centered workshop was held at the Cal Poly Women in Construction Symposium. The workshop featured …

Load Balancing In Mobile Networks Using Deep Reinforcement Learning And Traffic Prediction, Shorouk Raafat Mokhtar Abouamasha

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless communication networks are advancing at a rapid pace, driven by various challenges and ambitious goals. This rapid growth is driven by a range of applications, including technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as innovations in smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and more. Different applications demand specific performance criteria such as high data throughput, low latency, robust reliability, and efficient energy usage. In this thesis, we investigate two enhancements that can be adopted in wireless networks to tackle the challenges of resource optimization and network management. The motivation behind this is the fact that future networks will face …

Conversational Social Robot, Julianna M. Christopoulos, Mackenzie Goldman, Cece E. Hujanen, Jared Hunter

Mechanical Engineering

Background: Social robots are used in various settings to reduce burden on human workers and expand opportunities for people in need of assistance.

Challenge: Design a humanoid robot head and torso capable of holding conversations and interacting with a user using a LLM and motion. Conversations are limited to discussing Cal Poly resources and opportunities with visitors to the Bently Research Center on campus.

3d Printed Cnt/Tpu Triboelectric Nanogenerator For Load Monitoring Of Total Knee Replacement, Osama Abdalla, Mahmood Chahari, Milad Azami, Amir Ameli, Emre Salman, Milutin Stanacevic, Ryan Willing, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

This study presents the development and characterization of a novel triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) designed as a self-powered sensor for load monitoring in total knee replacement (TKR) implants. The triboelectric layers comprise a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix with carbon nanotube (CNT) nanoparticles and kapton tape, sandwiched between two copper electrodes. To optimize sensor performance, the proposed CNT/TPU TENG sensor is fabricated with varying CNT concentrations and thicknesses, enabling a comprehensive analysis of how material composition and structural parameters influence energy harvesting efficiency. The 1% CNT/TPU composite demonstrates the highest power output among the tested samples. The solid CNT/TPU-based TENG generated …

Mae Enewsbrief Jan-Mar 2025, Department Of Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Optical Character Recognition For Early Handwriting Legibility Assessment, Franceli L. Cibrian, Kayla Anderson, Yingying 'Yuki' Chen, Lauren Min, Lizbeth Escobedo

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Monitoring children’s handwriting, such as avoiding writing assignments, displaying uneven letter formation, or showing slow writing speed, can help identify developmental and academic issues early. Poor handwriting affects up to 34% of children, leading to academic and self-esteem challenges. Handwriting assessments, typically conducted by teachers, are often delayed due to workload and could be subjective and inconsistent. This paper explores the potential of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to augment and ease handwriting assessments. Based on an evaluation of 10 OCR algorithms using 33 handwriting samples assessed by two experts, the research indicates that Pen to Print and Google are …

Comparative Study Of Experimental And Fea Strain Data For Cnt-Coated Fiberglass Sensors, Extensometers, And Metal Foil Strain Gauges, Omar Dwidar

Master's Theses

Material testing is essential across industries such as aerospace, automotive, and construction, playing a critical role in verifying material selection, diagnosing failures, and understanding the development of flaws in structures. These insights are key to designing successful, reliable systems. Conventional metal foil strain gauges are low cost and reliable but provide limited sensitivity with a typical gauge factor around 2. Extensometers provide highly sensitive strain measurements with the disadvantage of a bulky form factor. With advanced materials such as carbon nanotubes, it is possible to manufacture a sensor with the sensitivity closer to that of an extensometer with the small …

Intraoperative Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Fluorescence Imaging For Navigating Open Orthopedic Surgeries, Yue Tang

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Infection following trauma is one of the most prevalent and challenging complications faced by orthopedic surgeons. Inadequate tissue perfusion plays a critical role in this complication, as poorly perfused bone can be a nidus for bacterial biofilm formation and promote resistance to antibiotic treatments. Consequently, the management of open fractures and fracture-related infections relies on aggressive and thorough debridement to remove all poorly perfused bone. This thesis focuses on developing an indocyanine green (ICG)-based dynamic contrast-enhanced fluorescence imaging (DCE-FI) to objectively measure bone perfusion during open orthopedic surgeries and guide surgical debridement of devitalized bone.

Novel methodologies were developed to …

Hardware-In-The-Loop Testing For The Polysim Adcs Lab, Shealyn P. Miller

Master's Theses

Hardware-in-the-loop, HIL, testing is an important tool for the validation and verification of systems in the aerospace industry. A common subsystem to be tested using HIL testing is the attitude, dynamics, and controls subsystem, ADCS. This is due to HIL tests using realistic simulations of the space environment to control physical hardware. To create a HIL test, a simulation and HIL interface are needed to test and communicate with hardware. Using a Speedgoat Performance Real-Time Target Machine to communicate with a Raspberry Pi and a Simulink model, three tests were conducted to ensure communication was functioning properly. A simulation, in …

Assessment Of The Imx7ulp Heterogeneous Soc For Use In A Next Generation Student Cubesat Obc, Lorenzo A. Pedroza

Master's Theses

CubeSats represent a rapidly evolving platform for space research, industry, and education, demanding increasingly sophisticated onboard computing solutions that balance performance, fault tolerance, size, weight, and power constraints. Although the design of the Cal Poly's CubeSat Lab's (PolySat) current On-Board Computer (OBC) keeps up with many of these factors, the demands of modern workloads like fine attitude determination will start to outpace available compute. While the selection of a more capable processor to address this would have traditionally resulted in increased energy usage, modern system-on-chip (SoC) architectures offer novel ways to trade available compute for power savings on-the-fly. With this …

Leveraging Machine-Learning Algorithms In Two Car Crash Detection Systems On A Custom Dataset, Addison Jacob Sandvik

Master's Theses

Traffic accidents pose a significant threat to public safety, causing millions of deaths and injuries worldwide each year. While efforts to reduce accidents have seen limited progress in recent years, improving emergency response times through automated detection systems is a promising avenue for saving lives. This thesis describes the development of machine learning-based traffic accident detection systems, exploring both video classification and image detection models. The models are trained on a new dataset deemed the Cal Poly Traffic Accident Dataset, an extension of the existing Car Accident Detection and Prediction (CADP) dataset with a precise collision annotations. Two systems were …

Evaluating Nanobubble-Enriched Water Treatments For Cleaning Stainless Steel Winery Tanks At The Gallo Winery Research Station In Livingston, California, Edgar Godoy-Garcia

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Evaluating nanobubble-enriched water treatments for cleaning stainless steel winery tanks at the Gallo winery research station in Livingston, California.

Edgar A. Godoy-Garcia

Sanitation of stainless steel wine storage tanks is a critical component of quality control in commercial winemaking operations. Ineffective cleaning can lead to microbial contamination, product spoilage, and safety concerns. Traditionally, wineries rely on manual scrubbing, chemical cleaning agents, and extensive water rinsing cycles to maintain sanitary tank conditions. However, these methods are resource-intensive and may pose risks to both workers and the environment due to chemical exposure and wastewater generation. In response to growing industry interest …

Model-Based Design Of Compressed Lithium-Metal Pouch Cell Battery Modules For Evtol Applications, Scott J. Stirling

Master's Theses

Batteries with higher specific energy and power are essential for extending the range and performance of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). Anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells offer strong potential at the cell-level but require high compressive pressures to enhance cycle life and discharge performance. These pressures necessitate heavier structural components, reducing packaging efficiency at the module level.

To evaluate this tradeoff, a full-factorial enumeration model was developed to explore viable module designs within a constrained packaging volume. The model scales subsystem masses, enforces design rules and material limits, and accounts for large (~20%) cell thickness changes during cycling.

Results …

Nonlinear Integral Control Schemes For A Cadence-Heartrate Process: A Matlab Exploration, Alexander G. Elliott

Master's Theses

Keeping one’s heart-rate within a specific range during a cardiovascular workout can be difficult due to many factors including variations in the exercise environment and changes in energy level. One’s heart-rate can be controlled by tuning the intensity level of the activity over time. This study focuses on the relationship between a runner’s cadence and their heart-rate and explores ways to control the heart-rate by adjusting the cadence. Previous work in this area modeled the cadence-heartrate plant as a first-order linear system, but this has been shown to be insufficient. This work improves upon previous research in this area by …

Remote Monitoring And Control Of Protection Relays Via Programmable Logic Controller, Rio Mcgown-Kauffman

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of a programmable logic controller (PLC) to wirelessly monitor and control power protection relays. The technologies surrounding power protection and industrial automation are ever evolving and have developed significantly in recent history. Industrial power applications call for consistent condition monitoring and status updates for various high-importance components. The high-importance components have power protection schemes that are managed by digital relays to trip circuit breakers in fault or unsafe operating conditions. The smart relays have a wide range of capabilities, including communications. Cal Poly assembled a collection of relays from Schweitzer …

Modeling Battery Energy Storage Systems To Study The Effects Of Battery Chemistry And Operation On Power Quality, Lin E. Knudsen

Master's Theses

This thesis studies the impacts of battery chemistry (specifically lithium-iron phosphate, sodium-ion, and solid-state), AC voltage, battery size, charging mode, state of charge (SOC), active power draw, and power factor on the power quality of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). For harmonic evaluation, the metrics provided by the IEEE Standard 519 are used as a guideline to quantify voltage and current harmonics. A comprehensive MATLAB Simulink using Simscape Electrical is used to develop and simulate the models for the battery, DC-DC converter, AC-DC converter, and the grid. A total of 57 simulation cases varying the BESS factors are performed, …

Optimized Electrocoagulation Pre-Treatment For Fouling Reduction During Nanofiltration Of Lake Water Containing Microcystin-Lr, Thomas Mckean, Chidambaram Tharmaraiselvan, Sarah Do, S. Ranil Wickramasinghe

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is a toxin produced by harmful algal blooms that is emerging as a threat to drinking and recreational water systems worldwide. Nanofiltration (NF) is an effective technique for purifying contaminated water sources; however, membrane fouling caused by coexisting organic matter limits the practicality of the process. This research studies the use of an electrocoagulation (EC) pretreatment to limit fouling during the NF process. Water for this study was taken from Lake Fayetteville, a local body of water where MCLR concentrations have been recorded to be >15 µg/L. EC was performed using polyaluminum chloride as a background electrolyte at …

Addressing Urban Traffic Congestion: A Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Approach, Tairan Liu

Mineta Transportation Institute

In an innovative venture, the research team embarked on a mission to redefine urban traffic flow by introducing an automated way to manage traffic light timings. This project integrates two critical technologies, Deep Q-Networks (DQN) and Auto-encoders, into reinforcement learning, with the goal of making traffic smoother and reducing the all-too-common road congestion in simulated city environments. Deep Q-Networks (DQN) are a form of reinforcement learning algorithms that learns the best actions to take in various situations through trial and error. Auto-encoders, on the other hand, are tools that help simplify complex data, making it easier for the DQN to …