Engineering Commons^™

Poly Spotlight Control, Ryan P. O'Neill, C. Oleg Frandle, Anthony T. Lombardi

Mechanical Engineering

When this project began, The Cambria Center for the Arts Theater used a manually-operated spotlight. The sound created by the fans, along with the sheer size of the spotlight, required that it be housed in an attic room above the theater and shined through a closed window. This trapped a lot of heat in the room and involved some risk with climbing into and out of the attic room. This project sought to remedy those issues by mounting a pair of newer LED spotlights inside the theater. Doing this required a method for remotely controlling and actuating the angular position …

Museum Wave Tank Design, David James Streng, Lisa Michelle Dischinger, John Frederick Niemoller

Mechanical Engineering

The Santa Maria Discovery Museum would like to add a tsunami wave tank to be one of their demonstrations. The wave tank needs to draw the attention of their young crowd and be educationally informative about the shapes and effects of waves. As this is a museum demonstration for children, the structure, user interface, and wave making mechanism must be durable.

We are a senior project team from California Polytechnic State University that worked on this project with Allan Hancock College and Stanford University. We created waves by rapidly moving a plunger vertically in the water column. This project allows …

Deep Well Pump Seal, Peter M. Gordon, Matt C. Johnson, Dylan A. Smith

Mechanical Engineering

Lifewater International, a Christian non-profit, trains locals to repair water well hand pumps in various third world countries. It would be beneficial to retrofit difficult-to-repair hand pumps with a locally-made pump cylinder such as HydroMission's "SlapShot". The majority of the components in the "SlapShot" can be easily obtained in rural third world villages. However, the thick leather gaskets required to seal the water cylinder during the pumping operation are imported. These thick leather gaskets are expensive, and when they fail, this results in pumps being out of commission for extended periods of time. Lifewater has presented this problem to a …

Development Of An Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (Isec) With Thermal Storage For Use In Developing World Countries, Amanda Gyokery, Spencer W. Davis, Kyle Henry Smit

Mechanical Engineering

According to the World Health Organization, about half of the world’s population uses biomass stoves to cook their meals. However, biomass fires can be dangerous. Unattended biomass fires and indoor air pollution are responsible for an estimated 600,000 deaths annually and the creation of approximately 4 million instances of chronic disease. They also release CO2 and other pollutants into the air, and require the families to gather enough material to keep it burning (WHO 2017). Although cleaner cooking technology seems like a clear solution, often families are either unwilling to change how they cook food or are unable to afford …

Usa Boccia Ball Ramp For Athletes With Quadriplegia, Alissa A. Koukourikos, Matthew Lee, Nathan Bernards

Mechanical Engineering

In this report, the design process in creating an assistive device for Boccia Classification 3 (BC3) players is outlined. The initial research steps, including research into the rules of the game, capabilities of the players, and existing products is documented to show where ideas for the product stemmed from. This transitions into requirements that the sponsor requested, and preliminary designs and ideas for the product. Finally, this report explains the details of the final design, which has been analyzed for safety, ease of use, and ability to function under different conditions. The processes of manufacturing and testing will also be …

Dyno-Mite Redesign, Brandon Joseph Miller, Daniel Robert Hoffman, Richard Demedici Young

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Mechanical Control Systems Laboratory currently employs an outdated device, known as the Motomatic, to teach students about various motor characteristics and control methods. These include open-loop vs. closed-loop control, speed vs. position control, and DC motor response curves. The current device does not function properly and produces unreliable data due to overwhelming non-linear effects such as stiction and shaft misalignment. Our team was tasked with designing a replacement device that retains many of the same educational goals as the original lab procedure, while also adding new educational goals pertaining to the device system dynamics. The new apparatus, …

Rogue Rotary - Modular Robotic Rotary Joint Design, Sean Wesley Murphy, Tyler David Riessen, Jacob Mark Triplett

Mechanical Engineering

This paper describes the design process from ideation to test validation for a singular robotic joint to be configured into a myriad of system level of robots.

Medium Duty Gas-Turbine Engine Blade Removal Tool, Elliott James Greb, Jacob Thomas Syage, Kellen Thomas Field

Mechanical Engineering

Solar Turbines Incorporated sponsored a team of three Cal Poly Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students to design, manufacture, prototype, and test a tool for the removal of turbine blades from their respective disk assembly without damaging the disk itself. The tool was developed for Solar’s industrial gas turbine engines. The tool complies with all OSHA and Solar Turbines safety and engineering constraints, and was designed for use in a shop facility. The tool was made adaptable for geometric variances in multiple turbine rotor disk stages, and requires no more than one technician to operate using a maximum of two shop resources. …

Animated Otto-Langen Atmospheric Engine, Keiran M. Hansen, Lance Hodgson, Rachel A. Jakob, Chris J. Splees

Mechanical Engineering

Based on an existing relationship between Dr. Owen and the Deutsches Museum, Otto-Mated was given the opportunity to collaborate with the two in a year-long senior design project. Otto-Mated was tasked with modeling and simulating the Otto-Langen Atmospheric Engine as a form of preservation and education. The model was created in SolidWorks and animated in Blender, effectively providing the museum with accurate and educational videos demonstrating the engine’s function. Within this document are the plans, decisions, and processes used to create our final product for Deutsches Museum.

Cal Poly Table Top, Kelsey M. Ishimatsu Jacobson, Andrew J. Whitney

Mechanical Engineering

Since many tables currently used at Cal Poly are not ideal for active design situations, we have designed, built and tested to be used in design classrooms with an emphasis on using the tables to quickly prototype ideas. This table is a standing height table in a trapezoidal shape which can comfortably seat four people. The modular design of the table allows multiple tables to be use to create different shapes so that the tables can be used in multiple ways.

Device To Standardize Leaflet Droop Testing, Mark Butler, Daniel Lussier, Kyle Timm

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Reliability Test Fixture For Flexible Hybrid Electronics, Julia Akiko Roche, Maya Francesca Zumel Manzano, Paul Alfred Swartz

Mechanical Engineering

During the 2016-2017 school year, the Cal Poly NextFlex Group, in conjuncture with the Cal Poly Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department, was comprised of professors, undergraduate students, and graduate students all working towards the manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics (FHEs). FHEs, which are comprised of a flexible plastic substrate (thermoplastic polyurethane), screen-printed silver ink, and a thin silicon wafer, have a wide range of potential applications. At the time of this project, FHEs and other flexible electronics did not have a set of test standards to characterize their mechanical and electrical properties. The Cal Poly NextFlex Group recruited three Cal …

Electric Vehicle Drivetrain, Jimmy Andrew King, Kevin Kristopher Moore, Charissa Cadence Seid

Mechanical Engineering

This document serves to outline the design and development of Sharpell Technologies' ST5 electric vehicle drivetrain. Background research was conducted on various drivetrain components and testing methods, leading to the development of our drivetrain’s design requirements. Compiled in this report are the specifications of the components that will be integrated into our drivetrain design. All component calculations and specifications can be located in the appendices. An in-depth manufacturing plan features the modifications necessary to create several key components such as the shafts and housing. The assembly plan details a step-by-step process in which the components are arranged to ensure a …

Additive Manufacturing Part Failure Detection, Angel Coria Jr, Shaunessy Grant, Jacob Whipple

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this project is to create a part failure detection sensor system that will allow Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to detect cracking during the building process. Due to the time intensive nature of the SLM process, a part that may take 14 days to create could have a defect within the first hour of manufacturing, but the operator would have no idea that there was a fault in the manufacturing until culmination of the process. The proposed system will allow the operator to know when in the process the part became defective, and therefore save resources and machine …

Inyo National Forest Sign Maker, Brandon Mainini, Lauren Kirk, Alec Boyer

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Supermileage Steering System, Lucas S. Rybarczyk, Sean K. Michel, Giovanni P. Murillo

Mechanical Engineering

The following report outlines the full design process that the senior project team went through to develop a steering system for the 2018 Cal Poly Supermileage vehicle from the development to the manufacturing and testing of the senior project steering system. The team was successful in reducing the weight of the steering system from 12.64 to 5.85 pounds while remaining within the cost budget provided for the Cal Poly Supermileage team. The new steering system initially failed drop testing which resulted in the uprights pulling out of the bottom carbon supports. This failure was repaired with a small redesign to …

Universal Fixture For Orbital Tube Welding, Kevin P. Mcgowan, William Divittorio, Jesse Castaneda

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Drawing And Twisting Of Graphene Fibers, Gregory T. Lane, Robert J. Sekerak, Isaias Diaz

Mechanical Engineering

The aim of this project was to develop a more automated process for drawing and twisting of graphene fibers than was currently in place. This was implemented by having two chemical baths with variable speed rollers at either end, and intermediate roller to spool fiber between stages, and a twisting cylinder with integral spool to twist the fiber as it is collected. The goal was to have this first iteration deliver a working prototype, however due to manufacturing delays and timing constraints, that will be missed. A second follow-on project would be able to continue the work presented here and …

Air Bubble Curtain Anchoring, Christian J. Young, Donavan Wesley Lawrence, Dakota Catherine Schwartz

Mechanical Engineering

To prevent salp (jellyfish) from entering Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s intake pipes, and ultimately having the plant shut down as a result, an air bubble curtain is anchored along the ocean floor for the duration of the salp swarm to create a barrier that prevents the salp and other debris from entering the intake. The curtain consists of four large air compressors connected to four parallel pipes with holes strategically drilled at various places along the length of the pipe. When the air compressors are turned on, a torrent of bubbles are shot out from the pipes which create a …

Jfs Turbine Engine For Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Department, Dorian Capps, Zoe Kai Tuggle

Mechanical Engineering

This project concerns the development of a gas turbine engine laboratory activity for use in one of Cal Poly’s technical elective courses in the Mechanical Engineering Department, ME 444: Combustion Engine Design. The class is taught by Dr. Patrick Lemieux, who is also in charge of the on-campus engines lab where the turbine engine will be installed. The engine itself is a JFS-100-13A turboshaft engine that will be coupled to an electric dynamometer inside of the dyno test cell. Students taking the ME 444 class, likely starting in Winter Quarter of 2018, will be able to perform hands-on experiments using …

Avalon Submersible Support Structure: Final Project Report, Alexandra Mililani Zaragoza, Octavio Mendoza, Austin Scott Eslinger

Mechanical Engineering

The MBMM, represented by our sponsor Bob McCay, is currently looking for a new way to support the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), Avalon, that they have on display. The DSRV is currently sitting on a Short Haul Vehicle (SHV) trailer and the total weight (32 tons) is currently being supported by the SHV’s tires. This is a source of concern for the MBMM due to the weathering the tires have undergone combined with the amount of time that they have been supporting the weight. The MBMM is looking for a support structure that will take the weight off of …

Development Of 3d Compression Molded Composite Primary Structure, Sean D. Tischler, Jacob H. Goldstein, Alea A. Perez

Mechanical Engineering

The work accomplished by the Black Gold team improved upon the carbon fiber compression molding research and information available on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus. The team used the rear suspension rocker arm off a Ventana Alpino mountain bike as a design goal for this project. This research and body of work includes the methods used to design a compression molded part for complex part loading and shape. This extends to the process of choosing an appropriate layup process, in addition to benefits and drawbacks of the use of chopped fibers in compression molding. The research includes the …

Self-Powered Ankle Prosthetic, Corina M. Espelien, Kelsey Pietzsch, Anna Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering

Originating from QL+'s customer requirements, the main technical specifications were to have 80% physiological range of motion, elastic energy return, impact absorption, and no external power sources. Based on the background research conducted and the discussions with experts in the field, the project team decided to focus on designing a prosthetic that focused on plantarflexion and dorsiflexion for a more comfortable gait. The main components of the final design are a hydraulic shock absorber, cam, torsion springs, heel, stopper, and separated keel. The heel, front and back keels, and stopper were manufactured out of carbon fiber. The link, lever, attachment …

Leading Edge Boundary Layer Suction Device For The Cal Poly Rolling Road Wind Tunnel, Daniel C. Glover, Liam M. Madden, Robert J. Cabri

Mechanical Engineering

Over the course of three quarters from Fall of 2016 to Spring of 2017, our team designed and built a boundary layer suction device. The boundary layer suction device has three main functions: a scoop that redirects most of the boundary layer air out of the wind tunnel, fans that suck the remaining boundary layer air through a porous plate and ducting and out of the wind tunnel, and a transition bridge that transitions the remaining air smoothly onto the rolling road. The wind tunnel is owned by Cal Poly and the rolling road is a new addition to it. …

Friction Test Machine, Alec J. Makowski, Megan Hardisty, Brandon L. Killian

Mechanical Engineering

Parker Aerospace is interested in collecting empirical data of friction coefficients for skewed roller bearings. A fixture will be designed, constructed and tested to allow a technician to quickly and easily measure the friction torque of a skew roller bearing with varying axial loads, geometries, lubricants, temperatures and rotational speeds in order to improve actuator efficiency.

Deployable Antenna For Cubesat, Mackenzie Thomas Lennon, Caleb Andrew Barber, David Matthew Galves

Mechanical Engineering

This project is a proof-of-concept ground model of a large deployable antenna designed for the small space requirements of CubeSats. This small deployment module is designed to fit a 2 m by 1 m reflective antenna inside a storage volume of with the dimensions 20 cm by 20 cm x 40 cm. The reflector will be deployed to a parabolic shape with the goal of modeling the reflector necessary for high frequency communication. Because this module is designed as a proof-of-concept for the deployable parabolic reflector specifically, no electrical components will be incorporated and will just focus on the deployment …

Pedal-Powered Drivetrain System, Geremy J. Patterson, Callaghan Fenerty, Bradley Welch

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Caramel Counter Top Candy Wrapping Machine, Alexander Miller, Roman Stambaugh, Trevor Steele

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this project was to automate the caramel wrapping process for a small batch confectionist. Using a purely mechanical system that is hand-powered, the machine cuts and wraps caramel candies in a double twist fashion.

Low-Cost Jetting System; Space And Naval Warfare Systems Command (Spawar), Carson B. Bush, Daly Sombat, Charles J. Kleeman

Mechanical Engineering

SPAWAR, a research and development side of the U.S. Navy, needed a way to bury classified payloads below the seafloor in order to anchor the devices. They currently use a jetting system that costs around $20,000 to do it, and they desired a cheaper system capable of performing the same tasks. SPAWAR presented the project to Cal Poly Mechanical Engineers as a senior project in the fall of 2016.

The design team that decided to take on the project was interested in creating the system with two key factors in mind in order to make the device less expensive.

1. …

Azelia's Walker, Jordan C. Ramsey, Kathleen C. Balfour, Jayne K. Benedict, Gabrielle Merkin

Mechanical Engineering

A Biomedical Engineering student, KC Balfour, two Mechanical Engineering students, Jayne Benedict and Gabrielle Merkin, and one Industrial Engineering student, Jordan Ramsey, make up the interdisciplinary senior project team of Azelia’s Walker. The goal of Azelia’s Walker is to create a custom walker for an 8-year-old girl in the San Luis Obispo Community, named Azelia, who has decreased motor control. Her current walker does not suit her active and energetic lifestyle, so Azelia’s Walker is challenged to design and manufacture a collapsible all-terrain walker that best suits Azelia’s needs. Throughout the academic year, Azelia’s Walker participated in the brain-storming and …