Engineering Commons^™

The Phone In The Sky ---- Quad-Copter For Aerial Video, Heng Wei Zhang

Mechanical Engineering and Technology Senior Projects

With the development of aircraft model technology, quadcopters equipped with cameras are used for aerial video more and more frequently. Cell phones, moreover, allow people to share photos online immediately, so many people prefer to take photos or videos by cell phones instead with expensive cameras. Thus, the purpose of this project is to design and build a light weight quadcopter frame and select the system components that allow the quadcopter to fly smoothly while carrying a cell phone for aerial video. The method for creating the quadcopter is separated into three steps: design, build, and test. The design part …

Integration Of Information Literacy Skills To Mechanical Engineering Capstone Projects, Farshid Zabihian, Mary L. Strife, Marian G. Armour-Gemmen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Searching for information and using that information appropriately is an essential part of every engineering design project. It has been reported that design engineers spend about 30% of their time searching for information. Experience shows that even senior level students have not received proper training, either directly or indirectly, in information literacy (IL). They usually search for information intuitively. For mechanical and aerospace engineering students at West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech), the Mechanical Engineering System Design I and II courses (MAE 480 and 481) are probably the last chance to teach students about IL. In this project, …

Syllabus: Introduction To Mechanical And Industrial Engineering, Erin Baker

Sustainability Education Resources

Student teams will explore engineering analysis and design under the theme of Engineering Sustainability: Energy and the Environment, incorporating economics, environmental impacts, and social concerns. ENGIN 113 is intended to introduce students to the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering, and to provide students with important skills that they will need to be successful in college and the professional world. The specific course objectives are to:  Develop effective teamwork skills, including peer- and self-evaluation.  Practice critical thinking and engineering problem solving.  Take a systems approach to design, incorporating economics, environment, and social concerns  Develop information …

Dynamic Model Of A Non-Linear Pneumatic Pressure Modulating Valve Using Bond Graphs, Christopher L. Brubaker

ETD Archive

This research develops a mathematical model of the dynamic pressure response to a variable travel input of a pneumatic pressure modulating valve intended for use in a vehicle air brake system. Generically, the valve is a multi-domain system consisting of a mechanical portion and a pneumatic portion. Included in the mechanical portion of the model are compliance of the springs, inertia of the components, and resistance of the sliding components. The pneumatic portion of the model includes capacitance due to the compressibility of the gas, flow resistance through connected plumbing, and flow resistance through the valve control orifices. The development …

Optimal Design And Control Of A Lower-Limb Prosthesis With Energy Regeneration, Holly E. Warner

ETD Archive

The majority of amputations are of the lower limbs. This correlates to a particular need for lower-limb prostheses. Many common prosthesis designs are passive in nature, making them inefficient compared to the natural body. Recently as technology has progressed, interest in powered prostheses has expanded, seeking improved kinematics and kinetics for amputees. The current state of this art is described in this thesis, noting that most powered prosthesis designs do not consider integrating the knee and the ankle or energy exchange between these two joints. An energy regenerative, motorized prosthesis is proposed here to address this gap. After preliminary data …

Autonomous Indoor Localization For Fire Safety And Resource Location Via Field Mapping Techniques, Jaeyoung Kim, Kartik Ariyur, Yan Cui, Benjamin D. Branch, Joshua Ebung Umo

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

An overall result of this collaboration between the Mechanical Engineering Dept. and the Purdue University Libraries (PUL) should result in building a big data framework that make have knowledge transfer for similar large scale geospatial data implementations. Such may promote best practices of data management where the library skill sets may aid faculty research and student learning. Here, the PUL is concerned with advancing the Mechanical Engineering‘s STEM pipeline capacity with this type of research, collaboration and data management engagement.

Autonomous Indoor Localization For Fire Safety And Resource Location Via Field Mapping Techniques (Android Version), Joshua Ebung Umo, Yan Cui, Kartik Ariyur, Benjamin D. Branch, Jaeyoung Kim

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

An overall result of this collaboration between the Mechanical Engineering Dept. and the Purdue University Libraries (PUL) should result in building a big data framework that make have knowledge transfer for similar large scale geospatial data implementations. Such may promote best practices of data management where the library skill sets may aid faculty research and student learning. Here, the PUL is concerned with advancing the Mechanical Engineering‘s STEM pipeline capacity with this type of research, collaboration and data management engagement.

Autonomous Indoor Localization Via Field Mapping Techniques, With Agricultural Big Data Application, Yan Cui, Kartik Ariyur, Benjamin D. Branch

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This joint collaboration between the library, the Mechanical Engineering department shows the current research of localizing an Android smartphone using big data collection and sensor fusion techniques. The original work is Autonomous Indoor Localization via Field Mapping Techniques which primarily designed as indoor fire and safety aid.

For Agricultural Big Data Use, the Android smartphone is being applied to in indoor greenhouse fire, safety and data knowledge design. Such may aid big data tool value to greenhouse fire and safety design and any data that may be important fieldwork considerations.

The indoor agricultural mapping application may be application to greenhouses …

Quikchill : Thermoelectric Water Cooler, Franz Louie Chua, Brandon Ohara, Rachel Reid, Bernadette Tong

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

Motivated by the increasing residential energy utilization projections and the fact that water and ice dispensers consume 20% of total refrigerator energy, a thermoelectric water chiller was designed to provide a more energy efficient alternative. Implementing the chiller under the sink provides a convenient means to source cold, filtered water, thereby eliminating the need for water and nice dispensers as well as filtering pitchers. The cooling chamber design integrates thermoelectric modules (TEMs), which operate on the Peltier effect to cool filtered water down to 14 [degrees] C. The implementation of TEMs reduced current dispenser energy consumption by 82.4%, from 91 …

Design, Fabrication, And Analysis Of A 3u Cubesat Platform, Todd Chun-Van Osdol, Charles Dorsey, Jake Hedlund, Thomas Hoye, Owen Jacobs, Kadja Klarreich-Giglio, Elliott Martin, Michael Ruiz, Michael Schlesselmann, Zachary Singh

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The goal of this project is to develop a 3U CubeSat nanosatellite bus capable of short duration technology verification experiments while providing compelling handson student education opportunities. This 3U CubeSat platform has been prototyped by the design team in order to demonstrate its capabilities. This spacecraft, the Unspecified Payload Active Attitude Control Nanosatellite (UPAACN), is designed to perform a 3-6 month technology verification experiment for a NASA test component and an SCU single-axis attitude control system (AACS) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This project builds upon the flight heritage of SCU's Robotic Systems Laboratory (RSL) and improves its satellite development …

Formula Electric : Powertrain, Mark Allison, Bryan Bidwell, Stuart Hopson, Jackson Smith, Carlos Streegan, Dominic Villa

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

The Santa Clara Formula Electric team designed, and manufactured a powertrain for an electric racecar according to the rules prescribed by the SAE International Formula Electric competition. The powertrain is divided into subsystems: the battery pack, battery pack cooling system, motor controller, and the motor. The battery pack was constructed, but full electrical connection of all cells were not made. The pack was not integrated with the motor and motor controller. In addition, due to time constraints, extensive testing could not be completed.

Project Omoverhi : Low-Cost, Neonatal Incubator, Richard Fong, Guillermo Gallardo, William Jeffery, Danny Maeda, Gabriel Romero

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

Project Omoverhi, since its beginning in 2010-2011, has been focused on creating an incubator that has the capability of operating completely off grid. This year the project has been focused on redesigning the original system to reduce the cost to approximately $1000. In addition to this we have designed and implemented a control system that enables the user to set a desired temperature which can be maintained to within 1 degree Celsius. Before the project is able to be completed further work must be done. The thermal storage system that was initially proposed by the original team still needs to …

Thermoelectric Cookstove, Christine Horman, Matthew Lee, Mark Wagner

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

A fuel efficient cookstove tailored to the needs of Nicaraguan small business owners that incorporated insulation and thermoelectric power generation was built and validated. There is a 4 inch layer of pumice rock insulation around the combustion chamber, which significantly reduces convective heat losses to the environment. The stove's ventilation system is powered by the electricity generated by thermoelectric generators. Preheated air is forced into the combustion chamber, which increases the combustion efficiency, reducing the fuel consumption and the harmful smoke produced. Through various testing methods, we found that the controlled airflow to the charcoal fuel allows the stove to …

The Squad : Santa Clara Quadrotor Autonomous Drone, Jacob Adams, Peter Baumgartner, Mark Johnson, Michael Mccormick

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

We have constructed a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that could be used to supplement emergency response personnel, including police and military, when in the field. The SQUAD focused primarily on designing and constructing a sound structure for the UAV, as well as beginning controls work, which will be continued by another team at a later date. This quadrotor UAV has a video camera to provide a live video from its point of view to the user. It carries a global positioning system (GPS) to provide information on its location, and to navigate to waypoints in the immediate area. The …

Cerberus : A Human Powered Vehicle, Colin Austin, Miles Graugnard, Max Herrmannsfeldt, Dane Kornasiewicz, Leif Kjos, Terra Oldham, Toban Platt, Theodore Schapp, Sean Smith

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

A recumbent trike was designed and built for the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge held at San Jose State University in April of 2013. The vehicle was designed to be low cost for use by commuters and as primary transportation in developing countries. The vehicle placed 11th overall in the competition out of 29 teams, and scored 8th in the innovation event, which was its best ranking out of the 5 individual events.

Phase Change Material In Automated Window Shades, Quinlan Adler, Jake Gallau, Alexander Zatopa, Ali Nash

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The purpose of this report is to detail the development process for a phase change material window shading system, which stores solar thermal energy and later releases it indoors to provide nighttime space heating. To do this, wax-filled louvers with thermally absorptive front faces were developed and outfitted with a control system, which utilized historical weather data to orient the louvers to specific solar azimuthal angles, thus maximizing the thermal absorption. The system was tested against other common window treatments in a pair of thermally comparable testing structures, and was found to provide energy savings as high as 50%.

Icarus : Aerial Recording System, Jim Cochran, Nick Xydes, Jimmy Erskine, Audrey Kocmond

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The goal of Project ICARUS is to create an aerial videography system that is easy to set up, inexpensive, portable, and highly adaptable to any situation. This is accomplished by using a balloon mounted camera rig that is grounded by a number of winches. This system is able to obtain a higher altitude than similar systems and is much more cost effective because the system can be applied to a number of circumstances such as sporting events, disaster relief, wildlife videography, and aerial monitoring, to name a few. The ICARUS system allows the user to control the position of an …

Microstructural-Based Modeling Of Electrical Percolation In Polymer Nanocomposites, Neelima Yellepeddi

Theses and Dissertations

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) represent a radical alternative to conventional filled polymers or polymer blends. In contrast to conventional composites, where the included phase is on the order of micrometers, PNCs are defined as those that have discrete constituents on the order of a few hundred nanometers. The value of PNCs is not solely based on tailoring mechanical properties, as in traditional composite design and manufacture, but rather on the potential for the design and optimization of multi-functional properties. There is major interest in these polymeric materials embedded with a conductive nanoscale filler. This is due to the possibility of designing …

Storwatts: Compressed Air Energy Storage System, Michael Biederer, John O'Malley Iii, Joseph Burke, Matthew Komo

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The current problem with energy backup and grid stabilization systems is that both either require fuel and constant maintenance, such as diesel generators, or cannot perform at their peak operation and need constant replacement, like batteries. Our solution and the goal of the StorWatts senior design project was to design and create a small-scale compressed air energy storage system to be used in place of traditional energy backup and grid stabilization systems. The StorWatts system does not need fuel in order to store and generate power and therefore does not require constant refueling and maintenance. It also can work in …

Mechanical Team, Brian Badders, Tyler Hill, Alec Redmann, Erik Peterman, Wataru Suzuki, Josh Berk, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

No abstract provided.

Project Omoverhi : A Thermal Storage Solution, Peter J. Graham, P. Alexander Kranenburg, Tor C. Krog, Cameron C. Schwab

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

One principal energy source that is underutilized in the world today is solar energy. While the United States has tried to make a push for reusable and 'green' energy sources, these sources are frequently overlooked in developing nations. While the set up costs of solar energy may be expensive due to installation and the high cost of certain parts, the savings over time is well worth the initial cost. In many developing nations large areas of the country are off of the power grid or have inconsistent power. One way to help people living in these areas is by introducing …

Nanosatellite Fabrication And Analysis, Sam Harrison, Patrick Scott, Victor Zapien

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The advancements in technologies used in the aerospace industry have allowed universities to experiment with and develop small-scale satellites. Universities are taking advantage of the relatively low development costs of nanosatellite programs to give students experience in the field of spacecraft design. The purpose of Santa Clara University's team, Nanosatellite Fabrication and Analysis, is to create a process to expedite the design, analysis, and fabrication phase of nanosatellite structures for students working on future satellite missions. The objective is to design four baseline nanosatellite structures to accommodate a range of potential missions where the designs are simple enough to be …

Design And Analysis Of A Low-Profile Two-Axis Solar Tracker With Hybridized Control, Laughlin Barker, Criselle Olaes, Joseph Valdez, Darcy Marumoto

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The adoption of solar power technologies throughout the world is increasing rapidly. Solar trackers are a necessary component in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) applications and have also shown up to 46% per annum energy increase in photovoltaic (PV) panels when compared with fixed mounted panels. To resist wind forces, trackers typically incorporate heavy structural components and reinforced concrete foundations. Thus, the manufacture and installation of trackers is costly due to their size, weight, and careful consideration of geological conditions. This work presents a new solar tracker design for use with concentrating solar power and photovoltaic panels. The tracker is comprised …

Solar Powered Water Purification System, Alina Carlson, Reece Kiriu, Andrew Nosé, Christopher Sugii, Erin Taketa, Alex Tamai

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

Santa Clara University's 2011-2012 Solar-Powered Water Purification System team is developing a solution to create a water distillation system, heated by solar troughs and solely powered by photovoltaic (PV) panels that can produce clean, drinkable water. This device would balance cost and efficiency to be marketable to lower-income locations, such as developing countries that suffer from shortages of clean water. In accomplishing this, the team will ensure that the system is sustainable and requires minimal maintenance.

Design Of A Liquid Fuel Injector For Alternative Fuel Studies In An Atmospheric Model Gas Turbine Combustor, John Stevenson

Honors Theses

A new liquid-fuel injector was designed for use in the atmospheric-pressure, model gas turbine combustor in Bucknell University’s Combustion Research Laboratory during alternative fuel testing. The current liquid-fuel injector requires a higher-than-desired pressure drop and volumetric flow rate to provide proper atomization of liquid fuels. An air-blast atomizer type of fuel injector was chosen and an experiment utilizing water as the working fluid was performed on a variable-geometry prototype. Visualization of the spray pattern was achieved through photography and the pressure drop was measured as a function of the required operating parameters. Experimental correlations were used to estimate droplet sizes …

Investigation Of The Design Of A Bistable Micro-Chemical-Mechanical Device Utilizing Lateral Buckling, Susan Lyn Barnes

Honors Theses

The Gracias Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University has developed microgrippers which utilize chemically-actuated joints to be used in micro-surgery. These grippers, however, take up to thirty minutes to close fully when activated biochemicals in the human body. This is very problematic and could limit the use of the devices in surgery. It is the goal of this research to develop a gripper that uses theGracias Laboratory's existing joints in conjunction with mechanical components to decrease the closing time. The purpose of including the mechanical components is to induce a state of instability at which time a small perturbation would cause …

Non-Collocation Problems In Dynamics And Control Of Mechanical Systems, Timothy M. Obrzut

ETD Archive

Characteristics of mechanical systems with non-collocated sensors and actuators are investigated. Transfer function zeros location as a function of sensor position, zero-pole interlacing, and re-location of zeros are discussed in a context of presented examples. Some of the presented examples involving non-collocation are supported by experimental data. A case study involving a high speed machining spindle is examined. The control problems associated with non-collocation are studied along with the methods to solve them

High-Level, Product Type-Specific Programmatic Operations For Streamlining Associative Computer-Aided Design, Nathan W. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Research in the field of Computer Aided Design (CAD) has long focused on reducing the time and effort required of engineers to define three dimensional digital product models. Parametric, feature-based modeling with inter-part associativity allows complex assembly designs to be defined and re-defined while maintaining the vital part-to-part interface relationships. The top-down modeling method which uses assembly level control structures to drive child level geometry has proved valuable in maintaining these interfaces. Creating robust parametric models like these, however, is very time consuming especially since there can be hundreds of features and thousands of mathematical expressions to create. Even if …

Mechanical Engineering Education In Irish Context: On Route To Becoming A Chartered Engineer, David Kennedy, Richard Good

Conference Papers

Engineering Education in Ireland and throughout Europe has changed dramatically over the last few years and the pace of change is ensuring that we, the educators are constantly keeping abreast of new developments and benchmarks. Programmes that were based on inputs from learners are now outcomes based and the onus is on the educators and facilitators to provide evidence that graduates are capable of conducting specific tasks, commonly termed as Programme Outcomes. Similarly, greater onus is now placed on the learner to take greater responsibility for their educational development. The new and current process of meeting the educational requirements of …

Investigation Into The Possible Use Of An Oxygen Ion Transport Membrane Combustion Unit In An Oxyfired Power Plant, Kirsten Foy

Doctoral

It is generally recognised that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions damage the environment. Carbon capture and storage offers the possibility of using fossil fuels for power production without releasing C02. In the proposed ZEITMOP power plant cycle hydrocarbon fuel is burned in a mixture of oxygen and C02, allowing easy separation of combustion products to capture the C02 for sequestration. Oxygen ion transport membranes (OTMs) provide oxygen. The original configuration of the cycle requires an OTM air separation unit, in which oxygen is separated from air and mixed with CO2, and a separate combustion chamber, in which fuel is burned in …