Engineering Commons^™

Elevate Dental, Connor Merrick, Everett Johnson, Jonah Holbrook

Mechanical Engineering

During a dental procedure, patients are often required to have a bite block placed in their mouths to keep them open for the duration of their procedure. These can be very uncomfortable for patients due to lack of properly-fitting sizes. This project presents an alternative fully adjustable bite block that is affordable, comfortable, and easy to use for dental personnel.The bite block is a two piece side loading design that uses interlocking teeth to supply a range of five sizes.

Automated Drone Calibration System, Jackie Kelly Jong-Mee Paik, Zach Nathan Richter, Tyler Wilson Van Den Berg, Ryan Alexander Zhan, Matthew Ward Carlson

Mechanical Engineering

The final design review of the Inspired Flight Calibration Team senior project will detail the process used to complete a verification prototype of a drone calibration device and discuss lessons learned and suggestions for improving this device. Going from brainstorming and conceptual prototyping all the way through verification prototyping and testing, we were able to design a gyroscopic device that met Inspired Flight’s needs for the flight sensor calibration of their drones. The mechanical design involved comprehensive CAD models and hands-on manufacturing. The mechatronics side of the project worked heavily with electrical wiring and writing custom software to communicate and …

Vibration Isolation System, Bradley Y. Kwan, Bailey Groh, Max Wu, Nicole Yen

Mechanical Engineering

The Vibration Isolation System Senior Project is a collaborative group project between its sponsor, Maxar Technologies, and a team of students from Cal Poly - SLO to effectively design, manufacture, and test a structural assembly for satellites, isolating vibrations during launch and orbit conditions. After initial sponsor contact, requirements and needs were set which dictated deliverables for the senior project group. The group performed analyses to validate all design decisions, including a modified concept and design direction, selection of a prototype viscoelastic damping material, preliminary testing to validate design specifications, and detailed design and analysis toward a finalized design. Instead …

Cal Poly Prove Lab Endurance Car Composite Body Paneling Design, Emma Wheelock, Sarah Rutland, Noah Fisher, Brian Menard

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Prototype Vehicles Laboratory (PROVE Lab) needs a body paneling design for their Endurance Car aeroshell which optimizes strength, weight and accessibility while minimizing complexity. Additionally, a low-complexity, accurate manufacturing process for the PROVE Lab Endurance Car aeroshell needs to be developed. PROVE Lab designed the shape of the aeroshell. The aeroshell will serve to reduce the aerodynamic drag on the car at high speed, and is not a structural component of the car. Due to the high-strength and lightweight nature of composites, PROVE Lab requests the senior project team investigate using composites for automotive body paneling applications. …

Smartphone-Tape Method For Calculating Body Segment Inertial Parameters For Analysis Of Pitching Arm Kinetics, Jay Sterner

Master's Theses

The objectives of this study were to (1) develop a non-invasive method (referred to as Smart Photo-Tape) to calculate participant-specific upper arm, forearm, and hand segment inertial properties (SIPs) (e.g. mass, center of mass, and radii of gyration) and (2) use those Smart Photo-Tape properties in inverse dynamics (ID) analyses to calculate injury-related pitching arm kinetics. Five 20- to 23- year-old baseball pitchers were photographed holding a baseball and analyzed using the Smart Photo-Tape method to obtain 3-D inertial properties for their upper arm, forearm, and hand. The upper arm and forearm segments were modelled as stacked elliptic cylinders and …

A Parametric Study Of Formation Flight Of A Wing Based On Prandtl's Bell-Shaped Lift Distribution, Kyle S. Lukacovic

Master's Theses

The bell-shaped lift distribution (BSLD) wing design methodology advanced by Ludwig Prandtl in 1932 was proposed as providing the minimum induced drag. This study used this method as the basis to analyze its characteristics in two wing formation flight. Of specific interest are the potential efficiency savings and the optimal positioning for formation flight. Additional comparison is made between BSLD wings and bird flight in formation.

This study utilized Computational Flow Dynamics (CFD) simulations on a geometric modeling of a BSLD wing, the Prandtl-D glider. The results were validated by modified equations published by Prandtl, by CFD modeling published by …

Fast Chirped Signals For A Tdma Ultrasonic Indoor Positioning System, Lauren M. Williams

Master's Theses

In this paper, a new concept for ultrasonic indoor positioning based on instantaneous frequency of ultrasonic signals is presented. Nonlinear phase characteristics of ultrasonic transducers introduce a frequency deviation in ultrasonic signals. By sweeping at very fast rates, a large spike in the deviation is introduced. The artefacts observable in instantaneous frequency estimations are highly localized and present an opportunity for accurate frequency detection. In order to be useful, the artefacts need to take place within the pulse and have sufficient magnitude for accurate processing. The system consists of a transducer transmitter and receiver pair, which have a center frequency …

Initial Orbit Determination Error Analysis Of Low-Earth Orbit Rocket Body Debris And Feasibility Study For Debris Cataloguing From One Optical Facility, Kyle Stoker

Master's Theses

This paper is predicated on determining the effectiveness of angles-only initial orbit determination (IOD) methods when limited observational data is available for low-Earth orbit (LEO) rocket body debris. The analysis will be conducted with data obtained from Lockheed Martin Space’s Space Object Tracking (SpOT) facility, focusing on their observational data from 2018 that contains tracking of rocket body debris for less than one minute per overhead pass. After the IOD accuracies are better understood, a feasibility study will follow that investigates the possibility of cataloguing LEO orbital debris from a single optical observation facility with similar observational capabilities as that …

Simulating Particle Packing During Powder Spreading For Selective Laser Melted Additive Manufacturing Using The Discrete Element Method In Abaqus, Priscilla Ng

Master's Theses

Metal additive manufacturing allows for the rapid production of complex parts that are otherwise impractical using conventional subtractive manufacturing techniques. Applications for additive manufacturing span across a broad array of industries including aerospace, automotive, and medical, among many others. One metric of printing success is material properties, including part density. While there has been extensive research completed for the density of printed parts, there is little published work concerning powder packing density on the build plate associated with powder spreading.

In this thesis, a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model was created in Abaqus to simulate the spreading behavior of particles …

Analysis Of The Tidal Range In The Sacramento San Joaquin Delta From 1857 To Present, Elena Szlemp

Master's Theses

The Sacramento San Joaquin Delta has been highly altered by human activity since the mid-1800s from mining, agriculture, dredging, and urbanization. Did the resulting modifications to channel width, depth, and length alter tidal range in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta?

In this study, archival tidal records were evaluated at many stations throughout the San Francisco Bay and Delta, with a focus on San Francisco, Rio Vista, Sacramento, and Stockton daily, monthly, and annual tidal ranges. Monthly and seasonally averaged tidal ranges were analyzed to determine seasonal changes. In addition, tidal range was compared to daily Delta discharge to consider the …

Investigation Of Experimental Variation Of Bovine Sphingomyelin As A Novel Ingredient For Ultraviolet Protection, Esther Chen

Master's Theses

Skin cancer is a prevalent disease that globally affects 2-3 million people per year [1]. This number is expected to grow tenfold as depletion of the ozone layer contributes to harsher rays reaching Earth’s surface [2]. A common way to protect against those ultraviolet waves is to apply sunscreen, however, recent reports call into question the safety of some active ingredients as they can enter through the skin into the bloodstream [3]. This thesis aims to investigate an alternative solution that uses bovine sphingomyelin (BSM) as photoprotective solution against UV irradiation.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of BSM against …

Surface Modifications Of Reverse Osmosis Membranes For Removal Of Bromide And Reduction Of Fouling, Joseph Seo

Master's Theses

Reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used for water reuse and desalination. Although RO membranes are known for their high salt rejection and practical permeate flux, their performance can be impaired by fouling, and their removal of some disinfection byproducts and their precursors (e.g., bromide, N-Nitrosodimethylamine [NDMA]) does not meet drinking water standards. RO membrane modifications have been widely studied to overcome these limitations. In this research, RO membranes were grafted with cationic polymers to induce a positive charge on the RO membrane surface. This modification aimed at enhancing the rejection of negatively charged bromide ions by removing them from solution …

A Study Of The Design Of Adaptive Camber Winglets, Justin J. Rosescu

Master's Theses

A numerical study was conducted to determine the effect of changing the camber of a winglet on the efficiency of a wing in two distinct flight conditions. Camber was altered via a simple plain flap deflection in the winglet, which produced a constant camber change over the winglet span. Hinge points were located at 20%, 50% and 80% of the chord and the trailing edge was deflected between -5° and +5°. Analysis was performed using a combination of three-dimensional vortex lattice method and two-dimensional panel method to obtain aerodynamic forces for the entire wing, based on different winglet camber configurations. …

Pocket Rocket: A 1u+ Propulsion System Design To Enhance Cubesat Capabilities, James M. Harper

Master's Theses

The research presented provides an overview of a 1U+ form factor propulsion system design developed for the Cal Poly CubeSat Laboratory (CPCL). This design utilizes a Radiofrequency Electrothermal Thruster (RFET) called Pocket Rocket that can generate 9.30 m/s of delta-V with argon, and 20.2 ± 3 m/s of delta-V with xenon. Due to the demand for advanced mission capabilities in the CubeSat form factor, a need for micro-propulsion systems that can generate between 1 – 1500 m/s of delta-V are necessary.

By 2019, Pocket Rocket had been developed to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and ground tested in …

Quantitative And Qualitative Error Re-Analysis Of Tidal Datasets, Ernesto Andrew Ledezma

Master's Theses

Tidal data forms the basis for understanding and quantifying sea-level rise and tidal statistics. While quality assurance methods based upon spectral and harmonic analysis have been applied to individual tidal records, these methods have not been used to assess global tidal datasets. In this thesis, four west coast tidal records were examined using harmonic analysis methods to investigate uncertainty on a monthly averaged basis. Uncertainty was identified using a method that quantifies time lag as a linear regression of height difference between a predicted and measured tidal height and the predicted rate of change of tidal height. Errors identified through …

Alternative Epinephrine Auto-Injector, Joshua Wong, Uriel Nieves-Cruz, Tara Howard

Biomedical Engineering

Project: Alternative Epinephrine Injector started as a solution for Bianca Aleman’s little brother however the scope has evolved to include the many millions of individuals across the world who struggle with a life-threatening allergen. The stakeholders of this project are Cal Poly and Dr. Michael D. Whitt. Our goals are the following:

● Develop a foolproof method of injection that consistently delivers a dosage of epinephrine

● Be equal or less than the current size of an EpiPen (6 in)

● Be easy to transport or store when not-in-use

● Create an isolated environment where the epinephrine will not be …

Virtual Stethoscope - Otoscope, Ermen J. Elenes-Cazares, Ceasar A. Hurtado, Thomas M. Margolle

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this report was to develop a working prototype for a virtual stethoscope and otoscope. Sponsored by Courtney Farr, the virtual diagnostic care system – HouseCalls Mobile digital stethoscope/otoscope is meant for use by medical professionals and non – medical professionals for preliminary medical exams while physically not in a medical setting. The HouseCalls Mobile device is to characterize key biometric parameters such as breathing patterns, heart irregularities, and visual clinical evaluation of the inner ear. This device is intended for pediatric use.

Folded! High-Rise, Alejandra Bravo, Riley Joseph Denis

Architectural Engineering

The authors of this report are undergraduate Architectural Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. This report documents their experience in an interdisciplinary studio of high‐rise building design and the process by which they produced a schematic design of a high‐rise residential building in San Francisco. It will address the organization of the studio, the development of concept as well as form and structure, the studies and structural analyses, as well as the review process and the competitions the final proposals were entered in, and include some final takeaways from each Architectural Engineering group member.

Rf Power Amplifier, Angel De Jesus Delgado, Rachanon Wajanakunakorn, Andrew John Ferguson

Electrical Engineering

Wireless devices are part of everyday life, cellphones and radio receivers impact more people than any piece of technology. Thus, the respective building blocks continue to advance and achieve better performance. A primary component of all wireless communication systems is the power amplifier that drives the antenna. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) holds the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) every year where teams compete internationally for the most efficient RF Power Amplifier (PA). Power amplifier technologies strive to maximize efficiency and linearity. Topologies to consider are D, E, F, F-1 and Doherty since they have a maximum theoretical …

High Speed, High Current Monitoring System, Nicolette Lila Ray

Electrical Engineering

Electronics testing requires lengthy data collection and analysis. Streamlining at least part of this process allows resource reallocation, and faster data processing. Verifying a signal’s efficiency is key specification for a component’s datasheet. This project focuses on streamlining data collection when measuring a device’s output current. It combines amplifier design and digital interfacing to perform monitor a device’s output current. A computer-enable interface displays a graphical output current representation. It ensures accurate, high speed, high current measurements while removing a person’s need to manually plot data after testing. A new testing method provides room for company and product growth with …

Fuzz Distortion Guitar Stompbox, James Dennis Cleary

Electrical Engineering

My Fuzz Distortion Pedal offers guitar players a full-fledged fuzz distortion pedal with gain, frequency cutoff and volume controls. The pedal offers a true bypass when inactive which allows the signal to pass through the effect with no coloration. The distortion pedal offers hard clipping of the input signal by amplifying it by a high amount, and then clipping the voltage of the signal through the use of diodes.

Stability Analysis Of Systems With Time Delay Simulation Program, Matthew Carroll, Brandon Replogle

Electrical Engineering

A small company wants to develop a CAD tool, ideally as part of the MATLAB suite of tools, for system stability analysis of nonlinear control systems with time-delay. The program must allow the designer to input the system block diagram graphically, then using symbolic expansion, automatically generate the Laplace domain stability boundary and disturbance settling time. The stable regions are then to be graphically plotted as a set of 2- or 3-dimensional parametric stability boundaries. The designer can then input performance constraints on the system through the MATLAB console and a Simulink environment will automatically be generated.

This program is …

Distribution Line Multi-Tool, Michael Andrew Garcia, Drew Miller, Sukhdeep Singh, Ritwik Kesavath

Electrical Engineering

Power companies are always interested in the best possible monitoring equipment for their grid. The power line multi-tool developed would aid in the monitoring of the power system’s distribution network. This device assesses the current conditions of distribution power lines. The device is able to measure current, detect downed power lines, as well as recognize fire starting conditions, and have wireless communication for ease of access and installation. Overall this device greatly aids in helping utilities monitor their grid in more detail.

With the increase of dry climates yearly, several utility companies are taking measures to aid in the prevention …

Hvac Fan Control Using Modicon M580, Anthony Tyler, Kevin Shipp

Electrical Engineering

This project is the start of a lab experiment for the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Electrical Engineering department’s new lab focusing on Programmable Logic Controller's (PLCs). The primary focus is to create a lab where students control a Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning (HVAC) system controlled by the Modicon M580 PLC, donated by Schneider Electric. The experiment contains a heat source, which the PLC monitors with a temperature sensor, and a cooling source with multiple fans. Students will learn to use function block diagrams to program the PLC, controlling fan output and regulating the system temperature. The experiment specifications …

Neutrino Detection Antenna, Samuel D. Keechler

Electrical Engineering

Neutrinos carry valuable information about deep space events that researchers can utilize to study the early universe. Since the first neutrino was detected in 1956, it is a relatively new physics research topic. A new state-of-the-art research facility, the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G), was developed to detect Ultra-High Energy (UHE) neutrinos, ones with energy greater than 100 PeV (1015 electronvolts). For reference, this amount of energy lifts an apple 5 cm, or drives a neutrino, a particle 1034 times smaller by mass, near the speed of light [1]. UHE neutrino events typically occur less than five times a …

Design Of A 5 Degree Of Freedom Kinematic Stage For The Dual Crystal Backlighter Imager Diagnostic, Nicholas Nguyen

Master's Theses

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is home to the world’s most energetic laser. The facility is one of the leading centers in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments to research and understand sustainable fusion energy. To fully document and understand the physics occurring during experiments, precise diagnostics are used for a wide range of purposes. One diagnostic, the crystal backlighter imager (CBI), allows for X-ray imaging of the target at late stages of its implosion.

The aim of this project was to increase the current capabilities of the CBI diagnostic with the addition of a second crystal. This thesis focuses on …

Tmtt Chimera Valve Attachment Process, Paulina Nguyen, Devin Debouk, Tamar Kazazian, Noah Thompson

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Robust Drone Landing, Alvin Xuan Quan Chui

Computer Engineering

The growth of drone technology goes with the demands of computer vision. Computer vision provides opportunities for developers to design and create, giving rise to a new innovation. It is also a basis for a full autonomous system when implemented with an intelligent agent. Surveillance drones are installed with cameras, and cameras are the most common approach to computer vision. However, a high-resolution camera with great performance could be expensive, while other low-cost cameras might lack reading accuracy. To improve the performances and maximize a camera’s capability, many different object trackers come into play. This paper will investigate and study …

Wine Sampler, Lance L. Litten

Computer Engineering

Quality testing is an important part of the wine industry. Without proper quality control, thousands of dollars could be wasted on bottling and recalling hundreds of gallons of wine. Due to this, labs are set up that collect wine samples from the tanks in a wine production plant and test them. A big part of this testing is determining exactly what tanks need to be tested and what tanks are at risk. My project aims to help automate this task by collecting data from the tanks wirelessly and keeping track of simple indicators such as pH and temperature. Automating this …

Rchex: A Radio-Controlled Hexapod, Dominique Sayo

Computer Engineering

rcHex is a radio-controlled hexapod with 18 degrees of freedom, capable of positional and rotational body adjustment as well as omnidirectional travel at variable speeds using three common gaits. Its general-purpose design accessible to hobbyists makes rcHex an platform for further development, whether it be experimentation in advanced robotic movement or retrofitting sensors to utilize technologies such as computer vision and artificial intelligence. This report explores some of the design intricacies of hexapod movement, including gait sequencing and the application of inverse kinematics to multi-jointed limbs.