Engineering Commons^™

A Case Study On Achieving Living Building Challenge Certification On The Ucsd Triton Project, Grayson Farnham

Construction Management

This paper consists of a case study conducted on the UCSD Triton Pavilion project, In San Diego, California. The general contractor on this project is PCL Construction in contract with LMN architecture. The case study evaluates the strategies proposed to help this progressive design build project achieve a Living Building Challenge certification and the costs that would be associated with such implementations. Research and communication with integral employees from PCL Construction helped identify key strategies that ultimately caused the project to not pursue LBC certification and opt to choose a LEED platinum certification instead. In summary the size and scope …

Interdisciplinary Studio Pavilion [Isp] 2019 – Silicalion, Theodore Kenitchi Powers

Construction Management

The subject of this paper is an interdisciplinary project in which teams of two or three architecture, one construction management, and one architectural engineering student were tasked with working together to design a portable wine pavilion for the Wine History Project (WHP). The mission of the WHP is to preserve the history of wine culture and vineyards in San Luis Obispo County. Each team chose a theme of nature upon which to base their project’s design. The author’s team, Silicalion, used the Venus flower basket as inspiration for its design. The resulting design is a series of cells that form …

Learn By Giving: Construction Service Project Portal, Avery Spector

Construction Management

In December 2019, two California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) students built a house in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with the nonprofit organization, Global Village. This experience not only embodied the Cal Poly motto of Learn by Doing, but went further, that the students Learned by Giving. Following the impactful, hands on service learning experience, the students dedicated their senior project to aiding future students in finding similar endeavors to do, learn, and give. After struggling to find adequate opportunities and the information necessary for participation, the pair chose to develop a website listing regularly available opportunities and pertinent information needed …

Slo Botanical Garden - Greenhouse Propagation Tables, Garrett William Henley

Construction Management

This paper describes the planning and construction involved in retrofitting the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden propagation greenhouse. When trying to determine a senior project, the author of this paper met with multiple non-profit organizations. After interviewing with them, the author determined that the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden was the organization he wanted to work with. After meeting with the facility director, Chenda Lor, many potential projects were identified but the organization determined this would be of the most use immediately. Upon selection, the scope of work was determined as helping refurbish the propagation greenhouse by removal and/or demolition …

Historic Building Renovation In San Francisco; A Business Plan, Robert Michael Courtney, Brendan Kha Hoang

Construction Management

This report explores the history and thought process behind an idea for a historical restoration company based out of San Francisco, California. This is a vital service for both building owners and the public, as historical buildings with deferred maintenance pose a threat to the lives and safety of civilians in the streets below. The city of San Francisco recognized that historical buildings may pose a threat to public safety and recently put an ordinance in place to mandate inspections and repairs of these buildings. There seems to be a gap between firms that profess the ability to assign qualified …

Construction Of The Slo Botanical Gardens Foot Bridge - Interdisciplinary Project, Connor N. Layman

Construction Management

In the Winter quarter of 2020, a project based senior project was sought out by a Cal Poly Construction Management student, and he was connected with the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens (SLO BG). SLO BG is a non-profit organization located on 150 acres in the El Chorro Regional Park. After meeting with the SLO BG staff and exploring their many needed projects, the student and the staff mutually concluded that he would build a bridge and accompanying stairs which resided on a well-traveled trail on the property. He successfully developed the project schedule, budget, recruited an architect for design …

Proposal For A New Construction Management Emerging Trends Elective Course: Principles Of Solar Construction, Nicholas J. Gairaud

Construction Management

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) prides itself on its learn by doing motto which encourages students to participate in hands-on projects and choose elective courses about topics they are interested in. This project is an outline for an Emerging Trends elective course that aims to fill the gap between what students learn in school and what they see in the field. Over the past decade, the use of on-site solar energy generated has skyrocketed in the commercial and residential sectors. The purpose of this course is to inform students about solar requirements and to lay the groundwork for students …

Highlighting The Unique Challenges And Differences Of Building With Mass Timber, Ryan L. Richmond

Construction Management

As the construction industry shifts towards sustainability and owners seek to construct buildings that are sustainable - built from natural and renewable materials, and pleasing for their occupants to work in - mass timber is becoming the popular alternative to traditional steel and concrete buildings. An abundance of information is available on mass timber products and their properties and applications, but little information on the process of actually building a mass timber project. This report seeks to extend practical knowledge on building with mass timber. In order to accomplish this, this research will highlight specific differences and challenges related to …

Building For Wellness - Healthy Building Course For Cal Poly Slo Cm Department, Lindsey Pierson

Construction Management

Construction Management programs across the country focus on educating students about the main segments of the construction industry, however, there is not courses that allow students to affiliate themselves with sustainable, healthy building practices. This senior project created the opportunity for students to learn about the rising segment trend of healthy building in construction. Students will be informed about what healthy building is and how it should be implemented into the construction and design process. Topics will focus on discussing hard and soft building components that negatively affect building occupant health and performance, as well as how each component can …

Possible Solution To Housing Problem: Long Term Housing Investment Plan, Tucker Reed

Construction Management

The purpose of this paper is to provide young men and women entering the work force with the ability to invest towards acquiring a large plot of land to live on. In the current housing condition, Americans, more exactly those living in large urban populations are finding it difficult to find a permanent home in the same city as their workplace. This is particularly true for those whose professions require frequent relocation. The research conducted is meant to provide a person with little to no knowledge of construction with the conceptual understanding of the correct channels to purchase land and …

Difficulties Posed And Overcoming Challenges In Modular Construction: A Case Study, Matthew W. Meehleis

Construction Management

The modular construction delivery method presents specific challenges that other construction delivery methods often do not. These challenges are present in all parts of the delivery process, including the design, pre-construction, fabrication, shipping, and assembly onsite. These challenges often create reluctance to go the modular delivery method. To understand the modular sector requires an understanding of how successful modular companies overcome these challenges. Qualitative interviews with experienced modular builders were conducted to gain an understanding how they overcame these obstacles, grow, and eventually run smooth and successful projects. Experience gained from facing these challenges help to aid in solving new …

Economically Viable Methods For Wildfire Protection For Residential Homes In Santa Barbara County, Ryan F. Chiment

Construction Management

Santa Barbara County experiences wildfires often, with fourteen major wildfires occurring in the last thirty years. Title 24, Part 9 of the California Building Code establishes the minimum building requirements for fire protection in residential construction, but there are many ways to protect a home from wildfires that go beyond the minimum requirements established in the building code. The goal of this paper is to assess the perceived increase in value to Santa Barbara County homeowners of wildfire protective measures for their homes, and to determine realistic methods for wildfire protection that are within the budget of these homeowners. This …

Introducing Sequencing Within The Advanced Scheduling Curriculum, Adam Cole Alvarez

Construction Management

Scheduling is one of the most important factors within the construction industry. The current Advanced Scheduling curriculum addresses how to use the program P6, but not the understanding of how to sequence. This project introduced two new lab activities that focus on the understanding of sequencing while using P6. I chose this project because I have always had an interest in scheduling as it is one of the most important driving factors in construction and after taking Advanced Scheduling in my Junior year I noticed there is a need for understanding sequencing. I wanted to introduce a new curriculum because …

Bim Immersion Cube, Cory Krok

Construction Management

The construction industry has become one of the largest professions to struggle with effectively implementing technology. As the industry heads into the future, more and more technology will be needed to increase efficiency and reduce cost. Cal Poly, one of the leading universities for industry recruitment, needs to teach the new generation of builders to be able to implement BIM/VDC into the industry. In this project called the BIM Cube, the overall goal is to give Cal Poly students a better understanding of model coordination and clash detection. This paper outlines the preconstruction services required for the eventual construction of …

Paso Robles Police Department Outdoor Training Facility Improvements – Phases 2 & 3, Gavin J. Abraham

Construction Management

This paper outlines the pre-construction and construction of the 24,300 square foot Paso Robles Police Department outdoor training facility improvements. The project focuses on 12,000 square feet of the total site with improvements that include earthwork and new concrete flatwork. This project is a group project with Zach Stellini and Nic Petri that is broken up into three phases. This report will primarily focus on phases 2 & 3, which include concrete flatwork and finish grading. The purpose of this project was to provide the Paso Robles Police Department with a modern, functional facility that allows its officers to be …

Analysis And Design Of An Off-Grid Residential Power System, Christopher Rotsios

Master's Theses

This thesis aims to provide a recommended power system design for optimal efficiency, reliability, and cost in off-grid applications. The power system examined in this project is a residence in an off-grid community called Quail Springs that generates its energy from roof mounted solar panels. The existing system was analyzed to see what equipment can remain, what needs to be upsized, and what needs to be added to the system. Two power systems are considered for the residence: a fully AC power system and a hybrid AC/DC power system. Simulations were run in PSCAD to compare the efficiencies of the …

Wildland Fire Location Management System (Wflms), Robert G. Goldie, Jack A. Gallegos

Electrical Engineering

Wildland firefighters work in complex, dangerous environments where effective communication is key to developing situational awareness. Currently, the only communication firefighters have is with Very High Frequency (VHF) 160 MHz band analog radios. While digital radio protocols could potentially allow location data and commands to be sent to field crews, the technology is primarily for voice communication. This project presents a new system that frees up voice channels and uses LoRa transceivers for robust communication. The system allows for emergency and location reports to be sent to a dispatcher via an airborne repeater. The entire system is software-defined, so it …

Cascaded Voltage Clamping And Ldo Offline Power Supply, Elizabeth Davis, Timothy Jeong

Electrical Engineering

Offline power supplies are necessary for any sort of electronic device that utilizes wall power. For offline power supplies, it is a common practice to use the switching mode method where the high voltage AC input is first rectified and then switched at high frequency to a much lower voltage. This method has been known to be very efficient. Also, it’s more efficient than a linear supply method where the AC input is stepped down and then linearly regulated down to a low voltage. Despite the efficiency benefit, the switching method employs a high frequency transformer and inductor. This will …

Bi-Directional Dc-Dc Converter, John W. Hamlin, Oscar Ambriz, Luis Onofre

Electrical Engineering

This project was developed with the purpose of creating an efficient energy management system for the DC House project, with a centralized 12V battery system fed by a 48V Multiple Input Single Output Source (MISO). The energy management system will consist of a bidirectional DC-DC converter. During the day when the renewable sources produce enough energy to fulfill the load’s energy demand, the converter will make use of the excess energy by taking a 48V DC input and stepping it down to a 12V DC output in order to charge a 12V 100 Ah battery. When renewable sources can no …

Miso Dc-Dc Farmbot, Quyen Thi Nguyen, Brian Armijo, Astha Adhikari

Electrical Engineering

Making use of renewable energy directly from the location of production requires converting source power into usable power. The specific scope of this project focuses on the DC to DC conversion within a user friendly universal farmbot system. Since renewable sources vary widely in voltage and current, a wide input-range DC to DC converter is desired. Physical isolation, long lifespan, and adverse weather requires safe and reliable final product specifications. The goal of a very wide customer base drives the need for a product that does not require tinkering to get working, but to be usable out of the box …

Lawn Buddy, Jayson Johnston, Andrew Brown, Jacob Maljian

Electrical Engineering

Grass lawns are a common hallmark of the American home. In 2019, a survey from the National Association of Landscape Professionals found that 81% of all Americans owned a lawn [1]. Mowing is a time consuming and costly chore that is part of maintaining a grass lawn. The manual labor in mowing a lawn can exceed 40 hours per year [2]. People commonly incur weekly costs on mowing services to save time. Traditional gas powered mowers are physically demanding and use engines that need routine maintenance. They operate loudly enough that users should be wearing hearing protection and the noise …

Electricity Price Prediction With Computational Intelligence, Toan Hoang

Electrical Engineering

Electricity price depends on numerous factors including the weather, location, time of year/month/day (summer, holidays, day/night, etc.), consumption, and market changes or disruptions. The power loss in the transmission lines and the use of electricity also affect the load's price. Forecasting about the electricity price provides future trends and patterns consumption of the users. Forecasting electricity price is crucially important for producers and consumers in the energy trading markets. It is a complicated task because of the uncertainty behaviors and demand fluctuation. The maximization of profit for participants is highly associated with the bidding strategies. Multiple forecasting electricity price tools …

Plant Growing Control With Modicon M580, Brittany M.Y. Won, Eileen T. Tran

Electrical Engineering

Currently, the Industrial Power and Controls lab is being developed by the Cal Poly Electrical Engineering department. The lab is equipped with recently donated Modicon M580 Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) from Schneider Electric. In addition to PLCs, Schneider Electric also donated Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) and input/output modules. This project focuses on the creation of a lab experiment that will give future Cal Poly electrical engineering students hands-on experience with this equipment. To show students the broad range of PLCs and the role that electrical engineering plays in various industries, this experiment focuses on the agriculture industry, but more specifically, …

Energy And Economic Losses Due To Soiling On Utility Scale Pv Systems To Guide Timing Of Cost Effective Cleaning, Jackson P. Puckett, Maximilian M. Sosa, Brandon F. Grossman

Electrical Engineering

The energy and associated economic losses due to soiling on both residential and utility scale PV (photovoltaic) systems can be both significant and avoidable. Losses from 1.2% up to 6% have been reported, which is of interest to system operators [1]. Modules may be cleaned to reduce losses, but this comes with an offsetting economic cost. A quantification of energy losses, and the corresponding economic loss, will allow a determination of a closer to optimal cleaning schedule depending on the level of soiling and corresponding energy loss. Two methods are proposed and compared. Method 1 uses an ARES Soiling Measurement …

Photovoltaic Emulator Labview Based Modeling And Simulation, Jeffrey So, Eric Jau Tse

Electrical Engineering

The design goal for this project is to create a system capable of creating a consistent testing environment for photovoltaic inverters and charge controllers. The solution is to create a photovoltaic emulator which is a DC power supply that would have the same electrical output characteristics to a photovoltaic panel. In current systems, consistency problems arise when depending on nature to conduct tests on PV modules because it is impossible to properly replicate scenarios while testing specific conditions. This project will provide the user the ability to test their PV modules under various parameters which replicate real-world scenarios such as …

Sweep-N-Go 3.0, Maria Cortelyou Pieroni

Electrical Engineering

This project improves the current performance of the Sweep-N-Go LabVIEW program used in Cal Poly electrical engineering laboratories. Sweep-N-Go expedites the laboratory data collection process through automated testing. The new version of the program (Sweep-N-Go Version 3.0) reduces user debugging time, improves sustainability, increases efficiency, and considers all new lab bench equipment. Sweep-N-Go Version 3.0 includes an enhanced Graphical User Interface (GUI) to optimize user-efficiency and user-friendliness according to student survey feedback. To further achieve usability, this program has been well documented online, outlining LabVIEW functions, such as how to open the program in LabVIEW, how to run an executable …

Dual Axis Solar Panel Tracker, Xavier Joseph Lugue, Javier Harrison, Nicholas Ryan Wolfe

Electrical Engineering

Photovoltaic systems generate more energy when orthogonally facing the sun where solar cells absorb the most light. By creating an effective, autonomous solar tracking system, the developed solar panels consistently generate maximum energy while using less power. Dual axis solar trackers surpass single axis trackers in energy generation, however, their cost and reliability provide a significant drawback. This project develops different algorithmic implementations designed to provide optimal and efficient behavior for photovoltaic systems. These algorithms adjust the solar panel’s position appropriately with the sun’s location, weather conditions, and selected operating modes. The solar tracking system’s operations include latitudinal axis capability …

Eeg Midi Controller, Jack Ellison, Eric Bettencourt

Electrical Engineering

One of the greatest challenges for aspiring musicians is the amount of practice and commitment required to become fluent in a traditional instrument. Taken a step further, individuals who have impaired motor skills may be incapable of even executing the physical demands required to practice one. While this device does not create notes directly from a user's brain waves, exploring and designing EEG based musical hardware capable of using a person’s thoughts to control musical devices could pave the way for greater advances. It can also open many doors into psycho-acoustic research, treating the mind's response to hearing music and …

The Characterization Of Effective Electromagnetic Fields On The Safety And Quality Of Low-Moisture Foods (Effs) - Prototype Device Development, Joe G. Sandoval

Electrical Engineering

Contamination of low-moisture foods including flour, wheat grain, baby formula, and more, have increasingly become a concern due to sanitizing challenges. While industrial food processors have long used RF heating to sanitize mass quantities, an equivalent consumer device is absent from the market today. The Characterization of Effective Electromagnetic Fields on the Safety and Quality of Low-Moisture Foods (EEFS) project is an interdisciplinary effort to develop an RF heating consumer device to sanitize low-moisture foods.

A prototype device was designed to sanitize low-moisture food items using RF heating acceptable for commercial or consumer applications.

Artificial Neural Network To Detect Alzheimer's In Mri Scans, James Alden Poirier, Michael Gary Tuttle

Electrical Engineering

Alzheimer’s Disease ranks (AD) as one of the most common diseases in America. Currently, detecting Alzheimer’s Disease relies upon reported symptoms, however changes in the brain can manifest years or decades before symptoms appear. In recent years, researchers have successfully utilized Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for a variety of image classification tasks. Here, we train an ANN to detect Alzheimer’s Disease using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans. Giving an MRI to both a neural network and a doctor will allow the doctor to be more confident in their answer, as well as double-check their answer with an objective report …