Engineering Commons^™

Analyst B: Analysis Of The Utexas1 Passive Linear Surface Wave Dataset, Robb E.S. Moss

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A linear array consisting of 24 1 Hz geophones at 10 m spacing was used to measure the passive surface waves at the UTexas1 site. This paper describes analysis of this dataset using three different methods: ESPAC (extended spatial autocorrelation), f-k (frequency-wavenumber), and ReMi (refraction microtremor). Dispersion curves were developed using each method and the median trends as well as the uncertainty about the medians are compared. The dispersion curves were then individually inverted to estimate shear wave velocity profiles. The inversion results are compared, and a bounded best-estimate shear wave velocity profile is presented. For the site conditions, specific …

Design Of Controlled Environment For Tissue Engineering, Malcolm Gerald Lapera

Master's Theses

Design of Controlled Environment for Tissue Engineering

Malcolm Lapera

Tissue engineering aims at relieving the need for donor tissue and organs by developing a process of creating viable tissues in the laboratory setting. With over 120,000 people awaiting a transplant, the need for generating tissue engineered organs is very large [3]. In order for organs to be engineered, a few issues need to be overcome. A work space that both creates an environment which maintains cell viability over an extended period of time as well as accommodates the necessary fabrication equipment will be needed to further tissue engineering research. Therefore, …

Study The Effects Of Core Orientation And Different Face Thicknesses On Mechanical Behavior Of Honeycomb Sandwich Structures Under Three Point Bending, Joshua M. Lister

Master's Theses

This study will present the Experimental, numerical and analytical characterizations of composite sandwich structures needed to optimize structure design. In this study, the effects of varying honeycomb core ribbon orientation and varying face sheet thickness’s have on the flexural behavior of honeycomb sandwich structures was investigated. Honeycomb sandwich panels were constructed using Hexcel 6367 A250-5H carbon fiber face sheets and Hexcel Nomex HRH-10-1/8-5 honeycomb cores. The mechanical properties of the constituent materials were discovered experimentally using ASTM standards and theoretical models using honeycomb mechanics and classical beam and plate theory are described. A failure mode map for loading under three …

Updating And Revising Star Camera For Future Flights Of Balloon Borne Experiment, Krystle N. Sy, Seth Hillbrand

STAR Program Research Presentations

The BLAST (Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope) experiment surveys the galaxy from altitudes of 100,000 ft in order to answer important cosmological questions, such as how stars are formed. This experiment is conducted above Antarctica to minimize unwanted noise. Two star cameras are used in the navigation systems to identify known stars. The cameras take pictures and match stars in the image to known star positions from a catalog stored in the star camera's computer. This is done using code written in C++, a computer programming language. In order to modernize the system, the code needs to be updated. A …

Groundwater Challenges, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

There are some old lessons that continue to repeat themselves throughout the history of irrigation. For example, it has become a common understanding that accumulated salinity from irrigation spelled the doom of some ancient civilizations in the Middle East. Despite this ancient knowledge, today we still have numerous irrigated basins in which there is no outlet for high-salinity drainage flows.

Likewise, groundwater is something that traditionally has not been well understood, and is often treated as an ever-present back-up plan for irrigation. The “water rights” laws in the western US and elsewhere almost exclusively formalized rules about and concentrated on …

Flow Measurement Options For Canal Turnouts, Kyle Feist, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Volumetric record-keeping, billing, and allocations at irrigation district delivery points (turnouts) are the norm, rather than the exception for most California irrigation districts. However, many older districts are just beginning these efforts, and other districts are trying to improve existing hardware and procedures. Volumetric accounting with high accuracy and a reasonable price presents unique engineering challenges for irrigation districts because of the variety of existing structures and configurations at irrigation delivery points. Because it is likely that irrigation districts will attempt to utilize existing devices, or slightly modify them, there is a need for standardized installation and/or calibration. This paper …

Irrigation System Regulating (Buffer) Reservoirs, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Regulating reservoirs (also known as "balancing" or "buffer" reservoirs) are very commonly used in western US irrigation district modernization projects with canal systems. Some districts have a dozen or more reservoirs within total service areas of 20,000 – 40,000 ha. This paper presents details of sizing and control of flows into and out of the reservoirs.

Groundwater Nitrate In California: What Should Be Done?, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Charle's Burt PowerPoint presentation discusses current issues concerning nitrates in groundwater in California, as well as recommendations made to the State Water Board by the Nitrate Task Force.

Evolution Of Perturbations In Flow Field Mechanics, Samantha R. Bell, David Forliti, Nils Sedano, Kriss Vanderhyde

STAR Program Research Presentations

This project explores the stability analysis of a given flow field. Specifically, where the peak disturbance occurs in a flow as this is the disturbance that is most likely to occur. In rocket combustion, it is important to understand where the maximum disturbance occurs so that the mixing of fuel can be stabilized. The instabilities are the results of frequencies in the area surrounding the flow field. The linear stability governing equations are employed to better understand the disturbance. The governing equations for continuity and momentum in the x and y directions are used to form an equation for the …

Aerodynamic Design And Development Of The Sunswift Iv Solar Racing Car, Graham Doig, Chris Beves

Aerospace Engineering

The aerodynamic design and development of the University of New South Wales' ultra-low-drag solar-electric Sunswitt IV car is described, detailing the student-led design process from initial concept sketches to the completed vehicle. The body shape was established and relined over a period of six months in 2008-2009, almost entirely using computational fluid dynamics. The guiding philosophy was that predictable handling and drag minimization in challenging, changing wind conditions of the type commonly seen during the World Solar Challenge across Australia was preferable to high performance only on 'perfect' days. The car won its class in the 2009 and 2011 World …

Implications Of Compressibility Effects For Reynolds-Scaled Testing Of An Inverted Wing In Ground Effect, G. Doig, Tracie J. Barber, Sammy Diasinos

Aerospace Engineering

The influence of compressibility around an isolated inverted wing at a fixed Reynolds number was examined as relevant to the issue of wind tunnel scaling effects. Three-dimensional simulations were conducted for low ground clearances, at: full scale and a Mach number of 0.088, at 50% scale at Mach 0.176, and at 25% scale at Mach 0.352. As the scale was reduced, the increasing peak local Mach number between the wing and the ground resulted in a higher propensity of the flow to separate towards the trailing edge, and for incompressible or full-scale CFD to underestimate the lift and drag coefficients …

Design And Construction Of Five Gallon Anaerobic Digesters, Daniel John Schricker

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project discusses the design, construction, and testing of a laboratory scale anaerobic digestion reactors. It included four digesters and two gas measurement devices. The outside dimensions of the digester were 22 inch tall with a 10.5 inch diameter. They were constructed from schedule 40 PVC pipe, with a wall thickness of 0.5 inches. They were designed to be filled with 20 liters of digester feed stock, at a height of 16 inches from the bottom, leaving 5 inches of head space above the digester feed for biogas accumulation. Two of the reactors were heated with Hydrofarm seedling heating pads …

Model Block Press, Jordan Brown, Michael Evans, Connor Morrow

Mechanical Engineering

The Center for Vocational Building Technology came to the Mechanical Engineering department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a project to create a new, less expensive model block press than their current BP9 design. This press would produce ¼ scale model compressed earth blocks to be sold as souvenirs and used in demonstrations for constructing buildings. After analyzing the design of the current block presses, JCM came up with the BP10 design. The BP10 operates similarly to the larger block presses, but will cost significantly less to produce and will have some of the design features enhanced to make …

Design And Construction Of A Portable Cattle Loading Ramp, Gino A. Torlai

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project is to design and construct an affordable and effective portable cattle loading trailer. The trailer should save money by not having to buy a commercial brand and also by being able to utilize the piece of equipment at multiple different ranches.

Toughening Of Poly(L-Lactic Acid) With Cu3Btc2 Metal Organic Framework Crystals, Ajay Kathuria, Mohamad G. Abiad, Rafael Auras

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and metal organic framework (MOF) composites were prepared by melt extrusion of PLLA with 5, 10 and 20% w/w of activated Cu₃(BTC)₂ MOF. The morphology and stability of injection-molded samples were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permeation chromatography, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composites showed improved toughness during the tensile tests as compared to the neat PLLA matrix. Toughness mechanism of the composites was studied using SEM and rheological studies. SEM images indicated that cavitation induced by debonding at the interface of PLLA and MOF particles during …

S1nn Gmbh & Co. Kg (Automobile Connectivity Module 1.1), Tyler Alexander Ball

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The results of this report show how when diagnostics were run on the Connectivity Module 1.1, the problems discovered such as potential short-circuiting, 90-degree copper tracing angles, and components overheating/tombstoning were addressed. By using the method of “DMAIC,” which stands for Design, Measure, Analyze, Implement, Control, successful corrections were made. In the first design of the Printed Circuit Board (PCB), 1454 critical issues were found. With the newly designed PCB’s modifications being implemented, only 12 critical issues remained, which were later addressed and corrected. The results from this report are a functional Automobile Connectivity Module 1.1.

Project Management Of High School Shadow And Building An Engineer Day, Andrea M. Carroll

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Building an Engineer Day and High School Shadow are semi-annual outreach events hosted by Cal Poly’s Society of Women Engineers section during fall and spring quarters. The events focus on encouraging women and minorities to take an interest in engineering. These events are the two largest outreach events hosted by The Society of Women Engineers and need to run smoothly in order to provide student attendees with a meaningful experience.

Building an Engineer Day and High School Shadow are currently un-organized and un-planned, which leads to problems with officer retention, increase in expediting process and a low attendance rate at …

Equipment Maintenance And Replacement Decision Making Processes, Michael W. Gage

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This project contains recommendations for the decision making processes for support and production equipment maintenance and replacement for a large defense contractor. Recent literature has been reviewed to provide perspective on current trends in the field. A complete evaluation of their current processes and systems is included with recommendations on areas for improvement. A decision support system is also proposed to supplement their existing decision making.

Fixture For Carbon Fiber Spar Of Human Powered Helicopter, David John Ikeda, Luis Gonzalez

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The following report describes our contribution to Cal Poly Human Powered Helicopter for the 2012 competition for the Sikorsky Prize offered by the American Helicopter Society. In order to win this prize the team needs to build and fly a human powered helicopter for more than 60 seconds reaching and altitude of 3 meters while staying in a 10 meter square box. Our team was created to support the integration of Carbon Fiber parts, specifically the carbon fiber spars with rotor and landing gears. Precise cutting and accurate drilling was needed and our team was tasked with creating a fixture …

Tascked: The Sanity Promoting Task Manager, Jake Tobin

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Personal task managers or various forms of to-do lists are abundant in our modern computing age. With the explosion of mobile computing technology, it is easier than ever to take notes digitally and make the data seemingly instantly available anywhere on the Internet. There is a fairly well defined core set of features in personal task managers available for public consumption, but it seems nothing that is publicly available provides feedback to the user or suggestions based on user history. Tascked is a task management solution, which records user history and solicits user feedback on progress. This allows the system …

Testing Virtual Machines For Cadrc Server Hosting, Robin Verweij

Computer Science and Software Engineering

No abstract provided.

Motor Protection Lab Experiment Using Sel-710, Ozro Corulli

Electrical Engineering

Advancements in microprocessor based relay technology for power protection applications provide quicker response times and new methods of mitigation. This project develops a lab experiment for Cal Poly class EE444 - Power Systems Laboratory based on the Schweitzer SEL-710 motor protection relay. Learning objectives for this lab include relay setup, programming, and protection schemes for the following conditions: undervoltage, loss of phase, fault, locked rotor, and thermal overload. Today, utility companies across the globe use SEL relays for primary system protection, putting engineers familiar with their operation in high demand.

Subway Rail Car Filter Sampling Tool, Brian Hong, Julia Pollard, Philip Ybarra

Mechanical Engineering

The following design report has been prepared by Team Slice for both Cal Poly’s Mechanical Engineering Department and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This report provides an overview of the design ideation process of creating a subway rail car filter sampling tool. This cutting tool will take samples of HVAC filters from subway railcars in New York City, NY. These samples will then be used for processing in biological terror emergency response situations. This device will provide an easy, safe, and user friendly tool to cut filter samples. The current method of cutting is a pair of scissors or shears, which …

Computer Controlled Vegetable Oil Fuel System, Joseph W. Souza

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design Of A Sustainable Toilet, Meghan Pranger, Tommy Lauderdale, Joseph Benyon, Kyle Moore

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design And Construction Of A Portable Gantry Hoist, Sam Hutcheson

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report covers the design of a portable gantry hoist with a custom frame design. The design was based off of the materials that were available and practical for this project to save money. The portable gantry hoist will be rated for a 2 ton capacity. The casters, trolley, and hoist were the only parts purchased.

St. Jude Medical: Pulmonary Edema Monitoring In Pacemakers And Icds, David Wei-Péng Chang

Master's Theses

Pulmonary edema occurs when fluid leaks from the pulmonary capillary network into the lung interstitium and alveoli. When the heart is not able to pump blood to the body efficiently, fluid can back up into the veins that take blood through the lungs to the left atrium. This then builds up the pressure in the blood vessels and fluid is pushed into the alveoli in the lungs. The fluid reduces normal oxygen movement through the lungs and can cause impaired gas exchange and respiratory failure. There are many causes of congestive heart failure that may lead to pulmonary edema such …

Active Learning Using Model-Eliciting Activities And Inquiry-Based Learning Activities In Dynamics, Jeffrey Phillip Georgette

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on a year-long project of implementing active learning in undergraduate dynamics courses at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo from 2012-2013. The purpose is to increase conceptual understanding of critical dynamics concepts and to repair misconceptions of the students. Conceptual understanding in Dynamics is vital to understanding the big picture, building upon previous knowledge, and better understanding the behavior of engineering systems. Through various hands-on activities, students make predictions, test their conceptions, and solve real world problems. These active learning methods allow students to improve their learning of Dynamics concepts. Education research on active learning is present in …

Functional 3-D Cellulose & Nitrocellulose Paper-Based, Multiplex Diagnostic Platforms Without Coupling Agents, Mackenzie Elizabeth Tageson

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to demonstrate device functionality of 3-D paper-based, multiplex platforms, µPADs, without the use of coupling agents between layers. Previously, these platforms were fabricated with double-sided tape and cellulose powder to try to augment proper fluid routing, but difficulties with this method occurred. An acrylic housing unit with strategically placed pressure tabs was designed to aid horizontal and vertical fluid routing through the platform, thus eliminating the inconsistencies associated with coupling agents. Channel characterization studies, a COMSOL^TM simulation, and development time studies were performed to aid device design and demonstrate device functionality.

The implementation …

Design Of A Low Power Cargo Security Device Using A Micropower Ultra-Wideband Impulse Radar, Brian M. Wihl

Master's Theses

Each year, thousands of cargo containers are broken into during shipping, costing billions of dollars in lost and damaged goods. In addition to removing its contents, intruders can also add unwanted and dangerous materials to a container, posing a threat to National Security. The possibilities of cargo container break-ins require that the containers go through check points at which they are physically searched. These searches often require the opening of the container, unloading and inspecting all cargo, and then loading the container and resealing it. This is a long and costly process.

Because of the high costs of break-ins and …