Engineering Commons^™

Mmteg Heatsink Design, Peyton Nienaber, Kadin Feldis, Alec Savoye, Jack Waeschle

Mechanical Engineering

In this document, Cal Poly Senior Design Team F16 presents a summary of its work developing a suitable heatsink for Gas Technology Institute’s Methane Mitigation Thermoelectric Generator. After several months of iterating between experimental testing and simulated heat transfer, a suitable prototype was selected for use in further refining simulation parameters. This was called the structural prototype and it allowed Team F16 to confirm several remaining unknowns relating to component thermal conductivity. All documentation of this process can be found in Preliminary, Critical, and Interim Design Review documents (PDR, CDR, IDR), included in this report. Having a realistic model …

Golf Club Cleaner, Owen Roach, Chris Wertenberger, Michael Skerlong

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Cleaning golf clubs can be a tedious process, however a necessary one to maintain equipment. Clubs are normally cleaned by filling a bucket with soap and water, soaking all the clubs to be cleaned, then scrubbing each one individually. An automatic club cleaner would make this process much easier and more enjoyable. Using electric motors, the club cleaner would have spinning brushes in soap and water to quickly and easily clean the club head. The machine would have different sections for cleaning the club head, polishing the club face, and cleaning the grip. The cleaner should be inexpensive and easy …

Further Exploration Of Optical/Thermal Interaction Effects On High-Power Laser System Performance And Optimization Through Multiphysics System-Level Modeling, Nathaniel J. Butt

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

High-power laser systems (HPLS) have wide-ranging applications in many prominent areas. HPLS use laser diodes to pump fiber gain media. Understanding the functionality of both components is critical for achieving effective HPLS operation. System optical efficiency is a function of diode junction temperature. As junction temperature changes, the wavelength spectrum of the diode output shifts causing optical power losses in the fiber gain media. Optical/thermal interactions of the dynamically coupled laser diodes and fiber gain media are not fully understood. A system level modeling approach considering the interactions between optical performance and component temperature is necessary. Four distinct models were …

Electrical Characterization Of Phytoplankton Suspensions Using Impedance Spectroscopy., Margaret R Jett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton are closely monitored because of their important environmental role, and the impacts they have on their local ecosystems. Some phytoplankton respond to stress by producing lipids, which can be harvested for biofuels and other chemicals. Microfluidic devices have been important in improving the portability and throughput of phytoplankton characterization methods, increasing their potential for in situ use. This study utilized a small sample of phytoplankton suspended in a stagnant medium and measured the impedance response using a lab-on-chip and impedance analyzer. The individual cell characteristics were derived from the impedance response of the group. The goal was to characterize …

Material Detection With Thermal Imaging And Computer Vision: Potentials And Limitations, Jared Poe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of my masters thesis research is to develop an affordable and mobile infraredbased environmental sensoring system for the control of a servo motor based on material identification. While this sensing could be oriented towards different applications, my thesis is particularly interested in material detection due to the wide range of possible applications in mechanical engineering. Material detection using a thermal mobile camera could be used in manufacturing, recycling or autonomous robotics. For my research, the application that will be focused on is using this material detection to control a servo motor by identifying and sending control inputs based …

Human Powered Vehicle Capstone, Maya L. Washington, Ryan Apolonio, Marc Sunga, John Rettenmier, Dr. Allen Wilson

Honors Thesis

In the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC), students design, develop, construct, and test different designs of human-powered vehicles. The design utilizes two wheels, the rear of which is responsible for power transmission from a pedal crank and braking through a disc and caliper. The design also utilizes the front wheel fork wheel for steering. Steering and braking are controlled by two levers on the handlebars. To determine whether the design was sufficient, it was compared to the standards set by ASME, including maximum weight, minimum speed, minimum turning radius, minimum ride distance, load testing, harness verification, and a complete …

Monitoring Of Overhead Polymer Core Composite Conductors Under Excessive Mechanical Loads Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors, Daniel H. Waters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This combined experimental and numerical study addresses mechanical effects associated with static and dynamic loading of novel High Temperature Low Sag (HTLS) transmission line polymer core composite conductors. The developed methodology was successfully applied to ACCC® to explain the complex failure mechanisms associated with combined bending and tension loading. Furthermore, the use of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors was investigated for the first time to monitor the ACCC® design during installation and in-service.

Transverse low-velocity impacts to the ACCC® conductor having either free or constrained end conditions and large axial tensile loads were performed. It was identified that the most …

Sources Of Quality Uncertainty In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Metal Additive Manufacturing, Zachary Young

Doctoral Dissertations

"Powder based additive manufacturing (AM) exhibits tremendous uncertainties, where variations in build quality is present despite utilizing similar build processing parameters. First, this work reports the features and formation mechanisms of five unique types of spatter during the LPBF process by in-situ high-speed, high-energy x-ray imaging. The unique physical characteristics of spatter are determined. The effect of laser scan speed and laser power on spatter formation, ejection, and mitigation are determined. Second, this work addresses the uncertainty challenge by identifying the sources of uncertainty in SLM by in-situ characterization due to variations from the additive manufacturing processing parameters needed for …

Customizable Armor Set, Olivia Reedy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project is intended to help people who make costume armor by reducing the amount of time and money it takes to create a set of armor. Making armor can take a lot of resources for beginners, and this project is intended to help hobbyists with that process. This customizable armor set goes through the engineering design process, from the initial design of the parts to creating the prototype using vacuum forming. The prototype armor can be painted and adhered to using acrylic paint and contact cement, respectively, and fits three sizes of small, medium, and large.

Prosthetic Foot Shell, Ql+, Kathryn Victoria Versteeg, Jackson A. Tucker, Ethan William Frey

Mechanical Engineering

This final design review includes an overview of our project and the steps we have taken to create our final product. We discuss the background research conducted, including various products like the foot shell we are trying to design and its related patents, along with similar past senior projects. As our product is considered a medical device, there are also certain standards that we must comply with. After determining our problem statement, we established what we believe to be the wants and needs of our user. These wants and needs were converted into specifications for our design, with durability as …

Design Of A Canine Inspired Quadruped Robot As A Platform For Synthetic Neural Network Control, Cody Warren Scharzenberger

Dissertations and Theses

Legged locomotion is a feat ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom, but modern robots still fall far short of similar achievements. This paper presents the design of a canine-inspired quadruped robot named DoggyDeux as a platform for synthetic neural network (SNN) research that may be one avenue for robots to attain animal-like agility and adaptability. DoggyDeux features a fully 3D printed frame, 24 braided pneumatic actuators (BPAs) that drive four 3-DOF limbs in antagonistic extensor-flexor pairs, and an electrical system that allows it to respond to commands from a SNN comprised of central pattern generators (CPGs). Compared to the previous version …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Sintering Behavior Of Single-Crystal, Bimetallic Core/Shell Alloy, And Intermetallic Alloy Nanoparticles, Jungmin Jeon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been rapidly growing interest in the sintering process of nanoparticles (NPs) among academia and modern industry due to their promising applications in additive manufacturing (AM) based on the overall improved properties at nanoscale. In the past decade a lot of experimental and computational work has been conducted to study the sintering process of powder materials. However there is still a significant knowledge gap in a fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and nanostructural evolution of NPs undergoing additive manufacturing. This thesis aims to gain fundamental insights into melting behavior of different materials including single-crystal bimetallic core/shell alloy and intermetallic …

Additive Manufactured Ear Pinna For Spatial Cue Preservation In Custom Hearing Devices, Carlos Felipe Acosta Carrasco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Advancements in additive manufacturing/3D printing technologies has permitted the fabrication of intricate features such as the ones present in the human ear. The outer ear, also known as the pinna, allows for the spectral cues from incoming sound to be captured and identified. The hypothesis of the preservation of auditory localization and externalization relies on the fabrication of an ear pinna via additive manufacturing embedded into a headset for spectral cue preservation and hearing protection. Before exploring these custom circumaural hearing devices, a study on the fabrication process of AM pinnae was performed. The KEMAR system for acoustic research was …

Muse 1: Interactive Water Table, Sarah R. Higginbotham

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Foot Stress And Blood Flow Sensing Under High-Loading During Hip Surgery, Chris Cardenas, Esther Chen, Claire Kingston, Katie Paswaters, Brianna Rodebaugh

Mechanical Engineering

The PolyHIPS team was tasked with integrating sensors into Stryker’s hip arthroscopy boot that monitor blood flow and heel slip during hip surgery. During hip arthroscopy, the femur head is distracted from the acetabulum to create space in the joint for the surgeon to operate. This requires the use of up to 200 lbf. In order to maintain this space, the foot is held tightly in the boot. Complications can result from the foot being held too tightly in the boot during the procedure. The most common complication is neuropraxia, or temporary nerve damage. PolyHIPS proposes a solution that utilizes …

Analysis Of The Properties Of Supercapacitors And Possible Applications For The Technology, Vincent Oliveto

Honors Theses

Supercapacitors have a lot of excellent qualities that would make them a great substitute for batteries when it comes to electrical energy storage systems. Supercapacitors can discharge and charge very rapidly, they have a lifespan in the realm of millions of cycles, and they are much more efficient than batteries. Unfortunately, they cannot hold nearly as much charge as batteries. This paper seeks to further investigate the properties of supercapacitor technology and the best way to exploit these properties with the purpose of integrating them into renewable energy systems. There is currently a lot of research occurring around the world …

Trochoidal Milling Of Alsicp With Cvd Diamond Coated End Mills, Tony Nguyen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Metal matrix composites have seen a rise in demand within the last decade. Aluminum alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles is a type of particle metal matrix composite that has seen applications in the aerospace, ground transportation, and electronics industry. However, the abrasive SiC particles have made this material difficult to machine through conventional machining strategies. This research will focus on using computer aided manufacturing with trochoidal tool paths to maximize machining productivity and extend the tool life of CVD diamond coated end mills. The focus of this research will be on AlSiCp with a high volume fraction of reinforcement …

Applications Of Low Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Muhammad Waqas

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive imaging modality that is used to produce detailed images of soft tissues within the human body. Typically, MRI scanners used in the clinical setting are high field systems because they have a magnetic field strength greater than 1.5 Tesla. The high magnetic field offers the benefit of high spatial resolution and high SNR. However, low filed systems can also produce high resolution MR images with the added benefit of imaging stiffer samples. In this study, a low field 0.5 T MR system was used to image various samples to demonstrate the capability of the …

Innovation Of Driving Gear Train System For Developer Unit Of Lexmark Home Printers, Jay A. Crist, Sarah Gore, Kun Xie, Michael Mixoon

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Adjustable Height Table Chassis, Trevor Watkins

All Undergraduate Projects

Having the ability to change a dining table between a sitting and standing position is a niche feature. This feature was created for people that play board games regularly at a table, or for people who require use of a dining table as a standing work area. The mechanism that the table works by is using an acme threaded rod as a lead screw, with two timing belt pullies driving the shafts up and down which cause the raising and lowering of the table. These pullies were machined to incorporate an ACME threaded bolt which was welded into each pully. …

Weather Balloon Payload Box, Shellbie Liberty

All Undergraduate Projects

A payload box holding a self-rotating camera was constructed to go on a weather balloon that will document the upcoming solar eclipse on August 21, 2017. A group of physics students, and the paper’s author, are working under Dr. Darci Snowden on the CWU Near Space Observation Team for research dedicated to the eclipse in Oregon. Various projects, including the payload box, are being designed to go up on a high altitude weather balloon. The payload box was designed and constructed to withstand the impact force of falling from 120,000 ft. This was done so the box could be reusable …

Studies Of Ionic Liquid Hybrids: Characteristics And Their Potential Application To Li-Ion Batteries And Li-Ion Capacitors, Mengxin Liu

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted much attention in electrochemical energy storage systems for their advantageous properties over traditional lithium salt/carbonate solvent electrolyte in terms of higher electrochemical potential windows, comparable ionic conductivity, negative vapor pressure and non-flammability. Ionic liquids can be used as the solvent-free electrolyte in electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs) or can act as the important additives to the carbonate electrolyte in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Recently, lithium ion capacitors (LICs) have emerge as a novel energy storage system to satisfy the demands for higher energy density and higher power density in portable and transportation systems. This Master …

Ab Initio Study Of The Effects Of Humidity On Perovskite Based Hybrid Solar Cell Interfaces, Shantanu Rajendra Rachalwar

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Despite the impressive success of perovskite-based hybrid solar cells, their widespread usage has been limited partially owing to stability issues under working environmental conditions. Among these, the effects of humidity are some of the most significant. Water intercalation generally degrades the material, shortens its useful life, and reduces the efficiency of photovoltaic energy conversion. Understanding the reasons for these effects can be achieved through detailed and accurate atomic-scale analysis. Here, we study water intercalation at the interfaces of perovskite-based hybrid solar cell material and TiO2 electrode. Accurate ab initio computer simulations are used to obtain structural and electronic properties. We …

Configuration And Electronic Properties Of The Interface Between Lead Iodide Hybrid Perovskite And Self-Assembled Monolayers In Solar Cells, Parin Divya Amlani

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Hybrid perovskite photovoltaic materials are currently the most promising functional materials for solar cell applications with efficiency reaching to those of more conventional materials such as silicon. Using self-assembled monolayers between photovoltaic materials and electrodes is a method for improving the stability and functionality. Recent experiments have shown that using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and pentafluorobenzenethiol monolayers bridging lead iodide hybrid perovskite photovoltaic materials and electrodes result in improved stability and efficiency. The details of monolayer assembly, molecular adsorption configuration, and resulting modification of electronic properties are important characteristics related to solar cell performance. These characteristics can be obtained through accurate computer …

Dynamic Modeling Of Thermal Management System With Exergy Based Optimization, Marcus J. Bracey

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

System optimization and design of aircraft is required to achieve many of the long term objectives for future aircraft platforms. To address the necessity for system optimization a vehicle-level aircraft model has been developed in a multidisciplinary modeling and simulation environment. Individual subsystem models developed exclusively in MATLAB-SimulinkTM, representing the vehicle dynamics, the propulsion, electrical power, and thermal systems, and their associated controllers, are combined to investigate the energy and thermal management issues of tactical air vehicle platforms. A thermal vehicle level tip-to-tail model allows conceptual design trade studies of various subsystems and can quantify performance gains across the aircraft. …

Design And Validation Of An Electro-Hydraulic Pressure-Control Valve And Closed-Loop Controller, Jerry Boza

Dissertations

Electro-hydraulic pressure-control valves are used in many applications, such as manufacturing equipment, agricultural machinery, and aircrafts to name a few. They are often used to actuate hydraulic clutches, such as those found in power shift transmissions. A traditional pressure-control valve with open-loop control algorithm is typically used in clutch applications. This scheme often results in inconsistent or undesirable system behavior due to the nature of open-loop control as well as the nonlinear system dynamics and uncertainties.

In this research two new electro-hydraulic pressure-control valves were designed in order to decouple the valve and control port (hydraulic) dynamics. This was achieved …

Putter Measurement System, Bryan A.L. Hofferd, Yuzo Makitani, Jacob Phillips, Eric Stubben

Mechanical Engineering

This project is provided and funded by Callaway Golf Company for the Mechanical Engineering Department as a capstone project, also known as the Senior Project series: ME 428, 429, and 430. The title of the project proposal is "Putter Measurement System" in which our team must design, build, and test a system that meets the proposed objectives as stated by Callaway Golf. The need arises from the current systems’ inability to provide detailed and consistent measurements without tedious setup and calibration.

Implementing A Linear Quadratic Spacecraft Attitude Control System, Daniel Kolosa

Masters Theses

This thesis implements a linear quadratic attitude control system for a low-thrust spacecraft. The goal is to maintain spacecraft alignment with a time-varying thrust vector needed for trajectory change maneuvers. A linear quadratic attitude control approach is used to maintain spacecraft pointing throughout flight. This attitude control strategy uses the thrust-acceleration input obtained from a linear quadratic optimal trajectory control model that simulates the trajectory of a spacecraft in orbit maneuvers. This attitude model simulates a CubeSat, a small satellite that is equipped with a low-thrust propulsion and attitude control system. An orbit raising and a plane change scenario is …

Grit Mobile: Data Collection App For The Grit Research Project, Ryan Chang

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This project consists of one part of a larger University research project aimed at determining if active learning builds the character trait of grit in students while they learn in the domain of mechanical engineering. The research project has three goals: the development of a mobile app to measure the quantity and quality of active learning, a model of student success using the quantity and quality of active learning, and a characterization of the relationship between active learning and grit growth. This senior project focuses on the mobile app as part of the larger research project. The mobile app will …

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 …