Engineering Commons^™

Sae Baja Suspension And Steering, Jordan Sanchez, Bron Mccall, Caleb Francks

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Suspension is a critical characteristic of the SAE Mini Baja vehicle. It determines the feel and ride of the vehicle while taking all sorts of impact from any incoming obstacles. Steering effects the handle and the agility of the vehicle. These two subgroups designed correctly can optimize vehicle performance.

• Wheel Travel- Our vehicle has a travel capacity of 10 inches.
• Steering-The vehicle can turn within a 15 ft radius.
• Ride Height- Our ride height allows for 10 inches of ground clearance to be able to ride over larger objects.

Suspension and steering mechanisms are complex. It includes …

Usu Filament Winder, Brennan Baer, Jeff Fonnesbeck, Joel Fronk, Josh Matthews, Cory Weber

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The USU Composites Lab needs a filament winder for creating composite tubes. The filament winder student team used the following guidelines to design and construct a filament winder:

• This winder will be available for students to use for future senior design projects and research.
• The winder needs to have a minimum of two axes for control and movement.
• The winder must support parts up to 36" long and 3" in diameter with an even larger capacity being desirable.
• The winder must wrap composite fiber at angles between 30° and 150°. 

Hail Damage Test Process Design Usaf, Allen Crapo, Dallin Krebs, Janelle Miller

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Wing dimpling due to hail damage can result in costly aircraft reskin efforts

Objective: Determine the aerodynamic effects of hail damage on a NACA 0012 wing section

• Angle where the aircraft stalls
• The maximum lift of the aircraft
• The drag on the aircraft due to dimpling

Long Endurance Multi-Rotor Drone, Trenton Griffiths, Jacob Kaiser, Zachary Nelson, Patrick Ollerton, Zachary Page

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Develop a multi-rotor drone with the following characteristics:

• Has a 2 hour flight time
• Can carry a 5 kg payload
• Fuel source readily available
• Autonomous flight capabilities
• Easily transportable by pickup truck

Special Needs Tricycle - Lower Cost Alternative, Liz Housley, Nathan Linville, Conner Toone, Zachary Wilson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

There are thousands of children across the country who are not able to ride a standard bicycle due to physical disabilities. There are special tricycles that exist to accommodate such riders, but cost between $1500 and $4000 and have limited adjustability. The goal of this project was to design a functional and repeatable tricycle that that would meet the needs of these children at a much lower price.

Autoliv Testing Buck, Derek Hatch, Presli Hutchinson, Mckay Ogden

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The purpose of this project is to build a testing buck to test airbags for out-of-position passengers.

Autoliv is the world's largest automotive safety supplier. Their vision as a company is to save more lives and reduce serious injuries. This fixture is helpful in achieving their vision and continuing to make advancements in airbags for everyday vehicles.

The fixture replicates various sized cars and passengers. The testing buck will run airbag tests on mannequins ranging in size from a small child to a small statured woman.

Ease of use is highly emphasized throughout the project. The components of the fixture …

Thermal Battery, Jake Miles, Cody Barrie, Daniel Pratt, Cody Petterborg

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The objective of the Thermal Battery Project was to design an energy storage tank with an energy capture device for a greenhouse. The design would release the captured energy into the greenhouse to warm the greenhouse and extend the growing season of day-neutral strawberries.

These greenhouses often do not receive enough sunlight to maintain optimal interior temperatures for the strawberries during colder and darker months. Farmers must rely on various heating methods to keep their greenhouses warm. Most of these methods require the use of nonrenewable energy to maintain a desired temperature range.

The problems addressed by the thermal battery …

University Rover Competition Manipulation Sub-Team, Merrill Hall, Kyler Hendrickson, Kaden Ledbetter, Rachael Paskett, Nicholas Wallace

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The rover was designed to complete the tasks laid out in the 2019 Mar’s Society University Rover Challenge (URC) competition rules.

1. Science mission- The rover must conduct an in-situ analysis to determine the presence of life, either extinct or extant, at designated sights.
2. Extreme retrieval and delivery- The rover must pick up and deliver objects in the field while traversing a wide variety of terrain no further than 1 km.
3. Equipment servicing- The rover must perform operations on an equipment system after traveling up to 0.25 km.
4. Autonomous traversal mission- The rover must autonomously traverse between …

University Rover Competition Navigation Sub-Team, Seth Horne, Kaden Archibald, Derek Workman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University Rover Competition (URC) Navigation Requirements:

1. The rover shall be an off the grid mobile platform that is controlled by operators in a command station.
2. The rover must autonomously navigate between start and end markers, while performing object detection.
3. The rover must be able to recognize a tennis ball end marker and signal when it is within 2 m of the tennis ball.

University Rover Competition Power/Drive Sub-Team, Cleon Horne, Brady Kalt, Mason Moore

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The rover was designed to complete the tasks laid out in the 2019 Mar’s Society University Rover Challenge (URC) competition rules.

1. Science mission- The rover must conduct an in-situ analysis to determine the presence of life, either extinct or extant, at designated sights.
2. Extreme retrieval and delivery- The rover must pick up and deliver objects in the field while traversing a wide variety of terrain no further than 1 km.
3. Equipment servicing- The rover must perform operations on an equipment system after traveling up to 0.25 km.
4. Autonomous traversal mission- The rover must autonomously traverse between …

University Rover Competition Science Sub-Team, Samuel Parastino, Tyler Wallentine, Brandon Kenison

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The University Rover Competition is held annually near Hanksville, UT at the Mars Desert Research Station. Each team must design and build a rover compete in four different tasks:

1. Science Mission. The rover is required to conduct an in-situ analysis to determine the presence of extinct or extant life at designated sites
2. Extreme Retrieval and Delivery. The rover is required to pick up and deliver objects in the field while traversing a wide variety of terrain no further than 1 km from the base station.
3. Equipment Servicing. The rover is required to perform operations on an equipment system after traveling …

University Rover Competition, Nicholas Huld

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The Mar’s Society University Rover Challenge (URC) is a robotics competition held annually in the desert of Southern Utah. The competition tasks the engineers with building a remotely operated rover to accomplish four primary missions:

1. Science mission- The rover must conduct an in-situ analysis to determine the presence of life, either extinct or extant, at designated sights.
2. Extreme retrieval and delivery- The rover must pick up and deliver objects in the field while traversing a wide variety of terrain no further than 1 km.
3. Equipment servicing- The rover must perform operations on an equipment system after traveling …

Smart Rc Car Controller, Stephen Dennis

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Problem:

• Autonomous vehicles require expensive sensors.
• Control from the robots point of view is limited.

Solution:

Create an autonomous controller that uses cameras to provide control based on line of sight.

Benefits:

• Lower cost
• No sensors needed on the robot
• Better point of view for control

Spinning Pixel Display, Paden Thompson

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Spinning Pixel Display (SPD) uses a quickly rotating screen to give the illusion an entire image is being displayed all at once.

Purpose:

• Implements a technology prototype using a small amount of pixels for a high-quality image.
• Provides a positional image selector that is safe to be spun by hand (unlike LED fans).

Project Iris, Rachel Wall, Trent Wall

Electrical and Computer Engineering

We set out to develop a device that plugs into your phone and works with an app to without communication without cell phone service or WiFi. This would be useful if you are going on vacation to a cruise or service-less area outdoors and want to communicate with family or fellow travelers across long distances.

We implemented the hardware portion of this project by using a researched Xbee chip set that has the ability to broadcast signal approximately a mile away. This chip set was rigged to interface with the audio jack of a phone.

We implemented the software phase …

Smart Trailer, Brett Jepsen, Craig Saunders

Electrical and Computer Engineering

What is the Smart Trailer?

• Helps those with trailers have a fast, convenient way to use them.
• Actively monitors the tire pressure and alerts the user through an app if low pressure is detected.
• The Smart Trailer will check if all the lights on the trailer are working properly.

A Generative Statistical Approach For Data Classification In A Biologically Inspired Design Tool, Marvin Manuel Arroyo Rujano

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research this thesis describes is to find a way to classify text-based descriptions of biological adaption to support Biologically Inspired design. Biologically inspired design is a fairly new field with ongoing research. There are different tools to assist designers and biologists in bio-inspired design. Some of the most common are BioTRIZ and AskNature. In recent years, more tools have been proposed to aid and make research in the field easier, for example, the Biologically Inspired Adaptive System Design (BIASD) tool. This tool was designed with the goal of helping designers in early design stages generate more …

Offset Right-Turn Lanes On State Highway Systems, Aemal J. Khattak, Yashu Kang

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This research focused on two aspects related to Offset Right Turn Lanes (ORTLs) on Nebraska state highway two-way stop-controlled intersections. The first was the crash safety and economic benefits of ORTLs compared to intersections with no right turn lanes or traditional right turn lanes. The second was driver stopping behavior at stop signs at two-way stop-controlled intersections equipped with ORTLs. The research team reviewed information from various published studies, analyzed crash data reported at 47 two-way stop-controlled intersections as well as collected and analyzed driver stopping behavior at six ORTLs in Nebraska. Traffic volume and reported crashes during 2012-2015 were …

Audio To Architecture: House Music As A Form Generator, Polina Timchenko

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Contemporary music undergoes similar process of creation to that of the design process through computation and variation. House music as a representation of contemporary culture has a layered structure that allows specific characteristics to identify it as house music. Song components can vary and mix in different orders that form new dynamic compositions. I am going to explore the idea that every house music component can be translated into geometry with the use of parametric design techniques.

Origami-Based Design Of Fold States And Stability, Alex Avila

Theses and Dissertations

Origami is a potentially elegant and powerful source of inspiration for many engineering designs. The viable shapes (fold states) of a single device allow it to perform multiple, seemingly contradictory, functions. The fold state is a large factor in the device's performance, but there are challenges in selecting and maintaining those fold states. In this thesis we analyze existing concepts for overcoming these challenges. Those concepts are compared with those that occur in origami-based devices. From this analysis fundamental gaps were identified, specifically, shortcoming in the terminology used to refer to (1) non-flat origami states and (2) sets of facets …

Flight Vehicle Design, Andrew Ning

Books

No abstract provided.

Minutes & Seconds: The Scientists, Patrick Aievoli

Zea E-Books Collection

Minutes & Seconds, is a captivating intelligible read for those who strive to understand where the “what if” moment has gone. Succeeding his other captivating books, Aievoli’s deep introspective lens dials his readers in to awaken the proverbial sleeping giant inside of our consciousness. He designs an insightful exciting romp through the surreal landscape of our society and illustrates how various pioneers have lead us to a crossroads. I’m truly impressed with Aievoli’s perspicacious comprehension of where digital has taken us through the hands of these select individuals. --Sequoyah Wharton

In creating Minutes & Seconds, Aievoli has assembled an interesting …

Design Of Wind Turbine Tower Height And Blade Length: An Optimization Approach, Ryan Wass

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The wind industry is a fast growing market and is quickly becoming competitive with traditional non-renewable energy resources. As with any developing industry, research must continually be redefined as more complex understandings of design variables are learned. Optimization studies are common ways to quickly refine design variable selections. Historical wind turbine data shows that the tower hub height to rotor diameter ratio scales almost linearly. However there is no specific rule that dictates the optimum hub height for a given diameter. This study addresses this question by using an Excel based optimization program to determine the height to diameter ratio …

Evaluation Of Site Variability And Its Application In Design, Abu Hakim Muhammad Hasan Faisal

LSU Master's Theses

Geotechnical characterization has an important role in engineering geology as well as in implementation of any project. There are several variables and uncertainties involved in characterizing a project site. Four different sources of uncertainties represent the characterization of geotechnical variability, which include spatial variability, measurement error, statistical error and model bias. Spatial variability is expressed in terms of the mean, variance, and scale of fluctuation. Several statistical techniques such as the Gauge R & R, which includes X-Bar/R and ANOVA, and the Second Moment can be applied to compute site variability in terms of the coefficient of variations. Measurement error …

Development Of Iowa Dot Combination Bridge Separation Barrier With Bicycle Railing, Chaz M. Ginger

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Iowa Department of Transportation typically builds separation barriers between vehicle and pedestrian/bicycle facilities when sidewalks or trails are present on vehicular bridges. Currently, Iowa DOT employs a combination bridge rail that utilizes a concrete parapet that previously had been successfully evaluated to National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 Test Level 4 (TL-4) criteria for these situations. While the parapet had been successfully evaluated, the combination bridge rail system as a whole had not been evaluated to any crash test standards. Iowa DOT desired that researchers at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) design and test a combination bridge …

Design Survey Of Laminated Composite I-Beam, Mrinmoy Saha

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Composite I-beams are popular for high-strength low-weight applications. Learning the macro-mechanics and designing the composite I-beam properly are necessary. In this report, a design overview of the composite I-beam is discussed which is based on classical lamination theory where it includes the homogenization approach, the plane stress assumption and the Kirchhoff hypothesis. Using these assumptions, a method was developed to come up with the effective material properties of a beam. Formulas to calculate maximum deflection and maximum bending stress and shear stress and the stress concentration at the connection of web-flange are discussed which describe ways for designing and manufacturing …

The Investigation Of Silica Removal In Reverse Osmosis Concentrate By Changing Design Parameters, John M. Stomp Iv

Civil Engineering ETDs

Silica at high concentrations can precipitate and polymerize, forming scales on heat exchangers, boilers and turbines in industrial equipment, and on the feed side of the semi-permeable membranes in Reverse Osmosis (RO). Silica scale can cause decreased efficiency, increased treatment costs and, in some cases, irreversible damage. The removal of silica scale is challenging because it requires the handling of dangerous and hazardous chemicals. Therefore, much research has gone into the removal of soluble silica. The purpose of this research was to compare the overall effectiveness of silica removal in RO concentrate water with freshly precipitated Mg(OH)₂ and Fe(OH) …

Design For Maintainability In Developing Communities—A Case Study On The Uros Islands, Thomas Barlow

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Designing products for developing communities has exposed many of the underlying assumptions that engineers from developed nations have during the design process. There has been much written about these underlying assumptions in order to create a better framework for designing for developing communities. One unexplored, yet important area is the universality of common maintainability principles used in developed countries when designing products used in developing communities. Such principles include: simplicity, diagnosability, standardization of parts, modular subassemblies, minimizing assembly and disassembly parts, labeling components, increased life of moving parts, manuals, and simplifying tools needed for repairs [1]–[3]. The purpose of this …

Design And Performance Estimation Of A Low-Reynolds Number Unmanned Aircraft System, Sean Lauderdale King

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to conceptually design a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with a higher flight-time and top stable speed than comparable systems. The vehicle adheres to specifications derived from the client, the market, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). To broadly meet these requirements, the vehicle must fly for a minimum of three hours, return to the original flight path quickly if perturbed, and must be hand-launched. The vehicle designed must also have a large potential center of gravity movement to allow for customization of the planform and client customization.

An iterative design process was used …

Sloped And Mitered Concrete Headwalls, Kean H. Ashurst Jr., Brad W. Rister, Eileen Grady, Jason K. Ward

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) currently uses several pipe culvert end treatments, including standard headwalls, slope and flared headwalls, sloped and parallel headwalls, and safety metal ends. These treatments, however, can pose a safety hazard to motorists and those performing landscaping work (e.g., mowing). Crash statistics from 2012 through 2016 for Kentucky reveal that 49 fatalities and 148 incapacitating injuries occurred in incidents where culverts/headwalls were coded as the first harmful event on the police report. One solution to the safety hazards associated with standard pipe culvert headwalls is to use sloped and mitered concrete headwalls instead. To evaluate the …