Engineering Commons^™

Mems 411: Pipe Climbing Robot, Trevor S. Gilkerson, Nick M. Gunter, Phillip H. Le, Andru N. Mangkusubroto

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Decreasing chemical plant emissions allow systems to become safer, less polluting, and more profitable. Pipe leaks in chemical plants, or fugitive emissions, are a significant source of lost product and safety hazard for workers. Working with Amaren's Maryland Heights natural gas power plant, the team developed a robot that can traverse pipe systems with a final goal of detecting chemical leaks.

Mems 411: Gentle Washing Machine For Reclem Clothing, Sadie Karp, Anna Clyne, Gabby Kogler

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

For our senior design project we worked with Dr. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu, Associate Professor at the Sam Fox School, and her company RECLEM to create a sustainable method for washing her clothing creations. RECLEM re-purposes old clothing scraps for sustainable garment manufacturing. RECLEM is experiencing a problem of deformation of her clothing when the pieces are go through a washing machine cycle. After completing our customer interview, we realized the root cause of the problem was the aggressive environment created by the washing machine. To combat this, we created a new washing process that is both scalable and gentle. Our design …

Mems 411: Reclém Clothes Washer Group X, Andrew Johnson, Eleni Kambouris, Ana Morgan Canales, Sheridan Lee

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The RECLÉM Clothes Washer Project addresses the challenge faced by Dr. Ruppert-Stroescu and RECLÉM in efficiently washing repurposed textiles without damaging or deforming the fabric. The goal is to design a sustainable machine that dissolves water-soluble synthetic sheets while conserving water and maintaining fabric integrity.

Mems 411: Water Surface Tension Breaker, David Arthur D'Alessandro Iii, Ben Davis Miller, Jared Ethan Appel, Parker Monnig

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Design a device that sufficiently stirs up the pool's surface for WashU's Swim and Dive team.

Interdigitated Gear-Shaped Screen-Printed Electrode Using G-Pani Ink For Sensitive Electrochemical Detection Of Dopamine, Pritu P. Sarkar, Ridma Tabassum, Ahmed Hasnain Jalal, Ali Ashraf, Nazmul Islam

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this research, a novel interdigitated gear-shaped, graphene-based electrochemical biosensor was developed for the detection of dopamine (DA). The sensor’s innovative design improves the active surface area by 94.52% and 57% compared to commercially available Metrohm DropSens 110 screen-printed sensors and printed circular sensors, respectively. The screen-printed electrode was fabricated using laser processing and modified with graphene polyaniline conductive ink (G-PANI) to enhance its electrochemical properties. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize the physiochemical properties of the sensor. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter crucial for several body functions, was detected within a linear range of …

Using Additive Manufacturing To Characterize Effects Of Sparse Infill Density And Sparse Infill Pattern On The Compressive Properties Of Short Strand Carbon Fiber Infused Petg, Luke C. Salisbury

Honors Theses

The advent of additive manufacturing has revolutionized the prototyping, design, and manufacturing of new and innovative products. Through the use of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), parts can be manufactured using different sparse infill percentages (the percentage of void space within a printed object) and sparse infill patterns (the lattice structure of material within the object). Through the manipulation of these variables, the same material and part can have different compressive and flexural properties. In addition to sparse infill, the thermoplastics used in fused deposition modeling can be reinforced with carbon fiber strands to create a printable composite material capable of …

The Role Of Qa Automation In Eliminating Waste In Project Teams, Ejiro Esiri

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the impact of Quality Assurance (QA) automation on reducing waste in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) projects within enterprise organizations. Manual QA processes often result in bugs and defects that negatively affect project quality and business outcomes. Although automated QA testing promises improved accuracy and fewer errors, its implementation and effectiveness in SEO projects have yet to be thoroughly researched. This study uses qualitative research methods, including surveys of SEO professionals, QA specialists, and project managers in enterprise organizations, to examine how automated QA testing influences the performance and outcomes of SEO projects. The results show that companies …

Mems 411: Diving Bubbler, Yasmin Ruff, Maya Ghatalia, Selva Moslehikhah

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Design an affordable, portable, and effective surface-breaking system tailored for the WashU Diving team.

Mems 411: Ball Bearing Sorting Device, Claudia Markel, Max Cusick, Tomás Collado

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Ball bearings are an integral part of many products, including cars, planes, and appliances. However, when bearings of multiple sizes and materials are mixed together, they can be difficult to separate quickly. Sorting the ball bearings becomes even more of a challenge for people who are not able to see the difference in color to discern the materials. To solve this problem, a ball bearing sorter, which can separate bearings of 1 2 in and 1 4 in for the materials of steel, brass, and plastic, was created. This project was based on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2024-2025 …

Mems 411: Asme Ball Bearing Sorter, Gurks Bansal, Natalia Klim, Helen Ma

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Design and create a device that sorts ball bearings of 3 different materials and 2 different sizes for the 2024-2025 ASME Student Design Competition.

Mems 411: Custom Surfacing Machine, Katherine Minielly, Gaelen Clayton, Estela Villacis

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Our project is in partnership with DeepSight, a startup working to revolutionize medical imaging through proprietary ultrasound sensing technology. Our objective is to create a custom surfacing machine to finish a critical ultrasound component. DeepSight’s new ultrasound system includes an aluminum component that requires a high degree of perpendicularity and a sub-micron finish on one side. DeepSight provided us with an existing grinding machine to retrofit to surface the aluminum part. Our goals were a surface roughness ofmicron, a surface perpendicularity ofmicrons, and the ability to process 3 parts inpart’s surface and ensure even surface wear. The part spins on …

Develop Secure Software Specifications For Android App Concealing The Information And Safeguarding Data, Huda Abdulaali Abdulbaqi, Ahmmad Mohamad Ghandour, Thekrayat Abbas Jawad

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

In the current landscape of technological advancement, data holds a pivotal role, shaping societal interactions and daily routines. The rapid escalation in digital data volume, driven by technological strides, has underscored the critical necessity for robust protective measures to safeguard its sensitive nature. This study aims to develop a secure software specification for Android application ensuring effective data protection through a specialized Android application tailored explicitly for data concealment, assuring utmost confidentiality and secure transmission. In this paper we revolve around the integration of multifaceted security and privacy protocols, employing advanced information concealment techniques, encryption mechanisms, secure key management, and …

Durability Of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars In Moist Geopolymer Concrete, Mouaz Chkhachirou

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The rapid growth of infrastructure projects in the Gulf region has significantly increased the demand for construction in the urban coastal areas of the Arabian Gulf. This harsh coastal environment accelerates the corrosion of steel reinforcement in structural concrete, which leads to severe safety hazards as well as considerable financial losses. The utilization of non-corrodible materials as reinforcement bars in concrete structures would extend their service life and reduce the operation and maintenance expenditure. Basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars have great potential to replace traditional steel reinforcement and eliminate corrosion-related problems. At the same time, the construction industry is responsible …

Developing A New Method For Brine Purification And Reducing Salinity Using Recycled Carbon Fiber, Fatemeh Bahaeddin

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Brine water, defined as hot and high salt content water, can be produced in large amounts from water desalination. The potential environmental impacts of brine disposal were evaluated in several studies. Minor variations in water salinity and temperature can significantly influence marine ecosystems. Elevated salinity levels disrupt the osmotic equilibrium between aquatic organisms and their surroundings, which leads to cell dehydration. Various disposal techniques have been implemented recently, including surface water discharge, sewage discharge, deep-well injection, evaporation ponds, and land application. However, these brine disposal techniques are unviable due to their high capital costs and limited applicability. In recent years, …

Dynamic Resource Allocation For Beyond 5g Networks Through Uav-Assisted Communication, Iman Adel Sami

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

In response to the surging demand for cellular services, driven partly by the post-COVID-19 era, network operators are grappling with the challenge of enhancing network capacity and throughput. Fifth-generation mobile technology and beyond (6G) with techniques like network slicing are emerging as promising solutions for faster data speeds and improved network performance across various devices. In network slicing, distributing radio resources between different virtual operators (slices) is often performed in a static manner. Therefore, due to the dynamic user demand, the users of one virtual operator could suffer from a lack of resources, whereas another virtual operator with overlapping cells …

Unveiling The Shadows: The Influence Of Anonymity And Fake Accounts On Cyberbully Intention In Social Media, Muzdalini Malik, Hapini Awang, Nur Suhaili Mansor, Mohamad Fadli Zolkipli, Khuzairi Mohd Zaini, Abdulrazak F. Shahatha Al-Mashhadani

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Cyberbullying has arisen as a prevalent and worrying issue in the digital age, substantially influencing the well-being and mental health of social media users. Previous studies have identified several factors and theories of cyberbullying. Still more in-depth research is required to understand the key factors influencing cyberbullying intention in social media. This study aims to identify the factors influencing cyberbullying intention in social media and examine the moderating effect of fake accounts on cyberbullying intention. An extensive literature review has been conducted to examine the gaps in existing studies on cyberbullying intention. As a result, this study uses the Theory …

Unpacking Bias, Accountability, And Ethical Practices In Ai, Manya Chandra, Micol Hebron

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This study is based on understanding how text-to-image generative AI platforms perpetuate biases such as racism and sexism and decoding how this bias is programmed within large language models and datasets. In this study, the results of generative AI are analyzed through the lens of affect and affect theory, as they are applied to investigate the machine learning and computer theory behind generative AI algorithms. The purpose of the study is to explain why generative AI is biased and whether this bias is generated due to current trends or to deficits and biases within the database that it draws information …

Winter Solstice Phenomenon At Newgrange: Research Report 2024, Frank Prendergast

Articles

This report, commissioned by the National Monuments Service presents a comprehensive analysis of the high-resolution photographic and video recordings of the solar illumination inside the burial chamber at Newgrange passage tomb, located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne – Archaeological Ensemble of the Bend of the Boyne.

Determining The Difference In Monthly Hazardous Uas Sightings Pre- And Post-Trust​, Jacob Daniel Anderson, Kyle Beane, Ethan Ryan Prins, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) present a significant challenge to regulators. This study determined that there was no statistically significant difference in monthly UAS sightings before and after the implementation of TRUST.

Investigating The Relationship Between Population Density Surrounding An Airport And The Number Of Wildlife Strikes Per Operation., Alexandra E. Rowe, Daniel Alves, Evan Park, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study compared the relationship between population density surrounding an airport and reported wildlife strikes per operation. A very weak correlation with no statistical significance was determined which emphasizes the need for future research on wildlife mitigation strategies and understanding wildlife patterns.

Cloudy Views: Collegiate Flight Students Rated Employability Of Cfi Applicants By Experience And Gender, Kaylee A. Crispe, Esther Renee Wilson, Sihong Park, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

After surveying core aeronautics classes, it was determined that there was a difference in employability by scenario. Scenarios with high flight time were rated higher than those with low flight time.

Effect Of Laser Textured Surface With Different Patterns On Tribological Characteristics Of Bearing Material, Paul Joshua S

Theses and Dissertations

This research work determines the wear rate and friction characteristics of bearing material under different laser textured surface conditions. Chrome steels are used in bearings since they possess high strength and wear resistance. However, when those parts are in service, failure happens due to sliding friction before the lifetime. To improve the durability of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 52100 chromium steel, in this work, the effect of laser surface texturing (LST) was analysed.

With the different pattern of circle, ellipse, groove and grid were produced on the sample surface, the wear behavior was investigated using the pin …

Generative Ai-Based Optimized Recommender System For Debt Collection Using Large Language Models, Keerthana S

Theses and Dissertations

Reducing the percentage of defaulters who often skip payments throughout the debt collection process might help minimize losses in the banking industry. The debt collection process should be optimized to reduce the rate of defaulters and improve collection rates. Traditional Machine Learning algorithms focused on credit risk analysis, defaulter prediction, and forecasting the recovery rate of debt collection. Researchers are not currently prioritizing the analysis of debt collectors’ performance. The debt collector’s primary responsibility is to retrieve outstanding debts from consumers on behalf of the debt collection firm.

Examining debt collectors’ performance is essential to enhance collection efficiency in the …

Heat Transfer In Tightly Packed Cylinder Arrays, Martin Kovachev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Cylindrical arrays with a cross flow are commonly used for heat transfer augmentation within an internal channel. In most applications, the cylinders have a spacing of over 2 diameters (2D) between their center points in both the lateral and downstream directions. One option for battery thermal management in hybrid/electric aviation is to use cylindrical batteries packed in arrays with an applied cross flow. In the context of aviation, it is important to maximize space and weight savings. Tightly packing these cylinder arrays with a spacing of under 2D in both directions would save on both of these yet have not …

A Low-Complexity Algorithm For Trajectory Generation In The Three-Body Problem, Brian P. Baker-Mcevilly

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The Cislunar realm holds intrinsic value for scientific, commercial, and military applications as numerous entities have begun to invest resources into the expansion and utilization of the region. As the Cislunar region continues to grow, there is an escalating need for efficient methods of trajectory generation in this multi-body dynamical system for computationally limited systems. Thus, a low-complexity classical algorithm is proposed to achieve accurate orbital trajectories in the three-body problem. The proposed algorithm solves a polynomial interpolation problem, formulated using state measurements, through the unique decomposition of a dense system into sparse matrices. Several relevant Cislunar trajectories are simulated …

Nasa Microgreen Cultivation In Space Utilizing Pegda Hydrogels, Thomas Alarcon Ali, Zohaib Gabriel Khan, Ariel Marroquin, Samuel Martinez, Fabiha Samiha, Emily Yong

Publications and Research

During long-term space expeditions, it is crucial that astronauts receive the nutrients they need to maintain their overall health. While the current space diet of palatable foods is commendable and constantly evolving, nutritional content and food quality degrades over long durations. Microgreens are excellent candidates for space cultivation because they are nutrient-dense, young plants that are are densely grown and harvested when leaves are just emerging. However, antigravity, microgreen fragility, degradation speed, contamination, and limited water resources are substantial barriers to doing so. This study aims to address these challenges by cultivating microgreens inside a hydrogel, a soilless medium, to …

Complex Precipitation Behavior In A Co-Free High Entropy Alloy During Aging, Matthew Luebbe, Fan Zhang, Jonathan D. Poplawsky, Jiaqi Duan, Haiming Wen

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High entropy alloys (HEAs) demonstrate high strength, thermal stability, and irradiation resistance, making them desirable for applications in nuclear reactors and other harsh environments. Many existing HEAs contain cobalt (Co), which makes them unsuitable for nuclear applications due to the long-term activation of Co. A previously studied Co-free alloy, (Fe_0.3Ni_0.3Mn_0.3Cr_0.1)₈₈Ti₄Al₈, exhibits high strength but compromised ductility due to its network of brittle precipitates upon aging. This work investigates the formation mechanism and evolution of the precipitates, including L1₂ (Ni₃Ti type, ordered face-centered cubic …

Sustainability Assessment Of Photovoltaic Cells In Cross-Functional Applications, Achyuth Ravilla

Dissertations and Theses

Achieving the G7 countries' net-zero emissions target by 2050 requires integrating photovoltaic (PV) systems into diverse cross-functional applications that support sustainable energy transitions across multiple sectors. This dissertation explores the economic and environmental sustainability of three such applications: agrivoltaics, lower-dimensional materials in perovskite solar cells, and PV-electrochemical water-splitting technologies for hydrogen production. Employing life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA), we address the knowledge gap in comprehensive evaluations of PV-integrated solutions.

The first chapter assesses agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine PV systems with agriculture to mitigate land-use conflicts while enhancing food and energy production. Findings indicate that AVS designs, …

Holomind: Engineering Mindfulness Through Holographic Display, Hannah Bauer, Jaime Song

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Our research project, HoloMind, explores the potential of developing interactive experiences using a holographic display to engage the audience in relevant education, and wellness outcomes. To accomplish this aim we are using the Dreamoc HD3.2 by Realfiction, which provides a passive playback of preloaded 3D visuals. The first step in our methodology is to get familiar with the Dreamoc HD3.2 hologram, create 3D visuals, and uncover design guidelines and best practices for creating 3D visualizations. To create 3D visualizations, we are using Adobe Substance 3D Stager. Then, we adapt Realfiction’s template in Adobe After Effects to precisely fit the specific …

Valve Train Design And Material Testing, Luis Luna

Publications and Research

In automotive engineering, CAD software like SolidWorks enables engineers to design and simulate mechanical components efficiently, reducing the need for extensive prototyping. This project examines the rocker arm's performance and durability within a valve train system. Components like pushrods, camshafts, and rocker arms control air intake and exhaust timing. Due to its high-impact motion and exposure to elevated temperatures, the rocker arm endures considerable wear. This study uses SolidWorks and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to analyze the rocker arm's stress, deformation, and wear potential during camshaft movement. Material testing and motion analysis results provide insights into improving the durability of …