Engineering Commons^™

3 Day Emergency Dialysis Kit, Luke Fillingim, Aaron Marshall, Brandi Thielman

Biological Engineering

Following natural disasters, dialysis clinics are unable to provide treatment for their patients. Many city facilities and vital services, such as water and power, can remain damaged or unavailable for as many as a few weeks

In one instance, it was reported that after a natural disaster the five leading causes of dialysis clinics becoming inoperable were: damage to reverse osmosis systems, interruption of water supply, failure of electrical power supply, structural damage to buildings and failure of telecommunications³.

Unfortunately, patients with end stage renal disease have the potential to become very sick in a matter of days …

Evaluating The Approach Of Using Nox Control Performance Tracking For On-Board Diagnostics Of Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles, Renata Castiglioni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

egulatory agencies have taken several measures to ensure proper regulation of engine exhaust in response to a yearly rise in urban pollution levels. This is due in no small part to vehicular traffic and resulting air pollution from exhaust.

This study evaluates the NOx Control Performance Tracking (NCPT) Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) parameter proposed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a tool to assess in-use heavy-duty vehicle performance. It also assesses the various criteria prescribed in the NCPT approach for applicability to real-world vehicle data.

In order to analyze the data, the study also investigated the effect of various …

Waste Management Of Highway Right Of Way Areas In Southeast Georgia, David M. Penn Ii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Maintenance of highway right of way (ROW) areas has become problematic during the last several years due to the high cost, and little to no economic return associated with disposing vegetation waste that is continuously generated on all highways and interstates across the state of Georgia. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) was interested in evaluating the feasibility of replacing ROW vegetation of highways throughout the state with high-value alternatives such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L. ‘Alamo’), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). Preliminary objective involved measuring and mapping SOC and soil N concentrations in the highway …

Wheelchair Automation And Instrumentation Platform, Brady Houston, Taylor Jones

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Problems

• Powered wheelchairs often fail to communicate their status to their users.
• Every chair is customized to a user’s needs, but this does not always work as it is hard to translate the commands to a different layout.
• Status of the chair is unknown to caretakers/clinicians (has to go to the factory to be analyzed).

Goals

• Provide an interface where one could read off easily basic data about the chair’s environment (altitude, pressure, humidity, etc.).
• Build an API to allow for the interfacing of basic movement of the chair itself; this way alternative methods of control would be easier to …

Investigating The Effect Of [C8py][Cl] And [C18py][Cl] Ionic Liquids On The Water/Oil Interfacial Tension By Considering Taguchi Method, Siamak Najimi, Iman Nowrouzi, Abbas Khaksar Manshad, Mehdi Hojjat Farsangi, Ali Zeinolabedini Hezave, Jagar A. Ali, Alireza Keshavarz, Amir H. Mohammadi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Capillary and interfacial forces are of great influences of trapping hydrocarbon in porous media after primary and secondary recovery processes. The trapped crude oil in the reservoir can be mobilized and produced by reducing these forces. Thus, surfactant flooding, as a main enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method, is usually applied to reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) of crude oil–water system in porous medium and improves the oil recovery. This study focused on the effect of [C8Py][Cl] and [C18Py][Cl] ionic liquids (ILs), as a new family of surfactant, in combination with various salts including sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate and …

Board 141: Engineering Identity As A Predictor Of Undergraduate Students' Persistence In Engineering, Debra A. Major, Seterra D. Burleson, Xiaoxiao Hu, Kristi J. Shryock

Psychology Faculty Publications

Improving graduation rates of students who have selected and been admitted to engineering majors is a pivotal strategy in supporting national initiatives to increase the number of engineering graduates. Research suggests that the degree to which a student is attached to or belongs to engineering as a discipline better explains persistence-related outcomes than lack of interest and ability. As a result, identity frameworks have proven useful for furthering the understanding of engineering persistence. In this paper, we examine the relationship between undergraduate students’ engineering identity and persistence as an engineering major.

As part of an ongoing NSF IUSE project, a …

Design And Synthesis Of A New Mannitol Stearate Ester-Based Aluminum Alkoxide As A Novel Tri-Functional Additive For Poly(Vinyl Chloride) And Its Synergistic Effect With Zinc Stearate, Wenyuan Han, Manqi Zhang, Degang Li, Tianbao Dong, Bing Ai, Jianping Dou, Hongqi Sun

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Thermal stabilizers, lubricant, and plasticizers are three crucial additives for processing poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). In this study, a new mannitol stearate ester-based aluminum alkoxide (MSE-Al) was designed and synthesized as a novel additive for PVC. The thermal stability and processing performance of PVC stabilized by MSE-Al were evaluated by the Congo red test, conductivity measurement, thermal aging test, ultravioletevisible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy test, and torque rheometer test. Results showed that the addition of MSE-Al could not only markedly improve the long-term thermal stability of PVC, but also greatly accelerate the plasticizing and decrease the balance torque, which demonstrated that MSE-Al possessed …

Nanoindentation Characterization On Local Plastic Response Of Ti-6al-4v Under High-Load Spherical Indentation, Yan Wen, Lechun Xie, Zhou Wang, Liqiang Wang, Weijie Lu, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

After high-load spherical indentation treatment, the variations of hardness on the plastic zone of Ti-6Al-4V were investigated via nanoindentation method. The hardness within the center of plastic zone was measured by nanoindenter, and the magnitude decreased gradually along the depth, which were caused by the different extent of plastic deformation under the residual imprint. The microstructure of indentation were observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) before and after surface etching, and the results showed that the microhardness revealed the average hardness of α and β phases of Ti-6Al-4V. The maximum hardness reached 6.438 GPa in the depth of 132 μm. …

Experimental Analysis Of Protective Headgear Used In Defensive Softball Play, John Scott Strickland

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Every year in the United States, an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million people sustain sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), with an appreciable number of these injuries coming from the sport of softball. Several studies have analyzed the impact performance of catcher’s masks within the context of baseball; however, virtually no studies have been performed on fielder’s masks within the context of softball. Thus, the main objective of the present work was to evaluate the protective capabilities of softball fielder’s masks. To better understand the injury mechanisms and frequency associated with softball head/facial injuries, epidemiological data from a national database was …

An Analysis Of Hydroacoustic Transmission Loss Associated With Marine Pile Driving, Jonathan Paul Berube

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing concern in recent years about the effects of anthropogenic noise due to marine pile driving on underwater wildlife. Current guidelines for mitigating hydroacoustic effects associated with these events are based upon relatively simple transmission loss formulations. The advantage to these guidelines is that computing transmission loss using their prescribed methods is not labor intensive, but their disadvantage is that they may not take all variables into account. Because of this, it may be possible to improve transmission loss computations. To better-characterize marine pile driving sound transmission loss, a unique in-water instrumentation system was developed. This …

Effects Of Seawater On Carotenoid Production And Lipid Content Of Engineered Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Yuqi Guo, Shangxian Xie, Joshua Yuan, Katy Kao

Faculty Publications

The use of seawater in fermentation can potentially reduce the freshwater burden in the bio-based production of chemicals and fuels. We previously developed a Saccharomyces cerevisiae carotenoids hyperproducer SM14 capable of accumulating 18 mg g−1 DCW (DCW: dry cell weight) of β-carotene in rich media (YPD). In this work, the impacts of seawater on the carotenoid production of SM14 were investigated. When using nutrient-reduced media (0.1× YNB) in freshwater the β-carotene production of SM14 was 6.51 ± 0.37 mg g−1 DCW; however in synthetic seawater, the production was increased to 8.67 ± 0.62 mg g−1 DCW. We found that this …

Aiaa Engine Design Team: Minidragon-950, Julie Bach, Jacob Bryan, Byron Peatross, Broch Reeder, Anthony Servedio, Kristofer Shawgo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Background

• The purpose was to create a gas turbine generator for a hybrid electric UAV that performs better than the existing TPE331-10

Cycle

• The miniDragon-950 produces 949 horsepower with a Brake Specific Fuel Consumption of 0.33
• Improvements were made through the use of more compressor and turbine stages and the addition of a recuperator
• The largest improvement was the reduction of weight from 385 lbs to 148 lbs

Sae Baja Brakes, Aaron Holden, Byron Janke

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The brakes system is critical in the safety of the vehicle. If not designed correctly, the use of the vehicle could end in disaster. The brakes team had three requirements they needed to meet:

• Design a braking system that is capable of locking all four tires traveling 30mph
• Design a system to distribute braking force between rear and front
• Design and Manufacture mounts to attach brake system to vehicle

Sae Baja Drivetrain, Jacob Behan, Landon Droubay, Alexis Whiting

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The drivetrain is essential for the buggy to move. It includes all the components that transfers movement from the engine to the tires.

The main design component of the drivetrain is the gearbox. This year the gearcase, gears, and shafts were redesigned to create a smaller gearbox. to reduce weight, lower the center of gravity, and create a better angle for the CV axles. The team decided to use constant velocity (CV) axles as they retain more efficiency from the gearbox to the wheel than shafts.

Sae Baja Frame And Systems, Jason Gardiner, Kyler Coates

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Our overall goal for the Frame and Systems team was to design and build a frame that provides a safe, comfortable, and fun ride for the driver. Providing integration for each subsystem to optimize performance was also critical to be a competitive vehical at the Baja SAE California competition.

Key design goals:

• Wide cockpit for driver comfort
• 50/50 (%) front/back weight distribution

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 …

Biological Agent Dispersal, Jake Israelsen, Chris Springmeyer, Will Wightman, Camiel Zorn

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

BIO-TERRORISM THREAT MITIGATION

Overview

• Understanding the importance understanding how airborne particles behave
• Computer models to describe open air release of Anthrax

Creation of 300 m x 100 m testing facility

• Determine distance traveled based on spore size and wind speed
• Determine important parameters for facility to safely control dispersion

Importance of the problem to society

• Immediate bio-terror-threat response training
• Contamination remediation for first responders
• Future response plans including timely contamination zone determination

This must be researched in order to plan for an undesirable event

Cleaning System For Pharma Manufacturing Process, Sydney Taylor, Daniel George, Travis Hotchkiss, Korbin Markos

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The scope of this project was to design a system for dosing Citric Acid and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) into GE Healthcare’s 4200 L bio-processing tank, as part of an automated cleaning cycle. The designed system is intended to:

• Minimize employee exposure to chemicals
• Dose the necessary amount of chemicals in 3 minutes or less
• Dose the necessary chemicals within a 0.5% tolerance
• Neutralize the cleaning solution to a pH level between 6 and 9
• Have a design-life of at least 10 years

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 …

High Intensity Uv Light, Kelsey Payne, Ryan Reid, Travis Smith

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

“Mechanics at Extreme Temperatures” is Dr. Berke’s lab. His experiments involve observing specimens at extreme temperatures (i.e. 1500°C) under various load states to simulate jets in hypersonic flight, reentry of spacecraft, and other aerospace applications.