Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Barker Bird Animatronic Senior Project Report, Marcus Monroe, Nolan Clapp, Ishan Jandaur, Jonathan Ogden

Mechanical Engineering

This document describes how our F71 Senior Design Project team developed a 3D printed, electronic bird that mimics Disneyland’s first animatronic, the Barker Bird. An animatronic is a mechanical puppet that replicates real life movement with robotic parts. Disney’s Barker Bird is a well-known animatronic that replicates a talking macaw with multiple moving systems. The final prototype completed by our team serves as a teaching tool for CAPED (Cal Poly Amusement Park Engineers and Designers) club members that are interested in the field of animated robots.

Baker/Koob Final Report: Solar Solution For Mini Mars Rover, Jonathan Cederquist, Cole Korchek, Derick Louie, Michaella Ochotorena, Collin Petersen

Mechanical Engineering

This project focused on designing, building, and testing a functional prototype of a collapsible solar array on the mini Mars rover being developed by client and sponsor, Mr. Rich Murray. Although many previous collapsible solar arrays have been deployed for space missions, the previous solar-powered Mars rovers only deployed their arrays once upon landing. This solar array will be able to collapse and deploy multiple times to allow for greater rover mobility and stability when the rover is not charging. This system is critical to the success of the rover project because it provides power without which the rover cannot …

Model-Based Design Of An Optimal Lqg Regulator For A Piezoelectric Actuated Smart Structure Using A High-Precision Laser Interferometry Measurement System, Grant P. Gallagher

Master's Theses

Smart structure control systems commonly use piezoceramic sensors or accelerometers as vibration measurement devices. These measurement devices often produce noisy and/or low-precision signals, which makes it difficult to measure small-amplitude vibrations. Laser interferometry devices pose as an alternative high-precision position measurement method, capable of nanometer-scale resolution. The aim of this research is to utilize a model-based design approach to develop and implement a real-time Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) regulator for a piezoelectric actuated smart structure using a high-precision laser interferometry measurement system to suppress the excitation of vibratory modes.

The analytical model of the smart structure is derived using the …

Challenges And Signal Processing Of High Strain Rate Mechanical Testing, Barae Lamdini

Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic testing provides valuable insight into the behavior of materials undergoing fast deformation. During Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar testing, stress waves are measured using strain gauges as voltage variations that are usually very small. Therefore, an amplifier is required to amplify the data and analyze it. One of the few available amplifiers designed for this purpose is provided by Vishay Micro-Measurements which limits the user’s options when it comes to research or industry. Among the challenges of implementing the Hopkinson technology in the industry are the size and cost of the amplifier. In this work, we propose a novel design of …

Manual Material Handling Lift-Assist System For Occupational Exoskeleton, Erik Goes, Daniel Guthrie, Trevor Ward

Honors Capstones

It is no secret that lifting heavy objects is one of the premier causes of workplace injury, and the modern worker needs help to remain healthy. Workers need something they always have with them that makes their work safer as well as easier; our solution is an active lift-assist exoskeleton. The proposed exoskeleton design includes a military backpack exoskeleton frame, on which two actuators pull cables attached to end effectors that the operator will be holding. This system can adjust to conform to a wide variety of operator sizes, without restricting any of their range of motion. This leads to …

Automated Robotic Light Bulb Testing Platform, Agha I. Akram, Muhammad Ali Ummy

Publications and Research

The main purpose of this project is to create a functional prototype of a multilayered system that incorporates aspects of electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering technology. The main objective of the system is to be able to determine whether a light bulb is working or not. The building blocks of this system are a robotic arm that is able to slide along a rail (for added mobility), a conveyor belt, and an electromechanical device that holds and tests light bulbs. Initially, the robot arm picks up a light bulb and places it into the holder which then tests it. A …

Electromechanical Fatigue Properties Of Dielectric Elastomer Stretch Sensors Under Orthopaedic Loading Conditions, Andrea Karen Persons

Theses and Dissertations

Fatigue testing of stretch sensors often focuses on high amplitude, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior; however, when used for orthopaedic, athletic, or ergonomic assessments, stretch sensors are subjected to low amplitude, high-cycle fatigue (HCF) conditions. As an added layer of complexity, the fatigue testing of stretch sensors is not only focused on the life of the material comprising the sensor, but also on the reliability of the signal produced during the extension and relaxation of the sensor. Research into the development of a smart sock that can be used to measure the range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joint during …

Probing Myosin Ensemble Mechanics In Actin Filament Bundles Using Optical Tweezers, Omayma Al Azzam, Janie C. Watts, Justin E. Reynolds, Juliana E. Davis, Dana N. Reinemann

Faculty and Student Publications

Myosins are motor proteins that hydrolyze ATP to step along actin filament (AF) tracks and are essential in cellular processes such as motility and muscle contraction. To understand their force-generating mechanisms, myosin II has been investigated both at the single-molecule (SM) level and as teams of motors in vitro using biophysical methods such as optical trapping. These studies showed that myosin force-generating behavior can differ greatly when moving from the single-molecule level in a three-bead arrangement to groups of motors working together on a rigid bead or coverslip surface in a gliding arrangement. However, these assay constructions do not permit …

Control, Decision-Making, And Learning Approaches For Connected And Autonomous Driving Systems With Humans-In-The-Loop, Fangjian Li

All Dissertations

By virtue of vehicular connectivity and automation, the vehicle becomes increasingly intelligent and self-driving capable. However, no matter what automation level the vehicle can achieve, humans will still be in the loop despite their roles. First, considering the manual driving car as a disturbance to the connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), a novel string stability is proposed for mixed traffic platoons consisting of both autonomous and manual driving cars to guarantee acceptable motion fluctuation and platoon safety. Furthermore, humans are naturally considered as the rider in the passenger vehicle. A human-centered cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) is designed to improve …

Electromagnetic Modeling Of A Wind Tunnel Magnetic Suspension And Balance System, Desiree Driver

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wind tunnels are used to study forces and moments acting on an aerodynamic body. While most results involve some interference from the mechanical supports used to hold the model, a Magnetic Suspension and Balance System (MSBS) is void of these interferences and presents an ideal test scenario. To further investigate the feasibility of dynamic stability testing at supersonic speeds using a MSBS, a preliminary design idea is currently being developed using an existing MSBS in a subsonic wind tunnel. This review focuses on the development of a mathematical model to more accurately portray the capabilities of the 6 inch Massachusetts …

Failure Mode, Effects And Criticality Analysis Of A Very Low Earth Orbit Cubesat Mission, Robb Christopher Borowicz

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

When space programs launch vehicles into orbit, multiple failures could arise throughout the mission and corrective actions are often not an option. Applying reliability engineering approaches during the design phase focuses on analyzing risk by anticipating potential failures and mitigating uncertainties in the design. Old Dominion University, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology designed and developed a 3U CubeSat mission to validate on-orbit, three space technology payloads. Mission SeaLion will fly as a secondary payload on stage two of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and will be deployed in a very …

Development Of High Conductivity Copper Coatings For Srf Cavity, Himal Pokhrel

Physics Theses & Dissertations

The development of metallic coatings with high purity and high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperature could be very important for application to the superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavity technology. The deposition of such bulk coatings on the outer surface of a niobium cavity could result in higher heat conductance and mechanical stiffness, both of which are crucial for enhancing the cavity performance at a reduced cost.

Cold spray technology was used to deposit bulk coatings of pure copper and copper-tungsten alloys on the niobium substrate and the samples of size 2 mm × 2 mm cross section were cut and subjected …

Machine Learning Tools In The Predictive Analysis Of Ercot Load Demand Data, Md Riyad Hossain

Theses and Dissertations

The electric load industry has seen a significant transformation over the last few decades, culminating in the establishment and implementation of electricity markets. This transition separates electric generation services into a distinct, more competitive sector of the industry, allowing for the introduction of greater unpredictability into the system. Forecasting power system load has developed into a core research area in power and energy demand engineering in order to maintain a constant balance between electricity supply and demand. The purpose of this thesis dissertation is to reduce power system uncertainty by improving forecasting accuracy through the use of sophisticated machine …

Radiomic Features To Predict Overall Survival Time For Patients With Glioblastoma Brain Tumors Based On Machine Learning And Deep Learning Methods, Lina Chato

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Machine Learning (ML) methods including Deep Learning (DL) Methods have been employed in the medical field to improve diagnosis process and patient’s prognosis outcomes. Glioblastoma multiforme is an extremely aggressive Glioma brain tumor that has a poor survival rate. Understanding the behavior of the Glioblastoma brain tumor is still uncertain and some factors are still unrecognized. In fact, the tumor behavior is important to decide a proper treatment plan and to improve a patient’s health. The aim of this dissertation is to develop a Computer-Aided-Diagnosis system (CADiag) based on ML/DL methods to automatically estimate the Overall Survival Time (OST) for …

Predicting The Progression Of Diabetes Mellitus Using Dynamic Plantar Pressure Parameters, Mathew Sunil Varre

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is one of the common complications of type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Changes in the intrinsic plantar tissue coupled with repetitive mechanical loads and loss of sensation may lead to foot related complications (skin break down, ulcerations, and amputations) in persons with neuropathy if left untreated. The purpose of this dissertation was to stratify individuals with pre-diabetes, diabetes with and without neuropathy using dynamic plantar pressure parameters during walking, using machine learning algorithms.Methods: Plantar pressure data was collected from one hundred participants during walking with pressure measuring insoles fixed between the feet and thin socks. Simultaneously high-definition …

Enhancement Of Biogas Production Through Solid-State Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Food Waste And Corn Cobs, Lukhi Mulia Shitophyta, Anisa Salsabila, Firanita Angraini Putri, Siti Jamilatun

Makara Journal of Technology

Although biogas has been primarily produced through liquid anaerobic digestion, this method leads to the floating and stratification of fibers and non-homogeneous mixing, which can reduce the biogas yield. Alternatively, biogas can be produced by the solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of organic material with a high solid content, such as corn cobs. We investigated the co-digestion of food waste and corn cobs as a biomass feedstock for SS-AD in biogas production. We measured the effects of the total solid (TS) content, percentage of food waste, and reduction in volatile solids (VS), from which we determined its appropriate kinetic model. We …

Control Strategy For Solar Energy-Saving Lamps For Optimized Energy Utilization And Sustainability Of Operation Durability: Indonesia Case, Burhanuddin Halimi, Agus Purwadi, Nana Heryana

Makara Journal of Technology

To solve the electrification ratio issue, the Indonesian government has promoted the use of solar energy-saving lamps. This study proposes a control strategy that adopts current reference time-based profiling for solar energy-saving lamps. For optimal energy consumption, the current reference profile is determined according to users’ daily energy requirements. From the aspect of user comfort, a gradual step reference profile is also introduced to provide a subtle change in lighting intensity level. The proposed control strategy can minimize energy consumption and optimize the operation durability of the system. The concept is verified by simulating four scenarios, the results of which …

Autonomous Navigator Mobile Robot Upgrade, David Sansoucy

Thinking Matters Symposium

The mobile robot platform has been developed over the course of 10 years at USM. In Spring 2020, Belle-Isle and Werner updated the previous framework by rewriting the software to use the ROS framework running on an on-board Raspberry Pi 3. They also implemented navigation using an A* motion planning algorithm and image processing. In Summer 2021, Ames incorporated Lidar and Kinect sensors onto the robot to improve its real-time navigation capabilities. He also made improvements to the power distribution systems. This project aimed to build on the ROS frameworks developed by the previous 2 teams with the main goal …

Dc Microgrid Fault Detection Using Multiresolution Analysis Of Traveling Waves, Rudy Montoya

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Fast detection and isolation of faults in a DC microgrid is of particular importance. Fast tripping protection (i) increases the lifetime of power electronics (PE) switches by avoiding high fault current magnitudes and (ii) enhances the controllability of PE converters. This thesis proposes a traveling wave (TW) based scheme for fast tripping protection of DC microgrids. The proposed scheme utilizes a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to calculate the high-frequency components of DC fault currents. Multiresolution analysis (MRA) using DWT is utilized to detect TW components for different frequency ranges. The Parseval energy calculated from the MRA coefficients are then used …

Ee Senior Design Project: Applications Of Wifi- Enabled Embedded Systems In Residential Security, Mariah Flint, Blake Kelly

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Compliant Gripper Driven By 3 Dof Soft Robot, Derek M. Price Ii, Ricardo Ramirez, Pt Angel Tran

Symposium of Student Scholars

Industrial robots are moving toward automation, which makes it increasingly necessary to replace the functions traditionally performed by humans with robotics. Pick and place operation is a prime example of such automation. Robots that pick up and place objects mimic the human action of picking an object up and placing it in a targeted location. It has led to the development of robotic end-effectors that have a human-like feel. Grippers can be articulated in various ways depending on their application area and well-defined desired tasks. As compliant and soft links deflect more under the same load than their rigid body …

Improving The Work Efficiency Of An Air Conditioning System Based On A Chiller, N Usmonov, A Khazratov, J Usmonov

Technical science and innovation

This article deals with evaporative cooling devices used in air conditioning systems. Various ways of lowering the air temperature to the dew point have been identified as a result of improvements to the devices considered. It is also indicated that the circulating water temperature in the system can be lowered to the air temperature on the wet bulb thermometer. As is known, recirculating water is often used as a cooling water in process units to reduce water consumption in industrial plants. Circulating water is heated by recirculation and the heated water is cooled in ventilated cooling towers. This method of …

Dc Microgrid Fault Detection Using Multiresolution Analysis Of Traveling Waves, Rudy Montoya

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Fast detection and isolation of faults in a DC microgrid is of particular importance. Fast tripping protection (i) increases the lifetime of power electronics (PE) switches by avoiding high fault current magnitudes and (ii) enhances the controllability of PE converters. This thesis proposes a traveling wave (TW) based scheme for fast tripping protection of DC microgrids. The proposed scheme utilizes a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to calculate the high-frequency components of DC fault currents. Multiresolution analysis (MRA) using DWT is utilized to detect TW components for different frequency ranges. The Parseval energy calculated from the MRA coefficients are then used …

Zero-Power Ac Current Sensor, Omar Aragonez

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

In this study, a magnetic piezoelectric cantilever powered AC current and frequency sensor is proposed. This paper covers the configuration of the experimental setup, finite element modeling of the magnetic coupling, and the optimal spatial location of the magnetic proof mass in relation to the wire for smart grid applications. Solid and stranded copper wires of various gauges were used and carried current up to 30A. The magnets act as a proof mass to lower the frequency while also coupling to the magnetic field generated by the current carrying wire. The frequency of the AC current produces a sinusoidal force …

Impulse, Spring 2022, University Marketing And Communications, Jerome J. Lohr College Of Engineering

Impulse (Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Publication)

2 | Ahmed Leads Construction and Operations Management
4 | Faculty News
8 | Kelley Steps Aside After 44 Years
12 | Boggs Retires From Mechanical Engineering
14 | Looking At Covid-19 Numbers
16 | Students Help College of Nursing
18 | Midwest Applied Materials Symposium Debuts
20 | Fourth Data Science Event Takes Place
24 | College Achievements
26 | Hard Work Pays Off
28 | Spotlight Shines on Students
30 | Mentoring Program Takes Off
32 | Robotics Club Busy With Activities
34 | The Numbers
36 | Brown, Sieve Honored
38 | Alumna Leads NASA Division
40 …

Marine Robot Sample Retrieving System, Valeriya Chulyukina, Noah Villar, Kekoa Blair, Mandeep Singh, Nathan Burke

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

The exploration of our underwater ecosystems is critical. The aquatic ecosystem has a significant effect on human life, yet our understanding of the oceanic environment is severely lacking. Santa Clara University’s Robotic Systems Lab contributes to subsea exploration through its investment in remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology. This project was done with the guidance of not only professors in the Robotics Systems Lab, but also stakeholders from the US Geological Survey scientists and researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Our team goal was to further advance SCU’s efforts by creating a sediment sample collection system consisting of …

A Deep Learning-Based Approach To Extraction Of Filler Morphology In Sem Images With The Application Of Automated Quality Inspection, Md. Fashiar Rahman, Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, Jianguo Wu, Yuxin Wen, Yirong Lin

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Automatic extraction of filler morphology (size, orientation, and spatial distribution) in Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) images is essential in many applications such as automatic quality inspection in composite manufacturing. Extraction of filler morphology greatly depends on accurate segmentation of fillers (fibers and particles), which is a challenging task due to the overlap of fibers and particles and their obscure presence in SEM images. Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs) have been shown to be very effective at object recognition in digital images. This paper proposes an automatic filler detection system in SEM images, utilizing a Mask Region-based CNN architecture. The proposed system …

An Accurate And Computationally Efficient Method For Battery Capacity Fade Modeling, D. M. Ajiboye, Jonathan W. Kimball, R.(Robert) G. Landers, John (T.) Park

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Industry Demand for Accurate and Fast Algorithms that Model Vital Battery Parameters, E.g., State-Of-Health, State-Of-Charge, Pulse-Power Capability, is Substantial. One of the Most Critical Models is Battery Capacity Fade. the Key Challenge with Physics-Based Battery Capacity Fade Modeling is the High Numerical Cost in Solving Complex Models. in This Study, an Efficient and Fast Model is Presented to Capture Capacity Fade in Lithium-Ion Batteries. Here, the High-Order Chebyshev Spectral Method is Employed to Address the Associated Complexity with Physics-Based Capacity Fade Models. its Many Advantages, Such as Low Computational Memory, High Accuracy, Exponential Convergence, and Ease of Implementation, Allow …

Polarization-Sensitive Optical Responses From Natural Layered Hydrated Sodium Sulfosalt Gerstleyite, Ravi P. N. Tripathi, Xiaodong Yang, Jie Gao

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-element layered materials have gained substantial attention in the context of achieving the customized light-matter interactions at subwavelength scale via stoichiometric engineering, which is crucial for the realization of miniaturized polarization-sensitive optoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. Herein, naturally occurring hydrated sodium sulfosalt gerstleyite is introduced as one new multi-element van der Waals (vdW) layered material. The mechanically exfoliated thin gerstleyite flakes are demonstrated to exhibit polarization-sensitive anisotropic linear and nonlinear optical responses including angle-resolved Raman scattering, anomalous wavelength-dependent linear dichroism transition, birefringence effect, and polarization-dependent third-harmonic generation (THG). Furthermore, the third-order nonlinear susceptibility of gerstleyite crystal is estimated by the probed …

Kemar Hats Head Orientation Directivity, Samuel D. Bellows, Timothy W. Leishman

Directivity

This directivity data set for a KEMAR head head-and-torso simulator (HATS) includes head orientations in 14 directions in 5° steps starting from 0° to 40° and then in 10° steps from 40° to 90°. The full spherical measurements followed at an a = 0.97 m radius with the mouth aperture at the spherical center. The sampling density and distribution followed the AES 5° dual-equiangular sampling standard, omitting the south pole (θ = 180°). Thus, each spherical directivity assessment included 36 polar-angle θ samples and 72 azimuthal-angle ϕ samples. The presented data include 22 1/3-octave bands, ranging from 80 Hz …