Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Characterization Of Reactive Ion Etch Chemistries Using Direct Write Lithography, Dylan T. Martin-Abood

Theses and Dissertations

The DoD requires a variety of COTS and number of custom microelectronics to provide important functionality to critical military systems. Photolithography and DRIE are two techniques commonly used in the development of deep anisotropic features for the fabrication and modification of microelectronics and MEMS. However, standard photolithography techniques are ineffective for unique substrate geometries and DRIE processes require a chemical passivation step only applicable to Si substrates. This work confirmed the capability of RIE using DWL to perform deep, highly selective, anisotropic etching on elevated, non-circular substrates.

Characterization Of Nanorod Lmo Li-Ion Battery Performance And Microstructure Degradation, Austin Gabhart, Hernando Gonzalez Malabet

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Dartmouth Formula Racing: Full Electric Battery System Design, Matt Gardner, Jacob Hagler, Ruthie Nordhoff, Otto Salmi

ENGS 89/90 Reports

Dartmouth Formula Racing (DFR) lacked an electrical energy storage system that was Formula Hybrid rules-compliant, optimized for FH events, safe, reliable, and integrated with the rest of their vehicle. Additionally, the team lacked the academic and professional resources required to bring a thorough, analytical approach to the design, testing, and documentation of the new storage system. Our team designed and built a Lithium-Ion battery pack (accumulator) containing energy storage, active cooling, battery management and temperature monitoring systems, and control circuitry compatible with DFR’s vehicle. Collaboration throughout design, fabrication, assembly and testing processes ensured effective knowledge transfer to the DFR team.

Cal Poly Supermileage Dynamometer, Jacob Randall, Nate Deffenbaugh, Kyle Milgram

Mechanical Engineering

Our senior project involves designing a chassis dynamometer capable of simulating variable loads for the Cal Poly Supermileage Vehicle (SMV) team. The chassis dynamometer we are developing uses an alternator to develop additional resistance that the vehicle will have to overcome while testing. To implement a control system for the variable load, we use an Arduino Nano paired with multiple sensors and drivers. This control system allows the user to select different levels of resistance that correlate with different road grades. We designed a custom Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that will contain all the electrical components needed for the control …

Dual-Axis Solar Tracker, Bryan Kennedy

All Undergraduate Projects

Renewable energies, and fuels that are not fossil fuel-based, are one of the prolific topics of debate in modern society. With climate change now becoming a primary focus for scientists and innovators of today, one of the areas for the largest amount of potential and growth is that of the capturing and utilization of Solar Energy. This method involves using a mechanical system to track the progression of the sun as it traverses the sky throughout the day. A dual-axis solar tracker such as the one designed and built for this project, can follow the sun both azimuthally and in …

Quaternary Hydrides Pd1-Y-Zagycuzhx Embedded Atom Method Potentials For Hydrogen Energy Applications, Chaonan Zhang

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Pd-H system has attracted extensive attention. Pd can absorb considerable H at room temperature, this ability is reversible, so it is suitable for multiple energy applications. Pd-Ag alloys possess higher H permeability, solubility and narrower miscibility gap with better mechanical properties than pure Pd, but sulfur poisoning remains an issue. Pd-Cu alloys have excellent resistance to sulfur and carbon monoxide poisoning and hydrogen embrittlement, good mechanical properties, and broader temperature working environments over pure Pd, but relatively lower hydrogen permeability and solubility than pure Pd and Pd-Ag alloys. This suggests that alloying Pd with Ag and Cu to create …

A Preconditioned Lattice Boltzmann Flux Solver For Steady Flows On Unstructured Hexahedral Grids, Brendan Walsh, Fergal Boyle

Articles

The lattice Boltzmann flux solver (LBFS), first introduced by Shu et al. (2014) on structured meshes, allows fluid flow problems to be solved on unstructured meshes discretised by the finite volume method. The solver calculates the macroscopic fluxes at the cell interfaces from a local reconstruction of the lattice Boltzmann solution. In this paper the LBFS is extended to three-dimensional unstructured hexahedral meshes and a preconditioned lattice Boltzmann flux solver (PLBFS) is presented. The PLBFS involves applying the preconditioning technique proposed by Guo (2004) to the LBFS and is achieved by modifying the equilibrium distribution function used to calculate the …

Footsteps Power Generator, Faisal Alonazi, Mohammed Aljohani

All Undergraduate Projects

This project was motivated by the need for a device that would generate electricity from human motion, especially footsteps. Electricity is a very important resource in our daily life. There are numerous sources from which generate electrical energy. The major sources of energy include but are not limited to coal, natural gas, petroleum, and nuclear energy. Most of these sources have adverse effects on the environmental inclusion such as air pollution; for example, from coal energy generation plants which then cumulatively leads to effects such as increase in rates of global warming. This project seeks to establish an environmentally friendly …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Nickel Plated Micro-Resonators For Noncommutative Orientation Control In Microrobots, Marc Manheim

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This thesis describes a procedure for fabricating arrays of microstructures out of SU-8 photoresist and nickel, which was developed with the goal of yielding microrobots capable of 1D rotation byway of magnetically-induced beam vibration that could be used for non-commutative orientation control. Several multi-layer geometries were designed, fabricated, tested and refined. In this process, micro-adhesion of multiple SU-8 layers was also studied. A method for depositing nickel via electroless plating was also developed, tested and characterized. While no microrobots were shown to produce rotation, the final results included beams that were capable of magnetically-induced vibration when subjected to an AC …

The Optimum Design Of A Vacuum-Compatible Manipulator To Calibrate Space Based Ultraviolet Imagers, Jason L. Grillo

Master's Theses

Recent discoveries in geospace science have necessitated the design of compact UV imaging instruments to make space-based observations from multiple vantage points. The miniaturized ultraviolet imager (MUVI) instrument from the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at UC Berkeley is under development to facilitate such discoveries on a wider scale. This thesis documents the design, integration, and characterization of a vacuum compatible manipulator to calibrate the MUVI instrument inside the UV thermal vacuum chamber at SSL. Precision linear and rotation stages were implemented with custom mounting plates to achieve four degrees of freedom. Optical components were installed to imitate the MUVI instrument …

Development Of A Process For Thermal And Mechanical Modelling Of Screw-Driven Pellets Extrusion, Kaixiang Shi

Master’s Theses

The overall goal of the thesis project is to develop a process for thermal and mechanical modelling of the screw-driven pellets extrusion process, and applying the model results to design extruder temperature and flow rate controllers.

The proposed extruder is designed for metal 3D printing. The device demonstrates great potential in tackling some of the major issues faced by the metal additive manufacturing community. It eliminates the use of metal powder for workplace and workers safety. It is able to produce end-use parts with industrial grade mechanical and microstructural properties. It utilizes low cost metal-loaded polymer pellets as feedstock. However, …

Real-Time Predictive Control Of Connected Vehicle Powertrains For Improved Energy Efficiency, Joseph Oncken

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The continued push for the reduction of energy consumption across the automotive vehicle fleet has led to widespread adoption of hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) by auto manufacturers. In addition, connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have seen rapid development in recent years and bring with them the potential to significantly impact vehicle energy consumption. This dissertation studies predictive control methods for PHEV powertrains that are enabled by CAV technologies with the goal of reducing vehicle energy consumption.

First, a real-time predictive powertrain controller for PHEV energy management is developed. This controller utilizes predictions of future vehicle velocity …

Zips Precious Plastics: Plastic Extruder, Patrick Cole

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project's goal was to design and build an affordable desktop filament extruder that can precisely and consistently extrude filament to a certain tolerance acceptable for 3D printers using wasted printing material. The group is partnering with an on campus organization focusing on engineering applications for sustainable futures. Zips Precious Plastics is a student run design group that intends to bring an innovation space on campus to help educate students about the importance of a closed looped system within plastic manufacturing.

Automated Runout Measurement Tool, Ethan Tisch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A new measurement process and tool is to be developed to improve the existing method for measuring runout on the commutators of brushed DC product.

After an armature is manufactured, the commutator is inspected by placing the completed rotor assembly in one of several non-standard measurement fixtures. An indicator is then positioned on the commutator. A trained operator proceeds to rotate the armature while taking runout and bar-to-bar measurement at various positions along the length of the commutator.

This existing process is slow, costly, and unreliable. For these reasons, there is substantial economic pressure to develop a superior method for …

Automatic Seeder, Zachary Bunting, Nicholas Muscarella, Trevor Tout, Dalton Denny

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our Senior Design Project is the construction and implementation of an automatic seeder that is to be used in the agricultural industry. The automatic seeder is being designed to eliminate prevalent issues within the process of planting seeds by hand, such as labor requirements and inconsistent operations. The seeder is meant to reduce time spent on planting seeds and place them in an efficient manner for optimal growth conditions.

This project will require several specific research questions to be addressed in the form of application and good usability. We will investigate the method of planting the seed, the conveyor track …

Rinse Tank Salinity Automation, George Pahoundis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Manufacturing processes are often consisted of many different processes and sub-processes. Each of these carries its own level of importance and impact to the overall picture. In this particular sub-process, salt is rinsed from a product via a rinse tank: a tank whose salinity may not exceed a certain level and whose temperature must not fall below a certain level. This setting is a prime opportunity to implement an automated control system to allow these parameters to be met with upmost efficiency. With potential savings in excess of $20,000 per year and an estimated payback period of 8 weeks, the …

Sensor Fusion And Non-Linear Mpc Controller Development Studies For Intelligent Autonomous Vehicular Systems, Ahammad Basha Dudekula

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The demand for safety and fuel efficiency on ground vehicles and advancement in embedded systems created the opportunity to develop Autonomous controller. The present thesis work is three fold and it encompasses all elements that are required to prototype the autonomous intelligent system including simulation, state handling and real time implementation. The Autonomous vehicle operation is mainly dependent upon accurate state estimation and thus a major concern of implementing the autonomous navigation is obtaining robust and accurate data from sensors. This is especially true, in case of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor data. The IMU consists of a 3-axis gyro, …

Mems Biosensor For Water-Immersed Application, Kun-Lin Lee

Dissertations and Theses

Although many air-based sensing mechanisms exist, not all of them can be applied in the water-based environment. In order to obtain a cell-based biosensor, the sensing method needs to be reliable and repeatable in a liquid environment. Therefore, this study is focused on transforming existing air-based sensors to water-immersed applications. This study includes two types of sensors.

First, commercial quartz resonators are used to investigate live-cell activity in water-based toxic solutions. I perform toxicity tests using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The QCM used in the study has a resonant frequency of 10 MHz and consists of an AT-cut quartz crystal …

Design And Optimization Of Dynamic System For A One-Kw Free Piston Linear Engine Alternator-Gensets Program, Nima Zamani Meymian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In power/energy systems, free-piston linear machines are referred to as a mechanism where the constrained crank motion is eliminated and replaced with free reciprocating piston motion. Depending on the application, the piston motion can be converted into other types of energy and includes compressed air/fluid, electricity, and high temperature/pressure gas. A research group at West Virginia University developed a free-piston linear engine alternator (LEA) in 1998 and have achieved significant accomplishment in the performance enhancement of the LEAs to date. The present LEA design incorporates flexure springs as energy restoration components and as bearing supports. The advantages of using flexure …

Measured And Modeled Performance Of A Spring Dominant Free Piston Engine Generator, Ramanjaneya Mehar Baba Bade

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Free Piston Engine Generators (FPEG) directly convert the reciprocating piston motion into electricity by using a linear alternator. Unlike conventional engines with piston motion restricted by a crankshaft mechanism, the FPEG piston motion is constrained by the energy available in the system. When stiff springs are considered in the design, the FPEG system attains high frequency with high power and efficiency. The main objective of this research was to model stiff spring-assisted FPEG system dynamics and performance accurately, and to apply the modeling results to the development of a 1kW, spark ignited, natural gas fueled, FPEG experimental prototype. The experimental …

The Potentials Of Faecal Sludge Treatment Using Local Conditioners In Tanzania: A Review, Doglas Benjamin1

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Worldwide, every day human beings generate millions of tons of Faecal Sludge (FS), which is rich in water, nutrients, energy, and organic compounds. Yet FS is not being managed in a way that permits us to derive value from its reuse, while at the same time, millions of farmers struggle with depleted soils and lack of water. In most of the developing countries, energy for cooking is mainly derived from cutting of trees, either as wood or charcoal. Resource recovery and reuse from FS can create livelihoods, enhance food security, support green economies, reduce waste and contribute to cost recovery …

2-Axis Electric Off-Road Bucket Seat Bases, Brennan K. Slater, Alexander P. Croteau, Spencer M. Kubik

Mechanical Engineering

Off-road vehicle bucket seats are currently restricted to a single position relative to the floor of the vehicle. Drivers and riders desire the ability to adjust their seat position to increase comfort and allow for a greater size range of riders to fit safely within the cabin or roll cage. To develop a viable solution, the team has gone through an extensive design process and has constructed a functioning prototype. This Final Design Report encapsulates the entire design process and concludes with recommendations for changes we would make looking both back in review as well as moving forward with further …

Design, Modeling And Control Of A Two-Wheel Balancing Robot Driven By Bldc Motors, Charles T. Refvem

Master's Theses

The focus of this document is on the design, modeling, and control of a self-balancing two wheel robot, hereafter referred to as the balance bot, driven by independent brushless DC (BLDC) motors. The balance bot frame is composed of stacked layers allowing a lightweight, modular, and rigid mechanical design. The robot is actuated by a pair of brushless DC motors equipped with Hall effect sensors and encoders allowing determination of the angle and angular velocity of each wheel. Absolute orientation measurement is accomplished using a full 9-axis IMU consisting of a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis magnetometer. …

Exploring Convergence Of Snake Skin-Inspired Texture Designs And Additive Manufacturing For Mechanical Traction, Catherine Sue Tiner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the understanding, development, and additive manufacture of a 3D printed snake skin-inspired texture pattern. The design functionalities of snake skin were determined through the study of the snake species Python Regius otherwise known as the ball python. Each scale of a snake has hierarchical texture with hexagonal macro-patterns aligned on the ventral surface of the skin with overriding anisotropic micro textured patterns such as denticulations and fibrils. Using a laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, 420 stainless steel samples were 3D printed which closely resemble the above described directional texture of natural snake skin. This printed surface …

Fiberglass Mat-Roll Carryover, Bryce Youngson, Aaliyah Ramos, Johann Cayaban, Tony Ledesma

Mechanical Engineering

The asphalt shingle is a type of roof shingle that uses asphalt for waterproofing. Its low cost and easy installation make it one of the most common roof covers in North America. General Aniline and Film (GAF) is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of roofing materials and produces asphalt shingles at their Shafter, California manufacturing facility. To manufacture asphalt shingles, a base material of fiberglass passes through a series of processes that sequentially add asphalt, ceramic-coated mineral granules, and thermoplastic adhesive. The fiberglass base-material arrives at the manufacturing facility in large rolls that workers must periodically splice together in …

Mechanized Advent Calendar, Oma Skyrus, Sigrid Derickson, Tyler Koski, Daniel Clifton

Mechanical Engineering

Within this document, the “Naughty and Nice” team will describe the details associated with the completion of this project, which involves creating an animated advent calendar for the Cambria Christmas Market. The problem, the customers and stakeholders, and the general goals of the project are introduced. The team conducted background research; how this research helps in finding a solution or supporting the needs of the sponsor is illustrated. Initial research includes interviews with the sponsor and potential users, patent and existing product searches, and some technical research pertaining to the subject. The team found that there are not many existing …

Bicycle Drivetrain Power Measurement Study, Luke Costello, Nick Musolino, Ryan Miller, Jose Aguirre

Mechanical Engineering

The overarching goal of this project was to experimentally compare the bottom-bracket (BB) powermeter developed by Level Engineering, Inc., against off-the-shelf powermeters and a dynamometer. To do this, a significant amount of testing was performed. Level Engineering facilitated this testing by providing the project team with three testing apparatus – an In-Situ tester, a Stationary Tester, and a fatigue tester. The In-Situ tester was a bicycle outfitted with the BB prototype and a PowerTap powermeter. The Stationary Tester was a bicycle with a BB prototype, and the rear wheel replaced with a dynamometer. Finally, the fatigue tester made to apply …

Dynamic Pressure Sensing For The Flight Test Data System, Marc Y. Goupil

Master's Theses

This thesis describes the design, assembly, and test of the FTDS-K, a new device in the Boundary Layer Data System (BLDS) family of flight data acquisition systems. The FTDS-K provides high-frequency, high-gain data acquisition capability for up to two pressure sensors and an additional three low-frequency pressure sensors. Development of the FTDS-K was separated into a core module, specialized analog subsystem, and practical testing of the FTDS-K in a flow measurement mission. The core module combines an nRF52840-based microcontroller module, switching regulator, microSD card, real-time clock, temperature sensor, and trio of pressure sensors to provide the same capabilities as previous-generation …

E.M.B.E.R. Home Protection, Kylie Fernandez, Daniel Santoro, Ryan Kissinger, Christopher Slezak

Mechanical Engineering

Despite the increased danger of wildfires in states such as California and Colorado, there is yet to exist a product that can autonomously extinguish the spot fires that ignite from windblown embers. This device could reduce countless civilian casualties and prevent millions of dollars in property damage. This is not to mention allowing homeowners to evacuate with a greater peace of mind. Mass ownership of this product would be analogous to the “herd immunity” of vaccines, where neighbors ultimately protect each other and save money through self-insurance.

There are products on the market, generally in the commercial domain, that can …

A Rotating Aperture Mask For Small Telescopes, Edward L. Foley

Master's Theses

Observing the dynamic interaction between stars and their close stellar neighbors is key to establishing the stars’ orbits, masses, and other properties. Our ability to visually discriminate nearby stars is limited by the power of our telescopes, posing a challenge to astronomers at small observatories that contribute to binary star surveys. Masks placed at the telescope aperture promise to augment the resolving power of telescopes of all sizes, but many of these masks must be manually and repetitively reoriented about the optical axis to achieve their full benefits. This paper introduces a design concept for a mask rotation mechanism that …