Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Rc Baja 2023 Drivetrain And Chassis, Nathan Norby

All Undergraduate Projects

Students’ objective this quarter was to design a remote-controlled vehicle that utilizes a 4-link rear suspension, an I-beam front suspension, the ability to withstand a substantial front impact and several gearing options. The team also used several agreed upon design requirements to quantify the results of the objective.

To meet these objectives students followed a strict engineering method. Students split into a team’s divided the work into two sections. Max was responsible for the suspension and steering and Nathan was responsible for the chassis and drivetrain. Methods included engineering analysis which used mechanics of materials, static analysis, dynamic analysis, and …

Advanced Microstructural Characterization Of Functionally Graded Dental Ceramic Material For Materials-Informed Finishing, Angani Vigneswaran

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) has gained popularity as the choice of material for dental prosthetics. Ivoclar Vivadent’s IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime dental ceramic incorporates a unique gradient technology that varies the yttria content over the thickness of the material. The top layer is composed of 5Y-TZP which is desired for its optical properties while the bottom layer is composed of a much stronger 3Y-TZP. In between the two layers, 5Y-TZP and 3Y-TZP are mixed to form a transition layer. Varying the amount of yttria allows for more esthetically pleasing translucency in the visible areas of the restoration without compromising …

Rc Baja Project: Suspension And Steering, Chance Hills

All Undergraduate Projects

Students designed and manufactured an RC Baja car to compete in the ASME RC Baja competition. The goal of this section of the project was to create a steering system and suspension system that work together properly with a partner’s chassis/drive train systems during tests and competitions. The car needed to be able to complete in the three events, which are a drag race, a solemn course, and the Baja event. The RC will also be evaluated on the ability to climb inclines, top speed, and withstand the drop test. This proposal will explain all the details and effort that …

Evaluating The Sustainability Of Paper And Plastic Substitute Material Limex, E.-Lexus Thornton, Avery Hartley, Daniel Caudill, Martin Gamesu, Julius M. Schoop, Fazleena Badurdeen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

With the increasing decline in the environment and natural resources it is important to find new ways in which manufacturing can increase the sustainability of the world. This study seeks to compare LimeX, a state-of-the-art paper and plastic alternative primarily made of limestone, with conventional paper and plastic materials. For a better understanding of LimeX as a material, a brief investigation of the mechanical and chemical properties will be performed through experimentation and analysis. In addition, this paper aims to evaluate the sustainability of LimeX through the analysis of metrics relating to the triple bottom line (environmental impacts, economic impacts …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycler: Crusher System, Devin Riley

All Undergraduate Projects

With a substantial rise in Carbon Fiber use across all industries, the need for a way to recycle the waste has grown as well. A group of Mechanical Engineering Technology students at Central Washington University funded by the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology (JCATI) have created a machine to recycle waste wing trimmings from the Boeing company’s airplanes. This machine consists of 5 different sub-assemblies being the oven, crusher, gear train, conveyor, and shredder. The purpose of this project was to decrease the deflection in the crusher caused by bulging in the housing and movement of the bearings. To decrease …

A Conceptual Model For Quality 4.0 Deployment In U.S. Based Manufacturing Firms, Thomas Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Manufacturing is currently undergoing a fourth industrial revolution, referred to as Industry 4.0, enabled by digital technologies and advances in our ability to collect and use data. Quality 4.0 is the application of Industry 4.0 to enhance the quality function within an organization. Quality practitioners are uniquely positioned within organizations and already possess data application skillsets. Despite a perception that Quality 4.0 will be critical to future success shared by a majority of industry, most companies have not attempted to implement Quality 4.0 strategy, and those that have report very low rates of success. The goal of this study was …

Machine Learning Applications In Advanced Additive Manufacturing: Process Modeling, Microstructure Analysis, And Defect Detection, Peter Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques are critical for assessing the integrity, health, and mechanical properties of materials manufactured from various methods. High fidelity NDE techniques are essential for quality control but often lead to massive data generation. Such a vast data load cannot be manually processed, this leads to a severe bottleneck for process engineers. Machine learning (ML) offers a solution to this problem by providing powerful and adaptable algorithms capable of learning patterns, identifying features, and finding hidden relationships in large sets of data. Various ML models are used in this work to improve predictions, improve measurements, detect anomalies, classify …

Classifying Multi-Generational Products For The Circular Economy, Buddhika M. Hapuwatte, Fazleena Badurdeen, I. S. Jawahir

Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing Faculty Publications

Manufacturers are increasingly interested in the circular economy (CE) and potential of circular productions. To fully utilize CE, better guidance at the design stage is needed to establish closed-loop flows and prioritize higher value retaining end-of-use (EoU) practices such as reuse and remanufacture (i.e., parts harvesting). Intergenerational commonality (IC) is a method to increase EoU parts harvesting. However, closed-loop parts harvesting potential depends on the compatible timing between design generations’ production and EoU returns curves. Therefore, in this paper, we explore an approach to make an initial assessment on where IC as a closed-loop CE strategy can produce most benefit, …

An Experimental Study On The Mechanical Properties And Chemical Composition Of Lcd 3d Printed Specimens, Sebastian Gomez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing technologies have been enhanced throughout the years yet have surprised the manufacturing industry due to their high-end surface finish and dimensional accuracy. Different experiments have been done to identify a specific phenomenon known in the vat-polymerization field. Distortion and dimensional inaccuracy tend to affect the overall properties of the process, either physical or chemical. This approach allows the understanding of how the physical properties have been affected and how to study the chemical properties to avoid this type of phenomenon. The chemical reaction between polymer and UV light has been studied and experimented with to the point that …

Design And Fabrication Of A Force-Displacement Control Mechanism For Bone-Surgical Tool Testing, Kenneth Nwagu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This project focuses on the design and fabrication of an experimental setup for orthopedic-tool testing, tailored for a surgical instrumentation company. The multifaceted project encompasses a literature review, conceptual design, prototyping, and rigorous testing, resulting in a versatile control system capable of assessing various orthopedic tools, including bone drills, saws, burrs, and power handpieces.

Orthopedic surgical procedures (which include cutting and/or drilling into bone) often need to be performed on bones for faster recovery. The drilling and cutting process can cause an increase in temperature at the cutting site which can cause bone necrosis. The tools also need to be …

Material Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing: G-Code And Firmware Attacks And Defense Frameworks, Haris Rais

Theses and Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM) refers to a group of manufacturing processes that create physical objects by sequentially depositing thin layers. AM enables highly customized production with minimal material wastage, rapid and inexpensive prototyping, and the production of complex assemblies as single parts in smaller production facilities. These features make AM an essential component of Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing. It is now used to print functional components for aircraft, rocket engines, automobiles, medical implants, and more. However, the increased popularity of AM also raises concerns about cybersecurity. Researchers have demonstrated strength degradation attacks on printed objects by injecting cavities in the …

Investigation Of Manufacturing Techniques For Magnetorheological Elastomers To Expand Feasibility In A Diverse Array Of Applications, Austin S. Robbins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Magnetorheological elastomers, or MREs, are smart composite materials with controllable physical and mechanical properties when introduced to an external stimulus of a magnetic field. The controllability of these properties is highly tunable by the selection of the elastomeric matrix, concentration of magnetically permeable particles, introduction of additives, and the alignment of the constituents during the curing process. The fabrication of MREs typically calls for a mold that is filled with an MRE mixture to create the final desired geometry after curing. These molds are frequently placed under a magnetic field which orients the micron sized magnetic particles along the magnetic …

A New Course In Defense Manufacturing – An Introduction To Shipbuilding, Alley C. Butler

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the development and deployment of a new course in DMEI (Defense Manufacturing Engineering Innovation) titled, “Introduction to Shipbuilding.” This course has been taught using Zoom since 2021 at both the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a Hispanic Serving Institution, and Virginia State University, a Historically Black University. After a brief literature review, an outline of the course is presented with topics including the maritime market for shipbuilding, economics of shipbuilding, the classification agencies, metallurgy and welding processes, ship structure and assembly, shipyard layout, accuracy control, and shipbuilding planning and scheduling. Difficulties in obtaining an appropriate textbook …

Full Body Harness Design Modifications And Evaluation: A Senior Design Project, Martin Mead, Jordan Von Seggern

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Full-body harness (FBH) is critical for the safe operation of industrial and recreational activities, from installing and maintaining infrastructure such as wind turbines to ziplining and mountaintop adventures. However, harness design remains in the proprietary information of companies with limited technical information available for improvements or readjustments to specialized applications. As the outcome of the Capstone project, the paper focuses on multiple technical aspects and the engineering processes for designing FBH for ziplining recreational users, from selecting and testing materials for operation in cold weather to improvements in design and manufacturing for user comfort. The project is guided by technical …

Mechanical Properties Evaluation Of 3d Printed Petg And Pctg Polymers, Kalpesh Krishnarao Bhosale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

3D printing is also known as additive manufacturing (AM) which has become a popular manufacturing trend over the years. Due to its unique advantages of fast production rate, ability to create complex geometrical features, toolless manufacturing and many more attracts various industries from Aerospace to general cosmetics. Along with the advancement in material science, various polymers including Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) and many more are available for 3D printing. Due to the wide range of applications in PLA, it is necessary to improve its toughness to make it more suitable by adding Poly Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate glycol (PCTG) …

Distillery, Clare Nicholas, Patrick Hanlon

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal for this project is to make a cost effective still. We will be implementing cost saving parts to create a cheap but effective still. From initial research conducted, we will try to combine a stainless steel still and copper still together so that the cheaper material (stainless steel) and the component that removes sulfur compounds (copper) are both implemented. The ME side of the project will focus on the actual design and construction of the parts that will be implemented into the still. Included in the design process will be calculations of heat transfer for the current and …

Exploring Additive Manufacturing In A Space Environment - A Capstone Design Project Experience, Zain Zafar Khan, Zachary Alan Sobelman, Sharanabasaweshwara Asundi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The employment of additive manufacturing in the non-standard environments like space, ships, or submarines has the potential to be an advanced utility not only in the pre-flight production of aerospace components and structures, but also for the onboard manufacturing of components and tools necessary for future space missions. For example, the ability to produce tools and structural components on the International Space Station can provide the space community the opportunity to make repairs and upgrades to the space station without wasting time and resources transporting such materials through additional missions. Additive manufacturing would allow for space missions to use on …

Anisotropic Material Behavior Of 3d Printed Fiber Composites, Jordan Garcia

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Literature has shown that 3D printed composites may have highly anisotropic mechanical properties due to variation in microstructure as a result of filament deposition process. Laminate composite theory, which is already used for composite products, has been proposed as an effective method for quantifying these mechanical characteristics. Starting with the analysis of comparing the printing orientation of premanufactured carbon fiber reinforced filament, the mechanical properties of 3D printed objects were examined. The mechanical properties changed not only as a result of machine choice, but how the sample is oriented along the printing bed. The analysis continued with looking at the …

Machine Learning For Advancing Automation And Quality Control In Robotic Welding, Joseph Kershaw

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Welding is a vital manufacturing process across a diverse range of industries to permanently join metallic components into needed assemblies. Though widely used and studied, the process is not fully understood due to the myriad of interconnected physics that present themselves during the welding process. Electrical, thermal, structural, and fluidic mechanics are simultaneously at work influencing one another to achieve the bonding that manufacturers desire. In addition to general manufacturing issues, such as tool wear or misalignment, micro-level changes to the material structure and composition can have cascading impacts on the final weld. This complexity makes it difficult, if not …

Generalizable And Adaptable Data-Driven Methods For Overcoming Barriers To Practical Industrial Condition Monitoring, Matthew B. Russell

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The future of smart manufacturing relies on predictive maintenance systems that intelligently minimize expensive downtime through timely assessment of machine condition. Deep Learning (DL) has achieved excellent performance in industrial condition monitoring experiments, but the constraints of the manufacturing environment prevent many algorithms from being practically deployed on the factory floor. Ubiquitous sensing from online machines generates high velocity data streams that require new techniques for efficient transmission and storage. Despite these ever-increasing data lakes, many applications still lack the data needed for training DL fault diagnosis and wear tracking models since most data is unlabeled and only from nominal …

Development Of Inconel 718f And Inconel 718e Powders For Parts Manufacturing Utilizing Binder Jet Three-Dimensional Printing And Compressed Pellet Methods, Duncan Eric Manor Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Alloy Inconel 718 is a Ni based superalloy used for high temperature applications including turbine blades, turbocharger rotors and nuclear reactors. Inconel 718 is a popular commercial atomized powder that has limitations in performance for use in additive manufacturing applications due to poor part quality and efficiency of current fabrication methods. Developing new compositions and additive manufacturing (AM) methodologies of IN718 is critical to improve the quality and the efficiency of IN718 parts manufacturing. Developing new additive manufacturing methodology that produces higher quality parts made of IN718 as compared to current methods has the potential to greatly impact industry, academia, …

Design And Manufacture Of An Aerodynamic Body That Meets Scaling Law Requirements And Survives Severe G-Load Environment For Free-Flight Testing, Anthony R. Gonzalez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Design and Manufacture of an Aerodynamic Body that Meets Scaling Law Requirements and Survives Severe G-load Environment for Free-Flight Testing

Anthony Gonzalez

Developing scale models to test functionality and ascertain aerodynamic properties is critical before manufacturing full-size products. Through dimensional analysis and similitude, engineers create scale models to test any parameter of interest. This research aims to design a scale model of an aerodynamic body for repeated free-flight testing. The Froude number is the dominant scale model law used to determine the geometric, mass, and inertia scaling laws. A critical requirement for this research is that the model should be …

Material Characterization Of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (Tpu) And Thermoplastic Elastomers (Tpe) For Development Of 3d-Printed Surrogate Organs For Medical Training, Anastasia Elizabeth Lucci

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cadaveric specimens are a necessary, albeit limited, resource for training medical students on basic surgical skills. The availability of surrogate 3D-printed organs would readily allow access to resources that could reduce or potentially eliminate the need for cadaveric specimens or, at a minimum, provide students the opportunity to practice with 3D-printed surrogates before transitioning to those specimens. This research focuses on determining which thermoplastic material most closely mimics mechanical properties such as hardness and stiffness of human organs and allows 3D printing surrogate organs to be used as safe, educational tools. Relatively “soft” materials such as thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and …

Recycling Metal Chips Into Usable Materials, Alex Mortensen, Ben Mortensen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report entails the scope, design considerations, and plans for creating a metal chip converter into metal briquettes. The construction is a set of machines with multiple processes to make the conversion happen. The process includes washing fine metal chips, drying them off, compressing them, and melting them down into usable briquettes. This project is intended to make a simple process to recycle metal chips into usable material for reuse. The project's objective is to reduce the costs of storage and recycling waste by offering a solution to recycle it into materials the shop can reuse.

The Passing Board, John Fitzgerald

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my Honors Research Project I am taking a more personal route and looking to solve a childhood question/issue by designing a board that is small and easy to transport while also giving the best bounce pass possible. My proposed project would be a board that a soccer player can play a bounce pass onto and receive the ball from. The base of this design sounds simple enough, however, I would like to implement a way that the board can be adjusted to alter the angle of return of the soccer ball after the bounce. I also want to design …

Nidec Automated Winder, Michael Pugh, Ben A. Swartz, Andrew Leonard, Garrett Dostal

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Nidec Drive Systems is a leading electric motor manufacturing company with several facilities in the US and around the world. However, as of recent, Nidec has started to see some signs of old and outdated production machines affecting their production numbers even though the demand for electric is ever increasing. In an attempt to repair some of these issues, Nidec reached out to the University of Akron to look for senior design groups to help design and standardize better production machines. We were tasked with redesigning a new winder, which is a machine that winds the copper coils to the …

Coaxial Beam Eaxle Modeling And Analysis For Gawr Limits, Alexander Cebriak, Jackson Foster, Chris James

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project was to design three different models of a coaxial beam eAxle for a range of electric vehicles. The requirement was to satisfy three different loading conditions, each characterized by a GAWR. These three loading conditions were 3000lb, 7500lb, and 10,000lb. This was done by first creating a model based on a basic outline given by Schaeffler. This model was then analyzed using Ansys®, and then iterated upon by designing new models using the 3D design program Solidworks. The iteration process was continued using more Ansys® analysis, as well as calculations to determine things like bolt …

Dome Tester, Clark Bates, Nikolas M. Kulin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We are reconfiguring and modifying the previously built dome tester to be more user friendly and mechanically applicable. This has a long-term goal of being a usable teaching tool for manufacturing education within the college of engineering and polymer sciences. The dome tester pushes a metal dome into a clamped sheet of metal to test its forming limits and where necking occurs. We have implemented a better method of viewing the sheet sample as it is being deformed, and improved measuring methods for the distance a sample is deformed. By introducing these changes in conjunction with improved documentation of the …

Hendrickson Lift Kit, Matthew Rozmajzl

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project will be completed with Hendrickson Trailer as the sponsor. The goal of the project is to create a lift kit for a newer suspension system. The lift kit must provide enough lift force to lift an axle off the road and suspend it off the road while in transit. There are similar systems offered for different products at Hendrickson, but the configuration of this system is such that new brackets must be designed. The benefit of such a system is a reduction in wear on the lifted tires, and thus an increase in the life of the …

Accelerating Manufacturing Decisions Using Bayesian Optimization: An Optimization And Prediction Perspective, Taofeeq Olajire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Manufacturing is a promising technique for producing complex and custom-made parts with a high degree of precision. It can also provide us with desired materials and products with specified properties. To achieve that, it is crucial to find out the optimum point of process parameters that have a significant impact on the properties and quality of the final product. Unfortunately, optimizing these parameters can be challenging due to the complex and nonlinear nature of the underlying process, which becomes more complicated when there are conflicting objectives, sometimes with multiple goals. Furthermore, experiments are usually costly, time-consuming, and require expensive materials, …