Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Sustainable Phone Housing, Jonah Milnor

All Undergraduate Projects

Most commercially available smartphones posed a challenge to consumers due to the use of adhesives, which not only served to seal out dust and water but also hindered repairability and hardware replacement. Drawing inspiration from successful smartwatch designs employing gaskets for water resistance, this project aimed to adapt such design principles to the smartphone form factor.

Utilizing SolidWorks for design and subsequent 3D printing and CNC machining for prototyping, 3D models of a smartphone housing were crafted. The objective was to attain a level of water and dust resistance equivalent to that of model smartphones, utilizing sealing methods equivalent to …

Rc Baja Car Suspension & Steering, Jarvis Hudnall

All Undergraduate Projects

Students at Central Washington University were faced with a challenge to engineer an RC Baja Car with a focus between drivetrain and chassis or suspension and steering for a competition. The different foci were split between two team members and the engineering for this report is focused on steering and suspension.

The suspension and steering components underwent the process of developing calculations for all individual parts for design. The design process included using CAD software to provide a 3D model for each individual part. To save time, 3D modeling software helped find fitment issues before the RC Car was manufactured …

Nasa Student Launch Payload Kinetic Energy Absorption, Harrison X. Fishburn

All Undergraduate Projects

The challenge given by NASA was to design and build a reusable payload capable of a human survivable landing, without the use of a parachute or streamer.

The method chosen to accomplish this was a large spring to extend and mitigate impact forces over a few seconds. The device was attached to the lower end of the payload to act as a secondary force reducer, with the primary device being the gyrocopter assembly built by Brycen. Two 6061 aluminum rods, attached together with a spring, act as the main structure of the payload, connecting the spring assembly, the capsule, the …

Balsa Bridge, Caleb T. Lovett

All Undergraduate Projects

The problem presented throughout this report was to create a small-scale bridge made entirely out of balsa wood and glue, that could withstand substantial force, as well as perform a lifting/lowering cycle. Other requirements associated with the bridge were properties of weight, deflection, size, and shape. This problem presented a challenge that tested the mathematical side of engineering, being strongly reliant on statics, mechanics of materials, and mechanical design analyses.

To approach this problem, the first step was to complete in depth calculations of the chosen design. With this done, manufacturing and assembly was able to be completed. With a …

Rc Baja Drivetrain And Chassis, Beni Ntanda

All Undergraduate Projects

The RC vehicle comprises 4 crucial subsystems: the chassis, drivetrain, suspension, and steering. This paper will cover the chassis and drivetrain, and my partner Noah Stevens will cover the suspension and steering. The chassis serves as a robust framework housing all vehicle components, while the drivetrain transmits power from the motor to the wheels, propelling the vehicle. An efficient drivetrain typically sacrifices speed for enhanced torque, aiming to minimize energy losses. Meanwhile, an ideal chassis features minimal deflection and user-friendly mounting points. This RC vehicle participated in the CWU RC Baja competition, aiming to rank among the top contenders.

The …

Rc Baja Steering And Suspension, Chayce Williams

All Undergraduate Projects

The engineering objective of this project are designing, manufacturing, and testing the most efficient and strongest possible RC Baja Steering and Suspension system that the engineer could produce with the provided or acquired equipment, and materials.

This was all done successfully over the school year. During the Fall quarter, the RC car was undergoing designing, and in these design processes, mechanics of materials, statics, and dynamics, were used to come up with the most adequate materials and design. Computer aided designed (CAD) models were then created to get a RC Baja CAD assembly. Winter Quarter of the school year was …

Articulating Balsa Wood Bridge, Kyle Barayuga

All Undergraduate Projects

Bridges have been used worldwide to allow passage between untraversable terrain. These bridges are built according to their terrain and environment, while also withstanding the forces of objects going across them. This project explores building a bridge under specific design restrictions to be able to simulate objects traversing across and under it. The device consists of a bridge, utilizing a Pratt truss design, and an articulation tower which are mechanically linked using a hinge. The articulation tower allows the bridge to be raised and lowered, simulating an object to be passed under. Raising and lowering the bridge consists of using …

Rc Baja: Steering And Suspension, Rogelio Arroyos, Roberto Vieyra

All Undergraduate Projects

Students attending Central Washington University teamed up to manufacture an RC car to compete against peers in the RC Baja competition events as a senior project. The project was split between the two individuals, Rogelio was responsible for the steering and suspension, while Roberto was responsible for the chassis and drivetrain. The team collaborated to brainstorm ideas that would fit the requirements applied.

The RC was built with 3D printed parts and designed using engineering methods such as mechanics of materials, dynamics, and statics to successfully compete in the BAJA events and meet requirements. Before it was ready for competition, …

Rc Baja Competition - Suspension And Steering, Skyler Gordon

All Undergraduate Projects

The objective of this project is to design and construct a vehicle that will compete in the RC Baja Competition. As this project will be split between two students, this paper will be focusing on suspension and steering while the partner will focus on chassis and drivetrain. The vehicle will be tested in three different categories: the sprint, the slalom, and the Baja. These categories will test its speed, turning capabilities, and its overall capability in rough terrain.

As this paper focuses on the suspension and steering. Several analyses and decision matrix were used to find the best dimension along …

Rc Baja Car Drivetrain & Chassis, Boe Hartman

All Undergraduate Projects

The object of this report is to design, manufacturer, and build an RC Baja Car to compete in the annual ASME RC Baja Competition.

In order to design, manufacture, and build the RC Baja Car, various methods and approaches are utilized throughout to meet the specified criteria of the competition along with the teams’ personal requirements. Initially, after an overall design was acquired, analysis is done to ensure a working device. Analysis such as power requirements to verify the motor will meet ROAR requirements and suffice for the 4wd system utilized in the device. Statics and dynamics analysis are utilized …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycler - Conveyance System, Victor Limwanich

All Undergraduate Projects

The JCATI Carbon Fiber Recycler shreds, transports, and bakes carbon fiber within its system to recycle it by burning off the resin within the material at temperatures over 500 Celsius. The conveyance portion of the recycler, as it stood in previous iterations, has not been able to transport then batch the shredded material before going into the oven. Doing so would introduce more system independence without the need for someone to manually collect the shredded batches from the conveyor belt.

After designing the project in SolidWorks to meet the objective, it was manufactured using various methods. Some parts were purchased …

Rc - Baja Suspension And Steering, Noah M. Stevens Eit

All Undergraduate Projects

The engineers at Central Washington University were each asked to produce a device to compete in the ASME RC Baja competition. The principle-engineer set out to create a system that allowed an RC car to be controllable over a variety of terrain utilizing suspension and steering principles. The steering and suspension designed by the engineer was implemented in part with a drive train and chassis that was designed by a partner engineer.

The Engineer chose to utilize an independent front suspension with a solid rear axle for his design. This design was chosen because the independent front end allowed for …

Rc Baja: Drivetrain And Chassis, Sam Wang

All Undergraduate Projects

The RC Baja project aims to develop a high-performance RC vehicle for Baja-style racing through a comprehensive design, manufacturing/prototyping, and testing. The objective is to address engineering challenges related to ensuring durability, efficiency, and performance while navigating rugged terrains and obstacles.

To achieve this objective, the engineers conduct extensive research to guide the design process, with a specific emphasis on the drivetrain and chassis components. Detailed CAD modeling is utilized to refine the design of the drivetrain, incorporating elements such as gear ratios, differential systems, and torque distribution to enhance power delivery and traction. Similarly, the chassis design prioritizes factors …

Rc Baja: Drivetrain And Chassis, Caden Harris

All Undergraduate Projects

The engineers in the CWU Mechanical Engineering Technology program were asked to design and manufacture a remote-controlled Baja car to compete in several different events. The car was required to compete in a drag race, slalom event, and Baja event against other cars created by engineering students. To compete at the highest level, the cars needed to finely balance ruggedness, weight, torque, and top speed.

This report is dedicated to the designing, manufacturing, and testing of the drivetrain and chassis that supported the RC car as it competed in the school-sanctioned competition; a partner was responsible for the steering and …

Rc Baja: Suspension And Steering, Daniel Davis

All Undergraduate Projects

Engineers enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Central Washington University were tasked with developing a vehicle to compete in the ASME Baja competition. The engineers were in teams of two, one focused on suspension and steering and the other focused on drive train and chassis.

To begin the design of the vehicle, engineering analyses were completed on each of the components to comply with the requirements set by the team. After completion of multiple analyses for the components of the vehicle, the dimensions were validated and have been created in a CAD program to allow for virtual assembly …

Rc Baja: Drivetrain & Chassis, Ahmad Adam

All Undergraduate Projects

The project's primary aim is to employ engineering techniques in the design and construction of an RC Baja car, ensuring the chassis and drivetrain are sufficient for participation in the ASME RC Baja competition. The suspension and steering system were entrusted to a teammate to contribute to the project's success.

In approaching this problem, various analyses were conducted during fall quarter, in deciding the design of the RC car. For example, one analysis established the necessary output power to attain a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour within a 15-second timeframe. The analysis employed acceleration and power equations …

Nasa Rocket Payload Airfoil Deceleration, Brycen Geck

All Undergraduate Projects

NASA Student Launch Initiative gave a requirement that a lander must descend to the ground from a height of 400-800 feet with predetermined human survivability without using parachute or streamers. Around sixty colleges were chosen from around the United States to compete in competition. This competition and data taken will help innovate the rocket and lander programs in full scale space exploration in the future.

Design of the payload involved intensive design, testing and aerodynamic analysis. Majority of the manufacturing revolved around 3D printing, aluminum 5051 sheet and carbon fiber vacuum bagging. PLA and PETG was used on components which …

Articulating Balsa Wood Bridge, Nate Harris

All Undergraduate Projects

This report describes the design, construction, and testing of a small-scale articulating balsa wood bridge that allowed passage over normally impassable terrain. The bridge was required to span a 400mm gap, while also articulating the midpoint of the bridge 140mm above its resting position. The bridge also needed to support a 20kg (44 lbs.) point load in the center of the bridge, and the bridge and articulation tower together needed to weigh less than 85 (0.19 lbs.) grams.

To construct the bridge, statics and mechanics of materials was used to design a truss that was calculated to support the load …

Articulating Balsa Wood Bridge, Samuel K. Katsuda

All Undergraduate Projects

The objective of this project was to design, construct and test an articulating balsa wood bridge. It needed to fit certain requirements such as maintaining the bridge structure and articulation structure weight under 85g, being able to articulate 140mm, and be able to withstand a load of 20kg at the middle. The aim was to both create a product, but also give the student a chance to demonstrate their practical knowledge in engineering and going through the processes.

To complete this project as mentioned the student began by creating an initial design and performing a series of analyses on the …

The Tortuga Drivtrain And Chassis Rc Baja, Roberto C. Vieyra Avalos

All Undergraduate Projects

The students in charge of the project, seniors at Central Washington University were tasked with the design and manufacturing of the RC Baja to compete in the Slalom and Sprint event and the Baja event where the maneuverability and acceleration are demonstrated. The project was divided between Roberto, in charge of the drivetrain and chassis and Rogelio, in charge of the steering and suspension. There were also various requirements like velocity and deflection, ensuring the device reaches 30mph and keeping the deflection of components to a minimum and many others which can be seen in section D of the introduction. …

Dueling Robot, Abigail Coy

All Undergraduate Projects

This project was undertaken as a personal challenge to combine a Mechanical Engineering Technology degree and an Electrical Engineering Technology degree into a single final project showing the cumulative knowledge gained. It was determined that a robot to participate in Western Allied Robotics would be designed and manufactured for the 3 lb. weight class.

A two-part power system was designed to provide more power to the weapon arm. This design combined a compressive spring’s kinetic energy with the torque from the electric motor. Research determined all of the purchased components required and analysis were performed to determine the geometry and …

Combat Robot, Riley Buxton

All Undergraduate Projects

In the sport of combat robotics, the goal is to build a robot that can incapacitate an opposing robot before it becomes incapacitated itself. For this project, a combat robot was designed and tested to compete in Western Allied Robotics’ first competition at Central Washington University. The robot was built to compete in the beetle weight class which means the entire robot had to weigh less than 3 lbs.

To ensure the robot was competitive, a number of important design choices were made. Firstly, an effort was made to ensure that the design was simple and easy to take apart …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycler- Fiber Conveyance, Taylor Miller

All Undergraduate Projects

Sponsored by the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI), this project stems from a partnership between Central Washington University’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program and The Boeing Company. The goal of this partnership was to create a device that repurposes carbon fiber from wing trimmings from the 777. The device features four different students’ projects including the crusher, shredder, oven heating system, and the fiber conveyance system; the focus of this project. The JCATI Carbon Fiber Recycler needed a device to transport material from the shredder to the oven to make for an easier, more seamless production process. To solve …

Rc Baja – Drivetrain & Chassis, Tyler Clerf

All Undergraduate Projects

Two of the most important subsystems of a vehicle are the drivetrain and chassis. The drivetrain is responsible for transmitting the power from the power source to the wheels. The chassis provides a sturdy host for all components. An optimal drivetrain will most often reduce the output speed and increase the torque from the motor, while minimizing losses. The ideal chassis will have minimal deflection with easy-to-use mounting points. The vehicle being created will compete in the CWU RC BAJA competition as well.

The analyses are the foundation of any engineering project. For this project Mechanical Design, Statics, and Dynamics …

Balsa Wood Bridge Senior Project, Ryan Moe

All Undergraduate Projects

For all of human history, people have been working to increase efficiency. This project followed in that pursuit by forcing engineers to create a 400 mm long bridge out of only balsa wood and glue that could withstand over 20 kgs of force with the bridge weighing a maximum of only 85 grams. The bridge also needed to have a lifting mechanism to raise it 140 mm above the starting position.

To accomplish this task, a strong truss needed to be built. Balsa wood is strong in compression so a truss with more beams in compression was used. Statics was …

Nasa Student Launch Payload Deployment, Kallysta Ray

All Undergraduate Projects

For the NASA Student Launch Competition, a deployment system was created to deploy the payload of the rocket. To accomplish this the deployment system was designed, analyzed, manufactured, and tested to meet the requirements from the NASA Competition. The requirements included deployment of the payload as well as staying within 4 pounds. The project requirements were researched and each of the proposed components had analyses completed. The analyses included weight calculations, stress, and deflection analyses using statics, mechanics of materials, and dynamics. There were many discussions throughout the project between the teammates to ensure all components of the payload and …

Jack And Alex Rc-Baja, Alex Vornbrock

All Undergraduate Projects

Teams of two mechanical engineering students were tasked with the construction of an RC Baja car qualified by the rules and regulations of the Baja competition as well as specifications set by the individual team member for their portion of the vehicle. This proposal focuses on the Chassis and Drivetrain of the vehicle while team member Jack Stutz oversaw the steering and suspension. Teams will compete against each other in various modes to determine the best vehicles of the competitors. The chassis was made of standard aluminum, the remaining parts made by the students were made with PLA; both materials …

F-1/10th, Max Otterby

All Undergraduate Projects

Team members Nate and Max were tasked with designing, building, and testing an RC controlled vehicle to complete in a competition. This competition consists of an off-road course, on road course, and an obstacle course. The team set out to win this competition by creating a more than capable vehicle for the competition. This engineering report will cover Max’s contributions to the project.

The team was split into two roles. Max taking on steering and suspension, Nate taking on drivetrain and chassis. Each team member took responsibility for the design and construction of those systems. The design chosen was based …

Nasa Student Launch - Payload, Eli Kirk

All Undergraduate Projects

A team of mechanical engineering, physics, and computer science students from Central Washington University have constructed a fully functional subscale model rocket to be flown at the NASA Student Launch competition. The rocket’s payload was designed to open the nose cone and take a photo of the rocket’s surroundings after descending from the launch. Smaller parts were constructed through machining and 3D printing that will be added to the purchased major component, the linear actuator, in order to perform the required tasks. These tasks are signaled by an attached electronics board, which will receive an RF command remotely, execute code, …

Jack & Alex Rc Baja, Jack Stutz

All Undergraduate Projects

There are paramount necessities to build an RC car such as the steering and suspension. Without either, the vehicle will not be able to ascertain basic movement characteristics. The team will compete in the RC Baja competition with the other students which will have various challenges and obstacles that they will endure. The device must be able to complete tests that will prove competence for the competition. By using knowledge of prior classes and experience, the team will produce a functional device for the event. Mechanics of materials and statics were used to determine the bending strength of the control …