Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Rc Baja Drivetrain And Steering, Jacob Swift

All Undergraduate Projects

The goal of this project is to construct a small remote-control vehicle that is capable of fluid, controlled and precise movement. In order to allow the smooth movement of an RC Car through an obstacle course, the back wheels of the car must be able to receive power and the front wheels must be able to turn. This chassis and suspension that supported these assemblies was designed by project partner Sean Gordon. Design requirements were as follows:

• Drivetrain and Steering systems must weigh a combined

• Drivetrain must produce a maximum output speed >=20mph

• Turning angle of no less than 45 …

Rc Baja: Drivetrain And Steering, Mathew Morgan

All Undergraduate Projects

The RC Baja competition is a contest where undergraduate mechanical engineering students design, build, and compete against one another. The objective of this competition is to create the most efficient RC car possible. A gear train analysis was done and showed an 8:1 gear ratio would be the most efficient ratio due to the chosen motor having a higher torque output. Also, a stress analysis was done and showed that 2011 T3 aluminum passed the stress and weight criteria. These analyses ensured the RC Baja car was efficient. Most of the parts for the drivetrain and steering subassemblies were machined …

Jcati Crusher Drive Train, Matthew Denchel

All Undergraduate Projects

This project is sponsored by JCATI (Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation) to research and manufacture a machine to recycle strips of carbon fiber from retired aircraft wings. The drive train powering the crushing wheels was not delivering enough power into the crushing wheels to completely delaminate the strips of carbon fiber. Another issue experienced was the spur gears transferring power between crushing shafts failed.

This issue was first approached by analyzing the gear reduction ratio powering the crushing wheels. Then the next analysis was performed to find the amount of torque required to delaminate the carbon fiber. The minimum …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycler: Oven Enclosure, Margarita Romero

All Undergraduate Projects

Central Washington University partners with Boeing and is funded by the Joint Center of Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) to develop a mechanism that takes carbon fiber wing trimmings from Boeing that are resin coated and recycles carbon fiber. This is done by crushing the wing trimmings and then putting it into a 500°C oven to melt off the resin. This project focuses on the enclosure for the oven and making sure precautions are met such as having the outside surface be less than 45c through heat transfer analysis, argon fills enclosure in 13 minutes through fluid dynamics analysis, and 99% …

R/C Baja Truck Suspension, Chassis And Steering, Ryan Lafrombois

All Undergraduate Projects

The ASME RC Baja Challenge is an annual competition that the Central Washington University Mechanical Engineering and Technology (MET) department takes part in. Senior level engineers divided the work between the drivetrain and the chassis/suspension while designing and manufacturing to meet a set of requirements. Next, a device was to be developed to be able to withstand the extreme forces to be successful in the competition at the end of the year. The process would require that the students use their acquired knowledge and skills to design, manufacture, and analyze a capable device. Designing involved the completion of 12 analyses …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycler: Oven Heating System, Sean Tomkins

All Undergraduate Projects

What happens to carbon fiber from airline wing tips when their service life ends, and they get replaced? Throwing them away would be wasteful, the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) project can extract the carbon fiber from airline wing tips to be recycled. The JCATI project is a continuation from the work done by previous senior class engineering students and has a new set of issues to be addressed each year. This year there was a need for a new oven system for the JCATI carbon fiber recycler with this project’s focus being on designing the oven’s heating …

Rc Baja Engineering Report, Matthew Hart

All Undergraduate Projects

The ASME RC Baja is a competition that tests engineering students’ ability design, build, and test an RC car. The vehicle then competes against other engineering student’s RC cars. The objective is to manufacture the most efficient and cost-effective RC Baja car.

During the first quarter of senior project, the student’ engineering skill was applied to designing an RC car that will be able to compete in a competition at the end of spring quarter. The student was tasked with using all the information from the classes the student had taken previously at Central Washington University and design and build …

Asme Rc Baja Racer, Chesna Kern

All Undergraduate Projects

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) holds a competition at their annual conference for college students to design an RC car that will compete in sprint, slalom, and obstacle course races. The RC Baja car was designed to complete every event in the competition with a focus on the obstacle course due to the anticipated impacts inflicted on the project car by jumps and other obstacles. The project was a collaborative effort. This presentation focuses on the chassis and suspension while Gizan Gando will present about the drivetrain. The drop and frontal impact test requirements guided the design process …

Jcati - Drive System, Tim Boswell

All Undergraduate Projects

Each year, Mechanical Engineering Technology students receive a grant from The Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) to engineer a device that is capable of breaking down carbon fiber trimmings for recycling. The students who received the grant this year have redesigned portions of the existing system in an attempt to solve issues that have kept the system from working properly in the past. Though much collaboration between group members has been needed, each member has been responsible for their own portion of the project. The purpose of this portion of the project has been to address binding and …

Rc Baja-Drivetrain & Steering, Tucker Odegaard

All Undergraduate Projects

There was a need for an RC car that would turn the power of a brushless motor into torque to the wheels, in order for it to move forward and backward. The car needed to meet given requirements in order to compete in the annual American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) RC Baja competition. The team requirements were to reach a top speed of 20 mph, turn 60° in both directions, survive a three-foot drop, and spend no more than $500 total on the project. In order to meet the requirements, the device chosen was an RC Baja that had …

Pulse Decay Thermal Conductivity Device, Matthew Schrenk

All Undergraduate Projects

Currently, there are several ways in which thermal conductivity can be calculated or assessed on a given material. However, with each method of testing comes potential limitations such as size, material state, complexity, and time. The goal of this study was to develop a pulse heated thermistor that would reduce all four limitations, thus provide precise and timely results regardless of the material state and size. A thermistor is resistor which changes resistance in accordance to temperature. To achieve the design, heat transfer and electrical methods were applied. As with all resistors, heat is dissipated across the element and released …

Rc Baja, Ryder Satak

All Undergraduate Projects

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) hosts an RC Baja competition yearly at Central Washington University where schools from around the state gather to compete. The competition is based and scored from three different events: drag race, slalom, and a Baja course. Performing well in both the competition and other various tests will deem the car successful. The differential and drive train are two important features that allow the car to function properly. Using Solidworks 3D software and a 3D printer, the engineers were able to design functional components. The differential is designed to allow the rear wheels to spin …

Articulated Balsa Wood Bridge, Isaac Chavez Ramirez

All Undergraduate Projects

The project chosen was the challenge of designing and constructing an articulating Balsa Wood Bridge that would withstand a minimum load of 18.9 kg. The first step was to find which design will best work for the requirements; a decision matrix has been used in this decision. Analyses were completed to find the geometry of each part that will support the load. The project construction was in sequences: the first sequence was the construction of each component, then the construction of 3 subassemblies, and finally was the construction of the entire project. The last part of the project was programming …

Jcati Base Plate, Jacob Atamian

All Undergraduate Projects

Students of the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program at Central Washington University have contributed to an ongoing Carbon Fiber Recycler project funded by the Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI). The goal of this project was to modify the existing recycling system to produce a higher success rate of recycled carbon composite material. This report focuses on increasing the rigidity of the crushing gears so that the deflection occurring among the components during operation was below 0.005 inches to ensure proper operating conditions. The operating speed of the crushing gears was 2.5 rpm with a crushing load of 10,500 …

R/C Baja Chassis And Suspension, Donovan Dueber

All Undergraduate Projects

A team made up of two students have developed a unique design of a RC Baja Car to optimize functionality and performance. A Baja car is a remote controlled 1/10 scale car that is used for recreation or competition, usually meant for competing in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Baja car competition against various teams. The objective for the project was to create a unique suspension different from previous individual’s projects by creating a two-type suspension. This was completed by having a coil suspension in the front which allows more travel in the suspension of the car and …

Jcati Carbon Fiber Recycling Shredder, Benjamin Cooley

All Undergraduate Projects

Once carbon fibers are cast into a resin and used in a composite material, retrieving those fibers can be a difficult task. However, it is beneficial to recycle and reuse the fibers from old unneeded components rather than pay the cost of acquiring new ones. The Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) carbon fiber recycling device condenses the multistep process of extracting the fibers by integrating all steps into one automated device. In the previous version of the device, the cutting blades turned the long composite strips into thin fingers but did not sever them across the width.

The …

Balsa Wood Drawbridge, Kyle Engebretson

All Undergraduate Projects

Which truss design is best suited to a drawbridge when precision equipment is unavailable for the construction process and what design is suitable for the articulation system? To address this problem, several different designs were considered for a truss made of balsa wood. Initially a warren truss, a k-truss, and a bowstring truss were considered. The designs were evaluated using a decision matrix, the winning design was produced and tested. The testing methods used were a mass limit of the bridge, a minimum length requirement, loading requirements, and a minimum height for the roadway to reach when raised. Various other …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Joshua Nye

All Undergraduate Projects

The project requires the individual to design and construct a truss bridge made from balsa wood and wood glue to perform several objectives. The main objectives are to articulate the bridge by raising it, to conform to dimensional requirements, to allow a vehicle to travel along the road deck, and to hold a minimum load. The bridge must be able to articulate in two different ways. First, the articulation system can lift the road deck vertically while on top of the bridge. Second, raise the bridge with a pivot when the articulation system is placed at the specified end of …

Thermal Conductivity Measuring System (Tcoms), Lucas Hill

All Undergraduate Projects

The Mechanical Engineering Technology department at Central Washington University is lacking a method to reliably measure the thermal conductivity of bulk materials, with dimensions of at least a 1 cm radius, within a teaching environment. Thermal Conductivity Measuring System (TCoMS) will be a useful tool to perform these measurements as it is able to obtain measurement readings for materials between 0 C and 50 C within 20 seconds. TCoMS will accomplish this by using the pulse decay method of measuring thermal conductivity, a form of transient heat transfer analysis. This method is performed by generating a pulse of heat at …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Anndie Watterson

All Undergraduate Projects

A model for a strong bridge that could span a set distance and rise up to allow for passage underneath was requested, and specifications for the design were given. The model bridge was designed out of balsa wood to meet all the requirements. Using structural and material analysis and simple mechanical designs, a bridge was designed and constructed out of balsa wood, wood glue, and metal components used for articulation that met all of the criteria set by the assigner. The bridge was tested to ensure all specifications were met. The resulting bridge can hold 20kg of weight suspended from …

Thermal Conductivity Measuring Device, Kyle Saalfeld

All Undergraduate Projects

The thermal conductivity measuring device is used to measure thermal conductivity of solids, liquids, and food products. Thermal conductivity is a material property that determines the rate at which heat disperses through a material. This determines how well insulation works, what materials are used as heat sinks, refrigeration, and how thoroughly food is cooked. The device measures thermal conductivity by heating up a thermistor bead using a high magnitude current for a measured duration and allowing the given heat to disperse; meeting the goal of designing a device that can easily measure the conductivity. Additional requirements of this device include …

Rc Baja Car: Suspension And Chassis, Colton Hague

All Undergraduate Projects

An RC Baja car was designed and manufactured to compete in the ASME RC Baja competition. The American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Baja competition is a time trial that has a variety of obstacles like jumps, rocks, and turns. The objective of the project was to improve the performance of the suspension and chassis while offering a variety of different adjustments that can be made to fit a given terrain. To begin the design process, a benchmark car was selected, and research was performed on trophy trucks to incorporate suspension features into the design. Using engineering methods, analyses was …

Jcati Pyrolysis System, Jack Dutton

All Undergraduate Projects

The Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) project is designed to recycle carbon fiber pieces for use in manufacturing. Part of the system requires the removal of resin from the carbon fibers to facilitate the recycling of carbon fiber. To accomplish this task the pyrolysis process is implemented using a commercial grade oven with a conveyor system. Argon gas is injected into the shroud and over the oven to purge the interior of oxygen. The conveyor system enables this to be a batch process. A ramp is used to allow simple addition of material to the conveyor system and …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Andrew Harris

All Undergraduate Projects

Faculty at Central Washington University proposed a challenge to mechanical engineering students that could be accomplished in an in-home setting. The goal was to create a balsa wood bridge, weighing no more than 85 grams, that can support a load over an open span and raise above its resting position by means of a mechanical system. To produce a successful solution to the problem, a vertical lift bridge was created consisting of two lifting towers and a load bearing bridge. Using equations of static equilibrium and strength of materials, the required width for each member was determined. Project requirements were …

Mini Rc Baja Car, Jason Schindler

All Undergraduate Projects

Incorporating each aspect of engineering incorporated into a senior project is difficult. That is why an RC Baja car is a great senior project for Mechanical Engineering students. The approach that students must take to design, construct, and test the car is to set parameters, and to make overall goals that can be easily measured. These goals include, but not limited to things like a $700 budget and the ability to withstand a 1-foot drop to a flat surface on all four wheels simultaneously. First, the design must meet the specifications and rules that are set previously. This ensures that …

Nrj Rc Baja Vehicle Project - Transmission, Suspension, And Body Systems, Jeffrey Ryan Harn

All Undergraduate Projects

Students of Central Washington University’s Mechanical Engineering technology program were tasked with designing, manufacturing, and testing a remote-controlled scale vehicle for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Radio-Controlled (RC) Baja Car Contest sanctioned by Remotely Operated Auto Racers (ROAR). A team of three students was assembled and responsibility over the sections of the RC vehicle were divided amongst the three students. This report focuses on the design, manufacture, testing, and evaluation of the suspension and transmission systems of the RC vehicle. A suspension tower component and transmission housing assembly were conceived to satisfy the RC suspension and transmission systems. …

Hydraulic Balsa Wood Rising Bridge, Kaitlyn Greenfield

All Undergraduate Projects

What is the solution to allowing tall vessels to navigate past a vehicle bridge that is less than 10 [ft] above the water? To answer this question, a balsa wood bridge was designed, constructed, and tested. The bridge needed to articulate by mechanical means, allow for travel through the bridge, and be able to withstand ample force while the main structure only being constructed of balsa wood and glue. The project was analyzed in sections. These sections include: the bridge structure and its members, the hydraulic lift, and the pins needed for the bridge and hydraulic lift to operate. The …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Logan Bronemann

All Undergraduate Projects

Abstract: The objective of the project undertaken is to design and build an articulating bridge which can be raised and lowered constructed from only balsa wood. To meet the objective set forth for this project a series of requirements were set to determine the design parameters such as height, length, weight and more. Using these requirements, a series of analysis can be undertaken upon the bridge design and structure. These analyses consist of column buckling, tensile stress analysis, and compressive stress analysis. The analysis determined the dimensional requirements of the structural members to include a ½”x ½” lower support beam …

Nrj Rc Baja Car: Chassis & A-Arms, Naoki B. Masuda

All Undergraduate Projects

Three students from Central Washington University have come together to design and manufacture a unique RC Car for the annual regional RC Baja Car competition held by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The RC car will compete in three events, Baja, Slalom and Sprint. The objective for this project was to create a unique build based off previous team’s projects. The new design was optimized for functionality and performance to compete in each event and excel above other competition as well. The design process before finalizing on a design that resembled that of a real car was thoroughly …

Asme Rc Baja Car Drivetrain, Gizan G. Gando

All Undergraduate Projects

The purpose of the RC Baja Car is to compete in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) competition, a series of events to prove the functionality of the vehicle. This series of events includes the Slalom, Drag, and Baja race. The Slalom is a test in the steering capability of the car. The Drag is a test in the acceleration of the car in a straight line. Lastly, the Baja puts all factors together in a race to test every component of the car. This project is about building an RC car that can function under these conditions and …