Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Electrathon Vehicle: Steering, Lathan Halaapiapi

All Undergraduate Projects

The Electrathon Vehicle project is an ongoing project that dates back to 2012. The Electrathon Vehicle began as a frame and three wheels when given to the EV club. In past projects the vehicle has had frame and suspension work. The current design is only partially assembled and does not allow for any steering in the vehicle. A steering system needed to be developed in order for the vehicle to be controlled while a person is sitting in the seat. A steering system was designed that could withstand the force of maneuvering the vehicle in excess of 30 mph. This …

Discrete Concealed Device Table, Shyne Mckay

All Undergraduate Projects

How can people hide devices in their homes without being obvious with its location? People use safes to hide devices but intruders will know immediately that’s where things are held. It’s a common issue that people are having their safes stolen or broken into. To answer this question, a device was created to conceal devices in plain sight without being noticed. It’s common to have a coffee table in ones living room. Combining the problem with this knowledge, a discrete concealed device table was created. The table looks normal to the naked eye, meaning one cannot tell that the table …

J.C.A.T.I. Automated Pyrolysis Project, James Lopez

All Undergraduate Projects

Previous students working on the JCATI project have created an oven that will be used for the Pyrolysis process of carbon fiber composites. The oven requires someone to operate it manually, as in they must lift up the cover, place the amount of material desired, and stop the oven when it reaches the desired time. This process can and should be made automated. This was achieved by creating a device that can select the amount of material needed for a batch, automatically put it in the oven through the cover, and then bring the material out of the oven at …

Heat Exchanger, Chance Linarez

All Undergraduate Projects

A water jet cutting machine can cause excess heat and humidity within a closed building, while also making it more difficult for the user to pick material off the cutting table. Water temperatures can reach as high as 150 degrees Fahrenheit in the tank. A system that would reduce the temperature of the water in a water jet tank would be beneficial for the occupants in the room in providing a better more comfortable work environment. Data was collected while the machine was in use. The data includes; temperature of water leaving the nozzle, the rate of change of tank …

Four Point Flexure Beam Fixture, Nikolay Bobritskiy

All Undergraduate Projects

Structural design is one of many important aspects in mechanical engineering. Newly discovered composites are making their way into the engineering world. These materials have certain properties which need to be tested in several ways before they can be put to application. One of such tests include the four-point bend test. The fixtures that can be purchased currently can be expensive, typically ranging from $700-$1,000. The University has been struggling to afford commercial jig at this cost and would be helpful if one were available. The device consists of a 6061-aluminum base making it light, cheap, and faster to manufacture …

Fire Fighter Robot, Mohammed Alhajri

All Undergraduate Projects

Mohammed Alhajri

Fire Fighter Robot

Abstract

This report talks about the firefighter robot which can be used for fighting against the fire and which can be controlled from a safe distance. The most important objectives of designing such a device were to design and implement a test environment. Also, the main objective was to design and fabricate the frame of the robot. Furthermore, it was necessary to design and implement a drive system. Some of the constraints in this project were that the designed robotic machine was not able to climb up the stairs. Also, the material was not able …

Asts Frame, Dustin Braun

All Undergraduate Projects

The automotive industry has been an industry of many breakthroughs in technology and mechanical systems over the course of its history. But in one area, its innovation has slowed. That is in the area of the short throw shifter. All aftermarket short throw shifters are currently one dimensional. No adjustability, no ability to finetune to one’s personal desire. The goal of this project is to create a short throw shifter frame that is easier/faster to install, as well as allow for full adjustability of the shifter from inside the car. This frame design uses mostly 6061-T6 aluminum, along with some …

Ev Mirror Project, David Castillo

All Undergraduate Projects

An ongoing project for the Electric Vehicle Club is to build a fully working Electric Vehicle that can be used for any of the Electrathon America races across the country. Like most cars, the vehicle would need safety equipment that would allow the driver of the vehicle to drive the course both safely and efficiently. The event has specific requirements for the safety equipment that require the driver to be able to see behind them or when another driver is approaching from behind. Therefore, this project objective was to design and manufacture a set of mirrors that satisfy this requirement. …

Cubesat 5000, Renee Redman

All Undergraduate Projects

Cubesat 5000 is designed for the annual Physics weather balloon launch which is done for the senior level astrophysics students. Students use the weather balloons to get better visuals of the sun in the upper atmosphere. The purpose of the Cubesat 5000 design is to keep the instrumentation inside safe during and after the launch, maintain working temperature, and to remain below a 400-gram weight requirements in order to achieve optimum altitude.

The outer cube assembly was designed using Solidworks and printed using PETG filament. The weight of the cube has been measured and design changes were made done to …

Catmobile Ev Front Suspension, Daymon Fritz

All Undergraduate Projects

The Central Washington University (CWU) Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program owns an electric vehicle called the “Cat-Mobile” designed to be entered into an Electrothon America race. The Cat-Mobile is a collaborative project, various aspects of which are built by CWU MET students in the capstone sequence of the senior year. For the Cat-Mobile to operate safely and effectively, it was necessary to design and build a proper front suspension system. The suspension needed to meet Electrothon America Handbook rules dictating a minimum ground clearance of 2” and optimize material usage to keep added weight at or below 20lbs. Loading and …

Package Conveyance Stability Project, Sadie Mensing

All Undergraduate Projects

Dematic’s new model of conveyor is called the 9570 unit and is a highspeed live roller conveyor. This new model is designed to transport packages while maintaining a high speed of at least 3 m/s. While this new unit was being tested at the Dematic Tech center, it was discovered that when small and light weight packages get diverted onto the unit, they experience turbulence which causes the packages to spin or flip over. Orientation of packages on conveyor is extremely important for scanning purposes. In order to fix this problem, the problem first had to be replicated. A piece …

Speed Bump Power Generator, Sultan Alanazi, Osamah Abulgaith

All Undergraduate Projects

A large amount of energy is wasted by the vehicles on the speed breakers through friction. Energy can be produced by using the vehicle weight and speed. The team proposes a smart speed breaker that generates power (Speed bump power generator). The device allows vehicles to pass from both sides. The system makes use of mechanical assembly with metal sheets with linkages that press down with spring arrangement. Using the motion and weight of vehicles was the method that the team relied on to design the device. The mass of the vehicles allows the top plate to move the rack …

Automatic Bead Stringing Machine, Huy Dinh

All Undergraduate Projects

Humans were able to master the process of piercing objects through drilling holes as an advanced beading technique. There would be a great demand for beads and they appear more and more in human daily life. Many things are made from bead strings such as jewelry, furniture and house decoration. The beading process is usually done manually by hands of workers. The process takes a lot of effort and cost for labor. Therefore, this project is about building a simple device that helps to free the work effort and lower the labor cost. The bead strings machine has 3 main …

Flexor Casting, Courtney Lehrman

All Undergraduate Projects

Abstract: Strain gauge bases (Flexors) are scarce in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Flexors are used for MET lab classes to collect and analyze data so it is important for there to be more Flexors available. In order to acquire more, resources are available on campus such as the foundry and the machine shop in order to support the manufacturing of more Flexors in-house at a much lower cost. By creating a pattern that can be used numerous times in a foundry, not only will there be an opportunity to make more castings for students to use, there will not be …

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 …

Mechanical Lift Assist Hoist, Jacob Vanblaricom

All Undergraduate Projects

Pneumatic Gripper for Cast Products

By: Jacob VanBlaricom

Mentors: Craig Johnson ([email protected]), Kurt Gray ([email protected] ),

Ted Bramble ([email protected]) , Travis Lamberte ([email protected] )

The Team was tasked by NorthStar Casteel to create a device that would allow for easy mobility and manipulation of unfinished cast products. The device is needed to increase manufacturing time and decrease worker strain. In order to do this the team designed a custom gripper to match the castings produced at this facility. The gripper was powered by a pneumatic system due to the speed and reliability in this …

Composite Guitar, Ryn Rollins

All Undergraduate Projects

Traditional wood-bodied products such as boats, hockey sticks, and guitars can be easily chipped or cracked if not properly taken care of. The wood can absorb moisture and deteriorate over time. If that wood is replaced with composite materials, those products can become stronger, more lightweight, and resistant to temperature and corrosion. Two of the most popular composite materials are carbon fiber and fiberglass. Because these composite materials have such a high strength, the core of a guitar body can also be replaced with a lighter material such as Styrofoam which makes for a lighter and more durable guitar. The …

Rc Mini Baja Car - Suspension And Chassis, Collin Mckenzie

All Undergraduate Projects

Two students have developed a unique design of the 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 ASME Baja car competition versus various schools. The competition focuses on the best time achieved in different courses that utilize speed, turns, and jumps. The objective for the project was to create a unique suspension from previous individual’s projects by creating a four-link suspension in which allows more travel in the suspension of the car and maintains functionality with the …

H.F. Hauff Portable Wind Fan Stabilizer, Tyler Hoffman

All Undergraduate Projects

Agricultural areas with cold weather in winter and early spring face significant risk of damage to crops due to freezing. To combat this issue, several farms use fans to keep goods from freezing. For some orchards and vineyards, the use of large-scale fans is not cost effective nor pragmatic. H.F. Hauff, a farming equipment company based out of Yakima, Washington, has developed a mobile, self-contained fan that operates on a seven-by-twelve-foot trailer. As a function of environment, the trailer sometimes operates on uneven or unlevel terrain. There arises a need for an improved outrigger system to keep the trailer stabilized. …

Adjustable Short Throw Shifter (Asts), Joshua Franklin

All Undergraduate Projects

Every manual transmission vehicle has a shift lever for changing gears. The problem is that the shifting linkage is setup up for one kind of driving. Numerous vehicles have multiple settings for the suspension to adapt to varying driving scenarios (i.e. cruising, sport, track). No vehicle currently has an adjustable short throw shifter (ASTS) that can accommodate drag racing, drifting, sports car racing, rallying, off-roading, or casual driving. The design of the ASTS solves this problem by moving the central axis of rotation of the shifter up two inches, permitting the adjustment of the shifting throw between 20 and 40%. …

Speed Bump Power Generator, Osamah Abulghaith

All Undergraduate Projects

Pollution is one of the major issues in the country. Most of the power generation systems contribute some percentage in pollution. Therefore, coming up with a solution that has little or no environmental impacts is the best way. One of the significant goals in the research community is getting the energy generating systems that are non-pollutant. The paper is a paper gives a step by step procedure of constructing a speed bump power generator using available resources.

The analysis was done to design the device and help choose and manufacturing the parts. For instance, spring constant formula was used in …

Prosthetic Hand: Structure, Riley Smith, Riley Smith

All Undergraduate Projects

The objective of this project was to design the structure of a prosthetic hand that has articulating fingers and thumb in order to grip various objects. A design was developed that can add to the available options of prosthetics on the market.

In order to create a base hand for the project, the hand was modeled off of rough human hand dimensions. Analyses determined the feasible size of components. Once a base size was found the movement system in both grip and return form were developed and refined. With the parts being modeled in Solidworks and 3D printed, iterations of …

Electrathon Vehicle: Front Suspension, Christopher Clark

All Undergraduate Projects

Central Washington University does not currently have a competition field-able Electrathon America electric vehicle with adequate front suspension. The aim of this project was to provide the vehicle with handling that supports sound ground contact throughout the competition environment. Handling that supports sound ground contact is important for vehicles so they can go around corners without a loss of traction or flipping over. The solution to this engineering problem was designed and tested through various requirements. The requirements at hand were that the suspension components weigh less than 50 pounds, that there be no more than 3 inches of suspension …

Jcati Composite Delaminator, Payden Coffman

All Undergraduate Projects

Improvements need to be made to the existing delaminator system designed to crush proprietary Boeing 777 composite material. The current design incorporates a hydraulic system to achieve the high loads needed to separate material layers. The new system will need to be able to apply the same loads while at the same time allowing for a constant feed of material through the system. To achieve this, a “gear-like” crushing system will be implemented that will apply a high enough radial load into the material that will achieve delamination equal or greater than the previous design while at the same time …

Next Generation Longboard Trucks Ng-Trucks, Zach J. Ducatt

All Undergraduate Projects

A device is needed that will provide longboard riders with a truck that is specifically designed for the sharp turns and high speeds they experience throughout their ride. This longboard truck must have a design that is engineered for these purposes and avoids the standard pin and bushing design that is commonly copied from the closely related skateboard truck. This standardized design is outdated, and more importantly, was made to adhere to the skateboard style of riding, consisting primarily of performing tricks with less turning. The longboard truck provides a secure connection point upon the two wheels and the board …

Forge Burner, Caleb Desjardins

All Undergraduate Projects

Can small scale blacksmithing operations achieve a level of efficiency in their forge comparable to that of a large scale industry? The causes for the lack of efficiency needed to be pinpointed, and then the geometry of the existing design for the burner could be changed to fix the underlying issues, while still maintaining functionality. The problems with the previous design is the geometry of the intake giving an unknown air/fuel ratio, and the attachment of to the forge allowing the intake air to be contaminated by exhaust gasses. A burner needed to be designed that would solve these problems …

Drone Payload Storage & Release System (Dpsrs), Joseph E. Key

All Undergraduate Projects

The retail giant Amazon has become a household name synonymous with nearly instantaneous online shopping. What previously took weeks to deliver at exorbitant shipping fees can now arrive at your doorstep within two days—and all for free. This huge buyer incentive has skyrocketed the demand for online shopping, making Amazon the most valuable brand in the world. To meet this demand, Amazon and its distributors have proposed using drones to make deliveries. However, due to issues with cost and complexity, this has not yet materialized. As such, this project’s objective was to create a cheap and lightweight package-delivery system that …

Tensile Specimen Punch, Triet Huynh

All Undergraduate Projects

There is a significant demand of tensile specimen for the students in MET 426 Lab. The solution would be to facilitate specimen production in the lab. This project designed a punch and die to take raw sheet material and produce some tensile specimens. The project was conceived, analyzed, and designed at the Central Washington University (CWU) Mechanical Engineering Technology department. Working within the constraints of our university resource, all the parts were made in the CWU machine shop. This project includes the base, that holds the specimen in place, and the punch, that will remove the material. Two dies and …

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 …

General Aviation Modular Electric Tow Bar, Devon Tandberg

All Undergraduate Projects

In general aviation, pilots use either a tow bar or a tug to maneuver their planes to and from its parking place. A tow bar is a lightweight human powered device that allows a pilot to push and pull his/her pane by themselves using human power. A tug is a similar device, except much bigger and heavier, and is electrically powered, allowing for an easier time maneuvering a plane. The downside to a tug is since they are bigger and heaver, they cannot be taken with a pilot on a trip. The goal of this project was to combine the …