Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Recent Advances In Preparation And Testing Methods Of Engine-Based Nanolubricants: A State-Of-The-Art Review, Sayed Akl, Sherif Elsoudy, Ahmed A. Abdel-Rehim, Serag Salem, Mark Ellis

Mechanical Engineering

Reducing power losses in engines is considered a key parameter of their efficiency improvement. Nanotechnology, as an interface technology, is considered one of the most promising strategies for this purpose. As a consumable liquid, researchers have studied nanolubricants through the last decade as potential engine oil. Nanolubricants were shown to cause a considerable reduction in the engine frictional and thermal losses, and fuel consumption as well. Despite that, numerous drawbacks regarding the quality of the processed nanolubricants were discerned. This includes the dispersion stability of these fluids and the lack of actual engine experiments. It has been shown that the …

Investigation Of The Tribological Behavior Of Mineral Lubricant Using Copper Oxide Nano Additives, Ahmed A. Abdel-Rehim, Sayed Akl, Sherif Elsoudy

Mechanical Engineering

In this study, tribological properties of custom formulated and stabilized nano lubricant are investigated. Spherical CuO nanoparticles are suspended in 20W-50 mineral base lubricant using Oleic Acid (OA) as a surfactant. Three different nano lubricant concentrations with 0.2, 0.5, and 1 wt.% were analyzed through ASTM G-99 pin-on-disc tribometer standardized test under boundary/mixed lubrication regimes. The generated friction and wear analyses confirm a consolidation of tribological properties with a reduction in friction coefficient in the range of 14.59–42.92%, compared with the base lubricant. Analysis of worn surfaces (SEM/EDX) as well as (AFM) was conducted. Combined hypotheses were proposed from the …

A Combined Study Of Heat Transfer And Temperature Distribution Inside Heated Double-Wall Infant Incubator Using Cfd, Hesham Safwat

Mechanical Engineering

What will be the answer if someone tried walking on the street and asking ten mothers in which pregnancy month their child had been born? The answer will be shocking because according to World Health organization (WHO 2012) at least one out of those ten mothers will answer that her kid was born earlier than his/her time! There are more than 15 million premature babies in the world having their first breath every year earlier than their times and more than 1.1 million of them the first few breaths unfortunately become their last. Moreover, if this question is asked to …

Cfd Investigation Of The Optimal Ventilation System For A Single-Family Room Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Hesham Safwat, Ahmed Elbaz

Mechanical Engineering

Newborns are immunocompromised, and they are more susceptible to get infected than elders, hence, they should be kept in an aseptic environment that is almost free of microorganisms. A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is intended for caring for ill, premature and low-birth-weight infants. There are 2 main types of NICUs: the open-bay (OBA) NICU and single-family room (SFR) NICU. Researches have proved that the SFR NICUs have many advantages as compared with the OBA NICUs ,hence, SFR NICUs are predominant worldwide since 1994. The ventilation system has a crucial role in the infection prevention and control (IPC) program, as …

Investigating The Performance Of A Novel Multi-Element Airfoil Concept Using Numerical Analysis, Ahmed Elbaz

Mechanical Engineering

Separation control is one of the trending topics recently for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) applications, flow separation that occur on the suction side of an airfoil is a major limitation for VAWTs starting and power coefficient; passive control of flow separation has been attracting wind energy research community recently. The principle objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of the multi-element airfoil on the aerodynamic characteristics at wide range of angles of attack at a Reynolds number of 140,000. The multi element airfoil modification has been implemented by replacing the baseline airfoil with two airfoil members within …

Numerical Investigation On The Effect Of Surface Perturbations On Aerodynamics Of Cambered Airfoils, Ahmed Elbaz

Mechanical Engineering

The issue of the flow separation and the urge to reach higher performance ratings in airfoils can be acquired through the passive surface modification. By altering the shape of the upper surface to have a perturbated shape using a simple sinusoidal wave, the flow characteristics of airfoils can be enhanced to yield higher desired outputs. This study proposes the effect of both the wave amplitude and the number of waves for the perturbated upper surface on the lift and drag characteristics for SG-6040 and SG-6042 airfoils. Perturbating the upper surface of the airfoil can be of a great advantage as …

Numerical Investigation Of Flow Over An Airfoil With Active Cavity, Ahmed Elbaz

Mechanical Engineering

Wind turbine blades are commonly made of airfoils due to their high lifting characteristics. The performance of the airfoils can reach higher optimal conditions with applying various modifications on the airfoil geometry.  The need to improve airfoil performance at low values of Reynolds number is essential to small power wind turbines. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate methods to increase the lift to drag ratio, which results in better aerodynamic performance of the airfoil used in wind turbines at low Reynolds number using active flow control by employing a surface cavity with suction. The investigation considered both …

Deepsea Coral Sample Container, Sara Passantino, Andrew Noble, Casey Smith, Thomas Smith

Mechanical Engineering

In order to better understand the health of our oceans and the species that inhabit them, scientists often collect samples for later analysis onshore. The demanding deep-sea environment makes this collection process a challenging engineering task. Samples must first be located, then removed from the seafloor and stored for transportation to the surface. The performance of the engineered solutions that complete each of these tasks is critical in allowing marine scientists to maximize the insight obtained from their expeditions. Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) is an organization that performs such collection of organisms with the help of remotely operated …

Lead To Can Abrasion (Ltca) Test, Scott Mangin, Karthik Padmanabhan, Craig Icban

Mechanical Engineering

Pacemakers are medical devices which regulate a person’s heartbeat through electric pulses delivered via an endocardial lead attached to the heart. When a pacemaker is implanted in a patient, there is usually excess length left on the lead. Surgeons will typically wrap the excess lead length around the pacemaker device and close the wound. However, wrapping the lead around the pacemaker outer surface can open the lead to abrasion and cause the lead’s vital electrical insulation to be compromised. This is currently tested using an existing abrasion fixture at Abbott. However, the current tester does not yield consistent data results …

A.C. Moyer Eye-Cap Manufacturing, Thais Bertolus, Alexa Steidl, Hana Welsh, Jarod Kinney, Maya Willis

Mechanical Engineering

A.C. Moyer company has been making eye caps as a family business since 1947. Eye caps are a product used during the embalming process. Currently the machines being used to produce the eye caps are outdated and unsafe. We are a team of 5 mechanical engineering students tasked with either designing new machines or updating the existing machines to make the manufacturing process more efficient, automated, and safer. This document describes the design process, provides background, relevant research, establishes project objectives, and defines plans for project implementation.

Vibratory Tumbling Machine, Laurence William Duclos Iii, Aaron Phillip Shein, Jared Edward Nash

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to highlight the overall Vibratory Tumbling Machine project background, objectives, concept design, final design, manufacturing, and design verification. This final design review outlines the process, creation, and testing of the chosen final design for this redesign of the vibratory tumbling machine. The FDR shows the steps the team took towards completing a CAD package and a verification prototype of the final design while adapting to COVID-19 restrictions.

Final Design Review Report: The Underdogs, Parker Johnson, Jack Montgomery, Katherine Thomas

Mechanical Engineering

Aspen is a three-legged dog with mobility issues from Berkeley, California. She was hit by a car and her rear left leg was amputated at the hip. Robin Swanson, Aspen's owner, and her friend, Audrey Beil, are the sponsors for this project. Jack Montgomery, Katherine Thomas, and Parker Johnson, “The Underdogs”, are tasked with helping Aspen regain some of her mobility and the ability to go on walks. Research was done into the problem by talking with the sponsors and looking into existing products, designs, and patents. This document, the Final Design Review Report, outlines the background information, problem specification, …

Portable Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edge Erosion Test, Joe Blakewell, Tim Holt, Kevin Vartan

Mechanical Engineering

Turbine Technology Partners, LLC (TTP) is a company located in Santa Barbara, California that provides expert independent engineering (IE) consulting services to the wind energy industry - supporting its goal of generating cost effective and reliable carbon-free renewal energy for the world. TTP customers include some of the largest wind turbine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), wind turbine power plant developers, and wind turbine owner/operators. One of the biggest problems challenging the wind energy industry currently is the power loss that results from the leading edge (LE) erosion of wind turbine blades. The purpose of our senior design project is to …

2 Degree Of Freedom Robotic Leg, Oded Tzori, Henry Terrell, Adan Martinez

Mechanical Engineering

Professor Xing, an assistant professor at Cal Poly, proposed the 2 DOF Robotic Leg project for this quarter’s senior project class. The project is to build a robotic leg attached at the hip to a stand, which will be used as a teaching tool and eventually help develop Cal Poly’s very own robotic quadruped. Since this project has multiple uses after its completion, there are multiple customers that it must perform well for: the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department, the ME Lab instructors, and the students. The Scope of Work (Sections 2 & 3) is composed of 2 main …

Bolted Flanged Assembly Test Stand, Mark Christian Damasco Sunga, Paulina Mercedez Delgado, Philip John Coleman

Mechanical Engineering

The following Final Design Report (FDR) is the last formal documentation for the senior design project. The project was carried out by three senior mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for Phillips 66. The project proposed was to design a test stand and implement a procedure which will evaluate craftsmen’s abilities to assemble a bolted flanged joint assembly. The goal was to create a fully functional test setup that can be duplicated and utilized throughout Phillips 66’s refineries. This document details the design process that was completed over the course of three quarters, including concept …

Adaptable Classroom And Workspace Table, Emily Richter, Aaron Mccallister, Jett Bolusan

Mechanical Engineering

Mr. Michael Brennan, entrepreneur and founder of Co-Act Furniture, presented the problem of a classroom and workspace table that can be quickly, easily, and safely reconfigured to accommodate different types of collaboration and learning within a limited space. Current classroom and workspace furniture lacks modularity, which limits the usability of the space. Different groups use the same room to learn in different ways; adjustable furniture would benefit their learning and productivity. Mr. Brennan has developed several prototype tables with varying features, including adjustable angle, height, and tabletop surface area. Our team, composed of three mechanical engineering students, has a project …

Deep-Sea Water Collector, Chandler Jones, Jenny Verheul, Michael Di Giorgio

Mechanical Engineering

Properties such as nutrients, DNA, pH levels, and primary productivity are difficult to measure onboard an Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (UROV) as mobile submarine sensors are highly expensive and conventional water capture devices are too large to be equipped. However, these properties provide an integral view into our oceans, the species that inhabit them, and our influence on the environment. Collected samples of seawater taken back to labs allow researchers to see a clearer picture of ecosystems’ inhabitants and lifecycle with the analysis of Environmental DNA (eDNA) among many other properties. The scope of this project is to design a …

Modular Attachment System For Tactical Robot, Michelle K. Chandler, Jacob A. Nelson, Adam V. Ivelia, Quang Truong

Mechanical Engineering

The goals of this report are to clearly define the problem and the scope of this project, present information regarding background design research, explain the process taken to reach the final design, go over the part procurement and manufacturing process, outline the assembly steps, and verify the design against the criteria through testing. The problem and scope of the project were defined using the constraints provided by the project sponsor, Blueline robotics. Blueline needs a modular attachment system for their tactical robot. The completed background research contains existing robot solutions that deal with similar tasks. Many of these existing robots …

Surf Leg Prosthetic 2, Aris C. Recidoro, Kyler D. Peterson, Alec C. Goodman

Mechanical Engineering

The following final design review outlines the process our team took in order to create a prosthetic for surfing. With the results of the Surf Leg V1 prosthetic, we designed, created, and tested our own product. The goal was to create a prosthetic that can immediately be used by an individual for surfing. From our findings, we decided that the focus of our project was to improve upon different features of the prosthetic leg designed by the previous senior project team. Our main focus was to improve mobility and reduce the weight of the ankle mechanism. The choice of Aluminum …

Formula Sae Monocoque Chassis Development, Kc Egger, Brian Ford, Kyle Nagao, Neal Sharma, Donovan Zusalim

Mechanical Engineering

Formula SAE is a collegiate competition hosted by SAE International with the primary goal being to design, manufacture, and race an open wheel race car. The Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE team strives for improvement every race season and has remained competitive as a result. The 2019-2020 management team determined that further research and development towards the chassis would yield the greatest performance benefit for future seasons, as the previous chassis platform limited packaging and mounting options for vehicle subsystems which interfaced with the chassis.

A redesign of the Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE team’s carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque …

Senior Capstone Team Formation Based On Project Interest: Team Selection By Students Compared To Team Selection By Instructors, Peter Schuster, Lauren Anne Cooper, Eltahry Elghandour, Eileen W. Rossman, Sarah Harding, Brian P. Self

Mechanical Engineering

Assigning teams in large courses is logistically challenging and students are sometimes unhappy with their assigned team. This is exacerbated when the project work extends over multiple terms and teams have unique projects. Giving students some agency in team and project selection is one way to improve their project experience. This paper examines two key questions: (a) What is the best way to incorporate student interests into the team-forming process? (b) What impact does the team-forming process have on the student experience throughout the project?

We consider two different approaches to giving students agency in the team formation / project …

Heavenly Bodies Rsvp, Justin Tyler Spitzer, Allison Jean Turnbaugh, Jack William Boulware, Braden Alex Lockwood

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of the Heavenly Bodies RSVP project was to design and fabricate planet props, as well as a mechanism by which they could be raised and lowered in California Polytechnic State University’s Pavilion theater. The project team was comprised of four fourth year mechanical engineering students: Allison Turnbaugh, Braden Lockwood, Jack Boulware, and Justin Spitzer. We conducted extensive research to determine the ideal solution for the design problem brought to us by our sponsor. In our analysis, we discovered that the most important aspects of our design were the absolute reliability of the system, fire retardant material selection, and …

Cal Poly Microgrid Fixed Pv Array, Christopher L. Ewert, Justin R. Syracuse, Donald A. Syracuse, Jason M. Kehl

Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo would like an adjustable, fixed angle solar panel mount to help educate students on basic solar energy principles. Our team has developed a unique sawhorse design utilizing ideation techniques and design selection tools. The selected design allows for multiple panel adjustability and control of both azimuth and tilt angle. Safety concerns are addressed with action plans to mitigate risk. Concept prototypes to justify gearbox functionality and subsystem cohesion was utilized to reduce manufacturing issues. Manufacturing began in March 2020 and proceed through until the end of the …

Elevate Dental, Connor Merrick, Everett Johnson, Jonah Holbrook

Mechanical Engineering

During a dental procedure, patients are often required to have a bite block placed in their mouths to keep them open for the duration of their procedure. These can be very uncomfortable for patients due to lack of properly-fitting sizes. This project presents an alternative fully adjustable bite block that is affordable, comfortable, and easy to use for dental personnel.The bite block is a two piece side loading design that uses interlocking teeth to supply a range of five sizes.

Automated Drone Calibration System, Jackie Kelly Jong-Mee Paik, Zach Nathan Richter, Tyler Wilson Van Den Berg, Ryan Alexander Zhan, Matthew Ward Carlson

Mechanical Engineering

The final design review of the Inspired Flight Calibration Team senior project will detail the process used to complete a verification prototype of a drone calibration device and discuss lessons learned and suggestions for improving this device. Going from brainstorming and conceptual prototyping all the way through verification prototyping and testing, we were able to design a gyroscopic device that met Inspired Flight’s needs for the flight sensor calibration of their drones. The mechanical design involved comprehensive CAD models and hands-on manufacturing. The mechatronics side of the project worked heavily with electrical wiring and writing custom software to communicate and …

Vibration Isolation System, Bradley Y. Kwan, Bailey Groh, Max Wu, Nicole Yen

Mechanical Engineering

The Vibration Isolation System Senior Project is a collaborative group project between its sponsor, Maxar Technologies, and a team of students from Cal Poly - SLO to effectively design, manufacture, and test a structural assembly for satellites, isolating vibrations during launch and orbit conditions. After initial sponsor contact, requirements and needs were set which dictated deliverables for the senior project group. The group performed analyses to validate all design decisions, including a modified concept and design direction, selection of a prototype viscoelastic damping material, preliminary testing to validate design specifications, and detailed design and analysis toward a finalized design. Instead …

Cal Poly Prove Lab Endurance Car Composite Body Paneling Design, Emma Wheelock, Sarah Rutland, Noah Fisher, Brian Menard

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Prototype Vehicles Laboratory (PROVE Lab) needs a body paneling design for their Endurance Car aeroshell which optimizes strength, weight and accessibility while minimizing complexity. Additionally, a low-complexity, accurate manufacturing process for the PROVE Lab Endurance Car aeroshell needs to be developed. PROVE Lab designed the shape of the aeroshell. The aeroshell will serve to reduce the aerodynamic drag on the car at high speed, and is not a structural component of the car. Due to the high-strength and lightweight nature of composites, PROVE Lab requests the senior project team investigate using composites for automotive body paneling applications. …

Composite Liftwalker For Shurouq, Daniel Martinez, Robert Boyd, Vikram Thridandam, Madeline Faase

Mechanical Engineering

The following document describes the scope of our project and the methods we have deployed in designing and manufacturing a personalized composite LiftWalker for a young woman in Egypt named Shurouq. Our objective is to design a lightweight and durable LiftWalker to improve upon the current product of our project sponsor, Charlie Gutierrez. To accommodate Shurouq’s physical disabilities as well as the limits of transporting the device to her by plane, our team will need to alter the current product’s dimensions, materials, and structure. Through researching similar products and interviewing potential customers, we have compiled engineering specifications to guide the …

Spring Loaded Camming Device, Jared S. Christner, Kaitlin O. Deherrera, Ryan W. Edwards, John S. Hickey

Mechanical Engineering

Spring loaded camming devices or “cams” are used in traditional rock climbing as a means of active fall protection. Climbers place cams in cracks and fissures in the rock wall. The cam’s lobes press against the walls, locking it in place, anchoring the climber in case of a fall. Currently, there is a lack of large cams on the market. Only two small companies produce cams that are usable in cracks 6.5 inches wide and larger, however their designs are either too heavy and/or lack features to be comfortable. We are a group of mechanical engineering students at Cal Poly …

Portable Fluorescence Illuminator, Katherine Hui, Emran Baryal, Emmett Lambert

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review (FDR) document outlines the senior design project implemented by a team of three mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for a professor in the biochemistry and chemistry department, Dr. Javin Oza. The project involved designing and manufacturing a portable ultraviolet fluorescence illuminator that will indicate the fluorescent glow of biomaterials for viewing purposes. The goal was to create a portable product out of recyclable material that can be used in field applications and increase accessibility to affordable science equipment. The initial sponsor and user interviews, technical background research, product research, and …