Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Team Joseph: Adaptive Aquatic Device, Paul Sands, Lilly Hoff, Andrea Voigt

Mechanical Engineering

The scope of this project included designing and fabricating an adaptive aquatic device for Joseph, a 20 year old student in the Special Education Program at San Luis Obispo High School with a subset of cerebral palsy known as spastic quadriplegia. The project was presented at the beginning of the Fall 2013 quarter to the mechanical engineering students at Cal Poly with the aspiration that a team of engineers would construct a device that would allow Joseph, his friends and family to compete in their first triathlon on July 27, 2014. The project was humbly accepted by mechanical engineering students …

Adapted Pool Cue, Cole Clark, Daniel Patterson, Michelle Cheung, Dylan Sauer

Mechanical Engineering

Our primary goal was to develop an adaptive device to allow a user with limited upper body mobility to more effectively play a game of pool. Within this goal it was important to design around the concept of a least restrictive environment, in order to provide the user with as close to a standard pool playing experience as possible. The device was designed to specifically meet the needs of John Lee, an Assistive Technology Specialist at Cal Poly's Disability Resource Center. Mr. Lee has muscular dystrophy, which limits his upper and lower body mobility and currently requires his use of …

Geared Wheelchair, Shawn Jafari, Kyle Sitton, Mitch Wickline

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Blds Articulated Mounting Feet, Mitchell D. Conn, Chris Mazzucco

Mechanical Engineering

This final report summarizes all of the efforts of the Senior Project aimed at creating Articulating Mounting Feet for the BLDS. The project focuses on improving the design of the mounting feet for the current Boundary Layer Data System at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Dr. Russ Westphal, the project’s sponsor, wishes that our team focus primarily on a reliable and lightweight mount design for a curved wing, with only transverse curvature. Dr. Westphal is currently researching the boundary layer effects on airplane wings at Cal Poly, and the ability to mount to a multitude of surface contours would increase …

Science Of Water Table, Tim Haigh, Kris Francis, Nick Schlemmer

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Peek Wear Test System, Michael Brown, Mason Chellemi, Allian Roman

Mechanical Engineering

The wear characteristics of PEEK carbon fiber composites are not well understood in comparison to high strength materials in common use such as steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber epoxy. This lack of understanding limits the applications in which the superior strength to weight ratio and stiffness of PEEK carbon fiber composites may be utilized with confidence to situations in which there are no significant bearing surface interactions between nearby components. The objective of this project was to design, build, and test a machine that is capable of evaluating the behavior of PEEK carbon fiber composites in a long term, high …

Formula Sae Cooling System Design, Lisa Van Den Berg, Brandon Lofaro

Mechanical Engineering

The overall objective of this senior project is to develop, via testing and analysis, a guided process that will aid the Cal Poly Formula SAE team in designing their cooling system. More specifically, a set of designed tests will yield the results necessary in determining a combination of fan and radiator that will achieve appropriate cooling.

A test section that has the capability of interfacing with both the wind tunnel in the Thermal Science Lab and a radiator will be used to facilitate the necessary experiments. The wind tunnel is powered by fan controlled by a variable frequency drive that …

Formula Sae Hybrid Carbon Fiber Monocoque / Steel Tube Frame Chassis, Matthew Hagan, John Rappolt, John Waldrop

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Formula SAE Team created this project in order to design and fabricate a high-performance chassis which would be competitive at 2013 FSAE Lincoln, and to document the process so that future teams could more easily create a chassis. One of the main goals was to reduce weight from the 143- lb 2012 chassis subsystem. A weight of 95 lb was achieved, with 82 lb in the chassis structure itself and a predicted torsional stiffness of 1700 lb*ft/deg. Composite materials design and manufacturing techniques were developed during the project. Design, testing, and manufacturing processes are detailed, and results …

Low-Cost Strider For Guatemala, Nicole Catherine Cooper, Gonzalo Hernandez, Jared W. Tower

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this project was to create a strider, a type of standing rehabilitation device, for children in developing countries who have trouble walking and supporting their full body weight. The project was initially brought to us by Cal Poly professor Brian Self, who had visited a clinic in San Marcos and determined that there were children there who had difficulties with walking and were a need for a rehabilitation device. The team discussed the problem with Dr. Self, Matt Robinson (a local San Luis Obispo prosthetist), and Cal Poly physics professor Pete Schwartz, all of whom had visited …

Energy Generator Exploration Station Senior Project Report, Evan Carr, Christopher Scharff, Andrea Govea

Mechanical Engineering

The mission of Team EnGen is to create a safe and reliable, human powered energy generation system for the Exploration Station. This project was proposed by the Exploration Station in response to a grant received by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) that allocated funds for an energy conservation exhibit. This system will take the form of a model energy truck and a darkened neighborhood display that the user powers through peddling, turning the generator to create the electricity that will light up the display. The Exploration Station and Team EnGen agree that this style of design is accessible to all …

2d Wireform Process Improvement, Katy Conlin, Carlo Ebora, Jordan Gamble

Mechanical Engineering

The body of this work has been created for Edwards Lifesciences in conjunction with senior project requirements. As such, the information produced and contained within is under a non‐disclosure agreement. As per request by sponsor, the body of the work will not be submitted to any outside parties, and the title page will serve as proof of completion.

Automated Foosball Table, Jim R. Stefani, Alex J. Herpy, Brett Gordon Jaeger, Kevin S. Haydon, Derek Alan Hamel

Mechanical Engineering

This project is the second iteration of an automated foosball table for Yaskawa America as a trade show display. The table is meant to provide an interactive experience which highlights the speed and precision of the Yaskawa hardware. The first iteration of the project was mainly focused on creating the physical hardware for the system and to begin the basic programming for the system. This phase of the project was focused on finalizing the physical hardware of the system, implementing the vision system and to continue the basic programing of the system AI. A third team will be assigned to …

Adaptive Beach Walker, Jonathan Larsen, Christian Nuñez, Nicholas Simon, Jessica Smith

Mechanical Engineering

The RAPD program is a federal organization funded by the National Science Foundation that supports the development of technologies for new and improved devices or software for persons with disabilities; in the case of our project and our fellow classmates, the program provided grants to student projects that are designed to help persons with disabilities in participating and enjoying physical activity. Our project is directed with the help of Dr. Widmann and Dr. Taylor of the Mechanical Engineering and Kinesiology Departments respectively, at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Three students from the Mechanical Department and one student from …

Mobile Solar Pv Trainer, Matthew Myers, Matthew Clause, Lawrence Smith

Mechanical Engineering

The aim of the Mobile Solar PV Trainer Project was to design, construct and test a versatile and robust laboratory training rig for the Cal Poly Electrical Engineering department. This project was inspired by the desire of one or more California Polytechnic State University electrical engineering professors to add laboratory components to two established upper division electrical engineering courses in photovoltaic panels and solar power. This report contains a detailed description of the trainer’s desired specifications, our ideation process, a thorough description of the selected trainer design including part drawings, assembly documentation and a bill of materials as well as …

Adaptive Adjustable Tricycle, Jasper E. Bolton, Kemely A. Chow, Ryan D. Hirahara, Heather K. Instasi

Mechanical Engineering

As a part of the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering curriculum, all students must take part in a three quarter long senior design project. Students are presented with existing problems, select a project, and then apply the knowledge they have gained throughout their academic career to design and build a solution. The intent behind this project is to create an experience that is similar to an engineering project in industry, by applying engineering and teamwork skills to solve a problem.

Team Trikeceratops’ mission was to develop an adaptive adjustable tricycle to be used in the Special Education Department of the Buena …

Mini-High Temperature Hepa Filter Test Unit, Mario Trinchero, Juan Miguel Nagengast, Andrew Wood

Mechanical Engineering

There is a need for better HEPA filter materials, especially those able to withstand higher temperatures as experienced in fire conditions. In order to test these materials our team built a Mini High Temperature Testing Unit (MHTTU) that can rapidly, efficiently, and inexpensively test a large number of new and innovative materials for HEPA filter components. MHTTU test results will be used to down select the most promising materials for HEPA filter components (e.g., media, sealants, gaskets) for full scale testing in the HTTU. There are already some pieces of equipment that exist in other parts of the country that …

Semi-Automated Method Of Assembly For Physio Ii Ring, Cameron Anderson Deines, Kelsey Jean Engel, Christopher Kiuyen Wong

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Basketball Shooter - Final Project Report, Jenna N. Becker, Richard A. Galanti, Justin D. Haley, Brett Y. Nayudu

Mechanical Engineering

The Friday Club is a joint venture between the Cal Poly Kinesiology Department and the San Luis Obispo Special Olympics that offers people with varying degrees of disability the opportunity to meet weekly and learn various sports and games. At Friday Club, athletes in wheelchairs with limited arm strength use devices built by Cal Poly mechanical engineering students in order to participate in various sports. Many devices are designed to attach to the Universal Play Frame (UPF), a wheel-chair attachment. The purpose of this project was to design and build a UPF device that will launch a basketball, so that …

Folding Wheelchair Improvement, Matthew Edison Grace, Kevin Alan Miyamoto, Andrey Lee Oliveira

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Freehub Test Machine, Brett Murphy, Mitch Ambrosini, Nick Boldt, Stephen Knaus

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this project is to design and build a machine to test a bicycle freehub in a lab environment. The conditions need to imitate the forces experienced by a bike wheel in a repeatable fashion. To do this we designed a machine that can fatigue the freehub in two distinct modes, pedaling and freewheeling. In the pedaling mode the freehub will be repeatable torqued to find how many engagement cycles freehub can endure before failure. The freewheeling test will spin the freehub in its coasting direction to find how the freehub wears during its lifetime. A freehub is …

Friction Test Machine, Kyle Raymon Schless, Lynda Beatriz Tesillo, Mustapha Nadri

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Lightweight Uav Launcher, Ben Miller, Christian Valoria, Corinne Warnock, Jake Coutlee

Mechanical Engineering

This report discusses the design, construction, and testing of a lightweight, portable UAV launcher. There is a current need for a small team of soldiers to launch a US Marine Tier II UAV in a remote location without transport. Research was conducted into existing UAV launcher designs and the pros and cons of each were recorded. This research served as a basis for concept generation during the initial design development stage. It was required that the design weigh less than 110 lbs, occupy a smaller volume than 48" x 24" 18" in its collapsed state, be portable by a single …

Rotating Test Apparatus, Brian David Yale, David George Shelton

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Final Design Report Bull Outdoor Products Tailgating/Backyard Barbecue, Kyle Van Allen, David Mei, Nicholas James Marquez

Mechanical Engineering

Bull Outdoor Products, Inc. is a specialty company whose main products are high end barbecues for use in outdoor kitchens. They desire a more portable barbecue stand(s) that can be used for tailgating. This is to be achieved by creating a dual-purpose stand/frame that allows for the barbecue head to be used on a trailer hitch or as rolling stand that can be used without a trailer hitch.

Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School Solar Panel Project, Dulce Arroyo Martinez, Henrik Lee, Moises Quiroz, Timothy Iafrate

Mechanical Engineering

This project covers the design, manufacture, and installation of solar panel frames on a charter school in Avila Beach, CA. Through preliminary research regarding important factors (such as solar movement, ideal panel angle, and site-specific factors), a frame that meets the standards set forth in the California Building Codes was designed. After approval by presiding authorities, parts specified in the design were ordered, inspected upon arrival, and manufactured to the design as necessary. Much of the challenge was related to the installation aspect of the project—coordination with the proper authorities and correct submission of applications was integral to the success …

Team Poly Cup, John Adkins, Scott W. Hart, Elise Kiland

Mechanical Engineering

This project involves the use of mechanical engineering expertise to develop, design, and create a functioning prototype of a collapsible coffee cup. The prototype is to be designed to the specifications given by Jason Blum, the project sponsor. Allowances may be given for design freedom as specified by Jason Blum. The goal of this project is to create a product which may replace the both the disposable coffee cups distributed at coffee shops as well as to create a product which may replace the traditional travel mug due to its increased portability.

Team Poly Cup has worked throughout the year …

Model Block Press, Jordan Brown, Michael Evans, Connor Morrow

Mechanical Engineering

The Center for Vocational Building Technology came to the Mechanical Engineering department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a project to create a new, less expensive model block press than their current BP9 design. This press would produce ¼ scale model compressed earth blocks to be sold as souvenirs and used in demonstrations for constructing buildings. After analyzing the design of the current block presses, JCM came up with the BP10 design. The BP10 operates similarly to the larger block presses, but will cost significantly less to produce and will have some of the design features enhanced to make …

Evaluation Of Solar Energy Solution For Egyptian Remote Areas, Tarek Ihab Abdelsalam, Tarek M. Hatem

Mechanical Engineering

Egypt is currently suffering the symptoms of the energy crises, such as electricity outage and high deficit as a result of constant increase in fossil foils through the last decades. On the other hand, Egypt has a high solar availability of more than 18.5 MJ annually. Additionally, Egypt has large uninhabited deserts on both sides of the Nile valley and in Sinai Peninsula, which represent more than 96.5% of the nation’s total land area. Therefore, solar energy is one of the prospective solutions for energy shortage in Egypt. Furthermore, these vast lands are advantageous for commissioning huge solar power generation …

Subway Rail Car Filter Sampling Tool, Brian Hong, Julia Pollard, Philip Ybarra

Mechanical Engineering

The following design report has been prepared by Team Slice for both Cal Poly’s Mechanical Engineering Department and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This report provides an overview of the design ideation process of creating a subway rail car filter sampling tool. This cutting tool will take samples of HVAC filters from subway railcars in New York City, NY. These samples will then be used for processing in biological terror emergency response situations. This device will provide an easy, safe, and user friendly tool to cut filter samples. The current method of cutting is a pair of scissors or shears, which …

Computer Controlled Vegetable Oil Fuel System, Joseph W. Souza

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.