Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Mechanics Of Blast Loading On Post-Mortem Human And Surrogate Heads In The Study Of Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi) Using Experimental And Computational Approaches, Shailesh Govind Ganpule

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Blast induced neurotrauma (BINT) has been designated as the “signature injury” to warfighters in the recent military conflicts. The occurrence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in blasts is controversial in the medical and scientific communities because the manifesting symptoms occur without visible injuries. Whether the primary blast waves alone can cause mechanical insult that is comparable to existing traumatic brain injury thresholds is still an open question, and this work is aimed to address this issue.

In the first part of this dissertation, mechanics of primary blast loading on Realistic Explosive Dummy (RED) head with and without helmets is studied …

Ocean Current Measurements: Challenges And Opportunities In The Florida Current, William E. Baxley

HCNSO Student Capstones

The water velocities offshore south Florida are dominated by the Florida Current, and these effects result not only from the tremendous flow of water between Florida and the Bahamas, but also from the eddies and other rotational components imparted by the change in flow direction from eastward to northward along the Florida Keys and the end of the peninsula. These currents have been measured for decades, with methods ranging from subsurface floats to acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) and surface current measuring radars. Data suggests that there is a large degree of variability in the mean flow, including significant vorticity …

A Multiplicative Extended Kalman Filter For Relative Rotorcraft Navigation, Robert C. Leishman, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

In this article we detail the fundamentals of a new approach to GPS-denied navigation for aerial vehicles in confined indoor environments. We depart from the common practice of navigating within a globally referenced map, and instead keep the position and yaw states relative to the current node in the map. The approach combines elements of graph SLAM with a multiplicative extended Kalman filter (MEKF). The filter provides quality state estimates at a fast rate and a graph SLAM algorithm maintains a pose graph. We provide specific details for the relative MEKF. We verify the relative estimation approach with hardware flight …

Energy Retrofit Field Study And Best Practices In A Hot-Humid Climate, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In the U.S. Census Bureau's Southern region, housing starts ranged from 4.6 to 5.9 million per decade from the 1970s through the 2000s, nearly twice as many as any other region across all decades. The potential for energy savings in these homes is vast, perhaps our most available untapped resource for reducing energy needs. This study was conducted in central Florida, which forms part of the Census Bureau's Southern region. It examines efficiency retrofit opportunities, typical renovation practices, and pathways for achieving U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals for existing homes in that region.

Investigations Of Partially Immersed Spinning Spheres In A Liquid Bath And Butterfly Flight, Kenneth Roy Langley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines two important problems in fluid dynamics: that of a partially immersed sphere spinning in a bath of liquid and the measurement of flow velocities around a free flying butterfly. Although the actual problems are quite different, each problem incorporates many of the same principles and techniques. When a hard-boiled egg spins through a pool of milk on the kitchen counter, the milk rises up the sides of the egg and droplets are ejected. This phenomenon occurs when any partially submerged object whose radius increases upward from the fluid surface (e.g., spheres, inverted cones, rings, etc.), spins in …

Hydrogen Storage Properties Of Magnesium Based Nanostructured Materials Produced By Glancing Angle Deposition, Mehmet Fatih Cansizoglu

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen is proposed as an ideal fuel for future global energy requirements with the potential to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy independence for countries. Hydrogen is ideal for mobile applications, such as transportation vehicles and mobile devices. However storage of hydrogen remains as a challenge to realize this transition. One of the promising approaches in solid state storage is storing hydrogen in the form of metal hydrides. High hydrogen storage capacity of 7.6 wt% (weight percentage), reversibility, low cost, and abundance make magnesium an attractive material for solid state hydrogen storage. The main drawbacks …

Passive Stiffness Of Coupled Wrist And Forearm Rotations, Will Brandon Drake

Theses and Dissertations

The dynamics of wrist rotations are dominated by joint stiffness, which the neuromuscular system must account and compensate for when controlling wrist movements. Because wrist stiffness is anisotropic, movements in some directions require less torque than movements in others, creating opportunities to follow "paths of least resistance." Forearm pronation-supination (PS) can combine with wrist flexion-extension (FE) and radial-ulnar deviation (RUD) to allow the wrist to rotate in directions of least stiffness. Evaluating this hypothesis, and understanding the control of combined wrist and forearm rotations in general, requires a knowledge of the stiffness (the dominant mechanical impedance) encountered during combined wrist …

Research And Publication Opportunities In Structure Of Materials, Dr. David Fullwood, Dr. Brent Adams, Dr. Chris Mattson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The MEG award has been used by our research group as a springboard to launch undergraduates to levels of excellence in academia and the engineering community, and as seed money for research initiatives that will benefit these and future undergraduates. It has been used to leverage significant other funding sources and multiply its effects. Here are some highlights:

Starch Resin Moisture Level Effect On Injection Molding Processability And Molded Part Mechanical Properties With Pure Starch Resin And Polymer Blends, Jordan M. Ellingson

Theses and Dissertations

The current and forecasted global consumption of plastic packaging and products through the 21st century combined with the already reported and growing negative impact of plastics on the environment due to plastics being synthesized from nonrenewable resources that do not biodegrade is of serious concern. However, recent advances in starch technology including the development of thermoplastic starch (TPS) materials —polymers that are both renewable and biodegradable—have brought hope to reducing this impact. The mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch have often been improved by blending with synthetic polymers. One issue that arises with blending is volatilization of the melt from moisture …

Atomic Layer Deposition On Porous Materials: Problems With Conventional Approaches To Catalyst And Fuel Cell Electrode Preparation, Tzia Ming Onn, Rainer Küngas, Paolo Fornasiero, Kevin Huang, Raymond J. Gorte

Faculty Publications

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) offers exciting possibilities for controlling the structure and composition of surfaces on the atomic scale in heterogeneous catalysts and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrodes. However, while ALD procedures and equipment are well developed for applications involving flat surfaces, the conditions required for ALD in porous materials with a large surface area need to be very different. The materials (e.g., rare earths and other functional oxides) that are of interest for catalytic applications will also be different. For flat surfaces, rapid cycling, enabled by high carrier-gas flow rates, is necessary in order to rapidly grow thicker …

Location-Allocation Optimization Of Supply Chain Distribution Networks: A Case Study, Mark Nicholas Helberg

Theses and Dissertations

The location of distribution centers is an important strategic decision in supply chain design, particularly as it relates to service quality, productivity, and profitability of the firm. There has been extensive research performed on distribution location models which require the use of complex algorithms and assumptions that make use of these models difficult in practice for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have limited capital and resources. Studies have also failed to capture and quantify potential business results of using more sophisticated methods. In this study, a deterministic and static location-allocation model is designed using a prototype software tool. The …

Adaptive Human Control Gains During Precision Grip, Erik D. Engeberg

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Eight human test subjects attempted to track a desired position trajectory with an instrumented manipulandum (MN). The test subjects used the MN with three different levels of stiffness. A transfer function was developed to represent the human application of a precision grip from the data when the test subjects initially displaced the MN so as to learn the position mapping from the MN onto the display. Another transfer function was formed from the data of the remainder of the experiments, after significant displacement of the MN occurred. Both of these transfer functions accurately modelled the system dynamics for a portion …

Analysis Of Alternative Ductile Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Reinforcing Bar Concepts, Bashar Behnam, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

Steel-reinforced concrete structural components are often associated with significant maintenance costs as a result of reinforcement corrosion. To mitigate this problem, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars have been used in place of traditional steel reinforcement for some applications. The non-ductile response of typical FRP bars is a concern, however. To overcome this problem, hybrid ductile FRP (HDFRP) bars have been developed for use in concrete flexural members with resulting ductility indices similar to sections reinforced with steel. In this study, five different HDFRP bar concepts are analyzed and compared in terms of ductility, stiffness, and relative cost. Of primary interest is …

Digitally Programmable Rf Mems Filters With Mechanically Coupled Resonators, Hengky Chandrahalim, Sunil Ashok Bhave

AFIT Patents

A digitally-tunable RF MEMS filter includes a substrate and a plurality of mechanically coupled resonators, wherein a first and a last resonator of the plurality of mechanically coupled resonators are configured to be electrostatically transduced. One or more of the plurality of mechanically coupled resonators are configured to be biased relative to the substrate such that the one or more biased resonators may be brought substantially in contact with the substrate. In a method of digitally tuning an RF MEMS filter having a mechanically coupled resonator array, a DC bias voltage is applied to at least a first resonator and …

Application Of Assignment Problem Theory To Cal Poly's Week Of Welcome Program Presentation Schedule, Kevin T. Aban

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The Week of Welcome (WOW) is a part of Cal Poly’s Orientation Programs. One of the main objectives of WOW is to provide content to new students on a variety of different topics in the form of Awareness Presentations. The problem being addressed in this paper is that of assigning the orientation groups of incoming students to these Awareness Presentations so that they have a schedule that meets all of the necessary criteria. The most important of those requirements is schedule balance and flexibility for future use. This scheduling problem is solved through the use of operations research and binary …

Gyroscope Assembly Process Improvement Analysis, Ian Douglass, Juan Ulises Saucedo

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The gyro is a fundamental portion of many assemblies that Company S, a directional drilling company, manufactures. The gyro assembly is a highly sensitive and complex process, and it was paramount to establish efficiency and quality guidelines to base management decisions. The first guideline succeeded by increasing throughput by means of a simulation using ProModel. Next, non-value and value added activities were identified through a value stream map. Lastly, a database was developed in order to capture high integrity quality control data, or key performance indicators, such as, throughput, first-pass inspection yields at every test performed, and defects found. This …

Implementation Of A Sustainable Project Management Methodology For Cal Poly Sae Baja, Theo Graziadei

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

A lack of project organization manifested through unclear team goals, rush deliveries of materials, lost tools and materials, half days of effort due to improper planning, wasted design time, missed submission dates, lack of clear job positions at competition, and low competition scores. A process was created to properly manage the team and it was implemented through the use of various templates, examples, and calculation programs. Each deliverable received feedback from this project’s stakeholders and changes were reflected in the final process. The results were as follows:

Table 1: Summary of Results

Implement a sustainable project management methodology

Each step …

The Design, Testing, And Manufacturing Of A Pin Fin Extrusion Heat Sink, Arash Michael Mira

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

My senior project focuses on the design, testing, and manufacturing of pin fin extrusion heat sinks that are you used to cool simple electronic applications across a multitude of markets. Without the modern day heat sink, electronics that we have become familiar with throughout our everyday lives will cease to exist. I will design these heat sinks using Solid Works 3D CAD. I will then test the heat sinks using ICEPAK CFD software, where I will model the heat sink against a 5 watt application, inside of a cabinet that models the chassis of a computer. After receiving these results, …

The Effects Of Physical Activity On Greenhouse Gas Emissions For Common Transport Modes In European Countries, Aidan Duffy, Robert Crawford

Articles

This paper applies a life cycle methodology to estimate activity-related contributions of transport modes to GHG emissions. The methodology uses national input-output tables, environmental accounts, household budget data and nutritional data to derive food-sector GHG coefficients of consumption for ten European countries. The food energy requirements for each mode of transport are estimated taking account of the modal activity level and energy requirements. Walking, cycling, driving and bus travel are considered. Typical national food energy-related emissions for walking, cycling, and driving ranged from 25.6 - 77.3 gCO2-eq/pass.km, 10.4 - 31.4 gCO2-eq/pass.km and 1.7 - 5.2 gCO2-eq/pass.km; passenger transport was found …

Evaluation And Design Of Potting Production Process Improvements For The Non-Profit Organization, Growing Grounds Farm, Maiya Avalon Bourland, Precilla Tang

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This report focuses on the potting production process for the non-profit organization (NPO) Growing Grounds Farm (GGF), and aims to promote a standardized workflow system to enhance the working experience for Transitions‐Mental Health Association employees and volunteers. This project takes careful consideration into the process improvements proposed so to support the double bottom line of economic and social objectives. To address the equally important objectives, the Human Centered Design toolkit created by IDEO, specifically for third sector organizations, was integrated with the traditional Industrial Engineering design process methodology. Feasible alternatives were developed and evaluated based on the objectives. The selected …

Design Of An Automated Employee Scheduling System, Matthew Cameron, Yuriy Goldman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Many retail stores, as well as other organizations that employ a multitude of part-time employees, rely on developing schedules frequently, since the availabilities of the employees as well as the needs of the business change often. This process is often performed on a weekly basis, and is complex and time-consuming. The schedule must typically satisfy numerous requirements, including business needs, legal restrictions, and employee availability constraints. As a result, errors are common, and employee time that could have been spent on improving sales or operations is instead consumed by the scheduling task.

This project explores two solution methods for this …

Atk's Radial Airframe Forming Process Assessment, Andres Martinez

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The purpose of this project was to provide ATK with a solution to increase efficiency in the R-02 radial forming center so that it could meet the increase in demand projected for the next 5 years. In addition, give ATK projected dates of when new machines would need to be implemented to be able to keep up with the demand. The system was analyzed through time studies to identify areas of possible improvement and eliminate any non-value added activities. Cycle times of each activity were used to simulate the current state of the system using ProModel software. Changes in operations …

Restaurant Design: An Industrial Engineering Perspective, Joseph Travis Spanu

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The objective of this paper is to design a health food restaurant using current industrial engineering tools and practices. This includes creating a menu, determining the average gross profit per customer, determining the location, designing a 3-d layout, simulating service, and analyzing local food supply chains. Using a simplified menu and pricing quotes from a food distributor, the average gross profit per customer is estimated to be $3.50. Location is determined by comparing the predicted number of customers and the cost to rent at two different areas. A downtown location is determined to gross approximately $5,200 per month over a …

Numerical Investigation Of Plasma Actuator Configurations For Flow Separation Control At Multiple Angles Of Attack, Thomas Kelsey Iv, West, Serhat Hosder

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Novel Approach To Junctional Bleeding: Tourniquet Device Proposal For Battlefield Hemorrhage Control, Kyle W. Cabaniss

Master's Theses

This study investigated possible solutions to the current wartime problem of junctional hemorrhaging, or massive traumatic hemorrhaging in non-tourinquetable areas such as the neck, groin, or armpit. Junctional hemorrhaging has been identified as a major contributor to potentially survivable deaths seen on the battlefield today and therefore is a priority for the U.S. armed and coalition forces (Kragh et al., 2011a; Bozeman, 2011). Common tourniquets today are standard issue and carried by soldiers in the military, but are limited to distal extremity trauma. As the battlefield has changes however, trauma has transformed from commonly seen gunshot wounds to more extreme …

Design And Testing Of An H2/O2 Predetonator For A Simulated Rotating Detonation Engine Channel, Stephen J. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

A study is presented on the relationship between a pre-detonator and a detonation channel of an RDE. Testing was conducted on a straight narrow channel made of clear polycarbonate windows connected to an H2/O2 pre-detonator to simulate the RDE initiation scheme and allow for flow visualization. A comparison is made on decoupling distance and wave velocities for a range of pre-detonator designs, inclination angles, equivalence ratios and geometries placed within the simulated channel. Regardless of inclination angle or equivalence ratio the detonation wave decoupled within 25 mm from the pre-detonator exit into the channel. A step change in diameter 25 …

Film Cooling In Fuel Rich Environments, Jacob J. Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

The ultra compact combustor is a high performance gas turbine design concept that portends reduced weight for future weapons platforms. A natural outcome of the design is the continual presence of fuel-rich air in the turbine component of the engine. Because modern cooling schemes for hot section turbine blades involve injecting cool, oxygen-rich air adjacent to the surface, the potential arises for reaction with the unconsumed radicals in the mainstream ow and augmented heat transfer to the blade. This outcome is contrary to the purpose of film cooling, and can lead to early life-cycle turbine failure. This study examined the …

In Situ Analysis Of Fatigue Crack Propagation In Polymer Foams, Elio E. Saenza, Leif A. Carlsson, Anette M. Karlsson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents an in situ SEM experimental study on cyclic crack propagation in closed-cell polymer foams. The microscopic failure mechanisms in precracked PVC and PES specimens of 60 and 90 kg/m³ densities were examined under low-cycle fatigue loading. In the PVC foam, crack propagation occurred incrementally by successive failure of cell boundaries in front of the crack tip. The crack occasionally jumped to cell boundaries above or below the main crack resulting in non-self similar growth. Crack propagation in the PES foam occurred incrementally by extensive plastic tearing and subsequent tensile failure of the cell edge in front …

Relationships Between Unoccupied Classroom Acoustical Conditions And Elementary Student Achievement Measured In Eastern Nebraska, Lauren M. Ronsse, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Building standards recommend maximum background noise levels (BNL) and reverberation times (RT) for unoccupied classrooms. However, existing research does not show a consistent correlation between these parameters and student achievement. Through in situ testing, this research seeks to determine what acoustical conditions should be attained in elementary schools for students to meet educational goals. Acoustical measurements were conducted in a Nebraska public school system and correlated to achievement scores from students in the surveyed classrooms. Unoccupied BNLs and RTs were gathered in 34 third and 33 fifth-grade classrooms. Additionally, binaural room impulse response measurements were gathered in a subset of …

Design And Optimization Of A Keycard Encoding Machine, Elliott Oberg

Biomedical Engineering

Security on college campuses is a good thing, especially when it comes to your dorm room or apartment building. But due to high initial cost, the Housing and Business Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, has opted for a proprietary door lock system which requires encoding new keycards manually for every resident, every year. The goal of this project is to offset this labor cost and drain on resources by automating the keycard encoding process. This project will address the design specifications and economic advantages of automation while also exploring and comparing alternative solutions.