Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Robotic Inspection Of Geometrically Complex Tank Systems, Andrew Casalenuovo, Andrew Rubio, Charles Hockett, Peter Donaldson

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The goal of this project was to continue the development of a temporary rail system for a robotic tank inspection device. The tanks to be inspected are in a hazardous environment that is dangerous to work in and navigate. A remotely controlled robot could reduce the need for manual labor in the tanks to initial setup, final removal, and touch ups. Similar setups have been created for inspecting tanks, but they are permanent installations and are meant only for inspections.

The goal of the current phase of the project was to employ a new concept for supporting the rail system, …

Highway 66 Structural Foundation Redesign, Devyn Borum, Joshua Clarke, Lorenzo Dingcong, Korey Smith

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The primary project goal was to reduce the cost per unit of the structural foundation (sublane) of the Route 66 miniature bowling lane by 10%. Additional project goals were: 1) reducing the cubic volume for shipping, (2) reducing the lane assembly time, and 3) maintaining current 10 to 15-year product life. Ten sublane sections are used to assemble two lanes of a Route 66 unit. The project constraints included: 1) maintaining outside height, width and length of the sublanes, 2) load bearing strength greater than or close to the current design and 3) no significant change in manufacturing processes. After …

Friction And Wear Measurements In Automatic Transmission Clutch, Steffen Harm, Dabin Kim, Jean Paulo Mulles, Eric Stavitzski, Hoang Tran

Capstone Design Expo Posters

In order to create alternate pathways to increase fuel efficiency, flexible ways to alter and test fluid properties are needed when transmission manufacturers change the operating conditions or components used in automatic transmissions. A prototype was fabricated to satisfy this need by reducing the cost, time of conducting tests while producing accurate results, and also increasing the amount of trials that can be conducted in a laboratory setting. The limitations of developing a new prototype are: safety, weight, ease of use, laboratory size, and establishing accurate results within the amount of time given. This project was approached using the Engineering …

3d Heart Model For Mapping Rf Ablation Sites, Danielle Corsino, Ashleigh Mims, Andrew Potter, Alejandro Rivera

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Electro-Cardiologists routinely insert radiofrequency probes into the heart and conduct targeted ablation procedures to correct irregular heartbeats. Current techniques are very experience and “touch” based, and require the novice cardiologist about 50 procedures to become proficient. There is a need for a functional heart model device that can be used to reduce the amount of procedures on human patients before cardiologist become proficient. Project constraints included limited software availability for segmenting accuracy, available 3D printing technology and materials, and cost to 3D print heart models due to the complex geometry. The team began with a CT scan, ITK SNAP and …

3d Printed Teeth: Anatomically Correct Primary Replicas, Anh Nguyen, Stefan Harris

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The current method of molding teeth, especially primary teeth, cannot accurately reproduce internal tooth structures. Therefore, there is a need for primary teeth to be made anatomically accurate on-demand with the ability to customize a model for specific patients. This project aims that any tooth extracted digitally from a Dental Cone Beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan of a child's mouth can be 3D printed into an accurate replicate with which dental students can practice. Constraints include viable materials that can be printed by a 3D printer, represent tooth anatomy and provide desirable mechanical properties compatible with the dental drilling operation. …

Adjustable Pipe Hanger: Newport News Shipbuilding, Ryan Fitzgerald, Ahmad Othman, Emily Holland, Zinullah Ghaznawi

Capstone Design Expo Posters

This senior design project is sponsored by Newport News Shipbuilding. The objective of this project is to design a pipe hanger system that could be installed during initial fabrication while still allowing adjustment when the pipe path deviates from the initial drawings. The design must be cheap and utilize already existing parts. One key constraint is to hold a load of 250 pounds and withstand a velocity between 100-120 inches per second. The original design created utilizes a C-channel track attached to the ceiling and a spring locking mechanism to provide flexibility. This final design eliminated the spring device with …

Super-Efficient Condiment And Detergent Storage Containers, Anurag Baral, Rehman Chaudry, Andree Cochran

Capstone Design Expo Posters

(1) unmet need - engineering problem being addressed: Approximately fifteen percent of ketchup, detergent and shampoo still remain on the walls of storage containers. Due to this problem, billions of dollars are wasted annually. (2) project deliverables: Models are created to represent working prototypes that are more efficeint for the products. (3) constraints: Glass bottles are less expensive to produce, but are more expensive to transport. (4) approach: Ketchup, shampoo and detergent droplets were placed onto plastics to test which plastic best suited the products. Then, the plastics were coated with candlewax, car wax, beeswax, Alkyl Ketene Dimer (AKD) and …

Performance Evaluation Of Palm Oil-Based Biodiesel Combustion In An Oil Burner, Abdolsaeid Ganjehkaviri, Mohammad Nazri Mohd Jaafar, Seyed Ehsan Hosseini, Anas Basri Musthafa

Faculty Publications - Mechanical Engineering

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the combustion characteristics of palm methyl ester (PME), also known as palm oil-based biodiesel, in an oil burner system. The performance of conventional diesel fuel (CDF) and various percentages of diesel blended with palm oil-based biodiesel is also studied to evaluate their performance. The performance of the various fuels is evaluated based on the temperature profile of the combustor's wall and emissions, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO). The combustion experiments were conducted using three different oil burner nozzles (1.25, 1.50 and 1.75 USgal/h) under lean (equivalence ratio (φ) = …

Phase Change Materials-Assisted Heat Flux Reduction: Experiment And Numerical Analysis, Hussein J. Akeiber, Seyed Ehsan Hosseini, Mazlan A. Wahid, Hasanen M. Hussen, Abdulrahman Th Mohammad

Faculty Publications - Mechanical Engineering

Phase change materials (PCM) in the construction industry became attractive because of several interesting attributes, such as thermo-physical parameters, open air atmospheric condition usage, cost and the duty structure requirement. Thermal performance optimization of PCMs in terms of proficient storage of a large amount of heat or cold in a finite volume remains a challenging task. Implementation of PCMs in buildings to achieve thermal comfort for a specific climatic condition in Iraq is our main focus. From this standpoint, the present paper reports the experimental and numerical results on the lowering of heat flux inside a residential building using PCM, …

Torsional Behaviour And Finite Element Analysis Of The Hybrid Laminated Composite Shafts: Comparison Of Vartm With Vacuum Bagging Manufacturing Method, Mehmet Emin Taşdelen, Mehmet Halidun Keleştemur, Ercan Şevkat

Faculty Publications - Mechanical Engineering

Braided sleeve composite shafts are produced and their torsional behavior is investigated. The braided sleeves are slid over an Al tube to create very strong and rigid tubular form shafts and they are in the form of 2/2 twill biaxial fiber fabric that has been woven into a continuous sleeve. Carbon and glass fibers braided sleeves are used for the fabrication of the composite shafts. VARTM (vacuum assisted resin transfer molding) and Vacuum Bagging are the two different types of manufacturing methods used in the study. Torsional behaviors of the shafts are investigated experimentally in terms of fabrication methods and …

Microstructured Thin Film Nitinol For A Neurovascular Flow-Diverter, Yanfei Chen, Connor Howe, Yongkuk Lee, Seongsik Cheon, Woon-Hong Yeo, Youngjae Chun

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

A cerebral aneurysm occurs as a result of a weakened blood vessel, which allows blood to flow into a sac or a ballooned section. Recent advancement shows that a new device, ‘flow-diverter’, can divert blood flow away from the aneurysm sac. People found that a flow-diverter based on thin film nitinol (TFN), works very effectively, however there are no studies proving the mechanical safety in irregular, curved blood vessels. Here, we study the mechanical behaviors and structural safety of a novel microstructured TFN membrane through the computational and experimental studies, which establish the fundamental aspects of stretching and bending mechanics …

Educational Nuclear Reactor Simulator, Kevin Jeunang, Koueni Tchamambe, Mutasem Albulushi, Malcolm Breckenridge

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The VCU Reactor Simulator provides a solid technical and visual approach to simulating a commercial pressurized water nuclear power plant. The simulator provides several benefits for VCU including: a hands on learning instrument that can be used in nuclear engineering courses, an opportunity for students to gain experience in nuclear modeling and simulation, and a community outreach tool to expand the public’s knowledge of nuclear technology.

In the six years since its inception, the only prior major modification to the simulator was the replacement of in-house written LabVIEW coding as the calculation engine with the RETRAN- 3D code, a program …

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle For Vertically Profiling Ultrafine Particle Distribution, Ahmed Almutawa, Ola Saadeh, Mudaher Alkhawajah, Grant Carey

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Recent epidemiologic studies show that ultrafine particles (UFPs) may play a definitive role in development of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer related mortality. In order to support the growing interest in understanding the effects of UFPs on human health, Dr. Chen has developed a miniaturized electronic ultrafine particle sizing device, or mini-eUPS. This device utilizes many of the functions of equipment currently used in laboratory environments to test and measure UFP levels in aerosols, but has been miniaturized to maximize mobility and ease of use. The small size and weight of the device allow a unique ability …

Transparent Furnace For Observing Electrochemical Separation Of Used Nuclear Fuel, Hoor Almazmi, Abbie Dewitte, Kelli Mckenna, Svetlana Ruseva

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Electrochemical separation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) operating at 500°C is confined within a furnace, making it difficult for a visual observation. Thus, flow characteristic predictions from the furnace are often calculated through advanced computational modeling methods. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an innovative idea, combining mechanical and chemical skill sets to design and build a transparent furnace that provides a clear visualization that can later be coupled with an optical flow-visualization method, such as Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). Deliverables of the project include the complete design and illustration of the prototype operating up to 500°C. Challenges of the …

Electromechanical Robotic Platform For Patient Motion Management In Radiotherapy, Thomas Dwyer, Ross Cruikshank, Daniel Martinez, Melvin Rosario

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Head and neck cancer is often treated with radiation therapy. During this treatment, patient movement causes healthy cells to receive excessive radiological dose. We have designed an electromechanical robotic platform that enables compensation of patient movement during treatment. This project includes analysis of materials and motion of the system, design of the control system and model, and the functional prototype. The design of the robotic platform will be compatible with pre-existing head and mouth harnesses in order to keep a patient’s head steady while the patient’s headrest in motion. For radiotherapy, this system requires radio-compatible materials. Through the use of …

Continuously Expanding Mandrel, Cory Bleistein, Dylan Dawson, Anton Rabinky, Marshall Smith

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of this project was to develop a better, safer, more efficient system for Sealeze to manufacture spiral-wrapped strip brushes in a continuous fashion at a variable diameter. The end results produced a finalized drawing sheet for machining and production, numerous design variations within CAD drawings, and extensive mechanical evaluations and analyses proving the strength and capabilities of the proposed design. In production of these brushes, various different materials will be used for the core, backing, and filament, creating a need for a mandrel that will be strong enough to handle the most resiliant of materials while maintaining a …

Flow-Differential Pressure Test Rig, Stuart Jennings, David Keegan, Juan Ramonet, Nicholas Upton

Capstone Design Expo Posters

provider of filters for critical applications in various industries, Porvair Filtration Group often needs to validate the pressure drop across a given filter medium at various flow rates and to perform quality assurance prior to delivery. The Flow-Differential Pressure Test Apparatus will allow for a test cycle with significant savings in time and money for Porvair going forward.

The design uses high-purity deionized water as the test fluid and performs continual filtration to ensure consistent properties. Flow rates of 0-100 gallons per minute at pressures up to 100 psi gauge are achieved by controlling a pump with i) a variable-frequency …

The Design And Experimental Investigation Of Novel Double-Blade Wind Turbine Models Inspired By Houck's Concept, Laura E. Carpenter

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Energy can be captured from wind turbines efficiently today. However there's always room for improvement up to the Betz's limit of 59.3% efficiency. A novel wind turbine blade was designed with double blade rotor inspired by Houck's concept in an attempt to improve the efficiency of the horizontal axis wind turbine. Scaled wind turbine models with a diameter of 150 mm were designed in SolidWorks adjusting the parameters of stagger, gap, and decalage. The general design comprises of two modern blades attached by a curved flow guide at the tip. Fourteen blade models were designed and tested to obtain power, …

Remote Control Aircraft, Thomas Gutema, Catherine Jones, Judy Liang, Kendall Moore

Capstone Design Expo Posters

The purpose of the RC aircraft design was not to address a problem that has not been solved, but to redesign an aircraft with the intent to understand the practical applications of the building process. Our approach to completing this project involved two phases; the planning phase and the building phase. In the planning phase, we made selections for the airfoil, wing, fuselage, tail, elevators, and ailerons. These choices were made using aeronautical engineering concepts and theory. For the building phase, we focused on materials selection, fabrication, and testing.

During our design process, a lot of time went to choosing …

Formula Hybrid At Vcu: Epicyclic Power Distribution System, Brandon Rivera, Dmitriy Kirzhner, Maxwell O’Neill, Ryan Witko

Capstone Design Expo Posters

In today’s automotive industry, the need for more performance and power efficiency is ever increasing. However, with the growing concern of greenhouse gases and their impact on the environment, petrol burning cars need to be improved. Hybrid powertrains in automotive vehicles are being designed to increase fuel economy, reduce emissions, and improve engine efficiency through gearing all the while being competitive.

Our senior design team has developed an epicyclic power distribution (EPD) system which combines two independent power inputs from an electric motor and an internal combustion engine (ICE). This system has been designed specifically for the Formula Hybrid race …

Nebraska Summary: S1059a Massey Ferguson 7715s, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S1073 New Holland T7.175, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S1098 New Holland T6.145, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Me-Em 2015-16 Annual Report, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• Alumni: Leading with Simulation
• Education: Simulating the Future
• Faculty: Advancing Simulation
• Graduate Seminar Series
• Enrollment & Degrees
• Graduates
• Department News
• Faculty & Staff
• Alumni
• Donors
• Contracts & Grants
• Patents & Publications

Feasibility Of Attaining Fully Equiaxed Microstructure Through Process Variable Control For Additive Manufacturing Of Ti-6al-4v, Sarah Louise Kuntz

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest challenges in additive manufacturing is fabricating titanium structures with consistent and desirable microstructure. To date, fully columnar deposits have been achieved through direct control of process variables. However, the introduction of external factors appears necessary to achieve fully equiaxed grain morphology using existing commercial processes. This work introduces and employs an analytic model to relate process variables to solidification thermal conditions and expected beta grain morphology at the surface of and at the deepest point in the melt pool. The latter is required in order to ensure the deposited microstructure is maintained even after the deposition …

Ultra Light Split Board Bindings, Jared Van Putten

All Undergraduate Projects

A split board binding is used to link two halves of a theoretically cut in half snow board together and fasten an alpine touring boot used for both skiing and mountaineering in place. The binding is removable so that one can alpine tour uphill on skins and be assembled at the top so that the rider can link both halves of the board together and bind their alpine touring ski boot into place to the split board. The binding system is required to be ultra light for Alpine Touring purposes and still be strong enough to withstand the rigors of …

Conversion Casting: Adapter Hub, Joseph M. Coup

All Undergraduate Projects

The concept of conversion casting makes manufacturing major components much more efficient with regards to time and cost. The conversion cast of the adapter hub used in the Victair Mistifier is a major component that requires 8 hours to machine. The existing hub starts from steel stock and then that block of steel is placed into a CNC machine and coded in to create the adapter hub. The manufacturing method changes to a casting for the adapter hub will create a replicated part that requires 1.5 hours of post machining. The intricate design makes a conversion to casting more effective …

An Injection And Mixing Element For Delivery And Monitoring Of Inhaled Nitric Oxide, Andrew R. Martin, Chris Jackson, Samuel Fromont, Chloe Pont, Ira M. Katz, Georges Caillobotte

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Background

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator used primarily in the critical care setting for patients concurrently supported by invasive or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. NO delivery devices interface with ventilator breathing circuits to inject NO in proportion with the flow of air/oxygen through the circuit, in order to maintain a constant, target concentration of inhaled NO.

Methods

In the present article, a NO injection and mixing element is presented. The device borrows from the design of static elements to promote rapid mixing of injected NO-containing gas with breathing circuit gases. Bench experiments are reported to demonstrate …

Test 2171: John Deere 9520rx, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S1075 New Holland T7.210, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …