Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Prototype Vehicles Laboratory Steering Apparatus, Zachary W. Sharpell, Jorge Lopez, Colby R. Genasci

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Prototype Vehicles Team (PROVE) is designing a solar powered vehicle to break an international land speed record. The space within the driver’s cockpit allotted for the steering mechanism was too small for a conventional steering wheel. This report describes the process that was followed to design, manufacture, and test a compact and lightweight steering apparatus for the PROVE solar vehicle. A lateral lever steering system, the final design selected for PROVE’s solar car, was designed to withstand the maximum expected loads applied by the driver during the three-minute run of the competition. The lateral lever steering apparatus …

Device To Standardize Leaflet Droop Testing, Mark Butler, Daniel Lussier, Kyle Timm

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Flexible Hybrid Electronics Using Stretchable Silver Ink And Ultra-Thin Silicon Die, Joshua A. Ledgerwood

Master's Theses

Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHEs) offer many advantages to the future of wearable technology. By combining the dynamic performance of conductive inks, and the functionality of ultra-thinned, traditional IC technology, new FHE devices allow for development of applications previously excluded by relying on a specific type of electronics technology.

The characterization and reliability analysis of stretchable conductive inks paired with ultra-thin silicon die in theµm range was conducted. A silver based ink designed to be stretchable was screen printed on a TPU substrate and cured using box oven, conveyor convection oven, and photonic curing processes. Reliability tests were conducted including a …

The Design, Manufacture, And Testing Of A Novel Adhesion System For A Climbing Vehicle, Michael William Schier

Master's Theses

We present the design and fabrication of a prototype wall-climbing vehicle employing a unique combined locomotion and adhesion system in which the adhesive vacuum is transmitted through moving, perforated treads. Implementing the adhesion/drive system involved a broad range of design challenges, including: developing reliable sealing of sliding and static interfaces, understanding the frictional interactions between the drive treads and various vehicle components and surfaces on which they ride, as well as designing for lightness, manufacturability, and adjustability. The clean sheet design presented in this thesis was taken from concept to functioning prototype in less than 6 months, requiring a considered …

A Meta-Analysis Of Energy Savings From Lighting Programs In Michigan, Teryila Ephraim Amough

Dissertations

In order to fill the gap in aggregates savings, the challenges faced by electric utilities for the demand of lighting energy are addressed by lighting efficiency programs. The shrinking capacity and electrical grid reliability call for improved ways to evaluate energy saving programs with evaluation methods that are robust in determining the impact of lighting programs. This study employed meta-analysis as an evaluation method to determine energy savings, impact, emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), pollutants, and health effects from lighting programs in Michigan. The findings of the study showed the programs impact in Hedges’ g of 0.36 for the overall …

A Virtual Reality Based Powered Wheelchair Simulator, Yuliia Sergeeva

Masters Theses

Power wheelchairs provide great assistance for people with locomotion disabilities. However, for those who have tremor, operation of the wheelchair can be challenging and result in a chance to get into an accident. The focus of this research project is to create a semi-virtual reality power wheelchair driving simulator that can be used for testing a notch filter for tremors in a safe laboratory environment and obtain data on human operator movements for future mathematical modeling. The simulator incorporates a realistic and immersive virtual environment and power wheelchair movement into it. For the experiment, a physical PWC joystick was connected …

Quasistatic Error Modeling And Model Testing For A 5-Axis Machine, H-W. Ko, P. Bazzoli, Jared Adam Nisbett, L. Ma, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers, Y. Chen, S. Kapoor, P. F. Ferreira

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Measured Cane Vibrations For Prediction Of Blind Pedestrian Performance In Surface Preview Tasks, Aaron Dean

Masters Theses

The white cane is the primary navigation tool used by many blind pedestrians, but the basic design of the cane has not changed since the 1940s. A greater understanding of the factors affecting cane performance is essential in improving the design and performance of these canes. One aspect of performance is surface texture discrimination. A study is performed to determine the effect of cane rigidity and cane swipe speed on the ability of a user to select the rougher of two surfaces with different textures. Two methods are developed to select the rougher surface using only the measured cane vibration. …

Introduction To Me 128: Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, And Heat Transfer Activity, Nikhitha Saraswathi Byragani, Nicholas Hanson Loey, Daniel Armas Miranda

Mechanical Engineering

This report describes the development of a prototype lab experiment intended to introduce mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University to concepts in the realms of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. These topics have been neglected in the introduction class for multiple reasons, but the instructing group feels it is possible to integrate a lab into the class demonstrating basic concepts from these subjects. The proposed prototype is a self-sufficient energy generating and transfer mechanism. Unfortunately, the primary project goals of being producible on-campus and for under a specified $500 per unit were not obtained with the included …

Cal Poly Caramel Counter Top Candy Wrapping Machine, Alexander Miller, Roman Stambaugh, Trevor Steele

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this project was to automate the caramel wrapping process for a small batch confectionist. Using a purely mechanical system that is hand-powered, the machine cuts and wraps caramel candies in a double twist fashion.

Additive Manufacturing Part Failure Detection, Angel Coria Jr, Shaunessy Grant, Jacob Whipple

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this project is to create a part failure detection sensor system that will allow Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to detect cracking during the building process. Due to the time intensive nature of the SLM process, a part that may take 14 days to create could have a defect within the first hour of manufacturing, but the operator would have no idea that there was a fault in the manufacturing until culmination of the process. The proposed system will allow the operator to know when in the process the part became defective, and therefore save resources and machine …

Inyo National Forest Sign Maker, Brandon Mainini, Lauren Kirk, Alec Boyer

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Thv Leaflet Gripping Fixture, Final Project Report, Jacob Charles Cope, Marcus Benjamin Azevedo, Christopher Allen Mcwilliams

Mechanical Engineering

Statement of Confidentiality: The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Sae Small Vehicle Lifts, Augustus G. Holz, Nathan K. Harry, Tobias W. Shirts

Mechanical Engineering

The SAE (Society for Automotive Engineers) vehicle teams at Cal Poly need an easy way to access the undersides of their vehicles to facilitate maintenance and servicing. The purpose of this project was to provide a solution that could lift the vehicles effectively and safely from above so that the underside of the vehicles can be accessed, as well as elevating the vehicles to an ergonomic working height. Design specifications were determined based off each vehicle’s requirements in addition to what the team intends to do with their suspended vehicle. After several concept iterations, the team decided to purchase an …

Collision Mitigation System: Pedestrian Test Target, Final Design Report, Timothy Ryan Lee, Melanie Lim, Tiffany Margaret Prather, Chris Michael Welch

Mechanical Engineering

Daimler Trucks North America is creating an advanced emergency braking system which uses radar sensors that detect pedestrians and automatically applies the brakes to bring the vehicle to a stop. To improve and validate their technology, they need a mechanical pedestrian target that can mimic a human walking across the street. However, the assisted braking may not work properly during every test and the pedestrian target must be able to survive impact with a vehicle at low speeds. Four senior Mechanical Engineering students from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo decided to take on the challenge.

The main features …

Guided Target Control System Final Design Report, John Barry, Zachary Eagan, Ryan Mackintosh

Mechanical Engineering

Daimler Automotive, the parent company of Mercedes-benz requires improved methods for testing their Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems. To this end they have presented a series of four senior projects to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. One of the Projects is to build a facsimile of a human crossing the street. The other three projects of which this is a part; are to produce an autonomous car facsimile. These projects are intended for use in testing new Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems and may serve as the basis for future senior projects.

Development Of 3d Compression Molded Composite Primary Structure, Sean D. Tischler, Jacob H. Goldstein, Alea A. Perez

Mechanical Engineering

The work accomplished by the Black Gold team improved upon the carbon fiber compression molding research and information available on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo campus. The team used the rear suspension rocker arm off a Ventana Alpino mountain bike as a design goal for this project. This research and body of work includes the methods used to design a compression molded part for complex part loading and shape. This extends to the process of choosing an appropriate layup process, in addition to benefits and drawbacks of the use of chopped fibers in compression molding. The research includes the …

Small-Scale Intelligent Vehicle Design Platform, Christopher Grant, Jay Miley, Evan Phillips

Mechanical Engineering

Intelligent Vehicle Design is a growing field with the potential to save many lives by actively minimizing the impacts of human error. Though there are many ways to research intelligent vehicle control, full-scale implementations are expensive and dangerous and computer simulations have extremely steep learning curves. Researchers and students need an accessible, adaptable, and robust development platform to rapidly create and test autonomous control algorithms. While small-scale platforms are often designed from the ground up for specific projects, this requires analysis, design, and manufacture. The goal of this project is to develop a small-scale intelligent vehicle that can be configured …

Marine Biomass Analyzer, Kai Jay Staal, Brian Paris, Tyler Cottle

Mechanical Engineering

This report documents the design, fabrication, and testing for a marine biomass analyzer. The goal of the project and constructed system was to determine the validity and efficacy of a process that could flatten benthic macrofauna to a consistent thickness such that a biomass for the collected sample could be accurately determined. The system that was built and tested consists of a drive train that turns a mill subassembly where the organisms are flattened, supply and collection spools that hold the white fabric and clear film used to capture the organisms, a collection zone where the sample is injected, and …

Leading Edge Boundary Layer Suction Device For The Cal Poly Rolling Road Wind Tunnel, Daniel C. Glover, Liam M. Madden, Robert J. Cabri

Mechanical Engineering

Over the course of three quarters from Fall of 2016 to Spring of 2017, our team designed and built a boundary layer suction device. The boundary layer suction device has three main functions: a scoop that redirects most of the boundary layer air out of the wind tunnel, fans that suck the remaining boundary layer air through a porous plate and ducting and out of the wind tunnel, and a transition bridge that transitions the remaining air smoothly onto the rolling road. The wind tunnel is owned by Cal Poly and the rolling road is a new addition to it. …

Universal Fixture For Orbital Tube Welding, Kevin P. Mcgowan, William Divittorio, Jesse Castaneda

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Megan's Treadmill, Michael Peck, Daniel Byrne, Eddie Ruano

Mechanical Engineering

Megan is a 21-year-old Special Olympian in the local San Luis Obispo area who loves to move. Due to a visual impairment, Megan is limited in the amount of time she can be active and she currently relies on the help of a partner when she exercises. For example, during the school year, Megan participates in the Friday Club in the local recreation center where she teams up with a kinesiology student to obtain physical activity. She also competes every year in the Special Olympics held at Cuesta College. Megan races in the 50- and 100-meter dash holding a baton …

Blend It Wine Blending Distribution System, Connor Clarry, Russell Temple, Matt Moren

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Compost Chomper, David Anthony Jungquist, Cory James Parmenter, Joseph Mark Mcgill

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this final design report is to detail the design, manufacturing, and testing of a bicycle powered compost cutter for use by the Captain Raymond Collin’s Elementary school. Students in the garden program are tired of manually chopping up garden waste into small enough pieces to be composted effectively. Project Sponsor and Master Gardener, Susan Deogracias had the idea to create a pedal powered compost cutter which would save time and improve moral for the aspiring gardeners.

This report details the ideation process the team went through in defining the compost cutting system. Engineering methods are documented for …

Micro-Spi Sediment Profile Imaging Micro-Inspector, Andrew P. Corvin, Caleb T. Davies, Matt R. Ferrari

Mechanical Engineering

This project was proposed by Dr. Brian Paavo through a desire to more easily study the benthic sediment layers of the ocean. To do so, he asked us to build a simple and compact machine for use in sediment profile imagery (SPI). Although devices like this already exist, they are all large scale devices that require a ship with a crane to deploy, which is expensive and time consuming. Instead, he desired a “micro” SPI, which is capable of being deployed from a small vessel that can easily navigate shallow waters. Our interpretation of these requirements was as follows: a …

Personal Utility Cart, Eric Joseph Johnson, Jason K. Munter, Sean R. Portune

Mechanical Engineering

This final design report will detail the entire engineering design process from conceptualization through manufacturing and testing. After introducing the topic and scope of the project this document presents all of the benchmarking and research performed in order to obtain as much information about similar current products and possible solutions. Next the objectives of the project are presented where the needs are transformed into engineering specifications that will guide the design of the product. Design developed is then presented with ideation, idea evaluation and selection, analysis, manufacturing considerations, and final design selection. The final design is then presented with each …

Pedal-Powered Drivetrain System, Geremy J. Patterson, Callaghan Fenerty, Bradley Welch

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Friction Test Machine, Alec J. Makowski, Megan Hardisty, Brandon L. Killian

Mechanical Engineering

Parker Aerospace is interested in collecting empirical data of friction coefficients for skewed roller bearings. A fixture will be designed, constructed and tested to allow a technician to quickly and easily measure the friction torque of a skew roller bearing with varying axial loads, geometries, lubricants, temperatures and rotational speeds in order to improve actuator efficiency.

Joseph's Jogger, Robert Trujillo, Carolina Reyes, Josh Egli, Luke Kraemer

Mechanical Engineering

Joseph Cornelius is a young man with spastic quadriplegia who loves the experience of being in triathlons. He actively participates in triathlons in which he is pushed in a jogger. His old jogger has become worn out and does not dampen road impacts which cause Joseph discomfort. Thus, the scope of this project was to create a new stroller in which he can be pushed efficiently for long distances and that dampens road impacts in order to allow Joseph to continue enjoying triathlons.

Electric Vehicle Drivetrain, Jimmy Andrew King, Kevin Kristopher Moore, Charissa Cadence Seid

Mechanical Engineering

This document serves to outline the design and development of Sharpell Technologies' ST5 electric vehicle drivetrain. Background research was conducted on various drivetrain components and testing methods, leading to the development of our drivetrain’s design requirements. Compiled in this report are the specifications of the components that will be integrated into our drivetrain design. All component calculations and specifications can be located in the appendices. An in-depth manufacturing plan features the modifications necessary to create several key components such as the shafts and housing. The assembly plan details a step-by-step process in which the components are arranged to ensure a …