Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

The Effect Of Simulated Mangrove Forest Width On Shoreline Stabilization At Multiple Tidal Water Levels, James Edward Austin

Theses and Dissertations

Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) forests protect hundreds of miles of Florida’s shorelines from erosion and wave damage associated with severe storms and daily wave action. Shorelines are often protected from erosion with man-made structures such as seawalls, revetments, and breakwaters. However, these man-made structures disrupt natural ecosystems and cause scour and erosion in surrounding areas. The presence of mangroves not only prevents erosion but shelters marine life and filters water, promoting ecological health. Mangroves are now being implemented for wave energy reduction and shoreline stabilization, but there is little quantitative data about the precise sediment transport induced or prevented by …

Additive Manufacturing And Mechanical Properties Of The Dense And Crack Free Zr-Modified Aluminum Alloy 6061 Fabricated By The Laser-Powder Bed Fusion, Abhishek Mehta, Le Zhou, Thinh Huynh, Sharon Park, Holden Hyer, Shutao Song, Yunali Bai, D. Devin Imholte, Nicolas E. Woolstenhulme, Daniel M. Wachs, Yongho Sohn

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

For additive manufacturing such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), commercial aluminum alloy (AA) 6061 is typically considered unsuitable due to formation of solidification cracking and/or excessive porosity. In this study, to improve buildability/printability of AA6061, 1 wt% of Zr was alloyed to produce Zr-modified AA6061 by LPBF. Powders of unmodified and Zr-modified AA6061 were produced by gas atomization, and utilized as a feed-stock for the LPBF to fabricate specimens for microstructural examination and mechanical testing. The as-built unmodified AA6061 exhibited poor printability due to formation of cracks and porosity in the microstructure regardless of LPBF parameters. However, the Zr-modified …

High Strength We43 Microlattice Structures Additively Manufactured By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Holden Hyer, Le Zhou, Qingyang Liu, Dazhong Wu, Shutao Song, Yuanli Bai, Brandon Mcwilliams, Kyu Cho, Yongho Sohn

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

WE43 is a high strength, high creep resistant Mg-alloy containing Y, Nd, and Zr, and has potential for many lightweight structural applications in the automotive, aerospace, and biomedical industries. Additive manufacturing technology such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) brings an opportunity to produce complex geometries such as lattice structures. In this study, fabrication, compressive behavior, and fracture modes of 24 different microlattice structures were investigated by varying unit cell type, strut diameter, and number of unit cells. These complex lattice structures were produced by LPBF using the parameter set: laser power = 200 W, scan speed = 1100 mm/sec, …

Using Blade Element Momentum Methods With Gradient-Based Design Optimization, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Blade element momentum methods are widely used for initial aerodynamic analysis of propellers and wind turbines. A wide variety of correction methods exist, but common to all variations, a pair of residuals are converged to ensure compatibility between the two theories. This paper shows how to rearrange the sequence of calculations reducing to a single residual. This yields the significant advantage that convergence can be guaranteed and to machine precision. Both of these considerations are particularly important for gradient- based optimization where a wide variety of atypical inputs may be explored, and where tight convergence is necessary for accurate derivative …

Introduction Of New Value Stream Through Vermicomposting Process, James Spalding, Joseph Harris

Honors Theses

The purpose of our project is to analyze whether a waste byproduct can be monetized into a viable profit stream for Wonderbird Spirits. Spent grain, a waste byproduct created by the distillation process, is currently the company’s biggest source of material waste. The CME project team designed and built a trommel to aid liquid-solid separation of the spent grain so that the solid portion can be repurposed as feedstock for a vermicomposting setup. We also suggest vermicomposting setup for the distillery based on the needs and capabilities of Wonderbird Spirits. We present financial analyses detailing the cost of creating the …

Evaluation And Sizing Of Solar Powered Reverse Osmosis Water Desalination System, Sandip Subedi

Honors Theses

About 71 % of the surface of Earth is water, out of which around 2.5 % is freshwater. The majority of the surface of Earth is occupied by seawater which also contains dissolved salt. The salt concentration in seawater makes it toxic to humans because the human body is unable to get rid of the salt that comes from seawater. The demand for fresh water is increasing due to the rise in global population. In this context, desalinated seawater is considered as a viable resource to meet the growing demand for fresh water. Desalination process is highly energy intensive due …

Feasibility Study Of Portable Solar Powered Blood Storing Refrigerator, Saroj Subedi

Honors Theses

This report is focused on the preliminary feasibility of portable solar-powered blood-storing refrigerators primarily based on calculations of energy required to maintain the temperature of the refrigerator, the electricity required throughout the day, calculating sufficiency of power supplied by the solar panel, and selection of battery for power storage. The method and the trend of a feasibility study involve the study of blood properties, separation of blood components after donation, and their storage conditions. Then, the portable size of the refrigeration has been proposed with three different compartments for storage of each blood component. The further methods involve the selection …

Design And Production Of A Bathtub Caddy, John Marquez

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to document and discuss the design and manufacturing process used to produce a bathtub caddy on a large-scale production process for the Center for Manufacturing Excellence Senior Capstone Project. This project was carried out over the Fall of 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters by a team consisting of an Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Undergraduate, two Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate, a Finance Undergraduate, and an Accounting Undergraduate. The objective of this project was to design the product and then a manufacturing process that could be used to at first produce a prototype before planning a ramp up …

Mixed Mode Crack Propagation In Iliac Bone, E. Baesu, Dm. Iliescu, Bv. Radoiu, S. Halichidis

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Bone is a complex material that can be regarded as an anisotropic elastic composite material. The problem of crack propagation in hu- man bone is analyzed by using a generalization of the maximum tensile stress criterion (MTS). The results concern the critical stress for crack propagation and the direction of the crack path in Iliac bone.

Senior Design Capstone: Using An Engineering Design Process To Create A Sawzall Wobble Fixture For Milwaukee Tools, Tyler Moore

Honors Theses

The overall objective of this design project was to successfully design a fixture to expedite the repairs of Sawzalls at the Milwaukee Tools repairs facility in Greenwood, Mississippi. This project was executed in accordance with guidelines set forth by the Senior Capstone Design class at the University of Mississippi as well as the quality engineers sponsoring the project at Milwaukee Tools. The fixture was created utilizing an engineering design process with the goal of allowing technicians to press two Sawzall wobbles onto an angled Sawzall wobble shaft using an arbor press with just one press. By beginning with a straightforward …

Husky Hand: A Low-Cost Electro-Mechanical Prosthetic Arm For The Underprivileged, Adam Robert

Thinking Matters Symposium

A continuation of a low-cost prosthetic upper limb prototype design which was investigated in EGN 301. The prosthetic is specifically designed for the needs and requirements of under privileged individuals in the Dominican Republic with upper limb amputations. The project focuses on the creation of an open-source computer aided prosthetic hand/arm model. The design allows consumer-grade fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3-D printers to be used. The improved design allows for the integration of the PQ-12 linear actuator for grasp and finger control. This simplifies the assembly, while, also reducing the size and mass of the whole unit. Producing a low-cost …

Nitinol Robotic Arm, Brandon Cousino, Connor Sweatt

Thinking Matters Symposium

The goal of our project is to create a remotely controlled robotic arm using a nickel-titanium alloy (Nitinol) that exhibits “shape memory” tendencies and a 9-lumen tube. The arm must be able to move in all for directions (forward, left, right, backwards) with the control of a joystick and return to an upright position upon halting user input (thus requiring a two-way shape memory ability). The final product must operate without any unwanted twisting of the arm, crosstalk between the different nitinol wires due to heating, and be easily manufacturable. Easy replacement of the arm from the main mechanism is …

Sedan Performance/Economy Rear Diffuser, Jacob Boucher Koris

Thinking Matters Symposium

This project consists of designing in SolidWorks a model of the performance/fuel economy diffuser. The design is modeled with an Ahmed body (recommended shape for CFD testing vehicles) and the diffuser will be applied to the bottom of the rear bumper of the car. After this is done the model will be imported into ANSYS for CFD testing. Testing entails importing the model, then creating a mesh around the model, and then setting up the program to run analysis for calculating the coefficient of drag. Then building this SolidWorks model as a full working prototype for actual road-testing purposes. With …

A Critical Review On The Development Of Ionic Liquids-Based Nanofluids As Heat Transfer Fluids For Solar Thermal Energy, Titan C. Paul, Amitav Tikadar, Rajib Mahamud, Azzam S. Salman, A.K.M. Monjur Morshed, Jamil A. Khan

Faculty Publications

In recent years, solar thermal energy (STE) has attracted energy researchers because of its higher efficacy compared to the photovoltaic solar cell. STE is one of the forms of solar energy whereby heat is transferred via a secondary medium called heat transfer fluids (HTFs). Therefore, the overall performance of STE depends on the thermophysical properties and thermal performance of the HTFs. Traditional HTFs suffer from low decomposition temperature, high melting point, and higher vapor pressure. To overcome these limitations, researchers have recently begun working on new HTFs for STE. Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as a potential candidate for the …

Sizing And Economics Of Solar Powered Indoor Swimming Pool, Aman Bhatta

Honors Theses

With increasing global population and aspiration for higher standards for living, there is a rapid increase in demand for energy. With the concerns of climate change becoming ever more pressing, a shift from the conventional energy source to an alternative green version to meet the energy demand could be of significant interest. A large amount of energy is required to maintain water temperature in the swimming pool at a human comfort temperature. Several studies have been performed to calculate and evaluate the feasibility of powering thermal systems for swimming pools using solar energy. Still, extensive analysis using solar thermal energy …

Low-Fidelity Method For Rapid Aerostructural Optimisation And Design-Space Exploration Of Planar Wings, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Doug F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

During early phases of wing design, analytic and low-fidelity methods are often used to identify promising design concepts. In many cases, solutions obtained using these methods provide intuition about the design space that is not easily obtained using higher-fidelity methods. This is especially true for aerostructural design. However, many analytic and low-fidelity aerostructural solutions are limited in application to wings with specific planforms and weight distributions. Here, a numerical method for minimising induced drag with structural constraints is presented that uses approximations that apply to unswept planar wings with arbitrary planforms and weight distributions. The method is applied to the …

Parametric Design Of Flywheel For An Electric Punch Press, Prashant Dhakal

Honors Theses

Almost all designs start with a design requirement. These may be weight, volume, clearance, and even custom calculations. Finding a solution that meets these requirements often involves tedious and time-consuming iterations. Once the solution has been found, the design must be optimized to find the best possible solution. Finding the ‘best possible design’ requires substantial time and effort dedicated to iterating and analyzing the potential model solutions. This is where Parametric design comes into play. The Parametric design aids in specifying the key parameters of the design and makes changes interactively, with the model updating automatically. The purpose of this …

Computational Study On Suppression Of Airfoil Flow Separation Using High-Frequency Translational Surface Actuation, Bibek Gupta

Honors Theses

Flow separation is a phenomenon that occurs when pressure increases in the streamwise direction of a flow, making a distinctive boundary layer or separation bubble. It causes aircraft to experience an increase in drag and noise and a decrease in a lift, hence degrading their aviation performance. This study uses numerical simulations to understand better the effects of high-frequency translational surface actuation (HFTSA) on flow separation control. The numerical simulations mimic the experimental parameters of an experiment performed by Okoye et al. on using the HFTSA system to control flow separation. A symmetrical airfoil structure of chord length of 0.3 …

Analyzing The Lifecycle Of A Modular Cutting Board From Design To Production, Caitlin O'Connor, Achintya Prasad

Honors Theses

This Capstone project is intended to demonstrate the process of product development for a modular cutting board from design to production by applying manufacturing principles, utilizing the stage-gate format, and developing a marketing plan. The guiding principles for the project would be the implementation of lean manufacturing and analyzing the quality, performance, lifecycle cost, and time needed for market introduction. Team voting and assignment occurred in Manufacturing 451 in Fall 2020, and the project was completed during Spring 2021. Teams were required to meet outside of class time in order to discuss ideas and build designs. Lab times were scheduled …

Carbon Nanotori Structures For Thermal Transport Applications On Lubricants, Jaime Taha-Tijerina, Karla Aviña, Juan Manuel Martínez, Patsy Yessenia Arquieta-Guillén, Marlon González-Escobedo

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Carbon nanostructures have been recently applied to improve industrial manufacturing processes and other materials; such is the case for lubricants used in the metal-mechanic industry. Nanotori are toroidal carbon nanostructures, obtained from chemical treatment of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). This material has been shown to have superb anti-wear and friction reduction performance, having the ability to homogeneously disperse within water in concentrations between 1-2 wt.%. Obtained results of these novel nanostructures under water mixtures and novel additives were a set point to our studies in different industrial lubricants. In the present work, nanotori structures have been applied in various filler …

Special Issue “Cfd Modeling Of Complex Chemical Processes: Multiscale And Multiphysics Challenges”, Li Xi, De-Wei Yin, Jae Sung Park

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Thermal Modeling Of Li-Ion Batteries Using Sp+3d Model, Derrick Barger

Undergraduate Research Conference at Missouri S&T

An ideal battery model must gather sufficient electrochemical data about the system while remaining being computationally efficient. To prevent failure from thermal runaway, understanding the thermal characteristics of a battery is essential.

To achieve this, we have developed a single particle (SP) model, a simplified but accurate approach to battery modeling, and compared this to a previously designed 3D model. After validating the battery electrochemistry, equations were introduced to calculate the heat generation with a coupled 3D heat transfer component to provide data on the cell temperature. This same model was used to simulate a multi-cell pack.

The results indicate …

Feedstock Processing For Extraterrestrial Metal Additive Manufacturing, Japheth A. Hayman

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Electrostatic Levitation: An Elegant Method To Control Mems Switching Operation, Mohammad Mousavi, Mohammad Alzgool, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

This paper investigates the characteristics of a micro-switch that uses two side electrodes to open a normally closed switch. The side electrodes surround the xed electrode in the well-known gap-closing electrode configuration. The side electrodes can open a closed switch and be tuned to respond appropriately to outside forces. The combined electrode system dramatically improves the control of a standard gap-closing electrode configuration. In conventional switches, a DC voltage above a certain value closes the switch. To re-open the switch, the voltage difference is reduced to peel o the moving electrode. Currently the contact area is carefully designed to avoid …

Project Blipper, Peter Jacobs, Preston Delaware, Ryan Foster

Senior Design Project For Engineers

This project was sponsored by Clorox to design and create an automatic bottle-unscrambling system for possible implementation at their bottling plant in Chile. The objective was to use a robotic arm to unscramble bottles from an incoming conveyor belt and place them upright on an outbound conveyor belt. Throughout the research, design, and testing of solutions for this project, several design alternatives were found for each discipline, and will be presented to Clorox so that they can make an informed decision for how and if they want to move forward with implementation of this project.

The project was split into …

Kennesaw State University And United Alloy Corporation Robotic Pick And Place Project, Kathryn Bharadwaj, Logan Spencer, Tharkun Hudlow

Senior Design Project For Engineers

United Alloy Corporation (UAC), a company specializing in unique aluminum parts for aeronautics, needed a fix to their error prone, labor-intensive billet press operation. The process has a problem of adding the wrong size or wrong alloy billet to the induction oven, which results in a waste of raw materials. The billets range from ten to thirty-seven inches in length and weigh up to three hundred pounds. Currently, an operator uses a gantry crane to check and lift the billets from a rack onto the magazine of an induction oven. The magazine can hold up to three billets safely and …

Enercon Station Vacuum Pump Replacement, Clint Hembree, Jared D'Amico, Connor Moore, Paul Jeffrey Fontenot, Sydnee Castello, J.J. Clements

Senior Design Project For Engineers

This details the progress of the ENERCON pump replacement project as completed by the Kennesaw State University interdisciplinary senior design group. This project is a two-semester capstone effort for the engineering program at Southern Polytechnic School of Engineering, overseen by Dr. McFall during Fall 2020 and Dr. Khalid during Spring 2021 semesters. The 2020-2021 KSU Interdisciplinary Senior Design team was tasked with completing an Engineering Change Package (ECP) for existing vacuum pumps at ENERCON Station. The mechanical, electrical, and civil students worked together, performing evaluations on existing plant systems to ensure the plant could support the new vacuum pumps. By …

Sensible/Latent Hybrid Thermal Energy Storage For The Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle, Kelly Osterman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mitigating the effects of climate change will require rapid deployment of a carbon-free electricity system that includes all available forms of zero-carbon energy. Both renewables and nuclear show great promise, but both come with drawbacks. Power production from wind and solar is limited to times when their respective resources are available, while nuclear is limited in its ability to adjust its output according to the ever-varying demand for electricity. Additionally, the systems must be affordable. One way to reduce the cost of thermal power plants (concentrated solar power and nuclear) is to use new power cycles, such as the supercritical …

Improving Accuracy Of Unmanned Aerial System Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing For Use In Energy Balance Models In Agriculture Applications, Mitchell S. Maguire, C.M.U. Neale, Wayne E. Woldt

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Unmanned aerial system (UAS) remote sensing has rapidly expanded in recent years, leading to the development of several multispectral and thermal infrared sensors suitable for UAS integration. Remotely sensed thermal infrared imagery has been used to detect crop water stress and manage irrigation by leveraging the increased thermal signatures of water stressed plants. Thermal infrared cameras suitable for UAS remote sensing are often uncooled microbolometers. This type of thermal camera is subject to inaccuracies not typically present in cooled thermal cameras. In addition, atmospheric interference also may present inaccuracies in measuring surface temperature. In this study, a UAS with integrated …

Dynamic Loading Directed Neural Stem Cell Differentiation, Abdullah Revaha Akdemir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are among the biggest challenges for medical and engineering fields in the modern era. Many people experience various accidents every year that cause major irreversible trauma in the spinal cord. Damaged neural cells caused by SCI cannot be regenerated, and patients have to live with pain, spasms, or loss of movement. Stem cell differentiation can be a potential solution to generate enough neurol cells in vitro to apply at the defective region. In this research, the impact of dynamic mechanical stimulation on the differentiation of PC-12 cell lines towards neurol cells was studied. Models to apply …