Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Ergonomic Lifter, Bejan Brian Banihashemi, Dylan James Schockemoehl, Andrew Ouellet

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

An Early Warning Monitoring System For Cnc Spindle Bearing Failure, Andrew Werner

All Theses

Equipment employed in a manufacturing environment must be able to operate as long as possible having as little downtime as possible. Therefore, maintenance is crucial in order to allow for the equipment to perform its designated tasks without failure, especially on critical systems. In a CNC machine, if the spindle fails, the machine is useless. Having the ability to detect spindle degradation to the point where a replacement spindle installation can be planned, via condition monitoring, is invaluable to a manufacturer who utilizes these types of machines.
An early warning monitoring system for CNC spindle bearing failure has been developed …

Adapted Recumbent Bike, Kurtis Mundell, Dane Tiemeier, Laura Yakuma, Darius Yu

Mechanical Engineering

The adapted recumbent project was to redesign a disabled veteran’s recumbent bicycle.  The main areas of concern were the crank pedal, chain tension, braking and steering system, and ergonomics. Since the customer is an avid biker, this bike will be used often, so the design is based on the ease of repair and replacement.  The crank system was redesigned to a lightweight, adjustable part with chain clearance and high strength. The chain tension was improved by replacing the existing single idler wheel/chain tube system with a dual idler wheel system. The dual idler has a titanium sprocket in one of …

Analysis Of Alternative Manufacturing Processes For Lightweight Biw Designs, Using Analytical Hierarchy Process, Srinath Vijayakumar

All Theses

The main objective of the analysis was to investigate the forming of Body in White (BIW) panels using alternative processes most suitable for replacing the conventional press working process in order to achieve a reduction in the total mass of the vehicle body structure. The selection of the alternatives was guided by multi criteria decision making tool, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Here the alternatives were selected based on their relative importance to the different manufacturing attributes considered. The selected processes were applied to the manufacturing of different parts of BIW indicated in the BOM along with suggestion of the …

Lean Manufacturing As A Source Of Competitive Advantage, Ryan Scott Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The productivity advances generated from lean manufacturing are self-evident. Plants that adopt lean are more capable of achieving high levels of quality, shorter lead times, and less waste in the system. While it seems logical that higher levels of productivity and quality, as is common in lean companies, should result in positive financial performance, the research community has failed to establish the financial profitability of lean. Those researchers who have studied the financial returns issue report varying results. The goal of this research was to determine if a connection exists between lean and financial success and to discover why so …

Agenda: 2010 World Energy Justice Conference: Emerging Solutions For The Energy Poor: Technological, Entrepreneurial And Institutional Challenges, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, Colorado Journal Of International Environmental Law And Policy

2010 World Energy Justice Conference (November 5)

This conference is a sequel to the 2009 World Energy Justice Conference (WEJC 2009) which began examining ways of mainstreaming safe, clean, and efficient energy for the world's Energy Poor (EP). The EP number two and a half billion people living on less than $1-2 a day who have no access to modern energy services. WEJC 2010 more fully develops these themes. WEJC 2010 will explore how the next round of global warming meetings in Cancun could design new flexibility mechanisms that give credits, for example, for the reduction of black carbon by the adoption of cookstoves, and embrace small …

Design Of A Low Cost Powered R/C Combat Airplane And Manufacturing Plan, Jonathan N. Bailey

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The goals of this project are to design a low cost powered remote control combat airplane capable of outdoor flight, named the Aero EX and to develop a manufacturing plan to produce each unit at a selling price of $200, while operating at a 25 vehicle batch rate inside a 1,000 square foot facility. These goals are achieved using: Aerospace fundamentals to design the vehicle, Design for Manufacturability to optimize the design for minimal use of labor, Design for Assembly to give consumers the ability to build the vehicle without fixtures, Pull production to eliminate scheduling and match customer demand. …

Design For Manufacturing Of Sports Equipment, Cedrick Bit, Christopher L. Head

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The purpose of this project was to validate industrial designs for a product in its conceptual stage and suggest/implement design changes that suit the contracting company’s needs while assuring the product maintains its basic functional requirements. Techniques and methods used to validate the design include 3‐D solid modeling, physical product application using rapid prototyping to produce the product. Methods of design for manufacturing were analyzed in the design. Processes used in the validation and verification of the design include solid modeling design, methods of measurements, fixture design and manufacturing processes. Full design specifications and solid model files were finalized and …

Characterization Of Defects In Metal Sheets Via Infrared Thermography, Marc Anthony Harik

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Defects in Aluminum, Stainless steel and galvanized steel sheets are studied in reflection mode infrared thermography. The effect of material properties, surface finish, heating intensity, heater emission spectra, pixel size and defect size are studied. Contrast is governed by heat quality, emissivity and defect geometry—which follows a logarithmic trend. The diameter detected via infrared thermography is found to be at least 30% larger than the measured diameter and sub-pixel defects can be detected. The use of gradient and Laplacian of temperature is introduced as a means of increasing defect contrast and mitigating heater variation.

An Evaluation Of American Companies That Outsource Manufacturing To China: Decision-Making And Performance, Michael Kenyon Favreau

Theses and Dissertations

The topic of outsourcing ranks at the top of business issues for a wide variety of companies (Wery, 2004; Ezrati, 2004). The majority of American companies believe that offshore-related matters rank as the most strategic decisions that management is expected to make in the next 12 months (Wery, 2004). “Outsourcing in China can help many companies save money, but it can be very frustrating if not done right" (Ting, 2004). The perceived benefits of outsourcing production to China are tremendously enticing, but a lack of understanding of the total costs involved lures many companies into outsourcing when it is not …

A Qualitative Study Of Selected Quality Knowledge And Practices In Guangdong Province, China, Tyler R. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The manufacturing industry has become very competitive in today's global market environment. Many US companies are faced with the choice of keeping their manufacturing domestic or looking to low cost off-shore countries to take advantage of the labor costs differences. To gain an understanding of the state of manufacturing in China, a major focus in the manufacturing world today, this thesis was undertaken. This thesis presents the findings of research conducted in Guangdong Province, China in June - July, 2005. This research addressed customer focus, leadership and general manufacturing and quality knowledge and practices of small, medium and large sized …

Manufacturing And Characterization Of High-Aspect-Ratio Diffusive Micro-Mixers, Vamsidhar Palaparthy

LSU Master's Theses

In the Ligase Detection Reaction (LDR) technique different chemical reagents of varying concentration are mixed with the by-products of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of low abundant cancer diagnostic markers [1]. An effective micro-mixer which is cheap, durable over a relatively broad range of flows with easy manufacturing is required in this process. This work is aimed at manufacturing mixers according to the required specifications with metrology at every manufacturing process to estimate the limits and tolerances during manufacturing and analyzing their efficiency both numerically and experimentally. An optimum mixer design developed earlier by Maha et.al [2] …

A Scientific Foundation Of Collaborative Engineering, S. C.-Y. Lu, W. Elmaraghy, G. Schuh, R. Wilhelm

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Collaborative engineering is the practical application of collaboration sciences to the engineering domain. In today’s highly connected technology-driven economy, the production industry must rely on the best practices of collaborative engineering to stay competitive when designing, manufacturing, and operating complex machines, processes, and systems on a global scale. Despite its importance, collaborative engineering is currently more of a practiced art than a scientific discipline. A better understanding of how engineers should collaborate with all stakeholders to accomplish complex tasks that fulfill our increasing social responsibilities is a grand challenge. However, because we currently lack well-defined sciences of human collaboration, we …

Integrating Value Stream Mapping And Simulation, Michelle E. Scullin

Theses and Dissertations

An important principle in Lean manufacturing, value stream mapping (VSM) can be helpful in understanding how process flow and information flow affect each other. A VSM is a static picture of a process that allows the user to see where value is added into the value stream. Simulation is used to evaluate the behavioral issues of processes. In a manufacturing realm this means simulation shows how each operation affects other operations so determinations can be made about where bottlenecks or other problems exist in the process. Theoretically, the integration of VSM and Simulation can aide in process improvement by showing …

Electronic Commerce Negotiation In A Supply Chain Via Constraint Evaluation, R. Wilhelm, B. Chu, R. Sun

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Negotiation is of critical importance in e-commerce applications where the supply chain is dynamic and reconfiguring. In this research supply chain negotiation problems are addressed as constraint-satisfaction problems. In general each negotiation is handled in the largest scope possible to avoid the suboptimality that can result from many local solutions. This global approach, however, must be balanced with time constraints that apply in e-commerce supply chain execution. In this paper, we describe a new approach for e-commerce supply chain negotiation via constraint evaluation. As well, results from prototype software, distributed across the internet, are discussed. Beyond the general formulation, we …

A Method For Winding Advanced Composites Of Unconventional Shapes Using Continuous And Aligned Fibers, Abraham K. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced composites are extremely strong, rigid, and light, even when compared with advanced metals. Advanced composites are replacing high-tech metals as the material of choice for aerospace engineering. However, the processes used to manufacture advanced composites generally lose some of the properties of the materials by their process limitations.

One process that keeps the theoretically awesome qualities of the composite materials in tact is filament winding. Filament wound parts are used as rocket shells, bicycle frame tubes, drive shafts, pressure vessels, etc. Filament winding is an automated process and makes reliable parts to close tolerances. If a straight tube were …

The Effectiveness Of Computer-Based Tutorials In Learning Computer-Aided Design Methods For Tool Design Procedures, Andrew Moroni Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the past twenty-five years the process of designing and manufacturing a product has been revolutionized by the integration of Computer Aided Design (CAD). Although three-dimensional solid modeling, or 3-D CAD offers a better representation of the product in a virtual environment, it can be complicated and difficult to learn. Tutorials have been developed to assist manufacturing tool design student in the learning of 3-D CAD principles as they apply to tool design. This study seeks to test the effectiveness of those tutorials. A BYU tool design class was divided into two groups according to their assigned laboratory time. The …

High-Torque Capacity Compliant Centrifugal Clutches, Ryan G. Weight

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis developed high-torque-capacity floating opposing arm clutches that are manufactured with standard economical manufacturing processes, while maintaining critical performance characteristics. Contact engagement speed and torque capacity models were created for the Hoffco-Comet, floating-opposing-arm (FOA), and floating 1 (F1) clutches. Sensitivity analyses were performed to identify key design parameters. A robust compliant FOA clutch was designed by minimizing the tolerance for both contact engagement speed and torque capacity. The robust design insures that the clutch will operate within the prescribed application constraints. Additional modeling showed that using a layered clutch would significantly tighten the contact engagement speed and torque performance …

Rapid Tooling By Integration Of Solid Freedom Fabrication And Electrodepostion, Bo Yang

Dissertations

Rapid tooling (RT) techniques based on solid freeform fabrication (SFF) are being studied worldwide to speed up the design-production cycle and thus keep manufacturers at a competitive edge. This dissertation presents a novel rapid tooling process that integrates SFF with electrodeposition to produce molds, dies, and electrical discharge machining (EDM) electrodes rapidly, accurately and cost effectively. Experimental investigation, thermornechanical modeling and analysis, as well as case studies reveal that integration of electroforming with solid freeform fabrication is a viable way for metal tool making.

The major research tasks and results of this dissertation study are as follows:

• Rapid electroforming tooling …

Top Gear Manufacturing, B Mahadevan

IIMB Management Review

No abstract provided.

Running With The Pack: Jit & Automation For Small Manufacturers, Thomas E. Phillips, John R. Ledgerwood

Publications

While both just in time (JIT) concepts and automation programs have been widely implemented and highly successful in large manufacturing companies, many smaller manufacturing companies have wondered whether it would be economically feasible to utilize these same techniques and derive these same benefits. When JIT is adopted by small manufacturers, it provides them with advantages over traditional manufacturing systems, such as lower cost, quality improvements, higher productivity, and less working capital tied up in inventory. Small US manufacturers must understand the basic principles and philosophy of JIT and update their production equipment if they are to be competitive in today's …

Evolution And Impact Of Changes Of Technological Development In Some Of The French Manufacturing Organizations, T S Nagabhushana

IIMB Management Review

No abstract provided.