Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Design And Testing Of A Novel Adhesion And Locomotion Method For Wall Climbing Vehicles, Jim R. Stefani

Master's Theses

The objective of this project was to design, construct and test a wall climbing vehicle which uses a novel vacuum tread system for both adhesion and locomotion. The design and manufacturing of this proof of concept vehicle is detailed with particular emphasis on the design decisions that proved most impactful to the performance of both the vehicle and the tread system. Adhesion performance was characterized by a series of tests that validate the concept, but also identify improvements and design recommendations for future embodiments of the adhesion/locomotion system.

Cal Poly Supermileage Electronic Fuel Injection, Alexander Pink

Electrical Engineering

Cal Poly Supermileage is a student-run engineering club that builds prototype gasoline vehicles optimized maximum fuel-efficiency. To power their vehicles, the Supermileage team makes use of single-cylinder, 4-stroke, electronically fuel-injected (EFI) gasoline engines. This report details the development, iterative design & test cycles, and integration of an EFI system for the Supermileage club. This project develops an EFI system that interfaces to the most common types of sensors found in the low-power Supermileage-range of engines, including throttle-position sensors, manifold absolute pressure sensors, gear-tooth hall-effect sensors, variable-reluctance position sensors, engine coolant temperature sensors, intake air temperature sensors, and exhaust oxygen sensors. …

The Effect Of Projectile Nose Shape On The Formation Of The Water Entry Cavity, Jeremy Conrad Ellis

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the effect of several convex and concave nose shapes on cavity formation for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic projectiles. It specifically investigates the effect of convex shape on the threshold velocity for cavity formation as well as the effect of concave shapes on cavity formation in terms of impact velocity, geometry of the concave shape and wettability of the projectile. For the convex cases, the streamlined axisymmetric shape significantly increases the threshold velocity when cavities form and is most pronounced for the ogive and cone. The study demonstrates that measuring the wetting angle and impact velocity is …

Inclusive Lectern, Trent Canales, Sean Day, Dylan Sigley, Stephen Sippel

Mechanical Engineering

A lectern is an essential piece of equipment for almost all speeches and presentations. They come in many forms and range in degree of professionalism depending on the occasion. Lecterns not only hold a presenter’s notes, a microphone, or other presentation aids, they provide a structure for a presenter that can bolster their confidence during a presentation. As such, it is important that all presenters have a lectern available to them. Unfortunately this is not always the case due to lectern accessibility limitations. This problem inspired the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center to request a lectern that satisfies the Least …

Variable Electron Applicator, Alex Choi, Jacqueline Dulken, Gabriel Kardener, Nelson Lin

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Fluid Analysis In Solar Heat Pipes, Ben Krumholz, Michael Agavo, William Dundon

Mechanical Engineering

Evacuated tube solar collectors are efficient systems that use heat pipes to facilitate heat transfer. They use incoming solar radiation to heat water. Professor Mason Medizade tasked the team with choosing a component of the system to research and test its influence on system performance. The team investigated the working fluid that runs through the heat pipes. Distilled water, acetone, and ethanol at a range of fill volumes form 1 mL to 11 mL were tested. The team's goal was to find a volume for each fluid to maximize performance of the system. Performance was defined as average temperature rise …

Biomimetic Seal Flipper Test Rig, Gordon D. Belyea, Laura Kawashiri, Dylan Rinker, Kurt Beske

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Cp Ev Dynamics, Steven Montevideo, Ashlie Reott, L. Carter Price

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ancillary Attachment Methods, Creed Borden, Mickey Mackle, Thomas Tolley

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Magnetic Bearing For Bently Nevada Rk4 Rotor Kits, Sean Fowler, Garrett Olson

Mechanical Engineering

Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) are contact free bearings that support loads by magnetic levitation. This is accomplished by generating magnetic forces with electric current through a series of electromagnets surrounding a suspended rotor mass. Along with a set of electromagnets, an AMB assembly also consists of power amplifiers for each electromagnet, a controller, and proximity sensors. The proximity sensors provide rotor position feedback to the control system, which modulates power to the amplifiers [4]. Magnetic bearings are used in several industrial applications today, including but not limited to compressors, turbines, pumps, motors, and generators. Advantages of their utility include very …

Transit Seating, Luke Mielke, Chris San Nicolas, Jon Rich, Sam Thompson

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

El Capitán: Cal Poly Rose Float Digital Drive System, Gregory Raffi Baghdikian

Computer Engineering

In today’s world of smartphones, self-driving cars, and internet-connected coffee makers, it seems as if computers are contained in everything around us. These “embedded systems” have become critical components of our lives, improving everything about the things they control, from cost, to speed, to simplicity. One area that embedded systems has hardly gained a foothold is in the world of floatbuilding. Most of the floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade, including the one built jointly by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly Pomona, are technologically very simple, using mostly analog components and rudimentary discrete digital logic to …

The Design And Construction Of A Rear Bumper With Incorporated Spare Tire Rack, Alan C. Isaacson

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project outlines the design and construction of a rear bumper with incorporated spare tire and equipment rack for a 1946 Willys CJ2A Jeep. The spare tire rack is capable of swinging out away from the vehicle to allow for the use of the vehicle’s tailgate. The bumper was designed for strength, functionality and aesthetic qualities alike. Additionally, the bumper design considered all vehicle codes and regulations.

A Study Of Constant Voltage Anemometry Frequency Response, Alex D. Powers

Master's Theses

The development of the constant voltage anemometer (CVA) for the boundary layer data system (BLDS) has been motivated by a need for the explicit autonomous measurement of velocity fluctuations in the boundary layer. The frequency response of a sensor operated by CVA has been studied analytically and experimentally. The thermal lag of the sensor is quantified by a time constant, M_CVA. When the time constant is decreased, the half-amplitude cut-off frequency, f_CVA, is increased, thereby decreasing the amount of attenuation during measurements. In this thesis, three main approaches have been outlined in theory and tested experimentally …

Continuum Modeling Of The Densification Of W-Ni-Fe During Selective Laser Sintering, Connor M. West

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to effectively model the time history of the temperature distribution during the selective laser sintering process and use this information to investigate the resulting relative density. The temperature is a critical parameter of the process because it directly effects the overall quality of the part. First, an efficient, affordable, and reliable simulation was developed within the finite element software, Abaqus. Next, the results from the simulations were compared to the experimental results performed by Wang et al. (2016). The FEA model consisted of a 3 layer simulation. Multiple simulations at various laser recipes were …

Finite Element Modeling Of Delamination Damage In Carbon Fiber Laminates Subject To Low-Velocity Impact And Comparison With Experimental Impact Tests Using Nondestructive Vibrothermography Evaluation, George Rodriguez Iv

Master's Theses

Carbon fiber reinforced composites are utilized in many design applications where high strength, low weight, and/or high stiffness are required. While composite materials can provide high strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios, they are also more complicated to analyze due to their inhomogeneous nature. One important failure mode of composite structures is delamination. This failure mode is common when composite laminates are subject to impact loading.

Various finite element methods for analyzing delamination exist. In this research, a modeling strategy based on contact tiebreak definitions in LS-DYNA^®was used. A finite element model of a low-velocity impact event was created to …

Removing Oil From Fried Foods Via Mechanical Process, Yufay Chow-Yee

Master's Theses

Fried foods are delicious and enjoyed by almost everyone. However, they are not the healthiest foods to eat because of the amount of oil they contain. This thesis, sponsored by Moaero Company founder, Mr. Harrish Bhutani, intends to determine whether a simply designed centrifuge system can remove a reasonable amount of oil from fried foods after it has been deep fried without adversely affecting the texture of the fried food. Due to a large variety in the texture as well as the type of fried foods, and in order to keep the scope of this thesis more focused and feasible, …

Physical Testing Of Potential Football Helmet Design Enhancements, Michael Jeremy Schuster

Master's Theses

Football is a much loved sport in the United States. Unfortunately, it is also hard on the players and puts them at very high risk of concussion. To combat this an inventor in Santa Barbara brought a new design to Cal Poly to be tested.

The design was tested in small scale first in order to make some preliminary conclusions about the design. In order to fully test the helmet design; however, full scale testing was required. In order to carry out this testing a drop tower was built based on National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, NOCSAE, …

Design And Testing Of A Top Mask Projection Ceramic Stereolithography System For Ceramic Part Manufacturing, Dylan Robert De Caussin

Master's Theses

Ceramic manufacturing is an expensive process with long lead times between

the initial design and final manufactured part. This limits the use of ceramic as a viable material unless there is a large project budget or high production volume associated with the part. Ceramic stereolithography is an alternative to producing low cost parts through the mixing of a photo curable resin and ceramic particles. This is an additive manufacturing process in which each layer is built upon the previous to produce a green body that can be sintered for a fully dense ceramic part.

This thesis introduces a new approach …

The Effects Of Obesity On Resultant Knee Joint Loads For Gait And Cycling, Juan Gutierrez-Franco

Master's Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of cartilage and bone tissue and the most common form of arthritis, accounting for US$ 10.5 billion in hospital charges in 2006. Obesity (OB) has been linked to increased risk of developing knee OA due to increased knee joint loads and varus-valgus misalignment. Walking is recommended as a weight-loss activity but it may increase risk of knee OA as OB gait increases knee loads. Cycling has been proposed as an alternative weight-loss measure, however, lack of studies comparing normal weight (NW) and OB subjects in cycling and gait hinder identification of exercises that may …

Adaptive Stand Up Paddleboard, Stephen Eldridge, Claire Francis, Curtis Hodgson, Haley Rentfro, Spencer Shotts

Mechanical Engineering

The task of this project was to create an adaptive paddleboard capable of being ridden by someone who does not have full mobility in one or more of their lower extremities. This project was worked on by a team of five students - three mechanical engineers and two kinesiology students - to create an effective and robust design for the client. To do this, the team regularly met with the client and used individual and group expertise in various fields to bring the best product to the end user.

The client, Damien, was a firefighter who was injured in July …

Ultra-Light Bear Canister, Naveen Beasley, Eli Rogers, Cory Wilson, Donald Wood

Mechanical Engineering

A bear canister is the primary tool used by outdoor enthusiasts to protect their food from bears while camping or backpacking. There are many effective products currently on the market, however many are not designed with reduced weight in mind. Hardcore backpackers want to have the lightest gear possible to ease the strain of carrying a large pack for sometimes weeks at a time.

Current bear canisters exist that utilize carbon fiber for weight reduction, however they rely on stock carbon tubes and lack engineering analysis, and no competitor has a fully composite bear canister available. Our sponsor, Nick Hellewell, …

Electric Vehicle Torque Vectoring And Rear Steering Control System, Garrett Heinen, Vincent Lee, Michael Parker, Michael Saggese

Mechanical Engineering

NDA

Improvement Of Mounting Techniques For Accelerated Wear Testing Of Artificial Heart Valves, Kyle Koon, Clay Bougher, Lawrence Yang

Mechanical Engineering

Confidential

High­Impact Textile Joining For Uav Landing Application: Tensile Testing Of Textiles, Patrick Michniuk, Matthew Ferretti, Jennifer Ford

Mechanical Engineering

The main objective of this project is to improve upon the current stitching pattern used in UAV catch net applications with the intention of lengthening their useable life cycle. To achieve this, a testing setup and procedure has been developed to produce material strength and stiffness data for nylon­ webbing strap, and for sewn intersections of the same strap material. The current stitching pattern was tested, and quantitatively characterized based on strength and stiffness. New stitching designs were generated and tested using the same procedure, and the results compared. This allowed for the selection of the most optimized stitching pattern …

Metals Am Design For Manufacturing, Maren Cosens, Ben Wong, Kevin Hale

Mechanical Engineering

We are looking to improve upon the current post processing techniques for metal additive manufacturing (AM). This project, sponsored by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), will investigate ways to improve the design of stainless steel 316 parts made by AM, and how these designs will help with post processing techniques. We hope that the findings regarding stainless steel will apply to to improve the AM and post processing handshake in general. In particular, the project will focus on including different features in different basic part design shapes to aid in fixturing and post-processing of the part made by AM. This …

Efficiency Testing Of An Electronic Speed Controller, Grace Cowell, Matthew Hudson, Marcus Pereira

Mechanical Engineering

This project required the development of a rig that could experimentally determine the efficiency of an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC). The selected design focuses on measuring the losses due to heat from the device and comparing this to its input power. The selected design is a flow rig that utilizes the heat equation q=ṁcpΔT. The rig provides a steady state measurement of the ESC heat output by passing a known mass flow rate of air across the ESC and measuring the temperature difference. It uses a flowmeter to determine ṁ, thermocouples to determine ΔT, and a table lookup to determine …

Facility Redesign For Increased Throughput And Improved Product Flow Of Shark Rack Products Final Assembly At Paris Precision, Karina Hromyak, Julia Remnant

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Paris Precision is a metal fabrication company that fabricates metal components for various companies, one of which is Shark Rack, which creates high end server racks. Shark Rack has plans for a dramatic increase in demand over the next two years. Paris Precision’s Final Assembly area is currently not conducive to produce such a large increase in demand. A redesign of the Final Assembly facility is needed to handle the increase in production and to improve product flow through the space. The project team’s objectives are to:

● Study current Final Assembly production process

● Analyze the production flow

● …

Ymca Operations Manual Development, Devlin Stewart

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The San Luis Obispo YMCA sports department was losing money and overworking their employees due to lack of processes and organizational issues. To address this, a plan was made with the sports director to begin organizing the sports department. This would be done by creating an operations manual for them to organize and consolidate all of their relevant information.

The project was scoped to develop a plan for the YMCA to implement an operations manual. By delivering a work breakdown structure, a gantt chart, and a plan for continuous improvement, the YMCA could use these tools to develop their operations …

Zero Waste Campus Dining, Jenny Caudillo, Sarah Dahel, Youlen Ghazalian

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Cal Poly Campus Dining has a goal of becoming a zero waste entity by providing their customers with alternative methods of disposing their trash. Their current operations produce waste, specifically their methods of packaging the food. Campus dining plans to be more sustainable by providing their customers with reusable containers. The objective of this implementation is to reduce waste produced from one-time use, disposable food containers. The success criteria for the desired system is based around the ability to track and measure the reusable containers to prevent further waste, while providing the user an accommodating environment to ensure they will …