Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Computer Vision In A Robotic Arm, Jack Maxwell

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

We used a machine learning-based object detection algorithm to give a robotic arm the ability to "see" with its camera.

Seismic Resilience Of Timber Homes, Melia R. Costa

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The vast majority of residential buildings in California are wood-frame structures. A home is typically a very large investment for families, and damage to the home can be detrimental to a family’s economic success. Thus, reducing the economic impacts of an earthquake on residential timber housing is crucial. A full scale, two-story section of a residential timber house is in construction in the Parson’s Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering Laboratory on the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, California. Once built it will be put through earthquake simulation tests on a shake table with various magnitudes of seismic activity. Next, …

Design Of Ballistics Armor Using Additive Manufacturing Of Kevlar Composites, Jedidiah D. Jimenez, Roha Y. Ali, Jack C. Bride

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project evaluates the effectiveness of various geometries created using advanced additive manufacturing (AM) of Kevlar fiber, chopped carbon fiber-reinforced filament for ballistic protection applications. This study expands on sandwich panel designs with woven Kevlar face sheets and investigates an optimal fiber reinforced filament core structure design. A unit cell workflow was developed in nTop to take advantage of its custom cell modeling and FEA capabilities. Unit cell types were simulated and tested from the hexagonal honeycomb, gyroid TPMS, and re-entrant auxetic cell families. Core structure thickness and cell size were additive manufacturing parameters that were varied to assess the …

Iterative Correction Of Robotic Grinding Using Spatial Feedback For Precision Applications, Philip A. Olubodun, Joseph D. Fischer, Douglas A. Bristow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Since the advent of robots, many tasks that were originally performed by humans have now been tasked to industrial robots. From a manufacturing standpoint, robots have primarily been used in pick-and-place or other non-machining operations that require high repeatability. However, with the increasing availability of CAD/CAM software and the development of high-precision metrology, comes the opportunity to integrate robots into a wider variety of manufacturing processes through the use of feedback control. One such machining operation that is being explored is precision grinding of metal parts. Most other work in this area has focused on force regulation to improve grind …

A Feedforward Kinematic Error Controller With An Angular Positioning Deviations Model For Backlash Compensation Of Industrial Robots, Mitchell R. Woodside, Tian Hao Cui, John Emelko, Soichi Ibaraki, Robert G. Landers, Douglas A. Bristow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The accuracy of industrial robots, typically on the order of several millimeters, has inhibited their adoption in advanced aerospace manufacturing applications, such as robotic machining. For this reason, extensive investigations have been conducted to develop solutions to improve their accuracy. These solutions can be categorized into offline and online compensation strategies, both of which have advantages and limitations. Offline compensation has been shown to improve the accuracy of industrial robots by two to three orders of magnitude; however, the sensitivity of these solutions to environmental changes and external disturbances can degrade their performance. In contrast, online compensation, which utilizes real-time …

Wind Shear Induced Tornados With Full Thermodynamic Effects, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wind shear-induced Tornado behavior under full thermodynamic formulation using the ideal gas equation is investigated. The computational fluid dynamics model that includes the energy equation is used to obtain solutions of a natural-scale tornado under pressure and temperature boundary conditions that account for their variations vs. altitude in the atmosphere. The present results show significant differences from previous isothermal simulations and those using the Boussinesq model for buoyancy under small temperature differences. Results show that the downdraft observed in tornados originating from supercells, often accompanied by rain and hail can be captured using the present model that simulates the genesis, …

Assessing The Impact Of Femur Morphological Variations On Pediatric Hip Joint Biomechanics Using Statistical Shape Modeling, Tamara Chambers

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation aimed to (1) quantify morphological variations in the pediatric hip joint and (2) evaluate the sensitivity of an infant musculoskeletal model (MSM) to these variations, considering hip joint center estimation errors. A shape statistical model (SSM) of decedent infant femurs from the Ortolani collection was created using ShapeWorks, capturing key morphological features, such as variations in the femoral neck-shaft and anteversion angles. Seven synthetic femurs were generated from the SSM to create SSM-informed MSMs, which were systematically evaluated through kinematics and kinetics analyses in OpenSim. Incorporating the SSM led to slight changes in the pediatric MSMs’ kinematics but …

Experimental Comparison Of Open Chamber Spark Plug And Passive Prechamber Spark Igniters On The Combustion Of Fumigated Natural Gas For Heavy Duty Engine Applications, John Richard Valla

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Methane the primary component of natural gas, has 80 times the global warming potential of CO2. As a result methane emissions regulations have rapidly increased in recent years. This posses a challenge for heavy duty spark ignited (SI) natural gas engine OEMs, in efforts to reduce methane and other criteria pollutant emissions such as NOx. Heavy duty natural gas engine OEMs are pushing engine efficiency and reducing emissions by running higher compression ratios and leaner air fuel ratios. This reduces fuel consumption and combustion temperature which decreases NOx emissions, but tends to increase methane emissions. Unfortunately, lean high compression ratio …

Intrinsic Manipulation Of Microstructure And Strength Of Ice-Templated Lithium Titanate, Rohan Parai

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing a fabrication landscape first time ever for directionally porous lithium titanate (LTO) materials using ice-templating technique. Ice-templating, a promising fabrication technique for porous ceramics, enables the formation of sintered structures with anisotropic pores that are aligned to improve mechanical stability of materials.

The work presented in this dissertation addresses advancements in tuning the porosity, strength, and microstructural characteristics of ice-templated LTO materials through adjustments of intrinsic variables, including sucrose as a water-soluble additive, variations in freezing front velocity, solute concentration, and solid loading. First, this study demonstrated that adding sucrose in LTO suspensions increased the …

Mechanics Based Characterization Of Elastic Metamaterials, Mamdudur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

In bandgap engineering there is a shortage of systematic design approach which enables one to select design variables to achieve bandgap in desired frequency range. Tools that can address this can open new areas of interest, especially since phononic crystals with low frequency bandgaps have multitude of applications in attenuation of structural vibration. Furthermore, mechanics-based characterization of phononic crystals had not seen much progress in the recent years while a lot of applied research had been conducted on phononic materials with material phase periodicity and other factors taken into consideration. This work aims to propose a systematic characterization approach of …

A Comprehensive Study On Long-Term Durability Of Protective Epoxy Coatings For Electrified Roadways, Md Tareq Hassan, Samiul Alam, Juhyeong Lee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Underground wireless power transmission (WPT) systems are susceptible to environmental threats such as high temperatures, water ingress, and mechanical impact from above-ground objects. Typical WPT systems electronics are safeguarded with civil-grade epoxy coating, thus it is imperative to assess the coating's durability in these extreme conditions. Among various environmental threats, this study is primarily focused on both experimental and numerical investigations on long-term water diffusion characteristics of civil-grade epoxy materials at various temperatures. A series of water diffusion tests were performed on the specimens made from two commercially available electronics casting epoxy materials at room (23°C) and high (50°C) temperatures. …

Gaze Tracking Embedded Collaborative Robots For Automated Metrology And Reverse Engineering, Sachithra H. Karunathilake, Md Shahriar Forhad, Zhaohui Geng

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional geometric metrology, or three-dimensional (3D) scanning, and reverse engineering heavily rely on the experience of the operators. With an increasing need for automation, robot arms have been adopted for this task. However, due to the large variety of parts and designs, automated path planning could provide a scanning solution that may overlook the critical area, which could potentially deteriorate the scan results. This article explores the integration of collaborative robotics (cobots) with eye-tracking technology to improve the autonomous 3D scanning process. The primary objective of this study is to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of cobots in 3D scanning, …

Prediction Of Tool Wear And Surface Finish Using Anfis Modelling During Turning Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (Cfrp) Composites, Anil K. Srivastava, Md. Mofakkirul Islam

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are widely used in various industries due to their high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, durability, and excellent thermo-mechanical properties. The machining of CFRP composites has always been a challenge for the manufacturers. In this study, CNC turning operation with coated carbide tool is used to machine a specific CFRP and the relationship between the cutting parameters (Speed, Feed, Depth of Cut) and response parameters (Vibration, Surface Finish, Cutting Force and Tool Wear) are investigated. An adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model with two multi-input–single-output (MISO) system has been developed to predict the tool wear …

Data-Driven Roughness Estimation Of Additively Manufactured Samples Using Build Angles, Jose Galarza, Jose Barron Jr., Farid Ahmed, Jianzhi Li

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Achieving control of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) over the quality of the print is the main motivation for finding an optimum set of parameters in the process. Surface roughness is one of the characteristics of the print that impacts the performance of the desired functionality. This research focus is to relate the build angle with the surface roughness on the L-PBF printed specimens and utilize machine learning methods for roughness estimation of geometric features with varying build angles. The EOS M290 L-PBF printer was used to print Inconel-718 coupons using standard process parameters while varying build angles from 20 …

Enhancing Resilience In Complex Energy Systems Through Real-Time Anomaly Detection: A Systematic Literature Review, Ali Aghazadeh Ardebili, Oussama Hasidi, Ahmed Bendaouia, Adem Khalil, Sabri Khalil, Dalila Luceri, El Hassan Abdelwahed, Sara Qassimi, Antonio Ficarella

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

As real-time data sources expand, the need for detecting anomalies in streaming data becomes increasingly critical for cutting edge data-driven applications. Real-time anomaly detection faces various challenges, requiring automated systems that adapt continuously to evolving data patterns due to the impracticality of human intervention. This study focuses on energy systems (ES), critical infrastructures vulnerable to disruptions from natural disasters, cyber attacks, equipment failures, or human errors, leading to power outages, financial losses, and risks to other sectors. Early anomaly detection ensures energy supply continuity, minimizing disruption impacts, an enhancing system resilience against cyber threats. A systematic literature review (SLR) is …

Kinetic Modeling Of Dust Grain Dynamics In Electrostatic Sieving, Aaron Berkhoff, Easton Ingram, Fateme Rezaei, Jeffrey Smith, David Bayless, William Schonberg, Daoru Han

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new kinetic particle modeling framework was developed to investigate electrostatic transport of lunar regolith dust particles with applications to the concept of electrostatic sieving. the new approach is based on kinetic particle dynamics and includes major modules of sampling the particle size distribution, solving electric fields, and tracking motion of charged dust grains. a case study for a concept of electrostatic sieving was chosen to validate the new model. the simulation achieved similar performance of particle size classification as reported in the literature. the new model is computationally efficient (takes a few minutes on a PC-type laptop computer) so …

Mannosylated Pamam G2 Dendrimers Mediated Rate Programmed Delivery Of Efavirenz Target Hiv Viral Latency At Reservoirs, Rohini Kharwad, Mohsin Kazi, Nilesh Mahajan, Payal Badole, Sachin More, Asaad Kayali, Md Noushad Javed, Mohammed Kaleem

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this current research, we conceptualized a novel nanotechnology-enabled synthesis approach of targeting HIV-harboring tissues via second-generation (G2) polyamidoamine (PAMAM) mannosylated (MPG2) dendrimers for programmed delivery of anti-HIV drugs efavirenz (EFV) and ritonavir (RTV). Briefly, here mannose served purpose of ligand in this EFV and RTV-loaded PAMAM G2 dendrimers, synthesized by divergent techniques, denoted as MPG2ER. The developed nanocarriers were characterized by different analytical tools FTIR, NMR, zeta potential, particle size, and surface morphology. The results of confocal microscopy showed substantial alterations in the morphology of H9 cells, favored by relatively higher drug uptake through the MPG2ER. Interestingly, the drug …

Development Of Robust Steel Alloys For Laser-Directed Energy Deposition Via Analysis Of Mechanical Property Sensitivities †, Jonathan Kelley, Joseph W. Newkirk, Laura N. Bartlett, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Todd Sparks, Saeid Alipour, Frank Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To ensure consistent performance of additively manufactured metal parts, it is advantageous to identify alloys that are robust to process variations. This paper investigates the effect of steel alloy composition on mechanical property robustness in laser-directed energy deposition (L-DED). In situ blending of ultra-high-strength low-alloy steel (UHSLA) and pure iron powders produced 10 compositions containing 10–100 wt.% UHSLA. Samples were deposited using a novel configuration that enabled rapid collection of hardness data. The Vickers hardness sensitivity of each alloy was evaluated with respect to laser power and interlayer delay time. Yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) sensitivities of …

Analysis Of Shock Absorption By Spring-Assisted Crutch Tips, Noah Hirschegger, Daegan Caime, Mohamed Atta

Senior Theses

Angel Consulting was originally created to address the problem of excessive wear and tear on the joints of individuals who use crutches for long periods of time. This company has sought to alleviate these issues with a proprietary spring-assisted crutch tip, which reduces the impact of crutch use and will hopefully be able to assist people in alleviating joint damage and discomfort. The team's main purpose is to determine an optimal metric for both marketability and effectiveness and to test the prototype design to ensure the validity of assistance for people who require chronic crutch use. To do this, we …

Radiopaque Femnn-Mo Composite Drawn Filled Tubing Wires For Braided Absorbable Neurovascular Devices, Adam J. Griebel, Petra Maier, Henry D. Summers, Benjamin Clausius, Isabella Kanasty, Weilue He, Nicholas Peterson, Carolyn Czerniak, Alexander A. Oliver, David F. Kallmes, Ramanathan Kadirvel, Jeremy E. Schaffer, Roger J. Guillory

Michigan Tech Publications

Flow diverter devices are small stents used to divert blood flow away from aneurysms in the brain, stagnating flow and inducing intra-aneurysmal thrombosis which in time will prevent aneurysm rupture. Current devices are formed from thin (∼25 μm) wires which will remain in place long after the aneurysm has been mitigated. As their continued presence could lead to secondary complications, an absorbable flow diverter which dissolves into the body after aneurysm occlusion is desirable. The absorbable metals investigated to date struggle to achieve the necessary combination of strength, elasticity, corrosion rate, fragmentation resistance, radiopacity, and biocompatibility. This work proposes and …

Autonomous Real-Time Model Updating Within Digital Twin Frameworks For Thermal Systems, Braden Robert Priddy

Theses and Dissertations

As engineering systems increase in scale and complexity in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, data-driven solutions will become essential in enabling the next generation of these systems. One of the trending tools that can aid in this transition is digital twins. As physical systems degrade throughout their life cycles, their behavior also changes. Digital twins use data assimilation to continuously update virtual models to represent the current state of their physical counterparts. A reliable digital twin can be leveraged by a system operator to perform diagnostics, optimize, and tests without ever needing the physical system. However, implementing effective …

Augmented Reality (Ar) And Virtual Reality (Vr)-Based Data Visualization Frameworks For The Manufacturing Industry, Nitol Saha

Theses and Dissertations

Industry 4.0 is transforming the manufacturing industry by integrating digital technologies throughout the production lifecycle, leading to the development of smart factories. The integration of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) alongside smart manufacturing is transforming traditional industry practices by establishing a robust cyber-physical infrastructure, enhanced data visualization, and improved task execution. This thesis aims to develop AR and VR-based data visualization frameworks for the manufacturing industry, focusing on detailed implementation strategies, initial results, and key findings of these frameworks. One major focus of these frameworks is the generalization of the technological assets so that these frameworks can be …

Augmented Reality Based Maintenance Operations And Training, Victor Scott Gadow

Theses and Dissertations

Augmented Reality (AR) is the process of superimposing virtual information on top of objects or other structures in the real-world environment. It is considered one of many paradigms included in the idea of smart manufacturing and can enable a mixture of the other technologies involved. A large increase in research on AR has been seen in the past decade as technologies have begun to evolve to become more robust and reliable. It has been implemented into several key areas of manufacturing such as maintenance, assembly, training, and quality control. The rise of industry 4.0 is changing how data is used …

Temporal Forecasting Of High-Rate Dynamic Using Physics-Informed Machine Learning And Hardware-Software Co-Design, Puja Chowdhury

Theses and Dissertations

Due to aging, fatigue, corrosion, and even natural disasters; the health of the structure is prone to degradation throughout its service life. The explosively-fast growing efforts on Structural health monitoring (SHM) always try to exploit different aspects of the automation of damage detection, localization, and prognosis tasks. One of the main challenges is the hardware and software co-design to implement the model in real-life situations. On the other hand, the fast-advancing artificial intelligence draws the researchers' attention to adopt different data-driven approaches in this field. This brings other challenges like domain-specific model adaptation, data bias, data scarcity, model validation by …

Thermal Management For Optimal Performance Of Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells, Mythy T. Tran

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As the race to net zero energy intensifies around the world, hydrogen production and fuel cell technologies are attracting more attention, and the technologies are growing rapidly. Together, hydrogen production and fuel cell technologies hold potential for a reliable, green, and sustainable energy system. Hydrogen is an excellent energy carrier and can be produced from various sources, especially green and renewable sources. Fuel cells generate electricity and water from hydrogen and oxygen. In reverse mode, fuel cells operate as electrolyzers to produce hydrogen and oxygen from electricity and water. However, the major drawback that keeps hydrogen and fuel cells from …

Promoting Synergies To Improve Manufacturing Efficiency In Industrial Material Processing: A Systematic Review Of Industry 4.0 And Ai, Md Sazol Ahmmed, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Frank Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The manufacturing industry continues to suffer from inefficiency, excessively high prices, and uncertainty over product quality. This statement remains accurate despite the increasing use of automation and the significant influence of Industry 4.0 and AI on industrial operations. This review details an extensive analysis of a substantial body of literature on artificial intelligence (AI) and Industry 4.0 to improve the efficiency of material processing in manufacturing. This document includes a summary of key information (i.e., various input tools, contributions, and application domains) on the current production system, as well as an in-depth study of relevant achievements made thus far. The …

Impact-Free Gaits For Planar Bipeds: Changing Walking Speed And Gait, Aakash Khandelwal, Nilay Kant, Ranjan Mukherjee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The problems of changing the walking speed and stride length of impact-free gaits for point-foot planar bipeds are addressed. The impact-free gaits are designed using an approach developed in prior work. It is shown that the impulse controlled Poincaré map (ICPM) approach can be modified to transition between orbits defining gaits with different walking speeds, and the continuous controller can be changed during the swing phase to transition between gaits that have distinct stride lengths. The effectiveness of the approaches is demonstrated using simulations carried out on a five-link biped.

Comprehensive Study Of Energy Capturing, Conversion, And Transportation Behaviors In A Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting System, Bingqi Zhao

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Piezoelectric vibration energy harvester (PEH) is one of the hottest research areas to address renewable energy issues with over 10,000 journal articles published in the last two decades. However, several critical issues, such as the proof mass effects, electrical impedance, mechanical resonance, and energy charging processing, remain open. This dissertation presents a comprehensive study addressing the above issues.

To obtain reliable results, a professional quality flextensional PEH (FPEH) and multiple comprehensive experimental methods were developed, and ANSYS FEM modelling was used. Study of the proof mass effect indicated that the generated voltage linearly increased with the weight ratio of the …

In Situ Assembly Enabling Adhesive-Free Bonding Of Large Area Electronic Sensors To Concrete For Structural Health Monitoring, Emmanuel Ogunniyi, Han Liu, Austin Downey, Simon Laflamme, Caroline Bennett, William Collins, Hongki Jo, Paul Ziehl

Faculty Publications

Cracks developed in concrete infrastructure are one of the primary mechanisms that degrade their structural integrity, which may result in structural failures. Previous research on soft elastomeric capacitors (SEC) has shown their viability for structural health monitoring of structural materials, including concrete, steel, and fiberglass composites. The SEC, or its derivative version with a corrugated geometry termed corrugated SEC or cSEC, is a parallel plate capacitor. Prior work demonstrated that it was possible to directly paint the electrode interfacing with the structural material onto the structure and adhere the rest of the pre-fabricated sensor onto the wet interface, thereby eliminating …

A Process Planning Software For Modeling Parameter Behavior In Automated Fiber Placement, Benjamin Jeffrey Francis

Theses and Dissertations

The manufacturing of large-scale, geometrically complex composite structures is often accomplished today using the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process. AFP utilizes a fiber placement end effector and a gantry or robotic kinematic system to lay up groups of composite tows, iteratively building the complete structure. The reduced width of each tow allows the deployment of AFP for builds with significant curvature, unlike other automated methods such as automated tape laying. Despite its proven track record and widespread use, the current AFP process contains inefficiencies and suffers from workflow bottlenecks that significantly increase cycle time, material wastage, and overall cost. A …