Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Effects Of Acetylene Addition To The Fuel Stream On Soot Formation And Flame Properties In An Axisymmetric Laminar Coflow Ethylene/Air Diffusion Flame, Xinrong Xie, Shu Zheng, Ran Sui, Zixue Luo, Shi Liu, Jean Louis Consalvi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effects of adding acetylene to the fuel stream on soot formation and flame properties were investigated numerically in a laminar axisymmetric coflow ethylene/air diffusion flame using the open-source flame code Co-Flame in conjunction with an elementary gas-phase chemistry scheme and detailed transport and thermodynamic database. Radiation heat transfer of the radiating gases (H2O, C2H2, CO, and CO2) and soot was calculated using a statistical narrow-band correlated-k-based wide band model coupled with the discrete-ordinates method. The soot formation was described by the consecutive steps of soot nucleation, surface growth of soot particles via polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-soot condensation or the …

Automated Form-Fill-Seal Loader, Amara Crosby

Honors Theses

Keystone Solutions Group requires a space, money, and time saving machine that can automatically load swabs and other similar sized devices into a new Multivac R245 form-fill-seal machine. Currently, Multivac “auto-loaders” are very costly and take up a great deal of space. A portable, easy-to-mount, automated swab loader was designed and initially prototyped. This design can be moved throughout the cleanroom with current material handling devices and contains enough storage to run continuously for upwards of a half an hour.

Hinging, Propping, And Latching Mechanisms For Sunseeker Solar Car, Zachary Ruppenthal

Honors Theses

In this project, designs for the hinging, propping, and latching mechanisms on the 2021 Sunseeker Solar Car were created. These designs allow for the car’s array of solar panels to be held at any desired angle to maximize collection of solar power and give the team access to the battery and driver compartment. Removable telescoping prop rods with pin attachments are used to set the array at a desired angle. The hinging mechanism allows for the array to be lifted vertically prior to rotation in order to avoid interference with the car’s roll cage. To accomplish this, two four-bar linkages …

Autonomous Vehicle Camera Mount Application, Yuan Sheng Sit

Honors Theses

Autonomous vehicles consist of many complex systems, an extensive set of hardware components, and various computing algorithms that constantly work in harmony to provide selfdriving capabilities to a vehicle. This project focuses on developing a universal mount for a ZED 2 stereo camera used in data collection for autonomous driving applications. The main purpose of the mount is to reduce dashboard, windshield, and lens glare that affect the quality of data collection for autonomous driving applications. Software such as Ansys and SOLIDWORKS are used to simulate stress, strain, and thermal distributions on the mount to better understand the strong and …

Charge Tracing For Determining Electrical Facility Effects On Electric Spacecraft Propulsion Systems., Joseph Backe

Honors Theses

Electric Propulsion Systems are the future of deep space travel. Since its design in 2016 Western Michigan University has been testing a Hall-Thruster from a previous Senior Design Group. One issue with Electric Propulsion Systems is tracing where the electrons go after being used to ionize propellant for spacecraft acceleration. Induced magnetic fields on Earth alter the electron paths found in the vacuum of space.

One solution is the EP TEMPEST. The EP TEMPEST is an electron tracer designed by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The goal of this project is to design an electron tracer like the EP TEMPEST …

Mechanical Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

Mechanical Engineering: News & Publications (2013-2023)

• Graduate Student Wins Excellence in Graduate Research Award

Nze Residential Test Facility Analysis Throughout Summer/Winter Peak Months For Thermal Comfort Prediction, Yearim Yang

Honors College Theses

The present study evaluates the thermal comfort in the east bedroom of the Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF) in a mixed-humid climate. This unit was constructed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for scholars to analyze its energy performance and indoor environmental quality. The thermal comfort is investigated in a designated bedroom space by analyzing 27 dry-bulb temperature, 4 airspeed, 6 globe temperature, and 6 relative humidity sensors in a 3x3x3 array and a center sensor stand during two opposite seasonal months (July and December). The conventionally ducted heat pump, small duct high velocity, and heat recovery …

Free Vibration Analysis Of Rotating Beams Based On The Modified Couple Stress Theory And Coupled Displacement Field, Alireza Babaei, Masoud Arabghahestani

Mechanical Engineering Graduate Research

In this paper, transverse vibration analysis of rotating micro-beam is investigated based on the modified couple stress theory. The simply-supported micro-beam is modeled utilizing Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories. The system is rotating around a fixed axis perpendicular to the axial direction of the beam. For the first time, displacement filed is introduced as a coupled field to the translational field. In other words, the mentioned rotational displacement field is expressed as a proportional function of translational displacement field using first (axial), second (lateral), and third (angular or rotational) velocity factors. Utilizing Hamilton’s approach as a variational method, dynamic-vibration equations …

Determining The Effect Of Embedding Sensors In The Hosting Composite’S Mechanical Properties, Arianna Verbosky, Ephraim Zegeye

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Confocal Laser Microscopy On Acid-Etched Titanium Surfaces And Roughness Measurements, Caleb Schaible, Gabriel Weiss, Holly Monson, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Observations On The Use Of Chemical Treatment For The Modification Of Dielectric Elastomer’S Mechanical Properties: A Work In Progress, Isaac Liu, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Testing Dielectric Elastomers In Uniaxial Tension, Carolyn Haase, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Drones And Spatial Artificial Intelligence For Improving Crop Yield, Carson Farmer, Hector Medina

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Mechanical Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

Mechanical Engineering: News & Publications (2013-2023)

• Faculty and Students Mentor High School Design Competition