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| Mechanical Engineering | Senior Design Projects |
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Senior Design Projects Team #1 - Caterpillar Versatile Flotation System Project Title: Versatile Flotation System - Concept Development Faculty Advisor: The Versatile Flotation System (VFS) is a trailer designed to work with the Challenger Tractor, using the same belted tractor design, to provide low ground pressure. This allows the trailers that pull the implements to aid the Challenger in reducing ground compaction. The VFS system that is marketed today has some weaknesses, though. Currently, the VFS uses a significant number of components that are made uniquely for its undercarriage. The VFS also has some shortcomings with respect to foreign regulations. It is our goal to help improve the VFS by developing a brake system. This new brake design will incorporate parts already in production and increase marketability by meeting more foreign requirements. This will be accomplished by performing calculations to fit the above requirements. The objective of this project is to complete Pro-Engineer models for the brake system along with cost analysis reports. Project Title: D6R Support Arm Faculty Advisor: This project consists of designing a new support bracket for one of Caterpillar's dozers. The dozer we will be designing the bracket for is the D6R Track-Type Dozer. Our team will look at reducing costs, increasing durability and weight reduction. We will do this using our background that we have gained while attending Bradley University Mechanical Engineering courses. We will mainly look at the material science part of the support bracket and the Finite Element Analysis of the various loads in the support bracket. With the completion of this project our team plans on having a final design that can be prototyped which will reduce the cost of manufacturing the bracket as well as increasing the performance of this new part in the working environment. Project Title: John Deere Harvester Auger/Knife Drive Coupler Project Faculty Advisor: Deere and Company as a leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment has to continually strive toward having the best product on the market. To that end, engineers are challenged with designing and developing a product that is more serviceable to the customers and which results in less warranty dollars. The knife and auger drives represent one possible candidate for improvement. Driven by the same shaft, the customer has to disconnect the U-joint and belt that drives the knife in order to make adjustments to the auger. To make the system more serviceable, Deere would like a coupler designed that would allow the auger to spin freely without the knife moving, thereby offering their customers a less labor-intensive process. The objective of this design team is to perform an analysis on the present system, offer alternative designs, and simulate the results of our re-design. Project Title: Hydraulic Cylinder - Single Acting Rod Retention Faculty Advisor: John Deere has been producing single acting cylinders since the early 1990's. At the time of the original design labor-intensive manufacturing processes were the norm. Due to this manual, labor-intensive process, some cylinders may experience quality defects as a result of operator fatigue. The objective of this project is to develop a new design for a single acting hydraulic cylinder that improves quality, reduces cost, is easily serviced in the field, maintains manufacturing flexibility, and places Deere in a position of competitive advantage. Project Title: Splash Mountain Bumper Project Faculty Advisor: The ride vehicles on the Splash Mountain attraction at the Mouse World are equipped with specialized bumpers. The bumpers are designed to absorb any impacts encountered during the regular run of the ride with minimal effect on passengers. These bumpers are meant to last two years but have been failing prematurely since the opening of the attraction. The Splash Mountain Bumper Project group intends to propose a redesigned bumper system that still meets the passenger comfort and aesthetic requirements of previous designs and improves upon the current average service life. This redesign will include the utilization of optimal materials and manufacturing processes as well as the reconfiguration of the existing physical arrangement of the bumper without impacting the aesthetics of the vehicle. Project Title: Air Conditioning System for the Motor Cruisers Faculty Advisor: Our client the Mouse Company has asked us to design an air conditioning system for their three Motor Cruisers (passenger boats), which are currently not air-conditioned. The boats are constructed out of aluminum and glass, which are both poor insulators. It is important that the system we design does not distract from the theme of the Motor Cruisers. The air conditioning system we design must be able to effectively cool sixty passengers and two crewmembers. Project Title: Design of an Isolation Chamber for an IR Camera Faculty Advisor: Pressure sensitive paint is applied to models to determine the pressure distribution over the surface of the model in the wind tunnel tests. The pressure sensitive paint is also dependent on temperature distribution. Infrared cameras are currently applied in wind tunnel testing at Boeing to develop the temperature map necessary for calibration of the pressure sensitive paint. The complication encountered with the current camera mounting is that the working environment appears too harsh for the camera to properly function. It appears that acoustic noise and mechanical vibrations are the cause for the failure of the IR camera. The team plans to develop an understanding of the cause of the problem and come up with the remedies. The primary objective of the project is to utilize infrared cameras in the wind tunnel testing. To accomplish this goal, the team needs to first develop an understanding of what is causing the failure of the IR camera in the wind tunnel. This will be accomplished by analyzing the data provided from the wind tunnel testing. The team also plans on traveling to the wind tunnel in St. Louis to help understand what is causing the problem. The team will analyze and research multiple parameters for the IR applications in the wind tunnel, and will submit a list of solutions from. The optimum design will be chosen for the construction of the prototype. The prototype will be tested by placing it in the wind tunnel when it is in use. The team will perform these tests and make modifications as necessary until a solution is found. Project Title: Implementation of Rapid Prototyping Techniques in Wind
Tunnel Testing Faculty Advisor: Rapid prototyping has seen some major changes and advances since its advent in the late 1980's. There are many different rapid prototyping technologies available today, but not every machine is applicable for every need. For example, many problems in fluid dynamics are solved through complicated mathematical software (CFD). However, there is no substitute for actual wind tunnel testing. An aeronautical component, built and tested in the computer, can be made into a three-dimensional, solid test object through rapid prototyping. Still, not every rapid prototyping machine will be able to accomplish this task. The main objectives of this project are to research current and future rapid prototyping technologies; namely different machines, materials, and processes. This will be accomplished through literature searches as well as contacting rapid prototyping vendors to receive vendor-specific information. Along with information, vendors will be asked to produce sample pieces for testing. The results of the literature search, testing, and vendor information will be used to make a final prediction for a rapid prototyping technology. Project Title: Track Coil Transportation Faculty Advisors: The Track Coil Transportation project deals with the coiling and shipment of Caterpillar track link assemblies and completed track groups. G&D Transportation has inherited a process from Caterpillar for coiling the link assemblies and track groups, and has a variety of issues with the process that need to be resolved. Team 9's objective is to improve the process, particularly in terms of operating cost and the specific matters identified by G&D. Team 9 will analyze the process and determine where the largest cost savings can be obtained. Team 9 will then analyze changes to the process, and recommend those that cause the greatest cost reductions. Project Title: NASA Flow Control Demonstrator Team Faculty Advisor: The NASA Langley Research Center, located in Hampton, VA, conducts a great deal of research in the field of aeronautics. Much of their research involves improving aircraft performance in line with NASA's slogan, "Faster, Better, Cheaper". One key area of research at NASA-Langley involves improving techniques to control fluid flow. Areas of research include using control systems to deploy flow control devices such as deployable micro-vortex generators and various passive flow control devices. NASA-Langley has teamed with Bradley University's Mechanical Engineering department to develop a model that displays one of these flow control devices. This device will be a stand-alone, portable wind tunnel; it will incorporate an active separation control device and a flow visualization technique that communicates its effectiveness. NASA plans to use the model to demonstrate the basics of their research and its potential payoff to funding sources and senior management. Project Title: Gear-Dynamometer Control System Faculty Advisor: This project involves designing a control system for a gear testing apparatus that will be used to test plastic gears. Winzeler Gear produces injection-molded thermoplastic gears and, with Dupont, is interested in creating a database of information regarding the performance of Dupont's plastics when used in gearing applications. The creation of such a testing system would allow Winzeler Gear to test specific gears and specific materials for wear and tooth root bending failure, and also eventually for noise and other factors. This team's task is to create a control system for the apparatus. The testing apparatus consists of a motor and a dynamometer on either side of a gear set. The control system should control the speed and torque of the motor and the dynamometer, and monitor wear by measuring angular position and rotation of the two shafts. The team's task includes finding the necessary hardware and software to interface the instruments, and to write a program in LabVIEW to run tests at various speeds and torques, recording the results. Project Title: Development of a Heat Exchanger Trainer with
Electronic Data Acquisition Faculty Advisor: The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bradley University has a water-to-water, double pipe heat exchanger trainer in the thermal sciences laboratory. This trainer has the capability to serve as a valuable tool to compliment lectures in heat transfer and uncertainty analysis. The current instrumentation, however, is of questionable accuracy, and some does not even work due to age and wear. The main objective is to recondition the heat exchanger trainer and implement an electronic data acquisition system. With this data acquisition system, the goal is to calculate the heat transfer rate with an accuracy of +/- 3%. Project Title: SAE's Mini-Baja Faculty Advisor: Since 1990 Bradley University has competed in the SAE sponsored Mini-Baja competition. The competition demands a four wheeled, single manned, vehicle designed to be driven in rigorous off-road conditions. Bradley, having two existing frames, has requested that we use one or both of the existing vehicles in preparation for the Midwest SAE competition. The objective of our team is to evaluate the two existing Baja vehicles, and construct a fast, durable, easily maneuverable vehicle to compete in the SAE Midwest Baja competition. In addition to vehicle fabrication our team looks to reorganize Bradley's Baja resources to better facilitate future Bradley Mini-Baja teams. To accomplish our objective, we aim to optimize suspension and steering, frame reconfiguration, and a transmission-drive train system with performance and costs in mind. The reorganization of materials, tools, and records will be completed. Project Title: Formula SAE: Engine and Drivetrain Faculty Advisor: Team #14 is responsible for the design, manufacture, and assembly of an engine and drivetrain system on the 2001-2002 Bradley University Formula SAE Team. Formula SAE is a competition for students to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racing cars. The cars are built with a team effort over a period of one year and are taken to the annual competition for judging and comparison with approximately 100 other vehicles from colleges and universities throughout the world. The team's main goals for this year are to build a reliable and leak proof drivetrain, implement an engine system that will perform sufficiently for the competition, and improve the shifter mechanism. In addition, the team plans to minimize the weight of each respective system to improve overall performance of the racecar. Project Title: Formula SAE: Suspension Faculty Advisor: The Formula SAE competition is a design competition promoted by the Society of Automotive Engineers in which individual competitors (colleges and universities) design and manufacture small formula style racecars. Currently, the Bradley University Formula SAE program is in the sixth year of competition. The objective of the Formula SAE Suspension Team is to design a suspension that will allow the driver to keep the car stable through corners and provide complete control of the car. We will be developing a new suspension that will aid in minimizing the weight of the car to help the car finish within the top 25 position at the competition. This will be done by:
Project Title: Formula SAE: Frame & Ergonomics Faculty Advisor: The Formula Frame team this year plans on developing a lightweight ,yet strong frame. With the help of literature and accomplishments made by past teams, we feel that this can be accomplished. This year we want to go to a simple design. We do not want to waste time designing a frame that is not well tested. Hopefully this year's frame with be tested thoroughly to ensure no members on the frame break. The team's personnel are made up of well rounded people. All team members have the necessary tools to accomplish the goals set forth. |
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