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- Creator:
- Alcaide, Alvin, Konze, Ryun, Gulcher, Matt, and Nava, Erwin
- Description:
- The goal of this project was to design and build an autonomous, 1:10th scale vehicle. The main focus of the design was the integration of GPS guidance, sensory feedback, and motor/servo controls. By benchmarking against industry standards and utilizing recommended "off-the-shelf" parts, we were able to determine several solutions. After mathematically comparing each solution, we were able to determine the best possible model. This solution allowed us to formulate the basic architecture of the vehicle, the placement of parts, and the signal diagram. As most of the design was steered to the programming of the project, a lot of emphasis was placed on the execution of commands. However, several other critical systems that were pertinent to the operation of the vehicle were analyzed. After the analysis of these critical systems, we were able to build the prototype and correct the execution of our programming. While debugging proved difficult, the project proved successful.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
2. Hovercraft
- Creator:
- Bakker, Joe, Dolph, Egan, Radosevich, Kenny, Yokel, James, and Johnson, Robert
- Description:
- The design of a hovercraft is no different from the design of any other product. The following is a list of tasks that will look at the project from different areas, making sure to fully address every possible idea and create a great product. The first step in our design project was to establish user requirements and to clarify the design objectives using the input from our customers. We wanted to design a hovercraft that would suit the need of all users while being safe and functional. Identifying the constraints and functions of our hovercraft were the main focus points after we talked with knew our user requirements. Some functions we originally wanted were not achievable in the time provided, but we built a machine that works well. The design specifications changed throughout our project as we found out what worked well and what didn't. Some evaluation of design alternatives took place and we changed our specifications as the time progressed. Before we started constructing the project we made 3D sketches of each member of our hovercraft to fully understand how they would piece together. Once the design was made we then chose our material selection using our own experience and the advice from manufacturers.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Buckler, Andrew, Siebert, Ryan, and Kilgore, Andrew
- Description:
- Current underwater towing devices do not allow a diver to go above the speed at which the diver's mask will be taken off by the water flow past the diver or when they will no longer be able to hold on to the device. The goal of the project will be to increase the speed that the diver is towed, by slowing down the water flow past the diver's mask and provide a way to decrease the effort required by the diver to stay with the device. The diver's safety is of the utmost importance during the whole project. These ideas will be applied to a working prototype for testing and modeling purposes.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Anderson, Chris, Chastain, Jason, Tygielski, Timothy, and Higgs, Logan
- Description:
- High altitude balloon launching has become a popular hobby in the US and abroad. The means of recovery of the data capsules has seen little or no improvement. The general method is GPS and/or radio beacon tracking which requires an extensive hunt into, potentially, difficult terrain to recover the expensive tracking and experimental equipment. Our project improves upon this by developing an autonomous guidance system that can deliver the capsule, beneath a deceleration device, to a predetermined spot. This will allow the selection of a landing zone that will minimize damage to equipment. This report follows the development of the guided delivery system from the problem definition stage through conceptual and preliminary design stages to analysis, fabrication and, finally, prototype testing. We determined that the optimal combination for the problem statement was to use a store bought parafoil kite as a decelerator. The equipped brake-lines were attached to a pair of servomotors actuated by the combination of a microcontroller control system, GPS and a digital magnetometer. The packed parafoil, servos and guidance system are enclosed in a frame manufactured from fiberglass angle stock and carbon fiber sheet, for mounting the electronic components, encased in a housing manufactured from Styrofoam. Prototype testing commenced with testing of the deployment system and angle of attack setting of the parafoil by releasing the capsule from an aircraft at various altitudes. The initial testing found that the drogue parachute produced too much drag, so the parafoil never fully inflated. A second round of testing was performed with a smaller drogue parachute, using the same airdrop method. The smaller drogue parachute did not provide enough drag to quickly pull the parafoil out of the capsule which caused the support and brake lines to become entangled. This caused a set back as the data capsule's structure broke apart during a violent landing. The guidance and radio systems were ground tested and taken for a flight in the test aircraft to determine their functionality. GPS position and velocity successfully recorded and logged, along with data from the digital magnetometer and yaw, pitch, and roll accelerometers. The failure to successfully deploy the parafoil and achieve forward flight kept the team from developing a successful guidance system, because of the lack of parafoil performance data. To solve this problem we suggest using a deployment system that is similar to the systems used by skydivers, which should keep the parafoils support and brake lines from tangling. In aftermath of several hard landings we also suggest using fasteners to join the structural members instead of epoxy joints.
- Resource Type:
- Abstract
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Entenmann, William, McNaughton, Matt, Apple, Jeremy, and Gray, John
- Description:
- The concept of the Off-Grid Battery Charger is to provide the capability to charge batteries without requiring an AC power source. In this paper we look at some different options of how to accomplish this goal, as well as the pros and cons of each viable option. After evaluating design options, we determined that a Stirling engine generator would be optimal to achieve the project's goal. A Stirling engine is a heat engine, operating on the heat differential between two cylinders with a closed volume of air acting as the working fluid. We chose to make an Alpha-type Stirling engine, a variant in which the two cylinders are connected to a common crankshaft at a 90° offset with the hot cylinder leading the cold by 90°. The cylinders are connected via a regenerator, a passage allowing for the flow of air between cylinders, with no incorporated valves. The heat differential is achieved by heating a focal point on the cylinder head of the hot side and maintaining the cold cylinder at a low temperature with convective cooling. To simplify the machining process and avoid possible complications arising from tolerances of pistons and cylinders we will be starting with an air compressor and modifying it to make a Stirling engine. This modification involves machining unique cylinder heads designed to maximize the desired heat transfer characteristics and connecting the two cylinders with a regenerator. The final assembly consists of several components, in addition to the Stirling engine itself. It utilizes a linear Fresnel lens to focus sunlight for a heat source, providing the input power to the engine. This heat is focused to a small point, approximately 2 inches in diameter, which is directed at a focal point on the cylinder head of the hot piston. The engine is coupled by belt drive to an electric motor, used as a generator, which is in turn connected to a battery. This arrangement allows the Stirling engine to use the heat energy from the sun to charge the battery. Testing of the Stirling engine revealed that it did not produce sufficient power to sustain its own motion. While the heat energy supplied to the engine did prolong its operation in comparison to a cold test, this operation was unsustainable. We made several modifications during the testing phase of the project, including using a different heat source to increase the temperature differential and decreasing the clearance volume of the engine. This was done by substituting an oxy-acetylene torch in place of the Fresnel lens, allowing for a far greater heat input to the engine. The clearance volume was reduced by adding epoxy forms, molded to match the interior of the head, to the tops of the pistons. In addition to decreasing the clearance volume, this would also serve to insulate the piston from the air in the cylinder, reducing the amount of heat lost through the piston. Theoretical calculations indicated that both of these changes would increase the power produced by the engine. We also made every effort to reduce friction in the engine, since this was a significant source of losses as evidenced by the lower torque required to tum the engine after steps were taken to reduce friction. This process involved removing several unnecessary parts from the engine, extra parts that were in the original compressor but no longer needed in the Stirling engine. Despite these modifications, the engine still does not produce sufficient power for sustained operation. Testing indicated that the engine was producing power, but this was not enough to overcome the frictional losses present in the engine. While we did attempt to minimize friction, the overall size of the engine and the construction of the crankshaft and connecting rod assembly, which we did not modify from the original compressor, produce excessive frictional forces which could not be eliminated. It is these inherent frictional losses we believe are the cause of the inefficient operation of the Stirling engine.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Ouiment, Steve M., Masucci, Alex J., Borrilez, Gary A., and Ruvald, Ryan M.
- Description:
- For our senior project, we seek to solve a common problem in the action sports film industry. When filming action sports, a common type of filming technique is Point of View video. Usually a camera is attached to a helmet or another fixed point on the person or vehicle and is used to capture the scene. These videos are difficult to watch at times due to the constant changing pitch (forward and backward) inherent with rough terrain. Our project attempts to compensate for these vertigo-causing movements by removing the pitch using a gyroscopic sensing unit to send a signal to a servo motor that actuates a platform that will be able to mount most cameras. The device is made out of 6061 T6 aluminum with an acrylic face to see the components inside. The servo that is used is a digital high torque, high speed, titanium gear servo. The gyro can sense up to 300°/sec. Using the gyro and the servo, we were able to eliminate ±5° at a frequency of SHz. SPOVAD can also withstand an impact force larger than 12g. Prototype testing demonstrated the decrease in vertical jarring movement from the platform. Therefore, our proof of concept was a success. Improvements can me made; however, our design has been fabricated and validated.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Ramos, Matthew, Marinas, Reginald, Pratt, Jonnique, and Davenport, Freeman
- Description:
- This semester we focused on design parameters and specification required to develop our project. The tasks that were to be completed encompassed a great degree of brainstorming and information gathering on behalf of all members to make the process as efficient and productive as possible. We revised our objectives several times to achieve a design product that could best display our strengths as Energy stem Mechanical Engineers, while at the same time focusing on areas that portrayed our ability to fight through and compensate for our weaknesses in the Mechanical stem. We focused on developing a safe, efficient and practical process to convert used vegetable oil into bio-diesel and then procuring a method of delivery to an engine that would allow an existing diesel system to exist in conjunction with an added biodiesel delivery system. The refinery will be complete with a delivery nozzle that allows the unit to be semi-portable in the aspect for transfer to the tank in a car trunk. The following report entails our project design and brainstorming process to bring this product from idea straight through to development.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- McCoy, Sean, Brooks, Rachel, and Korwatch, Kent
- Description:
- This document describes and gives the specifications for the design project on the reciprocating engine. The document begins with the initial concepts for the project and then goes on to describe the concepts leading up to the final design of using an engine to power a variety of applications. The initial concepts include identifying how the engine will be used and therefore the requirements that it must meat in order to be useful. These requirements are then assessed and the design process is begun to meet these requirements. The design process goes through the functions of the project that will lead to the final design and analysis of the engine and the related systems which are needed to supply power to the engine and to demonstrate the engines power. The functions are evaluated and concepts for accomplishing these functions were created. These concepts are compared and the end result is a final design concept for the engine and its supporting systems. This final concept is what is analyzed and evaluated to make sure it can accomplish the initial requirements. The final design for the project will be a reciprocating engine, with a two cylinder, v-type engine design. The engine will be designed to have enough power to run some type of cart. The engine will also and have support systems including a steam generation system or a compressed air system, that will provide enough power to the engine so that it can run. The goal of this document is to convey the specifications for this final design and the process leading up to the design of the engine.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- England, Robert and Engle-Smith, Joseph
- Description:
- This report is a design project for an Automation Trainer. The Engineering Technology Department at Cal Maritime needed a new trainer for the Automation Lab to train their students on how to use Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). This process is to generate a design and build such a trainer. The use of the engineering process is described and tabulated to achieve an optimal design to meet certain objectives and criteria .
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Creator:
- Stirzbecher, Mark, Walton, Andrew, and Doyle, Joseph
- Description:
- This paper explores the development of parabolic solar concentration systems utilizing solar radiation heat transfer to create steam using water as the working fluid. By concentrating solar radiation rays onto a focal point, energy transfer is sufficient enough so that the surface temperature of a material (Type M copper tubing) at the focal point can be raised to a level necessary in generating a phase change in water from its liquid form to steam. The resultant steam can then be used in subsequent processes not covered in the scope of this research. A comparison of solar steam generation is drawn between flat plate solar collection, parabolic trough concentration, and parabolic dish concentration. For this analysis, the parabolic trough concentration was chosen as the optimal system considering cost, time, and manufacturing constraints, and will be covered in much detail. Both the flat plate collection and parabolic dish concentration were analyzed in addition to the parabolic concentration system, but will be described in limited detail in this paper. Also, a thorough breakdown of design process is included. This process includes customer requirements for the prospective solar steam generator, how these requirements shape the design of the system, and proposed characteristics of the system to meet these customer needs.
- Resource Type:
- Capstone project
- Campus Tesim:
- Maritime
- Department:
- Mechanical Engineering