Mechanical Engineering Department · Mechanical Engineering Department April 21, ... This result verifies calculations which indicated that the ... the mechanical properties of bone

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Mechanical Engineering

Department

2016 Project

Presentation Day

April 21, 2016

Schedule for Project Presentation Day

Mechanical Engineering Department

April 21, 2016

8:00 AM Judges Assemble Higgins Labs 102

8:00 - 8:30 AM Refreshments

Judges Higgins Labs 102

Students Alden Hall

8:15 - 8:30 AM Judges Instructions Higgins Labs 102

8:30 - 11:30 PM Presentations Alden Hall

12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch

Judges Higgins Labs 102

Students Alden Hall

1:00 - 1:15 PM Winners Announced Alden Hall

Table of Contents

Biomechanical 4

Design 10

Manufacturing 42

Materials 45

Robotics 51

Thermofluids 57

Page 4

Biomechanical

Rehabilitative Adult Tricycle

Eric Correia, Jaime Espinola, James Gruenbaum, John Papa

Each year, 800,000 people suffer from stroke in the United States,

and many develop hemiparesis, a weakness occurring on one side

of the body. Exercise is proven to be helpful in recovery from

stroke. The goal of this project was to develop a human-powered

device that can aid in recovery from a stroke, while also serving a

recreational purpose. This project resulted in the creation of a tri-

cycle which stores the pedaling energy of the strong leg with a

spring in order to assist the weak leg in pedaling. Quantitative test-

ing with force plates demonstrated that the force required to pedal

the strong side is 27% higher than the force required to pedal the

weak side. This result verifies calculations which indicated that the

force would be 30% higher. Qualitative testing with human sub-

jects resulted in an average survey rating of 4.5/5, indicating a

generally positive opinion of the tricycle.

Advisors: Holly Ault, Allen Hoffman

Page 5

Biomechanical

Systems Engineering Design for Point-of-Care Testing

Maereg Tafesse, Natalie Marquardt

The objective of this MQP is to design a point-of-care testing sys-

tem that would provide rapid diagnosis at the patient’s location.

The development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has

made it possible to detect infectious diseases in a timely manner.

However, sample preparation, isolation and testing with PCR are

subjected to several laboratory iterations. For instance, current

PCR practices require substantial input from the lab operators dur-

ing extraction and evaluation of samples, which can lead to errors,

risk of infection and time, inefficiency. This project presents a new

system that would enhance the use of PCR for testing infectious

diseases. The proposed system improves safety by reducing the

involvement of the lab operators. By automating the entire process

and making alterations to the chemical reactions, the system re-

duces the amount of time required to carry out a test. Since the

proposed system is designed to be portable, it can be incorporated

into ambulatory care and deployed at the patient's location.

Advisor: Professor Mustapha Fofana

Biomechanical

Page 6

Three Dimensional Force Sensing System for the

Applications of Gait Analysis and Robotics

Jessie Johnson, Selahaddin Ozkan

The motivation for this project was the development of a plat-

form that would allow the independence of patients of gait analy-

sis devices. Currently the most accurate systems for gait analysis

are bulky and complex, usually using a video system. There are

some simple shoe pad systems; however the usage of the systems

is restrictive and a medical supervisor to use the accompanying

software is generally needed. With the shoe sole system proposed

by our project, the calculation of normal and shear forces would

be plausible. With these two calculations together, a more accu-

rate solution to in-home gait analysis may be possible.

Secondly, this system can also be applied to robotics. By using

the shoe pad on the bottom of legged robots, the shear forces as

well as normal forces can be easily calculated, thus determining

how a robot’s foot slips as well as the center of pressure on the

robot’s foot. Thus the device could possibly be used in applica-

tions to help legged robots balance.

Advisors: Cagdas Onal, Kristen Billiar

Page 7

Biomechanical

Tibia Fracture Walking Boot: A Strain Controlling Device

Samuel Jacobs, Emily Potter, Nathaniel Sauer, Julie Tevenan

Traditional tibia fracture healing methods take extensive amounts

of time to heal and can be met with malalignments or nonunions.

The group designed a non-invasive strain application device that

improved upon existing fracture healing devices such as external

fixators, casts, and functional braces. The group accomplished this

by combining a Patellar Tendon Bearing (PTB) Brace with a tradi-

tional walking boot. Based on research, we identified that increas-

ing the gap size between the heel and bottom of the boot could

reduce force. We simulated the mechanical conditions associated

with successful bone regeneration by a three test process: proving

the mechanical properties of bone analogues, proving the brace

reduced the ground reaction force aptly, and proving the damp-

ened force translated to the optimal strain range at the fracture site.

The group identified that an 8 mm gap beneath the heel provided

the optimal strain range and force reduction for ideal healing con-

ditions.

Advisor: Brian Savilonis

Biomechanical

Page 8

Designing an Assistive mobility Devive to Aid in Geriatric Sit

to Stand

Olivia Bennett, Sarah Gabor, Samantha Neeno

Challenges with the sit to stand (STS) transition are one of the

chief complaints amongst the nearly 309 million elderly people in

the United States [1, 2]. The STS transition is defined as the pro-

cess of rising from a seated position to a stable standing position.

This Major Qualifying project designed a device to augment the

forces required for the STS transition. The objectives were to cre-

ate a safe, reliable, and ergonomic device which reduces energy

expenditure at a reasonable cost. The design utilized a moment

about the knee providing 25% assistance based on an average mo-

ment of 1Nm/kg [3]. Forces were produced using springs, which

extend as the user sits down. The design requires the user to wear

one brace on each knee. Clinical tests addressed issues of comfort,

impact on gait, and assistance with the STS transition. This data

were used to determine device effectiveness.

Advisor: Karen Troy

Page 9

Biomechanical

Engineering and Education for Affordable, Sustainable Rain-

water Harvesting in Paraguay

Katherine Picchione

According to the 2015 United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Report, 663 million people still lack access to improved water sources.

Rainwater harvesting, collecting and storing rainwater that falls on roofs,

offers one solution to water challenges in developing areas, but is often

unaffordable for poor families. In collaboration with the NGO Fundación

Paraguaya, this project aimed to make rainwater harvesting more feasible

through the design of educational materials and inexpensive water stor-

age tanks. A learning module, developed for a Paraguayan agricultural

high school, teaches rural youth the knowledge and skills to design,

build, operate, maintain, and repair rainwater harvesting systems using

local materials. The module also introduces a simplistic rainwater storage

tank made of repurposed tires, a design ‘ethno-engineered’ for Paraguay

where an excess of discarded tires presents an environmental and public

health hazard. In April 2016, both the learning module and ‘tire tank’

were piloted in Paraguay, evaluated, and modified based on user feed-

back. In the future, both the tanks and learning module promise to inspire

self-driven development, both in Paraguay and around the world.

Advisors: Diran Apelian, Robert Traver

Sponsor: Fundación Paraguaya

Design

Page 10

Improved Reacher-Gripper Device

Nathan Alvord, Matthew Lesonsky, Reed Standley

Individuals with physical impairments often need assistive devices such

as reacher grippers to perform daily activities. Commercial reacher grip-

pers can be difficult to use for individuals with reduced hand and wrist

functionality. After evaluating these reacher grippers, a novel design was

developed which decreases difficulties associated with using common

reacher grippers. The design features electro-mechanical actuation to

minimize the hand strength required to operate the device as well as fore-

arm support to alleviate stress on the user’s wrist. Additionally, this de-

sign allows the claws to fully close in under one second. After perform-

ing electrical and mechanical analyses on the proposed design, a first

generation prototype was manufactured. The device was subsequently

tested for feedback and functionality by typical users with varying physi-

cal capabilities. Results indicated the device allows users to comfortably

retrieve objects up to four pounds 32 inches away.

Advisors: Holly Ault, Allen Hoffman

Page 11

Design

Axiomatic Design of Football

Liam Koenen, Camden Lariviere

The objective of this work is to test the hypothesis that axiomatic

design can facilitate better strategies for winning football games

compared to traditional coaching methods. Traditional coaching

methods consist of coaching philosophies relating to offensive and

defensive play calling. This work will attempt to determine a cor-

relation between functional metrics and the outcome of a football

game.

The scope of this work is in-game decisions, relating specifically

to play calling.

Statistical analysis will be conducted to determine what strategies

work in calling plays in a football game.

Advisors: Christopher Brown, Richard Henley

Page 12

Design

Improved Alpine Ski Binding

Kyle Fortin, Matthew Clark, Flah Ilyas, John Messier

Inadvertent release is one of the major causes of serious injuries to

alpine skiers. The cause of inadvertent release is the repeated flex

and counter-flex of the ski and binding, commonly called chatter.

Due to current ski bindings high mass and low natural frequency,

they are ill-equipped to handle this phenomenon. The results of

this project were the design and prototyping of a binding con-

ceived to prevent inadvertent release by increasing the natural

frequency of the binding, based on a patent held by Professor

Christopher Brown. This project also realized the creation of a

vibration-generating machine, which was used to test current ski

bindings under a vibrating load.

Advisor: Christopher Brown

Page 13

Design

Beehive Lifter

Hannah Gouzias, Sarah Smith, Alexander Venditti

Maintaining a beehive requires a substantial amount of physical

labor, and with the average age of beekeepers being around 55,

this amount of work can become difficult. This project was under-

taken to build a device that can be used to assist the beekeepers

and lift beehives as needed. Through researching the needs of bee-

keepers and analyzing existing devices, we were able to develop

and test a simple lifting device that will be easy for average bee-

keepers to build themselves. The prototype was designed to be

cost effective, stable, and have a mechanical advantage of at least

8, such that beekeepers can move up to 200 lbs of supers (hive

boxes that hold frames for honey) at a time safely without extraor-

dinary effort.

Advisors: Eben Cobb, Holly Ault

Page 14

Design

Carrier Lift MQP

Andrew Kennedy, Luke Proctor, Luke Williams

The goal of this project is to create a device to enable a person to

lift a loaded dog crate into a vehicle with minimal physical exer-

tion. A dog owner can face difficulties trying to get an animal into

a vehicle if the animal is uncooperative, or unable to enter the ve-

hicle under its own power due to injury or old age. This is an even

greater challenge if the dog is heavy, or if the owner has difficulty

handling heavy loads. Many products are available on the market

to assist persons to lift heavy objects, but none exist that are af-

fordable and can be reasonably used to lift an uncooperative or

infirm animal. The chosen design incorporates a scissor frame and

a home-built air bladder system to lift a loaded dog crate to an in-

tended maximum height of 30in.

Advisor: Eben Cobb

Page 15

Design

The Design of an Exoskeleton Arm Brace for Therapeutic Use

to Address Ataxia

Lauren Hunt, Amanda Konieczny, Mikayla Pasciuto,

Alexander Powers

Ataxia is a degenerative muscle disease that affects all ages, typi-

cally affecting gross motor skills, and may be diagnosed as spo-

radic, hereditary, or as a symptom of other pre-existing medical

conditions. The primary goal of this project is to develop a device

to be worn on the arm of a patient affected by ataxia. This device

is designed to allow every-day activities to become less strenuous,

thereby increasing the mobility of each affected individual and

limit unwarranted muscle spasms. The final device consists of two

adjustable metal bars attached to two separate sleeves with a gas-

ket located at the elbow. The gasket adds an adjustable friction

element, and this device incorporates the six major design require-

ments: adjustability, accommodation, cost, materials, weight, and

forces.

Advisor: Eben Cobb

Page 16

Design

Hamstring Muscle Assist Device

Liam Fisher, Christopher Preucil, Eric Williams

Due to injury or neurological limitations many people need a de-

vice to assist in riding a bicycle to overcome reduced functionality

of the hamstring muscle. The goal of this project is to design and

build a device to enable a person who has reduced usage of the

hamstring muscle to ride a bicycle by aiding leg motion between

the pedal angles of 180° to 225°. This device is meant to be usea-

ble for recreational cycling, and adaptable to a range of bicycles.

A wide variety of design concepts were explored, with the intent

to produce a device that can store energy provided during the por-

tion of the pedal stroke in which the user can provide power (0°-

180°), such that this stored energy can be utilized during the por-

tion of the pedal stroke where the user cannot provide power due

to their disability (180°-225°). The final design uses a pair of ex-

tension springs with a four stage pulley system, utilizing mechani-

cal advantage to store the necessary energy and provide the neces-

sary range of motion for the pedal stroke.

Advisor: Eben Cobb

Page 17

Design

Integrated Rapid Prototyping: Efficient Development of

Custom Orthotic Devices

James Nolan, Nicholas Picard, Francois-Xavier Stricker-Krongrad,

Eric Zandrow

Companies strive to quickly create customized products, meeting

the desires and needs of a consumer. Integrated Rapid Prototyping

(IRP) is a systematic approach of optimizing the product develop-

ment cycle from conception to realization, a process which we

defined by the combination of Full Field 3D digitization, Comput-

er Aided Design, Finite Element Analysis, additive manufacturing,

and non-destructive testing. IRP has applications in numerous

fields, from consumer accessibility to industry level manufactur-

ing. As a case study, IRP was applied to the medical field through

the creation of a custom orthotic device. A process done by using

leg scans taken by a portable scanner, designing an orthotic model

based on the scans, detailed construction and analysis of the CAD

model, fabrication through additive manufacturing, and product

testing via Digital Image Correlation. Through this application, the

team analyzed the development process by considering material

characteristics, surface metrology, full field optical techniques,

and subprocesses validation.

Advisor: Cosme Furlong

Sponsor: Orthocare Innovations

Page 18

Design

Indoor/Outdoor Wheelchair

Jacob Mercier, Wilson Bly Rougier, Elizabeth Schofield,

George Benda

Over 125,000 paraplegics in the United States require a wheelchair

for transportation. Many of these people want the ability to travel

safely over a variety of obstacles and thereby greatly increase their

independence. This project developed an all-purpose wheelchair

that operates as a standard wheelchair indoors and competes with

an all-terrain wheelchair outdoors. To accomplish this, necessary

standard features and dimensions were retained for indoor opera-

tion. To improve mobility outdoors, the chair was modified to al-

low on-the-fly adjustment of the center of gravity to prevent tip-

ping. Mountain bike tires were utilized to increase traction and

optional ratcheting drive levers were included to provide a me-

chanical advantage for climbing steep hills. Field tests showed the

prototype capable of extending the user’s range on steeper slopes,

over roots, through mud and grass while the standard chair had

major difficulties with traction and tipping. Survey results indicate

88% of people prefer the prototype to a standard wheelchair re-

garding the advantages it provided in each test.

Advisors: Alan Hoffman, Holly Ault

Page 19

Design

Designing a Robotic Arm for moving and Sorting Scraps at

Pacific Can, Beijing, China

Mohamad Alblaihess, William Farrar, Fernando Gonzalez,

Yifan Shao

In modern industry, innovation by automating processes provides

companies with competitive advantages in speed, efficiency, and

production value. This Major Qualifying Project studied the poten-

tial of a robotic, palletizing arm to help Pacific Can Company Ltd.

replace their manpower-driven operation of moving and stacking

unpainted and painted blocks of scrap metal. Focus areas of the

project included work area design, block distinction, alarm sys-

temization, as well as robotic arm and end of arm tool selection.

Advisors: Jianyu Liang, Amy Zeng

Sponsor: Pacific Can Ltd.

Page 20

Design

Design of a Flipper Prosthetic for a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

Vivian Liang, Samantha Varela, Iok Wong

Sea turtles often have flipper damage when found. Lola is a sea

turtle missing one of her front flippers, causing her to swim im-

properly and hence unable to survive alone. This project initiated

the development of a prosthetic to imitate Lola’s healthy flipper to

help her swim more effectively. Flipper blades of various shapes

were designed using CAD, fabricated with a 3D printing and

molding process, and tested in a wind tunnel. The wind tunnel per-

formance was further understood through finite element simula-

tion. The optimal flipper design was identified for superior wind

tunnel performance, i.e., high lift and low drag. An attachment

mechanism was designed with consideration of fitting Lola’s re-

sidual limb. Shoulder loadings that Lola can apply were analyzed

and compared with the required force for swimming in water. This

work paves the way for the development of a biomimetic flipper to

help amputated turtles across the world swim with better efficien-

cy and fewer injuries.

Advisors: Yuxiang Liu, Brian Savilonis

Page 21

Design

Feedback Control of a Tunable Laser for Cavity

Optomechanics Device

Tianchang Gu, Jinqiang Ning, Zhijie Wang

In this project, the team developed a LabVIEW program to pro-

vide convenient, intuitive, and multi-functioned feedback control

for the tunable laser system used in study of cavity optomechanics.

Furthermore, the team built a low-cost, high-accuracy fiber-based

Mach-Zehnder interferometer and conducted experiments to find

the length difference of interferometer’s two arms. The connection

from mechanics to optics was built by interference, and from op-

tics to mechanics was built by radiation pressure of the light. Mo-

tor-scan in the wide range and piezo-scan in the narrow range

were processed by New Focus 6700 Tunable Laser System™ and

Data Acquisition System (DAQ System) to obtain measurements

for intensity and wavelength. The relationship between intensity

and wavelength was analyzed and applied to find the characteris-

tics of cavity length. The results of this project may benefit the

users in Cavity Optomechanics field, especially for those aim to

get precise wavelength measurements in picometer scale.

Advisors: Yuxiang Liu, Yiming Rong

Page 22

Design

Thermal Performance Assessment Chamber: The Design and

Development of a Novel Fire Attack Hose Testing Apparatus

Anthony Capuano, Joshua Donovan, Camden Knoff,

Jack Murphy, Panyawat Tukaew

Recent research has shown that fire attack hoses are burning

through on the fireground, leaving firefighters without water and

putting their lives at risk. To address this concern, the National

Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has begun revising its stand-

ards to include more rigorous thermal performance tests for fire

hoses. The Thermal Performance Assessment Chamber was de-

signed and created to expose hoses to convective and radiative

heat transfer at intensities similar to those found on the fireground.

Initial testing has shown that under thermal exposure, fire attack

hoses can fail in as little as 2 minutes. If adopted into the national

standards, this apparatus will eventually be used to test all new

hoses entering the fire service.

Advisor: Kathy Notarianni

Page 23

Design

Design and Testing of Power Cycle Concepts for WPI

Kite-Powered Water Pump

Jessie Ciulla, Abdulrahaman Jilani, Joseph Samela,

John Scarborough

The purpose of this MQP was to research, analyze, and design

functional iterations of an airborne wind energy kite powered wa-

ter pump. The ideal prototype was low cost, serviceable, opera-

tional under variable wind speeds and for different kites, and able

to house a one- or two-kite system. The goals of this project were

to design a support for the water pump that could be incorporated

into the existing design, to improve the housing for the power

spool to allow for a stall spool and brakes, to test the designs, and

to improve the pump shaft. The design and testing were completed

by a team of four mechanical engineering students. CAD was used

to design all parts, and a program was developed to calculate vari-

ables within the airborne wind system such as required force at a

certain wind speed or spool size. The final design was tested, and

there is prospective for this technology to grow as more research

and development is invested.

Advisor: David Olinger

Page 24

Design

Bose IR Reception Test Improvements

Justin Brousseau, Connor MacMillan, Michael Roche

Bose Corporation uses infrared technology (IR) in a variety of

commercially available products. With such a reliance on IR, the

effective evaluation of product performance is crucial from a prod-

uct development and marketing perspective. This project focused

on the development of a robust, quantitative and repeatable testing

procedure with which Bose Corporation could qualify their infra-

red technology. Specific areas of focus include the design and im-

plementation of a standard test procedure and test fixtures that in-

crease test precision, reduced human error in the test, and decrease

test time. With a more universal and defined testing procedure, the

comparison of different products becomes more effective, and

measurement variation between test operators and products is re-

duced by 50%. Through this decrease in variation, the need for

cross-functional meetings that are currently held throughout the

development of a product will be eliminated and the overall testing

process will be reduced to 1/4 the time of the current process.

Advisors: John Hall, David Planchard

Sponsor: Bose Corporation

Page 25

Design

Design and Optimization of a Formula SAE Vehicle

William Kinkead, Connor Morette, Adrian Pickering,

Zachary Sears, James Waldo

The purpose of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) For-

mula Major Qualifying Project (MQP) is to develop a vehicle for

entry in competitions. This MQP went beyond textbook theory by

designing, building and testing the performance of a real vehicle.

Students worked in multidisciplinary (Mechanical, Electrical,

Computer Science, Manufacturing and Aero) teams throughout the

year. Emphasis was placed on reliability, serviceability, and ad-

justability of critical sub-systems. Suspension, steering and

drivetrain components are designed to be easily replaceable on the

track with only basic tools. The engine was paired with a custom

pneumatic shift transmission to allow an automatic shift mode to

make fast, consistent shifts. An aerodynamic package is designed

to provide maximum down force in the expected speed range,

without creating large amounts of drag. Sensors are strategically

located on the aerodynamic, suspension and drivetrain components

for faster and more accurate collection of data used in tuning the

vehicle. A removable steering wheel integrated drivetrain feed-

back, vehicle controls, and a manual paddle shift mode to provide

comfortable and intuitive driver controls. The vehicle is required

to accommodate a 95th percentile model comfortably and safely in

the driver's compartment. The design of the interior driver com-

partment and bodywork allows the driver to quickly and safely

exit the vehicle in an emergency situation, while protecting them

from road debris and providing an aesthetically appealing body-

work package.

Advisor: David Planchard

Page 26

Design

Design and Production of a Scalable 3D Printed Prosthetic

Hand

Sean Greene, Daniel Lipson, Abimael Mercado, Aung Soe,

The e-NABLE community is an amazing group of individuals

from all over the world who are using their 3D printers to create

free 3D printed hands and arms for those in need of an upper limb

assistive device. When Ivan Owen posted a video of his homebuilt

mechanical hand on Youtube in 2011, he never could have pre-

dicted how far it would reach.The objective of this MQP is to cre-

ate a low cost (US $50), scalable, wrist powered, 3D-printed pros-

thetic hand with the goal to publish the design files as open-source

and public domain. Current 3D printed prosthetic hand designs do

not lend themselves to selective scaling which causes kinematic

failures. Improper selective scaling and initial design also negativ-

ity effects the assembly and the ability to address field serviceabil-

ity.Through mechatronic, material, kinematic, and manufacturabil-

ity studies, various generation prototypes were created. Using a

unique design incorporating equation based dimensions and pa-

rameters along with improved user interface and instructions pro-

vided successful results.

Advisors: David Planchard, Glen Gaudette

Page 27

Design

SAE Baja Redesign

Ryan Horton, Kenneth McPherson, Jason Mehta, Dylan Stimson

The purpose of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja

MQP was to update and modify the pre-existing vehicle for com-

petition in 2017. Major design modifications were made to the

chassis, suspension, drivetrain, and steering.

The rear of the chassis was modified allowing for proper orienta-

tion of the drivetrain and suspension. Kinematic analysis was per-

formed during the design phase for the front and rear suspension

in order to ensure ideal camber throughout suspension travel. The

entire suspension was then represented utilizing the half car mod-

el, analyzed using the mechatronic bond-graph method, and simu-

lated using Matlab.

The team used stress analysis to ensure that all designed compo-

nents could withstand the rigors of an SAE Baja competition with-

out component failure. Physical analysis was conducted to find the

appropriate gear reduction required to meet our design specifica-

tions for top speed and maximum torque.

The team worked diligently with manufacturers to ensure that the

components could be manufactured and used the WPI SAE chap-

ter to ensure that the car was completed in a timely fashion. Engi-

neering analysis as well as diligent communication with all stake-

holders allowed the MQP to create a fully operational and compet-

itive vehicle that meets the Mini Baja SAE competition specifica-

tions.

Advisor: David Planchard

Page 28

Design

Designing and Testing a Dynamic Prosthetic Socket

Daniel Felix, Selim Tanriverdi, Crystal Trivedi, Everett Wenzlaff

When an amputee wears a prosthesis for an extended period of

time, poor socket fit and high pressures contribute to discomfort,

skin abrasions, swelling, tissue necropathy, and blood vessel oc-

clusion within the residual limb. The goal of this project is to de-

sign and test a new prosthetic fitting for transtibial amputees that

will reduce the amount of stress on the skin and soft tissues of the

lower limb by automatically adjusting and redistributing the pres-

sures within the area of the socket. To address these issues, we

designed a socket with built in bladders that are controlled by an

automated pneumatic system. Our design redistributes pressure

within the system to increase comfort for the wearer.

Advisors: Marko Popovic, Yitzhak Mendelson, Selçuk Güçeri

Sponsor: Liberating Technologies Incorporated

Page 29

Design

Automated Design Tool

Daniel Grande, Felice Mancini

Individualization of education is recognized by the National Acad-

emy of Engineering (NAE) to be one of the grand challenges for

educators worldwide. But personalizing activities for every indi-

vidual in the classroom is a tedious task because of the variability

that exists in any classroom, be it in the form of individual student

capabilities and instructor teaching styles. With increasing enroll-

ment, teaching resources are stretched thin and individualization at

the level of every course is almost non existent. Personalization or

individualization is even more challenging in areas such as system

design and analysis.

Therefore, in order to provide an exploratory learning experience

in design and analysis, this project demonstrates an automated vir-

tual lab in the area of system design and analysis. The project

combines different research activities in automated analysis using

graph grammar approach and tree search methods. In particular, a

graph grammar rule-based system to automatically generate bond

graphs for various systems is developed. This is combined with

similar grammar based rules and search algorithms to provide au-

tomation in analysis and design. Examples will be demonstrated to

showcase the potential as well as how this concept can be scaled

using appropriate learning algorithms towards personalizing edu-

cation.

Advisor: Pradeep Radhakrishnan

Page 30

Design

Automation of Manual Assembly

Cameron DeWallace, James West, Justin Hence

MilliporeSigma produces single-use manufacturing plastic assem-

blies for biological therapeutics. Due to the very high degree of

customization present in these assemblies, the associated assembly

process is manual and is not necessarily scalable. Besides, manual

assembly results in challenges such as operator fatigue and incor-

rect assemblies. In order to improve and overcome these challeng-

es, the team conducted detailed research into various aspects of the

Danvers Mobius Production Unit. By integrating a structured de-

sign methodology ranging from studying the current operational

model, interviews with key stakeholders, observations on the shop

floor to developing activity maps for the various processes, differ-

ent avenues for automation were identified. After brainstorming

and generating different automation concepts for various stages of

the assembly operation, the team decided to focus on further en-

hancing concepts for tube-insertion. In particular, the focus was on

inserting small tubes, which is not only a challenging and repeti-

tive process but also causes operator fatigue. The project will de-

tail different design and analyses carried out as well as the results

from testing the proof of concept.

Advisor: Pradeep Radhakrishnan

Sponsor: MilliporeSigma

Page 31

Design

Harnessing Wind Energy: 3D Printing a Small-Scale Wind

Turbine with a Fiberglass Converging-Diverging Nozzle

Stacey Chaves, Isabella Sanchez, Eduardo Sandoval

This project aims to design and create an affordable yet efficient

small-scale wind turbine to provide people in diverse environ-

ments with the opportunity to harness wind energy. We investigat-

ed different wind turbine designs and ultimately decided on a de-

sign with a three-bladed horizontal axis wind turbine placed inside

of a converging-diverging nozzle, in order to maximize wind

speeds, and furthermore, maximize power output. We also made

our design accessible to others by 3D printing our wind turbine,

since 3D printing is a fast growing and accessible technology. As a

result, we used and investigated ABS plastic because it is one of

the most common materials used in 3D printers. Additionally, we

used PVC piping for the tower supporting our nozzle and we con-

structed a platform out of wood. Lastly, we used fiberglass coated

with a two-part epoxy to construct the converging-diverging

nozzle.

Advisor: Nima Rahbar

Page 32

Design

Design of a System for in-situ Measurements of Semiconductor

-Catalyst Under Strain

Nickolas Burnell, Julianne Flynn, Mitchell Green, Gabriel Ludke

Rising concerns over global warming and fossil fuels creates a

need for alternative energy sources. Hydrogen, the most abundant

chemical element in the universe, can be harnessed through solar-

driven water electrolysis by a photocatalyst material. The project

team designed, manufactured and tested a device in which a pho-

tocatalyst material can be mechanically strained to improve its

energy conversion efficiency. The device consists of an electrical-

ly conductive substrate, a straining mechanism, and a reaction

chamber. The electrically conductive substrate, made of a metal-

filled polymer, acts as an electrode for the photocatalyst. The

straining mechanism was designed to bend this substrate and

transfer strain to the photocatalyst over a range of -2 to 2%. The

reaction chamber was created to house the substrate and mecha-

nism while allowing light to reach the photocatalyst. All compo-

nents were designed to be chemically resistant to one molar sulfu-

ric acid, in which the reaction will be conducted.

Advisor: Pratap Rao

Page 33

Design

Designing a Concussion-Reducing Football Helmet

Kelly Beisswanger, Danielle Haley, Glen Morgan,

Vincent Tavernelli

The goal of this project was to reduce the likelihood of concussions for

football players by designing a helmet that decreased linear acceleration

of the head. The design incorporated shock-absorbent protective padding.

A testing assembly was created to simulate an impact force while meas-

uring x and z accelerations experienced in the head. Recorded accelera-

tions were used in equations to calculate the Head Injury Criteria (HIC)

and Gadd Severity Index (SI) parameters, which are commonly used to

measure the probability of a head injury. Results obtained from the hel-

met with shock-absorbent material were compared to results obtained

from the helmet in its original condition. Analysis of the results demon-

strated that exterior shock-absorbent protective padding was effective at

reducing the likelihood of a concussion by reducing the linear accelera-

tion of the head when comparing parameters such as acceleration, HIC,

and GSI.


Page 34

Design

Water Energy Harvester

Sarah Bailey, Katrina Bradley, Andrea Chan, Nathan Curtis,

Lauren Richard

The Water Energy Harvester MQP aims to provide design insight

into a novel system that collects energy from flowing water. This

project is a continuation of a previous MQP which initialized the

basic design for a tidal turbine. The updated design is comprised

of a single neoprene fin that moves sinusoidally in the direction of

the flow of water, similar to the motion of an eel’s dorsal fin. Both

the fin and powertrain designs have been redeveloped for greater

power transfer, energy collection efficiency, and manufacturabil-

ity. Though no data was collected to determine the power efficien-

cy of the device, it was determined that a lighter, continuous fin is

necessary for smoother undulating motion and for reducing the

torque needed during its sinusoidal motion. The crankshaft re-

quires manufacturing that is exceptionally difficult on WPI’s cam-

pus and may also need to be made of a different material.


Page 35

Design

A Novel Transmission for a Motorcycle Engine

Ethan Barrieau, Jason Beauregard

Current motorcycle transmissions have extensive room for optimization.

This Major Qualifying Project utilizes the engineering design process in

order to develop a novel automatic manual motorcycle transmission. The

engineering design process is essential throughout the development of the

system and was utilized to mimic the design process in a commercial

setting. Intended outcomes where to create a smaller transmission system

with an internal gear selector system. Gear transitions will be manually

selected by the motorcycle operator to provide efficient transitions while

maintaining operator control. This project is a multi-phase project, with

this years intended focus on the gear selector system. A prototype was

created in order to analyze and redesign for future development.

Advisor: Christopher Scarpino

Page 36

Design

Aerial Ice Dam Control & Removal

Stephen Arata, Riley Shoneck, Mitchell Weeks

Ice dams can cause serious damage to homes during the winter-

time. Multirotor mounted solutions were designed and fabricated

to deploy salt on these ice dams, allowing backed-up water to

channel through the ice dams and prevent continued water dam-

age. Two mechanisms were developed and prototyped. The proto-

types had rapid interchangeability with a unified static multirotor

mount. They were designed for quick assembly and repair, with

the majority of parts composed of lightweight laser-cut acrylic and

3D-printed PLA. One mechanism carried and deployed 0.7 kg of

standard calcium chloride throw-able ice pucks, while the other

prototype carried and deployed 1.239 kg of granular pet-safe ice

melt. Both units are controlled manually by the same transmitter/

receiver system (tested to a line-of-sight range of over 450m),

which is independent of the multirotor flight control system. Both

mechanisms performed as intended, deploying their respective

forms of salt in a controlled manner.

Advisor: John Sullivan

Page 37

Design

Body Armor Impact Map System

Carolyn Keyes, Nicholas Potvin, Zachary Richards,

Christopher Tolisano

Bullet-resistant vests have saved the lives of many law enforce-

ment officers, however, after being shot, wearers are commonly

left with life-threatening injuries. Therefore, users are sometimes

unable to call for help, delaying the response time for needed as-

sistance. Reducing the time between the impact and the arrival of

medical care is critical to the user’s survival. To assist in ensuring

a timely response, a system capable of detecting a ballistic impact,

determining its location, and calculating the likely injury sustained

by the wearer was created. The system utilizes a custom designed

network of sensors and accompanying circuitry. The circuit trans-

mits the collected information of the impact to an application in-

stalled on the user's smartphone via Bluetooth. The impact data is

then sent along with the GPS location of the smartphone to a mon-

itoring entity, providing an instant medical alert, as well as warn-

ing other officers of a potentially dangerous situation.

Advisors: John Sullivan, William Michalson

Page 38

Design

Design and Fabrication of a Stirling Engine

Pete DiMaggio, Jennifer Eastaugh, Justin Fahie, Alex Silk

In this Major Qualifying Project (MQP), our team designed and

fabricated a Stirling engine, an external combustion engine that

operates due to expansion and compression of air associated with

an external heat source and converting that energy into mechanical

work. The team designed a dual beta-type Stirling configuration

and modeled it using computer aided design (CAD) software. The

engine was analyzed thermodynamically and subsequently fabri-

cated, though a sequence of design iterations to reach the final pro-

totype assembly. Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software

and computer numerical control (CNC) machines were used to

create complex parts. The dual nature of the design reduced the

need for a large flywheel to store inertial energy. A unique piston

design and ring system were implemented reduce the inertia com-

ponents of the system. The prototype is undergoing final test eval-

uations and results will be forthcoming.


Page 39

Design

Dog Entertainment

Arthur Fulgoni, Hector Rivas, and Omar Younis

Finding time and energy for playing with dogs is getting harder

each day. Elderly or physically disabled dog owners may lack the

strength or endurance to train and exercise their pets. Our FIDO

project designed a tennis ball-throwing center to entertain a dog. It

focuses on the overall design and performance of a new product.

Mechanical systems for elevation, rotation and launching of a ten-

nis ball were analyzed and studied to improve the previous sys-

tems for faster operations. The footprint of the FIDO design was

configured to allow a single person to move, relocate, and set it

up. The time required for a subsequent ball toss was designed to

be less than 15 seconds. The team designed and fabricated an aes-

thetically appealing outer housing of FIDO including painted

frame, laser cut-to-fit acrylic side panels, and finished wood as the

top and bottom bases for the product. The system provides interac-

tive input for both interior and exterior operation.


Page 40

Design

Stirling Engine Design and Fabrication

Alexander Church, Benjamin Greenbaum, Cory Stirling

The objective of this project was to design and manufacture a Stir-

ling engine capable of producing 100 Watts. A Stirling engine is

an external combustion engine that creates work by utilizing a

temperature gradient within a cylinder to drive a piston. These

engines are attractive options for green technologies because the

temperature differential can be produced by a variety of heat

sources. Analysis showed that a Beta configuration would meet

both thermodynamic and manufacturing requirements. Practical

testing was performed to verify the initial analysis. The crank-

shaft, piston, displacer, heating element, and cooling element were

machined from stock material. These components were combined

with parts from prior Stirling Engine MQPs, a flywheel and power

testing apparatus, to fully construct the engine. Testing was per-

formed on the engine, and areas for improvement were document-

ed and addressed. Prototype testing is ongoing currently


Page 41

Design

The Snow Rake: Removing Snow from Multiple Story Roofs

Grant Brining, Mark Chakuroff, Zachary Charland,

Thomas Stanovich

Heavy winter snowfall around the country puts the structural in-

tegrity of residential homes at risk. While single story homes are

easy to clear, it is a daunting task to climb on a roof to remove

snow from a multiple-story home. Two snow removal system pro-

totypes were designed,fabricated, and tested which would allow a

contracting team to clear snow on a multiple story roof from

ground level. One of these prototypes shows great promise and

would dramatically increase user safety.


Page 42

Manufacturing Engineering

Analysis of 3d Printed Beams and Truss Bridges

Aaron Cornelius

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a common form of 3d print-

ing, has several key drawbacks that make it difficult to analyze

using traditional engineering equations. This paper analyzed tradi-

tional engineering models in regards to 3d printed beams in bend-

ing and proposes adapted equations. The proposed infill based

model accurately predicts the failure point of beams, and is suita-

ble for both direct calculation of beam strength and for compara-

tive analysis with changing part dimensions and printing variables.

Additionally, a new system for breaking 3d printed truss bridges is

proposed for use in educational settings, which allows quick and

simple setup with minimal printing time.

Advisor: Torbjorn Bergstrom

Page 43


Surface Metrology of Additive Manufactured Surfaces

Adam Lemoine, Matthew Mancini, Joseluis Velez

Additive manufactured surfaces are known to be problematic. The

ability to repeat surface measurements must be established before

the influence of manufacturing variables on surface roughness can

be properly compared. Topographic measurements of laser sin-

tered surfaces manufactured by additive manufacturing are stud-

ied. Measured height data are compared directly and using con-

ventional and multi-scale characterization parameters. Additional-

ly, this work demonstrates a method for selecting the measurement

size and the size of calculation regions for studying surface topog-

raphies. The variance between different locations on a surface

tends to be greater when the scale of observation is small. Identify-

ing the scales where individual topographical features become less

visible can be useful for selecting necessary scales to study. Also,

this work presents a correlation study between the linear energy

density of the laser used in the sintering process and conventional

and multi-scale parameters, which can support additive manufac-

turing process design. Recently proposed principles of surface

metrology, emphasizing scale, geometric features and measure-

ment fidelity, are examined in light of these results.

Advisor: Cristopher Brown

Page 44


Improving the Drying Technology at Pacific Can, Beijing

Rida Fayyaz, Andrew Kenyon, Victor Vasquez

The goal of this project is to assist the Beijing manufacturing facil-

ity of Pacific Can in determining a more efficient and economical

drying system into the manufacturing process of aluminum cans.

We analyzed the current drying process, conducted experiments to

determine the feasibility of our proposed alternatives, and created

a 3D model of our recommended solution for integration into the

current process. Major methods used include engineering design,

design of experiment, systems thinking and cost-benefit analysis.

Advisors: Jianyu Liang, Amy Zeng

Sponsor: Pacific Can Ltd.

Page 45

Materials Engineering

Dissimilar Metal Casting

Rachel Harrison, Scott Olson, Alino Te

The aim of this project was to explore the nature of metallurgical

bonds that can be created between steel and aluminum. Metallic

coatings were utilized to facilitate the formation of quality bonds

between the two dissimilar metals. Hot dipping experiments were

performed to evaluate the effect of time and coating material. The

introduction of zinc as a coating material improved the bond quali-

ty; attempts to use a more complex metal matrix material were

unsuccessful due to challenges with its creation. The conclusions

drawn from this research provide a basis for better understanding

of the mechanism of metal diffusion over time and the

subsequent bond formation.

Advisor: Diran Apelian

Sponsor: Metal Processing Institute

Page 46


Friction Testing for Shoe Sole

Brien Hard, Joe Lidwin, Chris Murray, Connor King

This project focuses on finding a possible correlation between sur-

face roughness and coefficient of friction for elastomer com-

pounds used in making shoe soles. The surface of the elastomer

compounds were measured with a confocal microscope to obtain

topographical data. Analysis techniques were used to understand

the area of the surface and determine at what micrometer scales

the surface should be analyzed. This process helps to determine

the scales in which two surfaces could be considered different. An

apparatus was designed to test the tangential and normal compo-

nents of the coefficient of friction between the elastomer and

counter face. The coefficient of friction measurements were re-

gressed with the height parameters and the area scale complexity

of the surface to attempt to find a correlation.

Advisor: Christopher Brown

Page 47


Effects of Intumescent Layering on the Pyrolysis of FRP

Systems

Lewis DuBois, Zhidong He, Adam McNally

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) compose a versatile set of ma-

terials and offer several advantages over conventional materials in

architectural applications such as exterior cladding and ornamental

features. Manufacturers are developing a myriad of systems to

improve these materials’ ability to meet fire safety regulations.

Cone calorimetry is a bench-scale test those results can be used to

estimate an FRP system’s performance in a full-scale fire test, and

can be used to compare intumescent layered systems to established

systems. Simulating cone calorimeter experiments in Gpyro, a

comprehensive pyrolysis modeling program, offers the possibility

of predicting FRP systems’ performances before they are fabricat-

ed. However, use of Gpyro in this application is in its infancy and

requires fine tuning to accurately predict test results. This project

compared the effectiveness of different fire-resistant FRP systems

in terms of meeting building regulations and tested the efficacy of

Gpyro at predicting cone calorimeter test results from material

properties.

Advisor: Nicholas Dembsey

Sponsor: Kreysler & Associates


Fire Behavior of a Fiber Reinforced Polymer Load Bearing

Wall

Paul Esteve, Alexander Klose, Thomas Washburn

This report investigates in-plane load carrying behavior of a fiber

reinforced polymer (FRP) wall exposed to localized flashover con-

ditions. The structural behavior under ambient and fire conditions

was analyzed using engineering science principles to gain insight

into the mechanisms behind the behavior. Individual wall compo-

nents and a scaled assembly were tested at ambient temperatures

providing a baseline to compare with fire test results. Two 8x4

foot FRP assemblies exposed to fire conditions were evaluated to

determine their load carrying behavior.



Page 48

Page 49


Friction Stir Welding of Dissimilar Materials

Matthew Ryder, Christopher Sample, Jinghan Wu

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process that

has demonstrated the ability to join both similar and dissimilar

alloys, as well as materials unweldable by traditional fusion weld-

ing techniques. Improved mechanical properties were reported

often without the need for post-weld heat treatment. To develop a

fundamental understanding of the process, and broaden the range

of applications in aerospace and automotive industries, it is imper-

ative to establish relationships between welding parameters and

weld quality, resulting microstructures, and tensile properties and

microhardness. A fixture was specifically designed and fabricated

to accommodate different sample geometries, and the fixture ma-

terial was selected based on heat transfer computations. Similar

and dissimilar FSW experiments using various rotation and trav-

erse speeds were performed on three heat treated wrought alumi-

num alloys (Al6061-T651, Al2024-T351, Al7075-T735), located

systematically on both advancing and retreating sides of the weld.

Quality index was first evaluated to assess and optimize the pro-

cess. Further, microstructural characteristics, including band spac-

ing and grain size, have been measured and analytically correlated

with microhardness and tensile properties in both traverse and lon-

gitudinal directions. The results will be presented and discussed in

the context of structural applications for the transportation indus-

try.

Advisor: Diana Lados

Page 50


Hybrid Doped Silica Aerogels

Evan Baum, Corey Richards

Silica aerogels are lightweight, highly porous, nanostructured ma-

terials with low density, low dielectric constants, and excellent

thermal insulation properties. They are among the most easily fab-

ricated aerogels due to the availability of required materials such

as carbon dioxide, ethanol, and tetraethyl orthosilicate; and the

relatively simple sol-gel chemistry involved. By using silica aero-

gels as skeletons, nanomaterials were easily and effectively struc-

tured in three dimensions to create electrically conductive, low

density, and porous nanostructured networks. Aerogels doped with

carbon nanotubes, graphene, tungsten disulfide, and molybdenum

disulfide were fabricated by the liquid carbon dioxide supercritical

drying of silica gels that were loaded with these nanomaterials.

The dopants were introduced into the gels by dispersing them in

ethanol, which acts as the pore liquid of the gels. The resulting

aerogels, having properties that are tunable through dopant materi-

al and concentration, could serve as a fundamental design for fu-

ture low density and porous networks suitable for catalysis, energy

conversion, energy storage, tunable thermal properties, high com-

pressibility and many other applications.

Advisor: Balaji Panchapakesan

Page 51

Robotics

Fire Containment Drone

Tim Neilan, Cameron Peterson, David Rubenstein, Bryan Toribio

The focus of this project was to create a fire suppressing multi-

rotor drone platform capable of working in parallel with firefight-

ers and first responders. The Fire Containment Drone was de-

signed to aid in fighting boat fires as they provide unique difficul-

ties for firefighters that a multirotor drone platform could alleviate.

The drone system utilizes a fire suppression gel called FireIce. The

fire suppression system used wireless communication, GPS loca-

tion, camera feedback, and a temperature sensing array to assess

the fire and accurately apply the fire suppression agent. As this is

an exploratory project for drone technology, the prototype system

will provide a foundation for future projects to build on.

Advisors: William Michalson, Fred Looft

Page 52

Robotics

Foldable Micro Aerial Vehicles

Fuchen Chen, Weijia Tao, Dabai Zhang

Folding is an efficient way of constructing 3D structures. It re-

quires less energy to manufacture and less space for storage. This

paper presents a robot fabrication method inspired by origami.

Crease pattern is laser cut onto polyester sheets to become the

basic parts that form the structure of robot. Such parts are then

folded and assembled together. To demonstrate the functionality

and reliability of this fabrication method, two kinds of micro aerial

vehicles, a quadcopter and a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)

aircraft, are designed and tested. Test flights are performed suc-

cessfully on both vehicles.

Advisor: Cagdas Onal

Page 53

Robotics

HERO Glove

Alex Caracappa, Saraj Pirasmepulkul, Peerapat Luxsuwong,

Tri Khuu

Non-repetitive manipulation tasks that are easy for humans to per-

form are difficult for autonomous robots to execute. The Haptic

Exoskeletal Robot Operator (HERO) Glove is a system designed

for users to remotely control robot manipulators whilst providing

sensory feedback to the user. This realistic haptic feedback is

achieved through the use of toroidal air-filled actuators that stiffen

up around the user’s fingers. Tactile sensor data is sent from the

robot to the HERO Glove, where it is used to vary the pressure in

the toroidal actuators to simulate the sense of touch. Curvature

sensors and inertial measurement units are used to capture the

glove’s pose to control the robot.

Advisors: Cagdas Onal, William Michalson

Sponsor: Soft Robotics Lab at WPI

Page 54

Robotics

Hydro-Muscle Actuated Exo-Legs for Therapy and Video

Gaming

Nicholas Benson, Jason Hyacinthe, Steven Ruotolo,

Chenwei Zhang

Ambulatory disabilities affects approximately 30.6 million people

in the US over the age of 15 according to the 2010 US Census. Of

these 30.6 million, about 10.8 million have the ability to walk a

quarter mile continuously, but find it difficult doing so. The goals

of this project were to design a device to be used therapeutically in

order to help re-learn walking motions, to strengthen muscles, or

to assist in everyday life. The device was also designed to be used

as part of cyber physical interface, e.g. virtual reality (VR) system

to offer a source of physical input and feedback. To accomplish

this task, our team built a wearable leg actuation assisting appa-

ratus that outputs a minimum of five percent of the average adult’s

knee joint moment and is combinable to a VR system to fully en-

gulf the user into a gaming environment.

Advisor: Marko Popovic, Eben Cobb, Charles Sheldon

Page 55

Robotics

Ornithopter, Flapping Wing Robot

Brian Baggaley, Jourdan McKenna, Daniel Sanderson,

Fredrick Wight

The objective for this project is to design and implement an orni-

thopter capable of short-distance flight. An ornithopter is a robot

that flies in a manner similar to a bird by generating flapping wing

motion. Ornithopters can be more efficient, cost effective and en-

vironmentally friendly than fixed-wing aircrafts. This ornithopter

has been developed by observation of both natural and man-made

fliers, as well as previous academic projects. Goals for this project

include being capable of maneuvering around and over obstacles

by adjusting pitch, yaw, and roll, ability to glide for seven seconds

under its own power, can switch between flapping and gliding

with minimal disruption of flight pattern and being durable enough

to withstand impacts with minimal to no damage.

Advisors: Marko Popovic, Hossein Hakim, Dmitry Berenson

Page 56

Robotics

Lower-limb Exoskeleton Design

Brian Flynn

Calculated and measured kinematic and dynamic data are seldom

the focus of viability reports or articles regarding the effectiveness

of rehabilitative exoskeletons. Mechanical bodies with a number

of links and joints can be analyzed using forward and inverse kine-

matics, dynamics, and bond graph techniques. A more comprehen-

sive understanding of the dynamic qualities of the mechanism and

its components is achieved when the results of the separate meth-

ods are analyzed and compared. Preliminary mechanical analyses

which employ these methods lead to more accurate predictions of

significant component features as well as the forces acting upon

them, resulting in a design that is closer to the system being imitat-

ed.

By collecting and making these data public, researchers and de-

signers can make further advances in the field, promoting the de-

sign of more effective rehabilitative devices and a more compre-

hensive collective understanding of how to best approach the de-

sign process for a rehabilitative exoskeleton device. These meth-

ods are currently being applied to the design of an adjustable and

compliant lower-limb exoskeleton for clinical rehabilitation. It is

particularly important to quantify the effects of a device under the

influence of numerous internal and external forces with the ability

to have its dimensions altered. If a standard for the analysis of a

similar device is developed and mechanical analysis results are

shared, the amount of time consumed during the design process

can be reduced.

Advisors: Yiming Rong, Pradeep Radhakrishnan

Page 57

Thermofluids

NFPA 285 Screening Rig Evaluation

Michelle Dong, Shannon Rice, Earl Schiffhauer, Keith Sullivan

Composite building materials, such as Fiber Reinforced Polymers

(FRP) are becoming more widely used in the exterior cladding

systems of modern buildings. The light-weight, fast, and easily

customizable design of FRP appeals to both architects and engi-

neers. However, FRP's classification as a combustible material

presents concerns with respect to external fire spread. Combustible

exterior cladding assemblies are required to pass the NFPA 285

multi-story building test. The full scale NFPA 285 test is expen-

sive to run, and it is challenging to repeatedly test the exterior

cladding specimen when considering potential alterations to the

assembly. This project focuses on utilizing a cost-effective inter-

mediate-scale screening rig in the WPI Fire Laboratory to provide

results which are indicative of the full scale NFPA 285 test. An

instrumented assembly specimen is tested in the intermediate-scale

test, and results are compared to previous tests, and the NFPA 285

standardized test.



Page 58

Thermofluids

Alternative Methods of Aircraft Braking

Matthew Dunster, Thomas Nuthman, Gregory Stockman,

Nathan Varney

The objectives of this Major Qualifying Project are to identify al-

ternative braking methods for use in commercial aircraft, and to

evaluate the feasibility of a fluidic brake utilizing magnetorheolog-

ical fluid (MRF). This design addresses the problem of overheat-

ing of conventional brakes during a high-speed rejected take-off

(RTO). To determine the energy requirements of the braking sys-

tem, a set of thermodynamic equations are derived and validated

using a case study of the Boeing 737-800. The requirements of the

brakes are given by the brake energy conversion rate as a function

of time during an RTO. The MRF braking system is then evaluat-

ed using a computational thermodynamic model to determine the

transient pressures and temperatures generated during an RTO

event. The model and calculations show that pump efficiencies of

less than 0.1% are required to achieve the necessary energy dissi-

pation during an RTO event. Using the model, a pump and heat

exchanger are sized to evaluate the feasibility of the MRF braking

system.

Advisor: Mustafa Fofana

Sponsor: United Technologies Research Center

Page 59

Thermofluids

Heat Transfer Demo Cart

Kyle LeBorgne, Foster Lee, João Maurício Vasconcelos,

Robert Wood

Visual aids provide an opportunity for greater conceptual under-

standing in many engineering topics. In heat transfer education,

such visualization tools are rare, if in practice at all. The objective

of this project is to design and construct a portable device capable

of both demonstrating heat transfer forced and natural convection

in real-time, and measuring the convective heat transfer coefficient

‘h’. Analysis of the design and functional requirements resulted in

the development of a subsonic, insulated wind tunnel. The test

chamber of the tunnel is outfitted with custom manufactured ge-

ometry and instruments including thermocouples and hot wire ane-

mometry for data acquisition. Control of heat flux, air velocity,

and test geometry enables the tunnel to simulate common sample

problems found in introductory heat transfer textbooks. The suc-

cessful operation of the experiment indicates the device is applica-

ble to a broad range of configurations, including those that parallel

introductory heat transfer problems.

Advisor: Selçuk Güçeri

Page 60

Thermofluids

Forensic Fire Scene Analysis Using Computational Fluid

Dynamics

Francisco Kang, Raeshawn Kennedy, Bernard Rabidou,

Dimitrios Savva

Fire investigations remain one of the most complicated forensic

sciences as it is common for investigators to examine the same fire

scene and reach different conclusions regarding fire origin. To

better understand this science, this project utilized Fire Dynamics

Simulator (FDS), a computational fluid dynamics program, to as-

sess how fire conditions in a compartment, such as fire growth and

flame spread, are affected by ventilation and fire origin. During

the course of this assessment, full-scale fire test data provided by

the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was

replicated to add validity to FDS model simulations. Following

this replication, features of FDS facilitated analysis by providing

data that could not be captured during live testing such as visual

representations inside the compartment. From this analysis, a pos-

sible correlation could be made between fire growth, flame spread

and any additional factors that may help investigators determine

area of fire origin.

Advisor: Milosh Puchovsky, Christopher Wood

Page 61

Thermofluids

Integration of a CHP Unit into the Worcester County Jail

Ryan Carello, Thomas Fay, Nathan Ghion, Stefan Smith

This project analyzed the feasibility of using the heat generated by

a West Boylston Municipal Lighting Plant (WBMLP) owned and

operated combined heat and power (CHP) unit to provide domes-

tic water heating for the Worcester County Jail (WCJ). After a site

visit and analysis of data gathered by a flow meter installed in the

boiler room of the WCJ, the team determined the jail’s domestic

water heating load and decided on an appropriate CHP unit size to

meet this demand (two 75 kW units). After numerous calculations,

it was found that the project was financially and environmentally

feasible. The team also reviewed permitting requirements and

compiled a list of incentive programs that the WBMLP should

apply for; as well as a guideline on how to apply for these incen-

tives. The project also provides the following:

A detailed visualization of the proposed CHP units and how

they will be placed in relation to the jail’s boiler room

An estimated budget for the CHP unit installation which in-

cludes financial returns

A construction schedule to be used in planning the logistics

for the integration of the CHP units.


Sponsor: West Boylston Municipal Lighting Plant

Page 62

Thermofluids

Electrohydrodynamic Conduction Pumping in Micro-

Scale With Two Phase Flow AREA: Thermo-fluids

Darien Khea, Ahmed Hossain

The heat transfer requirements in order to regulate operating tem-

peratures in high power electronics stems from the technological

advancements of miniaturizing systems.

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction pumps can be utilized

for micro-scale thermal control. EHD conduction pumps are ad-

vantageous in the sense that they are simple in design, have no

moving parts, require lower power to operate, and is able to be

used in microgravity. This project offers performance character-

istics such as pressure and flow rate generation in micro-scale for

a single phase flow based on an EHD pump consisting of three

electrode pairs. These electrode pairs comprise of a flush ring

ground electrode and two 400 micron perforated high voltage

electrodes.

Advisor: Jamal Yagoobi

Page 63

Thermofluids

Fluid Flow Distribution Control in Micro-Scale with EHD

Conduction Pumping Mechanism

Tobin Dancy, Omesh Kamat, Tommy Larkin

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction pumping technology uti-

lizes the interaction between an applied electrical field and disso-

ciated ions within a dielectric fluid to generate a net body force

within the working fluid, which results in a net flow in a desired

direction. EHD conduction pumps have noticeable benefits when

compared to their traditional mechanical counterparts due to their

low vibration and noise generation, low power consumption, and

ability to operate in microgravity. EHD conduction pumps provide

intelligent flow control via their ability to vary the electric field

voltage applied to their electrodes. Flow distribution control using

EHD conduction pumps has been previously examined in macro-

and meso-scale configurations confirming effective redistribution

of flow and recovery from mal-distribution in both single and two-

phase flows. The purpose of this Major Qualifying Project was to

study the use of EHD conduction pumps in controlling single

phase flow distribution through parallel micro-channels, 500 mi-

crons tall, using upstream micro-scale EHD pumps. Voltage ap-

plied to the micro-scale EHD conduction pumps ranged between 0

-1500 volts. The working fluid used in these experiments was the

refrigerant HCFC-123, operated at ambient conditions.

Advisor: Jamal Yagoobi

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