Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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Description
Human habitation of other planets requires both cost-effective transportation and low time-of-flight for human passengers and critical supplies. The current methods for interplanetary orbital transfers, such as the Hohmann transfer, require either expensive, high fuel maneuvers or extended space travel. However, by utilizing the high velocities of a super-geosynchronous space elevator, spacecraft released from an apex anchor could achieve interplanetary transfers with minimal Delta V fuel and time of flight requirements. By using Lambert’s Problem and Free Release propagation to determine the minimal fuel transfer from a terrestrial space elevator to Mars under a variety of initial conditions and time-of-flight constraints, this paper demonstrates that the use of a space elevator release can address both needs by dramatically reducing the time-of-flight and the fuel budget.
ContributorsTorla, James (Author) / Peet, Matthew (Thesis director) / Swan, Peter (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
An experimental investigation was conducted to calculate the aerodynamic drag on a cyclist wearing different types of clothing. The different outfits worn for this experiment were a professional skinsuit, a professional cycling kit, a t-shirt and shorts, and a long-sleeved flannel and jeans. The aerodynamic drag was ultimately found using the coast down method, a process in which a cyclist increases their speed to a chosen maximum threshold, and upon reaching this speed, ceases the pedal stroke and maintains the aero position until the bicycle comes to a stop. The data was gathered using an AeroPod, speed sensor, and GPS unit. The data gathered was imported into Excel for data analysis. The average CdA values at race speed (26-30 ft/s) for the skinsuit, cycling kit, t-shirt and shorts, and flannel were calculated to be 4.180 ft2, 3.668 ft2, 4.884 ft2, and 4.223 ft2, respectively. These race speed averages were found using data from three separate Ironman Triathlons. The cycling kit was found to be the most aerodynamic at the race speed. The results of this study reveal that cycling apparel can only be optimized for a small range of speeds and cycling outside of this optimal range delays the initiation of the reduction of boundary layer separation, thus resulting in more critical time spent in the flow transition region. The skinsuit’s performance was more aerodynamically efficient than the cycling kit at speeds greater than 36.8 mph. The cycling kit is more aerodynamic for speeds slower than 36.8 mph. The slickness of the skinsuit was found to be detrimental to the cyclist’s aerodynamic drag, as the lack of roughness on the skinsuit prevented the initiation of turbulent flow, which results in a decrease in drag. Overall, the experiment confirmed the hypothesis that a cyclist is more aerodynamic when wearing cycling apparel as opposed to casual, loose-fitting clothing.
ContributorsGlynn, Julia Daniel (Co-author) / Duffy, Kyle (Co-author) / Takahashi, Timothy (Thesis director) / Bergmann, Ande (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
This thesis project explains what thermal interface materials (TIMs) are, what they are used for, and how to measure their properties. Thermal interface materials are typically either a grease like paste or a soft polymer pad that is placed between two solids to increase the heat transfer rate. Solids in contact with each other experience a very large thermal contact resistance, this creates a thermal bottleneck which severely decreases the heat transfer from one solid to another. To solve this, particles with a high thermal conductivity are used as filler material in either a grease or polymer. A common application for TIMs is in computer components, where a TIM is used to remove the heat generated from computer chips. These materials allow for computer chips to run faster without overheating or throttling performance. However, further improvements to TIMs are still desired, which are needed for more powerful computer chips. In this work, a Stepped Bar Apparatus (SBA) is used to evaluate the thermal properties of TIMs. The SBA is based on Fourier’s Law of one-dimensional heat transfer. This work explains the fundamentals of the SBA measurement, and develops a reliable way to confirm the SBA’s measurement consistency through the use of reference samples. Furthermore, this work evaluates the effects of volume fraction and magnetic alignment on the performance of nickel flakes mixed into a polymer to create a soft TIM composite pad. Magnets are used to align the nickel flakes into a column like arrangement in the direction that heat will travel. Magnetic alignment increases the thermal conductivity of the composite pads, and has peak performance at low compression.
ContributorsHart, Matthew (Author) / Rykaczewski, Konrad (Thesis director) / Wang, Robert (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
This paper describes the development of a software tool used to automate the preliminary design of aircraft wing structure. By taking wing planform and aircraft weight as inputs, the tool is able to predict loads that will be experienced by the wing. An iterative process is then used to select optimal material thicknesses for each section of the design to minimize total structural weight. The load analysis checks for tensile failure as well as Euler buckling when considering if a given wing structure is valid. After running a variety of test cases with the tool it was found that wing structure of small-scale aircraft is predominantly buckling driven. This is problematic because commonly used weight estimation equations are based on large scale aircraft with strength driven wing designs. Thus, if these equations are applied to smaller aircraft, resulting weight estimates are often much lower than reality. The use of a physics-based approach to preliminary sizing could greatly improve the accuracy of weight predictions and accelerate the design process.
ContributorsKolesov, Nikolay (Author) / Takahashi, Timothy (Thesis director) / Patel, Jay (Committee member) / Kosaraju, Srinivas (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
An understanding of aerodynamics is crucial for automobile performance and efficiency. There are many types of “add-on” aerodynamic devices for cars including wings, splitters, and vortex generators. While these have been studied extensively, rear spoilers have not, and their effects are not as widely known. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel study was performed to study the effects of spoilers on vehicle aerodynamics and performance. Vehicle aerodynamics is geometry dependent, meaning what applies to one car may or may not apply on another. So, the Scion FRS was chosen as the test vehicle because it is has the “classic” sports car configuration with a long hood, short rear, and 2+2 passenger cabin while also being widely sold with a plethora of aftermarket aerodynamic modifications available. Due to computing and licensing restrictions, only a 2D CFD simulation was performed in ANSYS Fluent 19.1. A surface model of the centerline of the car was created in SolidWorks and imported into ANSYS, where the domain was created. A mesh convergence study was run to determine the optimum mesh size, and Realizable k-epsilon was the chosen physics model. The wind tunnel lacked equipment to record quantifiable data, so the wind tunnel was utilized for flow visualization on a 1/24 scale car model to compare with the CFD.
0° spoilers reduced the wake area behind the car, decreasing pressure drag but also decreasing underbody flow, causing a reduction in drag and downforce. Angled spoilers increased the wake area behind the car, increasing pressure drag but also increasing underbody flow, causing an increase in drag and downforce. Longer spoilers increased these effects compared to shorter spoilers, and short spoilers at different angles did not create significantly different effects. 0° spoilers would be best suited for cases that prioritize fuel economy or straight-line acceleration and speed due to the drag reduction, while angled spoilers would be best suited for cars requiring downforce. The angle and length of spoiler would depend on the downforce needed, which is dependent on the track.
0° spoilers reduced the wake area behind the car, decreasing pressure drag but also decreasing underbody flow, causing a reduction in drag and downforce. Angled spoilers increased the wake area behind the car, increasing pressure drag but also increasing underbody flow, causing an increase in drag and downforce. Longer spoilers increased these effects compared to shorter spoilers, and short spoilers at different angles did not create significantly different effects. 0° spoilers would be best suited for cases that prioritize fuel economy or straight-line acceleration and speed due to the drag reduction, while angled spoilers would be best suited for cars requiring downforce. The angle and length of spoiler would depend on the downforce needed, which is dependent on the track.
ContributorsNie, Alexander (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
This paper presents a variable damping controller that can be implemented into wearable and exoskeleton robots. The variable damping controller functions by providing different levels of robotic damping from negative to positive to the coupled human-robot system. The wearable ankle robot was used to test this control strategy in the different directions of motion. The range of damping applied was selected based on the known inherent damping of the human ankle, ensuring that the coupled system became positively damped, and therefore stable. Human experiments were performed to understand and quantify the effects of the variable damping controller on the human user. Within the study, the human subjects performed a target reaching exercise while the ankle robot provided the system with constant positive, constant negative, or variable damping. These three damping conditions could then be compared to analyze the performance of the system. The following performance measures were selected: maximum speed to quantify agility, maximum overshoot to quantify stability, and muscle activation to quantify effort required by the human user. Maximum speed was found to be statistically the same in the variable damping controller and the negative damping condition and to be increased from positive damping controller to variable damping condition by 57.9%, demonstrating the agility of the system. Maximum overshoot was found to significantly decrease overshoot from the negative damping condition to the variable damping controller by 39.6%, demonstrating an improvement in system stability with the variable damping controller. Muscle activation results showed that the variable damping controller required less effort than the positive damping condition, evidenced by the decreased muscle activation of 23.8%. Overall, the study demonstrated that a variable damping controller can balance the trade-off between agility and stability in human-robot interactions and therefore has many practical implications.
ContributorsArnold, James Michael (Author) / Lee, Hyunglae (Thesis director) / Yong, Sze Zheng (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / School for Engineering of Matter,Transport & Enrgy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
A heterogeneous team of robots working in symbiosis can maximize their strengths while complementing each other’s weaknesses. These simple robots can achieve more working together than they could on their own but cost less than a single robot with the same combination of capabilities. This project aims to validate the symbiotic relationship of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) with a physical implementation of a heterogenous team of robots and a demonstration of their capabilities. This paper details the selection of robots, the design of the physical coupling mechanism, and the design of the autonomous controls. An experiment was performed to assess the capabilities of the robots according to four performance criteria. The UGV must navigate a space while the UAV follows. The UAV must couple with the UGV. The UAV must lift the UGV over an obstacle. The UGV must navigate the space while carrying the UAV.
ContributorsBreaux, Chris (Author) / Artemiadis, Panagiotis (Thesis director) / Lee, Hyunglae (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
Each year, the average vehicle contributes 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere [1]. These gases contribute to around 30,000 premature deaths each year [2] and are linked to in the increase in cases of Asthma. Human health is further impacted by the increase of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Rays from the sun travel to the Earth where they are absorbed. Absorbing the sun’s rays heats up the Earth which is then radiated into space. Greenhouse gasses inhibit this process much like the glass walls in a greenhouse. As a result, the temperature of the Earth steadily increases. The greenhouse effect is dangerous because it can be linked to natural disasters, rising ocean levels, and extinction of species. One of the biggest contributors to the greenhouse effect is burning fossil fuels. Powerplants, agriculture, and transportation are some of the largest contributors to the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide. To mitigate the effects of transportation, car companies have invested into production of alternative and renewable fuels for their products. One of the sources which has gained popularity recently, is the use of electricity to power our vehicles. Tesla has spearheaded the electric car movement and is largely responsible for this beneficial shift. One issue with this approach is that a majority, around 76.3%, of Americans drive alone on their commute [13]. The market in its current state encourages inefficient transportation due to the lack of alternatives. While motorcycles may offer a more eco-friendly and economical approach to cars, many are afraid of potential hazards of using this mode of transportation. The introduction of electric bikes offers an interesting approach to improving this efficiency and safety issue. The wide availability to customers offers an alternative which pushes the traditional distance limits for commuting on a bicycle. Since the market is relatively new, several issues pose challenges to consumers. This research aims to clarify and analyze the electric bike market in order to supply a potential customer with the tools needed to acquire a high quality and reasonably price bike.
ContributorsFriedrich, Collin Anthony (Author) / Lee, Hyunglae (Thesis director) / Lacy, Gerald (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
As the need for environmentally friendly and renewable fuel sources rises, many are considering alternative fuel sources, such as solar power. The device explored in this report uses solar power, in theory, to heat a metal oxide, cerium oxide, to a desired temperature. At specific temperatures and pressures, a reaction between an input gas, carbon dioxide or water vapor, and the metal oxide may produce fuel in the form of hydrogen or carbon monoxide. In order to reach the temperatures required by the reaction, a filament inside a high-temperature radiant heater must be heated to the desired temperature. In addition, the system’s pressure range must be satisfied. A pressure and temperature measurement device, as well as a voltage control, must be connected to an interface with a computer in order to monitor the pressure and temperature of different parts of the system. The cerium oxide element must also be constructed and placed inside the system. The desired shape of the cerium oxide material is a tube, to allow the flow of gas through the tubes and system and to provide mechanical strength. To construct the metal oxide tubes, they need to be extruded, dried, and sintered correctly. All the manufactured elements described serve an essential purpose in the system and are discussed further in this document.
This report focuses on the manufacturing of ceria tubes, the construction of a high-temperature radiant heater filament, and the implementation of a pressure measurement device. The manufacturing of ceria tubes includes the extrusion, the drying, and the sintering of the tubes. In addition, heating element filament construction consists of spot-welding certain metals together to create a device similar to that of a light bulb filament. Different methods were considered in each of these areas, and they are described in this report. All of the explorations in this document move towards the final device, a thermochemical reactor for the production of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) from water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
The results of this report indicate that there are several important manufacturing steps to create the most desirable results, in terms of tube manufacturing and heating element design. For the correct tube construction, they must be dried in a drying rack, and they must be sintered in V-groove plates. In addition, the results of the heating element manufacturing indicate that the ideal heating element filament needs to be simple in design (easily fixed), cost-effective, require little construction time, attach to the ends of the system easily, provide mechanical flexibility, and prevent the coil from touching the walls of the tube it lies in. Each aspect of the ideal elements, whether they are tubes or heating elements, is explored in this report.
This report focuses on the manufacturing of ceria tubes, the construction of a high-temperature radiant heater filament, and the implementation of a pressure measurement device. The manufacturing of ceria tubes includes the extrusion, the drying, and the sintering of the tubes. In addition, heating element filament construction consists of spot-welding certain metals together to create a device similar to that of a light bulb filament. Different methods were considered in each of these areas, and they are described in this report. All of the explorations in this document move towards the final device, a thermochemical reactor for the production of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) from water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
The results of this report indicate that there are several important manufacturing steps to create the most desirable results, in terms of tube manufacturing and heating element design. For the correct tube construction, they must be dried in a drying rack, and they must be sintered in V-groove plates. In addition, the results of the heating element manufacturing indicate that the ideal heating element filament needs to be simple in design (easily fixed), cost-effective, require little construction time, attach to the ends of the system easily, provide mechanical flexibility, and prevent the coil from touching the walls of the tube it lies in. Each aspect of the ideal elements, whether they are tubes or heating elements, is explored in this report.
ContributorsCaron, Danielle (Author) / Milcarek, Ryan (Thesis director) / Ermanoski, Ivan (Committee member) / Stechel, Ellen (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Current robotic systems have difficulties traversing and interacting with complex and deformable terrains, such as sand, mud, and water. This research intends to find hierarchical concepts that can be implemented into robotic systems for efficient locomotion by studying animal interactions with these terrains. Due to specific biological characteristics and environmental factors, the basilisk lizard is one animal that can transition easily between many types of terrain. This research will investigate the dynamics and kinematics of the basilisk lizard as it runs on the surface of water. Specifically, a fluid dynamic force platform has been designed and developed that will directly measure the forces exerted by the animal’s feet as it runs across the water. This platform will be used in conjunction with a motion capture system to characterize the basilisk lizard movements. This report examines the design and development of the force platform, the characterization of the frequencies of the platform leading to validation, and presents observations from preliminary lizard experiments with the setup.
ContributorsGambatese, Marcus B (Author) / Marvi, Hamid (Thesis director) / Bagheri, Hosain (Committee member) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05