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As part of a United States-Australian Solar Energy Collaboration on a Micro Urban Solar Integrated Concentrator project, the purpose of the research was to design and build a bench-top apparatus of a solar power concentrator thermal storage unit. This prototype would serve to be a test apparatus for testing

As part of a United States-Australian Solar Energy Collaboration on a Micro Urban Solar Integrated Concentrator project, the purpose of the research was to design and build a bench-top apparatus of a solar power concentrator thermal storage unit. This prototype would serve to be a test apparatus for testing multiple thermal storage mediums and heat transfer fluids for verification and optimization of the larger system. The initial temperature range for the system to test a wide variety of thermal storage mediums was 100°C to 400°C. As for the thermal storage volume it was decided that the team would need to test volumes of about 100 mL. These design parameters later changed to a smaller range for the initial prototype apparatus. This temperature range was decided to be 210°C to 240°C using tin as a phase change material (PCM). It was also decided a low temperature (<100°C) test using paraffin as the PCM would be beneficial for troubleshooting purposes.
ContributorsLee, William John (Author) / Phelan, Patrick (Thesis director) / Wang, Robert (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
The purpose of this paper is to provide a new and improved design method for the Formula Society of Automotive Engineering (FSAE) team. There are five tasks that I accomplish in this paper: 1. I describe how the FSAE team is currently designing their car. This allows the reader to

The purpose of this paper is to provide a new and improved design method for the Formula Society of Automotive Engineering (FSAE) team. There are five tasks that I accomplish in this paper: 1. I describe how the FSAE team is currently designing their car. This allows the reader to understand where the flaws might arise in their design method. 2. I then describe the key aspects of systems engineering design. This is the backbone of the method I am proposing, and it is important to understand the key concepts so that they can be applied to the FSAE design method. 3. I discuss what is available in the literature about race car design and optimization. I describe what other FSAE teams are doing and how that differs from systems engineering design. 4. I describe what the FSAE team at Arizona State University (ASU) should do to improve their approach to race car design. I go into detail about how the systems engineering method works and how it can and should be applied to the way they design their car. 5. I then describe how the team should implement this method because the method is useless if they do not implement it into their design process. I include an interview from their brakes team leader, Colin Twist, to give an example of their current method of design and show how it can be improved with the new method. This paper provides a framework for the FSAE team to develop their new method of design that will help them accomplish their overall goal of succeeding at the national competition.
ContributorsPickrell, Trevor Charles (Author) / Trimble, Steven (Thesis director) / Middleton, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
The purpose of this project was to design a new railroad crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists in mid-block or urban areas. In order to develop a successful design, the needs of the railroad, the end-users, and the city governments were researched and converted into measurable engineering requirements. For the railroad

The purpose of this project was to design a new railroad crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists in mid-block or urban areas. In order to develop a successful design, the needs of the railroad, the end-users, and the city governments were researched and converted into measurable engineering requirements. For the railroad companies, the most important need was a crossing that presents an effective barrier to users while a train is in the area. For bicyclists and pedestrians (the end-users), the most important need was for the crossing to be both reliable and easily accessible. For the city governments, the most important need was a crossing that is inexpensive yet sturdy. The approach to this project was similar to the approach used in many engineering design processes. First is the Introduction, which provides an overview of the issue and presents the full problem statement. Next is the Research of Prior Art, which details the past solutions to railroad crossings as well as the 3 E's of railroad crossing safety. After this, the customer needs are discussed in the Needs to Requirements section and the process of converting these into measurable engineering requirements is shown. Next, various conceptual design options are shown in the Conceptual Design section and a final conceptual design is chosen based on adherence to the stated requirements. This final conceptual design is then taken into the preliminary design phase and refined until it becomes the final preliminary design. After the Final Preliminary Design Description, the Project Conclusions and Recommendations are presented. Due to time and monetary constraints, this project ends after the preliminary design stage. Despite this, the conclusion of this project is that the final design presented here will be successful if additional resources are obtained to move it forward into the detailed design phase. For now, this project has come to a halt due to UP's reluctance to allow any additional railroad crossings in the Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona areas. It is recommended that city officials and bicyclist/pedestrian action groups continue talks with UP until they agree to allow additional crossings to be built that are geared towards non-motorized users.
ContributorsJones, Mitchell Drexel (Author) / Kuby, Michael (Thesis director) / Lou, Yingyan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
A model has been developed to modify Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for wooden beams, using visible properties of wood knot-defects. Treating knots in a beam as a system of two ellipses that change the local bending stiffness has been shown to improve the fit of a theoretical beam displacement function to

A model has been developed to modify Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for wooden beams, using visible properties of wood knot-defects. Treating knots in a beam as a system of two ellipses that change the local bending stiffness has been shown to improve the fit of a theoretical beam displacement function to edge-line deflection data extracted from digital imagery of experimentally loaded beams. In addition, an Ellipse Logistic Model (ELM) has been proposed, using L1-regularized logistic regression, to predict the impact of a knot on the displacement of a beam. By classifying a knot as severely positive or negative, vs. mildly positive or negative, ELM can classify knots that lead to large changes to beam deflection, while not over-emphasizing knots that may not be a problem. Using ELM with a regression-fit Young's Modulus on three-point bending of Douglass Fir, it is possible estimate the effects a knot will have on the shape of the resulting displacement curve.
Created2015-05
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Description
The following is a report that will evaluate the microstructure of the nickel-based superalloy Hastelloy X and its relationship to mechanical properties in different load conditions. Hastelloy X is of interest to the company AORA because its strength and oxidation resistance at high temperatures is directly applicable to their needs

The following is a report that will evaluate the microstructure of the nickel-based superalloy Hastelloy X and its relationship to mechanical properties in different load conditions. Hastelloy X is of interest to the company AORA because its strength and oxidation resistance at high temperatures is directly applicable to their needs in a hybrid concentrated solar module. The literature review shows that the microstructure will produce different carbides at various temperatures, which can be beneficial to the strength of the alloy. These precipitates are found along the grain boundaries and act as pins that limit dislocation flow, as well as grain boundary sliding, and improve the rupture strength of the material. Over time, harmful precipitates form which counteract the strengthening effect of the carbides and reduce rupture strength, leading to failure. A combination of indentation and microstructure mapping was used in an effort to link local mechanical behavior to microstructure variability. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were initially used as a means to characterize the microstructure prior to testing. Then, a series of room temperature Vickers hardness tests at 50 and 500 gram-force were used to evaluate the variation in the local response as a function of indentation size. The room temperature study concluded that both the hardness and standard deviation increased at lower loads, which is consistent with the grain size distribution seen in the microstructure scan. The material was then subjected to high temperature spherical indentation. Load-displacement curves were essential in evaluating the decrease in strength of the material with increasing temperature. Through linear regression of the unloading portion of the curve, the plastic deformation was determined and compared at different temperatures as a qualitative method to evaluate local strength.
ContributorsCelaya, Andrew Jose (Author) / Peralta, Pedro (Thesis director) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
A robotic exploration mission that would enter a lunar pit to characterize the environment is described. A hopping mechanism for the robot's mobility is proposed. Various methods of hopping drawn from research literature are discussed in detail. The feasibilities of mechanical, electric, fluid, and combustive methods are analyzed. Computer simulations

A robotic exploration mission that would enter a lunar pit to characterize the environment is described. A hopping mechanism for the robot's mobility is proposed. Various methods of hopping drawn from research literature are discussed in detail. The feasibilities of mechanical, electric, fluid, and combustive methods are analyzed. Computer simulations show the mitigation of the risk of complex autonomous navigation systems. A mechanical hopping mechanism is designed to hop in Earth gravity and carry a payload half its mass. A physical experiment is completed and proves a need for further refinement of the prototype design. Future work is suggested to continue exploring hopping as a mobility method for the lunar robot.
ContributorsMcKinney, Tyler James (Author) / Thangavelautham, Jekan (Thesis director) / Robinson, Mark (Committee member) / Asphaug, Erik (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
This paper considers the state of desalination today and explores improvement of the reverse osmosis process via exergy analysis. Various methods of desalination in place today were explored, along with the proportion of each of those methods in use today. From literature reviews, it was found the reverse osmosis (RO)

This paper considers the state of desalination today and explores improvement of the reverse osmosis process via exergy analysis. Various methods of desalination in place today were explored, along with the proportion of each of those methods in use today. From literature reviews, it was found the reverse osmosis (RO) and multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination were the main methods of desalination in use today. Desalination is an energy intensive process and so this paper aimed to address this issue in three ways: by exploring various coupling with renewable energy sources, carrying out an exergy analysis on the MSF and RO processes, and finally exploring conceptual methods of interest. It was found that concentrated solar power was best suited for the MSF process, since the MSF process require direct heat. Wind energy was best suited for the RO process, since RO was less energy intensive and so could account for wind variability. The exergy analysis demonstrated very low second law efficiency for both desalination processes (~4%), with most of the exergy being destroyed in the separation process (~75%). The RO process also demonstrated a higher efficiency and lower exergy destruction, reinforcing the conlcusion that RO is the less energy intensive of the two. Based on the analysis, it was found throttling valves account for the next highest exergy destruction after the separation process. An alternate plant design was proposed to fully utilize wasted pressure, which resulted in less energy consumption. Finally, two conceptual methods, a mobile desalination plant and the Hybrid process, were explored that could potentially make the RO process a more valuable asset to society and more economically viable with a higher yield
ContributorsKotagama, Praveen Budhijith Bandara (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Miner, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
This thesis investigates the viability of a solar still for desalination of a personal water supply. The end goal of the project is to create a design that meets the output requirement while tailoring the components to focus on low cost so it would be feasible in the impoverished areas

This thesis investigates the viability of a solar still for desalination of a personal water supply. The end goal of the project is to create a design that meets the output requirement while tailoring the components to focus on low cost so it would be feasible in the impoverished areas of the world. The primary requirement is an output of 3 liters of potable water per day, the minimum necessary for an adult human. The study examines the effect of several design parameters, such as the basin material, basin thickness, starting water depth, basin dimensions, cover material, cover angle, and cover thickness. A model for the performance of a solar still was created in MATLAB to simulate the system's behavior and sensitivity to these parameters. An instrumented prototype solar still demonstrated viability of the concept and provided data for validation of the MATLAB model.
ContributorsRasmussen, Dylan James (Author) / Wells, Valana (Thesis director) / Trimble, Steven (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
The liquid rocket engine, more specifically, the bi-propellant liquid rocket engine, is a popular type of chemical propulsion system within the propulsion industry due to its relatively high specific impulse and high thrust levels compared to the other chemical propulsion choices. For the purposes of this thesis, a bi-propellant liquid

The liquid rocket engine, more specifically, the bi-propellant liquid rocket engine, is a popular type of chemical propulsion system within the propulsion industry due to its relatively high specific impulse and high thrust levels compared to the other chemical propulsion choices. For the purposes of this thesis, a bi-propellant liquid rocket engine system consists of a rocket engine, a set of tanks for the storage and supply of liquid propellants, and everything required in between for thrust-producing operation. Among the hardware in this "in between" necessary for a liquid rocket engine to produce thrust exists an injector, or an assembly of injector elements, whose purpose is to introduce and meter the flow of the fuel and oxidizer of the liquid rocket engine into the combustion chamber. To do this the injector or injector assembly, upon injection into the combustion chamber, must cause the two liquids to break up into small droplets, proportionally and uniformly distribute and mix the liquid into a spray pattern within the combustion chamber, and allow for engine combustion to occur as efficiently as possible. Daedalus Astronautics @ ASU, one of Arizona State University's engineering student organizations, has been working to design, construct, and successfully test a bi-propellant liquid rocket engine of its own. In doing so, Daedalus Astronautics has designed a bi-propellant liquid rocket engine injector assembly consisting of a forward bulkhead and an injector plate. The purpose of this thesis is to experimentally verify the flow of liquid through this injector assembly modeled using computational fluid dynamics methods. During the two semester time line allowed for this thesis project, a mesh was created for a single orifice geometry injector plate and combustion chamber assembly in ANSYS ICEM CFD and an experiment was designed for imaging the spray pattern from the injector plate and forward bulkhead assembly, from which several things about the injector geometry design were discovered.
ContributorsBrunacini, Lauren Elizabeth (Author) / Herrmann, Marcus (Thesis director) / Adrian, Ronald (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
The goal of this research is to couple a physics-based model with adaptive algorithms to develop a more accurate and robust technique for structural health monitoring (SHM) in composite structures. The purpose of SHM is to localize and detect damage in structures, which has broad applications to improvements in aerospace

The goal of this research is to couple a physics-based model with adaptive algorithms to develop a more accurate and robust technique for structural health monitoring (SHM) in composite structures. The purpose of SHM is to localize and detect damage in structures, which has broad applications to improvements in aerospace technology. This technique employs PZT transducers to actuate and collect guided Lamb wave signals. Matching pursuit decomposition (MPD) is used to decompose the signal into a cross-term free time-frequency relation. This decoupling of time and frequency facilitates the calculation of a signal's time-of-flight along a path between an actuator and sensor. Using the time-of-flights, comparisons can be made between similar composite structures to find damaged regions by examining differences in the time of flight for each path between PZTs, with respect to direction. Relatively large differences in time-of-flight indicate the presence of new or more significant damage, which can be verified using a physics-based approach. Wave propagation modeling is used to implement a physics based approach to this method, which is coupled with adaptive algorithms that take into account currently existing damage to a composite structure. Previous SHM techniques for composite structures rely on the assumption that the composite is initially free of all damage on both a macro and micro-scale, which is never the case due to the inherent introduction of material defects in its fabrication. This method provides a novel technique for investigating the presence and nature of damage in composite structures. Further investigation into the technique can be done by testing structures with different sizes of damage and investigating the effects of different operating temperatures on this SHM system.
ContributorsBarnes, Zachary Stephen (Author) / Chattopadhyay, Aditi (Thesis director) / Neerukatti, Rajesh Kumar (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05