Mechanical
Engineering Faculty Projects
Morrow Sprayer
Professor Mike Moorhead
A local Rose Hulman alumnus is awaiting a patent approval for a
spraying device whose primary function is to clean tunnels, pipes,
and other sewage storage facilities. Assistance is needed to
develop a working prototype.
The patent application has broad claims, however it is the
desire to develop a prototype to minimize moving parts, head loss
through the fitting, and obstruction to outside flow conditions.
Once the prototype is established, multiple units will be needed to
demonstrate the application for potential investors and/or sewer
utilities.
Through Dr. Moorhead, you may see the full patent application,
an animated PowerPoint presentation and a color brochure (intended
for potential investors). Also available is a large scale model
showing how the patent drawings can be simplified for production.
The RHIT alumnus also has additional ideas on how to minimize head
loss and obstructions to outside flow conditions for your
consideration.
Supersonic nozzle design
Professor Fred Haan
A converging-diverging nozzle needs to be design for
demonstrating supersonic nozzle phenomena. This would involve
designing the nozzle and the pressure supply plenum. The nozzle
would need to be transparent to accommodate use with a Schlieren
compressible flow visualization system (which we already have
fabricated).
Tornado simulator data analysis
Professor Fred Haan
A very large database of tornado-induced loads on low-rise
structures will be analyzed to develop design guidelines. At
present there are no standards for engineers that need to design
structures to withstand various classes of tornadoes. This project
would attempt to extract underlying physical principles exhibited
in the data. The physical issues to be studied include the relative
important of the peak versus average wind speeds and the extent of
the influence of the strong negative pressure present in the core
of the vortex. Insights gained from these studies will guide the
development of the standards.
Tornado debris simulation
Professor Fred Haan
Velocity field data from a tornado simulator will be used to
simulate the trajectories of various categories of debris
(rods/planks, plywood sheets, blunt objects, vehicles) as they are
thrown by tornadoes. The intent is to predict the onset velocities
required to initiate motion and the speed and distance over which
these objects fly after motion commences. These data are vital for
the analysis of damage to communities in tornado events.
Particle image velocimetry
Professor Mike Moorhead
Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a quantitative flow
visualization technique used to determine the 2-D/3-D velocity
field in a fluid flow. A digital camera is used to take
pictures of particles in the fluid illuminated by a pulsed
laser. The change in position of the particles and time
interval between successive images may be used to determine the
velocity. This technique may be used to study flows in a wind
tunnel, water channel, or natural environments. Recent work
on this system at Rose-Hulman has involved the study of
well-documented flows, such as flow around cylinders and
spheres.
Laser Doppler velocimetry
Professor Mike Moorhead
Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) is laser-based technique used to
determine the velocity of fluid flows at a point. Two
intersecting laser beams are used to create interference fringes in
a small measurement volume. As seed particles move through
this region, they reflect light back toward an optical
detector. The frequency of the resulting light flashes and
distance between the interference fringes allow for the
determination of velocity. The benefits of this technique
include high spatial and temporal resolution, making it ideal for
studying phenomena such as turbulence. The current scope of
this work is to develop a demonstration LDV system using existing
equipment in the M.E. Dept.
Laser induced fluorescence
Professor Mike Moorhead
Laser induced fluorescence (LIF) may be used as either a
qualitative or quantitative flow visualization technique. A
digital camera is used to take pictures of fluorescent dye excited
by a laser. The intensity of the fluorescence may be related
to the concentration and/or temperature of the dye. Recent
work on this system at Rose-Hulman has involved the simultaneous
measurement of temperature and velocity fields due to natural
convection.
Hot-wire anemometry
Professor Mike Moorhead
Constant temperature (hot-wire) anemometry (CTA) is a technique
used to measure the velocity of a fluid passing over a probe.
The benefits of this system include high spatial and temporal
resolution, making it ideal for studying phenomena such as
turbulence. Recent work on this system at Rose-Hulman has
involved studying the velocity boundary layer in laminar and
turbulent flows.
Fourier transform infrared analysis of an internal combustion
engine
Professor Allen White
Surprisingly little is understood about combustion in an
internal combustion engine. Since most molecular species present
during combustion are active in the infrared spectrum, it is
possible to follow the progress of combustion from reactants (fuel
& air) to products (CO2 & Water). We have previously
performed time-resolved Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis
on an engine fitted with a sapphire cylinder (see
related presentation). The results showed the combustion of
ethanol and creation of CO2 as a function of time as combustion
progressed. The next step is to install a window on a small engine
to observe combustion in an actual engine and to vary engine speed,
air/fuel ratio, and other parameters and record the impact on
combustion progress.
"Shock-plugs" in compressible microflows
Professor Thomas Adams
Shockwaves sometimes appear in compressible flow through
converging/diverging channels as nature's way of dealing with a
pressure discontinuity. Being approximately one order of magnitude
thicker than the mean free path of the molecules comprising the
flowing fluid, one usually models a shockwave as infinitesimally
thin. But what happens when the channel dimensions approach the
microscale? We may postulate the existence of a "shock plug" in
which changes in fluid properties occur over a finite region of
space instead of over an infinitesimally thin line.
This investigation could take on several forms from theoretical
modeling of the temperature, pressure, density, entropy, and
velocity changes over shock-plugs to designing, building, and
testing an experimental apparatus to verify the existence of
shock-plugs.
Nanoparticle sunscreen optimized for vitamin D synthesis
Professor Thomas Adams
Numerous recent studies point to an increased awareness of the
importance of adequate levels of vitamin D for optimal health.
Studies have also shown that vitamin D synthesized from sunlight
fairs better than dietary vitamin D in terms of its health
benefits. However, overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the
sun is also the major cause of skin cancer.
Nanoparticle suspensions are regularly used in sunscreens to
keep harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from reaching the skin. Is it
possible to fine-tune the particle suspensions in order to filter
out the appropriate wavelengths needed for vitamin D production
while blocking the majority of the harmful UV rays?
Design and fabrication of a micro plate and frame heat
exchanger
Professor Thomas Adams
Plate and frame heat exchangers are widely used in industrial
applications due to their large rates of heat transfer per unit
volume and especially because of their scalability. The plate and
frame design, however, has yet to be implemented at the microscale,
a major application being the cooling of microelectronic
components.
In this project we would explore the design and fabrication of a
scalable plate and frame heat exchanger at the microscale. The
design would most likely involve bulk micromachining silicon wafers
and wafer bonding techniques. This would be a great project for
those who have taken the Introduction to MEMS course and are
looking for more opportunities in the field.
Software challenges in autonomous vehicle navigation
Professors David Mutchler (CSSE)
Professor JP Mellor (CSSE)
Professor Carlotta Berry (ECE)
Professor David Fisher (ME)
In this project, students will design and develop software
to solve challenges in navigation faced by autonomous vehicles
(robots). The problems are real problems faced by real robots
in a real competition.
The software to be developed is for challenges faced by a
particular pair of robots that will be entered in the 2012
Intelligent Ground Vehicles Competition (IGVC), although the
software will be designed to apply to other robots as well.
In that competition, robots navigate a football-sized field laced
with obstacles, as suggested by the diagram above. The robot
arrives at the competition knowing the general nature of the course
but not its specifics.
The particular robots of interest are:
- Husky A200: a commercial robot whose chassis (wheels, motors,
body, power, etc) is complete. Students in this project will
choose and attach sensors (with help from the Rose-Hulman Robotics
Team) and write software for it.
- Moxom's Master: the Robotics Team's current robot (they
are beginning the design of a 2nd-generation
robot).
Students in this project will receive credit for CSSE 290,
Software Challenges in Autonomous Vehicle Navigation. They
will attend the IGVC 2012 competition where their software will be
used in the above robots. Results of their research will be
reported at that competition, at one or more conferences in
Robotics, and at one or more conferences in Engineering
Education.