Second Place 2017 Design Expo Award Winner High Pressure Die Casting Vent Optimization
Team Members
Julia Scruton, Materials Science and Engineering, and Stephen Hanley, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Russ Stein, Materials Science and Engineering
Sponsor
Mercury Marine—Mercury Castings
Project Overview
High Pressure Die Cast (HPDC) tooling requires venting channels to be incorporated
into their design to allow air to escape during the casting process. The channels
must also manage the flow of metal to maintain pressure and properly fill the part
during solidification. If the venting channel has a low restriction, the metal flows
too fast and will exit the vents. If the venting channel is overly restrictive, the
trapped air will introduce porosity in the cast part. A process design method will
be developed with the understanding of how various venting channel features affect
the complete venting design. This will lead to a faster design process of venting
channels on future parts.
Honorable Mention 2017 Design Expo Award Winner Improved Inline Component Cleaning System
Team Members
Kat Donovan, Todd Krieger, Connor LeBombard, Thomas Mehall, and Stasia Rogers, Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
William Endres, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions
Project Overview
Our team is designing and prototyping a cleaning system for threaded components suitable
for inline integration. Our system must store, feed, clean, dry, and convey a variety
of parts, and be adaptable for the tappers, screw machines, and lathes
Honorable Mention 2017 Design Expo Award Winner Snowmobile Chassis Magnesium Component Design
Team Members
Adam Patrick, Alyssa Gafner, Drew Cederquist, Erika Harris, Greg Peters, and Nicholas
Grygleski, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
James DeClerck, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsors
Polaris Industries
Project Overview
At a dry weight of 408 pounds, the 2017 Polaris 800 Pro-RMK 155 snowmobile is the
lightest and strongest mountain snowmobile on the market. Polaris has tasked our team
to help them remain the market leader of light and durable mountain snowmobiles. Mass
reduction of the Polaris RMK chassis will be accomplished by investigating replacement
of current aluminum cast components with magnesium cast components along with geometry
changes. Our team is working towards achieving maximum mass reduction of the tank
hold-down cast component specifically.
High Speed Bearing Temperature Profiling with Axial and Radial Loading
Team Members
Ken Barr and Kyle Rautio, Electrical Engineering; Don Bowlby and Joe Goudzwaard, Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
Aneet Narendranath, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
Stryker Instruments
Project Overview
Our team has designed and built a bearing test fixture capable of spinning a high
speed bearing under load and capturing temperatures under use.
Drill Attachment Coupling Mechanism
Team Members
Tabitha Gillman, Cole Aukee, Harry Hutton, Meridith Murley, and Hans Steven Creutz,
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
William Endres, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
Stryker Instruments
Project Overview
This project gives students the opportunity to improve an existing product. The current
motor accessory interface design of a medical drill manufactured by Stryker Instruments
has been on the market for several years, and competing companies have started to
shift to new products. To surpass the competition, our team is designing and assembling
a new interface. The new design will help surgeons interchange drill accessories quickly,
and the instrument will produce little noise while in use.
Truck Bed Storage System
Team Members
Sarah Corrion, Erica Huhta, Jake Kendziorski, Nick Kremkow, Justin McPherson, and
Cameron Olsen, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Antonio Gauchia Babe, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
Mahindra North America
Project Overview
Our team was tasked with designing a truck bed storage system that can meet unique
demands while still providing the necessary space optimization needed for everyday
projects. By researching customer specific needs, Mahindra North America has deemed
the current storage system solutions inadequate, pushing to create a new system that
can optimize the bed space trucks provide. Implementing an actuating 90-degree storage
system with translational motion would be a game changer in the consumer truck industry.
This system would potentially allow modification for additional attachment systems
by using a versatile plate.
Fly Ash Hopper Clearing Device
Team Members
Alex Piotrowski, Brendan Hufnagel, Luke Peters, Ryan Warsen, and Nickolas Kill, Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
Aneet Narendranath, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
DTE Energy
Project Overview
Fly ash is the remaining material left over from the combustion of coal. To meet current
EPA guidelines, coal-fired power plants must utilize selective catalytic reduction
systems and Flue Gas Desulfurization systems or a Dry Sorbent Injection, which causes
increased amounts of fly ash. This places a strain on the fly ash collection systems,
and causes pluggage of the collection hopper. It can also cause grounding of the precipitator
sections. The customer identified a need for a specifically designed tool that can
clear plugged hoppers safely.
Lighting Control Unit
Team Members
Alex Herbst and David Pariseau, Electrical Engineering; Garrett Hutcheson, Blake Martin,
Aaron VanderWeide, and Sam Wachowski, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Antonio Gauchia Babe, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
GHSP
Project Overview
Our team was tasked with creating a testing apparatus for GHSP that would activate
and evaluate the functionality of LEDs mounted in the gear shifter housing on various
vehicles. The primary goal of this project was to design a Lighting Control Unit (LCU)
that can be used across multiple vehicle applications. This requires individually
powering various configurations of LEDs with multiple control inputs and reporting
specific electrical characteristics of the circuit. The LCU tests the function of
each LED by using multiple PWM dimming presets to test for various driving and parked
lighting conditions.
Fused-Cutout Mechanical Testing System
Team Members
Derrick Baer, Owen Buckley, Joel Olsen, Brandon Sparks, and Frank Worrell, Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
Aneet Narendranath, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
MacLean Power Systems
Project Overview
The goal of this project was to characterize the mechanical forces seen on a fused
cutout during a power surge. Because of these forces, components of the fused cutout
have been experiencing failure in bending. Due to the high voltage and current flowing
through the fused cutout during a power surge, traditional methods of measuring mechanical
forces are much less reliable. To work in this strong electromagnetic-interference
environment, the team used cantilever beam theory and digital image correlation to
characterize the forces in the fused cutout. With this information, Maclean Power
Systems can address the component failures in the fused cutout and work towards a
solution.
Tailgate Debris Management and Adjustable Lift Assist
Team Members
Steven Alvey, Michael Fisher, Kendra Gburek, Riley Long, Max Mager, and Lauren Tetzloff,
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Kevin Johnson, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsors
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)
Project Overview
FCA has tasked us with creating a debris management system to be used on the back
of new and existing Dodge pickup truck models. Currently, gravel, sand, and mulch
fall into the gap. This causes scratches and can lead to lost material. Our team was
also tasked with creating an adjustable counterweight system to assist with a former
senior capstone design project—a storage system within the tailgate that stores up
to 30 lbs. This additional weight can interfere with closing the tailgate. Together,
these products will add user ease to the Dodge brand.
Aircraft Refueling Stand System
Team Members
Michael Hoffman, Ellaina Cook, Jason Scott, Brenda Sauer, and Evan Frank, Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
Paul van Susante, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
BETA Fueling
Project Overview
Our team has been tasked by BETA Fueling Systems to design, build, and test a prototype
variable-height aircraft refueling stand with a modular nozzle-assist system. The
stand is to be used in airports across the country, in all climates and conditions,
to assist operators in refueling small- to medium-sized commercial jets. In addition
to providing a spring-assisted adjustable height platform, our team has designed a
pneumatic-piston mechanical arm that lifts the fueling nozzle with minimal operator
effort.
Undersized Forging Detection System
Team Members
Cayman Berg-Morales, Devin Livingston, Rachel Pohlod, Brandon Rouze, and Evan Wallin,
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
William Endres, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
MacLean-Fogg
Project Overview
Our team is working with MacLean-Fogg’s Metform division to create an inspection for
transmission gear blanks that takes place as the gear blanks are manufactured to detect
any underfilled blanks and remove them from the production line. The inspection system
is being designed and prototyped to be fully autonomous, and to fit within the current
manufacturing process at Metform’s machining facility.
Improved Snow Bucket
Team Members
Horatio Babcock, Kevin Kyle, Jay Pietila, Donald Shaner, Jiaqi Tang, and Kun Zhang,
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Antonio Gauchia Babe, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
Bobcat Company
Project Overview
Backdragging is the most common way snow is removed from areas near structures. When
performed by skid-steer operators, backdragging is accomplished by lifting the snow
bucket into the air, slowly approaching the structure, lowering the cutting edge until
it contacts the ground, and then backing away from the structure. When a large capacity
bucket is lifted into the air, the act of approaching a structure while maintaining
sight of both the structure and the cutting edge becomes difficult. The design team
created an accessory that will mount to the customer’s existing snow buckets in order
to enhance visibility during backdragging operations and not cause damage to structures
during use.
In-Cab Airborne Chemical Sensing System
Team Members
David Stephan, Nick Squanda, and Tom Price, Mechanical Engineering; Maegan Neil and
Sevin Dennis, Computer Engineering
Advisor
Aneet Narendranath, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
Richard W. Job
Project Overview
Environmental cab enclosures included on modern agricultural and mining equipment
help to greatly reduce the exposure of operators to atmospheric dust and/or agricultural/industrial
chemicals by operating at a positive pressure and filtering the air entering the cab
enclosure. However, the filtering system can fail occasionally because of improper
installation or structural damage to the filter. In this case, the operator may have
no idea that their filter system has been compromised. The objective of this project
was to design a system that would periodically challenge the filter system to determine
its effectiveness and alert the operator if the concentration exceeds predetermined
levels.
Automated Laser Marking System
Team Members
Joseph Halford, Mariana Caamano, and Jack Shepard, Mechanical Engineering; Kyle McGurk
and Jacob Cavins, Electrical Engineering Technology
Advisor
Eddy Trinklein, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsor
Nexteer
Project Overview
Our team is designing and creating an automated laser marking system to etch personalized
markings onto aluminum objects.
DROP BEAR
Team Members
Steven Abramczyk, Helen Karsten, Jon Markl, Robert Minger, and Eric Passmore, Mechanical
Engineering
Advisor
James DeClerck, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics
Sponsors
Air Force Research Labs, Munitions Directorate, Fuzes Branch
Project Overview
Researchers in the Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Fuzes Branch
are actively investigating the dynamics of structures/systems that reconfigure their
response during the harsh environments of impact, penetration, and terminal ballistics.
In order to develop technologies for sensing and adapting to this environment, we
need to address a technical gap. Our laboratory needs an experimental testbed for
implementing sensors and algorithms to predict/estimate time-varying dynamic responses
during impact events and vibrational responses. A previous joint NSF-funded project
between Michigan Tech and University of Massachusetts-Lowell, called the BEaR (Beam
Excitation and Response), was developed to provide a tunable experimental testbed
for modal analysis and structural dynamics courses. This previous effort is the inspiration
for our project.