Graduate Projects
The Pericyclic Mechanical Transmission
In recent years, there has been significant interest in the development of new and innovative rotorcraft gearboxes. Future helicopter transmissions aim to reduce overall gear train weight while maintaining efficiency and reliability. The Pericyclic Mechanical Transmission (PMT) is one of the compelling candidates that can achieve these goals. It consists of a high reduction ratio, high tooth contact ratio, and nutating/rotating mechanism which incorporates meshing conjugate face-gear pairs. The use of a face gear pair is unique, and represents a new area of research. Hence, as part of an effort to explore the feasibility of this concept, transmission error (TE) is evaluated within a commercial finite element package. TE is a key indicator of noise and vibration, yet it has never been collected for this system. These results will be used to further develop the PMT as a viable next-generation solution as well as inform the general helicopter gearbox community.
http://www.engr.psu.edu/rcoe/
http://www.engr.psu.edu/rcoe/
| PMT_thesis_final.pdf |
| PMT_poster.pdf |
Global Engineering Teams
Over 10 percent of the population of the Western Cape Province of South Africa live in remote rural areas supporting the agricultural industry. Primary health care for these individuals is provided by mobile health clinics (MCs), staffed by clinical nurse practitioners. The current MC design inhibits the delivery of necessary clinical services to this population. A team of engineering students from the University of Stellenbosch and The Pennsylvania State University were selected to develop the next generation MC. The new MC design utilizes a larger vehicle platform, implements modern medical and auxiliary equipment, and applies a modular design approach to allow adjustment of the clinical space to meet future needs. The dimensions and placement of items in the clinic were determined through anthropometric analysis using an innovative virtual population model and by optimizing the available space. The new design improves the quality of health care and the staff's working conditions.
http://www.global-engineering-teams.org/
http://www.global-engineering-teams.org/
| design_of_the_next_generation_healthcare_clinic.pdf |
| team_mrc_presentation.pdf |
| team_mrc_poster.pdf |
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Baobab Initiative
The baobab tree, also known as Adansonia digitata, is indigenous to the hot and dry regions of tropical Africa. This tree can reach heights up to 25 meters and grows trunks with diameters up to 10 meters wide. Not only is the size impressive, but it can live for hundreds to thousands of years. The particular interest with this tree is the baobab fruit that it produces. The baobab takes on a football shape that is 20-30 cm in length and up to 10 cm in diameter. The baobab fruit has been gaining more and more popularity from its many medicinal and nutritional uses. Inside the fruit, it is broken down into pulp, seeds, and fibers. The seeds are used as thickening agents in soups, can be fermented and used as a flavoring agent, or can be used as a cosmetic quality oil. The pulp has the most value from its many nutritional and medicinal uses but is commonly sucked on or made into a drink. (Kaboré, 2011)
The seeds and pulp of the baobab fruit are embedded within many fibers, so it is quite difficult to retrieve the valuable components of this fruit, especially when the most current method was using a mortar and pestle. This task becomes very time consuming and labor intensive for the women of the villages that process this fruit. Because of this, a need for some type of machine was developed when the Coopérative Agricole Le Baobab from Benin, Africa contacted Penn State to work on this project. Since 2008, engineering teams have been designing and improving a baobab processing machine for this cooperative and others across Africa. Currently, there are machines in place in Benin and Senegal where they are being used to process the baobab. Ongoing contact is maintained with these coops to continue improving the design of the baobab processing machine to ensure a consistently higher production capacity for these people that rely on the profits made from the baobab.
Source: "Baobab: The Next Generation", Senior Capstone Report, Spring 2013
http://www.baobabpsu.com/
The seeds and pulp of the baobab fruit are embedded within many fibers, so it is quite difficult to retrieve the valuable components of this fruit, especially when the most current method was using a mortar and pestle. This task becomes very time consuming and labor intensive for the women of the villages that process this fruit. Because of this, a need for some type of machine was developed when the Coopérative Agricole Le Baobab from Benin, Africa contacted Penn State to work on this project. Since 2008, engineering teams have been designing and improving a baobab processing machine for this cooperative and others across Africa. Currently, there are machines in place in Benin and Senegal where they are being used to process the baobab. Ongoing contact is maintained with these coops to continue improving the design of the baobab processing machine to ensure a consistently higher production capacity for these people that rely on the profits made from the baobab.
Source: "Baobab: The Next Generation", Senior Capstone Report, Spring 2013
http://www.baobabpsu.com/
Trip to Senegal and Benin, Fall 2012
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Trip to Morocco, Spring 2012
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Haiti Water Initiative
The Island of La Gonave is a developing region that suffers from poverty and water scarcity. Supplying potable water to communities across La Gonave Island is a challenging task. Organizations such as Roots of Development and the Peasant Association for the Development and Advancement (APDAG) of Grans Sous are working to assist communities on the island with this task. Roots of Development has sponsored this report, which addresses critical issues associated with the challenge of providing potable water. This report focuses on the water facility that is currently being constructed in the town of Nan Plim, which is representative of communities in La Gonave.
To address the needs outlined by Roots of Development, a comprehensive literature review that addresses water treatment methodologies and financing mechanisms for water facilities in rural Haiti has been performed. A quality assurance calendar, treatment methodology design, and financial plan have been developed based on appropriateness and effectiveness. While conducting these tasks, development ethics were considered.
The quality assurance calendar is a tool that serves to ensure that the water facility is properly maintained and operated by reminding the facility operator of tasks that need to be completed, such as inspecting the facility for cracks and leaks, refilling the tank, testing the water, and removing sedimentation from the tank. The calendar also allows for maintenance records to be documented. In the future, it is recommended that an educational system be developed to inform the community of safe water treatment and consumption practices.
As part of the treatment methodology design, a flow-dependent chlorination device has been designed and recommended for the facility of Nan Plim. Design calculations for this device have been provided. It is recommended that this device be tested, calibrated, and implemented. Also, commercial bleach should be used and a five month supply of bleach should be maintained at the facility. Future considerations should include an analysis to understand the point at which it would become beneficial to use a chlorine generation device.
A financial plan that incorporates initial funding costs has been developed, and it is recommended that Roots of Development use crowdfunding websites. Additionally, plans for generating the operation and maintenance costs were developed to enable sustainability and self-financing. It is recommended that the community grow mangoes and coffee to sell abroad, or sell jerry cans filled with water to local communities. These options were considered because there is a sustainable market for selling fruit and coffee, whereas jerry cans promote safe practices.
http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/
To address the needs outlined by Roots of Development, a comprehensive literature review that addresses water treatment methodologies and financing mechanisms for water facilities in rural Haiti has been performed. A quality assurance calendar, treatment methodology design, and financial plan have been developed based on appropriateness and effectiveness. While conducting these tasks, development ethics were considered.
The quality assurance calendar is a tool that serves to ensure that the water facility is properly maintained and operated by reminding the facility operator of tasks that need to be completed, such as inspecting the facility for cracks and leaks, refilling the tank, testing the water, and removing sedimentation from the tank. The calendar also allows for maintenance records to be documented. In the future, it is recommended that an educational system be developed to inform the community of safe water treatment and consumption practices.
As part of the treatment methodology design, a flow-dependent chlorination device has been designed and recommended for the facility of Nan Plim. Design calculations for this device have been provided. It is recommended that this device be tested, calibrated, and implemented. Also, commercial bleach should be used and a five month supply of bleach should be maintained at the facility. Future considerations should include an analysis to understand the point at which it would become beneficial to use a chlorine generation device.
A financial plan that incorporates initial funding costs has been developed, and it is recommended that Roots of Development use crowdfunding websites. Additionally, plans for generating the operation and maintenance costs were developed to enable sustainability and self-financing. It is recommended that the community grow mangoes and coffee to sell abroad, or sell jerry cans filled with water to local communities. These options were considered because there is a sustainable market for selling fruit and coffee, whereas jerry cans promote safe practices.
http://www.rootsofdevelopment.org/
| water_in_haiti_report.pdf |
| water_in_haiti_presentation.pdf |
Undergraduate Projects
Senior Design I
Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) and roadside bombs have become a serious threat to war fighter’s lives in Afghanistan. The U.S Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) has developed an articulating claw and interrogation arm to be used on the Buffalo MRAP vehicle in order to interrogate and remove these IED’s. The claw is currently controlled by an off-the-shelf crane controller, which requires significant training time to be proficiently operated. The objective of this project was to create an “intuitive” controller design for the Buffalo MRAP vehicle’s interrogation claw. The new controller will reduce training time drastically and improve the interrogation claw’s capabilities.
Communication with the U.S. Army was through Jason Adamek, a civilian engineer working with the US Army EOC. Contact with Jason occurred through weekly emails as well as phone calls if needed. Team Intuitive Motion Design (IMD) worked very closely with Jason and the U.S. Army in order to fulfill their expectations as well as ours.
The U.S. Army wanted a controller that is both intuitive and anthropomorphic. Using this knowledge a variety of designs were proposed, which were then narrowed down to three candidates: a 3D wrist/arm controller, a dual-joystick controller, and a basic video game controller. These designs were then compared in a concept scoring matrix and it was found that the 3D wrist/arm controller was the best design to be further pursued.
In order to deliver the design of an intuitive and functional controller IMD went through an iteration process which involved multiple prototypes, focus groups, and feedback from the U.S. Army. The CAD models of the first prototype were delivered to ECBC on March 5th, 2010 and on March 8th IMD received the first rapid prototype. After a rigorous iteration process the final prototype was developed and its CAD files were sent to ECBC on April 19th 2010. On April 22nd IMD received the final rapid prototype after which assembly and testing began. In order to test the capabilities of the final design a focus group comprised of male students between the ages of 18 and 23 was formed in order to mimic the demographic of the actual users in the field. The focus group was asked to give feedback about the controller’s intuitiveness. It was found that the final controller design was not only intuitive but also appealing to the eyes and non-intimidating to use.
The final controller intuitively performed every motion required by the interrogation arm by making use of the operator’s hand and arm movements instead of conventional buttons and levers. Other key features of this design were its left and right handed functionality, portability, and compact ability. This design proved to be a hit at the Senior Design Showcase being nominated for best project and poster. In order to be implemented in the field the U.S. Army needs to perform human factors testing, ruggedization, and integration of the controller.
This project has finished well under budget and fulfilled all requirements on time.
In conclusion IMD has produced the design and functionality of an intuitive controller for the Buffalo MRAP interrogation arm and articulating claw. This controller design should prove to reduce training time, and save lives by doing so.
https://www.ecbc.army.mil/
Communication with the U.S. Army was through Jason Adamek, a civilian engineer working with the US Army EOC. Contact with Jason occurred through weekly emails as well as phone calls if needed. Team Intuitive Motion Design (IMD) worked very closely with Jason and the U.S. Army in order to fulfill their expectations as well as ours.
The U.S. Army wanted a controller that is both intuitive and anthropomorphic. Using this knowledge a variety of designs were proposed, which were then narrowed down to three candidates: a 3D wrist/arm controller, a dual-joystick controller, and a basic video game controller. These designs were then compared in a concept scoring matrix and it was found that the 3D wrist/arm controller was the best design to be further pursued.
In order to deliver the design of an intuitive and functional controller IMD went through an iteration process which involved multiple prototypes, focus groups, and feedback from the U.S. Army. The CAD models of the first prototype were delivered to ECBC on March 5th, 2010 and on March 8th IMD received the first rapid prototype. After a rigorous iteration process the final prototype was developed and its CAD files were sent to ECBC on April 19th 2010. On April 22nd IMD received the final rapid prototype after which assembly and testing began. In order to test the capabilities of the final design a focus group comprised of male students between the ages of 18 and 23 was formed in order to mimic the demographic of the actual users in the field. The focus group was asked to give feedback about the controller’s intuitiveness. It was found that the final controller design was not only intuitive but also appealing to the eyes and non-intimidating to use.
The final controller intuitively performed every motion required by the interrogation arm by making use of the operator’s hand and arm movements instead of conventional buttons and levers. Other key features of this design were its left and right handed functionality, portability, and compact ability. This design proved to be a hit at the Senior Design Showcase being nominated for best project and poster. In order to be implemented in the field the U.S. Army needs to perform human factors testing, ruggedization, and integration of the controller.
This project has finished well under budget and fulfilled all requirements on time.
In conclusion IMD has produced the design and functionality of an intuitive controller for the Buffalo MRAP interrogation arm and articulating claw. This controller design should prove to reduce training time, and save lives by doing so.
https://www.ecbc.army.mil/
| me_440_final_report.pdf |
Senior Design II
GE Transportation in Erie, PA produces wind turbine gearboxes for 2.0 MW wind turbines. These gearboxes must transfer power at high torques and low rotational speeds to power at low torque and high rotational speeds. This power conversion operation is necessary for the wind turbine’s electric generators to operate efficiently. GE wind turbines are used in over 19 different countries with service lives of 20 years.
The outer housing of the 2.0 MW gearboxes currently consists of three primary components. The first is the input housing, which is a cast component that encases a differential gear set. The second component is the output housing, which is a smaller cast part that encases a high speed parallel gear set. These two housings are connected to the third component, a bolted flange style coupling. This coupling is part of the fixed carrier that restrains and aligns the low speed planetary gears of the differential gear set. The joint currently uses 48 bolts to connect the input housing to the fixed carrier. 24 of these bolt holes contain bushings to carry the shear load that the joint experiences. These bushing holes must be match-reamed in order to meet tight design tolerances. Match-reaming is an expensive process, resulting in parts being produced which are unique to each other and non-interchangeable. This means that in the event that an error in this process occurs, both of the match-reamed parts must be scrapped. Also, the bushings are cryo fit into the match reamed holes.
The manufacturing costs associated with the production of GE’s 2.0 MW wind turbine gearboxes are too high. In order to reduce the cost and improve manufacturability, the redesign of the bolted joint connecting the input housing to the fixed carrier was investigated. This particular joint has been chosen for redesign because of the high cost associated with the quantity of bushings present and high risk associated with the match reaming process used in the current design.
http://www.ge-energy.com/wind
The outer housing of the 2.0 MW gearboxes currently consists of three primary components. The first is the input housing, which is a cast component that encases a differential gear set. The second component is the output housing, which is a smaller cast part that encases a high speed parallel gear set. These two housings are connected to the third component, a bolted flange style coupling. This coupling is part of the fixed carrier that restrains and aligns the low speed planetary gears of the differential gear set. The joint currently uses 48 bolts to connect the input housing to the fixed carrier. 24 of these bolt holes contain bushings to carry the shear load that the joint experiences. These bushing holes must be match-reamed in order to meet tight design tolerances. Match-reaming is an expensive process, resulting in parts being produced which are unique to each other and non-interchangeable. This means that in the event that an error in this process occurs, both of the match-reamed parts must be scrapped. Also, the bushings are cryo fit into the match reamed holes.
The manufacturing costs associated with the production of GE’s 2.0 MW wind turbine gearboxes are too high. In order to reduce the cost and improve manufacturability, the redesign of the bolted joint connecting the input housing to the fixed carrier was investigated. This particular joint has been chosen for redesign because of the high cost associated with the quantity of bushings present and high risk associated with the match reaming process used in the current design.
http://www.ge-energy.com/wind
| redesign_of_a_wind_turbine_gearbox_bushing_joint.pdf |
Microcomputer Interfacing
Shipping fragile packages with ease of mind is a priority to all postal service users. In years past, the only ways to protect delicate materials have been packaging them sufficiently with insulation or padding and hoping that they arrive in the same condition with which they were sent. To better ensure the integrity of a sensitive device or vulnerable product is maintained during shipping, a health monitoring device has been developed.
This package monitoring device makes certain a package has been kept in an appropriate environment. It utilizes a thermistor as a temperature sensor and an accelerometer as a damage tracker. The thermistor keeps track of the temperature within the package during shipping, and continuously displays an average temperature on a 2-digit LED display. The accelerometer senses sharp changes in acceleration due to package mistreatment. If the sudden change is too high, output is sent to a single-digit LED display, acting as a hit counter for the package.
Upon receiving their package, the user can easily evaluate the quality with which their package was handled and take appropriate action as a result.
This package monitoring device makes certain a package has been kept in an appropriate environment. It utilizes a thermistor as a temperature sensor and an accelerometer as a damage tracker. The thermistor keeps track of the temperature within the package during shipping, and continuously displays an average temperature on a 2-digit LED display. The accelerometer senses sharp changes in acceleration due to package mistreatment. If the sudden change is too high, output is sent to a single-digit LED display, acting as a hit counter for the package.
Upon receiving their package, the user can easily evaluate the quality with which their package was handled and take appropriate action as a result.
| package_health_monitoring.pdf |
Copyright © 2013, by Erick W. Froede. All rights reserved.
