ME 481 Sr. Design Project I Fall 2007 List of Projects Pg 1 of 5
Project 1: Shredding System
Client: Western Idaho Training Inc. Mr. Glenn Roach
ME 481 Sr. Design Project I Fall 2007 List of Projects Pg 2 of 5
Phone: 454-3051 email:
Western Idaho Training Inc. (WITCO) provides employment and training opportunities to mentally and physically disabled workers. Participants develop skills in various work service programs such as trophy fabrication, pop-corn production and IRS document destruction.
The company would like to redesign the shredding system used on WITCO’s contract for destroying IRS documents. Employees currently work in a group using various items including six commercial shredders, plastic buckets and trays. Each worker, in a sitting position, bends over to pick up handfuls of paper out of a large bucket, place them into a lap tray then carefully feeds them through the shredding machine. When the shredder output bin is full, the worker then empties the plastic bag into a larger barrel/bin. The work tasks can be fatiguing and result in modest shredding throughput quantities. Using a redesigned system of fixtures, bins and or machines it is hoped that worker fatigue would be reduced and throughput increased to the maximum allowed by the shredding machines. The employees would work more comfortably and earn more since their pay is based on throughput.
Special Concerns: operator ergonomics repetitive bending and arm motions, safety, cost
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. In addition, physical prototype fabrication and testing is anticipated.
Mentors: Faculty Mentor Expertise Areas
Sabick (principal) ergonomic
Eggert machine design
Project 2: Washer Dispenser
Client: The ARC Ms. Lisa Cahill
Phone: 343- 5583 email:
The Arc, is a private non-profit organization that provides services and support to people with disabilities such as Vocational assessment and job training; Job seeking classes; Community based work evaluation; Community based work adjustment and Follow along.
As part of their work services program, participants are employed to assemble a kit/bag of parts for a local manufacturer. The kit/bag includes some electrical wires and hardware including a nut, bolt, lock-washers and regular washers. Due to their disabilities, some participants find it difficult to pick up the washers and or lock washers from the storage bins (about 8x8x8 inches) and place them into the kit bags. The anticipated project would consider alternatives such as a paddle or lever operated (electro)/mechanical dispenser that would store and dispense washers and lock-washers of various sizes.
Special Concerns: ergonomics, mechanisms, automated assembly, cost
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. In addition, physical prototype fabrication and testing is anticipated.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Guarino (principal) mechanisms, statics, dynamics
Eggert machine design
Project 3: Electronics equipment cooling
Client: Micron Systems Integration Mr. Bill Layer
Phone: 368-2235 email:
Micron Systems Integration designs and builds test equipment used in the production of memory chips and modules.
The test equipment case encloses a variety of electronic heat generating sources. The test equipment is used 24/7 and must operate with high reliability under varying operating conditions. Forced convection is typically used to cool the case. Systems Integration prepares about three custom-designed equipment cases (models) each year. They would like to develop a design methodology for case cooling design using a combination of manual and or computer methods such as CFD, design guidelines and or rules of thumb that are cost–effective and result in accurate and successful cooling.
Special Concerns: Instrumentation, experimentation, air/fluid flow, heat generation, fabrication and assembly.
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. It is anticipated that a variety of equipment cases will be examined and instrumented to characterize heat generation and cooling and to verify cooling analysis methods. Calculator and computer methods will be formulated, tested and errors quantified.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Senocak (principal) CFD, Fluid mechanics
Dawson Fluid/aero mechanics, instrumentation
Project 4: Prescribed Burn Apparatus
Client: National Interagency Fire Center Mr. Carl Dorsey
Phone: 387-5010 email:
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), located in Boise, Idaho, is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting. Eight different agencies and organizations are part of NIFC. One of their programs involves prescribed burning, a carefully managed, closely supervised treatment of a predetermined area to restore plant and animal habitats and to reduce the likelihood of large, destructive wildfires.
Two types of equipment are used to ignite the undergrowth. A hand-held drip-torch and a trailer mounted apparatus which mixes gelled fuel, pumps it through a 25 long hose to a hand held igniter-torch which directs the flow of burning fuel to the target vegetation. A 2002 independent, hazard assessment study identified a variety of potential safety issues that needed re-engineering and implementation in order to comply with OSHA, NFPA, and FM codes. The project would involve developing alternative solutions for some of the most important hazards identified.
Special Concerns: Viscous fluid flow, powder/fuel mixing, pumping, storage, valving, fuel ignition, cost, transportability, controls, and safety.
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. In addition, physical prototype fabrication and testing of bench-scale concepts is anticipated.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Plumlee (principal) Combustion, fuels, fluids
Eggert Machine Design
Project 5: Hoist for Automotive Fuel Cell Power Plant
Client: Nissan (Sacramento) Mr. Owen Thunes
Phone: 916/375-3703 email:
Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA) is responsible for blending technology and engineering to create cars that deliver total customer satisfaction. This process involves interaction and cooperation among all technical departments, which results in "total vehicle development." In addition to NTCNA’s proving ground facility located on 3,050 acres in Stanfield, Arizona, it operates a fleet of fuel cell automobiles out of their Sacramento, California offices.
Currently, each vehicle’s fuel cell power plant is removed from the chassis for routine maintenance and inspection using a temporary hoist. Nissan would like to have a custom hoist designed and fabricated for these vehicles. Design recommendations are also desired for a hoist to be used on upcoming production vehicles.
Special Concerns: robustness, safety, compactness, ergonomics, cost, fabrication, assembly.
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. Physical prototypes may include machined and or welded fabrications and, or Fused Deposition Models (FDM) of selected parts or subsystems.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Eggert (principal) machine design
Sabick ergonomics
Project 6: Wind Turbine Power Improvement
Client: PowerWorks, LLC Mr. Rick Koebbe
Phone: 841-1194 email:
PowerWorks Inc. and its affiliate, Pacific Winds Inc., are privately-held companies, focused upon the development, acquisition, and operation of clean, renewable, wind and solar power projects. They currently own and operate four wind power projects, consisting of over 900 wind turbines, totaling 95,000 kilowatts, located in Altamont Pass, near Livermore, California. In addition, they are developing several other wind and solar projects across the nation.
PowerWorks would like to extend the length of some of its existing rotor blades by 2-3 ft to improve the output power generated by its turbines. The fiberglass rotor tips should add 3-5 % more power but may induce unwanted stresses at the blade root. In addition, the project will require engineering and testing of attachment methods and materials for connecting the tips to the existing blades.
Special Concerns: Blade stresses, attachment methods and materials, power improvement potential.
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings of the design. Wind tunnel testing of blade tips is expected. Additionally, prototype attachment methods will be fabricated and tested. Stress and power analyses.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Ferguson (principal) power augmentation estimation
Gardner tip attachment design/stress analysis
Haynes turbine operations
Project 7: Fuel delivery system for small satellites
Client: (Air Force Office of Scientific Research) Dr. Don Plumlee
Phone: 426-3575 email:
The Air Force, NASA and other satellite manufacturers are considering different methods to stabilize satellites in their orbit. One method is to use a miniature hydrogen peroxide catalytic combustor to produce the required thrust.
While the concept has been proven in the lab, a viable method to deliver and control the delivery of fuel to the miniature combustors is needed. A system of tank, bladder, valve(s) and control is anticipated which would deliver about 3-10 ml/min of fuel to the small combustor.
Special Concerns: fluids, pumps, materials, controls, cost, weight
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. Physical prototypes will be fabricated and tested.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Plumlee (principal) fluids, combustion
Eggert machine design
Project 8: Wind Tunnel Experiment
Client: Boise State Seniors Prof. Paul Dawson
Phone: 426-3395 email:
Boise State Mechanical and Biomedical engineering students and faculty would like to use the wind tunnel to gain experience in wind tunnel operations and to conduct verifiable, repeatable experiments.
The project would involve interviewing students to obtain recommendations for user-friendly laboratory equipment and data acquisition. Right-circular cylinder and wing/section experimental models would be designed and fabricated. Test instruments would be designed, and assembled. Experiments would be conducted to refine the data acquisition equipment and calibrate the equipment. A lab experiment would be written and verifiable data collected.
Special Concerns: lab instrumentation, wind tunnel operation, model fabrication and testing.
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. Laboratory instrumentation installation and debugging is anticipated along with models/prototypes fabrication and testing.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Dawson (principal) Fluid mechanics/instrumentation
Ferguson Wind tunnel operations
Project 9 Brake Cable Improvements
Client: Io Dupont Tony Dupont
Phone: 336-0385 email:
Io DuPont is a Boise based manufacturer of top-end bicycle control cords that replace the heavier traditional steel wire rope cables. Years of researching, testing and teaming up with synthetic fiber manufacturers resulted in PowerCordz, the highest quality product possible.
The innovative brake cable uses light weight synthetic fibers covered in a polymer sheath. In some applications the systems weak spot is at the clasp which secures one end of the control cords. Secondly the company would like to explore new types of end clasp that would result in reliable, convenient assembly and attachment by the user. And lastly, they would be interested in improved the coatings materials.
Special Concerns: Failure modes, new connector design, stress concentration, friction, weight, fabrication, cost.
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. Physical prototypes will include end connector fabrications and testing
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Eggert (principal) End connector design/stresses
Marx Materials, fabrication/manufacturing
Project 10 Human Powered Vehicle
Client: (MBE students) Dr. James Ferguson (ASME advisor)
Web: www.ASME.org
Human Powered Vehicles are aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that may be for use on land, in the water or the air. ASME sponsors the Human Powered Vehicle Competition in hopes of finding a design that can be used for everyday activities ranging from commuting to and from work to going to the grocery store.
The point of the competition is the elegance and ingenuity of the design, including presentation, practicality and safety. All areas of engineering problem-solving are addressed - it's not as simple as it appears to design and build these vehicles. And the competition itself is great fun for the team.
The vehicles are judged on design, safety and performance. The first stage of the competition is the preparation of a comprehensive design report. The second part of the competition includes design presentation and performance events, held over a weekend where the vehicles race against one another in time trials and an endurance event. There are three different vehicle classes:
· Single Rider - operated and powered by a single individual
· Multi-rider - operated and powered by two or more individuals
· Utility - vehicle designed for every-day transportation for such activities as commuting to work or school, shopping trips, and general transportation
Special Concerns: frame, brakes, pedals, transmission, steering, aerodynamic shell, stresses, weight, cost, ergonomics, fabrication
Prototypes: CAD solid models, pictorials, renderings and detail drawings. It is expected that the project team will fabricate the HPV, test and then participate in the competition.
Mentors: Faculty Mentors Expertise Areas
Tennyson (principal) Machine design
Dawson/Senocak Aerodynamic modeling
Marx Shell Materials /fabrication