Academic Projects
Materials Selection: Designing a Suitcase
My final project in Materials Selection was to pick any system, for which I would analyze three components and select their optimal materials based on the models I created. I chose to investigate a hard-shelled suitcase, looking at the handle, shell, and wheels.
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By developing analytical models I derived material performance indices for the components, which I then used to determine the optimal material choices using the Ansys Granta EduPack software. The full analytical calculations and video presentation which details my process and the final selections are linked below.
Calculations
Video Presentation
Machine Elements: Golf Ball Striker
In Machine Elements, we completed a four person group project to model and analyze a golf ball striker capable of both chipping and putting to be placed in the back of a given RC robot (assignment based on the 2023-24 ASME SDC). We worked through the design process from concept generation to a fully modeled system.
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Once we had selected a design concept, my team divided it into components and we each worked in parallel on the CAD and analysis of our sections, iterating and improving on the design as we went. My main contribution was the servo drive mechanism, where I worked with the given torque-speed curves to design, validate, and improve the rack and pinion drive design. Shown to the left is the final CAD of our design. Linked here is a summary of the analysis and Matlab simulation of the servo I used to find the loading time and ensure the design would work.
Technical Writing
For my technical writing final project, I chose to write a magazine article style report on the present and potential futures of rail electrification in the United States. Rail transport is an area I've always been interested in, and this was a great opportunity to improve my research and writing abilities.
CAD: Double Bagel Slicer
Our final project in CAD was to model something capable of slicing two bagels simultaneously. My group chose to base our design off a single bagel slicer, which is already a very common product, and essentially just stick two of them together. The most interesting part of this project was thinking through manufacturability and tolerances, which we were required to incorporate into the design.
Manufacturability and assembly concerns had us iterate our blade design multiple times, and thinking about tolerances was crucial for making sure the parts could slide past each other, but also retain enough rigidity to properly slice a bagel. While I've worked on more complicated projects, I find myself returning to these fundamental concepts time and again.