Senior Design Projects Spring 2013
Breaker Wear Monitoring
First Place Award Overall for the 2013 Michigan Tech Undergraduate Expo
Team Members
Beau Baldwin, Matt Boersema, Nathan Rogers, Sarah Wells, and Elias Whitley, Electrical
Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
ITC Holdings and Mitsubishi Electric
Project Overview
Our goal is to create a setup to test a Mitsubishi 120SFMT40J transmission breaker at low
voltage/high current (40,000A) (LVHC) and to use interruption data from specific ITC breakers to
estimate percent wear based on a new Mitsubishi wear curve. The LVHC test will use an SEL-351-s
relay, determined to be the best by a previous Senior Design team, to monitor the current and
the corresponding interruption. We want to verify that the wear-accumulation program on the relay is
functioning as specified.
Automation of Water Works Valve Test System
Team Members
William Preston and Hanyu Lou, Electrical Engineering; John Ozoga, Computer Engineering;
Neil White, Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor
Trever Hassell
Sponsor
EJ Group
Project Overview
Our team is developing a conceptual system that will further automate the leak testing of water works valves to improve cycle time and reliability over that of the current test method.
Locomotive Sanding Container Level Sensing
Team Members
Andrew Ranta, Justin Breeland, Jacob Glair, Kellen Murray, and Meng Yang, Electrical Engineering; Jeff
Langlois, Computer Engineering
Advisor
Duane Bucheger
Sponsor
Union Pacific
Project Overview
Under conditions requiring improved acceleration, locomotives use compressed air to spray sand in
front of the drive wheels. Such systems are referred to as “sanders” by the industry and are mandated
by federal regulation. The sand is stored onboard the locomotive in tanks or sand boxes, and refilling
these tanks is performed at a rail yard via a sanding tower. Our team will be implementing a remotesensing
system to detect sand levels in each of the sanding containers on the GE AC4400 locomotive.
The data will be displayed to allow for quick and safe assessment of sand levels..
Identification of Sources of Rattle in a Steering System Using Signal
Processing Techniques
Team Members
Jacob Kosanke, Computer Engineering; Sean Miller, Kellin Jayne, Tim Stolzenfeld, and Yingkun
Zhu, Electrical Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Nexteer Automotive
Project Overview
Nexteer Automotive, based in Saginaw, Michigan, is a leader in active and electric power steering
technology. Within the steering system, a rattle can occur, which creates an issue with customer
satisfaction, as well as with the warranty on parts. Using signal-processing techniques in the MATLAB
environment, our goal is to develop a method of detecting the source of the rattle: from the ball nut
or pinion side.
Laser Dimensioning System
Team Members
Michael Witt and Christopher Adams, Electrical Engineering; John LaPine and Ahren Sitar,
Computer Engineering; Young Na, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Trever Hassell
Sponsor
Cinetic Automation
Project Overview
Our goal is to design a laser-dimensioning device to quickly scan parts, in order to determine if the size
and position of key features are within the required specifications.
Soldier Personal Cooling System
Team Members
Nathan Morris and Daniel Fowler, Mechanical Engineering; Andrew Apsite, Nathan Hineline, and
Bryan Belvin, Electrical Engineering
Advisor
Trever Hassell
Sponsor
BAE Systems Land and Armaments
Project Overview
Military vehicles, such as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and Ground Combat Vehicle, are operated
in harsh environments that can be physically demanding on soldiers. Heat-related stress when
traveling to and from missions is often detrimental to the soldier and mission objectives. Conventional
vehicle-level climate-conditioning systems require a lot of power to operate. Current heat-abatement
systems applied to soldiers are bulky, heavy, or require removal of body armor to use properly. This
project seeks to design a personal-cooling system to reduce heat-related stress..
Automotive Leak-Tester Software
Team Members
Nathan Booms, Computer Engineering; Rachel List and Fran Madsen, Electrical Engineering
Advisor
Trever Hassell
Sponsor
Project Overview
We will test and evaluate leak-tester software for an automotive application. Functionality and aesthetics
were evaluated for each software revision. Competitive analysis of current leak-testing units
was conducted to further understand the needs of the market.
