Senior Design Projects 2008-09
Machinability of Ductile Iron Crankshafts
Team Members
James Martin, Robb Mrozinski, Emanuel Marinaro Castilla, Materials Science and Engineering; Drew Windgassen and Chris Olson, Mechanical Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Kohler Company
Project Overview
The ductile iron crankshaft is a major component of all engines produced. Variation in the machinability of ductile iron castings creates unwanted expense and difficulties in the manufacturing process. This project aims to develop and prove a method to both quantitatively and qualitatively measure the differences in machinability of ductile iron crankshafts. The methods developed will be used to evaluate different chemistry ranges, foundries, melt practices, and ages of castings. The goal of this project is to create a method to first evaluate machinability of ductile iron crankshaft casting and then to create an engineering standard based on the method.
Cold Rolling of High-Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) Steels
Team Members
Matt Calcutt, Meghan Haycock, Britta Lundberg, and Carolyn Swanborg, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Severstal North America
Project Overview
Severstal North America, located in Dearborn, Michigan, has installed a new five-stand tandem rolling mill. This project is focused on developing cold rolling and annealing cycles to benchmark three HSLA steel grades. Testing involved cold reducing, annealing, tempering, and performing tensile test and metallographic analysis. Each grade experienced three different reductions and three different annealing cycles. Our team is responsible for benchmarking the cold rolling, annealing, and tempering cycles for three different grades of steel. Each grade experienced three reductions and three annealing cycles, for a total of nine combinations per grade. The mechanical properties of the grades were tested using tensile and hardness tests. The microstructure of the material was also evaluated.
Bioabsorbable Metal Stent Degradation Simulation
Team Members
Rebecca Klank and Andrew Johnson, Biomedical Engineering; Joseph Halt, Collin Snyder, and Casey Thibeault, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisors
Dr. Jeremy Goldman, Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Jaroslaw Drelich, Materials Science Engineering
Sponsor
Boston Scientific, Inc.
Project Overview
Atherosclerotic arteries are commonly un-occluded by using metal stents. However, the permanent foreign material may contribute to restenosis and complicate follow-up treatment. Consequently, biodegradable materials, most notably iron, have been investigated to develop non-permanent stents. Currently, no in vitro model exists that can accurately predict realistic degradation rates, the result of which leads to unnecessary expense and animal sacrifice for in vivo testing. Our team has found that tissue encapsulation affects the degradation rate of the material and accounts for the extreme differences currently found between in vitro and in vivo data. Our design team has developed an in vitro testing method—to more accurately predict in vivo degradation rates—that is also inexpensive and easily reproducible, obviating the need for extensive in vivo studies to develop bio-absorbable stents.
Lightweight Hydraulic Coupling
Team Members
Cameron Biery, Jonathan Gosa, Charles Schlaud, and Erik Selewski, Mechanical Engineering; Kyle Schafer, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Jim Pattison, Anchor Coupling Inc.
Project Overview
The goal of this project is to reduce the overall part mass of two similar crimp-on hydraulic hose coupling designs produced by Anchor Coupling Inc. The two couplings include 6MN, for low- to medium-pressure applications, and 6XN, for highpressure applications. The redesign is unrestrictive because mass minimization can be obtained through a change in material or geometry. Redesign efforts are focused on changing the coupling material from a common steel to an aerospace aluminum and modifying the part geometry to reflect the new material properties. The overall mass needs to be reduced by at least 10 percent of the current part mass without exceeding a 25-percent cost increase. The design has to pass two pressure tests, burst and impulse, performed at Anchor Coupling, in order to be deemed a success.
Creep Resistant Zn-Al-Cu Alloy
Team Members
Katherine Becker, Brett Helzer, Andrew Hodges, Daniel Hoffman, and Gretchen Lange, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Eastern Alloys
Project Overview
The MSE department, our Senior Design team, and Eastern Alloys have been working together to develop a new aluminum– copper–zinc alloy. The new alloy will feed a market for die-cast parts with high-creep resistance, while having lower energy costs in production than materials currently used for creep-sensitive applications. Creep is the deformation of a solid material while it is under heightened temperatures and lower levels of stress for extended periods of time. We have been working on the project for three years and have narrowed the final composition down to three experimental alloys. The objective of this year’s Senior Design team is to continue testing, choose the final composition, and produce a sales brochure.
Winsert Valve Insert
Team Members
Justin Clark and Mark Twilley, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Winsert Inc.
Project Overview
Develop prototype casting process utilizing a permanent mold to produce valve inserts. Process is designed to replace current sand casting process. Note: team is shown with members of the Advanced Metalworks Enterprise team.
CO2 Sequestration
Team Members
Michael Krug and Ken Brooks, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisors
Dr. Stephen Hackney and Dr. Mark Plichta
Sponsor
ArcelorMittal
Project Overview
This research project addresses the feasibility of using slag from the steel-making process to perform CO2 sequestration: capturing CO2 so that it is not released into the atmosphere. If determined as feasible, the goal is to fabricate a pilot process that can be used for demonstration. Note: team is shown with members of the Advanced Metalworks Enterprise team.
Alternative Fuels Group
Team Members
Kelsey Sprenger, Chemical Engineering, and Sean Baker, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Dr. Jason Keith
Sponsor
United States Department of Energy and John Deere
Project Overview
In the spring of 2002, a group of students involved with AIChE’s Chem-E Car competition returned with a first-place victory from the AIChE regional conference. The team members had bigger visions for the Chem-E Car: to develop a more efficient power source, such as a hydrogen fuel cell, and to machine a better vehicle with improved vehicle dynamics. They molded their group into an enterprise that would provide opportunities for young professionals in multiple academic disciplines to research and develop alternative fuels. Projects, research, and development are done in conjunction with industry sponsors to give viable solutions to real-world energy problems.
Advanced Metalworks Enterprise, AME
Team Members
Mike Krug and Ken Brooks, Materials Science and Engineering
Advisor
Sponsor
Chrysler, Winsert, and ArcelorMittal
Project Overview
AME, the Advanced Metalworks Enterprise, is a diverse collection of mechanical engineers, material scientists, and business majors working together to perfect product development and sales. Specializing in machining and casting methods, AME works with industry sponsors to optimize production and process methods, improve product quality and customer relations, as well as on-campus projects and persons when interest arises. Previously two separate enterprises, AME was formed out of ICE and PrISM to close the gap between product design and fabrication.
