Senior Design Projects Spring 2013

Breaker Wear Monitoring

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

 John Lukowski

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

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

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 remote sensing 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

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

Dr. Duane Bucheger 

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

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

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

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.