Senior Design

Our team is tasked with improving the repeatability and accuracy of the Medical Device Ball Bearing Temperature Test Fixture, provided to us by Stryker, confirmed through Gage R&R testing. The thermal performance results from the fixture are used to verify and choose the best ball bearing to use within various Stryker devices.

Lesion formation caused by radiofrequency (RF) ablation must be placed in a precise location by medical professionals to be effective in killing nerve cells. Our goal is to increase the thermal profile around the needle to allow medical professionals to be less precise in their placement of the cannula. The heat spread of the cannula can be modified through alteration of the insulation properties and the overall design of the needle.

Our project goal is to reduce the contamination of deicing fluid in small airports. We developed a cart specially designed to capture deicing fluid. The fluid is primarily sprayed on the wings of the aircraft. This cart will help collect a significant amount of the fluid that comes from the wings. We will be creating a prototype, which is approximately a one-third model of the final design.

Our project involves researching current body structure components in present-day passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks, identifying potential applications and systems, then designing and prototyping a replacement part to demonstrate performance and functionality. We determined that truck bed cross members were the best application.

Our team was tasked to create a dynamic simulation of a rack based electric power steering system, from Nexteer Automotive, undergoing a standard in-house impact test. This simulation is required to take in available parameters of the rack geometry and test options and return position and force information of different sub-components. The goal is to be able to test component designs prior to prototyping and enable optimization of the steering rack performance.

Our proposed design accurately identifies true electromyography (EMG) responses and differentiates them from surrounding noise, limiting false responses. The feedback system will provide the surgeon with real-time evaluation of the procedure via a simple system of audio tones to direct immediate steps following application of the signal. Audio tones will signal compression and proximity to a nerve, notifying the surgeon without need for additional knowledge of EMG analysis. The proposed solution will be a mixture of hardware and software approaches to amplify positive EMG responses and apply filters to reduce noise, with a simple warning system to eliminate the need for a specialist to interpret the EMG signal response.

Design and prototype an improved exhaust aftertreatment control system.

The purpose of this design project is to decouple system testing from the physical machine. Production scheduling currently prohibits the ability to perform system testing in the physical test loop. Development of a virtual machine would alleviate these scheduling conflicts and provide tools for better testing and debugging of the molding machine.

Design and implement a prototype fixture and its production process using an alternative means of design and manufacturing.

Design and install a fume ring on the 300-lb. Inductotherm furnace in the Michigan Tech Foundry and connect into the existing ventilation system.

Our team was tasked with designing a device that could totalize air flow to calculate cost of compressed air used by a machine. The device must measure 1-160 SCFM at 90 psi and be able to withstand pressures up to 125 psi. The team’s design utilizes two separate flow paths, one for low flow leak detection (1-10 SCFM) and one for high flow measurement (10-160 SCFM). Each flow path consists of its own orifice plate that is connected to a differential pressure transducer. The reading from the pressure transducer is used to calculate flow in a program on the HMI screen.

Hospitals use wash systems to clean and sterilize instruments after use. Factors of the wash environments can harm surgical instruments. Our team designed a device that actively senses the conditions inside a hospital instrumentation washer. This device provides information for understanding the effects of the wash environment on medical instruments and will allow for wash cycle optimization.

To meet the need for new courses in the new Cybersecurity degree program, our team was tasked with developing a Penetration Testing course, which includes the business how-to as well as technical skills necessary to succeed in the field as a professional ethical hacker. We delivered a completed course, including a chosen course textbook, slides, an online lab set with accompanying lab manuals, and exams. GenCyber is a Michigan Tech summer program for local younger students. We provided instructional material, utilized Google Interland activities for younger students, and created the GenCyber camp curriculum to further develop and improve this course—another step toward the future of cybersecurity.

The CONVEY Guiding Catheter is designed to provide a pathway through which therapeutic and diagnostic devices are introduced in the coronary or peripheral vascular system. The US Food and Drug Administration released a new standard outlining the intravascular catheter corrosion test method required to determine the corrosion resistance, stating that any metallic components intended for fluid path contact must show no signs of corrosion when tested. In current practice, Boston Scientific manually performs the required test process throughout a three-day period, as there is no commercial product available, limiting the company’s productivity and flexibility. Our team was tasked with designing an objective, robust, and repeatable machine to perform the intravascular catheter corrosion test in an automated manner with continuous electronic measurements and data recording.

Our team is developing an Android app to aid in the training of Ground Force Commanders. Our app will be a sandbox style simulation that puts a Ground Force Commander instructor in an online lobby with a trainee. The instructor will be able to define a scenario for the trainee to run through, using elements such as a drag-n-drop menu and chat box.

Comparing the efficacy of open source 3D segmentation and modeling software to an approved payware software. Specifically, the use of patient CT scans converted to 3D models using 3D Slicer and Autodesk Meshmixer and 3D printed. 3D printed models allow the surgeon to predict the proper sized Watchman device to implant to the left atrial appendage (LAA) of the heart prior to procedure. Occlusion of the LAA reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Our team compared the cost of running services in a cloud environment between the three largest service providers: Amazon Web Service, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure.

Our team designed and built an ice resurfacing machine that can be pulled by hand or behind a lawn tractor and will be used on personal ice rinks.

We designed and built fixtures for stabilizing the carriage and tooling associated with the extrusion press in order to produce a clean shear of impure materials at the end of an extrusion. Our main goal is to produce sturdy mounts that are easy to operate and will not add unnecessary safety concerns when working around hot material. The solution must be designed and analyzed for stress concentrations as we will be working with high-output hydraulic rams.

Systems administrators working in environments of all sizes are rapidly adopting configuration management systems to automate provisioning and deployment, enforce system configuration, and streamline their work. However, it can be difficult to figure out which product to choose. Our project consisted of deploying three of the most popular products on the market today— Puppet, Ansible, and Saltstack—and comparing the computing resources that they used, their ease of use, and the scenarios that they would be most fit for.

Our project goal is to develop a fixture to profile the sound and vibration characteristics of ball bearings. The bearing under test will be driven at varying speeds and loading conditions to allow Nexteer’s design engineers to select bearings for use in power steering systems. Ball bearings are used in power steering systems, which sit very close to the cabin of a vehicle. Vibrations from those bearings are amplified by the body panels of the vehicle, which can cause audible noise in the cabin. As vehicles get quieter with the advent of electric vehicles, it is becoming more important for Nexteer to be able to tune the noise that their systems produce in order to match the expectations of their customer.

Doors that allow pets to enter and exit houses at their will are popular products for those who wish their pets to have freedom to explore. A common implementation is a small hinged door located at the bottom of a conventional door that allows a pet to push through in either direction, at any time. One drawback, however, is that these pet doors are non-discriminatory, or in other words, any small animal is free to use the door if it wishes. Hence, these doors make it very easy for wild animals to compromise the perimeter of a home. Our objective is to create a smart pet door that allows entry to specific animals while blocking entry to others.

A high-altitude nuclear detonation could generate an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that has a catastrophic effect on the national electric grid, something that was learned during the Cold War. The EMP mitigation team was tasked with developing a method to measure the effectiveness of substation enclosures to mitigate this threat. Our team developed a method of testing in compliance with IEEE, Military Standards, and a recent study done by the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI). The test we developed makes use of several types of antennas to characterize the attenuation of the buildings. This characterization data was used to create a streamlined testing procedure to be carried out on a routine basis on newly constructed enclosures.

Our team is tasked with the design, construction, and testing of a lunar trencher, intended to dig trenches on the lunar surface to study the stratigraphy of the moon.

The 2019-2020 Aerospace Propulsion Outreach Program (APOP) requires undergraduate students, working as a team, to research and develop a modification to the JetCat P100-RX engine that first prevents the rotor from free spinning at high Mach numbers and then gives the engine thrust vectoring capabilities. Our team modified the engine and demonstrated the ability to prevent windmilling in an engine exposed to high Mach number inlet conditions and provide a means of thrust vectoring. One of our goals was to make the device simple in nature, with a minimal amount of controls required.

We developed a system in support of NASA’s goal to explore the Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSR) of the south pole of the moon in 2023. The team’s prototype is a proof of concept of a system that will deploy a power and communications cable to the base of a lunar crater, serving as a recharging station and data transfer node for other systems operating in the PSR.

Our team was tasked with integrating an eddy current testing process into an assembly cell for MacLean-Fogg. The eddy current tester non-destructively tests the washer for surface cracks before it is assembled with a nut. We are creating a testing operation that spins, tests, and ejects washers based on whether they pass or fail. The assembly has to be contained within the existing assembly cell.

I am working with Selkey Fabricators LLC to help design a washer tank for industrial hydraulic cylinders used for heavy equipment. This design must include a heating element to heat up the water and soap solution, and evaporate the water to eradicate the leftover oil and dirty mixture from cleaning the cylinders. Additionally, the design includes a pump that will be used to bring the water/soap solution from the tank to be sprayed on the cylinders. Lastly, the design will need a separate control panel to control all of the devices, as well as an emergency shutdown option. The successful implementation of the design will allow Selkey to acquire additional assets and grow their business.

We have been engaged to create an end effector that will attach to an aquatic platform with the purpose of removing invasive aquatic plants from lakes. Invasive species, particularly Eurasian Watermilfoil—found all over the continental United States—harm the ecosystem by decreasing biodiversity and crowding waterways used for boating and recreation. Current treatment options are cost prohibitive, ineffective, or negatively impact native species. The long-term project is to create a system that can identify and remove invasive aquatic species with minimal human input. Our part, the first phase, is to create the machine plant interface, to be attached to a waterborne platform at a later time. The end effector should be capable of fully removing invasive species to stop their spread, and waterproof to operate in an underwater environment. The control system should be designed to be compatible with a wide variety of potential control platforms.

Our team was tasked to develop a manufacturing process simulation tool for nanotexturing the surfaces of titanium orthopedic implants. The tool will use many process parameters to determine the optimal manufacturing throughput of implants, cycle times, energy and material demands, control of process chemistry, and maintain process stability within acceptable limits to ensure FDA-quality results for a large number of implants. This virtual production system will show industry manufacturing feasibility.

Currently, high-speed drill systems are not constructed to be portable for traveling significant distances, limiting the help that surgeons and staff can provide to underserved populations. Modern high-speed drills are heavy and bulky, weighing up to 50 lbs. altogether between the drill and attachments, foot pedal, and intelligence/user interface system. Our team aims to increase the overall portability of high-speed drills by decreasing the weight and number of components in the system.

Our team is participating in the TiM$10K Challenge, a national innovation and design competition, to develop a new product that features a lidar sensor provided by Sick Industries. Our team developed software that uses reflectivity values obtained by the lidar unit. The new software identifies deterioration of road stripes and recommends timely repainting to aid in the safety and reliability of self-driving and lane-assisted vehicles on the roadway. We constructed a prototype to demonstrate the functionality of our program that features a pushable cart to evaluate road markings. An intuitive user interface displays the markings that are being evaluated and indicates whether or not they meet the necessary levels of reflectivity.

Many ITC substations are in remote locations that have very weak cell signals. A cell signal is required at substations for communication and transferring relay information. At substations with weak signal strength, a well-positioned directional antenna must be used to maximize signal strength. Currently, ITC engineers struggle to position antennas properly and often have to reposition antennas multiple times. To solve this issue, our team designed a portable device to measure cell signal strength from all major carriers simultaneously and directional data to fine-tune antenna position. The device consists of a handheld unit with a screen to display information and a lightweight antenna with an electronic compass on an extendable mast. It displays all relevant information on one screen so engineers can compare signal strength of different carrier frequencies in real time. In addition to the prototype device, we developed an instruction manual for the construction of duplicate devices. ITC engineers will be constructing their own cell signal measuring tools based on the design.

While larger and more capable than the previous CNC lathes in the Michigan Tech machine shops, the newly acquired Tormach 15L Slant-Pro CNC Lathes have a significant design flaw. Currently, the tailstock, a necessary device for the lathe used to stabilize work pieces when spinning, prohibits the cutting tool from traveling its full length down the work piece. It allows for only about four inches of travel when the machine should be capable of up to at least 12 inches. Therefore, a redesign of the tailstock is required to allow University students who use the lathes for projects to use the machines to their full capacity. The project will output a functional prototype of a new tailstock by December 2020. If successful, the tailstock will be adopted for production and use.

Underwater communication systems typically rely on large and expensive acoustic modems, hindering research and limiting the types of platforms on which they can be deployed. The goal of this project is to create a low-cost design of an underwater acoustic modem to promote research in the field.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a congenital heart defect in infants that results in malformation of the left ventricle of the heart. With this defect, the heart is unable to pump oxygen rich blood throughout the infant’s body. Currently, infants with HLHS are required to receive a series of three surgical procedures to reconstruct the heart. We are developing a transcatheter single ventricle device that will eliminate the first open heart surgery, the Norwood/Hybrid Procedure. This procedure occurs during the first three weeks of a patient’s life, thus making the minimally invasive procedure increasingly valuable. This catheter deployable stent is inserted through the femoral artery into the ductus arteriosus (DA). The polymer-coated and shape-memory nitinol stent props open the DA while controlling blood flow through the pulmonary arteries. Our team designed a robust and repeatable system, which models physiologically relevant HLHS blood flow, allowing for the validation of an optimal polymer fenestration size and modulate blood flow under patient-specific conditions.

Previously, a 1980s Bridgeport CNC mill was retrofitted with a MIG welding head. It is currently being used to produce parts and specimens through the wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. Our team tested parts in various manners to compare their properties with those of parts produced with traditional manufacturing methods, such as casting and machining.

Imagine how someone living through a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Dorian must have felt—scared and helpless, with no way to call for assistance or let loved ones know they were okay. It could be days or weeks before first responders are able to restore power to the area. That is where our project comes in. Our team was tasked to design, prototype, and test a connector and coupling actuator that can establish an electrical connection between two unmanned ground vehicles that will be used to build temporary microgrids in areas that desperately need it.

Little brown bats are dying in mines and caves because of a fungus that affects them during hibernation. To better understand their struggle and to care for the important bat population, the DNR regularly and laboriously counts the bats during their hibernation. Our solution makes use of a LiDAR (manufactured by SICK AG, Waldkirch Germany) to provide 3D scans of the larger rooms of the mine or cave while pointing out individual bats for the DNR’s population counts. The device will also be configurable to count the number of bats entering or exiting a given site.

Hugo Benzing specializes in producing fasteners for industries ranging from aerospace to fine electrical mechanics. During the manufacturing of C-shaped snap rings, metal wire is cut and annealed, which causes a burr to form on the inner edge of the ring. This burr must be removed only on the small-sized snap rings in a deburring and washing/oiling process that causes the rings to form large inner-tangled nested clumps together. The snap rings are manually untangled while packaged in counted quantities. The goal of the project is to create a prototype machine that can untangle the nested clumps of snap rings and keep them separate. Our team discussed the detangling method with system builders to create specifications and requirements of a true, fully functioning snap ring detangling machine for future use in production. We also conducted a financial analysis of the new process, ensuring it is affordable.

The US military has had an ongoing need to secure individuals of interest from fleeing or attacking vehicles. Our Senior Design team was tasked with the project of researching and developing a variety of methods for remotely stopping the vehicle without causing catastrophic damage or injuring the occupants. We generated a wide range of possible solutions and made a suggestion of an existing net-based wheel restraining technology as well as a vision denial strategy that we built and tested. This method consisted of drone-delivered fluid dispersion onto the windshield for daytime operations and use of powerful strobe lights for night operation.

An exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) uses exhaust gasses and a heat exchanger to warm up engine coolant, helping warm vehicle engines faster when started. EHRS are most commonly found in the hybrid and heavy-duty vehicle market. Tenneco tasked our team with helping them create their own EHRS to become competitive in the automotive market. Our team’s job was to use a wax motor to design a thermal actuator and linkage to replace the electric actuator in Tenneco’s current EHRS prototype. Our system, using only coolant temperature as an input, controls the valve that opens and closes the EHRS to exhaust gasses. Our main design objective includes creating an actuator system of less than $10 for bill of materials that would last the lifetime of a vehicle, passively relieve backpressure in the EHRS, and seal the EHRS off to exhaust gas when the warm-up period had concluded. We met those objectives by creating a system with a piston, lever, and springs to convert the linear motion of the wax motor into rotational motion on the EHRS valve.

The performance of current magnesium alloys can be improved by increasing both their ductility and strength. Additions of cerium in magnesium can increase both of these properties through formation of a secondary Mg12Ce phase that promotes grain refinement through constitutional supercooling. Alloying with zinc has also proven to solid solution strengthen the magnesium matrix. If zinc and cerium are added to magnesium and the effects of cerium additions are limited to grain refinement, then both the strength and ductility will increase because the zinc will solid solution strengthen the material and the refined grains impede dislocation movement and activate additional slip systems in the magnesium matrix. In this project, we explored the impact of varying amounts of cerium and zinc on magnesium alloys with the intent of developing an extrudable magnesium-cerium-zinc alloy with an elongation of 25 percent and an ultimate tensile strength of 210 MPa.

Ductile iron foundries face difficulties with transitioning from traditional pearlitic ductile iron to solid solution strengthened ferritic ductile iron (SSFDI) due to the different carbon and silicon requirements. Increasing the allowable carbon equivalent for SSFDI will allow for production of both pearlitic ductile iron and SSFDI. We conducted trials with 3.3-3.7 wt% carbon and 3.43-3.57 wt% silicon to quantify the effect of carbon equivalent on mechanical properties of SSFDI and identify an optimal transitional composition for SSFDI that meets tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation targets per EN-GJS-500-14.

The present study investigates the incorporation of Be, Co, Li, Mn, Mg, Ni, and Si to A356 aluminum to develop a new cast-aluminum alloy with a target modulus of 80 GPa, starting from the characterization of binary master alloys. Eck Industries requested development of a higher-stiffness, cast-aluminum alloy with the following targets relative to an A356 baseline, due to their existing high-volume production of the alloy that will benefit lightweight applications. The elastic modulus is a property defined in the elastic region of a material’s behavior, and is closely connected to the stretching of bonds under load. Our team introduced lattice strain as alloying elements as substitutional or interstitial atoms to increase bond strength, and to determine if the formation of intermetallics could bond strongly with the host lattice, or could even form double or triple bonds that were shorter and stronger.

Through this project, our team sought to understand the differences between skin and core regions of high-pressure die-cast aluminum. The two regions have different microstructures as a result of the variation in cooling rate as a function of depth from the free surface. This creates a gradient change in the hardness that can be measured through nanoindentation to create a more accurate model for finite element analysis. Additionally, various heat treatments were studied to identify an optimal treatment that increases the hardness and tensile strength while preventing blistering.

Carbon has extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion and significantly higher strength at elevated temperatures compared to metals. Carbonized wood retains the well-organized cellular structure of wood, which provides a natural porous carbon preform for infusion of metals to form carbon-metal composites. Our team worked to determine a metal alloy that would significantly benefit from the improved properties of carbon and determine a process to create the desired metal matrix composite.

In the aluminum extrusion process, hot metal is forced through a die to form a two-dimensional profile. The die’s design affects the material properties of the extruded metal, but these effects are neither well understood nor statistically quantified. This lack of knowledge leads to manufacturers extruding at lower speeds or higher scrap rates than necessary. Our team examined the effects of two different dies on the final structure and properties of aluminum extrusions at different speeds. We quantify the effects of die design on material properties and propose an optimal die combination and extrusion speed for the most efficient manufacturing.

Magnesium serves as a new potential material for lightweighting in the automotive and aerospace industries, but due to its highly reactive nature, magnesium alloys that are more resistant to reacting have been of recent interest. United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is looking for a magnesium alloy with reduced flammability that is also capable of being welded with to use in wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). WAAM using magnesium alloys with reduced flammability will allow faster and cheaper prototyping of parts that are lighter and safe for consumers.

The purpose of this project is to create models that are capable of evaluating the effects of multiple energy modalities (mechanical, electrical, thermal) for the new generation of the Spetzler-Malis Bipolar delivery system (Spetzler-Malis Non-Stick Bipolar Forceps, Stryker). The data received from these models will be used to convince surgeons that the new generation is better and more advanced than the last. The model created will be capable of evaluating effects on both targeted and non-targeted tissue surrounding the point of energy application and will have both a physical component and a computational component. Both the physical and computational model need to emulate the effects that the forceps have on brain tissue and brain tumor ablation specifically.

Michigan Tech has an opportunity to reduce our electrical costs through Demand Response. Utilities must be able to generate and deliver the maximum amount of power that all customers need at any one time. Large commercial and industrial customers pay a ‘Demand’ charge based on their peak demand used at any one time during the month to offset the infrastructure needed to supply that demand. Demand response can benefit customers in two ways. A customer could shut off equipment or self-generate a portion of their power needs to minimize their maximum peak for the month. Michigan Tech could reduce our peak by better controlling HVAC equipment, or could run generators to shave the peak. MISO offers economic incentives to customers who are willing to reduce demand when asked, to help them better manage their system. Michigan Tech could potentially save between $100,000 and $150,000 per year by participating in demand response.

Satellite telemetry tags are currently being used by marine biologists and conservationists to track the migration patterns of whales in efforts to improve conservation practices. Our project aims to design a blubber-only implantable satellite tag with a longer retention time through a redesign of the tag and use of micro surface features.

We have been asked by Mercury Marine to develop a lost-foam style casting process that uses a 3D printed pattern instead of expanded polystyrene. Expanded polystyrene allows for complete part filling, but the cost and time required to create a new pattern out of polystyrene are much too high due to the pattern tooling. 3D printing patterns would eradicate the need for pattern tooling and reduce the time required to produce a pattern significantly.

Predictable lesion formation during radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a function of many factors and the subject of decades of research. Of specific interest to Medtronic is lesion formation in non-homogeneous tissues and structures, such as the knee and shoulder. We are challenged to develop mathematical models and physical model validation for such treatment scenarios.

Our team is taking part in the Fluid Powered Vehicle Challenge, which hopes to create an environment resulting in uncommon connections and breakthroughs. The challenge supports the learning and growth of fluid power industry knowledge through the combination of fluid power and human powered vehicles, in a competition which measures efficiency, power, and reliability.

Our team performed analyses, simulations, and/ or engineering calculations to estimate/predict the movement of the IPP cylinders and resulting stress/strain. We modified current or designed new test procedures to perform physical testing that can replicate these conditions and fabricate a physical test system.

Our team sought to obtain the forces exerted on the blades of a mechanical retractor system with real-time and data logging capabilities.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Hatchery is looking to install a sixth groundwater production well, a new walleye rearing pond, and rehabilitate an existing well for increased fish-rearing capacity. Our Well Design team focused on determining a location for the new well and designing it to provide water for the hatchery and the new pond. Our Pond Design team investigated a recommended location for the new pond by conducting a watershed assessment and designed it for fish-rearing. By analyzing groundwater movement, aquifer properties, and local lithology through fieldwork and modeling, our groundwater engineering project will increase production and performance at the Tribal Hatchery.

The MSE department utilizes an extrusion press to extrude aluminum alloy billets through a tool to produce a UP-shaped cross section to create a bottle opener part. The aluminum billet is first extruded into a “log” approximately 36 inches long, which is then heat treated to T6. Currently, the manual process of creating the UP bottle opener is to cut the “log” into one-quarter inch thick pieces, sand the cut faces, drill the key ring mounting hole, and deburr. This process has proven to be tedious and inefficient due to the amount of manual labor required for each individual product. The sponsor would like an automated process of cutting, preferably eliminating the sanding process of the cut surfaces and drilling the key ring mounting hole. The goal of this project is to feed the “log” in one end of the system and have the finished bottle opener parts delivered at the end of the process ready for deburring, anodizing, and engraving. This will save students and faculty a great deal of time when producing large quantities of the bottle openers.

DARPA has begun to initiate their “Ocean of Things” project, changing the way data is collected in the ocean. Instead of having a select amount of high-quality units deployed to be collected at the end of their use, the model is switching to thousands of low-quality devices that would remain in the ocean. Our team has worked to develop a low-cost, low-impact housing option for these buoys that uses galvanic corrosion of Al for controlled scuttling.