Senior Design Projects
MME 448 - 449
General Objectives of the Course
The objectives of this course are to utilize your knowledge, as a senior student, in science, mathematics, engineering, computing, social science, and the humanities to perform a major open-ended design project. The project is conducted in a professional manner that resembles a real business/industrial environment. Here, you are considered a design engineer working in a multidisciplinary team, and the faculty as the project director/manager and consultant.
The fundamental elements of the design process are integrated with the four goals of the Miami Plan (in bold, below) to help you achieve the capstone objectives. Specifically, you will be able to:
Understand context by defining and considering the boundary of the problem, by conducting research, and by considering realistic constraints that include technical and economical factors, social implications, environmental considerations, marketability safety considerations, reliability, aesthetics, and ethics.
Think critically by solving open-ended problems, by establishing objectives and criteria, by brainstorming ideas and alternatives, by synthesizing, creatively, the problem, by analyzing, testing, and evaluating ideas, and by developing proposals.
Engage with other learners by actively participating in and learning to function within a multidisciplinary team, by assuming, as necessary, different roles on the team, by communicating with one another and your customer and advisor, and by critically evaluating and reflecting on your performance as well as their team members.
Reflect and act on your proposed designs and results, and communicate these effectively with your customer and project manager, by addressing safety and other related issues, and learning to adjust to and evolve with the given stochastic environment of an open-ended business/industrial problem.
Open-ended research/design projects are selected from six areas: 1) Business, Industry, or Manufacturing related projects, 2) Internal projects, 3) Service to the community, 4) Interdisciplinary with other departments at Miami, 5) National competitions, and 6) International.
The first part of the project (MME 448) deals with feasibility studies of proposals. The second part (MME 449) is the actual implementation, testing, and production of the chosen design.
Projects for 2008-2009 are listed below along with the advisor and student team members.
Design of a Transportation System for Natural Gas Hydrates
Team Members
Mike Roth, EGM
Tom Burg, EGM/MFG
Drew Mills, MCH
Tom Byrne, MCH
Natural gas hydrates (NGH) consist of water and methane in crystalline solid form. There are strong opportunities to open new markets for natural gas because of the novel ways NGH can be formed, stored, and transported. You would design and assess the logistics of NGH transportation in North America.
This project includes research into the capabilities of NGH and competing alternative energy technologies. System design may require experimental analysis of NGH production techniques, economic analysis of transportation methods, and an understanding of thermodynamic systems. (Parsons Corp., James Moller, MME, mollerjc(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56D)
Acoustic Source Separation and Localization
Team Members
Devin Podboy, MCH
Hunter Olson, CE
Samuel Kasik, MFG/MCH
Sound source from gunshots or speech are particularly useful for law enforcement and combat forces. The project involves the following aspects: research into the state-of-art in gunshot identification and detection systems; setup a synchronous acoustic data collection system using an array of microphones through a sound mixer; interfacing the acoustic data collection system with Matlab; conduct acoustic source separation and location experiments; learn space-time-frequency analysis techniques; analyze collected data using existing and new space-time-frequency analysis techniques and evaluate their effectiveness. (Qihou (Herb) Zhou, ECE; zhouq(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260E)
Honda of America, Marysville, Ohio – Solar Water Heating.
Team Members
Matt Garrett, EGM
Carri Mason, MCH
Bridget Ellis, MCH
Tyler Hochschwender, EGM/MFG
Determine feasibility of replacing or supplementing current recreational swimming pool heat system with new solar power system at the Watson Wellness Center. Develop proposed design for solar power system. Evaluate current site equipment and gather / validate current operating parameters; assess various types of solar power equipment and make a recommendation; Develop solar power system prototype and project power output; and Develop cost analysis for designed system. (Sarah Crush, Honda, James Van Kuren, MME, vankurjt(at)muohio.edu, Osama Ettouney, MME, ettounom(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56G, Marvin Thrash, thrashme(at)muohio.edu, PCE, 64P)
Wireless Ad hoc network intelligent sensing and jamming
Team Members
Scott Rom, ECE
Scott Spalding, CE
Design and build an emulator for intelligent sensing and jamming of wireless ad hoc networks with ancrypted traffic. Intelligent jamming refers to the selective jamming of packets that would inflict the most damage to the target network. The students will build a system that emulates the act of intelligent jamming in a simple network topology. Required tasks will include programming, and software and hardware integration. (Team of 2-3 students) (Gokhan Sahin, ECE; sahing(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260K)
Design of A Plant Layout
Team Members
Joe Smeltz, EGM
Nick Burns, MCH
Steve Sutter, EGM
A new small manufacturing company, classified as a job shop, is looking for ideas to design its new facility layout utilizing lean manufacturing as well as other concepts. Perform a situation analysis (SA) of the current operation to understand the flow of material throughout the organization. This SA may include a value stream mapping exercise. The SA may evaluate the following aspects of the company: safety, quality, cost, delivery, environment and morale (SQCDEM). A conclusion to the project will include a decision analysis (DA) that consists of at least 3 viable options for plant layouts. (Tony Carstens, Fischer-Backus, Osama Ettouney, MME, ettounom(at)muohio.edu )
Design of an Electric Ultra-Light Airplane
Team Members
John Brooks, MCH
Dirk Long, MCH/PHY
Brendon Buholzer, MCH
Tyler Atkins, EGM/MFG
Jason Bank, MCH
Design, build, and fly the World’s first all electric ultra-light airplane. The team will be responsible for market research, for exploring state-of-the-art systems, and for investigating multiple solutions for such a system. To consider it as an industrial related project, the team needs to make connections to the business and industrial world of manufacturing planes; feasibility study of the designed system and its potential use for future commercial ventures. (Robert Setlock, MME; setlocrj(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56Q)
Integration of DSP chip and FPGA for Signal Processing
Team Members
Brian Wagner, EE
Tommy Trimelon, EE
Bryan Yoder , EE
Description: In this project, student will learn how to use DSP chip and FPGA device on video processing. Student will use TI C6713 DSP starter kit (DSK) and Altera video development kit in this project. Either DSP chip or FPGA alone can conduct video processing task. However, DSP-FPGA co-processing can achieve more efficient signal processing flow. In the first semester, student will learn how to program TI DSK and design circuit on Altera FPGA. In the second semester, student will pick up some video processing task they find interesting with supervisor’s approval, apply three different approaches, DSP chip, FPGA, and DSP-FPGA co-processing to accomplish the task, and compare performance of different approach. (2-3 students) (Chi Hao Cheng, ECE; chengc(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260L)
GE Vane Segment Fixture Design
Team Members
Susana Campos, MCH
Ryan Asher, MCH
Max Miller, MCH
Chris Hatfield, EGM
Design a fixture for inspection of a variety of vane fixture segments for the GE Quality Technology Center. This project will build upon the past work and the final deliverable is a working prototype and electronic design with its analysis. The design should satisfy GE's quality indicators. Student's involved in this project will work closely with the GE's QTC facility. This project will involve extensive 3D modeling and finite element analysis. (David Johnson, GE QTC, Amit Shukla, MME; shuklaa(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56P)
SAE Mini Baja®
Team Members
Eddie Rivera, MCH
Blake Schmidt, EGM
Brian Herbert, MCH
Will Zeitler, MCH/MFG
Tyler Crider, EGM
The objective of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the planning, design, and manufacturing tasks encountered when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities. All vehicles are powered by a ten-horsepower Intek Model 20 engine donated by Briggs & Stratton Corporation. This sponsorship by Briggs & Stratton has enabled SAE to provide each team with a dependable engine free of charge. Use of the same engine by all the teams has created a more challenging engineering design test. (Fazeel Khan, MME, EGB 56R; khanfj(at)muohio.edu - Karl Reiff, EGB 52D; reiffkr(at)muohio.edu, MME) WEBSITES: www.miamiredhawkracing.com http://www.etsmtl.ca/zone2/clubs/minibaja2004/en/index.html
Design of a Projection Vision Interface for Pediatric Rehabilitation
Team Members
Molly Buns, MCH
Steve Boehmer, MCH
Katie Baltes, MCH
Evan Beggs, EGM/MFG
Design an interactive environment for use in pediatric rehabilitation of children with conditions such as cerebral palsy. The environment will utilize digital projection and machine vision systems to display information, track motion and dynamically interact with the patient. (Bailey-Van Kuren, MME, baileym(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56K)
Electroencephalogram
Team Members
Kerry Bennington, EE
Alex Ficke, EE
Jason Pennington, CE
Electroencephalogram (EEG) detects the electrical activities in the brain. It is widely used to detect seizure and epilepsy, among a number of neurological applications. The main objective of this project is to write user-friendly software and determine the pre-seizure conditions in collaboration with physicians from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Students involved in this project are expected to: research into the current state of EEG; collaborate with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and address the needs of hospital; survey and compare relevant time-frequency techniques for EEG applications; do time-frequency and cross-channel analysis on the EEG’s from our own lab and from the Children’s Hospital; and attempt to establish the pre-seizure condition. (Qihou (Herb) Zhou, ECE; zhouq(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260E – Chi Hao Cheng, ECE; chengc(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260L)
Design, Fabrication and installation of Water Pump System II, Mali, Africa
Team Members
Samantha Papa, MCH
Benjamin Bruce, MCH
Natalie Carne, MCH
Jason Hardesty, MCH
Chase Williams, MCH
The 2nd Phase of this project will build on the work of the 07/08 team to realize a working merry-go-round water-pump system for village of Gwele Kona, Mali. The team will need to assess the work form Phase I, ensure the existence of water in the drilling location, install and operate the designed pump system, train the people on how to maintain the pump, and possibly install similar pump systems in other villages. Travel to Mali is a requirement of this project. (Ms. Gail Webb, Jean-Pierre Dabou, Osama Ettouney, MME; ettounom(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56G)
Electromagnetic Pulse Generator (Phase II): System Improvement
Team Members
Geethanga de Silva, CE
Tom Cairns, EE
The goal of Phase II is to improve the performance characteristics of the system designed in Phase I. The existing design utilizes a “vacuum cannon” approach and consists of a 10-ft PVC pipe barrel connected to a high-performance portable vacuum pump. The project will focus on improvement of the propulsion system, new design of end caps, inclusion of a vacuum reservoir to reduce the effect of shockwaves due to remaining air and extensive electrical testing. A theoretical model of the scenario, which takes system imperfections into account will also be created to improve upon existing formula derived by California State University researchers for ideal vacuum cannon. (Team of 2-4 MME & ECE students with some knowledge of electromagnetics.) (Dmitriy Garmatyuk, ECE, garmatd(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260J)
Design a monitoring device for an orthotic boot
Team Members
Stephen Scurria, MCH
Colleen Nagy, EE
Megan Filips, MCH
The project’s goal is to examine the compliance of patients with clubfoot. It has been shown that compliance with orthotic wear can significantly improve the outcome of nonsurgical management in clubfoot. The design team will be responsible for refining and developing a new device to monitor patient compliance. The team will use their knowledge of reverse engineering to review the current prototype and produce a more efficient design. Currently, the prototype has a pressure sensor placed within the orthotic boot to measure if the patient is wearing the boot. The sensor is then hooked to a microcontroller (currently a Basic Stamp) to compile data. The microcontroller can then report how often the patient has worn the boot. The team will test their design during clinical trails. (Aaron Morgenstein, University of Kentucky, College of Medicine and Shriners Hospital of Lexington, KY, Bailey-Van Kuren, MME, baileym(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56K)
Joint Radar and GPS Receiver Study of The Ionosphere Range Delay Error
Team Members
P. Chandrasekaren, EE
Ionosphere is the most variable error source in GPS measurements. In this project, students will learn the characteristics of the ionosphere range measurement error in GPS receivers. Based on the characteristics, students will develop means to mitigate the error using radar measurements of the ionosphere and modeling techniques. Students will use real dual-frequency GPS receiver measurements and incoherent scatter radar measurements in this study. Both analytical and experimental skills are necessary to conduct this project. (Jade Morton, ECE, mortonyt(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260P)
Tapping Process Improvement – Schneider Electric – Oxford, OH
Team Members
Stephanie Burrell, GEN /MFG
Sinit Rin , MCH
David Johnson, MCH
Schneider Electric manufactures electric switchgear and busways. Components are manufactured and assembled at the Oxford plant. Solutions of a variety of sorts are needed in several aspects of the tapping processes which are performed. These include: more detailed process routing, assessment of tapping machine capabilities, machine redesign to accommodate a wider range of workpieces, development of tapping process conditions and tap/workpiece material matching, improvement of worker job descriptions and training, chip removal strategies, kitting of cutters and tooling at workstations, and development of inspection protocols. Your team would focus on addressing one or two of these areas. Participating in this project provides you with excellent exposure to process and tooling design in an actual manufacturing environment. (James Moller, MME, mollerjc(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56D)
Art & Technology
Team Members
Mitch Reynolds MCH
Alexander Stites MCH/MFG
Erin Giorgradis MCH
Michael Silber EGM/MFG
The students participating in this project will design and fabricate a technology related sculpture for possible installation in or near the new engineering complex (EGB & Benton). The long term objective is to use technology related art, in all its forms, to create a visually stunning ambiance that evokes a sense of wonder throughout the entire engineering area. The students in this project will start that process by creating the technology related sculpture. It is expected that other similar projects will follow. Professor Sara Young from the School of Fine Arts will serve as a consultant and co-advisor. (Bob Setlock, MME; setlocrj(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56F, Anna Dollar, MME; dollar(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56E; Sara Young, youngs(at)muohio.edu, Art Bldg 124)
Design of Wireless Sensor Network for Structural Health Monitoring
Team Members
Greg Shendel, MCH/EGM
Alicia Bertlira, EE
Daniel Holt, MCH/EE
Design a wireless sensor network (WSN) test bed for engineering structures for structural health monitoring (SHM) and/or non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of structural integrity. This designed WSN should be capable of data-acquisition from the wireless sensors (especially accelerometers) and data communication among the wireless sensors such that it can be combined with the existing computational techniques for predicting the dynamic behavior of the structure and identifying the damaged zone in the structures. This WSN and the measurement frame work should be conveniently extended for other engineering applications. (Kumar Singh, MME; singhkv(at)muohio.edu, EGB 56L)
Design of the Thermal Management System for an Automotive Battery Pack
Team Members
Mario Latorre, MCH/MFG
J J Fought, MFG/EGM
Justin Gossard, MCH
Brian Grigsby, MCH
Students will design and construct the cooling system for a lithium-ion battery pack for use in future plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Because the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries are strongly dependent on their operating temperature, the maintenance of a temperature below 60C (with a target temperature of 30C) is necessary to prevent adverse electrochemical performance, accelerated capacity fade, and shortened cycle life. Different thermal management strategies will be considered including fans, heat sinks, heat pipes, liquid cooling, phase change materials, nanofluids, etc. Although not required, this project would be best filled by at least one student who is concurrently enrolled in MME/PCE 403. (Andrew Sommers, MME, EGB 56S; sommerad@muohio.edu)
Corrective Path- Smart Sniper Round
Team Members
Andrew Mitchell, EGM/MFG
Justin Wells, MFG
John Ruzick, CE
Eric Horvath, MCH
Doug Hamann, MCH
This project’s goal is to explore the feasibility of designing, fabricating, and testing a Smart Sniper round. This round will be shot from a distance of up to two miles and correct its path on target against wind, humidity, rotation of the earth and possibly around objects in the flight path. MEMS technology will be the main focus of design in a steering system within the round. Radio frequency will be researched for a control response system to calculate the in-flight path of the shot. There may be possible trips to Wright Patterson or a shooting range for testing and research of this project. (Dmitriy Garmatyuk, ECE, garmatd(at)muohio.edu, EGB 260J)
