Mechanical Engineering
Matlab Projects
Bowling Ball Simulation
The purpose of this project was to model the motion of a bowling ball. The main task was to write a script which would account for the slip/no-slip condition depending on whether or not the contact point of the ball has a velocity relative to the ground. Finally, an animation was created to show the results of the simulation.
- Jamie Jenkins
Animation of the bowling ball traveling down a bowling alley.
Planar Crank Mechanism Simulation
This project modeled a crank-rocker using derived equations of motion and several integrators. A primary function of this lab was to develop an understanding of the 'fminsearch' function, which I used to find the initial angular position of links 3 and 4. To conclude, I produced animations showing the movement of the system and 'fminsearch' iterating through potential solutions.
- Jamie Jenkins
Animation of the planar-crank system's movement
Animation of 'fminsearch' function finding the correct starting position of the planar mechanism
Quarter-Car Simulation
In this simulation, I modeled a car driving over a curb. I created a curb in Simulink using step blocks and a strategically selected dt (the amount of time the car takes to travel up and down the curb faces). I created graphs communicating the system's displacement and velocity, as well as the force acting on the quarter-car. Finally, I examined some fundamental flaws in modeling the car-curb collision.
- Jamie Jenkins
The vertical displacement of the road, car, and unsprung mass as a function of their horizontal displacements
The vertical velocity of the road, car, and unsprung mass as a function of their horizontal displacements
The force exerted on the quarter-car as a function of horizontal displacement
Solid Modeling Projects
Bottling Assembly
The purpose of this project was to learn how to mate various parts in an assembly and perform a proper animation in SolidWorks. The assembly is a model of a bottle capping station in an assembly line.
- Ben and Jamie, individually
Crank Assembly
The crank converts rotational motion to translational motion. The challenge of this project was to create parts that did not cause any interference when the crank is in motion.
- Ben and Jamie, individually
Swing Arm
This project is an assembly of a swing arm that consists of three parts. The three parts are designed to be made as shown below in the detail drawing. The relevant geometric dimensioning and tolerances are included.
- Ben and Jamie, individually
The assembly detail drawing above specifies that, upon completion of the three parts, the yoke and rod support be welded to the base. Then, the manufacturer will drill the hole through the rod support and base to ensure alignment of the hole feature through both parts. Finally, the manufacturer will create the cuts and holes in the yoke and base all within the geometric dimensions and tolerances of the detail drawing. The purpose of this project was to learn about creating detail drawings that show the manufacturer how and when to perform each step.
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Engineering Measurement and Data Analysis
Bomb Calorimetry Lab
In Fire Protection Engineering it is important to know the Higher Heating Value of objects that could significantly contribute to a fire. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the Higher Heating Value of furniture foam that is frequently found in homes. In order to experimentally determine the HHV, we put a sample of the foam inside a bomb calorimeter to find a value for the HHV within an uncertainty. The full memorandum includes results, analysis, and discussion.
- Ben and Jamie, separate lab teams
Winter and Spring Quarter Courses
Ben Santos
Winter 2019
Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Electric Circuit Theory, and Manufacturing Processes: Material Removal
Spring 2019
Design for Strength and Stiffness, Intermediate Dynamics, Manufacturing Processes, and Electronics
Jamie Jenkins
Winter 2019
Design for Strength and Stiffness, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Electric Circuit Theory
Spring 2019
Mechanical Systems Design, Electronics, and Thermodynamics II