Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology
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Storage and Interaction Diagrams: Extending the Diagrammatic Framework of Kinetic and Free-Body Diagrams to other Conservation and Accounting Principles
No full textIncorporating an Entrepreneurial Mindset, Bio-Inspired Design, and STEAM Approach to Enhance Learning in a Computer Aided Design and Modeling Class
No full textOperation of a Packed Bed Reactor for Hyrdogenation
Full text linkThe primary goals of this research were to develop an efficient standard operating procedure for undergraduate students and researchers performing reactions within a packed bed reactor and to determine the optimal operating conditions for phenethylamine formation from mandelonitrile hydrogenation. With the current laboratory packed bed reactor system, undergraduates can conduct gas-liquid phase reactions at a maximum temperature of 95℃ and a maximum pressure of 100 psi. The versatile system setup can be modified for unit operations laboratory instruction or future researchers analyzing heterogeneous catalysis reactions. The developed standard operating procedure provides detailed instructions on packing the reactor with a solid catalyst, activating the catalyst, operating the high-pressure liquid syringe pump, reaction moderating, and sample collection. Primary amines serve as a versatile intermediate in a range of industrial processes. As a result of their importance, many synthesis methods are used to form the desired compound. Hydrogenation of a nitrile is one of the common reaction pathways to produce a high concentration of a given primary amine. The process outlined in this paper demonstrates a method for the synthesis of phenethylamine, a primary amine, from the hydrogenation of mandelonitrile using a carbon-supported palladium catalyst. Reactant conversion and weighted hourly space velocity analysis were performed to determine the optimal operating conditions. Reactor feed flow rates of 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.375, and 0.4 mL/min and temperatures of 40℃ and 70℃ were studied. The formation of phenethylamine was confirmed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, with the highest conversions of mandelonitrile observed at flow rates of 0.2 and 0.3 mL/min
Graph and Group Theoretic Properties of the SOMA Cube and SOMAP
Full text linkThe SOMA Cube is a puzzle toy in which seven irregularly shaped blocks must be fit together to build a cube. There are 240 distinct solutions to the SOMA Cube. One rainy afternoon, Conway and Guy created a graph of all the solutions by manually building each solution. They called their graph the SOMAP. We studied how the geometric structure of the SOMA Cube pieces informs the graph theoretic properties of the SOMAP, such as subgraphs that can or cannot appear and vertex centrality. We have also used permutation group theory to decipher notation used by Knuth in previous work on the SOMAP
Link Element Design for a Landing-Gear Mechanism in a Statics and Mechanics of Materials Course
Full text linkIn this work, we describe a project involving a link element design for a landing gear mechanism as part of our Statics and Mechanics of Materials I course. During this project, students are asked to design a safe and lightweight linkage that will allow the landing gear to safely and slowly retract from a vertical position to a nearly horizontal one without breaking or stretching more than 10% of its original length. This project is introduced at the halfway point of the 10-week term, at which point students are familiar with the 2D equilibrium of rigid bodies and the concepts of stress, strain, and the factor of safety. General geometry and dimensions of the testing apparatus are provided to the students along with experimental properties of Nylon 6/6, from which the linkages are laser cut. Student groups are expected to produce a CAD file of their design along with a detailed memo documenting their analysis and design process. In this paper, we will present technical details about the project along with the different approaches each instructor takes in presenting, conducting, and assessing the project in their class. We will also discuss the challenges faced by the instructors and students and present detailed student and instructor feedback on the effectiveness of this design project in enhancing student learning
