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Fire Protection and Life Safety Analysis Report California State University of Dominguez Hills
Get PDFThis report provides detailed fire and life safety analysis of the California State University of Dominguez Hills, Innovation and Instruction Building. The building is 4 stories high, accommodating an auditorium, classrooms, labs, and office spaces. Type of construction for the building is II-A. The building will have an aggregate floor area of 83,539 square feet of across four floors.
First half of the report includes prescriptive fire and life safety analysis conducted in accordance with 2021 Edition International Building Code and the applicable Standards, such as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2022 Edition, and NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, 2022 Edition. Prescriptive analysis conducted covers four parts: Egress Analysis, Structural Analysis, Fire Suppression System Analysis, and Fire Alarm and Detection System Analysis. Both Egress Analysis and Structural Analysis considers the actual architectural and structural design of the building, which complies to the referenced Code. Prescriptive analysis of Fire Suppression System and Fire Alarm and Detection System are rather a suggested basis of design to comply with the referenced standards as the actual design documents are not available.
The second half of the report covers structural performance analysis and a tenability assessment due to a fire in the main atrium which connects all four levels. Structural performance analysis includes evaluation of maximum allowable moment of structural members when exposed to specific temperature curves, such as ASTM E119 or from a defined heat release rate curve in a small enclosure. The result of the structural performance analysis is determined to be passing with a range of safety factor recorded between 1.18 to 7.34 when compared to the moment allowance of each structural members at the required duration of the fire resistance rating.
The tenability assessment includes a measurement of tenable factors such as visibility, temperature, and carbon monoxide toxicity on various levels when exposed to a defined polyurethane sofa design fire on Level 1 of the atrium. The tenability assessment goal is to achieve Available Safe Egress time (ASET) to be higher than the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET). Using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Pathfinder, which are computer- aided software, both RSET and ASET were determined based on building layout input. Tenability criteria were defined to be 3,195 ppm of carbon monoxide toxicity, 125 degrees Celsius of temperature, and 13 meters of visibility on Level 4 walking surface, and 2,579 ppm carbon monoxide toxicity, 105 degrees Celsius of temperature, and 13 meters of visibility on Level 2 walking surface. The FDS model incorporated the fire shutters on Levels 3 and 4 which provides complete separation of each level’s corridor to the atrium and is designed to completely deploy within 50 seconds of fire alarm signal receipt.
Carbon monoxide toxicity, temperature, and visibility on Level 4 walking surface are measured to be lower than the defined tenability criteria at RSET of 507 seconds as the modeled fire shutters successfully block smoke and heat to enter the floor. However, the tenability measures, specifically the temperature and visibility on Level 2 at RSET of 633 seconds, exceed the defined tenability criteria and is considered failing. Multiple design alterations are recommended in this report to maintain a longer tenable condition on Level 2, which include installation of smoke and heat removal vents at top of the atrium, installation of IBC Section 909 compliant smoke control system via exhaust method, providing delayed egress on Levels 3 and 4, and/or prohibiting combustible furniture(s) to be placed under the non-sprinklered atrium footprint
The Role of Apparatus in Problem-Solving and Model Construction and Contemplation
Get PDFProblem-solving serves a crucial role in learning physics, as it is required that students absorb laws, principles, and concepts and arrange their understanding in a structure accessible for application. Further, these arrangements necessarily include methods and strategies gained from past experience, required for the implementation of these structures. Although tedious, problem-solving requires not only the arrangement of knowledge, but the construction and contemplation of models of physical phenomena. Research shows that while amateur problem-solvers typically approach problems by stringing together equations, experts will first look at the larger picture of the physical phenomena at hand, and through a “series of refinements”, they will move on to consider the problem mathematically.
In this study we found that when students encounter discrepancies, they struggle to make connections between observed physical phenomena and model discrepancies. The implications of these results are present in instruction, as it is necessary for instructors to acknowledge that not only do students struggle to change their models, but the ability to construct a cohesive mathematic model translates to misunderstanding of the physical phenomena at hand. Future research regarding the use of incorrect or incomplete models by students in problem-solving may illuminate a way to remedy misunderstandings in the data earlier in the problem-solving process, such that students are able to construct a working model before applying it to questions and problem-solving
Sim Racing Pedal Assembly
Get PDFAt an increasing rate, professional and amateur race car drivers are utilizing simulated racing as a training aid and even a substitute for real-life car racing. The team’s objective in this project was to create a sim racing pedal assembly aimed at filling this gap in the industry, aided by Justin Jang of Data Driven Racing LLC. The project resulted in a fully operational throttle and brake pedal which incorporated dual spring brake pedal resistance system and radial displacement sensor in the throttle. By collecting real race car data and selecting and testing spring setups based on this real data, the team was able to create a two-step resistance brake pedal. The report outlines the updates regarding the team’s project progress since the earlier Critical Design Report (CDR). From the earlier CDR, the team has further developed components of the pedal system based on data gained from testing and experience gained from the initial manufacturing process. Below is the final design process, testing and validating procedures and results, manufacturing plans, and planned further development of the design
Feminist Iterations of “The Implosion”: New Techniques for Teaching About Science, Technology, and Society through The “Implosion Project”
Get PDFThis article outlines a new and explicitly feminist iteration of Professor Joseph Dumit’s (2014) “Implosion Project.” The “Implosion Project” is a classic pedagogical technique used widely in the field of Science and Technology Studies as an innovative way to teach students to critically engage with the complex relationships of science, technology, and society, and provides an important opportunity to center an explicitly feminist pedagogical approach when teaching students about the systems of power that shape, and are shaped by, the complex relationships between science, technology, and society. Since the “Implosion Project” does not center an explicitly feminist pedagogical approach, this article outlines an explicitly feminist, adjunctive approach to the “Implosion Project” called “Feminist Iterations of the Implosion,” consisting of a Suggested Reading List with discussion questions, and a new assignment sequence, designed to elucidate, strengthen, and innovate on the current potential of the “Implosion Project” for fostering critical feminist engagement with science, technology, and society
Improved Combustion Liner Seal
Get PDFThe project\u27s objective was to develop a mechanical seal to seal the gap between the combustion liner and the stage one nozzle of a Solar Turbines turbine. A metal axial E-seal was selected as the sealing mechanism. Hand calculations and finite element analysis were conducted to confirm the designs compatibility with existing turbine components and the operational environment. A small-scale test rig was built to confirm the remaining design specifications. Results from this test rig indicated the design met all specifications except leak rate. Causes for this low performance were identified as manufacturing issues and some were addressed, resulting in increased performance. Others outside the scope of this project were noted and discussed
Cal Poly Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge 2024
Get PDFIn this Final Design Review, the Cal Poly Fluid Power Vehicle Team competed in Norgren’s 2024 Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge. The design need of the competition was for college teams to compete with human-powered, hydraulic-driven vehicles in an endurance race, a sprint race, an efficiency race, and a regenerative power race. The competition need was to design a vehicle to win in as many races as possible, achieving the highest overall score and winning the competition. With a design emphasis on the endurance and sprint race, the Cal Poly team designed a fluid power system that fastened to a purchased tricycle. The tricycle converted mechanical rotational power to fluid power that could be stored, released, or directly used at a rear-driven wheel using a mechatronics control system. The best results achieved during testing and competition were a 10:49 mile time (testing), 86 ft distance traveled on regenerated power collected from a 100ft deacceleration (competition), a 22% vehicle efficiency (competition), and a 39 second sprint time to cover 500 ft (testing). The rear chain fell off and eventually snapped during the competition, preventing the team from achieving high marks in the sprint and endurance race, but the vehicle performed 4th in the efficiency race and 5th in the regen race. A major takeaway from the competition was that a purchased frame build was the best design direction to focus on the hydraulic and pneumatic system implementation. The two major recommendations for next year’s vehicle design using the same platform are an improved mechatronics system that efficiently switches between drive modes and a rear chain tensioner to prevent the chain from skipping teeth and falling off