41530 research outputs found
Sort by
Design and Scale Model of Wave Generator for the Testing of Wave Energy Conversion Devices
Get PDFAs the climate crisis draws more concern, research and development in wave energy as a renewable energy source has increased. Devices such as wave energy converters (WECs) are being researched, tested, and implemented to make wave energy a competitive power source. Testing of these devices is limited due to environmental concerns such as weather, location, and other issues. WECs require testing in a marine environment, however, performing testing in the actual environment may be difficult due to weather, access, mounting, and other issues. To eliminate environmental unknowns from testing, a wave simulator device can mimic wave behavior without the need for ocean or river testing. After doing research on wave energy and existing solutions, a wave generator device was conceptualized, designed, and manufactured to be used in Cal Poly’s Fluids Lab. The manufacturing portion was limited by time and funding to a small-scale model of the design which was tested and evaluated as the full-scale model would be. The design concept is a device that moves vertically on the back wall of a tank filled with water where the up and down motion will cause waves to form. The vertical motion is achieved by the device being pushed down and pulled up with a crank slider driven by a motor. The rotational motion produced by the motor is translated to linear motion by the crank slider mechanism. The device is restricted to the vertical motion with linear guide rails and attached to the tank with a structural frame. The scale model replicates this design and its components on a small-scale and is used as a proof-of-concept prototype. Its purpose is to validate the design concept and objective of simulating ocean waves. The validated design concept, proven by the scale design, will be manufactured at full-scale by future Senior Design Project teams at Cal Poly. The wave simulator device will be utilized by Cal Poly students, faculty, or affiliates to test different types of WECs
The UX Fest SLO Website Redesigned for Better Comprehension
Get PDFUX Fest SLO is a student organization that strives to help Cal Poly students learn and foster their UX skills by providing accessible UX learning opportunities. UX Fest SLO is known to be a successful organization that allows students to learn and grow in their craft; however, the number of students that benefit from this organization is not as high as the club would like.
One of the reasons why UX Fest SLO may not see this growth in numbers is due to a poorly designed website. Users are unable understand what the club is all about when they look at the website. For a UX-centric club, they fail to offer high quality user experiences.
The purpose of this club is to redesign the UX Fest SLO website to create a simpler, digestible solution that allows users to better comprehend the club’s mission, activities, and events.
This was a solo project prompted by my Senior Project class. I had 10 weeks to work on it, and everything is made with Figma and Adobe InDesign
Tagalong Trail
Get PDFThe Cal Poly mechanical engineering team working on the Path of Lights and Sounds for the Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast has now completed their project. In the last quarter of their project, they were able to finalize their tile’s structural design while iterating through several electronics board designs. Through this iteration, they were able to create a final electronics board and designed a water-resistant enclosure to house the board. A new team member was added, allowing them to manufacture 28 tile structures and 30 electronics assemblies over the course of two and a half weeks. This proved to be an illconsidered decision, as the manufacturing and assembly of all tiles completely consumed their time, even with a Girl Scout event held to help with assembly. Despite this, they were still able to follow through on most testing planned to determine the quality of their design. Though lacking in some specifications, the team evaluated and tested their final design and all 28 tiles to the Girl Scouts with newly guided recommendations for use (based on their testing results). After delivery, the tiles sustained minor damage from an unanticipated electrical condition, but the team was able to diagnose possible causes and provide a solution to the problem as well as updated usage recommendations to avoid future issues. The tiles now reside solely with the Girl Scouts and the team has provided them with guidance for future use and upkeep as well as how to completely reproduce more tiles if desired for future events
Compressive and Flexural Tensile Strength Impacts of Aluminum Shavings in Concrete
Get PDFConcrete is one of the most utilized construction materials around the world, but new and cutting-edge methods are constantly pushing the envelope for concrete’s applications and feasibility as a construction material. Unfortunately, concrete has a general lack of resistance to bending and stretching. Studies have shown several successful attempts to enhance the mechanical properties of concrete through implementation of various admixtures and methods. Steel is widely considered the primary material capable of reinforcing concrete. This paper evaluates concrete’s change in strength of flexural tension and compression as a result of implementing aluminum as a reinforcing agent. To determine the full potential of aluminum in concrete, it is tested concurrently as well as isolated from rebar. The study demonstrates an increase in compressive strength by 33.7%, with minor quantities of aluminum shavings. The strength of flexural tension post failure of the concrete beam increased by 153%. Implementation of minor aluminum quantities proved beneficial. It should be acknowledged that further tests using increased aluminum quantities produced negative results. The workability and consolidation of concrete were also impacted by introducing aluminum into the mix. Materials with similar characteristics to aluminum have potential for increasing the compressive and flexural tensile strength of concrete
The Effect of Irrigation on Dry-Farmed Vitis vinifera L. cv. Zinfandel as a Function of Age
Get PDFA one-year study was conducted in the Central Coast of California at a commercial vineyard to evaluate the effect of supplemental irrigation on dry-farmed Vitis vinifera L. cv. Zinfandel with varying vine ages during the 2021 growing season. The experimental block was historically dry-farmed on own-rooted Zinfandel vines, older vines were replaced as production quality decreased with a genetically identical scion grafted onto St. George (Vitis vinifera Scheel) rootstock. Six total treatments were included in this study, with Young vines (5 to 12 years old), Old vines (40 to 60 years old), and Control (2:1 ratio of old to young vines, and representation of the block). Each vine age treatment included both non-irrigated and irrigated vines, the total vine sample contained half irrigated and half non-irrigated. Irrigation was manually applied at véraison and véraison + 4 weeks, based on age-specific ETc, and to replenish 95% ETc. Results indicated no significant changes in phenological progression, leaf senescence, and physical berry analysis caused by supplemental irrigation during key developmental stages. Vine age was the primary driver of significant variation observed for most parameters. However, irrigated vines had slightly higher phenological progression leading up to harvest, although not statistically significant. Due to this minor trend, irrigated vines in each vine age group were harvested before the non-irrigated vines starting with young, control, and old vines. Additionally, lower leaf water potential was found at pre-dawn during the second irrigation application at véraison + 4 weeks. Applying supplemental irrigation during the growing season resulted in no significant impacts on vine performance. Results suggest the potential for implementing a dry-farmed management in vineyards to help adapt to climate changes and water scarcity issues
DESIGN OF CLASS F-BASED DOHERTY POWER AMPLIFIER FOR S-BAND APPLICATIONS
Get PDFModern RF and millimeter-wave communication links call for high-efficiency front end systems with high output power and high linearity to meet minimum transmission requirements. Advanced modulation techniques, such as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) require a large power amplifier (PA) dynamic range due to the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). This thesis provides the analysis, design, and experimental verification of a high-efficiency, high-linearity S-band Doherty power amplifier (DPA) based on the Class F PA. Traditional Class F PAs use harmonically tuned output matching networks to obtain up to 88.4% power-added efficiency (PAE) theoretically, however the amplifier experiences poor linearity performance due to switched mode operation, typically yielding less than 30dB C/I ratio [1]. The DPA overcomes this linearity limitation by using an auxiliary amplifier to boost output power when the amplifier is subject to a high input power due to its limited conduction cycle. The DPA also provides improved saturated output power back-off performance to maintain high PAE during operation.
The DPA presented in this thesis optimizes PAE while maintaining linearity by employing harmonically tuned Class F amplifier topology on a primary and an auxiliary amplifier. A Class F PA is first designed and fabricated to optimize output network linearity – this is followed by a DPA design based on the fabricated Class F PA. A GaN HEMT Class F PA and DPA operating at 2.2GHz are implemented with the PAs measuring 40% and 45% PAE respectively while maintaining a 30dB carrier-to-intermodulation (C/I) ratio on a two-tone test. The PAE is characterized at maximum 21dBm input power per tone and 20MHz tone spacing. When subject to a single 24dBm continuous wave input tone, the Class F PA and DPA output 37dBm and 35.5dBm respectively. The PAs presented in the thesis provide over 30dB C/I ratio up to 21dBm input tones while maintaining over 40% PAE suitable for base station applications
Hybrid Wall Outlet for AC or DC Power Delivery
Get PDFThe goal of this project is to develop hybrid DC and AC wall outlets for an efficient, flexible power interface. A DC plug standard is also proposed to allow DC devices to be safely powered by the outlet with the correct DC voltage for each device. The primary objective is to create a power outlet compatible with the proposed DC plug as well as NEMA 5-15 AC plugs, enabling the same outlet to power both types of load as needed. The outlet is intended for buildings and systems transitioning to an isolated DC grid to encourage DC development and adoption. Existing wall wiring will be given 48V DC and used to power these devices, avoiding expensive rewiring when retrofitting. The outlet uses an H-bridge topology to facilitate DC to AC conversion, a Boost topology to reach standard wall voltage, and a Buck topology for DC voltage applications
A Review of “Making Black Girls Count in Math Education: Black Feminist Vision for Transformative Teaching
Get PDFThe Integration of Interactive Packaging within Firestone Brewery IPA Beverage Cans
Get PDFThe use of interactive packaging to pair music with india pale ale would enhance and the customer experience
Road Embedded Traffic Actuated Turbine (RETAT)
Get PDFThe Road Embedded Traffic Actuated Turbine (RETAT) project aims to revolutionize sustainable energy solutions by harnessing the power of passing vehicles to generate electricity. This Final Design Review (FDR) encapsulates the evolution of the project, from conceptualization to the tangible realization of the Verification Prototype created by a team of mechanical engineering students. The RETAT boasts an innovative design, incorporating square steel tubing and a unique linear-to-rotational energy conversion mechanism. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation, and testing phases, highlighting achievements, challenges, and areas for refinement. As the RETAT project strives to contribute to a cleaner, more energy-efficient future, the FDR outlines key recommendations and next steps for further development, ensuring the project\u27s readiness for real-world applications