This thesis examines the effect of aerodynamics on Formula SAE cars. Due to the different objectives of the Formula SAE events, an understanding of the car's complete aerodynamic design is necessary. Using a half car computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, a series of sensitivity studies are conducted to determine trends...
Power generation has been an ever growing exigency since the invention of electric power. The world is gradually inching away from conventional generation toward renewable generation. Advancements in renewable energy generation have been at a steady positive pace over the past few decades with different resources developing to be feasible...
Future engineers need to be competitive in today's expanding global industries. They must have capabilities beyond standard engineering practice. In an attempt to develop students capable of working in a globally distributed design and manufacturing environment, Oregon State University (OSU) and Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg Ravensburg (DHBW) have developed a senior...
Coordinating multiple robots to achieve a complex task requires solving two distinct control problems: the high-level control problem of ensuring that each robot aims to perform a useful task (e.g., coordination) and the low-level control problem of ensuring that each robot actually performs the correct actions to achieve its task...
The grid geometry plays a vital role in the performance of gridded ion thrusters. It can dramatically impact the erosion rate and thrust. Designers push the limits of electric in-space propulsion by optimizing grid parameters through simulation. At the same time, computational models of plasma physics are intensive. A baseline...
This thesis covers the use of a quarter car model to select damping rates for aFormula Student (FS) car, focusing on minimizing vertical tire force variation to improvegrip. A 2 degree of freedom (DOF) quarter car model is cycled over the road frequenciesof interest and the results compared with the...
Forecasting of ocean waves over a short duration on the order of tens of seconds was approached with the optimization of wave energy conversion in mind. This study outlines the development of an artificial neural network model, specifically the Nonlinear Autoregressive Network with Exogenous Input (NARX), to predict a wave-by-wave...
Formula SAE is a collegiate engineering competition that has participants from around the globe. Of the 1000 points available throughout the event, 100 (10%) are dedicated to the fuel efficiency of the student built race cars. Competition rules allow either gasoline or E85, a mix of 85% ethanol and 15%...
Hydraulic power take-off (PTO) systems have been implemented in several wave energy converter (WEC) designs in recent years. Two popular hydraulic PTO configurations coupled to a point absorber hydrodynamic model are simulated in waves representative of an energetic sea state likely to be found in deep waters off the coast...
Development of micro air vehicles has led to a strong interest in the biomechanics of flapping fliers such as bats, birds, and insects, due to their ability to perform extreme unsteady maneuvers and fly in confined spaces. Determining the methods and mechanisms used by these fliers is a valuable source...