CRAZY HORSE PROJECT - CUTTING BLOCKS Alexis Smith , Mechanical Engineering Alondra Castaneda Pita , Mechanical Engineering Ruben Ochoa , Mechanical Engineering Alessandra Ozuna , Mechanical Engineering Logan Brown , Mechanical Engineering
MENTORS Andy Gerrick , Mechanical Engineering Matthew Haslam , Humanities and Communication
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a large-scale granite carving project that relies on precise surveying and drilling to remove massive stone blocks from the Black Hills in South Dakota. Progress on the memorial has been significantly limited by the use of a heavy, time-intensive drill centralizer required for marking and maintaining accurate drill alignment. This project presents the design and analysis of an improved centralizer, the Adjustable Uniball Spherical Bearing Articulated Centralizer (AUSBAC), intended to reduce setup time, weight, and operational complexity while maintaining or exceeding the strength and stiffness of the existing system. Under URI, the team will create prototypes and test them to ensure that the centralizer created for the site meets the project requirements. The AUSBAC incorporates a uniball bearing head, a lightweight aluminum main shaft, and a locking baseplate joint to allow omnidirectional alignment and rapid setup on irregular terrain. Analytical evaluations of bending strength, stiffness, clamping forces, and vibrational resistance demonstrate that the proposed design satisfies all applicable system-level requirements related to load capacity, alignment accuracy, and durability. The final design weighs approximately 9 lb, and based on firm vendor quotes, the design costs less than $2,000. According to Automation Engineer Joey Meboe, implementation of the AUSBAC has the potential to significantly accelerate drilling and surveying operations, contributing to a substantial reduction in the projected completion timeline of the Crazy Horse Memorial.
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