Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction JCATI Carbon Fiber Recycler: Pyrolysis Oven Tylan Holmes Project Mentor(s): Charles Pringle, PE; Jeunghwan “John” Choi, PhD; Peter Zencak; Jason Allen; Bill Reichlin A growing issue within the aerospace industry determining how to handle the carbon fiber scraps that result from the construction of airplane components, such as the wings. These scraps are deemed unusable in mass manufacturing and take up space. The Joint Center of Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) has partnered with Central Washington University (CWU) to sponsor a research project looking to solve this very issue. Students of CWU have built a machine that crushes, shreds, and superheats carbon fiber pieces to put them through pyrolysis, resulting in reusable carbon fiber material. For the carbon fiber recycler to run proficiently, it is ideal for the operation to be completely automated. The previous iteration of the pyrolysis oven was operable but required considerable manual operation. A new oven was designed per the expertise of the lead engineer, who maintained the box-shaped form factor of the previous iteration while integrating sliding doors to allow for a conveyor belt. Both the doors, conveyor belt, and oven temperature are run autonomously by a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Once the oven was built, testing was conducted to ensure that the oven operates effectively and efficiently. Staple functions include heating to 500 °C, operating the conveyor, and sliding doors autonomously were evaluated during testing. Results for testing show that the oven operates at a satisfactory level. The oven heats up past 500 °C, and the conveyor belt and sliding doors complete a cycle within 20 seconds. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords: Carbon fiber, pyrolysis, oven, recycling, JCATI SOURCE Form ID: 42 Engineering Tron-Car RC Drivetrain and Chassis Alex Amadio, Federico Berrospe Project Mentor(s): Charles Pringle, PE; Jeunghwan “John” Choi, PhD The Project detailed in this engineering report is a remote-controlled Baja car that was used to compete in various events held on campus by the ASME chapter. This RC Baja car was split into two distinct problems: the Drivetrain and Chassis, and the Suspension and Steering. This report details the design, prototyping, and testing of a drivetrain that transfers torque from the RC car’s motor to the wheels for propulsion as well as a chassis that reliably holds all subsystems. The Drivetrain and the Chassis were manufactured using a combination of traditional CNC manufacturing, laser manufacturing, and additive manufacturing methods. Materials selected for this project were 6061-T6 Aluminum and PLA plastic. Aluminum was used for its lightweight as well as its structural rigidity. PLA plastic is used for its strength and being cheap, making it best suitable for rapid prototyping. Testing for this project was done on the CWU campus for ease of scheduling. The tests that were conducted consisted of an acceleration test, a head-on collision test, and a ramp climb test. The acceleration test resulted in accelerating from 0 to 10 mph in under 5 seconds, deeming it successful. The head-on collision test resulted in a deflection of .5 inches, deeming it successful. The ramp test resulted in successfully climbing over the 45 o ramp in under 3 seconds, deeming it successful.
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation (May 21, 9:30am–3:00pm) Keywords : RC Baja, Chassis, Drivetrain, CNC, Additive manufacturing SOURCE Form ID: 30
49
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator