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- ItemOpen AccessDevelopment of a New Product Using Fibres from Recycled Tires(2023-04-13) Yim, Caitlyn; Nwadike, Chiamake; Lanoway, Dryden; Baig, Shehroze; Seniuk-Cicek, Jillian; White, James; Jacobson, NatashaReliable Tire Recycling (RTR) tasked Team 2 to develop a recycling method for a synthetic fibre by-product produced by their tire recycling process. This by-product is made from a heterogenous mixture of short fibres such as polyester and nylon and contains significant amounts of impurities like dirt and crumb rubber. RTR expressed interest in using the by-product to create a new parking curb that would supersede their current model. They requested that the new design be light enough for a single person to carry, be able to withstand all-year Winnipeg weather, and can hold up during interactions with vehicles (i.e., collisions, rollovers, etc.). Team 2 proposed a new parking curb that incorporates the fibre by-product into RTR’s existing rubber mixture, paired with a redesigned form that meets the specified design objectives. The redesign includes underside cavities as well as reduced length for weight and material reduction. The proposed curb would be composed of 22% fibre by-product by mass, which was mixed directly into the rest of the ingredients (70% crumb rubber, 7.5% hydraulic binder, 0.5% water) to create test specimens for material evaluation. The mixture was formed by compressing it with 1700 psi of pressure and baking it at 100 °C. Other compositions were tested as well, including a control composition, 5% fibre by-product, 12% fibre by-product, RTR’s existing curb and two existing market options. The density of each test specimen was calculated first, and that density was used to determine the weight a proposed curb would be if it was made using each composition. All compositions containing fibre would result in a curb weight under the 35 lb design objective. The test specimens were evaluated by uniaxially compressing them according to ASTM standards. This test showed that the addition of fibre by-product, as well as applying higher pressure in the material creation process made the material deform less under load. All specimens containing fibre deformed less than 50% under the design load of 100 psi, passing the design objective. All specimens were then subjected to thermal testing, where they were exposed to extreme hot and cold temperatures (+75 °C and -80 °C respectively). After exposure, each was inspected for deformation and then hit with a metal rod at 21.7 km/hr to evaluate how it responded to impact force. All specimens passed, as none degraded noticeably post temperature exposure and all withstood the impact. A digital curb was then constructed using the 22% fibre by-product mixture, which was then subjected to 100 psi of pressure on the top face. The digital curb deformed a maximum of 8%, passing the deformation design objective. After analyzing the test results Team 2 recommended that RTR make several changes to their current mode of production. It was recommended that RTR increase the pressure used to manufacture curbs and begin introducing the fibre by-product into their curb mixture, starting with 22% replacement of crumb rubber for increased strength and reduced waste to landfill. It was also recommended that RTR adopt a curb design similar to the one proposed by Team 2 for weight, material, and cost savings.
- ItemOpen AccessGen1000 Chamber Sound Reduction(2023-04-13) Rodriguez, Julissa; Tran, Alex; Vasin, Karina; Whyte, Cam; Jacobson, NatashaConviron’s GEN1000 chamber is one of their best-selling plant growth chambers, used by growers, researchers, and students all over the world. These growth chambers are currently producing 60 dBA (A-weighted decibel) of noise, which can be irritating for users that have these chambers in their labs or classrooms. The goal of the student team is to decrease these sound levels to 50 dBA. The chamber must be modified in a way that does not hinder the growth of the plants inside, while maintaining the manufacturing cost of the chamber. Additionally, the team must stay within the project budget of $5000 CAD NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering) cost. The primary element of sound production was identified as the condenser fans in the machine compartment of the chamber. The team researched existing methods of sound dampening and presented these to Conviron. Further research was requested on three of these ideas and was later narrowed down to two due to the feasibility of the solutions in terms of manufacturability and function. The two methods of sound reduction chosen included insulating all surfaces in the machine compartment with sound insulation foam and acoustic louvers to replace the ventilation holes in the back panel of the compartment. A preliminary sound test was conducted which resulted in a baseline average of 62 dBA. A preliminary machine compartment temperature test was also conducted which resulted in a maximum baseline temperature of 35.7⁰C. The machine compartment was then insulated with acoustic insulation foam on all the metal surfaces. Three prototype back panels were made to replace the original panel. The first panel (“Handmade”) was made in the University of Manitoba shop using box brakes and hand tools. The second panel (“Manufactured”) was made with Malach, a metal and machining company. The final panel (“3D Printer”) was made using a PLA (Polylactic acid) filament and a 3D printer, to mimic the shape of an industry standard acoustic louver. These panels were then installed and tested along with the insulation for sound and temperature for 1.5 hours. The Handmade, Manufactured, and 3D Printed panels emitted an average of 60.7, 60.5, and 59.7 dBA, respectively. The recommendation chosen by the team was to insulate the machine compartment and to redesign the back panel using the Manufactured panel design. This recommendation was chosen for its effectiveness in dampening sound and high frequencies, the manufacturability, and its relatively affordable price. The final recommendation came out to $291.74 for two rolls of acoustic insulation foam ($114.37) and for the manufactured panel ($63).
- ItemOpen AccessAGI Westfield 35' Flight Forming(2021-12-08) Rempel Boschman, Michael; Liu, Wenbin; Tehlan, Bhumit; Thind, Resham; Labossiere, Paul; Labossiere, PaulAGI Westfield currently produces 25' flights, which is the critical component of an auger that helps farmers to transfer grain into grain bins. The flight is the helicoid section of the grain auger. AGI Westfield would like to produce 35' flights. Due to limited space in the facility, team 9 must find a solution to produce the 35' flights in the same footprint of the 25' flight production facility. The final solution features the design of new standoffs that secure the tube on the red helicoid forming table, which changes the current design from producing the helicoid then sliding the tube into the helicoid to forming the helicoid directly around the tube in one step. This reduces the total required length of the manufacturing footprint and allows AGI Westfield to produce 35' flights without expanding the areas. In order to accomplish forming the helicoid around the tube, the tube preparation station goes in tandem to the red helicoid forming machine to allow the tubes to be dropped off into the red helicoid forming machine. To ensure that the tubes can still slide into the helicoids once the helicoids are formed, the tube preparation station is longitudinally aligned with the welding station. Other features of the design include the various types of coupler inserts on the welder to accommodate various diameter flights. The new material flow map was demonstrated in detail on how parts are transported and stored during the new proposed production streams. Furthermore, the failure mode and effect analysis was completed to help clients prevent any risks that could undermine project goals. Most risks were identified from the red helicoid forming phase. Changing the layout of the facility and forming the helicoid around the tube allows the cycle time per foot to decrease from 45.88 seconds/foot to 38.84 seconds/foot. The cost estimation of parts designed for integrating the new solution was determined as $3,586.80 USD. The final design provides automation recommendations, such as a hydraulic system to push flights, which will reduce the potential strain on the workers that could cause safety hazards.
- ItemOpen AccessHeat Recovery System Design for the Renderer & Biowaste System(2022-12-07) Redekopp, Braeden; Schmidtke, Riley; Tachie, Mark; Wilson, Jessica; Guyot, Meghan; Labossiere, Paul; Topping, Aidan; Guyot, MeghanJBMR Consulting was tasked with designing a heat recovery system for the Renderer and Biowaste System (RBS) of the (). This report provides the needed background on the project, discusses the process for selecting the design and how it was optimized, presents the final design, and concludes with future work recommendations. The performs vital research on infectious diseases. The RBS is a key part of their operations, as it collects the effluent from containment Levels 3 and 4, sterilizes it, and then discharges it to the city’s sewer system. The RBS process uses an excess amount of water, measured at approximately 4373 kg per cycle, and it takes around 2 hours to heat up the effluent. Our main goals were to minimize the cooling water used, to reduce the effluent heating time, and for our design to be maintenance-friendly and safe. A preliminary concept for the final design was selected during Phase 2 of this project. However, after further research and consultation with the, this concept was altered to be more feasible and easier to implement. Each heat exchanger and the system that connects them were optimized through research and analytical calculations to meet the needs of the. The final design that resulted from these is as follows. A 0.75 hp pump pumps water at a rate of 32.5 gpm through schedule 40 6-inch lines from a 1000-gallon reservoir. The water first passes through the three discharge heat exchangers in series. These are 54-inch long tube-in-tube heat exchangers with 6-inch inner tubes and 8-inch outer tubes connected directly to the outlets of cookers 1 and 2, and the combined outlet of cookers 3 and 5. The water draws heat from the discharging sterilized effluent. The water next passes through the open-tank heat exchanger within the active hot well. This consists of five parallel coil panel heat exchangers with 0.75-inch tubes with 16 passes each. The open-tank heat exchanger array draws heat from the sterilized effluent-water mixture within the hot well at all times. The now heated water goes through the custom-designed parallel tubes heat exchanger located at the inlet line to the cookers. The heated water preheats the unsterile effluent before it enters the cookers. After going through the inlet heat exchanger, the water is further cooled through a radially finned return line and is deposited back into the reservoir to be recirculated. This system successfully saves 1265.5 kg of water and 5 MJ of heating energy per cycle. All components can be easily installed and removed for maintenance, and leak detection methods are incorporated for safety.
- ItemOpen AccessWireless Instrumented Curling Broom Phase III: Final Design Report(2020-12-09) Pigeau, Sean; Piper, Reid; Popple, Jackson; Whyte, Brittany; O'Brien, Sean; Labossiere, Paul; O'Brien, SeanCurling Canada has requested the design of a wireless instrumented curling broom to help coaches better understand the effectiveness of a curler when sweeping. The team of engineering students is tasked with designing a curling broom to record and transmit useful performance data wirelessly to a mobile device or computer. The goal of this project is to design a device that accurately measures the desired performance data which will eventually help coaches and curlers perform at a higher level while curling. This Final Design Report (FDR) contains a summary of the project background, objectives, customer needs, project constraints, and metrics. The main client needs include accurate measurement of both the force applied on the ice and the sweeping frequency, ability to differentiate between the push and the pull stroke, and ability to output the collected data wirelessly to a device to be viewed. Next, an overview is provided of the functional decomposition and synthesis approach taken during the concept generation and selection phase of the project. The final design is comprised of an Arduino Nano 33 BLE microcontroller with a built-in inertial measurement unit and Bluetooth capabilities alongside a Michigan Scientific Model TR3D-B-1K 3-axis load cell to meet required client needs. The final device may be broken down into two groups: the electronics package and the load cell package. The electronics package is secured to the broom handle by a clamp and is self contained in a plastic shell that contains the microcontroller, three HX711 load cell amplifiers, a LARGE low temperature 18650 battery and battery shield. The load cell package is made up of an upper and lower adaptor, allowing the load cell to be mounted inline between the broom head and the broom handle. The load cell is secured between the adaptors and plugged into the electronics package by a 12 pin connector. The final design meets or exceeds all metrics required by Curling Canada, with a total cost and weight of $2,866.64 and 247 grams, respectively. Further recommendations are provided to aid in the continuation of the project. These include recommendations for the manufacturing of the design, app development, device testing and device feedback.