Engineering Projects
Brake System
McMaster Formula Hybrid
Co-Captain for the brake system design for the 2014/2015 vehicle. Member since Fall, 2012.
Main Duties:
- Designed brake components
- Manufactured brake components including pedal tray using mills, lathes, and carbon fibre fusing.
- Manufactured many other suspension components
Click to enlarge
For the 2015 competition on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, we achieved 2nd place overall! We also proudly achieved the IEEE Engineering the Future & GM Best Engineered awards.
Visit their Facebook page to see more details of the team's success in the last competition and for other updates. Also see the team's next proud project, EcoCar3.
Instrumented Canoe Paddle
Mechanical Capstone Project
Overview.
Gauges and an orientation sensor were added to a carbon fibre canoe paddle for an athletic performance tool. Changes in the athlete's technique will result in changes to lift and propulsive forces throughout the stroke which will affect the acceleration and speed of the canoe. This tool will also be used for foundations in further professional research into the effects of blade dynamics.
Results and Conclusion.
Due to the limited budget, inexpensive DAQ components were purchased which resulted in an extensive amount of time programming in LabVIEW for the devices to function properly. The benefit was that much was learned about the world of analogue and I2C programming. However in real-world situations, more expensive 'plug-and-play' tools would be purchased to overcome the programming man-hours. In the end, the instrumented paddle was tested by a former Canada National Team paddler in the Welland Flume and the device was successful and the instruments gave results that resembled previously theorized data. This system will hopefully be improved upon in the future by increasing the reliability of the components and adding a real-time wireless data transfer system. Contact me for further information on this project.
High-Speed Human Powered Vehicle
3rd Year Mechanical Engineering Design Project
Design goal was to achieve a fast, ergonomic, and practical human powered vehicle as a mode of transportation for the future.
Design Keynotes:
- Enclosed recumbent bicycle
- Aluminum frame with carbon fibre aeroshell to decrease aerodynamic drag
- Front-wheel drive to increase top speed efficiency
Raspberry Pi Camera
Remote Access Security Camera
Currently using a discrete Raspberry Pi camera as a security device, where I can remotely access its feed and check on the homestead while away. The setup is very inexpensive: <$100 for all devices and materials, assuming a pre-existing stable Internet connection.