Weekly Progress
FALL TERM
Week # 1
-Wrote Project Proposal with budget and timeline
- Continued with Literature search
- Organized and reread the literature acquired during the summer
Week # 2
- Created Preliminary concepts in Solid Works
- Continued Literature search
Week # 3
- Created concept selection criteria
- Researched Specific Engine information (Ford Zetec engine)
- Ordered Haynes Workshop Manual
Week # 4
- Selected appropriate material for transparent cylinder namely UV transmitting Vycor 7913 from Corning INC.
- Defined the necessary boundary conditions to conduct a thermal stress study
Week # 5
- Conducted a transient thermal stress analysis on the transparent cylinder using the given material properties
- Analyzed the obtained results
Week # 6
- Wrote IEF proposal
- Analyzed COSMOS results which showed inconsistencies and were deemed to be unsatisfactory
- Refined and finalized the necessary boundary conditions to conduct a transient thermal stress analysis in GeoStar
Week # 7
- Started working with Prof. Bucinell to conduct transient thermal stress analysis on GeoStar
- Analyzed the cylinder head removal procedure in order to get a better understanding and also to list the necessary tools needed to
accomplish this task
Week # 8
- Designed and fabricated some of the tools needed to lift engine's head up
- Worked and prepared power point presentation for oral report
- Ordered cylinder head gasket
Week # 9
- Designed detailed preliminary base mount (studied several alternatives for sealing O-rings)
- Fabricated another tool for engine lifting procedure
Week # 10
- Worked on final MER 197 paper
- Made a list of metric bolts to be acquired in Ecuador
WINTER TERM
Week # 1
- Conducted engine's head lifting procedure in order to access hole pattern of the engine's block and head
Week # 2
- Obtained detailed bolt and hole pattern measurements from engine block
- Ordered new head gasket
Week # 3
- Worked at machine shop to manufacture an aluminum plate that will allow us to confirm the bolt pattern measurements
Week # 4
- The aluminum plate showed that the measurements were slightly off and thus needed to be corrected.
- I decided to get the measurements from the engine head instead of the engine block. Moved the head to the machine shop.
- Researched methods to accurately obtain bolt and hole patterns
Week # 5
- Obtained new bolt pattern measurements
- Manufactured a second checking plate
- Confirmed that new hole pattern was accurate
Week # 6
- Started working on the base mount detailed design
- Worked with professor Bucinell to finalize the GeoStar model of the transparent cylinder and hence start conducting different studies
- Placed the boundary conditions on the transparent cylinder (GeoStar) and started conducting the required studies
Week # 7
- Performed numerous transient thermal stress analysis using GeoStar.
- Sample stress results for running time of 45 seconds
- Results started to show that UV glass would fail under the applied boundary conditions
Week # 8
- Continued to conduct different studies trying to determine the maximum transient stress
- Changed glass cylinder's thickness (GeoStar) from 2cm to 1.5cm and conducted new studies
- Results showed a slight improvement (smaller stress) but UV glass still fails at very short times
Week # 9
- Started to work on thesis
- Talked to Jim and Roland about design ideas (sample configuration)
- Started to look into different material for transparent cylinder in order to prevent failure
Week # 10
- Continued to conduct studies on transparent cylinder using GeoStar
- Run studies on sapphire cylinder which proved to be very auspicious since sapphire cylinder did not fail
- Worked on thesis
Completed Thesis
