Worldwide, fine particulate air pollution is a leading cause of human disease, disability, and premature death, while also being a significant contributor to global warming. As air pollution is hard to see, it is certainly measurable. Currently, collegiate researchers across the United States are in need of a monitor that may aid in understanding the harmful side effects of fine particulate air pollution. The APDU is a reliable, low-cost air sampler that provides customers with a 2-week continuous sample. Working closely with the Aerosols Lab at the CSU Powerhouse Energy Campus, the APDU is designed to withstand harsh environments and weather conditions experienced throughout the United States. The device is designed to be manufactured for 150 units, and to be easily operated by anyone. It's versatile mounting bracket allows for a single user to mount the device safely at any height, and it's adjustable solar panel mount allows for the device to planted in environments of varying solar exposure. The APDU possesses a cooling fan system to keep delicate electronics from overheating, as well as the unit itself being made of a robust polycarbonate enclosure. The future of collegiate aerosol research as well as industry safety and regulations will be substantially aided by the assimilation of this device in the field.

The students on this team design, build, and fly an unmanned airplane to compete at an international aircraft design competition. The competition rules and objectives change wildly from year-to-year, and the team must find the best combination of design compromises to deliver the highest score. The students are meticulous in their design, from the whole system down to each wing rib, maximizing performance while balancing cost and manufacturability. This year's team has designed, built, and test-flown three full-scale prototypes, making big improvements with each iteration. The team will be at competition in Wichita, KS during this year's e-days, but be sure to follow along on their Instagram! @csuaiaa

Our project addresses the challenge of designing an innovative and highly efficient electrolyzer for distinct carbon capture and renewable hydrogen production tests. The goal is to overcome common drawbacks observed in existing technology, such as low efficiency, high energy consumption, and the need for expensive precious metal catalysts. Our aim is to revolutionize hydrogen production by reducing initial costs and enhancing efficiency in a dual-focused approach. The electrolyzer, tailored for two separate tests using CO2 and water as fluids, should be conducive to easy manufacturing and boast a prolonged autonomous lifespan. The success of our project is not only pivotal for the Powerhouse Energy Campus but also represents a significant contribution to the global effort to combat climate change. It signifies a promising step towards achieving net-zero emissions by advancing hydrogen production and carbon capture technologies simultaneously.

Caterpillar Inc. Has tasked us with designing and building a fuel pump test rig to analyse the degradation effects of methanol-based fuels on the different materials inside of a pump. Caterpillar will use this test rig to develop a retro-fit package allowing current diesel marine engines to run on methanol-based fuels, thereby providing the customers of caterpillar, a solution to the stricter emission standards. A test rig was built to achieve repeatable results, that would test multiple methanol fuel types and its effects on the plunger and barrel materials inside of the pump. The rig was designed to be autonomous for the duration of entire test.

Dry beans or pulses are an important source of protein for many across the world. The beans also provide a source of income for several farmers around the world as well. The issue that arises from growing beans is the cleaning of the beans on a small scale. Often, farmers will sell the beans to large elevator companies who will clean the beans for the farmers instead. This often excludes niche cultivars of beans that the elevator companies are not equipped to handle. The proposed solution by Dr. Thompson and the clean bean team is a small compact device that can be utilized by small-scale farmers to clean these niche cultivars of beans while maximizing profit for these farmers as the middleman of the elevator company is cut out. The device will have to conform to the constraint of fitting within a 4’x6’ pickup truck, being able to be picked up and transported by a minimum of two people, and be one cohesive design meaning all subsystems will work in conjunction with one another instead of being separate. The subsystem will consist of a wind screen and a gravity table. The wind screen will separate by size and will feed into the gravity table which will sort by density resulting in uniform bean population

The Colorado State University Ram Launch Initiative competed in the 2023-2024 NASA University Student Launch Initiative competition. Throughout the duration of the project, the team utilized the NASA design lifecycle to design, build, and launch a vehicle to between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. This lifecycle included writing a Request for Proposal, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, and Flight Readiness Review. Each of the milestones ended in a presentation to a panel of NASA engineers. The purpose of the launch vehicle was to transport and deploy an atmosphere independent lander on descent at 400 feet. The lander's primary mission was to safely transport four human analogues from the drop point of 400 feet to the ground while maintaining human survivability metrics. It was designed to operate with a cold-gas thruster to slow the descent and an inflatable airbag that increased the drag and provided stability for the lander. The launch vehicle was designed around the dimensions of the lander to maintain a safe stability margin for the launch. A subscale launch vehicle was built to validate the material selection and manufacturing processes used. The results of the subscale, both build and flight, were used to inform the final decisions of the full-scale launch vehicle. The project ended with the launch vehicle sustaining catastrophic damage on the final flight. The project resulted with the team developing important soft skills that will be invaluable as they move forward in their careers and forwarding the aerospace industry.

  Emission regulations for diesel engines have become stricter over time. To comply with regulations, diesel engines are equipped with an after-treatment system in the exhaust to reduce the quantity and alter the composition of pollutants. This project focuses on the SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalyst . This component of the aftertreatment system converts poisonous, highly reactive NOx (nitrogen oxides) to N2 and H₂O at high efficiency when the catalyst is above 200°C. John Deere has challenged the team to develop an electric heating system to reduce the time required for the catalyst to reach operating temperatures during cold start conditions as well as to maintain operating temperature during low load conditions. The team designed an electric heater assembly composed of 4 grid heaters that use ~4.8kW to superheat the exhaust flow upstream of the catalyst.

Walker Manufacturing seeks to optimize the process of synchronizing their left and right lawn mower wheels to enhance safety, accuracy, precision, and manufacturing efficiency. To achieve this, they have requested the design and fabrication of a custom test stand to go at the end of their assembly line. This test stand acts as a chassis dynamometer, allowing the mower wheels to spin on rollers while the chassis stays stationary. It has been designed to fit the range of lawn mowers that Walker Manufacturing produces. The left and right rollers spin independent of each other, and display their rotational speed while the mower is in drive. The operator will be able to see the revolutions per minute of each wheel while the mower is operating on the test stand. Using the data being displayed, the operator will adjust the control arms of each wheel in real time to account for inconsistencies. This test stand allows employees to synchronize mower wheels stationarily, and while being off of the vehicle. This contributes to overall operator safety, numerically accurate synchronization, and consistency between products.

This year’s Formula SAE EV team, sponsored by Ram Racing, was tasked with designing a battery pack for a future electric race car that will be taken to competition in 2026. Formula SAE is a collegiate student competition in which students design, build, test, and compete with formula-style open-wheel vehicles. Our battery for the FSAE competition car must abide by the rules given in the FSAE rulebook while also providing adequate capacity and power. During the fall semester, we evaluated different options for a battery, such as modifying a used automotive battery or building one from the ground up. Additionally, we brainstormed performance specifications for a future battery. We have spent the spring semester building a battery from 18650-type battery modules to meet these specifications.

Formula SAE is the largest international collegiate design competition. Students are responsible for designing, manufacturing, and testing a new vehicle every year. The competition consists of five events that test the capabilities of each component of the car. Ram Racing has a rich history starting in 1994 and being revived after COVID-19 in 2021. This year, the team plans to excel at the competition due to the dedicated students and the ability to improve last year’s car with a 20% reduction in weight, titanium exhaust system, and a tighter timeline allowing for ample testing time. These improvements can be attributed to the lessons learned and knowledge transfer of last year's team.

The purpose of the High Accuracy, Advanced Actuation Aircraft Turbine Engine valve project, sponsored by Woodward Inc., is to study and develop a prototype for a Poppet valve to replace the existing valve design. The existing air valve is a butterfly valve and has been used in aircraft for decades. As the aircraft industry trends towards manufacturing electric aircraft, Woodward is considering new and exciting ways to innovate upon previous designs. The proposed poppet valve design (which serves as a preliminary method of research and development for Woodward) would incorporate an electric motor and a ball screw assembly to actuate the poppet. The poppet design allows Woodward to better tailor the flow gain characteristics inside the air valve to their specific customer needs.

Our senior design team was tasked with helping W.M. Keck Observatories transition from a manual balancing system to an automatic balancing system to increase efficiency, safety, and improve nightly observation time. This project focuses on designing and creating a full scale testbed in terms of weight and width to prove the potential for this design to improve their balancing techniques.

Kodak Alaris is a leading producer of print photograph products seeking to increase automation across their manufacturing processes. The Kodak Alaris senior design team worked to develop an automated manufacturing solution for assembling three photo reel components. This solution seeks to enhance assembly throughput, part cost, and repeatability. The proposed solution uses simple pneumatics and a single stepper motor to assemble the three components in a vertical orientation while emphasizing ease of maintenance, reliability, cycle time, and safety. The machine fits in a 13’ x 8’ floor print and cost $75,000, once installed this equipment will bolster the process capabilities of Kodak Alaris.

The low pressure-high flow hydrogen relief valve is a pressure relieving safety device built specifically for the hydrogen electrolyzer industry. As the green energy sector continues to grow, the electrolyzer continues to show promise as the future of truly green energy. The relief device started as a set of broad guidelines from a large company in the energy sector and was built from the ground up. The device is designed to fully open at 165 mbar (2.39 psi) while flowing over 4,500 cubic meters per hour of hydrogen. The device utilizes a custom spring, built in house, as well as internal components designed through the extensive use of CFD. These give the valve the ability fully open at such low pressures. In it’s current form, the device is constructed entirely from machined aluminum, but a production model will be constructed from stainless steel. In order to rapidly change and test several variations of internal components, these pieces were constructed using additive manufacturing. This valve is a lifesaving piece of equipment that will allow the green energy sector to thrive. To our knowledge, there is not currently another valve on the market that can operate under such extreme constraints.

Design of a low cost, durable wind tracking device (anemometer) capable of deployment on utility lines. The anemometer will track wind speed and direction data to aid in dynamic line rating for power distribution networks, increasing efficiency and safety for utility providers. The current market for such a device is limited to costly, monopole-mounted systems, not optimal for widespread coverage on a large grid. The development of a smaller, budget friendly, line-mounted system fills the gap for new consumers looking to gain a data-driven edge in their network. A compact yet powerful design capable of measuring and sending real-time wind measurement across the airways via onboard controls and communication hardware, while utilizing solar power for lower maintenance.

The USDA is requesting an automated device that can precisely distribute, count, and track oral rabies vaccinations (ORV) using helicopters. They are asking for a durable, lightweight, and user-friendly device to effectively distribute the ORV baits while keeping the device inexpensive and easy to maintain. Our team has developed a prototype that utilizes an auger system combined with a high torque motor to allow for the movement of the baits. A laser records the count of the baits as they are dispersed from the device with the possibility of tracking coordinates in the future. The use of two different types of baits was a challenge while developing this device that our team overcame through continuous research, testing, and movement calculations. Despite some challenges in the beginning of the project, this team produced a prototype device that will aid the USDA in their fight against the rabies epidemic in the United States.

With the world’s transition towards clean energy, there is a growing need to transmit this energy in an efficient manner. MetOx is a company based in Houston, Texas that produces high temperature superconducting tape, with the goal of developing clean, reliable, and abundant power for humanity. With the allocation of a larger facility in 2023, an increase in production volume has led to the introduction of the Reel Transport project. The tape is spooled onto large reels, similar to the classic film roll. An operator moves the reel between different process machines which require different reel positions. To accomplish this task, the CSU Reel Transport team designed and built a motorized device that lifts, manipulates, and drives the product throughout the facility. With the support of the CSU Reel Transport team, MetOx will scale up production, improve efficiency, and promote increased safety within their facility.

The M4 Qualification Target System is a bullet proof pop-up target system designed to qualify Army ROTC cadets in M4 weapon shooting. The system is designed to lift a target, detect and react to a hit. The device utilities a high torque gear system to lift a self-healing target that can sustain over 3000 rounds and function in the field for over 24 hours without recharge. Using Arduino integrated with transceivers the user can detect hits 300 meters away for long range shooting. This project partners Army ROTC with the Mechanical Engineering department to design the future of training adaptable, combat ready soldiers. It is critical the soldiers get to practice shooting qualifications because it a positive impact on keeping the soldiers safe.

The team built a table to automate the card game 'Spoons' as a demonstration unit for the electrical distribution company Rexel

Our senior design project aims to address the limitations of the off-road one-wheeled wheelchair developed by the Lockwood Foundation. The primary issues we're tackling include the high cost of the current model and the lack of suspension, which restricts accessibility for individuals with limited mobility. Collaborating closely with the Lockwood Foundation, our team is devising a solution that not only reduces costs but also enhances the wheelchair's capabilities through the integration of a customizable suspension system. To achieve this, we are focusing on two key strategies. Firstly, we are redesigning the wheel's suspension system to allow for adjustability, catering to the specific needs and preferences of individual users. This feature not only improves comfort but also expands the demographic of individuals who can benefit from the wheelchair. Additionally, we are exploring the use of more cost-effective materials and implementing a design that is easier to manufacture, reducing production expenses without compromising quality or functionality. Through our collaborative efforts with the Lockwood Foundation, our senior design project endeavors to make significant advancements in off-road wheelchair technology. By addressing the need for affordability and enhanced accessibility through innovative design and engineering solutions, we aim to positively impact the lives of individuals with limited mobility, empowering them to explore outdoor environments with greater freedom and independence.

Throughout the world an automatic release of liquids based on specific time release can help automate specific processes. This device is designed with a small form factor to slot into a small hole and be left there for 10 days time while releasing 5 different liquids at staggered time. Additional design factors such as the interaction between the device and different organisms and the ability to use several liquids with different properties without much change to the hardware were examined. With these additional factors this device might be able to be implemented in a wider range of industries. The proposed design uses a motor directed by a microcontroller to push syringes all in a case made of material used in biologic sectors.

The project was to design an electronic, benchtop test stand to create a quality control process for Vectis. Vectis plans to use our device to ensure that their collaborative robot’s (cobot) controls package, and its components, are functioning as intended before being sent to their customer.

The Vibration Laboratory Experiment involves the manufacturing of a portable rotor kit for classes used to demonstrate multiple machine faults commonly found in industry such as with mining, oil and gas, and agriculture equipment, including but not limited to misalignment, unbalance, bearing defects, and aggravating conditions. In addition to displaying these faults the kit requires the ability to monitor and perform various analyses on these faults ensuring compliance with ISO Category I-IV compliant training for courses with industry professionals. Included in this kit is a manual designed for the effective teaching of such a course with well defined and applicable experiments.