ME Capstone Design Displays Student Achievement

February 1, 2008

The first round of the 2007-08 Mechanical Engineering (ME) Capstone Design series was held December fourth and fifth at the ME Thermal Laboratory in Patrick F. Taylor Hall. The Capstone Designs are a requirement for graduation in ME, and a high point of an ME senior’s academic year. In this preliminary presentation phase, ME students put forth their Capstone Design proposals, which, once realized, will be exhibited, demonstrated and judged at the second round of presentations in Spring 2008. Students team with one or more LSU CoE faculty advisors and sponsors from related programs as well as industry, such as NASA and EDO Specialty Plastics.

Capstone Designs display the achievements of the ME graduating class and the ME program, both to professors and to prospective employers, according to Warren Hull, Sr., CoE Coordinator of Communication Across The Curriculum (CxC), professional engineer with over 40 years experience, and one of the Capstone judges. “Capstone is an excellent example of how ME at LSU has matured,” says Hull. “A lot is said these days about “critical thinking,” and that’s really what Capstone is all about. It’s an invaluable lesson, a chance for graduating students to say, ‘Now, how do I apply all this information?’ and make something of material value—something that functions, that does something.”

This year, students have submitted designs for 18 projects, ranging from the traditional to the transformative, all proposing engineering innovations of both educational and professional/industrial interest. The spectrum of ideas includes an Adaptive Filament Winder (B. Bales, S. Netherland, J. Templet and J. Turner, under Drs. Wahab and Li), a Vertical Bearing Dynamic and Seizure Test Rig (R. Adams, D. Aymond and J. Lilly, under Dr. Khonsari) and a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV; D. Ho, J, Kornuta, L. Peltier, & R. Sajan, under Dr. Guo).

In keeping with both the thrust of current engineering initiatives and the realities of today’s changing world, many of these designs focus on renewable/biosustainable energy sources and climate resistance (e.g., terrestrial hurricanes, lunar surface temperatures). For example, a Clean Energy Power System for Home Office project (A. Becnel, B. Herricks, B. Mason, K. Reckert, under Dr. Guo) aspires to provide efficient, economical and environmentally friendly standby power for residence computers and office systems during a grid power outage. To harness the abundant, clean energy of wind, one Capstone team (C. Stickney, D. Pulver, C. Morales and J. Graeter, under Drs. Nikitopoulous and Levitan) has set its sights on a successful prototype for a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, testing a vertical-axis design where previous attempts have failed.

Another Capstone team is seeking a win not just for themselves, but for the University. Jeremy Combs and Jake Daigle, both members of the SAE Mini-Baja team (with D. Boudreaux, R. Guillory, V. Hannan, G. Hill, W. Kahao, J. Powell, J. Sharp, D. Stroud and E. Theriot, under Dr. K. Kelly) are designing and building an all-terrain mini-racer vehicle from the pavement up, designing and machining their own transaxle rather than using a manufactured component. At approx. 450 lbs., their design is also about 150 lbs. lighter than previous years’ LSU entries. Their project will compete against racers built by 92 other schools in the Mini-Baja race sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The team hopes that their innovations and enthusiasm, under the “sky’s the limit” guidance of their faculty advisor, Dr. Kelly, will bring LSU its first win at Mini-Baja. “Capstone’s a good idea. It’s cool to be in an actual competition, with something we actually design and build,” says Combs. Daigle adds that “the (design) log is a pain, but really good experience. We’re already on our second notebook!”

Article by Kip Britton for the College of Engineering, 225-578-5706, mlavall@lsu.edu

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