MAE

The UCI Modular CubeSat team aims to build a low-cost nanosatellite capable of supporting a variety of payloads that will be launched into low-earth orbit. The CubeSat team’s ultimate goal is to create an open source CubeSat design for future projects to replicate. This design will drive down costs and facilitate the democratization of space. The current two units CubeSat will perform a six-month mission in a low earth polar orbit taking data from the payload, a variable emissivity device, and transmitting that data down to the ground station on campus.

The Tensegrity Wing team aims to design a wing that can change its airfoil shape on demand using an inner tensegrity structure. The team hypothesizes that the wing will be able to decrease flow disturbances, and as a result drag, as compared to conventional wings with rigid control surfaces. 

Most of the energy leaves our bodies in the form of heat simply due to existing temperature gradients in the environment. An average human body at rest emits about 350,000 J of energy per hour, which is roughly equivalent to the energy given off by a 100-Watts incandescent light bulb. As a matter of fact, the conversion of human-body-heat into electrical energy using a solid-state thermoelectric generator (TEG) sparks interest in creating wearable self-powered mobile electronics and sensors. We, the UCI W.A.T.C.H team, which stands for "Wear A Thermoelectric Calorie Harvester," are dedicated to designing wearable thermoelectric devices powered by human body heat!

The goal of this design project is to accurately measure the combustion efficiency and emissions from an MK-32 burner that is used for hot air balloons. The design process will focus on improving the data acquisition system already being used, the Enerac 700, and looking for other alternatives for measuring efficiencies of an open system in order to get the most accurate combustion efficiency of the MK-32 burner. Milestones we are hoping to achieve this quarter are: Understanding the Enerac 700’s basis for its combustion efficiency, developing an independent process from the Enerac 700’s built in combustion efficiency calculation for verification, and understanding/verifying, after multiple experimental testing data results, why short flame bursts are more efficient than longer flame bursts.

The goal of this project is to design, manufacture, and test a formula-style electric racecar for the Formula SAE Lincoln intercollegiate competition on June 20-22, 2019. Our goal is to place top 5 out of 30 at competition with our 2018-2019 vehicle Lithium. This project allows for cross functional collaboration between students giving them the experience to work with individuals of the different engineering backgrounds ranging from software to aerospace engineering. Having hands on experience implementing industry standards and practices, students develop the skills needed for industry.

Background: 

The Robofish competition is typically conducted within MAE 165, Advanced Manufacturing. The competition consists of designing and manufacturing a robotic fish that is capable of traveling underwater. We are tackling this challenge as a design project with the goal of creating a complex design that can travel farther than any other design.

Goal:

Design and Manufacture a robot capable of moving 12ft underwater while being completely submerged

Objectives:

• Complete all designs and modeling during fall quarter
• Complete all buoyancy calculations by end of fall quarter 
• Complete all manufacturing and have a completed robot by mid winter quarter 
• Finish all testing and revisions by end of winter quarter

Advisor: Marc Madou email: mmadou@uci.edu

Team Contact: Osvaldo Montiel email: montielo@uci.edu

Background

Methane Hydrates are molecules of methane (CH4) bound within a crystal lattice of ice (H2O). The general formula for this gas hydrate (clathrate) is CH4*nH2O, where n represents the number of water molecules in the lattice structure. The nominal methane hydrate composition is CH4*5.75H2O.

Methane Hydrates are formed at high pressure and very low temperatures. Discoveries in the past decades have brought to light the existence of methane hydrates in marine sediments and under shallow permafrost deposits in arctic regions where these conditions are ideal. Since the discovery, they have been studied for extraction to use as a source of energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it is estimated that the global methane hydrate resource is 20,000 trillion cubic meters which is about 700,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). The U.S. currently only has about 2,074 Tcf of methane hydrate resource. Researchers at the University of Texas estimate that given...

Background

As part of the UC Irvine Intelligent Ground Vehicle team, students will be in charge of designing and testing a vehicle that will be able to autonomously navigate through an obstacle course for participation in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC).

The IGVC offers a design experience that is multidisciplinary, theory-based, hands-on, team implemented, outcome assessed, and based on product realization. It encompasses the very latest technologies impacting industrial development including intelligent transportation systems, military applications, and manufacturing. The deadline of the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition creates a real-world constraint that provides potential winning recognition and financial gain.

Goal and Objectives

As a new project at UCI, our ultimate goal is to at least compete and perhaps win the rookie award for the 2019 Autonav Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition. Our goal for this project is to create a 2.5’ x 3.5’ x 6’ ground vehicle that can complete a...

Students address a design challenge proposed by the Faculty Advisor integrating a renewable energy source into a UAV. The goal this year is to get a UAV to fly longer through the integration of solar panels. Students are expected to minimize mechanical and electrical losses and extend the flight time of the UAV by 15%. 

Summary:

UAV Forge is a multidisciplinary engineering senior design project with a focus on designing, building, and programming unmanned aerial vehicles in order to complete flight missions under a time limit. Through research and hands-on experience, students are able to work towards creating an autonomous aircraft. This project, UAV Forge, aims to allow students to gain technical skills and learn more about the engineering process. We hope to further current UAV technology through image capture and recognition, vertical takeoff and landing, and more. Through inspiring innovation and teamwork between the different students in MAE, EECS, CPE, CSE and CS majors, students are able to come out of the project with a broader knowledge of the different engineering fields.

MAE

Background

In the United States, more than 80% of its total energy comes from fossil fuels. Fossil fuel products, such as plastic, are essential to our lives, and the demand for this energy increases each year. However, as the rate of fossil fuel consumption rises, the rate of fossil fuel production will fall behind, which will result in fossil fuels depleting. With fossil fuel production decreasing and demand increasing, products such as gasoline will be more expensive and will continue to harm the environment.

As a result, the world has been looking for clean and renewable fuel. The solution developed for this problem is the hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel burns with oxygen and produces pollution-free water. Also, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, which means that it is inexhaustible, unlike fossil fuels.

Although hydrogen fuel meets all the demands the world is requiring, it...

--- Background ---

The goal of the UC Irvine Internal Combustion Formula SAE (FSAE-IC) Team is to research, design, build, and test a formula-style car to win the 2019 FSAE Lincoln competition. FSAE Lincoln is an annual competition that hosts 80 teams, all consisting of students, from across the globe and they compete against each other in a series of dynamic and static events. Teams are scored based on their performance, with the top teams earning scores of 850+ points. This will be the fifth consecutive year that UCI has developed an internal-combustion car for this competition.

Last year’s car, Phantom, was by far the fastest car the FSAE-IC team has ever produced. The car featured a plethora of improvements over the previous year's car. The most notable improvement being the addition of a high-downforce aerodynamics package, the first in the team’s history. The team finished 4th in the Acceleration...

Currently our project is at a point where the mechanical, electrical and computer science aspects of the project are finished and being optimized. Next quater, we will focus on combining the three portions of the project to produce a working prototype.

CanSat is an international design-build-fly competition where student teams build a probe (the CanSat) to complete a specified mission.
The CanSat is a science payload enclosed in a container. It is launched to 700 meters and must land safely. Initially, the payload and container descend under a parachute. At 400 meters, the payload and container separate. The container continues under the parachute, while the science payload deploys its delta glider to fly in a helical trajectory for 1 minute. At about 100 meters, the science payload will deploy its own parachute and fall to the ground. During all portions of the mission, the CanSat is recording environmental data from onboard sensors and streaming it in real time to a ground station computer.

Motivation

Why study Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)?

1. Only water as a by-product and zero pollutant emissions (NOx, CO, HC)

2. Fuel cells are more efficient at the same scale; use less fuel and generate more energy

3. Useful for stationary power, transportation, and backup generator applications

Our Project

The Department of Energy (DOE) 2020 targets for PEMFCs include a cell potential of 0.8V while outputting 300mA/cm2. Most PEMFCs achieve a limiting current density near 1A/cm2 with air as the oxidant. Our goal was to design and manufacture a PEMFC that could meet the DOE target as well as have the fuel cell reach a limiting current density of 1.5A/cm2 with air. Within the academic year, we were able to develop a fuel cell with an unconventional flow field design. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of compression, flow media material, and flow rates on the fuel cell's...

HyperXite was created to meet the challenges of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Competition. This is HyperXite’s fourth iteration, competing in SpaceX’s Fourth Hyperloop Pod Competition in the summer of 2019. Our goal is to build a high speed, self-propelled Hyperloop pod and complete a successful vacuum run during the Fourth SpaceX Hyperloop Competition in the Summer of 2019.

The competition was founded by Elon Musk to find a way to create the fastest land based mode of transportation, in particular, to find an alternative to California’s future “high speed rail.” Musk and his team came up with the idea of a “Hyperloop,” a near vacuum tube that would allow a pod or a capsule to reach high speeds by riding a cushion of air to reduce friction.

The competition itself is based on teams’ pod designs, with an emphasis on maximum speed. This year, HyperXite is modifying our pod used in Competition...

Background

The UC Irvine Rocket Project aims to push the boundaries of collegiate rocketry and the development of liquid propellant rockets. Our project strives to prepare students for successful careers in the aerospace and defense industry. In 2017, Base 11 became a partner of the UCI Rocket Project. Their gracious donation enabled the construction of our rocket lab as well as provided enough support to join in the Base 11 Space Challenge.

Background

A thermocouple is an electrical device used to detect the temperature changing. Nowadays, thermocouple, as a kind of thermal sensor, is being used in many fields, for example, hospital, vehicle engines probes, and sensors. With the trend in demand for increased performance and reliability.

We are focusing on how the time response will change regarding the change in the size of the thermocouple in microscale. If the time response is reduced, the efficiency of the temperature sensor system will increase, which would benefit in many fields. 

Goal and Objectives

Our goal for this project is decreasing the time response for an accurate reading from 0.06s to 0.03s by reducing the size of thermocouples. Having a faster response, thermocouples can be more efficient in measuring temperature changes in industrial, medical and daily aspects. Then apply the wireless device to make it into a product.

Fall  2018
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Cargo Plane is a senior competition project based on the SAE Aero Design West rules and regulations. The goal of the project was to design a lightweight airplane using wood and metal, allowing high lift generation with low velocities. The plane design parameters were to minimize weight, maximize passengers and cargo capacity while still following all the SAE competition rules. The airplane weight was optimized to be the smallest fraction possible of the 55lb takeoff limit to maximize payload. Therefore, the design team focused on analyzing multiple plane designs from previous years to pinpoint successful features for design incorporation. Plane dimensions were all calculated with equations found in accredited aerospace papers and test book. Through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations, structural analysis, and material property tables, it determined balsa, poplar, birch ply, Sitka spruce, and 6061-T6 aluminum were optimal building materials for construction due to the high specific strength properties....

The SolEaters must design, construct, and raise funds for a fully powered solar racecar that surmounts the scrutineering process for the American Solar Challenge, a cross-country endurance race for solar cars around the world. As the first established solar car team at UCI, we hope to build a solid foundation for a solar racing team that will continue to engineer sustainable vehicles for many years to come.

Background

Originating out of the World Solar Challenge (WSC) that took place 30 years ago in Australia, The American Solar Challenge (ASC) is a spinoff started by GM in 1990. GM encouraged collegiate teams to design and build a solar powered vehicle, followed by a series of one-day stages along a predetermined route. In 2001, The Innovators Educational Foundation took over sponsorship of the event, and with that came a new format for the event, including multi-day stages, higher mileages, and...

The Variable Emissivity Radiator being researched and designed at UCI provides control to lower the outer surface emissivity during sunlight exposure, and increase it again to dissipate heat in cover. All while using minimal power and no moving components. This saves on weight, cost, and complexity of cooling solutions for small satilites.

Background

The UCI Baja SAE team competes yearly in the Baja SAE West Collegiate Design Competition hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers.  Each year the team develops a brand-new single-seat off-road vehicle for the competition based on research into the dynamics of off-road vehicles and a critical analysis of the previous year’s car. The yearly competition hosts 100 collegiate teams from across the world and consists of a series of static and dynamic events culminating in the 4-hour, 100 car wheel-to-wheel endurance event. 

Goal and Objectives

The objective of the 2019 UCI Baja SAE team is to develop a reliable, competitive single-seat off road vehicle to place among the top 10 teams in the upcoming 2019 Baja SAE West competition. In order to accomplish this, the 2019 competition vehicle, named RENEGADE, must be the lightest, fastest, best performing, and most reliable vehicle that the team has ever produced....

When an individual suffers from a stroke, many lose somatosensation in one of their hands. This leads to a loss of the sense of touch (tactile sensation) and sense of movement of their limbs (proprioception).  This lack of focus is not beneficial to the patients and does not result in optimal recovery.  Design a device that will focus on the rehabilitation of somatosensation in stroke patients while providing an affordable, portable, and convenient means for doing so.

For the 2019-2020 school year Touch Trainer is looking for a team leader, lead for coding, designing, electronics, and manufacturing.  This project requires 5-7 members.  Contact Yasmin Shokes at yshokes@uci.edu for any questions or interest.

In recent years, advancements in engineering, mathematics, and morphology have opened the door for bio-inspired flight. What was once beyond the capabilities of scientists and engineers now presents itself as a wealth of unexplored technology and research opportunities. The Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle Project must combine in-depth research and engineering to generate the future of flying machines.

The specific challenge the FWMAV Project addresses is recreating the high frequency flapping observed in hummingbirds and insects, and applying it in an innovative and novel way. Through a systematic approach, the team must improve upon existing technology to generate flight dynamics observed in nature, discover potential physical advantages that can be exploited, and apply these discoveries to a working proof of concept.