Date of Award

5-6-2024

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

The goal of our project is to design an attachment compatible with the Instron 5586 Uniaxial Tensile Testing Machine to be used in the mechanical testing lab at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) to conduct Digital Image Correlation (DIC) testing on hyperelastic materials. The team was tasked with creating an original design that provides simultaneous and equal tension along two axes of the specimen while being subjected to a machine that only provides tension along one axis. To obtain optimal test results using our design, the tensile forces that our design applies need to not only be equal and simultaneous, but also consistent with multiple iterations of testing.

Our team conducted an extensive research process to familiarize ourselves with the problem at hand as well as existing inventions and patents for the solution. The group combined the gathered information to generate 30 concepts each, which were evaluated through Pugh charts and the Quality Function Development (QFD) analysis. Using these analyses, the team decided to use Julia’s concept 13 as our prototype for our Proof of Concept (POC) presentation in December. This concept employed the use of gears to drive simultaneous movement of all arms when the apparatus is subject to uniaxial tension. The team then used the Maker Space located in the University of Rhode Island (URI) Mechanical Engineering Capstone Room to create the first POC prototype, which was then used for testing and presented to our peers and sponsors. We used that feedback to begin the redesign process, adding in gears for larger specimen displacement, grips to hold the specimen, and other final touches for the assembly.

After many sponsor meetings and design changes, all points of feedback were accounted for. The group ordered parts through our NUWC sponsors as well as through the URI Department of Mechanical Engineering and looked into machining the arms and frames for the apparatus. While there were complications and time constraints that did not allow for machining, we were able to make a 3D mockup of our frames and arms to be used along with the gears, racks, grips, bolts, and shafts to assemble our final design. Because the frame and arms were not made of the desired material, we were not able to conduct physical testing on the design. However, the team conducted a Finite Element Analysis on the gears to ensure there is minimal loss and the stress is concentrated on only the gear teeth and the surrounding area.

Despite the setbacks in machining and testing, our team has exceeded expectations for the past two semesters. Based on the testing and analyses we were able to conduct, we are confident that our apparatus will provide equal and simultaneous force on the desired specimen. Our sponsors are enthusiastic about the concept and plan to machine the frame and arms to conduct testing on the apparatus, and will later go on to use it for the testing of hyperelastic materials.

Comments

Team Name: Team 08

Teaching Assistants: Michael Peters, Jacob Trivisonno, and Emasosin Jandaghi

Company Sponsor: Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)

Sponsor Representative: Michael Galuska and Eric Warner

Document Reference: URI-MCE-402-8-2024

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