Compression Checks

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For the week of 2/23 – 2/27, we executed another compression check in order to compare it to the old results. The average compression in the cylinders this time around was 205 psi, while in the past test the mean was 220 psi. This drop in pressure is nothing to be worried about because we are still well within the …

U-tube Manometer (not YouTube)

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For the week of 2/16-2/20, we were able to establish a connection between the reciprocating engine test bed and APEP’s local natural gas line. In order to accomplish this task, we had to connect a hose from the line source to the test bed and make sure that the natural gas flowed to the engine at 11 inches of water. …

Repeated Blows to the Head

Admin Project Achievements

Over the weekend new accelerometers were installed into the ATD. With these new accelerometers came a simpler DAS program. The program has multi-modal, with the most important being the “real time” and “collect” modes. In “real time” mode, the program operates like an oscilloscope, so we can verify the functionality of the accelerometers by applying impacts to the ATD head. …

CubeSAT Modeling

Admin Project Achievements

Using software such as COMSOL and Satellite Tool Kit (STK), we are able to model the UCI-CubeSAT to obtain theoretical data. By comparing theoretical data to experimental data, it is ideal to achieve results with less than 3% error. The ultimate goal is to model the spacecraft in space environment conditions to optimize the design of the CubeSAT. Currently, the …

Budget Problems

Admin Project Learning

Our team has learned a lot about the pros and cons of solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy sources. We have analyzed different fuel cell types and energy storage methods as well. We are combining them to form the basis for a clean, renewable, and efficient data storage center that won’t be threatened by power grid issues or restricted on …

New Class Offering for Spring 2015

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UCI is the first UC campus to teach CFD to undergraduates using the well-known ANSYS software package. If you enjoyed fluid mechanics and heat transfer, MAE195 will provide you a very powerful design and analysis tool. This course is offered Spring 2015, and counts toward the Aerospace or Flow Physics specialization. For maximum benefit students should have received at least …

What’s the DAS?

Admin Project Achievements

Now that the ATD has arrived, we have a lot of work ahead of us. This week was focused on setting up the DAS with the ATD for our tests, particularly with wiring. Our DAS is a National Instrument 9205 NI-DAQmx device. First, we set up a power source for the DAS. Then, we soldered the wires to connect our …

Laying the Path for Flight

Admin Project Achievements

This week, the Wings Team of the Human Powered Airplane project worked on attaching the foam leading edges onto the right wing tip section of our 108 foot wing. Our 108 foot wing is split into 5 sections that are connected together for its full length with a carbon fiber spar and ribs as the main structural members across the …

Test Station Completed

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Quick FUN fact before I state what we did as a team for the week. Researchers in the UK lead by Nobel Laureate Andre Geim are working on a super thin, 1 atom thick size membrane made out of graphene which will extract hydrogen from the humid air. The membrane does not extract a large amount of hydrogen but since …

Testing Plasma Bonding

Admin Project Achievements

For this project, we will be testing two prototypes made with different materials. One will be created using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the other will be made from CNC machined plastic. Previous experiments with PDMS and glass have shown that there has been difficulty in bonding the two together. Since the channels will be created from PDMS, our device requires a …