Bryan Wilson and Dr. W. Spencer Guthrie, Civil and Environmental Engineering Problem Statement The access road to a coal mine facility was determined to have failed by BYU researchers after a field investigation in 2008. The road surface was heavily degraded by severe transverse, longitudinal, and fatigue cracking. Deep depressions coincided with the transverse cracks […]
Investigation of the Effects of Intraosseous Pressure Rise in the Formation of Spinal Burst Fractures: A Biphasic Material Approach
Spencer Shore and Dr. Anton Bowden Introduction Burst fractures are high-speed spine injuries caused by rapid axial compression of the vertebrae. The traditional explanation for the burst fracture mechanism points to an intraosseous pressure rise due to the entrance of the intervertebral disc through a fractured endplate. Recent experiments [1], however, indicate an actual decrease […]
Monster In the Woods—Adventures in Puppetry
Brian R. McNair and Professor Kelly Loosli, Animation It was supposed to be simple, a quick project, inexpensive, from the gut, a chance to experience a puppet production from beginning to end, learn from every step, and come away with an intricate knowledge of film, puppetry, green screen, and post production; a project meant to last […]
An Experiment in Sustainability: The Olympic Transportation Plan of Beijing, China
Gregory Macfarlane and Dr. G. Grant Schultz, Civil and Environmental Engineering This paper reports on transportation planning and engineering research sponsored by the Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA) at Brigham Young University (BYU). The subject of this research is the Transportation Plan for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, specifically the […]
Pegleg Crutch
Levi Leishman and Darrel Zeltner and Dr. David Fullwood, Mechanical Engineering The progress of a cheap, simple and practical substitute for the common crutch for us has had many design improvements and successes in this year. We were able to meet with medical, educational, and engineering professionals who were all able to input their criticisms […]
Chinese Transportation Contacts
Seth M. Law and Dr. Grant Schultz, Civil and Environmental Engineering In the past couple of years the dean of the school of engineering and technology has shown increased interest in global involvement for students. He wants us to gain a better edge in an increasingly global world. About a year and a half ago, […]
High-Resolution Bulk Measurement of Crystal Defects during Deformation of Highly Textured Copper
Colin Landon and Dr. Brent Adams, Mechanical Engineering Plastic deformation of crystalline materials is accommodated by crystallographic slip, and the formation and motion of dislocations. Of particular interest to deformation predictions are the dislocation structures that form internal to grains (i.e. the cellular structures), because of their impact on the plastic behavior of the crystal. […]
CSF Sniffer Final Report
Alyssa Huber and David Miller with Dr. Brian Jensen, Mechanical Engineering The purpose of our research was to create a tool to help in the treatment of hydrocephalus; hydrocephalus is a disease in which an obstruction causes a build-up of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), a liquid found in the brain. Artificial shunts or passageways are […]
Coupling Rotation and Lamination Theory with Product Development to Create Barriers to Reverse Engineering
Stephen P. Harston and Dr. Christopher A. Mattson, Mechanical Engineering Introducing a novel product into the market place inevitably invites competitors to reverse engineer it; enabling them to determine proprietary trade secrets and decrease potential profits. Unfortunately, there are relatively few barriers to reverse engineering and the few that do exist are not easily implemented. […]
Improvement of Body-Powered Prostheses Using Supplemental Power
Kasey Greenland and Dr. Mark Colton, Mechanical Engineering Many upper-limb amputees are fitted with body-powered prostheses. These are typically operated by the user wearing a harness and making a certain body movement. That movement pulls a cable which then moves the terminal device, which may be an artificial hand or a hook, to perform desired […]