Journal of Undergraduate Research

Scott L. Thomson and Dr. Dan Maynes, Mechanical Engineering Developing a method of measuring fluid temperature using a laser-based system was the goal of this research project. The following paragraphs summarize the research procedure, results, and plans for future development. The temperature measurement technique is based on molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV), an established, non-intrusive method […]

Jeff S. Noall and Dr. Russell L. Daines, Mechanical Engineering A scramjet (supersonic-combustion ramjet) is a theoretical engine which, like a ramjet, converts the velocity of the inlet air into pressure. This “ram” pressure compresses the fluid stream entering the engine prior to fuel injection and combustion. In a ramjet, the incoming air is slowed […]

Cun Ling Linda Chu and Dr. C. Greg Jensen, Mechanical Engineering Overview The goal of this project was to devise a way to remotely control a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) so students could measure an engineering product wherever they have access to a computer. The project began as a semester assignment for Dr. Jensen’s ME […]

Kenneth E. Richardson, Department of Mechanical Engineering Introduction The modeling of the human body is not an easy task. Designers of artificial organs and prosthetic devices have the unenviable goal of attempting to duplicate (or at least satisfactorily approximate) the motion and function of the greatest and most powerful machine on the face of the […]

Paul F. Eastman and Dr. Thomas J. Utley, Jr., Mechanical Engineering The Project The GoldHelox X-Ray Telescope is an undergraduate project of the Brigham Young University Physics Department in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is a fully autonomous robotic telescope and camera system capable of converting x-rays in the range of […]

Lon M. Stevens and Dr. Daniel R. Maynes, Mechanical Engineering A water tunnel is essential for visualization, validation, and experimental analysis of the fundamental fluid dynamic behavior of flowing liquids. Water tunnels come in a variety of geometric dimensions, which are dependent upon the type of fluid flows that are of interest. It was proposed […]

Troy Schank and Dr. Paul Eastman, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Ground-effect is a well-known phenomenon that occurs as an aircraft approaches the surface of the earth. Flight in ground-effect changes the characteristics of the airflow around the wing causing both positive and negative effects. Though ground-effect is a well-known phenomenon, the details of lift and drag […]

Brian Johansen, Mechanical Engineering The purpose of an airplane wing is to provide lift by creating a pressure gradient between the top and bottom of the wing. However, this pressure gradient causes some inherent problems at the wing tip. A vortex forms when the high pressure from the bottom side of the wing flows around […]

John W. Bean, Manufacturing Engineering and Engineering Technology This report will summarize the efforts and results of the research conducted by John Bean on the role of grain boundary misorientations in intergranular cracking of copper-based metals. This research was conducted during the period of Sept. 1993 toApril1994. I was not able to prove all that […]

Aaron Shelley and Dr. Larry Howell, Mechanical Engineering This research focused on developing a new actuator/motor by integrating two previously unrelated technologies. In the past, piezoelectric crystals have been used primarily to measure acceleration in the engineering field, because of their unique nature of generating electricity when changes in their position occur. Modern researchers now […]