Engineering Senior Design Projects
The Engineering senior design project is a two-semester effort jointly supervised by St. Mary’s faculty and engineers from the sponsoring organization. Seniors work on solving open-ended problems submitted by and relevant to our industrial collaborators.
To see the most recent Engineering Senior Design Projects, view the Engineering Senior Design Projects page.
Archived Projects
2024 Engineering Senior Design Projects
Low Ambient Heat Pump Enhancement and Condensate Management System
Team: Elijah McNeil (ME) and Jahrid Hollowell (ME)
Sponsor: Friedrich Air Conditioning Co.
The Low Ambient Heat Pump Enhancement and Condensate Management System is a transformative solution designed to improve heat pump performance in low ambient temperatures and revolutionize condensate management in HVAC systems. In regions with harsh winter climates, low temperatures often compromise heat pump efficiency, leading to increased energy consumption and operational costs. This system integrates cutting-edge technology, allowing heat pumps to operate optimally in suboptimal conditions, resulting in significant energy savings due to reduced electrical load and enhanced comfort in both residential and commercial spaces.
Additionally, the system offers an innovative approach to condensate management by addressing issues associated with excess moisture production. It efficiently captures, controls, and recycles condensate, reducing the need for external drainage and promoting an eco-friendly and sustainable method of condensate disposal. This, in turn, enhances HVAC system efficiency.
The Low Ambient Heat Pump Enhancement and Condensate Management System stands out for its adaptability and its compatibility with a wide range of heat pump configurations and applications. This makes it a versatile solution suitable for both new installations and retrofit projects. This technological advancement represents a significant step forward in the HVAC industry, offering enhanced energy efficiency, reduced operational costs, and a substantial contribution to a more sustainable and eco-conscious future for heating and cooling systems.
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Trash Collection Device and Water Quality Sampling Device
Team: Briley Perkins (ME), Benjamin Canas (ME), Kyndall Quiroz (ME), Aaron Rodriguez (ME) and Fernanda Moreno (ES- ES)
Sponsor: San Antonio River Authority
This Senior Design Project involves the development of an innovative trash collection device designed for use in the rivers that flow into the San Antonio River. The aim is to combat water pollution by efficiently collecting floating debris and waste, thereby improving the overall cleanliness of the local waterways. Additionally, the project includes a second component focused on improving the sampling method used by the ISCO 6712 sampler. These samples contain valuable data for assessing the effectiveness of a focal point system implemented in parking lot drainage systems for rainwater purification.
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Finger Contracture Relief Sensorized Splint
Team: Alfonso Gonzalez (ME), Katia Campos (ES-PreMed) and Olivia Rojas (ES-PreMed)
Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
Hand traumas, whether due to accidents, burns, or common incidents like jammed fingers, can result in pain and subsequent immobilization of the hand. During the healing process, a lack of movement can lead to deformities. This project focuses on a specific deformity: Proximal Interphalangeal Joint (PIPJ) Flexion Contracture, where the middle knuckles of the fingers remain stuck in a flexed position. The problem arises from contractures affecting the PIPJ, characterized by stiffening due to the shortening of muscles, tendons, skin, and nearby soft tissues. These contractures often occur after trauma or certain illnesses and predominantly impact one or two fingers. Current treatment options include:
- Physical therapy — using expensive, bulky dynamic splints that are typically limited to physical therapy facilities.
- Surgery — which is invasive, costly, and may lead to scarring and complications.
Our objective is to design, build, and test an orthopedic brace system that provides continuous passive range of motion (CPROM) to prevent and treat PIPJ flexion contractures.
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Hub Delivery System — Mobile Application
Team: Jason Trevino (EE)
Sponsor: O’Reilly Auto Parts
Currently, O’Reilly Auto Parts uses the conventional paper manifests for the Hub deliveries of auto parts. The goal is to transition from using paper manifests and utilize a mobile application for delivery drivers to easily access on current mobile devices. Implementation of the application will increase productivity and efficiency for the Hub deliveries.
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DriverTech Vehicle Monitoring System
Team: Sarah Aldhafeeri (CE), Fillip Cannard (SE), Kaitlyn Ledon( CE) and Shea Spellman (EE)
Sponsor: DriverTech
DriverTech provides critical data to shipping companies about their fleets of vehicles and drivers. This is done through their vehicle monitoring system. Unfortunately, Windows 10 is reaching the end of life, and DriverTech is looking for a new software solution. Our goal was to provide a way for Drivertech to transition their core system to Linux while maintaining a Windows virtual environment for backwards compatibility. This involved installing and configuring Linux and ensuring software/hardware compatibility. By doing this we will not only increase the lifespan of DriverTech’s system, but also save electronic waste and money for the company.
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Lean Inventory Management Implementation in the Supply Room at the Baptist Neighborhood Hospital-Zarzamora
Team: Salma Alotaibi (IE), Karlo Kalifa (IE) and Rudy Solis (IE)
Sponsor: Baptist Regional Hospital—Zarzamora
The aim of this senior project was to revolutionize the inventory management system within a hospital setting by integrating Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. The supply room at the Baptist Neighborhood Hospital – Zarzamora, a critical component of healthcare operations, often faced challenges related to organization and supply chain efficiency. The implementation of Lean principles was expected to streamline processes, eliminate waste, and enhance overall organization, while Six Sigma tools were employed to reduce variation and improve the accuracy of inventory levels. The project involved a thorough analysis of the current inventory processes in place and the identification of bottlenecks that could lead to waste and troubles within inventory management. Additionally, the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology was utilized to identify root causes of supply issues and implement data-driven solutions. The outcomes included a more organized and efficient inventory room, reduced lead times, improved accuracy in supply management, and ultimately, enhanced patient care through optimized resource utilization. This project serves as a model for healthcare organizations seeking to implement best practices from Lean and Six Sigma in their inventory management processes.
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Enhanced Inventory Control and Work Order Tracking at the New Braunfels Smokehouse
Team: Elisa Aguilera (EM), Andrea Laguna (EM) and Fernando Torres (EM)
Sponsor: New Braunfels Smokehouse
The New Braunfels Smokehouse, a renowned provider of premium smoked meats, faced challenges in inventory management and work order tracking to meet increasing consumer demands while maintaining operational efficiency. We followed lean-based principles to enhance inventory control and streamline work order tracking processes within the Smokehouse’s operations. We analyzed existing inventory management and work order tracking systems at the Smokehouse, identified inefficiencies, and developed a tracking system compatible with an ERP system recently implemented by the company. In a parallel effort, this team applied safety and lean principles to reorganize an area in which components needed for equipment maintenance were stored. This effort was expected to minimize the number of trips company personnel made to Home Depot and Lowe’s to acquire maintenance parts.
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Enhancing Procurement Systems at San Antonio International Airport Through Artificial Intelligence Integration
Team: Sebastian Blackburn (ME) and Anthony Sadler (ES)
Sponsor: San Antonio Airport
We investigated the application of artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, in improving the procurement systems at San Antonio International Airport. By integrating ChatGPT and other AI tools, we aimed to streamline the time-consuming part selection process within the Procurement Office. Our findings reveal significant enhancements in efficiency and effectiveness, offering promising prospects for modernizing procurement practices in airport operations.
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2024 Projects
2023 Engineering Senior Design Projects
Increasing the Efficiency of the UPS Sort-Span Process
Team: Emily Diaz, Bailey McOwen and Marcus Rangel
Sponsor: UPS
We developed a resource for United Parcel Service (UPS) using Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic for Application (VBA), known as the Increasing Sort-Span Efficiency Tool (ISET). ISET is a functioning prototype that aims to address the UPS Pre-Load Operations Department’s need for a timely and accurate means of creating a truck lineup for the company’s truck loading process and determining the required number of staff members to load the trucks. The team developed a heuristic model that takes into account industry and UPS standards, constraints, and practices, such as truck lineup placement, staff member utilization, and UPS training applications, to determine these outputs. Although the solution produced is not guaranteed to be optimal, it fulfills the Lean Six Sigma principles of waste reduction, increased accuracy, and improved quality achieved through the DMAIC process. The methods and tools utilized by the team include Agile, Jira (Project Management), VBA Excel and Lean.
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Productivity Improvement at the San Antonio Food Bank
Team: Salem Albaloushi, Saleh Alsalamah and Carlos Franco
Sponsor: San Antonio Food Bank
This senior design project was a collaboration between two industrial engineers and a software engineer, conducted in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB). The team aimed to improve the donation receiving process, design an aisle signage prototype to facilitate volunteer wayfinding, and develop a prototype to reduce the time required to scan merchandise stored in the warehouse. To achieve these goals, the team utilized various tools and techniques, such as the development of a tablet-based app to digitize common warehouse operations, time studies, human factors, simulation, and statistical analysis, to identify areas of improvement. The Food Bank’s overall process consists of three supporting processes: receiving shipments, storing products, and selecting products for outbound orders. The team identified areas that needed improvement in the Food Bank’s warehouse, including receiving efficiency, warehouse wayfinding, and barcode system redesign. The solutions focused on identifying opportunities to digitalize paper-based processes to reduce errors and improve data accuracy, enhancing wayfinding to simplify warehouse navigation, and redesigning the barcode system to improve the tracking of food donations and distribution.
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Productivity Improvement at the New Braunfels Smokehouse
Team: Daniela Canahuati, Andrea Quijano and Abigail Slaughter
Sponsor: New Braunfels Smokehouse
The aim of this senior project was to enhance productivity at the New Braunfels Smokehouse by implementing two initiatives. The first initiative involved the development of a training manual for the Manufacturing Conductor (MC) software, which is part of the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that the company recently implemented. The MC software is used to track inventory and products in and out of the production plant, and associates on the floor lacked proper training on how to use it effectively. The training manual aimed to address this issue and improve the associates’ understanding and use of the MC software. The second initiative focused on improving the pre-packing station’s process flow, which lacked an efficient end-to-end traceability system. This resulted in a slow, inefficient, and costly recall process. To address this, we designed and implemented a new process flow that utilized barcoding for the pre-pack packaging line. This new process flow aimed to streamline the traceability process and help prevent avoidable recalls, leading to increased efficiency and reduced costs. Overall, these two initiatives helped enhance productivity and improve processes at the New Braunfels Smokehouse.
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New Braunfels Smokehouse Packaging Line Project
Team: Nathaniel Bielawski and Emmanuel Ewuzie
Sponsor: New Braunfels Smokehouse
In the food processing industry, increasing production speed and volume is crucial to meet growing demands and to remain competitive in the market. While hiring more workers and expanding facilities are common solutions to improve efficiency, there are situations where these methods are not viable. The New Braunfels smokehouse faces this challenge as they already have a sufficient number of staff and no space for expansion. To overcome this obstacle, the smokehouse is implementing innovative technologies to reduce processing times, including a new cryovac plastic packaging sealer and a new dip tank for shrinking plastic packaging. To fully utilize these machines, the smokehouse requires new utilities to support them, including compressed air and vapor ventilation, which will be one of the major focus points of this design project. To improve the overall functionality of the smokehouse, management desires to implement better systems that would increase efficiency of their maintenance crew. To appease this desire, the development of work order tracking system and preventive maintenance manual has been produced and accepted as one of the focal points of this design project.
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Primate Enrichment Cage Handling
Team: Berenice Alvarado, Rhianna Lopez and Jose Garcia
Sponsor: Texas Biomedical Research Institute
The main objective of this project is to re-design, build, and test a practical and reliable transport system to improve the current rack handling methodology at Texas Biomedical Research Institute. Additionally, the team is aiming to reduce the potential for accident or injury to technicians on the animal care staff handling these 4-pack cage racks, as well as improve the ergonomic strain these cage racks hold. In addition to this goal, we will also strive to reduce the frequent cost of repairing all four caster wheels on the 200-cage fleet. Texas Biomedical Research Institute would like to reduce the cost of this specific form of maintenance and minimize this issue.
Among the deliverables of this project is an assessment of the 4-pack caging units of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. As per the document provided by Texas Biomedical Research Institute, the problem may have more than one significant part requiring a description. Furthermore, during the design development process, review concepts for the problem solution with the client as necessary; identify key steps for implementing the solution(s) on a large scale. Lastly, after assessing this engineering problem, we produced a functional prototype of a modified motorized dolly that was engineered specifically to the Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s exact desire that fulfilled all the required constraints and requirements.
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Ultrasonic Welding Repairs on Biosafety Lab Suits
Team: Angela Asfura, Anthony Mena and Joel Vargas
Sponsor: Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Ultrasonic welding is a cutting-edge process that harnesses high-frequency vibrations to create a secure and durable bond between two materials. In this project, we sought to explore the potential of ultrasonic welding as a method for repairing Level 4 Biosafety suits. These suits are critical for safeguarding workers who operate in hazardous chemical and biological zones.
Traditionally, the process of repairing these suits has involved using a patch kit and adhesive, which creates rigid areas that compromise the suit’s flexibility and durability. Ultrasonic welding, on the other hand, is a non-invasive process that produces a strong and flexible bond between the patch and the suit.
To assess the potential of ultrasonic welding, we designed and conducted a series of rigorous experiments to test the tensile strength and flexibility of the repaired suits. We used a range of parameters, such as frequency, temperature, and pressure, to optimize the welding process. Our findings showed that ultrasonic welding produced a bond with tensile strength slightly less than the fabric itself, but still strong enough to withstand the forces applied to the suit under normal conditions.
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Friedrich Air Conditioning Vibrational Analysis
Team: Cole Frazier, Kenneth Gilley and Q Miller
Sponsor: Friedrich Air Conditioning
A new set of Department of Energy efficiency standards for air conditioning units is going into effect in 2023. As a result, the HVAC industry is rapidly moving away from single-speed units to multispeed units for their main product lines. However, modern variable-speed HVAC equipment is far more susceptible to vibration-related fatigue phenomena than older units. This project aims to design a vibration analysis system for Friedrich Air Conditioning to use as they design future variable speed air conditioning solutions. This system focuses on finding displacement in various vulnerable areas through lightweight accelerometers. Statistical analysis of failures and stroboscope observation of displacement is used to determine such vulnerable locations.
Furthermore, modal impact testing equipment is used to identify resonance frequencies. Future designs can be altered to avoid driving units at those frequencies. Then the objective will be for Friedrich to dampen displacement and monitor the effects on the rest of the system in real-time using multiple accelerometers. Test data can also be imported into a finite element analysis to find stresses throughout the components of any given model. This data can help develop an SN curve to predict fatigue life better.
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Improved Breast Tissue Expander
Team: Cristina Cabello and Joshua Pridemore
Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
The goal of this project is to improve a tissue expander design for patients undergoing breast reconstruction. The expander is inflated underneath the pectoralis major muscle to help reconstruct the breast post-mastectomy. Having a reconstruction is an important aspect to restoring the patient’s quality of life after feeling disfigured, but the process can sometimes have complications. Typically, expanders have a magnetic port, allowing surgeons to locate the area of injection. However, patients who have just received cancer treatment can no longer undergo pertinent MRI scanning due to the metal in the expander. This design will include a non-metallic port, with ultrasound detectability. This is done by incorporating a distinct pattern within the expander cap, such as a series of hexagons, that the ultrasound can detect. With the budget given to us, we were able to develop and 3D-print an ultrasound-detectable cap design, as well as test that design using hand-made expander pouches. While the type of testing required for FEA and true physical ASTM tests was out of our scope due to a lack of experience and non-medical grade materials, our sponsor was happy with the progress that was made. Our designs are approved by our sponsor to be handed off to Baylor College of Medicine for further research.
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Automatic Valve Control in Fuel Filter Testing System
Team: Aaron Lozano, Ryan Pino and Adalberto Valadez
Sponsor: Southwest Research Institute
The oils and lubricants division of Southwest Research institute tests oil filters by counting impurity particles before and after the filter under test. The filter testing setup consists of a small loop that pulls lubricants from a larger loop and passes it through dirt particle counters placed before and after the tested filter. External conditions in the main lubricant supply loop affect the oil flow rate passing through the tested filter. When the lubricant flow rate fluctuate above or below the desired setting, the test-monitoring technician must manually adjust the flow rate to the target level within a period of no more than five seconds. If the flow rate in the tested filter is not adjusted to the desired range within this critical period, the test is declared void and must be repeated. The goal of this project is to design an automatic control system that would adjust the opening and closing of a valve to keep the flow of the lubricant through the tested filter at a relatively constant rate. The new filter testing system with automatic valve control is designed to eliminate the intervention of a human technician in the filter testing process.
The new system consists of a PID controller that directs a stepper motor to turn a valve in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to adjust the lubricant flow through the tested filter. Initial simulations were performed using Matlab, Simulink, and Simscape. Our sponsor directed us to simulate and implement our design using LabView. The flow rate is represented by a voltage input from a power supply and the stepper motor turns the knob of the power supply to bring the voltage to the desired set point.
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Control Room Simulator
Team: Jocelyn Moreno, Olivia DeSilvester and Andrew Petri
Sponsor: Southwest Research Institute
SwRI operates a bulk fuel facility with full-scale aboveground storage tanks and peripheral equipment. They use fuel-handling equipment such as electric pumps with variable speed drives, fuel lines, valves, sensors for temperature, fuel flow, and tank volume. Operation of the system is very labor-intensive requiring operators to manually switch valves and control the speed of the pumps. Multiple operators must be dispatched throughout the fuel farm to open and close valves to transfer fuel between tanks, transportation units, or fuel processing stations. This process is labor intensive and requires precise communication among operators and the manager who supervises the operation.
To increase efficiency and decrease manual labor and human errors, SwRI decided to create a central control room to manage the fuel transfer between tanks, transportation units, and processing stations. The first stage of this project is to simulate the control room by creating a user interface through which the fuel facility operator can automatically turn on or off appropriate valves by simply selecting the source and destination for the fuel transfer. The operator can set the properties of the fuel tank and remotely monitor the fuel level of each individual tank from a central location. This project focuses on the remote data acquisition of fuel levels and on the creation of an easy to use user interface to automatically open and close appropriate valve to transfer fuel from a source tank to a destination facility.
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Automated Memory Dump and Analysis of a 64-Bit Android Application
Team: Sterling Henarie, Ashley Land and Raul-De-Jesus Huerta
Sponsor: iCR (ideas, Commitment, and Results)
A previous project collected the requirements and performed the initial design work for a ground control system for St. Mary’s University’s new drone lab. We have expanded the initial design and implemented much of the system. Due to the overall lab goals, the requested software is “home-grown” and controlled through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) intended for academic and research purposes. The system developed is a distributed application, with the software shared across the user interface, back-end server, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Our approach is scalable such that additional general UAVs and controllers of several types can be connected and flown from one or more GUIs. We developed the GUI to interface with the UAVs through a well-known publish-subscribe server, Redis (redis.com), that serves and publishes live (and stored) UAV data. The GUI includes a multi-windowed display containing UAV telemetry (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) and sensor data and graphs of the data during operation in a live (low latency) fashion. The system allows the user to tune the UAV for flight by setting and saving parameters as presets (drone flight modes). These can even be changed during a flight. The user can fly the UAV by sending commands through the GUI, retrieving, and sending information to and from the Redis publish-subscribe server. Additionally, the GUI allows the user to plan and monitor UAV autonomous missions, which display the UAV’s past, present, and future waypoints. Overall, our system is modular, scalable, open-source, and can be used as a teaching tool at St. Mary’s University.
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2023 Projects
2022 Engineering Senior Design Projects
Design of an Improved Gel Sanitizer Dispenser System for the San Antonio International Airport
Team: Basil Qasem, Abdulrazak N. Alghanim, Thomas Muniz and Tromance Washington
Sponsor: San Antonio International Airport
Abstract: We designed an improved gel sanitizer dispenser system for the San Antonio International Airport. We implemented an interactive interface that alerts maintenance personnel when a dispenser must be replenished. There are more than 200 dispensers strategically positioned at the Airport. Maintenance personnel used to make rounds to verify the volume of each dispenser; they replaced the foam bag in those that were either empty or near depletion. We installed a sensor in each dispenser that keeps track of the number of times a dispenser has been used. The app we developed accounts for the diverse demand patterns for the dispenser throughout the Airport and sends a signal to Maintenance when a unit reaches a trigger level. As a result, maintenance personnel no longer have to visit all the dispensers in the facility; they target only those units that need service. We summarize the following activities in this report: data collection, simulation, selection and installation of sensor, and app design.
San Antonio Food Bank Modernization
Team: Barbara P. Granick, Ian J. Wells, Antonio Garza and Eduardo Lopez
Sponsor: San Antonio Food Bank
Abstract: This Senior Design Project was conducted in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB). The goal was to digitalize a common warehouse operation to facilitate warehouse modernization. The main processes at the SAFB are receiving product shipments, storing the products, and selecting products for outbound orders. Based on our observations, we were tasked with focusing on the receiving product area. The receiving area is the first step of the product life cycle in the facility, and is where the greatest number of potential errors are present. We focused on the reduction of paperwork and steps in general during the trucker intake process which occurred when products are received. We describe our efforts in terms of data collection, waste identification and reduction, simulation analysis, and the proposal for the development of an app that would replace the paper-based process followed at the time of this project.
San Antonio Food Bank Modernization
Team: Megan Sells
Sponsor: Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital
Abstract: We describe the application of lean six-sigma principles in a project conducted in the Phlebotomy Department, San Antonio VA Hospital. Our efforts included observational data collections of the flow of patients as they visited the hospital for lab work; a simulation of the proposed solution was developed. Sources of wasted included unnecessary delays and patient flow that was frequently inefficient. The project was developed under the direct supervision of six-sigma professionals.
Design and Development of a Policy and Procedure Manual (PPM) for a New Anodizing Plant
Team: Preston Hicks, Gissella Lara and Hugo Sanchez
Sponsor: ST Engineering San Antonio
Abstract: We describe the process of developing a policy and procedure manual (PPM) for an anodizing plant that was being built at ST Engineering. The goal of the project was to identify possible sources of waste in the new plant and provide detailed instruction on the process flow. The detailed instructions included but are not limited to (1) a planned preventative maintenance sheet, (2) a process flow map, (3) ergonomic and safety analysis, and (4) training documents. The new instructions being provided follow the conditions and effectiveness of major companies anodizing processes such as Boeing. We provide adequate documentation for employees regarding the anodizing process, chemical safety, and the intricate details of handling of the equipment. A simulation analysis was conducted to examine what-if scenarios. This effort was a continuation of a previous senior design project at ST Engineering.
ST Engineering Anodizing Plant
Team: Ignacio Torres, Jonathan Lopez and Carlos Apodaca
Sponsor: ST Engineering
Abstract: The scope of this project sees the implementation and troubleshooting of the brand-new Chromic Acid Anodizing plant for the project sponsor, ST Engineering. The company currently commissions a third-party supplier to perform their anodizing operations for parts needed for their in-house use. The time and client’s money spent transporting parts on and off the site to be anodized drove ST Engineering to consider having their own anodizing operation on-site. The design of this facility was tasked to last year’s St. Mary’s University Senior Design team working with the sponsor. While the facility design was finalized, there were still aspects of the project that needed modifications or that were not considered by last year’s team. Among these are the transportation of parts, and the need to oversee the production and process implementation of the plant once it is operational. This called for a major learning curve in comprehending the process of anodizing, the team gathered information needed to implement new designs of equipment, material-flow processes, and ensuring implementation of a complete anodizing plant, while following appropriate industry standards. For the deliverable, the team has been trusted to provide ST Engineering with a complete design of modular, multi-purpose drying racks, and part transportation simulation and analysis. The team’s role was to develop and complete the design of the drying racks as well as time studies for transportation of parts for the anodizing plant.
Ultrasonic Humidifier
Team: Sarah Nguyen, Scott Siler and Bryanna Herrera
Sponsor: Friedrich Air Conditioning
Abstract: The overall goal of this project was to design, build, and test an ultrasonic humidifier unit to be integrated into calorimetric testing chambers of Friedrich AC, a local air-conditioning company. This design was part of a process to optimize the testing facilities of the company and requires improving upon current systems already in place at Friedrich. The previous system employed, in a very basic sense, is a “boiling pot of water” method to increase the amount of humidity in the testing chambers. While this also posed a thermodynamic problem, with excess energy entering the closed system, the primary issue was that precise water output control was not possible. The realization was that a system with low energy input and a precise, controllable humidity output was required to enhance the ease of testing, but specifically to allow for tighter tolerances on testing parameters.
Texas Biomedical Research Institute Door and Feeding System
Team: Bryan Martin Patino, Jonathan Hernandez, Karalissa Hranitzky, Ryan McGowen, Sabrina Doyon
Sponsor: Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Abstract: The general goals of our projects are to design, build, and test a baboon cage transfer door and feeding system to be used at Texas Biomedical Research Institute. These designs are to improve upon the current door design and feeding troughs currently used by Texas Biomedical. The current door is not a strong enough material and is prone to animal damage. The current feeding procedures are labor-intensive and not precise. These are issues that have caused many problems for workers at Texas Biomedical. The team concluded that the door needed to be made of a strong material that is lighter, and the door track needed to be deeper. We also concluded that the feeding process needed a cart system to improve upon the ease of the feeding process. Iterative designs were carried out and final solutions were presented using FEA analysis and material selection. The fabrication process included milling the 6061 Aluminum to c-channels and welding the separate pieces together. Also, the cutting of a hopper and putting all the materials together. In the end the, final prototypes were presented to Texas Biomedical and were approved.
DriverTech Remote Tire Sensor
Team: Hiram Diaz, Ana Isabelle Ordonez and Andrea Ozaeta
Sponsor: DriverTech
Abstract: The purpose of this project was to develop a remote tire sensor for our sponsor, known as DriverTech, that can detect and record the number of wheel revolutions a truck tire has made while traveling, as well as the temperature of a wheel near the area of the drum brakes. This information collected can be cross-referenced with travel distance data from a truck’s onboard GPS navigation system and used to determine risks of wheel failure and required maintenance on the vehicle by calculating tire wear. Tire wear is accumulated significantly while traveling on the road for long distances with any form of heavy-duty vehicle for transportation. This project required us to use our knowledge of vehicle dynamics to accommodate a design that considers the effects of acceleration, high velocity, and hard braking on a wheel through centrifugal forces, mechanical fatigue, and thermodynamics while keeping our device intact. This project also required us to use our knowledge of mechanical design to develop a product that can be easily attachable; while also abiding by set standards for off-the-shelf parts, components, and materials that will minimize costs and any required forms of special maintenance or fabrication processes for our device to be built and be fully functional. Our device uses electrical components that required us to consider the effects of environmental factors from traveling on less maintained roads or through harsh weather conditions. Our device would serve as a proof-of-concept and will be used as a foundation upon which our sponsor will be able to manufacture and develop a final product appropriate for being sold in a high-demand industrial market.
Powerline Communication System
Team: Alejandro Dardon, Baptiste Pousset
Sponsor: Transformer Protector Corporation
Abstract: Electricity is a core component of the way we live in modern society. From a watch to a supercomputer, electricity is the typical power. Electricity is usually generated in power plants and then travels over wires to substations for distribution. Transformers are used in substations to step up or down the voltage. These devices dissipate a lot of heat. Oil is used as a coolant for transformers since it also helps with electrical insulation and suppresses corrosion and electrical arching.
Transformer Protector Corporation (TPC) provides a product to keep transformers safe from explosions. The approach their system utilizes is composed of two parts, a depressurization system, and an evacuation of explosive gases mechanism. The depressurization of the transformer triggers immediately upon detecting a pending explosion and functions purely through mechanical components. Subsequently, the evacuation of explosive gas-es step is triggered electrically by sensor signals delivered across the substation (between the transformer and a controller) and are used to filter out the detrimental gas.
The focus of this project, the powerline communication system, was to build a system that could utilize the pre-existing wires in a substation to deliver the sensor signals that direct the evacuation of explosive gas-es rather than running new, unique wires. By reusing existing wires, the install time for the overall product, and thus the install cost, is expected to be significantly reduced. That is, connections are often a costly part of the system’s transformer protector installation.
While powerline communication is not needed, its application to the power industry imposes unique security, installation, and reliability constraints. The prototype created in this project reduces installation time while meeting industry requirements and standards. The overall approach uses two single board computers coupled with powerline communication modems. The communication is protected through the implementation of an industry standards-based encryption technique, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The prototype can transmit data through power lines and utilizes the same sensor signals and relays used for actuating as the existing, fielded product. Thus, the project accomplished the goals of a low installation cost while meeting the reliability and security required.
All Strings Attached
Team: Kimberly Tse, Joshua Webb and Carlos Rosales
Sponsor: Space City Nomads
Abstract: Imagine you are hearing a string quartet play at a special event of sorts (be it a wedding, banquet, or at an important event). The music is played beautifully, until you hear a snap from one of the player’s instruments. The string has broken! Luckily, the player can replace the string quite easily. But what if that scenario can be avoided?
Our customer gave us the task of creating a prototype and application that will allow us to detect the lifespan of strings on stringed instruments, so that musicians are able to tell whenever they need to replace them. The lifespan of strings decreases by various metrics but the one we are tasked with is by the amount of time played on the instrument. The average time for a string to break is 100 hours of playtime.
The user can place the prototype on their instrument and connect it via Bluetooth to synch with the application, both iPhone and Android Operating System (OS). The prototype will be active whenever it detects vibrations, and the user can see how long they’ve practiced, and record their audio via a phone app.
The scope of this year long project included the creation of a device that records the amount of time a user plays their instrument as well as recording audio to save into the database. Additionally, we preformed some initial analysis concerning the difference between new and “false” strings via MATLAB. Future development will use the collected data to focus on detecting when the strings go “false.” Thus, the mechanism we have created forms the basis of collecting data that can be used to aid in the development of future detection algorithms.
Drone Data Communication System (DDCS)
Team: Omar Aboulhosn, Darian Jennings and Gabriela Sandoval
Sponsor: St. Mary’s Drone Lab
Abstract: A previous project collected the requirements and performed the initial design work for a ground control system for St. Mary’s University’s new drone lab. We have expanded the initial design and implemented much of the system. Due to the overall lab goals, the requested software is “home-grown” and controlled through a Graphical User Interface (GUI) intended for academic and research purposes. The system developed is a distributed application, with the software shared across the user interface, back-end server, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Our approach is scalable such that additional general UAVs and controllers of several types can be connected and flown from one or more GUIs. We developed the GUI to interface with the UAVs through a well-known publish-subscribe server, Redis (redis.com), that serves and publishes live (and stored) UAV data. The GUI includes a multi-windowed display containing UAV telemetry (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) and sensor data and graphs of the data during operation in a live (low latency) fashion. The system allows the user to tune the UAV for flight by setting and saving parameters as presets (drone flight modes). These can even be changed during a flight. The user can fly the UAV by sending commands through the GUI, retrieving, and sending information to and from the Redis publish-subscribe server. Additionally, the GUI allows the user to plan and monitor UAV autonomous missions, which display the UAV’s past, present, and future waypoints. Overall, our system is modular, scalable, open-source, and can be used as a teaching tool at St. Mary’s University.
2022 Projects
There are no archived projects for this date.
2021 Projects
- SmHeart Stethoscope
- Friedrich Air Conditioning Coil Calorimeter Design
- Sponsor: Friedrich Air Conditioning
- Seq. VI Fuel Econ. Test: Fuel Disp. Automation and Seq. VI Fuel Econ. Test: Oil Level Check
- Sponsor: Intertek
- Flow Loop Leak Test System
- Sponsor: EFI Global Inc.
- A Better Cart
- Sponsor: Academic Technology Services, St. Mary’s University
- Alderete Park, StMU & Woodlawn Pathway Design
- Sponsor: San Antonio River Authority
- AI System to Classify Faulty Cross Arms in Poles
- VT SAA Layout Design
- Sponsor: VT San Antonio Aerospace
- Cost-Benefit Analysis for Mfg. Expansion
- Sponsor: The H-J Family of Companies
- Facilities Improvement
- Sponsor: San Antonio Public Works Dept.
- Automation and Inventory Control
- Sponsor: The New Braunfels Smokehouse
- Reliable Staffing Mobile App
- Sponsor: Reliable Staffing
- Disaster System Engineering
- Smart Paint Drone 2.0
- Drone Stabilization
- Bridge Crack Detection
2020 Projects
- SKORE (Smart Keyboard Operated by Robotic Educator)
- Sponsor: Internal
- Drone Assisted Bridge Inspection (DABI)
- Sponsor: Internal
- Solar Panel Bar (SPB)
- Sponsor: Internal
- Solar Emergency Power Trailer (SEPT)
- Sponsor: JWS Diversified
- San Antonio International Airport Procurement
- Sponsor: San Antonio International Airport
- Automatic Aircraft MRO Supply Chain Fulfillment and Delivery System
- Sponsor: VT San Antonio Aerospace
- Hot Dog Bun Slicing Machine
- Sponsor: Bimbo Bakeries
- Friedrich’s Labman Software
- Sponsor: Friedrich Air Conditioning
- FEA and Redesign of Refrigeration System
- Sponsor: Friedrich Air Conditioning
- SAE Mini Baja 2019
- Sponsor: The Society of Automotive Engineers
- SOSs Stations for the San Antonio River Paths
- Sponsor: San Antonio River Authority
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TBRI) Automated Safety Shower System
- Sponsor: TBRI
- Wheelchair for Lower Extremity Amputees
- Sponsor: Lance Corporal Jim Moore (Family)
- San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Parking and Traffic Improvement
- Sponsor: San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo
- Project Management Handbook for VT SAA
- Sponsor: VT San Antonio Aerospace
- Improvement of the Efficiency of Hangar Operations at VT SAA
- Sponsor: VT San Antonio Aerospace
- Productivity Improvement of the Urology Pre-Anesthesia Unit at the VA Hospital
- Sponsor: San Antonio VA Hospital
2019 Projects
2018 Projects
2017 Engineering Senior Design Projects
Productivity Improvement at Direct Source Meats
Sponsor: Direct Source Meats
Description
Labatt Food Service’s most recent major investment was the Direct Source Meats (DSM) Cooked Meats facility. At the time of this report, the facility was a production center for beef barbacoa, pork tamales, smoked beef brisket, smoked turkey, shredded chicken and other Mexican food items. The demands for products like barbacoa experienced by DSM were above what management had forecast. The purpose of this senior design project was to analyze DSM’s production line to determine bottlenecks and inefficient procedures in order to create a more effective production schedule that benefited the company and its employees.
Implementation of a DevOps Environment at Cogeco Peer 1
Sponsor: Cogeco Peer 1
Description
Labatt Food Service’s most recent major investment was the Direct Source Meats (DSM) Cooked Meats facility. The purpose of this senior design project was to facilitate the process of releasing and integrating code changes at Cogeco Peer 1, a cloud-hosting company. The project team implemented a “DevOps” environment that introduces introduced continuous integration of code within the systems. Continuous integration describes the merging of all developer coding work in progress, which in turn allows code releases several times a day. The project team created a DevOps environment with metrics and cost analysis which can be adopted by Cogeco Peer 1.
Design and Implementation of a Digital Dashboard for Labatt Food Service
Sponsor
Labatt Food Service
Description
The purpose of this project was to create a digital dashboard to provide managers and team leaders the ability to use a visible report on group and individual performance. The project was implemented for Labatt’s warehouse divisions in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Lubbock and Albuquerque.
Facility Layout Design and Process Improvement for Meals on Wheels
Sponsor: Meals on Wheels
Description
This senior design project consisted of a design for a new layout for the Meals On Wheels meals production floor that supports the expected increase in customer demand and also reflects process improvements in their current facility. With the increase in a number of clients over the years, further growth became infeasible due to capacity limitations of the current facility. After conducting a series of observations and using industrial engineering tools such as Six Sigma Quality, Statistics, Engineering Graphics, Optimization and Computer Simulation, the senior design team created a new design that eliminates the inefficiencies presented in the current layout.
Implementation of an Inventory Control System for the Texas Diaper Bank
Sponsor: Texas Diaper Bank
Description
The objective of this senior design project was to implement and automate a new warehouse management system for the Texas Diaper Bank (TXDB) in San Antonio to allow the company to efficiently and accurately track inventory. The team collected data from past months to forecast the demand for diapers, which was essential to determine the number of diapers needed from the suppliers of the TXDB, Kimberly-Clark and Jet.com.
Continuous Improvement Process Analysis for Bergstrom Inc.
Sponsor
Bergstrom Inc.
Description
The objective of this senior design project was to identify opportunities of improvement for the following processes: Plastics regrind, statistical process control, plastic process parameters, and product assembly regarding internal issues and external issues at Bergstrom Inc., a manufacturer for climate control systems. The continuous improvement focused on internal and external assembly and plastics issues was to identify their primary cause and improve the efficiency of assembly line production.