Browsing by Author "Mills, Lance"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Design and validation of an apparatus of continuous monitoring of energy associated with puncturing and wear
    (University of New Brunswick, 2017) Mills, Lance; Simoneau, Andy
    A wear testing apparatus has been developed for the study of wear occurring between solid materials undergoing repeated loading in a puncture process. The loading is applied to a stainless steel needle, which experiences normal and transverse loading due to its geometry and deformation of the target body. The apparatus is designed to monitor the wear condition through a measure of the force and displacement outputs. The design and construction of the wear apparatus is presented and the design of experiments and theoretical investigation are completed in order to analyze the wear rate and puncture energy. Observations on the effectiveness of the needle to the puncture the material are also made based on the wear degradation and the resultant fracture surfaces. The series of experiments are carried out on two polymeric materials.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Mechanical automated coupled feeding system for solid materials
    (University of New Brunswick, 2014) Alsalloom, Naif; Mills, Lance; Nice, Blake
    This report was commissioned by the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of New Brunswick in fulfillment of the requirements for the senior design course ME4860. The project selected by the group is a Mechanical Automated Coupled Feeding System for Solid Materials. The main issue with transporting biomass via feeding system is inconsistent flow due to the blockage of particles in the screw and trough of the feeder. The methods used to solve this problem is done by automation to detect irregularities in torque of the motor and flow. Using control theory the system will be setup to run at a set rpm and make adjustments if the torque starts to fluctuate. The flow of the particles is challenging to measure because it cannot be measured using conventional flow meters. A quadrature incremental encoder is placed on the end of the shaft to measure the speed of the system. By using the encoder to measure the actual value a control system can be implemented to correct for any apparent error. The desired outcome of the project will be a screw feeder that is 50 cm in length with a hopper, motor, microcontroller, and sensors. The feeder will transport 6 - 10 kg/h of biomass and will have an adjustable speed controller. The hopper will have an agitator that will disperse particles away from the sides to eliminate excessive build up along the walls of the hopper. In this report detailed design drawings and schematics of the system have been completed in preparation for construction of the project. A detailed schedule of events has been completed with an expected completion date for the project in April 2014. The total budget for the system has been revised and costs have been identified for various parts and materials.