Thesis Archives Search
This search engine will let you explore the over 1800 theses written in Honors at The University of Maine since the Program’s inception in 1935. You may search our thesis archives based on any of the fields listed above. If the thesis is available at the Reynolds Library (Thomson Honors Center) or Fogler Library (Special Collections), the information will appear below the bibliographic data. At last count, we had about 1800 theses in the Reynolds Library.
Search Results
A Shoulder Mechanisms for Assisting Upper Arm Function With Distally Located Actuators
Author:
Michael
Jones
Major: Mechanical Engineering Graduation Year: 2019 Thesis Advisor: Babak Hejrati
Description of Publication:
This thesis presents a new design for a shoulder assistive device based on a modified double parallelogram linkage (DPL). The DPL allows for active support of the arm motion in the sagittal plane, while enabling the use of a distally located motor that can be mounted around the user’s waist to improve the weight distribution. The development of the DPL provides an unobtrusive mechanism for assisting the movement of the shoulder joint through a wide range of motion. This design contains three degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) and a rigid structure for supporting the arm. The modified DPL uses a cable-driven system to transfer the torque of the motor mounted on the user’s back through the links to the arm. The proposed design assists with the flexion/extension of the arm, while allowing the adduction/abduction and internal/external rotations to be unconstrained. A kinematic analysis of the cable system and linkage interaction is presented, and a prototype is fabricated to verify the proposed concept.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/511/
Major: Mechanical Engineering Graduation Year: 2019 Thesis Advisor: Babak Hejrati
Description of Publication:
This thesis presents a new design for a shoulder assistive device based on a modified double parallelogram linkage (DPL). The DPL allows for active support of the arm motion in the sagittal plane, while enabling the use of a distally located motor that can be mounted around the user’s waist to improve the weight distribution. The development of the DPL provides an unobtrusive mechanism for assisting the movement of the shoulder joint through a wide range of motion. This design contains three degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) and a rigid structure for supporting the arm. The modified DPL uses a cable-driven system to transfer the torque of the motor mounted on the user’s back through the links to the arm. The proposed design assists with the flexion/extension of the arm, while allowing the adduction/abduction and internal/external rotations to be unconstrained. A kinematic analysis of the cable system and linkage interaction is presented, and a prototype is fabricated to verify the proposed concept.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/511/
A Simulation of Galaxy Clusters, Superclusters, and Dark Energy
A Small Town Murder
A Spatial Population Model on a Dynamic Heterogeneous Landscape
A STOCHASTIC PARTICLE – BASED MODEL OF MUSCLE MORPHOGENESIS IN ZEBRAFISH
A Story Retold: Romantic Transformations
A Structural Analysis of Acoma Pottery Designs
A Student’s Guide to Outdoor Education Program
A Study Into the Fundamentals and Enhancements of Solenoid Based Accelerators
Author:
William
Poole
Major: Electrical Engineering Graduation Year: 2024 Thesis Advisor: David Kotecki
Description of Publication:
The utilization of Solenoid-Based Accelerators (SBAs) is complicated due to the multitude of interacting variables in the design of the system. Additionally, SBAs also known as coilguns, are typically inefficient and have a peak efficiency of around 22% [1]. Even with the low efficiency, there is much interest in coilgun systems due to their ability to accelerate objects faster than chemical reactions, with speeds reaching 11km/s [1,2]. In addition to the peak speed, there are other advantages such as the reduced contact with the projectile and controllable launch speeds which allow for applications including the launching of nanosatellites [2]. With SBAs there are many design aspects to manage. These include, energy supply, timing control, and force generation. Each of these categories has variables that interact with each other that affect system design and efficiency. This paper is focused on the solenoids that accelerate the payload. This is where energy conversion occurs. In addition to research into prior work on these topics, a MATLAB program was developed to examine solenoid designs. A physical coilgun was fabricated to better understand the key issues in implementing a coilgun system. Experimental results show that correlations exist between the armature, solenoid, initial conditions, power, and system parameters. Furthermore, altering the geometry of the solenoid affects single stage exit velocity. Modification of the solenoid geometry may result in a reduction in efficiency.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/886/
Major: Electrical Engineering Graduation Year: 2024 Thesis Advisor: David Kotecki
Description of Publication:
The utilization of Solenoid-Based Accelerators (SBAs) is complicated due to the multitude of interacting variables in the design of the system. Additionally, SBAs also known as coilguns, are typically inefficient and have a peak efficiency of around 22% [1]. Even with the low efficiency, there is much interest in coilgun systems due to their ability to accelerate objects faster than chemical reactions, with speeds reaching 11km/s [1,2]. In addition to the peak speed, there are other advantages such as the reduced contact with the projectile and controllable launch speeds which allow for applications including the launching of nanosatellites [2]. With SBAs there are many design aspects to manage. These include, energy supply, timing control, and force generation. Each of these categories has variables that interact with each other that affect system design and efficiency. This paper is focused on the solenoids that accelerate the payload. This is where energy conversion occurs. In addition to research into prior work on these topics, a MATLAB program was developed to examine solenoid designs. A physical coilgun was fabricated to better understand the key issues in implementing a coilgun system. Experimental results show that correlations exist between the armature, solenoid, initial conditions, power, and system parameters. Furthermore, altering the geometry of the solenoid affects single stage exit velocity. Modification of the solenoid geometry may result in a reduction in efficiency.
Location of Publication:
URL to Thesis: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/honors/886/