Senior Capstone Design |
Page 1: Spring 2007 | Page 2: Spring 2006 - Fall 2005 | Page 3: Spring 2005 - 2004
Senior
students in Agricultural Engineering (AGEN) and Biological Systems Engineering (BSEN)
work with real-world clients to develop engineering design solutions. Some projects have gone into further development leading to patents. Discover for
yourself the capabilities of, and the variety of projects by, our engineering students. What
problem can we solve for you? |
Spring
2007 |
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Mechanical Device for Aortic Drug Delivery
Team Members: Sarah Book (BSEN, Sioux City, IA), Brant Hubbard (BSEN, York, NE), Crystal Bryan (BSEN, Falls City, NE)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Greg Bashford
Client: Dr. Edward Raines, MD, Bryan LGH Heart Institute
Cardiac surgeons currently use a bulky device to deliver a cardioplegic solution, via a needle in the aorta. This procedure requires complex pre- and post-operation sutures for attaching the needle and then closing the hole upon completion. Based on the design of the PAS-Port® (a tool produced by Cardica), the team designed a tool that incorporates a conduit for drug delivery via a sophisticated clamping mechanism. When the surgery is complete, the conduit is clamped and cut off just above the clamp, leaving a small portion of the conduit in the aorta. The new design eliminates the need for invasive suturing created by the original insertion of the needle. |
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Team Members: Kim Cluff (BSEN, Mesa, AZ), Ai Pheeng Wee (BSEN, Selangor, Malaysia)
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Greg Bashford, Dr. Carl Nelson, Dr. Roger Hoy
Client: Dr. Edward Raines, MD, Bryan LGH Heart Institute
The goal of this design team was to create an improved and more flexible device to hold the left atrial flap in place during minimally invasive heart surgery for mitral valve repair. The current device has limited degrees of freedom for positioning. The team designed an atrium retractor with a snake-like flexible arm capable of being locked in numerous positions. It is small in diameter to accommodate the minor incision made in minimally invasive surgery. |
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Bennet Drinking Water Treatment
Team Members: Weldon (Jake) Marotz III (AGEN, Stanton, NE), Bill Alms (BSEN, Eden Prairie, MN), John Finkner (BSEN, Kearney, NE)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dennis Schulte
Client: Dale Smith, ESP Inc./Village Engineer
This team was asked to investigate possible water treatment alternatives for the Village of Bennet to improve the quality of water for the community. The water that Bennet receives from the Lancaster County Rural Water District is safe to drink, but has high concentrations of iron and manganese, as well as the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Weighing economic and health factors, the team proposed a hybrid solution employing several technologies. The use of a two-stage greensand filter system, coupled with a reverse osmosis, and a chlorine injection system would ensure removal of harmful elements, smell, and water hardness. This blended system also eliminated any reduction in flow rate, including emergency and peak demand usage.
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Alleviating Musculoskeletal Injury in Sonography
Team Members: DelShawn Brown (BSEN, Omaha, NE, insert) and Aaron Ryan (BSEN, North Platte, NE)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. David Jones
Client: Mrs. Fern Coon, Bryan LGH Medical Plaza
Sonography, also known as ultrasound, uses sound waves to create images used in medical diagnosis. The goal of this project was to eliminate or reduce musculoskeletal injury to the technician while performing the procedure. The first solution incorporated ultrasound technology that used 3-D imaging techniques. The second used a robotic arm in place of the human hand/wrist.
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Strain Analysis of Reconstructed Rat Fibula
Team Members: Gwenn Skar (BSEN, Millard, NE), Jake Johnson (BSEN, Harvard, NE), Carmen Ayala (BSEN, Humphrey, NE)
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Michael Kocher, Dr. David Jones, Dr. George Meyer
Client: Dr. Dennis Chalkkalakal, Ph.D., VA Medical Center
The client and his research associates are attempting to determine whether employing dynamic forces can increase the positive effect of applying a demineralized bone matrix to healing bone. Another goal was to gain more knowledge about bone regeneration. This group developed a four-point bending device that obtains strain analysis curves that met several criteria: low cost, ease of use, and large range of application. Early results show that applying dynamic loading to healing bone at low levels results in faster bone regeneration.
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Articulating Suture Passing Orthopedic Instrument
Team Members: Jake Riggle (BSEN, Elkhorn, NE), Al Provorse (BSEN, Omaha, NE), Nick Tomsen (BSEN, Minden, NE)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. David Jones
Client: Dr. David Samani, Bryan LGH West
Arthroscopic and other minimally invasive surgeries require sutures to be routed through tissues and the loose ends of the suture to be retrieved through the surgical opening. The group designed a minimally invasive instrument with an articulating distal forceps tool that can be actuated by the surgeon from outside the body, but is able to grasp and retrieve sutures from within the tissues. This device could lead to shorter times in surgery with less invasion. Several applications include: minimally invasive rotator cuff and meniscus repairs, long bone spiral fracture stabilizations, tendon repair, and other processes requiring suture retrieval.
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Maximization of Tire Traction
Team Members: Max Porter (AGEN, Columbus, NE), Zach Alger (AGEN, Ravenna,OH), Brad Salber (AGEN, Albion, NE)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Roger Hoy
Client: Bart Coffman, UNL Quarter-scale Tractor Team
This team worked with the Quarter-scale tractor team to help achieve optimal traction from the tires to aid in competition. Research was done by analyzing the tire cut that provided the highest traction on a given track condition. Design members recorded the pulling force and the wheel slip of each tire design under a variety of track conditions, which lead to a recommendation for the team.
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Biosecure Livestock Trailer
Team Members: Christina Knapp (AGEN, Fremont, NE), Dan LeMaistre (BSEN, Round Rock, TX), Jason Schafer (AGEN, Half Moon Bay, CA)
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Richard Stowell
Client: Dr. Stephen Pohl, Agricultural Engineer, Brookings, SD
The goal of this project was to design a trailer to carry breed-stock swine between locations without the threat of infection. The trailer incorporates cleanable surfaces, a waste collection system, pressure and moisture controls, stable footing surface, and heating and cooling capabilities to keep the swine healthy and disease-free during transit in all seasons.
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Page 2: Senior Capstone Design Projects
Page 3: Senior Capstone Design Projects |
