Capstone Team 25

The team's capstone project will focus on designing, building, and testing an effective test fixture that can run functionally to test mechanical overspeed trip systems installed in gas turbines. Vibrations that occur along the shaft when the mechanical overspeed is tripped will be addressed to achieve low wear on the bearings. The test fixture should be able to support a 250-pound shaft that reaches trip speeds of 8000 RPMS and withstand forces of 8000 pound-force. The shaft experiences a noticeable vibration when the OST is tripped and comes to a full stop. The cause of the vibration is unknown, however, the team has identified two probable causes. One of the key technical analyses that our team will take before executing our final design is measuring the frequency to determine what type of rotor it is. The team will conduct a thorough investigation into whether the current testing rotor that’s been provided is flexible or rigid. This will help better determine the source of the

  Current intake manifolds for the Scion FR-S experience an issue of having more airflow distributed to the rear cylinders.   The prevailing issue lies in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) intake manifold, which exhibits a noticeable airflow bias towards the rear cylinders, consequently inducing a detrimental power deficiency. Toyota has manufactured this car for the general consumer, however, our group aims to redesign the intake manifold for consumers who specifically want to have an FR-S for performance purposes. Performance drivers seek to have an increase in horsepower to have an optimal car. Redesigning some aspects of the intake manifold will help achieve an increase in horsepower as we will be able to increase the air-to-fuel ratio.   The main problem our capstone team is trying to address is producing an optimal design that will produce more horsepower than its previous model.  We aim to fabricate the manifold about 1.5 inches taller than the OEM intake manifold. Addit