MACHINE DESIGN
Mechanical engineering is a broader subject than many realize: it covers the topics of thermal and fluid dynamics, electricity and electronics, statics, and of course, classic “nuts and bolts” engineering. The latter being my focus, I’ve been able to apply my understanding of the many branches of mechanical engineering to assist in the design and engineering a variety of machines across many industries to accomplish diverse - and sometimes unusual - functions.
Hydrokinetic Turbine
I worked alongside Blue Water Concepts, Inc. in the design-build-test of a novel hydrokinetic turbine technology. This machine, shown undergoing testing at Alden Research Laboratories, uses a submersible permanent magnet generator to harvest energy from piped flows - this particular unit is designed for scavenging energy from wastewater treatment plant outflow pipeways.
Giant Treadmill
The "Zig-Zag Challenge": an automated treadmill obstacle course for promotional use at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. The game features a 5HP electric motor with variable speed control, IR sensing safety devices, and a full-screen leaderboard for participants. Fans and athletes alike were welcome to test their soccer skills on the 10’x6’ cone-laden moving platform. I worked with Blue Water Concepts, Inc. to perform design, build, and delivery inside a 30 day build window. Video here.
Industrial Compost Mixer
Mr. Fox Composting offers a residential food waste pickup service. Food waste is stored in biodegradable plastic bags, transported to their composting facility for processing. In colder temperatures, these bags could take months to breakdown, causing a major bottleneck in Mr. Fox’s process. I worked with Blue Water Concepts, Inc. to produce a novel solution to their frozen food waste problem: an industrial scale compost mixer that could tear apart bagged food waste, even when frozen solid. The machine features a 27HP gas powered hydraulic mixer and a dump-feature for material unloading. Video here.
Barosafe bycatch release device
Bycatch mortality has imposed a mounting burden on New England ecosystems and fishing industries for decades. I worked with Blue Water Concepts, Inc in support of a UNH SeaGrant initiative to seek out and develop innovative methods to reduce deaths of post-release fish suffering from barometric trauma. The automated BaroSafe release device was prototyped for use on recreational fishing vessels, where bycatch is significant. Customers and crew transfer several fish at a time into the vessel, and with a push of a button descends to a pre-programmed depth relieving the fish of barometric trauma, releases the fish, and returns boatside for repeated use. More information on testing, including video.
SUBMERSIBLE LOAD CELLS
I worked alongside scientists at the New England Aquarium to assist in their study of line tension in fishing gear systems as affected by marine conditions. Gear lines are of particular interest to animal conservationists, as they pose an entanglement threat to many species of marine wildlife. To better understand the dynamic loads exerted by a catenary end line, submersible, battery operated data-logging load cells were deployed with gear. The devices stored data on internal memory to store several days’ worth of information without a surface communication line.