Top 3 projects I am currently working on

As a junior undergraduate engineering student, I am constantly working on projects, whether that is for a class or just an idea I have for a product, or an invention I want to make. Check out some of the things I’ve been working on recently!

1. IREC Rocket for SDSU Rocket Team

I am on the Propulsion sub team for our IREC rocket club, we will be aiming to compete in the competition next year. For this project we are currently collaborating as a group to plan and design our rocket. The next steps in the process are to choose a motor for our rocket to best fit our target of 10,000 ft. Once we have the motor selected we will be able to perform some calculations for thrust and drag to start to define and refine other components in the rocket such as the structural components.

2. Pressure Sensing Smart Shoes

Currently prototyping an idea for pressure sensing smart shoes that could be used by athletes or doctors to get real time data from the users shoes such as force generated from steps and jumps, accelerometer data to measure step angle and pitch, and other sensors and features will be added to improve durability and usability. I am using MATLAB to interface with the arduino to provide a real time heat map of pressure produced.

Obviously, this original prototype is very rudimentary, so for my next steps in the project, I will be adding more sensors and making a wiring diagram for a perf board. I am also going to move the wiring over to a Raspberry Pi zero to be able to fit in a shoe for future testing. I will also be refining the MATLAB code to make the plot output more intuitive where it will be the shape of the outline of a shoe and eventually integrate both feet into one realtime digital readout with stored values.

3. Jet engine component testing

I am using SolidWorks simulations to test components of a Jet engine, specifically a turbine blade and a combustion can.

As part of my engineering studies, I conducted a vibration analysis on a jet engine turbine blade to determine its natural harmonic frequencies. Using solidworks simulations, I performed a modal analysis to identify the fundamental and higher-order mode shapes, with results showing the first natural frequency at 545.08 Hz and the fifth at 3,736.6 Hz. Understanding these frequencies is critical in preventing resonance, which can lead to structural failure in high-stress aerospace environments. This project reinforced my skills in FEA (Finite Element Analysis), vibration analysis, and aerospace component optimization, furthering my expertise in propulsion system reliability and performance.

Another aspect of jet engine component analysis I have been working on is for the combustion can materials.

I conducted a thermal analysis of a jet engine combustion can using SOLIDWORKS Simulation. The study aimed to evaluate temperature distribution across the component under operational conditions to assess material performance and structural integrity. By simulating different material properties, I analyzed heat resistance and thermal gradients to determine the most suitable materials for high-temperature environments. This analysis is critical in optimizing jet engine efficiency and durability, ensuring components can withstand extreme combustion temperatures while maintaining performance.