H.F. Hauff Portable Wind Fan Stabilizer

Agricultural areas with cold weather in winter and early spring face significant risk of damage to crops due to freezing. To combat this issue, several farms use fans to keep goods from freezing. For some orchards and vineyards, the use of large-scale fans is not cost effective nor pragmatic. H.F. Hauff, a farming equipment company based out of Yakima, Washington, has developed a mobile, self-contained fan that operates on a seven-by-twelve-foot trailer. As a function of environment, the trailer sometimes operates on uneven or unlevel terrain. There arises a need for an improved outrigger system to keep the trailer stabilized. To address this need, a design was conceived, analyzed, and tested as part of the CWU MET Senior Project class in conjunction with H.F. Hauff. The main design uses telescopic outrigger booms with stabilizing legs to keep the trailer stabilized. Once the design concept was conceived, engineering analyses were conducted. A one-fourth scale model was then constructed and tested to prove the design concept. This report details the design of the stabilizing leg portion of the project. The outrigger boom design is contained in the report by Jose Reyna. During the testing phase, it was determined that the device met the design requirements. The device maintained enough structural integrity to counteract the applied forces to the system. The booms and stabilizing legs were able to articulate from two to four feet. Finally, the outrigger system was able to keep the trailer level on a 15% grade

Outrigger Project

Outrigger Project Author: Jose Reyna ([email protected]) Co-Author: Tyler Hoffman ([email protected]) Mentors: Neil Hauff ([email protected]), Dr. Choi ([email protected]), Professor Pringle ([email protected]), Professor Bramble ([email protected]), Dr. J ([email protected]) Abstract Agricultural areas sometimes experience cold weather in early spring and risk damage to crops due to freezing. To combat this issue, farms can employ temporary fans to keep the blossoms from freezing. The design of a 17-foot-tall wind turbine mounted on 7-foot-wide trailer can help mix the warm air that’s above the wind turbine with the colder air that’s below to keep the crop from freezing. These wind turbines can produce up to 2000 lbs of thrust force. At a height of 17 feet, this force then becomes a moment of 34,000 lb-ft. This moment will tip the trailers over as they don’t cover a wide enough area to counter the moment. To counter this moment, telescoping outriggers were designed. Analysis was completed to determine the length of the outriggers, the dimensions of the square tubing used to manufacture the outriggers, and the max deflection allowable by the outriggers. A Solidworks model supported the calculations. The stabilizing legs design is contained in the report by Tyler Hoffman. Testing determined that the outriggers performed to the design specification. The outriggers weighed 550 pounds, they extended to a length of 16 feet, and retracted to a length of 7 feet. Under load the outriggers deflected less than 1 inch and maintained stability on a 15% grade. Keywords: Wind turbine, trailer, mechanical multiplier, thrust force, square tube

Introduction: The Many Cultures of Walt Whitman, Part Two

Special double issue of WWQR, with selected essays from the 1998 Rutgers-Camden "Many Cultures of Walt Whitman" conference; with an "Introduction" (1-3) by the editors, and seven essays, each listed separately in this bibliography

Efficacy of a Carbon Fiber Orthotic Toe-Off Brace in Adults with Cerebral Palsy

Purpose/Hypothesis : This pilot study evaluated the effects of a unique carbon fiber ankle/foot orthosis for individuals diagnosed with foot drop (“Toe-Off” design, Allard USA, Inc). We hypothesized that use of this brace would be useful for adults with cerebral palsy (CP) as evidenced by improved gait characteristics including gait endurance and balance. Number of Subjects : A convenience sample of 4 patients, between the ages of 29 and 55, with diagnoses of cerebral palsy, was successfully recruited from United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Suffolk (Central Islip, NY). All individuals received regular physical therapy at UCP prior to and throughout the study. Materials/Methods : Patients were assessed wearing their standard plastic orthotics (Pretest) and then fitted for their new carbon fiber bracing. Patients returned for testing at Day 1, Week 4, and Week 8 post-initiation wearing the new brace. At each testing session, patients were evaluated with the Berg Balance test, the GaitRite walkway system for gait analysis, a Six Minute Walk test for endurance, and an orthotic questionnaire incorporating quality of life measures including domains for: a) ease of wearing; b) ease of functional movement, and c) quality of life responses. At week 20, patients were re-evaluated with the Six Minute Walk test and questionnaire. All data was assessed using non-parametric statistical comparisons using SPSS software. Results : No significant differences between the use of standard plastic and carbon fiber composite bracings were noted in any of the parameters measured which can be partially explained by the small sample size and the greater than normal variability in the dataset. However, overall Berg Balance scores increased for all test intervals following Pretest measures. In addition, patients reported a general increase in satisfaction in the new orthotics whether discussing ease of use, ability to negotiate the environment, or with respect to quality of life. Conclusions : In this pilot trial assessing the use of a carbon fiber “Toe-off” brace for adults with CP, this bracing appears comparable in efficacy to that of conventional plastic orthotics. However, given the variation in response to testing and the encouraging self-reported satisfaction with the new brace in this patient population, future trials of this paradigm are recommended with an increased sample size. Clinical Relevance : Technological advances of orthotic bracing has recently lead to the use of carbon fiber composites due to the increased tensile properties of this material compared to those of conventional plastic bracing. Little has been established in the efficacy for using this type of bracing in adults with CP with foot drop. Future studies with larger sample size are necessary in order to increase the strength of statistical analysis given the variability typical of this patient population

Quantifying interactions between accommodation and vergence in a binocularly normal population

AbstractStimulation of the accommodation system results in a response in the vergence system via accommodative vergence cross-link interactions, and stimulation of the vergence system results in an accommodation response via vergence accommodation cross-link interactions. Cross-link interactions are necessary in order to ensure simultaneous responses in the accommodation and vergence systems. The crosslink interactions are represented most comprehensively by the response AC/A (accommodative vergence) and CA/C (vergence accommodation) ratios, although the stimulus AC/A ratio is measured clinically, and the stimulus CA/C ratio is seldom measured in clinical practice. The present study aims to quantify both stimulus and response AC/A and CA/C ratios in a binocularly normal population, and determine the relationship between them. 25 Subjects (mean±SD age 21.0±1.9years) were recruited from the university population. A significant linear relationship was found between the stimulus and response ratios, for both AC/A (r2=0.96, p<0.001) and CA/C ratios (r2=0.40, p<0.05). Good agreement was found between the stimulus and response AC/A ratios (95% CI −0.06 to 0.24MA/D). Stimulus and response CA/C ratios are linearly related. Stimulus CA/C ratios were higher than response ratios at low values, and lower than response ratios at high values (95% CI −0.46 to 0.42D/MA). Agreement between stimulus and response CA/C ratios is poorer than that found for AC/A ratios due to increased variability in vergence responses when viewing the Gaussian blurred target. This study has shown that more work is needed to refine the methodology of CA/C ratio measurement

Feasibility of Large High-Powered Solar Electric Propulsion Vehicles: Issues and Solutions

Human exploration beyond low Earth orbit will require the use of enabling technologies that are efficient, affordable, and reliable. Solar electric propulsion (SEP) has been proposed by NASA s Human Exploration Framework Team as an option to achieve human exploration missions to near Earth objects (NEOs) because of its favorable mass efficiency as compared to traditional chemical systems. This paper describes the unique challenges and technology hurdles associated with developing a large high-power SEP vehicle. A subsystem level breakdown of factors contributing to the feasibility of SEP as a platform for future exploration missions to NEOs is presented including overall mission feasibility, trip time variables, propellant management issues, solar array power generation, array structure issues, and other areas that warrant investment in additional technology or engineering development

Axion-like particles as ultra high energy cosmic rays?

If Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) with E>4 10^{19} eV originate from BL Lacertae at cosmological distances as suggested by recent studies, the absence of the GZK cutoff can not be reconciled with Standard-Model particle properties. Axions would escape the GZK cutoff, but even the coherent conversion and back-conversion between photons and axions in large-scale magnetic fields is not enough to produce the required flux. However, one may construct models of other novel (pseudo)scalar neutral particles with properties that would allow for sufficient rates of particle production in the source and shower production in the atmosphere to explain the observations. As an explicit example for such particles we consider SUSY models with light sgoldstinos.Comment: 5 pages, 2 postscript figures, ref. adde