Portfolio of Designs and Projects (General Use)

Portfolio of Recent Designs and Projects

Created By Scott Qualkenbush

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Table of Contents Solid Fuel Rocket Motor Project with Associated Equipment …………………………………p-‐2 Designing for Fun ………………………………………………………………………………………………………p-‐5 Patents Pending……………………………………………………………………………………………….…………p-‐10

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Solid Fuel Rocket Motor Project with Associated Equipment I began a personal project in 2011 with the end goal of manufacturing my own solid fuel rocket motors, for less then commercial prices. After performing extensive research about solid fuel rocket motors, I gained a greater understanding of how and why they worked. I tested several fuel formulations and engine component materials before deciding on my prototype design. From this point, I built tooling that allowed me to construct engines and test them. After several rounds of prototype tests and consecutive redesigns, I was able to successfully develop 3 classes of motors and the associated tooling to manufacture them.

Below, you can see my first prototype design sketch in Figure 1. Figure 2 depicts an altitude measurement device that I fabricated using a crossbow frame, protractor, pendulum, and winch mechanism to lock the pendulum on the final altitude angle. Figure 3 is a test stand I built for static engine tests in order to analyze the thrust profiles of the motors. Figure 4 is a prototype Electromagnetic Rail Assisted Launch Device (EMRALD) I built for testing purposes with the intent of using future designs to augment rocket launches.

A two-‐minute video highlighting the projects progress including fuel tests, core tests, static tests, and flight tests can be found on YouTube by following this link: http://youtu.be/jEMeUA5hJJg

Figure 1: Prototype 1 – Solid fuel rocket motor

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Figure 2: Fabricated altimeter -‐ For flight performance analysis

Figure 3: Fabricated thrust analysis test stand

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Figure 4: Electromagnetic Rail Assisted Launch Device (EMRALD) prototype

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Designing for Fun

Frequently, I am presented with problems and situations in life that require a bit of design work and tinkering. Below, I have included a few images of these projects.

Figure 5: Foldable tennis ball launcher (65+ yards)

Figure 5 is a foldable tennis ball launcher, which can be fired at variable vertical angles. The range of the device is between 10 and 65+ yards depending on the angle from which the tennis ball is launched.

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Figure 6: Precision tennis ball launcher

Figure 6 is a precision tennis ball launcher capable of finite angle-‐of-‐fire adjustments in the horizontal and vertical planes. The power of the shot can also be adjusted depending on how many clicks the winch is wound up. The range of this device is between 1 to 45 feet. My project group created a short 1m 40s video of the project design process, build, and operation. Though I was responsible for the primary design of the machine, I worked in a team to model and build the launcher. The video can be found on YouTube using the following link: http://youtu.be/q55BCgVFKLo

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Figure 7: Combustion powered tennis ball cannon

Figure 7 depicts a design I made for an multi-‐shot Ether powered tennis ball cannon. By pulling the loading handle on the top of the cannon back, a new tennis ball is loaded while the combustion chamber is filled with Ether. When the loading handle is pushed forward, the tennis ball is seated and the trigger is armed. The trigger is a simple electronic sparking device such as those found in electronic lighters.

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Figure 8: Discrete (above ceiling) 5-‐gallon multi tank water reservoir

Figure 8 is a picture I took of my Keurig set-‐up after installing a 5-‐gallon multi tank water reservoir above my ceiling. I adapted my design to take advantage of existing sturdy support structures. I chose the tubing size so that I can open the flow valve at the beginning of the brewing process and shut it when the cup is done brewing; during that time, the water used to make my beverage is 100% replaced.

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Figure 9: Sketch of non-‐destructive clip-‐lamp hanging fixture

Figure 10: Fabricated clip-‐lamp part with lamp attached

I was disappointed with the lighting in my dorm room. The best locations to add lights were in the corners between the walls and ceiling (see Figure 8 for reference). However, we are not allowed to make and holes in our walls for any reason. Therefore, I inspected the ceiling tiles and the suspension system and determined that I could fabricate a fixture to do the trick. Figure 9 shows the design that I came up with and Figure 10 shows the part that I made with a lamp clipped on it for reference. It worked exactly as designed, but I moved out of my room before I could take a picture of it in action.

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Patents Pending

This category highlights some products and concepts that I created which are in the process of being patented. I have not included all projects or information about the highlighted projects below, due to proprietary and confidential purposes.

Figure 11: A sketch of a novel method I’m developing to desalinate seawater

The desalination process depicted in Figure 11 makes use of properties of capacitance, electric fields, and unique semi-‐permeable membranes to separate ions from salt saturated water thus producing clean and pure water.

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Figure 12: Dry-‐erase eraser / marker holder

Figure 12 is dry-‐erase eraser / marker holder that is designed to holds your markers in a unique way that may the whole whiteboard experience simple and refreshing.

Portfolio of Designs and Projects (General Use)

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