university
Projects
Ryerson Concrete Toboggan
My role on the team involved designing a fail-safe pneumatic brake deployment system. Using a combination of a torsional spring and single-acting cylinder a design was created which requires minimal physical force to operate. Previous designs required significant force to operate and could result in the brakes not being deployed in time. With the new design when the system is pressurized it raises the brake spikes. Thus it would be impossible to use the toboggan without the brakes being pressurized. To release the brakes a valve is opened releasing pressure and deploying the brakes. This design was a key factor in the team in winning the PCL innovation and safety award for mechanical systems design!
Ryerson Robotics
I developed a new tire tread for the Rover that the team was developing. The initial tread design was incredibly basic. I questioned whether more than 3 hours of time was put into designing and making it. The whole design consisted of a few scraps of rubber riveted to an aluminum rim. It was clear that we were essentially starting from scratch. Various prototypes were 3D modeled using SOLIDWORKS. The designs that the team thought would perform best were then selected for 3D printing. a mold was printed from which the tread was cast. Different kinds of resin were cast each with varying firmness. The tread was then installed on the rim. During testing each of the prototypes was tested on varying terrain. After testing the treads were inspected for damage and wear. Overall the team placed 15th out of the 95 teams that entered that year!
B200 Continuously Variable Transmission Repairs
I diagnosed and repaired a CVT on a Mercedes-Benz. At the time information on how to do it was hard to come by and there was nothing explaining how to repair it from start to finish. The process involved scanning the car for fault codes and understanding their meaning, draining all the oil from the CVT, removing the valve body, and removing the transmission control module (TCM). I diagnosed the issue to be electrical in the TCM. The TCM was sent to a specialty shop for repair. I then reinstalled the TCM on the valve body and reinstalled it inside the transmission casing. A new seal and filter were installed and the pan was secured and then the gear oil refilled. All done for a fraction of the price that mechanics quoted! Check out the video below to see how I did it!