Early this week, we presented our System Level Design Review (SLDR) presentation to classmates, coaches, and IPPD liaisons. Before the presentation, we had the pleasure of having Jamie J. Kraft, UF Director of the Entrepreneurship Program, give the opening speech… Read More
#13 Preparing for SLDR
We, Composite Guardian, hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving Break. We did perform some last data collection from our capacitive sensor prototype before we left for break. The peaks and dips in the data proved that transitions between the defect… Read More
#11 Prototype Inspection Week
Prototype inspection day (PID) was a success. We received valuable feedback from a variety of judges with expertise ranging in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and material science. For PID, we completed a simple board design to test capacitive sensing and… Read More
#10 Preparing for PID
With us only having a 3-day school week, we have successfully developed & 3D-printed 3 different detector body designs, created a new testing station with samples varying in inclusion sizes and layer depth, and organized the presentation setup for prototype… Read More
#9 Prototype Testing
Prototype Inspection Day (PID) is approaching quickly, but we are not far from our final prototype design since we have been making major improvements to our capacitance sensor circuit and device functionality. As we get closer to the final design,… Read More
#8 Northrop Grumman On-Site Visit
The site visit was a success, we were about to gather valuable advice from Northrop Grumman directors and engineers during our presentation, while also being provided an exclusive tour of the Northrop Grumman facility. We plan to implement all the… Read More
#7 Eddy Current Testing
As we prepare for the on-site PDR presentation, which Northrop Grumman confirmed for Monday (10/24), we are continuing to test and collect data for possible detection methods. Methods we focused on this week were Eddy currents and capacitance. A paint… Read More
#6 Preparation of PDR Presentation
Lots of testing has happened since we last posted. At the beginning of the week, Dr. Peter Ifju introduced us to his graduate students, who had experience with non-destructive testing (NDT) methods like ultrasonic transducers. The graduate students were kind… Read More
#5 Testing, Testing, & more Testing
With the PDR deadline approaching, we dedicated this week to test all the potential detection methods. We eliminated optical laser detection earlier in the week because carbon fiber was too absorbent to identify any intrusions’ reliability. From the equipment we… Read More
#4 First Month Report with Hurricane Ian
Hope everyone is staying safe from hurricane Ian this week. Even though this school week has been cut in half, we were able to complete and submit our first-month report containing the following: Introduction Project Objectives Design and Prototype Expectations… Read More
#3 Concept Generation
This past week, we narrowed our solution pool to ultrasonic, capacitance, and metal detection devices after discussing with our coach and liaison engineers. We plan to determine each method’s feasibility through intensive research and determine the best form of implementing… Read More
#2 First In-Class Presentation
From the last blog post, we have made some slight modifications to our logo, met our liaison engineers for the first time, presented our logo & problem to the IPPD class, and done some preliminary research on possible physic solutions… Read More
#1 We Are Composite Guardian!
Greetings readers and welcome to the blog page for Composite Guardian! Over the next two semesters, we will develop a system to detect composite backer material in prepreg layups sponsored by Northrop Grumman. We will post a weekly blog about… Read More