Our Crown Jewels – Spring 2018 – ASME National Competition Winner

In the Spring of 2018, a UTDesign Capstone team displayed their innovation and collaboration, creating the Field Deployable Wire Chopper for Ultra-High Performance Reinforced Concrete Fiber, sponsored by Bailey Tool & Manufacturing in Lancaster, Texas. This team won first place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC) in June 2018.

Joshua Chari, who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in May 2018, led a team of six engineers to find a way to improve the production of the small pieces of wire used in ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete.

“It was challenging at first because of the unknowns associated with a big project like this,” Chari said. “The project’s specifications made us wonder how we were going to meet their stated goals. But once we attended UTDesign Capstone classes, we gained the necessary skills.”

The high-tech concrete contains short metal fibers for reinforcement. Roughly half an inch long and finer than a human hair, the wires are as thin as cobwebs.

“Typically, after one day, the company had to replace all their blades, because they wore out so quickly. They asked us to find a way to increase the time between blade replacements. That’s what the project was all about,” he explained.

Dr. Robert Hart, clinical associate professor of mechanical engineering and a UTDesign director, said the company created an initial prototype, but it did not yield satisfactory results. “That’s when they approached UTDesign to find a better approach.”

Chari said team members wondered what would happen if they crushed the wire instead of cutting it. “We decided to simulate the crushing of the wire using a compression test. We put four wires on a plate. Then we used a rod and applied pressure. Sensors measured the required force at the breakage point. That allowed us to prove out this concept of crushing the wire.”

“Denting the wire weakened it enough that it broke on its own”, he said.

Project: Field Deployable Wire Chopper for Ultra-High Performance Reinforced Concrete Fiber

Team:

Abdallah Awad

Joshua Chari

Collin Godfrey

Rami Masoud

Joshua Torres

Colin Wyatt

Sponsor: Bailey Tool & Manufacturing

Engineering Director: Dr. Robert Hart

Technical Managers: Dr. Jim Hilkert and Dr. Todd Griffith