Farmers could one day see an increase in yield in their corn crops, thanks to the work of undergraduate engineering students at the University of Illinois.

To reduce the row spacing on John Deere corn heads, a team of students reduced the size of the slip-clutches installed for every row. With a clutch of a shorter dimension, the number of rows per head width could be increased, which in turn would increase yield.

This was only one of the five projects that were part of the capstone senior design class in agricultural and biological engineering at the U of I. In this innovative class, student teams meet with industry representatives who present them with design problems that their companies would like to resolve. Students choose their projects and begin a semester-long relationship with their industry partner. They are accountable to their representatives through weekly reports, monthly reviews and a final written and oral presentation, usually on site.

Other projects this semester included the following:

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. Students redesigned the step system on several Caterpillar road scrapers to improve access to the cabs. In the current system, the steps swing under the cab when in use, often resulting in scraped shins, pulled muscles, strained backs and even falls.

U of I students developed a prototype that was tested at the Peoria Proving Grounds. The new system uses four 1-inch cables to increase stability of the steps; in addition, the steps are corrugated to improve operator traction. Caterpillar plans to test it on customer machines to demonstrate reliability and durability prior to offering it on future machines.

GOOD IN A PINCH. Another student team eliminated "pinch points" during the assembly of planter row units. Currently, each row unit is separately attached to the planter frame by a factory worker. This process has a pinch point that can injure the worker. Two solutions offered by the students "fill" the pinch point and a new fixture lifts the row unit on to the planter frame.

SEALING THE JOB. Seniors redesigned the vacuum pipe connection used on Vactor Manufacturing combination sewer cleaners and hydro-excavators. The industry standard system connects sections of aluminum piping with a standard over-center V-band clamp, but leaves significant opportunity for improved handling and sealing. The new design uses a knob-slot concept for locking, which eliminates the need for a band clamp, provides automatic alignment and greatly improves the seal of the connection.

GOOD UNDER PRESSURE. Students designed a combine rotor impact test stand to test the combine’s “tines” for breakage. The current method is a static test, which drops weight onto the tines, which are held in place in a fixture. The new design simulates the actual working conditions that the rotor and tine combination experience in the field by rotating the rotor as much as 1,000 RPM, while injecting a mechanism in the path of the tines at the right time. John Deere now has the prototype at the production facility in Moline, preparing it for use.

Ed Farwell worked on the team that designed the new rotor test stand and found that exposure to project management was one of the most helpful aspects of the course.

"We interacted with the sponsor, but we were also in charge of sourcing components from many different vendors, ordering materials, fabricating the final product and testing our design," said Farwell. "Our sponsor granted us complete autonomy over the purchasing of materials and components, so we were able to demonstrate that we knew what needed to get done."

Steve Zahos, the course instructor, is a U of I graduate with a bachelor's and a master's in mechanical engineering who began teaching the course after a 32-year career in industry. Zahos understands the value of the “real world” experience students receive.

"Everyone benefits when students come to industry with hands-on experience,” said Zahos. “It helps them make the transition from an individually-based classroom situation to a team-based collaborative industry environment."

Industry benefits as well, Zahos said. "Historically, about one third of these projects are adopted by the sponsoring company, although implementation can take five to 10 years."

Scott Dixon, the teaching assistant for the course, is an alumnus of the senior design class, so he understands better than most what the students experience as they come to the end of their senior year in a class that requires more time than anything they've previously experienced.

"This class has a huge time commitment," Dixon said. "Some of these kids are working a crazy amount of hours.” But, Dixon maintains, the class is worth it.

"When you look back on what you gain,” he said, “working on a team, communicating with industry, the whole design process, it's just a great experience."

In fact, the experience is so valuable, Zahos said, "Many of the representatives for a sponsoring company are often people who took the course, remember their experiences and want to get their companies involved."

Ryan Funk of Vactor Manufacturing is one example of an alum who took the course nine years ago, and is now involved as an industry rep.

"This course was the most important and beneficial class I had at the U of I," said Funk. "Now I'm in a company that particularly values hands-on experience in their hiring process. Vactor's experience with this class has been very positive."

"These students will have a very clear understanding of what it's going to be like when they go to work in private industry," Zahos concluded. "They're going to hit the ground running."

Author: Leanne Lucas