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Description: During my junior year at Northwestern, I and a team of mechanical engineers designed, simulated, and modeled a tunnel running through the magma chamber of a volcano.
Course: MECH_ENG 362-0: Stress Analysis
Team: Dash Gabryszewski, Michael Vega
My Role: My primary role during this project was as the primary simulator and modeler. My teammates focused on research and documentation, while I translated this research into sketches and a 3D model in ANSYS Maxwell. I simulated the material properties of lava around our tunnel, collecting data to improve the tunnel's design and material choices. Finally, I modeled the tunnel in SolidWorks and produced a 3D rendering of our design.
Design + Sketching
Design + Sketching
I and my teammates researched data for the underground sections of the Lausanne Métro and the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii
We designed the tunnel to be meter-thick inner and outer semicircles of concrete and sodium carbide, respectively
Sodium carbide was chosen for its heat resistance and acts as an intermediary between the concrete and magma
I translated this design to a 2D sketch within Ansys and exported a sketch displaying the tunnel's dimensions
Lava Simulations (ANSYS)
Lava Simulations (ANSYS)
In order to achieve the best tunnel design, I analyzed the stresses placed on the structure from the magma
I modeled the tunnel design in Ansys Workbench using the dimensions defined in my 2D sketch and assigned the material properties of concrete and sodium carbide to the individual layers of the tunnel
I assigned the thermal conditions and pressure of lava from team research to the outermost layer of the tunnel
I measured the total deformation, normal stress, and equivalent stresses of the tunnel to verify the strength and thermal resistance of the tunnel
I collaborated with my teammates to assess this data and improve the dimensions and materials within the tunnel
CAD + Rendering (SolidWorks)
CAD + Rendering (SolidWorks)
Once the tunnel design was finalized and its strength and thermal properties assessed through simulation, I modeled the tunnel in SolidWorks
I assigned the appropriate dimensions and materials to the tunnel, achieving accurate scale and color / texture properties
I used PhotoView 360 within SolidWorks to render a realistic image of the lava tunnel
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