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Interdiscipinary Project (ME/EE) for Students in Shop to Increase Conductivity of Aluminum Stock

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Energy Conversion, Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE) Technical Session 2

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation and Nuclear Engineering Division (ECCNE)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47673

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Paper Authors

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Giselle S. Veach University of Idaho

biography

Herbert L. Hess University of Idaho

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Herb Hess is Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho. He received the PhD Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993. His research and teaching interests are in power electronics, electric machines and drives, electric

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Abstract

To decrease cost of production for a new prototype electric machine, researchers at the University of Idaho proposed but did not implement a test plan to determine if heat treatment of less desirable aluminum would be effective for increasing conductivity of the alloy to within a tolerable range. This paper reviews the relevant research and accepted standards for metals manufacturing and the measurement of conductivity in aluminum parts, and proposes a testing procedure for the purpose of determining whether aluminum conductivity can be adequately increased through heat treatment. If conductivity in 6061 TO aluminum can be increased by more than 25% through the over aging of the metal, then 6061 aluminum will be useful as an alternative conductor in applications requiring non-standard extrusions of aluminum as conductive medium. This process is part of a thesis investigation to design an innovative electric motor. It makes a useful vehicle for learning. The project is interdisciplinary, teaching and employing students in a machine shop to learn and evaluate this procedure. Learning aspects include carefully defining the objective of this procedure, in this case to improve conductivity and save money that a designer would have spent on copper, defining the procedure itself for the interdisciplinary (ME and EE) student investigators and gaining experience in a shop. The paper will show the procedure in detail, including points where extra care is necessary, and will document the results expected of such a procedure and accomplishment of learning objectives.

Veach, G. S., & Hess, H. L. (2024, June), Interdiscipinary Project (ME/EE) for Students in Shop to Increase Conductivity of Aluminum Stock Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47673

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