​Kristen Heaton
Fall 2018 - Design Five/Capstone Semester Three
A semester of material determination and heat application.
This semester included more technical work than the spring semester as material selection continued and more concepts were developed to adapt to pre-manufactured pieces such as a four pound capacity drum from RK Drums. I encourage you to read more of my work below.
Heating Element Purchase
From my research during the spring semester, I was able to determine what model of heating elements were required to produce temperatures that roast coffee beans, which is usually around 460 °F for a darker roast. From discussions with John Wild as well as my team member Madison, I sent in an order for three Omega CRB 00033 ceramic radiant heaters. These were chosen because of the better availability of electric power rather than propane gas, another method of heat application found in roasters, present at the client's shop.
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The specification sheet for this product allowed me to then determine proper insulation type and thickness.
Insulation Model using MATLAB
Welding Introduction
Using a MATLAB model I had used for a design four assignment as a basis, I was able to calculate a probable amount of heat dissipation from the machine to the roaster's environment. This had me research the thermal properties of the metal materials that were intended to be used in the final roaster, which led me to determine if a certain thickness of insulation could retain the heat inside the roaster. I appreciated being able to combine both my MATLAB coding knowledge and my second thermal-fluids course that I took in the spring of 2018, which taught me about conductive, convective, and radiant heat transfer.
In November, John Wild began an introductory metal inert gas (MIG) welding class. Predicting that I would be able to use this skill both in my capstone and for later personal hobbies, I seized the opportunity. I was able to make three different 90 degree seam welds while learning the basics of hand motion and positioning. I hoped to continue training throughout the next semester.