2008 Proceedings - St. Cloud State University

Abstracts
Session ZC Education Granite
Reading Literature: A Viable Way to Teach Composition
The overall purpose for my research is to establish a theory that supports the practical application that I create in my Masters Thesis. I
want to enter into the current debate and hope to add some viable evidence to promote the integration of literature into a First Year
Composition course. Reading literature should be enjoyable as well as educational. I want to highlight what has been effective from other
studies as well as what students believe is beneficial. I will provide personal success stories that may help motivate instructors to include a
variety of literature in the most beneficial way to promote a combined study of reading and writing. This study supports my own teaching
method by proving the effectiveness of combining the study of literature with the instruction of writing. I hope to prove that teachers must
go beyond the instruction of specialized lessons to a sort of modeling the kind of professional writing students are being asked to perform.
Presentation Index: ZC4
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Department: English
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Rasmussen, Stacy
Dillman, Richard
Session ZD Science and Engineering IV North Voyageurs
Electrolux Transport/Leveling Device
The Electrolux Home Products, Inc. Freezer Division is undergoing a redesign phase to meet market demands in an effort to gain market
share. Currently, an optional riser kit can be purchased which attaches to the bottom of the cabinet. This riser functions as a leveling
apparatus, transport mechanism, and a stable base when installed. The current riser kit has a robust structural design. It has four leveling
mechanisms (one in each corner), each capable of up to one (1) inch of travel. The back is adjusted by means of a screw/rod assembly
that can be operated from the front of the riser. The front has two static rollers in each corner next to which a leveling screw is mounted.
These front leveling screws are also responsible for restricting the rolling/sliding of the cabinet assembly when installed. The new line of
cabinets being implemented will have an increase in the overall height. Therefore, the riser kit needs a lower profile to accommodate this
change in cabinet height. When addressing possible solutions to the project, several aspects were considered. These included design
configuration, manufacturing and assembly costs, material selection, design functionality, testing/failure analysis, and safety. Keeping
these elements in mind, several designs were formulated. The designs that displayed the most potential were then prototyped and further
analyzed. The presentation documents the steps to address the redesign of the transport/leveling device.
Presentation Index: ZD1
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Department: Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Greku, Tedd; Maves, Adam; Landherr, Adam
Bekkala, Andrew
Study on the Stretching Problem of Film Cutting
Shrink wrapping is a commonly used process in the packaging of cartons, books, beverage cans, large appliances, pallet loads, etc. In
most cases, this process is performed by automated equipment. A thin shrinkable film is cut to the desired size and placed on or around
the products before they are sent through a heat tunnel or oven for wrapping. The cutter in the shrink wrapper is designed to cut plastic
films to variable sizes and keep pace with the production speed of the product. In most cases, the cutter consists of a rotating serrated
knife which passes through a supporting shear deck of matching tooth pitch. The film is driven by a single set of nip rollers. When this type
of cutter is used, the cutting process yields several defects created at the leading edge of the film. These defects include scratch marks, V-
edge, and fringes. These imperfections are not aesthetically pleasing, which is an issue for many customers. Moreover, the fringes
occasionally cause the film to become jammed at the outlet of the cutter. This study focuses on developing a method for minimizing or
eliminating these defects. A kinematic and kinetic analysis of the cutting process was performed to find the causes of these imperfections.
An analysis on the geometry of the cutting blade and shear deck was done to understand the development of the defects. In addition,
mechanical behavior of the film material (LDPE, HDPE, and LLDPE) was considered to test flexible versus rigid body mechanics on the
analysis of film shearing. Major and minor design solutions are suggested and tested for the optimization of the cutting process for the
elimination/reduction of these defects.
Presentation Index: ZD2
Time: 5:20 p.m.
Department: Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Project Sponsor(s):
Student Presenter(s): Tamariz, Raphael; Prom, Daniel; Pérez, David
Byun, Jeongmin
St. Cloud State University Student Research Colloquium 75
April 22, 2008