Additional Information

The goal of our project is to evenly and thoroughly apply an external (dry) fluid to an independently operating system to ensure maximum operating efficiency.  The chemical Molybdenum Disulfide, a dry lubricant, will be applied to a two-stroke engine while the engine is still operating, ensuring the shaft of the engine is evenly and thoroughly lubricated to increase operating efficiency.  Two-stroke engines are found in outboard motors, which can be found on small water craft, including vessels which would be operating in marine environments.





However, we have chosen to present this system using a simpler, more relatable medium.  To display the systems and principles of our idea, we will be creating an attachment to a soft serve machine which will evenly apply sprinkles to the ice cream as it flows through our attachment.  We decided to use ice cream and sprinkles because they are safer, easier to handle materials, and they are considerably more accessable than Molybdenum Disulfide and two-stroke engines.  In our representation, sprinkles will represent the dry fluid and must be applied to the ice cream as it leaves one of the spigots.  The ice cream will represent the independent system as it will flow through our apparatus unaffected by the addition of sprinkles.  I am confident our display will accurately display the processes we are working on.  We find that it is easier to become familiar with a system if it is first presented in simple terms.  Using sprinkles and ice cream will also give our project a broader interest group and therefore will be able to inform more people.  As such, we will be focusing the rest of our research and work on creating our apparatus to ensure we can do a thorough job, and this will help us to display the systems as best we can.

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My partner and I intend to build a device which can be applied, almost universally, to common soft serve machines found in most ice cream franchises.  These franchises can use the device as an alternate or primary means of applying sprinkles to ice cream.  Franchise employees will have to learn how to use the device so that they can better serve their customers.  Our product is perfect for any customer who wants a cone which has sprinkles throughout the ice cream, and not just on the exterior.




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Currently, sprinkles are only applied to the ice cream after the ice cream has been deposited in either a cone or cup.  Methods for applying the sprinkles are rudimentary at best.  For cones, the ice cream is rolled in sprinkles by the employee, however, there is always the possibility of having the ice cream fall out of the cone into the sprinkles.  This wastes ice cream, sprinkles, and ultimately costs the company money and time.  For ice cream in cups, the sprinkles are simply spooned onto the ice cream from the container.  This process takes time, and does not always ensure the ice cream is evenly coated.  Both processes are clearly not the best means of applying sprinkles, and with both processes, there are only sprinkles on the exterior of the ice cream.  Our product would eliminate all those problems, while applying sprinkles throughout the cone or cup.  This way, the customer gets more of what they want, and the franchises have a faster, more effective means of applying sprinkles to ice cream.




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The final design needs to have a simple, yet functional mood.  It must be easy to use, while still doing a good job completing the task.  It must be a well-made, long lasting product, which can handle the wear and tear acquired in everyday use.  Unfortunately, there are not many products which are similar to what we are going to be designing.  That was one of the intents of our project, to design and model something that is new, and completely our own idea.  However, some products which are representative of our mood are iPod, the Little Giant Ladder System, and Glad Tupperware.

Images Taken at Carvel

Background Information

Our problem is the application of a fluid into a pre-existing system. This situation occurs when a lubricant is introduced into a motor, but we are going to try and make our project more relatable to people of all ages. We will be attempting to introduce an attachment to a soft serve ice cream machine that will coat the stream of ice cream with sprinkles as it exits the machine. This will serve as a proxy to the engine design and will require the same thought process and roughly the same solution. By using ice cream instead of the actual motor, we will make the process more enjoyable and it will be an easier application of the process that our project is discussing in. The sprinkles will be the fluid being introduced, and the ice cream machine represents the pre-existing system. By adding the sprinkles into the ice cream, we are doing the same thing as adding the lubrication into a motor.

The primary people involved in this project will be myself and AA. We have conceived this project and we will be the ones who will work to create a solution to this problem. However, we clearly can not do this project alone. We are first and foremost being aided by our Systems Engineering II teachers, Mr. A and Ms. McD. I would like to take this time to thank Ms. McD for all of the help she has given us this time and all the help she will give us in the future. The other Systems Engineering II teachers are also involved in this project and they are Ms. G and Mr. C. We will be aided in the specific aspects of our project by our gracious mentors. They are; JW, TW, JG, DF, and TG. Mr. W and Mr. G will be helping us with the design process, Mr. W and Mr. F will be allowing us to use their ice cream system, and Mr. G will be helping us with the business aspect.

The purpose of this project is to introduce a fluid into a pre-existing system automatically. This is a key issue in motors today because currently it is people who introduce the lubrication into motors. If we could create an attachment that could introduce the fluid for us, that would eliminate the risk of injury to the people. Also, when people introduce the fluid, they must turn off the pre-existing system to prevent injury. However if the fluid was introduced automatically, there would be no risk of injury and thus the system could remain on. This would increase efficiency and lower cost of operating the system.

The mood for this project is going to be professional of course, but we are absolutely looking at the lighter side of it. We are using ice cream for that very reason. We want the project to have a lot of aspects of fun so that people will want to learn about it, but of course we also need it to be educational so people can learn from it. We need to find a happy median. The middle ground between educational and fun is where our project will live. I am very optimistic that we will be able to find this median very quickly and thus we will have a successful project. The design needs to be very functional of course, or else the design will fail.

There are not really any other examples of projects that do similar tasks. We are looking to create something new, that is the basis of our project. If there was a project that did something similar, there would be no need for our senior project. We will however be making adaptations to pre-existing entities and we do need to understand how those work. We need to be able to attach our design to the spigot of the soft serve machine.  We need to be able to conceive a design that responds to the pre-existing system and will give fluid to the machine only when it needs it. There are many different parts of this project that we will be looking at and trying to conquer.