Alstom (Bombardier)

Mechanical Engineering + Project Management Intern

Highlights

Used CATIA V5 (part design & generative shape design) to route complex steel pipes for air intake systems that are to be installed on 20 trains under Go Transit
Drafted 10+ toleranced engineering drawings of pipes and complex geometries, which were successfully used in the manufacturing process
Sourced parts to create mockups and prototypes for conduit systems (fittings, pipes, conduit brackets etc) from hardware stores and McMaster-Car
Utilized project management software (Excel, PowerBI) to streamline project progress and sales forecasts; created pivot tables to reflect KPIs
Worked with internal customers, suppliers, and technicians by overseeing prototyping creation processes, taking meeting notes in project kickoff meetings, discussing project timelines with customers, and calling suppliers to discuss manufacturing details
Reviewed 20+ project initiation, engineering proposals, engineering instructions, commercial proposal, cost sheet, inventory, quality assurance, maintenance procedure, quality audits, and risk assessment documents

Highlights

Used CATIA V5 (part design & generative shape design) to route complex steel pipes for air intake systems that are to be installed on 20 trains under Go Transit
Drafted 10+ toleranced engineering drawings of pipes and complex geometries, which were successfully used in the manufacturing process
Sourced parts to create mockups and prototypes for conduit systems (fittings, pipes, conduit brackets etc) from hardware stores and McMaster-Car
Utilized project management software (Excel, PowerBI) to streamline project progress and sales forecasts; created pivot tables to reflect KPIs
Worked with internal customers, suppliers, and technicians by overseeing prototyping creation processes, taking meeting notes in project kickoff meetings, discussing project timelines with customers, and calling suppliers to discuss manufacturing details
Reviewed 20+ project initiation, engineering proposals, engineering instructions, commercial proposal, cost sheet, inventory, quality assurance, maintenance procedure, quality audits, and risk assessment documents

Design problem: reroute the transmission hot start coolant pipe (red arrow) so it doesn't interfere with the pre-cleaner box (blue arrow, it filters out snow and clumps during winter to ensure safety and reliability) and other pipes around it

Results/Lessons Learned

Drawing was sent to the manufactuer and 20 pipes are expected to be installed in September 2022!

Important design practice that I learned: when taking measurements of such a pipe geometry we should use the origin as the reference point and take x,y,z distance measurements from that point. This is because if we were to take measurements from different reference points (for example, initially I was taking each succeeding pipe segment's length and bend angle with respect to the previous segment - see Method 1 vs Method 2, both not to scale).

Spare transmission system

Prototype (white pipe) installed on spare transmission system. I sourced the abs pipes and fittings from Home Depot. When designing the pipe, important factors such as movement due to vibration, maintenance, and laminar/turbluent fluid flow due to different bend radii are taken into account.

After taking many measurements under the train (by doing acrobatics and squeezing between things), I pinpointed the areas where we had to adjust for tolerance

Results/Lessons Learned

Successfully designed a 4-axis conceptual milling machine that met all specs, functions, and objectives as judged by the course teaching assistant.
In a system with lots of moving parts, the accuracy of the system is determined by the least reliable mechanism. Therefore, we need to weigh the tradeoffs between reliability, performance, and cost of a mechanism/part in regard to the whole design.
Rack and pinion may reduce the overall accuracy/precision of the system, but ball screws are more prone to buckle under vertical loads.
The ball screw mechanism was chosen over other mechanisms that can translate rotational motion to linear motion, such as a rack and pinion, due to its high accuracy and low backlash. As the ball bearings are contained within the nut, they are self-lubricating, leading to very low friction. Furthermore, as the bearings are enclosed, no debris can interfere with them, making them low maintenance.
Reverse engineering when choosing motors: based on the gear used, we can calculate the torque and required speed, and then check if specs are within the range of stepper motors. If a higher torque is needed, then look at servo motors. A gearbox is not required for any motors that can provide the speed and torque required. A gearbox can be used to reduce/increase speed.
When researching different mechanisms, it is super helpful to watch videos on existing systems.
When working on a group project, it's extremely important to communicate any issues that are preventing progress. Because our team didn't do this on time, it led to many delays in progress and rushed work towards the end.

Original pipe design

Method 1

Method 2