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Project Summary: The purpose of these projects was to study transient systems involving conduction, convection, and radiation. Each project required building a professional report that applied theory, hand calculations, and simulation to analyze how objects cool or heat over time.
Project Summary: The purpose of these projects was to study transient systems involving conduction, convection, and radiation. Each project required building a professional report that applied theory, hand calculations, and simulation to analyze how objects cool or heat over time.
Midterm Project - Snowboard Mitten
Midterm Project - Snowboard Mitten
For my individual midterm, I modeled a Kinco snowboarding mitten to study how heat from the hand dissipates through its leather shell and fleece lining. Using Blockpad and Simulink, I compared hand calculations to simulations and found conduction into the fleece dominated overall heat loss. The analysis predicted steady-state hand temperatures between 292–305 K, providing insights into insulation and comfort, which was especially relevant given my own experience with Raynaud’s syndrome.
For my individual midterm, I modeled a Kinco snowboarding mitten to study how heat from the hand dissipates through its leather shell and fleece lining. Using Blockpad and Simulink, I compared hand calculations to simulations and found conduction into the fleece dominated overall heat loss. The analysis predicted steady-state hand temperatures between 292–305 K, providing insights into insulation and comfort, which was especially relevant given my own experience with Raynaud’s syndrome.
How
Built a thermal network to represent the leather shell, fleece lining, and air cavity.
Solved energy balance equations by hand in Blockpad to estimate steady-state and transient cooling.
Modeled the system in Simulink, comparing results to hand calculations.
Identified which modes (conduction into fleece, convection/radiation inside glove cavity) dominated overall heat transfer.
Initial Sketch
Initial Sketch
Initial sketch to visualize the dimensions used for the mitten as well as what forms of heat transfer would take place
Wire diagram showing the different kinds of heat transfer that would be used later to simulate in Simulink
Calculations using Blockpad
Calculations using Blockpad
Simulink
Simulink
The Simscape and Blockpad results show noticeable differences but reflect the same general heat transfer behavior. Blockpad predicts a steady-state hand temperature of 305.15 K, while Simscape shows a cooler 292.55 K, likely due to differences in how each model handles thermal resistance and transient effects. The initial dT/dt values also differ, with Blockpad indicating slight cooling and Simscape slight warming, which highlights the sensitivity of transient responses to model setup. Simscape’s heat flow breakdown appears reasonable: conduction into the fleece dominates at 0.221 W, with convection and radiation each contributing 0.111 W. While the trends and steady-state values seem realistic, the model relies on simplifying assumptions such as constant material properties, perfect contact between layers, and the exclusion of moisture or airflow variation. Despite these limitations, the results provide a solid approximation of the mitten’s thermal performance.
Final Project - Clothing Iron
Final Project - Clothing Iron
For the final project, I worked in a group to analyze how a household clothing iron cools after being unplugged at about 493 K. We applied multiple approaches, from energy balance models to CAD-based simulations and experimental validation. By comparing Simulink, SolidWorks, Flow Simulation, and infrared camera data, we were able to identify which modeling tools most accurately captured the iron’s transient cooling behavior.
For the final project, I worked in a group to analyze how a household clothing iron cools after being unplugged at about 493 K. We applied multiple approaches, from energy balance models to CAD-based simulations and experimental validation. By comparing Simulink, SolidWorks, Flow Simulation, and infrared camera data, we were able to identify which modeling tools most accurately captured the iron’s transient cooling behavior.
How
- Built a simplified engineering drawing of the iron showing the soleplate, shroud, and table surface with labeled material properties.
- Developed a thermal resistance network and energy balance equation to represent conduction, convection, and radiation.
- Solved for steady-state temperature, initial cooling rate, and Biot number to check lumped capacitance assumptions.
- Modeled the system in Simulink, then expanded to SolidWorks Simulation (conduction-only) and SolidWorks Flow Simulation (conduction + convection + radiation).
- Conducted an experiment using an infrared camera to measure surface cooling over 30 minutes and validated simulations against the data.
Results from Dele's Midterm
Results from Dele's Midterm
Thermal Simulation
Thermal Simulation
SolidWorks Flow Simulation
SolidWorks Flow Simulation
Thermal Camera
Thermal Camera
The video above is just a part of the entire video taken.
Final Comparison
Final Comparison
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