Capstone

Expansion of Aluminum Tubing for Heat Transfer Coils

Sponsor: Burr Oak Tool, Inc.

Team: Tube Expansion Technologies

Coach: Tracy Nelson

Students: Nathan Nelson, Bryce Cox, Danny Bush, Joshua Miller, Allan Tribe, Ben Shugart.

Burr Oak Tool, Inc. supplies equipment used to manufacture heat exchangers and wanted to find a way to reduce galling, or friction problems during manufacturing. Tube Expansion Technologies (TExT) helped design and create tooling to expand the diameter of the aluminum tubing used by Burr Oak Tool and a testing device to analyze results of friction forces.

Along with deciding on a material, the team tested different metals and factors, such as speeds and lubricants, that affect galling and produced a test device that is currently being used in research and development efforts by the company.

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2008/2009 Projects

• ATK Launch Systems
• Boeing (Auburn)
• Boeing (Everett)
• Burr Oak Tool, Inc.
• BYU
• Care for Life
• General Mills, Inc.
• Schlumberger
• Sustainable Energy Solutions, LLC
• Varian Medical Systems