Chau Tran
Bio
My main collaborations in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are within the MAE Undergraduate program. I most frequently teach MAE 315 Fundamentals of Vibrations, MAE 415 Mechanical Engineering Design I and MAE 416 Mechanical Engineering Design II.
In MAE 315, students conduct two problem-based learning (PBL) projects with Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML) embedded. Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) is a set of habits and behaviors that shape a unique approach to problem-solving, innovation and value creation. Teams are assigned randomly, and individual project grades are subject to peer review.
In MAE 415, which is the first course in a year-long sequence of capstone senior design, I emphasize presentation and report writing skills. Students create individual feasible designs and through optimization develop a final design for their teams. Students are trained in machining, fabricating and welding. Team work is most essential in this course.
In MAE 416, which is the final course in a year-long sequence of capstone senior design, students continue to refine presentation and report writing skills. The constructed prototypes will be presented to the sponsors on senior days. Team work is most essential in this course.
Publications
- “Survive and Advance”: Capstone Senior Design Story , (2026)
- Fundamentals in Analog Circuits: For Professional Certification & Laboratory Instruction: From Five Circuits to a PD Controller , (2025)
- Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) in Undergraduate Vibration Class , ASEE Southeast Section Conference Proceedings (2024)
- High performance computing of the nonlinear dynamics of a basketball , Nonlinear Dynamics (2024)
- The Conversion of Capstone Senior Design to a Two-Semester Format , 2024 South East Section Meeting Proceedings (2024)
- A Look at the Performance in Vibration Course during COVID-19 Pandemic , Proceedings of the 2022 American Society for Engineering Education Southeastern Section Conference (2022)
- Comparison of Faculty and Ph.D. Candidate-Instructed Capstone Senior Design Classes , Proceedings of the 2020 American Society for Engineering Education Southeastern Section Conference (2020)
- Gender comparison in consistency in the basketball free throw by an event-driven approach , Sports Engineering (2018)
- Optimal Targets for the Bank Shot in Men's Basketball , Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports (2011)
- Optimal release conditions for the free throw in men's basketball , Journal of Sports Sciences (2008)
Grants
There is a growing segment of Cat CTL customers are using grade control to increase grading efficiency on the job site. A display mounted in the cab of the machine is required to interface and monitor with the system controlling the grading attachment on the CTL. Customers have voiced the preference to have the display near their line of sight to the blade during operation but need the display out of the way during other operations and during ingress/egress.
Redesign of CAT Excavator Progressive Link Thumbs in order to provide better rack back angle through full range of rotation, lower cost and improved durability.
The purpose of the project is to design a sink basin drainage system that allows for accurate detection of clogging in the waste line.
The purpose of this project is to concept designs that simplify and reduce the time to measure and adjust the idler rise height.
This design project is to address issues with noise from hand dryers. There are several sources of noise encountered both in the restroom as well as in adjacent rooms. Known sources for noise include vibrations from the unit transmitted through the mounting hardware into the wall, contact with high velocity air with the hands of the user, and high velocity flow of air through internals of the dryer. The primary focus of this project will be on elimination of noise due to vibrations transmitted into the wall, however it is permissible to have a secondary focus on the other areas of vibration and noise. The goal is to reduce the noise level of the dryer by as much as possible (at least 5dB) while minimizing the impact to the overall aesthetics and functionality of the dryer.
The purpose of this project is to concept other ways the boom locks can be actuated, besides using a cable.
Teamwork, independent learning and communication skills are emphasized in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering senior design class at NC State University. Teams of students experience mechanical engineering design through: problem definition, investigation, brainstorming, focus, critical review, design, analysis, prototype construction and testing. Design for manufacture is encouraged throughout the process by having students build their own prototypes. Communication skills are developed through reports and presentations. The senior design section 001 in collaboration with ARO investigate and off-road vehicle.
The objective of this research is to design and develop one or more clutch mechanisms that are responsive to the rotational speed of squirrel cage windturbine stages. The goal is to demonstrate whether speed sensitive clutches can be used to stage the rotation of stacked squirrel cage impellers in varying wind conditions.