| Project Code name | MBTA |
| Project Title | MBTA Instrument Sensor Mount |
| Abstract | The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is always seeking ways to ensure a safe and reliable mode of transportation for those who live in and around Boston. The ability to predict failures of components due to excessive vibrations is one method in which they can reduce delays or shutdowns of car operations. The MBTA has reached out to our team at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to analyze vibration data from two of their most common suspension systems mounted in the cars of their red line service. Using two pairs of triaxial accelerometers our team is seeking to gather data from both coil and chevron suspension systems and analyze the data in order to provide the MBTA with recommendations to improve rail car performance. In order to use the accelerometer on the railcars our team has been required to design a mounting bracket paired with a tether, that could securely mount the sensor to the rail car with no impact on the data being gathered. Interpretation of the data using Fast Fourier transform and other methods of analyzing raw data, will provide a view into the performance differences of the two suspension systems and their effectiveness to dampen vibrations during rail car operation. |
| Faculty advisor | Dr. Wenzhen Huang and Dr. Hamed Samandari |
| Sponsor | The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority |
| Team lead | Nicholas Piantedosi |
| Team Members | Nicholas Piantedosi;Christian Souaiden;Cameron Peterson; Hitoo Wah;Dominic Calcasola |
| Evaluation form | Link |
| Zoom link | Link |
| Video link | Link |