SENIOR DESIGN EXPERIENCE

My name is Morgan Rhein and I am a senior in materials engineering here at Purdue. I am originally from a suburb of Cleveland, OH. Purdue has been my dream school since I applied for colleges in high school. The world renowned engineering program, the beautiful campus, the school spirit, and the endless opportunities drew me in.

Why materials engineering?

Coming in as a freshman, I was unsure which discipline of engineering I wanted to pursue. I did not have a good idea of what I specifically wanted to do in the future for my career. I thought it would be best to stay as broad as possible so I could explore different options and stay flexible. Originally, I thought I would go into mechanical engineering, but I quickly realized the department was huge at Purdue and was too broad for me.  I wanted to have smaller class sizes where I could get to know my professors and the professors could get to know me. After being introduced to materials engineering in the First Year Engineering program, I started exploring what the department has to offer. I quickly realized this was the major for me. It was broad enough that I could potentially go into any industry in the future, but still had a central focus. As a senior now, I can’t imagine picking another discipline of engineering.

What else are you involved in?

Outside of my typical course work, I have been involved in undergraduate research with a professor and have had two internships with NASA Glenn and Orbital ATK. Purdue offers plenty of opportunities to enhance your education through real-world experience. I am currently involved with a year-long senior design project with a company sponsor, faculty advisor, and three other teammates.

Senior Design Project:

In the beginning of the semester, we were put into teams of four based on our interest in company sponsored real-life projects. Various companies come to the Materials department at Purdue looking for help with these projects. A few of the companies that come are Alcoa, John Deere, Medtronic, Rolls-Royce, US Steel, and IBC Coatings. Based on my rankings, I received my second project choice; most people get their first or second pick. I was put on the Alcoa team where our job is to analyze three different titanium suppliers and pick what supplier produces the best titanium billet for Alcoa’s final forged product based on customer needs. To better understand the project, the team did extensive research on titanium, prepared initial project plans, and took a trip to Alcoa in Cleveland, OH to meet with our direct company sponsor.  

The team trip to Alcoa was necessary to better understand the scope of the project. Prior to the trip, my team had many questions that needed to be answered. The day began with a brief introduction of Alcoa followed by a safety overview at the plant. We geared up in our hard hats, steel toe boots, eye and ear protection, and safety vests before entering the plant. An engineer gave us a tour of the plant, pointing out and explaining different processes that produce various products made of titanium. One of the focuses at Alcoa’s Cleveland plant is forging metal; the plant is home to one of the largest presses. We were able to see the plant’s massive 50,000 ton press in operation and also the slightly smaller 35,000 ton press. The parts made in this plant are primarily used in the aerospace and automotive industry.  After the tour concluded, our team then met with the direct sponsors of the project. Over lunch, we talked about the specifics of the task, what work we will do to accomplish the task, and were provided a better understanding of the process on how the titanium billets are processed. We discussed the microstructure of the titanium, or what the titanium should generally look like under a microscope, which determines the properties. And the properties will lead to our team making a decision on which supplier is best suited for Alcoa’s final product that will be sent to customers. 

We will be using our materials engineering skills to analyze the differences in properties of the billets. Once testing results are received, the team will perform statistical analysis on the data and make a decision for Alcoa. Throughout the two semester project there are presentations and final papers to report findings. In April, the materials department holds a poster presentation night to showcase our work from the entire year.

The senior design project encompasses everything we have learned from freshman year up until the present, including the ability to work in teams, and the capability to produce results and a final decision for a real world problem. The project successfully prepares us for our careers in the near future.