Kelly LohrB.S. Candidate, MaterialsScience and EngineeringIllinois Institute of Technology

3330 S Michigan Ave. Chicago IL 60616klohr@hawk.iit.edu970.590.3887

Design Portfolio

Design is a broad reaching term, capable of describing many processes. The materials of design can be physical, like wood, plastic, and metal, but many designs don’t require phycial materials. Their constituents are more abstract, like knowledge or the use of a social network to solve a problem. Our materials are our resoucres for creation. Through the compiled projects that follow, I have learned how broad reaching design can be. I have learned that it can apply to science and technology, to communication, community building, and aesthetics. The “materials” we use for design are incredibly important in framing the identity of the products we create and the processes we must follow to create them.

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Air pushes against motion in the form

of dragDrag varies with projectile speed, geometry, air density and other factors. Thrust is a constant function of the engine.

The rocket can be designed to reach a specific height just by using rocket geometry in order to manipulate drag favorably

Engine pushes rocket upward with a set thrust

DragThrust - = RealMotion

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September 11th conspiracy theorists postulated that bombs were placed in the World Trade Center before aircraft impact. This, they believe, is the only way the steel in the structural beams could show signs of melting. My job was to determine if a thermite reaction could have caused the columns to melt naturally.

What is thermite? Thermite is an extremely exothermic reaction capable of boiling steel.

Were all the elements present?Rust: Rust forms on any unprotected steel piece. This would be provided if fire protections were knocked of the buildings’ steel columns. Aluminum: A key material used in Aircraft fuselage.

So why don’t Aluminum and rust explode every time they touch?The thermite reaction requires an input in energy before it can ignite. Where does this energy come from?Heat input. Burning jet fuel in the buildings could have initiated the reaction if it got hot enough. How hot did the jet fuel need to burn?Here is something that can be tested.

Undergraduate Research:

Debunking 9/11 Conspiracy Theories (Fall 2011)

Iron and Oxidized Aluminum are both material byproducts of the reaction.Heat: The thermite reaction creates incredible amounts of heat that would easily melt if not boil the steel columns.

Heat2Fe Al2O3Fe2O3 2Al+ + +The thermite reaction:

Rust reacts with Aluminum to create Iron, Oxidized Aluminum, and Heat

Background Research:

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What temperature initiates thermite? Did the towers get hot enough to initiate a thermite reaction?Differential Scanning Calorimetry is a

thermodynamic way of analyzing what temperature will cause a reaction. That would be the the temperature the jet fuel needed to reach.

Minimum Temperature: 1,100 Celsius

Thermal models indicate the burning jet fuel created temperatures sufficient to initiate thermite reaction (indicated by regions in red).

Knowing how to solve a problem is not always clear at first. Solving problems requires asking a lot of questions. Many questions lead to more questions. The key to

solving this design problem was finding a question that could be tested and using the correct testing methods to yeild concrete and conclusive results.

What was learned about the Design Process

Undergraduate Research:

Debunking 9/11 Conspiracy Theories (Fall 2011)

Testing and Experimentation

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Undergraduate Research:

Materials Lab Module Design (Fall 2012)

The Experiment: Effects of sintering on various physical properties of Titanium Dioxide.

1. Create rectangular samples of titanium dioxide in a uniaxial press.Problem encountered: Highly fragile samples.

Solution: Add a lubricant so samples may be removed from the press without causing internal fracture.

Samples created without lubricant

Samples created with lubricant

*Sinter. Verb: to cause to become a coherent mass by heating without melting.

2. Sinter* samples at various temperatures.

Challenge:Develop a lab module for Undergraduate Materials Science and Engineering Students.

Special Considerations:Most labs performed by undergraduate materials students relate to metals. I wanted to do something different with a focus on ceramic (non-metallic, inorganic) materials.

3. Use Archimedes Method to measure density.

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Archimedes’ Method

Mass/Volume=Density

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Sample Volume

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4. Make indentations in samples to measure hardness and fracture toughness (the ability of a material to resist fracture propagation).

When measuring hardness and fracture toughness, dimensions 2C and d in both horizontal directions must be measured with extreme precision

Problem encountered: White surfaces reflect light in all directions, making optical measurements impossible.

Solution: Coat the surface with black ink. The ink filters the light on the surface of the sample to allow optical microscopy to be performed.

5. Interpret Data. Students will see the effect of sintering temperature when they look at the results of their hardness, density, and fracture toughness measurements.

Undergraduate Research:

Materials Lab Module Design (Fall 2012) Continued

The Design Process:Before testing the experiment, a topic had to be selected. Sintering was one of many prossible concepts proposed for testing, and was chosen for its ability to add to the Undergraduate curriculum. The most useful part of the design process was in the user testing, which was performed with a group of fellow Materials Science and Engineering students. At each step, a new and unanticipated problem would arise, for example, the inability to discern a white surface under a microscope. Encountering and solving problems is an impoartant part of the design process, as it strengthens the integrity of the end product.

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Starburst Rocket(2009)

Challenge:Build a rocket that can reach 118 meters in altitude.Experimental Design:1. Gather basic relationships of mass, velocity, drag, etc. to map what

variables can be manipulated.2. Test multiple rocket engines to obtain average data on thrust.3. Calculate drag required to counter acceleration from engine in

order to reach goal altitude.4. Design fin dimensions, rocket length,weight, and nose-cone

geometry to obtain required drag.Result:My team’s rocket, The Starburst, reached 120 meters in altitude, just slightly off from the projected goal.Personal Contribution:Drag calculations, fin design, mass control.

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ProblemStudent Government Association is composed of three branches, Senate, Finance Board, and Judicial Board. When I joined SGA, each had a separate website. As Vice President of Communications, I wanted the organization to appear as one. The way I began this initiative that stretched into my presidency was to start by combining the three websites.

ProcessResearch: I contacted the people who were in charge of each of the three websites. I learned why they were separate and came up with solutions to be incorporated in the new website. I also looked at websites like Netflix.com and Apple.com to see how complicated networks of information are woven together to make the user experience fluid. Collaboration and Programming: I worked with a programmer to make the necessary framework for the new website. This included providing the design scheme for the website and then working with his expertise to figure out which of my ideas would be most feasible. Many prototype websites were created and tested, and the final product was released in August of 2012

Result:One website that all members of our organization can refer to in order to find all information about the organization as a whole, as well as branch specifics.

Before the new website, all three branches had unique websites that confused students and even members of SGA.

Final Product: One Organization, Three Branches,One Website

SGA Website (2011-2012)

Finance Board Judicial BoardSenate

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Problem: Branches have different functions and different needs.

Solution: Create a navigation bar that changes depending on the selected branch, but allows navigation between branches.

Problem: How can branches maintain unique identity under one “umbrella” organization?

Solution: Use the SGA logo to unify, and color to differentiate.

SGA Website Design ConsiderationsDesigning a website for different groups with different goals comes with many challenges. Below are a few problems I encountered and solutions I incorporated.

Problem: Sometimes a visitor is looking for one main story or resource and doesn’t want to have to search.

Solution: Create a dock where big news and stories are featured on the front page

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Cityscape Box (2010)

WoodPlastic

ChallengeDesign a container.

ProcessBackground analysis: I decided I wanted to create a container for office or art supplies. I thought of qualities that container should have. Four qualities I set as foundations to my design were portability, organization, sturdiness, and decorativeness. Sketches: While sketching ideas, I came up with the idea that a city is a kind of container for society.

I thought this would be a good concept to illustrate in my project and modeled my design around that.Building: While building I discovered the challenges of joining different materials. By working hands on with the materials I was able to weed out what materials would work best for the design and use of the box. At first I wanted the container to be completely clear, but learned to compromise by creating a wood frame that reinforced the clear panels.

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Deconstruct-Reconstruct French Press (2010)

A designer can learn a lot about construction from what already exists. As a project for Intro to 3D Design, I carefully studied the design of a Bodum French Press. I deconstructed it and realized the design is quite simple, and set about reconstructing what I thought to be the essential design parts of a french press.

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Mother (2007)

A subtractive sculpture, Mother was carved from three raw slices of soapstone. The two penguins were planned and carefully shaped, and the iceberg on which they rest was left raw save for two nesting inlays to hold the mother and child penguin. This sculpture was made as a gift for my grandmother.

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Poster DesignSGA ForumI started designing posters for SGA when I became the Vice President of Communications. I liked the idea of taking familiar things, like the faces of the President and Provost of the University, or the street students walk down every day, and using them to grab students’ attention. Poster design was something I did primarily for fun, but eventually got me a job in the IIT Office of Campus Life, and then an Internship at the IIT Office of Marketing and Communications. At a University where programming has to compete with rigorous course loads, marketing is a challenge, but I found that using recognizable imagery was incredibly effective in getting student attention and interest.

Creating the poster for the President and Provost Forum was particularly fun, as I had to appropriate imges of the President and Provost, give them bodies, and make the forum look exciting and welcoming.

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Poster DesignCampaign for 100The Campaign for 100 was an anti-apathy movement at Illinois Tech. To grab attention, I created a logo for the movement, and photoshopped it on high-traffic areas of campus to get students’ attention.

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Poster DesignProjects for the Office of Campus LifeThe Office of Campus Life at Illinois Tech hired me to market their events, which mainly pertain to campus involvement. The main focus for these posters was their bright appearance to catch attention.

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Election WebsiteI designed a website to talk about my position on student issues. I used the website as a landing page for anyone interested in the issues, wanting to ask questions, and looking for ways to get involved. The website contained all my marketing materials so my supporters could share their support on Facebook and other social media.

Throughout the Spring of 2012 I campaigned for the highest student office at Illinois Institute of Technology. The SGA President is the President of the student body, and I used the skills I learned as the Vice President of Communications to reach the IIT public and win the popular vote.

Viral Facebook MarketingI created graphics for my supporters to share on Facebook. I especially liked the idea of a cover-photo “shouting” support while also giving anyone interested enough information to become a supporter as well.

The Campaign Poster

Vote Kelly ButtonsThe student population at IIT is over 40% international, so I decided to expand my marketing accross language barriers. With the help of many international friends I created the imagery to print on buttons. I made hundreds of buttons and gave them to my supporters to hand out.

Vote Kelly 2012Presidential Campaign