Engineering Intern: Base Engine
Overview
Throughout the summer of 2021, I worked as an engineer doing tasks on all parts of the Base Engine Subsystem at Volvo Group Trucks, Hagerstown. I worked primarily on oil system analysis and the cylinder head assembly, but also aided in document creation for engine root cause analysis and request for quotations. During my time, I successfully increased productivity and helped save hundreds of thousands of dollars while working with international teams of engineers and coordinating efforts between mechanics and engineering.
Engineering Intern
During my internship with Volvo/Mack Trucks, I was placed on a team working to research and improve many aspects of the base engine subsystem. The first of which was to lengthen the maintenance time of the valve rocker assembly. We noticed that competitor's engines were running hundreds of thousands of miles longer than our own engines and thus we wanted to perform some tests on real world engines to gather data on wear. To do so we developed a non-invasive measurement device that can be used on trucks in the field to gather research data. I tested 3D printed models of this device and worked with designers to make modifications and come to a final product that was later manufactured from metal and distributed for field use.
Another area I worked in was oil system research. Japan's truck market had used a different response profile for their Crank Case Valves and thus was creating a lower than expected output in performance due to the increased parasitic load. I aided in working with engineering teams both in the United States and in Japan to collect and map oil system responses to varying oil orifice sizes. In doing so, I created a C++ program than would automatically create MATLAB plot templates and optimized data analysis flow to speed up the analyzing time. The time for one engineer to analyze the data received from these tests usually took months where as my new system could keep up in near real time due to the need for human input between programs. This helped to identify many issues that previously would have gone unnoticed until the end of a multi-week long run such a an incorrectly scaled pressure transducer (which I was able to catch day of and save countless wasted hours of test cell runtime).
During my time here, I also worked on creating various documentations for project proposals and progress reports. One of theses was an Request For Quotation for a new turn-key installation of an all electric test rig that can run long term duration and wear tests on engine parts without the need for combustion. Another report I made was for the gathered oil mapping data. I created multiple-hundreds of page long slide decks to be distributed and stored for future reference as the previous records only saved a fraction of data needed. This aided in the communication and engineering efforts between my team in the United States and the team in Japan. In addition, I also made short report documents on returned engine tear-downs and root cause analysis on field failures in engines. This resulted in detailed reports on seized oil pumps as well as on microscopic imaging of a sealant voiding issue in oil plugs. Finally, I worked to document and compare competitor's cam lobe ramp profiles using using a dial indicator and a custom stand setup.