Alexander Alexeev

Novel Actuation for Aircraft Landing Gear Release - Capstone

• Designed and prototyped an innovative fully electric uplock release system to reduce aircraft weight and emissions
• Integrated a secondary Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator using Nitinol springs with a solenoid primary actuator and reverse-engineered uplock into a functional proof-of-concept system
• Conducted force analysis and FEA to validate mechanical integrity and safety margins
• Optimized SMA spring configuration through thermal and electrical modeling
• Led prototyping and testing of SMA springs, validating feasibility through force gauge experiments
• Demonstrated potential weight savings of 50 kg and lifetime CO₂ reduction of 250,000 kg per aircraft

Design of CNC Milling Machine

• Designed an entry-level professional desktop CNC milling machine to be used by small engineering firms requiring rapid on-site prototyping
• Constructed a set of engineering specifications based on existing models to establish criteria for multiple candidate designs
• Created 2D engineering drawings and produced 3D renderings of designs in SOLIDWORKS
• Carried out a cost analysis by evaluating material data to achieve a price-efficient final design

COVID-19 Bike Shop Design

• Led a team of five students to design a bike shop floor-plan which considered COVID-19 protocols for clients
• Created a Gantt chart and constructed weekly status reports to present updates to the engineering manager and keep on track with project goals
• Organized bike shop attributes in Excel to analyze data and record changes
• Coordinated meetings to present project progress to clients and assured completed work exceeded their expectations