Introduction
My name is Thomas Bement. I enjoy working on hard problems and finding efficient solutions to them, that is afterall what engineering is all about. As a recent graduate from UBC’s mechanical engineering program specialized in aerospace I am looking for hard problems in the aerospace industry to put my skills to use. I am a self starter and have taken on multiple extracurricular projects and learning activities throughout my education.
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Education
BASc in Mechanical Engineering at UBC
Education and Work
During my time at UBC I started out taking general mechanical engineering courses before specializing in the new aerospace option. My general mechanical engineering courses gave me a good grasp on key basics such as thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, mechanics of materials, dynamics/vibrations, mechanical design and systems controls. Switching into the aerospace option allowed me to understand aerospace related concepts in more detail. Some of these include FEA, CFD, aircraft propulsion, aircraft aerodynamics and design, aircraft structures and composite materials. While taking courses I also worked a total of three different internship positions for a total of 20 months of mechanical engineering experience. My work ranged from design of parts intended for mass manufacture to technician work developing what was going to be Canada's first orbital launch system. Throughout my work experience I learned more than just technical skills and was able to get a feel for what kind of team work is required for teams within multinational corporations, research labs and even fast paced startups.
Work Experience
Projects
Capstone Project
Classification:
Fourth Year Undergraduate Project
Time Worked:
September 2022 - April 2023 (8 Months)
Description:
The “Capstone Project” is the final engineering design project of the UBC undergrad experience. It is meant to combine all aspects of a design project starting with stakeholder evaluation and choosing design requirements and evaluation criteria all the way to testing a final prototype. The project has students work with real world companies to solve problems they are having and these companies put up their own funds to supply the students during their project. Spanning two semesters (8 months) students need to plan and schedule their time well in order to succeed on this project. During the course of this project my team and I worked to develop a pressure sensor to meet the requirements of small satellites, striking a balance between a robust radiation hardened design and low mass. The tradeoff saw reduced mass (approximately 20 g total mass) to an end product comparable to small automotive sensors while still maintaining a reasonable level of shielding material. My team's work on this project was very successful receiving the outstanding project award within the mechanical engineering faculty.
Main Skills:
- SolidWorks (CAD)
- Abaqus (FEA)
- Manual Lathe and Mill Machining
- Design of Test Apparatus and Procedures
- Standard Review and Design of Pressure Fittings
- Project and Time Management
- Technical Analysis and Design Workflows
- SPENVIS and GEANT4 Tools (Radiation Dose Analysis)
- AE-8/AP-8 and IRENE-AE9/AP9 Models (Near Earth Radiation Models)
Key Contributions:
- Performed radiation analysis based on orbit parameters
- Wrote optimization and design parameterization scripts to streamline the design and iteration process
- Led the prototype joint design and testing (laser welding versus adhesive)
- Performed accuracy testing of the final sensor
- Led the physical design of the pressure sensor enclosure
- Manufactured multiple test prototypes as well as two final prototypes
Images:
FEA Project
Classification:
Fourth Year Undergraduate Project
Time Worked:
November 2022 - December 2022 (1 Month)
Description:
As part of my aerospace specialization I take a lot of technical electives related to the field. One of these fourth year electives was MECH-462 “Finite Element Analysis”. This course focused on the theory and methods behind FEA and FEM programs and had a term project where we had to write our own code to solve a 2D continuum problem using FEA. I ended up coding my solution in both MATLAB and Python as Python allowed me to have a larger mesh size due to the fact that MATLAB had to preallocate memory and was much slower for larger mesh sizes. The code I wrote was validated to within 2% average error with Abaqus showing it worked well and was relatively accurate. The boundary conditions made it much more difficult to compare with the theory but despite this I was able to account for the percentage of error attributed to this difference in boundary conditions. This project taught me a lot about how FEA works and that the most important part of any FEA is its validation. In the short few months after this project I have already seen the benefit of knowing how FEA actually works to take full advantage of the powerful engineering tools that make use of this computational method. See below for the full report.
Main Skills:
- Python
- MATLAB
- Abaqus (FEA)
- FEA Validation
Resources:
Images:
RC Rover Project
Classification:
Second Year Undergraduate Project
Time Worked:
January 2020 - February 2020 (1 Month)
Description:
The rover project was a team project intended to reinforce/strengthen students’ ability to work as a team, manage a project, complete various aspects of the design cycle, innovate design and manufacture their own device. The project had a few key requirements making it more difficult as well. The motor was intended to be stuck on or all the way off. Meaning no electrical speed control system could be used. The rover had to be remote controlled for all courses. The rover had to be low cost to manufacture. The project had to be completed (from design of the rover to a working prototype) within a month. The rover would be scored on sustainability of its materials, performance in competition, aesthetic appeal and cost to manufacture. Due to the low weight of aesthetics we focused on function creating a CVT to facilitate speed control of the motor mechanically. We chose a wood frame for sustainability and used cheap materials such as wood, round stock aluminum (for the CVT pulleys) and standard fasteners. Our rover performed well during initial tests, however the material selection for the CVT belt led to reliability issues in competition.
Main Skills:
- SolidWorks (CAD)
- Machining of Metal Components (Lathe and Mill)
- Project and Time Management
- Design Optimization Based on Scoring Functions
Images:
Sherman Tank Project
Classification:
First Year Undergraduate Project
Time Worked:
September 2018 - December 2018 (4 Months)
Description:
For one of my first-year design courses we were learning the basics of Solidworks. As such our first group project was to redesign/remodel a large assembly in Solidworks as a group. This project was a great example of how difficult working together on a large CAD model can be. My group met often to make sure our parts and subassemblies fit together. I was tasked with the drivetrain system. I did research into how the Sherman tanks shifted, steered, braked and even into how their robust design made them perfect for battlefield repairs. I created a working gearbox with forward and reverse gears, a planetary differential along with its differential breaks, the final drives for the tank and some enclosures for all the parts. I also performed some motion studies for the final walk through video. I would like to acknowledge the work that my other team members did that is also showcased in our video walk through.
Main Skills:
- SolidWorks (CAD)
- Reverse Engineering
- Group CAD Management
Resources:
Technical Skills
The technical skills listed in this section are also included throughout my work and project details in the timeline. They are summarized here for a quick way to view them all at once.
Design
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CAD
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GDNT - ASME Y14.5
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DFM
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FMEA
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LCA
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Engineering Design Cycle
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Project Management
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Systems Development
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Version Control
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Circuit Design
Software
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SolidWorks
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Creo
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Abaqus
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Ansys
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AxStream
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LT Spice
Hands-On
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Manual Milling
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Manual Turning
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Metrology
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Layout
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CNC Waterjet
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Welding
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Sheet Metal Work
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Wood Work
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3D Printing (SLA and FDM)
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Soldering
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Circuit Diagnosis
Programming
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C++
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Python
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MatLab
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Arduino IDE
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HTML
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CSS
Workspaces
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Microsoft Office
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Google Workspace
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Github
About Me
If you have read this far through my portfolio you might want to learn some more about me as an individual. If not thanks for making it this far at least. I am a recent mechanical engineering graduate from UBC. I grew up on Bowen Island, BC where my family moved from Kirkland, WA when I was still a kid. From a young age I have been passionate about doing hands-on projects. My shop experience and love for math and physics has driven me towards a career in mechanical engineering. My other passion, rocketry and space exploration has also played a role in my academic journey by inspiring me to enroll in UBC’s newly introduced aerospace specialization. I have achieved high academic performance throughout my undergraduate career and I am looking forward to solving hard problems and making a difference in the world.
Values and Strengths
My main strengths are my work ethic and attention to detail. I am a self starter when it comes to taking on projects, and I do my best work by doing detailed planning and documentation of my work. I have done this throughout my employment history writing procedures and working carefully with version control software. My main value or philosophy in design work is making the product “efficient”. Efficiency is a powerful term that describes low part complexity, energy efficient designs, and ultimately leads to beautifully functional technologies where every decision has a reason behind it. Overall efficiency also aligns with one of my personal goals, to maximize the sustainability of humanities use of technology.
Hobbies and Interests
Sailing
Description:
Growing up on Bowen Island you're surrounded by ocean and besides swimming in the summer, sailing is a great way to explore the nearby islands. My family has shared multiple sailboats with friends, so taking trips up to the Gulf and Discovery islands was a big part of my childhood. Sailing taught me more than just how to navigate and sail. My earliest problem solving experiences came from helping troubleshoot and fix mechanical problems on boats.
Images:
Cooking
Description:
Cooking has always been an interest of mine. My experience with cooking varies from the home kitchen to home built wood fired pizza ovens. I like cooking to share with others, and to learn about different cultures through their food. I am also working on preparing a digital recipe book that I will be posting on this website eventually.
Images:
Gardening
Description:
My family lives on Collins Farm, a historic farm on Bowen Island. The farm has a fruit orchard as well as a large garden area which I helped build and is now shared with the other families who live on the farm. My introduction to gardening came from working with my mom in this garden. Gardening strikes an interesting balance between nature and technology. While technology can make it easier, knowledge and a connection with nature is needed to excel at gardening.
Images:
Contact Me
Feel free to contact me if you have any business inquiries, suggestions or any other questions. Please note that any spam will be regarded as such and the user sending it will be blacklisted. If you wish to call me, send an email and I will respond with a number you may call me at.
Email