Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Vegetable Oil-Based Nano-Lubricants Using Montmorillonite Clay (Mmt) Nanoparticles As Lubricant Additives, Md Mashfiqur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the environmental impact and price volatility, there has been a growing concern on the use of petroleum-based lubricants. This issue has stimulated research into the development of biodegradable lubricants like vegetable oils. In this study, the tribological and rheological behavior of sunflower, peanut, and corn oils modified with Montmorillonite nanoclay (MMT) as lubricant additives were evaluated at various concentrations. A custom-made block on ring tribotester was used to evaluate the wear and friction characteristics of the nano-lubricants, following the ASTM G-077-05 standard. The effects of concentration and shear rate on shear viscosity were studied using a parallel plate …

High Performance Electromagnetic Interference Shielding From Lightweight-Flexible Polymer Composite Fiber Structures, Fariha Rubaiya

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the development and characterization of fiber-based polymer composite structures with the goal of developing high performance, flexible, lightweight, and cost-effective materials for electromagnetic interference shielding and piezoelectricity. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was used as the base fiber mat while polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPY), polyindole (PIN), polydiacetylene (PDA) and Zn2GeO4 (ZGO) were incorporated via solution mixing and in-situ polymerization. The PVDF fine fiber systems were produced using the Forcespinning® method. Morphology, structure, thermal stability, electrical properties, EMI shielding effectiveness and piezoelectric performance of the fiber mats were analyzed. The composite system containing 1.25 wt. % of ZGO-PVDF displayed …

Developing A Prototype Energy Harvesting Device For Powering Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring Sensor Modules For Railway Service, Martin Amaro Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

An energy harvesting system is being developed to power a wireless bearing health monitoring device. In contrast to other monitoring systems, this wireless monitoring device is a low-powered onboard solution. Powered by a 3.7-Volt lithium-ion battery, the device can continuously function for several months on a single charge. By implementing an energy harvesting system, the life of the battery can be increased reducing the overall maintenance, electronic waste, and time needed to replace the batteries. The harvesting system uses thermoelectric generators to convert the heat generated in the bearings into electricity. The system is composed of aluminum heat sinks, a …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Copper Oxide Nanofibers, Shishir Barai

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to develop polymer-derived Copper (II) Oxide (CuO) nanofibers through centrifugal spinning technique and subsequent calcining. To obtain the force spun pre-ceramic copper acetate nanofibers, 15% wt, 25% wt, 35% wt, 50% wt% copper acetate (active material) and poly (vinyl) alcohol ( PVA) solutions was prepared with deionized water (DI) as solvent and spun at 7500 rpm in a FibeRio Cyclone. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was implemented to determine the thermal degradation behavior of the pre-ceramic nanofibers. These nanofibers were then calcined at three different temperatures (500, 600 and 700°C) to produce CuO nanofibers. The microstructure, …

Lubrication Performance Of Vegetable Oils Modified With Halloysite Clay Nanotubes (Hnt) As Lubricant Additives, Md Abu Sayeed Biswas

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetable oil-based nano-lubricants are a great alternative to petroleum-based lubricants because of their less adverse impact on the environment. This work evaluates the tribological performance of sunflower, corn, and peanut oils modified with halloysite clay nanotubes (Al2Si2O2(OH)2nH2O) as lubricant additives at different concentrations. To analyze the tribological performance of the nano-lubricants, a block-on-ring tribometer was used following the ASTM G-077-17 standard procedure. Characterization of HNT was carried out by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The effect of the HNT on the lubrication performance of the newly developed vegetable oil-based nano-lubricants was evaluated, and the …

Assessing The Effectiveness And Efficacy Of Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring Modules In Identifying Defects In Railroad Rolling Stock, Lee R. Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

Many industries have begun shifting into the Internet of Things (IoT) in the 21st century. To help ease this transition for the rail industry, The University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) has partnered with Hum Industrial Technology, Inc. (HUM) to help complete the development of a Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring system named the ‘Boomerang™’. This product allows customers to schedule proactive maintenance on their railcars to replace defective wheels and/or bearings, saving them time, money and potentially preventing costly catastrophic derailments. The UTCRS research team has established thresholds to determine defective bearings utilizing thermal and mechanical sensors.

The effectiveness …

Synthesize And Characterization Of Aluminum- Tungsten Carbide Nanocomposite, Shuvendu Das

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on developing metal matrix composite reinforced by polymer-derived ceramic fibers. The force-spun AMT nanofibers were heat treated into tungsten carbide and then mixed with aluminum powder using cold pressing and sintering to produce the composites. The basic mechanical properties of this composite are investigated by density measurement, hardness and compression testing. SEM, EDS and XRD were used to test the morphology of tungsten carbide fibers. EDS identified a near-perfect W-C ratio in tungsten carbide fibers 1000 °C. Tungsten Carbide fibers were crushed using ball milling technique. Tungsten carbide nanofibers powder had a variety of particle size. Results …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Atomic Diffusion In Cantor High Entropy Alloy In The Selective Laser Melting Process, Mathew Z. Farias

Theses and Dissertations

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are compositionally complex alloys that are comprised of 5 or more principle elements at near equimolar concentrations. The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) method generally melts pure elemental powders or prefabricated alloy powders, this process allows for the production of heterogeneous structures that would be difficult to create through more conventional means. In-situ alloying in SLM, or Laser Additive Alloying (LAA), using pure elemental powders is a promising means of producing what would otherwise be costly and difficult to fabricate products with less defects using prefabricated powders, therefore this new approach could enable the ability to …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Centrifugally Spun Molybdenum-Based Nanomaterials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Ramiro Gonzalez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The work presented in this thesis focuses on the processing and development of transition metal compound composite fibers as anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Among the transition metal compounds, molybdenum compounds have risen as promising candidates of advanced electrode materials, in view of their natural abundance, virtuous mechanical/thermal stability, rich chemistry, high theoretical specific capacity, and multiple oxidation states of Mo. The current work reports synthesize MoO2/C and MoO3/C composite fibers drawn from centrifugal spun ammonium molybdate/PAN precursor fibers, followed by a thermal treatment stabilizing in air and calcination under argon atmosphere. The weight ratios of (MoOx, 2 …

Development Of A Compact Core Flooding Apparatus For Matrix Acidizing Applications, Antonio Hernandez Zuniga

Theses and Dissertations

Matrix Acidizing is defined as a well stimulation technique in which the acid is injected into the formation with the purpose of dissolving the minerals present and thus enhancing the permeability of the formation and facilitating the extraction of oil and/or gas from the formation. The primary goal of acid diversion is the creation of wormholes and ramification paths that allow the fluid to flow from the higher to the lower permeability zones of the limestones, sandstones or carbonate reservoirs. Naturally, as the injected acid will follow vugs, fractures and pores, HCl is used because of its quick reaction and …

Selective Laser Melting Of Titanium Diboride: A Study Of The Energy Density Effects, Lazaro Lopez Mendez

Theses and Dissertations

Natural titanium diboride (TiB2) has been reported the 5th hardest material on earth. Due to its superior properties, such as high density, high elastic modulus, and high compressive strength, TiB2 becomes one of the most suitable ceramic reinforcements for applications with severe friction and heavy loading conditions. This study is intended to produce TiB2 using 3D additive manufacture (AM) technology, and then to understand the tribological property of the AM fabricated TiB2 specimens. In this study, a laser additive alloying (LAA) process was developed based on a Renishaw AM laser system. One mm thick samples were prepared using the LAA …

In-Situ Alloying Of Cucrfenitial High Entropy Alloy Using Spark Plasma Sintering, Yash P. Patil

Theses and Dissertations

Primary objective of this research was to study the correlation between energy parameters (temperature, time and pressure) of spark plasma sintering (SPS) and design/structural properties (uniform distribution of elements, sever lattice distortion, density), indirectly proving consolidation of a stable High-entropy alloy (HEA) that consists of minimum of five elements. Therefore, powders of five principal elements (CuCrFeNiTi) and one minor element (Al) in near equimolar ratios were used for HEA consolidation using SPS but without mechanical alloying. Overall results demonstrated that the HEA was not generated using heterogenous solution of CuCrFeNiTiAl using SPS. This suggests that the mechanical alloying of CuCrFeNiTiAl …

Bioprinting A 3d Tubular Structure With Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells To Observe The Process Compatibility, Taieba Tuba Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Printability is the ability to print a reproducible structure using the bioprinting technique. Constructing the relationships between printability and printing parameters of the extrusion printing process is difficult because of the presence of too many independent and inter-correlated factors. For this reason, it is necessary to identify and limit the number of significantly influential factors. In addition, Scaffold based blood vessel fabrication is a key challenge in 3D Bioprinting. As vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) is a major component of blood vessels, the investigation of the behavior and orientation of VSMCs after printing is required to better understand the 3D …

Machinability Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Cfrp) Composites: Modeling And Optimization Using Taguchi Analysis And Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm, S M Abdur Rob

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites have been widely used in aerospace, automotive, nuclear, and biomedical industries due to their high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistant durability and excellent thermo-mechanical properties in non-oxidative atmospheres. Machining of CFRP composites has always been a challenge for the manufacturers. In this study, turning operation has been performed on CFRP composites to investigate the effects of cutting parameters namely cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut on the output characteristics including cutting force, surface roughness and tool wear using Taguchi Analysis. Regression Analysis has been used to develop mathematical model for cutting …

Production And Characterization Of Polyurethane Fibers By Forcespinning Method And Incorporation Of Luminiscense Nanoparticles, Sunanda Kumar Saha

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, Polyurethane (PU) fine fiber nonwoven mats are generated using the Forcespinning® method. A detailed study focusing on the effect of PU concentration within solutions of N, N Dimethylformamide and the effect of relative humidity (RH) on fiber average diameter and fiber yield is presented. Solutions were prepared with 4 different concentrations, 14, 15, 16 and 17 wt% of PU. It was observed that as concentration of PU increases, average diameter shows a tendency to increase. Production of fibers with RH varying from X to X was analyzed. It was shown that higher RH is convenient for PU …

Effect Of Obesity On Knee Joint During Walking And Squatting, Simon Vasquez Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the effect of obesity on the knee joints during squats. This was performed on 2 different subjects by having each squat 30 times at their decided comfortable depth to display some fatigue and effects on the knee joints. Using the VICON NEXUS and AMTI force plates equipment at The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley Biomechanics Lab, the center of pressure, knee flexion angles, velocity, and ground reaction forces were calculated. The subjects performed the exercises with and without additional weight using a body vest and kettlebell. The ground reaction forces showed a significant increase in …

Using Single-Molecule Dna Flow-Stretching Experiments To See The Effects Of Temperature And Viscosity, Fatema Tuz Zohra

Theses and Dissertations

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a highly charged long and semi-flexible polymer of which length is much longer than cell dimensions at least by 1,000-folds. A long linear DNA turns into a crumpled structure to fit into a tiny cell volume by the process known as DNA compaction. In nature, DNA fits into the volume of the cell using DNA compaction by packaging genome material. Various types of protein are involved in DNA compaction. To experiment with various proteins as DNA compaction agents, DNA needs to be stretched out. In our thesis, the effect of temperature and buffer viscosity on DNA …

Effect Of Deposition Conditions On Properties Of Molybdenum Back Electrode For Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cell And Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Performance Analysis Through Numerical Simulation, Meah Imtiaz Zulkarnain

Theses and Dissertations

In the first part of this research, the effect of the deposition conditions on properties of molybdenum thin-film were investigated to achieve desired characteristics for its application as the back electrode of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell. DC and RF magnetron sputtering modes were employed and two sputtering parameters namely, working pressure and sputtering power, were varied to determine the sputtering mode and the sputtering conditions best suited for Mo thin-films having required properties. Sputtered Mo samples were characterized to determine their structural and mechanical properties such as preferred growth orientation, crystallinity, grain size, dislocation density, adhesion, and micro strain, and electrical …

Force Spun Pvdf And Tpu Nanofiber Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator For Energy Harvesting And Sensor Application, Sk Shamim Hasan Abir

Theses and Dissertations

Flexible and stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is the next generation potential candidate for wearable and portable electronics. In this study, we have demonstrated all nanofiber based TENG for energy harvesting and biomechanical sensing applications. The TENG was prepared by force spun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and gold (Au) sputtered thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber (NF) layer. The experimental characterization of the PVDF-TPU/Au NF-TENG revealed that surface modification by dispersed gold in TPU fiber membrane resulted the maximum open circuit voltage (254 V) and short circuit current (86 μA) output at 240 bpm (beats per minute) load frequency which was respectively 112% and …

Effect Of Obesity On Walking To Running And Running To Walking Transitions, Salvador Baruch Alcorta Bautista

Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates human Walking to Running transition (WRT) and Running to Walking transition (RWT). The focus is to be able to identify the correct WRT and RWT phase jumps. This investigation uses experimental data from the VICON Motion Analysis System (MAS) and of the treadmill WRT and RWT trials. The musculoskeletal model consists of pelvis, femur, tibia, and foot. This investigation uses as reference the work reported in the literature by Diedricj and Warren.. For the calculations in this investigation Excel and Matlab are used to filter the data and calculate the relative phase jumps. This work reports the …

Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (Lift) Based Bioprinting Of The Collagen I With Retina Photoreceptor Cells, Md Shakil Arman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the 3D bioprinting of retina cone cells using the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique. Bioprinting has a great potential to mimic and regenerate the human organoid system, and the LIFT technique has emerged as an efficient method for high resolution micropatterning and microfabrication of biomaterials and cells due to its capability of creating precise, controlled microdroplets. In this research, the parameters for an effective femtosecond laser-based LIFT process for 3D bioprinting of collagen biomaterial were studied. Different concentrations of collagen I solutions were tested to find out the right concentration that can be transferred through the …

Investigation Of Different Hatch Strategies On High Entropy Alloy Fabrication By Selective Laser Melting, Joni Chandra Dhar

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the synthesis of CuCrFeNiTiAl high entropy alloy (HEA) from pure elements using selective laser melting (SLM). The objectives are to validate the feasibility of the HEA fabrication from elemental powder materials, and to examine the effect of various hatch strategies and energy densities on the microstructures and other materials properties. 3D samples of CuCrFeNiTiAl alloy were fabricated under different energy densities and with different scan vector lengths. The as-built samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the microstructures were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD results showed that face centered cubic, and body centered …

Effect Of Additional Weight On Stability Of Human Squat Exercise, Jose De Jesus Galarza Lozano

Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of the study is to analyze the stability of the squat exercise. The squat is a common exercise that persons do for exercise. The study analyze the time series of the normal component of the ground reaction forces and each coordinate of the center of pressure. Theses time series are used to estimate the Lyapunov Exponents using Rosenstein method. MATLAB from Mathworks is used to calculate the graphs and program the methods. We compare this result with the literature and previous experiments. This work gives more information relating the safety of the squat exercise when …

The Processing And Characterization Of Nano Composite Nano Fibers For Various Applications, Md Toukir Hasan

Theses and Dissertations

The study of this thesis focuses on the force spinning of polymer composite nanofibers for antibacterial and energy storage applications. For energy application, Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) polymers with active materials (Sn & Ti) and for antibacterial purposes, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Polyethylene-oxide (PEO) polymers along with NPs (Ag and Cu), both were centrifugally spun to get finer nanofibers. The spun produced nanofibers of each types ascertained the percentage of active materials accurately. Antibacterial test on PEO/Ag composite nanofibers exhibited 100% inhibition efficiency against E. coli and B. cereus bacteria while PVP/Cu, PEO/Cu fibrous membranes showed 97.98%, 98.99% respectively. CuNPs …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibers For Energy Harvesting Applications, Jui Vitthal Kharade

Theses and Dissertations

Miniaturization of portable devices demand a power source that does not require recharging or replacement. Piezoelectric energy harvesters are devices that harvest mechanical energy from environment and convert it into electrical energy thus being an ideal candidate for replacing batteries in small devices. Objective of this thesis is to fabricate an energy harvester with efficient energy conversion. In this thesis, the effect of fabricating mechanisms, solvents, and composites on polyvinylidene nanofibers are analysed in order to improve the piezoelectric response of the nanofibers. These nanofibers are then used for fabricating an energy harvester. The energy harvester is implemented in a …

Development Of Injection Molding Pressure Monitoring System Using Piezoelectric Sensor, Mostafa Meraj Pasha

Theses and Dissertations

Injection molding is one of the most popular techniques for global plastic production. With this automation technique, the plastic product can be manufactured at a low cost with a complex geometrical shape. A manufacturing process with the high productivity of an injection molding machine depends on molding pressure and temperature inside the mold cavity. In this research, an experimental work is performed to determine a process monitoring system using asynchronous data acquisition, through the incorporation of wired piezo-ceramic sensor to acquire pressure of injection molding system. This piezoelectric sensor is designed in such a way that, a Bluetooth device can …

Investigation Of Cell Behavior In 3d Printed Lumen Structures For Capillary Regeneration, Victoria Jade Perez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis work successfully generated a coaxial printing setup and process to generate 3D printed tubules. A dual syringe pump mechanism was developed to print tubular structures to investigate cell behavior with a goal to generate future capillary beds. The mechanism involves the use of collagen–alginate tubules and the use of EDTA to increase the porosity of the tubule structures to study their interaction with media and incubation techniques as well as behavior and morphology. Tubules of 1.7% sodium alginate and 0.4% collagen I reacting with 3.2% CaCl2 solution proved to be more stable in both the printing process and …

Secondary Resonances Of Electrostatically Actuated Mems And Nems Circular Plates, Julio S. Beatriz

Theses and Dissertations

Two methods are used in the investigation, which are the Method of Multiple Scales (MMS) and the Reduced order Model (ROM) with up to 6 modes of vibration. The MMS is done in three ways, one based on soft excitation and the other models based on the usage of the bookkeeping parameter, ε, in the electrostatic term. These are referred to as the 1 term no ε, and the 2 term no ε, which allow it to model hard excitation. The influence of the number of terms in the Taylor expansion is explored.

These methods are used to investigate the …

Study Of Particle Size Effect On The Performance Of Tio2 Nanoparticles As Lubricant Additives On Vegetable Oil-Based Nanolubricants, Dario F. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Recently there has been an increase in concern regarding the use of petroleum-based lubricants. This has created an interest in readily available biodegradable lubricants such as vegetable oils. This work evaluates the rheological and tribological performance of grapeseed, and sunflower oils altered with 5, 18, and 40 nanometer titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles at differing concentrations. Block-on-ring tests were performed using the ASTM G-077-05 standard procedure. The effect of nanoparticle size and concentration and shear rate on the viscosity were evaluated and the experimental data was compared to conventional models. Roughness tests were performed on the wear scar of the blocks …

Development And Characterization Of Nanofiber-Based Thermoelectric And Piezoelectric Composites, Julio Enrique Trevino

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the development and characterization of nanofiber-based composites with the goal of developing flexible, lightweight, and cost effective thermoelectric and piezoelectric devices. The following materials were used in the development of the composites: polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPY), polyindole (PIN), polyanthranilic acid (PANA), polycarbazole (PCZ), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH), and camphorsulfonic acid (CSA). Blends and in-situ polymerization techniques were utilized to increase the desired thermoelectric/piezoelectric response. Nanofiber systems were produced utilizing the Forcespinning® technique. The morphology, structure, electrochemical, thermal stability, thermoelectric, and piezoelectric performance was analyzed. All of the nanofiber PVDF/CP …