Digital Commons Network^™

Turbulent Mixers For Protein Folding Experiments, Venkatesh Inguva

Doctoral Dissertations

Protein folding studies require the development of micro-mixers that require less sample, mix at faster rates, and still provide a high signal to noise ratio. Chaotic to marginally turbulent micro-mixers are promising candidates for this application. In this study, various turbulence and unsteadiness generation concepts are explored that avoid cavitation. The mixing enhancements include flow turning regions, flow splitters, and vortex shedding. The relative effectiveness of these different approaches for rapid micro-mixing is discussed. Simulations found that flow turning regions provided the best mixing profile. Various turbulence models are simulated to determine appropriate model of the design requirements. Experimental validation …

Model-Based Predictive Analytics For Additive And Smart Manufacturing, Zhuo Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

Qualification and certification for additive and smart manufacturing systems can be uncertain and very costly. Using available historical data can mitigate some costs of producing and testing sample parts. However, use of such data lacks the flexibility to represent specific new problems which decreases predictive accuracy and efficiency. To address these compelling needs, in this dissertation modeling techniques are introduced that can proactively estimate results expected from additive and smart manufacturing processes swiftly and with practical levels of accuracy and reliability. More specifically, this research addresses the current challenges and limitations posed by use of available data and the high …

Computational Exploration Of Flash-Boiling Internal Flow And Near-Nozzle Spray, Sampath K. Rachakonda

Doctoral Dissertations

Gasoline engines operating under the principle of direct injection are susceptible to flash-boiling due to superheated nature of the fuel and the sub-atmospheric in-cylinder pressures during injection. A review of the literature on flash-boiling sprays shows that a majority of the studies have focused on the far-field regions of the spray, with limited attention given to understanding the influences of the injector geometry and the near-nozzle regions of the spray. Modeling the internal nozzle flow and the primary atomization, on which the far-field spray depends, is a challenge. This thesis, therefore, is aimed at understanding the complex flow through a …

Performance And Economic Analysis Of Hybrid Microhydro Systems, Ram Poudel

Doctoral Dissertations

Microhydro (MHP) systems usually employ unregulated turbines and an electronic load controller, a demand-side control device. Existing analytical models for such systems are lacking details, especially supply-side flow control, for performance simulation at hourly or sub-hourly scales. This work developed stochastic models for downscaling of streamflow and an empirical model of MHP systems. We integrated these models within the framework of Hybrid2 tool to simulate the long-term performance of a tri-hybrid system consisting of hydropower, solar PV and wind turbine. Based on an additive model of time series decomposition, we develop a Multiple Input Single Output (MISO) model in order …

Modeling Deformation Behavior And Strength Characteristics Of Sand-Silt Mixtures: A Micromechanical Approach, Mehrashk Meidani

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of six chapters. In the first chapter the motivation of this research, which was modeling the deformation behavior and strength characteristics of soils under internal erosion, is briefly explained. In the second chapter a micromechanis-based stress-strain model developed for prediction of sand-silt mixtures behavior is presented. The components of the micromechanics-based model are described and undrained behavior of six different types of sand-silt mixtures is predicted for several samples with different fines contents. The need for a more comprehensive compression model for sand-silt mixtures is identified at the end of this chapter. This desired compression model …

Aeroelastic Simulation Of Wind Turbines Using Free Vortex Methods And Strategies For Accelerating The Computation, Shujian Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation integrated the free vortex method code Wake Induced Dynamics Simulator (WInDS), which was developed by Sebastian et al., into the open source and widely-used software FAST. A range of computational strategies including paral- lelization and Treecode algorithms are used to increase the computational efficiency of the software. Full aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations with free vortex method are conducted, which focus on an in-depth study on the influence of the aeroelasticity of the wind turbine and platform motions on the unsteadiness of the aerodynamics, and the comparison of aeroelastic responses of two floating wind turbine concepts. This dissertation also applies long …

Supporting Engineering Design Of Additively Manufactured Medical Devices With Knowledge Management Through Ontologies, Thomas Hagedorn

Doctoral Dissertations

Medical environments pose a substantial challenge for engineering designers. They combine significant knowledge demands with large investment for new product development and severe consequences in the case of design failure. Engineering designers must contend with an often-chaotic environment to which they have limited access and familiarity, a user base that is difficult to engage and highly diverse in many attributes, and a market structure that often pits stakeholders against one another. As medical care in general moves towards personalized models and surgical tools towards less invasive options emerging manufacturing technologies in additive manufacturing offer significant potential for the design of …

Quantitative Phase-Field Modeling Of Crack Propagation In Multi-Phase Materials, Arezoo Emdadi

Doctoral Dissertations

”Research presented in this dissertation is focused on developing and validating a computational framework for study of crack propagation in polycrystalline composite ceramics capable of designing micro-architectures of phases to improve fracture toughness and damage tolerance of ZrB₂-based ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). A quantitative phase-field model based on the regularized formulation of Griffith’s theory is presented for crack propagation in homogenous and heterogeneous brittle materials. This model utilizes correction parameters in the total free energy functional and mechanical equilibrium equation within the crack diffusive area to ensure that the maximum stress in front of the crack tip is …

Development And Management Of Advanced Batteries Via Additive Manufacturing And Modeling, Jie Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"The applications of Li-ion batteries require higher energy and power densities, improved safety, and sophisticated battery management systems. To satisfy these demands, as battery performances depend on the network of constituent materials, it is necessary to optimize the electrode structure. Simultaneously, the states of the battery have to be accurately estimated and controlled to maintain a durable condition of the battery system. For those purposes, this research focused on the innovation of 3D electrode via additive manufacturing, and the development of fast and accurate physical based models to predict the battery status for control purposes. Paper I proposed a novel …

Direct Printing Of Single-Crystal Silicon By Microscale Nanoparticle Printing And Confined Laser Melting And Crystallization, Wan Shou

Doctoral Dissertations

"The transport and interfacial phenomena in laser melting and crystallization of silicon in micro-/nano-scale confinement lacks sufficient understanding. Uncovering the underlying mechanisms, and hence harness the melting and crystallization processes can help the formation of controllable single-crystal structures or patterns. In this dissertation, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was conducted to calculate the interfacial free energy of the silicon system in contact with flat and structured walls. Then the calculated interfacial energies were employed to predict the nucleation mechanisms in a slab of liquid silicon confined by two walls and compared with MD simulation results. Further, in combination with a …

Soy-Based Polyurethane Foam For Insulation And Structural Applications, Gurjot S. Dhaliwal

Doctoral Dissertations

"Polyurethane (PU) foams are widely used as insulation materials due to their high insulation properties and low cost compared to conventional materials such as styrene and mineral wool. PU foams are traditionally fabricated with petroleum-based precursors. However, high crude price and higher carbon footprint has lead interest of researchers to synthesis PU foams using plant-based raw materials, that are inexpensive and renewable. In this dissertation, PU foams were fabricated using soy-based polyol and its thermal and mechanical properties were investigated. In the first part, of PU foam samples with different formulations were fabricated using soy-based polyol HB230, and varying amounts …

Modeling And Experimental Investigations On Particle Dynamic Behaviors In Laser 3d Printing With Blown Powder, Wei Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"Pre-mixed powder is frequently-used powder supply to fabricate Functional Gradient Material (FGM) by Laser 3D printing, which is also called Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). The deposited FGM composition is expected to be similar or same as supplied powder mixture. However, because pre-mixed powder has different particle densities and particle sizes, the caused particle acceleration differences can result in the separation in powder mixture. Up to now, there was no study focused on pre-mixed powders' flow behavior in LMD. The current research aims to investigate the flow behaviors of pre-mixed powder supplied for LMD through both experimental and modeling approaches. In …

Design For Optical Metamaterial Design For Optical Metamaterial Absorber, Huixu Deng

Doctoral Dissertations

“Optical metamaterlal (MM) absorbers in the visible or near-infrared range have been widely investigated in these years since they are crucial in many promising applications, such as solar energy harvesting systems, thermo-photovoltaic energy conversion devices, thermal imaging and emissivity control. This dissertation aims to design and investigate various optical metamaterial absorbers based on different mechanisms and theories, such as cavity resonance, impedance match, equivalent circuit model and waveguide stop light mode. First, via utilizing the cavity resonance, a tunable narrowband MM absorber/emitter for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) is designed and analyzed based on gold nanowire cavities to improve the overall efficiency of …

High Temperature Polymer Composites Using Out-Of-Autoclave Processing, Sudharshan Anandan

Doctoral Dissertations

"High performance polymer composites possess high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and have design flexibility. Carbon/epoxy composites are commonly used aerospace materials. Bismaleimide based composites are used as a replacement for epoxy systems at higher service temperatures. Aerospace composites are usually manufactured, under high pressure, in an autoclave which requires high capital investments and operating costs. In contrast, out-of-autoclave manufacturing, specifically vacuum-bag-only prepreg process, is capable of producing low cost and high performance composites. In the current study, out-of-autoclave processing of high temperature carbon/bismaleimide composites was evaluated. The cure and process parameters were optimized. The properties of out-of-autoclave cured laminates compared …

Modeling And Simulation Of Viscoplasticity, Recrystallization, And Softening Of Alloyed Steel During Hot Rolling Process, Xin Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Hot rolling is one of the most important and complex deformation processes in steel manufacturing and is essential to final product quality. The objective of this study is to investigate viscoplasticity, dynamic recrystallization, and static softening of alloyed metal during hot rolling process. Gleeble hot compression tests were performed to provide experimental stress-strain curves at different temperatures and strain rates. An inverse finite element analysis was performed to calibrate the experimental curves. Viscoplastic models including a Johnson-Cook (JC) model, a Zerilli-Armstrong (ZA) model, and a combined JC and ZA model were developed. Dynamic recrystallization behavior was investigated and modeled based …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Advanced Materials Using Laser Metal Deposition From Elemental Powder Mixture, Xueyang Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Over the past decades of years, a great deal of money has been spent to machine large and complex parts from high-performance metals (i.e., titanium components for aerospace applications), so users attempt to circumvent the high cost of materials. Laser metal deposition (LMD) is an additive manufacturing technique capable of fabricating complicated structures with superior properties. This dissertation aims to improve the applications of LMD technique for manufacturing metallic components by using various elemental powder mixture according to the following three categories of research topics. The first research topic is to investigate and develop a cost-effective possibility by using elemental …

Laser Foil Printing And Surface Polishing Processes, Chen Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

"A foil-based additive manufacturing technology for fabricating metal parts, called Laser Foil Printing (LFP), was proposed and developed in this dissertation. The manufacturing sub-processes comprising the LFP technology were comprehensively studied, which include the laser spot welding of foil, laser raster-scan welding of foil, laser cutting of foil, and laser polishing processes. The fabricated free-form parts were demonstrated and own better mechanical properties (micro hardness and tensile strength) than the raw material, because of the rapid-cooling process of laser welding. The full and strong bond between layers was formed by the laser welding process, with no micro-cracks or pores observed. …

Research On Additive Manufacturing Of Metallic Glass Alloy, Yiyu Shen

Doctoral Dissertations

"The required rapid cooling has limited the dimension of the Bulk Metallic glasses (BMGs) produced by traditional method, and hence has seriously limited their applications, despite their remarkable mechanical properties. In this present project, a detailed study is conducted on the methodology and understanding of manufacturing large Zr- based metallic glass part by laser based additive manufacturing technology, which breaks the size limitation. The first research issue proposes and develops a new additive manufacturing technology, named Laser-Foil-Printing (LFP). Sheet foils of LM105 (Zr_52.5Ti₅Al₁₀Ni_14.6Cu_17.9 (at. %)) metallic glass are used as feed …

Investigation Of Microstructure And Mechanical Properties By Direct Metal Deposition, Jingwei Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Microstructure and properties of Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) parts are very crucial to meeting industrial requirements of parts quality. Prediction, and control of microstructure and mechanical properties have attracted much attention during conventional metal manufacturing process under different conditions. However, there is few investigations focused on microstructure simulation and mechanical properties control under different process parameters during DMD process. This dissertation is intended to develop a multiscale model to investigate Ti6Al4V grain structure development and explore Ti6Al4V based functionally graded material (FGM) deposit properties during DMD process. The first research topic is to investigate and develop a cellular automaton-finite element …

Monitoring Of Hybrid Manufacturing Using Acoustic Emission Sensor, Haythem Gaja

Doctoral Dissertations

"The approach of hybrid manufacturing addressed in this research uses two manufacturing processes, one process builds a metal part using laser metal deposition, and the other process finishes the part using a milling machining. The ability to produce complete functioning parts in a short time with minimal cost and energy consumption has made hybrid manufacturing popular in many industries for parts repair and rapid prototyping. Monitoring of hybrid manufacturing processes has become popular because it increases the quality and accuracy of the parts produced and reduces both costs and production time. The goal of this work is to monitor the …

Modeling And Characterization Of Thermo-Oxidative Behavior Of Bismaleimide Composites, Rafid Muhammad Hussein

Doctoral Dissertations

"High-temperature polymer matrix composites (HTPMCs) are susceptible to thermo-oxidation, which accelerates the composites' degradation and reduces the service life. Mechanical properties of HTPMCs deteriorate due to coupled thermo-oxidation and cross-linking mechanisms. Bismaleimides (BMIs) are commonly used high-temperature resins for aerospace applications. This work presents the viability of using experimental weight loss to model the spatial distribution of oxidation when the oxidized polymer matrix is not discernible. Three tasks are introduced: (1) Anisotropic oxidation prediction using optimized weight loss behavior of bismaleimide composites, (2) A multi-scale modeling of thermo-oxidative effects on the flexural behavior of cross-ply bismaleimide composites, and (3) Thermo-oxidative …

Modeling And Control Of Probe-On-Probe Dynamics In Dual-Probe Atomic Force Microscopy, Ayad Al-Ogaidi

Doctoral Dissertations

“The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a widely used instrument for imaging and direct manipulation of materials and particles at the nanoscale. The AFM uses a probe, which is a microcantilever with a sharp point at the end. Typically, the AFM is constructed with a single probe. The disadvantage of this construction is that it can only be used either for imaging or manipulation in one implementation. An AFM was constructed using two probes, permitting simultaneous imaging and manipulation. A dual-probe AFM (DP-AFM) provides a foundation for feedback controlled manipulation.

Paper I investigates probe-on-probe contact stability and examines the dynamics …

Effects Of Milling Methods, Cooling Strategies And End-Mill Coatings On Machinability In High Speed End-Milling Of Inconel- 718 Using Carbide End-Mills, Paras Mohan Jasra

Doctoral Dissertations

“Inconel-718 superalloy is used extensively in aerospace and nuclear industries due to its excellent properties such as: high strength-to-weight ratio, ability to retain its properties at high temperature, high corrosion and creep resistance. However, Inconel-718 is characterized as a “difficult-to-cut metal”, because it poses severe problems during machining such as: high temperature at the cutting zone due to low thermal conductivity, hardening tendency at elevated temperature, high cutting forces, rapid tool wear and high chemical affinity with many cutting tools. Appropriate cooling strategies, milling methods, tool coatings and cutting speeds play important roles in addressing these problems. This research presents …