Engineering Commons^™

Anisotropy In Impact Toughness Of Powder Bed Fused Aisi 304l Stainless Steel, Sreekar Karnati, Atoosa Khiabhani, Aaron Flood, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The current effort involved investigation into the anisotropy of AISI 304L fabricated through laser powder bed fusion. Charpy V‐notch specimens made from material fabricated at three different build orientations were tested and analyzed. A statistically significant difference among the toughness values indicates the presence of anisotropy within the additively manufactured material. While the lowest toughness was found in vertically built specimens, the horizontal specimens were found to exhibit the highest toughness. From the fracture surfaces, an atypical mode of failure was observed. Exclusive crack propagation along the interlayer track boundaries was observed. The toughness variation correlated with the ease of …

Microstructural And Optical Properties Of Mgal2o4 Spinel: Effects Of Mechanical Activation, Y2o3 And Graphene Additions, Nina Obradovic, William Fahrenholtz, Cole Corlett, Suzana Filipovic, Marko Nikolic, Bojan A. Marinkovic, Simone Failla, Diletta Sciti, Daniele Di Rosa, Elisa Sani

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Magnesium Aluminate and Other Alumina-Based Spinels Attract Attention Due to their High Hardness, High Mechanical Strength, and Low Dielectric Constant. MgAl₂O₄ Was Produced by a Solid-State Reaction between MgO and Α-Al₂O₃ Powders. Mechanical Activation for 30 Min in a Planetary Ball Mill Was Used to Increase the Reactivity of Powders. Yttrium Oxide and Graphene Were Added to Prevent Abnormal Grain Growth during Sintering. Samples Were Sintered by Hot Pressing under Vacuum at 1450◦C. Phase Composition and Microstructure of Sintered Specimens Were Characterized by X-Ray Powder Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Rietveld Analysis Revealed 100% …

Dechlorination Apparatus For Treating Chloride Salt Wastes: System Evaluation And Scale-Up, Brian J. Riley, Saehwa Chong, Charmayne E. Lonergan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper describes an apparatus used to remove chlorine from chloride salt-based nuclear wastes from electrochemical reprocessing and/or chloride-based molten salt reactors (MSRs) through dechlorination by reacting the salts with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH₄H₂PO₄ or ADP) at temperatures up to 600 °C to produce NH₄Cl as a byproduct. The benefits of removing the Cl from these salts include ³⁷Cl recovery from Cl-based MSR salts, formation of UCl₃ from the NH₄Cl, as well as removal of Cl from the salts and conversion of the salt cations to oxides to allow …

Machine Learning For High-Fidelity Prediction Of Cement Hydration Kinetics In Blended Systems, Rachel Cook, Taihao Han, Alaina Childers, Cambria Ryckman, Kamal Khayat, Hongyan Ma, Jie Huang, Aditya Kumar

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC), the most broadly utilized man-made material, has been scrutinized due to its contributions to global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Thus -- to mitigate CO₂ emissions -- mineral additives have been promulgated as partial replacements for OPC. However, additives -- depending on their physiochemical characteristics -- can exert varying effects on OPC's hydration kinetics. Therefore -- in regards to more complex systems -- it is infeasible for semi-empirical kinetic models to reveal the underlying nonlinear composition-property (i.e., reactivity) relationships. In the past decade or so, machine learning (ML) has arisen as a promising, …

Impact Behavior Of Laminated Composites Built With Fique Fibers And Epoxy Resin: A Mechanical Analysis Using Impact And Flexural Behavior, Julian Rua, Mario F. Buchely, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Gloria I. Echeverri, Henry A. Colorado

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research analyzes the behavior of natural fiber reinforced laminated polymer composites (NFRPC) under mechanical solicitations. Samples were fabricated with epoxy resin matrix reinforced with a multilayer natural fique fiber in a bi-directional commercial fabric configuration. Different reinforcement contents without additives were prepared taking in the account the simplicity in processing, fabrication cost, and applications in which this material might be used with high performance standards. Charpy notched impact and 3-point bending test were carried out to evaluate the mechanical behavior and the work of fracture, which was improved significatively with the fibers, showing an increase from 5 to 30 …

Findings Report: Virtual Workshop On ‘Resilient Supply Of Critical Minerals’, Marek Locmelis, Angela D. Lueking, Michael S. Moats, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Lana Z. Alagha, Mark W. Fitch, Alanna Krolikowski, Shelby Clark

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Executive Summary
On August 2-3, 2021, the Thomas J. O’Keefe Institute for Sustainable Supply of Strategic Minerals at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) hosted the NSF-funded virtual workshop ‘Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals’. The workshop was convened via Zoom and attracted 158 registrants, including 108 registrants from academia (61 students), 30 registrants from government agencies, and 20 registrants from the private sector. Four topical sessions were covered:

A. Mineral Exploration and Source Diversification.
B. Supply Chain and Policy Issues.
C. Improving Mineral Recycling and Reprocessing Technologies.
D. Technological Alternatives to Critical Minerals.

Each topical session was composed …

A Review On Alpha Case Formation And Modeling Of Mass Transfer During Investment Casting Of Titanium Alloys, R. Sharon Uwanyuze, Janos E. Kanyo, Sarah F. Myrick, Stefan Schafföner

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Titanium alloys have excellent corrosion resistance, high temperature strength, low density, and biocompatibility. Therefore, they are increasingly used for aerospace, biomedical, and chemical applications. Investment casting is a well-established process for manufacturing near-net-shape intricate parts for such applications. However, mass transfer arising from metal-mold reactions is still a major problem that drastically impairs the surface and properties of the castings. Although there have been astounding developments over the past 20 years, they remain scattered in various research papers and conference proceedings. This review summarizes the current status of the field, gaps in the scientific understanding, and the research needs for …

Removal Of Sb Impurities In Copper Electrolyte And Evaluation Of As And Fe Species In An Electrorefining Plant, Ana I. González De Las Torres, Michael S. Moats, Guillermo Ríos, Ana Rodríguez Almansa, Daniel Sánchez-Rodas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Antimony and arsenic concentrations and their oxidation states (Sb(III), Sb(V), As(III) and As(V)) in copper electrorefining electrolyte can affect copper cathode quality through the formation of floating slimes. A laboratory-scale pilot plant was operated to remove Sb from commercial electrolyte. The pilot plant consisted of a pre-treatment process with copper shavings followed by ion exchange. The results indicated that Sb(III) was removed from copper electrolyte completely, while Sb(V) was partially eliminated. The concentrations of As(III) and As(V) were not affected, and the poisoning of the ion exchange resin by Fe(III) was avoided by pre-reduction to Fe(II) by copper shavings. The …

Fabricating Tinicu Ternary Shape Memory Alloy By Directed Energy Deposition Via Elemental Metal Powders, Yitao Chen, Xinchang Zhang, Mohammad Masud Parvez, Joseph William Newkirk, Frank W. Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a TiNiCu shape memory alloy single-wall structure was fabricated by the directed energy deposition technique with a mixture of elemental Ti, Ni, and Cu powders following the atomic percentage of Ti50Ni45Cu5 to fully utilize the material flexibility of the additive manufacturing process to develop ternary shape memory alloys. The chemical composition, phase, and material properties at multiple locations along the build direction were studied, using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Vickers hardness test-ing, tensile testing, and differential scanning calorimetry. The location-dependent compositions of martensitic TiNi and austenitic TiNi phases, mechanical properties, and functional properties …

Mechanical Properties, Translucency, And Low Temperature Degradation (Ltd) Of Yttria (3–6 Mol%) Stabilized Zirconia, R. Sharon Uwanyuze, Sulekha Ramesh, Mark K. King, Nathaniel Lawson, Manoj K. Mahapatra

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The mechanical properties (hardness and biaxial flexural strength), optical properties (translucency and gloss), and low temperature degradation (LTD) of 3–6 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia have been investigated. The specimens were prepared by conventional solid-state sintering at 1400 °C. The mechanical and optical properties were evaluated for sintered and polished specimens. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used, respectively, for structural and microstructural investigation. LTD was determined by XRD analysis of the samples aged in a hydrothermal autoclave at 134 °C for 5–108 h. The mechanical and optical properties are found to be microstructure sensitive. The LTD, due …

Steam Oxidation Of Ytterbium Disilicate Environmental Barrier Coatings With And Without A Silicon Bond Coat, Ken A. Kane, Eugenio Garcia, Sharon Uwanyuze, Michael Lance, Kinga A. Unocic, Sanjay Sampath, Bruce A. Pint

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The current generation of multilayer Si/Yb₂Si₂O₇ environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are temperature limited by the melting point of Si, 1414°C. To investigate higher temperature EBCs, the cyclic steam oxidation of EBCs comprised of a single layer of ytterbium disilicate (YbDS) was compared to multilayered Si/YbDS EBCs, both deposited on SiC substrates using atmospheric plasma spray. After 500 1-h cycles at 1300°C in 90 vol%H₂O-10 vol%air with a gas velocity of 1.5 cm/s, both multilayer Si/YbDS and single layer YbDS grew thinner silica scales than bare SiC, with the single layer YbDS forming the …

Fiber Optic Sensor Embedded Smart Helmet For Real-Time Impact Sensing And Analysis Through Machine Learning, Yiyang Zhuang, Qingbo Yang, Taihao Han, Ryan O'Malley, Aditya Kumar, Rex E. Gerald Ii, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) strongly associates with chronic neurodegenerative impairments such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild cognitive impairment. Early detection of concussive events would significantly enhance the understanding of head injuries and provide better guidance for urgent diagnoses and the best clinical practices for achieving full recovery. New method: A smart helmet was developed with a single embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor for real-time sensing of blunt-force impact events to helmets. The transient signals provide both magnitude and directional information about the impact event, and the data can be used for training machine learning (ML) …

Absorption Of Nitrogen During Pulsed Wave L-Pbf Of 17-4 Ph Steel, Ben Brown, Joseph William Newkirk, Frank W. Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the fabrication of 17-4 PH by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) the well-documented occurrence of large amounts of retained austenite can be attributed to an elevated concentration of nitrogen present in the material. While the effects of continuous wave (CW) laser processing on in-situ nitrogen absorption characteristics have been evaluated, power modulated pulsed wave (PW) laser processing effects have not. In this study the effects of PW L-PBF processing of 17-4 PH on nitrogen absorption, phase composition, and mechanical performance are explored using commercially available PW L-PBF equipment and compared to samples produced by CW L-PBF. PW L-PBF samples …

Thermodynamic Prediction And Experimental Verification Of Multiphase Composition Of Scale Formed On Reheated Alloy Steels, Richard Osei, Semen Naumovich Lekakh, Ronald O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The structure, phase, and composition of scale formed on a continuously cast steel slab during reheating depend on intrinsic factors (steel chemistry, microstructure, and as-cast surface condition) and extrinsic parameters (temperature, time, composition, and velocity of combustion gas atmosphere). The scale that forms on a slab normally has several layers with differing compositions and phases and knowledge of this scale structure is important in subsequent descaling and hot rolling processing steps. Formation of multiphase scale structures on steel during high temperature oxidation in reheat furnace proceeds according to a local thermodynamic equilibrium, while thickness of layers depends on kinetic conditions …

Experimental And Numerical Studies Of Novel Thermal Energy Storage Materials For Applications In Concrete And Energy Storage Systems, Wenyu Liao

Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, several types of novel thermal energy storage (TES) materials and composites are explored, and a series of numerical simulation models and experimental protocols are developed to evaluate the potentials of these materials to be applied in concrete, pavement, and thermal energy storage systems.

The first two types of novel TES materials/composites are at the micro-scale, which use micro diatomite (DE) and cenosphere (Ceno) as carriers of phase change material (PCM), respectively. The third type of novel TES material is at the macro-scale, utilizing lightweight sand (LWS) and lightweight coarse aggregate as carriers to load PCM. The last …

The Effects Of Rigid Polyurethane Foam As A Confinement Material On Breaching Charge Detonations, Nathan Franz Paerschke-O'Brien

Masters Theses

"The effects of a rigid polyurethane foam used as a confinement material on four types of breaching explosives were tested, focusing on the changes in shockwave peak pressures, detonation load compression forces, and brisance cratering abilities. The Plate Dent testing procedure was modified to incorporate a load cell force sensor, and two air overpressure sensors were included adjacent to the blast to quantify each test result. The testing variables focused on the polyurethane foam cure times and thickness volumes around the breaching explosives to determine the breaching charges' optimal energy output capabilities when confined by the foam material. The rigid …

Studying The Effects Of New Additive Materials For The Improvement Of The Capacity And Cycle Life Performance Of The Lead-Acid Battery, Julian Kosacki

Doctoral Dissertations

"Lead-acid batteries are an established technology with nearly 99% recyclability; however, lead-acid batteries produce only 40% of their theoretical capacity due to poor active mass utilization and PbSO4 pore blockage, and the longevity of the batteries is hampered by secondary reactions during the cycle life such as corrosion and gassing.

Lead-acid batteries were investigated and improved through several different approaches: an alternative electrolyte to mitigate secondary reactions, graphite additives to improve positive active mass (PAM) utilization, and dispersant additives to help the industrial pasting process.

The thermodynamics and chemical reactions of a commercial electrolyte replacement called Tydrolyte^TM were investigated …

Mechanical Activation And Cation Site Disorder Of Spinel-Based Ceramics, Cole A. Corlett

Masters Theses

"This research focuses on the processing and the effects that has on the cation disorder of magnesium-aluminate spinel based (MgAl₂O₄) ceramics. The first goal of this project was to determine the effects of high-energy milling, i.e., mechanical activation, on cation disorder (inversion) within the spinel structure. First, 1:1 molar ratios of MgO:Al₂O₃ ceramics were processed using two green processing methods, ball milling (XD) and SPEX milling (mechanical activation, MA) followed by a subsequent annealing treatment in air to form a single spinel phase in each powder sample. Neutron diffraction analysis was employed to …

Relating Detonation Parameters To The Detonation Synthesis Of Nanomaterials, Martin Langenderfer

Doctoral Dissertations

“This research investigates the physical and chemical processes that contribute to the detonation synthesis of silicon carbide nanoparticles. Bulk production of SiC nanoparticles through detonation is possible due to pressures achieved over 20 GPa and temperatures over 2000 K as well as quenching rates in excess of 13 billion K/second. These conditions catalyze reaction and bottom-up molecular growth while retaining particles < 100 nm in diameter. In this work, detonation synthesis of SiC was demonstrated by incorporation of polycarbosilane, an SiC precursor material, into an RDX/TNT explosive matrix prior to detonation. Detonation Synthesis of SiC was also accomplished by reacting elemental silicon with carbon liberated by the detonation of negatively oxygen balanced TNT. Hydrodynamic simulation of a 60:40 mass ratio RDX/TNT detonation created conditions thermodynamically suitable to produce cubic silicon carbide within the first 500 nanoseconds after the passage of the detonation wave while carbon remains chemically reactive for molecular formation. Simulations and experimental tests indicated that loading configuration and impedance mismatch of the precursor additives used in detonation synthesis results in conditions in the additives that exceed the accepted detonation pressure of the explosive by greater than three times. Finally, a full factorial experimental design showed increasing silicon concentration, reducing silicon size, and reducing oxygen balance by adjusting the ratio of RDX to TNT decreased the explosives detonation pressure by 20% and increased the soot yield and concentration of SiC observed in the detonation products by 82% and 442% respectively”--Abstract, page iv.

Toward Understanding Commercial Additives For Zincate Electrogalvanizing, Margaret Scott

Masters Theses

"Cyanide zinc electrogalvanizing has been used for many years to produce high quality and uniform zinc coatings. Due to toxicity concerns, a significant amount of research has occurred to remove the use of cyanide while still producing a similar deposit. One of the resulting plating chemistries is the alkaline zincate bath.

Alkaline zincate plating has the advantages of low startup cost, low toxicity, and low corrosion rate. Despite these advantages, alkaline bath conditions do not produce acceptable zinc deposits without the use of plating additives, which can promote lustrous, smooth deposits. This research aims to: (1) generate fundamental electrochemical data …

Properties And Structures Of Alkali Molybdenum Iron Phosphate Glasses For Nuclear Waste Immobilization, Jincheng Bai

Doctoral Dissertations

"The development of glasses to immobilize nuclear wastes requires a detailed understanding of how composition affects the critical properties required to design wasteforms, including thermal stability and chemical durability. Those properties depend on the molecular-level structures of the glasses. The principal objective of this research was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the composition-structure-property relationships, including the effects of processing conditions, for glasses in the alkali- molybdenum-iron-phosphate systems that could then be used to inform the development of wasteforms of interest to the US Department of Energy.

The molecular-level structures of the alkali molybdenum iron phosphate glasses were analyzed by …

Thermophysical Properties Of Nominally Phase Pure Boride Ceramics, Austin D. Stanfield

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research focusses on the thermophysical properties of nominally phase pure boride ceramics. As interest in ultra high temperature ceramics increases due to a renewed interest in hypersonic flight vehicles and with the expanding materials design space accompanying interest in high entropy materials, it is imperative to understand the intrinsic properties of boride ceramics. By reducing Hf content in ZrB₂ from the natural abundance, ~1.75 at% in this case, to ~100 ppm, thermal conductivity increased from 88 W/m·K to 141 W/m·K. Removal of Hf allowed the thermal conductivity of ZrB₂ with small transition metal solute additions to be …

Contributions To The Performance Of Thin Film Capacitors For High Reliability Applications, Daniel Krueger

Doctoral Dissertations

"Capacitors are critical devices in microelectronic assemblies that must be incorporated into electronic systems through a variety of ways such as integrated or discrete devices. This work has developed new thin film capacitors deposited directly onto multichip module or printed circuit board surfaces to benefit from closer integration that enhances system performance for use in high reliability applications. The capacitors serve as filters or provide tuning and energy storage functions. Unexpected performance was observed during development that included low adhesion of the films to the substrates, higher effective dielectric constants than reported in literature, and low yields. Three publications resulted …

Phase Formation And Thermal Conductivity Of Zirconium Carbide, Yue Zhou

Doctoral Dissertations

“This research focused on the synthesis and phase formation of zirconium carbide with different carbon contents, and lattice thermal conductivity of zirconium carbide with different carbon vacancy, hafnium, and oxygen contents.

Nominally pure phase ZrC_x was synthesized by solid-state reaction of zirconium hydride (ZrHs) and carbon black at a temperature as low as 1300°C. The powder synthesized at 1300C was carbon deficient ZrC_x . Carbon stoichiometry of the as- synthesized powders increased as the synthesis temperature increased. As the synthesis temperature increase, the oxygen content of ZrC_x decreased due to the increasing C site occupancy. Low stoichiometry …

Semi-Empirical Modeling Of Liquid Carbon's Containerless Solidification, Philip C. Chrostoski

Doctoral Dissertations

“Elemental carbon has important structural diversity, ranging from nanotubes through graphite to diamond. Previous studies of micron-size core/rim carbon spheres extracted from primitive meteorites suggest they formed around such stars via the solidification of condensed carbon-vapor droplets, followed by gas-to-solid carbon coating to form the graphite rims. Similar core/rim particles result from the slow cooling of carbon vapor in the lab. The long-range carbon bond-order potential was used to computationally study liquid-like carbon in (1.8 g/cm³) periodic boundary (tiled-cube supercell) and containerless (isolated cluster) settings. Relaxations via conjugate-gradient and simulated-annealing nucleation and growth simulations using molecular dynamics were …

Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Novel Carbide Materials, Evan Charles Schwind

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research focuses on studying the thermal and mechanical properties of novel carbide materials at room and elevated temperatures. The novel carbide materials investigated include zeta phase tantalum carbide (ζ-Ta₄C_3-x) and a high entropy (Ta,Hf,Nb,Zr)C carbide. The electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of zeta phase tantalum carbide (~96 wt.%) were measured as 160 ± 4.2 μΩ-cm and 9.6 W/m•K. These are higher and lower (respectively) than for cubic tantalum carbide, most likely due to planes of carbon vacancies present in the ζ-Ta₄C_3-x crystal structure. The thermal conductivity of (Ta,Hf,Nb,Zr)C was lower than any …