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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Additive Manufacturing Of Composites For Sensing And Harsh Environments Application, Md Sahid Hassan Dec 2023

Additive Manufacturing Of Composites For Sensing And Harsh Environments Application, Md Sahid Hassan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Composite materials are made by combining two or more materials, such as fibers and resins to create a material system that has improved mechanical and physical properties compared to its individual components. The use of 3D printing technology in composite manufacturing allows for the creation of complex and custom shapes with precise control over the placement of the materials. This makes it possible to create composite parts with enhanced performance characteristics and reduced weight. The work presented in this dissertation lies in the design and development of highly flexible impact propagation sensor through material extrusion 3D printing technique. By using …


Design And Customization Of 3d Printers For Advanced Materials Printing, Alan Omar Loera Martinez Dec 2023

Design And Customization Of 3d Printers For Advanced Materials Printing, Alan Omar Loera Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research is divided into two sections. The first section discusses modificationsperformed to two commercial printers. The first printer was modified from a thermoplastic polymer printer to a pneumatic printer by taking away its heating elements and print head. Circuits were directed to pneumatic dispensing system as well in order to automate the process. The second printer had mechanical modifications performed to be a multi-material gradient printer by controlling two stepper motors through an electronics board. Through code, a mixing ratio changed the motors' rotations to provide the desired gradient of two different materials. The second section of the present …


Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Polymer-Ceramic Composites, Christian Alexander Ruiz Dec 2023

Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Polymer-Ceramic Composites, Christian Alexander Ruiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Digital light processing (DLP) is an attractive additive manufacturing technique due to its ability to create ceramic parts with complex geometries. DLP uses ultraviolet light to polymerize a slurry comprised of ceramic powder and photosensitive resin in layers to create solid parts. Printing parameters such as light intensity and exposure time are critical when producing these parts. Improper parameters can lead to over or under-curing, adversely impacting print quality and strength. Samples were printed at varying layer exposure times and then tested using ultrasonics to determine the degree of conversion. Additionally, ultrasonics were used as a non-destructive technique to obtain …


An Optimization Procedure To Design Nozzle Contours For Hypersonic Wind Tunnels, Omar Antonio Dominguez Dec 2023

An Optimization Procedure To Design Nozzle Contours For Hypersonic Wind Tunnels, Omar Antonio Dominguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Supersonic wind tunnels allow scientists and researchers to evaluate and analyze the behaviors of objects under real-life conditions when subjected to supersonic speeds. One of the main complexities when building a wind tunnel is the design of the convergent-divergent nozzle that is used to produce high-speed and high-quality flows. To achieve supersonic speeds, this nozzle adopts a specialized approach that incorporates the complexities of flow compressibility. The compressible effect is accurately evaluated using isentropic relations, allowing for precise determination of stagnation pressure and temperature, and static pressure and temperature relevant to the desired Mach number. Isentropic equations used to define …


Enhancing Damage Tolerance Of The Constituents Of Sandwich Composites, Zackery Nieto Dec 2023

Enhancing Damage Tolerance Of The Constituents Of Sandwich Composites, Zackery Nieto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Composite structures have become a lucrative material choice for researchers throughout various sectors such as green energy, arctic travel, and aerospace application due to their light weight, high-bending to stiffness ratio, and job tailorable applications through material selection. With the increasing demand for new and better composite technologies growing each year it is imperative to investigate new materials and analytical options to help the composite field as a whole grow. In this report various materials and statistical applications have been studied regarding the constituent materials in sandwich composites. For core materials an additive manufactured photoreactive resin has been characterized for …


Double Cantilever Beam Mode-I Testing Validation In Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing Carbon Composite, Luis Alfonso Camacho Aug 2023

Double Cantilever Beam Mode-I Testing Validation In Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing Carbon Composite, Luis Alfonso Camacho

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Testing for mechanical properties for additive manufacturing has been based on already existing standards for traditional manufacturing methods. For composites in large scale additive manufacturing there is a research gap in bond strength and fracture toughness for a single layer interface. By using Double cantilever beam Mode I, this thesis manuscript validates testing parameters and protocols to describe the intricacies of ABS matrix 20 wt.% carbon filled composite, specifically on the layer-to-layer interface. Studies suggest that fracture toughness is sensitive to process parameters, like deflection speed and sharpened crack tip at the layer interface of BAAM 3D printed part and …


The Effects Of Process Parameters On The Cyclical Life Of Ti-6al-4v Manufactured Via Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Brandon Ramirez Aug 2023

The Effects Of Process Parameters On The Cyclical Life Of Ti-6al-4v Manufactured Via Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Brandon Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) has already proven revolutionary technology. Due to its favorable strength-to-weight ratio, ti-6Al-4V, a popular titanium alloy, has already been implemented in the aerospace industry for various components. However, the quality validation in additively manufactured parts has always been an issue of concern, specifically under cyclic loading. Ti-6Al-4V samples were printed using LPBF with various process parameters to investigate these conditions further. The build was stress-relieved; however, the samples underwent no other post-processes maintaining their as-built surface. The process parameters were separated into five categories, including various laser powers and printing speeds, allowing …


Computational Analysis Of Water Braking Phenomena For High-Speed Sled And Its Machine Learning Framework, Jose A. Terrazas May 2023

Computational Analysis Of Water Braking Phenomena For High-Speed Sled And Its Machine Learning Framework, Jose A. Terrazas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Specializing in high-speed testing, Holloman High-Speed Test Track (HHSTT) uses a process called "water braking" as a method to bring vehicles at the test track to a stop. This method takes advantage of the higher density of water, compared to air, to increase braking capability through momentum exchange. By studying water braking using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), forces acting on track vehicles can be approximated and prepared for prior to the actual test. In this study, focus will be made on the brake component of the track sled that is responsible for interacting with the water for braking. By discretizing …


A Method For Measuring The Spectral Emissivity Of Metal Powders At Different Temperatures And Applications In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Emmanuel Levario May 2023

A Method For Measuring The Spectral Emissivity Of Metal Powders At Different Temperatures And Applications In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Emmanuel Levario

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Radiation thermometry monitoring methods used in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (PBF-AM) are becoming increasingly more popular for quality assurance and repeatability. The dynamic nature of the PBF process and a lack of accuracy of metrics being captured for temperature monitoring lend great difficulty in the successful implementation of in-situ monitoring. There is currently no data on the emissivity, a metric used in non-contact temperature measurements, for metal powders used in AM. This work describes a method for measuring the spectral emissivity for metal powder sizes commonly used in AM using a multi-wavelength (MW), FMPI SpectroPyrometer, calibrated within the spectral …


Sensing Optimization Of Thermoplastics And Ceramics Fabricated Through Additive Manufacturing, Cory Marquez May 2023

Sensing Optimization Of Thermoplastics And Ceramics Fabricated Through Additive Manufacturing, Cory Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research is to fabricate and optimize thermoplastic and ceramic materials that can be fabricated for Laser Sintering (LS), Direct Ink Write (DIW), and Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing. The fabrication of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) thermoplastic particles into spherical allow for better flowability and packing density for LS printing which results in better printability and an increase in mechanical properties. The fabrication of clay ceramic allows the printability application for DIW with the implementation of an embedded wireless temperature and relative humidity sensor. The use of FFF multi-material printing allowed the capabilities of 3D printing a …


Heat Transfer Of A 1n Thruster In A 2.5u Cubesat Module, Javier Madrid May 2023

Heat Transfer Of A 1n Thruster In A 2.5u Cubesat Module, Javier Madrid

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the aerospace industry expanding and moving forward with more ambitious missions, small satellites such as CubeSats have proven to be at the forefront of innovation for research satellites. This innovation have introduced complications which if gone unattended can lead to the loss of the satellite; one such complication coming in the form of propulsion heat transfer. This paper presents an investigation into the propagation of heat transfer within a 2.5 CubeSat module when a 1N thruster is fired inside it. This is done by leveraging the equation of heat transfer and comparing results to those simulated by ANSYS. Not …


Study Of Different Heat Treatments And Aging Conditions For Observing Microstructures And Mechanical Properties Of Lpbf Fabricated F357 Alloy, Victor Adrian Medrano Balderas May 2023

Study Of Different Heat Treatments And Aging Conditions For Observing Microstructures And Mechanical Properties Of Lpbf Fabricated F357 Alloy, Victor Adrian Medrano Balderas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aluminum F357 is a widely used material for casting in the aerospace and additive manufacturing industry. Heat treatments are commonly applied to some aluminum alloys to modify their properties. With a further study on the aging and performance of the F357 with 3D printing technology, several industries benefit from this; military, automotive, and aerospace are some examples because of the numerous components cast in service. This work presents the mechanical properties of F357 specimens fabricated with EOS technology and subjected to heat treatments. Heat treatment conditions were applied to tensile specimens and tested. Furthermore, the specimens were subjected to artificial …


Evaluation And Implementation Of Lean Engineering Principles For Improving A University Rocket Team, Alan Garcia Dec 2022

Evaluation And Implementation Of Lean Engineering Principles For Improving A University Rocket Team, Alan Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present day, lean is a tool applied to manufacturing industries trying to reduce wasteand non-value-added work to every process during the supply chain. While implementing lean thinking in the industry has been highly effective, it is less common for academic purposes. However, it can also improve performance if the concept is correctly applied. The purpose of this thesis is to show and analyze the application of Lean Engineering thinking and its six principles to the Sun City Summit Rocket Team from the University of Texas at El Paso which competed in the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) Spaceport …


Fabrication, Microstructure And Mechanical Characterization Of Crvnbtaw High Entropy Alloy Coatings Using Magnetron Sputtering, Jorge Quezada Dec 2022

Fabrication, Microstructure And Mechanical Characterization Of Crvnbtaw High Entropy Alloy Coatings Using Magnetron Sputtering, Jorge Quezada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this project a CrVNbTaW high entropy alloy was evaluated. The samples were made using radio frequency magnetron sputtering and were made under similar conditions. The deposition parameters were explored to find the ideal deposition process. The process included a pressure from 0.1-2mTorr, 600C, 1 hour duration, at 100W power to guns, and constant argon flow. The samples were fabricated under similar parameters using silicon steel and sapphire substrates. The samples were analyzed and characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, nanoindentation and corrosion testing. Based on these results we were able to get a better understanding …


Direct Ink Write And Thermomechanical Characterization Of Thermoset Composites, Sergio Dante Favela Dec 2022

Direct Ink Write And Thermomechanical Characterization Of Thermoset Composites, Sergio Dante Favela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research will be divided into two sections. The first section discusses direct ink writing and thermomechanical characterization for thermoset composites. The thermoset ink is prepared with fillers aiding the printing process by modifying the rheology of the ink and geometry retention by allowing for the part to have an initial UV cure step. Three specimen formulations with different weight percentages were printed by material extrusion in the shape of tensile specimens following ASTM standard D638 to characterize the mechanical properties at room temperature, 100â?? and 200â??. Furthermore, the ink resin was characterized through DSC, TGA, and rheology testing. The …


Fabrication And Characterization Of Germanium Functionalized Porous Nickel Oxide Electrodes For Application In Supercapacitors, Cristina Gonzalez Dec 2022

Fabrication And Characterization Of Germanium Functionalized Porous Nickel Oxide Electrodes For Application In Supercapacitors, Cristina Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Limited fossil fuel, increasing population, pollution, and climate change are motivating society to use renewable and clean energy techniques. However, the intermittent nature of renewable sources hinders their continuous availability and use. Energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and batteries are essential for sustainable development but their high cost limits its bulk use. The cost of energy storage devices mainly depends on materials, synthesis process and device fabrication. Therefore, low cost 3-D mesoporous nickel germanium fictionalize nickel oxides electrode materials has been developed by using facile fabrication techniques for supercapacitor application. 3-D mesoporous nickel provides the high surface area and …


The Qualification Of Sealability And Creep Relaxation Of Additively Manufactured Zytel Gaskets For Pem Fuel Cells, Robert Lazarin Dec 2022

The Qualification Of Sealability And Creep Relaxation Of Additively Manufactured Zytel Gaskets For Pem Fuel Cells, Robert Lazarin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to study the feasibility of low-cost additive manufacturing of gaskets for proton exchange membrane fuel cells exposed to extreme temperature conditions ranging from -55°C to 100°C. With the growing popularity and decreasing costs of additive manufacturing technologies, specifically Material Extrusion (ME), research is being conducted to determine the feasibility of ME components. Thermally cycled PEMFCs may exhibit accelerated gasket deterioration, therefore, the mechanical stability of material extruded gaskets following a harsh thermal cycle must be assessed. The feasibility of the material extruded gaskets will be proven by manufacturing optimization and mechanical testing. The target …


Synthetic Data Generation For Intelligent Inspection Of Structural Environments, Noshin Habib Dec 2022

Synthetic Data Generation For Intelligent Inspection Of Structural Environments, Noshin Habib

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Automated detection of cracks and corrosion in pavements and industrial settings is essential to a cost-effective approach to maintenance. Deep learning has paved the path for vast levels of improvement in the area. Such models require a plethora of data with accurate ground truth and enough variation for the model to generalize to the data, which is notwidely available. There has been recent progress in computer graphics being used for the creation of synthetic data to address the issue of deficient data availability, but it is limited to specific objects, such as cars and human beings. Textures and deformities within …


Cryogenic Flow Boiling Heat Transfer On Additively Manufactured Liquid Rocket Engine Cooling Channels, Debra Jazmin Ortega Dec 2022

Cryogenic Flow Boiling Heat Transfer On Additively Manufactured Liquid Rocket Engine Cooling Channels, Debra Jazmin Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The enhancement of flow boiling heat transfer is critical because it can solve thermal management issues seen across all engineering and manufacturing applications. Even though advancements are being made, more studies are needed to understand the behavior of forced convective boiling further.Currently, there are four major issues in the field of regenerative cooling of liquid rocket engines. 1. The cooling channels are typically manufactured using conventional machining, while aerospace industries are currently exploring the additive manufacturing approach. 2. The experimental critical heat flux values for cryogenic fluids are either lower or very close to the model predictions; however, the effect …


Cad-Based Aerial Trajectory Generation And 3d Mapping For Close-Quarter Inspection, Angel Guillermo Ortega Castillo Dec 2022

Cad-Based Aerial Trajectory Generation And 3d Mapping For Close-Quarter Inspection, Angel Guillermo Ortega Castillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Robotic technologies for inspection purposes of large-scale structures have grown in interest.Such technologies are encouraged to reduce the risk in which human operators are involved and to reduce costs due to downtime of the equipment. In the Energy sector, high interest is placed on power plant components where their correct operation is paramount. This work is inspired by the synthetic vision systems for aerial vehicles that use three-dimensional space (3D) to provide pilots with clear and intuitive means of understanding their flying environment. This work can be separated into three main sections: Trajectory Generation from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Models, Crack …


Fabrication And Characterization Of Iron-Based Catalysts For The Dehydrogenation Of Fossil Fuels, Victoria Isabel Reyes Dec 2022

Fabrication And Characterization Of Iron-Based Catalysts For The Dehydrogenation Of Fossil Fuels, Victoria Isabel Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For a prosperous and sustainable future, hydrogen is an encouraging solution due to its simple transition for industrial decarbonization and synergy for economic development. Paradoxically, current hydrogen production pathways release substantial amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere contributing to climate change. To keep up with increasing demand, hydrogen could be produced through microwave-assisted thermocatalytic dehydrogenation of fossil fuels without emitting carbon dioxide. This requires specified catalysts to meet the requirements of hydrogen yield and selectivity. The objective of the present research is to fabricate, characterize, and compare iron-based alumina (FeAl_x O_y) catalysts produced via solution combustion synthesis and iron-based …


Compact Electrospray Propulsion Systems For Small Form-Factor Satellites: An Orbital Performance Survey & Platform Design, Alberto Meza Dec 2022

Compact Electrospray Propulsion Systems For Small Form-Factor Satellites: An Orbital Performance Survey & Platform Design, Alberto Meza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past decades, small form-factor satellites such as CubeSats have remained as one of the most accessible platforms to reach space for universities, research institutions, private and governmental entities to perform a wide range of missions. This paper presents a survey into the design and implementation of an electrospray rail thruster, to be integrated to the CubeSat platform. The design investigated features propellant tanks for each individual thruster embedded inside the rail of a standard 1U CubeSat. The capabilities of utilizing the electrospray thruster as an attitude & determination control system was also investigated in which, a pointing accuracy …


High-Temperature Valve Design For A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine Hybrid System Utilizing Smart Materials, Alba Jazmin Leyva Dec 2022

High-Temperature Valve Design For A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine Hybrid System Utilizing Smart Materials, Alba Jazmin Leyva

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The topic of this project includes extensive research on the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine (SOFC/GT) hybrid system located at the National Energy Technology Laboratory. The goal is to reduce pollution and generate energy by using natural gas and a combination of fuel cells, heat exchangers, bypass valves, turbines, and combustors as components working together to produce clean energy. The SOFC/GT system works by having the fuel cell pressurized by the gas turbine. The turbine then produces exhaust gas for the fuel cell, because the turbine recovers the majority of the heat and the pressurization contributes to the enhancement …


Novel Interlaminar Reinforcement To Enhance The Impact Damage Resistance Of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites, Daisy Haidee Mariscal Dec 2022

Novel Interlaminar Reinforcement To Enhance The Impact Damage Resistance Of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites, Daisy Haidee Mariscal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aerospace, aircraft, marine, and automobile applications are increasingly using composite materials for lighter, higher stiffness, and strength properties. Despite these advantages, composite materials have one major disadvantage. The through-thickness properties are extremely weak when subjected to impact damage. When a composite material is subjected to a low-velocity impact, there is hardly any visible damage on the surface compromising the composite material internally without any external notice. Internal damage may be delamination, which is the most common, matrix cracking, and fiber breakage. A composite material is made up of layers of fiber. The interlaminar region is located in between these layers. …


Multi-Sensor Signatures From Ultrasonic Wire Embedding Used In Hybrid Additive Manufacturing, Patrick Steven Gutierrez Aug 2022

Multi-Sensor Signatures From Ultrasonic Wire Embedding Used In Hybrid Additive Manufacturing, Patrick Steven Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has matured such that its products are used in applications ranging from prototypes to end-use parts; however, to expand the adoption of AM, the inclusion of multiple manufacturing technologies has become a focus area especially when the result is a 3D printed part with an embedded electrical system. The W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation has developed the Foundry Multi3D system consisting of two material extrusion AM machines, a robotic arm, and a CNC machine equipped with a laser soldering tool, solder micro-dispensing tool and an ultrasonic wire embedding (USWE) tool. The focus of this paper is …


Characterization Of 3d Printed Parts Containing Integrated Functionality Via Ultrasonically Embedded Wires, David Abraham Sepulveda Aug 2022

Characterization Of 3d Printed Parts Containing Integrated Functionality Via Ultrasonically Embedded Wires, David Abraham Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Material extrusion additive manufacturing has been widely adopted because it offers freedom of design, which allows complex geometry fabrication, and rapid prototyping. Interest in producing components with integrated functionality allowed forms of hybrid manufacturing to be developed such as the Multi3D system. This system produces parts with embedded components by combining additive, subtractive, soldering, dispensing, and embedding techniques. However, this involves pausing the printing process (which takes place in a controlled environment) and exposing it to ambient temperature where embedding takes places. In this research, the effect of embedding parts with 24 AWG copper for improved functionality was quantified mechanically. …


Optimization Of Lattice Structure Using Machine Learning Approach, Tanzila Bint Minhaj Aug 2022

Optimization Of Lattice Structure Using Machine Learning Approach, Tanzila Bint Minhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The goal line of designing any structure is to get maximum performance at minimum cost. Therefore, optimization is the only method to achieve that objective. Engineers have been practicing different formats of optimization. Topological optimization is one of the well-known long-practiced methods. But it is always desired to find the most helpful design method that considers every relevant parameter associated with the structure. In the continuation of this search to enhance the efficacy of design through optimization, a new approach was explored in the following work. The motivation was to enable a model to be capable of finding out the …


Thin Film Evaporation Through Engineered Copper Micropillar Arrays, Alejandro Amador Aug 2022

Thin Film Evaporation Through Engineered Copper Micropillar Arrays, Alejandro Amador

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work explored and characterized the evaporator section of a fully engineered heat pipe, a proposed semi-passive cooling solution for the thermal management at high heat fluxes, with the use of thin film evaporation. High heat loads present a problem in electronics, circuitry, space, and defense applications which are the main target areas for this cooling solution. Conventionally manufactured flat samples made of copper micropillar arrays were tested to determine their heat removal capabilities for high heat flux applications. The samples were manufactured with 400 μm micropillar hydraulic diameter, various micropillar spacings ranging from 500-1100 μm, with 500 μm and …


Characterization Of A Flex-Fuel Oxy-Combustion System Through Experimental Investigation And Computational Modeling, Md Mohieminul I. Khan Aug 2022

Characterization Of A Flex-Fuel Oxy-Combustion System Through Experimental Investigation And Computational Modeling, Md Mohieminul I. Khan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Oxy-fuel combustion has the potential to offer high thermal efficiency and lower pollutants emission compared to other existing combustion technologies. More than 63% of the worldâ??s electricity is produced by fossil fuel combustion which also is the major reason for greenhouse gas emissions. Oxy combustion offers a solution to it. Oxy combustion uses pure oxygen as an oxidizer instead of air which eliminates the NOx and SOx products from the exhaust. In oxy-combustion flue gas mainly consists of CO2 and water vapor. Furthermore, combustion in presence of pure oxygen results in higher flame temperature and hence promises higher thermal efficiency. …


Material Synthesis And Additive Manufacturing Of Ceramics, Elsa Bramasco-Rivera May 2022

Material Synthesis And Additive Manufacturing Of Ceramics, Elsa Bramasco-Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research is divided into two main topics: vitrimer polymers and alumina ceramics. Additive manufacturing is an emerging technology. In this research, two main methods of additive manufacturing are used: material extrusion and vat photopolymerization. The hypothesis of self-healing and mechanochromism functionalities was tested through the synthesis of vitrimers, a novel material combining properties of both thermosets and thermoplastics. These vitrimers were 3D printed using material extrusion. Casted vitrimers showed stiffening effects after submergence in water. Lithography based ceramics have gained attention in recent years due to their wide range of applications. Alumina ceramics were additively manufactured using digital light …