Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 22 of 22

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Study Of Nanocomposite Materials Using Molecular Dynamics, Prashik Sunil Gaikwad Jan 2023

Study Of Nanocomposite Materials Using Molecular Dynamics, Prashik Sunil Gaikwad

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

There is an increase in demand for new lightweight structural materials in the aerospace industry for more efficient and affordable human space travel. Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) with reinforcement material as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown exceptional increase in the mechanical properties. Flattened carbon nanotubes (flCNTs) are a primary component of many carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn and sheet materials, which are promising reinforcements for the next generation of ultra-strong composites for aerospace applications. These flCNT/polymer materials are subjected to extreme pressure and temperature during curing process. Therefore there is a need to investigate the evolution of properties during the curing …


Molecular Modeling Of High-Performance Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composites For Aerospace Applications, Prathamesh P. Deshpande Jan 2022

Molecular Modeling Of High-Performance Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composites For Aerospace Applications, Prathamesh P. Deshpande

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The global efforts from major space agencies to transport humans to Mars will require a novel lightweight and ultra-high strength material for the spacecraft structure. Three decades of research with the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have proved that the material can be an ideal candidate for the composite reinforcement if certain shortcomings are overcome. Also, the rapid development of the polymer resin industry has introduced a wide range of high-performance resins that show high compatibility with the graphitic surface of the CNTs. This research explores the computational design of these materials and evaluates their efficacy as the next generation of aerospace …


Development Of The Carbon Nanotube Thermoacoustic Loudspeaker, Troy Bouman Jan 2021

Development Of The Carbon Nanotube Thermoacoustic Loudspeaker, Troy Bouman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Traditional speakers make sound by attaching a coil to a cone and moving that coil back and forth in a magnetic field (aka moving coil loudspeakers). The physics behind how to generate sound via this velocity boundary condition has largely been unchanged for over a hundred years. Interestingly, around the time moving coil loudspeakers were first investigated the idea of using heat to generate sound was also known. These thermoacoustic speakers heat and cool a thin material at acoustic frequencies to generate the pressure wave (i.e. they use a thermal boundary condition). Unfortunately, when the thermoacoustic principle was initially discovered …


Advanced Techniques For Carbon Nanotube Templated Microfabrication, Jason Matthew Lund Dec 2019

Advanced Techniques For Carbon Nanotube Templated Microfabrication, Jason Matthew Lund

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotube templated microfabrication (CNT-M) is a term describing a grouping of processes where carbon nanotubes (CNTs) serve a structural role in the fabrication of a material or device. In its basic form, CNT-M is comprised of two steps: produce a template made from carbon nanotubes and infiltrate the porous template with an additional material. Vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) templates can be grown to heights ranging from microns to millimeters and lithographically patterned to a desired form. Deposition of an existing thin film material onto a CNT template will coat all template surfaces and can produce a near solid …


Electrostatically Actuated Double Wall Carbon Nanotubes To Include Intertube Van Der Waals Forces, Ezequiel Juarez Ocanas Aug 2019

Electrostatically Actuated Double Wall Carbon Nanotubes To Include Intertube Van Der Waals Forces, Ezequiel Juarez Ocanas

Theses and Dissertations

This work deals with the amplitude-frequency and amplitude-voltage responses of parametric and primary resonances of electrostatically actuated double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs). Nonlinear forces acting on the DWCNT are intertube van der Waals and electrostatic forces. Soft AC excitation and small viscous damping are assumed. In coaxial vibration, the outer and inner carbon nanotubes move together (in-phase), maintaining their geometric concentricity; while in noncoaxial vibration, the CNTs move in opposite direction (out-of-phase). Modal coordinate transformation is formulated. The Harmonic Balance Method (HBM) is used to find the free response solutions of the DWCNT. The Reduced Order Model (ROM) method is also …


Functional Porous Polydimethlysiloxane As Piezoresistive And Piezoelectric Materials, Taissa Rose Michel Jul 2019

Functional Porous Polydimethlysiloxane As Piezoresistive And Piezoelectric Materials, Taissa Rose Michel

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and zinc oxide (ZnO) were combined to create functionalized piezoresistive and piezoelectric sensors for pressure sensing and energy harvesting. Samples were foamed to show that the increased deformability of the foam sensors makes them suitable for a range of applications including dexterous robotics, tactile sensing, energy harvesting, and biosensing. Uniform dispersion of CNTs was achieved with chloroform as the solvent. Samples were foamed using chemical blowing and scaffolding but granulated sugar at 70% porosity resulted in foamed samples with the most consistent mechanical properties. Samples underwent tensile and compressive testing for their …


Advanced Uses For Carbon Nanotubes: A Spherical Sound Source And Hot-Films As Microphones, Micaela M. Thiery Jan 2017

Advanced Uses For Carbon Nanotubes: A Spherical Sound Source And Hot-Films As Microphones, Micaela M. Thiery

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Super-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) thin-film is used to create thermophones. The thermal properties of CNT film allow it to rapidly heat and cool when supplied AC power producing temperature and pressure gradients and, therefore, audible sound. The advantages of CNT thermophones include eliminating all moving components of traditional speakers and reducing the weight of the speaker itself by using CNT film, which is nearly weightless. Additionally, the flexibility of CNT film provides the unique opportunity to construct loudspeakers of various sizes and geometries. In this work, a spherical CNT thermophone is designed, manufactured, and tested for directivity with the overall …


Atomistic And Mesoscopic Simulations Of Heat Transfer Across Heterogeneous Material Interfaces, Sridhar Sadasivam Aug 2016

Atomistic And Mesoscopic Simulations Of Heat Transfer Across Heterogeneous Material Interfaces, Sridhar Sadasivam

Open Access Dissertations

The study of heat transfer and the associated thermal interface resistance at heterogeneous material interfaces is over 70 years old since the first measurements of thermal interface resistance by Kapitza in 1941. However, recent developments in experimental metrology techniques that enable spectrally-resolved phonon transport measurements at the nanoscale along with the development of high-fidelity simulation methods have provided a renewed interest in the fundamental physics of heat transfer across interfaces. Miniaturized electronic devices and nanostructured materials for energy applications are among technologies that would benefit from a fundamental understanding of interfacial thermal transport. This dissertation focuses on the study of …


Nonlinear Dynamics Of Electrostatically Actuated Nanotweezers, Bin Liu May 2016

Nonlinear Dynamics Of Electrostatically Actuated Nanotweezers, Bin Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Bin Liu, Nonlinear Dynamics of Electrostatically Actuated Nanotweezers. Master of Science (MS), May 2016, 77 pp, 6 tables, 59 figures, references, 25 titles. The amplitude-frequency response of electrostatic nanotube nanotweezer device system is investigated; soft alter current was setting at near half natural frequency impulse on nanotubes which are referred to as two arms, parametric and primary resonances will be shown in the results, respectively. Firstly we are using the Method of Multiple Scales (MMS) analytical model; results will be compared with Reduced Order Model (ROM). By variation and comparison of multiple parameters including van der wall molecular forces, electrostatic …


Development Of Multifunctional Shape Memory Polymer And Shape Memory Polymer Composites, Sesha Spandana Pulla Jan 2015

Development Of Multifunctional Shape Memory Polymer And Shape Memory Polymer Composites, Sesha Spandana Pulla

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are an emerging class of active polymers that can be used on a wide range of reconfigurable structures and actuation devices. The present study comprehensively examines the unconstrained shape recovery abilities of an epoxy-based SMP. In doing so, epoxy based SMP is synthesized and thermo-mechanically characterized. Results show that the present SMP exhibits excellent shape recoveries under unconstraint conditions, for a range of fixing strains and temperatures. Additionally, the stress-strain behavior of the SMP is determined to be nonlinear, finite deformation at all regions. The strain energy based models have been used to capture the complicate …


Design Exploration And Analysis Of Carbon-Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Vascular Stents, Darrell John Skousen Sep 2013

Design Exploration And Analysis Of Carbon-Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Vascular Stents, Darrell John Skousen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to design, develop, and test coronary stent designs composed of carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CI-CNTs). Coronary stents currently have two major complications: restenosis and thrombosis. CI-CNT stents have potential to address both of these issues, and therefore may provide improved clinical outcomes. CI-CNT stent geometry is patterned using high-resolution photolithography that provide advantages in design possibilities.To develop a coronary stent, a standard design process was followed including: background, design specifications, concept generation, development, analysis, and testing. Background research was first completed and general design specifications for coronary stent performance were compiled. Multiple design concepts were …


Nonlinear Dynamics Of Carbon Nanotubes Under Soft Alternating Current Actuation, Le Luo Aug 2013

Nonlinear Dynamics Of Carbon Nanotubes Under Soft Alternating Current Actuation, Le Luo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis work deals with electrostatically actuated Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) cantilevers. Four forces are acting on the CNTs cantilever, namely damping, elastic, electrostatic and van der Waals forces. The van der Waals force is significant for values of 50 nm or lower of the gap between the CNTs and the ground substrate. As both electrostatic and van der Waals forces are nonlinear, and the CNTs electrostatic actuation is given by alternating current (AC) voltage, the CNTs undergo nonlinear parametric dynamics. The Method of Multiple Scales (MMS) and Reduced Order Model (ROM) are employed to investigate the system under soft excitation …


An Exploration Of Carbon-Filled Carbon Nanotubes As A Potential Material In Coronary Stents, Kristopher Neil Jones May 2013

An Exploration Of Carbon-Filled Carbon Nanotubes As A Potential Material In Coronary Stents, Kristopher Neil Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to explore the potential of using carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CI-CNT) as a material for coronary artery stents. Stents are commonly fabricated from metal, which may not perform as well as many polymers and ceramics in biomedical applications. Pyrolytic carbon, a ceramic, is currently used in medical implant devices due to its preferrable biocompatibility properties. Micro-patterned pyrolytic carbon devices can be created by growing carbon nanotubes, and then filling the space between with amorphous carbon via chemical vapor deposition. We prepared multiple samples of two different planar stent-like flexible geometries and smaller cubic structures out …


Nano-Particles In Multi-Scale Composites And Ballistic Applications, Jason Gibson Jan 2013

Nano-Particles In Multi-Scale Composites And Ballistic Applications, Jason Gibson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes, graphene and nano sized core shell rubber particles have all been extensively researched for their capability to improve mechanical properties of thermoset resins. However, there has been a lack of research on their evaluation for energy absorption in high velocity impact scenarios, and the fundamental mechanics of their failure mechanisms during highly dynamic stress transfer through the matrix. This fundamental research is essential for laying the foundation for improvement in ballistic performance in composite armor. In hard armor applications, energy absorption is largely accomplished through delamination between plies of the composite laminate. This energy absorption is accomplished through …


Multiscale Modeling Of Liquid Crystalline/Nanotube Composites, Sharil Patrale Jan 2013

Multiscale Modeling Of Liquid Crystalline/Nanotube Composites, Sharil Patrale

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The objective of this research is to synthesize structural composites designed with particular areas defined with custom modulus, strength and toughness values in order to improve the overall mechanical behavior of the composite. Such composites are defined and referred to as 3D-designer composites. These composites will be formed from liquid crystalline polymers and carbon nanotubes. The fabrication process is a variation of rapid prototyping process, which is a layered, additive-manufacturing approach. Composites formed using this process can be custom designed by apt modeling methods for superior performance in advanced applications. The focus of this research is on enhancement of Young's …


Distribution Map Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In A Refrigerant/Oil Mixture Within A 2.5 Ton Unitary Air-Conditioner, Warren Russell Long Dec 2012

Distribution Map Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In A Refrigerant/Oil Mixture Within A 2.5 Ton Unitary Air-Conditioner, Warren Russell Long

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, nanoparticles have received considerable attention as a potential additive to heat transfer fluids (i.e. refrigerant) in order to increase the heat transfer capabilities of these fluids. The potential of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to exit the compressor, migrate throughout a vapor compression air conditioning system, and possibly foul the components of such a system was experimentally investigated in this research. Six grams of CNTs were dispersed in the polyol ester oil used by a 2.5 ton (8.79 kW) unitary air conditioning system, which was continuously operated for 168 hours. After this time, the unit was shut down and …


Fabrication And Characterization Of Polylactic Acid And Polylactic Acid/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Nanofibers Through Centrifugal Spinning, Richard Patlan Dec 2012

Fabrication And Characterization Of Polylactic Acid And Polylactic Acid/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Nanofibers Through Centrifugal Spinning, Richard Patlan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Biocompatible polymer nanofibers hold great potential in the biomedical engineering field. Their biodegradable nature and enhanced properties could help solve a wide array of health related problems, particularly in the areas of tissue regeneration, drug delivery, and biosensor design. The novel ForcespinningTM method allows the production of submicron fibers without many of the drawbacks found in electrospinning, while also providing a substantial increase in fiber production. The aim of the study was to utilize this method to fabricate non-woven nanofibrous mats composed of polylactic acid (PLA) and polylactic acid/multi-walled carbon nanotube composite fibers. The morphology, thermal properties, and crystalline structure …


Mathematical Model And Experimental Exploration Of The Nanoinjector Lance Array, Nathan C. Toone Jul 2012

Mathematical Model And Experimental Exploration Of The Nanoinjector Lance Array, Nathan C. Toone

Theses and Dissertations

The Nanoinjector Lance Array has been developed to inject foreign material into thousands of cells at once using electrophoresis to attract and repel particles to and from the electrically-charged lances. A mathematical computer model simulating the motion of attracted or repelled proteins informs the design of the nanoinjection lance array system. The model is validated by accurately predicting protein velocity in electrophoresis experiments. A complete analysis of parameters is conducted via simulations and specific research questions regarding the counter electrode of the nanoinjector lance array system are explored using the model. A novel technique for fabricating lance arrays from collapsed …


Mechanical Properties And Mems Applications Of Carbon-Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Forests, Walter C. Fazio May 2012

Mechanical Properties And Mems Applications Of Carbon-Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Forests, Walter C. Fazio

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the use of carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotube (CI-CNT) forests as a material for fabricating compliant MEMS devices. The impacts of iron catalyst layer thickness and carbon infiltration time are examined. An iron layer of 7nm or 10nm with an infiltration time of 30 minutes produces CI-CNT best suited for compliant applications. Average maximum strains of 2% and 2.48% were observed for these parameters. The corresponding elastic moduli were 5.4 GPa and 4.1 GPa, respectively. A direct comparison of similar geometry suggested CI-CNT is 80% more flexible than single-crystal silicon. A torsional testing procedure provided an initial shear modulus …


Molecular Dynamics Study Of Particle Impact Induced Bond Breaking Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Quality Factors Of Nanocomposite Structures, Puroorava Annapaneni Aug 2011

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Particle Impact Induced Bond Breaking Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Quality Factors Of Nanocomposite Structures, Puroorava Annapaneni

All Theses

Part A
Injection of particles to the side wall of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) has been employed for doping and storage of particles on SWCNTs. In addition, particle bombardment can be used to cut and modify graphene structures. While the collision of hydrogen atoms with SWCNTs has been extensively studied, collision dynamic behavior of heavy particles with SWCNTs has not been well understood. To facilitate a better understanding of the particle-SWCNT collision process, in this work, we study the impact of five noble gas atoms (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) with SWCNTs and investigate particle impact induced CNT bond breaking …


Straightness Of Growth For Carbon Nanotube Microelectromechanical Systems, Kellen S. Moulton Nov 2010

Straightness Of Growth For Carbon Nanotube Microelectromechanical Systems, Kellen S. Moulton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of iron catalyst thickness on the straightness of growth of carbon nanotube microelectromechanical systems (CNT-MEMS). One of the key benefits of CNT-MEMS is that they can potentially have very high aspect ratios. One of the challenges in attaining these high aspect ratios is maintaining device straightness; as these devices get taller, the edges tend to curve rather than grow straight vertically. Scanning electron mi- croscope images of samples grown using various iron catalyst thicknesses show that both straight growth and relatively good edge definition can be achieved using iron thicknesses …


Processing And Characterization Of High Performance Structural Nanocomposites, Dennis C. Working Jan 2006

Processing And Characterization Of High Performance Structural Nanocomposites, Dennis C. Working

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes are considered to be a revolutionary material breakthrough due to their unique combination of properties. While many applications for SWCNTs have been projected, realization of these potential uses have been hampered by the high cost of limited supplies of high quality SWCNTs and the difficulty in the development of a suitable processing method that does not damage the filler thus diminishing the desirable properties of this material. In spite of these technical challenges, their potential to enable the fabrication of multifunctional materials is being investigated in earnest. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of …