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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Investigation Into Sintered Lunar Regolith Construction Methods And Novel Usability Evaluation, Thomas A. Cox
Investigation Into Sintered Lunar Regolith Construction Methods And Novel Usability Evaluation, Thomas A. Cox
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Since the Apollo missions in the late 1960's, there has been a growing interest shared by many countries around the world to return to the Moon and establish a permanent Lunar settlement. The first phase of temporary Lunar bases will be established over the next several years. For a permanent human presence on the Moon, it will be necessary to use locally available resources for the construction of Lunar habitats and other infrastructure. Sintering Lunar regolith has been shown to be a promising method for producing structural material with a variety of desirable properties from strength to radiation shielding. While …
Feasibility Of Thermoplastic Extrusion Welding As A Joining Method For Vacuum-Assisted Additively Manufactured Tooling, Chase C. Flaherty
Feasibility Of Thermoplastic Extrusion Welding As A Joining Method For Vacuum-Assisted Additively Manufactured Tooling, Chase C. Flaherty
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) has been successfully utilized for the production of large-scale composite tooling. Within these endeavors, however, limited research has focused on joining methods between printed sections. This work evaluates the feasibility of thermoplastic extrusion welding as a joining method for additively manufactured tooling structures. This joining method was assessed based on industry specifications of conventional thermoset tooling for wind blade manufacturing utilizing the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. The specifications include requirements for the mechanical strength, vacuum integrity, roughness, and hardness of the tool surface. The feasibility of this welded polymer joint was demonstrated …