Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Sensitivity Studies On The Shear Lag Parameter Β Using Analytical And Numerical Techniques, George Thomas Avery

Theses and Dissertations

The strength of fiber-reinforced composites is dependent on the strength of the fiber-matrix interface bond. Thermal, chemical, and other means have been used to modify the surface of fibers, resulting in increased fiber-matrix interface bond strength. However, researchers are still dependent on empirical methods to relate surface modifications to composite performance. Additional efforts are required to develop physics-based models for micro-mechanical effects on interfacial bond strength that will be needed for the improved design and processing of fiber reinforced composites. It is anticipated that experimental, numerical, and analytical efforts will be needed to contribute toward this endeavor.

A numerical approach …

Design Maps For Fracture Resistant Functionally Graded Materials, Muhammad Ridwan Murshed

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to generate design maps to identify functionally graded microstructures with enhanced fracture toughness. Several Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) with an edge crack and membrane loading are considered and the resulting J-integral values are computed numerically using Finite Element Analysis. In order to capture the resulting stress fields accurately, Barsoum elements are used in the vicinity of the crack tip and the simulations are carried out for several crack lengths (a) and material contrasts (κ). The averages of the J-integral values are used to determine the normalized Stress Intensity Factors which are then benchmarked with …

Modeling Atypical Building Use With Commercially Available Building Simulation Software, Sarah E. Schanck

Theses and Dissertations

National Guard armories are audited to provide recommendations for future energy reduction measures. The annual energy consumption of a New Jersey National Guard Armories cannot be modeled directly with commercially available building simulation software, due to discrepancies between the modeling capabilities of the software and the reality of the armory. A building simulation software, eQUEST, was chosen for use in this project. Discrepancies between eQUEST inputs and reality were identified and correction factors developed to minimize the effect of each discrepancy on predicted energy consumption, with the end goal of accuracy between predicted and actual energy consumption. In addition, an …

Effect Of Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Adoption On Gas Tax Revenue, Local Pollution, And Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Neil Mccall

Theses and Dissertations

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are likely to increase in popularity in the near future. However, the environmental benefits of PHEVs involve tradeoffs between the benefits of reduced tailpipe emissions against the drawbacks of increased emissions at marginal electric generation plants and reduced gasoline tax income. In this report, a model is developed that will enable these tradeoffs to be studied. The model accounts for local commuting patterns and marginal electric generation in New Jersey. The result allows the effect of PHEV adoption on gasoline tax, CO2, NOx and SOx to be predicted on a county level. Sample calculations are …

Assessment Of Force Coordination And Neuromuscular Quickness In Healthy Adults, Karen L. Haberland

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout daily life, it is necessary to handle and control innumerable objects. To do so, one’s hands must be precisely regulated. To ensure that an object is effectively manipulated, an individual must apply a grip force (GF) perpendicular to the object’s surface to overcome load force (LF), which acts tangential to the surface to counteract the object’s weight and inertia. Previous studies have shown an elaborate coordination between GF and LF in a variety of object manipulation tasks in healthy populations. This kinetic analysis is clinically important because the GF-LF coordination is shown to deteriorate in aging and neurologically impaired …