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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Modeling And Simulation Of The Thermoforming Process In Thermoplastic-Matrix Composite Materials, Philip M. Bean Dec 2018

Modeling And Simulation Of The Thermoforming Process In Thermoplastic-Matrix Composite Materials, Philip M. Bean

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thermoplastic-matrix composite materials have unique advantages over traditional thermosets including faster processing, improved fracture toughness, and recyclability. These and other benefits have caused increasing interest in the use of these materials in both aerospace and automotive industries. Due to the differences in behavior, these materials require a different type of manufacturing process to thermoset matrix composites. This manufacturing process generally involves using pre manufactured tape-layers. These layers, containing both thermoplastic-matrix and fiber-reinforcement, are aligned to the desired orientation, and stacked up into a “tailored blank” using an automated tape layup machine. They are then heated to the thermoplastic melting temperature …


Modeling Of A Continuously Variable Transmission And Clutching Of A Snowmobile, Camerin Michael Seigars May 2016

Modeling Of A Continuously Variable Transmission And Clutching Of A Snowmobile, Camerin Michael Seigars

Honors College

This thesis describes the conceptual operation of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and develops a model of a CVT system. The purpose is to form a framework for understanding how CVTs work, what factors go into their design, why they are used on almost all modern snowmobiles, and how they can be tuned for better performance. By developing a model using rigid body analysis, computer modeling, and a list of structured equations, a CVT can be tuned more efficiently. The model is used to calculate values difficult or tedious to evaluate by hand with visual aide for clearer understanding of …