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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Prototyping A Conductive Polymer Steering Pad For Rail Freight Service, Anthony A. Villarreal, Constantine Tarawneh, Miguel Ontiveros, James Aranda, Robert Jones Jul 2019

Prototyping A Conductive Polymer Steering Pad For Rail Freight Service, Anthony A. Villarreal, Constantine Tarawneh, Miguel Ontiveros, James Aranda, Robert Jones

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The AdapterPlus™ steering pad is a polymer component on a railcar that helps to reduce stresses on the axle as a railcar rounds a curve. One railway application requires a minimum of 240 mA to be passed through the steering pad to the rail, which activates air valves that control automated cargo gates. Currently, two copper studs are inserted into the pad to provide a conductive path. However, after continuous cyclic loading caused by normal service operation, the copper studs deform, wear, and eventually lose contact between the two surfaces rendering the pad nonconductive. One proposed solution to this problem …


First-Principles Study Of The Products Of Co2 Dissociation On Nickel-Based Alloys: Trends In Energetics With Alloying Element, Lynza H. Sprowl, Benjamin Adam, Julie D. Tucker, Líney Árnadóttir Nov 2018

First-Principles Study Of The Products Of Co2 Dissociation On Nickel-Based Alloys: Trends In Energetics With Alloying Element, Lynza H. Sprowl, Benjamin Adam, Julie D. Tucker, Líney Árnadóttir

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Oxidation and corrosion of nickel and Ni-based alloys are a problem for many industrial applications, such as power plants that use supercritical CO2 as the working fluid. In supercritical CO2 environments, CO2 dissociates on the surface forming adsorbed CO and O, which can oxidize the surface. The adsorbed CO can further breakdown via direct CO dissociation or via the Boudouard reaction to form adsorbed C, which can in turn carburize the surface. Understanding how the adsorbed species interact with different Ni-based alloys can help guide the design of future alloys. The interactions of adsorbed O, C, and CO on the …


A Sustainable Approach For Tungsten Carbide Synthesis Using Renewable Biopolymers, Monsur Islam, Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte Sep 2017

A Sustainable Approach For Tungsten Carbide Synthesis Using Renewable Biopolymers, Monsur Islam, Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte

Publications

Here we present a sustainable, environment-friendly and energy-efficient approach for synthesis of porous tungsten carbide (WC). A biopolymer-metal oxide composite featuring iota-carrageenan, chitin and tungsten trioxide (WO3) was used as the precursor material. The reaction mechanism for the synthesis of WC was estimated using the results from X-ray diffraction characterization (XRD). A synthesis temperature of 1300 °C and dwell time of 3 h were found to be the optimum process parameters to obtain WC>98% pure. The grain size, porosity and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of the synthesized WC were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission …


Static And Dynamic Strain Monitoring Of Reinforced Concrete Components Through Embedded Carbon Nanotube Cement-Based Sensors, Antonella D’Alessandro, Filippo Ubertini, Enrique García-Macías, Rafael Castro-Triguero, Austin Downey, Simon Laflamme, Andrea Meoni, Annibale Luigi Materazzi Aug 2017

Static And Dynamic Strain Monitoring Of Reinforced Concrete Components Through Embedded Carbon Nanotube Cement-Based Sensors, Antonella D’Alessandro, Filippo Ubertini, Enrique García-Macías, Rafael Castro-Triguero, Austin Downey, Simon Laflamme, Andrea Meoni, Annibale Luigi Materazzi

Faculty Publications

The paper presents a study on the use of cement-based sensors doped with carbon nanotubes as embedded smart sensors for static and dynamic strain monitoring of reinforced concrete (RC) elements. Such novel sensors can be used for the monitoring of civil infrastructures. Because they are fabricated from a structural material and are easy to utilize, these sensors can be integrated into structural elements for monitoring of different types of constructions during their service life. Despite the scientific attention that such sensors have received in recent years, further research is needed to understand (i) the repeatability and accuracy of sensors’ behavior …


Heating Element Including Carbon Nanotube (Cnt) Layer, Santhosh Kumar Loganathan, Virginie Rollin, Daewon Kim Apr 2016

Heating Element Including Carbon Nanotube (Cnt) Layer, Santhosh Kumar Loganathan, Virginie Rollin, Daewon Kim

Publications

Apparatus , materials , and techniques and techniques herein can include providing a deposited layer comprising a com posite material including carbon nanotubes ( CNTs ) . Accord ing to various examples , the composite can be applied to a substrate such as using a solution containing CNTs and other constituents such as sulfur . The solution can be spray applied to a substrate , or spin - coated upon a substrate , such as to provide a uniform , conductive , and optically - transpar ent film layer . In one application , such a film layer can be …


Size-Controlled Large-Diameter And Few-Walled Carbon Nanotube Catalysts For Oxygen Reduction, Xianliang Wang, Qing Li, Hengyu Pan, Ye Lin, Yujie Ke, Haiyang Sheng, Mark T. Swihart, Gang Wu Nov 2015

Size-Controlled Large-Diameter And Few-Walled Carbon Nanotube Catalysts For Oxygen Reduction, Xianliang Wang, Qing Li, Hengyu Pan, Ye Lin, Yujie Ke, Haiyang Sheng, Mark T. Swihart, Gang Wu

Faculty Publications

We demonstrate a new strategy for tuning the size of large-diameter and few-walled nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) from 50 to 150 nm by varying the transition metal (TM = Fe, Co, Ni or Mn) used to catalyze graphitization of dicyandiamide. Fe yielded the largest tubes, followed by Co and Ni, while Mn produced a clot-like carbon morphology. We show that morphology is correlated with electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A clear trend of Fe > Co > Ni > Mn for the ORR catalytic activity was observed, in both alkaline media and more demanding acidic media. The Fe-derived N-CNTs exhibited …


Material Selection Of Z-Fibre In Stitched Composites - Experimental And Analytical Comparison Approach, Kwek Tze Tan, N. Watanabe, M. Sano, M. Takase, Y. Iwahori, H. Hoshi Jan 2009

Material Selection Of Z-Fibre In Stitched Composites - Experimental And Analytical Comparison Approach, Kwek Tze Tan, N. Watanabe, M. Sano, M. Takase, Y. Iwahori, H. Hoshi

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Strain energy release rates are measured and compared for laminated composites stitched with different fibre materials – Carbon, Kevlar and Vectran. DCB test and FE simulation are performed to evaluate the interlaminar toughness. It is proven that Vectran provides the toughest interlaminar reinforcement and is most suitable for Zfibre application.


Mechanics Of Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Deposits From Electron-Beam-Induced Deposition Of Paraffin Precursor, W. Ding, D. A. Dikin, X. Chen, R. D. Piner, R. S. Ruoff, E. Zussman, X. Wang, Xiaodong Li Jul 2005

Mechanics Of Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Deposits From Electron-Beam-Induced Deposition Of Paraffin Precursor, W. Ding, D. A. Dikin, X. Chen, R. D. Piner, R. S. Ruoff, E. Zussman, X. Wang, Xiaodong Li

Faculty Publications

Many experiments on the mechanics of nanostructures require the creation of rigid clamps at specific locations. In this work, electron-beam-induced deposition(EBID) has been used to depositcarbonfilms that are similar to those that have recently been used for clamping nanostructures. The film deposition rate was accelerated by placing a paraffin source of hydrocarbon near the area where the EBIDdeposits were made. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron-energy-loss spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, secondary-ion-mass spectrometry, and nanoindentation were used to characterize the chemical composition and the mechanics of the carbonaceous deposits. The typical EBIDdeposit was found to be hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) having …


Design And Technologies For A Smart Composite Bridge, K. Chandrashekhara, Prakash Kumar, Steve Eugene Watkins, Antonio Nanni Jan 2004

Design And Technologies For A Smart Composite Bridge, K. Chandrashekhara, Prakash Kumar, Steve Eugene Watkins, Antonio Nanni

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An all-composite, smart bridge design for shortspan applications is described. The bridge dimensions are 9.14-m (30-ft.) long and 2.74-m (9-ft.) wide. A modular construction based on assemblies of pultruded fiber-reinforced-polymer (FRP) composite tubes is used to meet American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) H20 highway load ratings. The hollow tubes are 76 mm (3 in.) square and are made of carbon/vinyl-ester and glass/vinyl-ester. An extensive experimental study was carried out to obtain and compare properties (stiffness, strength, and failure modes) for a quarter portion of the full-sized bridge. The bridge response was measured for design loading, two-million-cycle …


Nanofatigue Studies Of Ultrathin Hard Carbon Overcoats Used In Magnetic Storage Devices, Xiaodong Li, Bharat Bhushan May 2002

Nanofatigue Studies Of Ultrathin Hard Carbon Overcoats Used In Magnetic Storage Devices, Xiaodong Li, Bharat Bhushan

Faculty Publications

A technique to perform nanofatigue experiments was developed. This technique utilizes a depth-sensing nanoindenter with harmonic force. The nanofatigue behavior of 20 nm thick amorphous carbon coatings was studied. The contact stiffness was monitored continuously throughout the test. The abrupt decrease in the contact stiffness indicates fatigue damage has occurred. The critical load amplitude, below which no fatigue damage occurs, was identified. It was found that the filtered cathodic arc coating exhibits longer fatigue life than a direct ion beam coating. Failure mechanisms of the coatings during fatigue are also discussed in conjunction with the hardness,elastic modulus, and fracture toughness, …


The Effects Of Patch Properties On The Debonding Behavior Of Patched Beam-Plates, Anette M. Karlsson Oct 2000

The Effects Of Patch Properties On The Debonding Behavior Of Patched Beam-Plates, Anette M. Karlsson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The debonding characteristics of patched structures are investigated in this study by means of an analytical model. In particular, the effects the lay-up sequence and edge tapering of a carbon-reinforced epoxy patch, as well as the beveling of an aluminum patch, have on the initiation, stability, and extent of the debonding are considered. The results presented show that both the degree of edge-tapering and the patch properties must be carefully selected in order to optimize the patched structure. It is also shown that when designing a patched system, it is important to model the correct boundary and load conditions to …