Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Using Strategic Options Development And Analysis (Soda) To Understand The Simulation Accessibility Problem, Andrew J. Collins, Ying Thaviphoke, Antuela A. Tako

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Simulation modelling is applied to a wide range of problems, including defense and healthcare. However, there is a concern within the simulation community that there is a limited use and implementation of simulation studies in practice. This suggests that despite its benefits, simulation may not be reaching its potential in making a real-world impact. The main reason for this could be that simulation tools are not widely accessible in industry. In this paper, we investigate the issues that affect simulation modelling accessibility through a workshop with simulation practitioners. We use Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA), a problem-structuring approach that …

Smart Manufacturing—Theories, Methods, And Applications, Zhuming Bi, Lida Xu, Puren Ouyang

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) Smart manufacturing (SM) distinguishes itself from other system paradigms by introducing ‘smartness’ as a measure to a manufacturing system; however, researchers in different domains have different expectations of system smartness from their own perspectives. In this Special Issue (SI), SM refers to a system paradigm where digital technologies are deployed to enhance system smartness by (1) empowering physical resources in production, (2) utilizing virtual and dynamic assets over the internet to expand system capabilities, (3) supporting data-driven decision making at all domains and levels of businesses, or (4) reconfiguring systems to adapt changes and uncertainties in dynamic environments. …

Editorial For The Special Issue On Micromachines For Non-Newtonian Microfluidics, Lanju Mei, Shizhi Qian

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page.

Microfluidics has seen a remarkable growth over the past few decades, with its extensive applications in engineering, medicine, biology, chemistry, etc [...]

Human Ergonomic Simulation To Support The Design Of An Exoskeleton For Lashing/De-Lashing Operations Of Containers Cargo, Francesco Longo, Antonio Padovano, Vittorio Solina, Virginia D' Augusta, Stefan Venzl, Roberto Calbi, Michele Bartuni, Ornella Anastasi, Rafael Diaz

VMASC Publications

Lashing and de-lashing operations of containers cargo on board containerships are considered as quite strenuous activities in which operators are required to work continuously over a 6 or 8 hours shift with very limited break. This is mostly because containerships need to leave the port as soon as possible and containers loading and unloading operations must be executed with very high productivity (stay moored in a port is a totally unproductive time for a ship and a loss-making business for a shipping company). Operators performing lashing and de-lashing operations are subjected to intense ergonomic stress and uncomfortable working postures. To …

Can We Make Our Robot Play Soccer? Influence Of Collaborating With Preservice Teachers And Fifth Graders On Undergraduate Engineering Students' Learning During A Robotic Design Process (Work In Progress), Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Kidd, Julia Noginova, Francisco Cima, Stacie Ringleb, Orlando Ayala, Pilar Pazos, Kristie Gutierrez, Min Jung Lee

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This work-in-progress paper describes engineering students’ experiences in an NSF-funded project that partnered undergraduate engineering students with pre-service teachers to plan and deliver robotics lessons to fifth graders at a local school. This project aims to address an apparent gap between what is taught in academia and industry’s expectations of engineers to integrate perspectives from outside their field to solve modern societal problems requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Working in small teams over Zoom, participating engineering, education, and fifth grade students designed, built, and coded bio-inspired COVID companion robots. The goal for the engineering students was to build new interprofessional skills, …

Assembly Of Alumina Particles In Aqueous Suspensions Induced By High‐Frequency Ac Electric Field, James E. John, Shizhi Qian, Dipankar Ghosh

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The role of high-frequency alternating current (AC) electric field in the assembly of alumina particles in aqueous media was investigated. Field–particle interactions were in situ investigated for coarse and fine powder particles in very dilute suspensions. For both coarse and fine particles, AC field-induced assembly led to the formation of chains of particles within a minute, which were aligned in the field direction. However, a much finer network of particle chains evolved in fine particle suspensions. Threshold field strength for chain formation was also lower for fine particles (28 V/mm) than for coarse particles (50 V/mm), suggesting stronger interactions for …

Solute Concentration Effects On Microstructure And The Compressive Strength Of Ice-Templated Sintered Lithium Titanate, Rohan Parai, Ziyang Nie, Raina Hempley, Gary M. Koenig Jr., Dipankar Ghosh

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This work investigated the role of sucrose and cationic dispersant (1‐hexadecyl)trimethylammonium bromide concentration on ice‐templated sintered lithium titanate microstructure and compressive strength, to enable a comprehensive understanding of composition selection and elucidate processing–microstructure–mechanical property relationships. Sucrose and dispersant concentrations were varied to change total solute concentration in suspensions and viscosity. Dispersant was more effective in reducing viscosity than sucrose; however, their combination had an even greater impact on reducing viscosity. Based on viscosity measurements, a total of 12 suspension compositions were developed, and materials were fabricated at two different freezing front velocity (FFV) regimes. Solute concentration greatly influenced ice‐templated microstructure …

Spray Deposition Of Sustainable Plant Based Graphene In Thermosetting Carbon Fiber Laminates For Mechanical, Thermal, And Electrical Properties, Daniel W. Mulqueen, Siavash Sattar, Thienan Le, Oleksandr G. Kravchenko

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Graphene has generated substantial interest as a filler due to its exceptional strength, flexibility, and conductivity but faces obstacles in supply and implementation. A renewable, plant-based graphene nanoparticle (pGNP) presents a more accessible filler with the same properties as mineral graphenes. In this study, we examine the effects of pGNP, which was sprayed on a carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg at loadings from 1.1 to 4.2 g/m². The study considered the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of pGNP-composite. An even particle dispersion was achieved using a spray application of pGNP in a water/alcohol suspension with the addition of surfactants and …

Hybridization From Guest-Host Interactions Reduces The Thermal Conductivity Of Metal-Organic Frameworks, Mallory E. Decoster, Hasan Babaei, Sangeun S. Jung, Zeinab M. Hassan, John T. Gaskins, Ashutosh Giri, Emma M. Tiernan, John A. Tomko, Helmut Baumgart, Pamela M. Norris, Alan J.H. Mcgaughey, Christopher E. Wilmer, Engelbert Redel, Gaurav Giri, Patrick E. Hopkins

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of polycrystalline HKUST-1 metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) infiltrated with three guest molecules: tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ), and (cyclohexane-1,4-diylidene)dimalononitrile (H4-TCNQ). This allows for modification of the interaction strength between the guest and host, presenting an opportunity to study the fundamental atomic scale mechanisms of how guest molecules impact the thermal conductivity of large unit cell porous crystals. The thermal conductivities of the guest@MOF systems decrease significantly, by on average a factor of 4, for all infiltrated samples as compared to the uninfiltrated, pristine HKUST-1. This reduction in thermal conductivity goes in …