Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Planar Corrugated Electrode Configuration For Manipulation Of Micro-Scale Entities In Dielectrophoretic Microfluidic Devices, Alia Mohammed Alblooshi

Mechanical Engineering Theses

This thesis conceptualizes the design of a planar electrode for employment in microfluidic devices to achieve dielectrophoretic focusing and separation of micro-scale entities. The planar electrode has corrugations with two such electrodes placed parallelly to form a pair and the electric field is generated between them; the presence of corrugations enhances the non-uniformity of the electric field. For purposes of 3D focusing, two pairs of electrodes are used with each pair on both sides of the microchannel. When the applied electric voltages are equal, the micro-scale entity is focused at the center of the microchannel and when the applied electric …

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Suspension System For A Half Car Model: Analytical And Experimental Study, Doaa Ali Nasser Al-Yafeai

Mechanical Engineering Theses

One of the essential techniques for energy harvesting is the clean energy collection from ambient vibration. Recently, piezoelectric energy harvesting systems became a hot topic and attracted many researchers. This is due to their simple structure, relatively high output power among the other mechanisms (electromagnetic and electrostatic), compatibility with MEMS, and operation in a wide frequency range. The main objective of the current work is to develop a mathematical model to evaluate the potential of harvesting power from the car suspension system. Quarter and half car models with a built-in piezoelectric stack were modeled mathematically using Laplace transformation and simulated …

Thermoresponsive Switchable Solvents For Enhanced, Simultaneous Microalgae Oil Extraction Reaction For Biodiesel Production, Mukhtar Ahmed Ismail

Mechanical Engineering Theses

In this study, a thermo-responsive switchable solvent (TSS), with a tunable hydrophobicity by simply changing the temperature (between 25 to 45oC) was used for simultaneous lipids extraction from wet microalgae and biodiesel production. By manipulating the hydrophobicity of the solvent, the cell wall disruption, lipid extraction and transesterification, and product separation steps were all carried out in a single pot, while eliminating the need for the energy intensive and time-consuming drying step. To overcome the problems currently encountered by using conventional alkaline catalysts in the transesterification of lipids, immobilized enzyme has been used. The proposed TSS consisted of an ionic …

Building A Simple Smart Factory, Iman Abdulwaheed

Mechanical Engineering Theses

This thesis describes (a) the search and findings of smart factories and their enabling technologies (b) the methodology to build or retrofit a smart factory and (c) the building and operation of a simple smart factory using the methodology. A factory is an industrial site with large buildings and collection of machines, which are operated by persons to manufacture goods and services. These factories are made smart by incorporating sensing, processing, and autonomous responding capabilities.

Developments in four main areas (a) sensor capabilities (b) communication capabilities (c) storing and processing huge amount of data and (d) better utilization of technology …

Experimental Investigations Of Bio-Syngas Production Using Microwave Pyrolysis Of Uae’S Palm Date Seeds, Mahmmoud Muhammed Syam

Mechanical Engineering Theses

From the start of the industrial revolution, the continued need for energy has been the most crucial issue in human history. An energy crisis started at the beginning of the 1970s when the number of machines, which became an essential part of our life, increased rapidly. Scientists made a huge effort to discover new sources of energy, with ‘biomass’ being one of the main focuses of researchers as a new renewable source of energy. In this thesis, a non conventional method of heating, using microwave power in a pyrolysis process of biomass waste from palm trees (Allig’s date seeds) for …

Artificial Intelligence Approach For Classroom Scheduling, Farah M. T. Aiash

Mechanical Engineering Theses

Companies, factories, and academic institutes often rely on planning and controlling scheduling of production lines or classrooms to ensure efficient utilization of resources. Task scheduling is a complex nonlinear process, due to numerous constraints, parameters and frequent, sudden changes in the requirements. The aim of this project is to explore the utilization of artificial intelligent neural networks in the preparation of classroom scheduling by utilizing their adaptive attributes and learning ability to establish a procedure for classroom timetable preparation. A set of input vectors comprising five constraints are introduced to a Self-Organizing Feature Map (SOM) neural network for classroom sections …

A Cost Effective Direct Writing Laser System For Rapid Prototyping Of Microfluidic Devices, Mohammed Ziauddin

Mechanical Engineering Theses

This study is conducted to highlight the improvement in technology of manufacturing microstructures using maskless lithography technique. Direct laser writing technique was implemented, and a major section of this study is carried out on an experimental slant. Variables that were not covered experimentally were studied using lithography simulation software, GenISys – LAB. The aim of this study is to fabricate and analyze cost effective maskless lithography apparatus to ensure rapid prototyping and optimize the system to be used for at least two negative photoresist materials. A parametric study was carried out determining the best operating conditions from both perspectives of …

Development Of Waste-Based-Thermoplastic Composite Heat Insulators, Waseem Yousef Hittini

Mechanical Engineering Theses

The main scope of this research is to develop polymer-filler thermal insulators utilizing natural and industrial local waste such as date pit powder (DPP), devulcanized tire rubber (DVR), and buffing dust (BD). Recycling and reuse of these local wastes as fillers in insulation materials has significant benefits for the UAE environment. An objective of this work was to study the effect of the combination of these local wastes with polystyrene (PS) on the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the developed thermal insulators. PS was used as a matrix, mixed in different proportions with the waste fillers. Each mixture was …

Experimental Investigations Of Techniques To Enhance The Cooling Rate Of Hot Fluids By Utilizing Gallium As A Heat Sink Material, Abdallah M. S. Ghazal

Mechanical Engineering Theses

No abstract provided.