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The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

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Articles 121 - 133 of 133

Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Mems Lab Simulation Tool, Oluwatosin D. Adeosun, Sambit Palit, Ankit Jain, Muhammad A. Alam Oct 2013

Mems Lab Simulation Tool, Oluwatosin D. Adeosun, Sambit Palit, Ankit Jain, Muhammad A. Alam

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

MEMS actuators have multiple design applications. Understanding their behavior as well as the ability to predict their actuation characteristics and voltage response is important when designing these actuators. In order to know these devices will behave, designers have to solve multiple analytical equations and experiments that can be very time consuming. Over the course of the summer a tool was created on nanoHUB that will allow users to enter information about a MEMS actuator and provide the voltage response of the actuator. To create the tool, scaling equations were first provided for various geometry configurations and the equations were next …


Design Of A Novel Actuation System For Variable Displacement Gear Machine, Mark W. Mahuren, Andrea Vacca Oct 2013

Design Of A Novel Actuation System For Variable Displacement Gear Machine, Mark W. Mahuren, Andrea Vacca

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

External spur gear pumps are exceedingly useful components in common hydraulic systems. The main issue with external gear pumps is that all current models are limited to only fixed-displacement. This means that for every revolution of the gears inside the pump, a set amount of fluid will always be displaced. Consequently, external gear pumps are limited in their use because they can only operate at full throttle causing inefficiencies when reduced displacement is needed. The successful procurement of a variable displacement gear pump will allow a more efficient use of hydraulic systems, such as in the displacement controlled systems used …


Effect Of Compression On The Transmission Loss Of Porous Material, Yingchao Yang, J Stuart Bolton Oct 2013

Effect Of Compression On The Transmission Loss Of Porous Material, Yingchao Yang, J Stuart Bolton

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Porous materials are commonly applied in sound absorption in different places. Transmission loss, one of the vital parameters determining the performance of the material, will change when the material is compressed. Usually the compression that might affect the properties to the greatest extent are normal compression and the deformation can be simplified as 1D compression model. In order to verify the prediction, some formulas taking several parameters (porosity, tortuosity, flow resistivity and characteristic lengths) into account are applied and also the Johnson et al’s model of limp structure. Dynamic density of limp model and bulk modulus are thus obtained and …


Semi-Active Structural Control Of A 2-Story Shear Building, Alana K. Wilbee, Shirley Dyke Oct 2013

Semi-Active Structural Control Of A 2-Story Shear Building, Alana K. Wilbee, Shirley Dyke

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

With continuing urban development across the world, it is becoming ever more important to provide increased structural safety against events such as earthquakes and strong winds. The field of structural control has recently been growing to meet these challenges through the use of semi-active control methods, such as the Magnetorheological (MR) Damper. However, due to the non-linearity of the device, the knowledge base surrounding the MR Damper and its various control algorithms still needs to be strengthened before large-scale implementation of this control method can occur. To address these issues, this study will examine a two story benchmark structure using …


Experimental Study Of Co2 Recycling Using Metal-Oxide Enhanced Coconut Char Gasification: Catalytic Effect Of Potassium Carbonate On Gasification, Mengqi Gao, Indraneel Sircar, Jay P. Gore Oct 2013

Experimental Study Of Co2 Recycling Using Metal-Oxide Enhanced Coconut Char Gasification: Catalytic Effect Of Potassium Carbonate On Gasification, Mengqi Gao, Indraneel Sircar, Jay P. Gore

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biomass gasification is an important process in the production of bio-derived fuels and renewable energy. Biomass gasification with CO2 is an endothermic process requiring high temperatures, resulting in low process-efficiency. Metals found in the ash in biomass feedstock have shown rate-promoting effects on the C-CO2 reaction and have motivated the study of low-temperature catalytic gasification. The present study investigates the catalytic effects of potassium (K) on the biomass gasification reactivity of a coconut-derived char (>99.9% carbon) within the temperature range of 600 – 1000 oC. A wet-impregnation technique is used to prepare K-treated chars. Gasification of …


Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulations, Jingyuan Liang, R. Edwin García, Ding-Wen (Tony) Chung, David Ely Oct 2013

Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulations, Jingyuan Liang, R. Edwin García, Ding-Wen (Tony) Chung, David Ely

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) is a set of scientific libraries designed to deploy kMC simulations intended to simulate the time evolution of some processes occurring in nature. kMC is currently allows the user to intuitively generate single component crystal lattices to simulate, post process, and visualize the kinetic Monte Carlo-based atomistic evolution of materials. kMC provides an interface to the Stochastic Parallel PARticle Kinetic Simulator (SPPARKS) [1] and is specifically designed to simulate individual atomic deposition (condensation) and dissolution (evaporation) events, while simultaneously tracking the surface and bulk crystallographic anisotropic diffusion. The main goal of this project is to create …


Advancement Of Legged Locomotion Models By Including Nonlinear Damping, Ian Abraham, Zhuohua H. Shen, Justin E. Seipel Oct 2013

Advancement Of Legged Locomotion Models By Including Nonlinear Damping, Ian Abraham, Zhuohua H. Shen, Justin E. Seipel

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Accurately predicting human locomotion has been a goal of various mathematical models. Early canonical models of locomotion were developed to predict the basic features of ground reaction forces (GRF). More recently, modified hip actuated and leg damped locomotion models have been developed to better predict the stability and robustness of human and animal locomotion. Such improvements have resulted in the loss of the characteristic GRF predicted by earlier models. Historically, GRF are among the most common measures to experimentally study human locomotion. Thus, it is important to develop new mathematical models that predict both accurate stability of motion, as well …


Improvement On Cylinder-To-Cylinder Variation In Pcci Engines Using Variable Start Of Injection And Exhaust Valve Closing Timings, Aðalsteinn Axelsson, Greg Shaver Oct 2013

Improvement On Cylinder-To-Cylinder Variation In Pcci Engines Using Variable Start Of Injection And Exhaust Valve Closing Timings, Aðalsteinn Axelsson, Greg Shaver

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) is widely considered to be a possible method of meeting increasingly strict emissions regulations in internal combustion engines. PCCI can reduce harmful emissions substantially and at the same time increase efficiency relative to conventional combustion modes. Because of the nature of PCCI, changes in in-cylinder conditions have a greater impact than in conventional diesel engines. Therefore cylinder to cylinder variations are amplified which leads to problems such as misfire and decreased efficiency in cylinders with increased ignition delay and lower apparent heat release rate (AHRR) amplitudes. Two possible methods to counteract this effect in diesel …


Crane Shaking Platform Design, Bixing Yan, Andrea Vacca Oct 2013

Crane Shaking Platform Design, Bixing Yan, Andrea Vacca

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Most of the control methodology of Mobile hydraulic crane is not as energy efficient as people think or want, and the desire to innovate novel, energy-efficient control strategy is the target of most hydraulic experts. To develop or test the control method under real road and off-road conditions, a platform that could simulate the movement and vibration of the crane truck is desired. To design and build the multi-operation platform, a design process includes brain storming, design selection, FEA (Fundamental Element Analysis), mechanical sizing, hydraulic sizing and Bill of Material is required and preferred. After going through all the steps …


The Stability And Control Of The Single Track Vehicles, Shyngys Karimov, Martin Corless Oct 2013

The Stability And Control Of The Single Track Vehicles, Shyngys Karimov, Martin Corless

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Bicycles, motorcycles and scooters are all examples of the single track vehicles. The dynamics of the single track vehicle involve many degrees of freedom and various modes which govern its performance, making a complicated and interesting research topic. Motorcycle in motion can roll, yaw, and steer about the steering axis. It has three main modes which determine the motion and stability of it, they are weave, capsize, and wobble. The motorcycle performance is limited by the behavior of its modes, and if even one of the modes becomes unstable, the vehicle will roll over, and crash. The goal of this …


Combustion Measurement Of Counter Flow Diffusion Flame Under High Pressure Using Coherant Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (Cars) Thermometry, Xianan Huang, Robert P. Lucht Oct 2013

Combustion Measurement Of Counter Flow Diffusion Flame Under High Pressure Using Coherant Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (Cars) Thermometry, Xianan Huang, Robert P. Lucht

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

H2-air combustion is widely employed in power generation systems and high speed propulsion systems which are high-pressure environments. Therefore, it is imperative to perform diagnostics in order to understand behaviors of H2-air flames under high pressure to improve the design of systems such as those mentioned previously. In order to perform measurements at high pressure, a facility has been constructed for stabilizing steady-state, laminar counterflow diffusion flames (CFDFs). Both, qualitative and quantitative measurements will be performed in this high-pressure facility. Numerical simulations of high pressure, H2-air flame structure are also being performed using COSILAB …


Linear Controller Establishment For Displacement-Control Pump Switching System, Yangqiao Zheng, Monika Ivantysynova Oct 2013

Linear Controller Establishment For Displacement-Control Pump Switching System, Yangqiao Zheng, Monika Ivantysynova

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Displacement Controlled (DC) hydraulics system is booming recently due to its high efficiency and accurate controllability, while the surplus numbers of pumps restrains its further development. DC pump switch technique is a promising application to reduce the number of pumps as well as the cost products to promote DC hydraulics technique. It is necessary to support an innovative DC hydraulic pump switching system with a controller which would allow rapid and accurate estimation and adaptation for all the parameters, like pressures and velocities, in the system. Dynamics and Hydraulics characteristics have initially been investigated for a simplified DC pump switching …


Code Optimization For Phase Field Method, Sergio Andres Monsalve, Marisol Koslowski Oct 2013

Code Optimization For Phase Field Method, Sergio Andres Monsalve, Marisol Koslowski

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The Phase field model method for studying grain dislocation at atomic level after applying an external force to the materials being tested, enables simulate the behavior of different materials after applying stress. With the appropriate numerical method the simulation could change drastically the complexity of the algorithm. Finding the most accurate and stable numerical method for the phase field model give us a considerable improving in the performance of the code used to simulate the phase field dynamic dislocation in larger and more complex simulations can be performed. We made an statistic comparison between the different methods, comparing stability and …