Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Exploring Convergence Of Snake Skin-Inspired Texture Designs And Additive Manufacturing For Mechanical Traction, Catherine Sue Tiner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the understanding, development, and additive manufacture of a 3D printed snake skin-inspired texture pattern. The design functionalities of snake skin were determined through the study of the snake species Python Regius otherwise known as the ball python. Each scale of a snake has hierarchical texture with hexagonal macro-patterns aligned on the ventral surface of the skin with overriding anisotropic micro textured patterns such as denticulations and fibrils. Using a laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, 420 stainless steel samples were 3D printed which closely resemble the above described directional texture of natural snake skin. This printed surface …

Methods To Remotely Eliminate Biofilm From Medical Implants Using 2.4 Ghz Microwaves, Brett Glenn

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Infections associated with biofilm growth are usually challenging to eradicate due to their high tolerance toward antibiotics [11, 12]. Biofilms often form on the inert surfaces of medically implanted devices [13]. No matter the sophistication, microbial infections can develop on all medical devices and tissue engineering constructs [12]. Related infections lead to 2 million cases annually in the U.S., costing the healthcare system over $5 billion in additional healthcare expenses [12].

Novel solutions to biofilm’s microbial colonization span the spectrum of engineering and science disciplines. Yet a practical solution still does not exist. The research presented here will explore a …

Bgaas Alloy Semiconductors For Lasers On Silicon, Joshua Mcarthur

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the world of semiconductors today, there is a large dissonance between optical devices and electrical application. Due to the limitations of electron transport, photonic integrated circuits are soon-to-be vital in fields like telecommunications and sensing. Right now, these PIC’s are mostly made from indium phosphide. Due to its ubiquitous nature, however, there is a huge push to integrate efficient optics with silicon. It’s cheap, abundant, dope-able, and our electronic infrastructure is based on it. The reason why silicon photonics aren’t already commercialized is because of silicon’s indirect bandgap—it is inefficient with optical applications. The problem with combining direct gap …