Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

A Finite Element For The Three-Dimensional Deformation Of A Circular Ring Of Arbitrary Cross Section, Jeffrey Stuart Knowlton

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

A two-node finite element for relatively compact, solid curved beams is derived. A node is located at the centroid of each end of the beam, and each node has six degrees of freedom, consisting of three translations and three rotations in mutually perpendicular directions. The element stiffness matrix has dimensions 12x12. A cylindrical polar coordinate system is used to express the components of the associated displacement and load vectors. As a consequence of the assumption of a nonzero cross-section product of inertia, deflec­tions in the plane and out of the plane of beam curvature are coupled. Hence in-plane loads can …

The Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of A Thermosiphon Solar Water Heater, James R. Coughlin, Mark R. Bender

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this senior project was to design, construct and evaluate a thermosiphon solar water heater. The project was to be used as a department demonstration of a passive solar water heating system. Overall maximum dimensions of the system needed to be maintained to insure the system's transportability through doors and corridors.

Crimp-Type Electrical Connectors, Ted Lai-Che Kuo

Dissertations

Three types of surface conditions (plain surface, plain surface with oxidation inhibitor, and toothed surface) and four types of environmental gases (air, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen) were used to study the performance of electrical connectors installed on aluminum conductors. All of the connectors were placed insealed vessels which allowed the desired type of gas to flow at a steady rate. The connectors were then current cycled.

For the connections prepared with plain surfaces, the connectors deteriorated equally fast in air, nitrogen and hydrogen. Only the connectorsexposed to oxygen showed a higher deterioration rate than the others.

Connections prepared withhaving plain …

Improved Finite Element Methodology For Integrated Thermal-Structural Analysis, Pramote Dechaumphai

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An integrated thermal-structural finite element approach for efficient coupling of thermal and structural analysis is presented. New thermal finite elements which yield exact nodal and element temperatures for one-dimensional linear steady-state heat transfer problems are developed. A nodeless variable formulation is used to establish improved thermal finite elements for one-dimensional nonlinear transient and two-dimensional linear transient heat transfer problems. The thermal finite elements provide detailed temperature distributions without using additional element nodes and permit a common discretization with lower order congruent structural finite elements. The accuracy of the integrated approach is evaluated by comparisons with analytical solutions and conventional finite …

Investigation Of Blood Pressure Measurement Using A Hydraulic Occlusive Cuff, Kusha R. Bhattarai

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents an improved oscillotonometric system for the measurement of human blood pressure. The study included:

1. The design of a hydraulic occlusive cuff,

2. The investigation of the wave forms taken from the blood pressure measurements, and

3. The design of a mechanism for the simulation of human blood pressure pulse.

In this study, an experimental system consisting of a rigid shell occlusive cuff, a constant volume displacement pump, a transducer, and a chart recorder was designed and used for data collection.

A Single Cylinder Engine Study Of Lean Supercharged Operation For Spark Ignition Engines, Kenneth Robert Schmid

Masters Theses

"A comprehensive single cylinder engine test program to evaluate Lean Supercharged Operation (LSO) for spark ignition engines was conducted. The evaluation involved an experimental program studying the power, emissions, and efficiency of a single cylinder engine. The relationships between engine power, efficiency, and emissions and the engine operating variables such as absolute intake manifold pressure, Exhaust Gas Recirculation rates, and spark timing were studied"--Abstract, page ii.