Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Coupled Fluid And Colloidall Particle Transport Model, Scott Ripplinger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A colloidal system usually refers to when very small particles are suspended within a solution. The study of these systems encompasses a variety of cases including bacteria in ground water, blood cells and platelets in blood plasma, and river silt transport. Taking a look at these kinds of systems using computer simulation can provide a great deal of insight into how they work. Most approaches to date do not look at the details of the system, however, and are specific to given system. In this study a program called OpenFOAM is used as a basis to build a computer simulation …

Design And Construction Of An Omni-Directional Soccer Ball Thrower, Andrew James Marquette

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Introduction

We are ODST the Omni-Directional Soccer Ball Thrower team which designed the soccer ball launching machine. Working in direct correlation with the project sponsor John Meade from Athlonic Sports this is the report outlining the soccer ball thrower. John from Athlonic Sports came up with the overall project and initial project vision. There are soccer ball launching machines on the market but lacking mobility, not amiable and are heavy. The design needed to be mobile, amiable, lightweight, and have a soccer ball capacity incorporated into the machine. This will allow coaches to repeatability place the soccer ball in certain …

Lifting-Line Predictions For Induced Drag And Lift In Ground Effect, W. F. Phillips, Doug F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Closed-form relations are presented for estimating ratios of the induced-drag and lift coefficients acting on a wing in ground effect to those acting on the same wing outside the influence of ground effect. The closed-form relations for these ground-effect influence ratios were developed by correlating results obtained from numerical solutions to Prandtl’s lifting-line theory. Results show that these influence ratios are not unique functions of the ratio of wing height to wingspan, as is sometimes suggested in the literature. These ground-effect influence ratios also depend on the wing planform, aspect ratio, and lift coefficient.

Nutrient And Carbon-Dioxide Requirements For Large-Scale Microalgae Biofuel Production, Benjamin K. Shurtz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ever-increasing fuel prices and a limited supply of oil worldwide are threatening our economy and way of life in both the near and distant future. In order to reduce oil
dependence, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has established a goal that by the year 2030, 30% of the US transportation fuel will be renewable. The goal equates to
approximately 60 billion gallons per year of renewable fuel.

In an effort to reach the DOE renewable fuel goal, numerous types of plants are being studied, whose oil can be harvested and refined to serve as replacement fuel.
Among the various …

Linear Covariance Analysis For Gimbaled Pointing Systems, Randall S. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Linear covariance analysis has been utilized in a wide variety of applications. Historically, the theory has made significant contributions to navigation system design and analysis. More recently, the theory has been extended to capture the combined effect of navigation errors and closed-loop control on the performance of the system. These advancements have made possible rapid analysis and comprehensive trade studies of complicated systems ranging from autonomous rendezvous to vehicle ascent trajectory analysis. Comprehensive trade studies are also needed in the area of gimbaled pointing systems where the information needs are different from previous applications. It is therefore the objective of …

Momentum Theory With Slipstream Rotation Applied To Wind Turbines, Doug F. Hunsaker, W. F. Phillips

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A momentum theory which includes the effects of slipstream rotation for wind turbines is presented. The theory accounts for the axial and radial pressure gradients within the slipstream as well as the wake expansion caused by wake rotation. Because of the limiting approximations of previous methods, the effects of slipstream rotation have not been accurately realized. The method included here, which does not suffer from the unrealistic approximations of previous methods, predicts that the effects of slipstream rotation are manifest entirely through an increase in the turbine thrust coefficient. The method predicts, as previous methods do, that the Lanchester-Betz-Joukowski limit …

Lifting-Line Predictions For Induced Drag And Lift In Ground Effect, W. F. Phillips, Doug F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Closed-form relations are presented for estimating ratios of the induced-drag and lift coefficients acting on a wing in ground effect to those acting on the same wing outside the influence of ground effect. The closed-form relations for these ground-effect influence ratios were developed by correlating results obtained from numerical solutions to Prandtl's lifting-line theory. Results show that these influence ratios are not unique functions of the ratio of wing height to wingspan, as is sometimes suggested in the literature. These ground-effect influence ratios also depend on the wing planform, aspect ratio, and lift coefficient.

Decomposed Lifting-Line Predictions And Optimization For Propulsive Efficiency Of Flapping Wings, W. F. Phillips, R. A. Miller, Doug F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A decomposed Fourier series solution to Prandtl's classical lifting-line theory is used to predict the lift, induced-thrust, and power coefficients developed by a flapping wing. A significant advantage of this quasi-steady analytical solution over commonly used numerical methods is the utility provided for optimizing wing flapping cycles. The analytical solution involves five time-dependent functions that could all be optimized to maximize thrust, propulsive efficiency, and/or other performance measures. Results show that by optimizing only two of these five functions, propulsive efficiencies exceeding 97% can be obtained. Results are presented for untwisted rectangular wings in pure plunging, rectangular wings with linear …

Monte Carlo Uncertainty Analysis For Photothermal Radiometry Measurements Using A Curve Fit Process, Kyle Horne, Austin Fleming, Heng Ban

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Photothermal Radiometry (PTR) has become a popular method to measure thermal properties of layered materials. Much research has been done to determine the capabilities of PTR, but with little uncertainty analysis. This study performs a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis to quantify uncertainty of film diffusivity and effusivity measurements, presents a sensitivity study for each input parameter, compares linear and logarithmic spacing of data points on frequency scans, and investigates the validity of a 1-D heat transfer assumption.

Miniature Wire Boom System For Cubsat Application, Keith R. Bradford

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Small satellites and especially CubeSats are becoming more widely used to study the space environment. The Ionosphere is one region of particular interest, more specifically the altitude region of 85 km to 600 km. Small satellites are particularly useful for studying this region of the Earth’s atmosphere since the effects of aerodynamic drag on a CubeSat are much less than those on a larger more traditional satellite, thus the lifespan of a CubeSat in this region is much longer. In order to observe the electric field in space, the electric potential between various points needs to be measured. These measurements …

Towed Water Turbine Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis, Robert G. Maughan

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Computational fluid dynamics can be used to predict operating conditions of towed water turbines which are used in long distance sailing applications to meet electrical demands. The design consists of a turbine fastened to a shaft which is attached to a generator by a rope. The turbine is pulled in water behind a sailboat and torque is transmitted through the rope to turn the onboard generator and produce power. Torque curves from an alternator, generator, and from computational fluid dynamics were used to determine the operating spin rate and output power of the system. On-water tests were conducted to determine …

Energy-Vorticity Turbulence Model With Application To Flow Near Rough Surfaces, W. F. Phillips, E. B. Fowler, Doug F. Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Based on a more direct analogy between turbulent and molecular transport, a foundation is presented for an energy–vorticity turbulence model. Whereas traditional k-εk-ε, k-ωk-ω, and k-ζk-ζ models relate the eddy viscosity to a dissipation length scale associated with the smaller eddies having the highest strain rates, the proposed model relates the eddy viscosity to a mean vortex wavelength associated with the larger eddies primarily responsible for turbulent transport. A rigorous development of the turbulent-energy-transport equation from the Navier–Stokes equations includes exact relations for the viscous dissipation and molecular transport of turbulent kinetic energy. Application of Boussinesq’s analogy between turbulent and …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Validation Of Buoyant Turbulent Flow Heat Transfer, Jared M. Iverson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is commonly used to visualize and understand complicated fluid flow and heat transfer in many industries. It is imperative to validate the CFD computer models in order to avoid costly design choices where experimentation cannot be used to ratify the predictions of computer models. Assessments of CFD computer models in the literature conclude that significant errors occur in computer model predictions of fluid flow influenced by buoyancy forces.

The Experimental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University constructed a wind tunnel with which to perform experiments on buoyancy induced fluid flow. The experiments measured the heat …

The Dynamic Analysis Of A Composite Overwrapped Gun Barrel With Constrained Viscoelastic Damping Layers Using The Modal Strain Energy Method, Braydon Day Hall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

By using composite materials and rubber overwrapped onto a steel liner, a new design for a gun barrel is investigated. Multiple configurations are analyzed and compared using the Finite Element Method and analytical solutions. By alternating layers of composite material and rubber over the steel liner, different reactions in the barrel are obtained when subjected to identical internal pressures from a projectile being fired. The ideal reaction desired from creating this new gun barrel is to dissipate energy more effectively than gun barrels made entirely of steel or overwrapped with just a composite material. The analyses show that multiple thin …

Verification And Validation Of The Spalart-Allmaras Turbulence Model For Strand Grids, Oisin Tong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The strand-Cartesian grid approach is a unique method of generating and computing fluid dynamic simulations. The strand-Cartesian approach provides highly desirable qualities of fully-automatic grid generation and high-order accuracy. This thesis focuses on the implementation of the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model to the strand-Cartesian grid framework. Verification and validation is required to ensure correct implementation of the turbulence model.

Mathematical code verification is used to ensure correct implementation of new algorithms within the code framework. The Spalart-Allmaras model is verified with the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS). MMS shows second-order convergence, which implies that the new algorithms are correctly implemented.

Validation …

Variational Asymptotic Method For Unit Cell Homogenization Of Thermomechanical Behavior Of Composite Materials, Chong Teng

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To seek better material behaviors, the research of material properties has been massively carried out in both industrial and academic fields throughout the twentieth century. Composite materials are known for their abilities of combining constituent materials in or- der to fulfill the desirable overall material performance. One of the advantages of composite materials is the adjustment between stiffness and lightness of materials in order to meet the needs of various engineering designs. Even though the finite element analysis is mature, composites are heterogeneous in nature and can present difficulties at the structural level with the acceptable computational time. A way …

Hybrid Photothermal Technique For Microscale Thermal Conductivity Measurement, Zilong Hua

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In nuclear reactors, the thermal energy generated from the nuclear reactions needs to be transferred all the way through the core of the fuels to the surrounding steam to be utilized. Therefore, thermal conductivity is considered an important thermophysical property of the fuel which needs to be measured. The nuclear fuel microstructure is known to be damaged by neutronirradiation, which can result in sharp, local changes of thermal conductivity. However, most existing thermal conductivity measurement techniques of nuclear fuel are not able to make high spatial-resolution measurements. The objective of this study was to develop a non-contact thermal conductivity measurement …

Thermo-Piezo-Electro-Mechanical Simulation Of Algan (Aluminum Gallium Nitride) / Gan (Gallium Nitride) High Electron Mobility Transistor, Lorin E. Stevens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to the current public demand of faster, more powerful, and more reliable electronic devices, research is prolific these days in the area of high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices. This is because of their usefulness in RF (radio frequency) and microwave power amplifier applications including microwave vacuum tubes, cellular and personal communications services, and widespread broadband access. Although electrical transistor research has been ongoing since its inception in 1947, the transistor itself continues to evolve and improve much in part because of the many driven researchers and scientists throughout the world who are pushing the limits of what modern …

Analysis Of Star Identification Algorithms Due To Uncompensated Spatial Distortion, Steven Paul Brätt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With the evolution of spacecraft systems, we see the growing need for smaller, more affordable, and robust spacecrafts that can be jettisoned with ease and sent to sites to perform a myriad of operations that a larger craft would prohibit, or that can be quickly manipulated from performing one task into another. The developing requirements have led to the creation of Nano-Satellites, or CubeSats. The question then remains, how to navigate the expanse of space with such a minute spacecraft? A solution to this is using the stars themselves as a means of navigation. This can be accomplished by measuring …

Experimental Studies Of Vertical Mixing Patterns In Open Channel Flow Generated By Two Delta Wings Side-By-Side, Garrett Vaughan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Algae-derived biofuels is a hot topic of research interest when it comes to renewable energy applications. Algae can be grown in open systems that are low-cost, easy to maintain, and open to the environment. However, algae does not grow very dense in these systems. Mixing is an important factor in growing algae. If mixing were to be improved in open systems, the algae may be able to grow more dense. Certain studies show that placing a mechanical device such as an airfoil or airplane wing in the water will be able to increase the capability of mixing in the open …

Analysis And Design Of A Thermal Capacitor For Use In The Food Industry, Karen Nielson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Team Hot Stuff is working with Thermal Management Technologies (TMT) of Logan, UT to explore the concept of a thermal capacitor serving platter. With the funding from TMT, Hot Stuff will design, build, and test a prototype serving platter. This report is written by Hot Stuff for MAE 4800, Capstone Design I; it covers the design and analysis of a serving platter.

Transformable Wheelchair, Benjamin Shurtz

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This report includes the development, design, and analysis of a transformable wheelchair. There was a need to design and build a wheelchair that transformed to be pushed, pulled, or self-propelled. This design meets the need of physically restricted wheelchair users who frequent simple hiking trails without needing to move to a secondary off-road capable device. Documentation for concepts, analysis, and completed design details follows.

Enhanced Purity Andresolution Via Laser Assistedelectron Beam Induced Deposition Of Platinum,, Nick A. Roberts, J. D. Fowlkes, G. A. Magel, P. D. Rack

Nick Roberts

We introduce a laser assisted electron beam induced deposition (LAEBID) process which is a nanoscale direct write synthesis method that integrates an electron beam induced deposition process with a synchronized pulsed laser step to induce thermal desorption of reaction by-products. Localized, spatially overlapping electron and photon pulses enable the thermal desorption of the reaction by-product while mitigating issues associated with bulk substrate heating, which can shorten the precursor residence time and distort pattern fidelity due to thermal drift. Current results demonstrate purification of platinum deposits (reduced carbon content by ~50%) with the addition of synchronized laser pulses as well as …

Assess The Accuracy Of The Variational Asymptotic Plate And Shell Analysis Using The Generalized Uni, Luciano Demasi, Wenbin Yu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The accuracy of the Variational Asymptotic Plate and Shell Analysis (VAPAS) is assessed against several higher order, zig zag and layerwise theories generated by using the invariant axiomatic framework denoted as Generalized Unified Formulation (GUF). These theories are also compared against the elasticity solution developed for the case of a sandwich structure with high Face to Core Stiffness Ratio. GUF allows to use an infinite number of axiomatic theories (Equivalent Single Layer theories with or without zig zag effects and Layerwise theories as well) with any combination of orders of the displacements and it is an ideal tool to precisely …

Thermal Conductivity Profile Determination In Proton-Irradiated Zrc By Spatial And Frequency Scanning Thermal Wave Methods, C. Jensen, M. Chirtoc, N. Horny, J. S. Antoniow, H. Pron, Heng Ban

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Using complementary thermal wave methods, the irradiation damaged region of zirconium carbide (ZrC) is characterized by quantifiably profiling the thermophysical property degradation. The ZrC sample was irradiated by a 2.6 MeV proton beam at 600 °C to a dose of 1.75 displacements per atom. Spatial scanning techniques including scanning thermal microscopy (SThM), lock-in infrared thermography (lock-in IRT), and photothermal radiometry (PTR) were used to directly map the in-depth profile of thermal conductivity on a cross section of the ZrC sample. The advantages and limitations of each system are discussed and compared, finding consistent results from all techniques. SThM provides the …

Dnad, A Simple Tool For Automatic Differentiation Of Fortran Codes Using Dual Numbers, Wenbin Yu, Maxwell Blair

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

DNAD (dual number automatic differentiation) is a simple, general-purpose tool to automatically differentiate Fortran codes written in modern Fortran (F90/95/2003) or legacy codes written in previous version of the Fortran language. It implements the forward mode of automatic differentiation using the arithmetic of dual numbers and the operator overloading feature of F90/95/2003. Very minimum changes of the source codes are needed to compute the first derivatives of Fortran programs. The advantages of DNAD in comparison to other existing similar computer codes are its programming simplicity, extensibility, and computational efficiency. Specifically, DNAD is more accurate and efficient than the popular complex-step …

Design And Optimization Of A Thermal Capacitor, Karen Nielson, Jordan Tracy Cox

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Team Hot Stuff designed a thermal capacitor for Senior Design I at Utah State University. This thermal capacitor is intended for use in the food service industry as a low-cost alternative to chafers. Chafers are platters which use oil burners to keep food warm. The client for this thermal capacitor is Thermal Management Technologies (TMT), a company specializing in thermal science solutions whose mission is “to provide simple, practical thermal science solutions to a wide range of platforms including: Industry, Defense, and Space”¹. The founder and president of TMT, Dr. J. Clair Batty, serves as a mentor for …