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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Additively Manufactured Continuous Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Composites For High-Performance Applications, Nekoda Van De Werken Nov 2019

Additively Manufactured Continuous Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Composites For High-Performance Applications, Nekoda Van De Werken

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The goal of this dissertation is to provide a foundation for the advancement of additive manufacturing (AM) toward production of high-performance carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites (CFRPs). AM can provide valuable advantages over conventional composite manufacturing techniques, including the control over fiber orientation, capability of manufacturing complex geometries, out-of-autoclave processing, elimination of the need for composite tooling, and the ability to perform lights-out manufacturing. Currently, however, a suite of challenges related to modelling, design, manufacturing defects, and general limitations in the current understanding of the processing-structure-property relationships exist in AM of composites. To this end, this dissertation investigates novel …


Development Of Mbd Model And Analysis Methodology For Vehicle Design, Alfonso Christopher Ponce Nov 2019

Development Of Mbd Model And Analysis Methodology For Vehicle Design, Alfonso Christopher Ponce

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This thesis is to provide a new methodology that considers the effects the chassis applies during dynamic load to the suspension and the handling characteristics of a road course vehicle. A methodology in which is described in detail as well as an applied demonstration where literature before this thesis, lacks in replication and serves to establish a basis for multi-body dynamic analysis in this area. Two models to be created, rigid and flexible, and to compare each other to study the effects the chassis torsional stiffness has during load transfer. Ultimately, to assist in the design of a vehicle that …


Mechanical Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 And Alsi10mg Via High-Throughput Tensile Testing, Aron Robbins Nov 2019

Mechanical Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 And Alsi10mg Via High-Throughput Tensile Testing, Aron Robbins

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Additive manufacturing allows for the development of complex geometrical designs that may otherwise be impossible to fabricate through common methods. This advantage has opened the door to a new testing method capable of rapid and efficient material property characterization and qualification. The technique exhibits how 100’s of sub-size tensile bars can be tested to show an inherent statistical variation of materials produced by laser powder bed fusion. The testing technique presented is used to evaluate various heat treatments of the nickel super-alloy Inconel 625 and the aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg after stress relief annealing. Statistical analysis using 3-parameter Weibull distributions is …


Optimal Control Strategies For Complex Biological Systems, Afroza Shirin Aug 2019

Optimal Control Strategies For Complex Biological Systems, Afroza Shirin

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

To better understand and to improve therapies for complex diseases such as cancer or diabetes, it is not sufficient to identify and characterize the interactions between molecules and pathways in complex biological systems, such as cells, tissues, and the human body. It also is necessary to characterize the response of a biological system to externally supplied agents (e.g., drugs, insulin), including a proper scheduling of these drugs, and drug combinations in multi drugs therapies. This obviously becomes important in applications which involve control of physiological processes, such as controlling the number of autophagosome vesicles in a cell, or regulating the …


Post-Polymerization Modification Of Kapton Using Electron Beam Irradiation, Luis A. Hernandez Jul 2019

Post-Polymerization Modification Of Kapton Using Electron Beam Irradiation, Luis A. Hernandez

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

In the present study, the feasibility of chemical modification of electron-irradiated Kapton is investigated. Characterization techniques determined the changes between a pristine, electron irradiated, and a chemically treated, i.e., fluorinated, sample of Kapton. Kapton is a common material in space application as it serves as the exterior surface for space vehicles. Highly aged Kapton have significant material property changes, making them prone to electro-static discharge (ESD) damage. Understanding how Kapton material behaves under space conditions and the possibility of improving its structure and properties is of utmost important. To this end, changes to the physical properties of the material were …


Characterization Of Single- And Multi-Phase Shock-Accelerated Flows, Patrick John Wayne Jul 2019

Characterization Of Single- And Multi-Phase Shock-Accelerated Flows, Patrick John Wayne

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Experiments conducted in the Shock Tube Facility at the University of New Mexico are focused on characterization of shock-accelerated flows. Single-phase (gaseous) initial conditions consist of a heavy gas column of sulfur hexafluoride seeded with approximately 11% acetone gas by mass. Visualization of the image plane for gaseous initial conditions is accomplished via planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) with a high-powered Nd:YAG ultraviolet laser and an Apogee Alta U-42 monochrome CCD camera, with a quantum efficiency > 90%. Multi-phase (gas-solid) initial conditions consist of glass micro-beads deposited on small 1-cm diameter discs of specific surface chemistry, mounted flush with the bottom wall …


A Transient Thermal And Structural Analysis Of Fuel In The Annular Core Research Reactor, Elliott Pelfrey Apr 2019

A Transient Thermal And Structural Analysis Of Fuel In The Annular Core Research Reactor, Elliott Pelfrey

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The health of a nuclear reactor’s fuel is essential to the operational longevity of the reactor. The health of the fuel in the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) is a topic of increased interest due to both a proposed new facility that would include the ACRR and the recent resurfacing of contradictory reports regarding thermal stresses in its fuel pellets. Unlike other reactor fuels, which are widely used and well-characterized, the fuel in the ACRR is unique. The ACRR’s fuel elements consist of UO­2-BeO fuel pellets, fluted niobium refractory liners, and stainless-steel cladding. The purpose of this thesis …


Direct Numerical Simulation Of Incompressible Spatially Developing Turbulent Mixing Layers, Juan Diego Colmenares Fernandez Apr 2019

Direct Numerical Simulation Of Incompressible Spatially Developing Turbulent Mixing Layers, Juan Diego Colmenares Fernandez

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Turbulent mixing layers are a canonical free shear flow in which two parallel fluid streams of different velocities mix at their interface. Understanding spatial development of a turbulent mixing layer is essential for various engineering applications. However, multiple factors affect physics of this flow, making it difficult to reproduce results in experiments and simulations. The current study investigates sensitivity of direct numerical simulation (DNS) of such a flow to computational parameters. In particular, effects of the computational domain dimensions, grid refinement, thickness of the splitter plate, and the laminar boundary layer characteristics at the splitter plate trailing edge are considered. …


The Influence Of Process Variables On Physical And Mechanical Properties In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Joshua Robert Koepke, Bradley Jared, Yu-Lin Shen Apr 2019

The Influence Of Process Variables On Physical And Mechanical Properties In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Joshua Robert Koepke, Bradley Jared, Yu-Lin Shen

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing consists of a process that incorporates many process variables into fabricating parts. This study investigated several of these process variables and determined their influence on part properties. The process variables investigated include laser power, velocity, focus offsets, layer thickness, and powder particle size. Physical properties will be compared including surface roughness, form, and density. Tensile testing provided mechanical properties including unloading Young’s modulus, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, uniform elongation, and ductility. Process maps will be developed that will provide recommendations for these process settings. It will be shown that these laser settings can …


Gaussian Process Regression Applied To Marine Energy Turbulent Source Tuning Via Metamodel Machine Learning Optimization, Sterling Olson Apr 2019

Gaussian Process Regression Applied To Marine Energy Turbulent Source Tuning Via Metamodel Machine Learning Optimization, Sterling Olson

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Converting energy from the currents found within tidal channels, open ocean, rivers, and canals is a promising yet untapped source of renewable energy. In order to permit current energy converters for installation in the environment, the CECs must be shown to non-negatively impact the environment. While developing these model increased utility may be gained if researchers may optimize mechanical power while constraining environmental effects. Surrogate models have garnered interest as optimization tools because they maximize the utility of expensive information by building predictive models in place of computational or experimentally expensive model runs. Marine hydrokinetic current energy converters require large-domain …


Investigation Of The Coupled Nuclear, Thermal-Hydraulic, And Thermomechanical Response Of A Natural Circulation Research Reactor Under Severe Reactivity-Initiated Accident Transients, Darren G. Talley Mar 2019

Investigation Of The Coupled Nuclear, Thermal-Hydraulic, And Thermomechanical Response Of A Natural Circulation Research Reactor Under Severe Reactivity-Initiated Accident Transients, Darren G. Talley

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Research reactors play an important role in higher education, scientific research, and medical radioisotope production around the world. It is thus important to ensure the safety of facility workers and the public. This work presents a new reactor transient analysis code, referred to as Razorback, which computes the coupled reactor kinetics, fuel element heat transfer, fuel element thermal expansion and thermal stress, and thermal-hydraulic response of a natural circulation research reactor. The code was developed for the evaluation of large rapid reactivity addition in research reactors, with an initial focus on the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR) at Sandia National …


Adding Semi-Structured Automated Grid Generation And The Menter-Shear Stress Turbulence Transport Model For Internal Combustion Engine Simulations To Novel Fem Lanl Combustion Codes, Brad Montgomery Philipbar Jan 2019

Adding Semi-Structured Automated Grid Generation And The Menter-Shear Stress Turbulence Transport Model For Internal Combustion Engine Simulations To Novel Fem Lanl Combustion Codes, Brad Montgomery Philipbar

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The addition of GridPro semi-structured, automated generation of grids for complex moving boundaries for combustion engine applications and the Menter Shear Stress Turbulent Transfer (SST) model are being developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. The software is called Fast, Easy, Accurate, and Robust Continuum Engineering (FEARCE). In addition to improving the time and effort required to build complex grid geometry for turbulent reactive multi-phase flow in internal combustion engines, the SST turbulence model has been programmed into the Predictor Corrector Fractional-Step (PCS) Finite Element Method (FEM) for reactive flow and turbulent incompressible flow regime validation is performed. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes …