Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Autojack - Hydraulic Powertrain System, Tyce Vu

All Undergraduate Projects

A primary problem for mechanics and automotive enthusiasts is the risk associated with lifting and securing a vehicle with conventional jack stands. Often times, improper jack-stand installation results in the vehicle collapsing unexpectedly, causing injury and/or death. This problem can be minimized through the application of a newly re-designed vehicle lifting system. The conventional method for lifting cars is time consuming and can be unsafe in many circumstances. A better, safer, and more efficient lift design was needed; the AutoJack. The approach of the AutoJack design was entirely focused on the safety of lifting a vehicle. Safety was improved by …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Creep Deformation In Nickel-Based Superalloy, Sabila Kader Pinky

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The present study employs molecular dynamics simulations of Ni-based superalloy to investigate the creep behavior under uniaxial compression test. Dislocation dynamics is analyzed for the nickel-based single crystal superalloy with the presence of void and with varying the distribution of gamma-prime phase The results show that multiple-void systems are more prone to yield than single-void systems and single-void systems are more prone to yield than the system without void. From the simulations, it has been determined that the creep mechanism in Ni/Ni3Al is subject to change on the applied stress depending on the distribution of gamma-prime phases change. Dislocation behavior …

Development Of Multicomponent Eam Potential For Ni-Based Superalloy, Muztoba Rabbani

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

We initiated the development of multi-component EAM potentials for Aluminides and Carbides, key phases in Ni-based Superalloys. The goal is to utilize the MD simulation to understand the deformation dynamics that contribute to the formation of voids and creep initiation. For this purpose, we constructed the raw data from ab-initio (molecular dynamics) MD simulations fed into the potential development code and used Nickel as the base metal with the addition of a number of various elements including Aluminum, Chromium, Tungsten. We then developed the EAM potentials for the aluminide and carbide phases using the force-fitting code MEAMfit. Our generated potential …

Benefits Of Aluminum: Comparing The Common Materials In The Bar Grating Industry, Joanthan Geiser

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The main aim of this project is to study the wholistic behavior of the 6xxx series of aluminum for use in the bar grating industry for a waste water treatment environment. This project will study the comparison of certain aluminum 6xxx series alloys to steel, stainless steel, and glass fiber-reinforced plastic. While comparing these materials, it will look at the mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength. In addition, the available corrosion test of the 6xxx series aluminum alloys will be examined to find a generalization of the corrosion behavior for this series. A …

Design And Development Of An Actuation System For Morphing Flaps, Nate Mcwilliams

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Carbon Fiber Monocoque, Dan Brown, Leland Hoffman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The University of Akron’s Human Powered Vehicle Team designed a high performing, fully functioning vehicle that is safe, efficient, and practical for the 2018-2019 season. These objectives were the main priorities when it came to the initial stages of designing the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle was designed in accordance with the ASME 2019 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge guidelines to satisfy all the rules and requirements. Additional priorities have been created to teach practical engineering skills and techniques to the students participating in the project through different points in the production process including research, vehicle design, construction, and testing.

The …

Form Stable Phase-Change Materials, Russell Dent, Marjan Kashfipour, Nitin Mehra, Jiahua Zhu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This work investigates the use of two different polyols, xylitol (Xyl) and erythritol (Ery), in conjunction with boron nitride (BN) aerogels, for the purpose of creating thermally conductive composites. While the BN filler in Xyl composites achieved a high anisotropic thermal conductivity of up to 4.53 W/m-K at 18.2 weight percent filler loading, they do not exhibit good phase-change material qualities due to a low solidification enthalpy even at low cooling rates. Alternatively, the BN-Ery composites have shown promising results with a solidification enthalpy of 225.14 J/g and a melting enthalpy of 385.84 J/g at a heat rate of 5 …

Magnetic Domain Structures In Fe-Ga Alloys, Matthew N. Tianen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fe-Ga alloys, also referred to as Galfenol, have attracted great attention as new giant magnetostrictive materials for over fifteen years. They exhibit large magnetostriction, small hysteresis, good machinability, and high tensile strength, providing many advantages over other functional materials like magnetostrictive Terfenol-D, piezoelectric PZT, and magnetic shape memory Ni-Mn-Ga. In spite of the intense interest in Fe-Ga alloys, the domain phenomena that underlie their properties and functionalities are less known. Using the Bitter method, a systematic study of magnetic domain structures in Fe-Ga single crystals of different compositions and heat treatments has been performed. Our domain observation experiments reveal numerous …

Experimental Measurement Of Dielectric Properties Of Powdery Materials Using A Coaxial Transmission Line, Robert Tempke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study proposes a standard methodology for coaxial dielectric property measurements of powdery materials (1-10GHz) using a coaxial transmission line. Four powdery materials with dielectric constants ranging from 3.5 to 70 (SiO2, Al2O3, CeO2, and TiO2) were experimentally investigated at varying volume loading fractions in a paraffin mixture. A statistically significant number of paraffin heterogeneous-mixtures was synthesized for all dielectric powders. The dielectric properties of the constitutive materials were determined using appropriate mixture equations. The sensitivity of the equations dielectric prediction to volume loading is discussed with guidance on selecting the best mixing equation. It was determined that low volume …

A Multiscale Model Of Protein Adsorption On A Nanoparticle Surface, David Power, Ian Rouse, Stefano Poggio, Erik Brandt, Hender Lopez, Alexander Lyubartsev, Vladimir Lobaskin

Articles

We present a methodology to quantify the essential interactions at the interface between inorganic solid nanoparticles (NPs) and biological molecules. Our model is based on pre-calculation of the repetitive contributions to the interaction from molecular segments, which allows us to efficiently scan a multitude of molecules and rank them by their adsorption affinity. The interaction between the biomolecular fragments and the nanomaterial are evaluated using a systematic coarse-graining scheme starting from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The NPs are modelled using a two-layer representation, where the outer layer is parameterized at the atomistic level and the core is treated at the …

Bending Response Of Timber Mortise And Tenon Joints Reinforced With Filler-Modules And Frp Gussets, Andrew Robert Pacifico

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 2013, the California Bay Area (CBA) passed a set of ordinances to ensure that their 10,000 plus timber soft-story buildings were prepared for seismic events, through nondestructive evaluation methods. Many property owners are searching for an affordable retrofitting system that will also meet CBA’s new laws focusing on installations by the mandated deadlines in 2020. Over the past three to four decades, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites have found their way into the civil infrastructure sector for rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the bending behavior retrofitted mortise and tenon timber joints reinforced with engineered wood …

Deformation Correlations And Machine Learning: Microstructural Inference And Crystal Plasticity Predictions, Michail Tzimas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present thesis makes a connection between spatially resolved strain correlations and material processing history. Such correlations can be used to infer and classify prior deformation history of a sample at various strain levels with the use of Machine Learning approaches. A simple and concrete example of uniaxially compressed crystalline thin films of various sizes, generated by two-dimensional discrete dislocation plasticity simulations is examined. At the nanoscale, thin films exhibit yield-strength size effects with noisy mechanical responses which create an interesting challenge for the application of Machine Learning techniques. Moreover, this thesis demonstrates the prediction of the average mechanical responses …

Enhancing The Durability And The Service Life Of Asphalt Pavements Through Innovative Light-Induced Self-Healing Materials, Marwa Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BLSU02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a new generation of Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced self-healing polymers in enhancing the durability and self-healing properties of asphalt mixtures. Self-healing polymers were successfully synthesized in the laboratory and were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) results showed that the synthesized polymers achieved the required thermal stability to resist asphalt mixture production processes. Viscosity results showed that addition of 5% Recycled Asphalt Shingle (RAS) and/or 20% …

Development Of A Self-Healing And Rejuvenating Mechanisms For Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingle, Marwa Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BLSU06. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that hollow-fibers encapsulating a rejuvenator product could improve both self-healing, rejuvenation, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. Hollow-fibers containing a rejuvenating product were synthesized via a wet spinning procedure with sodium-alginate polymer as the encapsulating material. An optimization of the production parameters for the synthesis of fibers was performed to develop fibers suitable for high-temperature and shear stress environment typical of asphalt mixture production. A self-healing experiment was conducted to evaluate the …

Development Of A Self-Powered Structural Health Monitoring System For Transportation Infrastructure, Aydin Karsilaya, Samer Dessouky, Athanassios Papagiannakis

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PTAM03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Roadways and bridges play an important role in the economic and social health of society by connecting commerce and people. Economic growth and population expansion pose considerable burden on the aging infrastructure (i.e., pavements and bridges). There is a pressing need to develop structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies capable of collecting infrastructure utilization data. Doing so inexpensively with self-powered systems will revolutionize infrastructure monitoring technology, and will improve decision making enabling roadway and bridge preservation. In this study, a self-powered battery-less structural …

Integrated Health Monitoring And Reinforcement Of Transportation Structures With Optimized Low-Cost Multifunctional Braided Cables, Ibrahim Karaman, Darren Hartl

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17STTAM04. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Corresponding data set for The objective of this research study is to design, fabricate, and characterize multifunctional high strength and self-sensing braided cables and structures using novel Fe-based shape memory alloys (SMAs). The system exploits unique properties of recently developed low-cost super-elastic FeMnAlNi SMAs, which enables excellent super-elastic properties, high strength, and self-sensing in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. This novel material technology can be coupled with modeling efforts that allow for accurate prediction of both the materials and structural response during …

Reinventing The Wheel, Esther K. Unti, Ahmed Z. Shorab, Patrick B. Kragen, Adam M. Menashe

Mechanical Engineering

Reinventing the Wheel selected tires and designed wheels for the 2018 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Formula SAE combustion vehicle. Available tire options were evaluated for steady-state and transient performance as well as vehicle integration. A single-piece composite wheel with hollow spokes was designed to meet stiffness, strength, and tolerance requirements. A detailed study of wheel loading and geometric structural efficiency was performed. Finite element analysis was used to iterate the geometry and laminate. A two-piece male mold was designed and machined to manufacture the wheel. Removable silicone inserts were used to create the hollow spokes.

Optimization Of The Practice Of Slow Cooling Steel Bars: A Redesign And Modernization Of Materials, Eryn Johnston

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the process of steel making, certain grades of steel are a higher risk for defects caused by the inability to quickly diffuse hydrogen through the steel when cooled to room temperature at a normal rate based on the ambient air temperature. To reduce the hydrogen flaking defects that are caused due to hydrogen entrapment in the steel, the process of slow cooling is utilized. This process reduces the cooling rate of steel bars by keeping them at a higher temperature for extended periods and in turn gives the hydrogen a chance to fully dissipate from the steel. In many …

Low Temperature Desiccants In Atmospheric Water Generation., Sunil Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surging global water demand as well as changes to weather patterns and over exploitation of natural water sources, such as ground water, has made potable water a critical resource in many parts of the World already – one rapidly heading towards a crisis situation. Desalination has been adopted as a solution – this is however energy intensive and impractical for most of the developing countries - those most in need of water. A renewable source of energy is solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. A plentiful source of water is the humidity in the atmosphere. This research is to push the …

Use Of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (Uhp-Frc) For Fast And Sustainable Repair Of Pavements, Shih-Ho Chao

Publications

This research presents a new methodology, which enables streets, roads, highways, bridges, and airfields to use an advanced fiber-reinforced concrete material, which can delay or prevent the deterioration of these transportation infrastructure when subjected to traffic and environmental loadings. The major problem of concrete is its considerable deterioration and limited service life due to its brittleness and limited durability. As a result, it requires frequent repair and eventual replacement, which consumes more natural resources. Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) introduces significant enhancement in the sustainability of concrete structures due to its dense microstructure and damage-tolerance characteristics. These characteristics can significantly reduce …