Engineering Commons^™

Mechanical Response Of Constituent Materials Used In Plain Weave Nylon Reinforced Inflatable Drop Stitch Structures, Matthew S. Buglio

Open Access Master's Theses

All CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) is U.S. government property and has been removed from this thesis.

Carbon Monoxide Sensing Of Nickel Oxide At 1000 ℃ To 1200 ℃ For In Situ Combustion Control: Behavior, Mechanism, And Application, Yi Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An advanced smart sensor network is essential to a combustion system, which is in favor of in situ, locally placed, and low-cost gas sensors. However, most chemical/electrochemical sensors fail to work in a combustion boiler, due to the demanding working temperatures (> 1000 ℃). This work for the first time reports a well-functioning mixed-potential type CO sensor at 1000 ℃ - 1200 ℃ using nickel oxide (NiO) as the sensing material. The influence of feed gas flow rate, electrode thickness, and porosity on sensor behavior is investigated, delivering notable and fast responses to 1000 ppm in 3% O₂: …

Direct Ink Writing Printability – Ashby-Like Plots For Guided Design, Domenic Cipollone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Direct Ink Writing (DIW), an extrusion-based 3D printing technique, offers a broad application space. As such, the technique continues to find use in biomedical, flexible electronic, ceramic, and energy device applications, among others. With this broad application space comes an expanding material library of inks with diverse rheological and microstructural properties. This begs the question: what constitutes a printable ink? How does one define printability? And how does one design for printability?

Researchers currently have a broad understanding of what constitutes a printable ink. However, time and time again, inks with unique rheological properties and formulations are printed. Currently, ink …

Thermochemical Water-Splitting Using Novel High-Entropy Perovskite Oxides, Hector Alexis De Santiago Hernandez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this project, we designed, synthesized, and tested the transformative (La_0.8Sr_0.2)(Mn_[1-x]/3Fe_[1-x]/3Co_xAl_[1-x]/3)O₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) high-entropy perovskite oxides (HEPOs) as redox active oxygen carriers for thermochemical hydrogen production with improved stability, kinetics, and H₂ yield. The developed HEPOs form an R3c (hexagonal) phase and were successfully synthesized using both the Pechini and solid-state reactions with the latter synthesis being the primary source for testing. These innovative perovskites demonstrated an improved kinetics with oxygen surface exchange coefficient, k, greater than 7.5 x 10^-4 cm/s, …

The Effect Of Heat Transfer On Microstructural Development For Inconel718 Nickel-Based Superalloy In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Erica Drobner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Inconel 718 (IN718) is a superalloy with excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature stability, giving rise to its popular use in the aerospace industry as well as other high performing applications. This study utilizes the relatively low conductivity of IN718 to focus in on the heat transfer procedures in which occur during the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) manufacturing process of metals. Cylindrical samples of constant geometry with varying dimensions of thermal supports were fabricated using a compatible IN718 build plate. As thermal support size increased, heat dissipation to the build plate consequently increased. Theoretically, this modification of heat transfer …

Characterization Of Cermet Fuel For Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (Ntp), James Floyd Mudd

Masters Theses

“A manned flight to Mars is met with many technical challenges, not the least of which is the development of propulsion technology capable of moving a transit vehicle from Earth orbit to Mars orbit. NASA is investigating Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) as a way of reducing flight time and providing the option for a mid-mission abort. NTP, which uses a high temperature nuclear reactor to heat a propellant, requires advanced fuel materials capable of withstanding temperatures well in excess of 2000 K. Among the fuel options are ceramic metal (cermet) composites composed of refractory metals and Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs). …

Experimental Optimization Of Simulated Ring Rolling Operation For Heavy Rail Industry, Jacob M. Summers

Masters Theses

“Industrially cast AISI 1070 steel wheel pre-forms from Amsted Rail Co. were experimentally hot rolled to simulate the conditions for industrial wheel rolling. Ring rolling of near net shape castings can improve location specific properties by decreasing segregation, closing porosity, and reducing grain size without the use of multiple forging operations in a traditional forging line. As-cast wheel sections were subjected to thermomechanical processing routes using a 2-high rolling mill in a temperature range of 830°C to 1200°C. The goal being to simulate the ring rolling process and optimize benefits of mechanical properties of the as-rolled steel. Charpy V- and …

Length-Scale-Dependent Stress Relief Mechanisms In High Purity Indium, Fereshteh Mallakpour

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in portable electronics and electric vehicles. However, due to the presence of flammable liquid electrolytes, these devices fail catastrophically when the cell experiences a short circuit. One attractive solution to this problem is a solid-state battery. As the name implies, the flammable liquid electrolyte is replaced by a non-flammable solid-state electrolyte (SSE). The unexpected, yet frequently observed failure mechanism in these devices is the formation and growth of lithium dendrites originating at the interface between the lithium anode and the SSE. As the dendrites grow, device performance degrades. Once the dendrites completely penetrate the SSE, …

The Effects Of Mixing Multi-Component Hlw Glasses On Spinel Crystal Size, C. (Charmayne) E. Lonergan, J. Rice, C. Skidmore, M. J. Schweiger, P. Hrma

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant will vitrify radioactive waste into borosilicate glass. The high-level waste (HLW) glass formulations are constrained by processing and property requirements, including restrictions aimed at avoiding detrimental impacts of spinel crystallization in the melter. To understand the impact of glass chemistry on crystallization, two HLW glasses precipitating small (∼5 μm) spinel crystals were individually mixed and melted with a glass that precipitated large (∼45 μm) spinel crystals in ratios of 25, 50, and 75 wt.%. The size of spinel crystals in the mixed glasses varied from 5 to 20 μm. Small crystal size was …

Fundamental Effects Of Al And Ta On Microstructure And Phase Transformations In The Al–Cr–Mo–Ta–Ti Refractory Complex Concentrated Alloy System, Austin E. Mann, Joseph William Newkirk

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of aluminum and tantalum concentrations on a refractory metal complex concentrated alloy is reported, particularly with respect to their effect on microstructure and phase composition of the alloy in cast and annealed form. Alloys with an equiatomic composition, (AlCrMoTaTi), an aluminum-lean composition (Al0.75CrMoTaTi), and a tantalum-lean composition (AlCrMoTa0.75Ti) are produced via arc melting. The alloys exhibit multiphase structures, confirmed by X-ray diffraction, microstructural characterization, and thermal analysis. The minor off-equiatomic adjustments of aluminum and tantalum in this alloy system did not drastically alter the prevalence of the Cr–Ta-based Laves phase. Correlations between thermodynamic predictions and observed phase transformations …

Effect Of Spallation On Oxidation Kinetics Of Heat-Resistant Cr–Ni Austenitic Steels On Air And Combustion Atmosphere, Simon N. Lekakh, Oleg Neroslavsky, Mei Li, Larry Godlewski, Wenhui Zhu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thin-walled castings made from Cr–Ni austenitic steels offer a combination of light weight of a near-net component with significant high temperature corrosion protection by forming a surface oxide layer. However, above critical service conditions (temperature, atmosphere, thermal cycling), oxidized surface can result in intensive surface degradation due to scale spallation. Scale spallation can decrease the wall thickness which could be detrimental to the in-service life of thin-walled castings. Experiments and stochastic simulations of spallation assisted oxidation were performed with three cast austenitic heat-resistant steels having different Cr–Ni concentrations at temperatures between 900 and 1000 ℃ on air and water vapor …

Austenitic, Duplex, And Lean Duplex Stainless Steel Critical Pitting Temperature In Simulated Concrete Environment, Bobby Giebel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this work, the critical pitting temperature (CPT) will be observed for a selection of austenitic (316LN and 24100) and duplex (2205), and lean duplex (2304, 2001) stainless steels in simulated concrete pore solution. To study the influence of temperature on the pitting stability of the stainless steels, three temperatures were tested: 25oC, 45oC, and 65oC for cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Electrochemical properties of the interfaces we studied via EIS analysis. Kinetics were studied via CPP testing. To reveal the critical pitting temperature of the stainless steels, cyclic thermammetry was used. Characterization of the pits …

Additive Manufacturing Waste Management System - Plastic Extrusion Process, Gabriel Bennett, Lindsay Liebrecht, David Lyogky, Wilson Woods

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

3D printing is a fast-growing market with its main source of waste being PLA and ABS plastics. In 2019, the global additive manufacturing market grew to over $10.4 billion, crossing the pivotal double-digit billion threshold for the first time in its nearly 40-year history. (SmarTech Analysis, 2020 Additive Manufacturing Market Outlook and Summary of Opportunities Report). The waste is generated from failed prints and rejected support structures which are common occurrences for personal use. Plastic recycling has become one of the leading discussions of environmental protection and waste management. The 3D market currently does not offer an effective and affordable …

Amino-Polymer For Co2 Capture By Vacuum Swing Adsorption, Sean Billy

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The applications of sorbent compounds in conjunction with amines and other additives is an innovative method at combating CO2 pollution. An ideal solution would use an amine sorbent to trap the high levels of absorbed CO2 with a low binding energy (less than 45 kJ/mol) and subsequently release them into a stored vessel at ambient temperature with a vacuum swing adsorption system. Attempts at finding a best mixture will be conducted through the usage of a vacuum swing system, utilizing a bed syringe containing the sorbent mix and a vacuum syringe to pull on and subsequently release the CO2 into …

Cathodic Protection, Michaela Schaber

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This Honors Research Project explores cathodic protection of reinforcing steel in concrete. It uses NACE SP0408-201 Cathodic Protection of Reinforcing Steel in Buried or Submerged Concrete Structures as the guidelines for experiments and supporting literature. An economic analysis will be included to fulfill Design requirements. Different voltage and other applications will be explored to determine the lowest obtainable cost-efficient corrosion rate. The method of cathodic protection focused on for this project is impressed current cathodic protection.

Application Of Sla 3d Printing For Polymers, Taylor Wilson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Stereolithography is a type of 3D printing that allows liquid photopolymer resin to be cured into layers that make up a 3D object. Creation of such resins for these purposes can require a significant amount of time to test and develop, and commercial resins also require some amount of testing for printer settings before use. This paper reviews how stereolithography works, the materials used, and experimentation done to compare the resin properties to the determined curing times. Using several commercially available resins, varying base exposure and layer exposure times were used to determine the lowest possible curing time that gave …

Analysis And Comparison Of Nir Pigments For "Cool" Coating Applications, Karey Steinmetz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this research is to compare our own formulation of near infrared radiation (NIR) pigment coating to commercialized ones. These near infrared coatings are designed to be used on roofs of buildings to keep the buildings from absorbing the heat from the sun’s radiation. This would keep the building cooler and use less energy and money to cool the building. In this study, Styrofoam was used to build a lab-scale house and were put under heat lamps that mimicked the sun. Temperatures were taken at three different locations to determine the effectiveness of the pigmented coatings. Color and …

Adjust-A-Ramp, Taylor Sharrits, Courtney Banks, Emily Beck, Jazmin Buenrostro

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Adjust-A-Ramp is a portable ramp designed to ensure the safety of consumers and prevention of damage to cars, specifically towards low profile cars. A low-profile vehicle includes any vehicle that has a clearance off the ground of 6.5 inches or less. Advantages of low-profile vehicles include improved handling, better braking, increased fuel efficiency, increased stability, and an overall luxury aesthetic. The reduced tire size increases grip on smooth surfaces with better wheel response, creating a fast, more efficient ride. The simple tire tread patterns and the stiff sidewalls allow for lower rolling resistance which increases fuel economy. The Adjust-A-Ramp can …

Recycled Printer Filament, Charlotte Hyland, Troy D. Molinar

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of recycling PLA filament for 3D printing on its material properties. After examining these effects, PLA and carbon fiber additives were mixed with recycled PLA pellets in different ratios to attempt to regain material properties lost in the recycling process. To complete these findings, an experiment was design and executed.

The research found that tensile strength during multiple iterations of recycling remained mostly unaffected, however, the strain degraded exponentially. In the PLA additive study, high ratios of PLA additive were able to increase the strength and strain properties of the …

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis Of Corrosion Of Reinforcing Steel In Fly Ash Mortar By Means Of Transmission Line Modeling, Padraig Stack

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is an important non-destructive tool that allows for a deeper understanding of the electrochemical processes and mechanisms occurring in an electrochemical cell. Equivalent electrical circuits (EECs) are used to model the impedance data into electrical components, such as resistors and capacitors, on a circuit. Current potentiostat offers software packages that can analyze the frequency response, but the software only supports “simple” EEC that can be written as fixed electrical components in some combination of series and parallel. Park and Macdonald propose a transmission line model (TLM) that does not use lumped-element models, instead, the values of …

Graphene Derivatives Reinforced Metal Matrix Nanocomposite Coatings: A Review, Hamed Sadabadi, Omid Ghaderi, Amir Kordijazi, Pradeep K. Rohatgi

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Due to the extraordinary mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), these materials have the potential to become ideal nanofillers in the electrodeposited nanocomposite coatings. This article provides an overview of literature on the improvements of properties associated with graphene, GO, and rGO-reinforced coatings, along with the processing parameters and mechanisms that would lead to these improvements in electrodeposited metal matrix nanocomposite coatings, where those affected the microstructural, mechanical, tribological, and anti-corrosion characteristics of coatings. The challenges associated with the electroplating of nanocomposite coatings are addressed. The results of this survey indicated …

The Correlation Between Phase Formation And The Structure Of The Pellets With The Fungal Immobilization Study As A Commercial Substrate Culture/Planting Material, Rattiphorn Sumang, Rampai Kodsueb, Narathip Vitayakorn, Ruangwut Chutima

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Calcined clay pellets are popular planting material for those who love to grow plants in pots. The calcined clay pellets consist of clay (C), phosphate rock (PR), and rice husk ash (RHA). [(1-x)(50C–50PR)-xRHA], x(RHA) = 0, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, and 0.65 wt% were prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The samples were made into a spherical shape with a diameter of 10 mm and fired at 600℃ to 1000℃. The effect of x contents on phase formation, microstructure, and chemical properties of [(1-x)(50C–50PR)-xRHA] was studied. X-ray diffraction revealed the typical assemblages with quartz, illite, …

Synthesis And Antimicrobial Studies Of Nano-Copper Doped Carbon Substrates; Activated Carbon, Reduced Graphene Oxide, And Carbon Nanofiber, Songwuit Chanthee, Jenjira Jirasangthong, Channarong Asasvatesanupap, Malee Santikunaporn

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Copper oxides (CuxO) have received considerable attention as a result of their biological activity. Nanoparticles (NPs) of CuxO attached to different substrates exhibit a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity against bacteria and viruses, with similar properties to silver. The antimicrobial activity of CuxO-NPs doped on distinctive carbon materials was investigated for three carbon substrates: apricot stone activated carbon (AAC), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and carbon nanofiber (CNF). The CuxO-NPs (5 wt%) doped AAC and rGO substrates were prepared by impregnation of copper nitrate followed by a thermal treatment process, while a similar weight of CuxO-NPs doped CNF was fabricated by …

Preparation Of Feedstock Containing Water-Soluble Binder For Powder Injection Moulding Of Silver, Chuanchom Aumnate, Nithiwach Nawaukkaratharnant, Nutthita Chuankrerkkul

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Feedstock for powder injection moulding of silver was prepared using water-soluble binder composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinyl butyrol (PVB). Silver powders with particle size in range of 1 μm to 20 μm can be mixed with PEG/PVB binder system to form feedstocks having powder loadings of 42 vol% and 45 vol%. PEG can be removed using water leaching method while PVB can be removed by thermal debinding. Specimens retained their shapes during debinding and after debinding. Components fabricated with relatively higher powder loading resulted in higher density with lower porosity. Density of specimens containing powder loading of 42 …

Tungsten Disulfide-Nickel Oxide Hybrids As High-Performance Supercapacitors, Zainab Ali Hrbe, Samaher Waheed Hashim

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Two-dimensional materials are suitable for energy storage applications due to their chemical stability, high electrical conductivity and large specific surface area. In this work, tungsten disulfide (WS2) nanosheets were synthesized by chemical exfoliation method and combined with nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles to be used as a working electrode for storing energy. The WS2 electrode alone shows a capacitance of about 21.87 mF⸳cm-2, which is improved up to 64.58 mF⸳cm-2 by adding NiO nanoparticles. The occurrence of redox reactions plays an important role in increasing the final capacitance. Moreover, the proposed hybrid maintains 93% of its initial capacitance after 5000 charge-discharge …

The Influence Of Different Crystal Modifiers On Ultra-Low Embodied Energy Curing Fiber-Reinforced Cement Composites, Passakorn Sonprasarn, Wichit Prakaypan, Sureerat Polsilapa, Nuntaporn Kongkajun, Edward A. Laitila, Nutthita Chuankrerkkul, Parinya Chakartnarodom

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Fiber-reinforced cement composites (FRCC) are widely used in the construction of houses and commercial buildings in many countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the European countries, and the Asian countries such as China, India, and Thailand.  Conventionally, the FRCC is manufactured from Portland cement, silica sand, and cellulose fiber using the so-called autoclaved curing under a designate hydrothermal condition to accelerate the hydration reaction resulting in superior properties.  However, the autoclave-curing process needs a huge investment and generates highly environmental impact specially greenhouse gases due to its heavy energy consumption.  Hence, this research aims to develop the …

Sequential Injection Analysis For Mercury Ion With Modified Screen – Printed Carbon Electrode, Eakkasit Punrat, Naphat Piyasart, Chalinee Auanphui, Rutanachai Thaipratum, Shoji Motomizu, Wanida Wonsawat

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this study, we developed a simple high-throughput and cost-effective method for monitoring toxic metal ion in an environmental aqueous sample. Mercury ion determination with Sequential Injection Analysis system (SIAs) coupled with the electrochemical detection on the modified screen-printed carbon working electrode (SPCE) is an alternative green analysis of mercury ion. The gold film was used as the modified material for improved mercury ion analysis in the automated system without memory effect on the electrode. Mercury oxidation signal was found at the potential of 0.7 V in 0.1 M HNO3 and 1.0 M HCl with the concentration low to 0.25 …

Effect Of A-Site Modification On Structural And Microwave Dielectric Properties Of Calcium Titanate, Shailendra Rajput, Sunita Keshri

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

This article presents studies on characteristics properties of CaTiO3, Ca0.8Sr0.2TiO3, and Ca0.6La0.8/3TiO3 ceramics. These ceramics were synthesized using the solid-state reaction process. Structural examination revealed that the grown ceramics have an orthorhombic structure with the Pbnm space group. The random distribution of particle size was shown through morphological investigation. Apparent density of developed ceramics was determined using the Archimedes technique and found to be ˂ 90%. The microwave dielectric properties of grown ceramics are compared on the basis of ionic polarizability. It is observed that partial replacement of Ca-ions by Sr-ions provides a high permittivity value (er = 168.93), higher …

Hole Transport Layers In Organic Solar Cells: A Review, Riva Alkarsifi, Jörg Ackermann, Olivier Margeat

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Thanks to huge research efforts, organic solar cells have become serious candidates in the field of renewable energy sources, with reported power conversion efficiencies above 19% and operating lifetime surpassing decades. In the thin film stack composing the organic solar cell, the transport layers at interfaces play a key role, as important as the photoactive material itself. Both electron (ETL) and hole (HTL) transport layers are indeed directly involved in the efficiency and stability of the devices, due to the very specific properties required for these interfaces. Focusing on the HTL interface, a large number of materials has been used …

Research Progress Of Novel Zirconium Alloys With High Strength And Toughness, Na Zhang, Chaoqun Xia, Jiaqian Qin, Qiang Li, Xinyu Zhang, Riping Liu

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Atoms of zirconium (Zr) are often known as "first metals of the atomic age". Because of its low cross section for thermal neutron absorption, excellent corrosion resistance, and good mechanical and processing properties, it is extensively used in the nuclear industry. As the properties requirements of materials in chemical, medical and aerospace fields turn out to be higher, the application of Zr alloys in these non-nuclear fields has become more and more widespread due to their excellent properties. In addition to having a high melting point, Zr alloys also have a high specific strength and low thermal expansion coefficient. Therefore, …