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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Strain Modulations As A Mechanism To Reduce Stress Relaxation In Laryngeal Tissues, Eric J. Hunter, Thomas Siegmund, Roger W. Chan Jan 2014

Strain Modulations As A Mechanism To Reduce Stress Relaxation In Laryngeal Tissues, Eric J. Hunter, Thomas Siegmund, Roger W. Chan

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Vocal fold tissues in animal and human species undergo deformation processes at several types of loading rates: a slow strain involved in vocal fold posturing (on the order of 1 Hz or so), cyclic and faster posturing often found in speech tasks or vocal embellishment (1–10 Hz), and shear strain associated with vocal fold vibration during phonation (100 Hz and higher). Relevant to these deformation patterns are the viscous properties of laryngeal tissues, which exhibit non-linear stress relaxation and recovery. In the current study, a large strain time-dependent constitutive model of human vocal fold tissue is used to investigate effects …


Rheological Investigation Of The Shear Strength, Durability, And Recovery Of Alginate Rafts Formed By Antacid Medication In Varying Ph Environments, Brooke M. Elliott, Kathleen E. Steckbeck, Lisa R. Murray, Kendra Erk Nov 2013

Rheological Investigation Of The Shear Strength, Durability, And Recovery Of Alginate Rafts Formed By Antacid Medication In Varying Ph Environments, Brooke M. Elliott, Kathleen E. Steckbeck, Lisa R. Murray, Kendra Erk

School of Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The mechanical response of alginate rafts formed by mixing liquid alginate antacid medication (Gaviscon® Extra Strength Liquid Antacid) with acidic solutions was investigated by deforming isolated rafts in a shear rheometer. As rafts were deformed to varying magnitudes of applied strain, rheological parameters were identified and related to the overall strength, durability, and recoverability of rafts formed at different pH (1.1 – 1.7) and aging conditions (0.5 – 4 hr). Rafts formed in the lowest acidity solutions (pH 1.4, 1.7) were elastically weak (G0 = 60, 42 Pa for un-aged raft) yet maintained their elasticity during applied …


Universal Scaling And Intrinsic Classification Of Electro-Mechanical Actuators, Sambit Palit, Ankit Jain, Muhammad A. Alam Apr 2013

Universal Scaling And Intrinsic Classification Of Electro-Mechanical Actuators, Sambit Palit, Ankit Jain, Muhammad A. Alam

Birck and NCN Publications

Actuation characteristics of electromechanical (EM) actuators have traditionally been studied for a few specific regular electrode geometries and support (anchor) configurations. The ability to predict actuation characteristics of electrodes of arbitrary geometries and complex support configurations relevant for broad range of applications in switching, displays, and varactors, however, remains an open problem. In this article, we provide four universal scaling relationships for EM actuation characteristics that depend only on the mechanical support configuration and the corresponding electrode geometries, but are independent of the specific geometrical dimensions and material properties of these actuators. These scaling relationships offer an intrinsic classification for …


Investigations Of Attitudes Towards Offshore Wind Farm Development In Ireland: Their Implication Towards Future Development Of The Industry., Aidan Melia Feb 2013

Investigations Of Attitudes Towards Offshore Wind Farm Development In Ireland: Their Implication Towards Future Development Of The Industry., Aidan Melia

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

This current research investigates what the attitudes of Irish people are towards the development of offshore wind farms in Ireland. Using a qualitative approach, a questionnaire is carefully designed and distributed among a sample population from three coastal communities. One is located on the west coast and two on the east coast. The two locations on the east coast have an involvement in offshore wind farms. One of the locations plays host to Ireland’s only offshore wind farm, while there are plans in place for an offshore wind farm at the other location. The results from the questionnaires are analyzed …


The Anisotropic Hyperelastic Biomechanical Response Of The Vocal Ligament And Implications For Frequency Regulation: A Case Study, Jordan E. Kelleher, Thomas Siegmund, Mindy Du, Elhum Naseri, Roger W. Chan Jan 2013

The Anisotropic Hyperelastic Biomechanical Response Of The Vocal Ligament And Implications For Frequency Regulation: A Case Study, Jordan E. Kelleher, Thomas Siegmund, Mindy Du, Elhum Naseri, Roger W. Chan

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Assessing The Engineering Performance Of Affordable Net-Zero Energy Housing, Jordan P. Wallpe May 2012

Assessing The Engineering Performance Of Affordable Net-Zero Energy Housing, Jordan P. Wallpe

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to evaluate affordable technologies that are capable of providing attractive, cost-effective energy savings to the housing industry. The research did so by investigating the 2011 Solar Decathlon competition, with additional insight from the Purdue INhome. Insight from the Purdue INhome verified the importance of using a three step design process to design a net-zero energy building. In addition, energy consumption values of the INhome were used to compare and contrast different systems used in other houses.

Evaluation of unbiased competition contests gave a better understanding of how a house can realistically reach net-zero. Upon …


Improving Manufacturing Processes Through Energy Monitoring, Andrew Grzelak Apr 2012

Improving Manufacturing Processes Through Energy Monitoring, Andrew Grzelak

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Energy efficiency and sustainability are very popular topics in the current field of manufacturing. With the increase in use of automation technology as well as the recent growth in the area of energy management, there is much focus on the overall improvement of manufacturing processes. For this research a project was completed to create a system that could improve both process efficiency as well as decrease energy consumption. By taking a look at the machine level energy consumption of an automated piece of manufacturing equipment, by eliminating waste in process, both energy efficiency and operational efficiency can be improved.

Using …


Acoustic Emission Detection Of Metals And Alloys During Machining Operations, Jameson K. Nelson Apr 2012

Acoustic Emission Detection Of Metals And Alloys During Machining Operations, Jameson K. Nelson

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Nelson, Jameson K. M.S., Purdue University, May 2012. Acoustic Emission Detection of Metals and Alloys During Machining Operations. Major Professor: Rodney G. Handy.

Practical correlation between material deformation attributes and theoretical concepts of machining has proven difficult to attain. The purpose of this study was to further explore trends and relationships using acoustic emission detection of materials undergoing single-point lathe turning machine processes. The majority of machining experiments that incorporate acoustic emissions focuses on tool degradation for the purposes of optimizing consumables required to manufacture mechanical devices. Experiments were implemented varying recording location, mechanical barrier condition, and machine parameters. The …


Evaluating Net-Zero Energy Houses From The U.S. Department Of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, Jordan P. Wallpe, William J. Hutzel, Gregory Lasker, Clark Cory Jan 2012

Evaluating Net-Zero Energy Houses From The U.S. Department Of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011, Jordan P. Wallpe, William J. Hutzel, Gregory Lasker, Clark Cory

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The Solar Decathlon is a two year, international project where university students compete to design, build, and test energy-efficient, net-zero homes. By definition, net-zero energy houses annually produce as much electricity as they consume. The 2011 Solar Decathlon, held in Washington D.C., had 19 university teams from around the world.

Unfortunately, many past Solar Decathlon houses have traditionally been very costly. However, the 2011 Solar Decathlon was the first competition to have an affordability contest. The affordability contest required each home to be valued under an estimated builder’s cost of $250,000, forcing the teams to select economically feasible solutions for …


Resolving Structure And Mechanical Properties At The Nanoscale Of Viruses With Frequency Modulation Atomic Force Microscopy, David Martinez-Martin, Carolina Carrasco, Mercedes Hernando-Pérez, P. J. De Pablo, Júlio Gómez-Herrero, Rebeca Pérez, Mauricio Garcia Mateu, José López Carrascosa, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, John C. Melcher, Arvind Raman Jan 2012

Resolving Structure And Mechanical Properties At The Nanoscale Of Viruses With Frequency Modulation Atomic Force Microscopy, David Martinez-Martin, Carolina Carrasco, Mercedes Hernando-Pérez, P. J. De Pablo, Júlio Gómez-Herrero, Rebeca Pérez, Mauricio Garcia Mateu, José López Carrascosa, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, John C. Melcher, Arvind Raman

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Structural Biology (SB) techniques are particularly successful in solving virus structures. Taking advantage of the symmetries, a heavy averaging on the data of a large number of specimens, results in an accurate determination of the structure of the sample. However, these techniques do not provide true single molecule information of viruses in physiological conditions. To answer many fundamental questions about the quickly expanding physical virology it is important to develop techniques with the capability to reach nanometer scale resolution on both structure and physical properties of individual molecules in physiological conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) fulfills these requirements providing images …


Automating The Fret Slotting Process Using A Plc Controlled 1.5 Axis Mill, James Stratton Jul 2011

Automating The Fret Slotting Process Using A Plc Controlled 1.5 Axis Mill, James Stratton

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Stratton, James A. M.S., Purdue University, August 2011. Automating the Fret Slotting Process Using a PLC Controlled 1.5 Axis CNC Mill. Major Professor: Richard Mark French.

Can automation assist small job shops and hobbyists in the production of stringed instruments? This research set out to answer the question using a quantitative approach to determine if an economical CNC machine could be produced in such a fashion as to seamlessly join the workshop as an affordable, yet precise instrument to aid in the production of stringed instruments. The key was to incorporate common industrial automation equipment into the operation of the …


Stereoscopic Vision's Impact On Spatial Ability Testing, George Takahashi Jul 2011

Stereoscopic Vision's Impact On Spatial Ability Testing, George Takahashi

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

A look into spatial ability testing tools and the variations that past researchers made to focus on key factors that affect test scores, will demonstrate the need for tuning traditional testing methods to accommodate a wider demographic and provide more accurate results. Due to technological limitations of the time, a large variety of past spatial tests were developed by hand-drawings. Within this research, the addition of stereoscopic vision is analyzed to determine the value of said changes on human perception of spatial entities.


A Digital Hydraulic Valve, Actuated Using A Piezoelectric Linear Motor, Brian C. Bevill Jul 2011

A Digital Hydraulic Valve, Actuated Using A Piezoelectric Linear Motor, Brian C. Bevill

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Proportional control in hydraulics is widely utilized. The most widely used current types of proportional valves utilize solenoid technology. While this technology has been around for decades and has been proven an effective means of control, there is always a demand for improved performance of advancing technologies. Integrating piezoelectric devices as a means to control hydraulic systems helps advance control for hydraulic systems.

Piezoelectric stack devices have been used to control hydraulic systems with success. Advantages of these stacks include being relatively small with a high power to weight ratio, using less energy than solenoid operations, and being fast acting. …


Virtual Prototyping Of A Mechatronics Device, Ryne P. Mchugh Jul 2011

Virtual Prototyping Of A Mechatronics Device, Ryne P. Mchugh

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Mechanical, electrical, and embedded software engineering are being combined in modern products. This combination has come to be known as mechatronics. The high level of multidisciplinary interaction makes it difficult for collaboration and use of computers in Mechatronics’ design.

Dassault Systems’ SolidWorks and National Instruments’ LabVIEW are industrial grade softwares that can be used in the development and deployment phase of engineering design. SolidWorks is used for physical modeling and analysis of geometric parts, while LabVIEW is used as a programming language for control logic and data acquisition. National Instruments has developed a module, known as SoftMotion, which allows communication …


Quantifying Multiple Types Of Damping Acting On Bronze-Wound Guitar Strings, Jonathan Christian Jun 2011

Quantifying Multiple Types Of Damping Acting On Bronze-Wound Guitar Strings, Jonathan Christian

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The goal of this study was to quantify the contributions of multiple damping types acting on guitar strings for each mode over a wide frequency range so that design variables could be identified to one day create frequency based damping in guitar strings. Structural dynamic testing was used to obtain the time-response of a vibrating string in open air and in a vacuum. From this signal, each harmonic was filtered and the decay envelope was curve-fitted with a function that was a linear summation of decay functions. From the curve-fits, the damping coefficients for aerodynamic, friction, and material damping were …


Control System For Mass Spectrometer, Jian Xu May 2011

Control System For Mass Spectrometer, Jian Xu

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a very popular analytical methodology that measures the mass of ions using a mass spectrometer. It is widely used for determining masses of chemicals, the elemental composition of a sample and molecule structure. The process of mass spectrometry normally consists of ionizing chemical compounds to ions and measuring their ratios of mass to charge for analysis.

MS instruments consist of three modules: Ionization, Analysis and detection. A LabVIEW system was developed to control the three modules of a mass spectrometer, giving the required signals in a right sequence. Experiments can be carried out by using the …


How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curricula., Jeremy R. Farner May 2011

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curricula., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States. Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …


Mechatronics Application To Solar Tracking, Danny L. Rodriguez Jr Apr 2011

Mechatronics Application To Solar Tracking, Danny L. Rodriguez Jr

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

The purpose of this was to design and implement a two-axis solar tracking system utilizing the National Instruments C-Rio real time controller. In order to accomplish this a prototype was modeled in CAD. This prototype used two 12 V DC motors to change a solar panel's rotation and tilt based on feedback data from three cadmium sulfide photoresistors. This configuration was chosen for its ability to create both a left-right rotational and an up/down tilt differential. In Addition this approach uses National Instruments Labview to control a solar tracking system. Using Labview add uniqueness to this project by adding a …


Estimating The Yield Strength Of Thin Metal Films Through Elastic-Plastic Buckling-Induced Debonding, S Goyal, K Srinivasan, G Subbarayan, Thomas Siegmund Jan 2011

Estimating The Yield Strength Of Thin Metal Films Through Elastic-Plastic Buckling-Induced Debonding, S Goyal, K Srinivasan, G Subbarayan, Thomas Siegmund

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we propose a procedure to estimate the yield strength of thin films by debonding films from their substrate by elastic-plastic buckling under thermally-induced compressive loading. The out-of-plane displacement of the metal lines under conditions of elastic-plastic buckling is dependent on the yield strength of the film. Thus, an inverse estimate of the yield strength is made from measurements of the out-of-plane displacements of the buckled metal lines. The procedure is demonstrated to estimate the yield strength of aluminum lines consistent with measurements by other techniques.


Toward A Zero Energy Home: Applying Swiss Building Practices/Attitudes To U.S. Residential Construction, Daphene C. Koch, William Hutzel, Jason M. Kutch, Eric A. Holt Jan 2011

Toward A Zero Energy Home: Applying Swiss Building Practices/Attitudes To U.S. Residential Construction, Daphene C. Koch, William Hutzel, Jason M. Kutch, Eric A. Holt

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This project evaluated typical U.S. and Swiss homes to identify construction practices that are most energy efficient and have economic payback. A net zero energy home (ZEH) produces as much energy as is consumed in it over time. Students in a College o f Technology in a Midwest Indiana State University and a technical University in Switzerland resulted in developing models of homes that combined U.S. and Swiss standards. The project was completed in two phases: during the first phase o f this project, construction costs, energy use, and economic payback was calculated for six homes that were designed using …


Comparative Analysis Of A Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Designed For Renewable Energy Applications, Craig A. Zehrung Jan 2011

Comparative Analysis Of A Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Designed For Renewable Energy Applications, Craig A. Zehrung

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

This thesis describes the design, testing, and validation of an open-circuit, mid-sized wind tunnel used for the teaching of undergraduate courses and testing of green energy wind turbines. This thesis uses computational fluid dynamics to determine theoretical values for flow of the wind tunnel which were statistically compared to actual values of fluid flow. An overall analysis of efficiency and effectiveness were also performed. However, aerodynamic testing of actual prototype turbines will not be covered in this thesis, as it does not concern the tunnels adherence to theoretical flow values.


The Characterization Of Aerosol Particle Contamination As The Result Of Carry-Over And Cross-Over In Enthalpy Wheels, Rodney G. Handy, Kevin Rodgers, Jon Wang, Matt Tumey, Danny Rodriguez, William J. Hutzel Jan 2010

The Characterization Of Aerosol Particle Contamination As The Result Of Carry-Over And Cross-Over In Enthalpy Wheels, Rodney G. Handy, Kevin Rodgers, Jon Wang, Matt Tumey, Danny Rodriguez, William J. Hutzel

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This paper provides results from a study that characterized the particle distributions found from variable contaminated airstreams in energy recovery ventilators (ERV) during two different test scenarios. The first scenario involved the measurement of the particulate concentrations during an operational situation when the pressure differential forces cross-flow leakage between the exhaust and intake streams. The second scenario involved the characterization of aerosol particulate concentrations from the carry-over contamination when the wheel was not in operation. The findings from the study concluded that if a source of aerosol particulate matter is present in an environment utilizing an ERV system, then cross-over …


Strain Energy And Lateral Friction Force Distributions Of Carbon Nanotubes Manipulated Into Shapes By Atomic Force Microscopy, Mark C. Strus, Roya R. Lahiji, Pablo Ares, Vincente Lopez, Arvind Raman, Ron R. Reifenberger Aug 2009

Strain Energy And Lateral Friction Force Distributions Of Carbon Nanotubes Manipulated Into Shapes By Atomic Force Microscopy, Mark C. Strus, Roya R. Lahiji, Pablo Ares, Vincente Lopez, Arvind Raman, Ron R. Reifenberger

Other Nanotechnology Publications

The interplay between local mechanical strain energy and lateral frictional forces determines the shape of carbon nanotubes on substrates. In turn, because of its nanometer-size diameter, the shape of a carbon nanotube strongly influences its local electronic, chemical, and mechanical properties. Few, if any, methods exist for resolving the strain energy and static frictional forces along the length of a deformed nanotube supported on a substrate. We present a method using nonlinear elastic rod theory in which we compute the flexural strain energy and static frictional forces along the length of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) manipulated into various shapes …


Interfacial Energy Between Carbon Nanotubes And Polymers Measured From Nanoscale Peel Tests In The Atomic Force Microscope, Mark C. Strus, Camilo I. Cano, R. Byron Pipes, Cattien V. Nguyen, Arvind Raman Mar 2009

Interfacial Energy Between Carbon Nanotubes And Polymers Measured From Nanoscale Peel Tests In The Atomic Force Microscope, Mark C. Strus, Camilo I. Cano, R. Byron Pipes, Cattien V. Nguyen, Arvind Raman

Other Nanotechnology Publications

The future development of polymer composite materials with nanotubes or nanoscale fibers requires the ability to understand and improve the interfacial bonding at the nanotube-polymer matrix interface. In recent work [Strus MC, Zalamea L, Raman A, Pipes RB, Nguyen CV, Stach EA. Peeling force spectroscopy: exposing the adhesive nanomechanics of one-dimensional nanostructures. Nano Lett 2008;8(2):544–50], it has been shown that a new mode in the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), peeling force spectroscopy, can be used to understand the adhesive mechanics of carbon nanotubes peeled from a surface. In the present work, we demonstrate how AFM peeling force spectroscopy can be …


Identification Of Multiple Oscillation States Of Carbon Nanotube Tipped Cantilevers Interacting With Surfaces In Dynamic Atomic Force Microscopy, Mark Strus, Arvind Raman Jan 2009

Identification Of Multiple Oscillation States Of Carbon Nanotube Tipped Cantilevers Interacting With Surfaces In Dynamic Atomic Force Microscopy, Mark Strus, Arvind Raman

Birck and NCN Publications

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have gained increased interest in dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) as sharp, flexible, conducting, nonreactive tips for high-resolution imaging, oxidation lithography, and electrostatic force microscopy. By means of theory and experiments we lay out a map of several distinct tapping mode AFM oscillation states for CNT tipped AFM cantilevers: namely, noncontact attractive regime oscillation, intermittent contact with CNT slipping or pinning, or permanent contact with the CNT in point or line contact with the surface while the cantilever oscillates with large amplitude. Each state represents fundamentally different origins of CNT-surface interactions, CNT tip-substrate dissipation, and phase contrast …


The Effect Of Polydispersivity On The Thermal Conductivity Of Particulate Thermal Interface Materials, Sasanka Kanuparthi, Ganesh Subbarayan, Thomas Siegmund, Bahgat Sammakia Jan 2009

The Effect Of Polydispersivity On The Thermal Conductivity Of Particulate Thermal Interface Materials, Sasanka Kanuparthi, Ganesh Subbarayan, Thomas Siegmund, Bahgat Sammakia

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

A critical need in developing thermal interface materials (TIMs) is an understanding of the effect of particle/matrix conductivities, volume loading of the particles, the size distribution, and the random arrangement of the particles in the matrix on the homogenized thermal conductivity. Commonly, TIM systems contain random spatial distributions of particles of a polydisperse (usually bimodal) nature. A detailed analysis of the microstructural characteristics that influence the effective thermal conductivity of TIMs is the goal of this paper. Random microstructural arrangements consisting of lognormal size-distributions of alumina particles in silicone matrix were generated using a drop-fall-shake algorithm. The generated microstructures were …


Determination Of Superior Surface Strains And Stresses, And Vocal Fold Contact Pressure In A Synthetic Larynx Model Using Digital Image Correlation, Mychal Spencer, Thomas Siegmund, Luc Mongeau Jan 2008

Determination Of Superior Surface Strains And Stresses, And Vocal Fold Contact Pressure In A Synthetic Larynx Model Using Digital Image Correlation, Mychal Spencer, Thomas Siegmund, Luc Mongeau

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


An Efficient Network Model For Determining The Effective Thermal Conductivity Of Particulate Thermal Interface Materials, S Kanuparthi, G Subbarayan, Thomas Siegmund, B Sammakia Jan 2008

An Efficient Network Model For Determining The Effective Thermal Conductivity Of Particulate Thermal Interface Materials, S Kanuparthi, G Subbarayan, Thomas Siegmund, B Sammakia

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Particulate composites are commonly used in Microelectronics applications. One example of such materials is Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) that are used to reduce the contact resistance between the chip and the heat sink. The existing analytical descriptions of thermal transport in particulate systems do not accurately account for the effect of inter-particle interactions, especially in the intermediate volume fractions of 30-80%. Another crucial drawback in the existing analytical as well as the network models is the inability to model size distributions (typically bimodal) of the filler material particles that are obtained as a result of the material manufacturing process. While …


A Two-Layer Composite Model Of The Vocal Fol Lamina Propria For Fundamental Frequency Regulation, Kai Zhang, Thomas Siegmund, Roger W. Chan Jan 2007

A Two-Layer Composite Model Of The Vocal Fol Lamina Propria For Fundamental Frequency Regulation, Kai Zhang, Thomas Siegmund, Roger W. Chan

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Thermally Developing Flow And Heat Transfer In Rectangular Microchannels Of Different Aspect Ratios, Poh-Seng Lee, S V. Garimella Feb 2006

Thermally Developing Flow And Heat Transfer In Rectangular Microchannels Of Different Aspect Ratios, Poh-Seng Lee, S V. Garimella

CTRC Research Publications

Laminar convective heat transfer in the entrance region of microchannels of rectangular cross-section is investigated under circumferentially uniform wall temperature and axially uniform wall heat flux thermal boundary conditions. Three-dimensional numerical simulations were performed for laminar thermally developing flow in microchannels of different aspect ratios. Based on the temperature and heat flux distributions obtained, both the local and average Nusselt numbers are presented graphically as a function of the dimensionless axial distance and channel aspect ratio. Generalized correlations, useful for the design and optimization of microchannel heat sinks and other microfluidic devices, are proposed for predicting Nusselt numbers. The proposed …