Engineering Commons^™

3d Printed Cnt/Tpu Triboelectric Nanogenerator For Load Monitoring Of Total Knee Replacement, Osama Abdalla, Mahmood Chahari, Milad Azami, Amir Ameli, Emre Salman, Milutin Stanacevic, Ryan Willing, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

This study presents the development and characterization of a novel triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) designed as a self-powered sensor for load monitoring in total knee replacement (TKR) implants. The triboelectric layers comprise a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) matrix with carbon nanotube (CNT) nanoparticles and kapton tape, sandwiched between two copper electrodes. To optimize sensor performance, the proposed CNT/TPU TENG sensor is fabricated with varying CNT concentrations and thicknesses, enabling a comprehensive analysis of how material composition and structural parameters influence energy harvesting efficiency. The 1% CNT/TPU composite demonstrates the highest power output among the tested samples. The solid CNT/TPU-based TENG generated …

Mae Enewsbrief Jan-Mar 2025, Department Of Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Mae Enewsbrief Oct-Dec 2024, Department Of Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Comparative Study Of Experimental And Fea Strain Data For Cnt-Coated Fiberglass Sensors, Extensometers, And Metal Foil Strain Gauges, Omar Dwidar

Master's Theses

Material testing is essential across industries such as aerospace, automotive, and construction, playing a critical role in verifying material selection, diagnosing failures, and understanding the development of flaws in structures. These insights are key to designing successful, reliable systems. Conventional metal foil strain gauges are low cost and reliable but provide limited sensitivity with a typical gauge factor around 2. Extensometers provide highly sensitive strain measurements with the disadvantage of a bulky form factor. With advanced materials such as carbon nanotubes, it is possible to manufacture a sensor with the sensitivity closer to that of an extensometer with the small …

Effect Of Manufacturing And Machining Process On Recycled Composite Connecting Rods Under Tension And Compression, Walter W. Oppelt

Master's Theses

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is an engineering material renowned for its high-strength and low-density material properties. Such properties make CFRPs especially useful for applications across many industries, including aerospace, automotive, marine, sporting goods, oil and gas, and more. However, with such favorable material properties comes the cost of high energy usage required to produce raw carbon fiber. Recycled carbon fiber (rCF) has emerged as a promising alternative, offering a significant reduction in energy usage. This research explores the viability of applying recycled CFRPs to internal combustion engines to both reduce energy costs during manufacturing and while in use. Mechanical …

Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of A Dual-Rate Spring System For Mountain Bike Frames, Lucas P. Grizzle

Master's Theses

The design of full-suspension mountain bikes is a careful balance of suspension kinematics, structural dynamics, and manufacturing optimization for the expected use case. A bike designed to excel in one area will likely exhibit reduced performance in others. This optimization problem is addressed by designing, integrating, and testing a dual-rate spring system within a fully custom frame. The dual-rate spring is fully decoupled from the rest of the suspension kinematics, providing designers with an additional parameter to achieve ideal suspension behavior. This is accomplished by placing a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) bushing in series with the rear shock. The influence of …

Model-Based Design Of Compressed Lithium-Metal Pouch Cell Battery Modules For Evtol Applications, Scott J. Stirling

Master's Theses

Batteries with higher specific energy and power are essential for extending the range and performance of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). Anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells offer strong potential at the cell-level but require high compressive pressures to enhance cycle life and discharge performance. These pressures necessitate heavier structural components, reducing packaging efficiency at the module level.

To evaluate this tradeoff, a full-factorial enumeration model was developed to explore viable module designs within a constrained packaging volume. The model scales subsystem masses, enforces design rules and material limits, and accounts for large (~20%) cell thickness changes during cycling.

Results …

Thermal Modeling Techniques For Additively Manufactured Porous Metals, Lucas D. Rambo

Master's Theses

Advances in additive manufacturing have enabled the creation of metallic components with tailored porosity, offering design flexibility for thermal, structural, and fluid transport applications. This thesis investigates the effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of porous Inconel 625 (IN625) and Inconel-ceramic composites (IN625-RAM2) fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) using Elementum 3D’s PermiAM technology. Experimental measurements of thermal conductivity using the laser flash method are compared to numerical models built from micro-computed tomography data. Simulations were performed using both finite element (FE) and finite volume (FV) methods to evaluate thermal transport in real microstructures. The study investigates the effects of micro- …

Multimodal Self-Folding Of Shape Memory Polymer Using Laser Induced Graphene, Liam Harrison Drew

Master's Theses

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) can undergo programmed shape transformations when heated above their glass transition temperature (T_g), enabling actuation through stimuli such as infrared (IR) radiation and Joule heating. These materials are promising for deployable systems and soft robotics due to their lightweight structure and elimination of traditional mechanical components. While IR-based actuation is simple and low-cost, it lacks precision in uncontrolled environments. Joule heating offers improved control but is often limited by conductive ink properties such as thickness, stiffness, or poor adhesion. This work introduces a novel method for multimodal SMP actuation using laser-induced graphene (LIG) transferred …

Hands-Free Balance Protocol And Development Of An Iphone App For Self-Assessment, Jacob Matties

Master's Theses

For many clinical populations, the measurement of balance is a critical task. Previous studies have agreed that smartphone IMUs provide a valid measure of balance that can be significantly correlated with force plate measurements and is sensitive enough to distinguish between various balance poses, but many balance assessment protocols require uncommon equipment or the use of hands during assessment. These limit accessibility of balance assessment. To eliminate the need for hands or any additional equipment, this study assessed the use of a smartphone recording the root mean square of 3D acceleration magnitude. The goal of the study was to determine …

Nsf Eec: Establishing Utrgv’S Center For Broadening Participation In Engineering: Engage, Educate, Enrich, Ala Qubbaj, Laura Benitez, Noe Vargas Hernandez, Constantine Tarawneh, Arturo A. Fuentes, Nazmul Islam, Edna Orozco-Leonhardt, Thuy Vu, Angela M. Chapman

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Hispanics are one of the fastest growing populations in the US, yet they are underrepresented in engineering. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), a major Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with a student population over 95% Hispanic, is well-positioned to address this disparity. UTRGV established a Center for Broadening Participation in Engineering: Engage, Educate, Enrich (CBPE-E3) to enhance Hispanic participation in engineering from early awareness through professional employment. The CBPE -E3 aims to increase enrollment, retention, and advancement rates of Hispanic students in higher education engineering, especially Latinas facing intersectional barriers of race and gender. The CBPE -E3 envisions becoming …

Supporting Student Success In Engineering By Promoting The Participation Of Underrepresented Minorities In Research Venues, Eleazar Marquez, Hiram Moya, Anil K. Srivastava

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, the recruitment model termed IBIEE (Identify, Build, Integrate, Evaluate, Extend) was implemented to attract, advance, and advocate the participation of underrepresented engineering students to a research collaboration effort between The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and a National Laboratory. The purpose of the partnership between these two entities is meet the following goals: a) find innovative manufacturing techniques for weapons development, and b) prepare UTRGV students to conduct internships and be employed with the National Laboratory. Similarly, the internal aim of UTRGV is to 1) support student success in engineering by promoting the participation of …

Course Material Or External Factors?: Assessing Student Perceptions That Impede Learning In Engineering Education, Eleazar Marquez, Samuel Garcia Jr.

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineering courses are mathematically inclined and rigorous in nature. Numerous pedagogical methods such as communication strategies, learning environments, and visual supplements have been designed and implemented to promote student learning, engagement, and success in rigorous topics. As such, engineering students are encouraged to allot sufficient time to recurrently process lecture notes, attend office hours, or inquire about ambiguous technical content to fully assimilate course material. In this study, students enrolled in two engineering courses (Rigid Body Dynamics and Engineering Analysis) were evaluated to identify which aspects (course material or external factors) generated the most predicaments during a semester span. The …

Board # 273: Nsf Iuse Hsi Implementation And Evaluation Project: The Freshman Year Innovator Experience (Fyie): Bridging The Urm Gap In Stem., Noe Vargas Hernandez, Javier A. Ortega, Arturo A. Fuentes, Eleazar Marquez, Ming-Tsan Lu

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The University of X's Freshman Year Innovator Experience (FYIE) program, hosted at a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), seeks to improve the first-year experience for new students by nurturing essential academic success skills. Specifically tailored to freshman mechanical engineering students, the program aims to equip them with self-transformation skills to navigate through the amplified academic and professional obstacles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants of FYIE engage in two concurrent courses: Introduction to Engineering (Course A) and Learning Frameworks (Course B). In Course A, students undertake a 6-week engineering design project, while in Course B, they work on a 6-week …

Fused-Silica Microelectromechanical Systems For Relative Gravimetry, Ethan Doerstling

Theses and Dissertations

Gravimeters are devices that measure gravitational acceleration which can be used by the United States Air Force (USAF) in the areas of navigation and remote sensing. Fused-silica microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices offer capabilities to make inexpensive relative gravimeters with higher thermal stability than common silicon devices while maintaining good gravitational sensitivity. The fused-silica devices in this research were designed, simulated, fabricated, and tested to observe their performance as gravimeters. The devices exhibit properties of highly sensitive accelerometers but the current designs do not qualify as gravimeters. This study provides information to improve the sensitivity and stability of these fused-silica MEMS …

Experimental And Computational Study Of Slow Crack Growth Of High Density Polyethylene, Abdulla Fawzi Almomani

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the slow crack growth (SCG) behavior of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) under various mechanical and environmental conditions. The study combines experimental analysis and computational modeling to enhance the understanding of SCG mechanisms in HDPE, particularly in pressurized pipes and under the exposure to hydrocarbons. A novel Crack Layer (CL) theory-based SCG model is developed and validated through experimental data, offering a predictive framework for HDPE failure assessment. The main objective of this dissertation is to quantify and model the viscoelastic-viscoplastic behavior of HDPE under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions while addressing SCG kinetics in structural applications. The study …

Design And Development Of Hip Implants For Longevity Through Integrating Advanced Groove Structures And Additive Manufacturing, Asarudheen Abdudeen

Dissertations

This doctoral research concerns the design and optimization of hip implants (HIs) to enhance performance, durability, and improve patient outcomes by addressing the key issues of wear, deformation, and stress distribution. Innovative surface groove designs have been introduced to both a solid and a hollow femoral head with the aim of reducing friction and wear. The addition of grooves, with both a hemispherical and rectangular cross-section, onto the femoral head reduced friction, as debris produced by the inner liner was trapped within the grooves, significantly reducing adhesive wear. A numerical simulation study compared the effects of surface modifications both grooves …

Addressing Urban Traffic Congestion: A Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Approach, Tairan Liu

Mineta Transportation Institute

In an innovative venture, the research team embarked on a mission to redefine urban traffic flow by introducing an automated way to manage traffic light timings. This project integrates two critical technologies, Deep Q-Networks (DQN) and Auto-encoders, into reinforcement learning, with the goal of making traffic smoother and reducing the all-too-common road congestion in simulated city environments. Deep Q-Networks (DQN) are a form of reinforcement learning algorithms that learns the best actions to take in various situations through trial and error. Auto-encoders, on the other hand, are tools that help simplify complex data, making it easier for the DQN to …

Fire Fossils: Biomineral Infrastructures In Untangling Climates, Tanmayee More

Masters Theses

Diatoms drift, sediments sink, wildfires generate their own weather. Lightning strikes can blast sand into glass, and microscopic organisms do the same in the cold recesses of the ocean. What alchemies and metabolisms catalyze space, time, and energy? What are the thermodynamics of infrastructure in Climate Change?

Places, materials, and beings are afterimages. Through alchemical experiments, and multi-scalar imaging, I develop simulations of wildfires, and their profound, reverberating effects. In this thesis, a glass-meets-landscape experimental process enters these obscured conditions and renders new material relations for the built environment.

Gamified Gait Rehabilitation Via Real-Time Biofeedback And Adaptive Hip-Exoskeleton Control, Mariya Huzaifa Tohfafarosh

Theses

Gait impairments arise from systemic diseases, age-related degeneration, musculoskeletal dysfunctions, or neurological conditions. While traditional rehabilitation can be effective, they often face challenges such as high costs, inaccessibility, and low patient engagement. To address these challenges, my work introduces a virtual reality-based rehabilitation (VRBR) system, integrating real-time motion and electromyographic (EMG) muscle activation feedback with a gamified virtual environment for enhanced adaptability and engagement. The system includes a custom-designed hip-exoskeleton that provides adaptive spring-like assistance or resistance, supporting both mobility-impaired users and strength training. Assistance levels can be tuned to match the user's progress. Additionally, a custom pressure insole was …

Axiomatic Aggregation Data, Carl D. Sorensen, Christopher A. Mattson, Michael L. Anderson, Thomas J. Ashworth

ScholarsArchive Data

This data set includes the ideation results of an experiment in ideation effectiveness, along with tools for analyzing the quality of the ideation.

All ideas generated by 15 teams of BYU students are included in the database. The ideas have been placed into an OPED genealogy tree format. The quality of all the ideas has been evaluated. The novelty of one team's ideas has been evaluated.

Instructions for performing the OPED organization, evaluating quality, and evaluating novelty are included in the data workbook.

Software tools to aggregate the individual evaluations into team scores and to display the results of the …

Surface Resistivity Correlation To Nano-Defects In Laser Powder Bed Fused Molybdenum (Mo)-Silicon Carbide (Sic) Alloys, Andrew Mason, Larry W. Burggraf, Ryan A. Kemnitz, Nate Ellsworth

Faculty Publications

The integration of Silicon Carbide (SiC) nanoparticles into Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LB-PBF) Molybdenum (Mo) printing represents a significant advancement in refractory metal additive manufacturing. Our investigation examined how varying SiC nanoparticle sizes affect the microstructural and electrical properties of LB-PBF-printed molybdenum components while maintaining a 0.01 mass fraction of Mo. At an Linear Energy Densities (LED) of 1.8 J/mm, the addition of 80 nm SiC particles achieved a 46% reduction in porosity, while sheet resistance decreased by 6% at LED of 2.0 J/mm with 80 nm SiC particles. These performance improvements stem from several mechanisms: SiC particles serve as …

Passive Vibration Isolation Systems For Mitigating Rotational Forces In Football Helmet Impacts, Julian Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Helmets have been used for centuries to mitigate head injuries, evolving with advancements in materials and design. They are critical in athletics, construction, and military applications, where shock and vibration isolation play a key role in head protection. Helmet performance is currently rated using the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and Helmet Performance Score (HPS) metrics. HIC is a metric used in sports and automotive industries which focuses on the probability of injury occurring due to the magnitude and duration of linear acceleration of the head [1]. The HPS metric was created by using a linear combination of HIC and a …

Using Predictive Analytics To Reduce Small Business Cost Estimation Error, Diana Solt

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Small and medium packaging companies generally employ the use of custom-developed quoting programs to bid goods and services. Custom bid programs (e.g. Excel) are used to capture the company-specific costs of production. The inputs of variable costs, such as machine rate and scrap rate, are critical to get correct; however, companies often rely on educated guesses and industry expertise to quote packaging products to end-users. Due to the guesswork involved there can be a financial difference between the quoted costs and actual costs. This variance is often the cause of significant lost dollars. Price, if not determined correctly, could negatively …

Statistical Approach To Turbulent Dispersal Of Aerosols For Accurate Prediction Of Concentration And Associated Uncertainties, K. A. Krishnaprasad, ‪Nadim Zgheib, S. Balachandar

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In the context of turbulent dispersal of aerosol pollutants from a source within a ventilated indoor space, the present work addresses the importance of going beyond accurate prediction of the mean ensemble-averaged exposure, by evaluating the expected level of variability in individual realizations. This uncertainty quantification requires a statistical description of the inherent stochastic turbulent dispersal process and the inhomogeneous nature of the indoor flow. We leverage large datasets from turbulence-resolving EulerLagrange simulations of aerosol dispersal in varying indoor geometries. The datasets provide time-resolved concentrations of pollutants emitted by a source located anywhere in a room and reaching a sink …

Experimental Characterisation Of Laser Cladding Of Crniw And Crnifealzr Powders On H13 Tool Steel And Optimisation Of Process Parameters, Martin Vinoth S

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, laser cladding on H13 steel substrate with two different powder compositions CrNiW and CrNiFeAlZr has been carried out. The laser power, powder feed rate, and scanning speed were varied and the clad dimensions, aspect ratio, and dilution percentage were measured. The microhardness found in the CrNiW clad is 834 ± 20 HV0.5, which is higher than that of the CrNiFeAlZr clad (780 ± 20 HV0.5) as well as the substrate (548 ± 20 HV0.5).

The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns identified the common phase creation of Ni3C and Fe3C for CrNiFeAlZr and CrNiW coatings, while the oxide formation …

Finite Volume Incompressible Lattice Boltzmann Framework For Non-Newtonian Flow Simulations In Complex Geometries, Akshay Dongre, John Ryan Murdock, Song Lin Yang

Michigan Tech Publications

Arterial diseases are a leading cause of morbidity worldwide, necessitating the development of robust simulation tools to understand their progression mechanisms. In this study, we present a finite volume solver based on the incompressible lattice Boltzmann method (iLBM) to model complex cardiovascular flows. Standard LBM suffers from compressibility errors and is constrained to uniform Cartesian meshes, limiting its applicability to realistic vascular geometries. To address these issues, we developed an incompressible LBM scheme that recovers the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations (NSEs) and integrated it into a finite volume (FV) framework to handle unstructured meshes while retaining the simplicity of the LBM …

Predicting Strut Geometry Of Pcl And Dmso2 Biocomposites From Nozzle To Deposition In Bio-Scaffold 3d Printing, Jae-Won Jang, Kyung-Eun Min, Jun-Hee Park, Cheolhee Kim, Sung Yi

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The field of tissue engineering increasingly demands accurate predictive models to optimize the 3D printing process of bio-scaffolds. This study presents a unified numerical model that predicts extrusion velocity and strut diameter based on printing conditions and the material properties of polycaprolactone (PCL) and dimethyl sulfone (DMSO2) composites. The extrusion velocity was simulated using Navier–Stokes equations, while the strut diameter was calculated via a surface energy model. For PCL, the extrusion velocity showed a temperature coefficient of 23.3%/°C and a pressure coefficient of 19.1% per 100 kPa; the strut diameter exhibited a temperature coefficient of 21.6%/°C and a pressure coefficient …

Sustainability In The Cruising Industry: Innovations In Air Quality, Energy Efficiency, And Waste Management, Fikret Durmus, Mi Ran Kim

ICHRIE Research Reports

The cruise industry, a cornerstone of the global hospitality and tourism sector, faces increasing scrutiny over its environmental impact. As passenger numbers grow, so does the industry's responsibility to adopt sustainable practices. This report examines key innovations in air quality management, energy efficiency, and waste management, highlighting the industry's transition from historically high emissions and waste production to advanced sustainability initiatives. Key focus areas include evolving maritime regulations, adopting cleaner propulsion technologies, integrating energy-efficient solutions, and improving waste treatment practices. Findings indicate that industry leaders are investing in liquefied natural gas engines, exhaust gas cleaning systems, and onshore power supply …

An Artificial Neural Network-Based Battery Management System For Lifepo4 Batteries, Roger Painter, Ranganathan Parthasarathy, Lin Li, Irucka Embry, Lonnie Sharpe, S. Keith Hargrove

Civil and Architectural Engineering Faculty Research

We present a reduced-order battery management system (BMS) for lithium-ion cells in electric and hybrid vehicles that couples a physics-based single-particle model (SPM) derived from the Cahn–Hilliard phase-field formulation with a lumped heat-transfer model. A three-dimensional COMSOL® 5.0 simulation of a LiFePO4 particle produced voltage and temperature data across ambient temperatures (253–298 K) and discharge rates (1 C–20.5 C). Principal component analysis (PCA) reduced this dataset to five latent variables, which we then mapped to experimental voltage–temperature profiles of an A123 Systems 26650 2.3 Ah cell using a self-normalizing neural network (SNN). The resulting ROM achieves real-time prediction accuracy comparable …