Engineering Commons^™

Sound Innovations For Biofabrication And Tissue Engineering, Mengxi Wu, Zhiteng Ma, Zhenhua Tian, Joseph Rich, Xin He, Jianping Xia, Ye He, Kaichun Yang, Shujie Yang, Kam W. Leong, Luke P. Lee, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Advanced biofabrication techniques can create tissue-like constructs that can be applied for reconstructive surgery or as in vitro three-dimensional (3D) models for disease modeling and drug screening. While various biofabrication techniques have recently been widely reviewed in the literature, acoustics-based technologies still need to be explored. The rapidly increasing number of publications in the past two decades exploring the application of acoustic technologies highlights the tremendous potential of these technologies. In this review, we contend that acoustics-based methods can address many limitations inherent in other biofabrication techniques due to their unique advantages: noncontact manipulation, biocompatibility, deep tissue penetrability, versatility, precision …

Compliant Structures Facilitate Less Invasive And Biomechanically Improved Lumbar Spinal Implants, Daniel J. Orr

Theses and Dissertations

Implants used in lumbar spinal fusion and lumbar total disc replacement procedures have improved substantially over the years, however, the opportunity remains to improve either the adjustability, durability, motion, or minimally invasive characteristics which could aid in achieving optimal surgical outcomes. It is hypothesized that the inherent advantages of compliant mechanisms specifically Deployable Euler Spiral Connectors (DESCs) and a new mechanism known as the interior contact aided rolling element (I-CORE) are well suited for each of these applications and will be explored and utilized as the basis of these proposed designs. By addressing these challenges, the research endeavors to improve …

Biodegradable Polymeric Microspheres For Magnetically Guided Drug Delivery To Tumors, Tyler Payson Green

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the feasibility of utilizing biodegradable polymeric microspheres loaded with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to magnetically deliver the cancer therapeutic 5FU to a target tumor in the human body. The primary method of material loading consisted of a w/o/w double emulsion mechanism which 1) loads and protects 5FU in the inner water phase consisting of distilled water and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), 2) dispersed SPIONs in the biodegradable polymeric organic phase consisting of methylene chloride (MeCl2) for eventual magnetic transport, and 3) suspended these w/o emulsion droplets in an outer aqueous phase …

A Study Of Fit And Friction Force As A Function Of The Printing Process For Fff 3d-Printed Piston–Cylinder Assembly, Philippe A. Passeraub, Quentin Allen, Elizabeth Clark, Michael Miles, Siddartha Berns, Maija Pearson, Sterling Allred, Jonah Brooks, Sylvain Hugon

ScholarsArchive Data

Dataset DOI: https://doi.org/10.26067/hjm6-3d45

The shared data comprises the experimental measurements performed presented in the figures 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and in the tables for the following article:

Passeraub, P.A.; Allen, Q.; Clark, E.; Miles, M.; Berns, S.; Pearson, M.; Allred, S.; Brooks, J.; Hugon, S. A Study of Fit and Friction Force as a Function of the Printing Process for FFF 3D-Printed Piston–Cylinder Assembly. J. Manuf. Mater. Process. 2024, 8, 249. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp8060249

Ignis: A One-Dimensional Laminar Flame Code, Jansen P. Berryhill, Jacob K. Spinti, David O. Lignell

Faculty Publications

Laminar flame codes have an important role in combustion modeling. They can provide a fundamental understanding of flame dynamics and provide a basis for building subgrid scale models in turbulent flow simulations. This paper presents Ignis, an open-source laminar flame code with the capability to offload submodels, like soot formation and radiation, using external packages and libraries. Ignis is written in C++, is documented with Doxygen, and is available on GitHub. It contains three different flame formulations: diffusion flames, premixed flames, and laminar flamelets solved in the mixture fraction coordinate. An option to facilitate creation of a diffusion flame table …

Experimental Study Of The Impact Of Droplet And Printing Parameters On Line Formation In Binder Jetting, Jacob E. Lawrence, Madi P. Lawrence, Nathan Crane

ScholarsArchive Data

This dataset consists of images of lines printed into 316 SS powder with varied droplet parameters (velocity, size, satellite or not) and print parameters (droplet spacing, printing frequency). Additionally, it includes data that was extracted from the images and some secondary measurements such as droplet height performed for some samples. The codes for the image processing routines are also included for reference as are the tables of data that were extracted from the images.

Automation, Improvement, And Sensitivity Analysis Of 3d Parameterized Maize Stalk Models, Joseph Steven Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Maize is the most grown crop in the world. Each year, 5% of maize is lost due to a phenomenon known as stalk lodging (breakage of the stalk below the ear). One of the most promising solutions to stalk lodging is to design stalks with superior geometry to increase stalk strength. Researchers have developed a 3D parameterized maize stalk model, but these models take a long time to structurally analyze and are missing important material properties. This thesis addressed these problems by developing an automated package for analyzing the 3D parameterized maize stalk model, and by measuring the longitudinal shear …

Actuation And Stabilization Of Volume-Efficient Origami-Inspired Mechanisms, Hunter T. Pruett

Theses and Dissertations

Trends in the aerospace industry are driving payloads to be smaller and less expensive while yet delivering comparatively large antennas. Deployable reflectarray antennas (RA) are the object of much research to meet these demands because they operate in a flat plane and are easier to stow than parabolic reflector antennas. Because they operate in flat plane, deployable RAs are well-suited to thickness-accommodated origami-inspired mechanisms. This work addresses pattern selection and modification, thickness accommodation, actuation, and stabilization of origami-inspired mechanisms intended to be used as RAs. First, a modified Miura-ori pattern termed volume-efficient Miura-ori (VEMO) is introduced, selected for its ability …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Of Ultrasound Fields For Visualization And Measurement Of Pressure Amplitudes, Paul-Emile Victor Passe-Carlus

Theses and Dissertations

In vivo pressure estimations for therapeutic ultrasound has the potential of rendering treatments using non-invasive ultrasound targeting safer and more reliable. By quantifying pressures and their respective spatial locations, better acoustic predictions and models can be made. In this thesis, we aim to measure a pressure field from a piezo-electric transducer through a ballistic gel medium by using an external gradient coil to encode the pressure field in a way that can be read and quantified using an MRI scanner. We describe the methods and the results pertaining to visualizing a pressure field. The setup was able to capture pressure …

Development Of Temperature Measurement And Control Of 3d Printed Microfluidic Devices Towards Biomolecular Analysis, Derek A. Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Microfluidics are devices with channels or reservoirs that have dimensions in the range of micrometers. They have an increasing role in biological analysis processes due to their ability to use very small sample volumes. Many microfluidic processes rely heavily on precise temperature measurement and control. Advances in 3D printing have led to high resolution digital light processing stereolithography (DLP-SLA) printers capable of using bio-compatible materials, available at BYU. This custom 3D printer has a resolution of 7.6 µm in the XY plane and 10 µm in the Z axis. Combined with a custom-made resin, we can produce microfluidic features as …

Joint Subarray Acoustic Tweezers Enable Controllable Cell Translation, Rotation, And Deformation, Liang Shen, Zhenhua Tian, Kaichun Yang, Joseph Rich, Jianping Xia, Neil Upreti, Jinxin Zhang, Chuyi Chen, Nanjing Hao, Zhichao Pei, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Contactless microscale tweezers are highly effective tools for manipulating, patterning, and assembling bioparticles. However, current tweezers are limited in their ability to comprehensively manipulate bioparticles, providing only partial control over the six fundamental motions (three translational and three rotational motions). This study presents a joint subarray acoustic tweezers platform that leverages acoustic radiation force and viscous torque to control the six fundamental motions of single bioparticles. This breakthrough is significant as our manipulation mechanism allows for controlling the three translational and three rotational motions of single cells, as well as enabling complex manipulation that combines controlled translational and rotational motions. …

Hydrogen Underground Storage For Grid Electricity Storage: An Optimization Study On Techno-Economic Analysis, Yunzhi Chen, Daniel Hill, Blake Billings, John Hedengren, Kody Powell

Faculty Publications

This study performs a techno-economic analysis of hydrogen underground storage systems for grid electricity storage, evaluating their economic viability at the plant scale using dynamic optimization. It explores the feasibility of various system configurations and revenue models in the context of volatile electricity prices and the necessity for multiple revenue streams. The hypothesis tested is that large-scale hydrogen storage, despite its low round-trip efficiency, can be economically viable with the right mix of revenue streams. This study uses scenario-based analysis to assess the impacts of different system configurations, including engaging in time-shifting arbitrage, ancillary service markets and blending hydrogen with …

Flexible Operation Of Nuclear Hybrid Energy Systems For Load Following And Water Desalination, An Ho, Blake W. Billings, John Hedengren, Kody M. Powell

Faculty Publications

Nuclear hybrid energy systems (NHES) have the potential to provide dependable and emission-free electricity to the grid while also increasing the flexibility and reliability of the electrical grid. Molten salt reactor (MSR) technology can provide consistent, carbon-free electricity while also increasing efficiency, security, and sustainability and reducing nuclear waste. This study investigates the integration of Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) and conventional Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) with desalination technologies: Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD), Multi-Stage Flash Distillation (MSFD), and Reverse Osmosis (RO). Dynamic first-principles models were developed and tested using real grid data from the New York Independent System Operator. The …

Electrochemical Investigation Of Moisture Byproducts In Molten Calcium Chloride, Rankin Shum, Marah Gragun, Tyler Williams, Devin Rappleye

Faculty Publications

Residual water in molten CaCl₂ reacts to form different byproducts, such as HCl, which can impact the corrosivity of the salt and efficiency of electrochemical operations, such as electrolytic oxide reduction and electrorefining. The ability to detect and quantify these byproducts electrochemically can provide feedback on the efficacy of vacuum drying and other purification methods, as well as the impact of these byproducts on process operations. An electrochemical signal’s association with the production of H₂ is verified and characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and residual gas analysis. CV estimated a 2-electron exchange process associated with H2 production. CV …

Model Predictive Control Of A Grid-Scale Thermal Energy Storage System In Relap5-3d, Jaron Wallace, John Hedengren, Kody Powell, Matthew Memmott

Faculty Publications

This research delves into the integration and control of a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system with a Small Modular Reactor (SMR), specifically the NuScale VOYGR SMR module in RELAP5-3D. The research methodology centered on modeling the NuScale VOYGR SMR, a light water pressurized water reactor (LWR) with a power output capacity of 77 MWe per module. The reactor and plant details were sourced from NuScale's final safety analysis report and supplemented by information from the NuScale website. The SMR plays a crucial role in energy generation, and to manage and dispatch the produced energy effectively, a robust storage system …

Analysis Of Isotopic Effects On Hydrogen Oxidation, Jacob Carter Wilde

Theses and Dissertations

Tritium generation presents a significant hazard during operation of nuclear reactors and necessitates safety precautions in the case of a combustion incident. Accurate kinetic models should inform these safety precautions, however, reliable tritium data do not exist to generate such models. This work focuses on laminar flame speed, which is an important component of kinetic models. Current estimates based on established kinetic theories and experimental measurements of the other isotopes of hydrogen predict tritium to have a flame speed approximately 70% that of standard protium over a broad range of stoichiometries at one atmosphere in air. These estimates are based …

Economic Impact Considerations For Sustainable Design Engineering As Derived From The Literature, K. Joshua Kelley, Christopher A. Mattson, Nile Hatch, John L. Salmon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis contributes to the scholarship on sustainable development by presenting a review of the literature on the economic impacts of engineering design decisions and engineered products. Many design engineers already consider the economic impacts of their work, especially those impacts related to production cost and the economic feasibility of their products. However, we believe that a review of our findings can help design engineers consider a more comprehensive set of economic impacts that apply to their work, leading to greater sustainability. Presented in this thesis are 11 economic impact categories, spanning three economic scopes.

Enhancing Surface Texturing Of Zirconia Toughened Alumina Ceramic Through Optimized Electric Discharge Machining Utilizing The Assistive Electrode Method, Yazan Eyas Tuffaha

Theses and Dissertations

Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) is a durable and biocompatible ceramic material commonly used in prosthetic hip implants because of its excellent mechanical properties and wear/corrosion resistance. Surface texturing can improve the lubricity and longevity of hip implant bearing surfaces, but precision machining of ceramic materials such as ZTA is very difficult due to suboptimal surface integrity results of traditional machining techniques. This thesis explores the optimization of machining ZTA using electric discharge machining (EDM) - a process usually reserved for conductive metals - to machine holes into the ceramic to create surface textures. EDM is made possible through the assistive …

Fission Product Thermodynamics, Solubility, And Extraction In Molten Salts And Lead, Richard Lee Fitzhugh

Theses and Dissertations

Chemical behavior of fission products in systems relevant to two major advanced nuclear reactor systems, namely the lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) and molten-salt reactor (MSR), has been studied with a heavy emphasis on thermodynamics. The behavior of fission products in molten salts is examined from a theoretical perspective, with an emphasis on the standard state used to define the thermodynamic activity. A standard state extrapolated from infinite dilution behavior, which is fairly common practice in electrochemistry, is found to facilitate faster, easier, and simpler analysis while retaining much of the accuracy of the complex Modified Quasichemical Model. Inductively-coupled plasma mass …

Void Formation During Liquid Composite Molding Under Varied Pressure With Mechanical Properties Validation, Neil Russell Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Composite materials have revolutionized products and how they are manufactured. Most large-scale aerospace companies utilize a carbon fiber pre-impregnated with a resin in conjunction with an autoclave to minimize voids, but it is very expensive and requires a great amount of space. The less expensive alternative to prepreg-autoclave processes is known as Liquid Composite Molding (LCM), in which the resin is brought into a mold via overpressure on the resin supply or by a vacuum in the mold. But this process is more prone to voids due to bubble formation. Voids are a critical issue as common failure modes such …

Quiescent Condensation Heat Transfer On Vertical Cicnt Structured Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Clint Mach Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

This study experimentally investigates the impact of the subcooling magnitude, the carbon-infiltrated carbon nanotube (CICNT) diameter, the time duration of condensation, and amount of non-condensable gases on the nature of dropwise condensation and condensate removal, and heat flux and heat transfer coefficient measurements. Experiments were conducted in a vacuum chamber on a vertically oriented test CICNT surface. The CICNT diameter was varied between 15-120 nm and the subcooling ranged from 0.5-9 °C. Each test ran for a duration of at least one hour and video was recorded at 20-minute intervals. Three modes of condensation were observed: drop jumping, drop wetting …

Behavior Of Reinforced Lightweight Cellular Concrete Backfill For Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls With Welded Wire Reinforcements, Cole Max Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

Lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) consists of a mixture of cement, water, and a pre-formed foam. The pre-formed foam entrains a high proportion of air voids into the cement water slurry at the time of casting, decreasing the product's overall weight. LCC is also a viable alternative when low native soil strengths prevent the use of traditional backfill methods through mitigating settlement and increasing strength. Due to these benefits, the use of LCC behind mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls is gaining popularity. Despite LCC gaining popularity behind MSE walls, the exact nature of the failure envelope is poorly understood. The pullout …

Tools For Planning Multi-Axis Vibration Qualification Tests, Marcus Edward Behling

Theses and Dissertations

Vibration qualification testing is necessary to ensure that components will endure vibration-induced damage in flight. Multi-axis tests have shown the potential for improvement over single-axis tests, though they require increased planning. This work focuses on planning three critical aspects of these tests: the amount of operational next assembly to include in the test, the size of shakers to use, and the number of shakers to use. Next assembly selection is studied by varying the amount of next assembly included in the lab test, performing physical tests, and comparing the accuracy of environment reconstruction in each test. In doing so, a …

Design For Pullout Resistance And Global Stability Of Metallic Reinforcements In Mse Walls With Lightweight Cellular Concrete Backfill, Joshua Curt Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Lightweight cellular concrete (LCC) is a type of concrete that has reduced density and weight compared to traditional concrete. This is achieved by incorporating a large amount of air- filled cells or voids into the mixture. The resulting material is lighter, yet still possesses considerable strength and durability, making it suitable for a range of construction applications, especially in the case of retaining walls because of its reduced weight. Unlike traditional concrete, which can be extremely heavy and place significant stress on the supporting structure, lightweight cellular concrete reduces the pressure on the retaining wall, helping to prevent deformation and …

Demand Side Management Through Integrated Water Distribution Systems And Smart Irrigation Controllers, Nathan T. Lunstad

Theses and Dissertations

The innovation of electrical utilities in creating smart electrical grids has superseded that of water utilities in analogous efforts. While many water utilities are now using smart water technologies, they lack the virtual command center that allows for two-way communication for more effective forecasting, load balancing, preventive methods, emergency and master planning, and level of service delivery while ensuring environmental justice and enhancing the responsible use of resources. In this dissertation, I propose the idea of the Integrated Water Distribution System (IWDS) to overcome this challenge. IWDS coordinates management of water supply and demand in a way that benefits both …

Exploring Co-Manipulation Via A New Decomposition Of Interaction Force And An Exploration Of Signal Space In Multi-Agent Motion Primitives, Kody Blaine Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

Co-manipulation is when two or more people work together to move an object. In this work, we consider the physical co-manipulation of objects that are large and heavy enough that they are more easily handled by two or more participants. We currently lack a fundamental understanding of how people perform such tasks together, both the basic signals they use to communicate and how those signals are mapped to actions and behaviors. This work builds upon the existing body of knowledge to improve our understanding of physical co-manipulation. Specifically, interaction forces are often considered a key method for information transfer in …

Tribological Analysis Of Heat Treatments On Medical Grade Cobalt Chromium Molybdenum Alloys, Samuel Edis Bowden

Theses and Dissertations

Cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) has many material properties that make it desirable as a medical hip implant. Due to the range of heat treatments available and the resulting material properties that are present in medical device manufacturing using CoCrMo, many implants are not able to withstand both the chemical and physical wear necessary as a hip replacement. This research looks to examine various heat treatments and their resulting properties to find a desirable heat treatment for CoCrMo in hip implant bearing surfaces. This study was accomplished by using five distinct variations of heat treatment on forged CoCrMo alloy that would …

Exploring The Link Between Travel Behavior And Mental Health, Emily Kae Youngs

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the critical link between travel behavior and mental health, focusing on young adults who have expressed suicidal ideation. By analyzing how daily activities and movement patterns impact mental well being, the research aims to explore travel related mental health approaches for individuals. The importance of this work lies in its potential to improve the quality of life for individuals by informing more personalized and effective mental health strategies. Through comprehensive data analysis and statistical modeling, the research aims to uncover insights into how travel behavior influences motivation levels and mental well-being across different neurological and physiological groups. …

Raw Data For M5h2r1 Origami Flasher Deployment Tests, Philip Klocke

ScholarsArchive Data

These data sets contain raw force data from the deployment tests of a case study origami Flasher.

Engineering Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Biosensors For Point Of Care Use, Tyler Jordan Free

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostic tests can dramatically improve and save lives. Survival rates and patient outcomes related to cancer and other diseases can be improved when routine testing guides personalized treatment. Highly accurate laboratory tests exist for thousands of biomarkers, including those of interest in this dissertation, but cost and complexity limit access to life-saving lab tests in many cases throughout the world. To fill this need and increase accessibility of diagnostics, in this report we report our engineering advancements towards portable biosensors for colorimetric detection of glutamine, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC), and pathogenic RNA which are key biomarkers in cancer treatment monitoring, …