Engineering Commons^™

Microstructure Evolution During Compaction Of Powder Blends, Ayush Giri, Marcial Gonzalez, Yasasvi Bommire

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Powder compaction is a manufacturing technology used to transform powder particles into a solid material with unique anisotropic microstructure and low porosity. It is widely used by pharmaceutical companies to manufacture tablets with desired properties. These properties are the result of the microstructure obtained during the compaction process. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the mechanics underneath the constituent granular particles that eventually contribute to properties of the manufactured tablets. Computational simulation tools have been developed in the past to study powder compaction for pharmaceutical tablets. However, most of the already existing tools limit their scope to study individual particles …

Investigating Tantalum As A Plasma-Facing Component For Nuclear Fusion Reactors, Arvind Sundaram, Jitendra K. Tripathi, Theodore J. Novakowski, Ahmed Hassanein Ph. D.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Nuclear fusion is a potential source for producing unlimited environment-friendly energy. Tungsten (W) is selected as the primary candidate material for plasma facing component in nuclear fusion reactors due to its high melting temperature (3695 K), low sputtering erosion yield and strong mechanical properties. However, recent investigations on W have confirmed that it undergoes severe surface morphology changes during low energy He plasma and/or ion irradiation similar to a harsh fusion environment. Additionally, our previous studies indicate that tantalum (Ta) may show better resistance to the harsh radiation environment and is therefore worthy of investigation. Hydrogen retention properties, specifically deuterium …

Understanding Powder Compaction With Single Particle Measurements, Wentao Chen, Ankit Agarwal, Marcial Gonzalez

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Powder compaction is the process of transforming granular media into a solid body with a high relative density (low porosity) and a unique anisotropic microstructure. It is critical to understand the physical mechanisms of the compaction process in order to identify powder properties and optimal process parameters for achieving desired properties of the final product. Tools that can simulate particle rearrangement and deformation during the compaction process are usually developed to guide such fundamental understanding. This study aims at understanding powder compaction using particle mechanics approach. Specifically, it employs the nonlocal contact formulation to predict the contact behavior of a …

Simulating Dynamic Failure Of Polymer-Bonded Explosives Under Periodic Excitation, Rachel Kohler, Camilo Duarte Cordon, Marisol Koslowski

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Accidental mishandling of explosive materials leads to thousands of injuries in the US every year. Understanding the mechanisms behind the detonation process is crucial to prevent such accidents. In polymer-bonded explosives (PBX), high-frequency mechanical excitation generates thermal energy and can lead to an increase in temperature and vapor pressure, and potentially the initiation of the detonation process. However, the mechanisms behind this energy release, such as the effects of dynamic fracture and friction, are not well understood. Experimental data is difficult to collect due to the different time scales of reactions and vibrations, so research is aided by running simulations …

Gui For Mri-Compatible Neural Stimulator And Recorder, Soo Han Soon, Nishant Babaria, Ranajay Mandal, Zhongming Liu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) are useful tools to analyze brain activities given active stimulation. However, the electromagnetic noise from the MRI distorts the brain signal recording and damages the subject with excessive heat generated on the electrodes attached to the skin. MRI-compatible recording and stimulation systems previously developed at LIBI lab were capable of removing the electromagnetic noise during the imaging process. Previously, the hardware systems had required the integrative software that could control both circuits simultaneously and enable users to easily change recording and stimulation parameters. Graphical user interface (GUI) programmed with computer language informed …

Design Of A Test-Rig For Gerotor Pump, Weijin Qiu, Andrea Vacca, Matteo Pellegri

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Gerotor pumps are a kind of fluid power machines widely used in the automotive field, especially for fuel injection as well as lubrication. To improve the performance of these units, virtual prototyping is necessary to decrease time and cost related to trial and error. Within this research a simulation model for Gerotor units has been developed with the aim of predicting accurately the performance of a generic unit. The model can accurately predict the system behavior regarding mechanical and volumetric losses by considering real machining tolerances and their interactions. Ultimately, this model should help to design new generations of Gerotor …

Bifacial Solar Panel Database Interfacepumet: A Tool For Global Meteorological Data Mining For Performance And Reliability Prediction Of Large Scale Solar Farms, Binglin Zhao, Xingshu Sun, Muhammad A. Alam

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Solar energy is one of the top runners among the renewable energy. The design and deployment of solar panels are geographic- and climate-specific to optimize the total energy yield. However, the existing meteorological databases are not accessible to users for direct download and visualization. Hence, we have developed a tool that allows users to download and visualize a variety of global meteorological databases, for instance, the National Solar Radiation Database (NSRDB). Enabled by our tool, both historical and Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) data, such as solar irradiance and ambient temperature, across the entire world in specific time intervals (e.g., hourly …

Laboratory Characterization Of Unsteady Boundary Layers, Umair Sarwar, Cary Troy

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The study of waves and their effects on mean flow and turbulence in natural water bodies is an important issue for applications in aquatic biology, coastal engineering, sediment transport and hydrodynamic of the lake. These waves result in the generation of an oscillatory (Stokes) boundary layer near the bottom of the water column. The goal of this study was to conduct various experiments that will be used to characterize the turbulence in unsteady boundary layers and help understand the relation between various flow variables (e.g. wave amplitude, frequency, water depth, turbulent kinetic energy, etc.). Using the research facilities provided, three …

Generation Of Inhomogeneous Acoustic Waves Using An Array Of Loudspeakers, Samuel E. Wonfor, Trevor A. Kyle, J. Stuart Bolton, Jeffrey F. Rhoads

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In previous studies it has been shown that pressure fields created by inhomogeneous sound waves (waves which decay in a direction perpendicular to their propagation direction) are able to transmit energy into objects more effectively than ones created by conventional sound waves. This behavior may be useful in the detection of hidden explosive threats. To explore this, a device capable of constructing inhomogeneous waves is being developed. The proposed device is an acoustic array consisting of several high-frequency speakers. The speakers are independently driven to construct a desired inhomogeneous pressure field on a target surface. Inhomogeneous pressure fields were reconstructed …

Electrochemical Removal Of Lead In Water With Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotube Filters, Benjamin M. Stryker, Sol Park, Zhi Zhou

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heavy metals, such as lead, are highly toxic and typical removal techniques are costly for household applications; causing serious public health risks and economic burdens. Previous studies using electrochemical filtration showed that singe-wall carbon nanotube membranes (SWCNTs) were effective at removing lead, but the use of less expensive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has not been fully explored. Therefore, there is a critical need to determine if MWCNTs are cost-effective for the removal of lead in water. The removal efficiency of lead(II) ions in an aqueous solution was evaluated in a flow-through filtration system over 50 minutes at 1.5 mL/min. Calcium …

Improving The Accuracy For The Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-Thia) Model, Anqi Zhang, Lawrence Theller, Bernard A. Engel

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Urbanization increases runoff by changing land use types from less impervious to impervious covers. Improving the accuracy of a runoff assessment model, the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) Model, can help us to better evaluate the potential uses of Low Impact Development (LID) practices aimed at reducing runoff, as well as to identify appropriate runoff and water quality mitigation methods. Several versions of the model have been built over time, and inconsistencies have been introduced between the models. To improve the accuracy and consistency of the model, the equations and parameters (primarily curve numbers in the case of this model) …

Ani-Bot: A Mixed-Reality Ready Modular Robotics System, Zhuangying Xu, Yuanzhi Cao

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

DIY modular robotics has always had a strong appeal to makers and designers; being able to quickly design, build, and animate their own robots opens the possibility of bringing imaginations to life. However, current interfaces to control and program the DIY robot either lacks connection and consistency between the users and target (Graphical User Interface) or suffers from limited control capabilities due to the lack of versatility and functionality (Tangible User interface). We present Ani-Bot, a modular robotics system that allows users to construct Do-It-Yourself (DIY) robots and use mixed-reality approach to interact with them instantly. Ani-Bot enables novel user …

Evaluation Of Radiation And Design Criteria For A Lunar Habitat, Hayley E. Bower, Daniel Gomez, Antonio Bobet, Julio A. Ramirez, Shirley J. Dyke, H. Jay Melosh

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Extraterrestrial habitation has long been the object of science fiction, and experts in the fields of science and engineering have proposed many designs for a lunar base. The research conducted has focused on either structural stability, radiation protection, or meteorite-impact vulnerabilities, but rarely have these been considered together. The Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats (RETH) project aims to design a lunar habitat from a hazards perspective, considering general degradation, meteorite impacts, seismic activity, radiation exposure, thermal extremes, and geomagnetic storms in addition to the physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects of astronauts living in such a habitat. Several members of the RETH team …

Resource Estimation For Large Scale, Real-Time Image Analysis On Live Video Cameras Worldwide, Caleb Tung, Yung-Hsiang Lu, Anup Mohan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Thousands of public cameras live-stream an abundance of data to the Internet every day. If analyzed in real-time by computer programs, these cameras could provide unprecedented utility as a global sensory tool. For example, if cameras capture the scene of a fire, a system running image analysis software on their footage in real-time could be programmed to react appropriately (perhaps call firefighters). No such technology has been deployed at large scale because the sheer computing resources needed have yet to be determined. In order to help us build computer systems powerful enough to achieve such lifesaving feats, we developed a …

How Strongly Do Oysters Stick?, Nicolás M. Morato, Andrés M. Tibabuzo, Jonathan J. Wilker

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biological adhesives are a type of interfacial material that has incredible potential to generate new biomimetic compounds that can replace current strong, but toxic, adhesives. Therefore, a study of the chemical composition and mechanical properties of those bio-adhesives is necessary. However, in the case of oysters, despite known chemical characterization of the adult’s adhesive, there are almost no studies on its mechanical properties. Furthermore, there is no available information on the adhesive properties of spat (oysters in their larvae state). Herein, we present the first mechanical characterization of the spat adhesive, measuring its adhesion strength by hydrodynamic determination using a …

Low Power, Low Noise Circuit For Biological Signal Recording, Rachael A. Swenson, Daniel J. Pederson, Pedro Irazoqui

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Implantable devices are ideal for recording biological signals in animal models as they have minimal effect on the animal’s normal behavior during observation. The creation of the circuitry for an implantable device has several restrictions including size, power consumption, and noise reduction. These factors compete against each other, making it necessary to carefully optimize circuit components for a given application. This study evaluates the design of a four-channel analog front end circuit board to record cardiac, neural, and respiratory biological signals. Through a critical analysis of component specifications for the circuit’s components and an evaluation of the circuits’ power and …

Spectral Phonon Relaxation Time Calculation Tool Based On Molecular Dynamics, Divya Chalise, Tianli Feng, Xiulin Ruan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Thermal conductivity is an important material property which affects the performance of a wide range of devices from thermoelectrics to nanoelectronics. Information about phonon vibration modes and phonon relaxation time gives significant insight into understanding and engineering material’s thermal conductivity. Although different theoretical models have been developed for studying phonon modes and relaxation time, extensive knowledge of lattice dynamics and molecular dynamics is required to compute phonon modal frequencies and relaxation times. Therefore, a computational tool which can take simple inputs to calculate phonon mode frequencies and relaxation time will be beneficial. Through this research work, such computational tool has …

Characterization Of High Oleic Acid Biodiesel: Improving Biofuel Properties, James M. Muskat, Nathan Mosier

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In 2016, the world produced an amount of biofuel equivalent to 82,306,000 tonnes of oil. A portion of the biofuels produced was categorized as biodiesel. While still growing as a fuel alternative, current biodiesel fuels are at risk for causing increased engine coking, lower engine performance and durability, oil ring sticking, carbon deposits, and gelling of lubricating oil. Due to these primary issues, biodiesel cannot completely replace petroleum diesel as a fuel source. Instead, biodiesel is commonly blended with petroleum diesel at 5% and 20% (B5 and B20) in the U.S. to create a mixture that has acceptable fuel properties. …

Novel Synthesis Of Cigs Nanoparticles For Scalable, Benign Inks For Solution Processed Solar Cells, Jacob Fields, Ryan Ellis, Rakesh Agrawal

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

One potential production route to high efficiency, low cost, photovoltaics (PVs) which was explored is Copper Indium Gallium Sulfide (CIGS) nanocrystal inks for solution processed PVs. A common CIGS nanocrystal ink synthesis utilizes ligands—molecules attached to the particle surface—for colloidal stability, size control, and shape control. It is desirable to devise a novel synthesis which will incorporate a ligand that allows suspensions in more benign solvents than current methods—a desirable characteristic for large scale production. In order to develop the aforementioned synthesis of CIGS nanoparticles, an optimization study of synthesis parameters was performed. Selection of an appropriate solvent, and sulfur …

Technology To Manufacture Oriented Pvc (Pvc-O) Pipes, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The development of Molecor´s technology, which is based on the application of a Molecular Orientation process, has delivered a significant turning point in the pipelines sector. With this technological development, the company has begun to manufacture TOM® PVC-O pipes, the most eco-friendly pipes on the market. The Molecor technology enabled eradicating many of the existing disadvantages of thermoplastic pipes.

This technology delivers a clear objective; to provide the water industry with a solution for pipes carrying pressurized water in an environmentally friendly, yet cost efficient manner. This also extends a service life compared to pipeline materials currently in use.

The …

Temporal Resolution Of Cell Death Signaling Events Induced By Cold Atmospheric Plasma And Electroporation In Human Cancer Cells, Danielle M. Krug, Prasoon K. Diwakar, Ahmed Hassanein

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cancer treatment resistance and their invasive and expensive nature is propelling research towards developing alternate approaches to eradicate cancer in patients. Non-thermal, i.e., cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) and electroporation (EP) applied to the surface of cancerous tissue are new methods that are minimally invasive, safe, and selective. These approaches, both independently and synergistically, have been shown to deplete cancer cell populations, but the signaling mechanisms of death and their timelines of action are still widely unknown. To better understand the timeframe of signaling events occurring upon treatment, human cancer cell lines were treated with CAP, EP, and combined CAP with …

Effects Of Stroma On Er+ Breast Cancer Cell Metastasis, Shipeng Xu, Luis Solorio, Sarah Calve

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Breast cancer is one of the most wide-spread diseases among women in America. If the cancer is local, it is easily controlled by surgical resection. However, if the cancer cells metastasize, patient survival is significantly reduced. 70% of breast cancers can be targeted through estrogen receptors (ER) on the membrane, with compounds such as tamoxifen. However, tamoxifen shows unreliable outcomes on different patients and it is believed that the ineffectiveness of tamoxifen is related to the epithetical-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. To address this problem, we are designing a system that stimulates metastasis activation with the aim of incorporating …

Using P-Band Signals Of Opportunity Radio Waves For Root Zone Soil Moisture Remote Sensing, Phillip H. Lipinski, Benjamin R. Nold, James L. Garrison

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Retrieval of Root Zone Soil Moisture (RZSM) is important for understanding the carbon cycle for use in climate change research as well as meteorology, hydrology, and precision agriculture studies. A current method of remote sensing, GNSS-R uses GPS signals to measure soil moisture content and vegetation biomass, but it is limited to 3-5 cm of soil penetration depth. Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) has emerged as an extension of GNSS-R remote sensing using communication signals. P-band communication signals (370 MHz) will be studied as an improved method of remote sensing of RZSM. P-band offers numerous advantages over GNSS-R, including stronger signal …

Dual-Tuned Removable Common-Mode Current Trap For Mri, Angel G. Enriquez, Joseph V. Rispoli

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) are preferred methods of gathering information from the body due to their non-invasive approach of obtaining a diagnosis. MRI can obtain spatial mappings from a region of interest, while MRS can obtain metabolic information from different elements. Dual-tuned radiofrequency (RF) coils are able to capture signals produced by both hydrogen atoms and a second atom of interest. Unwanted shield currents occur in these scans, which can cause image distortion, while the high energy dissipated can create harmful heat, which can injure the patient. These shield currents, also known as common-mode currents, …

Additive Manufacturing Of High Solids Loading Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains, Stephen P. Johnson, Michael Baier, Ibrahim E. Gunduz, Steven F. Son

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hybrid rocket motors offer many of the benefits of both liquid and solid rocket systems. Like liquid engines, hybrid rocket motors are able to be throttled, can be stopped and restarted, and are safer than solid rocket motors since the fuel and oxidizer are in different physical states. Hybrid rocket motors are similar to solid motors in that they are relatively simple and have a high density-specific impulse. One of the major drawbacks of hybrid rocket motors is a slower burning rate than solid rocket motors. Complex port geometries provide greater burning surface area to compensate for lower burning rates …

Purdue Airsense: An Open-Source Air Quality Monitoring System, Ruihang Du, Stephane Junior Nuoafo Wanko, Shadi Tariq Azouz, Brandon Emil Boor, Greg Michalski

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Ambient air pollutants have received increasing attention in recent years since studies have demonstrated their adverse health effects. To address the sparsity of concentration data for major ambient air pollutants, researchers have introduced several new low-cost measurement methods. Despite these efforts, only a few gas concentration data and aerosol size distribution data are publicly accessible through online platforms. In this study, we used Alphasense sensors to build an innovative low-cost portable sensor system that measures the concentration of ozone, CO, NOx, and coarse and fine particulate matter (PM). Alongside the portable sensor system, we assembled lab-grade analytical instruments in a …

Image-Based Compression Method Of Three-Dimensional Range Data With Texture, Xia Chen, Tyler Bell, Song Zhang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Recently, high speed and high accuracy three-dimensional (3D) scanning techniques and commercially available 3D scanning devices have made real-time 3D shape measurement and reconstruction possible. The conventional mesh representation of 3D geometry, however, results in large file sizes, causing difficulties for its storage and transmission. Methods for compressing scanned 3D data therefore become desired. This paper proposes a novel compression method which stores 3D range data within the color channels of a regular 2D output image. Our method encodes the 3D range data’s respective normalized phase map, generated by a virtual stereovision system, into two of the output image’s color …

Optimal Placement Of Intrusion Detection Systems To Identify Multi-Stage Attacks In Software Defined Networks, Rebecca S. Salo, Subramaniyam Kannan, Paul C. Wood

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

A major threat to network security is the multi-stage attack, where an attacker compromises an outer edge server from which he penetrates an inner server, and so on, until he gains access to protected information deep in the network. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) can detect such attacks, but limited resources constrain the number of IDS deployed. Software defined networking (SDN) provides network flexibility, and combined with network function virtualization (NFV), it enables IDS placement optimizations that can relieve cost constraint pressures. In this work, we develop a novel algorithm for placing IDS to maximize network protection benefits and minimize costs. …

Optimization And Control Of Production Of Graphene, Atharva Hans, Nimish M. Awalgaonkar, Majed Alrefae, Ilias Bilionis, Timothy S. Fisher

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Graphene is a 2-dimensional element of high practical importance. Despite its exceptional properties, graphene’s real applications in industrial or commercial products have been limited. There are many methods to produce graphene, but none has been successful in commercializing its production. Roll-to-roll plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to manufacture graphene at large scale. In this research, we present a Bayesian linear regression model to predict the roll-to-roll plasma system’s electrode voltage and current; given a particular set of inputs. The inputs of the plasma system are power, pressure and concentration of gases; hydrogen, methane, oxygen, nitrogen and argon. This …

Web-Based Interactive Social Media Visual Analytics, Diego Rodríguez-Baquero, Jiawei Zhang, David S. Ebert, Sorin A. Matei

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Real-time social media platforms enable quick information broadcasting and response during disasters and emergencies. Analyzing the massive amount of generated data to understand the human behavior requires data collection and acquisition, parsing, filtering, augmentation, processing, and representation. Visual analytics approaches allow decision makers to observe trends and abnormalities, correlate them with other variables and gain invaluable insight into these situations. In this paper, we propose a set of visual analytic tools for analyzing and understanding real-time social media data in times of crisis and emergency situations. First, we model the degree of risk of individuals’ movement based on evacuation zones …