Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Suspended Graphene-Based Gas Sensor With 1-Mw Energy Consumption, Jong-Hyun Kim, Qin Zhou, Jiyoung Chang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

This paper presents NH₃ sensing with ultra-low energy consumption for fast recovery and a graphene sheet based on a suspended microheater. Sensitivity and repeatability are important characteristics of functional gas sensors embedded in mobile devices. Moreover, low energy consumption is an essential requirement in flexible and stretchable mobile electronics due to their small dimension and fluctuating resistivity during mechanical behavior. In this paper, we introduce a graphene-based ultra-low power gas detection device with integration of a suspended silicon heater. Dramatic power reduction is enabled by a duty cycle while not sacrificing sensitivity. The new oscillation method of heating improves …

Vorticella: A Protozoan For Bio-Inspired Engineering, Sangjin Ryu, Rachel E. Pepper, Moeto Nagai, Danielle C. France

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this review, we introduce Vorticella as a model biological micromachine for microscale engineering systems. Vorticella has two motile organelles: the oral cilia of the zooid and the contractile spasmoneme in the stalk. The oral cilia beat periodically, generating a water flow that translates food particles toward the animal at speeds in the order of 0.1–1 mm/s. The ciliary flow of Vorticella has been characterized by experimental measurement and theoretical modeling, and tested for flow control and mixing in microfluidic systems. The spasmoneme contracts in a few milliseconds, coiling the stalk and moving the zooid at 15–90 mm/s. Because the …

Investigation Of Electrical Defects Arising From Excessive Sidewall Force And Excessive Tensile Strain On Power Cables, Darren Mcconnon, Joseph Kearney, Tom Looby, James O'Shaughnessy

Conference papers

The study includes a comprehensive review of the existing literature and guidelines regarding the effects of sidewall force and tensile strain on power cables during installation. The most appropriate diagnostic test methods required to analyse these effects are also assessed. The results of tests and analysis of the existing literature are then combined in an attempt to determine a realistic basis for guidelines and recommendations relevant to cable installation forces.

A Review Of Control Methodologies For Dynamic Glazing, Eoin D. Mclean, Brian Norton, Derek Kearney, Philippe Lemarchand

Conference papers

With adaptive building façade technologies, a building envelope can provide a comfortable indoor environment under varying external conditions with minimal additional heating or cooling. The control strategy applied to the adaptation of the façade is a key determining factor in the successful integration of these technologies into a building. The building envelope plays a key role in regulating light, heat and mass transfer from the outdoor environment to the indoor. Dynamic glazing can be used to adjust the amount of solar radiation entering a building. The control strategies that ultimately determine the success of these switchable technologies to affect a …

Performance Evaluation And Characterization Of Encapsulated Calcium Nitrate For Self-Healing Concrete Applications, Jose Eduardo Milla

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Self-healing concrete through microencapsulated calcium nitrate is a novel approach to enhance durability and decrease the costs associated with maintenance and repairs. However, to fully assess the potential of this technology, there are many questions to be answered, ranging from identifying the microcapsule properties that are successfully carry the healing agent, to the effect of the microcapsule size, concentration (by weight of cement), and morphology have on the intrinsic concrete material properties and self-healing potential. Hence, the objectives of this study were to: (a) Develop a microencapsulation procedure for calcium nitrate as the healing agent; (b) Measure the short-term healing …

Comparison Of Extruder Systems For 3d Printer Filament Fabrication, Adriana Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has grown in popularity over the past thirty years, due to its versatility, short design to product cycle, and capability to fabricate complex geometries, which cannot otherwise be produced. There exist several platforms that are able to print objects composed of different materials, making this technology significant in different fields such as: automotive, aerospace, medical, electronics, amongst others. Though several types of AM technologies are available, the expiration of the patents on fused deposition modeling (FDM) in 2009 has led to a widespread use of this platform in academia and home use settings.

Widespread use of FDM-type …

Material Behavior Of Window 7 Carrier Panel Tiles And Thermal Pane Fragments Recovered From The Space Shuttle Columbia, Brenda Roseanne Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Since the end of the space shuttle program, a new generation spacecraft has been developed to transport humans back into space. NASAâ??s Orion will carry a crew beyond low-earth orbit and the exploration of Mars may be possible in the future. Space safety becomes significant with human spaceflight and the risks are high. However, aerospace materials may provide opportunities to prevent future disasters. When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in 2001, thousands of debris were collected for analysis. In contrast, when the Challenger space shuttle broke apart in 1986, all shuttle debris were buried. These tragic disasters are …

The Interplay Between Grain Size And Austenite Stability On Deformation Behavior Of High Strength-High Ductility Combination Nanostructured Stainless Steel, Venkata Sai Ananth Challa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The concept of phase reversion involving severe cold deformation of metastable austenite to generate strain-induced martensite, followed by temperature-time annealing sequence, was used to obtain varying grain size from nanograined/ultrafine-grained (NG/UFG) to coarse-grained (CG) regime. This concept was used to obtain â??high strength-high ductilityâ?? combination in nano/ultrafine-grained (NG/UFG) austenitic stainless steel. Using this concept, the objective of the study is to elucidate the dependence of grain size on deformation mechanisms and deformation-induced microstructural changes. The objective was accomplished by combining depth-sensing nanoindentation experiments conducted at various strain rates, and interrupted tensile testing at various strain and post-mortem analyses of deformed …

Dft Study Of Adsorption Of Trimetallic Endohedral Fullerenes On Graphene, Nakul Nitin Karle

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A density functional theory (DFT) study on the geometric and electronic structure of C60 and Sc3N@C80 along with their adsorption on pristine single layer graphene (SLG) is presented. C60 is found to adsorb in two nearly degenerate configurations: (i) with a pentagon facing the SLG, which is the most stable one, and (ii) with a hexagon facing the SLG in a face-to-face perfect alignment, rarely common in Ï?â??Ï? interactions, 0.06 eV higher in energy. The calculated binding energy of 0.76 eV, which includes dispersion effects, is in good agreement with previous theoretical and experimental reports. On the contrary, Sc3N@C80 adsorption …

Processing Of Ultra-Thin Film Of Un Modified C60 Fullerene Using The Langmuir-Blodgett Technique. Effect Of Structure On Stiffness And Optoelectric Properties, Hasanain Basim Altalebi

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Monolayer films of C60 fullerene were for the first time produced successfully by using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The processing parameters were optimized and the structure of these films has been investigated using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Film stiffness was measured to be in the range of 15 MPa to 32 MPa depending on the nature of the solvent used to process the films. Optical transparency and electrical performance have been measured and correlated to the film structure. While 100% transparent, the film measured conductivity was in the range of 1013 S/m, that is orders of …

An Experimental Investigation Of Residual Stress Development During Selective Laser Melting Of Ti-6al-4v, Nathan Charles Levkulich

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that gives rise to large thermal gradients and rapid cooling rates that lead to the development of undesirable residual stress and distortion. In this work, a number of different techniques (i.e., x-ray-diffraction, hole-drilling, layer-removal, and contour) were utilized to establish the effect of process parameters on residual stress development during SLM of Ti-6Al-4V. The measurements indicated that higher laser power, slower scan speed, smaller stripe width, reduced substrate overhang, and reduced build plan area each reduce the level of residual stress. In addition, the correlation between microstructure, crystallographic texture, and …

Analytical Strip Method For Thin Cylindrical Shells, John T. Perkins

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The Analytical Strip Method (ASM) for the analysis of thin cylindrical shells is presented in this dissertation. The system of three governing differential equations for the cylindrical shell are reduced to a single eighth order partial differential equation (PDE) in terms of a potential function. The PDE is solved as a single series form of the potential function, from which the displacement and force quantities are determined. The solution is applicable to isotropic, generally orthotropic, and laminated shells. Cylinders may have simply supported edges, clamped edges, free edges, or edges supported by isotropic beams. The cylindrical shell can be stiffened …

Redox-Active Solid State Materials And Its Biomedical And Biosensing Applications, Ankur Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are byproducts of physiological processes in human body, and strengthened production of ROS is known to cause acute conditions such as inflammation, aging, Alzheimer's disease, melanoma and ovarian cancer, fibrosis and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, early detection of ROS at nanomolar concentration (at cellular level) and developing more potent antioxidants is essential for regular health monitoring. As an example, ROS are also responsible for inflammation reactions at orthopedic implants-tissue interface triggered by wear debris. Inflammation induced by ROS results in revision surgery. Coatings of redox-active materials exhibiting antioxidant properties on implants have potential to mitigate the inflammation …

Developing An Insider Threat Experimental Environment, Eric Ortiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Simulated, 3D gaming environments have been used for a wide-range of applications including training, entertainment, and experimentation in an assortment of domains for some time. This can be attributed to their unique ability to emulate multifaceted situations that may be difficult to control, while affording participants the opportunity to operate in a relatively safe environment. In cybersecurity research, investigation of insider threat behavior is an endeavor that has received little attention in terms of available environments and resources for experimental manipulation. This research effort aimed to close this gap. A simulated, 3D gaming environment and accompanying scenarios were developed for …

Frontal Crash Analysis Of A Conformable Cng Tank Using Finite Element Analysis, Datta Sandesh Manjunath

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The purpose of this study is to computationally model and analyze a Conformable Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel tank for frontal crashes using Finite Element Analysis. Researchers have developed a CNG fuel tank, which is conformable, non-conventional and non-cylindrical. This tank increases cost efficiency, volumetric efficiency and cargo efficiency in CNG vehicle applications. A lightweight pickup truck (2015 Chevrolet Silverado) has been used to integrate the CNG tanks and field-testing has been conducted to demonstrate the application.

The report mainly focuses on the effective finite element modeling of the chassis, brackets and tanks using HYPERMESH and RADIOSS. The frontal crash …

Easily Verifiable Controller Design With Application To Automotive Powertrains, Mohammad Reza Amini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Bridging the gap between designed and implemented model-based controllers is a major challenge in the design cycle of industrial controllers. This gap is mainly created due to (i) digital implementation of controller software that introduces sampling and quantization imprecisions via analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), and (ii) uncertainties in the modeled plant’s dynamics, which directly propagate through the controller structure. The failure to identify and handle these implementation and model uncertainties results in undesirable controller performance and costly iterative loops for completing the controller verification and validation (V&V) process.

This PhD dissertation develops a novel theoretical framework to design controllers that are …

Reuse And Recycling Drill Cuttings In Concrete Applications, Maziar Foroutan

LSU Master's Theses

Drill cutting (DC) is a major waste produced during petroleum extraction, which could present a major source of contamination to soil and groundwater, if not disposed of properly. The objective of this study aims to test the hypothesis that drill cuttings can be incorporated as an aggregate in the production of concrete, and is suitable for use in controlled, low-strength material (CLSM) for non-structural applications. To achieve this objective, the physical and consensus properties of drill cuttings were characterized. Concrete mixtures were designed for CLSM applications with and without drill cuttings sampled from two sources. Prepared concrete mixes were then …

Determination Of Forming Ability Of High Pressure Die Casting For Zr-Based Metallic Glass, Lehua Liu, Jiang Ma, Chunyan Yu, Xiusong Huang, Liangju He, Laichang Zhang, Peijie Li, Zhiyuan Liu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Large-sized industrial grade Zr₅₅Cu₃₀Ni₅Al₁₀ bulk metallic glass (BMG) was fabricated by a two-step arc-melting process and adding a trace of rare earth yttrium elements. A model to calculate critical cooling rate for forming BMG was established by considering the effect of pressure. Based on the model, the most important indicator, namely the critical size of forming BMG, for design and fabrication of BMG components by high pressure die casting (HPDC) is determined in consideration of different processing parameters, including the pressure and casting temperature. Theoretical calculation and numerical simulation indicated that increasing applied …

Fretting Wear Behaviors Of Aluminum Cable Steel Reinforced (Acsr) Conductors In High-Voltage Transmission Line, Xingchi Ma, Lei Gao, Junxi Zhang, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This work reports the fretting wear behavior of aluminum cable steel reinforced (ACSR) conductors for use in high-voltage transmission line. Fretting wear tests of Al wires were conducted on a servo-controlled fatigue testing machine with self-made assistant apparatus, and their fretting process characteristics, friction force, wear damage, and wear surface morphology were detailed analyzed. The results show that the running regime of Al wires changes from a gross slip regime to a mixed regime more quickly as increasing contact load. With increasing amplitudes, gross slip regimes are more dominant under contact loads of lower than 30 N. The maximum friction …

Gradient In Microstructure And Mechanical Property Of Selective Laser Melted Alsi10mg, Yujing Liu, Zeng Qian Liu, Y Jiang, G.W Wang, Yang Yang, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

It is known that metal parts can be made stronger, tougher and better wear resistance by introducing gradient microstructure. This work reports the cooling rate of melt pool induced discrepancy in microstructural gradient and element distribution during selective laser melting (SLM), thereby resulting in decrease in microhardness and wear resistance from surface to inside with a range of ∼100 μm of SLM- manufactured AlSi10Mg alloy. The cooling rate in the top surface of melt pool reaches ∼ 1.44 × 10⁶ K/s, which is much higher than that at the bottom ( ≤ 1 × 10³ K/s). Such a …

การจำลองแบบทางพลศาสตร์ของไหลเชิงคำนวณของของเหลวที่ไม่ละลายเข้าหากันในเครื่องปฏิกรณ์แบบจุลภาคที่ขยายขนาด, คณิน มงคล

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สำหรับการสกัดด้วยตัวละลายในเครื่องปฏิกรณ์ขนาดจุลภาคนั้น ของเหลวในกระบวนการจะมีคุณสมบัติที่ไม่ละลายเข้าหากันซึ่งจะทำให้เกิดรูปแบบของการไหลที่แตกต่างกันออกไป โดยการไหลแบบ slug นั้นเป็นรูปแบบการไหลที่มักจะพบได้เมื่อเป็นการไหลที่ความเร็วต่ำ ซึ่งการไหลดังกล่าวสามารถรักษารูปแบบการไหลให้คงที่ตลอดความยาวท่อโดยที่มีประสิทธิภาพในการสกัดที่สูงกว่ารูปแบบการไหลแบบอื่นๆ ซึ่งเป็นผลจากการหมุนวนภายในเนื่องจากการเคลื่อนที่ของของเหลวภายใน slug การศึกษาการสกัดด้วยตัวทำละลายด้วยวิธีการดังกล่าวได้รับการยอมรับว่ามีประสิทธิภาพที่สูงเมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับวิธีการอื่นที่มีการใช้งานอยู่ในปัจจุบัน แต่ที่ผ่านมามักเป็นการศึกษาในระดับจุลภาคซึ่งมีผลผลิตโดยรวมน้อย ในงานวิจัยนี้ได้มุ่งไปที่การศึกษาผลเนื่องจากการเพิ่มขนาดเส้นผ่านศูนย์กลางของท่อในระดับมิลลิเมตร ที่มีต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงรูปแบบการหมุนวนภายใน และความดันตกคร่อมภายใน slug โดยทำการศึกษาด้วยการจำลองแบบทางพลศาสตร์ของไหลเชิงคำนวณแบบ 2 มิติ ของการไหลผ่านท่อที่มีพื้นที่หน้าตัดเป็นรูปสี่เหลี่ยมที่มีขนาดแตกต่างกันออกไปตั้งแต่ 1-10 มิลลิเมตร ของเหลว 2 ชนิดที่มีคุณสมบัติการไม่ละลายเข้าหากันประกอบด้วยน้ำและเคโรซีนจะถูกป้อนเข้าสู่ท่อที่อยู่ตรงข้ามกันและเกิดการผสมกันที่บริเวณข้อต่อรูปตัว T โดยเปลี่ยนแปลงค่า Weber number ในช่วง 0.002-0.02 ผลการศึกษาแสดงให้เห็นว่าการเพิ่มขึ้นของขนาดเส้นผ่านศูนย์กลางท่อทำให้เวลาการหมุนวนลดลง 1.39% และความดันตกคร่อม slug ลดลง 85.12% โดยที่มีอัตราการไหลเชิงปริมาตรเพิ่มมากขึ้น อย่างไรก็ตามพบว่ารูปแบบการไหลแบบ slug จะไม่สามารถพบได้อีกต่อไปเมื่อเป็นการไหลในท่อที่มีขนาดเส้นผ่านศูนย์กลางมากกว่า 6 มิลลิเมตร

การออกแบบและผลิตเท้าเทียมแบบไดนามิคสำหรับผู้พิการขาขาดในระดับกิจกรรมปานกลาง, ดนุพงษ์ บุตรทองคำ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ในปัจจุบัน ประเทศไทยมีผู้พิการขาขาดจำนวนมากและมีแนวโน้มที่จะเพิ่มจำนวนขึ้นอย่างต่อเนื่องในทุกๆ ปี หากแบ่งตามช่วงอายุของผู้พิการจะพบว่ามีผู้พิการขาขาดในกลุ่มวัยรุ่นถึงวัยกลางคนในช่วงอายุ 15 ถึง 44 ปี ประมาณร้อยละ 39 ของผู้พิการขาขาดทั้งหมด ซึ่งมีจำนวนมากกว่าช่วงอายุอื่นๆ ผู้พิการในกลุ่มนี้จะถูกจัดอยู่ในระดับกิจกรรมปานกลางหรือ K2-K3 ซึ่งเท้าข้างที่ยังเหลืออยู่ของผู้พิการในกลุ่มนี้สามารถปลดปล่อยพลังงานในการดีดตัวไปข้างหน้าที่เพียงพอต่อการเดินด้วยความเร็วเท่ากับคนปกติ อีกทั้งยังสามารถเคลื่อนไหวได้ดีทั้งในระนาบด้านหน้าและด้านข้าง จึงสามารถเดินบนพื้นที่มีความขรุขระหรือต่างระดับได้เป็นอย่างดี แต่ทว่าผู้พิการในกลุ่มนี้ยังคงใช้เท้าเทียมที่มีบริจาคในประเทศซึ่งมีข้อเท้าแข็งเกร็ง ไม่สามารถงอและปลดปล่อยพลังงานในการดีดตัวได้เหมือนเท้าคนปกติ งานวิจัยนี้จึงมีเป้าหมายที่จะออกแบบและผลิตเท้าเทียมแบบไดนามิคสำหรับผู้พิการขาขาดในระดับกิจกรรมปานกลาง ซึ่งสามารถเก็บสะสมพลังงานในจังหวะดีดตัวได้อย่างเหมาะสม และเคลื่อนไหวได้ทั้งในระนาบด้านข้างและด้านหน้า โครงสร้างเท้าเทียมถูกออกแบบโดยใช้วิธีการไฟไนต์เอลิเมนต์เพื่อวิเคราะห์การเก็บสะสมพลังงานและการเคลื่อนไหวให้เหมาะสมกับการใช้งานของผู้พิการในระดับกิจกรรมปานกลางและวิเคราะห์ความแข็งแรงตามแนวทางมาตรสากล ISO10328 โดยจะออกแบบให้มีพลังงานที่เก็บสะสมมากกว่าเท้าเทียมในท้องตลาดเล็กน้อยเพื่อให้พลังงานที่ปลดปล่อยสูงกว่าและใกล้เคียงกับคนปกติ ใช้แนวคิดการออกแบบแบบผ่าครึ่งซีกที่ส้นเท้าและเซาะร่องที่ปลายเท้าช่วยให้เคลื่อนไหวได้ในระนาบด้านหน้า โครงสร้างหลักของเท้าเทียมทำจากวัสดุผสมคาร์บอนไฟเบอร์มีความแข็งแรงสูงและน้ำหนักเบา ซึ่งผลิตโดยใช้วิธีการอบขึ้นรูปแบบสุญญากาศที่ควบคุมความดันและอุณหภูมิ เท้าเทียมต้นแบบได้รับการทดสอบการทำงานและทดสอบการเก็บสะสมและปลดปล่อยพลังงานของเท้าเทียมด้วยวิธีการทดสอบทางกล พบว่าสามารถเก็บพลังงานปลดปลอดพลังงานได้ 0.167 และ 0.137 J/kg ตามลำดับและมีมุมงอเท้าในทิศงอลง, งอขึ้น และพลิกด้านข้างของส้นและปลายเท้าเป็นมุม 8.96 องศา,16.98 องศา, 5.72 องศา และ 7.1 องศา ตามลำดับ ซึ่งเหมาะสมกับการใช้งานของผู้พิการขาขาดในระดับกิจกรรมปานกลาง อีกทั้งยังผ่านการทดสอบความแข็งแรงตามแนวทางมาตรฐานสากล ISO 10328:2006

The Impact Of Active Aerodynamics On Motorcycles Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations, Aditya Sripathi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Motorcycles are mostly utilized by commuters whose requirements are cheap and affordable transportation from point A to point B. Motorcycles also provide means to tour various places and have a leisure time for the majority of motorcyclists. Unfortunately, with pros also come cons such as accidents which are disabling or life-taking. According to motorcycle crash statistics produced every year, the majority of motorcycle crashes are caused due to facing unexpected obstacles in the path causing collisions due to insufficient braking time. Thus, this thesis serves as a mean to overcome this issue and provide a technological solution to the world …

Process-Structure-Property Relationship In Magnesium-Based Biodegradable Alloy For Biomedical Applications, Pramanshu Trivedi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Magnesium alloys are considered to be the next generation of biomaterials because of their ability to degrade in the physiological environment. We elucidate here the impact of multiaxial forging of Mg-2Zn-2Gd alloy on grain refinement to sub-micron regime and relate the structure to mechanical properties and biological functionality. As-cast and annealed samples were multiaxial forged (MAF) for a total number of two passes with a true strain of ~2/pass. Considering that the microstructure governs the biological response of materials, we studied the constituents of the microstructure in conjunction with the mechanical behavior. The antimicrobial behavior in a Mg-2Zn-2Gd alloy with …

Electronic Structure Studies On Transition Metal Containing Endohedral Fullerenes, Carbon Onions And Zinc Sulfide Cages, Shusil Bhusal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

We present the most stable structures for VXSc3-XN@C2n (where X=1-3 and 2n=70, 76, 78 and 80) using a systematic procedure that involves all possible isomers of the host fullerene cages. Subsequently, a detailed investigation of structural and electronic properties of the lowest energy isomers is performed using density functional theory in combination with large polarized Gaussian basis sets. The search procedure developed involved structural optimizations of thousands of fullerenes and correctly identifies the experimentally observed VSc2N@C80 and V2ScN@C80 isomer as the most stable structures. The structural analysis shows that a few V-doped endohedral fullerenes do not follow the isolated pentagon …

Organic-Inorganic Graphite And Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Based Composites For 3d Printing, Jorge Alfredo Catalan Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This project was multipronged to help fuse together topics of additive manufacturing and two-dimensional (2D) layered materials, and studying the mechanical and electrical properties of the composites produced. The composites are made from the thermoplastic polymer acting as a matrix and the graphite and 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) serving as the filler or reinforcement. Different concentrations of TMD's were added to the matrix to study the effect of composition on the mechanical and electrical properties. To shed insights into the mechanical properties, test coupons were produced as "dog bone" structures for tensile testing using the ASTM D638 type 5 …

Mechanically Activated Magnesiothermic Combustion Synthesis Of Zirconium And Hafnium Diborides, Sergio Cordova

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generation of electric power has the potential to increase the thermal efficiency of fossil-fuel burning power plants. Electrode materials in MHD generators must possess a high melting point, high electrical and thermal conductivities, chemical stability, and resistance to thermal shock, oxidation, and plasma sparks/arcs. Ultra-high temperature ceramics based on diborides of zirconium and hafnium (ZrB2 and HfB2) are promising materials for this application. Self-propagating high-temperature synThesis (SHS) is an attractive method for their large-scale fabrication, but SHS of ZrB2 and HfB2 from elemental Zr, Hf, and B is not economically viable because of the high cost of the …

Methods For Producing Graphene From Petroleum By-Products, Eva M. Deemer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

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Test Methods For The Fracture And Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior Of Hot Mix Asphalts, Eduardo Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The service life and mechanical properties of bituminous mixtures are greatly affected by distress problems such as fracture, thermal cracking, and fatigue cracking of the asphalt layers. The fracture and fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of bituminous mixtures are difficult to quantify due to material-, test-, and equipment-related uncertainties. The goal of this study is to introduce a systematic fracture and fatigue crack growth testing approach for hot mix asphalts (HMAs). The objective is to experimentally evaluate the fracture resistance and fracture toughness behavior of a dense-graded HMA material at different temperatures and varying thicknesses. The effect of thickness on …

On Demand 3d Printed Hybrid Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering Applications, Ivan D. Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A composite 3D printed polymer scaffold with inbuilt porosity and filled with a hydrogel can provide an ideal support system for cell growth, proliferation, and vascularization. Therefore, a hybrid system of 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold and a hydroxyapatite-based hydrogel was developed for application in the reconstruction of bone defects, which are inherently difficult to repair without any guided therapies. In the present study, a 3D printed gyroid structure of PCL allowed the loading of a higher amount of hydrogel as compared to conventionally used 3D printed mesh structure of the same volume and strut thickness. The hydrogel was composed …