Mechanics of Materials Commons^™

Multifunctional Nanocomposites Based On Bacterial Cellulose, Qisheng Jiang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cellulose is biodegradable, renewable, and abundant in nature thus cellulose (or paper)-based products can be inexpensively produced and recycled. Among cellulosic materials, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) draws a special research attention due to the inherent three-dimensional nanofibrous structure, excellent mechanical flexibility, high purity and well-defined surface chemistry, and cost-efficient, scalable and environment-friendly synthesis. BNC can be biosynthesized by Gluconacetobacter xylinus, which is the most characterized BNC producer among various microorganisms. BNC is composed of highly pure cellulose nanofibrils, produced from well-defined dextrose through biochemical steps and subsequent self-assembling of the secreted cellulose fibrils which has the dimension ranges from 25 to …

Multifunctional Nanocomposites Based On Bacterial Cellulose, Qisheng Jiang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cellulose is biodegradable, renewable, and abundant in nature thus cellulose (or paper)-based products can be inexpensively produced and recycled. Among cellulosic materials, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) draws a special research attention due to the inherent three-dimensional nanofibrous structure, excellent mechanical flexibility, high purity and well-defined surface chemistry, and cost-efficient, scalable and environment-friendly synthesis. BNC can be biosynthesized by Gluconacetobacter xylinus, which is the most characterized BNC producer among various microorganisms. BNC is composed of highly pure cellulose nanofibrils, produced from well-defined dextrose through biochemical steps and subsequent self-assembling of the secreted cellulose fibrils which has the dimension ranges from 25 to …

Reinventing The Wheel, Esther K. Unti, Ahmed Z. Shorab, Patrick B. Kragen, Adam M. Menashe

Mechanical Engineering

Reinventing the Wheel selected tires and designed wheels for the 2018 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Formula SAE combustion vehicle. Available tire options were evaluated for steady-state and transient performance as well as vehicle integration. A single-piece composite wheel with hollow spokes was designed to meet stiffness, strength, and tolerance requirements. A detailed study of wheel loading and geometric structural efficiency was performed. Finite element analysis was used to iterate the geometry and laminate. A two-piece male mold was designed and machined to manufacture the wheel. Removable silicone inserts were used to create the hollow spokes.

Comparative Study Of Power Semiconductor Devices In A Multilevel Cascaded H-Bridge Inverter, Kenneth Mordi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the performance of a nine-level transformerless cascaded H-bridge (CHB) inverter with integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) using SiC power MOSFETs and Si IGBTs. Two crucial performance drivers for inverter applications are power loss and efficiency. Both of these are investigated in this thesis. Power devices with similar voltage and current ratings are used in the same inverter topology, and the performance of each device is analyzed with respect to switching frequency and operating temperature. The loss measurements and characteristics within the inverter are discussed. The Saber® simulation software was used for the comparisons. The power MOSFET …

Measuring Characteristic Shrinkage Variability Due To Metal Loading Effects In Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic Using Image Processing, John Ezekiel Zumbro

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) has many benefits when it comes to electronic packaging due to the low dielectric loss, reliability in extreme environments, and high breakdown voltage. Though the ceramic has a lot of benefits it is not widely used due to the high cost and complexities associated with manufacturing. One of these issues with manufacturing is compensating for the shrinkage of the ceramic, this is accomplished by using an expansion factor, creating the “green” or manufactured design. This expansion factor is approximated through knowledge of the ceramic factors such as the metal loading, layers of ceramic tape, firing …

Mechanical Characterization Of Expanded Polystyrene Spheres Embed Sandwich Composites For Packaging Applications, Maheswaran R, Arockia Reemas S

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

This paper addresses on study of development of new packaging material comprising Expanded Polystyrene Spheres (EPS) embedded epoxy polymer based sandwich composites with aluminium skin. The density of the packing material is controlled by varying the volume of embedded spheres. In this study, the Flexural and Compression performance of Expanded Polystyrene Spheres (EPS) embedded polymer based sandwich composites with aluminium skin are investigated. The EPS volume percent in the core is 25% with epoxy matrix which makes the the density less than 1 g/cm3 for the composite. The fabricated Sandwich Composite are very light weight, the density is less than …

System And Methods For Ventilation Through A Body Cavity, Mark A. Borden, Benjamin S. Terry

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A system and methods for the delivery of oxygen through a body cavity of a subject using oxygen microbubbles . Through circulation of oxygen microbubbles through the body cavity , oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange may occur . Overall improvement in extending survival rate time during emergency situations caused by pulmonary or similar oxygen - intake restricting injury and / or failure may be achieved through use of the invented system and methods .

Hemodynamics And Pathology Of An Enlarging Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Model In Rabbits, Hongmei Chen, Yonghua Bi, Siyeong Yu, Linxia Gu, Xiaoyan Zhu, Xinwei Han

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Hemodynamics may play an essential role in the initiation and progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We aimed to study the mechanism of self-healing process by the changes of hemodynamics and pathology in an enlarging AAA in rabbits. Seventy-two rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. Rabbits underwent extrinsic coarctation and received a 10-minute elastase incubation in Group A and Group B. Absorbable suture used in Group A was terminated by balloon dilation at week 4. Diameter was measured after 1, 3, 5, and 15 weeks, computational fluid dynamics analysis was performed at week 3 and week 15. Rabbits were …

Techniques To Stimulate And Interrogate Cell–Cell Adhesion Mechanics, Ruiguo Yang, Joshua A. Broussard, Kathleen J. Green, Horacio D. Espinosa

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Cell–cell adhesions maintain the mechanical integrity of multicellular tissues and have recently been found to act as mechanotransducers, translating mechanical cues into biochemical signals. Mechanotransduction studies have primarily focused on focal adhesions, sites of cell-substrate attachment. These studies leverage technical advances in devices and systems interfacing with living cells through cell–extracellular matrix adhesions. As reports of aberrant signal transduction originating from mutations in cell–cell adhesion molecules are being increasingly associated with disease states, growing attention is being paid to this intercellular signaling hub. Along with this renewed focus, new requirements arise for the interrogation and stimulation of cell–cell adhesive junctions. …

A Study Of The Diffusion Characteristics Of Tungsten Bar Stock And Tungsten Produced Via Direct Metal Laser Sintering (Dmls), Jonathan Robert Bruss

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Using a vacuum hot extraction method diffusivity and concentration of hydrogen were measured in samples of tungsten bar stock and direct metal laser sintered (DMLS) tungsten. It was found that the tungsten bar stock closely adhered to the model established by Frauenfelder. The DMLS samples approximately follow a downward sloping trend over the 500K-1200K temperature range. The trend is opposite of what is expected suggesting processing has a major effect on diffusion behavior. A CFD model was created using ANSYS Fluent to simulate the diffusion behavior. The model functions by separating out diffusion mechanisms and solving Fick’s law with each …

Experimental Tests And Numerical Simulations For Failure Investigation On Corrugated Boxes Used On Household Appliance Packaging, Diego Fernandes Rodrigues, José Carlos Pereira

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Packages made of corrugated paper are fundamental to the protection, transportation and handling of the appliance product market. During the storage and sales stages of a product, the package must resist compressive loads in different directions beyond moderate impacts. In this context, the objective of this work is to develop and implement a post-processor that allows the simultaneous analysis of two of the most common failure modes of packages made of corrugated paper: failure due to tensile or compressive stress limit, and failure due to local buckling, when the buckling of the faces of the corrugated paper between two peaks …

Strong And Tough Continuous Nanofibers, Yuris Dzenis

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Amethod of fabricating a continuous nanofiber is described . The method includes preparing a solution of one or more polymers and one or more solvents and electrospinning the solution by discharging the solution through one or more liquid jets into an electric field to yield one or more continuous nanofibers . The electrospinning process ( i ) highly orients one or more polymer chains in the one or more continuous nanofibers along a fiber axis of the one or more continuous nanofibers , and ( ii ) suppresses polymer crystallization in the one or more continuous nanofibers . The one …

Synthesis Of Crumpled Graphene And Titanium Dioxide Based–Nanomaterials And The Application To Carbon Dioxide Photoreduction, Yao Nie

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

With the rapid development of the economy, increasing combustion of fossils fuels has caused an increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) level, and has led to global climate change. As a mitigation approach, CO2 capture and conversion (CCC) can not only capture CO2, but also convert it to useable products, such as hydrocarbon fuels. Photocatalytic reduction is an attractive CCC option that directly harnesses inexpensive and abundant solar energy. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used semiconductor for photocatalysis, and graphene nanosheets are a promising material for use in fabricating graphene-TiO2 hybridized photocatalysts. To realize the application of these …

Developing Strategies To Toughen Bio-Inspired Adhesives, Narelli P. Narciso, Samuel Lee Huntington, Jonathan J. Wilker

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Mussels and other marine creatures adhere very well in underwater environments, having the ability to withstand the force of the sea. These animals have inspired synthetic biomimetic adhesives for wet systems, presenting potential for biomedical applications. However, most current commercial adhesives tend to be brittle, not resisting repetitive movements. This study assesses toughening strategies to improve the mussel-inspired adhesives’ ductility while maintaining its strength. The strategies included altering the polymer’s chemical structure by changing the percentage of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the molecule and by adding fillers, such as calcium carbonate, silica and nacre - a calcium carbonate compound found …

Modeling And Validations Of Control Parameters For Material Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing Of Thixotropic Aluminum Alloys., Lars Herhold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM) with metals has been accomplished mainly through powder bed fusion processes. Initial experiments and simulations using Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (MEAM) have been performed by various researchers especially using low melting alloys. Recently Stratasys Inc. submitted a patent application for the use of their Material Extrusion technology also called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) where they describe the process using thixotropic semi-solid alloys. Currently this process using semi-solid, engineering type alloys such as A356 or THIXALLOY 540 aluminum have not been researched to evaluate the control parameters. This research combines the in-depth knowledge of applying thixotropic semi-solid aluminum …

Full Field Computing For Elastic Pulse Dispersion In Inhomogeneous Bars, A. Berezovski, R. Kolman, M. Berezovski, D. Gabriel, V. Adamek

Publications

In the paper, the finite element method and the finite volume method are used in parallel for the simulation of a pulse propagation in periodically layered composites beyond the validity of homogenization methods. The direct numerical integration of a pulse propagation demonstrates dispersion effects and dynamic stress redistribution in physical space on example of a one-dimensional layered bar. Results of numerical simulations are compared with analytical solution constructed specifically for the considered problem. Analytical solution as well as numerical computations show the strong influence of the composition of constituents on the dispersion of a pulse in a heterogeneous bar and …

Tunable Plasmonic Resonances In Highly Porous Nano-Bamboo Si-Au Superlattice-Type Thin Films, Ufuk Kılıç, Alyssa Mock, René Feder, Derek Sekora, Matthew J. Hilfiker, Rafal Korlacki, Eva Schubert, Christos Argyropoulos, Mathias Schubert

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

We report on fabrication of spatially-coherent columnar plasmonic nanostructure superlattice-type thin films with high porosity and strong optical anisotropy using glancing angle deposition. Subsequent and repeated depositions of silicon and gold lead to nanometer-dimension subcolumns with controlled lengths. The superlattice-type columns resemble bamboo structures where smaller column sections of gold form junctions sandwiched between larger silicon column sections (“nano-bamboo”). We perform generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements and finite element method computations to elucidate the strongly anisotropic optical properties of the highly-porous nano-bamboo structures. The occurrence of a strongly localized plasmonic mode with displacement pattern reminiscent of a dark quadrupole mode is …

Near-Field Heat Transfer Enabled Nanothermomechanical Memory And Logic Devices, Sidy Ndao, Mahmoud Elzouka

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A thermomechanical memory / logic device is disclosed . In embodiments , the thermomechanical device includes a first thermally controlled terminal ( e . g . , hot terminal ) ; a second thermally controlled terminal ( e . g . , cool terminal / base ) ; a stem or other structure that can be thermally expanded connected to the cool terminal ; and a thermal conductive head coupled to the stem . The head can exchange heat with the hot terminal . The stem and head are between the first thermally controlled terminal and the second thermally controlled …

Prevascularization Of 3d Printed Bone Scaffolds By Bioactive Hydrogels And Cell Co-Culture, Mitchell Kuss, Shaohua Wu, Ying Wang, Jason B. Untrauer, Wenlong Li, Jung Yul Lim, Bin Duan

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Vascularization is a fundamental prerequisite for large bone construct development and remains one of the main challenges of bone tissue engineering. Our current study presents the combination of 3D printing technique with a hydrogel-based prevascularization strategy to generate prevascularized bone constructs. Human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were encapsulated within our bioactive hydrogels, and the effects of culture conditions on in vitro vascularization were determined. We further generated composite constructs by forming 3D printed polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds coated with cell-laden hydrogels and determined how the co-culture affected vascularization and osteogenesis. It was demonstrated …

Smart Bandage For Monitoring And Treatment Of Chronic Wounds, Pooria Mostafalu, Ali Tamayol, Rahim Rahimi, Manuel Ochoa, Akbar Khalilpour, Gita Kiaee, Iman K. Yazdi, Sara Bagherifard, Mehmet R. Dokmeci, Babak Ziaie, Sameer R. Sonkusale, Ali Khademhosseini

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chronic wounds are a major health concern and they affect the lives of more than 25 million people in the United States. They are susceptible to infection and are the leading cause of nontraumatic limb amputations worldwide. The wound environment is dynamic, but their healing rate can be enhanced by administration of therapies at the right time. This approach requires real-time monitoring of the wound environment with on-demand drug delivery in a closed-loop manner. In this paper, a smart and automated flexible wound dressing with temperature and pH sensors integrated onto flexible bandages that monitor wound status in real-time to …

Dynamic Behavior Of Granular Earth Materials Subjected To Pressure-Shear Loading, Jeff Wilson Lajeunesse

Dissertations (1934 -)

The dynamic response of granular earth materials such as sand has been of interest for many years. Multiple previous works have explored the shock response of sand in various grain shapes, sizes, and moisture contents, but the response during rapid combined loading has been relatively unexplored. The current study contributes to that lack of data by performing pressure-shear experiments on Oklahoma #1 silica sand, with quasi-smooth grains of 63 - 120 micron diameter and 99.8 wt.% Si02 composition. In these experiments, an oblique flyer plate impacts an equally inclined target, imparting a longitudinal (pressure) and transverse (shear) wave into a …

Migration Resistance Of Esophageal Stents: The Role Of Stent Design, Hozhabr Mozafari, Pengfei Dong, Shijia Zhao, Yonghua Bi, Xinwei Han, Linxia Gu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Objective: Stenting is one of the major treatments for malignant esophageal cancer. However, stent migration compromises clinical outcomes. A flared end design of the stent diminishes its migration. The goal of this work is to quantitatively characterize stent migration to develop new strategies for better clinical outcomes.

Methods: An esophageal stent with flared ends and a straight counterpart were virtually deployed in an esophagus with asymmetric stricture using the finite element method. The resulted esophagus shape, wall stress, and migration resistance force of the stent were quantified and compared.

Results: The lumen gain for both the flared stent and the …

A Coupled Thermo-Mechanical Theory Of Strain Gradient Plasticity For Small And Finite Deformations, Yooseob Song

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, a thermodynamically consistent coupled thermo-mechanical gradient enhanced continuum plasticity theory is developed for small and finite deformations. The proposed model is conceptually based on the dislocations interaction mechanisms and thermal activation energy. The thermodynamic conjugate microstresses are decomposed into energetic and dissipative components. This work incorporates the thermal and mechanical responses of microsystems. It addresses phenomena such as size and boundary effects and in particular microscale heat transfer in fast-transient processes. Not only the partial heat dissipation caused by the fast transient time, but also the distribution of temperature caused by the transition from the plastic work …

Analysis Of The Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior Of Silicone Rubber For Biomedical Balloons, Chase Cooper

Materials Engineering

The development of a medical drug delivery device that allows for the deployment drugs into the adventitial tissue of blood vessels requires the inflation of a silicone elastomer. The inflated silicone must be able to consistently endure multiple loading cycles without failing so that the device can operate reliably. There are multiple methods of processing the silicone for the device and the goal of this study is to examine the effect of the various processing methods on the characteristics of the silicone. The Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Machine (DMA) is used to model the conditions of the device’s application by performing …

Direct Synthesis Of Graphene On Niobium And Niobium Nitride, Robin Ekeya, Otto Zietz

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

Since its isolation by mechanical exfoliation in 2004, graphene has attracted enormous interest from the scientific community not the least because of its unique physical and electronic properties. Among these, graphene’s ballistic electron transport and proximity induced superconductivity make graphene-superconductor (GS) hybrid structures a scientifically promising area.

System And Method For Controlling Operations Of Air - Conditioning System, Mouhacine Benosman, Petros Boufounos, Boris Kramer, Piyush Grover

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A method controls an operation of an air - conditioning system generating airflow in a conditioned environment . The method updates a model of airflow dynamics connecting values of flow and temperature of air conditioned during the operation of the air - conditioning system . The model is updated interactively iteratively to reduce an error between values of the airflow determined according to the model and values of the airflow measured during the operation . Next , the method models the airflow using the updated model and controls the operation of the air - conditioning system using the model .

The Drag Coefficient Of Varying Dimple Patterns, James M. Seeley, Michael S. Crosser

Senior Theses

There are many golf balls on the market today with varying dimple sizes, shapes, and distribution. These proprietary differences are all designed to reduce drag on the balls during flight, allowing golfers to hit the ball farther distances. There are limited published studies comparing how varying the dimples affects the reduction of drag. An experiment was developed in which golf balls were pulled through a water tank to measure the drag force acting on each ball. The water was chosen to allow for testing at slower velocities than the typical necessary speeds to cause turbulence for balls traveling in air. …

Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation Of Metal Additive Manufacturing., Venkata Karthik Nadimpalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) is increasingly being used to make functional components. One of the barriers for AM components to become mainstream is the difficulty to certify them. AM components can have widely different properties based on process parameters. Improving an AM processes requires an understanding of process-structure-property correlations, which can be gathered in-situ and post-process through nondestructive and destructive methods. In this study, two metal AM processes were studied, the first is Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM) and the second is Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF). The typical problems with UAM components are inter-layer and inter-track defects. To improve the …

Concomitant Crystallization In Propylene/Ethylene Random Copolymer With Strong Flow At Elevated Temperatures, Lirong Zheng, Lucia Fernandez-Ballester, Gerrit W. M. Peters, Zhe Ma

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Flow-induced crystallization of α- and γ-phases was studied for a propylene/ethylene random copolymer with 3.4 mol % ethylene at two high temperatures of 132 and 142 °C by combining a pressure-driven slit flow device with real-time synchrotron wide-angle X-ray diffraction. At 132 °C, it was found that both α- and γ-phases were generated at shear stresses ranging from 0.091 to 0.110 MPa and that the γ-phase always appeared later than the α-phase. However, for 142 °C and the same stresses, only the α-phase formed. Only upon cooling the partially crystallized copolymer did the γ-phase emerge. The lack of γ-crystals obtained …

Rare Earth - Free Permanent Magnetic Material, Laura H. Lewis, Jeffrey E. Shield, Katayun Barmak Viziri

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The invention provides rare earth - free permanent magnetic materials and methods of making them . The materials can be used to produce magnetic structures for use in a wide variety of commercial applications , such as motors , generators , and other electromechanical and electronic devices . Magnets fabricated using the materials can be substituted for magnets requiring rare earth elements that are costly and in limited supply . The invention provides two different types of magnetic materials . The first type is based on an iron - nickel alloy that is doped with one or more doping elements …