Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Comparing The Environmental Impacts Of Using Mass Timber And Structural Steel, Khang Hoang Nguyen, Steelee Knight Morgan

Construction Management

Although mass timber has seen a gradual rise in demand in the past, there has been a lack of extensive research on the environmental impacts of using mass timber as a primary structural framing material. This paper compares structural steel, and mass timber’s total embodied carbon emissions. Accurate estimates were made using plans and specs for different projects retrieved from semi-structured interviews. The estimates were input through the EC3 Calculator to provide extensive total carbon emissions measurements between each construction material. Using structural steel framing increased the project’s overall environmental impact by roughly 84% compared to using mass timber. The …

Development Of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks For Enhancing Post-Combustion Co2 Capture, Dustin Lee

Master's Theses

Post-combustion CO₂ capture is a promising approach for complementing other strategies to mitigate climate change. Liquid absorption is currently used to capture CO₂ from post-combustion flue gases. However, the high energy cost required to regenerate the liquid absorbents is a major drawback for this process. As a result, solid sorbents have been investigated extensively in recent years as alternative media to capture CO₂ from flue gases. For example, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are nanoporous materials that have high surface areas, large pore volumes, and flexible designs. A large number of MOFs, however, suffer from 1) low CO …

Maleic Anhydride Compatibilized Peach Waste As Filler In Polypropylene And High Density Polyethylene Biocomposites, Caralyn Wong, Stephanie Jung, Joongmin Shin, Ajay Kathuria

Master's Theses

It is estimated that roughly 103, 515 tons of peach waste is produced annually in the US. The majority of the waste is disposed of in landfills, which contributes to climate change as they release 93 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. Peach waste principally consists of remaining stone and seed after flesh removal. The agro-waste includes both cellulose and lignin, which can be utilized as a filler in plastic packaging to reduce carbon footprints and material cost. The objectives of this research are (1) to develop peach flour (PF)-filled biocomposites with a polyolefin matrix using maleic anhydride-g-high density …

Formula Sae Monocoque Chassis Development, Kc Egger, Brian Ford, Kyle Nagao, Neal Sharma, Donovan Zusalim

Mechanical Engineering

Formula SAE is a collegiate competition hosted by SAE International with the primary goal being to design, manufacture, and race an open wheel race car. The Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE team strives for improvement every race season and has remained competitive as a result. The 2019-2020 management team determined that further research and development towards the chassis would yield the greatest performance benefit for future seasons, as the previous chassis platform limited packaging and mounting options for vehicle subsystems which interfaced with the chassis.

A redesign of the Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE team’s carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque …

Optimization And Longevity Of Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Enabled Membranes For Water Treatment, Madeleine Michael Isabella White

Master's Theses

Water scarcity is a growing concern at the global scale. Large scale water reuse is growing both in necessity and popularity. Before water reuse can be performed efficiently on a large scale or be used for potable supply, even indirectly, contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) will need to be treated at the full scale. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are a form of advanced water treatment capable of treating a wide range of CECs. This study contributes to the growing field of AOPs and more specifically AOPs using ozone combined with functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Ozonation of MWCNTs has been …

Design For Additive Manufacturing, Michael Charonnat, Leonardo Franco-Muñoz, Sam Noble, J.P. Purdom

Mechanical Engineering

This document outlines the critical design details and timeline for the Design for Additive Manufacturing Senior Project sponsored by Solar Turbines, Inc. The scope of this project encompasses the redesign of two of Solar Turbine’s cast parts for metal additive manufacturing in order to minimize lead time, cost, and weight. With the overall objective of performing in-depth analysis exploring affordability & feasibility, this redesign process will aid Solar Turbines in expanding their knowledge of Design for Additive Manufacturing principles and enable them to further incorporate the use of additive manufacturing into their production processes. The first part that the team …

Analysis Of Burning Wood In The Transient State And The Application To Structural Design, Roberta Veliz, Kimberly Guzman

Architectural Engineering

Determining the extent of the contribution of exposed timber on compartment fire dynamics in open floor plans is a complex process. Designers traditionally used compartmentalization design methods which create spaces where flashover is likely, given the fuel load and ventilation conditions. However, due to the large geometric dimensions and spread of fuel, fires in open floor plans are more likely to remain as localized or traveling fires. As such, an understanding of not only ignition potential but also flame spread is critical to characterizing the contribution of exposed timber. An integral step in characterizing the potential contribution is through an …

Effects Of Ring Rolling On Grain Size In Inconel 718 And Waspaloy, David Webster

Materials Engineering

Carlton Forge Works, an industry leader in the manufacture of rolled rings, has observed anomalous grain structures in parts made from Inconel 718 and Waspaloy. These take the form of unusually large grains at the surface of the rings, causing them to fail industry grain size standards. Grain size testing is a critical part of evaluating parts before they are used as grain size and structure control many mechanical properties including creep resistance, low and high cycle fatigue life, and yield strength. These unusually large grains are only present within the first tenth of an inch of the surface of …

Microstructure And Tensile Properties Of Close-Die Forged Ti-6al-4v Aircraft Engine Mount, Renee Roeder, Nick Chen, Michael Viksne

Materials Engineering

The microstructural characteristics of a Ti-6Al-4V close-die forging that passes yield strength specifications are examined and found to be consistent with literature recommendations. Originally, the intent was to compare the microstructure of a forging that passed specification to the microstructure of a forging that did not pass specifications using the imaging software ImageJ. Due to time and safety constraints considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the data that is presented is incomplete data on only the forging that passes specifications. There are no comparisons between the forging that did not pass and the forging that passed.

Non-Toxic Soil Thickeners For Reducing Mudslide Intensity, Mitchell William Jensen

Materials Engineering

This project was intended to be a continuation of senior project work done last year by a group consisting of two Materials Engineering students and a Soil Science student. Their report was crucial in identifying a range of food thickeners that could be capable of performing in the mud thickening application. All thickeners that were chosen both this year and last year are biocompatible, to alleviate some toxicity concerns. The food thickeners all belong to a class of compounds known as colloids. Since water is the fluid being thickened, these compounds are more accurately referred to as hydrocolloids. Hydrocolloids are …

Pitting Corrosion Of Oerlikon’S Abrasion Resistant Ferritic Stainless Steels, Matthew P. Nalty, Emma Wagstaff

Materials Engineering

Existing hardfacing coatings for hydraulic cylinders and brake disc applications crack during use leaving the components susceptible to corrosion. To address this problem, Oerlikon has designed three new alloys to be abrasion and corrosion resistant. This paper reviews the literature necessary to understand and quantify pitting resistance of stainless-steel alloys. It documents one round of testing ASTM G48 method A: Ferric Chloride Pitting Test of Stainless Steels on the new alloys P72-X9, P72-X13, P129-X9, as well as samples of 431, 316, and 2205 stainless steels. This paper also discusses improvements to the G48 testing method and industry use of the …

Investigation Of Ceramic Firing Processes For Investment Casting Shell Molds, Leonardo Ken Hoaakua Nakamura, Rileigh Anne Cotter

Materials Engineering

PCC Structurals aims to improve the quality and consistency of their ceramic mold production for their investment casting processes to decrease product loss figures. Although their current production processes result in acceptable quantities of high-quality molds, a significant percentage of defective molds are produced. These defective molds cause appreciable product loss due to casting defects and mold failure. Available literature dictates that high-quality investment casting molds must exhibit fracture strengths within a desired range in order to perform adequately. However, information regarding specific firing procedures which consistently result in ceramic mold strengths within this range is not readily available. To …

Alternative To Custom 450© Stainless Steel For Use In Investment Cast Golf Club Heads, William Henry Armstrong Iv, Davis Martin Loen

Materials Engineering

This investigation seeks to improve on the mechanical property of yield strength, while maintaining 10% elongation prior to fracture observed with of Custom 450 stainless steel in an air-melted investment casting operation. Improving this performance includes an additional heat treatment step of homogenization, as well as replacing the alloy. After identifying and downselecting available high strength stainless steels, a trial of Custom 455 stainless steel is recommended due to its high strength compared to the other alternative alloys. A trial has been developed to analyze the effect air melting has on the chemical composition and mechanical properties of Custom 455 …

Failure Analysis Of Investment Cast Near-Alpha Titanium Alloys, Garrett Ryan Bader, Jonathan Anton Linquist

Materials Engineering

In this project, fracture surfaces of three titanium investment castings were studied as part of a failure analysis on a TaylorMade metalwood. The crack formation occurred between investment cast Ti 9-1-1 and rolled Ti 6-4 joined by laser beam welding. The microstructure of the Ti 9-1-1 contained alpha colonies in large prior beta grains, while the Ti 6-4 was primarily Widmanstätten in basket weave morphology, refined with subsequent rolling. Over a period of cyclic loading, cracking occurred at the face-sole transition in the metalwoods that had been cast from a certain supplier B, while metalwoods that had undergone similar treatment …

Effects Of Surface Finish On High Cycle Fatigue Of Inconel 718, Jessica A. Mcroskey, Matthew Busse

Materials Engineering

Inconel 718 is a nickel-based superalloy and commonly used rocket engine material due to its excellent properties at elevated temperatures. Its fatigue life relies heavily on the surface roughness, as fatigue introduces and propagates cracks at the surface. Part standards set by Aerojet Rocketdyne typically necessitate surface roughness values from 64 to 125 Ra. However, surface topography and residual stresses incurred from the finishing process also affect the fatigue performance. The specific goal of the project is to perform a literature review and write experimental methods to determine how the surface roughness, topography, and residual stresses from turning, grit blasting, …

The Influence Of Time And Temperature On 7781 Prepreg Outside Storage, Matthew L. Fuentez, Edwin Stuart Ross Viii

Materials Engineering

Investigation into the issue of out of specification flow data revealed that unregulated transportation conditions exposed 7781 prepreg with phenolic resin to temperature fluctuations up to 125°F. The temperature fluctuations have the potential to advance unwanted curing in the prepreg, making it unsuitable for manufacturing. However, this explanation does not account for the prepreg exceeding specifications above the upper limit. Another explanation was investigated that involved exposure to moisture. Moisture could be preventing curing from taking place and thus resulting in higher flow values. Data collection was unable to proceed past the preliminary stages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and …

Study Of Permeability Testing Methods For Composite Laminates, Thomas S. Busse, Giannina Marie M. Yu

Materials Engineering

Permeability measurements are strong indicators of the effectiveness of evacuation channels within a composite prepreg. The effectiveness of these evacuation channels directly relates to the void content within a processed composite laminate. The goal of Toray Advanced Composites was to compare two permeability tests and determine which one was more reliable, accurate, and economical. The first permeability test method was the Cirrus method, designed by Cirrus Aircraft, a customer of Toray Advanced Composites. The second test was ASTM D8132, the standard method for permeability testing. Additionally, Toray sought to investigate the effect out-time had on the permeability of three different …

The Effect Of Distal Core Flattening And Heat Treatment On 304 Stainless Steel Guide Wires, Andrew Spencer Yap, Bryce Eric Veit, Matthew Frederick Lopez Villena

Materials Engineering

The mechanical response of 304 stainless steel guide wires due to different temper conditions and amounts of flattening is to be explored in this project. For this specific project, there is no public literature on the mechanical properties of guide wires with the above conditions through tensile testing or Turns to Failure Testing. To address this, the project with Abbott Vascular will measure the mechanical properties of guide wires using the aforementioned factors. Due to a lack of previous literature on this research topic, there are no quantitative goals for the project, however, any new research compiled in this area …

Miniaturized Ultraviolet Imager Phase Iii, Bradley D. Albright, Nicolas A. Armenta, Colin W. Harrop

Mechanical Engineering

This document details the work to date, June 9, 2020, done by the Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering senior project team, Miniaturized Ultraviolet Imager: Phase III (MUVI III), sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley – Space Sciences Laboratory (UCB SSL). MUVI III is the third senior project team of an ongoing design, MUVI: the prototype of a 2U sized CubeSat intended to capture aurora images in the ionosphere. The first team, MUVI I, finished development of the UV imager. The second team, MUVI II, designed the mirror mounting and deployable door mechanisms. The goal of MUVI phase III is to …

Discontinuous Grain Boundaries Of Forged René 41, Aaron Rabin, Bryce Bitter

Materials Engineering

Certain nickel-based alloys, particularly René 41, characteristically have many low-angle grain boundaries (grain arrangements of less than 15 degrees), present in the microstructure of an in-use component. Frequently, these low-angle grain boundaries are not optically visible after the etching process, leading to the phenomena of discontinuous grain boundaries. There exists a risk for René 41 grain boundary characterization; since one cannot assume that a grain boundary continues beyond a discontinuity, the grain size requirements become difficult to meet. Despite favorable characteristics of René 41, such as the corrosion and oxidation resistance coupled with excellent strength at high temperatures, the risks …

Teaching Top-Down Approaches To The Engineering Design Process, Joshua E. Katz, Joshua E. Katz

STAR Program Research Presentations

One of the main focuses of metacognition is to have students think about their learning. By bringing the engineering design process with educational psychology together, it can lead to a society that thinks more in-depth on various topics. The goal of the internship was to utilize and teach top-down educational and instructional objectives. Throughout the project, we followed a modified progression of the System Architecture Methodology to help other interns think in a top-down fashion. The purpose of this procedure is to create and induce new innovative and creative ideas for different projects. As teaching this methodology was tasked, research …

Manipulating Fiber Orientation For The Reduction Of Warpage In Carbon Fiber Composite Sandwich Panels, Landon Burnley, Gabrielle Correia

Materials Engineering

Safran Cabin (Santa Maria, CA), previously known as Zodiac Aerospace, designs and manufactures interior cabin components for private and commercial aircraft. Carbon fiber face sheets have recently been incorporated in their overhead luggage bin assemblies which utilize a composite sandwich panel design, in order to provide additional stiffness to the previous glass fiber sandwich panels. Since the introduction of carbon fiber in these luggage bin panels, Safran has experienced an increase in warpage during manufacturing. When inspected by quality control, the panels are tested mimicking how they are installed in aircraft. If the panels do not meet specifications, the warped …

Erosion Resistance Of Tungsten-Carbide Coatings For Steel Pipes In Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units, Davis Vannasing, Jennifer Hulfachor

Materials Engineering

In petroleum processing, the flow of catalyst readily leads to erosion of piping in a fluid catalytic cracking unit. Advances in coating materials and processes necessitate a re-evaluation of current protection methods. Commercially available tungsten-carbide (WC) claddings and nanostructured WC-W CVD coatings were investigated as potential alternative erosion-resistant coatings. Erosion tests by solid particle impingement were conducted on 2 variations of claddings and 1 variation of WC-W coatings following ASTM standard G76. A36 steel coupons were used as reference samples. For statistical validation, 2-3 replications of the tests were performed for the claddings and WC-W coating. Testing was conducted using …

Implementation Of Multivariate Artificial Neural Networks Coupled With Genetic Algorithms For The Multi-Objective Property Prediction And Optimization Of Emulsion Polymers, David Chisholm

Master's Theses

Machine learning has been gaining popularity over the past few decades as computers have become more advanced. On a fundamental level, machine learning consists of the use of computerized statistical methods to analyze data and discover trends that may not have been obvious or otherwise observable previously. These trends can then be used to make predictions on new data and explore entirely new design spaces. Methods vary from simple linear regression to highly complex neural networks, but the end goal is similar. The application of these methods to material property prediction and new material discovery has been of high interest …

Compositional Optimization Of Amyloid-Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids For Biomaterials, Claire L. Drewery

Materials Engineering

Amyloid nanofibrils are natural materials capable of self-assembling into precise structures with tunable functionalities, while exhibiting excellent mechanical properties. In combination with highly conductive graphene oxide (GO), the 1-D amyloid nanofibrils and 2-D nanosheets of GO can produce a robust and bio-functional nanohybrid, hypothesized to exhibit multi-domain functional properties useful for enzyme sensing, water purification, drug delivery, and tissue scaffolding applications. Here, we examine the properties of an amyloid-graphene oxide nanohybrid film made with amyloids derived from hen egg white lysozymes in an attempt to explore the diverse toolbox of amyloid derivatives and establish ideal fabrication methods and formulations of …

Nano-Enhanced Composite Membranes For Water Desalination, Benjamin Fredrik Victor Sundling Von Fürstenrecht

Materials Engineering

In theory single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) will aid in ion rejection due hydrophobicity and smoothness of the SWCNT. An efficient means of water desalination utilizing SWCNT in a membrane seems plausible. A lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) solution was made with a synthesized polymerizable surfactant methacryloxy ethyl hexadecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (C16MA) to help with vertical alignment of SWCNT. Due to SWCNT lack of solubility and tendency to agglomerate in water, a dispersion performed using an inert surfactant centrimonium bromide (CTAB) to make sure that the SWCNT were homogeneously dispersed in the solution without altering the hexagonal packing factor of …

Investigation Of Copper Infiltration Alloys For Use In Metal Matrix Composite Drill Bits, Samuel J. Stueland, Timothy P. Markiewicz

Materials Engineering

A newly developed copper-based alloy, P98-X1 was tested for compressive strength to predict qualitative performance compared to MF53, F-Bronze, CuNiSn, and CuMnNi for use as the infiltration alloy in metal matrix composite (MMC) drill bits. Ingots of each alloy were cast using an arc furnace and cut into compression testing samples using wire electrical discharge machining (EDM). The alloys were selected for testing based on solid solution strengthening coefficient and melting point. Five of each alloy were compression tested to determine yield strength of the infiltration alloy. Yield strength was determined using a 0.002mm displacement offset from the linear elastic …

Rotating Beam Fatigue Of Forged 2219-T852 Aluminum Alloy, Julio Escamilla, Madison Reed

Materials Engineering

2219 aluminum has been used extensively in aerospace applications due to its ability to retain strength in large section thicknesses, thus making it ideal for large forgings. However, the Metallic Materials Properties Development and Standardization (MMPDS) handbook, a source of design data for aerospace industry applications, lacks information on 2219 in the T852 condition, particularly concerning the behavior of the alloy under cyclic loading conditions. Data was collected for forgings of 2219-T852 aluminum as produced by Weber Metals to determine the fatigue life of the alloy-temper combination and to assess the effects of forge thickness and orientation on fatigue life. …

Effects Of Heat Treatment On The Dimensional Stability And Mechanical Properties Of Guadua Bamboo, Kade Schmitz, Skye Dascher, Shalto Dascher

Materials Engineering

Contributing to about 4% of particulate emissions, the construction industry is one of the largest polluters of the environment. In an effort to reduce emissions, BamCore has produced a dual panel wall system made of Guadua bamboo with a Douglas fir veneer. Bamboo is a highly renewable material with a fast growth rate and carbon sequestration abilities. This project investigates how heat treating Guadua bamboo influences its dimensional changes and mechanical properties for building applications. It was found that a dimensional increase in every direction occurred for all samples when exposed to higher relative humidity (50% to 90%), and that …

A Study And Simulation Of Flux Induced Corrosion In Copper Tubing Used For The Distribution Of Potable Water, Daniel O. Benham

Materials Engineering

Water side corrosion within copper plumbing can occur due to a wide variety of unwanted circumstances. Through the controlled immersion of six ¾” copper tubing samples with five utilizing a unique industry standard soldering flux, this investigation associates residual flux deposits with the initiation of pitting in copper. Water stagnation in a copper potable water distribution system, typically associated with an infrequently used faucet, is a condition highly prone to copper pitting. A test apparatus designed to produce a partially stagnant flow condition with scheduled electrolyte flushes every 3 days was developed and constructed to contain 6 test samples for …