Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Stress Generation In Ni50.3Ti29.7Hf20 Shape Memory Alloys, Utsav Shah

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Shape memory alloys such as NiTiHf and NiTi have the ability to generate large recovery stresses when they are constrained after pre-straining and then heated above their Austenite Finish Temperature (A_f). In this work Ni_49.9Ti_50.1 (at.%), the most well-known SMA with impressive shape memory properties but limited temperature range and Ni_50.3Ti_29.7Hf₂₀, a promising high temperature shape memory alloy, were characterized to reveal their stress generation capabilities. The effects of pre-straining on stress generation were investigated via martensite reorientation method of NiTi and NiTiHf alloys by loading the samples till …

Capillary Flow Of Liquid Aluminum Alloy In Wetting And Wetting/Non-Wetting Systems, Yangyang Wu

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

In this dissertation, the capillary flow of liquid aluminum alloy in both wetting and wetting/non-wetting systems is investigated.

The impact of gravity and surface topography on the capillary flow has been studied in a wetting/non-wetting assembly (an AA3003/Al₂O₃ wedge-tee configuration). The research includes (i) kinetics of liquid Al-Si-K_xAl_yF_z alloy triple line movements and dynamic macro advancing and receding contact angles and (ii) free surface profiles of the molten alloy driven by surface tension and impacted by gravity. A trade-off between the surface tension and gravity force has been found by calculating the …

Carbon Oxidation At The Atomic Level: A Computational Study On Oxidative Graphene Etching And Pitting Of Graphitic Carbon Surfaces, Simon Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

In order to understand the oxidation of solid carbon materials by oxygen-containing gases, carbon oxidation has to be studied on the atomic level where the surface reactions occur. Graphene and graphite are etched by oxygen to form characteristic pits that are scattered across the material surface, and pitting in turn leads to microstructural changes that determine the macroscopic oxidation behavior. While this is a well-documented phenomenon, it is heretofore poorly understood due to the notorious difficulty of experiments and a lack of comprehensive computational studies. The main objective of the present work is the development of a computational framework from …

Organophosphorus-Hydrazides As Potential Reactive Flame Retardants For Epoxy, Alexander B. Morgan, Vladimir Benin, Donald A. Klosterman, Abdulhamid Bin Sulayman, Mustafa Mukhtar, Mary L. Galaska

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

For structural composites used in vehicles and aircraft, flame retardant chemistries which enhance char formation and reduce heat release are preferred. Phosphorus-based and phosphorus–nitrogen flame retardants for epoxies have been well studied to date, but phosphorus hydrazides have not been studied for their flame-retardant potential in epoxy. These hydrazides offer some novel structures and they can potentially offer a combination of vapor and condensed phase flame retardant action. A series of eight compounds were systematically investigated in this study as reactive flame retardants in a bisphenol F epoxy/aliphatic amine resin system at a level of 2.5 wt% phosphorus. Results suggest …

Additive Manufacturing Of Engineered Material Systems For Energy Applications, Luis Angel Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite increasing efforts to use renewable electricity generation techniques in the last couple of decades, the world is still heavily reliant on traditional power generation techniques. This creates the need to make such systems cheaper and less pollutant through improvements to their efficiency. Increasing the efficiency and reliability of energy conversion systems, specially those based on combustion processes has been of interest for many years. However, material limitations have brought these systems to a stagnant condition.

A novel approach to help increase the efficiency of such systems is to closely monitor their operating conditions and therefore be able to increase …

Non-Linear Inverse Liquid-Solid Chromatography As A Methodology To Characterize Drug Concentration Losses To Polymeric Materials Used In Body-On-A-Chip Devices For Drug Discovery, Mark Schnepper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Body-on-a-chip and human-on-a-chip systems are currently being used to augment and could eventually replace animal models in drug discovery and basic biological research. However, hydrophobic molecules, especially therapeutic compounds, tend to adsorb to the polymer materials used to create these microfluidic platforms, which may distort the dose-response curves that feed into Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) models which translate preclinical data into predictions of clinical outcomes. Adsorption of hydrophobic molecules to these polymer materials needs better characterization. Inverse Liquid-Solid Chromatography paired with a numerical optimization based on the Langmuir model of adsorption was used to characterize the adsorption isotherm parameters of selected drugs …

Development Of Facile Microfabrication Technologies For The Fabrication And Characterization Of Multimodal Impedimetric, Plasmonic, And Electrophysiological Biosensors, Cacie Hart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The objective of this dissertation was to develop novel methods of patterning inorganic and organic materials, develop biocompatibility evaluations, and subsequently apply these methods toward developing biosensors and lab-on-a-chip devices, such as Interdigitated Electrodes (IDEs) and Microelectrode Arrays (MEAs) on non-traditional (such as nanostructured and plasmonic) polymer substrates or deploy these methods to enhance precision cellular placement on traditional (glass) MEA substrates. It was hypothesized that a combination of such facile microfabrication techniques and patterning technologies on traditional and non-traditional substrates would increase the sensitivity and selectivity of such sensor platforms by several orders of magnitude, and potentially introduce new …

Diffusion Of Fission Products In Nuclear Graphite, Kevin Graydon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The next generation of nuclear reactors (Generation IV) are specified to use graphite as the choice material for neutron moderation and structural components. For this reason, study of diffusion behavior of the fission product, ruthenium (Ru), in the candidate graphite grades, POCO AXF-5Q & ZXF-5Q, IG-110, NBG-18 and PCEA, is necessary. Diffusion data for Ru in these grades is absent due to the lack of prior studies and this work aims to fill this void and begin the study of this metallic fission product's diffusion behavior. By utilizing physical vapor deposition (PVD), dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and the …

Understanding Solidification Behavior Of Selected Aluminum And Magnesium Alloys Additively Manufactured By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Holden Hyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has demonstrated the ability to produce customized, complex engineering components from metallic alloys, not previously possible with traditional techniques such as subtractive machining of cast alloys. However, many desired lightweight metallic alloys such as high strength aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) alloys, cannot be processed dense with AM due to the consequence of solidification cracking. Thus, a large knowledge gap remains in assessing already existing, and genesis of new alloys that can be processed dense by AM, without solidification cracking. The present work investigates the AM processing and solidification behavior of selected …

The Effects Of Carbon Equivalent, Return Ratios, Mold Preparation, Riser Feed And Casting Temperature On The Microstructural And Mechanical Properties Of 100-70-03 Pearlitic Ductile Iron, Erin Vandusen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The most common and costly detriments to ductile iron foundries are casting defects, particularly in new and complex components. The ability to understand the factors and processes that create microstructures and the associated properties would allow accurate virtual predictions of casting outcomes. An experimental study of standard foundry variables, carbon equivalent, return ratio, mold preparation, riser feed, and casting temperature on a target of 100-70-03 pearlitic, hypereutectic ductile iron provided the groundwork for an ICME database. Density decreased when the fraction of graphite nodules was greater due to the low density of graphite. A greater percentage of return scrap and …

Gravity-Drawing Flexible Silicone Filaments As Fiber Optics And Model Foldamers, Katherine Snell

CMC Senior Theses

Here, we present a method of gravity-drawing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone fibers with application as fiber optics and as model foldamers. Beginning as a viscous liquid, PDMS is cured using heat until its measured viscosity reaches 4000 mPa•s. The semi-cured elastomer is then extruded through a tube furnace to produce thin (diameters on the order of hundred micrometers) filaments with scalable lengths. PDMS is biocompatible, gas-permeable, flexible, and hydrophobic. Additionally, the PDMS surface hydrophobicity can be modified via UV exposure, O2 plasma, and corona discharge. We demonstrate the patternibility (i.e patterns of hydrophobicity) of PDMS fibers, adding complexity to potential foldamer …

Magnetism In Γ-Fesi2 Nanostructures: A First Principles Study, Sahil Dhoka

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

First-principles calculations are performed on γ-FeSi₂ nanostructures grown on Si (111) and (001) substrate. An attempt to explain the origin of emergent magnetic properties of the metastable gamma phase of iron di-silicide (γ-FeSi₂) is made, which show ferromagnetic behavior on nanoscale, unlike its possible bulk form. Many papers try to explain this magnetism from factors like bulk, epitaxial strain, interface, surface, edges, and corners but doesn’t provide an analytical study for these explanations. Density functional theory is used to analyze the magnetic effects of these factors. The results for the epitaxial structures show no magnetic behavior for …

Multiscale Modeling Of Carbon Fibers/Graphene Nanoplatelets/Epoxy Hybrid Composites For Aerospace Applications, Hashim Al Mahmud

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Significant research effort has been dedicated for decades to improve the mechanical properties of aerospace polymer-based composite materials. Lightweight epoxy-based composite materials have increasingly replaced the comparatively heavy and expensive metal alloys used in aeronautical and aerospace structural components. In particular, carbon fibers (CF)/graphene nanoplatelets (GNP)/epoxy hybrid composites can be used for this purpose owing to their high specific stiffness and strength. Therefore, this work has been completed to design, predict, and optimize the effective mechanical properties of CF/GNP/epoxy composite materials at different length scales using a multiscale modeling approach. The work-flow of modeling involves a first step of using …

Effect Of Cerium And Magnesium Additions On The Strength And Morphology Of The Intermetallic Compound Layers In Aluminum-Steel Dissimilar Castings, Matt Thomas

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Dissimilar castings are under investigation due to their light-weighting opportunities within the automotive industry. In this case, dissimilar castings consist of a solid steel core and a poured aluminum component. The strength and integrity of the casting relies on the coherency of the bond between the two components; by optimizing the metallurgical component of the bonding phenomena, the weight and complexity of the insert can be reduced, further increasing the light-weighting opportunities. An interface comprised of intermetallics, generally Fe₄Al₁₃ and Fe₂Al₅, forms between the two components with the latter forming nearest the steel. …

Effects Of Oxygen Modification On The Structural And Magnetic Properties Of Highly Epitaxial La0.7sr0.3mno3 (Lsmo) Thin Films, Shalini Kumari, Navid Mottaghi, Chih-Yeh Huang, Robbyn Trappen, Ghadendra Bhandari, Saeed Yousefi, Guerau Cabrera, Mohindar S. Seehra, Mikel B. Holcomb

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3, a strong semi-metallic ferromagnet having robust spin polarization and magnetic transition temperature (TC) well above 300 K, has attracted significant attention as a possible candidate for a wide range of memory, spintronic, and multifunctional devices. Since varying the oxygen partial pressure during growth is likely to change the structural and other physical functionalities of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) films, here we report detailed investigations on structure, along with magnetic behavior of LSMO films with same thickness (~30 nm) but synthesized at various oxygen partial pressures: 10, 30, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mTorr. The observation of only ( …

การสังเคราะห์โบรอนคาร์ไบด์จากรังไหมและกรดบอริก, กานต์ชนก ภูผาทอง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

โบรอนคาร์ไบด์เป็นวัสดุที่ได้รับความสนใจอย่างแพร่หลาย เนื่องจากมีความแข็งสูงประกอบกับมีสมบัติเชิงกลและทางกายภาพที่เป็นเลิศ จึงถูกนำไปใช้งานที่ต้องการความทนทานในสภาวะพิเศษหลากหลายด้าน ในงานวิจัยนี้ ผู้วิจัยได้มีความพยายามที่จะสังเคราะห์โบรอนคาร์ไบด์ที่อุณหภูมิต่ำ จากรังไหมและกรดบอริก เนื่องจากรังไหมมีหมู่ฟังก์ชันไฮดรอกซิลภายในโครงสร้าง สามารถสร้างพันธะ B-O-C ระหว่างกระบวนการเตรียมสารผสมตั้งต้นร่วมกับกรดบอริก รังไหมจะถูกจุ่มแช่ในสารละลายกรดบอริก จากนั้นนำไปสังเคราะห์โดยผ่านหรือไม่ผ่านขั้นตอนแคลไซน์ ผลิตภัณฑ์จากการสังเคราะห์ได้ถูกนำมาตรวจสอบองค์ประกอบเฟสด้วยเทคนิคการเลี้ยวเบนของรังสีเอ็กซ์ จากการทดลองปรับเปลี่ยนตัวแปรต่างๆในกระบวนการ พบว่า การจุ่มแช่รังไหม 1 กรัม ในสารละลายที่เตรียมกรดบอริก 2 และ 4 กรัม ในน้ำปราศจากไอออน 150 มิลลิลิตร เป็นเวลา 4 ชั่วโมง ณ อุณหภูมิห้อง เมื่อผ่านการอบและสังเคราะห์ที่อุณหภูมิ 1450 องศาเซลเซียส เป็นเวลา 5 ชั่วโมง ในบรรยากาศก๊าซอาร์กอน องค์ประกอบเฟสของผลิตภัณฑ์ประกอบด้วยโบรอนคาร์ไบด์ โดยมีคาร์บอนปรากฏเป็นเฟสหลักอยู่ในระบบ เมื่อลดอุณหภูมิการสังเคราะห์เป็น 1350 องศาเซลเซียส ไม่พบโบรอนคาร์ไบด์ในองค์ประกอบเฟสของผลิตภัณฑ์ นอกจากนี้ เมื่อนำกระบวนการไฮโดรเทอร์มัลที่ 180 องศาเซลเซียส 4 ชั่วโมง มาใช้ร่วมในการสังเคราะห์ พบว่าไม่สามารถพัฒนาการเกิดเฟสโบรอนคาร์ไบด์ให้เพิ่มขึ้น อย่างไรก็ตาม งานวิจัยในส่วนนี้ยังคงต้องการการศึกษาทดลองเพิ่มเติมเพื่อยืนยันผล

การสังเคราะห์โบรอนคาร์ไบด์จากไตรเมทิลบอเรตและแบคทีเรียเซลลูโลส, รณภูมิ ไชยตระการกิจ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

โบรอนคาร์ไบด์เป็นวัสดุเซรามิกที่มีความแข็งสูงมาก และมีสมบัติเชิงกลยอดเยี่ยมที่อุณหภูมิสูง งานวิจัยนี้มีความพยายามที่จะสังเคราะห์โบรอนคาร์ไบด์ที่อุณหภูมิต่ำด้วยวิธีการคาร์โบเทอร์มิกรีดันชัน โดยใช้สารตั้งต้นได้แก่ ไตรเมทิลบอเรตเป็นแหล่งโบรอนและแบคทีเรียเซลลูโลสเป็นแหล่งคาร์บอน จากการตรวจสอบหมู่ฟังก์ชันของสารผสมตั้งต้น พบพันธะ B-O-C ซึ่งเอื้อต่อการเกิดเฟสโบรอนคาร์ไบด์ในผลิตภัณฑ์ จากการตรวจสอบองค์ประกอบเฟสในผลิตภัณฑ์ที่เตรียมสารผสมตั้งต้นโดยใช้น้ำปราศจากไอออนเป็นตัวทำละลายผ่านการสังเคราะห์ที่อุณหภูมิ 1450 องศาเซลเซียส เป็นเวลา 5 ชั่วโมง ในบรรยากาศก๊าซอาร์กอน โดยไม่ผ่านขั้นตอนการเผาแคลไซน์ พบว่ามีโบรอนคาร์ไบด์เป็นเฟสหลัก และยังคงพบคาร์บอนเป็นมลทินในผลิตภัณฑ์ โครงสร้างจุลภาคของผลิตภัณฑ์ที่สังเคราะห์ได้ประกอบด้วยผลึกโบรอนคาร์ไบด์รูปร่างหลายเหลี่ยมขนาด 1-5 ไมครอน เป็นส่วนใหญ่ โดยมีอนุภาครูปร่างคล้ายแบคทีเรียเซลลูโลสที่ยังไม่ได้ทำปฏิกิริยากระจายในโครงสร้าง

Plasmon-Enhanced Optical Probes For Sensing Of Drug Metabolite, Jennifer Boryczka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An Au@SiO₂ core-shell nanostar structure was synthesized along with CuInS2 quantum dots. The quantum dots display near-infrared fluorescence. In this work, the nanostar structure was functionalized with antibodies and then was utilized as a SERS probe for drug metabolite detection. Drugs are an illicit substance that police, medics, and hospitals need to know if an individual is under the influence of but that individual will not always be willing or able to provide that information. A sensor based on this new probe has been developed for detection of drug metabolites in buffer.

Comprehensively Improved Electrochemical Performance Of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries By “Chemical Anchors” And Lithium Anode Modification, Zhipeng Zeng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lithium-sulfur battery is considered to be one of the most promising contenders for the next generation high-energy storages due to their high theoretical energy density (~2600 W h kg^-1). However, a series of issues, especially for the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) with their “shuttle effect” and dendrite formation on the lithium anode, greatly limit their widely commercial applications. Starting from a brief overview of conventional methods to solve these problems, the achievements spotlighted in this research work mainly focus on the structure design of cathode materials by employing “chemical anchors” to effectively suppress the diffusion of LiPSs, …

Doping With Rare Earth Elements And Resultant Nano-Inclusions On The Electrical And Thermal Properties Of The Mis-Fit Layered Thermoelectric Oxide, Geoffroy Gauneau

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Thermoelectric generators produce electricity by directly converting temperature differences into electrical energy through Seebeck effect. Thermoelectric generators possess many unique features, such as having no moving part and being very reliable with a relatively long lifespan once built. They are solid-state waste heat harvesters. With various waste heat available throughout many industries, thermoelectric generators could offer economically competitive renewable energy. The current state of the art thermoelectric materials includes materials with relatively toxic elements and must work under vacuum, making them quite expensive to produce. Among the various thermoelectric materials, ceramic oxides have been proved to be more chemically stable …

Synthesis Of Graphene Using Plasma Etching And Atmospheric Pressure Annealing: Process And Sensor Development, Andrew Robert Graves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Having been theorized in 1947, it was not until 2004 that graphene was first isolated. In the years since its isolation, graphene has been the subject of intense, world-wide study due to its incredibly diverse array of useful properties. Even though many billions of dollars have been spent on its development, graphene has yet to break out of the laboratory and penetrate mainstream industrial applications markets. This is because graphene faces a ‘grand challenge.’ Simply put, there is currently no method of manufacturing high-quality graphene on the industrial scale. This grand challenge looms particularly large for electronic applications where the …

Paper-Based Point-Of-Care Tools For Blood Testing, Xuefei Gao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early detection of malignant disease is crucial for timely diagnosis and effective medical intervention, which significantly increases survival rates and reduce financial burden on patients. Biomarkers are becoming increasingly important in detection of malignant diseases, because they can be employed for indicating diseases, predicting risks and monitoring the progression of diseases. In addition, biomarkers show up at early stages of diseases in human tissues and fluids (e.g., blood, urine and saliva), which shows great promise for early disease detection. In this dissertation, paper-based lateral flow strips (PLFSs) have been developed for the detection of disease biomarkers, including protein biomarkers and …

Electron Tunneling And X-Ray Photoelectron Spectoscopy Studies Of The Superconductiong Properties Of Nitrogen-Doped Niobium Resonator Cavities, Eric M. Lechner, Basu Dev Oli, Junki Makita, Gianluigi Ciovati, Alex Gurevich, Maria Iavarone

Physics Faculty Publications

We use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to investigate the effect of nitrogen doping on the surface electronic and chemical structures of cutouts from superconducting Nb radio-frequency cavities. The goal of this work is to get insights into the fundamental physics and materials mechanisms behind the striking decrease of the surface resistance with the radio-frequency magnetic field, which has been observed on N-doped Nb cavities. Our XPS measurements reveal significantly more oxidized Nb 3d states and a thinner metallic suboxide layer on the N-doped Nb surfaces, which is also confirmed by tunneling spectroscopy …

Design, Microstructure And Properties Of Metastable Beta-Type Biomedical Titanium Alloys, Syed Faraz Jawed

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many existing implant biomaterials including cobalt-chromium alloy, stainless steel, Ti-6Al-4V and commercially pure titanium have all been shown to demonstrate mechanical incompatibility, poor osseointegration and/or cause cytotoxic effects on the human body after some years of application, leading to revision surgery in most cases. Consequently, there is an immediate need for an enduring biomaterial that displays good mechanical properties and possesses biocompatibility and corrosion resistance, in order to reduce rates of revision surgeries. In this PhD work, based on the 𝐵𝑜̅̅̅̅-𝑀𝑑̅̅̅̅̅, 𝑒/𝑎̅̅̅̅̅-𝛥𝑟̅̅̅ and BF-d-electron superelastic theoretical relationships four new series of quaternary Ti-25Nb-8Zr-xCr, Ti-25Nb-xSn-yCr, Ti26Nb-xMn-yZr and Ti-25Nb-xMn-ySn alloys have been …

Behavior Of Sandwich Core Under Extreme Temperature Conditions, Mikayla L. Aowad

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Sandwich materials are growing in popularity as more research and data is collected. I am studying the inner foam of the sandwich composites. I am testing the bending strength of the material by performing a three point bend test on foam specimens of varying density and material. The specimens will be tested at room temperature as well as extreme low temperature. I am studying how the mechanical properties of the material change as the material’s surroundings change. Cell wall thickness and cell size will be analyzed to see if there is a correlation between those parameters and the strength of …

Chloride Effect In Fly Ash Geopolymer Cement, Evan Dimmick

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The production of ordinary portland cement (OPC) poses a significant impact on the world's carbon dioxide emissions through the wide global use of concrete. Geopolymer cements (GPC) made from alkali activated fly ash can serve as a replacement to OPCs, reducing the carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 80%. GPCs exhibit adequate or superior mechanical performance to OPCs. The corrosion of carbon steel rebar in concrete occurs largely from chloride ion attack. The focus of this project will be to experimentally determine the coefficient of diffusion for chloride ions in GPCs and OPCs and compare to the corrosion performance …

Jominy Hardenability Tester With In-Situ Heating, Luke Allen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project centers on building a Jominy Hardenability tester with In-Situ heating for the manufacturing lab at the University of Akron. A new process and setup will be designed using engineering concepts in order to make the testing more efficient and safer for the teaching and testing of metal hardness. The current Jominy testing setup has efficiency issues within the transfer of specimen from induction heater to testing rig. Our design will simplify the design by creating a test rig that removes the traveling aspect of the specimen which will limit the amount of premature cooling done and will be …

The Corrosion Behavior Of Aisi 304l Stainless Steel In Simulated Concrete Pore Solution. And A New Marketing Plan For Stainless Steel Rebars., Kenny Aronson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to study the corrosion behavior of AISI 304L stainless steel, and to present the results for a new marketing strategy for a steel rebar manufacturer. This experiment involved the usage of cyclic potentiodynamic polarization tests to investigate the effect of chlorides on the pitting corrosion behavior of AISI 304L stainless steel in a simulated concrete pore solution with 3.5 wt.% chlorides. The results of this experiment showed that the chlorides caused a large increase in the corrosion current density of AISI 304L stainless steel indicating increased susceptibility to general corrosion and pitting corrosion. The …

Effects Of Sensitization On Intergranular Boundaries Of Aluminum Alloy 5083, Kyle Balentine

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this Honors Research Project is to show the effect of sensitization on intergranular corrosion (IGC) on AA5083. Sensitization is the process of a material to experience microstructural phase change, caused by thermal treatment, which promotes precipitation of secondary phases on the grain boundaries. The nitric acid mass loss test (NAMLT), SEM analysis, cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were performed to find a correlation to the degree of sensitization (DOS) and the pitting and IGC mechanisms. The DOS increased as heat treatment was applied. The SEM images displayed no clear precipitates on the grain …

Table Top Dome Tester, Travis Bernard, Sarah Kassinger, Amanda O'Reilly, Scott Salerno

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Erichsen Cupping Test was used as a basis to design a dome tester. The intention of a dome tester is to test sheet metal material properties in all directions. This was done by clamping a piece of sheet metal and using a piston and hydraulic press to punch through the material. The force used to punch the material and the height of the deforming material can be gathered and the sheet metal properties can then be calculated. At the end of the project the team was able to successfully design and manufacture a hydraulic dome tester. However, due to …