Other Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

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 …

Tabletop Mechanical Tester, Jamie Dombroski, Brian English, Richard Leffler, Andrew Shirk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The need for hands-on and face-to-face experiences in the engineering classroom is very great. The equations, principles, and concepts can all be learned, but without the visual and tactile application, these don’t always sink in or become concrete. A small-scale tensile test machine was designed, sourced, manufactured, and tested for the purpose of being applied in classroom settings to provide this experience to engineering students. Extensive research was performed concerning tensile machines on the market, the essential elements of which are the load cell, grips, crosshead, extensometer, motor, and frame. The raw materials for the frame were purchased and drawings …

Combined Molecular Dynamics And Phase Field Simulation Of Crystal Melt Interfacial Properties And Microstructure Evolution During Rapid Solidification Of Ti-Ni Alloys, Sepideh Kavousi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Phase field method has become a popular tool to investigate the microstructure evolution during the solidification. Quantitative predictions using this method is still limited, and in this dissertation, we try to study this problem from different perspectives.

Most of the phase field models consider the solid-liquid interface to be in local equilibrium. Solidification during some manufacturing processes like selective laser melting, and electron beam additive manufacturing is rapid and far from equilibrium which can result in supersaturated solid solutions, segregation-free crystals, or metastable phases. Before obtaining any conclusions from the phase field simulations, we must know the answer for “which …

An Investigation Of High-Speed Consolidation And Repair Of Carbon Fiber - Epoxy Composites Through Ultrasonic Welding, David A. Hoskins

LSU Master's Theses

Adhesive repair of carbon fiber composite structures is commonly done on damaged structures to extend the service life. This method requires careful preparation of the damaged surface with intricate steps to ensure good bonding between the repair patch and the parent structure by means of an adhesive film. As with many forms of composite manufacturing, it is required to perform vacuum bagging, debulking, and a heated cure depending on the resin. All these steps make the repair process costly and time consuming.

In this present work, an alternative method of repair is investigated which explores the experimental feasibility of using …

Development Of Experimental And Finite Element Models To Show Size Effects In The Forming Of Thin Sheet Metals, Jeffrey D. Morris

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

An experimental method was developed that demonstrated the size effects in forming thin sheet metals, and a finite element model was developed to predict the effects demonstrated by the experiment. A universal testing machine (UTM) was used to form aluminum and copper of varying thicknesses (less than 1mm) into a hemispherical dome. A stereolithography additive manufacturing technology was used to fabricate the punch and die from a UV curing resin. There was agreement between the experimental and numerical models. The results showed that geometric size effects were significant for both materials, and these effects increased as the thickness of …

Experimental And Theoretical Evaluation Of The Effect Of Panel Geometry On The Failure Of Corrugated Board Panel, Takashi Takayama, Katsuhiko Saito, Akira Higashiyama

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

McKee’s formula is widely used to predict the compression strength (CS) of corrugated boxes and panels. It can accurately estimate the compression strength of boxes that are within a practical size range, but recently, larger and smaller corrugated boxes than before have been extensively developed. Therefore, there is a need for a CS prediction formula that works beyond the application range of McKee’s formula. Recent researches consider the failure mode as a combination of collapsing and buckling failure and remove the constraints and the assumptions associated with McKee’s formula. This makes it possible to more accurately estimate the CS of …

Nano Fab Lab 63, Brian K. Deemer, Josh Clemons, Nick Brodine, Delaney Fitzsimmons

Mechanical Engineering

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) has several steps in the production process for ceramic nanofiber tubes that they would like to improve - electrospinning, cutting, rolling, sealing and heat treating. We undertook the challenge to deliver LLNL with a semi-automated process that efficiently integrates the steps of cutting, rolling, and sealing to save time and improve control over end dimensions. In this document, we discuss the technical background of the manufacturing steps currently followed to create nanofiber tubes, identify which steps are incorporated in our prototype and explain how they will interface with one another, define the design requirements, present …

Fracture Toughness Improvement Of ����� Ceramics By Grain Size Control And Ductile Phase Reinforcement, Kesong Wang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

This study used grain size control and ductile phase reinforcement to improve fracture toughness of ����� ceramics. Alpha alumina particles of 100 nm, 0.5-1 micrometers, and 10 micrometers were coated with 1-5 nm nickel by electroless nickel plating (ENP). The coated powders were consolidated at 1200℃-1500℃ by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The sintered samples were annealed at 1100 oC for 1.5 hours and 10 hours to determine the effect of post sintering annealing on hardness and fracture toughness. Density of the samples were measured by the standard Archimedes method using a 5 mL pycnometer. Hardness values were determined by Vickers …

Development Of A Sonically Powered Biodegradable Nanogenerator For Bone Regeneration, Avi S. Patel

University Scholar Projects

Background: Reconstruction of bone fractures and defects remains a big challenge in orthopedic surgery. While regenerative engineering has advanced the field greatly using a combination of biomaterial scaffolds and stem cells, one matter of difficulty is inducing osteogenesis in these cells. Recent works have shown electricity’s ability to promote osteogenesis in stem cell lines when seeded in bone scaffolds; however, typical electrical stimulators are either (a) externally housed and require overcomplex percutaneous wires be connected to the implanted scaffold or (b) implanted non-degradable devices which contain toxic batteries and require invasive removal surgeries.

Objective: Here, we establish a biodegradable, piezoelectric …

Development Of A Sonically Powered Biodegradable Nanogenerator For Bone Regeneration, Avi Patel

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Reconstruction of bone fractures and defects remains a big challenge in orthopedic surgery. While regenerative engineering has advanced the field greatly using a combination of biomaterial scaffolds and stem cells, one matter of difficulty is inducing osteogenesis in these cells. Recent works have shown electricity’s ability to promote osteogenesis in stem cell lines when seeded in bone scaffolds; however, typical electrical stimulators are either (a) externally housed and require overcomplex percutaneous wires be connected to the implanted scaffold or (b) implanted non-degradable devices which contain toxic batteries and require invasive removal surgeries.

Objective: Here, we establish a biodegradable, piezoelectric …

Methods To Remotely Eliminate Biofilm From Medical Implants Using 2.4 Ghz Microwaves, Brett Glenn

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Infections associated with biofilm growth are usually challenging to eradicate due to their high tolerance toward antibiotics [11, 12]. Biofilms often form on the inert surfaces of medically implanted devices [13]. No matter the sophistication, microbial infections can develop on all medical devices and tissue engineering constructs [12]. Related infections lead to 2 million cases annually in the U.S., costing the healthcare system over $5 billion in additional healthcare expenses [12].

Novel solutions to biofilm’s microbial colonization span the spectrum of engineering and science disciplines. Yet a practical solution still does not exist. The research presented here will explore a …

Modelling Palladium Decorated Graphene Using Density Functional Theory To Analyze Hydrogen Sensing Application, Sameer Kulkarni

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Graphene is an exciting new material with many promising applications. One such application of graphene is gas sensing, when adsorbed with transition metals, notably Palladium. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to have appropriate ab initio calculations to calculate the various properties of graphene under different adsorbates and gasses. The first step in these calculations is to have a functioning base Density Functional Theory (DFT) model of pristine graphene decorated with Palladium. The computational methods described in this paper has yielded results for pristine graphene that have been confirmed many times in previous experimental and theoretical studies. Future work needs …

A Study On Ultrasonic Energy Assisted Metal Processing : Its Correeltion With Microstructure And Properties, And Its Application To Additive Manufacturing., Anagh Deshpande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing or 3d printing is the process of constructing a 3-dimensional object layer-by-layer. This additive approach to manufacturing has enabled fabrication of complex components directly from a computer model (or a CAD model). The process has now matured from its earlier version of being a rapid prototyping tool to a technology that can fabricate service-ready components. Development of low-cost polymer additive manufacturing printers enabled by open source Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers and printers of other technologies like SLA and binder jetting has made polymer additive manufacturing accessible and affordable. But the metal additive manufacturing technologies are still expensive …

Additive Manufacturing Of High Performance Flexible Thermoelectric Generators Using Nanoparticle Inks, Tony Valayil Varghese

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Flexible thermoelectric devices are attractive power sources for the growing demand of flexible electronics and sensors. Thermoelectric generators have an advantage due to no moving parts, silent operation and constant power production with a thermal gradient.

Conventional thermoelectric devices are rigid and fabricated using complex and relatively costly manufacturing processes, presenting a barrier to increase the market share of this technology. To overcome such barriers, this work focuses on developing near ambient-temperature flexible thermoelectric generators using relatively low-cost additive manufacturing processes. A screen printable ink was developed for transforming nanoparticle ink into high-performance flexible thermoelectric generators with a peak thermoelectric …

The Influence Of Asphalt Ageing On Induction Healing Effect On Porous Asphalt Concrete, Shi Xu, Xueyan Liu, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Induction healing is a proven technology which is able to improve the self‐healing capacity of asphalt concrete. Healing is achieved via electromagnetic current produced by passing induction machine, where steel asphalt constituents heat up which in turn soften the bitumen in the asphalt layer, allowing it to flow and close cracks, repairing the damage. This paper reports on the study which investigated the influence of ageing on the healing capacity of Porous Asphalt (PA) concrete. Porous Asphalt concrete mix was prepared first, then subjected to an accelerated (laboratory) ageing process using a ventilated oven. In order to further evaluate the …

Autojack - Hydraulic Powertrain System, Tyce Vu

All Undergraduate Projects

A primary problem for mechanics and automotive enthusiasts is the risk associated with lifting and securing a vehicle with conventional jack stands. Often times, improper jack-stand installation results in the vehicle collapsing unexpectedly, causing injury and/or death. This problem can be minimized through the application of a newly re-designed vehicle lifting system. The conventional method for lifting cars is time consuming and can be unsafe in many circumstances. A better, safer, and more efficient lift design was needed; the AutoJack. The approach of the AutoJack design was entirely focused on the safety of lifting a vehicle. Safety was improved by …

Carbon Fiber Monocoque, Dan Brown, Leland Hoffman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The University of Akron’s Human Powered Vehicle Team designed a high performing, fully functioning vehicle that is safe, efficient, and practical for the 2018-2019 season. These objectives were the main priorities when it came to the initial stages of designing the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle was designed in accordance with the ASME 2019 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge guidelines to satisfy all the rules and requirements. Additional priorities have been created to teach practical engineering skills and techniques to the students participating in the project through different points in the production process including research, vehicle design, construction, and testing.

The …

Experimental Measurement Of Dielectric Properties Of Powdery Materials Using A Coaxial Transmission Line, Robert Tempke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study proposes a standard methodology for coaxial dielectric property measurements of powdery materials (1-10GHz) using a coaxial transmission line. Four powdery materials with dielectric constants ranging from 3.5 to 70 (SiO2, Al2O3, CeO2, and TiO2) were experimentally investigated at varying volume loading fractions in a paraffin mixture. A statistically significant number of paraffin heterogeneous-mixtures was synthesized for all dielectric powders. The dielectric properties of the constitutive materials were determined using appropriate mixture equations. The sensitivity of the equations dielectric prediction to volume loading is discussed with guidance on selecting the best mixing equation. It was determined that low volume …

Optimization Of The Practice Of Slow Cooling Steel Bars: A Redesign And Modernization Of Materials, Eryn Johnston

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout the process of steel making, certain grades of steel are a higher risk for defects caused by the inability to quickly diffuse hydrogen through the steel when cooled to room temperature at a normal rate based on the ambient air temperature. To reduce the hydrogen flaking defects that are caused due to hydrogen entrapment in the steel, the process of slow cooling is utilized. This process reduces the cooling rate of steel bars by keeping them at a higher temperature for extended periods and in turn gives the hydrogen a chance to fully dissipate from the steel. In many …

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.

Low Temperature Desiccants In Atmospheric Water Generation., Sunil Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surging global water demand as well as changes to weather patterns and over exploitation of natural water sources, such as ground water, has made potable water a critical resource in many parts of the World already – one rapidly heading towards a crisis situation. Desalination has been adopted as a solution – this is however energy intensive and impractical for most of the developing countries - those most in need of water. A renewable source of energy is solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. A plentiful source of water is the humidity in the atmosphere. This research is to push the …

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 …

Thermophotovoltaic Devices: Combustion Chamber Optimization And Modelling To Maximize Fuel Efficiency, Arnold Chris Toppo, Ernesto Marinero, Zhaxylyk Kudyshev

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently, 110 billion cubic meters of natural gas (primarily methane), a potent greenhouse gas, are flared off for environmental and safety reasons. This process results in enough fuel to provide the combined natural gas consumption of Germany and France. The research team developed a thermophotovoltaic device to convert thermal energy to electricity at a high efficiency using proprietary emitters and combustion system. With the current focus being fuel efficiency and the combustion process, the assembly was simulated using ANSYS Fluent modelling software and the following parameters were optimized: air/fuel ratios, flow rates, and inlet sizes. Simultaneously the heat transfer across …

Energy Conversion System For Travelers (Ecost), Thipok Bovornratanaraks

The International Student Science Fair 2018

We have innovated “The Energy Conversion System for Travelers” or the ECoST. With the fact that most travelers have wheeled cabin-bags, whilst walking, the wheels will rotate so why don’t we harvest electricity from this kinetic energy? We thus install our innovation, the ECoST, to the bag to generate electricity from the spinning wheels. The electricity is then kept in the storage unit and ready to charge your empty battery devices in an emergency case via a USB port. To make life easy, our ECoST was designed to replicate the power bank charging method; therefore, we can charge …

Composite Suspension For A Mass Market Vehicle, Sarah M. Chapiama, Brian Auyeung, Jose Guerrero, Ethan Lau

Mechanical Engineering

Statement of Confidentiality: The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time.

Mechanical Characterization Of Selectively Laser Melted 316l Stainless Steel Body Centered Cubic Unit Cells And Lattice Of Varying Node Radii And Strut Angle, Christopher James Hornbeak

Master's Theses

An experimental study of several variants of radius and strut angle of the body centered cubic unit cell was performed to determine the mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of the mesostructure. Quasi static compression tests were performed on an Instron® universal testing machine with a 50kN load cell at 0.2mm/min. The test samples were built using a SLM Solutions 125 selective laser melting machine with 316L stainless steel. Test specimens were based on 5mm cubic unit cells, with a strut diameter 10% of the unit cell size, with skins on top and bottom to provide a cantilever boundary constraint. Specimens …

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 …

Influence Of Impact Conditions On Feedstock Deposition Behavior Of Cold-Sprayed Fe-Based Metallic Glass, Constance Ziemian, Wendelin Wright, David E. Cipoletti

Faculty Journal Articles

Cold spray is a promising method by which to deposit dense Fe-based metallic glass coatings on conventional metal substrates. Relatively low process temperatures offer the potential to prevent the crystallization of amorphous feedstock powders while still providing adequate particle softening for bonding and coating formation. In this study, Fe48 Mo14 Cr15 Y2 C15 B6 powder was sprayed onto a mild steel substrate, using a variety of process conditions, to investigate the feasibility of forming well-bonded amorphous Fe-based coatings. Particle splat adhesion was examined relative to impact conditions, and the limiting values of temperature and velocity associated with successful softening and …

Peridynamic Modeling Of Dynamic Fracture In Bio-Inspired Structures For High Velocity Impacts, Sneha Akula

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Bio-inspired damage resistant models have distinct patterns like brick-mortar, Voronoi, helicoidal etc., which show exceptional damage mitigation against high-velocity impacts. These unique patterns increase damage resistance (in some cases up to 3000 times more than the constituent materials) by effectively dispersing the stress waves produced by the impact. Ability to mimic these structures on a larger scale can be ground-breaking and could be used in numerous applications. Advancements in 3D printing have now made possible fabrication of these patterns with ease and at a low cost. Research on dynamic fracture in bio-inspired structures is very limited but it is …

Evolution Of Mg Az31 Twin Activation With Strain: A Machine Learning Study, Andrew D. Orme

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Machine learning is being adopted in various areas of materials science to both create predictive models and to uncover correlations which reveal underlying physics. However, these two aims are often at odds with each other since the resultant predictive models generally become so complex that they can essentially be described as a black box, making them difficult to understand. In this study, complex relationships between microstructure and twin formation in AZ31 magnesium are investigated as a function of increasing strain. Supervised machine learning is employed, in the form of J-48 decision trees. In one approach, strain is incorporated as an …