Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Machine Learning Modeling Of In-Situ Effective Thermal Conductivities And Ablation Behaviors Of Ceramic Matrix Composites Under Hydrogen Combustion Environments For Gas Turbine Engines, Jayanta Bhusan Deb

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Through the integration of experimental characterization, machine learning, deep learning, numerical modeling, and physics-informed artificial intelligence, this dissertation explores the thermal performance of polymer-derived ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) for hydrogen combustion environments. The polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process was used to create Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites, which were then experimentally assessed under hydrogen torch and hydrogen combustion conditions typical of next-generation gas turbine and aerospace propulsion systems. Front- and back-surface temperature measurements were used to continually monitor thermal reactions, and post-test microstructural characterization and numerical simulations were carried out to evaluate material integrity and heat-transfer behavior. To …

Cfd Analysis Of A Full Heat Exchanger Between Ammonia And Supercritical Co2 In Aviation Application, Mairah Ahmed

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The aviation industry’s transition toward lower-carbon propulsion systems has accelerated interest in alternative fuels, including ammonia–hydrogen fuel blends. In this work, a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle is integrated with the exhaust stream of a turbofan engine to recover waste heat and utilize it for ammonia preheating and cracking. The recovered thermal energy raises the ammonia temperature to the level required for catalytic decomposition, enabling onboard hydrogen production. The proposed architecture combines ammonia cracking with a high-bypass, two-shaft turbofan engine representative of the propulsion system employed on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. This approach addresses the challenges associated with onboard hydrogen …

Modeling And Testing Chain Trencher Excavator And Cone Penetrometer Robotic Prospecting Systems For Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization, Marcello C. Guadagno

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Artemis Missions aim to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, requiring In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) of water-ice deposits in permanently shadowed regions. Two critical capabilities must be developed to enable ISRU at scale: prospecting instruments that can characterize the spatial distribution and geotechnical properties of icy regolith in situ, and excavation systems that can extract hardened icy regolith efficiently. This dissertation addresses both needs through the development and testing of a Percussive Heated Cone Penetrometer (PHCP) for geotechnical prospecting and a chain trencher excavator for icy regolith mining.

The PHCP was developed across eight design iterations and …

Material Degradation And Analysis Of N-Doped Graphene/Mof Nanocatalysts For Orr In Electrochemical Energy Systems, Niladri Talukder

Dissertations

The development of advanced electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems is crucial for achieving sustainable energy security. As alternatives to precious metal-based catalysts in electrochemical systems, especially for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), Nitrogen-doped Graphene with Metal-organic Frameworks (N-G/MOF) nanocatalysts have shown exceptional promise in recent years. This research advances the understanding of N-G/MOF nanocatalysts by systematically examining their structural features, degradation traits, correlated performance losses, and other aspects related to catalytic activities.

First, nitrogen-doped graphene (N-G) nanocatalysts were thoroughly investigated, resolving their physical properties, the influence of synthesis parameters, molecular-level material structures, and chemical and electronic structural details of …

Structure Of Jupiter's High-Latitude Storms: Folded Filamentary Regions Revealed By Juno, L. N. Fletcher, Z. Zhang, S. Brown, F. A. Oyafuso, J. H. Rogers, M. H. Wong, S. Brueshaber, Et. Al

Michigan Tech Publications

Sprawling, turbulent cloud formations dominate the meteorology of Jupiter's mid‐to‐high latitudes, known as Folded Filamentary Regions (FFRs). A multi‐wavelength characterization by Juno reveals the spatial distribution, vertical structure, and energetics of the FFRs. The cloud tops display multiple lobes of stratiform aerosols, separated by darker, cloud‐free lanes, and embedded with smaller eddies and high‐altitude cumulus clouds. These cyclonic FFRs are microwave‐bright in shallow‐sounding wavelengths (p < 5 bars) and microwave‐dark in deep‐sounding wavelengths (p > 10 bars), with the transition potentially associated with the water condensation layer (6–7 bars). Associating microwave contrasts with temperature anomalies, this implies despinning of cyclonic eddies above/below their mid‐planes. Despite deep roots (being detectable in …

Control Techniques And Design Of Load-Side Controls For The Mitigation Of Late-Time High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse, Connor A. Lehman, Rush Robinett, Wayne Weaver, David G. Wilson

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper introduces a novel control archetype designed to mitigate high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) (Formula presented.) disturbances on the power grid, as well as information on performance and specifications of different control laws for the controller archetype. This method of protection has been overlooked in the literature until now. A controlled voltage supply is placed on the load-side of a transformer, diverting unwanted power from the transformer core to prevent saturation. The controlled voltage source is modeled using four control laws: an integral controller (capacitor), Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR), an energy storage minimized feedforward control law, and a Hamiltonian feedback …

Wind Tunnel Instrumentation And Testing, Nicholas Marek, Abraham Mezera, Laura Jin, Hayden Smith, Curtis Cook

Student Scholar Symposium

The Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering was contacted by an automotive engineering firm seeking to use the college’s wind tunnel for gathering data on the aerodynamic performance of a proprietary prototype automotive door. Specifically, the client requested the quantification of the drag coefficient of the model at extreme wind speeds. The drag coefficient, a dimensionless number that quantifies the resistance of a specific geometric shape to airflow, will be a valuable datapoint for the client’s design iteration. Due to the sensitive nature of their work, the client has wished to remain anonymous. RBJCOE professors tasked a senior design team …

Mae Enewsbrief July-Sept 2025, Department Of Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Graph Based Planning With Guarantees, Trazon Tyrik Jimerson

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This thesis presents two graph-based methods with formal guarantees for motion planning and routing. First, the invariant-set motion planner (ISMP), which uses constraint admissible positive invariant (CAPI) sets of closed-loop dynamics, is adapted for spacecraft attitude planning to avoid moving keep-out zones. Contributions include time bounds for maneuvers via exponential stability, a single-stage reachability graph from one-step backward reachable CAPI sets, and its multi-stage expansion to certify node safety over time. Simulations verify safe attitude control with moving obstacles. Second, we formulate a convex optimization problem over a network for evacuation planning with operational constraints such as helicopter capacity and …

Investigation Of The Flow Field Morphology Of Film Cooling In Supersonic Flow, Umberto Sandri, Massimiliano Ferro, Alessio Picchi, Antonio Andreini, Bruno Facchini, Marc D. Polanka

Faculty Publications

Film cooling is widely implemented in highly thermally stressed gas turbine components. Its performance has been extensively investigated for several decades and many results are available in the literature. In conventional gas turbines, regions of supersonic flow are not prevalent and should generally be avoided. For this reason, results relative to film cooling in supersonic flow are limited. Nevertheless, a new interest related to Rotating Detonation Combustors (RDC) and supersonic turbines is growing. The implementation of those engine components in a gas turbine is likely to need film cooling for thermal protection. In this context, it becomes crucial to gain …

Tunable Phase-Change Metasurfaces Coupled With Mid-Infrared Molecular Vibrations, Haotian Tang, Liliana Stan, David A. Czaplewski, Xiaodong Yang, Jie Gao

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Chiral optical meta surfaces have emerged as a promising platform in coupling with molecular vibrational fingerprints through the enhanced light-matter interaction under different circularly polarized light illumination. This work reports the mode coupling between the mid-infrared phonon vibrations of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) molecules, and the thermally tunable chiral meta surfaces based on the phase-change material Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST-225). Phase-change chiral meta surfaces with high circular dichroism (CD) in absorption and tunable plasmonic resonance in the frequency range of 48-56 THz are demonstrated, which covers the phonon vibrational frequency of PMMA molecules at 52 THz. The mode splitting features are observed in …

Efficient Adaptive Spline-Based Path Planning For In-Space Servicing, Assembly, And Manufacturing Applications, Christian Lozoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Autonomous robotic systems operating in cluttered and partially observed environments require trajectory generation methods that produce smooth and dynamically feasible motion while reacting to locally sensed obstacles. This requirement is especially pronounced for free-flyer and in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) platforms, where onboard sensing is sparse, global environmental information is unavailable, and communication or computational resources are constrained. In such settings, motion plans must be updated online using incomplete and rapidly changing local observations, while avoiding excessive replanning that can lead to oscillatory or unstable behavior. Many existing approaches either rely on dense optimization over extended horizons, which is …

Tradespace Exploration For Multiple Collaborative Vehicles, Mrunal Deshmukh

All Theses

Modern military operations demand systems that adapt to uncertain, rapidly changing missions across diverse terrains. Traditional single-platform vehicle design is insufficient for such complexity. This research introduces a hierarchical tradespace exploration framework for designing and evaluating families of heterogeneous ground vehicles under a System-of-Systems (SoS) architecture. The framework treats vehicle design as a co-optimization problem, where a “parent” vehicle (e.g., a Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport) coordinates specialized “child” vehicles for reconnaissance, amphibious tasks, terrain traversal, and stealth missions. Unlike conventional approaches that optimize vehicles individually, this study emphasizes collaborative performance, resource sharing, and adaptability at the family level. Central to …

Understanding Policy Transfer Under Decomposition And Coordination: Sequential Reinforcement Learning With Relaxation-Based Feasibility Control, Aannand Lal

All Theses

This thesis investigates how decomposition and coordination (D&C) choices influence exploration, learning, and transfer in reinforcement learning (RL) based design frameworks. A unified methodology is developed to evaluate generality under decomposition and to demonstrate sequential coordination on a representative physical task. The generality study holds the underlying physics constant while varying problem presentation - specifically scalarization weights, objective orientations, and feasibility handling. A train-evaluate matrix is constructed in which each trained policy is assessed across all alternative decompositions. Set-based diagnostics quantify generality through exact-match identity, Jaccard similarity of distinct feasible states, total feasible coverage, and Pareto-front quality. Results show that …

When Textures Trim Drag: Micro-Structures For Adaptive Drag Reduction And Flow Authority, Miguel Angel Olvera

Theses and Dissertations

Turbulent boundary layers are a major source of drag and performance loss. This thesis investigates Triangular Porous Texturing (TPT), apex-forward microstructures with optional bleed channels, as a passive concept for simultaneously reducing skin friction and strengthening boundary layer momentum near separation. Low-speed wind tunnel tests are conducted over tripped turbulent boundary layers on flat plates with three surfaces: a smooth baseline, a solid-crest TPT array isolating the knife-edge “slip-cut” effect, and a porous-bleed TPT array whose paired micro-channels vent a small fraction of the free stream. Time-resolved PIV provides wall-normal velocity fields; skin friction is inferred from near-wall shear, and …

Thermal Management With Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Under Extreme Applications, Devon Hardy

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A unique challenge in thermal system design is minimizing the power required to operate cooling systems while maintaining effective heat removal. Traditional cooling systems utilize single-phase fluids where the heat transfer mechanisms are well understood. To meet a variety of cooling demands, a range of technologies are available, including microchannel forced convection, jet impingement, porous media, nanofluids, pin fin arrays, and film cooling, each offering distinct advantages and limitations. While the performance of single- or two-phase cooling systems are generally predictable, in extreme thermal environments, new cooling solutions are needed to improve overall system efficiency and reliability.

Supercritical fluids, particularly …

Electronic Structure Prediction Of Medium And High Entropy Alloys Across Composition Space, Shashank Pathrudkar, Stephanie Taylor, Abhishek Keripale, Abhijeet S. Gangan, Ponkrshnan Thiagarajan, Shivang Agarwal, Jaime Marian, Susanta Ghosh, Amartya S. Banerjee

Michigan Tech Publications

We propose machine learning (ML) models to predict the electron density — the fundamental unknown of a material’s ground state — across the composition space of concentrated alloys. From this, other physical properties can be inferred, enabling accelerated exploration. A significant challenge is that the number of descriptors and sampled compositions required for accurate prediction grows rapidly with species. To address this, we employ Bayesian Active Learning (AL), which minimizes training data requirements by leveraging uncertainty quantification capabilities of Bayesian Neural Networks. Compared to the strategic tessellation of the composition space, Bayesian-AL reduces the number of training data points by …

Adaptive Pi Control Using Recursive Least Squares For Centrifugal Pump Pipeline Systems, David A. Brattley, Wayne Weaver

Michigan Tech Publications

Pipeline transportation of petroleum products remains one of the safest and most efficient methods of bulk energy delivery, yet overpressure events continue to pose serious operational and regulatory challenges. Traditional fixed-gain PI controllers, commonly used with centrifugal pump drives, cannot adapt to varying product densities or transient disturbances such as valve closures that generate water hammer. This paper proposes a self-tuning adaptive controller based on Recursive Least Squares (RLS) parameter estimation to improve safety and efficiency in pipeline pump operations. A nonlinear simulation model of a centrifugal pump driven by an induction motor is developed, incorporating pipeline friction losses via …

Powder Bed Fusion Of Stainless Steel 304l-Nbc Nanocomposite Produced By Ball Milling Method Using A Laser Beam, Khalid Hussain Solangi, Junaid Iqbal Bhatti, Irfan Ali Tunio, Imdad Ali Memon, Temoor Abbas Larik, Lianyi Chen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Metal powders with uniformly dispersed nanoparticles, suitable shape, and size for additive manufacturing (AM) processes are highly demanded. However, it is difficult to manufacture metal matrix nanocomposite powders (MMNCs) with uniform dispersion of nanoparticles, optimized shape, and size. This study used high-energy ball milling to disperse NbC nanoparticles with an average length of 400 nm (ex-situ reinforcement) in a Stainless Steel (SS) 304 L matrix. In detail, SS304L-5wt% NbC powders were ball-milled from 4 to 10 h. The results showed that the milled powder particles experienced significant cold-welding during the milling time of 4–6 h, with a wide size distribution. …

Development And Characterization Of Sustainable Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites With Date Palm Agro-Residues As Reinforcement, Ansar Kareem

Dissertations

Aluminum Matrix Composites (AMCs) are extensively used in various industrial applications owing to their exceptional mechanical, material, and tribological properties. This led to the development of AMCs with every possible aluminum alloy as matrix, incorporated with various reinforcement materials to achieve desired material properties. There has been an increasing trend in the utilization of agricultural and industrial waste products as reinforcement material in AMCs. Date palm trees produce huge quantity of agricultural waste in different forms. Usually, these wastes are burned or disposed of in landfills which cause environmental pollution. Date palm agro-wastes can be incinerated to produce date palm …

Experimental Investigation: Performance Of Ranque–Hilsch Vortex Tubes Under Various Surface Boundary Conditions, Ahmad Al-Najjar

Theses

The Ranque–Hilsch vortex tube (RHVT) is a passive thermofluid device that splits compressed gas into simultaneous cold and hot streams through strong swirling flow inside a slender tube, without moving parts. This study experimentally examines how external boundary conditions applied to the tube wall influence RHVT performance. Three wall conditions were imposed: (i) externally cooled (cooling), (ii) externally heated (heating), and (iii) adiabatic (insulated). Tests were conducted with air over an inlet pressure range of 2–6 bar. The primary objective was to understand the extent to which wall thermal condition modifies temperature separation and energy efficiency. Performance was quantified using …

Microstructural And Mechanical Characterization Of Aa6082 /Sic/Al2o3 Hybrid Nano Composite Fabricated By Ultrasonic Assisted Stir Casting, Anasmon Koderi Valappil

Theses

The utilization of aluminium alloys has increased rapidly in past decades due to the increasing demand for lightweight and high-performance materials. Among the popular aluminium alloys, AA6082 is widely favoured for its excellent combination of strength, corrosion resistance, and machinability. Most previous work, however, has concentrated on either on micro scale reinforcement or on single ceramic particles, leaving very few experimental studies on the use of hybrid nano reinforcement in AA6082. Therefore, to further enhance its mechanical properties without compromising its inherent advantages, hybrid metal matrix composites were developed using various nano particulates as reinforcements. In this current study, AA6082-based …

Extraction Of Aluminum From Lunar Regolith Through Molten Salt Electrolysis, Jacob N. Ortega, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Fateme Rezaei, David J. Bayless, William Schonberg, Daniel S. Stutts, Frank D. Han

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the methodology, development, and results of an end-to-end regolith-to-metal concept for producing aluminum in-situ on the lunar surface, namely, the Lunar In-Situ Aluminum Production through Molten Salt Electrolysis (LISAP-MSE) method. Using electrolytic reduction, aluminum oxide (i.e., alumina) can be reduced into aluminum and oxygen via electrolysis in a molten salt bath. A steady supply of hydrogen chloride could allow this in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) method to supply several necessary materials consumed in the electrolytic reduction step of the process to produce bulk aluminum metal, oxygen, water, and silica from anorthite abundant in lunar highland regions. In this …

Exploration Of Physics-Informed Grid Generation Technique For Wall-Modeled Les Using Eagle3d, Dominic Schneider

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Wall-Modeled Large Eddy Simulation (WMLES) is an area of interest due to its ability to lower computational costs of LES. Even with the application of wall models, LES still proves to have practicality issues when it comes to use in industry, due to the expertise, time, and computational resources required. A novel technique for generating a lean, physics based WMLES grid is described.

The technique utilizes a RANS solution to extract turbulence information, user-specified values related to resolution of turbulent energy levels, acoustics waves, and shock waves, to generate a point cloud for producing a lean WMLES grid with in-house …

Active Measurement Of A Micron-Order Gap Under High-Speed And High-Temperature Conditions, Andrew Becker

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypersonic regime poses numerous challenges that researchers face in the development of hypersonic flight vehicles. Due to their excellent thermomechanical properties, ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) have risen as a promising solution to act as a protective barrier between the harsh environment and surface materials of these flight bodies. The mechanical operation of a portable hypersonic simulation device was developed in-house and tested at Argonne National Laboratories (ANL) to gather in-situ material response of prospective UHTC samples when exposed to a hypersonic regime. An edge detection-based algorithm was developed and used in LabVIEW to monitor the health and operation of the …

Jet Impingement And Vortex/Swirl Cooling Of Different Inlet And Outlet Geometrical Configurations For Turbine Blade Leading Edge Cooling, Irfan Ahmad Sheikh

Dissertations

Gas turbine blades operate in extreme environments, exposed directly to high-temperature combustion gases that cause severe thermal stresses, weaken material integrity, and may lead to structural failure. Proper cooling is crucial to lower blade temperatures, reduce thermal stresses, prevent failure, and improve overall engine efficiency. This work presents a detailed numerical study of various cooling configurations by applying two advanced leading-edge cooling methods, jet impingement and swirl cooling, across different inlet mass flow rates and jet Reynolds numbers (Rej) ranging from 1,000 to 20,000 to evaluate their cooling performance.

Several advanced leading-edge cooling configurations are proposed and compared with the …

Feasibility Of Helium And Nitrogen As Surrogate Gases For Hydrogen Jet Using Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence In A Constant Volume Chamber, Jungho Justin Kim, Seong Young Lee, Youngmin Ki, Joonsik Hwang, Choongsik Bae

Michigan Tech Publications

This study investigates the feasibility of using helium and nitrogen as surrogate gases for visualizing the non-reactive behavior of hydrogen jets in a constant volume chamber. Hydrogen, helium, and nitrogen were individually mixed with acetone vapor and injected using a hollow-cone injector. The fuel distribution was visualized using Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF), while simultaneous Schlieren imaging was employed to capture overall jet structures. Quantitative comparisons of jet areas extracted from both imaging techniques demonstrated that acetone effectively followed the gas-phase flow of each species, validating its use as a flow tracer. Furthermore, helium and nitrogen exhibited jet dispersion patterns comparable …

Enhancing High Cycle Fatigue Perfomance Of Electron Beam Melted Ti6al4v: A Study On Shot Peening And Hot Isostatic Pressing, Naghmeh M. Mojib, Dwayne D. Arola, Ramulu Mamidala

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

The qualification of electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) for safety-critical applications is hindered by variability in high cycle fatigue performance, largely due to surface roughness and internal defects. While Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) effectively reduces internal porosity, it does not address surface-initiated fatigue failures. This study investigated the combined effects of HIP and shot peening on enhancing the fatigue performance of PBF-EB Ti6Al4V. Over 50 specimens, including both vertical and horizontal build orientations, underwent high cycle fatigue testing per ASTM E466. X-Ray computed tomography confirmed decrease in defect distribution following HIP, while shot peening resulted in a more uniform …

Improving Fatigue Strength And Life Of Single Crystal Cmsx-4, Jochen Peter Fuhr, Lloyd Hackel, Nicolau I. Morar, Noah Holtham, Keivan Davami, Montu Sharma, Rajkumar Roy

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

The deep penetration of laser peening (LP) and retention of residual stress at high temperature by LP is significant in improving fatigue life and strength of superalloys exposed to high temperature and corrosion. Single crystal CMSX-4, was evaluated for stress relaxation and both fatigue life and fatigue strength of material that was LP-treated compared to non-LP and shot-peened (SP) specimens. LP was done with multiple layers using a 20 J/pulse laser where the laser high energy enabled using a 5 mm spot size on the metal surface. Stress measurements by the slitting technique showed the plastic penetration depth exceeded SP …

Overcoming Variable Illumination In Photovoltaic Snow Monitoring: A Real-Time Robust Drone-Based Deep Learning Approach, Amna Mazen, Ashraf Saleem, Kamyab Yazdipaz, Ana Dyreson

Michigan Tech Publications

Snow accumulation on photovoltaic (PV) panels can cause significant energy losses in cold climates. While drone-based monitoring offers a scalable solution, real-world challenges like varying illumination can hinder accurate snow detection. We previously developed a YOLO-based drone system for snow coverage detection using a Fixed Thresholding segmentation method to discriminate snow from the solar panel; however, it struggled in challenging lighting conditions. This work addresses those limitations by presenting a reliable drone-based system to accurately estimate the Snow Coverage Percentage (SCP) over PV panels. The system combines a lightweight YOLOv11n-seg deep learning model for panel detection with an adaptive image …