Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Influence Of Magnetic Nanoparticles And Magnetic Stress On An Ionic Liquid Electrospray Source, Kurt Joseph Terhune

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Two electrospray sources were developed to operate on an ionic liquid ferrofluid; one source was a pressure‑fed capillary electrospray source and the other was a novel electrospray source which used a magnetically‑induced instability to produce a peak from which an electric field could extract electrospray. Multiple characteristics of electrospray operation were examined for both sources using faraday plates/cups, a quartz crystal microbalance, a retarding potential analyzer, and a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The ILFF electrosprays for a capillary source were shown to operate in a mixed ion/droplet regime. The mass flow of the electrospray beam was primarily transported by larger particles …

Investigation Of Rope Formation In Gas–Solid Flows Through A 90° Pipe Bend Using High-Speed Video And Cfd Simulations, Sai S. Guda, Steven L. Rowan, Tao Yang

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A study of rope formation in gas–solid flows through abrupt turns has been conducted. Experiments in which high-speed video was recorded and analyzed for solid concentration profiles were compared to CFD simulations utilizing both RANS and large eddy simulation turbulence models. In both simulations and experiments, particle-laden flows of air and ground flaxseed, with solid loadings of 35, 42, and 51% were considered. The results of the study demonstrate that both RANS and large eddy simulation can accurately predict particle roping. Furthermore, simulations show that the roping phenomenon is strongly dependent upon selection of an appropriate value for the coefficient …

Development And Integration Of The Janus Robotic Lander: A Liquid Oxygen - Liquid Methane Propulsion System Testbed, Raul Ponce

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Initiatives have emerged with the goal of sending humans to other places in our solar system. New technologies are being developed that will allow for more efficient space systems to transport future astronauts. One of those technologies is the implementation of propulsion systems that use liquid oxygen and liquid methane (LO2-LCH4) as propellants.

The benefits of a LO2-LCH4 propulsion system are plenty. One of the main advantages is the possibility of manufacturing the propellants at the destination body. A space vehicle which relies solely on liquid oxygen and liquid methane for its main propulsion and reaction control engines is necessary …

Design Of A 2000 Lbf Lox/Lch4 Throttleable Rocket Engine For A Vertical Lander, Israel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid methane (LCH4) has been recognized as an attractive rocket propellant combination because of its in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) capabilities, namely in Mars. ISRU would allow launch vehicles to carry greater payloads and promote missions to Mars. This has led to an increasing interest to develop spacecraft technologies that employ this propellant combination.

The UTEP Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has focused part of its research efforts to developing LOX/LCH4 systems. One of those projects includes the development of a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle called JANUS. This vehicle will employ a LOX/LCH4 …

The Design, Construction And Operation Of System To Analyze The Decomposition Gases Of Af-M315e, Jonathan Alejandro Valenzuela Brok

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the current trend of aerospace organizations towards developing green monopropellant, the key priority is to eliminate the use of highly dangerous monopropellants, such as hydrazine. In that vein, one of the best candidates to replace hydrazine is a monopropellant known as AF-M315E. AF-M315E was developed by the Air Force and is currently being advanced by NASA and private corporations for use on various satellite platforms, with NASA looking to launch a test satellites part of their Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), Raytheon providing support on the Missile Defense Agency's Network Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE) program and Department of …

The Experimental Determination Of The Moment Of Inertia Of A Model Airplane, Michael Koken

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this project is to suggest that the moment of inertia for irregular shaped objects can easily be determined experimentally. The objects considered in this experiment were a solid wooden block and a model airplane. To ensure that the method and configuration is sufficient a wooden block with known moments of inertia was first tested, and the results from the experiment were compared to the known and accepted values. For this particular experiment, the periods were determined by timing how long 10 oscillations lasted for 10 different trials, and then taking the average of those 10 trials to …

Shear Driven Micro-Fluidic Pump, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

United States Patent, Patent Number US 9,528,503 B2, Date of Patent December 27, 2016.

An example includes an apparatus to pump a fluid. The apparatus includes a housing extending along a length defining an elongate interior, an actuator in the housing, conforming to the elongate interior, the actuator including a plurality of lumens, each having a length extending substantially parallel to the elongate interior, each from around 10 to 200 micrometers across and an actuator configured to oscillate the actuator in the actuator houslng along the length of the elongate interior with a rate differential between movement in a first …

Design Of A Modified Stewart Platform Manipulator For Misalignment Correction, Adekunle Ayoko

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

This thesis work is about the design of a modified Stewart platform manipulator for misalignment correction. The common version of the Stewart platform uses six actuators. The traditional Stewart platform of this kind has a moving top plate and a fixed base plate. However, in this research, the modified design of the traditional Stewart platform is studied. It is designed to be an easy connect-disconnect platform that can wrap around different structures with different cross sections and symmetrically designed. It is able to adjust position easily by using four identical but independent linear actuators populated evenly in two parts fastened …

Attitude Determination Control Testing System (Helmholtz Cage And Air Bearing), Nicolas Theoret

Honors Theses

The WALI team at Western Michigan University requested a test environment to validate their CubeSat’s de-tumbling control system and hardware. The test environment required a Helmholtz cage and spherical air bearing. The Helmholtz cage provides an adjustable magnetic field to simulate low earth orbit; the spherical air bearing simulates the friction free environment the CubeSat will experience in space. In conjunction, the two components create an adjustable system that simulates a satellite in low earth orbit.

Towards Artificial Proprioception In The Mandibular Full Arch Fixed Implant Prosthesis, Md Abu Hasan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Full arch fixed implant prosthesis has been one of the most effective treatment modalities for fully edentulous patients over the last few decades. However, due to lack of proprioception occlusal overload is experienced by the prosthesis and its components causing major biomechanical complications such as screw/abutment fracture, framework fracture, and bone loss. The currently available approaches for the overload management rely on external appliances such as an occlusal splint or bite guard and result in occlusal discomfort and high patient dissatisfaction. In this research, an approach to induce artificial proprioception in the full arch fixed implant prosthesis is proposed. However, …

A Framework For Employing Femtosatellites In Planetary Science Missions, Including A Proposed Mission Concept For Titan, Tracie Renea Conn Perez

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Over the past 15 years, there has been a growing interest in femtosatellites, a class of tiny satellites having mass less than 100 grams. Research groups from Peru, Spain, England, Canada, and the United States have proposed femtosat designs and novel mission concepts for them. In fact, Peru made history in 2013 by releasing the first – and still only – femtosat tracked from LEO. However, femtosatellite applications in interplanetary missions have yet to be explored in detail. An interesting operations concept would be for a space probe to release numerous femtosatellites into orbit around a planetary object of interest, …

Pilot Demonstration Based Reinforcement Learning With Application To Low Speed Airship Control, Onur Daskiran

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Designing control systems for airship has unique challenges as compared to conventional aircraft. Highly nonlinear dynamics, different mass/inertia relations, vast uncertainties in the model parameters and underactuation are the main reasons behind this. Airship dynamics is greatly influenced by the variations in the environmental (e.g.,room temperature) and internal (e.g., helium distribution in envelope) factors that can completely change the response characteristics of the blimp and make it infeasible for a model-based controller to perform. On the other hand, a skilled RC pilot can operate the manual flight easily under these conditions. This makes LfD (learning from demonstration) and RL (reinforcement …

A Stochastic Distributed Control Allocation Method Using Probability Collectives, Christopher Michael Elliot

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The configuration of the aerospace vehicle of tomorrow marches forward in complexity in step with technological advances in computation, materials, propulsion, and beyond. One of many attributes resulting from this evolution is the multiple effector concept, replacing the traditional aircraft design approach of a dedicated four channel mixer where pitch-roll-yaw-speed is controlled by elevator-aileron-rudder-engine, respectively. Instead, for example on the propulsion front, a distributed suite of smaller engines can substitute the larger power plant and can be used in concert for multiple axis control with both simultaneous, collective thrust for force generation and differential cyclic thrust for moment generation. The …

System Health Monitoring Using Multiple-Model Adaptive Estimation Techniques, Stanley Ryan Sifford

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Monitoring system health for fault detection and diagnosis by tracking system parameters concurrently with state estimates is approached using a new multiple-model adaptive estimation (MMAE) method. This novel method is called GRid-based Adaptive Parameter Estimation (GRAPE). GRAPE expands existing MMAE methods by using new techniques to sample the parameter space. GRAPE expands on MMAE with the hypothesis that sample models can be applied and resampled without relying on a predefined set of models. GRAPE is initially implemented in a linear framework using Kalman filter models. A more generalized GRAPE formulation is presented using extended Kalman filter (EKF) models to represent …

Numerical Modeling Of Capillary Driven Microfluidic Flow, Md Ashraful Islam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Capillary driven two dimensional axisymmetric and three dimensional asymmetric flow in various microfluidic applications have been modeled and analyzed numerically. The transient Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a finite-difference formulation with a two-step projection method on a fixed grid. The vapor-liquid interface of the micro-droplet is tracked by volume-of-fluid (VOF) and coupled level set and volume-of-fluid (CLSVOF) methods with the surface tension force determined by the continuum surface force (CSF) model. The static contact angle at the three phase contact line has been modeled using wall adhesion scheme within the CSF framework. The developed numerical method for capturing the microfluidic …

Optimization Of Water And Energy Use In Indirect Evaporative Cooling System By Cfd, Mansi Vijay Prajapati

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Data center cooling is becoming important to maintain environmental condition for ITE- Information technology equipment. Conventional evaporative wet cooling media lowers the temperature of the dry bulb temperature of incoming air in which heat transfer to water film and sensibly cool the product air by increasing moisture into air. Wet cooling media technique requires large quantity of clean water, which is reducing area where water is very less. Therefore, indirect evaporative cooling is good alternative. Chiller plants/Indirect Evaporative cooling(IEC) are used as a cooling source for larger data centers as they are more efficient in heat transfer without adding moisture …

Self-Propulsion Of Liquid Drops Between Non-Parallel Structures At Leidenfrost State, Manjarik Mrinal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

In this work, we explored self-propulsion of a liquid drop between non-parallel structures at a temperature above its Leidenfrost point. A theoretical model was first developed to determine conditions for a drop to move away from the corner of two non-parallel plates. Subsequently, these results were validated by experiments. Finally, in Leidenfrost states, both lyophilic and lyophobic drops were shown to have the same dimensional movements away from the corner of two non-parallel plates.

Effect Of Pcb Thickness On Solder Joint Reliability Of Qfn Package Under Power And Thermal Cycling, Srinivas Rahul Rao

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Failure analysis and its effects are major reliability concerns in electronic packaging. More accurate fatigue life prediction can be obtained after the consideration of all affecting loads on the electronic devices. When an electronic device is turned off and then turned on multiple times, it creates a loading condition called power cycling. The die is the only heat source causing non-uniform temperature distribution. The solder joint reliability assessment of Quad Flat no-lead Package (QFN) is done through computational method i.e. Finite element analysis (FEA) under two different loads. In this paper, the power cycling and thermal cycling act as a …

Finite Element Modeling And Stress Distribution Of Unidirectional Composite Materials Under Transversal Loading, Pavan Agarwal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Micromechanics of Composites analyze stresses inside any heterogeneous material. These stresses can not only be used for calculation of effective stiffness or compliance, but also for predicting strength and failure modes for these materials. This thesis is devoted to the stress analysis of unidirectional composites by finite element method. The key distinction from other finite element method modeling of the unidirectional composite was that the load on the cell was not prescribed, but was to be calculated taking into account the influence of the closest neighbors of the cell. Transversal unidirectional tension/compression and transversally symmetrical biaxial tension/compression were analyzed. In …

Non-Invasive Measurement Of The Internal Temperature Of Heat-Generating Bodies, Dean Raymond Anthony

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

While the surface temperature of a heat-generating solid body can be measured using a variety of methods, there is a scarcity of techniques that exist for non-invasively measuring the temperature inside the solid body. Internal temperature measurement is very desirable as mere measurement of surface temperature gives no indication of the internal temperature. The highest temperature, usually located at the core of the body, dictates system performance and safety. For example, Li-ion cells provide good energy storage and conversion characteristics, but unfortunately suffer from safety problems related to overheating due to insufficient heat removal during operation. The following thesis presents …

Remote Patient Monitoring Using Health Bands With Activity Level Prescription, Pranay Shirolkar

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

With the advent of new commercially available consumer grade fitness and health devices, it is now possible and very common for users to obtain, store, share and learn about some of their important physiological metrics such as steps taken, heart rate, quality of sleep and skin temperature. For devices with this wearable technology, it is common to find these sensors embedded in a smart watch, or dedicated wearable wrist bands such that among other functionalities of a wearable device, it is capable of smartly assisting users about their activity levels by leveraging the fact that these devices can be, and …

Evaluation Of Water Consumption And Savings Achieved In Datacenters Through Air Side Economization, Ravi Mishra

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Recent researches and a few facility owners have focused on eliminating the chiller plant altogether by implementing ‘Evaporative Cooling’, as an alternative or augmentation to compressor-based air conditioning since the energy consumption is dominated by the compressor work (around 41%) in the chiller plant. Because evaporative cooling systems consume water, when evaluating the energy savings potential of these systems, it is imperative to consider not just their impacts on electricity use, but also their impacts on water consumption as well since Joe Kava, Google’s head of data center operations, was quoted as saying that water is the “big elephant in …

Design Optimization Of Pressure Vessel With Particular Design Considerations, Artik Patel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The pressure vessels in industries are generally designed with a high safety factor because the rupture of a pressure vessel can be extremely dangerous. A vessel that is poorly designed or ineffectively designed to handle high pressure pose a very significant threat to life and property. Because of this, the design and verification of pressure vessels is governed by design codes specified by the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. The objective of this thesis work is to minimize the total weight of a real-world pressure vessel structure subjected to stress constraints specified by the …

Smartwalker – Rolling Walker Instrumentation And Data Acquisition System Development To Monitor, Visualize And Store Rolling Walker Usage Data, Mauricio Jaguan Nieves

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The Smart Walker project was designed to fill a necessity of monitoring in real time the use of rolling walkers (RW) and study the causes that contribute to the high rate of fallings among its users. The main objectives of the project were to measure the major forces applied by RW users in real time and store it safely for further analysis. The first prototype of the Smart Walker includes the measurement of axial load, torque and gripping force applied on the handle as well as acceleration and rotation angles while it is being used. The axial load was measured …

Automated System For The Characterization Of The Biomechanical Properties Of Human Soft Tissue, Michael R. Abraham

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Vaginal prolapse is a common condition that affects a large number (approximately 3.3 million in the US) of women, mainly above the age of 50 years. The condition is characterized by the weakening and breakdown of the pelvic support structures such as muscles and connective tissues, leading to the dislodging and prolapse of pelvic organs. Current examinations of the pelvic tissue are manually performed by the physician who assesses its rigidity. These exams are subjective and offer qualitative rather than quantitative results of the state of the pelvic tissue. In this research, a complete system was conceptualized and designed to …

Automated Lattice Optimization Of Hinge Fitting With Displacement Constraint, Vignesh Dakshnamoorthy

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Additive manufacturing enables fabrication of complex lattice cell structures that are not manufacturable using conventional methods. In order to exploit this lattice capability in structural designs, the effect on structural performance must be considered. This paper uses a goose neck door hinge component to illustrate the effects of lattice structure optimization when stiffness criteria drive part design. The effect of intermediate lattice cell density parameters on resulting lattice configurations from automated lattice structure optimization are studied and it is found that the compliance of the model depends upon the range of intermediate density elements present. The paper then compares the …

Hole Size, Location Optimization In A Plate And Cylindrical Shell For Minimum Stress Points Interfacing Ansys And Matlab, Soundararaj Thangavel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Discontinuities in Structures are inevitable. One such discontinuity in a plate and cylindrical shell is presence of a hole / holes. In Plates they are used for mounting bolts where as in Cylinder / Pressure Vessel, they provide provision for mounting Nozzles / Instruments. Location of these holes plays a primary role in minimizing the stress acting with out any external reinforcement. In this Thesis work, Location Parameters are optimized for the presence of one or more holes in a plate and cylindrical shell interfacing ANSYS and MATLAB with boundary constraints based on the geometry. Contour plots are generated for …

A Methodology To Develop A Control System App For Data Center Cooling, Varun Rahul

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

DCIM (Data Center Infrastructure Management), are tools that are available in the industry to serve the purpose of controlling different parameters in the data center. But their cost is significantly high. The idea of developing a tool that is easily accessible at highly competitive costs will be the USP for its development. While developing such a software tool, there will be a few points that will be thoroughly emphasized upon: The software tool will have the flexibility of being used on any Operating System. It will be portable i.e. it can be set up on any device that supports a …

Interactive Analysis Of General Beam Configurations Using Finite Element Methods And Javascript, Christopher G. Hernandez

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Advancements in computer technology have contributed to the widespread practice of modelling and solving engineering problems through the use of specialized software. The wide use of engineering software comes with the disadvantage to the user of costs from the required purchase of software licenses. The creation of accurate, trusted, and freely available applications capable of conducting meaningful analysis of engineering problems is a way to mitigate to the costs associated with every-day engineering computations. Writing applications in the JavaScript programming language allows the applications to run within any computer browser, without the need to install specialized software, since all internet …

Slicing Algorithm For Complex Contour Generation From Coarse Meshed Iso-Surface Data, Divya Hareshkumar Shukla

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Finite element based topology optimization is used to develop complex geometric configurations for additive manufacturing. Complex coarse-meshed Iso-surface data is extracted from topology optimization results and smooth mathematical geometry must be fit to that data in order to accomplish further design development. To accomplish this geometry fitting, cross-section data must be extracted at specific locations. The stereo lithography (STL) file format is a triangular mesh format which can be developed using 3D CAD Software and is widely used for additive layer manufacturing processes. The main aim of this research work is to generate cross-section contours using a nearest tail-to-head distance …