Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Probing Myosin Ensemble Mechanics In Actin Filament Bundles Using Optical Tweezers, Omayma Al Azzam, Janie C. Watts, Justin E. Reynolds, Juliana E. Davis, Dana N. Reinemann

Faculty and Student Publications

Myosins are motor proteins that hydrolyze ATP to step along actin filament (AF) tracks and are essential in cellular processes such as motility and muscle contraction. To understand their force-generating mechanisms, myosin II has been investigated both at the single-molecule (SM) level and as teams of motors in vitro using biophysical methods such as optical trapping. These studies showed that myosin force-generating behavior can differ greatly when moving from the single-molecule level in a three-bead arrangement to groups of motors working together on a rigid bead or coverslip surface in a gliding arrangement. However, these assay constructions do not permit …

Enhancement Of Biogas Production Through Solid-State Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Food Waste And Corn Cobs, Lukhi Mulia Shitophyta, Anisa Salsabila, Firanita Angraini Putri, Siti Jamilatun

Makara Journal of Technology

Although biogas has been primarily produced through liquid anaerobic digestion, this method leads to the floating and stratification of fibers and non-homogeneous mixing, which can reduce the biogas yield. Alternatively, biogas can be produced by the solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of organic material with a high solid content, such as corn cobs. We investigated the co-digestion of food waste and corn cobs as a biomass feedstock for SS-AD in biogas production. We measured the effects of the total solid (TS) content, percentage of food waste, and reduction in volatile solids (VS), from which we determined its appropriate kinetic model. We …

Control Strategy For Solar Energy-Saving Lamps For Optimized Energy Utilization And Sustainability Of Operation Durability: Indonesia Case, Burhanuddin Halimi, Agus Purwadi, Nana Heryana

Makara Journal of Technology

To solve the electrification ratio issue, the Indonesian government has promoted the use of solar energy-saving lamps. This study proposes a control strategy that adopts current reference time-based profiling for solar energy-saving lamps. For optimal energy consumption, the current reference profile is determined according to users’ daily energy requirements. From the aspect of user comfort, a gradual step reference profile is also introduced to provide a subtle change in lighting intensity level. The proposed control strategy can minimize energy consumption and optimize the operation durability of the system. The concept is verified by simulating four scenarios, the results of which …

Novel Thermal Coating For High-Speed Airplanes, Abinash Satapathy, Lakshay Battu, Liam Watson, Nazanin Rajabi

Symposium of Student Scholars

In comparison to various other materials, Carbon Fiber, specifically Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP), is pre-eminent amongst other materials for use on aeronautical systems. Due to its high specific strength (strength-to-weight ratio), CFRP is prominent for carrying heavy loads while maintaining a lightweight build. However, when influenced by heat resulting from air resistance, CFRP is known to undergo serious degradation that would significantly decrease the effectiveness of the polymers. To prevent this degradation and maintain the strength of the CFRP, thermal protective layers (TPLs) are designed to shield the CFRP from heat exposure. This research is focused on the examination …

Development & Validation Of A Piv System For Obtaining Data From A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Gerald Gallagher, David Kennedy, Anthony Reynolds

Conference Papers

Anaerobic digestion processes can generate energy in the form of biogas while treating organic wastewater. The efficiency of the treatment, and thus the generation of biogas, is closely linked to the type and design of the reactor, and the technology used. Granular anaerobic digestion technology offers advantages such as a higher loading rate and reduction of the space needed. However, the hydrodynamics inside this type of reactor can be complex due to the presence of solids (granules) and gas (biogas) phases along with the liquid phase (wastewater). This is one of the reasons why the study and optimization of reactors …

Decellularized Articular Cartilage Microgels As Microcarriers For Expansion Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Esmaiel Jabbari, Azadeh Sepahvandi

Faculty Publications

Conventional microcarriers used for expansion of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) require detachment and separation of the cells from the carrier prior to use in clinical applications for regeneration of articular cartilage, and the carrier can cause undesirable phenotypic changes in the expanded cells. This work describes a novel approach to expand hMSCs on biomimetic carriers based on adult or fetal decellularized bovine articular cartilage that supports tissue regeneration without the need to detach the expanded cells from the carrier. In this approach, the fetal or adult bovine articular cartilage was minced, decellularized, freeze-dried, ground, and sieved to produce articular …

Mass Advection–Diffusion In Creeping Flow Through An Orifice Plate: A Model For Nanoporous Atomically Thin Membranes, Harpreet Atwal, Anika Wong, Michael Boutilier

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Publications

Continuum transport equations are commonly applied to nanopores in atomically thin membranes for simple modeling. Although these equations do not apply for nanopores approaching the fluid or solute molecule size, they can be reasonably accurate for larger nanopores. Relatively large graphene nanopores have applications in small particle filtration and appear as unwanted defects in large-area membranes. Solute transport rates through these nanopores determine the rejection performance of the membrane. Atomically thin membranes commonly operate in a regime where advection and diffusion both contribute appreciably to transport. Solute mass transfer rates through larger nanopores have previously been modeled by adding continuum …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of The Temperature And Impurity Profiles In The Protodune-Sp Neutrino Detector, Jenna Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the ProtoDUNE single-phase detector were developed, refined, and analyzed. The ProtoDUNE single-phase detector is a prototype detector that is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international research collaboration aimed at better understanding neutrinos and the role they play in our universe. The ProtoDUNE single-phase detector is used to gather data and inform design changes for the full-sized far detector prior to its construction. The effects of certain geometric features and heat sources on the thermal profiles within the liquid region of the detector were investigated in a set of parametric studies. The …

Recycled Printer Filament, Charlotte Hyland, Troy D. Molinar

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of recycling PLA filament for 3D printing on its material properties. After examining these effects, PLA and carbon fiber additives were mixed with recycled PLA pellets in different ratios to attempt to regain material properties lost in the recycling process. To complete these findings, an experiment was design and executed.

The research found that tensile strength during multiple iterations of recycling remained mostly unaffected, however, the strain degraded exponentially. In the PLA additive study, high ratios of PLA additive were able to increase the strength and strain properties of the …

Molecular Modeling Of High-Performance Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composites For Aerospace Applications, Prathamesh P. Deshpande

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The global efforts from major space agencies to transport humans to Mars will require a novel lightweight and ultra-high strength material for the spacecraft structure. Three decades of research with the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have proved that the material can be an ideal candidate for the composite reinforcement if certain shortcomings are overcome. Also, the rapid development of the polymer resin industry has introduced a wide range of high-performance resins that show high compatibility with the graphitic surface of the CNTs. This research explores the computational design of these materials and evaluates their efficacy as the next generation of aerospace …

Development Of Advanced Models For Pre-Ignition Prediction In Gas Engines And Analytical Model For Wallfilm Evaporation, Ankith Ullal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Ever-changing regulations aimed at improving efficiency and reducing harmful emissions have resulted in many power-generation device (engine) manufacturers to adopt new strategies. Computer simulation of these new strategies of power generation requires more accurate and higher fidelity modelling tools. In the present study, two such models are developed. The first model deals with pre-ignition phenomena driven by lubricant (lube) oil in natural gas engines and the second model is relevant to prediction of wallfilm evaporation by employing analytical solutions to transport governing equations for boundary layers.

Pre-ignition in engines has been the subject of current research with the advent of …

Fundamentals Of Microgel Flooding And Nanoparticles-Stabilized Foams In Enhanced Oil Recovery, Shuaijun Li

Dissertations and Theses

For centuries oil has remained a critical energy source for human civilization. After years of extraction, many oil fields have reached or are reaching a decline stage of production, even though up to a half of the total crude oil reserves in these fields has not been recovered yet. One reason is due to the structural heterogeneity of the oil reservoirs—reservoirs may consist of regions of higher permeability with larger pore size and regions of lower permeability with smaller pore size. Displacing fluids tend to flow through large permeability zones only without reaching the oil trapped in low permeability region; …

A Vacuum-Driven Distillation Technology Of Aqueous Solutions And Mixtures, Guo Guangyu

Dissertations

Distillation of aqueous solutions and aqueous mixtures has vast industrial applications, including desalination, wastewater treatment, and fruit juice concentration. Currently, two major distillation technologies are adopted in the industry, membrane separation and thermal distillation. However, both of them face certain inevitable drawbacks. Membrane separation has disadvantages as relying on high-grade energy, requiring membrane, fouling problem, narrow treatment range, limited scalability, and vibrating and noisy operating conditions. Traditional thermal distillation technologies can avoid above concerns but has other shortcomings, such as relatively low energy efficiency and yield rate, complicated and bulky system structure, and scaling problem.

This project proposes an innovative …

Numerical Investigation On The Effect Of Spectral Radiative Heat Transfer Within An Ablative Material, Raghava S. C. Davuluri, Rui Fu, Kaveh A. Tagavi, Alexandre Martin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The spectral radiative heat flux could impact the material response. In order to evaluate it, a coupling scheme between KATS - MR and P1 approximation model of radiation transfer equation (RTE) is constructed and used. A Band model is developed that divides the spectral domain into small bands of unequal widths. Two verification studies are conducted: one by comparing the simulation computed by the Band model with pure conduction results and the other by comparing with similar models of RTE. The comparative results from the verification studies indicate that the Band model is computationally efficient and can be used to …

Nonmetallic Jet Impingement Thermal Management For Power Electronics Via Additive Manufacturing, Reece Whitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increase in energy demanded by transportation and energy sectors has necessitated highly efficient thermal management for reliable power electronics operations. Conventional cooling techniques are limited by their inability to target switching location hot spot temperatures, leading to non-uniform thermal gradients. These devices, such as cold plates and heat sinks, also utilize heavy metallic structures that can accentuate electromagnetic interferences generated by high voltage switching processes. This work proposes a non-metallic jet impingement cooler for more customized thermal management, while simultaneously reducing the harmful effects of electromagnetic interferences. Additive manufacturing is utilized to enable jet impingement zones to target individual …

Supercritical Co2 Recompression Closed Brayton Cycle Analysis, Andres Eduardo Gutierrez Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

On this research, the results of an analysis made of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) Recuperated Closed Brayton Cycle (RCBC) done by performing theorical calculations and comparing it to the results obtained with the use of the software ASPEN Plus will be presented. To demonstrate and determine that this software is a useful tool for modeling the proposed type of cycle, a preliminary comparison was made to verify with previous studies found in literature. A comparison and analysis between the possible working fluids and thermal energy sources was also performed to emphasize the decision of using CO2 as the cycle …

Computational Sodium Heat Pipe Simulation In Three Dimensions For Transient Nuclear Reactor Analysis With Variable Surface Heat Flux, Valerie Jean Lawdensky

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Heat pipes are used to transfer heat through phase change in a liquid/vapor contained in a metal tube. They are passive devices that require no pumps to circulate the fluid and can transfer heat far more efficiently than a solid copper rod of the same diameter. They are commonly used in laptop computers where copper heat pipes filled with water take heat away from the CPU and transfer the heat to air through a heat exchanger. Heat pipes were also used in the Kilopower nuclear reactor where higher temperatures required sodium as the working fluid with stainless steel tubes. Computer …

Experimental Heat Transfer Investigations Of A Double Pipe U-Tube Heat Exchanger Equipped With Twisted Tape And Cut Twisted Tape Internals, Raj Kumar Nayak Maloth, Glen Cletus Dsouza, Swarna Mayee Patra

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Publications

For several decades, the use of heat exchangers for both heating and cooling applications has been established in industries ranging from process to space heating. Out of the various types of heat exchangers, U-tube heat exchangers are preferred owing to their abilities to handle larger flowrates and their simplicity in construction. U-tube exchangers are often equipped with innards of various forms which facilitate higher heat transfer rates and thermal efficiencies. Although higher heat transfer rates have been established with the addition of internals, there is a lack of coherence on the underlying complex physical phenomena such as heat transfer boundary …

Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: Effect Of The Promoter’S Ionic Charge And Valence Level Energy On Activity, Mirtha Z. Leguizamón León Ribeiro, Joice C. Souza, Muthu Kumaran Gnanamani, Michela Martinelli, Gabriel F. Upton, Gary Jacobs, Mauro C. Ribeiro

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

In this contribution, we examine the effect of the promoter´s ionic charge and valence orbital energy on the catalytic activity of Fe-based catalysts, based on in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (SXRPD), temperature-programmed-based techniques (TPR, TPD, CO-TP carburization), and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis catalytic testing studies. We compared the promoting effects of K (a known promoter for longer-chained products) with Ba, which has a similar ionic radius but has double the ionic charge. Despite being partially “buried” in a crystalline BaCO₃ phase, the carburization of the Ba-promoted catalyst was more effective than that of K; this was primarily due to its …

Mechanical Properties And Characterization Of Epoxy Composites Containing Highly Entangled As-Received And Acid Treated Carbon Nanotubes, Aaron Krieg, Julia A. King, Gregory M. Odegard, Timothy Leftwich, Leif K. Odegard, Paul D. Fraley, Ibrahim Miskioglu, Claire Jolowsky, Matthew Lundblad, Jin Gyu Park, Richard Liang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Huntsman–Merrimack MIRALON® carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a novel, highly entan-gled, commercially available, and scalable format of nanotubes. As-received and acid-treated CNTs were added to aerospace grade epoxy (CYCOM® 977-3), and the composites were characterized. The epoxy resin is expected to infiltrate the network of the CNTs and could improve mechanical properties. Epoxy composites were tested for flexural and viscoelastic properties and the as-re-ceived and acid treated CNTs were characterized using Field-Emission Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric Analysis. Composites containing 0.4 wt% as-received CNTs showed an increase in flexural strength, from 136.9 MPa for neat epoxy …

Metasurface Cloaks To Decouple Closely Spaced Printed Dipole Antenna Arrays Fed By A Microstrip-To-Balanced Transmission-Line Transition, Doojin Lee, Alexander B. Yakovlev

Faculty and Student Publications

In this work, we present a numerical study of 1D and 2D closely spaced antenna arrays of microstrip dipole antennas covered by a metasurface in order to properly cloak and decouple the antenna arrays operating at neighboring frequencies. We show that the two strongly coupled arrays fed by a microstrip-to-balanced transmission-line transition are effectively decoupled in 1D and 2D array scenarios by covering the dipole antenna elements with an elliptically shaped metasurface. The metasurface comprises sub-wavelength periodic metallic strips printed on an elliptically shaped dielectric cover around the dipole antennas and integrated with the substrate. We present a practical design …

Comparison Of Concrete And Steel Jacket Methods For Reinforcing A Concrete Bridge Pier By Numerical And Experimental Studies, Hadi Faghihmaleki

Makara Journal of Technology

Various rehabilitation and strengthening procedures have been developed in recent decades. A study to determine which methods can be implemented to increase the useful life of the bridge before strengthening must be performed. In this study, the seismic behavior of a reinforced concrete bridge pier with dimension 3.5 × 3.5 m, which was reinforced by two steel and a concrete jacket, was investigated. Nonlinear geometric models and materials were analyzed to estimate the seismic parameters of the pier. Results show an increase in energy absorption, ultimate strength, and ductility for the steel jacket, as well as a greater increase in …

Effect Of Arc Plasma Sintering On The Structural And Microstructural Properties Of Fe-Cr-Ni Austenitic Stainless Steels, Parikin Parikin, M. Dani, A. Dimyati, N. D. Purnamasari, B. Sugeng, M. Panitra, A. Insani, T. H. Priyanto, S. Mustofa, Syahbuddin Syahbuddin, A. Huang

Makara Journal of Technology

X-ray diffraction techniques were performed to determine the actual crystal structure of A2 austenitic stainless steel (ASS) as-cast and A2 ASS after arc plasma sintering (APS) for 2 s. Computations were conducted on the basis of the Bragg arithmetic formula by comparing the S2 arithmetic with the interplanar spacing. The Bragg arithmetic formula is a simple series for the determination of the crystalline phase of materials based on the Miller indices of cubic shapes or other shapes. A2 ASS as-cast was identified to have a crystal structure of face-centered cubic with lattice parameter a = 3.58 Å. A similar crystal …

Trend Significance Levels Of Rain Onset And Cessation And Lengths Of The Wet And Dry Seasons In Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria, Adekunle Adedeji Alli, Olorunwa Eric Omofunmi

Makara Journal of Technology

This study aims to reduce crop failure resulting from a dry spell, which is the first occurrence of unsustainable rainfall that deceives farmers into planting. Thus, trends need to be tested using hypothesis, kurtosis, and other statistics to analyze the risks associated with unstable planting calendars and their possible mitigation strategies. The daily rainfall data from 1982 to 2018 were obtained from the archive of NASA/POWER SRB/FLASH, and the research location is Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria, which lies at latitude 6.585° N and longitude 3.962° E. Microsoft Excel was used to perform the tests. Results show that the null hypothesis …

Kinetic Modeling Study Of Laminar Burning Velocity Of Gasoline–Ethanol–Methanol Blends At Elevated Temperature And Pressure, Ahmad Syihan Auzani, Cahyo Setyo Wibowo, Riesta Anggarani, Yulianto Sulistyo Nugroho, Bambang Sugiarto

Makara Journal of Technology

Gasoline–ethanol–methanol (GEM) blends have been considered to replace pure gasoline as spark ignition engine fuel. Their physical and chemical properties and performance and emission measurements from real engines have been reported previously. However, a fundamental study that can explain the unique results of GEM compared with those of pure gasoline is lacking. This study aims to compare the laminar burning velocity of GEM blends at different mixtures, equivalence ratios, temperatures, and pressures with that of pure gasoline. A laminar flame propagation model and reaction mechanisms from the literature were were for a numerical simulation. In this study, the chemical components …

Improvement Of Electrical Properties Of Cmc-Pva Doped With Various Contents Of Lino3 As An Application For Hybrid Polymer Electrolytes, Amalia Zulkifli, Norfatihah Mazuki, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin

Makara Journal of Technology

The present work was carried out with the development of hybrid polymer electrolytes (HPEs) by using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with different contents of lithium nitrate (LiNO3) for the determination of their structural and conduction properties. The structural analysis was conducted by using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and showed the interaction between the blend host polymer and ionic dopant, which formed via the coordinating site of CMC-PVA and Li+-NO3−. The complexes of CMC-PVA doped LiNO3 led to an increment in ionic conductivity, as observed by electrical impedance spectroscopy, and the sample containing 20 wt% LiNO3 obtained the highest …

Music Information Retrieval Based On Active Frequency, Hardianto Wibowo, Wildan Suharso, Yufis Azhar, Galih Wasis Wicaksono, Agus Eko Minarno, Dani Harmanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Music is the art of combining frequencies. A balance of frequencies gives rise to a harmonious tone. Several features of music can be analyzed, and they include sociocultural background, lyrics, mood, tempo, rhythm, harmony, melody, timbre, and instrumentation. In this study, we use the frequency of instrumentation as a feature for classification because each instrument has a frequency range. To test this frequency range, we use five music genres and one music playing skill. The five genres are dangdut, electronic dance music (EDM), metal, pop/rock, and reggae. The music playing skill is acoustic. Active frequencies are tested using the k-nearest …

Predictive Delivery Man Assignment Problem Using Deep Learning, Rahmadini Payla Juarsa, Taufik Djatna

Makara Journal of Technology

Dispatching is a critical part in current online shopping. It relates to how the delivery man assignment should minimize cost along with the service from a source to an end customer with an appropriate scheduled time. The problem arises as neither enough products to deliver nor delivery men are available for dispatch, resulting in suboptimal service and a waste of money. The study aimed to formulate the cost of restaurant dispatching for inducing a deep learning-based solution with the gated recurrent unit recurrent neural network to receive hourly order data and to engage the result for near feature delivery man …

Fully Coupled Internal Radiative Heat Transfer For The 3d Material Response Of Heat Shield, Raghava S. C. Davuluri, Rui Fu, Kaveh A. Tagavi, Alexandre Martin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The radiative transfer equation (RTE) is strongly coupled to the material response code KATS. A P-1 approximation model of RTE is used to account for radiation heat transfer within the material. First, the verification of the RTE model is performed by comparing the numerical and analytical solutions. Next, the coupling scheme is validated by comparing the temperature profiles of pure conduction and conduction coupled with radiative emission. The validation study is conducted on Marschall et al. cases (radiant heating, arc-jet heating, and space shuttle entry), 3D Block, 2D IsoQ sample, and Stardust Return Capsule. The validation results agree well for …

Phase-Field Modeling Of The Polymer Membrane Formation Process For Micro- And Ultra-Filtration, Michael Rosario Cervellere

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Porous polymer membrane filters are widely used in separation and filtration process. Micro- and ultra-filtration membranes are commonly used in biopharmaceutical applications such as filtering viruses and separating proteins from a carrier solution. The formation of these membrane filters via phase inversion is a complex and interconnected process where varying casting conditions can have a wide variety of effects on the final membrane morphol- ogy. Tailoring membrane filters for specific performance characteristics is a tedious and time consuming process. The time and length scales of membrane formation make it extremely difficult to experimentally observe membrane formation. Modeling the membrane formation …