Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Crystallization In Nano-Confinement Seeded By A Nanocrystal -- A Molecular Dynamics Study, Heng Pan, Costas Grigoropoulos

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Seeded crystallization and solidification in nanoscale confinement volumes have become an important and complex topic. Due to the complexity and limitations in observing nanoscale crystallization, computer simulation can provide valuable details for supporting and interpreting experimental observations. In this article, seeded crystallization from nano-confined liquid, as represented by the crystallization of a suspended gold nano-droplet seeded by a pre-existing gold nanocrystal seed, was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations in canonical (NVT) ensemble. We found that the crystallization temperature depends on nano-confinement volume, crystal orientation, and seed size as explained by classical two-sphere model and Gibbs-Thomson effect.

Extremum-Seeking For Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems With Application To Hcci Engines, H. Zargarzadeh, S. Jagannathan, J. A. Drallmeier

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For many control applications, identifying an optimal operating point by maximizing/minimizing a performance function is important. This paper applies the extremum-seeking method to nonaffine, nonlinear discrete-time systems stabilized by an optimal adaptive controller. First, a novel averaging method is used for the nonlinear discrete-time systems to show that their output unique extrema are stable equilibrium points. Then, a singular perturbation method in discrete time is employed to show that the overall closed loop system will dynamically converge to the extremum. The applicability of this scheme is numerically verified on a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) model validated experimentally and expressed …

Active-Passive Networked Multiagent Systems, Tansel Yucelen, John Daniel Peterson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper introduces an active-passive networked multiagent system framework, which consists of agents subject to exogenous inputs (active agents) and agents without any inputs (passive agents) and analyze its convergence using Lyapunov stability. Apart from the existing relevant literature, where either none of the agents are subject to exogenous inputs (i.e., average consensus problem) or all agents are subject to these inputs (i.e., dynamic average consensus problem), the key feature of our approach is that the states of all agents converge to the average of the exogenous inputs applied only to the active agents, where these inputs may or may …

Thermomechanical Modeling Of Cone Sample Of Zrb2-Sic Ceramic Under Arc-Jet Conditions, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani, Jun Wei

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effects of oxidation on mechanical behavior of a cone sample of ZrB2-SiC ceramic under arc-jet test conditions is studied by a finite element (FE) model. First a steady-state heat transfer FE method was employed to conduct the thermal analysis and obtain the temperature distribution in the inner body of the cone. Then, resulting temperature distribution is applied to the thermomechanical finite element analysis to calculate the thermal stress distribution in the cone body. Due to the mismatch of material properties between the bulk ZrB2-SiC and its new products after oxidation, the outer oxide layers constrain the thermal deformation of …

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Technique For Sub-Optimal Control Of Flexible Aircraft Wings Using Discrete Actuators, M. Kumar, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Distributed parameter systems are, generally, described by a set of partial differential equations. Control design of these systems is a very complex task as compared to that of the lumped parameter systems that are defined by a set of ordinary differential equations. In this paper, we present a stabilizing state-feedback control design approach for a class of second order system, where the system can be controlled by discrete actuators in the spatial domain. The control methodology is developed by combining the technique of 'Proper Orthogonal Decomposition' and Approximate Dynamic Programming. The Proper Orthogonal Decomposition technique is utilized to obtain a …

Adaptive Control Of Uncertain Systems With Gain Scheduled Reference Models And Constrained Control Inputs, Mehrdad Pakmehr, Tansel Yucelen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper develops a new state feedback model reference adaptive control approach for uncertain systems with gain scheduled reference models in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) setting with constrained control inputs. A single Lyapunov matrix is computed for multiple linearization of the nonlinear closed loop gain scheduled reference system, using convex optimization tools. This approach guarantees stability of the closed loop gain scheduled reference model. Adaptive state feedback control architecture is then developed, and its stability is proven for the case with constrained control inputs. The resulting closed-loop system is shown to have bounded solutions with bounded tracking error, with the …

Decentralized Adaptive Control Of Uncertain Systems With Gain Scheduled Reference Models, Mehrdad Pakmehr, Tansel Yucelen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Control theoretic concepts for decentralized adaptive control of uncertain systems with gain scheduled reference model is developed. For each subsystem a single Lyapunov matrix is computed, using convex optimization tools, for multiple linearization near equilibrium and non-equilibrium points of the nonlinear closed loop gain scheduled reference subsystem. This approach guarantees stability of the closed loop gain scheduled reference model. Then, decentralized adaptive state feedback control architecture is developed and its stability is proved. Specifically, the resulting closed-loop system is shown to have bounded solutions with bounded tracking error for all the subsystems. Simulation results for two different models of a …

Resilient Networked Multiagent Systems: A Distributed Adaptive Control Approachy, Gerardo De La Torre, Tansel Yucelen, John Daniel Peterson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Control algorithms of networked multiagent systems are generally computed distributivity without having a centralized entity monitoring the activity of agents; and therefore, adverse events such as attacks to the communication network and/or failure of agent-wise components can easily result in system instability and prohibit the accomplishment of system-level objectives. This paper studies resilient coordination of networked multiagent systems in the presence of misbehaving agents, i.e., agents that are subject to such adverse events. In particular, we consider a class of adverse conditions consisting of exogenous disturbances and interagent uncertainties and present a distributed adaptive control architecture to retrieve the nominal …

Decomposition Of Ionic Liquid Ferrofluids For Multi-Mode Spacecraft Propulsion, Steven P. Berg, Brynne Coleman, Joshua L. Rovey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ionic liquid ferrofluids based on mixtures of [Emim][EtSO4] and [Bmim][NO3] fuels and hydroxylammonium nitrate oxidizer were synthesized by adding iron oxide nanoparticles. The resulting propellants were then tested for decomposition capability. Spot plate testing indicated that the temperature required to initiate rapid decomposition dropped from 115 °C to 75 °C with a 30% by weight addition of iron oxide for the [Bmim][NO3] propellant. Adding more iron oxide resulted in an increase in onset temperature. The [Emim][EtSO4] propellant had a much lower decrease in onset temperature, bottoming out at 90 °C. Batch reactor tests under vacuum showed that 10% addition of …

Reference Control Architecture In The Presence Of Measurement Noise And Actuator Dynamics, Gerardo De La Torre, Tansel Yucelen, Eric Johnson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper the command governor-based model reference control architecture is developed and analyzed for uncertain dynamical systems in the presence measurement noise and actuator dynamics. Specifically, the command governor is a dynamical system that adjusts the trajectory of a given command in order to enable an uncertain system to be able to follow an ideal reference system capturing a desired closed-loop dynamical system behavior both in transient-time and steady-state. In this paper, we present modifications to the original command governor approach in order to increase its robustness properties against measurement noise and actuator dynamics. In particular, the modified architecture …

Control-Oriented Modeling For Open-Cathode Fuel Cell Systems, Joseph Ishaku, Nima Lotfi, Hesam Zomorodi, Robert G. Landers

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to numerous advantages of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), they are becoming the mainstream fuel cell of choice for different applications. Open-cathode PEMFCs, in particular, are gaining increased popularity in low to medium power applications due to their simple structure and low parasitic losses. However, in order to achieve safe operation, increased durability and optimal performance, advanced control algorithms, which typically require control-oriented models, need to be implemented on open-cathode fuel cell systems. The open-cathode fuel cell system includes the fuel cell stack and all of the auxiliary components that are vital for its operation. In this paper, control-oriented …

Verifiable Frequency-Limited Adaptive Control Performance Based On Linear Matrix Inequalities, Mario Luca Fravolini, Tansel Yucelen, Daniel Wagner, Ali Albattat, Paolo Valigi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Adaptive controllers are often criticized for the lack of clear and easy verification procedures that relate design parameters to time domain performance especially during transients. For this reason, it is a challenge to rigorously certify existing adaptive control algorithms. To that end, we propose a validation framework where stability and performance requirements are formulated in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities. This brings the advantage that adaptive controller design and verification can be analyzed and optimized via the solution of a convex optimization whose objective is to guarantee the evolution of the error components within an a-priori specified domain. This approach …

Radical Species Generation And Their Lifetime Extension By A Femtosecond And Nanosecond Dual-Laser System, Cheng Hsiang Lin, Zhi Liang, Jun Zhou, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For Many Material Processes, Desired Radical Species at Excited States Are Produced Which Interact with a Given Substrate for a Certain Period of Time Allowing Chemical Reactions between Them to Occur and Complete. Hence, It is Important to Maintain the Population of the Excited Radical Species for an Extended Period of Time, I.e., their Lifetime, Which is Defined as the Time for Emission Intensity to Decay to 1/e of the Initial Intensity. in This Study, a Femtosecond-Nanosecond (Fs-Ns) Dual-Laser System Was Employed to Generate Desired Radical Species Via the Fs Laser And, Then, to Extend the Lifetime of the Radical …

Association Between Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms (Fok1 And Bsm1) And Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review, Zahra Mohammadi, Fateme Fayyazbakhsh, Mehdi Ebrahimi, Mahsa M. Amoli, Patricia Khashayar, Mahboubeh Dini, Reza Nezam Zadeh, Abbasali Keshtkar, Hamid Reza Barikani

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Osteoporosis is a Health Concern Characterized by Reduced Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and Increased Risk of Fragility Fractures. Many Studies Have Investigated the Association between Genetic Variants and Osteoporosis. Polymorphism and Allelic Variations in the Vitamin D Receptor Gene (VDR) Have Been Found to Be Associated with Bone Mineral Density. However, Many Studies Have Not Been Able to Find This Association. Literature Review Was Conducted in Several Databases, Including MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scopus, EMBASE, Ebsco, Science Citation Index Expanded, Ovid, Google Scholar, Iran Medex, Magiran and Scientific Information Database (SID) for Papers Published between 2000 and 2013 Describing the Association between Fok1 …

The Effect Of Different Rollover Conditions Of The Vibrator On Human Injury, Qin Li, Hang Liu, Zhiqiang Huang, Yaping Ding, Xiaoping Du

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vibrator, as a crucial vehicle of oil and gas exploration, is challenged by the complex terrains. The probability of rollover accident is therefore high in bumpy terrain in which the drivers' life is seriously threatened. Finite element numerical analysis was used to study the injury of the driver's head, neck and chest in the rollover accidents of domestic KZ-28 type vibrator on different conditions. The injuries of three parts were evaluated based on the human injury criteria. Driver's safety on different rollover conditions was comparatively analyzed. The results indicated that the injury degree of human head caused by vibrator rollover …

Assessment Of Multi-Mode Spacecraft Micropropulsion Systems, Steven P. Berg, Joshua L. Rovey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-mode spacecraft micro propulsion systems which include a high-thrust chemical mode and high-specific impulse electric mode are assessed with specific reference to cube sat-sized satellite applications. Both cold gas Freon-14 propellant and ionic liquid chemical monopropellant modes were investigated alongside pulsed plasma, electrospray, and helicon electric thruster modes. Systems involving chemical monopropellants have the highest payload mass fractions for a reference mission of a 500 m/s delta-V and 6U sized cube sat for electric propulsion usage below 55% of total delta-V. For higher electric propulsion usage, cold gas thrusters delivered a higher payload mass fraction due to lower system inert …

Adaptive Control Of Uncertain Systems With Gain Scheduled Reference Models, Mehrdad Pakmehr, Tansel Yucelen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper develops a new model reference adaptive control approach for uncertain systems with gain scheduled reference models in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) setting. Specifically, adaptive state feedback for output tracking control problem of MIMO nonlinear systems is studied and gain scheduled reference model system is used for generating desired state trajectories. Using convex optimization tools, a single Lyapunov matrix is computed for multiple linearization's near equilibrium and non-equilibrium points of the nonlinear closed loop gain scheduled reference system. This approach guarantees stability of the closed loop gain scheduled system. Adaptive state feedback control scheme is then developed, and its …

Adaptive Architectures For Distributed Control Of Modular Systems, Tansel Yucelen, Jeff S. Shamma

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We consider the distributed control of large-scale modular systems, i.e., systems consist of physically interconnected (and possibly heterogeneous) submodules that use local information to achieve a given set of global objectives. A graph-theoretic approach is used to model the unknown physical interactions between submodules and utilize an adaptive control algorithm to learn and cancel the effect of such interactions as well as the submodule-level modeling uncertainties asymptotically by allowing submodules to locally communicate with each other through the graph. The key feature of our framework is to bound the mismatch error between the actual and desired closed-loop modular system performance …

Control-Oriented Modeling Of Laser Metal Deposition As A Repetitive Process, Patrick M. Sammons, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is an additive manufacturing process whose dynamics are driven by complex heat transfer and fluid flow phenomena. The LMD process, along with every additive manufacturing process, is fundamentally a two-dimensional process possessing both temporal (or spatial) domain dynamics and propagation of information from layer to layer. However, modeling the two-dimensionality of the process for use in control has received little attention. Here, a model aimed at capturing the important nonlinear two-dimensional physical processes of the melt pool shape, while maintaining simplicity, is presented. The model is expressed in a form that lends itself to the design …

Thermal-Electromagnetic Analysis Of Infrared Antennas, Edward C. Kinzel, Brian Slovick, James Ginn, Brian Lail, Glenn Boreman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Antenna-coupled Metal-Oxide-Metal (MOM) diodes have been demonstrated for sensing and proposed for energy harvesting at THz, infrared, and even visible frequencies. The design of the antenna allows engineering of the response of the device with respect to polarization, wavelength and angle of incidence. The classic understanding of the antenna coupled MOM diode is that the electric field generated by the antenna causes electrons to tunnel through the barrier oxide. This is supported by the fact that when the oxide separates metals with different work functions, a properly polarized field can produce an asymmetric tunnel current under zero bias. Losses in …

Mechanistic Identification Of Specific Force Coefficients In Endmilling Inconel 718 Under Four Cooling Strategies, Mahmood Shaman Ameen

Masters Theses

“This thesis presents the results of experimental investigations of the mechanistic identification of specific force coefficients for uncoated bull-nose and uncoated wavy-edge/bull-nose helical endmilling of Inconel 718 under emulsion, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), cryogenic (LN₂), and combined (MQL + LN₂) cooling. Several slot milling tests were conducted on Inconel 718 workpiece block with depth of cut 1.25 mm. The cutting parameters were varied as: spindle speed, n = 250 and 750 rev/min, feedrate, f = 25–75 mm/min by using uncoated carbide bull-nose helical endmill. Also 24 peripheral milling tests were conducted on Inconel 718 workpiece block …

Machinability Improvement During High-Speed End-Milling Of Inconel 718 Alloy, Chukwujekwu Nnadi

Masters Theses

“This thesis presents the results of the experimental investigation of the effects of machining parameters (spindle speed and feedrate) and cooling strategies [Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL), Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen (LN₂), and combined (MQL+LN₂)] on cutting force components, cutting temperature, tool wear and surface roughness during high-speed slot end-milling of Inconel 718 alloy. In addition, a comparative evaluation of the three cooling strategies was conducted for cutting force components, surface roughness and residual stresses. All end-milling experiments were conducted on a Cincinnati Milacron Vertical Machining center (VMC), using a 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) diameter, 0.03 inch (0.762 …

An Interactive Product Development Model In Remanufacturing Environment: A Chaos-Based Artificial Bee Colony Approach, Vishwa V. Kumar

Masters Theses

"This research presents an interactive product development model in re-manufacturing environment. The product development model defined a quantitative value model considering product design and development tasks and their value attributes responsible to describe functions of the product. At the last stage of the product development process, re-manufacturing feasibility of used components is incorporated. The consummate feature of this consideration lies in considering variability in cost, weight, and size of the constituted components depending on its types and physical states.

Further, this research focuses on reverse logistics paradigm to drive environmental management and economic concerns of the manufacturing industry after the …

Effect Of Stress Concentrations On Fatigue Of Composite And Metallic Structures, Ross Henry Falen

Masters Theses

"The complex shapes of hydrokinetic turbine blades can include part features such as a fillet, step, or hole. Situations can arise where two part features, such as a hole and a fillet, may be in close proximity which can introduce stress concentrations within the blade structure, adversely affecting the structure's life. Because the interaction between the part features isn't well known, fatigue data is needed to determine the proper analysis.

In this thesis, two separate topics are discussed and investigated. The first topic deals with stress concentrations in hydrokinetic turbine blades. Several blade designs were tested and improved upon to …

Modelling Of Directed Energy Deposition Processes, Xueyang Chen

Masters Theses

"The laser additive manufacturing technique of laser deposition allows quick fabrication of fully-dense metallic components directly from Computer Aided Design (CAD) solid models. The applications of laser deposition include rapid prototyping, rapid tooling and part refurbishment. The development of an accurate predictive model for laser deposition is extremely complicated due to the multitude of process parameters and materials properties involved. In this work, a heat transfer and fluid flow model is developed.

In the heat transfer and fluid flow model, the governing equations for solid, liquid and gas phases in the calculation domain have been formulated using the continuum model. …

Impact Of Fracture Spacing And Mechanical Parameter Anisotropy On Fracture Width In Horizontal Wells In Shales, Deepak Gokaraju

Masters Theses

"The success of economically viable production of oil and gas from ultra-low permeability shale reservoirs depends on the creation of an extensive fracture network through hydraulic fracture stimulation. Multiple hydraulic fractures are created simultaneously in each stage to increase the surface area of contact between the wellbore and reservoir. The spacing between fractures is an important component to consider when developing an optimum stimulation design. An important aspect of shale rock properties is that shales are inherently anisotropic with a horizontal plane of isotropy (transversely isotropic) due to their finely layered structure. This study aims to provide an insight into …

An Effectiveness - Based Analysis Of Ground Coupled Heat Exchangers, Chou Shen

Masters Theses

"This thesis develops a theoretical framework, termed [Effectiveness] - BLU, to characterize the relation between temperatures, thermal contact and borehole length as it relates to the heat transfer processes in ground coupled heat exchangers used for ground source heat pump systems.

Borehole outflow temperature depends on the inflow temperature, the heat imposed on the borehole and the temperature history of the ground. In addition, variation of outflow temperature influences inflow temperature, even for the case of constant heat pump load. Because of this kind of feedback, the borehole inflow temperature may not be constant even with a fixed building load. …

Additive Manufacturing Laser Deposition Of Ti-6al-4v For Aerospace Repair Application, Nanda Kumar Dey

Masters Theses

"Parts or products machined from high performance metals are very expensive, partly due to the processing complexities during manufacturing. Therefore, many high performance metal parts users, such as the aerospace industry, mold/die casting industry, heavy machinery consumers etc., extend the service of these damaged parts by employing repair or remanufacturing technology. The research objective is to use laser deposition and machining processes to repair titanium parts.

This thesis discusses a new way of approach for developing a repair process for Ti-6Al-4V for the aerospace industry using Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). The repairs were conducted in a multi-axis hybrid manufacturing systems …

Characterization Of 304l Stainless Steel By Means Of Minimum Input Energy On The Selective Laser Melting Platform, Ben Brown

Masters Theses

"Developing parameter sets for new materials on the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) platform has traditionally been done through the use of single line processing windows and a basic design of experiments (DOE) which would include varying machine parameters to maximize density. This study expands the traditional method by determining the main effects statistically for density, allowing for a more in depth analysis wherein the experimental results are statistically correlated to the variable machine parameters used. With this analysis, parameter optimization with respect to achieving near full density, while also considering build rates, can be performed. New parameters for 304L stainless …

Fabrication Of Out-Of-Autoclave Bismaleimide Based Composite Laminates With Embedded Fiber Optic Sensors, Sudharshan Anandan

Masters Theses

"Composites are becoming the material of choice in applications where weight savings are critical, like aerospace structures. The common composites used are- Carbon/Epoxy and Carbon/Bismaleimide (BMI). BMI based systems are preferred in applications which involve operating temperatures higher than conventional epoxies. Carbon/BMI laminates are traditionally fabricated in an autoclave, which is associated with high operating costs. In this work, a low cost out of autoclave (OOA) process is evaluated. It is desirable to have BMI OOA prepreg systems cure at reasonably low temperatures with sufficient degree of cure and green strength to maintain rigidity for subsequent freestanding post cure Carbon/BMI …