Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Virtual Reality Power Chair Simulator For Human Operator Modeling And Tremor Filtering, Rick Meyer

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award (FRACAA)

Approximately 180,000 persons who have a need for a powered wheelchair (PWC) suffer from Parkinson's’ hand tremor that makes it difficult, even potentially dangerous, for them to operate it. Persons with hand tremor that attempt to operate a PWC have to try to compensate for their tremor, which may not be realistically possible if the tremor is severe enough. Hand tremor can lead to sudden changes in PWC joystick commands that could result in unsafe PWC movements and collisions resulting in injury and/or property damage. These tremor sufferers are candidates for an assistive PWC. As a step toward assistive PWC, …

Exploring The Use Of 3d Scanning To Determine Whole-Body Volume While Wearing A Triathlon Wetsuit, Leland Barker, Diego Medoza, John A. Mercer

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Commercial 3 Dimension (3D) scanners are relatively new to anthropometry. The purpose of this study was to explore ability of using a 3D imaging instrument to measure body volume with and without wearing a wetsuit. Three experiments were conducted to achieve this purpose: (1) to determine if the 3D imaging instrument could accurately measure volume of static objects; (2) to determine the resolution of accuracy of measuring volume of static objects; and (3) to compare whole-body volume of wearing a wetsuit using 3D imaging as well as another body volume measure (air displacement technique). Methods: Three experiments were performed: …

Reducing Stress In 3d Printed Parts Made With Laser Engineered Net Shaping, Shaun Ross Whetten

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Thermal cycling and repeated melting/solidification cycles characteristic of 3D metal printing processes causes buildup of residual stress in 3D printed parts. Using laser engineered net shaping (LENS®), residual stresses are formed leading to deformation and possible cracking of the 3D printed metal components. The LENS process offers opportunities for rapid prototyping, alternative manufacturing processes, and repair of worn/broken components so it is important to be able to minimize the effects of residual stress. Work was performed to understand the benefit of substrate heating on reducing residual stress in metal parts made using the LENS process. Substrate deformation, and destructive methods …

Method For Data - Driven Learning - Based Control Of Hvac Systems Using High - Dimensional Sensory Observations, Amir-Massoud Farahmand, Saleh Nabi, Piyush Grover, Daniel Nikolaev Nikovski

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A controller for controlling an operation of an air - conditioning system conditioning an indoor space includes a data input to receive state data of the space at multiple points in the space , a memory to store a code of a reinforcement learning algorithm and a history of the state data and a history of control commands having been applied to the air - conditioning system , wherein the history of the control commands is associated with the state data and history of rewards , a processor coupled to the memory determines a value function outputting a cumulative value …

Uncertainty In Optical Particulate Counting Sensors, Jared Todd Blanchard

Undergraduate Honors Theses

To mitigate the health problems and environmental damage caused by the burning of biomass in homes across the developing world, there is an international effort to design clean burning cookstoves that burn with greater efficiency and emit fewer harmful substances. An important tool for gauging the effectiveness of these alternate stoves is the optical particulate counting (OPC) sensor, which comes in many varieties. To facilitate comparison between measurements from different models, a mathematical model and uncertainty analysis method for OPC’s have been developed. These may be applied to any light-scattering OPC. In addition, a low-cost physical system was developed to …

Design Optimization For A Cnc Machine, Alin Resiga

Dissertations and Theses

Minimizing cost and optimization of nonlinear problems are important for industries in order to be competitive. The need of optimization strategies provides significant benefits for companies when providing quotes for products. Accurate and easily attained estimates allow for less waste, tighter tolerances, and better productivity. The Nelder-Mead Simplex method with exterior penalty functions was employed to solve optimum machining parameters. Two case studies were presented for optimizing cost and time for a multiple tools scenario. In this study, the optimum machining parameters for milling operations were investigated. Cutting speed and feed rate are considered as the most impactful design variables …

Scalable Patterning Using Laser-Induced Shock Waves, Saidjafarzoda Ilhom, Khomidkhodza Kholikov, Peizhen Li, Claire Ottman, Dylan Sanford, Zachary Thomas, Omer San, Haluk E. Karaca, Ali O. Er

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

An advanced direct imprinting method with low cost, quick, and minimal environmental impact to create a thermally controllable surface pattern using the laser pulses is reported. Patterned microindents were generated on Ni₅₀Ti₅₀ shape memory alloys and aluminum using an Nd: YAG laser operating at 1064 nm combined with a suitable transparent overlay, a sacrificial layer of graphite, and copper grid. Laser pulses at different energy densities, which generate pressure pulses up to a few GPa on the surface, were focused through the confinement medium, ablating the copper grid to create plasma and transferring the grid pattern onto …

Systematic Design And Experimental Demonstration Of Bianisotropic Metasurfaces For Scattering-Free Manipulation Of Acoustic Wavefronts., Junfei Li, Chen Shen, Ana Díaz-Rubio, Sergei A Tretyakov, Steven A Cummer

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Recent advances in gradient metasurfaces have shown that by locally controlling the bianisotropic response of the cells one can ensure full control of refraction, that is, arbitrarily redirect the waves without scattering into unwanted directions. In this work, we propose and experimentally verify the use of an acoustic cell architecture that provides enough degrees of freedom to fully control the bianisotropic response and minimizes the losses. The versatility of the approach is shown through the design of three refractive metasurfaces capable of redirecting a normally incident plane wave to 60°, 70°, and 80° on transmission. The efficiency of the bianisotropic …

Numerical Investigation Of Performance Of Ducted Dual Rotor Wind Turbine, Ahmed Elbaz

Mechanical Engineering

Dual rotor wind turbine system presents higher energy extraction rates from wind.  In the present study, it is proposed to utilize the dual rotor configuration in a ducted system using wind lens in order to enable its applications at regions of low wind speeds. The aerodynamic performance of ducted dual rotor wind turbine is investigated using CFD modelling to solve 3-D turbulent-steady incompressible flow. Mesh independent study was made to ensure the accuracy and validate the results. Detailed investigations of the effect of lens on wind turbine performance in different configurations are presented and analyzed. Power curves are presented and …

Fatigue Crack Modeling Of Additively Manufactured Abs Cantilever Beam, Jason W. Booher

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

A Finite Element model was developed to model crack development in additively manufactured additively manufactured Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) cantilever beams. Experiments were conducted on the beams with both shock and random vibration base excitations. The base excitations induced damage in the beam that cause crack propagation. It was observed during the cracks developmental stages that an increase in damping occurred. The proposed Finite Element model also showed similar increases in damping from the addition of Coulomb damping forces.

Investigating Different Modeling Techniques For Quantifying Heat Transfer Through Building Envelopes, Sodiq Akande

Appalachian Student Research Forum

There is interest concerning the energy performance of buildings in the United States. Buildings, whether residential, commercial or institutional, generally underperform in terms of energy efficiency when compared to buildings that are constructed following sustainably and energy efficiency standards. A substantial percentage of energy loss in these buildings is associated with the thermal efficiency of its envelope (exterior walls, windows roof, floors and doors). The objective of this study will evaluate the results of three energy modeling techniques developed to investigate the energy transfer through the envelope of existing campus buildings. The techniques employed are solving the heat transfer calculations …

Formation Control Of Multi-Agent Systems By Using Rigid Graphs, Pengpeng Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research is devoted to the decentralized formation control of multi-agent systems in two- and three-dimensional space. Rigid graph theory is used to describe the interactions between the agents, and Lyapunov theory and input-to-state stability are the main tools for designing and analyzing the stability of the proposed formation controllers. Two formation problems are addressed in this work: formation acquisition, where the goal is for the agents to form and maintain a pre-defined geometric shape; and formation maneuvering, where the agents need to acquire a formation and move cohesively as a virtual rigid body.

In the first problem, we tackle …

Mechanical Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

Mechanical Engineering: News & Publications (2013-2023)

• Dr. Mitra Honored with Best Presentation Award at International Conference

Modeling And Simulation Of Particle-Particle Interaction In A Magnetophoretic Bio-Separation Chip, Manjurul Alam, Matin Golozar, Jeff Darabi

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

A Lagrangian particle trajectory model is developed to predict the interaction between cell-bead particle complexes and to track their trajectories in a magnetophoretic bio-separation chip. Magnetic flux gradients are simulated in OpenFOAM CFD software and imported into MATLAB to obtain the trapping lengths and trajectories of the particles. A connector vector is introduced to calculate the interaction force between cell-bead complexes as they flow through a microfluidic device. The interaction force calculations are performed for cases where the connector vector is parallel, perpendicular, and at an angle of 45 degrees with the applied magnetic field. The trajectories of the particles …

Developing Nanopore Electromechanical Sensors With Transverse Electrodes For The Study Of Nanoparticles/Biomolecules, Mohammadsadegh Beheshti

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study concerns development of a technology of utilizing metallic nanowires for a sensing element in nanofluidic single molecular (nanoparticle) sensors formed in plastic substrates to detect the translocation of single molecules through the nanochannel. We aimed to develop nanofluidic single molecular sensors in plastic substrates due to their scalability towards high through and low cost manufacturing for point-of-care applications. Despite significant research efforts recently on the technologies and applications of nanowires, using individual nanowires as electric sensing element in nanofluidic bioanalytic devices has not been realized yet. This dissertation work tackles several technical challenges involved in this development, which …

Control Of Wave Energy Converters With Discrete Displacement Hydraulic Power Take-Off Units, Shangyan Zou, Ossama Abdelkhalik

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The control of ocean Wave Energy Converters (WECs) impacts the harvested energy. Several control methods have been developed over the past few decades to maximize the harvested energy. Many of these methods were developed based on an unconstrained dynamic model assuming an ideal power take-off (PTO) unit. This study presents numerical tests and comparisons of a few recently developed control methods. The testing is conducted using a numerical simulator that simulates a hydraulic PTO. The PTO imposes constraints on the maximum attainable control force and maximum stroke. In addition, the PTO has its own dynamics, which may impact the performance …

Electric-Field Assisted Manipulation And Self-Assembly Of Particle Suspensions, Edison Chijioke Amah

Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to model the processes by which particles suspended in liquids and at liquid surfaces self-assemble when they are subjected to uniform and non-uniform electric fields. To understand the role of electric forces, three related problems were studied numerically and experimentally.

In the first problem, particles are assumed to be suspended inside a liquid and a nonuniform electric field is applied using electrodes mounted in the domain walls which causes positively polarized particles to collect in the regions where the electric field intensity is locally maximal and the negatively polarized particles collect in the regions …

A Laboratory Kit For Multimeter Design, Seth Percy, Joshua Perry

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The multimeter is an important electrical tool and is a combination of many individual instruments. In practice, common multimeter designs are digital and measure voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, etc., using a single set of probes. Before the digital age, the world relied on analog displays. Some argue that analog displays are outdated technology. However, this overlooks one of the most important characteristics provided by the analog display, which is its ability to provide an instantaneous visual perception. Analog displays are currently used for many applications in aviation and automobiles, demonstrating their continuing usefulness in the field. In the multimeter, the …

Data On Cost-Optimal Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (Nzebs) Across Europe, Florida Solar Energy Center, Delia D'Agostino

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This data article refers to the research paper A model for the cost-optimal design of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) in representative climates across Europe [1]. The reported data deal with the design optimization of a residential building prototype located in representative European locations. The study focus on the research of cost-optimal choices and efficiency measures in new buildings depending on the climate. The data linked within this article relate to the modeled building energy consumption, renewable production, potential energy savings, and costs. Data allow to visualize energy consumption before and after the optimization, selected efficiency measures, costs and renewable …

Fluids Demonstrations: Trailing Vortices, Plateau Border, Angle Of Repose, And Flow Instability, Said Shakerin

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Control For Inflatable Soft Robotic Manipulators With Unknown Payloads, Jonathan Spencer Terry

Theses and Dissertations

Soft robotic platforms are becoming increasingly popular as they are generally safer, lighter, and easier to manufacture than their more rigid, heavy, traditional counterparts. These soft platforms, while inherently safer, come with significant drawbacks. Their compliant components are more difficult to model, and their underdamped nature makes them difficult to control. Additionally, they are so lightweight that a payload of just a few pounds has a significant impact on the manipulator dynamics. This thesis presents novel methods for addressing these issues. In previous research, Model Predictive Control has been demonstrably useful for joint angle control for these soft robots, using …

A Definition And Demonstration Of Developable Mechanisms, Trent Karl Zimmerman

Theses and Dissertations

There is an increasing need for compact mechanical systems that can accomplish sophisticated tasks. Technologies like ortho-planar and lamina emergent mechanisms (LEMs) have been developed to satisfy needs like these by stowing in planar sheets from which they emerge to perform their function. They can be compact, lightweight, monolithic, scalable, and can withstand harsh environments. They are limited, however, by their base element---planar surfaces. Applications requiring these advantages often include curved surfaces, like aircraft wings, needles, and automotive bodies. In this research, developable mechanisms are presented as a solution to satisfy the need for mechanisms that can conform to or …

Topology Optimization For Additive Manufacturing Using Simp Method, Seth Grinde

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The increasing effectiveness of additive manufacturing has contributed to increased fabrication of complex parts with less material waste. With this process, complex shapes that can reduce the weight of the component can be explored. Topology optimization of a component uses computer software to remove and add material in locations throughout the design volume. The optimized design output results in a reduced weight component that meets the performance requirements of the original design. There are many optimization methods, one of which is the solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method. An objective function is defined to give the optimization method an …

An Evaluation Of Induction Heating In Healthcare Food Industry, Barrett Alexander Hampton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis addresses the problem healthcare facilities are having in maintaining proper food temperatures while transporting meals to patients after food has left the kitchen area. Induction heat has been a known method for generating heat for many years. The commercial food industry currently uses this technology, which is beginning to appear in the residential sector as well because of developments made by manufacturers. This study focuses on the top commercial brand models of induction heaters and the supporting materials currently used to create heat sources to maintain food temperatures in hospitals and long term care facilities.

The research in …

Thermal And Structural Characterization Of Macro-Encapsulated Phase Change Material Integrated Into Concrete Cubes, Yasir Rashid

Theses

High-energy consumption in buildings is a research issue of great importance today, with solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) proving an excellent candidate for passive means to reduce energy consumption. In the current research, a novel protective coating was developed from geopolymer to encapsulate a PCM to prevent leakage in the liquidous phase. The PCM was characterized using a customized temperature history method (THM) and standard differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two different porous materials, polyurethane foam and lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA), were selected to hold the PCM and act as a matrix in which to develop PCM capsules. Ingredients of …

Additive Manufacturing Of Transparent Fused Quartz, Junjie Luo, John M. Hostetler, Luke Gilbert, Jonathan T. Goldstein, Augustine M. Urbas, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper investigates a filament-fed process for additive manufacturing (AM) of fused quartz. Glasses such as fused quartz have significant scientific and engineering applications, which include optics, communications, electronics, and hermetic seals. AM has several attractive benefits such as increased design freedom, faster prototyping, and lower processing costs for small production volumes. However, current research into glass AM has focused primarily on nonoptical applications. Fused quartz is studied here because of its desirability for use in high-quality optics due to its high transmissivity and thermal stability. Fused quartz filaments are fed into a CO₂ laser-generated molten region, smoothly depositing …

Direct Metal Laser-Sintered Stainless Steel: Comparison Of Microstructure And Hardness Between Different Planes, M. Ghasri-Khouzani, H. Peng, R. Attardo, P. Ostiguy, J. Neidig, R. Billo, D. Hoelzle, M. R. Shankar

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microstructural analysis and micro-hardness measurements were performed on different planes of 316L stainless steel fabricated by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technique. A fine cellular network was observed within the steel microstructure, where morphology of most cells changed from columnar on XZ-plane (vertical section) to equiaxed on XY-plane (horizontal section). Correspondingly, morphology of most grains was found to alter from columnar for the XZ-plane to equiaxed in the case of the XY-plane. Moreover, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a fully austenitic structure for both the planes. The average micro-hardness value for the XZ-plane and XY-plane was insignificantly (≈ 3%) different, …

Optimal Mixed Tracking/Impedance Control With Application To Transfemoral Prostheses With Energy Regeneration, Gholamreza Khademi, Hanieh Mohammadi, Hanz Richter, Daniel J. Simon

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We design an optimal passivitybased tracking/impedance control system for a robotic manipulator with energy regenerative electronics, where the manipulator has both actively and semi-actively controlled joints. The semi-active joints are driven by a regenerative actuator that includes an energy-storing element. Method: External forces can have a large influence on energy regeneration characteristics. Impedance control is used to impose a desired relationship between external forces and deviation from reference trajectories. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) is used to obtain optimal impedance parameters and control gains to compromise between the two conflicting objectives of trajectory tracking and energy regeneration. We solve the MOO problem …

Rotordynamic Analysis Of Theoretical Models And Experimental Systems, Cameron R. Naugle

Master's Theses

This thesis is intended to provide fundamental information for the construction and

analysis of rotordynamic theoretical models, and their comparison the experimental

systems. Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to construct models using Timoshenko

beam elements with viscous and hysteretic internal damping. Eigenvalues

and eigenvectors of state space equations are used to perform stability analysis, produce

critical speed maps, and visualize mode shapes. Frequency domain analysis

of theoretical models is used to provide Bode diagrams and in experimental data

full spectrum cascade plots. Experimental and theoretical model analyses are used

to optimize the control algorithm for an Active Magnetic Bearing …

A Cost Effective Direct Writing Laser System For Rapid Prototyping Of Microfluidic Devices, Mohammed Ziauddin

Mechanical Engineering Theses

This study is conducted to highlight the improvement in technology of manufacturing microstructures using maskless lithography technique. Direct laser writing technique was implemented, and a major section of this study is carried out on an experimental slant. Variables that were not covered experimentally were studied using lithography simulation software, GenISys – LAB. The aim of this study is to fabricate and analyze cost effective maskless lithography apparatus to ensure rapid prototyping and optimize the system to be used for at least two negative photoresist materials. A parametric study was carried out determining the best operating conditions from both perspectives of …