Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Context-Aware Sensing And Fusion For Structural Health Monitoring And Night Time Traffic Surveillance, Xinxiang Zhang

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Rapid developments in computer vision technologies have been transforming many traditional fields in engineering and science in the last few decades, especially in terms of diagnosing problems from visual images. Leveraging computer vision technologies to inspect, monitor, assess infrastructure conditions, and analyze traffic dynamics, has gained significant increase in both effectiveness and efficiency, compared to the cost of traditional instrumentation arrays to monitor, and manually inspect civil infrastructures and traffic conditions. Therefore, to construct the next-generation intelligent civil and transportation infrastructures, this dissertation develops a comprehensive computer-vision based sensing and fusion framework for structural health monitoring and intelligent transportation systems. …

Magnetic Gradient-Based Magnetic Tweezer System For 3d And Swarm Control Of Microswimmer, Xiao Zhang

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

Microscale manipulation has very promising potential in medical applications such as drug delivery, minimal and invasion surgery. Contactless control is preferable as remote manipulation is necessary for in vivo applications. Among different control methods, magnetic power source is more suitable and robust for the applications mentioned above. Presented here is a magnetic tweezer system, which manipulates microscale magnetic particles using magnetic forces created by magnetic field gradient. The proposed system has three advantages: First, force applied by the magnetic tweezer system does not contact with the target object and can be generated in different directions. Second, the magnetic tweezer system …

Actuation And Control Methods For Individual And Swarm Multiscale Mechanical Systems, Pouria Razzaghi

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

Robotic mechanisms can be driven by different internally and externally applied inertial and magnetic actuations. These actuations are utilized to regulate the dynamics of robots and move them in different locomotion modes. The first part of this dissertation is about using an external magnetic actuation to move a simple-in-design, small-scale robot for biomedical applications. The robots can be steered in different locomotion modes such as pivot walking and tumbling. The control design of this system consists of a swarm algorithm under a global control input, and a vision-based closed-loop controller to navigate in 2D environments.

Secondly, I propose a new …

Rehology And Electrical Conductivity Of Particulate Composites In Additive Manufacturing, Bin Xia

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

Extrusion-based multi-functional additive manufacturing (AM) has been a rapidly developing area in AM recently. Particulate composites are widely used in this area to provide different functionalities with different types of particulate additives. However, there is no systematic understanding of the behavior of particulate composites during extrusion (especially in small nozzles) or of their properties once deposited in the build. This work investigates the properties of the type of particulate composites usually used in additive manufacturing, composed of a polymer matrix material and particulate additives within the micrometer scale. The focus is on the material rheology in the nozzle/capillary (for the …

Understanding The Interactions Between Acoustic Fields And Motile Microorganisms In Microfluidic Systems, Minji Kim

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Acoustofluidics utilizes ultrasonic standing waves in microscale fluidic channels to manipulate cells, microorganisms, and other objects sized from tens of nanometers to tens of microns. When exposed to an ultrasonic standing wave field, particles suspended in a fluid become confined to potential minima (nodes) of the acoustic field. I will present a number of related studies that involve the interactions between acoustic fields and motile microorganisms. First, I will show how an acoustic trap-and-release method enables rapid quantification of cell motility. As a demonstration, the newly developed motility assay is applied to discriminate swimming of wild-type and mutant Chlamydomonas reinhardtii …

Post-Traumatic Elbow Contracture Characterization And Physical Therapy-Based Treatment Strategies In A Preclinical Model, Alex Reiter

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The elbow is the most commonly dislocated joint in the pediatric population and second most common in adults. As one of the most congruous joints in the body, slight changes in biomechanics due to injury can lead to drastic reductions in range of motion causing potential quality of life issues. Post-traumatic joint contracture occurs in 12% of patients following elbow dislocation or fracture, and it is characterized by a loss in ROM, joint stiffness, and pain. Preventing joint contracture and functional deficits from occurring is one of the primary goals when managing these injuries. A rat model of joint contracture …

Subject-Specific Musculoskeletal Modeling Of Hip Dysplasia Biomechanics, Ke Song

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is characterized by abnormal bony anatomy, causes pain and functional limitations, and is a prominent risk factor for premature hip osteoarthritis. Although the pathology of DDH is believed to be mechanically-induced, little is known about how DDH anatomy alters hip biomechanics during activities of daily living, partly due to the difficulties with measuring hip muscle and joint forces. Musculoskeletal models (MSMs) are useful for dynamic simulations of joint mechanics, but the reliability of MSMs for DDH research is limited by an accurate model representation of the unique hip anatomy. To address such challenges, this …

A Practical Methodology To Detect, Quantify And Characterize Experimental Uncertainties In The Dynamic Testing Of Structures, James L. Woodall

Civil Engineering ETDs

This thesis investigates the uncertainty in the experimental context of structural dynamics. This thesis proposes a method to estimate both the effect of boundary conditions, as well as two different methods to detect the location of sensors on a specimen. Firstly, this thesis proposes a technique to predict the dynamic behavior of any point along a cantilever beam with an uncertain transverse elastic restraint. Secondly, this thesis investigates the estimation of the location of a sensor given the output data of a physical experiment with two different methods. Small errors in the sensor location may go unnoticed in the frequency …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Variable Displacement Pump For Optimal Control Of Operating Parameters, Anurag Ashokkumar Nema, Nagraj R. Gandhe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

A centralized lubrication system or automatic lubrication system (ALS) is a system that delivers controlled amounts of lubricant to multiple locations on a machine while the machine is operating as per machine requirement. Lubrication occurs while the machinery is in operation, causing the lubricant to be equally distributed within the bearing and increasing the machine’s availability. Proper lubrication of critical components ensures the safe operation of the machinery. Less wear on the elements results in extension of component life, lower breakdowns, reduced downtime, reduced replacement costs, and reduced maintenance costs. If we can measure lubrication amounts, we can control the …

Desalination For Sustainable Water Production With An Emphasis On Low Pressure Distillation, Jessica Vivian Savage

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Freshwater resources depletion is a growing concern. This freshwater scarcity motivates research into seawater desalination as a means for alleviating the stresses on water demands. The primary methods of desalination include filtration and distillation. This paper explores the potential energy savings of vacuum distillation for seawater desalination to reduce the amount of energy needed to achieve phase change.

Depending on the vacuum boiler design, the vaporization mechanism may be boiling, evaporation, or cavitation. There is very little literature on cavitation that involves mass transfer, so cavitation is not developed here. This thesis focuses on standard models for boiling and evaporation …

Mechanical Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

Mechanical Engineering: News & Publications (2013-2023)

• Alumnus Receives PE Licensure

Energy Efficient Cutting Parameter Optimization, Xingzheng Chen, Congbo Li, Ying Tang, Li Li, Hongcheng Li

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Mechanical manufacturing industry consumes substantial energy with low energy efficiency. Increasing pressures from energy price and environmental directive force mechanical manufacturing industries to implement energy efficient technologies for reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency of their machining processes. In a practical machining process, cutting parameters are vital variables set by manufacturers in accordance with machining requirements of workpiece and machining condition. Proper selection of cutting parameters with energy consideration can effectively reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency of the machining process. Over the past 10 years, many researchers have been engaged in energy efficient cutting parameter optimization, and …

Evolution Of A Digital Twin For Wing Assembly By Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding, Johnathon Hunt

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding (RFSSW) is an emerging solid state joining process for thin sheet aluminum. Many researchers are developing RFSSW process parameters and best practices for manufacturing, thus enabling the use of RFSSW in many industries. Within this development, this work focuses to predict the resultant residual stresses and distortion in a joined part after welding. These residual stresses are caused by the heat & mechanical inputs from the RFSSW process. This report provides the preliminary results of the two step solution to resultant temperature and stresses from a series of RFSSW in thin sheet aluminum.

Reliable Mode Tracking In Gradient-Based Optimization Frameworks With Flutter Constraints, Taylor Mcdonnell

Utah Space Grant Consortium

In this paper a new mode tracking method is presented which incorporates backtracking logic to maintain a high degree of confidence in mode tracking results. The effectiveness of this mode tracking method is demonstrated on linear and nonlinear aeroelastic systems of varying complexity in the context of aeroelastic analyses and optimizations with stability constraints. The high degree of confidence in mode correlations provided by the new mode tracking method allows for the creation and use of mode-specific C¹ continuous stability constraints in gradient-based optimization frameworks. Using our mode tracking method in the context of a gradient-based optimization framework with …

Evaluation Of Liquid Doping Methods For Use In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Taylor Davis

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that is well known for its geometric versatility and high-quality parts. While the properties of LPBF parts are commonly superior to those made using other AM techniques, LPBF is generally limited to a single material in any given build. While LPBF can accommodate the integration of multiple components into a single part geometrically, the material limitation leads to over-designing to ensure that every component can complete their various functions. Some studies have shown potential methods of 3D composition control throughout a part, but these methods are subject to high …

Wake Expansion Continuation: Multi-Modality Reduction In The Wind Farm Layout Optimization Problem, Jared J. Thomas

Utah Space Grant Consortium

In this paper we present a continuation optimization method for reducing multi-modality in the wind farm layout optimization problem that we call Wake Expansion Continuation (WEC). We achieve the reduction in multi-modality by starting with an increased wake diameter while maintaining normal velocity deficits at the center of the wakes, and then reducing the wake diameter for each of a series of optimization runs until the accurate wake diameter is used. We applied and demonstrated the effectiveness of WEC with two different wake models. We tested WEC on four optimization case studies with a gradient-based optimization method and a gradient-free …

Passive Atmospheric Safety Feature For Small Molten Salt Reactors In Accident Conditions, Brent Edgerton

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This investigation aims to discover the utility of atmospheric cooling of residual heat in Martian applications (1.5 MW_t). It also considers the possible terrestrial application (45 MW_t) of these concepts. The peculiarities of atmospheric cooling require novel geometric arrangements and material selection. The average convection coefficient is derived and applied to ANSYS Transient Thermal analysis for both terrestrial and Martian environments. This preliminary analysis found that atmospheric cooling is a viable method of Martian passive cooling and may serve as a possible method in terrestrial conditions. The key finding of this investigation is that the …

Miniature Multi-Sensor Array (Mini-Msa) For Ground-To-Stratosphere Air Measurement, Phase Ii, Zachary Kennedy, Drew Huber, Huiling Renee Xie

Utah Space Grant Consortium

There are numerous college research groups doing high altitude ballooning and working with drones. Many of these are making air quality measurements. Those measurements are effectively random. We are designing an inexpensive and easy to build assembly that others can build for under $500 with the goal of having a uniform data set that can be compared. This will provide more useful data for atmospheric studies. Our first version had too many noise issues and the gas sensor signals were unstable. In December 2020 Winsen Sensors (China) came out with a “multi-in-one sensor module,” the ZPHS01B. At a price point …

Simulated And Phantom Detection Of Microscopic Targets By Raman Spectroscopy, Jordyn Hales

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The goal of this study is to determine the minimum spatial sampling resolution required to accurately detect microscopic targets within a sample using Raman spectroscopy. The resolution depends on the light scattering properties of the material. We use Monte Carlo simulations to study how measurement geometry and optical properties of a sample affect the Raman signal detected from an embedded target. We confirm these results using polystyrene beads embedded in artificial tissue phantoms.

Identifying Carbon Structure Via Raman Spectroscopy, Nathaniel Bunker

Utah Space Grant Consortium

• Raman Spectroscopy: a method to determine molecular composition.
• Graphene: a conductive, strong, and lightweight material.
• Our Setup: meant for examining biological samples, not optimized for graphene analysis.

Byu 2021 High Power Rocketry Team, Ryan Thibaudeau, Ryan Merrell

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Project Objective

Design, build and test a high-power rocket that is capable of carrying a 4 kg payload to 10,000 feet AGL with a commercial motor with less than 40,960 N_-S of impulse.

Project Background

The BYU Rocketry Association competes annually in the Spaceport America Cup's International Rocket Engineering Competition. Previous rockets have flown to within 500 feet of the target with a variety of payloads.

Mapping Relative Sand Abundance, Ice-Rich Regions, And Linear Dune Properties Of Titan, Ben Lake, Delaney Rose

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The equatorial regions of Titan are dominated by linear dune fields made of complex organic particles [1, 2] and have many similarities to terrestrial dunes such as those found in the Namib Sand Sea [1, 3]. Previous studies of Titan’s sand seas included mapping sand sea margins [4, 5, 6, 7] and some dune tracing, but did not involve mapping relative sand abundances. Our work involves mapping relative sand abundances coupled with relative abundances of water ice, as well as more detailed mapping of linear dune morphology.

Lunar Mining: Designing A Versatile Robotic Mining System, James Ehlers, Alexander Charters, Joshua Miraglia, Rian Simpson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The annual NASA Robotic Mining Challenge: Lunabotics tasks teams with building robots capable of traversing and mining in a simulated Lunar terrain. The competition goal is to utilize automation and sensing alongside mechanical systems to harvest icy regolith (simulated with gravel) from beneath the satellite’s surface.

A Preliminary Approach To Select An Origami Source Pattern For Deployable Space Arrays, Diana S. Bolanos

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This paper presents a systematic approach for selecting an origami pattern for deployable space array applications. A wide variety of origami patterns exist, thereby introducing a daunting task to decide on which pattern is most suitable for the application at hand. Similarly, different space missions present varying requirements. The focus of this paper is to provide aerospace engineers and designers with a framework for identifying optimal origami source models for space array applications.

Assessing Thickness Accommodation Techniques For Deployable Hexagonal Origami Space Arrays, Collin Ynchausti

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Origami-based and origami-inspired designs provide paths to achieve highly compact, stowable designs, that can be deployed to large surface areas. This potential is highly beneficial to the area of space antennas and LIDAR as these require compact stowing in a launch payload, but large apertures when deployed in space. Because the engineering materials used to build these antennas are thick, thickness accommodation techniques must be applied to realize the same folding motions as the zero-thickness models. This paper presents a hexagonal twist origami pattern in thick materials using three different thickness accommodation techniques. These techniques are compared. The metrics used …

Electromagnetic 3d Printing For Responsive Architectures With An Orthogonal Magnetic Field, Brian Elder

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The integration of nanomaterials with 3D printing can enable the creation of responsive architecture with highly tunable functional properties. Magnetic nanopatterning is attractive for its ability to produce untethered, high energy density actuation with a broad range of applications. For example, biocompatible materials (such as silicone rubber) can be programmed in an extrusion-based 3D printing process to create a responsive medical soft robot structure.

Defect Detection Limits For Additively Manufactured Parts Using Current Thermography Techniques, Nicholas J. Wallace

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Additive manufacturing (AM) will support NASA in their moon and mars missions by reducing the amount of redundant equipment carried into space and by providing crew members with the flexibility to design and create parts as needed. The ability to monitor the quality of these additively manufactured parts is critical, especially when using recycled or in-situ materials as NASA plans to do. This project assesses the possibility of detecting small, shallow AM defects with existing active thermography techniques. An axisymmetric, numerical model was created in COMSOL to simulate the heat transfer within AM structures during active thermography. The effects of …

Aerodynamic Interactions Of Synchronized Propellers, Nathan Welker

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Emerging advances in electric-propulsion technology are enabling aircraft to use distributed electric propulsion (DEP) to increase efficiency and maneuverability. Distributed electric propulsion can also provide unique take-off and landing abilities which are not commonly found on traditional aircraft. The implementation of DEP effectively decreases the spacing between propellers, introducing complex aerodynamic interactions that are not well understood. This study aims to obtain experimental measurements of the flow fields of synchronized propellers at close-proximity in a side-by-side configuration using both 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV) and 3D stereoscopic PIV (SPIV) in a wind tunnel. The results of this work will be …

Peering Inside A Cough Or Sneeze To Explain Enhanced Airborne Transmission Under Dry Weather, Kai Liu, Majid Allahyari, Jorge S. Salinas, ‪Nadim Zgheib, S. Balachandar

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

High-fidelity simulations of coughs and sneezes that serve as virtual experiments are presented, and they offer an unprecedented opportunity to peer into the chaotic evolution of the resulting airborne droplet clouds. While larger droplets quickly fall-out of the cloud, smaller droplets evaporate rapidly. The non-volatiles remain airborne as droplet nuclei for a long time to be transported over long distances. The substantial variation observed between the different realizations has important social distancing implications, since probabilistic outlier-events do occur and may need to be taken into account when assessing the risk of contagion. Contrary to common expectations, we observe dry ambient …

The Effect Of Nanostructures In Aluminum Alloys Processed Using Additive Manufacturing On Microstructural Evolution And Mechanical Performance Behavior, Rachel Boillat, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper reviews the status of nanoparticle technology as it relates to the additive manufacturing (AM) of aluminum-based alloys. A broad overview of common AM processes is given. Additive manufacturing is a promising field for the advancement of manufacturing due to its ability to yield near-net-shaped components that require minimal post-processing prior to end-use. AM also allows for the fabrication of prototypes as well as economical small batch production. Aluminum alloys processed via AM would be very beneficial to the manufacturing industry due to their high strength to weight ratio; however, many of the conventional alloy compositions have been shown …