Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Hourly Simulated Power Production Data With Snow Loss Model At Queued Utility-Scale Pv Sites Simulated As Fixed-Tilt Systems In The U.S. Eastern Interconnection For Weather Year 2022, Shelbie Wickett, Ana Dyreson

Simulated Solar Capacity Including Snow Cover in the Eastern U.S.

Using 2022 weather data, we ran PySAM power production simulations for utility-scale PV sites in the U.S. Eastern Interconnection queue. Site IDs, capacities, and locations (counties) were extracted from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Queued Up: 2024 Edition dataset. No panel mount information was provided, so all sites were assumed to be 30-degree, fixed tilt systems. Sites’ latitudes and longitudes were assumed to be the centers of the installation counties. Seequeued_site_metadata.csv file for individual site metadata.

Photocatalytic Self-Pumping Membranes, Lily D. Farmer, David Warsinger, Sudharshan Anandan

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

The physics of nanofiltration is not well understood, as many types of membranes and filters exist, but they all interact very differently with the substance they are filtering. This research investigates membranes that can autonomously pump fluid through catalytic reactions. The first set of experiments was to collect zeta potential measurements as zeta potential is a critical property that directly affects fluid transport. Zeta potential was measured using the Anton Parr SURPASS 3, which measures the sample by streaming a given solution through a channel of membranes and uses the Smoluchowski equation to return the zeta potential value. Measurements were …

Incorporating Industry-Standard Technical Writing Into A Materials Testing Laboratory, Caleb Levi Head

Theses and Dissertations

The fluid analysis and materials testing laboratories are crucial for engineering students to learn experimental procedures and data interpretation. Engineers spend a significant portion of their workday on report writing, yet many feel their undergraduate education did not adequately prepare them for this task. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, students were given an industry-influenced lab report template to expand their knowledge of the necessary information required in technical writing, thereby teaching and improving their technical writing skills actively. These reports were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively against previous submissions over two semesters in the mechanical engineering fluids and …

Quantifying Electrokinetics Of Naca0.6V6O163h2O Cathode In Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries With Znso4 Electrolyte, Shichen Sun, Boyu Wang, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have been actively studied in recent years as a promising solution for next-generation stationary energy storage due to their inherent safety, low cost, and high energy density. However, their practical deployment remains hindered by the limited cycling stability of cathode materials. Overcoming this challenge requires a detailed understanding of cathodic electrokinetics and degradation mechanisms. In this study, we investigate the electrokinetic behavior of a NaCa_0.6V₆O₁₆3H₂O (NaCaVO) cathode in ZnSO4 electrolyte through a combined application of the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For the …

Hourly Sulfur Dioxide Observations Over North America: First Retrieval Results From Tempo, Can Li, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Joanna Joiner, Simon Carn, Vitali Fioletov, Chris Mclinden, Debora Griffin, Xiong Liu, Heesung Chong

Michigan Tech Publications

We present the first sulfur dioxide (SO2) retrievals from Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), the first geostationary atmospheric composition sensor to cover North America, along with some potential applications of TEMPO SO2 data. We show that high resolution (∼10 km²) TEMPO measurements can be used to produce good quality SO2 retrievals with relatively small noise and biases. We demonstrate that hourly TEMPO data are useful for monitoring volcanic hazards, by providing frequent updates on the plume location and additional information on the plume height or winds. With the large number of measurements from TEMPO, it is also …

Fundamental Exploration Of Soot Formation And Morphology From A Molecular Modeling Perspective, Khaled Mosharraf Mukut

Dissertations (1934 -)

Soot formation remains one of the least understood phenomena in combustion science, posing significant challenges due to its complex physicochemical nature and considerable environmental and health impacts. This dissertation presents a comprehensive molecular-level investigation into the fundamental mechanisms governing soot inception, particle growth, and morphological evolution through state-of-the-art reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations of acetylene pyrolysis. A novel computational analysis utility, Molecular Arrangement and Fringe Identification and Analysis from Molecular Dynamics (MAFIA-MD), was developed to accurately characterize soot particle formation, providing detailed insights into chemical composition, internal structure, and surface characteristics. Critical physicochemical markers defining the boundary between gas-phase species …

Quantifying Electrokinetics Of Naca0.6V6O16·3h2O Cathode In Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries With Znso4 Electrolyte, Shichen Sun, Boyu Wang, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have been actively studied in recent years as a promising solution for next-generation stationary energy storage due to their inherent safety, low cost, and high energy density. However, their practical deployment remains hindered by the limited cycling stability of cathode materials. Overcoming this challenge requires a detailed understanding of cathodic electrokinetics and degradation mechanisms. In this study, we investigate the electrokinetic behavior of a NaCa_0.6V₆O₁₆·3H₂O  (NaCaVO) cathode in ZnSO₄ electrolyte through a combined application of the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For …

A Perovskite Nanocomposite And Self-Assembled Nanoparticle-Decorated Cathode For Low Temperature Sofcs, Chunyang Yang, Guoan Wang, Xingjian Xue

Faculty Publications

One-pot route synthesis of an A-site Sm-doped simple perovskite with nominal composition Sm_0.10Ba_0.90Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3−δ leads to a novel perovskite nanocomposite containing ∼90% A-site cation deficient cubic simple perovskite Ba0.925(Co/Fe)0.962Sm0.038O_3−δ and ∼10% orthorhombic layered perovskite SmBa(Co/Fe)₂O_5+δ. The synergy of the two phases in the nanocomposite results in high electrochemical kinetic properties at low temperatures. With the novel perovskite nanocomposite, a surface nanoparticle-decorated nanocomposite cathode is self-assembled through a one-step sintering process. The corresponding anode-supported cell delivers a peak power density of 1271 mW cm^{−2 …}

Recent Advances In Modelling Of Frost Formation For Mechanical Systems, Yong Tao

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The physics underlying frost and ice formation has been extensively studied over the past few decades, with significant contributions to our understanding of this phenomenon. These insights have primarily been applied to engineering systems with refrigerated surfaces, such as refrigerators, freezers and heat pumps of various sizes. Despite considerable progress, the dynamic and complex mechanisms governing frost and ice formation remain an active area of research, as competing factors continue to challenge predictive accuracy. The increasing interest from stakeholders in reducing energy consumption and carbon footprints in mechanical systems further underscores the importance of advancing modelling and simulation capabilities in …

Solar Absorption Cooling Systems – A Case Study In Egypt, Hesham Safwat, Iman El-Mahallawi

Mechanical Engineering

Climate change with Egypt’s increasingly hot weather and plans towards energy transition, addressing an approach for clean HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition) solutions is becoming requisite. This paper examines the potential of utilizing solar absorption cooling systems in institutional buildings by presenting a case study of a proposed solar absorption cooling system for a library building with an area of 4402 m2, located at the British University in Egypt. The proposed solution is to replace 30% of the existing conventional air conditioning units with a hot-water driven single-effect absorption chiller powered by solar thermal vacuum tube solar collectors, coupled …

Stokes-Dependent Droplet Collection Efficiency On A Naca 0012 Airfoil From Droplet-Informed Simulations With Statistical Overloading, Arash Shad, Hashnayne Ahmed, ‪Nadim Zgheib, S. Balachandar, S. A. Sherif

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurate modelling of ice accretion on aircraft wings requires analysing droplet impingement on the surface to optimize the design of ice-protection systems. We perform Euler–Lagrange simulations of a droplet-laden flow impinging on a NACA 0012 airfoil. Our study includes water droplets with eight discrete sizes ranging from 1 to 160 microns. We vary the free-stream velocity of the incoming airflow in the range 60≤⁢𝑈≤⁢240 m s−1 and the chord length of the airfoil in the range 0.5≤⁢𝑐≤⁢2 m. Due to the dilute nature of supercooled clouds, one-way coupling is used in the simulations. The effects of droplet breakup and collision …

A Rigorous Framework For An Improved Messinger/Myers Model Of Ice Accretion Under Conditions Of Variable Property And Unsteady Aircraft Icing, Hashnayne Ahmed, Arash Shad, ‪Nadim Zgheib, S. A. Sherif, S. Balachandar

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We analyse the Messinger/Myers model by critically evaluating simplifying assumptions through a rigorous formulation of the rime ice accretion process. We explore the effects of both constant and variable ice density and thermal conductivity, along with the effects of sublimation from the ice surface. The effects of key factors such as droplet impact rate, ambient temperature relative to the freezing temperature and the temperature difference between the ambient air and the airfoil surface are examined. Under these varying conditions, the present rigorous formulation is used to assess the significance of unsteady effects, variable ice properties and sublimation. We observe that …

Numerical Simulation Of Frost Formation And Heat Transfer On Fin-And-Tube Heat Exchangers In Turbulent Cross-Flow, Mahsan Farzaneh, ‪Nadim Zgheib, S. Balachandar, S. A. Sherif

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Frost formation in fin-and-tube heat exchangers in turbulent cross-flow presents significant challenges in industrial refrigeration applications, affecting heat transfer efficiency and operational reliability. The purpose of this work is to investigate frost deposition and growth on a staggered bank of a fin-and-tube freezer coil under turbulent forced convection conditions. The focus here is on investigating conditions that closely replicate real-world scenarios in large walk-in industrial freezers. Using a direct numerical simulation approach, we examine the flow dynamics and thermal behaviour in the presence of frost, considering turbulent regimes characterized by a Reynolds number in the range 1050≤𝑅⁢𝑒𝐷,avg≤4800, with the characteristic …

Bonding Ss316l And In625 Through Laser Powder Bed Fusion And Directed Energy Deposition: A Comparative Tensile Analysis, Christopher J. Bettencourt, Nadia Kouraytem

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Directed Energy Deposition (DED) was used to deposit Inconel 625 (IN625) onto 316L stainless steel (SS316L) substrates fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Tensile properties of the resulting multi-material specimens were compared to those of the individual alloys. Two bonding approaches were evaluated: a direct transition and a 50/50 intermediate layer formed by blending equal parts of each alloy during deposition. The multi-material specimens demonstrated higher yield strength than the single alloys. However, samples with the 50/50 transition exhibited brittle failure at the joint, whereas the direct transition behaved more ductile. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed microcracks at the interface of …

Aeroponic System Optimization For Butterhead Lettuce Growth And Future Sustainability Using Flow Blurring Atomization: An Overview, Taylor J. Johnson

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

The global population has grown by 6 billion people over the last century and is trending toward 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Agriculture accounts for 70% of global fresh water usage. Technology must be developed to accommodate the increase of food production demanded by the growing global population and the subsequent increase in water usage. Aeroponic technology is a water-efficient vertical farming technology that can reduce water usage by 90% by suspending plant roots in air within a controlled chamber and supplying atomized droplets of a water-nutrient solution directly to the roots.

This study simultaneously tests six droplet …

The Design And Effect Of Continuum Robot Compliance On Locomotion, Parsa Molaei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Continuum robots, due to their compliant structures and ability to navigate through constrained environments, offer significant advantages in applications requiring safe physical interaction and dexterous motion. However, challenges related to limited structural stiffness, payload capacity, and precise control remain open problems in the field. This dissertation presents novel contributions aimed at addressing these limitations through two main actuation units of continuum robots: tendon-driven continuum robots (TDCRs) and concentric tube robots (CTRs). In the first part, we focus on methods to improve the stability and modify the stiffness of the TDCR. A tendon decoupling strategy is introduced for planar TDCRs. The …

Research On Node-Improved Energy Dissipation Wear Model For Fretting Fatigue Prediction In Railway Press-Fit Shaft, Hang Wang, Lijun Zhang, Weijian Zhang, Hongtao Li, Hong Chi, Kai Yang, Jixu Zhou, Li Ai

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

As a key component of the traveling system of high-speed trains, the axle is crucial for its safe operation. The current research on the fretting wear and fatigue development of shafts suffers from the problems of low local simulation accuracy of the wear model and the lack of detection and validation methods for the dynamic expansion of wear and fatigue. To this end, this study firstly proposes a new node-improved form of energy dissipation wear model, which is more sensitive to the contact behavior of the asperity body in the overfilled region and the energy transfer process; it exhibits wear …

Soft Hexapod Robot With Tendon-Driven Continuum Legs For Internal Infrastructure Inspection, Setayesh Yavari

LSU Master's Theses

The need for robotic systems capable of operating in confined, hazardous, or complex environments has driven interest in soft and legged platforms for industrial inspection and structural integrity assessment. This thesis presents the design and fabrication of a tentacle-like, soft-legged hexapod robot, which uses six cable-stiffened, pre-curved, tendon-driven continuum robot (TDCR) legs. These biologically inspired legs are designed to offer a balance between compliance and control, enabling the robot to navigate unstructured terrains and potentially grasp cylindrical structures such as pipes. The design phase involved the development and comparison of multiple leg geometries using CAD modeling and finite element analysis …

The Potential Of Microbial Fuel Cells As A Dual Solution For Sustainable Wastewater Treatment And Energy Generation: A Case Study, Shajjadur Rahman Shajid, Monjur Mourshed, Md. Golam Kibria, Bahman Shabani

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical systems that harness microorganisms to convert organic pollutants in wastewater directly into electricity, offering a dual solution for sustainable wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation. This paper presents a holistic techno-economic and environmental feasibility assessment of largescale MFC deployment in Dhaka’s industrial zone, Bangladesh, as a relevant case study. Here, treating 100,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily would require a capital investment of approximately USD 500 million, with a total project cost ranging between USD 307.38 million and 1.711 billion, depending on system configurations. This setup has an estimated theoretical energy recovery of 478.4 …

Machine Tool Interoperability In Smart Manufacturing And Industry 4.0, M. R. Mccormick, Mohammed Shafae, Thorsten Wuest

Faculty Publications

Real-time decision making is supported by data-hungry emerging technologies such as machine learning and digital twins. Innovations in manufacturing process control utilizing these technologies are constrained by interoperability. Marketing materials, sales pitches, and academic literature portray interoperability on the factory floor as seamless and robust. However, this study demonstrates that in spite of plentiful mature standards, interoperability on the factory floor is neither seamless nor robust. To exemplify interoperability in the context of an established and widely adopted standard, this study analyzes the interoperability of machine tools produced by a premier equipment builder which has exceeded US$1 billion in sales …

Corrosion Behavior Of Mgtizn And Mg4tizn Alloys After Ball Milling And Subsequent Spark Plasma Sintering, Alexander Helmer, Rahul Agrawal, Manoj Mugale, Tushar Borkar, Rajeev Gupta

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Magnesium-containing multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) are promising for lightweight applications due to their low density, high specific strength, and biocompatibility. This study examines two Mg-Ti-Zn alloy compositions, equal molar MgTiZn (TZ) and Mg4TiZn (4TZ), synthesized via ball milling followed by spark plasma sintering, focusing on their microstructures and corrosion behaviors. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of intermetallic phases, including Ti2Zn and Mg21Zn25 in TZ, while 4TZ exhibited a predominantly Mg-rich phase. Potentiodynamic polarization and immersion tests in 0.1 M NaCl solution showed that both alloys had good corrosion resistance, with values of 3.65 +/- 0.65 mu …

Oscillatory Flow Improves Hydrodynamic Ordering Of Soft Suspensions In Rectangular Channels, Paul C. Millett

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A computational study is presented that examines the hydrodynamic ordering of soft-particle suspensions within rectangular channels undergoing both steady and oscillatory flow. In these conditions, particles assemble into one-dimensional train-like configurations aligned in the flow direction. The results indicate that oscillatory flow facilitates a significant improvement in the ordering process, particularly for the assembly of multiple side-by-side trains within the channel. Several key parameters are systematically varied, including the Wolmersley number (Wo) representing the oscillatory frequency, the capillary number (Ca) representing the particle deformability, and the particle volume fraction (phi). It is found that optimal ordering occurs for a particular …

Enhanced Scratch Resistance Of Graphite Coating Using A Polydopamine Adhesive Underlayer, Adedoyin Abe, Min Zou

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Graphite has great potential as a solid lubricant due to its low friction properties, but its poor adhesion to metal substrates limits its durability unless modified. This study explores the use of polydopamine (PDA), a bioinspired adhesive polymer, as an underlayer to enhance the adhesion and scratch resistance of graphite coatings applied to stainless steel (SS) substrates. Progressive load scratch tests were performed using a stainless steel ball counterface under normal loads ranging from 0.5 to 18 N. The PDA-modified coatings demonstrated significantly improved adhesion and durability, withstanding contact pressures up to 1.6 GPa without delamination or failure. In contrast, …

Research Of Hereditarily Deformable Structures Under Seismic Impacts, Abdali Abdukarimov, Kazbek Nuratdinov

Technical science and innovation

This article examines the responses of a structure to both single-component and multi-component seismic impacts if they are generally described by three linear displacements and three rotations of the foundation relative to three orthogonal axes.

A mathematical apparatus has been created that allows developing statistical theories of seismic resistance for studying hereditarily deformable structures under random seismic impacts. Using impulse transition functions, having established the explicit form of the reaction of hereditarily deformable structures to an arbitrary form of random disturbance, it is possible to determine: the mathematical expectation and moments of the outgoing process; correlation functions; spectral densities, i.e. …

Development Of An Experimental Stand For The Study Of The Directions Of Movement And Velocity Of Air Flows In The Pneumatic Channel Of The Final Aspiration Of The Muz-16 Air Sieve Separator, Alexey Igorevich Ermakov, Alexey Alexandrovich Yazenkov, Sergey Anatolyevich Zelenko, Zulfiya Kakhramonovna Ergasheva

Technical science and innovation

The article describes the principle of operation of the MUZ-16 air-sieve separator produced by CJSC Borisov Plant Metalist, intended for preliminary, primary and secondary purification of grain and seeds of cereals, legumes, cereal crops and rapeseed. The results of a study of the directions of air flow in the MUZ-16 aspiration system and the efficiency of purifying buckwheat from impurities that differ in aerodynamic properties are presented. It has been established that the part of the MUZ-16 aspiration system, responsible for preliminary aspiration, works effectively, while the part of the system responsible for the final aspiration of the grain mixture …

Comparative Analysis Of Gas And Mechanical Emissions From Electric Cars And Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles, Bakhtiyor Akhmatjonovich Kosimov

Technical science and innovation

This article analyzes the environmental impact of modern cars, in particular the amount of harmful substances emitted into the environment by electric cars and internal combustion engine cars, and provides scientific information on the substances that are released from cars in the form of not only gaseous emissions, but also dust particles generated by the mechanical wear of the brake system and tires. At the same time, this article also takes a scientific approach to the wear rates of brake pads and tires, their impact on environmental safety, and the level of dispersion of the microdust generated. Comparative tables have …

Research Into Technological Features In The Curring Process Of Multilayer Polymer Composite Parts, Umidbek Dilshod Ugli Kosimov, Jonibek Kobilovich Tokhirov, Andrey Dmitrievich Novikov

Technical science and innovation

This paper examines the main technologies and mechanisms used in the curing process of multilayer thick-walled parts of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) made of polymer composite materials (PCM) based on epoxy resin. The study provides a detailed analysis of the technological features of the curing process, its kinetics, and the influence of heat transfer mechanisms on the final quality of molded components. It is emphasized that due to the low thermal conductivity of PCM, temperature inhomogeneity may occur during curing, leading to defects, internal stresses, and deterioration of the mechanical properties of the product. Therefore, ensuring uniform temperature distribution throughout …

Application Of Polymer Nanocomposites In The Design Of Prosthetic Sockets That Feature Auxetic Meta-Structures, Sumit Suryakant Kolte, Vinayak Vijayan, Lihua Lou

Publications

This research evaluates the response of prosthetic sockets constructed using polymer nanocomposites and incorporating auxetic meta-structures. The prosthetic sockets feature lightweight meta-structures between the inner and outer walls of the socket. Three different prosthetic designs featuring chiral, reentrant hexagon, and honeycomb meta-structures are evaluated in this study. The prosthetic sockets were designed in SolidWorks and compared using finite element analysis. The polymer nanocomposites used in this study include polypropylene and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene containing uniformly distributed inclusions of either titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, or graphene nanoplatelets. Our results show a favorable pressure profile at the interface between the prosthetic …

Improving The Efficiency Of Wells Turbines In Wave Energy Harvesting Using Computer Simulations, Godfred Abotar-Aidoo, Isaac Plange

ASPIRE 2026

Oscillating Water Columns (OWCs) are among the most promising wave energy converters for harnessing renewable power from ocean waves. These systems use a bi-directional airflow to drive a Wells turbine connected to a generator. However, the turbine’s efficiency is limited by flow separation and stall at high angles of attack. To address this, we investigated the effect of passive flow control by adding stability strips along the suction side of the turbine blades. The unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations, coupled with the k–ω SST turbulence model, were solved in ANSYS CFX 2025 R1 to evaluate the aerodynamic performance. Non-dimensional performance …

Creating Blood Analogs To Mimic Steady-State Non-Newtonian Shear-Thinning Characteristics Under Various Thermal Conditions, Hang Yi, Alexander Wang, Christopher Wang, Jared Chong, Chungyiu Ma, Luke Bramlage, Bryan Ludwig, Zifeng Yang

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Blood analogs are widely employed in in vitro experiments such as particle image velocity (PIV) to secure hemodynamics, assisting pathophysiological diagnoses of neurovascular and cardiovascular diseases, as well as pre-surgical planning and intraoperative orientation. To obtain accurate physical parameters, which are critical for diagnosis and treatment, blood analogs should exhibit realistic non-Newtonian shear-thinning features. In this study, two types of blood analogs working under room temperature (293.15 K) were created to mimic the steady-state shear-thinning features of blood over a temperature range of 295 to 312 K and a shear range of 1~250 s−1 at a hematocrit of ~40%. Type …