Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Treating Ground Water For Agricultural And Individual Consumption, Gabby Miller, Bronson Scott, Michael Clawson

Biomedical Engineering

This project, conducted in collaboration with Cal Poly seniors and Da Vinci High School students, aims to develop a solar-powered groundwater purification system. This system is designed to provide clean water for agricultural use and individual consumption, addressing the growing concerns of groundwater contamination and accessibility needs. The final prototype integrates a gravity filtration system combined with chemical purification, utilizing aluminum sulfate and chlorine to remove particulates, bacteria, and organic compounds.

The research phase involved an extensive review of groundwater contamination issues, existing filtration technologies, and market analysis. Key design constraints included cost-effectiveness, ease of maintenance, and minimal energy consumption, …

Investigation Of Innovative Heat Pipes / Fins System For Diesel Engine Cooling, Mohammad Shafiq Anees

Theses

Engine cooling is considered one of the most important factors that affect their efficiency and therefore their performance, so a new cooling method is proposed using both heat pipes and fins to improve the cooling efficiency of internal combustion engines and shall be examined theoretically and experimentally. A test rig has been designed and built using a specimen material with similar properties to the real engine materials with similar dimensions as the engine cylinder head / liner thickness. The experiment employed a specially designed testing apparatus that included a gas burner for consistent heating, a modifiable support structure, and an …

Design, Test, And Comparison Of A Photovoltaic Thermal Hybrid Solar Collector Utilizing A Thermosiphon, And Theory And Analysis Of Related Predictive Computer Model, Lance Brown

Master's Theses

Design, construction and testing of a photovoltaic thermal collector, or PVT, was completed to determine efficiency improvements of this system compared to a conventional solar panel and to find the thermal energy gained through hot water storage. Flow, driven by density changes from solar radiation, creates a thermosiphon, moving water without the use of a pump and ultimately drawing heat away from the solar panel. This is done to create a more efficient solar panel as well as decreasing potential damage due to high temperatures. Evaluation of electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and flowrate allow for comparison between other PVT systems. …

Evaluation Of Health Monitoring Parameters For Automotive Pneumatic Elastomeric System Using Soft Pressure Sensors For Enhanced Vehicle Performance., Md Jarir Hossain, Sarah Suresh Kamath, Jong Min Park, Heung-Seok Oh

University Research

In the rapidly evolving automotive industry, the need for reliable and efficient pneumatic elastomeric components necessitates cutting-edge health monitoring methods, given that the pneumatic components are directly connected to dampening properties, ride comfort, vehicle safety, and stability. A novel approach for pneumatic elastomeric component health monitoring utilizing ionic liquid (IL)-based soft sensor technology has been proposed, which has the promise to enable real-time health monitoring and prognostics of vehicle systems. The proposed polymer sensor leverages the distinctive characteristics of flexibility, stretchability, and high sensitivity. These properties are critical for precisely measuring load, vertical displacement, air pressure, force locations, and load …

Deployable Origami Structure, David J. Garcia, Robert Bettinger

AFIT Patents

The present invention relates to deployable origami structures and methods of making and using same. Such deployable origami structures can be folded into a compact state utilizing origami, yet easily deployed as the structures comprise pseudo-elastic connectors. Additive manufacturing techniques can be used to make such deployable origami structures as such techniques can lower cost and structure weight.

Potential Of Individual Upper-Limb Muscles To Contribute To Postural Tremor: Simulations From Neural Drive To Joint Rotation, Spencer A. Baker, Landon J. Beutler, Daniel B. Free, Dario Farina, Steven Knight Charles

Faculty Publications

Background: It is unclear which muscles contribute most to tremor and should therefore be targeted by tremor suppression methods. Previous studies used mathematical models to investigate how upper-limb biomechanics affect muscles’ potential to generate tremor. These investigations yielded principles, but the models included at most only 15 muscles. Here we expand previous models to include 50 upper-limb muscles, simulate tremor propagation, and test the validity of the previously postulated principles. Methods: Tremor propagation was characterized using the gains between tremorogenic neural drive to the 50 muscles (inputs) and tremulous joint rotations in the 7 joint degreesof- freedom (DOF) from shoulder …

Numerical Simulation Of Airflow Properties Of The Naca 6420 Airfoil Using The Transition Rans K-Ε Model, Oluwaseyi O. Alabi, Saidat A. Salisu, Oyeyemi T. Aforolagba -Balogun, Temitope A. Ladigbolu, Ayotunde O. Fasina, Anas Bala

Al-Bahir

This study investigates the airflow properties around the airfoil using numerical simulation, addressing the longstanding challenge of accurately predicting transition phenomena in turbulent flows. The importance of this research lies in its potential to improve the design and performance of airfoils in various engineering applications, such as wind turbines, and aircraft. A custom 2-dimensional airfoil model was created using Airfoil instruments, featuring a 6% maximum curvature, 40% curvature position, and 20% thickness. COMSOL Multiphysics software performed computations at a velocity of over 19 hours, with data analyzed at 60-minute intervals. The Transition turbulent model was employed to simulate the airflow …

In-Situ Thermal Measurement Of Polymers, Carson Powers, Jungkyu Park, Dal Hyung Kim, Fahim Dorsey, Peter Bearden

Symposium of Student Scholars

In this research, we conducted a detailed experimental

investigation into how strain affects the thermal conductivity of

Ecoflex elastomer, utilizing a newly developed method for

measuring thermal conductivity under mechanical strain for the

first time. In situ thermal conductivity measurement apparatus

was developed by combining the KLA T150 nanoscale tensile tester

and a custom-fabricated thermal measurement sensor. The

development of an experimental method for measuring the thermal

conductivity of nanomaterials under mechanical testing

simultaneously will contribute to the development of novel

materials for flexible electronics by helping us to better

understand the strain effect on their thermal performance.

Interestingly, the …

Comparative Evaluation Of Linear Regression, Cross Validation And Regularization Approaches In Multivariate Data Analysis, Ransford Owusu, Felix Yeboah, Francis Effah Boateng

Data Science and Data Mining

This study evaluates linear regression and its enhanced variants incorporating cross-validation and regularization techniques for high-dimensional, multivariate datasets. We address challenges such as multicollinearity and overfitting. Methods including Ridge, LASSO, and Elastic Net are compared against ordinary least squares regression. Empirical analysis using an automobile dataset for fuel efficiency prediction shows that while OLS regression captures basic relationships, its limitations are mitigated through regularization and cross-validation, resulting in improved model interpretability. The findings provide a comprehensive framework for predictive modeling in complex data environments and offer insights into statistical methodology and practical applications in the automobile industry.

Additive Manufacturing Applications In Mission-Critical Operations: A Review, Arup Dey, Olusanmi Adeniran, Monsuru Ramoni

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing (AM) is used to fabricate complex components from a wide variety of materials in an additive manner. AM brings several benefits, such as reduced lead times, on-demand production, creation of complex customized designs without tooling requirements, and remote design sharing. However, the use of AM for critical components is limited in large missions due to quality and reliability concerns, as is the case with many manufacturing technologies. Enhancing the acceptance of AM-built parts for mission-critical components can be achieved by producing highly reliable parts, establishing robust quality standards, and continually improving part properties. This review article comprehensively explores …

A Digital Twin Based Forecasting Framework For Power Flow Management In Dc Microgrids, Kerry Sado, Jarrett Peskar, Austin Downey, Jamil A. Khan, Kristen Booth

Faculty Publications

The ability to forecast system conditions is integral to the definition and functionality of digital twins. While forecasting methods have been explored for use in digital twin systems, the integration of feedback mechanisms for real-time forecasting and in-situ decision-making in DC microgrids has not been extensively investigated. This research develops a modular forecasting framework tailored for digital twins in DC microgrids to enable real-time monitoring, online forecasting, and decision-making. DC microgrids, characterized by dynamic load variations, benefit from advanced predictive capabilities to maintain stability and operational efficiency. The proposed digital twin-based forecasting framework addresses these challenges by providing real-time predictive …

Solid State Transformer Controls For Mitigation Of E3a High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Insults, Connor A. Lehman, Rush D. Robinett, Wayne Weaver, David G. Wilson

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper explores the use of a solid state transformer (SST) to mitigate the 𝐸3𝐴 component of a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) insult using external energy storage optimal control techniques. In lieu of conventional passive blocking devices or feedback-controlled energy storage devices, a novel implementation of Hamiltonian error tracking is utilized to develop a feedback control law for the variable converter ratio in an SST. The findings of the simulations performed in this paper suggest that additional energy storage is not necessary to protect an individual load from a HEMP insult. The simulations performed examine the response of a single-phase …

Few-Shot Transfer Learning For Individualized Braking Intent Detection On Neuromorphic Hardware, Nathan A. Lutes, V. Sriram Siddhardth Nedendla, K. Krishnamurthy

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work explores use of a few-shot transfer learning method to train and implement a convolutional spiking neural network (CSNN) on a Brain Chip Akida AKD1000 neuromorphic system-on-chip for developing individual-level, instead of traditionally used group-level, models using electroencephalographic data. The efficacy of the method is studied on an advanced driver assist system related task of predicting braking intention. Approach. Data are collected from participants operating an NVIDIA JetBot on a testbed simulating urban streets for three different scenarios. Participants receive a braking indicator in the form of: (1) an audio countdown in a nominal baseline, stress-free environment; (2) an …

Effects Of Die Type On Mechanical Performance And Failure Behaviors Of Self-Piercing Riveting Joints In Aa5052, Lun Zhao, Amr Monier, Ao Zhang, Liya Li, Ahmed Elkaseer, Zeshan Abbas, Kai Ye

Mechanical Engineering

This study investigates the effects of self-piercing riveting (SPR) die type on the joint quality and failure modes of AA5052 SPR joints. Three die types: flat, pip, and ball-shaped were designed and processed for the SPR process, and 30 riveted specimens were prepared. A 2D axisymmetric finite element (FE) simulation model was established using LS-Dyna to evaluate the impact of each die type. The accuracy of the FE model was validated by comparing simulated joint cross-sections with experimental results. Subsequently, the quality and forming mechanisms of the SPR joints fabricated using each die type were analyzed. Mechanical properties were assessed …

Quality Evaluation For Colored Point Clouds Produced By Autonomous Vehicle Sensor Fusion Systems, Colin Schaefer, Zeid Kootbally, Vinh Nguyen

Michigan Tech Publications

Perception systems for autonomous vehicles (AVs) require various types of sensors, including light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and cameras, to ensure their robustness in driving scenarios and weather conditions. The data from these sensors are fused together to generate maps of the surrounding environment and provide information for the detection and tracking of objects. Hence, evaluation methods are necessary to compare existing and future sensor systems through quantifiable measurements given the wide range of sensor models and design choices. This paper presents an evaluation method to compare colored point clouds, a common fused data type, among two LiDAR-camera fusion systems …

Trpv4 Dominates High Shear-Induced Initial Traction Response And Long-Term Relaxation Over Piezo1, Mohanish Chandurkar, Manli Yang, Majid Rostami, Sangyoon J. Han

Michigan Tech Publications

Modulation of endothelial traction is critical for the responses of endothelial cells to fluid shear stress (FSS), which has profound implications for vascular health and atherosclerosis. Previously, we demonstrated that under high FSS, endothelial cells rapidly increase traction forces, followed by relaxation, with traction aligning in the flow direction. In contrast, low shear preconditioning induces a modest short-term increase in traction (min), followed by a secondary long-term (>14 hr) rise, with traction/cells aligning perpendicular to the flow. The upstream mechanosensors driving these responses, however, remain unknown. Here, we sought the roles of Piezo1 and TRPV4 ion channels in shear-induced …

Iros 2023 Workshop Report: Draft Guidelines On Manufacturing Procedures, Test Methods And Reporting For Soft Robotics, Robert Baines, Laura Blumenschein, Jennifer Case, Robert Maccurdy, Gina Olson, Andrew Spielberg

School of Mechanical Engineering Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Hemodynamics Of Slip Surfaces For Thrombosis Control In Implanted Cardiovascular Devices, Kieun Choi, Weiguang Yang, On Shun Pak, Jongmin Seo

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Percutaneous medical devices are preferred for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases due to their minimal intervention compared to surgery. However, complications such as thrombosis remain significant challenges. This study aims to investigate the hemodynamic effects of slip surfaces on pacemaker leads and coronary stents using computational fluid dynamics under physiological conditions. Two computational models were developed: a venous anatomical model with a pacemaker lead and a coronary artery model with a stent. Slip boundary conditions were applied to these devices, and we quantitatively analyzed critical hemodynamic parameters, including wall shear stress (WSS) and residence time (RT), which are associated with …

Significance Of Multi-Level Fusion In Multi-Component Fault Diagnosis Under Speed Varying Condition In Rotational Machinery, S. Sowmya, M. Saimurugan, Immanuel A. Edinbarough

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

Most well-known challenging effects of identifying multiple defects in a rotational machine when speed is varied, are illustriously inspected by many researchers. However, different fusion logics are evolved in the series of research attempt, but not paid much attention in interrogating it for unsteady speed signals.Addressing this literature void, this paper focusses on multi-level fusion strategy with the help of sensor-centric feature integration and Dempster Shafer’s (D-S) theory of evidence for uncovering multi-faults in bearings, shafts and gears of rotational machines under speed variational condition. Primarily, instantaneous frequency and envelope from the acquired vibration and sound signals of complex system …

Si-Doped Ain Using Pulsed Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition And Doping, Tariq Jamil, Abdullah Al Mamun Mazumder, Mohammod Ali, Jingyu Lin, Hongxing Jiang, Grigory Simin, M. Asif Khan

Faculty Publications

In this paper we describe a pulsed metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) Si-doping approach for AlN epilayers over bulk AlN. The Al-rich growth/doping conditions in the pulsed MOCVD process resulted in n-AlN layers with transmission line model currents that were an order higher than for structures on layers that were grown/doped at identical temperatures using the conventional MOCVD process. Our work demonstrated that like the other reported approaches such as UV exposure during growth, the pulsed MOCVD process is also very effective in reducing point defects by the defect quasi-Fermi level-chemical potential control.

Biobased Acrylate Composites With Enhanced Strength For Additive Manufacturing, Nicole Wagner, Joseph Mcwherter

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

With the expanding use of polymers in additive manufacturing, sustainable resins for use in vat photopolymerization are required to reduce their environmental impact. One promising approach to achieve this is to incorporate biobased fillers that replace the acrylates in photopolymer resins as ‘green’ alternatives. In this study, photopolymer composites consisting of a methacrylate resin with varying calcium carbonate powder content between 0 and 50 wt.% were investigated. A digital light processing technique was used to fabricate tensile test specimens for mechanical testing. Good printability, dimensional accuracy, and good interlayer adhesion were observed for composite resin formulations that incorporated calcium carbonate …

Lustr20 Thermal Profiling Repository Data, Paul Van Susante

LuSTR20 Datasets

The PSTDL was a recipient of a 2020 NASA’s Lunar Surface Technology Research grant (LuSTR20) for the development of a lunar prospecting instrument known as the Percussive Hot Cone Penetrometer (PHCP) in combination with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The goal of this project is to produce a science instrument that is capable of probing the lunar surface up to a depth of 1 meter to extract the geotechnical properties of the lunar regolith, identifying the vertical and lateral concentrations of volatiles present.

Potential Effects Of Statistical Complexity Measure In Improving The Fault Diagnosis Performance Under Speed Fluctuations, S. Sowmya, M. Saimurugan, N. Kannan, Immanuel A. Edinbarough

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

Many research studies are performed in extracting non-stationary signal properties such as instantaneous frequency (IF) and envelope to diagnose machinery faults under time-varying speed conditions. But accurate IF extraction is difficult from such complex fluctuating signals to identify the faults efficiently. Therefore, this paper proposes the Statistical Complexity Measure (SCM) as a feature that evaluates the randomness and complexity without any additional requirement, providing an outstanding result in multi-component fault detection under speed fluctuations. Primarily, the influence of SCM is proved by ranking the features with the help of the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. The fault classification of individual signal …

Flow And Heat Transfer Experimental Study For 3d-Printed Solar Receiving Tubes With Helical Fins At Internal Surface, Fouad Haddad, Naznin Nuria Afrin, Jianzhi Li, Peiwen Li, Bharath Pidaparthi, Samy Missoum, Ben Xu

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

3D-printing technology was applied to fabricate novel solar thermal collection tubes that have internal heat transfer enhancement fins and external surfaces with high solar absorptivity and low emissivity due to the ability to use different materials in one tube. Helical fins were selected to introduce circumferential flow and thus minimize the circumferential temperature difference of the tube that receives sunlight on one side. The structures of the helical fins were previously optimized from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis with the objective of low entropy production rate by looking for high heat transfer coefficient and relatively lower pressure loss. High-temperature alloy, …

Oxidation–Reduction Of Ti-6al-4v In Direct Energy Deposition Subject To Minimum Argon Consumption, Bharadwaja Ragampeta, Prashansa Ragampeta, Todd Sparks, Frank Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ti-6Al-4V is a well-known alloy for its low density and excellent corrosion resistance, making it popular in aerospace, marine, medical, and automotive applications. However, at elevated temperatures, the alloy forms oxides, leading to embrittlement. In additive manufacturing, particularly in the direct energy deposition (DED) process, which involves high temperatures, the alloy experiences oxidation. An inert gas chamber provides shielding during the process but limits the size of the manufactured components, and deposition in a vacuum chamber can alter the chemical composition of the alloy. Local shielding is a technique generally used for such applications, but it uses a high volume …

A Comprehensive Study Of Cooling Rate Effects On Diffusion, Microstructural Evolution, And Characterization Of Aluminum Alloys, Atiqur Rahman, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Frank Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cooling Rate (CR) definitively influences the microstructure of metallic parts manufactured through various processes. Factors including cooling medium, surface area, thermal conductivity, and temperature control can influence both predicted and unforeseen impacts that then influence the results of mechanical properties. This comprehensive study explores the impact of CRs in diffusion, microstructural development, and the characterization of aluminum alloys and the influence of various manufacturing processes and post-process treatments, and it studies analytical models that can predict their effects. It examines a broad range of CRs encountered in diverse manufacturing methods, such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), directed energy deposition …

Predicting The High Temperature Deformation Behavior Of Haynes282 By A Dislocation-Density Based Crystal Plasticity Model, Tianju Chen, Huadong Fu, Shujing Dong, Yue Zhou, Yijia Gu, Caizhi Zhou, Ridwan Sakidja

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mechanical behavior of Haynes282 is heavily dependent upon the microstructure state, calling for mesoscale model to study the relationship between the underlying microstructure and macroscopic performance. In this work, we employ crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) to explore the deformation mechanisms of Hanyes282 subjected to tensile (short-term) and creep (long-term) tests. Haynes282 is a newly developed Ni-based superalloy, containing relatively low volume fraction (≤20%) of spherical γ′ precipitate phase. A dislocation-density based model is developed to describe the tensile and the creep behavior, where a dimension reduction algorithm is proposed to obtain more accurate inter-particle spacing. Furthermore, dislocation-particle interaction …

High Shear Stress Reduces Erg Causing Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Tsutomu Shinohara, Jan-Renier Moonen, Yoon Hong Chun, Yannick C. Lee-Yow, Kenichi Okamura, Jason M. Szafron, Jordan Kaplan, Aiqin Cao, Lingli Wang, Weiguang Yang

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Computational modeling indicated that pathological high shear stress (HSS; 100 dyn/cm2) is generated in pulmonary arteries (PAs; 100-500 µm) in congenital heart defects causing PA hypertension (PAH) and in idiopathic PAH with occlusive vascular remodeling. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a feature of PAH. We hypothesize that HSS induces EndMT, contributing to the initiation and progression of PAH.

Methods: We used the Ibidi perfusion system to determine whether HSS applied to human PA endothelial cells (ECs) induces EndMT when compared with physiological laminar shear stress (15 dyn/cm2). The mechanism was investigated and targeted to prevent PAH in a mouse with …

Effect Of Mg–Nb Oxides On Hydrogen Sorption Kinetics Of Ball-Milled Mgh2, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Muhammad Nurunnabi Siddiquee, Mohammad M. Hossain, M. Jasim Uddin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Addition of Mg–Nb oxides (e.g. MgNb₂O₆, Mg₄Nb₂O₉, and Mg₃Nb₆O₁₁) ameliorates H₂ absorption/desorption kinetics of MgH₂ as demonstrated in the current article. H₂ desorption and absorption rates of the ball-milled MgH₂ are evidently temperature-dependent, which points out that the prior rate increases with increasing temperature (593–673 K) and vice versa. Among the tested samples, MgH₂ with Mg₃Nb₆O₁₁ nanoparticles showed superior performance. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation was employed to construct H₂ desorption curves as well as …

Introduction To The Special Issue On Verification And Validation Of Source And Propagation Models For Underwater Sounda), Kathleen J. Vigness-Raposa, Klaus Lucke, Michael A. Ainslie, Michele B. Halvorsen, Christ A. F. De Jong, Stanley J. Labak, Martin Siderius

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This joint Special Issue of JASA and JASA Express Letters focuses on underwater sound source and propagation modelling, both of ambient sound as well as sources of relevance to possible effects of sound on aquatic life, and corresponding acoustical metrics. Combining information on the sound field with information on a dose-effect relationship enables estimation of the potential effects. The Special Issue presents a collection of eighteen articles on the following topics: (1) verification of source and propagation models, (2) validation of source and propagation models, and (3) bioacoustical metrics for assessment of the risk of environmental effects. This special issue …