Other Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Perceived Importance Of Aac Messages To Support Communication In Rehabilitation Settings, Susan Koch Fager, Judith M. Burnfield, Chase M Pfeifer, Tabatha Sorenson

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Permanent or temporary speech loss can occur due to a variety of medical conditions and often requires individuals to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies and technologies to support communication. The use of AAC in medical and rehabilitation settings is critical to ensure the health, safety and psychological well-being of communicatively vulnerable individuals.

Method: This study surveyed the perceived importance of communication messages within five categories (Basic Needs, Patient-Provider Specific Communication, Social, Feelings, and Messages for Young Children) by individuals with disability who have undergone recent medical care as well as by rehabilitation care providers.

Results: Results indicated …

Feasibility Of Motor-Assisted Elliptical To Improve Walking, Fitness And Balance Following Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury: A Case Series, Judith M. Burnfield, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Thad W. Buster

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Walking, fitness, and balance deficits are common following acquired brain injury (ABI). This study assessed feasibility, acceptability, and usefulness of a modified motor-assisted elliptical (ICARE) in addressing walking, fitness, and balance deficits in children with chronic ABIs.

Methods: Three children (> 5 years post-ABI) completed 24 ICARE exercise sessions (exercise time, speed, and time overriding motor-assistance gradually increased) to promote mass repetition of gait-like movements and challenge cardiorespiratory fitness. Parents’ and children’s perceptions of ICARE’s safety, comfort, workout, and usability were assessed. Cardiovascular response, gait and balance outcomes were assessed.

Results: No adverse events occurred. Parent’s …

A Novel Large Animal Model Of Smoke Inhalation-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Premila D. Leiphrakpam, Hannah R. Weber, Andrea Mccain, Roser Romaguera Matas, Ernesto Martinez Duarte, Keely L. Buesing

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is multifactorial and can result from sepsis, trauma, or pneumonia, amongst other primary pathologies. It is one of the major causes of death in critically ill patients with a reported mortality rate up to 45%. The present study focuses on the development of a large animal model of smoke inhalation-induced ARDS in an effort to provide the scientific community with a reliable, reproducible large animal model of isolated toxic inhalation injury-induced ARDS. Methods: Animals (n=21) were exposed to smoke under general anesthesia for 1 to 2 h (median smoke exposure=0.5 to 1 L of …

Ultrasound-Activated Ciliary Bands For Microrobotic Systems Inspired By Starfish, Cornel Dillinger, Nitesh Nama, Daniel Ahmed

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Cilia are short, hair-like appendages ubiquitous in various biological systems, which have evolved to manipulate and gather food in liquids at regimes where viscosity dominates inertia. Inspired by these natural systems, synthetic cilia have been developed and utilized in microfluidics and microrobotics to achieve functionalities such as propulsion, liquid pumping and mixing, and particle manipulation. Here, we demonstrate ultrasound-activated synthetic ciliary bands that mimic the natural arrangements of ciliary bands on the surface of starfish larva. Our system leverages nonlinear acoustics at microscales to drive bulk fluid motion via acoustically actuated small-amplitude oscillations of synthetic cilia. By arranging the planar …

Preperitoneal Insufflation Pressure Of The Abdominal Wall In A Porcine Model, Riley E. Reynolds, Benjamin Wankum, Sean J. Crimmins, Mark A. Carlson, Benjamin S. Terry

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background Most complications and adverse events during laparoscopic surgery occur during initial entry into the peritoneal cavity. Among them, preperitoneal insufflation occurs when the insufflation needle is incorrectly placed, and the abdominal wall is insufflated. The objective of this study was to find a range for static pressure which is low enough to allow placement of a Veress needle into the peritoneal space without causing preperitoneal insufflation, yet high enough to separate abdominal viscera from the parietal peritoneum.

Methods A pressure test was performed on twelve fresh porcine carcasses to determine the minimum preperitoneal insufflation pressure and the minimum initial …

Entertainment 721, Mark Hendricks, Noah John, Jadon Vanyo, Chelsea Payne

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project was to design a luxury, aesthetically pleasing entertainment system with a TV lift mechanism that could be remote controlled. The design would also include a cooling cabinet for gaming systems, a remote locking system, and additional storage. Using a morphological chart and weighted decision matrix for each subsystem key features were determined to be included in the design. Several performance benchmarks were determined to accomplish the team’s design. Almost every benchmark was successful in the build of the first prototype. Several heat calculations and FEA analyses were performed on the system to ensure the success …

Nondestructive Evaluation Of Aluminium Foam Panels Subjected To Impact Loading, Gabriella Epasto, Fabio Distefano, Hozhabar Mozafari, Emanoil Linul, Vincenzo Crupi

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Aluminium foam sandwich structures have excellent energy absorption capacity, combined with good mechanical properties and low density. Some of the authors of this paper proposed an innovative Metallic Foam Shell protective device against flying ballast impact damage in railway axles. A closed-cell aluminium foam was chosen for the Metallic Foam Shell device. The main goal of this study was the experimental investigation of the impact responses of aluminium foam panels. Low velocity impact tests were carried out at different energies on different types of aluminium foam panels in order to investigate the effects of some parameters, such as core thickness, …

Surface Strengthening Of Single-Crystal Alumina By High-Temperature Laser Shock Peening, Fei Wang, X. L. Yan, Lei Liu, Michael Nastasi, Yongfeng Lu, Bai Cui

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

This manuscript reports a novel process of high-temperature laser shock peening (HTLSP) for surface strengthening of single-crystal ceramics such as sapphire and reveals its fundamental mechanisms. HTLSP at 1200°C can induce a high compressive residual stress on the surface of sapphire while minimize the damage of laser-driven shock waves. Transmission electron microscopy characteriza- tions revealed high dislocation densities near the surface, suggesting that plastic deformation at an ultrahigh strain rate was generated by the high shock wave pressure. The HTLSP-induced compres- sive residual stress can significantly improve the hardness and fracture toughness of sapphire, while maintain its outstanding optical transmittance.

The Role Of Microenvironmental Cues And Mechanical Loading Milieus In Breast Cancer Cell Progression And Metastasis, Brandon D. Riehl, Eunju Kim, Tasneem Bouzid, Jung Yul Lim

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Cancer can disrupt the microenvironments and mechanical homeostatic actions in multiple scales from large tissue modification to altered cellular signaling pathway in mechanotransduction. In this review, we highlight recent progresses in breast cancer cell mechanobiology focusing on cell-microenvironment interaction and mechanical loading regulation of cells. First, the effects of microenvironmental cues on breast cancer cell progression and metastasis will be reviewed with respect to substrate stiffness, chemical/topographic substrate patterning, and 2D vs. 3D cultures. Then, the role of mechanical loading situations such as tensile stretch, compression, and flow-induced shear will be discussed in relation to breast cancer cell mechanobiology and …

Ligand Assisted Growth Of Perovskite Single Crystals With Low Defect Density, Ye Liu, Xiaopeng Zheng, Yanjun Fang, Ying Zhou, Zhenyi Ni, Xun Xiao, Shangshang Chen, Jinsong Huang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A low defect density in metal halide perovskite single crystals is critical to achieve high performance optoelectronic devices. Here we show the reduction of defect density in per[1]ovskite single crystals grown by a ligand-assisted solution process with 3‐(decyldimethy[1]lammonio)‐propane‐sulfonate inner salt (DPSI) as an additive. DPSI ligands anchoring with lead ions on perovskite crystal surfaces not only suppress nucleation in solution, but also regulate the addition of proper ions to the growing surface, which greatly enhances the crystal quality. The grown CH₃NH₃PbI₃ crystals show better crystallinity and a 23-fold smaller trap density of 7 × 10 …

Social Connectedness And Negative Affect Uniquely Explain Individual Differences In Response To Emotional Ambiguity, Maital Neta, Rebecca L. Brock

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Negativity bias is not only central to mood and anxiety disorders, but can powerfully impact our decision-making across domains (e.g., financial, medical, social). This project builds on previous work examining negativity bias using dual-valence ambiguity. Specifically, although some facial expressions have a relatively clear negative (angry) or positive valence (happy), surprised expressions are interpreted negatively by some and positively by others, providing insight into one’s valence bias. Here, we examine putative sources of variability that distinguish individuals with a more negative versus positive valence bias using structural equation modeling. Our model reveals that one’s propensity toward negativity (operationalized as temperamental …

Direct Numerical Simulation Of A Pulsatile Flow In A Stenotic Channel Using Immersed Boundary Method, Siamak Mirfendereski, Jae Sung Park

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A three-dimensional direct numerical simulation model coupled with the immersed boundary method has been developed to simulate a pulsatile flow in a planar channel with single and double one-sided semicircular constrictions. For relevance to blood flow in large arteries, simulations have been performed at Reynolds numbers of 750 and 1000. Flow physics and resultant wall shear stress (WSS)-based hemodynamic parameters are presented. The instantaneous vortex dynamics, mean flow characteristics, and turbulent energy spectra are evaluated for flow physics. Subsequently, three WSS-based parameters, namely the time-averaged WSS, oscillatory shear index, and relative residence time, are calculated over the stenotic wall and …

Large-Scale Synthesis Of Compressible And Re-Expandable Three-Dimensional Nanofiber Matrices, Alec Mccarthy, Lorenzo Saldana, Daniel Mcgoldrick, Johnson V. John, Mitchell Kuss, Shixuan Chen, Bin Duan, Mark A. Carlson, Jingwei Xie

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Due to their biomimetic properties, electrospun nanofibers have shown great potential in many biomedical fields. However, traditionally-produced nanofibers are typically two-dimensional (2D) membranes limiting their applications. Herein, we report a large-scale synthesis of compressible and reexpandable three-dimensional (3D) nanofiber matrices for potential biomedical applications. The reproducible mass production of such matrices is achieved using a multiple-emitter electrospinning machine with a controlled environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, and air flow rate) followed by an innovative gas-foaming expansion. The modified 20-emitter circular array with 3D-printed needle caps is capable of maintaining stable Taylor cones under extremely high flow rates. The introduction of such …

Assembly Of Close-Packed Ferroelectric Polymer Nanowires Via Interface-Epitaxy With Res2, Dawei Li, Shuo Sun, Kun Wang, Zahra Ahmadi, Jeffrey E. Shield, Stephen Ducharme, Xia Hong

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The flexible, transparent, and low-weight nature of ferroelectric polymers makes them promising for wearable electronic and optical applications. To reach the full potential of the polarization-enabled device functionalities, large-scale fabrication of polymer thin films with well-controlled polar directions is called for, which remains a central challenge. The widely exploited Langmuir–Blodgett, spin-coating, and electrospinning methods only yield polymorphous or polycrystalline films, where the net polarization is compromised. Here, an easily scalable approach is reported to achieve poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) P(VDF-TrFE) thin films composed of close-packed crystalline nanowires via interface-epitaxy with 1T′-ReS₂. Upon controlled thermal treatment, uniform P(VDF-TrFE) films restructure into …

Reducing Corrosion Of Additive Manufactured Magnesium Alloys By Interlayer Ultrasonic Peening, M. P. Sealy, R. Karunakaran, S. Ortgies, G. Madireddy, A. P. Malshe, K. P. Rajurkar

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Additive manufad (AM) magn alloys corrode rapidly due to tensile stress and coarse microstructures. Cyclically combining (hybridizing) additive manufacturing with interlayer ultrasonic peening was proposed as a solution to improve corrosion resistance of additive manufactured magnesium WE43 alloy through strengthening mechanisms and compressive residual stress. Applying interlayer peening work hardened discrete layers and formed a glocal integrity of regional grain refinement and subsurface compressive residual stress barriers. Tensile residual stress that typically accelerates corrosion decreased 90%. Results showed time-resolved control over corrosion was attainable by interlayer peening, and local corrosion within print cells decreased 57% with respect to as-printed WE43.

Ultra-Fast Charging In Aluminum-Ion Batteries: Electric Double Layers On Active Anode, Xuejing Shen, Tao Sun, Lei Yang, Alexey Krasnoslobodtsev, Renat F. Sabirianov, Michael P. Sealy, Wai-Ning Mei, Zhanjun Wu, Li Tan

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

With the rapid iteration of portable electronics and electric vehicles, developing high-capacity batteries with ultra-fast charging capability has become a holy grail. Here we report rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries capable of reaching a high specific capacity of 200 mAh g^−1. When liquid metal is further used to lower the energy barrier from the anode, fastest charging rate of 10⁴ C (duration of 0.35 s to reach a full capacity) and 500% more specific capacity under high-rate conditions are achieved. Phase boundaries from the active anode are believed to encourage a high-flux charge transfer through the electric double layers. As …

Twinning-Assisted Dynamic Adjustment Of Grain Boundary Mobility, Qishan Huang, Qi Zhu, Yingbin Chen, Mingyu Gong, Jixue Li, Ze Zhang, Wei Yang, Jian Wang, Haofei Zhou, Jiangwei Wang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Grain boundary (GB) plasticity dominates the mechanical behaviours of nanocrystalline materials. Under mechanical loading, GB configuration and its local deformation geometry change dynamically with the deformation; the dynamic variation of GB deformability, however, remains largely elusive, especially regarding its relation with the frequently-observed GB-associated deformation twins in nanocrystalline materials. Attention here is focused on the GB dynamics in metallic nanocrystals, by means of well-designed in situ nanomechanical testing integrated with molecular dynamics simulations. GBs with low mobility are found to dynamically adjust their configurations and local deformation geometries via crystallographic twinning, which instantly changes the GB dynamics and enhances the …

Electron Microscopy Observation Of Electric Field-Assisted Sintering Of Stainless Steel Nanoparticles, Fei Wang, Qin Zhou, Xing-Zhong Li, Yongchul Yoo, Michael Nastasi, Bai Cui

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The intrinsic role of electrical current on the electric field-assisted sintering (EFAS) process of stainless steel 316L nanoparticles has been revealed by both ex situ and in situ experiments. A novel device on the Si chip has been designed and fabricated to fit into the sample holder of a transmission electron microscope for these experiments. The evolution of nanoparticle morphology and microstructures during the EFAS process has been studied using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, which has been combined with the simultaneous measurement of the electric voltage and current changes. A preliminary four-stage mechanism for the EFAS process …

Prospects For Solving The Problem Of Rational Use Of Water Resources Using The Tiiame-1 Sprinkling Machine, M.Kh. Khamidov, A.R. Muratov

Irrigation and Melioration

The information published by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, and the intermediate results of many years of research carried out by scientists from TIIAME on the development, research and implementation of water-saving technologies in agriculture are presented. The acute shortage of water resources in Central Asia, the problems of increasing the efficiency of the use of water-saving technologies around the world have led to the careful use of available water resources in the region, including the prospects and advantages of using irrigation of crops by sprinkling, as well as the design and technical parameters of the sprinkler developed …

Inadequacy Of Current Water Use Planning At The Level Of Water Users And Wuas, A.A. Alimdjanov, A.Kh. Karimov, B.R. Nasibov

Irrigation and Melioration

This paper studies the main issues of water use planning at the level of water consumers and water user associations (WUA). The study carried out in Bulakbashi district of Andijan province of Uzbekistan, where the main source of irrigation water is the Southern Fergana Main Canal. The study followed two-stage procedure. During the first stage we compiled water use plans for the WUA and water consumers based on the applied methodology of water use planning. Then, at the second stage, we analyzed the results of the actual implementation of the farm water consumption plans and WUA water use plan, and …

Technology And Technical Device Used In The Efficient Use Of Water Resources In Irrigated Agriculture, А.U. Аtajanov

Irrigation and Melioration

The economical use of water resources, the improvement and development of new technology and technical means for its implementation, ensuring the saving of irrigation water is one of the most important issues of today. This article is devoted to the issues of improving the technology of irrigation of furrows and the creation of technical means,also recommended technology and using from created technical device in selected per experiment fields and analyzing their results.

Empirical Assessment Of Climate Change Impacts On Agriculture In Samarkand Region, Sh.B. Babakholov

Irrigation and Melioration

Agricultural production is highly sensitive to climate factors like other endogenous factors, and the expected climate change projections may have a negative impact on the efficiency and income of agricultural producers. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of changes in climatic factors (average air temperature and precipitation) on the technical efficiency of cotton growing farmers as its determinants in Samarkand region. Empirical analyzes were performed on the cases of 1141 cotton-growing farms using panel-based Time-Invariant Inefficiency model. According to the results of the analysis, cotton farms in the region have an average technical efficiency of 76%, which in …

Car Wash Complex – Object Of Harmful Impact On Water Resources, M. Radkevich, K. Shipilova, M. Abdukodirova, O. Pochugevski

Irrigation and Melioration

Deals with the problem of the impact of car wash complexes in the city of Tashkent on water resources. The analysis of the technological process of washing and a sociological survey of car owners and employees of car washes revealed the average amount of water used per car wash per year, as well as the amount of harmful substances entering the sewer network of the city of Tashkent. Calculations have shown that the annual water consumption only for passenger cars in Tashkent is about 4.34 million m³, and the wastewater is not properly treated. From one car wash …

Agrochemical Indicators Of New Irrigated Graph-Meadow Soils Formed On The Iii Underfladder Terrace Of Syrdarya, J.M. Kuziev

Irrigation and Melioration

Presents material on the geographical location, geomorphological and geological structure, as well as the agrochemical state of irrigated serozem-meadow soils, common in the Mirzaabad district of the Syrdarya region. According to the data obtained on the chemical analysis of soils, the studied soils are medium- and heavily loamy in texture, where particles of coarse sand predominate (0.05-0.01%). In the arable horizon of these soils, the humus content is 1.088-1.214%, total nitrogen 0.079-0.089%, total phosphorus 0.109-0.124%, and total potassium within 1.15-1.24%, and on the basis of these data, a regularity of the underlying horizon of these soils. The degree of provision …

Water Efficient Technology Of Drip Irrigation In Intensive Gardens, F.U. Juraev, G.H. Karimov

Irrigation and Melioration

The studies were carried out in 2017-2019 at the Zodabek farm on a 6 hectare garden plot with seedlings of half-tall apple trees “Golden Delicious”. Experimental research work was carried out at a groundwater level in the experimental area of 1.5-2.0 m, mineralization 1.0-1.2 g/l in alluvial, mechanical, medium sandy soils with the following irrigation options. The first option is irrigation, at the start of the second - drip irrigation; third, the use of specially designed soil pegs. The following results were obtained: in the control option, the average irrigation rate for three years was 1125.7 m3/ha, with drip irrigation …

Forecasting The Dynamics Of Cotton Yield In The Ferghana Region, V. Vakhobov, А.А. Faiziev

Irrigation and Melioration

Observations of a certain phenomenon, the nature of which changes over time, give rise to an ordered sequence, which is called a time series. In the article, using the method of statistical time series analysis, statistical pattern of time series Y₁ – average yield of cotton in Fergana region of the Republic of Uzbekistan(on materials of CSB of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 1991-2018 years). Point and interval estimates for the average cotton yield were constructed with a 95% guarantee, explicit types of trends were determined, and the yield in the region was predicted for subsequent years. Using statistical …

Hydraulic Elevator For Purification Of Water Supply Facilities Of The Reservoir, R.R. Ergashev, F. Atrikbekova, H. Khusanboeva, B.T. Kholbutaev, N.A. Babazhanov

Irrigation and Melioration

The purpose of the research is to increase the efficiency of pumping stations operation by improving the methods of uniform flow spreading in the front chamber and inlet of the pumping station and developing constructive measures to improve the hydraulic conditions for supplying the flow to the pumps. The improvement of the method of hydraulic calculation of the flow in the front chamber and the water intake chamber is given on the example of the head pumping station of the Jizzakh cascade. In the process of research, standard methods of full-scale and bench tests of pumps, methods of mathematical and …

Energy-Saving Structure Justification Powerful Tractor And Modern Agricultural Machine, A.K. Igamberdiyev, N.A. Khalikova, N.B. Razikov, O.E. Usarov

Irrigation and Melioration

Discusses the fact that machine-tractor units (MTA) from high-power tractors are often not fully used due to errors in the design and operation of units, their ability to work under certain operating conditions with maximum efficiency and minimum fuel consumption, a method of completing a machine-tractor unit from a high-power technical means is proposed, which ensures the required quality of the technological operation, maximum efficiency and minimum fuel consumption, which must be performed under certain operating conditions. To study the power balance of energy-saving units, consisting of powerful tractors and modern agricultural machinery, an analysis was carried out of a …

Traction Control Of The Friction Drive Of The Vertical Spindle, M. Shoumarova, T. Abdillaev, Sh.A. Yusupov, Ch.A. Shermatova

Irrigation and Melioration

The main indicator in assessing the quality of the work of cotton pickers is its completeness of picking cotton, among the factors that predetermine the completeness of picking a special place is occupied by the direction and magnitude of the absolute speed of the spindle tooth. Among the factors affecting the absolute speed of the tooth, the main place is occupied by the angular speed of rotation of the spindle around its own axis, which depends on the quality of functioning of the friction drive of the spindle. This drive does not always provide its required traction capacity, since due …

Research The Chopper Apparatus Of Equipment For Chopping Pressed Rough Fodders, Sh.H. Gapparov, N.A. Ashurov

Irrigation and Melioration

Livestock is one of the most important agricultural sectors in Uzbekistan and it is based on family livestock farms. On family farms, livestock animals are fed with pressed roughage, including corn stalks, alfalfa hay, barbed straw and wheat straw, mixed with concentrated feed. However, due to the lack of small choppers suitable for small farms, the compressed feed is fed to animals without chopping, as a result of which about 25-30 percent of them go to waste and there are large losses. Taking this into account, a small device was developed for chopping pressed roughage and mixing it with concentrated …