Other Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Phase Transitions In Mechanically Milled Mn-Al-C Permanent Magnets, Michael J. Lucis, Timothy E. Prost, Xiujuan Jiang, Meiyu Wang, Jeffrey E. Shield

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Mn-Al powders were prepared by rapid solidification followed by high-energy mechanical milling. The rapid solidification resulted in single-phase ε. The milling was performed in both the ε phase and the τ phase, with the τ-phase formation accomplished through a heat treatment at 500 °C for 10 min. For the ε-milled samples, the conversion of the ε to the τ phase was accomplished after milling via the same heat treatment. Mechanical milling induced a significant increase in coercivity in both cases, reaching 4.5 kOe and 4.1 kOe, respectively, followed by a decrease upon further milling. The increase in coercivity was the …

Biomechanical Strain As A Trigger For Pore Formation In Schlemm’S Canal Endothelial Cells, Sietse T. Braakman, Ryan M. Pedrigi, A. Thomas Read, James A. E. Smith, W. Daniel Stamer, C. Ross Ethier, Darryl R. Overby

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The bulk of aqueous humor passing through the conventional outflow pathway must cross the inner wall endothelium of Schlemm’s canal (SC), likely through micron-sized transendothelial pores. SC pore density is reduced in glaucoma, possibly contributing to obstructed aqueous humor outflow and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Little is known about the mechanisms of pore formation; however, pores are often observed near dome-like cellular outpouchings known as giant vacuoles (GVs) where significant biomechanical strain acts on SC cells. We hypothesize that biomechanical strain triggers pore formation in SC cells. To test this hypothesis, primary human SC cells were isolated from three non-glaucomatous …

Altered Mechanobiology Of Schlemm’S Canal Endothelial Cells In Glaucoma, Darryl R. Overby, Enhua H. Zhou, Rocio Vargas-Pinto, Ryan M. Pedrigi, Rudolf Fuchshofer, Sietse T. Braakman, Ritika Gupta, Kristin M. Perkumas, Joesph M. Sherwood, Amir Vahabikashi, Quynh Dang, Jae Hun Kim, C. Ross Ethier, W. Daniel Stamer, Jeffrey J. Fredberg, Mark Johnson

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Increased flow resistance is responsible for the elevated intraocular pressure characteristic of glaucoma, but the cause of this resistance increase is not known. We tested the hypothesis that altered biomechanical behavior of Schlemm’s canal (SC) cells contributes to this dysfunction. We used atomic force microscopy, optical magnetic twisting cytometry, and a unique cell perfusion apparatus to examine cultured endothelial cells isolated from the inner wall of SC of healthy and glaucomatous human eyes. Here we establish the existence of a reduced tendency for pore formation in the glaucomatous SC cell—likely accounting for increased outflow resistance—that positively correlates with elevated subcortical …

Arising Applications Of Ferroelectric Materials In Photovoltaic Devices, Yongbo Yuan, Zhengguo Xiao, Bin Yang, Jinsong Huang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The ferroelectric-photovoltaic (FE-PV) device, in which a homogeneous ferroelectric material is used as a light absorbing layer, has been investigated during the past several decades with numerous ferroelectric oxides. The FE-PV effect is distinctly different from the typical photovoltaic (PV) effect in semiconductor p–n junctions in that the polarization electric field is the driving force for the photocurrent in FE-PV devices. In addition, the anomalous photovoltaic effect, in which the voltage output along the polarization direction can be significantly larger than the bandgap of the ferroelectric materials, has been frequently observed in FE-PV devices. However, a big challenge faced by …

Electrospinning Applications Air Filtration And Superhydrophobic Materials, Negar Ghochaghi, Adetoun Taiwo

Graduate Research Posters

Electrospinning is a widely applicable technique that generates non-woven fibers in the micro and nano range. In this project two of its applications are highlighted namely filtration media and enhancement of wettability. The first project demonstrates that electrospinning can be used to produce new fiber filtration media with controlled microstructure. The bimodal and unimodal orthogonal and random filters were made and characterized against their filtration efficiency and pressure drop. Figure of Merit (FOM) was also calculated and discussed. It is shown that the FOM increases when the electrospun fibers are arranged into alternating layers of aligned course and fine fibers. …

Mode I Fracture Toughness Of Eight-Harness-Satin Carbon Cloth Weaves For Co-Cured And Post-Bonded Laminates, Josh E. Smith

Master's Theses

Mode I interlaminar fracture of 3k 8-Harness-Satin Carbon cloth, with identical fill and weft yarns, pre-impregnated with Newport 307 resin was investigated through the DCB test (ASTM D5528). Crack propagations along both the fill and weft yarns were considered for both post-bonded (co-bonded) and co-cured laminates. A patent-pending delamination insertion method was compared to the standard Teflon film option to assess its applicability to mode I fracture testing. The Modified Beam Theory, Compliance Calibration method, and Modified Compliance Calibration method were used for comparative purposes for these investigations and to evaluate the validity of the proposed Equivalent Stiffness (EQS) method. …

Ergonomichandle And Articulating Laparoscopictool, M. Susan Hallbeck, Dmitry Oleynikov, Kathryn Done, Tim Judkins, Allison Dimartino, Jonathan Morse, Lawton N. Verner

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The present invention relates to a laparoscopic apparatus. The apparatus includes a handle having a body portion, a top surface, opposite bottom surface, a proximal and distal end. The top surface of the base is contoured to compliment the natural curve of the palm. The apparatus further includes a shaft projecting from the distal end of the handle. The shaft has a proximal and distal end. A control sphere is located on the handle. The control sphere can be moved by one or more of a user's fingers to indicate direction. An end effector is located at the distal end …

Scalar Differential Equation For Slowly-Varying Thickness-Shear Modes In At-Cut Quartz Resonators With Surface Impedance For Acoustic Wave Sensor Application, Huijing He, Jiashi Yang, John A. Kosinski

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

For time-harmonic motions, we generalize a 2-D scalar differential equation derived previously by Tiersten for slowly-varying thickness-shear vibrations of AT-cut quartz resonators. The purpose of the generalization is to include the effects of surface acoustic impedance from, e.g., mass layers or fluids for sensor applications. In addition to the variation of fields along the plate thickness, which is considered in the usual 1-D acoustic wave sensor models, the equation obtained also describes in-plane variations of the fields, and therefore can be used to study the vibrations of finite plate sensors with edge effects. The equation is compared with the theory …

A New Angle On Microscopic Suspension Feeders Near Boundaries, Rachel E. Pepper, Marcus Roper, Sangjin Ryu, Nobuyoshi Matsumoto, Moeto Nagai, Howard A. Stone

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Microscopic sessile suspension feeders are a critical component in aquatic ecosystems, acting as an intermediate trophic stage between bacteria and higher eukaryotic taxa. Because they live attached to boundaries, it has long been thought that recirculation of the feeding currents produced by sessile suspension feeders inhibits their ability to access fresh fluid. However, previous models for the feeding flows of these organisms assume that they feed by pushing fluid perpendicular to surfaces they live upon, whereas we observe that sessile suspension feeders often feed at an angle to these boundaries. Using experiments and calculations, we show that living suspension feeders …

Thickness-Shear And Thickness-Twist Vibrations Of Circular At-Cut Quartz Resonators, Huijing He, Jiashi Yang, Qing Jiang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Exact solutions for free vibration frequencies and modes are obtained for thickness-shear and thickness-twist vibrations of unelectroded circular AT-cut quartz plates governed by the two-dimensional scalar differential equation derived by Tiersten and Smythe. Comparisons are made with experimental results and the widely-used perturbation solution by Tiersten and Smythe under the assumption of weak in-plane anisotropy. Our solution is found to be much closer to the experimental results than the perturbation solution . For the frequency of the fundamental thickness- shear mode, the error of the perturbation method is 0.4549%, significant in resonator applications.

High-Resolution Correlation Spectroscopy Of 13c Spins Near A Nitrogen-Vacancy Centre In Diamond, Abdelghani Laraoui, Florian Dolde, Christian Burk, Friedemann Reinhard, Jorg Wrachtrup, Carlos A. Meriles

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Spin complexes comprising the nitrogen-vacancy centre and neighbouring spins are being considered as a building block for a new generation of spintronic and quantum information processing devices. As assembling identical spin clusters is difficult, new strategies are being developed to determine individual node structures with the highest precision. Here we use a pulse protocol to monitor the time evolution of the 13C ensemble in the vicinity of a nitrogenvacancy centre. We observe long-lived time correlations in the nuclear spin dynamics, limited by nitrogen-vacancy spin–lattice relaxation. We use the host 14N spin as a quantum register and demonstrate that hyperfine-shifted resonances …

Thickness-Shear Vibration Of A Rectangular Quartz Plate With Partial Electrodes, Huijing He, Jiashi Yang, John A. Kosinski, Ji Wang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We study free vibration of a thickness-shear mode crystal resonator of AT-cut quartz. The resonator is a rectangular plate partially and symmetrically electroded at the center with rectangular electrodes. A single-mode, three-dimensional equation governing the thickness-shear displacement is used. A Fourier series solution is obtained. Numerical results calculated from the series show that there exist trapped thickness-shear modes whose vibration is mainly under the electrodes and decays rapidly outside the electrodes. The effects of the electrode size and thickness on the trapped modes are examined.

Room-Temperature Organic Ferromagnetism In The Crystalline Poly(3-Hexylthiophene): Phenyl-C61-Butyric Acid Methyl Ester Blend Film, Bin Yang, Zhengguo Xiao, Yongbo Yuan, Tanjore V. Jayaraman, Jeffrey E. Shield, Ralph Skomski, Jinsong Huang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Pronounced ferromagnetism was observed in a crystalline blend film of conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) by using magnetic force microscopy measurements. A substantial room-temperature saturation magnetization of about 0.65 emu g−1 was measured by an alternating gradient field magnetometer. Multiple experimental evidences demonstrate the charge transfer from the P3HT to the PCBM and the formation of P3HT crystal domain are expected to be two critical factors for the originals of room-temperature organic ferromagnetism.

A Mathematical Evaluation Of Hemodynamic Parameters After Carotid Eversion And Conventional Patch Angioplasty, Alexey Kamenskiy, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Yuris A. Dzenis, Prateek K. Gupta, Syed A. Jaffar Kazmi, Jason N. Mactaggart

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Carotid endarterectomy has a long history in stroke prevention, yet controversy remains concerning optimal techniques. Two methods frequently used are endarterectomy with patch angioplasty (CEAP) and eversion endarterectomy (CEE). The objective of this study was to compare hemodynamics-related stress and strain distributions between arteries repaired using CEAP and CEE. Mathematical models were based on in vivo three-dimensional arterial geometry, pulsatile velocity profiles, and intraluminal pressure inputs obtained from 16 patients with carotid artery disease. These data were combined with experimentally derived nonlinear, anisotropic carotid artery mechanical properties to create fluid-structure interaction models of CEAP and CEE. These models were then …

Effects Of Mode Coupling On The Admittance Of An At-Cut Quartz Thickness-Shear Resonator, Huijing He, Jiashi Yang, Wei-Ping Zhang, Ji Wang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We study the effects of couplings to flexure and face-shear modes on the admittance of an AT-cut quartz plate thickness-shear mode resonator. Mindlin’s two-dimensional equations for piezoelectric plates are employed. Electrically forced vibration solutions are obtained for three cases: pure thickness-shear mode alone; two coupled modes of thickness shear and flexure; and three coupled modes of thickness shear, flexure, and face shear. Admittance is calculated and its dependence on the driving frequency and the length/thickness ratio of the resonator is examined. Results show that near the thickness-shear resonance, admittance assumes maxima, and that for certain values of the length/thickness ratio, …

A Comparative Study Of The Dry And Wet Nano-Scale Electro-Machining, M. P. Jahan, K. R. Virwani, Kamlakar P. Rajurkar, A. P. Malshe

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In recent years, a nano-electromachining (nano-EM) process based on a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) platform has been demonstrated. Nano-EM is capable of machining nano-features, under both, liquid dielectric (wet nano-EM) and air dielectric (dry nano-EM) media. The objective of this paper is to present a comparative study between the wet and dry nano-EM processes based on process mechanism, machining performance, consistency and dimensional repeatability of these two processes. The comparison of the two processes has been conducted at near field nano-EM, where the gap between the tool electrode and workpiece is 2 nm and the machining is performed at room …

Inducing Neurite Outgrowth By Mechanical Cell Stretch, Suzanne Higgins, Jeong Soon Lee, Ligyeom Ha, Jung Yul Lim

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Establishing extracellular milieus to stimulate neuronal regeneration is a critical need in neuronal tissue engineering. Many studies have used a soluble factor (such as nerve growth factor or retinoic acid [RA]), micropatterned substrate, and electrical stimulation to induce enhanced neurogenesis in neuronal precursor cells. However, little attention has been paid to mechanical stimulation because neuronal cells are not generally recognized as being mechanically functional, a characteristic of mechanoresponsive cells such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and muscle cells. In this study, we performed proof-of-concept experiments to demonstrate the potential anabolic effects of mechanical stretch to enhance cellular neurogenesis. We cultured human neuroblastoma …

Systems Biology Of The Functional And Dysfunctional Endothelium, Jennifer Frueh, Nataly Maimari, Takayuki Homma, Sandra M. Bovens, Ryan M. Pedrigi, Leila Towhidi, Rob Krams

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

This review provides an overview of the effect of blood flow on endothelial cell (EC) signalling pathways, applying microarray technologies to cultured cells, and in vivo studies of normal and atherosclerotic animals. It is found that in cultured ECs, 5–10% of genes are up- or down-regulated in response to fluid flow, whereas only 3–6% of genes are regulated by varying levels of fluid flow. Of all genes, 90%are regulated by the steady part of fluid flow and 10% by pulsatile components. The associated gene profiles show high variability from experiment to experiment depending on experimental conditions, and importantly, the bioinformatical …

Solution-Processed Nanoparticle Super-Float-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistor As Un-Cooled Ultraviolet And Infrared Photon Counter, Yongbo Yuan, Qingfeng Dong, Bin Yang, Fawen Guo, Qi Zhang, Ming Han, Jinsong Huang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

High sensitivity photodetectors in ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) range have broad civilian and military applications. Here we report on an un-cooled solution-processed UV-IR photon counter based on modified organic field-effect transistors. This type of UV detectors have light absorbing zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) sandwiched between two gate dielectric layers as a floating gate. The photon-generated charges on the floating gate cause high resistance regions in the transistor channel and tune the source-drain output current. This ‘‘super-float-gating’’ mechanism enables very high sensitivity photodetectors with a minimum detectable ultraviolet light intensity of 2.6 photons/µm²s at room temperature as well …

Analysis Of Electrically-Forced Vibrations Of Piezoelectric Mesa Resonators, Huijing He, Guo-Quan Nie, Jin-Xi Liu, Jiashi Yang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We study the electrically forced thickness-shear and thickness-twist vibrations of stepped thickness piezoelectric plate mesa resonators made of polarized ceramics or 6-mm class crystals. A theoretical analysis based on the theory of piezoelectricity is performed, and an analytical solution is obtained using the trigonometric series. The electrical admittance, resonant frequencies, and mode shapes are calculated, and strong energy trapping of the modes is observed. Their dependence on the geometric parameters of the resonator is also examined.

Review Of Electrochemical And Electrodischarge Machining, Kamlakar P. Rajurkar, M. M. Sundaram, A. P. Malshe

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Electrochemical and electro-discharge machining processes are the two major electro-machining processes with unique capabilities. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) and Electrochemical Machining (ECM) offer a better alternative or sometimes the only alternative in generating accurate 3-D complex shaped macro, micro and nano features and components of difficult–to-machine materials. Technological advances reported in electrochemical and electro discharge machining processes, which reflect the state of the art in academic and industrial research and applications, are briefly reviewed in this paper.

Wire Electro-Discharge Machining Of Titanium Alloy, Farnaz Nourbakhsh, Kamlakar P. Rajurkar, Ajay P. Malshe, Jian Cao

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

This paper presents an experimental investigation of wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM) of titanium alloy. The objective is to investigate the effect of seven process parameters including pulse width, servo reference voltage, pulse current, and wire tension on process performance parameters (such as cutting speed, wire rupture and surface integrity). A Taguchi L18 design of experiment (DOE) has been applied. All experiments have been conducted using Charmilles WEDM. It was also found that the cutting speed increases with peak current and pulse interval. Surface roughness was found to increase with pulse width and decrease with pulse interval. The Analysis of Variance …

Selective Detection And Automated Counting Of Fluorescently-Labeled Chrysotile Asbestos Using A Dual-Mode High-Throughput Microscopy (Dm-Htm) Method, Myoung-Ock Cho, Hyo Mi Chang, Donghee Lee, Yeon Gyu Yu, Hwataik Han, Jung Kyung Kim

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Phase contrast microscopy (PCM) is a widely used analytical method for airborne asbestos, but it is unable to distinguish asbestos from non-asbestos fibers and requires time-consuming and laborious manual counting of fibers. Previously, we developed a high-throughput microscopy (HTM) method that could greatly reduce human intervention and analysis time through automated image acquisition and counting of fibers. In this study, we designed a dual-mode HTM (DM-HTM) device for the combined reflection and fluorescence imaging of asbestos, and automated a series of built-in image processing commands of ImageJ software to test its capabilities. We used DksA, a chrysotile-adhesive protein, for selective …

Photovoltaic Device, Jinsong Huang, Bin Yang, Yongbo Yuan

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

An apparatus includes a substrate; and a photoactive layer disposed on the substrate. The photoactive layer includes an electron acceptor material; an electron donor material; and a material having dipoles.

Energy Trapping Of Thickness-Shear And Thickness-Twist Modes In A Partially Electroded At-Cut Quartz Resonator, Huijing He, Guoquan Nie, Jinxi Liu, Jiashi Yang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The thickness-shear and thickness-twist vibrations of a finite and partially electroded AT-cut quartz resonator are investigated. The equations of anisotropic elasticity are used with the omission of the small elastic constant c56 . An analytical solution is obtained using Fourier series from which the free vibration resonant frequencies, mode shapes, and energy trapping are calculated and examined.

Maximal Force Characteristics Of The Ca2+-Powered Actuator Of Vorticella Convallaria, Sangjin Ryu, Matthew J. Lang, Paul Matsudaira

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The millisecond stalk contraction of the sessile ciliate Vorticella convallaria is powered by energy from Ca²⁺ binding to generate contractile forces of ~10 nN. Its contractile organelle, the spasmoneme, generates higher contractile force under increased stall resistances. By applying viscous drag force to contracting V. convallaria in a microfluidic channel, we observed that the mechanical force and work of the spasmoneme depended on the stalk length, i.e., the maximum tension (150–350 nN) and work linearly depended on the stalk length (~2.5 nN and ~30 fJ per 1 mm of the stalk). This stalk-length dependency suggests that motor units of …

Shear-Horizontal Vibration Modes Of An Oblate Elliptical Cylinder And Energy Trapping In Contoured Acoustic Wave Resonators, Huijing He, Jiashi Yang, John A. Kosinski

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We study shear-horizontal free vibrations of an elastic cylinder with an oblate elliptical cross section and a traction-free surface. Exact vibration modes and frequencies are obtained. The results show the existence of thickness-shear and thickness-twist modes. The energy-trapping behavior of these modes is examined. Trapped modes are found wherein the vibration energy is largely confined to the central portion of the cross section and little vibration energy is found at the edges. It is also shown that face-shear modes are not allowed in such a cylinder. The results are useful for the understanding of the energy trapping phenomenon in contoured …

Nonlinear Mechanical Behavior Of The Human Common, External And Internal Carotid Arteries In Vivo, Alexey Kamenskiy, Yuris A. Dzenis, Jason N. Mactaggart, Thomas G. Lynch, Syed A. Jaffar Kazmi, Iraklis I. Pipinos

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Introduction—The mechanical environment and properties of the carotid artery play an important role in the formation and progression of atherosclerosis in the carotid bifurcation. The purpose of this work was to measure and compare the range and variation of circumferential stress and tangent elastic moduli in the human common (CCA), external (ECA) and internal (ICA) carotid arteries over the cardiac cycle in vivo.

Methods—Measurements were performed in the surgically exposed proximal cervical CCA, distal ECA and distal ICA of normotensive patients (n = 16) undergoing carotid endarterectomy. All measurements were completed in vivo over the cardiac cycle …

Three-Dimensional Geometry Of The Human Carotid Artery, Alexey Kamenskiy, Jason N. Mactaggart, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Jai Bikhchandani, Yuris A. Dzenis

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Accurate characterization of carotid artery geometry is vital to our understanding of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Three-dimensional computer reconstructions based on medical imaging are now ubiquitous; however, mean carotid artery geometry has not yet been comprehensively characterized. The goal of this work was to build and study such geometry based on data from 16 male patients with severe carotid artery disease. Results of computerized tomography angiography were used to analyze the cross-sectional images implementing a semiautomated segmentation algorithm. Extracted data were used to reconstruct the mean three-dimensional geometry and to determine average values and variability of bifurcation and planarity angles, …

Rehabilitation And Exercise Machine, Judith M. Burnfield, Yu Shu, Thad W. Buster, Carl Nelson

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

An improved rehabilitation and exercise machine is provided which allows a person with physical limitations, disabilities or chronic conditions to use the machine in order to rehabilitate their muscles, improve joint flexibility, and enhance cardiovascular fitness.