Mechanical Engineering Research Works

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1661

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 103
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    Quantized topological energy pumping and Weyl points in Floquet synthetic dimensions with a driven-dissipative photonic molecule
    (Nature Physics, 2024-02-26) Sridhar, Sashank; Ghosh, Sayan; Dutt, Avik
    Topological effects manifest in a wide range of physical systems, such as solid crystals, acoustic waves, photonic materials and cold atoms. These effects are characterized by `topological invariants' which are typically integer-valued, and lead to robust quantized channels of transport in space, time, and other degrees of freedom. The temporal channel, in particular, allows one to achieve higher- dimensional topological effects, by driving the system with multiple incommensurate frequencies. However, dissipation is generally detrimental to such topological effects, particularly when the systems consist of quantum spins or qubits. Here we introduce a photonic molecule subjected to multiple RF/optical drives and dissipation as a promising candidate system to observe quantized transport along Floquet synthetic dimensions. Topological energy pumping in the incommensurately modulated photonic molecule is enhanced by the driven-dissipative nature of our platform. Furthermore, we provide a path to realizing Weyl points and measuring the Berry curvature emanating from these reciprocal-space (k-space) magnetic monopoles, illustrating the capabilities for higher-dimensional topological Hamiltonian simulation in this platform. Our approach enables direct k-space engineering of a wide variety of Hamiltonians using modulation bandwidths that are well below the free-spectral range (FSR) of integrated photonic cavities.
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    Opportunity Denied
    (2024-08-01) Anand, Davinder K.
    After a considerable amount of discussion, I decided to touch on a topic mostly ignored in the engineering curriculum. That is the participation of Black people in the areas of engineering and technology. The issue of Black Lives Matter and the widespread protests in 2020 have forced us to examine the long-standing opportunities in technology denied to this community. In this paper I review a brief history of how we got to this point and the challenges inherent in the educational system. At the end I discuss some deeply ingrained and difficult-to-change issues and present some final thoughts on this very complex situation. - Davinder K. Anand.
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    Tactile Sensing and Grasping Through Thin-Shell Buckling
    (Wiley, 2024-06-09) Barvenik, Kieran; Coogan, Zachary; Librandi, Gabriele; Pezzulla, Matteo; Tubaldi, Eleonora
    Soft and lightweight grippers have greatly enhanced the performance of robotic manipulators in handling complex objects with varying shape, texture, and stiffness. However, the combination of universal grasping with passive sensing capabilities still presents challenges. To overcome this limitation, a fluidic soft gripper is introduced based on the buckling of soft, thin hemispherical shells. Leveraging a single fluidic pressure input, the soft gripper can grasp slippery and delicate objects while passively providing information on this physical interaction. Guided by analytical, numerical, and experimental tools, the novel grasping principle of this mechanics-based soft gripper is explored. First, the buckling behavior of a free hemisphere is characterized as a function of its geometric parameters. Inspired by the free hemisphere's two-lobe mode shape ideal for grasping purposes, it is demonstrated that the gripper can perform dexterous manipulation and gentle gripping of fragile objects in confined spaces and underwater environments. Last, the soft gripper's embedded capability of detecting contact, grasping, and release conditions during the interaction with an unknown object is proved. This simple buckling-based soft gripper opens new avenues for the design of adaptive gripper morphologies with tactile sensing capabilities for applications ranging from medical and agricultural robotics to space and underwater exploration.
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    Programmable Control of Nanoliter Droplet Arrays Using Membrane Displacement Traps
    (Wiley, 2023-08-15) Harriot, Jason; Yeh, Michael; Pabba, Mani; DeVoe, Don L.
    A unique droplet microfluidic technology enabling programmable deterministic control over complex droplet operations is presented. The platform provides software control over user-defined combinations of droplet generation, capture, ejection, sorting, splitting, and merging sequences to enable the design of flexible assays employing nanoliter-scale fluid volumes. The system integrates a computer vision system with an array of membrane displacement traps capable of performing selected unit operations with automated feedback control. Sequences of individual droplet handling steps are defined through a robust Python-based scripting language. Bidirectional flow control within the microfluidic chips is provided using an H-bridge channel topology, allowing droplets to be transported to arbitrary trap locations within the array for increased operational flexibility. By enabling automated software control over all droplet operations, the system significantly expands the potential of droplet microfluidics for diverse biological and biochemical applications by combining the functionality of robotic liquid handling with the advantages of droplet-based fluid manipulation.
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    An Energy Consumption Intensity Ranking System for Rapid Energy Efficiency Evaluation of a Cluster of Commercial Buildings
    (ASHRAE Transactions, 2023-06) Aditya Ramnarayan, Andres Sarmiento, Armin Gerami, Michael Ohadi; Professor Michael Ohadi
    Buildings in the U.S. account for roughly 74% of electricity usage and about 40% of all primary energy use associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the U.S., as determined in the Paris Agreement, sets a goal of reducing GHG emissions by ~50% compared to 2005 levels by 2030 while working towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. To meet these carbon reduction targets, the U.S. must substantially reduce of energy consumption and improve buildings' energy efficiency. To this end, this study introduces an energy consumption ranking tool that can be used to analyze the energy consumption profile of a cluster of buildings/campuses and provide an efficient tool to measure, monitor, and reduce end-use energy and CO2 emissions. The tool bases its rankings on a standard benchmark or a targeted energy efficiency goal. The tool generates a band of ranking, from the best to the worst energy efficiency performance, which directs the attention of building designers, operators, and government regulation/enforcement agencies to buildings having subpar energy efficiency performance. The proposed methodology is extrapolated to encompass a broad range of energy and CO2 consumption metrics in various building types and climate zones, thus having local, regional, and international applications. Using end-use energy utility data from the relevant database for the selected cluster of buildings and campuses, a total square footage area of ~26 million square feet of buildings and campuses was taken as the sample set for performing virtual audits using the custom-developed software. Using dynamic scatter plots and several ranking metrics, buildings with an underwhelming energy performance are identified for detailed energy audits. Once the outliers are spotted, energy modeling is performed to identify and delineate the root cause for the high energy use pattern for the facility. A breakdown of utilities and their corresponding energy analytics are visualized, thus highlighting the range of energy efficiency improvements and the potential for electrification. For the case example studied, the virtual audits are projected to result in minimum annual energy savings of 1,280,461 MMBtu and a corresponding minimum annual GHG reduction of 91,309 metric tons of CO2.
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    The Hardness and Strength Properties of WC-Co Composites
    (MDPI, 2011-07-14) Armstrong, Ronald W.
    The industrially-important WC-Co composite materials provide a useful, albeit complicated materials system for understanding the combined influences on hardness and strength properties of the constituent WC particle strengths, the particle sizes, their contiguities, and of Co binder hardness and mean free paths, and in total, the volume fraction of constituents. A connection is made here between the composite material properties, especially including the material fracture toughness, and the several materials-type considerations of: (1) related hardness stress-strain behaviors; (2) dislocation (viscoplastic) thermal activation characterizations; (3) Hall-Petch type reciprocal square root of particle or grain size dependencies; and (4) indentation and conventional fracture mechanics results. Related behaviors of MgO and Al2O3 crystal and polycrystal materials are also described for the purpose of making comparisons.
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    Measurements of True Leak Rates of MEMS Packages
    (MDPI, 2012-03-06) Han, Bongtae
    Gas transport mechanisms that characterize the hermetic behavior of MEMS packages are fundamentally different depending upon which sealing materials are used in the packages. In metallic seals, gas transport occurs through a few nanoscale leak channels (gas conduction) that are produced randomly during the solder reflow process, while gas transport in polymeric seals occurs through the bulk material (gas diffusion). In this review article, the techniques to measure true leak rates of MEMS packages with the two sealing materials are described and discussed: a Helium mass spectrometer based technique for metallic sealing and a gas diffusion based model for polymeric sealing.
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    Lessons Learned from the 787 Dreamliner Issue on Lithium-Ion Battery Reliability
    (MDPI, 2013-09-09) Williard, Nicholas; He, Wei; Hendricks, Christopher; Pecht, Michael
    On 16 January 2013, all Boeing 787 Dreamliners were indefinitely grounded due to lithium-ion battery failures that had occurred in two planes. Subsequent investigations into the battery failures released through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) factual report, the March 15th Boeing press conference in Japan, and the NTSB hearings in Washington D.C., never identified the root causes of the failures—a major concern for ensuring safety and meeting reliability expectations. This paper discusses the challenges to lithium-ion battery qualification, reliability assessment, and safety in light of the Boeing 787 battery failures. New assessment methods and control techniques that can improve battery reliability and safety in avionic systems are then presented.
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    Symmetry Aspects of Dislocation-Effected Crystal Properties: Material Strength Levels and X-ray Topographic Imaging
    (MDPI, 2014-03-20) Armstrong, Ronald W.
    Several materials science type research topics are described in which advantageous use of crystal symmetry considerations has been helpful in ferreting the essential elements of dislocation behavior in determining material properties or for characterizing crystal/polycrystalline structural relationships; for example: (1) the mechanical strengthening produced by a symmetrical bicrystal grain boundary; (2) cleavage crack formation at the intersection within a crystal of symmetrical dislocation pile-ups; (3) symmetry aspects of anisotropic crystal indentation hardness measurements; (4) X-ray diffraction topography imaging of dislocation strains and subgrain boundary misorientations; and (5) point and space group aspects of twinning. Several applications are described in relation to the strengthening of grain boundaries in nanopolycrystals and of multiply-oriented crystal grains in polysilicon photovoltaic solar cell materials. A number of crystallographic aspects of the different topics are illustrated with a stereographic method of presentation.
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    An Entropy-Based Damage Characterization
    (MDPI, 2014-12-05) Amiri, Mehdi; Modarres, Mohammad
    This paper presents a scientific basis for the description of the causes of damage within an irreversible thermodynamic framework and the effects of damage as observable variables that signify degradation of structural integrity. The approach relies on the fundamentals of irreversible thermodynamics and specifically the notion of entropy generation as a measure of degradation and damage. We first review the state-of-the-art advances in entropic treatment of damage followed by a discussion on generalization of the entropic concept to damage characterization that may offers a better definition of damage metric commonly used for structural integrity assessment. In general, this approach provides the opportunity to described reliability and risk of structures in terms of fundamental science concepts. Over the years, many studies have focused on materials damage assessment by determining physics-based cause and affect relationships, the goal of this paper is to put this work in perspective and encourage future work of materials damage based on the entropy concept.