Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics Masters Theses: Recent submissions
Now showing items 81-100 of 106
-
Numerical Simulations of Incompressible and Compressible Transitional Turbine Flows
(North Dakota State University, 2014)Accurate and reliable turbulence and transition models are needed for prediction heating loads in the hot section of the turbine, and predicting aerodynamic losses when designing new blade profiles. Two dimensional ... -
Ultra-Violet Degradation Behavior of Polymeric Backsheets of Photovoltaic Modules
(North Dakota State University, 2014)This study is designed to understand the ultra-violet (UV) degradation of polymeric backsheets used in PV modules. Commercial photovoltaic backsheets from four suppliers were UV-aged for up to 3000 hours. The aged samples ... -
Numerical Simulation of Direct Expansion Solar-Assisted Heat Pump Water Heater Using Carbon Dioxide as Refrigerant
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Compared to the conventional solar-assisted heat pump (SAHP) water heating system, a relatively more compact direct-expansion solar assisted heat pump (DX-SAHP) has been introduced, in which the solar collector acts as an ... -
Dynamics of Compound Droplets via 3D Spectral Boundary Elements
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Compound droplets raise great interests due to their applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industry. In spite of the growing demand of theoretical investigation of dynamics of compound droplets from those ... -
Method for Compliance Controlled Adhesive Switching and Magnetically Controlled Switchable Adhesives
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Adhesives are used in a variety of ways and are so common that they are easily overlooked. Adhesive hooks, tapes, glues, and switchable climbing mechanisms used by insects and lizards are clear examples of how adhesives ... -
An Experimental Study on a Density Driven Solar Water Heating System Using Supercritical CO2 as Working Fluid
(North Dakota State University, 2013)For supercritical carbon dioxide, a small change in temperature or pressure can result in large change in density, especially close to its critical point. At this pseudocritical region, density decreases rapidly with ... -
Nanomechanical Characterization of Tobacco Mosaic Virus Superlattice with Novel Atomic Force Microscopy Methods
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) has been widely studied due to its excellent properties. In order to utilize TMV superlattice, this thesis initiates the study on its mechanical properties. The elastic modulus of TMV superlattice ... -
Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Droplets Wetting on Micronano-Fibrous Materials and their Applications in Oil-Water Separation
(North Dakota State University, 2013)This research was aimed at the theoretical and experimental investigation of wetting behavior of immiscible droplets sitting on filaments and related applications in oil-water separation. This work consisted of three ... -
Mechanical Analysis of Polycarbonate/Polysiloxane Block Copolymers and Blends
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be used to react with polycarbonate (PC) to generate PC-PDMS multiblock copolymers and PC/PC-PDMS-PC triblock blends to overcome the notch sensitivity of PC while maintaining its transparency. ... -
Numerical Studies of Droplet Behavior in a Steady Non-Uniform Electric Field
(North Dakota State University, 2013)An initially uncharged droplet suspended in another immiscible fluid under the influence of a steady non-uniform electric field may experience deformation, migration and bursting. This work numerically investigated the ... -
Properties of Flax Fiber Reinforced Composites
(North Dakota State University, 2013)In the field of renewable materials, natural fiber composites demonstrate the capacity to be a viable structural material. When normalized by density, flax fiber mechanical properties are competitive with E-glass fibers. ... -
Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Polyamide Biocomposites
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Biobased fillers in thermoplastics have seen increased usage over the last several years. The increased usage of biobased fillers follows the ever-increasing thrust to reduce petroleum and synthetic petrochemical product ... -
Shock Tube Design and the Kinematics of the Hybrid III Dummy Head under Shock Waves of Blast
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common injuries to soldiers in warfare today. A TBI occurs when the human brain is damaged by a sudden force coming from the environment. In the combat field of combat, high ... -
Development of Biobased Sandwich Structures for Mass Transit Application
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Efforts to increase the biobased content in sandwich composites are being investigated to reduce the dependence on synthetically produced or mined, energy-intensive materials for numerous composite applications. Vegetable ... -
Optimum Path Tracking of an Independently Steered Four Wheeled Mobile Robot
(North Dakota State University, 2012)This thesis studies the navigational control problem for an independently steered and driven four-wheeled ground robotic vehicle, a subset of the larger problem of controlling self-reconfigurable robotic vehicles. A ... -
Fabrication and Mechanical Characterization of Novel Hybrid Carbon-Fiber/Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Toughening/Self-Repairing Nanofibers at Interfaces
(North Dakota State University, 2012)This research was aimed at fabrication and characterization of novel hybrid carbon-fiber/epoxy composites reinforced with toughening/self-repairing nanofibers at interfaces. For interfacial toughening, continuous electrospun ... -
Experimental Characterization of Aerosol Flows Through Micro-Capillaries
(North Dakota State University, 2012)Understanding the forces which dictate fluid particle interaction is of high interest in the field of aerosol jet Direct Write (DW). Several methods utilizing shadowgraphy and Mie scattering were used to visualize particle ... -
Interfacial Characterization of Fibrous Composites by Cohesive Zone Method
(North Dakota State University, 2013)This work deals with investigation of the interface between unidirectional E-glass fiber and epoxy matrix composites. The two parts in this work are: 1. A periodically constrained finite element (FE) model built as a ... -
A Survey for Industrial Uses of Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)
(North Dakota State University, 2012)The increase in demand for corn ethanol has caused an increase in distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), which is a byproduct of ethanol production. DDGS is a cheap byproduct and is primarily used for livestock ... -
Effects of Green Reinforcement Strategies on Mechanical Properties of High Volume Polymers
(North Dakota State University, 2013)Green reinforcement in polymer systems have shown great promise in reducing cost, negative environmental effects, and dependency on nonrenewable resources. Both natural fillers and composite regrind can increase mechanical ...