This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.

In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.

Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at gradformat@asu.edu.

Displaying 1 - 10 of 95
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Description
Recently, the use of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires as an interphase in composite materials has been demonstrated to increase the interfacial shear strength between carbon fiber and an epoxy matrix. In this research work, the strong adhesion between ZnO and carbon fiber is investigated to elucidate the interactions at the

Recently, the use of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires as an interphase in composite materials has been demonstrated to increase the interfacial shear strength between carbon fiber and an epoxy matrix. In this research work, the strong adhesion between ZnO and carbon fiber is investigated to elucidate the interactions at the interface that result in high interfacial strength. First, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to calculate the adhesive energy between bare carbon and ZnO. Since the carbon fiber surface has oxygen functional groups, these were modeled and MD simulations showed the preference of ketones to strongly interact with ZnO, however, this was not observed in the case of hydroxyls and carboxylic acid. It was also found that the ketone molecules ability to change orientation facilitated the interactions with the ZnO surface. Experimentally, the atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to measure the adhesive energy between ZnO and carbon through a liftoff test by employing highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate and a ZnO covered AFM tip. Oxygen functionalization of the HOPG surface shows the increase of adhesive energy. Additionally, the surface of ZnO was modified to hold a negative charge, which demonstrated an increase in the adhesive energy. This increase in adhesion resulted from increased induction forces given the relatively high polarizability of HOPG and the preservation of the charge on ZnO surface. It was found that the additional negative charge can be preserved on the ZnO surface because there is an energy barrier since carbon and ZnO form a Schottky contact. Other materials with the same ionic properties of ZnO but with higher polarizability also demonstrated good adhesion to carbon. This result substantiates that their induced interaction can be facilitated not only by the polarizability of carbon but by any of the materials at the interface. The versatility to modify the magnitude of the induced interaction between carbon and an ionic material provides a new route to create interfaces with controlled interfacial strength.
ContributorsGalan Vera, Magdian Ulises (Author) / Sodano, Henry A (Thesis advisor) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Solanki, Kiran (Committee member) / Oswald, Jay (Committee member) / Speyer, Gil (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
"Sensor Decade" has been labeled on the first decade of the 21st century. Similar to the revolution of micro-computer in 1980s, sensor R&D; developed rapidly during the past 20 years. Hard workings were mainly made to minimize the size of devices with optimal the performance. Efforts to develop the small

"Sensor Decade" has been labeled on the first decade of the 21st century. Similar to the revolution of micro-computer in 1980s, sensor R&D; developed rapidly during the past 20 years. Hard workings were mainly made to minimize the size of devices with optimal the performance. Efforts to develop the small size devices are mainly concentrated around Micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) technology. MEMS accelerometers are widely published and used in consumer electronics, such as smart phones, gaming consoles, anti-shake camera and vibration detectors. This study represents liquid-state low frequency micro-accelerometer based on molecular electronic transducer (MET), in which inertial mass is not the only but also the conversion of mechanical movement to electric current signal is the main utilization of the ionic liquid. With silicon-based planar micro-fabrication, the device uses a sub-micron liter electrolyte droplet sealed in oil as the sensing body and a MET electrode arrangement which is the anode-cathode-cathode-anode (ACCA) in parallel as the read-out sensing part. In order to sensing the movement of ionic liquid, an imposed electric potential was applied between the anode and the cathode. The electrode reaction, I_3^-+2e^___3I^-, occurs around the cathode which is reverse at the anodes. Obviously, the current magnitude varies with the concentration of ionic liquid, which will be effected by the movement of liquid droplet as the inertial mass. With such structure, the promising performance of the MET device design is to achieve 10.8 V/G (G=9.81 m/s^2) sensitivity at 20 Hz with the bandwidth from 1 Hz to 50 Hz, and a low noise floor of 100 ug/sqrt(Hz) at 20 Hz.
ContributorsLiang, Mengbing (Author) / Yu, Hongyu (Thesis advisor) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Kozicki, Micheal (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
The main objective of this study is to investigate the mechanical behaviour of cementitious based composites subjected dynamic tensile loading, with effects of strain rate, temperature, addition of short fibres etc. Fabric pullout model and tension stiffening model based on finite difference model, previously developed at Arizona State University were

The main objective of this study is to investigate the mechanical behaviour of cementitious based composites subjected dynamic tensile loading, with effects of strain rate, temperature, addition of short fibres etc. Fabric pullout model and tension stiffening model based on finite difference model, previously developed at Arizona State University were used to help study the bonding mechanism between fibre and matrix, and the phenomenon of tension stiffening due to the addition of fibres and textiles. Uniaxial tension tests were conducted on strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC), textile reinforced concrete (TRC) with and without addition of short fibres, at the strain rates ranging from 25 s-1 to 100 s-1. Historical data on quasi-static tests of same materials were used to demonstrate the effects including increases in average tensile strength, strain capacity, work-to-fracture due to high strain rate. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), glass, polypropylene were employed as reinforcements of concrete. A state-of-the-art phantom v7 high speed camera was setup to record the video at frame rate of 10,000 fps. Random speckle pattern of texture style was made on the surface of specimens for image analysis. An optical non-contacting deformation measurement technique referred to as digital image correlation (DIC) method was used to conduct the image analysis by means of tracking the displacement field through comparison between the reference image and deformed images. DIC successfully obtained full-filed strain distribution, strain versus time responses, demonstrated the bonding mechanism from perspective of strain field, and corrected the stress-strain responses.
ContributorsYao, Yiming (Author) / Barzin, Mobasher (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Committee member) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
Woven fabric composite materials are widely used in the construction of aircraft engine fan containment systems, mostly due to their high strength to weight ratios and ease of implementation. The development of a predictive model for fan blade containment would provide great benefit to engine manufactures in shortened development cycle

Woven fabric composite materials are widely used in the construction of aircraft engine fan containment systems, mostly due to their high strength to weight ratios and ease of implementation. The development of a predictive model for fan blade containment would provide great benefit to engine manufactures in shortened development cycle time, less risk in certification and fewer dollars lost to redesign/recertification cycles. A mechanistic user-defined material model subroutine has been developed at Arizona State University (ASU) that captures the behavioral response of these fabrics, namely Kevlar® 49, under ballistic loading. Previously developed finite element models used to validate the consistency of this material model neglected the effects of the physical constraints imposed on the test setup during ballistic testing performed at NASA Glenn Research Center (NASA GRC). Part of this research was to explore the effects of these boundary conditions on the results of the numerical simulations. These effects were found to be negligible in most instances. Other material models for woven fabrics are available in the LS-DYNA finite element code. One of these models, MAT234: MAT_VISCOELASTIC_LOOSE_FABRIC (Ivanov & Tabiei, 2004) was studied and implemented in the finite element simulations of ballistic testing associated with the FAA ASU research. The results from these models are compared to results obtained from the ASU UMAT as part of this research. The results indicate an underestimation in the energy absorption characteristics of the Kevlar 49 fabric containment systems. More investigation needs to be performed in the implementation of MAT234 for Kevlar 49 fabric. Static penetrator testing of Kevlar® 49 fabric was performed at ASU in conjunction with this research. These experiments are designed to mimic the type of loading experienced during fan blade out events. The resulting experimental strains were measured using a non-contact optical strain measurement system (ARAMIS).
ContributorsFein, Jonathan (Author) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Thesis advisor) / Mobasher, Barzin (Committee member) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
Dealloying induced stress corrosion cracking is particularly relevant in energy conversion systems (both nuclear and fossil fuel) as many failures in alloys such as austenitic stainless steel and nickel-based systems result directly from dealloying. This study provides evidence of the role of unstable dynamic fracture processes in dealloying induced stress-corrosion

Dealloying induced stress corrosion cracking is particularly relevant in energy conversion systems (both nuclear and fossil fuel) as many failures in alloys such as austenitic stainless steel and nickel-based systems result directly from dealloying. This study provides evidence of the role of unstable dynamic fracture processes in dealloying induced stress-corrosion cracking of face-centered cubic alloys. Corrosion of such alloys often results in the formation of a brittle nanoporous layer which we hypothesize serves to nucleate a crack that owing to dynamic effects penetrates into the un-dealloyed parent phase alloy. Thus, since there is essentially a purely mechanical component of cracking, stress corrosion crack propagation rates can be significantly larger than that predicted from electrochemical parameters. The main objective of this work is to examine and test this hypothesis under conditions relevant to stress corrosion cracking. Silver-gold alloys serve as a model system for this study since hydrogen effects can be neglected on a thermodynamic basis, which allows us to focus on a single cracking mechanism. In order to study various aspects of this problem, the dynamic fracture properties of monolithic nanoporous gold (NPG) were examined in air and under electrochemical conditions relevant to stress corrosion cracking. The detailed processes associated with the crack injection phenomenon were also examined by forming dealloyed nanoporous layers of prescribed properties on un-dealloyed parent phase structures and measuring crack penetration distances. Dynamic fracture in monolithic NPG and in crack injection experiments was examined using high-speed (106 frames s-1) digital photography. The tunable set of experimental parameters included the NPG length scale (20-40 nm), thickness of the dealloyed layer (10-3000 nm) and the electrochemical potential (0.5-1.5 V). The results of crack injection experiments were characterized using the dual-beam focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy. Together these tools allow us to very accurately examine the detailed structure and composition of dealloyed grain boundaries and compare crack injection distances to the depth of dealloying. The results of this work should provide a basis for new mathematical modeling of dealloying induced stress corrosion cracking while providing a sound physical basis for the design of new alloys that may not be susceptible to this form of cracking. Additionally, the obtained results should be of broad interest to researchers interested in the fracture properties of nano-structured materials. The findings will open up new avenues of research apart from any implications the study may have for stress corrosion cracking.
ContributorsSun, Shaofeng (Author) / Sieradzki, Karl (Thesis advisor) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Peralta, Pedro (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
This study focuses on implementing probabilistic nature of material properties (Kevlar® 49) to the existing deterministic finite element analysis (FEA) of fabric based engine containment system through Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) and implementation of probabilistic analysis in engineering designs through Reliability Based Design Optimization (RBDO). First, the emphasis is on

This study focuses on implementing probabilistic nature of material properties (Kevlar® 49) to the existing deterministic finite element analysis (FEA) of fabric based engine containment system through Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) and implementation of probabilistic analysis in engineering designs through Reliability Based Design Optimization (RBDO). First, the emphasis is on experimental data analysis focusing on probabilistic distribution models which characterize the randomness associated with the experimental data. The material properties of Kevlar® 49 are modeled using experimental data analysis and implemented along with an existing spiral modeling scheme (SMS) and user defined constitutive model (UMAT) for fabric based engine containment simulations in LS-DYNA. MCS of the model are performed to observe the failure pattern and exit velocities of the models. Then the solutions are compared with NASA experimental tests and deterministic results. MCS with probabilistic material data give a good prospective on results rather than a single deterministic simulation results. The next part of research is to implement the probabilistic material properties in engineering designs. The main aim of structural design is to obtain optimal solutions. In any case, in a deterministic optimization problem even though the structures are cost effective, it becomes highly unreliable if the uncertainty that may be associated with the system (material properties, loading etc.) is not represented or considered in the solution process. Reliable and optimal solution can be obtained by performing reliability optimization along with the deterministic optimization, which is RBDO. In RBDO problem formulation, in addition to structural performance constraints, reliability constraints are also considered. This part of research starts with introduction to reliability analysis such as first order reliability analysis, second order reliability analysis followed by simulation technique that are performed to obtain probability of failure and reliability of structures. Next, decoupled RBDO procedure is proposed with a new reliability analysis formulation with sensitivity analysis, which is performed to remove the highly reliable constraints in the RBDO, thereby reducing the computational time and function evaluations. Followed by implementation of the reliability analysis concepts and RBDO in finite element 2D truss problems and a planar beam problem are presented and discussed.
ContributorsDeivanayagam, Arumugam (Author) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Thesis advisor) / Mobasher, Barzin (Committee member) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
The focus of this investigation is on the optimum placement of a limited number of dampers, fewer than the number of blades, on a bladed disk to induce the smallest amplitude of blade response. The optimization process considers the presence of random mistuning, i.e. small involuntary variations in blade stiffness

The focus of this investigation is on the optimum placement of a limited number of dampers, fewer than the number of blades, on a bladed disk to induce the smallest amplitude of blade response. The optimization process considers the presence of random mistuning, i.e. small involuntary variations in blade stiffness properties resulting, say, from manufacturing variability. Designed variations of these properties, known as intentional mistuning, is considered as an option to reduce blade response and the pattern of two blade types (A and B blades) is then part of the optimization in addition to the location of dampers on the disk. First, this study focuses on the formulation and validation of dedicated algorithms for the selection of the damper locations and the intentional mistuning pattern. Failure of one or several of the dampers could lead to a sharp rise in blade response and this issue is addressed by including, in the optimization, the possibility of damper failure to yield a fail-safe solution. The high efficiency and accuracy of the optimization algorithms is assessed in comparison with computationally very demanding exhaustive search results. Second, the developed optimization algorithms are applied to nonlinear dampers (underplatform friction dampers), as well as to blade-blade dampers, both linear and nonlinear. Further, the optimization of blade-only and blade-blade linear dampers is extended to include uncertainty or variability in the damper properties induced by manufacturing or wear. It is found that the optimum achieved without considering such uncertainty is robust with respect to it. Finally, the potential benefits of using two different types of friction dampers differing in their masses (A and B types), on a bladed disk are considered. Both A/B pattern and the damper masses are optimized to obtain the largest benefit compared to using identical dampers of optimized masses on every blade. Four situations are considered: tuned disks, disks with random mistuning of blade stiffness, and, disks with random mistuning of both blade stiffness and damper normal forces with and without damper variability induced by manufacturing and wear. In all cases, the benefit of intentional mistuning of friction dampers is small, of the order of a few percent.
ContributorsMurthy, Raghavendra Narasimha (Author) / Mignolet, Marc P (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Committee member) / Lentz, Jeff (Committee member) / Chattopadhyay, Aditi (Committee member) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
Ball Grid Array (BGA) using lead-free or lead-rich solder materials are widely used as Second Level Interconnects (SLI) in mounting packaged components to the printed circuit board (PCB). The reliability of these solder joints is of significant importance to the performance of microelectronics components and systems. Product design/form-factor, solder material,

Ball Grid Array (BGA) using lead-free or lead-rich solder materials are widely used as Second Level Interconnects (SLI) in mounting packaged components to the printed circuit board (PCB). The reliability of these solder joints is of significant importance to the performance of microelectronics components and systems. Product design/form-factor, solder material, manufacturing process, use condition, as well as, the inherent variabilities present in the system, greatly influence product reliability. Accurate reliability analysis requires an integrated approach to concurrently account for all these factors and their synergistic effects. Such an integrated and robust methodology can be used in design and development of new and advanced microelectronics systems and can provide significant improvement in cycle-time, cost, and reliability. IMPRPK approach is based on a probabilistic methodology, focusing on three major tasks of (1) Characterization of BGA solder joints to identify failure mechanisms and obtain statistical data, (2) Finite Element analysis (FEM) to predict system response needed for life prediction, and (3) development of a probabilistic methodology to predict the reliability, as well as, the sensitivity of the system to various parameters and the variabilities. These tasks and the predictive capabilities of IMPRPK in microelectronic reliability analysis are discussed.
ContributorsFallah-Adl, Ali (Author) / Tasooji, Amaneh (Thesis advisor) / Krause, Stephen (Committee member) / Alford, Terry (Committee member) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Mahajan, Ravi (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
Shock loading is a complex phenomenon that can lead to failure mechanisms such as strain localization, void nucleation and growth, and eventually spall fracture. Studying incipient stages of spall damage is of paramount importance to accurately determine initiation sites in the material microstructure where damage will nucleate and grow and

Shock loading is a complex phenomenon that can lead to failure mechanisms such as strain localization, void nucleation and growth, and eventually spall fracture. Studying incipient stages of spall damage is of paramount importance to accurately determine initiation sites in the material microstructure where damage will nucleate and grow and to formulate continuum models that account for the variability of the damage process due to microstructural heterogeneity. The length scale of damage with respect to that of the surrounding microstructure has proven to be a key aspect in determining sites of failure initiation. Correlations have been found between the damage sites and the surrounding microstructure to determine the preferred sites of spall damage, since it tends to localize at and around the regions of intrinsic defects such as grain boundaries and triple points. However, considerable amount of work still has to be done in this regard to determine the physics driving the damage at these intrinsic weak sites in the microstructure. The main focus of this research work is to understand the physical mechanisms behind the damage localization at these preferred sites. A crystal plasticity constitutive model is implemented with different damage criteria to study the effects of stress concentration and strain localization at the grain boundaries. A cohesive zone modeling technique is used to include the intrinsic strength of the grain boundaries in the simulations. The constitutive model is verified using single elements tests, calibrated using single crystal impact experiments and validated using bicrystal and multicrystal impact experiments. The results indicate that strain localization is the predominant driving force for damage initiation and evolution. The microstructural effects on theses damage sites are studied to attribute the extent of damage to microstructural features such as grain orientation, misorientation, Taylor factor and the grain boundary planes. The finite element simulations show good correlation with the experimental results and can be used as the preliminary step in developing accurate probabilistic models for damage nucleation.
ContributorsKrishnan, Kapil (Author) / Peralta, Pedro (Thesis advisor) / Mignolet, Marc (Committee member) / Sieradzki, Karl (Committee member) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Oswald, Jay (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
The main objective of this study is to develop an innovative system in the form of a sandwich panel type composite with textile reinforced skins and aerated concrete core. Existing theoretical concepts along with extensive experimental investigations were utilized to characterize the behavior of cement based systems in the presence

The main objective of this study is to develop an innovative system in the form of a sandwich panel type composite with textile reinforced skins and aerated concrete core. Existing theoretical concepts along with extensive experimental investigations were utilized to characterize the behavior of cement based systems in the presence of individual fibers and textile yarns. Part of this thesis is based on a material model developed here in Arizona State University to simulate experimental flexural response and back calculate tensile response. This concept is based on a constitutive law consisting of a tri-linear tension model with residual strength and a bilinear elastic perfectly plastic compression stress strain model. This parametric model was used to characterize Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) with aramid, carbon, alkali resistant glass, polypropylene TRC and hybrid systems of aramid and polypropylene. The same material model was also used to characterize long term durability issues with glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC). Historical data associated with effect of temperature dependency in aging of GFRC composites were used. An experimental study was conducted to understand the behavior of aerated concrete systems under high stain rate impact loading. Test setup was modeled on a free fall drop of an instrumented hammer using three point bending configuration. Two types of aerated concrete: autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) and polymeric fiber-reinforced aerated concrete (FRAC) were tested and compared in terms of their impact behavior. The effect of impact energy on the mechanical properties was investigated for various drop heights and different specimen sizes. Both materials showed similar flexural load carrying capacity under impact, however, flexural toughness of fiber-reinforced aerated concrete was proved to be several degrees higher in magnitude than that provided by plain autoclaved aerated concrete. Effect of specimen size and drop height on the impact response of AAC and FRAC was studied and discussed. Results obtained were compared to the performance of sandwich beams with AR glass textile skins with aerated concrete core under similar impact conditions. After this extensive study it was concluded that this type of sandwich composite could be effectively used in low cost sustainable infrastructure projects.
ContributorsDey, Vikram (Author) / Mobasher, Barzin (Thesis advisor) / Rajan, Subramaniam D. (Committee member) / Neithalath, Narayanan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012