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- All Subjects: Mechanical Engineering
- All Subjects: robotics
- Creators: Mignolet, Marc
Description
Image processing in canals, rivers and other bodies of water has been a very important concern. This research using Image Processing was performed to obtain a photographic evidence of the data of the site which helps in monitoring the conditions of the water body and the surroundings. Images are captured using a digital camera and the images are stored onto a datalogger, these images are retrieved using a cellular/ satellite modem. A MATLAB program was designed to obtain the level of water by just entering the file name into to the program, a curve fit model was created to determine the contrast parameters. The contrast parameters were obtained using the data obtained from the gray scale image mainly the mean and variance of the intensity values. The enhanced images are used to determine the level of water by taking pixel intensity plots along the region of interest. The level of water obtained is accurate to less than 2% of the actual level of water observed from the image. High speed imaging in micro channels have various application in industrial field, medical field etc. In medical field it is tested by using blood samples. The experimental procedure proposed determines the flow duration and the defects observed in these channel using a fluid introduced into the micro channel the fluid being water based dye and whole milk. The viscosity of the fluid shows different types of flow patterns and defects in the micro channel. The defects observed vary from a small effect to the flow pattern to an extreme defect in the channel such as obstruction of flow or deformation in the channel. The sample needs to be further analyzed by SEM to get a better insight on the defects.
ContributorsShasedhara, Abhijeet Bangalore (Author) / Lee, Taewoo (Thesis advisor) / Huang, Huei-Ping (Committee member) / Chen, Kangping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Processed pyro-gel contains castor oil with solid component of boehmite (Al-OOH). The pyro-gel is synthesized by heat to convert boehmite to gamma-Al2O3 and to a certain extent alpha-Al2O3 nano-particles and castor oil into carbon residue. The effect of heat on pyro-gel is analyzed in a series of experiments using two burning chambers with the initial temperature as the main factor. The obtained temperature distribution profiles are studied and it is observed that the gel behaves very close to the theoretical prediction under heat. The carbon residue with Al2O3 is then processed for twelve hours and then analyzed to obtain the pore distribution of the Al2O3 nano-particles and the relation between the pore volume and the pre-heat temperature is analyzed. The obtained pore distribution shows the pore volume of Al2O3 nano-particles has direct relation to the pre-heat temperature. The experimental process involving the cylindrical reactor is simulated by using a finite rate chemistry eddy-dissipation model in a non-premixed and a porous mesh. The temperature distribution profile of the processed gel for both the meshes is obtained and a comparison is done with the data obtained in the experimental analysis. The temperature distribution obtained from the simulations show they follow a very similar profile to the temperature distribution obtained from experimental analysis, thus confirming the accuracy of both the models. The variation in numerical values between the experimental and simulation analysis is discussed. A physical model is proposed to determine the pore formation based on the temperature distribution obtained from experimental analysis and simulation.
ContributorsSagi, Varun (Author) / Lee, Taewoo (Thesis advisor) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Chen, Kangping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
This thesis focuses on the continued extension, validation, and application of combined thermal-structural reduced order models for nonlinear geometric problems. The first part of the thesis focuses on the determination of the temperature distribution and structural response induced by an oscillating flux on the top surface of a flat panel. This flux is introduced here as a simplified representation of the thermal effects of an oscillating shock on a panel of a supersonic/hypersonic vehicle. Accordingly, a random acoustic excitation is also considered to act on the panel and the level of the thermo-acoustic excitation is assumed to be large enough to induce a nonlinear geometric response of the panel. Both temperature distribution and structural response are determined using recently proposed reduced order models and a complete one way, thermal-structural, coupling is enforced. A steady-state analysis of the thermal problem is first carried out that is then utilized in the structural reduced order model governing equations with and without the acoustic excitation. A detailed validation of the reduced order models is carried out by comparison with a few full finite element (Nastran) computations. The computational expedience of the reduced order models allows a detailed parametric study of the response as a function of the frequency of the oscillating flux. The nature of the corresponding structural ROM equations is seen to be of a Mathieu-type with Duffing nonlinearity (originating from the nonlinear geometric effects) with external harmonic excitation (associated with the thermal moments terms on the panel). A dominant resonance is observed and explained. The second part of the thesis is focused on extending the formulation of the combined thermal-structural reduced order modeling method to include temperature dependent structural properties, more specifically of the elasticity tensor and the coefficient of thermal expansion. These properties were assumed to vary linearly with local temperature and it was found that the linear stiffness coefficients and the "thermal moment" terms then are cubic functions of the temperature generalized coordinates while the quadratic and cubic stiffness coefficients were only linear functions of these coordinates. A first validation of this reduced order modeling strategy was successfully carried out.
ContributorsMatney, Andrew (Author) / Mignolet, Marc (Thesis advisor) / Jiang, Hanqing (Committee member) / Spottswood, Stephen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
As robots are increasingly migrating out of factories and research laboratories and into our everyday lives, they should move and act in environments designed for humans. For this reason, the need of anthropomorphic movements is of utmost importance. The objective of this thesis is to solve the inverse kinematics problem of redundant robot arms that results to anthropomorphic configurations. The swivel angle of the elbow was used as a human arm motion parameter for the robot arm to mimic. The swivel angle is defined as the rotation angle of the plane defined by the upper and lower arm around a virtual axis that connects the shoulder and wrist joints. Using kinematic data recorded from human subjects during every-day life tasks, the linear sensorimotor transformation model was validated and used to estimate the swivel angle, given the desired end-effector position. Defining the desired swivel angle simplifies the kinematic redundancy of the robot arm. The proposed method was tested with an anthropomorphic redundant robot arm and the computed motion profiles were compared to the ones of the human subjects. This thesis shows that the method computes anthropomorphic configurations for the robot arm, even if the robot arm has different link lengths than the human arm and starts its motion at random configurations.
ContributorsWang, Yuting (Author) / Artemiadis, Panagiotis (Thesis advisor) / Mignolet, Marc (Committee member) / Santos, Veronica J (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Derived from the necessity to increase testing capabilities of hybrid rocket motor (HRM) propulsion systems for Daedalus Astronautics at Arizona State University, a small-scale motor and test stand were designed and developed to characterize all components of the system. The motor is designed for simple integration and setup, such that both the forward-end enclosure and end cap can be easily removed for rapid integration of components during testing. Each of the components of the motor is removable allowing for a broad range of testing capabilities. While examining injectors and their potential it is thought ideal to obtain the highest regression rates and overall motor performance possible. The oxidizer and fuel are N2O and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), respectively, due to previous experience and simplicity. The injector designs, selected for the same reasons, are designed such that they vary only in the swirl angle. This system provides the platform for characterizing the effects of varying said swirl angle on HRM performance.
ContributorsSummers, Matt H (Author) / Lee, Taewoo (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Kangping (Committee member) / Wells, Valana (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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 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
Description
Modern day gas turbine designers face the problem of hot mainstream gas ingestion into rotor-stator disk cavities. To counter this ingestion, seals are installed on the rotor and stator disk rims and purge air, bled off from the compressor, is injected into the cavities. It is desirable to reduce the supply of purge air as this decreases the net power output as well as efficiency of the gas turbine. Since the purge air influences the disk cavity flow field and effectively the amount of ingestion, the aim of this work was to study the cavity velocity field experimentally using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Experiments were carried out in a model single-stage axial flow turbine set-up that featured blades as well as vanes, with purge air supplied at the hub of the rotor-stator disk cavity. Along with the rotor and stator rim seals, an inner labyrinth seal was provided which split the disk cavity into a rim cavity and an inner cavity. First, static gage pressure distribution was measured to ensure that nominally steady flow conditions had been achieved. The PIV experiments were then performed to map the velocity field on the radial-tangential plane within the rim cavity at four axial locations. Instantaneous velocity maps obtained by PIV were analyzed sector-by-sector to understand the rim cavity flow field. It was observed that the tangential velocity dominated the cavity flow at low purge air flow rate, its dominance decreasing with increase in the purge air flow rate. Radially inboard of the rim cavity, negative radial velocity near the stator surface and positive radial velocity near the rotor surface indicated the presence of a recirculation region in the cavity whose radial extent increased with increase in the purge air flow rate. Qualitative flow streamline patterns are plotted within the rim cavity for different experimental conditions by combining the PIV map information with ingestion measurements within the cavity as reported in Thiagarajan (2013).
ContributorsPathak, Parag (Author) / Roy, Ramendra P (Thesis advisor) / Calhoun, Ronald (Committee member) / Lee, Taewoo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This dissertation presents methods for addressing research problems that currently can only adequately be solved using Quality Reliability Engineering (QRE) approaches especially accelerated life testing (ALT) of electronic printed wiring boards with applications to avionics circuit boards. The methods presented in this research are generally applicable to circuit boards, but the data generated and their analysis is for high performance avionics. Avionics equipment typically requires 20 years expected life by aircraft equipment manufacturers and therefore ALT is the only practical way of performing life test estimates. Both thermal and vibration ALT induced failure are performed and analyzed to resolve industry questions relating to the introduction of lead-free solder product and processes into high reliability avionics. In chapter 2, thermal ALT using an industry standard failure machine implementing Interconnect Stress Test (IST) that simulates circuit board life data is compared to real production failure data by likelihood ratio tests to arrive at a mechanical theory. This mechanical theory results in a statistically equivalent energy bound such that failure distributions below a specific energy level are considered to be from the same distribution thus allowing testers to quantify parameter setting in IST prior to life testing. In chapter 3, vibration ALT comparing tin-lead and lead-free circuit board solder designs involves the use of the likelihood ratio (LR) test to assess both complete failure data and S-N curves to present methods for analyzing data. Failure data is analyzed using Regression and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and reconciled with the LR test results that indicating that a costly aging pre-process may be eliminated in certain cases. In chapter 4, vibration ALT for side-by-side tin-lead and lead-free solder black box designs are life tested. Commercial models from strain data do not exist at the low levels associated with life testing and need to be developed because testing performed and presented here indicate that both tin-lead and lead-free solders are similar. In addition, earlier failures due to vibration like connector failure modes will occur before solder interconnect failures.
ContributorsJuarez, Joseph Moses (Author) / Montgomery, Douglas C. (Thesis advisor) / Borror, Connie M. (Thesis advisor) / Gel, Esma (Committee member) / Mignolet, Marc (Committee member) / Pan, Rong (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
ABSTRACT The heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is a key component of Combined Cycle Power Plants (CCPP). The exhaust (flue gas) from the CCPP gas turbine flows through the HRSG − this gas typically contains a high concentration of NO and cannot be discharged directly to the atmosphere because of environmental restrictions. In the HRSG, one method of reducing the flue gas NO concentration is to inject ammonia into the gas at a plane upstream of the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit through an injection grid (AIG); the SCR is where the NO is reduced to N2 and H2O. The amount and spatial distribution of the injected ammonia are key considerations for NO reduction while using the minimum possible amount of ammonia. This work had three objectives. First, a flow network model of the Ammonia Flow Control Unit (AFCU) was to be developed to calculate the quantity of ammonia released into the flue gas from each AIG perforation. Second, CFD simulation of the flue gas flow was to be performed to obtain the velocity, temperature, and species concentration fields in the gas upstream and downstream of the SCR. Finally, performance characteristics of the ammonia injection system were to be evaluated. All three objectives were reached. The AFCU was modeled using JAVA - with a graphical user interface provided for the user. The commercial software Fluent was used for CFD simulation. To evaluate the efficacy of the ammonia injection system in reducing the flue gas NO concentration, the twelve butterfly valves in the AFCU ammonia delivery piping (risers) were throttled by various degrees in the model and the NO concentration distribution computed for each operational scenario. When the valves were kept fully open, it was found that it led to a more uniform reduction in NO concentration compared to throttling the valves such that the riser flows were equal. Additionally, the SCR catalyst was consumed somewhat more uniformly, and ammonia slip (ammonia not consumed in reaction) was found lower. The ammonia use could be decreased by 10 percent while maintaining the NO concentration limit in the flue gas exhausting into the atmosphere.
ContributorsAdulkar, Sajesh (Author) / Roy, Ramendra (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Taewoo (Thesis advisor) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Efficient performance of gas turbines depends, among several parameters, on the mainstream gas entry temperature. At the same time, transport of this high temperature gas into the rotor-stator cavities of turbine stages affects the durability of rotor disks. This transport is usually countered by installing seals on the rotor and stator disk rims and by pressurizing the cavities by injecting air (purge gas) bled from the compressor discharge. The configuration of the rim seals influences the magnitude of main gas ingestion as well as the interaction of the purge gas with the main gas. The latter has aerodynamic and hub endwall heat transfer implications in the main gas path. In the present work, experiments were performed on model single-stage and 1.5-stage axial-flow turbines. The turbines featured vanes, blades, and rim seals on both the rotor and stator disks. Three different rim seal geometries, viz., axially overlapping radial clearance rim seals for the single-stage turbine cavity and the 1.5-stage turbine aft cavity, and a rim seal with angular clearance for the single-stage turbine cavity were studied. In the single-stage turbine, an inner seal radially inboard in the cavity was also provided; this effectively divided the disk cavity into a rim cavity and an inner cavity. For the aft rotor-stator cavity of the 1.5-stage turbine, a labyrinth seal was provided radially inboard, again creating a rim cavity and an inner cavity. Measurement results of time-average main gas ingestion into the cavities using tracer gas (CO2), and ensemble-averaged trajectories of the purge gas flowing out through the rim seal gap into the main gas path using particle image velocimetry are presented. For both turbines, significant ingestion occurred only in the rim cavity. The inner cavity was almost completely sealed by the inner seal, at all purge gas flow rates for the single-stage turbine and at the higher purge gas flow rates for 1.5-stage turbine. Purge gas egress trajectory was found to depend on main gas and purge gas flow rates, the rim seal configuration, and the azimuthal location of the trajectory mapping plane with respect to the vanes.
ContributorsBalasubramanian, Jagdish Harihara (Author) / Roy, Ramendra P (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Taewoo (Committee member) / Phelan, Patrick (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010