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- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
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 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
Description
Under the framework of intelligent management of power grids by leveraging advanced information, communication and control technologies, a primary objective of this study is to develop novel data mining and data processing schemes for several critical applications that can enhance the reliability of power systems. Specifically, this study is broadly organized into the following two parts: I) spatio-temporal wind power analysis for wind generation forecast and integration, and II) data mining and information fusion of synchrophasor measurements toward secure power grids. Part I is centered around wind power generation forecast and integration. First, a spatio-temporal analysis approach for short-term wind farm generation forecasting is proposed. Specifically, using extensive measurement data from an actual wind farm, the probability distribution and the level crossing rate of wind farm generation are characterized using tools from graphical learning and time-series analysis. Built on these spatial and temporal characterizations, finite state Markov chain models are developed, and a point forecast of wind farm generation is derived using the Markov chains. Then, multi-timescale scheduling and dispatch with stochastic wind generation and opportunistic demand response is investigated. Part II focuses on incorporating the emerging synchrophasor technology into the security assessment and the post-disturbance fault diagnosis of power systems. First, a data-mining framework is developed for on-line dynamic security assessment by using adaptive ensemble decision tree learning of real-time synchrophasor measurements. Under this framework, novel on-line dynamic security assessment schemes are devised, aiming to handle various factors (including variations of operating conditions, forced system topology change, and loss of critical synchrophasor measurements) that can have significant impact on the performance of conventional data-mining based on-line DSA schemes. Then, in the context of post-disturbance analysis, fault detection and localization of line outage is investigated using a dependency graph approach. It is shown that a dependency graph for voltage phase angles can be built according to the interconnection structure of power system, and line outage events can be detected and localized through networked data fusion of the synchrophasor measurements collected from multiple locations of power grids. Along a more practical avenue, a decentralized networked data fusion scheme is proposed for efficient fault detection and localization.
ContributorsHe, Miao (Author) / Zhang, Junshan (Thesis advisor) / Vittal, Vijay (Thesis advisor) / Hedman, Kory (Committee member) / Si, Jennie (Committee member) / Ye, Jieping (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
With the rapid growth of power systems and the concomitant technological advancements, the goal of achieving smart grids is no longer a vision but a foreseeable reality. Hence, the existing grids are undergoing infrastructural modifications to achieve the diverse characteristics of a smart grid. While there are many subjects associated with the operation of smart grids, this dissertation addresses two important aspects of smart grids: increased penetration of renewable resources, and increased reliance on sensor systems to improve reliability and performance of critical power system components. Present renewable portfolio standards are changing both structural and performance characteristics of power systems by replacing conventional generation with alternate energy resources such as photovoltaic (PV) systems. The present study investigates the impact of increased penetration of PV systems on steady state performance as well as transient stability of a large power system which is a portion of the Western U.S. interconnection. Utility scale and residential rooftop PVs are added to replace a portion of conventional generation resources. While steady state voltages are observed under various PV penetration levels, the impact of reduced inertia on transient stability performance is also examined. The simulation results obtained effectively identify both detrimental and beneficial impacts of increased PV penetration both for steady state stability and transient stability performance. With increased penetration of the renewable energy resources, and with the current loading scenario, more transmission system components such as transformers and circuit breakers are subject to increased stress and overloading. This research work explores the feasibility of increasing system reliability by applying condition monitoring systems to selected circuit breakers and transformers. A very important feature of smart grid technology is that this philosophy decreases maintenance costs by deploying condition monitoring systems that inform the operator of impending failures; or the approach can ameliorate problematic conditions. A method to identify the most critical transformers and circuit breakers with the aid of contingency ranking methods is presented in this study. The work reported in this dissertation parallels an industry sponsored study in which a considerable level of industry input and industry reported concerns are reflected.
ContributorsEftekharnejad, Sara (Author) / Heydt, Gerald (Thesis advisor) / Vittal, Vijay (Thesis advisor) / Si, Jennie (Committee member) / Tylavsky, Daniel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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 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
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 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
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, 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
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
The combined heat and power (CHP)-based distributed generation (DG) or dis-tributed energy resources (DERs) are mature options available in the present energy mar-ket, considered to be an effective solution to promote energy efficiency. In the urban en-vironment, the electricity, water and natural gas distribution networks are becoming in-creasingly interconnected with the growing penetration of the CHP-based DG. Subse-quently, this emerging interdependence leads to new topics meriting serious consideration: how much of the CHP-based DG can be accommodated and where to locate these DERs, and given preexisting constraints, how to quantify the mutual impacts on operation performances between these urban energy distribution networks and the CHP-based DG. The early research work was conducted to investigate the feasibility and design methods for one residential microgrid system based on existing electricity, water and gas infrastructures of a residential community, mainly focusing on the economic planning. However, this proposed design method cannot determine the optimal DG sizing and sit-ing for a larger test bed with the given information of energy infrastructures. In this con-text, a more systematic as well as generalized approach should be developed to solve these problems. In the later study, the model architecture that integrates urban electricity, water and gas distribution networks, and the CHP-based DG system was developed. The pro-posed approach addressed the challenge of identifying the optimal sizing and siting of the CHP-based DG on these urban energy networks and the mutual impacts on operation per-formances were also quantified. For this study, the overall objective is to maximize the electrical output and recovered thermal output of the CHP-based DG units. The electrici-ty, gas, and water system models were developed individually and coupled by the devel-oped CHP-based DG system model. The resultant integrated system model is used to constrain the DG's electrical output and recovered thermal output, which are affected by multiple factors and thus analyzed in different case studies. The results indicate that the designed typical gas system is capable of supplying sufficient natural gas for the DG normal operation, while the present water system cannot support the complete recovery of the exhaust heat from the DG units.
ContributorsZhang, Xianjun (Author) / Karady, George G. (Thesis advisor) / Ariaratnam, Samuel T. (Committee member) / Holbert, Keith E. (Committee member) / Si, Jennie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This dissertation considers an integrated approach to system design and controller design based on analyzing limits of system performance. Historically, plant design methodologies have not incorporated control relevant considerations. Such an approach could result in a system that might not meet its specifications (or one that requires a complex control architecture to do so). System and controller designers often go through several iterations in order to converge to an acceptable plant and controller design. The focus of this dissertation is on the design and control an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle using such an integrated system-control design framework. The goal is to reduce the number of system-control design iterations (by explicitly incorporate control considerations in the system design process), as well as to influence the guidance/trajectory specifications for the system. Due to the high computational costs associated with obtaining a dynamic model for each plant configuration considered, approximations to the system dynamics are used in the control design process. By formulating the control design problem using bilinear and polynomial matrix inequalities, several common control and system design constraints can be simultaneously incorporated into a vehicle design optimization. Several design problems are examined to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach (and to compare the computational burden of this methodology against more traditional approaches).
ContributorsSridharan, Srikanth (Author) / Rodriguez, Armando A (Thesis advisor) / Mittelmann, Hans D (Committee member) / Si, Jennie (Committee member) / Tsakalis, Konstantinos S (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
The basal ganglia are four sub-cortical nuclei associated with motor control and reward learning. They are part of numerous larger mostly segregated loops where the basal ganglia receive inputs from specific regions of cortex. Converging on these inputs are dopaminergic neurons that alter their firing based on received and/or predicted rewarding outcomes of a behavior. The basal ganglia's output feeds through the thalamus back to the areas of the cortex where the loop originated. Understanding the dynamic interactions between the various parts of these loops is critical to understanding the basal ganglia's role in motor control and reward based learning. This work developed several experimental techniques that can be applied to further study basal ganglia function. The first technique used micro-volume injections of low concentration muscimol to decrease the firing rates of recorded neurons in a limited area of cortex in rats. Afterwards, an artificial cerebrospinal fluid flush was injected to rapidly eliminate the muscimol's effects. This technique was able to contain the effects of muscimol to approximately a 1 mm radius volume and limited the duration of the drug effect to less than one hour. This technique could be used to temporarily perturb a small portion of the loops involving the basal ganglia and then observe how these effects propagate in other connected regions. The second part applied self-organizing maps (SOM) to find temporal patterns in neural firing rate that are independent of behavior. The distribution of detected patterns frequency on these maps can then be used to determine if changes in neural activity are occurring over time. The final technique focused on the role of the basal ganglia in reward learning. A new conditioning technique was created to increase the occurrence of selected patterns of neural activity without utilizing any external reward or behavior. A pattern of neural activity in the cortex of rats was selected using an SOM. The pattern was then reinforced by being paired with electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle triggering dopamine release in the basal ganglia. Ultimately, this technique proved unsuccessful possibly due to poor selection of the patterns being reinforced.
ContributorsBaldwin, Nathan Aaron (Author) / Helms Tillery, Stephen I (Thesis advisor) / Castaneda, Edward (Committee member) / Buneo, Christopher A (Committee member) / Muthuswamy, Jitendran (Committee member) / Si, Jennie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014