The expansion of a gas within a piston-cylinder arrangement is studied in order to obtain a better understanding of the heat transfer which occurs during this process. While the situation of heat transfer during the expansion of a gas has received considerable attention, the process is still not very well...
Microfluidics is an evolving field that focuses on the manipulation of small fluid volumes. Because of its micron-sized features, it is the basis for many lab-on-chip and point-of-care diagnostic devices. The devices are predominantly molded from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS); however, production is a multi-hour or multi-day process that typically requires clean...
This thesis consists of two papers in manuscript format. The first paper presents optical measurements of tsunami inundation through an urban waterfront in a laboratory wave basin. The physical model was constructed at 1:50 scale and was an idealization of the town of Seaside, Oregon. The paper presents an analysis...
As CAD tools become more sophisticated, engineers are able to more easily create complex part geometries with minimal mass given strength and stiffness requirements. However, these complex part geometries can be difficult to subtractively manufacture, which consequently increases manufacturing cost and production time. This thesis presents a method independent of...
The intent of this research is to explore the entire design space of mechanism topologies by using a graph grammar synthesis approach. A new graph representation of planer mechanism has been developed to represent the planar mechanism with revolute (R), prismatic (P), and pin-in-slot (RP) joints. Following Gruebler's equation, the...
Local material damage that occurs within cellular solids, such as polymer foams and trabecular bone, and precedes local fractures of the cell struts or walls is called micro-damage. The accumulation of micro-damage within cellular solids is often undesirable, although it is thought to be vital to the development and health...
The purpose of this research was to determine if it is feasible to apply Lorentz
mixing to supersonic diffusion flames, such as those found in SCRAMjet engines. The
combustion rate in supersonic diffusion flames is limited by the rate at which air and fuel
mix. Lorentz mixing increases turbulence within...
Assembly planning is a crucial task for every manufacturing product. In general, assembly operations consume more than 30% of the total manufacturing time and cost. Therefore, any effort in optimizing assembly will have a significant impact on the economic success of manufacturing. Finding an optimal assembly plan by hand is...
Creating effective packaging is about finding a balance between product protection during shipping and time consumption in the design process. Given time and cost constraints, it is hard to produce sufficiently protective padding while having it not be thicker than it needs to be. This thesis describes a method to...
Traditional electronic systems are usually fabricated via printed circuit boards (PCBs). In a regular PCB, the electronic components are placed and mounted on a two-dimensional board. Such a component layout limits the freedom in the component placement process which results in larger electronic devices. With the use of Additive Manufacturing...