The motivation for research is to investigate material properties of plastic at its glass transition temperature at a crack process zone in order to study differences in crack speed and strain. To accomplish this, a heating component was created to add a thermal gradient to the sample, and DIC (digital image correlation) techniques were used
Faculty Mentor: Jay Oswald
Structural Support for CubeSat Circuit Boards
This project streamlines the process of designing structural supports for CubeSat printed circuit boards (PCBs). Modal analysis using ANSYS was performed on various combinations of mass distribution and supports to test whether the ensuing strain on the PCB is one which the PCBs’ solder joints are capable of handling. These results are compared for multiple
Structural Optimization of CubeSat Housing for Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) Modules
CubeSats are small, affordable satellites that carry scientific payloads into space. PPTs (Pulsed Plasma Thrusters) are a method of propulsion that ablates Teflon to produce thrust for CubeSats. These compact thrusters must be aligned to ensure accurate and reliable propulsion. This alignment is ensured by structural design and optimization. The proper selection of materials and
Thermal Conductivity of Crystalline Polypyrrole
The purpose of this project is to investigate the thermal conductivity of crystalline polypyrrole (PPy) along its three-crystal directions. LAMMPS, a molecular dynamics simulator, was used to simulate PPy in a steady, crystalline state. PPy is parameterized and simulated from melting temperature to cooling temperature, thus allowing PPy to crystallize. Through analyzing the heat flux
How Surface Roughness Affects Interfacial Strength of Steel and Ice
In this project, researchers investigated how surface roughness affects the force needed to shear ice off of steel after it has been sprayed onto a cold surface. Steel specimens were prepared with various levels of surface roughness in which a bridging ice layer was formed from a spray. The force required to fracture the ice
Effect of Flow Rate on Interfacial Fracture between Ice and Steel
The researcher investigated how the flow rate of a misted water spray on cold surfaces affects the resulting ice structure and interfacial fracture strength. To accomplish this, a misting apparatus was constructed in which the distance between the misting nozzle and target surface is adjustable. The resulting ice layer was characterized and fracture tests were
