Electronic Dissertations and Theses - Mechanical and Materials Engineering
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This collection features theses and dissertations by students in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University.
Recent Submissions
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Modeling and Simulation of Microstructure Evolution and Deformation in an Irradiated Environment
(2019)The ability to predict the behavior of structural components in a nuclear power plant is critical to the nuclear industry. Structural metals in the primary loop of nuclear power plants must endure challenges such as ... -
BIOLOGICAL AND MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF 3D PRINTED COMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS AND ASSESSMENT OF CHEMOPREVENTATIVE AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS
(2019)Creation of bone scaffolds remains a critical challenge in the biomedical field. The first objective of this research is to understand the implementation of naturally sourced materials in 3DP bioresorbable scaffolds and ... -
DEVELOPMENT AND FABRICATION OF PROTEINS AS MULTIFUNCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR ENERGY STORAGE APPLICATIONS
(2019)Safe and high-energy batteries are the ultimate goal of development trends for advanced energy storage devices. Realization of this goal demands for developing (i) high-performance solid electrolytes for substituting today’s ... -
INTERFACIAL EFFECTS IN HIGHLY FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS AND THIN SOLDER JOINTS FOR 3D ELECTRONICS
(2019)Interfaces play an important role in determining the mechanical and electrical properties of microelectronic systems. In this research, we study and engineer interfaces in two microelectronic systems. In the first system, ... -
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF APPLICATION-BASED MULTI-MATERIAL STRUCTURES VIA LENS(TM) PROCESS: BUILD STRATEGIES AND UNDERSTANDING PROCESSING CHALLENGES
(2019)Multi-material structures provide unique solutions to many engineering problems through enhanced-property capabilities to achieve site-specific functionalities in engineering systems. Among structures made of multi-materials, ... -
ATOMISTIC MODELING OF THE STRUCTURE AND CHARGE TRANSPORT CHARACTERISTICS OF ELECTROLYTES AND INTERFACES
(2019)Global warming concerns with burning fossil fuels and rising energy demands have intensified the need for clean energy. The clean energy generated from renewable energy sources is often intermittent and therefore requires ... -
MODELING THE MORPHOLOGY AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF SOLUTION PROCESSED THIN FILMS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
(2019)Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which employ solution‐processible hybrid organic‐inorganic perovskite as a photoactive material, have demonstrated outstanding power conversion efficiency and hold excellent promise as ... -
Thermal and AC Power Systems Dispatch Optimization Incorporating Storage and Unit Commitment
(2019)Reliable and efficient power system dispatch is of paramount importance for the increased incorporation of microgrid infrastructures and renewable and distributed energy resources. Operating costs of microgrids and distributed ... -
Molecular dynamics simulation study of thermal resistance between amorphous silica nanoparticles under vacuum and in the presence of water vapor
(2018)Nanoparticle-based materials are of interest because of their unique thermal properties. Possessing the lowest thermal conductivities of any solid materials known, they have been widely used as insulating materials in a ... -
MULTISCALE MODELING OF METAL/CERAMIC NANOLAMINATE COMPOSITES UNDER MECHANICAL LOADINGS FOR HIGH ENERGY ENVIRONMENTS
(2018)The objective of this research is to investigate the deformation behavior of heterogeneous metal/ceramic nanolaminate (MCN) multilayer composites with semi-coherent interface under various mechanical loadings in a multiscale ... -
RELIABLE THERMOELECTRIC SYSTEM DESIGN UNDER OPTIMAL REQUIREMENTS FROM THE STRUCTURAL AND PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES
(2018)Thermoelectric generation (TEG) is an eco-friendly, solid-state energy conversion technology that can directly convert heat to electricity via Seebeck effect. The structural reliability of thermoelectric systems is one of ... -
MULTISCALE MODELING AND SIMULATION OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE DUAL PHASE STEELS: PARAMETRIC STUDY AND MICROSTRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION
(2017)The goal of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between microstructure properties and mechanical properties of dual phase (DP) steels to design advanced materials for automotive applications. In this research, ... -
INVESTIGATION OF MULTIPHASE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES FOR POLYMERIC MICRO-LENSES AND LENS ARRAYS
(2017)Micro-lenses, as well as micro-lens arrays, have been widely used and attracted attention in miniature optical systems in recent decades. However, the fabrication methods for micro-lenses and lens arrays are limited. In ... -
NANOSTRUCTURED ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR OXYGEN REDUCTION AND EVOLUTION REACTIONS
(2017)Highly active, low cost and durable electrocatalysts are desired for the development and commercialization of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. The efficiency of these devices is significantly limited by the activation ... -
Numerical Modeling of Multi-Surface Planing Hull Hydrodynamics Using Source-Based Boundary Element Method
(2017)A source-based boundary element method (BEM) built on the potential flow theory is developed to study hydrodynamic characteristics of multi-surface planing hulls. Initially, both 2D and 3D numerical models are implemented ... -
PROTEIN-BASED NANOFABRICS FOR MULTIFUNCTIONAL AIR FILTERING
(2017)With the fast development of economics and population, air pollution is getting worse and becomes a great concern worldwide. The release of chemicals, particulates and biological materials into air can lead to various ... -
CAPILLARY FLOW OF LIQUID METALS IN BRAZING
(2017)Capillary flow is driven or controlled by capillary forces, exerted at the triple line where the fluid phases meet the solid boundary. Phase field (PF) models naturally accommodate diffusive triple line motion with variable ... -
Compositional Dependence of Glass Corrosion due to the Crystallization of Nepheline
(2017)Vitrification of Hanford high-level nuclear waste is a complex process, which is of great significance to those residing in the state of Washington. One characteristic of the vitrified product, the chemical durability, can ... -
CHARACTERIZING DISSOLVED GASES IN CRYOGENIC LIQUID FUELS
(2017)Pressure-Density-Temperature-Composition (PρT-x) measurements of cryogenic fuel mixtures are a historical challenge due to the difficulties of maintaining cryogenic temperatures and precision isolation of a mixture sample. ... -
Atomistic Simulations of Protein Conformational Changes: Biological and Engineering Applications
(2017)Proteins are large bio-molecules exist in all living organisms consist of amino acids. Molecular interactions result in a hierarchy of protein structures essential to biological functionalities. In this thesis, through ...