RSS 1.0Electronic 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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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 ... -
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 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 ... -
EXPERIMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION AND MULTISCALE MODELING OF THE DEFORMATION AND FRACTURE BEHAVIOR OF CARBON NANOFILLER REINFORCED POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES
(2017)Carbon based nanofillers such as carbon nanotube (CNT), carbon nanofiber (CNF), and graphite nanoplatelet (GNP), which possess superior strength and stiffness, have emerged as new potential reinforcement materials for ... -
TIN NANONEEDLES FOR LI-ION BATTERIES: GROWTH MECHANISMS, THICKNESS, AND PHASE CONTROL
(2017)One-dimensional tin nanostructures (tin nanoneedles) have been shown to be an attractive alternative to traditional graphite electrodes due to low fabrication cost, a demonstrated reversible nanostructure, and a capacity ... -
NANOSHEETS OF MgB2 AS A NEW CLASS OF 2D SEMICONDUCTOR
(2017)The discovery of two-dimensional semiconducting materials, a decade ago, spawned an entire sub-field within solid-state physics that is focused on the development of nanoelectronics. In this project, we conduct a theoretical ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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, ... -
ADVANCED METHODOLOGY AND MODELING OF NUCLEAR CORE RESTRAINT DEFORMATIONS IN A LIQUID METAL, FAST REACTOR ENVIRONMENT
(2017)Abstract A fast reactor core is composed of closely packed fuel assemblies that are hexagonal ducts. The ducts determine the location of the fuel. They also provide a coolant path and the ability to insert or withdrawal ... -
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 ... -
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 ... -
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. ... -
CORRELATION BETWEEN IRRADIATION DAMAGE AND MICRO-MAGNETIC PROPERTIES FOR REACTOR STEELS
(2017)Magnetic domain structures are strongly influenced by material microstructures including crystal structures and defects. Correlations via microstructure between mechanical properties of steels and their magnetic properties ... -
NETWORK ANALYSIS ALGORITHMS AND APPLICATIONS TO UNDERSTAND AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS AND THEIR INTERFACES
(2017)Computational simulations have been widely used in a variety of disciplines including physics, chemistry, materials science and biology. Intermolecular Network Theory (INT) provides a generalized multiscale analysis framework ... -
OPTOELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF SELF-ASSEMBLED BINARY PORPHYRIN NANOSTRUCTURES
(2017)Porphyrins are structurally similar to light harvesting chromophores found in nature and to active sites in hemoglobins. As such, materials made of porphyrins are useful in a variety of applications such as photovoltaics, ... -
GROUNDWORK FOR INTEGRATION OF HOT WATER EXTRACTION AS A POTENTIAL PRE-PROCESS IN A BIOREFINERY FOR DOWNSTREAM CONVERSION AND NANO-FIBRILLATION
(2016)The economic competitiveness of biofuels production is highly dependent on feedstock cost, which constitutes 35-50 % of the total biofuels production cost. Economically viable feedstock pre-process has a significant influence ...