Browsing by Subject "Mechanical engineering"
Now showing items 1-20 of 151
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A Distributed Optimal Control Approach for Multi-agent Trajectory Optimization
(2013)This dissertation presents a novel distributed optimal control (DOC) problem formulation that is applicable to multiscale dynamical systems comprised of numerous interacting systems, or agents, that together give rise to ... -
A Dynamic Fracture Simulation Based on Embedded Finite Element Methods
(2012)In this thesis, a hybrid numerical approach is proposed for modeling dynamic fracture in brittle materials. This method is based on a combination of embedded finite element methods and extrinsic cohesive zone models. The ... -
A Multi-Disciplinary Systems Approach for Modeling and Predicting Physiological Responses and Biomechanical Movement Patterns
(2017)It is currently an exciting time to be doing research at the intersection of sports and engineering. Advances in wearable sensor technology now enable large quantities of physiological and biomechanical data to be collected ... -
A New Hybrid Free-Wake Model for Wind Turbine Aerodynamics with Application to Wake Steering
(2017)Wind energy has emerged as one of the most promising and rapidly growing renewable energy technologies in the United States and over the world. The offshore wind energy is of special interest because it has more consistent ... -
A Q-Learning Approach to Minefield Characterization from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(2012)The treasure hunt problem to determine how a computational agent can maximize its ability to detect and/or classify multiple targets located in a region of interest (ROI) populated with multiple obstacles. One particular ... -
A Study of Non-Smooth Impacting Behaviors
(2015)The dynamics of impacting components is of particular interest to engineers due to concerns about noise and wear, but is particularly difficult to study due to impact's non-linear nature. To begin transferring concepts studied ... -
A systems engineering approach to regulating autonomous systems
(2017)Autonomous systems are emerging across many industries. From unmanned aircraft to self-driving cars to closed-loop medical devices, these systems offer great benefits but also pose new risks. Regulators must grapple with ... -
A Variational Framework for Phase-Field Fracture Modeling with Applications to Fragmentation, Desiccation, Ductile Failure, and Spallation
(2021)Fracture is a common phenomenon in engineering applications. Many types of fracture exist, including, but not limited to, brittle fracture, quasi-brittle fracture, cohesive fracture, and ductile fracture. Predicting fracture ... -
Acoustic and Magnetic Techniques for the Isolation and Analysis of Cells in Microfluidic Platforms
(2016)Cancer comprises a collection of diseases, all of which begin with abnormal tissue growth from various stimuli, including (but not limited to): heredity, genetic mutation, exposure to harmful substances, radiation as well ... -
Acoustic resonators with integrated microfluidic channels for ultra-high Q-factor: a new paradigm for in-liquid gravimetric detection
(2023)Biosensing is a critical area of research that involves detecting and measuring biological molecules. Among the various types of biosensors, acoustic biosensors are attractive for their simplicity, robustness, and low cost, ... -
Adaptable Design Improvements For Electromagnetic Shock Wave Lithotripters And Techniques For Controlling Cavitation
(2012)In this dissertation work, the aim was to garner better mechanistic understanding of how shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) breaks stones in order to guide design improvements to a modern electromagnetic (EM) shock wave lithotripter. ... -
Adaptive Control of Volumetric Laser Photoblation Surgery
(2019)Laser scalpels are utilized across a variety of invasive and non-invasive surgical procedures due to their precision and non-contact nature. Meanwhile, robotic and robotic-assisted surgeries are becoming more prevalent with ... -
Adaptive Sparse Grid Approaches to Polynomial Chaos Expansions for Uncertainty Quantification
(2015)Polynomial chaos expansions provide an efficient and robust framework to analyze and quantify uncertainty in computational models. This dissertation explores the use of adaptive sparse grids to reduce the computational cost ... -
Adaptive Spline-based Finite Element Method with Application to Phase-field Models of Biomembranes
(2015)Interfaces play a dominant role in governing the response of many biological systems and they pose many challenges to traditional finite element. For sharp-interface model, traditional finite element methods necessitate ... -
Advanced Boundary Conditions for Hyperbolic Systems
(2018)Numerical simulation of hyperbolic systems remains a challenge, particularly in the case of complex geometries. In particular, the need to construct meshes for complicated geometries is a bottleneck in many cases. This is ... -
Aeroelastic and Flight Dynamics Analysis of Folding Wing Systems
(2013)This dissertation explores the aeroelastic stability of a folding wing using both theoretical and experimental methods. The theoretical model is based on the existing clamped-wing aeroelastic model that uses beam theory ... -
Aeroelastic Instabilities due to Unsteady Aerodynamics
(2015)One of the grand challenges faced by industry is the accurate prediction of unsteady aerodynamics events, including frequency lock-in and forced response. These aeromechanical incidents occurring in airplane engines and ... -
Aeroelastic Modeling of Blade Vibration and its Effect on the Trim and Optimal Performance of Helicopter Rotors using a Harmonic Balance Approach
(2020)This dissertation concerns the optimization of the aeroelastic performance of conventionalhelicopter rotors, considering various design variables such cyclic and higherharmonic controls. A nite element model is introduced ... -
Aeroelasticity and Enforced Motion Frequency Lock-in Associated with Non-Synchronous Vibrations in Turbomachinery
(2022)One of the most complex challenges in our world today is the interaction between fluids and structures. This complicated meeting is one of the focal points in the design and manufacturing of turbomachinery, whether in jet ... -
Air Induction Design for Restricted Race Engines
(2014)The air induction system is one of the most influential subsystems within the vehicle powertrain for both fuel efficiency and power generation, especially in restricted race engine applications. The primary focus of this ...
