Please check for news and announcements (04/20/98).
*********************************************************** Wish-list projects (undone) Proposer (CFortmann): A bike-stand generator that could generate 110V AC for demonstrating just how much work it is to run an appliance or light. Ideally, the unit would be instrumented to show key parameters, such as: voltage, current, power, total energy, rpm, calories,........both digitally (instantaneously) and graphically. Proposer (JQuinn): Remote LN2 height-sensor and alarm. Sensor with digital or analog height display to show liquid height between 3" and 24", in 1" increments. Below 3", the sensor would have audible alarm and visible alarm for atleast 72 hours. Sensor would also contain, low battery alarm for 72 hours. Standard batteries (AAA, AA, 123, 9V) must be used. Final object must be liquid and cryogenic tight. There also exist dimension/size constraints. Proposer (JQuinn): Pop-up roof-hatch for handicap access to a generic passenger van. Proposer (JQuinn): Serial or USB record vertical height motion over 3 meters, 20HZ, 1mm step, 0 sec to 1000 sec, with slider. Proposer (JQuinn): SS vessel, quartz window, pressure gauge, fill valve, drain valve, pressure relief valve, heatable to 150C, liquid TC gauge, vapour, TC gauge. For demonstation of effect of pressue on boiling point of water. Proposer (JQuinn): Steel rig for testing of aluminum truss bridges. Should include loading to 1000 pounds with no deflection of the rig. Should include measurement of vertical bridge deflection in 0.001" increments. Truss mounts should be pivots with one-side translating +/- 1" along the horizontal plane. Strain gauges are a desired option. *********************************************************** 2007-2008 A Thermoforming Machine to Manufacture Plastic Body Panels for an Off-Road Vehicle John Baglione An over/under type of thermoforming machine is described that comprises of three basic elements: an oven, a vacuum table, and a mechanism to move the plastic from the oven at the top to the vacuum table below. Scatterflex Saagar Govil, Eyal Bar-Kochba The development is reported of a flexible, non-heating light source suitable for the quantitative optical microscopy of biological tissues in-vitro or in-vivo. Two designs have been created: The first device consists of a polymer pouch containing a gel in which silica nanospheres are suspended, attached to a filtered fiber optic input. The second device is similar in principle but the suspending medium is solid silicone rubber. Braille Watch Mikael Marra, Angelica Tenazaca, Jennifer Jean Braille watches are of necessity touch-based, requiring that designs incorporate tough, touch-resistant materials. Classic designs involve two hands to indicate hours and minutes but unfortunately the hands tend to be brittle and subject to breakage through constant touching. A new design is proposed in which the hands are replaced by two concentric rings wholly supported by the base plate. Car Safety System Malav Mehta, Amr Sayed Ahmed The C.S.S. is designed to measure and analyze a driver’s brain signals, and to activate an alarm system when it determines that the person is falling asleep. Production of Porous Concrete Through Forced Air Injection Xenophon Papasimakis Porous concrete is typically made using chemical admixtures or air- entraining materials such as porous rock or flyash. A new method of producing porous concrete is proposed, involving a design that uses compressed air to form air bubbles in concrete. Implementation of an in-situ Dust Displacement Device Onboard the Next Generation Martian Rover Scott Perl The cameras onboard the Martian rovers must be kept safe from the harsh environment in terms of dust contamination, mobility assessment, and localization. An in-situ solution for camera lens integrity is proposed involving a device that uses magnetic fields within the range of cameras’ lenses to attract and later repel the ferromagnetic dust particles from the cameras’ field of view. *********************************************************** 2006-2007 Design for Safer Cooling of Pipe-Welds Onsite (Matt Elvin) Non-Intrusive Power Harvesting for Safer Bicycles on Campus (Jason Kim and Ganesh Singh) Direct-Write Thermoelectric Power Harvesting for Automobiles (Zachary Norwood) Materials for Electronic Smell Sense (Peter Simicic) Laser-modification of Collagen for Improved Cell Adherence (Ted Feldman) Piezoelectric Power Harvesting for Automobiles (Jack Burke and Ekram ullah Khan) *********************************************************** 2005-2006 High Temperature Dynamic Impact Tester Students: Sal Kutub, Timothy Lee Technical Advisor: Prof. Andrew Gouldstone Abstract: Contact mechanics methods (i.e. hardness, indentation) are often used to understand the mechanical properties of thick films on substrates. However, such systems are typically subjected to dynamic loads during service. In addition, a number of industrial characterization tests involve dynamic loading, from commercial systems to hammer strikes. No systematic test exists as yet. The goal in this project is to build a well-controlled impact tester for thermal spray coatings on substrates, with the capability to operate at elevated temperatures. Apparatus to Laser Ablation Coat the Inner Diameter of Pipes Students: Mir Anwar, Kelvin Montero Technical Advisor: Prof. Henry J. White Abstract: The cost of petrochemical based products is governed by the price of materials of construction used in the processing of hydrocarbons. To extend the life of the construction materials, coatings must be used to bring down the coking problem faced by the industry. The solution lies in coating the construction materials with a coke-resistant film. Laser ablation is a technique that is used to deposit coatings of a variety of materials on a suitable substrate. On a laboratory scale it could be used to coat the material on small coupons but on an industrial scale, a little engineering is involved to devise a mechanism to coat inside cylindrical surfaces. Sometimes economics dictate the materials of construction to be used for a particular application. The use of more corrosion-resistant materials usually increases costs and tends not to be a viable option. A solution to this problem could be to use an inferior material and coat it to resist corrosion and extend life. On a laboratory scale this is usually done on coupons, but on an industrial scale it needs to be extended to coat both the inner and outer diameter of piping. Apparatus to wrap individual DNA molecules Students: Gary Bunch, Peter Gin Technical Advisor: Prof. Jon Sokolov Abstract: The biomedical industry has suffered over the course of time due to the inability to extract a length of DNA long enough in order to examine it in detail. The problem exists when just a few of the “code letters” are arranged in a manner unsuitable for healthy DNA, and that this arrangement must sometimes be viewed in a long strand of DNA to detect. Using conventional methods, only undesired lengths are obtainable, the longest presently equal to about 1 mm. The effect of having longer (up to 100 mm) strands of DNA would obviously yield a respectable leap and better data for use in disease control and understanding in the biomedical field. An apparatus capable of extruding a long single strand of DNA will be designed and built. Crystal growth furnace for Synchrotron UV-assisted chemical vapor deposition of wide-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures. Students: Jenee Gatkins, Vyonna Chweya Technical Advisor: Prof. Carlos Rojo Abstract: The synthesis of wide-bandgap semiconductor low-dimensional structures is fundamental to the fabrication of enhanced electronic and photonic devices. However, controlling the nucleation and growth of low-dimensional structures (nano-wires and nano-porous particles) remains as one of the major challenges associated with bottom-up nanofabrication strategies. A synthesis reactor for GaN nanostructures will be installed in the U11 beamline at the NSLS at Brookhaven National Lab. The ultimate goal of this project will be to determine the effect of UV photons on the selective deposition of wide-bandgap nanostructures. Development of a remote environmental chemistry laboratory for soil testing and monitoring. Student: Ingrid Gaborova Technical Advisor: Prof. Gary Halada Abstract: A remote sensing system with wireless Ethernet/internet compatibility that would allow for development of a remote environmental chemistry (soil testing and monitoring) laboratory. This would be linked to a web page for development of remote education lab experiments for middle school through high school (and possibly college) students. The sensing system is in regards to the remediation and understanding of “brownfield” sites, which are sites that have low to moderate levels of industrial byproducts or residue in likely contaminated areas. Design of system to measure electrical properties of sprayed materials. Student: Evan Rorke Technical Advisor: Prof. Richard Gambino Abstract: This project is concerned with the design of a device that will test the electrical properties of sprayed materials. The device is intended to be used while being connected to a Keithley Multimeter to determine the material.s electrical properties. The device works by connecting to the metal strips with four contact points, with one set working as a source of current and the other measuring the potential drop along the strip. The commercial application of the device is in the electronics field for both labs and companies who wish to establish the reproducibility of their fabrication processes. Designing experimental tool for Raman Spectroscopy of organic molecules/materials. Student: Chidiebere Nwankpa Technical advisor: Prof. Gary Halada Abstract: The objective in this project is to adapt/modify an already existing spectrochemical prototype cell for use with an existing Raman spectroscopy microscope in the surface analysis and corrosion lab. Part of the objective is to utilize the cell in the examination of different organic molecules like citric acid, which is a minor organic acid with a PH of 1. We plan to us it in examining some large bio macro molecules found from degradation of organic molecules in order to investigate the interaction organic molecules with metals of different sorts and properties. **********************************************************
2004-2005 Project Description: Designing A Slurry Reactor System for Containment of Nanosized Metal Particles Point of Contact: Professor Devinder Mahajan Nanosized materials are considered the next frontier with potential applications in multiple disciplines. Nanosizing results in a larger surface area per unit volume that could result in enhanced reaction rates during an important class of reactions, namely catalyzed synthesis of clean fuels (fuels containing no sulfur or nitrogen). One of the reactions of commercial interest is the synthesis of clean hydrocarbons by catalyzed hydrogenation of carbon monoxide, also known as Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis. For commercial F-T synthesis, carbon monoxide and hydrogen reactants are typically obtained by steam reforming of natural gas and the reaction utilizes cobalt or iron-based materials as catalysts. The use of these nanosized materials is an attractive option to increase the space-time-yield of clean fuels but poses a challenge in the containment of these fine particles in the reactor. The project will assess various options to design a process that utilizes nanophase catalysts.
06/03/2004 Project Description: Develop a Sediment Washing Mixer Point of Contact: Prof. Clive R. Clayton Environmental remediation of lake, river and other sediments as well as soils by application of chelators and surfactants utilizes a mixing process. This project aims to simulate the industrial scale mixer for laboratory scale studies of the efficacy of cleaning solutions. The physical, mechanical and chemical components of the industrial mixing process must be analyzed and understood in order to build a portable bench top system.
05/26/2004 Posted project for Fall 2004 Project Description: Development of an Ultra-Low Load NanoMechanical Probe for BioMaterials and Small-Volume Structures Point of Contact: Prof. Andrew Gouldstone Indentation experiments are ideally suited for the investigation of mechanical and coupled behavior of small volume structures, as they require minimal specimen preparation and can be performed repeatably and quickly on a single specimen. Traditional hardness testers are typically found in many metallographic labs, yet the loads they apply range from many kg down to 10g. Instrumented indenters have been developed to apply loads to a lower limit of less than 0.01g, yet the complex depth-sensing abilities of these machines greatly increase the time of experiments (~20-30 minutes per indent), time of calibration, and the cost ($100-200k). In this study, we will aim to develop an inexpensive alternative to such machines. We will design and build a nano-hardness tester that is capable of applying a single dead weight load of (0.1 -1g) to press a hard (e.g. diamond or WC) indenter tip into a specimen, with a spatial (horizontal) resolution of ~1 micron. The quick, repeatable and simple application of such loads (and subsequent observation under optical and/or electron microscopy) will allow mechanical and functional probing of a number of different small volume samples, and the the mechanical variation in complex bio-materials, composites, coatings and thin film multilayers. The depth of mechanics and engineering involved in this project make it appropriate for a team of 2 people.
05/26/2004 Posted project for Fall 2004 Project Description: Design of a Jet-polisher for TEM specimen preparation Point of Contact: Prof. Perena Gouma This project involves the design and fabrication of a small polishing unit for thinning transmission electron microscopy specimens (of 3mm diameter) to electron transparency. The operating principle of such a polisher involves the simultaneous application of voltage and of a jet stream of an electrolyte (commonly a very corrosive chemical) onto the material to be thinned. The student/s to be working on this project will have to design and fabricate the electro-polishing cell, the jets, and the electronics controlling the voltage and the temperature (-30°C-50°C), current, and flow rate of the electrolyte. Extra points will be given for adding a timer and automatic shut-off control to this unit when a hole is made in the specimen.
05/18/2004 Posted project for Fall 2004 Project Description: Enviromental chamber for in-situ confocal and atomic force microscopy of living cells Point of Contact: Prof. Miriam Rafailovich Advances in tissue engineering rely on our ability to engineer new materials which allow for proper cell migration, proliferation, and differentitation. Nanotechnology allows us to design materials at the molecular level. Hence, we can in principal control the mechanical, chemical, and topographical properties on a nanometer scale. In order to fully exploit this abilitly, we must first understand the effects of each of these factors on cell dynamics. Cells respond to external stimuli in a complex manner that triggers a cascade of events resulting in integrin creation, construction of actin scaffolding, and gene expression. Since these processes normally occur over several days, it is important to have the ability to be able to culture cells directly under the microscope lens. Cell culture requires precise control over temperature, PH, and gas content, while maintaining overall sterility. I would like to challenge a student to come up with a desing for a mini cell incubator that fits into the confined enviroment of the confocal microsope or the atomic force microscope, while at the same time can maintain physiological conditions for prolonged times. Veeco Instruments, which is the parent company of Digital Instruments and Topometrix AFM is very interested in this project and their engineers will work closely with the student in interfacing the atomic force microscope with the cell stage.
05/18/2004 Posted project for Fall 2004 Project Description: Development of a high-pressure chamber for X-ray studies of III-nitride crystal growth from metallic solutions Point of contact: Gary Halada and J. Carlos Rojo Large GaN single crystals substrates are needed for the fabrication of novel III-nitride semiconductor devices for high- power, high temperature electronics, and short wave-length opto- electronics. While high pressure, flux growth is among the most promising approaches to growth GaN crystals, there is still a profound lack of understanding of the thermodynamics and growth kinetics associated with this growth technique. The optimization of this crystal growth process critically depends upon the understanding of the effect of the operational conditions (pressure of nitrogen, temperature, and chemical composition of the solution) and structure of the solution on the chemical composition and crystalline quality of the resulting crystal. This project involves design of a chamber to carry out characterization of the liquid-gas interface under conditions that can lead to the growth of III-nitride single crystals. Requirements: The chamber should be able to withstand high pressures (up to 100 bars). The chamber is equipped to heat the metallic solution up to temperatures between 800 and 1400 oC. The chamber must be compatible (in size and materials) with a typical beamline set-up at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory (specifications on the exact facilities will be provided student will need to coordinate with beamline personnel on design.) The chamber must have a pathway appropriate for X-rays and must interface with standard X-ray detectors.
05/05/2004 Posted project for Fall 2004 Project Description: Weldment Design Point of Contact: Prof. Henry J. White, Alok Chauhan This design project will address structure, properties, processing and performance of weldment systems. Students will select weld processes to design solidification substructures within material systems (of the students choice). The students will learn about welding processes, material specifications, limiting factors controlling design of solidification substructure, and âhow to prepare metallographic specimens". At the conclusion of this project, it is expected that a poster will be produced that illustrates all five solidification substructures common to weldments: planar, cellular, cellular dendritic, columnar, and equiaxed. (# of Students: 2)
Posted project for Fall 2004 Project Description: Powder Mixer Point of Contact: Jim Quinn This project will conceptualize, design, and fabricate a powder mixing system for SLS/RP (selective laser sintering/ rapid prototyping) powders. Students will select a powder mixing process. They will optimize the process for the types of powders used, such as polyamide, copper-filled polyamide, glass-filled polyamide, and stainless-steel. The fabricated mixer will be implemented to blend constituents as well as recycling of new and used powders. An important design issue will be the ability to minimize aerosolized powder during addition, mixing, and extraction of the powder. Another issue will be minimizing mixer contamination and cross contamination. Another issue will be easy of cleaning. Funding for components will available from the SLS/RP lab and lab-fee. The SLS/RP lab is a College facility, which is high profile with many visitors from industry, government, on-campus, alumni, WISE, STEP/CSTEP, and local K-12 schools.
09/07/00 Posted project for Fall 2000 INTEGRATED WAFER SCRIBE AND BREAK APPARATUS FOR SILICON WAFERS AND WAFERS COATED WITH POLYMER LAYERS. We need to design a setup for samples having various sizes up to 3" diameter with thickness up to 200 mils. For samples with polymer coatings up to a micron, clean cuts must be made in the polymer as well as having the proper scribe marks for cleaving the silicon (using a diamond tip with adjustable tension). The design must include methods for conveniently mounting specimens while avoiding chemical contamination and the breaking must be done in such a way as not to have the polymer surface absorb debris from the break. Advisor: J. Sokolov
09/13/00 Fall 2000 Advisor: Prof. Gary Halada Topic: Sample Stage for Glancing Angle EXAFS This will involve design and development of a tilting sample stage with a stepper motor for use at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory to create the capability to perform Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy of this surface films. Initially, the stage will be designed to be compatible with port X10B but should be able to be used at similarly configured ports elsewhere. Design group is limited to two people. Students will need to make several visits to the beam line at BNL and work with personnel there to ensure a compatible design. Knowledge of CAD software required.
09/13/00 Design and Fabrication of an instrument for in-situ measurement during thermal spray processing. Thermal Spray Processing is a technique of applying thick coatings on substrates by a variety of methods - such as Plasma flame, Combustion flame, High Velocity flame, Low Pressure Plasma spraying etc. During the coating process, coating and substrate build up stresses due to the solidification of molten material and due to a difference in thermal expansion of the two dissimilar materials. Level of these stresses governs the functional response of coating-substrate system. Stresses in the coating and substrate can be estimated by measuring the response of substrate during the coating process. This project would include the design and fabrication of an instrument to measure and record the changes that a sample undergoes during the coating process. Measurements such as dimensional change and temperature history need to be measured and recorded. The instrument also needs to have a capability of measuring the coating thickness during spraying. Design considerations : * Ruggedness - since it will operate in a very hostile processing environment. * Portability - since the instrument will have to be used with different coating systems. * Possibility of designing this to be used in a vacuum chamber. Prof. Sampath: Room 105
09/15/00 Micro Langmuir Trough for Rheological Measurements of Ultra Thin films. Miriam Rafailovich and Jonathan Sokolov The mechanical response of ultra thin films can provide us with a fundamental understanding at the molecular level of the structure property relationships that play a role in viscosity, friction, and modulus. At the same time an understanding of these processes is important in the design of lubricants and coatings. The proposed project involves the design and construction of a miniature Langmuir trough with computer controlled barriers for pressure and area sensing. The trough should have the capability for an RF modulation to be applied to the barriers. The change in surface pressure could then be detected either by a Pt plate electrode coupled to a lock in amplifier or with an atomic force microscope. The first part of this project is the design of the trough and the second part involves interfacing the motors with existing amplifiers of the computer controlled electronics of the atomic force microscope.
09/13/00 Design and Fabrication of Special Fixtures and Data Acquisition system for Thermal Spray Processing. Thermal Spray Processing is a technique of applying thick coatings on substrates. These coatings are applied by a variety of methods - such as Plasma flame, Combustion flame, High Velocity flame, Low Pressure Plasma spraying etc. Depending on the purpose of spraying and the subsequent testing, substrates vary greatly in shape, size and material. During the spraying process, these substrates need to be held in fixtures - either stationary or rotating. While forming the coating on substrate, it is also important to measure and record temperature variations. This project involves the design and fabrication of fixtures that would accommodate a large number of standard samples simultaneously - for both stationary condition and rotating carousel. In addition to providing various methods of holding these substrates - such as magnetic holder, clamps, screws and vacuum chucks - the fixtures must provide for external cooling by cold air guns or closed circuit water. The fixtures must also have the capability of mounting thermocouples / pyrometers to monitor the temperature of substrate during coating. A temperature sensing / recording unit (such as a Data Acquisition System) will be part of the fixture. Design considerations : * Fixture designs need to dovetail with the existing equipment in the lab (mainly the spray booths and rotating carousels). * Material selection * Temperature data acquisition in case of a rotating fixture (either by using slip rings or by wireless transmission) and in the vacuum chamber. Prof. Sampath: Room 105
Advisor: Prof. Richard J. Gambino 09/11/00 Design and Construction of an Electric Current Consolidation System for Powder Metal Processing It has been shown the metal powders can be rapidly consolidated into dense products by passing a large current through the powder compact. The system used for this process generally consists of conducting electrodes and an insulating tube containing the metal powder. The design problem requires material selection for the time/temperature conditions of the process. It has been calculated that the temperature of the compact rises to 900 C in about 0.3 seconds. A design with a replaceable tube liner is acceptable. The electrodes must be able to carry currents up to 200 amperes without heating to the point that they deform plastically or melt. Electrical insulation must be provided for the ends of the electrodes so that the apparatus can be put into a hydraulic press. The system will be used to make composites of magnetic metals with magnetic oxides for permanent magnet applications.
09/11/00 Design and construction of a miniaturized slurry drill for cutting small discs Advisor: P. I. Gouma This project will involve designing a simple device which will be used to cut mini discs (3mm in diameter) from metallic, ceramic, and composite materials. These mini discs are typically used for the examination of materials in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The principle of operation of this device will be similar to that of the slurry drill equipment used in construction. The device should be easy to assemble and operate. Material selection for the main body of the device as well as for the drilling bits is a very important and critical process of the project. The hardness of the material from which discs will be cut willvary, depending on the material system used, and this is a design aspect to be carefully considered. Once a particular desing has been chosen, construction of the device is expected to be carried out. Ideally, the device will also include controls for its automatic shutt off once discs of appropriate thickness have been cut. (a two people team is required to work on this project)
09/07/00 Posted project for Fall 2000 Industrial Application for an Instrumented Standard Hardenability Device Faculty Advisor: Dr. Henry J. White Hardenability is a measure of the depth to which steel will harden when quenched from its austenitizing temperature (Ac3 = 910 - 203 (C «) - 15.2 (Ni) + 44.7 (Si) + 104 (V) + 31.5 (Mo) + 13.1 (W)). The proposed design project involves the construction of an instrumented end quench device which will determine the cooling rates that lead to a particular level of hardening for a given steel. The challenge will be instrumenting the apparatus to accurately monitor temperature and time during the heating and cooling cycles. It is recommended that (1) current standards (ASTM A914, ASTM A304, and ASTM A255) be used as the basis for design and (2) that hardenability and cooling characteristics of different steels be measured utilizing existing theory. The resulting data will be used to select the proper welding conditions (i.e. voltage, current, travel speed, preheat temperature, etc.) required for each steel to avoid the formation of susceptible microstructures. Required Reading 1. ASTM Standards (see text). 2. Republic Alloy Steel handbook, 1968 3. Hess, et. al., " The Measurement of Cooling Rates Associated with Arc Welding and Their Application to the Selection of Optimum Welding Conditions", Welding Journal, 1943 4. G. Krauss, Principles of Heat Treatment of Steel, 1979.
Below are posted some of the projects for Fall 1997.
Fall 1997
An enviromental enclosure and temperature controled stage for atomic force
microscopy
Motivation: Atomic force and friction force microscopy is very sensitive to the conditions on the first few moecular layers of a surface. Consequelty adsorbed water, simply due to ambient humidity can significantly affect reuslts. Furthermore, in order to obtain the moleuclar scanning resolution it is esential that air transients be minimized
Project: Construct a plexiglass enclosure to mount on the air table of our Dimesnion 3000AFM where dry gas can be circulated and the humidity measured and controlled. Design temperature and humidity sensors that can be interfaced with a computer feedback control system.
Advisor: Prof. Miriam Rafailovich
Fall 1997
Scanning Hall Effect Microscope
Advisor: Prof. Gambino
Since the invention of the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) and the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) many other scanned tip microscopes have been demonstrated. The objective of this project is to design and build a mechanism for scanning a small metal tip (like a needle point) over a flat surface. The surface might be a thin metal film deposited on a glass microscopy slide or the polished surface of a semiconductor crystal. The xy motion, the area which can be scanned, must be at least 0.1 mm by 0.1 mm with a resolution of at least +/-100 nm. The tip will be used in contact with the surface but a mechanism will be needed for lifting the tip off the surface when the xy scanner is in motion.
The microscope will be used to create an image or a map of the distribution of Hall voltages on the surface of the sample. In a semiconductor the sign and magnitude of the Hall voltage depends on the distribution of impurities (p and n regions). In a ferromagnetic metal the Hall voltage depends on the arrangement of magnetic domains. During operation it will be necessary to apply a magnetic field to the sample and to pass a current through the sample. Therefore, the magnetic and electrical properties of the materials used in the construction of the mechanism will have to be considered in the design.
Fall 1997
Advisor: Dr. Jim Quinn
Topic: Digital control of X-ray diffractometer
Design and implementation of software and hardware to control a Philips X-ray diffractometer. There are several possible avenues of approach. The chosen approach must consider the detection and discrimination of the raw signal; the motion of the theta drive; the shutters, limits, and interlocks; the plotting/outputting of spectra; and appropriate control via parameterization.
Additional Information:
Fall 1997
Title:
Project:
Design and fabricate a system of parts compatible with a vacuum
environment by which a substrate can be held in place and two
different masks can be brought in contact with the substrate surface
at given times. The masks must be compatible with one another,
i.e., they must be properly positioned and aligned so that the
patterns produced by the two masks have the desired relative
orientation and shape.
It is necessary to take into account the fact that the substrate may have to be protected by suitable shutters before and after the use of the masks.
The system should be designed, built and tested.
ADVISOR: F. JONA, OLD ENG. 302.
Fall 1997
Temperature controlled sample holder for neutron reflection experiments:
Aim: design a temperature controled vacuum chamber which mounts on a beamline at the NIST or BNL neutron reactors. The chamber must mount on a goniometer, have windows to allow entry/exit of the neutron beam, and have an computer controlled temperature sensor. The chamber must also be designed to hold at least 10E-08 Torr vacuum, to prevent polymer degradation. This chamber will be used to study in beam polymer dynamics, phase transitions, and crystalline ordering.
Mentors: Miriam Rafailovich, Jonathan Sokolov and D. Nguyen (BNL scientist)
One or two students required.
Fall 1997
Title: Uniaxial Traversing Stage For Thermal Cycling Rig
Personnel required: Two
Skills necessary: Windows-based data acquisition and control programming.
Advisor: A. Newman, Hvy Eng. Rm. 009, aenewman@ccmail.sunysb.edu
The Thermal Spray Laboratory produces coatings by injecting powders into various types of plasmas and flames. A type of coating that is very successful in the aerospace industry is the thermal barrier coating (TBC), used currently on jet engine blades. This coating permits the exterior of the blade to reach temperatures several hundred degrees above the melting point of the substrate metal. The primary cause of TBC failure is thermal fatigue. Hence, an accelerated test is required for examining potential next generation coatings. The requirements for the thermal cycling rig are: 1) to traverse the samples from a cold zone to a hot zone, 2) to monitor the coatings temperature, and 3) to record a picture of the coating after each cycle. A single computer to control the data acquisition, CNC controller, and framegrabber would be favorable. Our laboratory has a tube furnace, traverse slide, controller, and computer available for this task. Other components necessary to complete the design project will be purchased, with the assistance of TSL, after approval of the design concept.
Fall 1997
Design and Implimentation of an Environmental Chamber for Sliding Wear
Tests
The objective of this project will be to design a chamber around an existing wear test machine in order to be able to conduct tests at high temperature (up to 500C) and under vacuum or inert gas atmospheres. Hence, the chamber must be able to withstand high temperatures, vacuum and high pressures. The chamber will be transparent in order to monitor the surface during testing. Furthermore, it will be required to monitor the tempearture of the test specimen.
Design Advisors: Prof. Sanjay Sampath and Dr. Saifi Usmani.
Fall 1997
Design and Construction of a Dry Sand Rubber Wheel Abrasion Test Set-Up
The objective of this project will be to design and fabricate an abrasion test set-up according to ASTM Standard Test Method. The project involves collecting information on the requirements of a set-up, collecting raw materials and other components, designing the set-up and implementation of the design strategy.
Design Advisors: Prof. Sanjay Sampath and Dr. Saifi Usmani.
Fall 97
Title: Design of a Hot Air Polymer Spray Gun
POC: Prof. Herbert Herman, 632-8510
Description:
Polymer spraying represents an emerging sector of thermal spray technology.
This project entails the design and implementation of a device capable of
heating and accelerating air and injecting polymer powder into the heated
air stream. Such a gun design would allow polymeric coatings and
composites to be deposited without using a traditional combustion process.
It is envisioned that a serpentine heater will be used to heat inert gas or compressed air. The gun nozzle must be designed to produce high gas velocities. The inlet gas pressure, volumetric flow rates, power, and powder injection rate must be optimized or "tuneable" to melt polymer powders with a range of melting points. The proper powder injection angle is critical to deposit coatings with high deposition efficiencies with corresponding high densities. This project requires knowledge of thermal transport, polymer science, fluid mechanics, and component integration.
04/05/2008 JQ.