Date post: | 10-Apr-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | mark-giska |
View: | 223 times |
Download: | 0 times |
of 60
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
1/60
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
2/60
Mechanical EngineeringAnnual Report 20092010
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
3/60
C
2 Message froM the Char
3 trends & statstCs
n the news 4 ME Faculty Win Prestigious Societal
Awards
6 Junior Faculty Win Early Career Awards
7 Going Green:MEforGreenVehicleEducation
8 U-M to Lead New Naval EngineeringEducation Center
9 Meet New Faculty
10 From U-M to the White House:KotaAdvancingManufacturing
11 Effecting National Standards:AssanisWorkCitedinPresidentialMemo
11 Thouless Bestows University
Commencement Honors12 ME Faculty Directs U-M Energy Institute
advanCes n researCh14 Advancing the Three Pillars of
Sustainability
16 Alternative Propulsion Systems:HybridVehiclesareChangingtheTransportationLandscape
18 Heat Transfer Physics:RecyclingAtomicVibrationalEnergy
20 Probing Nanoscale Energy Phenomena
22 Environmental Nanoparticles: FromCombustiontoHumanHealthEffects
24 Exploring Defects: UsingQuantumMechanicstoPredictMaterialBehavior
26 From Atom to Application:ExploringLaser-MaterialInteractions
28 Shape Memory Alloys: SeeingtheForestandtheTrees
30 Epoxy Curing:NewModelsforNewMaterials
31 New Technology for Better MEMSMicrophones
32 Measuring Human Motion:MiniatureWirelessInertialSensing
34 Inventing New Devices:SmartMaterialsYieldSmartSolutions
36 Micro-Robotics: NewStrategiesfor
ControlandOptimization37 Minimally Invasive Surgery: Affordable
andFunctionalTools
38 Novel Bio-MEMS Platform:MonitoringHIV/AIDSinResource-LimitedAreas
40 The Biomechanics of Injury
42 Novel Devices to Retrain Balance
eXCeLLenCe n edUCaton44 X50 Design and Manufacturing:
ShowcasingCreativityandInnovation
46 Students of the World:GainingaGlobalPerspective
49 Student Teams and Chapters Thrive
appontMents, awards &proMotons51 ME Faculty Take College and University
Leadership Positions
52 Ulsoy Named Distinguished UniversityProfessor
52 Faculty Awards & Promotions
53 Graduate Student Honors
53 Undergraduate Student Awards
aLUMn news & profLes54 Korybalski Lectureship:BringsCharles
Vest,RogerMcCarthytoCampus
55 Raymond Wilcox:StrengtheningCommunicationsamongFutureEngineeringLeaders
55 Carroll and Kit Haas: LongtimeFriends,Supporters,ofME
56 Ray Pittman:ReceivesAlumniSocietyMeritAward
56 IN MEMRIAM
16 22 4233
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
4/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201002
Message from the Chair
Iamproudtopresentthe20092010AnnualReporttoyou.Itislledwithnumer-oushighlightsofactivitiesoverthepastyearinvolvingourfaculty,staff,studentsandalumni,demonstratingthattheDepartmentofMechanicalEngineering(ME)attheUniversityofMichigan(U-M)isaleaderinforgingnewpathsinresearchandeduca-tionandhavingastrongandpositiveimpactonourcommunity.
Ourfacultyatalllevelsarewellrecog-nizedfortheforesight,innovationandreachoftheirwork,evidentbythemanydistinguishedawardsearnedfrompro-fessionalsocieties.SomeoftherecentawardsincludetheAmericanSocietyofBiomechanicsBorelliAward,theAmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineersDanielC.DruckerMedal,RufusOldenburgerMedal,WilliamT.EnnorManufacturingTechnologyAward,JamesHarryPotterGoldMedal,GustusL.LarsonMemorialAwardaswellasthePiTauSigmaGoldMedalandTheSocietyofEngineeringScienceWilliamPragerMedal.
Ourjuniorfacultyarerecognizedfortheirearly-careersuccesseswithhighlycom-petitiveyounginvestigatorawards,suchastheNationalInstitutesofHealthDirectorsNewInnovatorsAward,theEarlyCareerResearchAwardfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,theNationalScienceFoundationCAREERAwardandtheYoungFacultyAwardfromtheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency.Thisyearwe
hiredthreenewassistantprofessors;eachbringsvaluabletalenttotheU-MMEcom-munity.Wewillhavemultiplenewfacultyopeningstollinthecomingyearaswell.
TheDepartmentsresearcheffortsarehavingsignicantimpactonthescienticcommunityaswellasonoursociety.Inthepagesthatfollow,youwillreadaboutthediscoveriesandbreakthroughsinbothfundamentalandappliedresearchinmyriadareas:sustainability,energy,nanoscale
AcademyofSciencesreportco-authoredbyanotherMEfacultymemberwascitedinapresidentialmemorandumwrittentoeffectfuelefciencystandards.
TheMEdepartmentexcelsandtakesmuchprideinoureducationinitiativesandefforts.Ourfacultymembershaverecentlyspearheadedtwomulti-milliondollarmajoreducationalprograms:anavalengineeringeducationcenterandatransportationelectricationeducationconsortium.Asyouwillread,numerousongoingprogramsallowstudentstogainuniqueandmeaning-fulstudyexperiencesbothinAnnArborandabroad.Ourstudentteamsexcel,tooinfact,theU-MSolarCarTeamjustwontheAmericanSolarChallengeforthethirdconsecutiveyear.
Weareproudofourvastandever-support-ivealumninetwork.Ourgraduatesnotonlyaresuccessfulintheircareers,theyalsoarealwaysgenerouswiththeirtime,knowledgeandresourcesseveralexamplesarehigh-lightedinthisyearsreport.
Asyoucantell,andwillreadinthepagesthatfollow,ithasbeenanotherproductiveandfruitfulyear!
Thankyouforyourinterest.
Kon-WellWang
StephenP.TimoshenkoCollegiateProfessorandChair,DepartmentofMechanicalEngineering
TheDepartmentof
MechanicalEngineeringat
theUniversityofMichigan
isaleaderinforgingnew
pathsinresearchand
educationandhavinga
strongandpositiveimpact
onourcommunity.
particlesandmaterials,mechanicsofadvancedmaterials,mechatronicsandcon-trols,MEMStransducers,biosystemsandbiomechanics.Inaddition,ourcolleaguesplayimportantleadershiprolesvisvisthenationalagendawithexampleshighlightedinthisreport:oneofourfacultyisservingasassistantdirectorofadvancedmanufactur-ingattheWhiteHouseOfceofScienceandTechnologyPolicy;andaNational
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
5/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT20092010 03
F A C U L T Y P R O F I L E
57# of Society Fellows
5# of Current NAE Members
(Includes primary and joint ME appointments)
4# of NSF PECASE
or PFF Awards
27# of NSF CAREER
or PYI Awards
6# of Current JournalChief Editors
68# of Current Journal
Editorial Board or AssociateEditor Appointments
T & T T F A C U L T Y T R E N D S
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Assistant
Associate
Professor
Total Faculty
FA05
8
12
30
50
FA06
6
13
31
50
FA07
9
12
34
55
FA08
10
11
36
57
FA09
11
12
35
58
FA10
12
12
36
60
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Male
Female
Total Faculty
FA05
43
7
50
FA06
42
8
50
FA07
46
9
55
FA08
47
10
57
FA09
48
10
58
FA10
50
10
60
M E D E G R E E S C O N F E R R E D
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9
BSE 243
MSE 124
PhD 50
Trends&Statistics
NIH
DoE
NSFDoD
All Other
Total
$30M
$25M
$20M
$15M
$10M
$5M
0
0708
1,232,517
1,885,113
3,099,4146,030,570
12,076,860
$24,324,474
0809
1,403,643
1,773,858
2,460,17710,195,017
14,608,221
$30,440,916
0910
1,996,237
2,390,860
2,701,33010,992,316
13,792,756
$31,873,499
A N N U A L R E S E A R C H
E X P E N D I T U R E S
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
6/60
n the news
ME Faculty Win Prestigious Societal Awards
ThecontributionsandimpactoftheresearchadvancesmadebyMEfacultyarewidelyandfrequentlyrecog-nizedbyprofessionalsocietieswithprestigiousawards.Manyfacultyhavereceivedcovetedhonorsinrecentyearsforthebreadth,depthandcreativityoftheirwork.Severalarehighlightedbelow (moreawardsarelistedonpages52-53):
ProfessorJames Barberearnedthe2009AmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineers(ASME)DanielC.Druckermedalinrecognitionofhisdistinguishedcontri-butionstotheeldofappliedmechanicsandmechani-calengineeringthroughsustainedresearch,teachingandservicetothecommunity.Itisoneofthehighestcareerdistinctionsamechanicsscholarcanachieve.
ProfessorAlan Wineman earnedTheSocietyofEngineeringScience(SES)WilliamPragerMedalin2009.WinemanwasselectedforthePragermedalforhisoutstandingresearchcontributionsintheoreti-calsolidmechanics.Astherecipientofthemedal,Winemanwasinvitedtogivetheplenarylectureatthe
2009jointAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers-ASME-SESConferenceonMechanicsandMaterials.
ProfessorA. Galip UlsoyisarecentrecipientoftheRufusT.OldenburgerMedal,anothertopASMEawardrecognizinglifetimeachievementintheeldofautomaticcontrol.Ulsoyearnedthemedalforfunda-mentalandwiderangingcontributionstotheanalysisandcontrolofdynamicsystemswithabroadrangeofapplications,fromautomotivesystemstomanufactur-ingsystems.UlsoywasthefoundingdirectoroftheGroundRoboticsReliabilityCenterandcurrentlyservesasdeputydirector.
TheASMEawardedProfessorJun Ni the2009WilliamT.EnnorManufacturingTechnologyAwardforNissignicantcontributionstoaninnovativemanufacturingtechnology,theimplementationofwhichhasresultedinsubstantialeconomicand/orsocietalbenets.NidirectstheS.M.WuManufacturingResearchCenterandservesasdeputydirectoroftheNationalScienceFoundationEngineeringResearchCenterforRecongurableManufacturingSystemsatU-M.
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201004
THISPAGE:1Ju ni i i i, Yi w, cmy;2 Jm Bb cci 2009 asMe dil C. duck Ml;3al wim; 4 Clu Bkk; 5a. gli Uly cci ruu t. olbu Ml.
OPPOSITEPAGE:6a-ii ml; 7J h cii sMe oui Yu Mucui ei a; 8 Jma-Mill; 9a sulu.
1 2
5 4
3
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
7/60
AssociateProfessorClaus Borgnakkereceivedthe2009JamesHarryPotterGoldMedal,alsobestowedbytheASME.TheMedalrecognizeseminentachieve-mentanddistinguishedserviceinthescienceofther-modynamicsinmechanicalengineering.Theawardisbasedoncontributionstoteachinganduseofthermodynamicprinciplesinresearch,developmentanddesign.
AlbertSchultzCollegiateResearchProfessor JamesAshton-MillerwashonoredwiththeBorelliAwardattheannualmeetingoftheAmericanSocietyofBiomechanics(ASB)inAugust2009.Theawardrecog-nizesAshton-Millerforhisresearchinbiomechanicsand
isthehighesthonorbestowedbytheASB.
Ashton-MillerservesasdirectoroftheBiomechanicsResearchLaboratory.Hisresearchinterestsincludemobilityimpairmentsintheelderly;trips,slipsandfalls;elderlydecision-makingandrisk-takinginphysi-caltasks;birthrelatedinjury;femalestressurinaryincontinence;spinebiomechanics;athleticinjuriesandoccupantvehicularsafety.
INTHENEWS 05
ProfessorAnna Stefanopoulouisthe2009recipi-entoftheASMEGustusL.LarsonMemorialAward,whichhonorsengineeringgraduateswhohaveshownoutstandingachievementinmechanicalengineeringwithintentotwentyyearsofearningtheirdegrees.StefanopoulouwasrecentlyappointeddirectoroftheAutomotiveResearchCenter(seerelatedstoryonpage51).
AssistantProfessorA. John Hartistherecipientofthe2009ASMEPiTauSigmaGoldMedal.Themedalisawardedtoyoungengineeringgraduateswhohavedemonstratedoutstandingachievementinmechani-calengineeringwithintenyearsfollowingreceiptofthe
baccalaureatedegree.HartalsoreceivedtheSocietyofManufacturingEngineers(SME)2010OutstandingYoungManufacturingEngineerAward.ThisawardrecognizedHartforhisexceptionalcontributionsinmanufacturing.
6 7 9
8
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
8/60
SeveralMEfacultymaybeintheearlystagesoftheircareers,buttheirworkisalreadydrawingattentionandshowingresults.Thefollowingjuniorfacultyhavebeenrecognizedin0910fortheirinnovativeandcreativeapproachestoproblemsandthepromiseandtremendouspotentialoftheirwork.
AssistantProfessorNikosChronis(PhD,UCBerkeley)receivedtheNationalInstituteofHealth(NIH)DirectorsNewInnovatorsAward.Heisoneofabout50investigatorsintheearlystagesoftheircareershonoredwiththeawardin2009.Theprizesupportsexceptionalcreativityamongnewinvestiga-torsworkingoninnovativeproj-ects.Theworkalsomusthavethepotentialforhighimpact.
Chronisisdevelopingabiochip
thatmonitorstheimmunestatusofHIV-infectedpopulationsinresource-limitedsocieties.Thebiochipusesamicroelectro-mechanicalsystems-based
Junior Faculty Win Early Career Awards
imagingsystemtocountthenumberofCD4cellsinHIV-positivepatients(seerelatedstoryonpage38).
AssistantProfessorSamanthaDaly(PhD,Cal-Tech)hasreceivedanEarlyCareerResearchAwardfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy.Dalyisoneof69researchscien-tistsfromacrossthenationtowinve-yeargrantsundertheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentAct.ThegrantwillsupportherresearchonDeformationandFailureMechanismsofShapeMemoryAlloystobetterunderstandthefundamentalmechanicsdrivingthedeformationandfailureofthisuniquegroupofmetallicalloys(seerelatedstoryonpage28).
Dalysworkwillhaveanimpact
onscienticresearchwellbeyondSMAs.Thendingsfromherexperimentsarerepresentativeofawideclassofmaterials,andthenew
experimentalmethodologiessheisusingcanbeappliedtoarangeoffutureinvestigationsintothemechanicsofmaterials.
AssistantProfessorKennldham(PhD,UCBerkeley)haswonaNSFFacultyEarlyCareerDevelopment(CAREER)AwardforhisresearchonPowerOptimizationinAutonomousMicrosystemsviaIntegratedMotionControl.CAREERawardsrecognizejuniorfacultyforoutstandingresearchandeducation.
TheprimaryapplicationofOldhamsresearchisthecontrolofterrestrial,autonomousmicro-robotswithinsect-likemobilitythatrelyonpiezoelectricMEMSactuators.Thepower-savingalgorithmsthatOldhamisapplyingtohisroboticsworkalsocanbeappliedtoother
microsystems,suchascapsuleendoscopesandotherbiomedi-caldeviceswhosesmallsizeimposespowerconstraints.Aspartoftheaward,Oldham
planstodevelopaneducationasimulationtooltoteachstudentsaboutpowersourcesandhowforceistransferred(seerelatedstoryonpage36).
AssistantProfessor Kevin Pipe(PhD,MIT)hasbeenselectedbytheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencytoreceiveaYoungFacultyAward.Throughthegrant,Pipewillstudyheattransferinhighpower/highspeedtransis-torsthatareusedasampli-ersinadvancedmilitaryandcommercialcommunicationssystems.Efcientheatremovaliscriticaltogettingmaximumperformancefromandensuringreliabilityofsuchdevices.Morespecically,Pipewillexaminemethodstoefcientlyremovetheheatcarriedbyvibrationalmodesveryneartothetransis-toritself.
Pipehasrecentlybeenpro-motedtoassociateprofessorwithtenure.
nos Chrons saMantha daLY enn oLdhaM evn ppe
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201006
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
9/60
ProfessorHuei PengandtheMEdepart-mentwillbeadrivingforceintheelectricandhybridvehiclemovement,thankstoa$2.5milliongrantfromtheDepartmentofEnergysAdvancedElectricDriveVehicleEducationProgram,announcedinAugust2009.
Peng,whoalsoservesastheexecutivedirectorofInterdisciplinaryandProfessionalEngineeringProgramsintheCollegeofEngineering,tooktheleadontheproposalthatwontheawardforneweducationalactivitiesintransportationelectrication.
Thegrant,fundedbytheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentAct,willallowU-Mtocreatetengraduateandunder-graduatecoursesontopicssuchashybridvehicles,batteriesandgreenpower.SevenofthetencourseswillbetaughtinAnnArbor;therestwillbeofferedtostudents
atU-MDearbornandKetteringUniversityinFlint.
Inaddition,Pengwilloverseetheestab-lishmentoftwonewlabs:anIntegratedHybridElectricSystemLaboratoryandanAutomotivePowerElectronicsLaboratory.ThesewillbehousedinAnnArborandwillsupportthenewlydevelopedcourses.Shortcoursesforprofessionalswillbeofferedinpersonandthroughdistanceeducation.OutreachtostudentsingradesKthrough12willincludeclasses,hands-onlearningmodulesandasummercampexperience.
ASaturdaymorningseminarseriesandotherconsumer-orientedeventsalsowillbedevelopedtoincreaseawarenessofgreenvehicletechnology.
Thegoalofthenewinitiativeistoeducatestudentsinelectricalpowergeneration,delivery,conversionandcontrolsbothatthegridandthevehicularlevels.Graduateswillthengoontocomprisethenextgenera-tionofengineerswhocanconceptualize,designandmanufacturegreenvehicles.
WewanttodevelopallopportunitiessotheworkforceinMichigancanbetransformed,Pengsaid.Besideslayingthefoundationforeducationwithacleanenergyfocus,theAdvancedElectricDrive
VehicleEducationProgramalsowillcreateindustriallyrelevantengineeringjobsandwillsupportthenationstransitiontogreenmanufacturing.
Going Green: MEforGreenVehicleEducation
Thegrantispartofmorethan$1billiongoingtoMichigan-basedcompaniesanduniversities.Reectingitsleadershipinclean-energymanufacturing,Michiganisreceivingthelargestshareofgrantfundingofanystate.
ABOVE:su i ful Cll hy s cl cc i i ul cll y icl bu cl by u lcu Mk Mi gl M.
INTHENEWS 07
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
10/60
U-M to Lead New Naval Engineering Education Center
AnewNavalEngineeringEducationCenter(NEEC),spearheadedandledbyU-M,hasanambitiousandimportantgoal:todevelopandeducatethenextgenerationofworld-classnavalsystemsengineers.
Thecenterwasestablishedthrougha$3.2millioncontractawardfromtheNavalSeaSystemsCommand(NAVSEA).Thecontractincludesveadditionalyearsofoptionalextensionsthatcouldtotal$49.9million.Theground-breakingprogram,underthedirectionofMEProfessorSteveCeccio,isamongthelargestinthehistoryoftheCollegeofEngineering.
SincetheendoftheColdWar,theU.S.Navyhasexperiencedsignicantchallengestoitsshipdesigncapabilities,andtheshipdesignworkforceisaging.Tomeettheseneeds,U-MpartneredwithNAVSEAtoformtheNEEC.ThisnewCenterwilldevelopalargenumberofuniquelyeducatedstudentstohelprebuildtheNavysdesignexpertisewiththenextgenerationofnavalsystemsengineersfortheNavyscivilianengineer-ing,acquisitionandscienticworkforce.TheCenterseducationalprogramswillnotonlybenettheNavy,however;theyalsowillprovideoutstandinglearningandcareeropportunitiesforU-MstudentsaswellasthosefromtheCenterspartnerinstitutions.
FifteentopcollegesanduniversitiesfromacrosstheUnitedStatescompriseacon-sortium,alongwiththeAmericanSocietyofNavalEngineersandtheSocietyofNavalArchitectsandMarineEngineers.
TheNEECalsowillworktorecruitandretainworld-classfacultywhospecial-izeinnavalengineering.ItwillcoordinateemployeedevelopmentopportunitiestoretainnavalengineeringtalentfortheNavy,anditwillexpandnavalengineeringeduca-tionprogramsandcoursesacrossuniversi-tiesandcollegesnationwide.
TheNEECstudentswillengageinproject-basedlearningandgainhands-onnavalengineeringexperience.NEECprojectteams,joinedbyNAVSEAengineersandscientists,willaddressthelatesttechni-calchallenges,suchasthedevelopmentofalternativeenergysourcesandenergyconservationmethods,designanduseofunmannedvehicles,advancementofshipdesignmethodsandmanufacturingcapabilities,andthereductionoftheNavysoperationalcosts.StudentswillparticipateinNAVSEAinternshipsandat-seaexperi-enceonNavyshipstobetterunderstandtheNavysmissionandneeds.
TheAmericanSocietyofNavalEngineersandtheSocietyofNavalArchitectsand
MarineEngineersarepartneringwiththeNEEC,andthetwoorganizationswillhelpdevelopK12outreachprogramstosparkchildrensinterestinpursuingscience,technology,engineeringandmathcoursesandcareers.AlloftheseactivitieswillbecoordinatedwiththeU.S.NavysCenterforInnovationinShipDesign.
TheNEECbringstogetherU-M,VirginiaPolytechnicInstitute,theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,thePennsylvaniaStateUniversity,theGeorgiaInstituteofTechnology,theWebbInstitute,FloridaStateUniversity,FloridaAtlanticUniversity,OldDominionUniversity,TennesseeStateUniversity,StevensInstituteofTechnology,theUniversityofNewOrleans,theUniversityofIowa,theUniversityofTexas-SanAntonioandtheUniversityofWashington.
MichiganhasalongandproudtraditionofeducationandresearchinsupportoftheNavy,andwereproudtobeleadingtheNEECandtobeworkingwithallofthesepartnerstonurturethenextgenerationofnavalengineers,saidCeccio,whoisalsoaprofessorofNavalArchitectureandMarineEngineering.
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201008
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
11/60
ra Barton
INTHENEWS 09
ChnedUM owUdre gBor orosZ
KiraBartonAssistantProfessor
BartoncomestoU-MfromtheUniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-Champaign,whereshecom-pletedanAmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineersGraduateTeachingFellowshipandearnedherPhDinmechanicalengineering.
Bartonsworkintersectscontrolsandmanufacturingandfocusesondevelopmentofnovelcontrolalgorithmsforimprovingthecoordinationandprecisionmotioncontrolofmanufacturingsystems.Herresearchcombinesinnovativemanufacturingprocesseswithenhancedengineeringcapa-bilities.ThepotentialimpactrangesfrombuildingDNAsensorsforbiologicalapplica-tionstocontrollingthecoordina-tionbetweensatellitesinspace.
Bartonispioneeringamicro/nanomanufacturingprocesscalledelectrohydrodynamicjet,orE-jet,printing.Thisprintingtechniqueisparticu-larlyviableforhigh-resolutionpatternsorfunctionaldevicessuchaselectricalorbiologi-calsensors.Recentadvanceshaveincreasedthroughputcapabilitiesbyfourordersofmagnitude.Earlierthisyearher
desktopE-jetprintingsystemwasnamedanalistintheLemelson-MITIllinoisProgram,whichrecognizesinnovationandinvention.
BartonplanstocontinueworkontheE-jetprocessatU-Mandaddresssimilarcontrolneedsinothermanufacturingprocesses.ShelooksforwardtothemanycollaborativeopportunitiestobefoundwithintheMEdepartmentandotherdepartmentsaswell.
Myworkishighlyinterdisciplin-ary,andIamextremelyexcitedtohavetheopportunitytoworkwithsomanyoutstandingresearchers,saidBarton.
ChinedumOkwudireAssistantProfessor
OkwudireearnedhisPhDdegreeinmechanicalengineeringfromtheUniversityofBritishColumbia(UBC)inVancouver,Canada.
Okwudiresresearchcentersonthemodelingandcontrolofhigh-speedmotioncontrolsystems,orfeeddrives,inordertoimprovethequalityandproductivityofmanufacturingoperations.WhilecompletinghisdoctoralstudiesatUBC,heworkedcloselywiththeMechatronicsSupportTeamofSiemensLinearMotorSystems.
Mostrecently,hehasworkedatMoriSeikisDigitalTechnologyLabwhereheiscollaboratingonthedevelopmentofanultra-precisionve-axismachinetoolthatiscapableofnanometerlevelsurfacenishes.
AtU-M,Okwudireplanstoextendhisresearchtodevelop-ingmotioncontrolmethodsandmaterialhandlingtech-niquesthatwillreduceenergyconsumptionandwasteinmanufacturing.
Imexcitedaboutcontinuingresearchworkthatwillcontrib-utetore-shapingthemanufac-turingindustrytomakeitbetterandmoresustainable,hesaid.
GborOroszAssistantProfessor
OroszearnedhisPhDdegreeinengineeringmathematicsfromtheUniversityofBristol
inEngland.HecontinuedasapostdoctoralfellowattheUniversityofExeter,alsoinEngland.Mostrecently,OroszcompletedapostdoctoralfellowshipattheUniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara.
Oroszsrecentresearchhasfocusedontrafcdynamicsandunderstandinghowtrafcjamswithnodiscerniblecause
developonhighways.Throughthatwork,hehasgainedadeeperunderstandingofthecollectivedynamicsofvehiclesystems,andfutureworkwillshifttowardcontrollingsuchdynamics.Hisresearchwilltargettrafccontrolschemesthatactattheleveloftheindividualvehicles,withthegoalofdevelopingalgorithmsforautonomouscruisecontroldevicesthatcankeeptrafcowingsmoothly.
U-Misaleaderintheareaoftransportation,dynamicsandcontrol,andthereareexcellentopportunitiesforscienticcollaboration,saidOrosz,whoalsoplanstocontinuehisworkonthedynamicsofbiologicalnetworks.
EducatingfutureengineersisoneofthemanyopportunitiesOroszislookingforwardtoatU-M.
Meet New Faculty
new 201011faCULtY searChes
t U-M Me mk ci
mulil ull-im u-ck culy ii i201011. t l m,
ii u bi :.m.i.umic.u
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
12/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201010
From U-M to the White House: KotaAdvancingManufacturing
ProfessorSridhar KotacurrentlyisservingastheassistantdirectorofadvancedmanufacturingandAmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineersfellowattheWhiteHouseOfceofScienceandTechnologyPolicy(OSTP).HisassignmentinWashington,D.C.,beganinSeptember2009.
TheOSTPadvisesthePresidentandotherswithintheExecutiveOfceontheeffectsofscienceandtechnologyondomesticandinternationalaffairs.TheOSTPalsoleadsinteragencyeffortstodevelopandimplementsoundscienceandtechnologypoliciesandbudgets.
TheadvancedmanufacturingpositionisarecentadditiontotheTechnologyDivisionoftheOSTP.ThePresidentandtheAdministrationarecommittedtostrength-eningtheU.S.manufacturingbase,said
Kota.TheASMEoriginallyofferedKotaacongressionalfellowship,butwhenthe
needforleadershipinmanufactur-ingarose,theOSTPselectedhimforthepositionafterafurtherroundofinterviews.
Kotaacceptedtheassignment.Ibelievedthiswouldprovidemeanopportunitytoexperiencepolicy-making
atthehighestlevel,hesaid.
Kotasresponsibilitiesfocusprimarilyonidentifyingpromisingtechnologiesandeffectivestrategiestostrengthenthenationsmanufacturingbase.Helooksforgapsincurrentfederalresearchanddevelopmentinadvancedmanufacturinganddevisesstrategiestoaddressthem.Heiscreatingpolicyrecommendationstofostercommercializationandmanu-facturingofadvancedtechnologies.Theneedtore-establisharobustmanufac-turingsectordomesticallyisespecially
crucialrightnowgiventherecenteco-nomicdownturn.
Asbothanengineerandaresearcher,Kotasaysheisgaininganunderstandingofthebigpictureandhowuniversityresearchimpactsrealsocietalneeds.Theperspec-tivethatIamgainingisextraordinary.
Kotaalsoseestheassignmentasvaluabletohisworkasaneducator.Imlearning
howbesttolltheinnovationgapthroughengineeringeducationandresearch.Westillhavesomeofthebestuniversitiesandresearchinstitutionsintheworld,andwemustcontinuetoinvestinbasicresearch.Butfundamentalresearchisonlytherststepinachievingnational,economicandenergysecurity.Wemustalsomaturethetechnologyandmanufacturingreadinessofourscienticdiscoveriesandengineer-inginventions.Thatswheretranslationalresearch,engineeringandentrepreneurshipwillhelpllthegapbetweenscienticdis-coveryandU.S.-basedmanufacturing.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
13/60
INTHENEWS 11
Me p Micl tul (standing,secondfromright), ci s aiyCmmi Uiiy ai, pi obm ui ci y.
Effecting National Standards:AssanisWorkCitedinPresidentialMemo
TheworkofMEProfessorDennis AssanisandtwootherUniversityfacultymemberswascitedinaMay2010presidentialmemorandum.Assanis,amemberoftheNationalAcademyofEngineeringanddirectoroftheMichiganMemorialPhoenixEnergyInstitute(seerelatedstoryonpage12),wasacontributortoaNationalAcademyofScience(NAS)reportonmedium-andheavy-dutytruckregulation.Inthememo,PresidentObamarequeststhat
theU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyandtheNationalHighwayTrafcSafetyAdministrationimmediatelystartworkingonestablishingfuelefciencyandgreenhousegasemissionsstandardsforcommercialmedium-andheavy-dutyvehiclesandthatthetwoagenciesconsiderthendingsandrecommendationsintheNASreport.Thestandardswouldbeginwithvehiclemodelyear2014,withtheaimofissuinganalrulebytheendofJuly2011.
Thouless Bestows University Commencement Honors
MEProfessorMichael Thoulesshadthe
privilegeofhoodingthehonorarydoctoraldegreerecipients,includingPresidentBarackObama,duringthespring2010commencementattheUniversityofMichigan.PresidentObamadeliveredthecommencementaddressandreceivedanhonoraryDoctorofLawdegree.ThoulesswasaccordedthehonorbecauseofhisroleaschairoftheSenateAdvisoryCommitteeonUniversityAffairs(seerelatedstoryonpage51).UniversityofMichiganMEalumnusandpresidentoftheNationalAcademyofEngineeringCharlesVestalsoreceivedanhonoraryDoctorofLaw
degree.VestispresidentemeritusoftheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyandhasservedasdeanoftheCollegeofEngineeringandprovostattheUniversityofMichigan.Vestdeliveredthe2010MEKorybalskiLectureinMay(seerelatedstoryonpage54).
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
14/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201012
ME Faculty Directs U-M Energy Institute
thatminimizetheuseoffossilfuelsandgeneratereducedgreenhousegasesandpollution.Heisleadingeffortstowardacarbon-neutralvehicleforsustainablemobil-itywhilesimultaneouslymakingfundamen-talcontributionstotheeldsofbiofuelssynthesisandutilization,cleancombustion,electriedpropulsionandmaterialssciencewithinanoverarchinglifecycledesignandoptimizationframework.Hisgoalisafour-tove-foldreductioninuse-phasecarbon
dioxideemissionsaswellasadvancesinenergyharvestandstoragematerials.
MMPEIsprimaryresearchthrustsinclude:carbonneutralelectricitysources;energystorageandutilization;transportationandfuels;andenergypolicy,economicsandsocietalimpact.
TheEnergyInstituteisdevelopingsolutionstoreinventapredominantlyfossilfuel-basedenergyinfrastructureintoasustainable
model,saidAssanis.Wearecommittedtoenablingbasicsciencediscoverywithapathtowardtechnologyandmarket-readyinnovationinordertoadvancerenewableenergygeneration,dramaticallyimprovestoragecapacityandtransformtheenergydistributioninfrastructure.Addressingglobalenergysupply,demandandutilizationchallengesrequiresinterdisciplinarysystemanalysistoassessdifferentscenariosforenergypolicyandmarketstrategies.
Furthermore,raisingsocietalawarenessofvexingenergy,climateandhumanhabitatissuesisaprerequisitetomodifybehavioralpatternsandtapintothepowerofenergyconservation,headded.
TheworkofmanyMEfacultyoverlapsconsiderablywithMMPEIsresearchpriori-ties,andanumberofMEfacultyserveasfacultyfellowsfortheInstitute.Forexample,theAlternativeEnergyTechnologiesforTransportation(AETT)program,ledbythe
Dennis Assanis,theJonR.andBeverlyS.HoltprofessorofengineeringandanArthurF.Thurnauprofessor,hasbeenappointeddirectoroftheMichiganMemorialPhoenixEnergyInstitute(MMPEI).
TheMMPEIisservingasthehubofenergy-relatedresearchandeducationthroughout
theCollegeofEngineeringandU-M.TheInstitutesmissionistodeveloppathwaystoasecure,affordableandsustainableenergyfuture.Tacklingsocietysenergyproblemsrequiresamultidisciplinaryapproach,andtheMMPEIspearheadsandpromotescollaborationamongtheMEdepartment,theCollegeandmanyunitsacrosscampusthatencompassthebasicsciences,naturalresources,theenvironment,busi-ness,publichealth,lawandpublicpolicy.HousedintheremodeledPhoenixMemorialLaboratory,formerlyhometotheFordNuclearReactoruntilitwasdecommis-sioned,theInstituteischargedwithbringingtheUniversitysenergyresearch,policystudiesandeducationalactivitiestogetherunderoneroof.
AssanisisanaturaltfortheEnergyInstitutesdirectorship.Hisresearchexploresnewtransportationtechnologies
ABOVE:exml liium-i by ck umi lici.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
15/60
INTHENEWS 13
InstituteinpartnershipwithFraunhoferGesellschaft,Germany,isfocusedonmovingcrucialresearchdiscoveriesfromlaboratoriestoindustryandinvolvesMEprofessorsVolkerSickandJyotiMazumder.Inaddition,MEAssistantProfessorDonaldSiegelwaspartofajuniorfacultymulti-disciplinaryclusterhirespearheadedby
theInstituteandrecentlywonagranttodevelopadvancedlithium-airbatteriesaspartofacampus-wideinitiativetopromotecollaborativeresearchinrenewableenergybetweenU-MandShanghaiJiaoTongUniversityinChina.
WithsupportfromMMPEIandtheNationalScienceFoundation,MEAssociateProfessorandGraduateChairSteveSkerlosisdevelopingnewsystemsanalysismethodsandintegratingthemintoaframe-workforsustainabledesignofenvironmen-talpoliciesforthetransportationsector.
Wearecommittedto
enablingbasicscience
discoverywithapath
towardtechnologyand
market-readyinnovation.
MEProfessorMichaelThoulessandMEAssociateProfessorWeiLuareamongnineU-MfacultyparticipatinginanOakRidgeNationalLaboratory-ledconsortiumthathaswontherst,highlycompetitiveU.S.DepartmentofEnergyEnergyInnovationHubforAdvancedSimulationofLightWaterNuclearReactors.AdditionalMEfacultyare
involvedinavarietyofinitiativesinthediffer-entresearchareasoftheInstitute.
FormoreinformationaboutMMPEIanditsresearchthrusts,visitwww.energy.umich.edu.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
16/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201014
Advancing the Three Pillars of Sustainability
ForMEAssociateProfessorSteveSkerlos,theconceptofsustainabilityreachesfarbeyonddevelopingnewtech-nologiestoreduceenvironmentalimpact.Skerlosandhisteamconsistentlychal-lengeconventionalparadigmsbylookingatenvironmentalsustainabilitythroughahard-nosedeconomiclenswhileasking
broaderquestionsaboutwhethertechnol-ogysolutionsworkforeveryonewhomightbeaffected.Inthiswaythetechnologiesandmethodologiesdevelopedbyhisgroupaddresstheso-calledtriplebottomline:helpingpeople,businessandtheplanetatthesametime.
Skerlosresearchteamalsoperformsenvironmentalandeconomicassessmentsofexistingproducts,whileanalyzingtherolemarketfactorsandgovernmentpoliciesplaytohelporhindertheadoptionofmoresus-tainabletechnologies.Theseassessmentsdonotstayontheshelftheyareusedbytheteamtocreateoptionsforpolicymak-ersthatmakesustainableproductsandtechnologiesmoreattractivetoconsumers,lessresistedbyindustryandmoreeffectiveataddressingenvironmentalchallenges.
newsubsidiesortaxcredits.Usingitsmethodologies,thegroupcurrentlyisevalu-atingpossibleeffectsofthe2012govern-mentfueleconomyregulationsforcarsonvehiclesalesandexpectedgreenhousegasemissions.
SustainableManufacturingSkerlosandhisstudentshaveworkedonenergyandwaterconservationprojectsatlargemanufacturingfacilities.Hisresearchgroupalsohasdevelopednewmetalwork-inguidtechnologiestoreplaceexistinguids,whichhavelongbeenaproblemformanufacturing:Theygrowbacteriarapidly,deteriorateovertimeandareformulatedwithupto20differentchemicalsinwater.Workersbreatheandtouchtheseuidsdaily,anduiddisposalharmsaquaticecosystems.
InsteadSkerlosapproacheliminateswateraltogether,takingwastecarbondioxidefromethanolproductionandcompress-ingittoitssupercriticalstate.Inthisstatethecarbondioxidecancarrylubricantswithveryhighefciency.Theresultingmetalworkinguidadherestothetriplebottomline:Healthhazardsforworkersareeliminated;thereisnoneedforwastedisposalorwaterconsumption;andcuttingtoolsactuallycutfasterandlastlonger,meaninghigherprotsforthemanufacturer.Thisadvancementhasledtotheformation
ofSkerlossecondstartupcompany,whichhascompletedseveralsuccessfulpilottrialsinindustrialsettings.
SustainableWaterSystems
WorkingincollaborationwithcolleaguesinCivilandEnvironmentalEngineering,Skerlosalsoisdevelopingnovelsystemstotreatsewagesoitcanbesafelyreturnedtoecosystemswhileproducingenergyatthesametime,eitherintheformofalgaebiofueormethane.Onesystemusesananaerobic
Attheheartofhisapproachisahigh-level,systemsviewthatevaluatesexistingtech-nologyanddevelopstechnologyorpolicysolutionsforpreviouslyinsolubleproblemsinhigh-needareas.Welookatthebig
pictureenvironmentalimpact,economicimpactandsocietalimpactandletmegatrendsdriveourintereststodevelopnewtechnology,hesaid.Weworkfromsustainabilityproblemstosolutionsratherthantheotherwayaround.
SustainableDesign
Theteamcurrentlyisdevelopingquantita-tivemethodstohelpndanswerstothemyriadquestionsmanufacturersoftenhaveatthestartofthedesignprocess,whetheranautomotivermisconsideringanew
plug-inhybridvehicleoranappliancemakeranewhigh-efciencywasheranddryer.Themainadvanceisauniqueintegrationofeconomicmarketsimulationwithenvi-ronmentalassessmenttechniques,whichallowsasimultaneouspredictionofhowbothmarketsandemissionswouldchangewithmodicationsindesign.
Theresearchgrouphasshownthisapproachcanworkwithgovernmentpolicydesigntoo;regulatorscanusethesamemethodologiesandmodelswhenweighing
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
17/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 15
Welookatthebigpictureenvironmentalimpact,economicimpactand
societalimpactandletmegatrendsdriveourintereststodevelopnew
technology.Weworkfromsustainabilityproblemstosolutionsratherthan
theotherwayaround.
membranebioreactor,whichproducesrecoverablemethaneasabyproduct.Heresasystemthattakessewageandproducescleanwaterandenergy.Itlookslikearealoptionformunicipalities,anditmovesusinasustainabledirection,botheconomicallyandenvironmentally,Skerlossaid.
Inarelatedinvestigationheandcolleaguesareconsideringtheenvironmentalimpactsofdifferentdisposalmethodsforunusedpharmaceuticals:takebacktothephar-macy,landlldisposalorushingdownthetoilet.Thisstudyisthersttolookattrade-offsbetweenwaterpollutionfromtrashortoiletdisposalandairpollutionfromdrivingunusedpharmaceuticalsbacktothestoreandshippingthemtoincinerators.
SustainableDevelopment
Awiderangeofprojectsalsoareunder-wayintheBLUELab(BetterLivingUsingEngineeringLaboratory),whichSkerlosco-foundedwithstudents.Theorganiza-tionworkstondsustainablesolutionstodevelopmentproblemsaroundtheworld.Forinstance,studentshavedevelopedabiodigesterthattakesfoodscrapsandanimalwasteandconvertsthemintobiogasforcookingandheatinggasforruralareasofChina,IndiaandthePhilippines.Alsoinprogressistheimplementationofahuman-poweredwaterpumptoirrigatefarmlandinSouthAmerica.
ExternalfundingforSkerlosworkcomesfromindustrialandgovernmentsources,includingtheNationalScienceFoundation,theEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyandtheWaterEnvironmentResearchFoundation.ABOVE:al pk y uciicl y liy i
c l li imm, cibl ui im-lly bi cly.
OPPOSITEPAGE,TOP:Ui uciicl y cui ui -c k l, limi llui ic .
OPPOSITEPAGE,LEFT:Cl i uc m ilci y ui bic mmb bic cly.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
18/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201016
Alternative Propulsion Systems: HybridVehiclesareChangingtheTransportationLandscape
Energysecurityandclimatechangecon-cernsprovidestrongimpetusforworkonalternativepropulsionsystems.PioneeringworkbytheMEfacultyhasalreadyshownthathybridvehicleconceptscanplayatransformativerole.
Currentresearchprograms,ledbyResearchProfessorZoran Filipi,investi-gatesolutionsforbothlightpassengercarsandheavyvehicles.Athree-yearprogramfundedbyBosch-RexrothandtheMichigan21stCenturyJobsFundisfocusedonhydraulichybridplatformsformediumtrucks.AnewCenterforEngineeringExcellencethroughHybridTechnologyhasrecentlybeenlaunchedwitha$1.34milliongrantfromtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)toexplorecon-ceptsforultra-efcientsmallurbanhybridvehicles.Inaddition,Filipiisworkingwith
studentsandcolleaguestoshedlightontheimpactofplug-inhybridelectriccarsontheelectricalgridunderreal-worldconditions.
Hybridvehiclesenablelargeefciencyimprovementswithoutsacricingper-formanceorutility.Keymechanismsfor
improvingfueleconomyincludeharvestingbrakingenergy,optimizingengineopera-tionandeliminatingidling.Plug-inhybridelectricvehicles(PHEV)utilizeenergyfromthepowergrid,thusdisplacingpetroleumasasolesourceofenergyfortransporta-tion.However,onetechnologyalonewillnotsolveallproblems.Rather,weneeddifferentconceptstailoredforparticularapplications.
HybridHydraulicsforTrucks
Filipiisleadinganongoing$1.25millionresearchprogramfocusedonhydraulichybridsformedium-dutyvehicles,suchasdeliveryvans,refusetrucksandschoolbuses.Thesevehiclesoperateinurbanareasandexperiencefrequentstop-and-go.Energyowsthroughthesystemarehugeduetolargeweight,sotherearesignicantopportunitiesforregeneration.
Hydrauliccomponentsareperfectforthejob,saidFilipi,duetotheirexceptional
powerdensityandenergyconversionefciency.Ahydraulicaccumulatoracceptschargingathighratesratesotherwiseunattainablewithbatteries.
WorkwithindustrypartnerBosch-Rexrothhasresultedinaprototypehydraulichybridsystemcapableofimprovingfueleconomy
ofave-tonvehicleby72percentincitydrivingandcuttingdownthedieselsootemissionbytwothirds.AsynergisticeffortcombinesBosch-RexrothsinnovativeDigitalDisplacementTMhydraulicpump/motortechnologyandtheMEteamspio-neeringeffortondevelopmentofapower-train-in-the-loopfacility.
Integratingtheadvanceddieselengineandhydraulicswithavirtualvehiclesimulatedonacomputerallowsaphysicalsysteminthelabtofunctionjustasitwouldinarealvehicle,explainedFilipi,providingan
in-depthlookatcombustionandemissionsundertransientconditions.Theinsightsenablestrategyoptimizationwithnovelneuro-dynamicprogrammingtechniques.Theoverallcapabilityprovidesauniquewaytotransitionresultsofbasicresearchandacceleratecommercialization.
ABOVE:pcki i yulic
ybi i l icl:-cyli il i () i cul yulic um () m -i ub-ym. puli m(-bi yll bck) i cul mii (y) imizmc.
RIGHT:hybi uli ym cul c ymm i w.e. Lyaumi Lby u ii--l i iul icl. hyulicum i cul il i i , m i cc y-mm (i blu).
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
19/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 17
Ultra-EfcientUrbanVehicles
ThestrategicgoalsoftheEPAincludeimprovingvehicleefciencyandreducinggreenhousegasemissions.Hybridpropul-sionsystemshavebeenidentiedasakeytechnologicalarea,andaCenterforEngineeringExcellencethroughHybridTechnologywascompetitivelyawardedto
theteamledbyFilipiin2010.
Westartedmanyyearsagowithexplor-atoryprojects,saidFilipi,andthisnewEPAgrantallowsustogofrombasicresearchandanalysisofconceptstodesignandfabricationofprototypevehicles.TheCenterwillcreateoutstandingopportunitiesforgraduatestudentsandfosteracultureofinnovation,headded.
Projectsincludeultra-highefciencyhydrau-lichybridpropulsionforpersonaltransporta-tion,plug-inelectrichybridwithhydraulic
regenerationsystemsandhighefciencyfree-pistonengine(FPE)withdirecthydrau-licpowertakeoff.TheFPEconceptprovidesunprecedentedfreedomincontrollingcom-bustionandauniquesynergywithhydraulichybridpropulsion.
Plug-InHybridPassengerCars
AnothereffortfocusesonoptimaldesignofPHEVsandassessmentoftheirimpactonthepowergrid.PHEVschangetheparadigmofpersonaltransportation,but
theirlarge-scaleintroductionwilldependoncomplexinterdependenceofconsumerattitudes,markets,policy,technologyandthepowergrid.
WhentheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyinitiatedamultidisciplinaryU-Meffort,wedecidedtodevelopasimulation-basedframeworkfordeterminingtradeoffs
betweenPHEVelectricrangeandcost,ratherthanmakinga prioriassumptions,saidFilipi.
Acriticalmissingpiecewastheunderstand-ingofreal-worlddriving.IwasfortunateenoughtolearnabouttheFieldOperationalTestsofsafetysystemsconductedbyResearchProfessorTimGordonandhisgroupattheU-MTransportationResearchInstitute(UMTRI).Itbecameapparentthatdatabasesareagoldmineforvehicleenergystudies,saidFilipi.
TheUMTRIdataallowedarstglimpseintonaturalisticdriving.ThenewPHEVPilotProgram,fundedbytheMichiganPublicServiceCommissionandDTEEnergy,allowsFilipitoextendtheresearchwithlargerdatasets,includinginformationaboutvehicledepartureandarrivaltimes,todeter-mineloadsonpowerdistributionnetworks.
TheoptimalPHEVdesignstudywaspre-sentedtoastanding-roomonlyaudienceattheSocietyofAutomotiveEngineersWorldCongressinApril2010.
Integratingtheadvanced
dieselengineandhydraulics
withavirtualvehiclesimu-
latedonacomputerallows
aphysicalsysteminourlab
tofunctionjustasitwouldinarealvehicle,providingan
in-depthlookatcombustion
andemissionsundertran-
sientconditions.
ABOVE:hyulic hybi sym iim, l i: ai sli, rji Ji,f t rc p
Z filii
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
20/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201018
Heat Transfer Physics:
RecyclingAtomicVibrationalEnergy
Innovativeandefcientenergytransportandconversionlaythefoundationfornovelandimprovedphotonicdevices,includinglightingandhigh-powerlasers.Asapplica-tionsincreaseincomplexity,theyrequireprogressivelymoreatomictailoringofprin-cipalenergycarriersphonons,electrons,uidparticlesandphotons.Synthesizing
materialsfromtheatomiclevelonupamolecularfoundry,ofsortscanyielddesiredatomic-levelenergykinetics.
ProfessorMassoud KavianydirectstheHeatTransferPhysicslaboratoryatU-M,whichfocusesonatomicstructuredesign
andmaterialsynthesisaswellasoptimiza-tionofcarrierenergykineticsforimprovedenergy-relatedfunctionality.Whenmateri-alsareimproperlydesigned,inefcienciesinthermalenergythekineticenergyofatomic-levelmotioninthesolidanduidphasesleadtoundesirableheatgenera-tion,whichislostandwasted.
Kavianyusestheanalogyofanautomobile.Youhavefuelthatsturnedintoforceanddisplacementandwork,andtherestofthatenergyturnsintoheat,someofwhichisremovedbycoolant;therestcomesoutasexhaust.Somethingsimilarhappensatthe
atomiclevel,heexplained.Forexample,notalloftheelectricityusedforlasingorlighting,asinalightemittingdiodeorLED,goesintotheresultinglight;someofitturnsintoheat.
Currentlyhigh-powerlasersrequirecomplicatedmechanicalcoolingsystems
thatimpedetheuseofefcient,portablesystems.Radiation-balancedlasersystemscanofferalternativestomechanicalcooling,butthesesystemspresentnewchallengesthemselves.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
21/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 19
Beforeturningintoheat,theenergytakestheformofatomicvibrations,orphonons,whicharethesmallestunitofvibrationaloracousticenergy.Thesephononshavepar-ticularfrequencies,orresonances,andtheycanberecycledandputtoworkinspecialprocessesdesignedtousethem.Doingsorequiresextremelyfastontheorder
ofpicosecondsandnanometer-scaleencounterswiththem.
Kavianysgroupperformstheoreticalatomic-levelexaminationsandshowsthatinitiallythisthermalenergyhasquantumfeaturesandthattheenergycanberecycledandusedinprocessing.Thisabsorbsphonons,calledtheanti-Stokesprocesses,beforeitisrenderedlessusefulbybeingdistributedamongothervibrationmodes.Thephononsremainandraisethetemperatureduringprocessing,althoughthisenergyisnotasusefulastheinitialresonanceenergy.
InworkpublishedinApplied PhysicsLetters,KavianyanddoctoralstudentJedoKimlaidthetheoreticalgroundworkandpredictedthat30percentofemittedphononscanberecycledandthatevenfurtherrecyclingmaybepossible,depend-ingontheatomicpropertiesofthedopantionandhost.
Recyclingenergy,particularlyphonons,inion-dopedlasersisnovelandfundamen-tal.Phononrecyclingthroughanti-Stokes
coolingleadstoloweroperatingtem-peratures.Althoughmoreworkremains,Kavianysndingsmayonedayopenthedoorfornewhigh-powerlasersthatdontrequirecomplexcoolingsystems.Ifyouthinkaboutitattheatomiclevel,saidKaviany,whatwefoundcanallowustodesignnanostructuresandtodevelopinteractionkineticsthatusethermalmotion
beforeitturnsintoheat.
BACKGROUND
IMAGE:numic ucui mlcic(te) mc B () ll(Csb3)4. pcuciiy uc-i by ll, c.,i ky temil.
TOPLEFT:c li (si ) uc-u i c icil .
LEFT:p mi i-cicy -lc y
ci (uc l -lic), cycli im i cici.
OPPOSITEPAGE:
p Muiy (i) iu giukh ( l) su si.
Ifyouthinkaboutitattheatomiclevel,
whatwefoundcanallowustodesign
nanostructuresandtodevelopinteraction
kineticsthatusethermalmotionbeforeit
turnsintoheat.
VALENCEBAND
CONDUCTOR
TRANSMISSION HEATGENERATION/LOSS
SOLARIRADIATION
REFLECTION
DEPLETION LAYER
PHOTONABSORPTION(DIRECT)
PHONONRECYCLING(INDIRECT)
p-TYPE LAYERn-TYPE LAYER
GAIN LOSSHEAT LOSS
x=0x
je
p
p
ph,i
je
Eout
SOLARRADIATION
CONDUCTIONBAND
Ee
ece
ece
Sph-e-p Sph-e
A A
e,g e,g pDIRECTPHOTONEXCITATION
INDIRECT PHOTON-
PHONON EXCITATION
PHONON RECYCLING
ARk,Si
ARRes, Si
ARb, Si/In
ARRes, In
ARk, In
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
22/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201020
Probing Nanoscale Energy Phenomena
Probingtemperatureandunderstand-ingchargeandenergytransportatthenanoscaleareessentialtobuildingnovel
energyconversiondevices.AssistantProfessorPramod Sangi Reddyhasbeeninvestigatingthesenanoscaletransportphenomenaanddevelopingtechniquestobetterunderstandthem.Ultimately,hisworkwillenablethedesignanddevelopmentofefcientsolidstateenergyconversiondevices,suchaspowergeneratorsandrefrigerators.
Temperaturemeasurementshelpcharacter-izesomeofthenovelthermaltransportandenergydissipationphenomena,particu-larlyinnanoelectronicandnanophotonic
devices.Atomicforcemicroscopy(AFM)techniqueshavebeenusedinthepasttodeterminetemperature,buttheyhavelimitations.
AFMtechniquestodaterequireonetomicro-ornanofabricatespecialprobes.Insomecasesyoualsoneedtohaveahighvacuumenvironment,bothofwhichareimpracticalandaddtimeandcosttoexperiments,explainedReddy.
Reddyandhisresearchgrouphavedevel-opedatechniquethatovercomestheseconstraintsandiscapableofmappingthermaleldswithlessthan100nanometerspatialresolutionandapproximately10milli-kelvintemperatureresolution.Theirtechniquemakesitpossibletotakeadirectmeasurementofthetemperatureeldof
ametallicsurfaceatambientconditionswithoutusingspeciallyfabricatedscanningtemperatureprobes.TheworkwasfundedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEnergythroughU-MsEnergyFrontierResearchCenter.
Giventhesimplicityandeleganceofthistechnique,webelieveitwillbeusefultomanyresearchersaroundtheworldinavarietyofimportantstudiesofnanoscaleenergytransportanddissipationinnano-electricdevices,saidReddy.
AsimultaneousfocusofinquiryforReddy
andhisresearchteamisexperimentalworkonheatandchargetransportproper-tiesinmetal-molecule-metaljunctions(MMMJs).Duetothecloseconnementofphononsandelectrons,novelheattransportphenomenawouldbeexpectedtooccurinnanometer-sizedMMMJs.TheoreticalstudiespredictnoveleffectsintheMMMJs,suchasachangeinheatoworphonon-ltering.
Butinspiteoftheirtechnologicalimpor-tance,thesepredictionsremainlargelyuntested,saidReddy.Principally,this
isduetoalackoftoolstodirectlyprobetransportinMMMJs,headded.
Inordertobetterunderstandtheelectronicstructure,thermoelectricpropertiesandheatransportpropertiesofmolecularjunctions,Reddyisdevelopinganovelultra-stablescanningtunnelingmicroscope.Thenewdevicewillenablestudyoftransportproper-tiesofsinglemoleculejunctions,somethingthathasnotbeenpossiblebefore.
Reddysnewscanning
tunnelingmicroscopecom-
binesanultra-highvacuum
scanningprobewithan
ultra-sensitivemicrodevice
thatcanresolveheatcur-
rentsassmallasone
picowatt.
ABOVEANDOPPOSITEPAGE:scmic i cl i cc mculu u mi mu mllic uc i m lui.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
23/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 21
TheMMMJsareformedbytrappingeitherasingleorganicmoleculeormultipleorganicmoleculesbetweentwometalelectrodes.Theresultingjunctionshavealreadyattractedattentionfromotherinvestigators,duetothejunctionspromiseasmolecularelectronicdevices.TheMMMJsalsohavesignicantbutyetunexploredpotentialfor
thedevelopmentofinexpensiveandef-cientthermoelectricdevices,Reddysaid.
HeandhisteamhavetakenpreliminarystepstowardmeasuringthenoveleffectsinMMMJs.InworkthatwaspublishedinSciencein2007,Reddyhelpeddeveloptechniquestoapplytemperaturediffer-entialsacrossMMMJsinordertostudythermoelectriceffects.Still,measuringheattransportinMMMJshasremainedlargelyimpossibleuntilnow.Hisnewscanningtun-nelingmicroscopecombinesanultra-highvacuumscanningprobewithanultra-sensitivemicrodevicethatcanresolveheat
currentsassmallasonepicowatt.Usingthistechnique,theresearchteamwillbeabletoconductexperimentsonavarietyofsingleandmultiplemoleculejunctionsinentirelynewways.
TherelationshipbetweenthestructureoftheMMMJanditsthermalconductance
willberevealedforthersttimeever,saidReddy.ThenewmicroscopealsowillallowustolookattheeffectofstructureontheelectricalconductanceandthermopowerofMMMJs.TheongoingprojectwasfundedthroughaCAREERAwardfromtheNationalScienceFoundationaswellasanawardfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy.
Theknowledgeoftransportpropertiesinnanostructureshastremendouspotentialtocreateinexpensivesolidstateenergycon-versiondevices,Reddyexplained.Theseorganic-baseddevicescouldpossiblyrevo-
lutionizetheeldofthermoelectrics.
Giventhesimplicityand
eleganceofthistech-
nique,webelieveitwillbe
usefultomanyresearch-
ersaroundtheworldina
varietyofimportantstudies
ofnanoscaleenergytrans-
portanddissipationin
nanoelectricdevices.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
4
3
2
1
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
X DIRECTION(m)
Y
DIREC
TION
(m)
TEMPERATURE
DIFFERENCE,
()
XDIREC
TION(m)
Y DIRECTION(
m)
7.00
5.25
3.50
1.75
04
3
2
1
0.20.4
0.60.8
1.01.2
Y
X
2m
A B
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
24/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201022
Environmental Nanoparticles:
FromCombustiontoHumanHealthEffects
Thecombustionprocessisthedominantpathwaythroughwhichmankindcontinu-ouslyinjectsparticulatematterintotheatmosphere.Experimentshaveshownthatnanoparticlesthatformasaresultofcombustionarequiteprevalentandstabilizearemarkablylargenumberofradicalsitesontheirsurfaces.Thehigh
concentrationofradicalsitesandsmallparticlesizesuggestserioushealthimplicationswheninhaled.
Nanoparticlesareofascaleandchemicalcompositiontobeathomeinmanybiomolecularenvironments,andtheysharecharacteristicswithkeybiologicalmol-eculessuchaslipidsandproteins,explainedAssociateProfessorAngela
Violi,whoheadstheMultiscaleComputationalNanoscienceGroup.
Violiworkstounderstandnanoparticle
formationprocessesandhumanhealtheffectsinordertodevelopnovelcontrolstrategies.Herworkonmultiscalepro-cessesinreactivesystemscrosscutsnumerouseldsanddisciplines,fromcombustiontonanoscienceandbiology.
Theformationofnanoparticlesfromvariousfuelsisamultiscaleprocessinwhichthetimescaleofgas-phasechemistrybridgesthephysicalandchemicaltimeandlengthscalesofparticleformationandthefurtheragglomerationthateventuallyleadstosoot.
Itsafascinatingprocessthatrequiresamultiscalecomputationalapproachtounderstandtheatomisticinteractionsunderlyingnanoparticleformationandgrowthinvariousenvironments,saidVioli.ShehaspioneeredtheuseofkineticMonteCarloandmoleculardynamicsmethodstobridgetimescalesinthegrowthofcarbonnanoclustersystemsfromvariousfuels,preservingthechemicalandphysicalaspectsoftheprocesses.
Asnovelfuelsfromdifferentfeedstocksaredeveloped,scientists,publichealthofcialsandregulatorswillneedassessmentmethodologiesfortheparticlesformedduringcombustion.
Moderndieselenginesareamajorsourceofthesecombustion-generatednanopar-
ticles.Althoughthetotalmassofparticulatemissionshasbeensignicantlyreducedwithimprovedcombustionefciencyandemissionscontrolsystems,nanoparticlesareexceedinglydifculttocontrol.
Environmentalregulationsofdieselenginesandothercombustionsourcesbasedonparticlemassorvolume,insteadofparticlenumber,missthedangerousnanoparticlecomponentofsuchemissions.
Violisworkalsoexplorestheinteractionsofcarbon-basednanoparticles,bothfrom
combustionandsyntheticsources,withbiomolecularstructuresrepresentativeofthoseatthecellularscale.Ultraneparticleshavebeenshowntoactonbiologicalsystems.Depositiononepithelialcellsinthelungstriggersanumberofresponses:inammation,bloodclottingandchangesinbreathingandheartratecontrol.
Usingmultiscalecomputationalmethods,herresearchteamlooksatthecytotoxicityofnanoparticlesembeddedincellularmembranesthroughinhalation,forexample.Thesenanoparticlescandisrupt
thedynamicsofcellstransmembranemetabolicandsignalingproteins.Theresultingabnormalphysiologymaybeanimportantfactorintheetiologyofmanymedicalconditions,includingtumorgrowth
Toaddressconcernsfromthepublicaboutenvironmentalriskassessments,acallforstandardizationofnanoparticletoxicitymeasurementtechniquesisnecessary.Tothisend,aninternationalregulatoryconsortium,includingtheU.S.
Violisadvancedmodelingmethodsprovide
newanalyticaltoolstothescienticcommunity.Herworkhasbeenwidelypublishedandrecognizedbythecombus-tioncommunityasexceptionallyoriginal.HerlastpaperwasrecentlyhighlightedbytheJournal of Chemical Physics.
Violisworkalsoisimportanttoalterna-tiveenergy.Sheusesab initioelectronicstructurecalculationstounderstandthereactionsofbiofuelsincombustionenviron-mentsandwhatemissionstheyproduce.
ABOVE:exml cmbui-icl uc i l muliclcmuil c.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
25/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 23
EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,hasspeciedasetofprototypicalnanomateri-alsfortoxicologicaltesting,ofwhichcarbonaceousmoleculesarerepresentedbyC
60andnanotube-shapedmolecules.
Violisgrouprecentlylookedattheinterac-tionsofC
60andcombustion-generated
nanoparticlesofsimilarsizetounderstandtheireffectsonbiologicalmembranes.Usingmoleculardynamicssimulations,shefoundsignicantvarianceandsensitivity
ofthepermeabilitycoefcientsbasedonparticlemorphology.Herwork,forthcominginBiophysical Journal,indicatesthatC
60
alonemaynotadequatelyrepresentsimi-larlysizedcombustion-generatednanopar-ticleswithrespecttotoxicityassessments,andshesuggeststhatabroaderspectrumofparticleparameters,inadditiontosize,needstobeincludedtocorrectlyassesstheassociatedhealthrisks.
Nanoparticlesareofascaleandchemicalcomposition
tobeathomeinmanybiomolecularenvironments,and
theysharecharacteristicswithkeybiologicalmolecules
suchaslipidsandproteins.
RIGHT: s m mlcul ymicimuli icl i liimmb, mi cm cll.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
26/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201024
Exploring Defects: UsingQuantumMechanicstoPredictMaterialBehavior
headded,buttheircomplexitymakescomputationsrestrictive,andtheyareoftenapplicableonlytosmallsystemswithafewhundredatoms.
Sincemostmaterialspropertiesareinuencedbyvariousdefects,suchasvacancies,dopants,dislocationsaswellas
cracks,scientistsmustbeabletogleananaccurateunderstandingofboththequan-tum-mechanicalinteractionsatthedefectcoreaswellasthelong-rangedelasticeffectsonthecontinuum,ormacro,scale.Thishasbeenalong-standingchallengeinmaterialssciencetobridgelengthscalesfromquantummechanicstothemacrolevelinaseamlessway.Doingsousingonlyquantummechanicsrequirestheabilitytoperformelectronicstructurecalculationsonmultimillion-atomsystems.
Gavinicontinuestodevelopnovelmath-
ematicalandcomputationaltechniquestoperformelectronicstructurecalculationsatmacroscopicscales,therebybridgingthequantum-mechanicalandmacroscale
mechanicschasm.Hisresearchgroupsworkincorporatesseveralapproaches:developingreal-spaceformulationforelectronicstructuretheories,niteelementdiscretizationofeldequations,andcoarse-grainingusingadaptivenumericaltechniques.Combiningthesetheoriesandtechniqueshasmadeelectronicstructure
calculationsinmultimillion-atomsystemspossibleforthersttimeever.Hisworkrepresentsasignicantbreakthroughinthecomputationalsciences.
Webelievewearepavingthewayfortherstcompleteandaccuratequantum-mechanicaldescriptionofdefectsinmaterials,hesaid.Whatpeoplehavemissedinthepastistosimultaneouslyaccountforboththenatureofchemicalbonding,governedbyquantummechanicalinteractions,atthecoreofadefectaswellasthelong-rangedelasticeffects,bothofwhichsignicantlyinuencethebehaviorofdefects,hesaid.Inparticular,hisworkhasdemonstratedthatthephysicsonthese
Thepropertiesandfunctionalitiesofmaterialscanadvancetechnologiesinmanyelds,fromtransportationandmanufactur-ingtoenergyanddefense.Novelmaterialswithenhancedpropertiescanimproveenergyefciencyandsafetyanddurability,expandfunctionalityandreducecostandenvironmentalimpact.Increasinglyinvesti-
gatorsareusingcomputationalmodelingandsimulationsinordertobetterunder-standthepropertiesandbehaviorofmaterialsandtodevelopnewmaterialswithspecicfunctionalities.Butthesuccessofcomputationalmodelingandsimulationsisdependentuponthepredictivenatureandaccuracyofthematerialstheoriesused.
Foratheorytobepredictive,itmustincludefundamentalphysicswithaslittleempiricismaspossible,explainedVikramGavini,assistantprofessor.Theelec-tronicstructuretheoriesthatarecurrentlyavailabletoustodaydescribematerialspropertiesfromaquantum-mechanicalperspectiveandthereforearepredictive,
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
27/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 25
factorofbetween50and100comparedwithabulkmaterial.Yetmaterialsthataretoosmallbecomesoftduetonucleationofsurfacedefects.Thereisacriticalsizewheretheparadigmofsmallerisstrongerbreaksdown.Wereinterestedindeter-miningthiscriticalsizeandestimatingthemaximumachievablestrengthofmaterials
bycontrollingfeaturesize,hesaid.
Extendingthetechniquesalreadydevelopedtomoresophisticatedelectronicstructuretheoriesthatcanaccuratelypredictthepropertiesofawiderangeofmaterialsalsoisapriority.Thiswillenableustolookatalllengthscalessimultaneouslyandtostudyanymaterialwithoutbeingrestrictedbythematerialsystem,Gavinisaid.Wecanalsostudymaterialpropertiesbeyondjustmechanicalproperties,suchaselectronic,magnetic,thermoelectricandoptical,whichiscrucialtothedevelopmentofmultifunc-tionalmaterials.
GavinisworkisfundedbytheNationalScienceFoundation,theAirForceOfceofScienticResearchandtheArmyResearchOfce.
Webelieveweare
pavingthewayforthe
rstcompleteand
accuratequantum-
mechanicaldescription
ofdefectsinmaterials.
vastlydifferentlengthscalesareinherentlycoupledandhaveadistincteffectonthematerialbehaviormediatedthroughdefects.
NowGaviniandhisteamarefurtherren-ingthetechniqueshedevelopedandusethemtostudydifferentphenomenaarisingfromdefectinteractions.Forinstance,the
groupislookingattheeffectofradiationonmetals,includingtheembrittlementthatcanresultwhenmetalsareirradiated.Usinghiscomputationaltechniques,heislookingatthenucleation,growthandmigrationofprismaticdislocationloops,orlinedefectsinmaterials,whichscientistsbelievecontrib-utetothelossoffracturetoughness.
Recentresultsshowthatprismaticdisloca-tionloopsmaybeformedasaresultofthecollapseofaclusterofvacancies,ormissingatoms,andthatloopsassmallasthoseformedfromsevenvacanciesare
stable.Thenucleationsizeofthesedefectswasnotpreviouslyknown.Nowheisworkingtoquantifytheeffectofprismaticloopsonmaterialfracturetoughness,whichisnecessaryinordertodevelopradiation-resistantmaterialsfornext-generationnuclearreactors.
Gavinialsoisinvestigatinghowmaterialsfailundershockloading,forinstanceduringanautomobilecrash.Resultsfromhisworkshowthatvacanciesspontaneouslynucleateundershockloading,whichfurthercoalesceintovoidsandleadtomaterial
failure.Quantum-mechanicalinteractions,whichhavebeenneglectedinthestudyofdefectsuntilnow,areprovingcriticaltounderstandingthebehaviorofdefectsinmaterialsundergoingshockloading.
Gavinisworknotonlyexploreshowdefectsleadtomaterialfailurebutalsohowmechanicalstrengthofmaterialscanbeimproved.Experimentalinvestigationsbyotherscientistshaveshownthattheyieldstrengthofananostructureincreasesbya
OPPOSITE:Cu lc-iyubi u ccy, ici c ccy, i im lum-ic i (l) 0.3 lumic i (i)cmu m l cl lcic uc-
u clculi. t cu li uc m -0.0005(blu) 0.0001() ili ci ui lcic ucu i lumici. t lil ii m. t cu quliimi iic iuc mccic mi u c-c. wi ici lumicmi, c-c ik bcm iic. Quiily, c c-y b iiclyiuc by mccic mi, i c i u l ucl-i kiic cci.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
28/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201026
From Atom to Application:ExploringLaser-MaterialInteractions
Lasersincreasinglyarebeingusedinmanyelds,frommanufacturingandmaterialprocessingtobiomedicaldevicedevelop-ment.TheworkofJyotirmoy Mazumder,theRobertH.LurieProfessorofMechanicalEngineering,spansatomtoapplica-tion,heexplained.Mazumderlooksforsociallyrelevant,day-to-dayproblems
andexploresnovellaser-basedtools,techniques,mathematicalmodelsforlaser-materialinteraction,controlstrategiesandapplicationstosolvethem.
Mazumdersresearchapproachinvolvesatomiclevelunderstandingthroughspec-troscopicmeasurementoflaser-inducedplasmatomeasureelectronbehavior,includingtemperatureanddensity.Thisservesasinputformathematicalmodelsoflaser-materialsinteraction,whichprovidethequantitativerelationshipbetweenlasersandmaterials.Armedwiththisfundamen-talinformation,heventuresintovariousapplicationsstartingfromlasermachiningofmicro-channelsforarticiallungstofabrica-tionoffunctionalengineeringcomponentsstraightfromart(orCAD,computer-aideddesign)topart.
OneofMazumdersmajorfocioverthepastthreedecadeshasbeentosolvethepuzzleoflaser-inducedplasma:whatswithintheplasmaandwhatsunderneathshroudedbyplasma,heexplained.Doingsoisyield-ingnewinsights.Plasmaiscreatedwhenahighintensitylaserhitsamaterialandatomsbreakdown.Plasmaisessentiallyacollectionofelectricallychargedparticles.Mazumderisdevelopingnewwaystoanalyzelaser-generatedplasmastoimprovemanufacturingprocessessinceplasmacloudshampervisibility.
InsteadofworkingwithplasmaasifitweretheenemyanunwantedconsequenceItrytoworkwithitasafriend,hesaid.
Mazumderhasdevelopedandpatentedatechniquetoseethroughtheplasma
usinganotherlaserwithadifferentwave-lengthandbymonitoringthereectedbeamtostudythemeltpoolhiddenundertheplasma.Bylookingatelectrondensity,speciclinestrengthandrelativestrengthandapplyingstatisticaltechniquesandatomiccalculations,Mazumderandhisstudentsfoundsignaturesofdefectssuch
asblowholes,porosity,undercutandbeadseparationwithin20millisecondsduringtheweldingprocess.Severalmanufacturershaveexpressedinterestinaeldtrial,whichwilltakeplaceinsummer2010.
Mazumderalsoenliststheplasmacharac-terizationtodeterminethemicrostructureofmaterialsduringfabrication.Histeamdis-coveredastrongcorrelationbetweenrela-tivelineintensityandphasetransformationtoformnewphases.Herecentlydemon-stratedthepredictivequalityofplasmasinthreealloys:titanium-iron,nickel-aluminumandnickel-titanium.Whenanymaterialsolidiesorgoesthroughcertainthermalcycles,itscrystalstructurechangesbasedonthecompositionandthermalhistory.Thatalsochangesthepropertiesofthematerialsandthusitsserviceperformance.
Currentlynomethodexiststodeterminethemicrostructureduringfabrication;insteadmaterialsscientistsconductpostmortemanalysesoncethematerialhassolidiedbyusingalabor-intensiveprocessofmounting,polishing,etchingandmicroscopicexami-nation.Thenpost-processingisnecessarytobuildamicrostructurethatpossessesthedesiredproperties.Bycontrast, in situphaseidenticationduringfabricationhasthepotentialtoimprovecurrentmethodsofmaterialprocessingandsynthesis.TheUniversityhasappliedforapatentforthisin
situtechnology.
Nowyoudonthavetogotoamicro-scope,explainedMazumder.Justbylookingattheplasma,youcantellwhattoexpectfromthemicrostructure.
Boththetechniqueandtheopticalsensorthatenablespectroscopicanalysisofplasmaduringlasercladdingandalloy-ingandweldingareamongtherstintheworld.Weknowwecansaveindustryanenormousamountoftimeandmoneynowspentanalyzingmaterialsmicrostructure;forscientists,wecanhelpthemcreate
novelmaterialswiththedesiredmicrostruc-ture,whichopensupalotofpossibilities,Mazumdersaid.
Mazumderalsohasbeenworkingondevel-opingthree-dimensionalself-consistentmathematicalmodelstodescribevariouslaserprocessingtechniquestodevelopquantitativerelationshipsbetweenlasersandmaterials.Hisrecenteffortinvolvesmodelingoflasercuttingofelectrodesforlithium-ionbatteries.
Usinginformationfromthelightassociated
withlaserprocessing,Mazumderalsohasdevelopedandpatentedaclosedlooptechnologytofabricatenear-netshapefunctionalpartsbymeltingpowderwithlasers.MachinesbasedonhistechnologyareusedinAmerica,Asia,AustraliaandEurope.
WorkingwithcolleaguesintheU-MMedicalSchool,Mazumderiscollaboratingonanarticiallung.Heisusinglaserstomicroma-chinethebiomimeticvascularnetworksonasiliconchip,whichisthenusedasamoldtomake10-micrometer-widemicro-chan-
nelsonPDMS,abiocompatiblepolymer,forarticiallungmodels.
Vascularnetworksbifurcatefollowingadistinctmathematicalrelationship,andlaserallowsustomimicthatrelationshipandcreatethechannelinthreedimensions,hesaid.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
29/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 27
Nowyoudonthavetogotoamicroscope.Justbylookingatthe
plasma,youcantellwhattoexpectfromthemicrostructure.
MICRO-NEEDLE
CLOSED LOOP CONTROL
BIOMIMETIC
MICRO CHANNEL
DESIGNED MATERIAL
SPECTROSCOPY
LIQUID SURFACEVISUALIZATION
MODELING
LASER MATERIAL
LIQUID-FREE
SURFACE
PLASMAAND
VAPOR
SOLID STATE PHASE
TRANSFORMATION
CAMERA
SUBSTRATE
PYROMETER
SPECTROMETER
LASER POWER
CONTROL
GREEN LASER
COLLIMATOR
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
30/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201028
Exploringtherelationshipsbetweenthemicrostructureofmaterialsandtheirmac-roscalepropertiesiscriticaltopredictingthebehaviorofstructuralmaterialssuchasmetalsandceramics.AssistantProfessorSamantha DalyandtheresearchteaminherActiveMaterialsandMechanicsLaboratory(AMML)workattheintersec-
tionofmechanicsandmaterialssciencetoexploretheserelationshipsatmultiplelengthscales.Sheisparticularlyinterestedinphasetransformationsinactivemateri-als,andherteamusesnovelexperimentalmethodscoupledwiththeoreticalandcomputationalmodelinginordertobetterunderstandthemechanicsofhowthesematerialsdeform,fatigueandfracture.
Virtuallyeverymaterialismadeupofdif-ferentstructuresatdifferentlengthscales,explainedDaly,andweneedtounderstandtheconnectionsbetweenlengthscales,fromtheatomistictothemacroscale,inordertoaccuratelypredictandcontrolmaterialbehavior.
Dalyrecentlywasawardedave-yeargrantfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergythatwillsupportherresearchonshapememoryalloys(SMAs),specicallysolid-to-solidphasetransformationsinanickel-titanium(NiTi)alloy(seerelatedstoryonpage6).TheNiTialloyissuperelastic,meaningitcanrecoverfromlargeamountsofdeforma-tion.Thispropertyresultsfromanatomisticphasetransformationfromacubicatomiclatticestructuretoamonoclinicstructure,similartoathree-dimensionalparallelo-gram.ThesuperelasticityofNiTimakesitextremelyusefulinnumerousapplications,includingMEMSandbiomedicaldevicessuchascathetersandstents.
Butphasetransformationalsocanresultinregionsoflocalizeddeformationinthemate-rialthatarequitecomplexinnature,Dalynoted.DespitethewidespreaduseofNiTi,scientistsdontyethaveadetailedunder-standingofhowthisatomicrearrangement
affectsdeformationandfatiguebehavior.Dalyischangingthatwithherresearch,whichincludessomeoftherstquantita-tivefull-eldmapsofphasetransformationinNiTi.
Dalysteamsimultaneouslyusessynchro-tronradiation,atypeofhigh-energy,elec-tromagneticradiation,toexamineatomiclatticestatistics,andtwohigh-resolutioncamerastoimagethelocalizeddeforma-tionoverthesurfaceofthespecimen.
ThecamerastakesimultaneousimagesfromdifferentanglesofaNiTispecimenthatiscoveredwiththousandsofrandomtrackingdots.Dalysgroupusesvarioustechniquestoapplythesedotsdepend-ingonthelengthscaleofinterest,rangingfromatypeofspraypaintatlargerlengthscalestoplatinummarkersdepositedwithafocusedionbeamatmicroscopic-lengthscales.BymeasuringhowthosedotsmoveanddeforminrelationtooneanotherwhentheNiTisampleisstrained,theDalygroupcreatesthree-dimensionalquantitative
mapsofdeformationonthesurfaceofthesample.Theseandotherexperimentaltechniquesprovideinsightintothemechani-calunderpinningsofphasetransformationinNiTi.
Dalyandherteamhavebeenabletoseeastrongpatternmemoryinthewaythephasetransformationnucleatesandpropa-gatesfromcycletocycleduringfatiguetesting.Thispatternmemorypersistswithsurprisinglyhighdelity,whichsuggeststhat
fatiguebehaviorcanbestronglycontrolledbytailoringtheinitialmicrostructure.
Seeinghowthesephasesareretainedinthegranularstructureofthematerialfromcycletocycleisaninterestingandexcit-ingdiscoveryfromafundamentalscien-ticviewpoint,shesaid.Lookingatthemacroscopicinformationliketheload-dis-placementcurve,alongwithotherinforma-tionsuchaslatticestatisticsobtainedfromsynchrotronradiation,givesusacoherent
Shape Memory Alloys: SeeingtheForest andtheTrees
LASER EXTENSOMETER
THERMOCOUPLE, Ts
OPTICAL CAMERA OPTICAL CAMERA
SPECIMEN
THERMOCOUPLE, Ta
INFRARED CAMERA
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
31/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 29
pictureofwhatsactuallygoingonacrossmultiplelengthscales.
InadditiontotheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy,fundingforDalysresearcheffortscomesfromtheNationalScienceFoundation,GeneralMotorsandU-M.Movingforward,theDalygroupwillcon-tinuetoexaminelocaldamagenucleationandpropagationinmetalsandcompositesatthemicro-scaleandtoexploremultiplelengthscalessimultaneously.TheDaly
groupcurrentlycollaborateswithProfessorJohnShawoftheU-MAerospaceEngineeringdepartmentonstudiesofSMAhierarchicalstructuresandwithProfessorJ.WayneJonesoftheU-MMaterialsScienceandEngineeringdepartmentonultrasonichigh-cyclefatiguestudies.
Identifyingthelinksandrelationshipsamongproperties,structureandbehavioratmul-tiplelengthscalesisthecommonthreadrunningthroughDalyswork.Sometimes
Lookingatthemacro-
scopicinformationlikethe
load-displacementcurve,
alongwithotherinforma-
tionsuchaslatticestatistics
obtainedfromsynchrotron
radiation,givesusacoher-
entpictureofwhatsactually
goingonacrossmultiple
lengthscales.
youcanlookattreesandnotseetheforest,shesaid.Wewanttolookattheforestandthetreesandseeitallatoncetheleaves,branches,everything.Youhavetotieallofthelengthscalestogether,fromextremelysmallscalestomacroscopicbehavior,inordertoreallyunderstandtheentirepicture.
ABOVE:p mmy ui
cycli ickl-iium ml i l m i mil mi ui cycl 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50. r i iici mcliiclic (mi); blu i iici cubic lic (ui).
OPPOSITEPAGE: a yicl ximl u.h, icl cm u ckm mk clcul 3-d m-i l. a l xm i u ck ilcm ci-m. imi mcul u m mu ii.
CYCLE 1 2 5 10 25 50
7%
0%
x
y
p
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
32/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201030
Epoxy Curing:NewModelsforNewMaterials
Sophisticated,lightweightcompositematerialsforaerospace,automotiveandmanyotherapplicationsincreasinglyarebeingsoughtbyindustryandthemilitaryforthematerialsimprovedperformance,lowercostandimprovedenergyefciencyoverearlier-generationcomposites.
ProfessorAlan Wineman,whohasspentmuchofhisdistinguishedcareerdevelopingmathematicalmodelsofthemicrostructuralchangesinrubberandpolymers,morerecentlyhasbeenexploringtheoptimizationofthesematerials,specicallythecuringofepoxywithintheintersticesofbraidedcarbonbertextilecomposites.Themodels
heiscreatingofthecuringprocesswillhelpoptimizematerialperformance.
Modernmethodsformanufacturingcompositestructuralcomponentsstartwithawovensheetofcarbonbers,orglass,inamold.Liquidepoxyresinmixedwithhardenerisdrawnintothemoldandheated
sothattheepoxycuresinplace.
Theprocessiscomplicated,saidWineman.Thechemistryofcuringinvolvestimedependentexothermicreactionsandcontractionsduetocuringaswellasthermalexpansionyouhavecomplicatedinterac-tionsamongmanydifferentprocesses.
Usingideasdevelopedinhisearlierelasto-mericwork,heisdevelopingmathematicalmodelstopredicttheevolutionanddistribu-tionofstresses,deformationandmaterialpropertiesintheepoxymatrixasaresultof
curingandthepresenceandcharacteris-ticsofthewovenbersheet.Withrespecttothewovensheet,geometry,berarchitec-ture,thicknessandarrangementoflayersinadditiontointernalstressesproducedduringmanufacturingprocessesallhaveanimpactondeformationandperformance.
TheresearchteamincludescolleaguesProfessorAnthonyWaasofAerospaceEngineering,JohnKieffer,professorofMaterialsScienceandEngineering,andseveralgraduatestudents.Waasisanexperimentalistandcharacterizescomposite
structuralresponse;Kieffermeasuresnumerousmicro-scalepropertiesin situ asthepolymercures;andWinemanusesthedatatorenethemodels.
Wereabletopredictstress-developingstructuresasthematerialcures,whichisimportantbecausetheyaffectthemechani-calresponseofcomponents,forexample,energyabsorptionofautomobilesidepanelsduringacrash,hesaid.TheworkhasbeensupportedbytheAutomotiveCompositesConsortiumoftheUnitedStatesCouncilfor
AutomotiveResearch,LLC,throughtheU.SDepartmentofEnergy.
Thendingsoftherecentworkincludedsomewhatunexpectedsizeeffects.Wesawcompetitionbetweenheatconductionfromthematerialasitcuredandheatgenerationwithinthematerialduetoexothermic
reactions,Winemanexplained.Whenthematerialvolumesweresmall,theresearchteamdidntobservelocallyhighstresses,butwhenthevolumesincreasedtheteamsawgreaterinhomogeneitiesincuringratesandstressandtemperaturedistributions.Theseandotherndingsarebeingfurtherexam-inedincontinuingresearch.
ModelstopredictcuringandperformanceofcompositematerialsareofinteresttotheU.S.AirForceandaerospaceindustry.Therearemanyaircraftapplicationsgiventheproblemsthatariseincuringandthermo-oxidative
degradationathightemperatures,explainedWineman.Theresrealinterestinanewgen-erationofaircraftmaterials.
InadditionWinemansteamisextendingitsworktobiomechanicalapplications.Theunderlyingideasareapplicabletothestudyoftheconsequencesofchangesinbiologicatissueduetonon-mechanicalfactorssuchasaging,diseaseandtheimpactofdrugsontissueresponse.Perhapsthebiggestimpactofthismodelingworkmaybeinbiologicalmaterials,saidWineman.
Untilrecently,moststructuralengineeringmodelingwasconnedtodeterminingtheresponseofpassivematerials,sayametal,withxedpropertiesunderaspecicsetofconditions.Theengineeringofsophisticatedmoderncompositematerialsandbiologicalmaterialswillcouplethetraditionallyindependentdisciplinesofmechanics,materialscience,chemistry,electricity,magnetismandoptics.Ourwork,saidWineman,exempliesthisevolutiontomultidisciplinaryanalyticalmodelingofactivematerialsystems.
a iiilly ml (A) uizby lyci 125C 25 u (B). tlyci m mmb cl m mu (C). tmmb l m . tii xli by c cii cii mcmlcul clikii cu.
A
B
C
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
33/60
New Technology for Better MEMS Microphones
Whentheelectretcondensermicrophonewasintroducedintheearly1960s,itrevolutionizedthemicrophoneindustry.Small,easytomanufacture,withgoodperformance,thesemicrophonesservedmanyapplicationsfromhearingaidsandheadsetstocomputersandcellphonesfordecades.Morerecently,smallerMEMS-
basedcondensermicrophoneshavebeenreplacingtheoldertechnology.Condensermicrophonestransducesoundthroughanelectricalcircuitthatsensespressure-inducedchangesinthecapacitanceofaparallelplatecapacitor.
Butmodelingandexperimentationcon-ductedduringthePhDresearchofRobertLittrell,aformerstudentworkingwithMEProfessorKarl Grosh,suggestedthatthethinlayersandnespatialresolutionmadepossiblebymorerecentMEMStechnologyactuallylendthemselvesbettertoadiffer-enttransductionstrategy,onebasedonpiezoelectricity.
Takingthendingsastepfurther,GroshandLittrell,workingwithresearchersintheU-MVibrationsandAcousticsLaboratory,havedevelopednovelpiezoelectrictechnologythatimprovesuponbothtraditionalaswellasMEMS-basedcapacitivemicrophones.Theirworkhasthepotentialnotonlytoreplacethevenerableelectretmicrophoneinmanyapplicationsbutalsotoenablenewapplications,suchassubmergedsensing,
whichisnotpossiblewithcondensertechnology.
PiezoelectricMEMSmicrophoneshavebeenaresearchtopicforovertwentyyears,however,achievingalownoiseoorinthesedeviceshasbeenanelusivegoal.Thenoiseoorreferstotheelectroniccracklingthatcanbeheardthroughamicrophoneorheadsetevenwhenthereiscompletesilence.Becauseofthishighnoiseoor,thetechnologyhasnotyettransferredfromtheresearchlabtoindustry.Bycombining
novelmodeling,designandfabricationtechniques,GroshandLittrellhavefoundawaytoovercomethehighnoiseoorofpiezoelectricMEMSmicrophones.The
keytounlockingthispotentialwastheirdevelopmentoptimizationparameterthatmaximizestheratioofelectricalpoweroutputtothepressureinputsquared,ratherthansimplyoptimizingsensitivity,ashadbeenpreviouslyattempted.
Novelprocessing,includingcontrollingresidualstressesinthefabricationanddepositingofhighqualitypiezoelectricmaterials,suchasaluminumnitride,enablesprototypesthatbehaveasdesigned.Theresultingdevicefeaturesasensorelement
thatisassmallasaricekernelbuthasamuchlowernoiseoor.Italsohasadynamicrangethatisathousandtimesgreaterthancomparably-sizedcapacitativemicrophones.Thesmallsizeandlowlevelofintrinsicnoisemakeitanappealingsolu-tionformanycommercialapplications,suchasstudio-qualitymicrophones,hearingaids
andhandsets.
Littrellhasgraduatedandisnowpresidentofaspin-offcompany,Baker-Calling,Inc.,createdwithGroshinordertocommercial-izetheirinventionandpotentiallytaketheirproducttomarketalargemarket.Morethan1billionmobilephonesalonearesoldeachyear,andeachoneofthosecontainsatleastonemicrophone.
Webelieveourdesigncanhavesomeimpact.ItwouldbeexcitingifsomethingwedesignedatU-Mcouldbeineverybodys
cellphone,Groshsaid.Currently,heandLittrellareworkingwithindustryleaders,endusersanddevelopmentengineerstobetterunderstandtheirneeds,specica-tionsandrequirements.
Thenextstepistodemonstratethatthedevicescanbefabricatedefcientlyinlargenumbersandmeetthespecicationsoftheindustry,headded.HeandLittrellalsoareinvestigatingwaystoenclosethemicro-phonesinrobustoutercasings.
ThenewpiezoelectricMEMS-basedmicro-
phonetechnologyevolvedfromGroshsongoingworkonanarticialcochleaforimprovedacousticsensingandalsopoten-tiallyforusebyindividualswithhearinglossorimpairments.
Iwasnotexpectingtondsuchanexcit-ingdesigninsuchanestablishedarea.Researchtakesaninterestingpath,Groshsaid,andpartofthatpathsometimesresultsinatechnologythatoutperformswhatcurrentlyexists.
Thesmallsizeandlowlevel
ofintrinsicnoisemakeit
anappealingsolutionfor
manycommercialapplica-
tions,suchasstudio-quality
microphones,hearingaidsandhandsets.
ABOVE: py izlcic MeMs mic- ci mliyi i (Jfet)i iml ck. si ci i 1.5 mmby 1.5 mm.
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 31
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
34/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201032
Understandinghumanmovementiskeytoprogressinmanyelds,fromsportstrain-ingtomedicine.Askanyathleteifpracticealonemakesperfect,andyouwilllikelygetalaugh.Sportsenthusiastsandprosalikecertainlybenetfrompractice,andknowingpreciselywhatmotionstopracticeandavoidiswhatleadstogenuineand
sustainedimprovement.Currentlyavailabletechnologiesusedtostudyhumanmove-mentandprovideconstructivefeedbackhavehistoricallybeenbasedoncameras.Yetcamera-basedmotioncaptureset-upscanbecostlyandareoftenconnedtospecializedindoorlaboratories.
ProfessorNoel PerkinsandpostdoctoralresearcherKevinKinghavedevelopedanalternative,andtheirMEMS-basedwirelessinertialsensorsystemisalreadyhelpingathletes,sportsenthusiasts,trainersandresearchersmoreaccuratelymeasureandanalyzehumanmovement.Theinertialmeasurementunit,orIMU,reliesonMEMSaccelerometersandangularrategyrosthatmeasureaccelerationandangularvelocity,respectively.Fromthesedata,onecanthenreconstructthevelocity,positionandorien-tationofanytypeofsportsgear.Ingolf,forexample,successfullyhittingalongdrivedownthemiddleofthefairwaydependsonthemotionimpartedbytheplayertotheclubhead.Thevelocity,positionandorientationoftheclubheaddirectlyaffectimpactwiththeballandtherstmoments
oftheballsight.
Observingthesubtlemovementsthatoccurinthemillisecondspriortoandjustafterimpactisextremelydifcult,butmeasur-ingthemwiththewirelessIMUisnot.Thehighlyminiaturized,wirelessunitisaboutthesizeofapostagestampandweighsapproximatelythreegrams.Designedoriginallyforsportstrainingapplications,theIMUintegratestechnologyforthree-axis
sensingofaccelerationandangularvelocitywithamicrocontrollerforanalogtodigitalconversion.Alow-powerradiofrequencytransmitterforwirelesstransmissionsendsdatatoahostcomputerviaaUSB-enabledreceiver.Whenmountedonorembeddedwithinsportsgear,suchasgolfclubs,base-ballbatsoryshingrods,theIMUprovides
essentialinformationneededtoresolvethemotionofthegearand,ultimately,toprovideactionablefeedbackplayerscanusetoimprovetheirgame.
Intheworldofsportstrainingtechnology,thewirelessIMUprovidesarugged,por-tablequantitativewaytoevaluateathleticperformance,andithasdiversesportsapplications.Itquicklybecameclearthatifwecouldbuildatechnologyforasportlikegolf,itwouldhaveanimmediatespillovereffectinnearlyeveryothersport,saidPerkins.Anavidysherman,heandhisbusinesspartnerBruceRichardslaunchedCastAnalysisLLCin2005,astart-upcompanythatusesIMUtechnologytohelpycastersimprovetheirtechnique.PerkinsresearchforgolforiginallywassponsoredbygolfequipmentcompanyPING,andthetechnologyiscurrentlylicensedtoabout-Golf.Commercializationplansalsoareinplacewithpotentiallicenseesinbaseball/softball,basketball,soccerandbowling.
FromtheFieldtotheResearchLab
TheIMUisbeingused,orwillsoonbeused,inmanyresearchlaboratoriesaroundtheU-Mcampus,too.Adepartmentalcol-laborationbetweenMEandKinesiologywilluseIMUtechnologytostudykneebiome-chanicstobetterunderstandanteriorcruci-ateligamenttearsandrepair.Inotherwork,Kinesiologyresearcherswillusethetechnol-ogytomeasureinfantwalkingundervibra-tionstimulustounderstandneuromuscular
Measuring Human Motion:
MiniatureWirelessInertialSensing
Itquicklybecameclear
thatifwecouldbuilda
technologyforasport
likegolf,itwouldhave
animmediatespillover
effectinnearlyevery
othersport.
ABOVE:hily miiuiz il iilmum ui (MU) bli b l mll.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
35/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 33
controlissues.OrthopedicsurgeonNealChen,MD,willusetheIMUsystemtomeasurerotationsacrosstheshoulderandelbowtoaddressinjuriesinyoungpitchers.MEProfessorArtKuoisusingIMUsensingasaportablegaitmonitortoelectronicallyevaluateapatientsgaitovertime,whichisespeciallybenecialforpeoplewithdebilitatingdiseasessuchasdiabetesorParkinsonsdisease.TheIMUplatformalsoisbeingusedtomonitorhumanbalanceinpatientswithvestibulardisordersincollabo-rationwiththelaboratoriesofMEAssistantProfessorKathleenSienkoandProfessorMichaelKingofOtolaryngologyintheU-MMedicalSchool.
InacollaborativeprojectwithfacultyfromtheCollegeofEngineeringandtheMedicalSchool,theIMUisemployedtomeasurethenemotorskillsthatsurgeonsneedtomasterinordertohonetheirsurgicaltechniques.KingandPerkinsdevelopedaminiaturizedIMUsystemthatcanbe
mountedonsurgicalinstrumentsandenablesresearcherstocapturethemotionoftheinstrumentandevaluatehowanexpertsurgeonstechniquecomparestothatofanovice.
Inthecomingyear,KingandPerkinsexpecttointroduceanext-generationdesignwithaddedfeatures,includingtheabilitytotransmitdatanotonlytocomputersbutalsotosmartphonesusingstandard
Therearevastnumbersofexistingapplications
andyet-to-be-determinedusesforasmallsensor
thatletsusunderstandhumanmovement.Were
onthetipoftheicebergnow;werejustscratching
thesurface.
WiFi.Thenewdesignwillfeatureawirelesssensorarray.Thisallowsthesystemtosendsynchronizeddatafrommultiplesensorssimultaneously,anewcapabilitythatwillenablefurtherapplications.
Therearevastnumbersofexistingapplica-tionsandyet-to-be-determinedusesforasmallsensorthatletsusunderstandhumanmovement,saidPerkins.Wereonthetipoftheicebergnow;werejustscratching
thesurface.
ABOVE: t cc i il i l by l-i l.
BELOW:t bi y i il ciicl im l, ic -mi l bll i i.
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
36/60
MECHANICALENGINEERINGANNUALREPORT2009201034
Inventing New Devices:
SmartMaterialsYieldSmartSolutions
Metalsexpandwhenheatedandcon-tractwhencooled,butthechangeissominuteoftenontheorderofone-tenthofonepercentforachangeof50Citsnoteasilydiscernible.Ashapememoryalloy(SMA),however,canchangeinlengthbynearlyeightpercentwhenheatedthroughthesmalltemperaturechangerequiredforitsphasetransformationandcanhandlesignicantloadsintheprocess.Whenheated,thesealloyscanremembertheiroriginalshape.SMAsprovidesimple,inexpensive,lightalternativestocurrentmotorsinapplicationsrequiringsmallto
moderateworkoutputandenablefunction-alitybeyondtheconventionalactuatorsoftoday;theirapplicationsinthisrangearenearlylimitless.
Newmaterials,suchasSMAs,enablepotentiallyrevolutionarytechnologiesbeyondtheimaginedneed,openingthedoorforleapfrogopportunitiesinthemar-ketplace,saidAssociateProfessorDiannBrei,whoincorporatesadvancesinsmartmaterialsintodeviceinnovationanddesign.
WorkingbroadlyacrossmultipledisciplinesandeldsandinclosepartnershipwithAssistantResearchScientistJonathanLuntz,BreiusesSMAstoinventbreak-throughtechnologiesbybridgingthegapsamongmaterials,systemsandnoveldevicearchitectures.Theirworkspansindustriesandapplications,includingautomotive,medicalandmilitary.
Breico-leadstheSmartMaterialsandStructuresCollaborativeResearchLaboratoryinconjunctionwithGeneralMotors(GM)toharnesstheemergingcapa-
bilitiesofSMAsandothersmartmaterials.OnerecentresearchavenuehasfocusedontheuseofSMAstotransformpassiverubbersealsonautomobiledoorsintoactiveseals.Creatingaqualitysealonacardoorisachallengingproblemduetotheinherentdesigncompromisebetweenthelowclosingeffortconsumersdesireandthehighsealingforcesthatensurewaterandnoisestayout.
Theresearchteamisde-couplingthatdesigntradeoffbyincorporatingashape
metalalloyinsidetherubberweatherstripping.WhentheSMAisturnedoff,therubberiscompliantandmakesthedooreasytoclose.WhentheSMAisactivated,theactivesealbecomesstifferandcreatesanexceptionalseal.WiththesupportofGM,Breiisidentifyingtheoptimalhumaninteractionwiththesealanddooranddevelopingnewsealparadigmsthataddresstheseconsumerpreferences.
Shapememoryalloysalsohavemanypotentialmedicalapplications,andBreisteamhasseensignicantsuccessapplying
8/8/2019 Me Annual Report
37/60
ADVANCESINRESEARCH 35
themtoaclinicaldevicefortreatingshortbowelsyndrome(SBS)inhumans.Insufci