Posts under the ‘Research’ category

Emeritus and Research Professor John H. Johnson (MEEM) has been selected to receive the 2013 ASME Internal Combustion Engine Award.

The society awards the honor “for leadership in innovative research in the modeling of diesel engine particulate filters and aftertreatment systems based on extensive experimental data; for dedication in educating graduate students on diesel engines; and for leading and participating in the national studies of technology to reduce internal combustion engine fuel consumption.”

The award consists of a $1,000 honorarium. Johnson will be honored at the ASME 2013 Internal Combustion Fall Technical Conference, set for Oct. 13-16 in Dearborn.

“This is certainly a well-deserved award for John,” said Department Chair Bill Predebon (MEEM). “He has devoted over 40 years to research on diesel engines, particularly in diesel emissions.”

Johnson’s research focuses on emissions and fuel consumption, and he has played a leadership role on the National Academy of Engineering committees that develop recommendations for laws and regulations governing vehicles. His work has had a major impact on the current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for trucks.

Gordon Parker (MEEM), Steven Goldsmith (MEEM) and Wayne Weaver (ECE) have received $100,000 from Sandia National Laboratories for a three and a half month long research project, “Agent Based Control with Application of Microgrids with High Penetration Renewables.”
Ezra Bar Ziv (PI, ME‐EM), “Feasibility of a Novel Concept to Produce Biocoal for Power and Enhanced Bio‐Oil”, sponsor: National Science Foundation, amount: $69,750.

CBS Detroit and its Technology Report highlighted Michigan Tech’s Senior Design team that developed a new, improved prosthetic knee for patients in India. See CBS Detroit.

Dr. Ezra Bar Ziv (professor, ME‐EM), Dr. John Diebel (assistant director, Technical Commercialization) and Jordan Klinger (PhD candidate, ME‐EM) were members of a team that was awarded the top team designation by the NSF Innovation Corps (I‐Corps), a new public–private partnership to help
develop scientific and engineering discoveries into useful technologies. The program connects academic researchers with the technological, entrepreneurial, and business communities.

Gregory Odegard (PI, ME‐EM), “Multiscale Modeling of Graphite/CNT/ Epoxy Hybrid Composites”, sponsor: US Department of Defense, AFOSR, amount: $252,555.

Dr. SeongYoung Lee (PI, ME‐EM) and Dr. Jeffrey Naber and Dr. Jaclyn Johnson (co‐PIs, ME‐EM), “MTU‐Nostrum (Phase III): Experimental Investigation of Hollow‐Cone Injector at Engine Relevant
Conditions in a Combustion Vessel”, sponsor: Nostrum Energy, LLC, amount: $19,600.

Jeffrey Naber (PI, ME‐EM) and Bo Chen (co‐PI, ME‐EM); “Continued Research ‐ Spring 2013″; sponsor: Nostrum Energy, LLC, amount: $53,000.

Jeffrey Naber (PI, ME‐EM), Paul Dice and Gregory Odegard (co‐PIs, ME‐EM); “Titan Tire Testing TP72 (5 Tires) and TP73 (4 Tires)”; sponsor: Titan Tire Corporation, amount: $27,315.

Jeffery Naber (MEEM) has received $37,986 for a one-year research project, “Independent Review of High Pressure Heat Exchanger Locomotive Test and Thermodynamic Simulation Data,” from the US Department of Transportation–Federal Railroad Administration.

Dr. Steven Goldsmith (research professor, ME‐EM) filed the invention disclosure “Distributed Controller for
Parallel DC Boost Converters”.

Dr. L Brad King (professor, ME‐EM) filed the invention disclosure “Spacecraft Thruster Based on Electrically Conducting Ferrofluid Propellant”.

Interesting Note: The commercial link below for Ram trucks was shot by Chrysler at Michigan Tech’s Keweenaw Research Center winter test track this February. See http://blog.ramtrucks.com/features/2013-ram-heavy-duty-extreme-cold-testing-video .

PI “Dennis” Desheng Meng (MEEM) and Co-PI Craig Friedrich (MEEM) have been awarded $65,503 for the first year of a three-year $189,942 R&D grant for “Collaborative Research: Self-circulating, Self-regulating Microreactor for On-chip Gas Generation from Liquid Reactants” from the National Science Foundation.

MEEM students Sunand Santhanagopalan, Anirudh Balram and their advisor Dennis Desheng Meng co-authored an article “Scalable High-Power Redox Capacitors with Aligned Nanoforests of Crystalline MnO2 Nanorods by High Voltage Electrophoretic Deposition,” to appear in the ACS Nano.

Aerodynamic Vibration Reduction of Wind Turbine Blades: PI Qingli Dai (CEE) and Co-PI Fernando Ponta (MEEM) have been awarded a three-year, $269,012 research grant for “Collaborative Research: Nexus of Simulation, Sensing and Actuation for Aerodynamic Vibration Reduction of Wind Turbine Blades” from NSF.

Associate Professor Reza Shahbazian-Yasser (ME-EM/MuSTI) has received $416,809 from the National Science Foundation for, “Revealing the Inside of a Nanoscale Na-Ion Battery: New Understanding on Sodium Intercalation in Cathodes.”

Graduate student Mark Hopkins (ME-EM) and CoPI Professor Brad King (ME-EM) have received $17,625 from the National Science Foundation for “Deposition Rate of Propellant Backflow from a Magnesium Hall-Effect Thruster.”

Associate Professor Gregory Odegard (ME-EM/MuSTI) has received $11,500 from the National Science Foundation for a project, “Planning Grant: I/UCRC for Novel High Voltage Transmission Materials and Structures.”

Assistant Professor Scott Miers (ME-EM) has received $78,043 from U Chicago Argonne for a 14-month project, “Advanced Vehicle Characterization.”

John Diebel (IIE/APSRC) and co-PI Ezra Bar-Ziv (ME-EM) have received $50,000 from the University of Michigan-Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, for a project, “Compaction of Biocoal.”

Michele Miller (coPI, ME-EM) and Brennan Tymrak (PI, ME-EM), Joshua Pearce (PI, Materials Sci & Engr), “NSF Graduate Research Fellowship – Technologies for Developing Countries”, sponsor: National Science Foundation, total project amount: $126,000.

Dr. Ezra Bar Ziv was featured in the article “Michigan Tech professor at forefront of emerging ‘biocoal’ industry” in the September 26, 2012 edition of Upper Peninsula’s Second Wave.

Ezra Bar Ziv and Jeffrey Naber (co-PIs, ME-EM, David Shonnard (PI, Chem Eng). Andrew Burton
and Audrey Mayer (coPIs, Forestry), “SEP: Sustainable Forest- Biofuel Pathways to Hydrocarbon
Transportation Fuels: Biomass Production, Torrefecation, Pyrolysis, Catalytic Upgrading,
and Combustion“, sponsor: National Science Foundation, total project amount: $2,034,814.

Jeremy Worm (PI, ME-EM, “Development and Delivery of High-Impact STEM Outreach Utilizing the Michigan Tech Mobile Laboratory in Support of TARDEC and Heroes Alliance”, sponsor: US Department of Defense – Army -TARDEC, total project amount: $35,847.

Charles Van Karsen (PI, ME-EM), Gregory Odegard, and James DeClerck (coPIs, ME-EM), “Acoustic Boom Model-ing”. sponsor: General Motors, total project amount: $184, 481.

Jeremy Worm (PI, ME-EM), Jef-frey Naber (coPI, ME-EM), “Diagnosing Induction System Degradation and Evaluation of Remedial Chemicals in Automo-tive Engines”, sponsor: Illinois Tool Works Inc., total project amount: $42,465.

Jeremy Worm (PI, ME-EM), “Delivering STEM Outreach Through Inspirational Hands-On Activities”, sponsor: National Instruments Corporation, total project amount: $19,976.

Jeremy Worm (PI, ME-EM), “Short Course Delivery: Experi-mental Studies in Hybrid Electric Vehicles”, sponsor: Wisconsin Technical College System, total project amount: $25,015.

Jeremy Worm (PI, ME-EM), Jef-frey Naber, and Mahdi Shahbakhti (coPIs, ME-EM), “Short Course Delivery: Spark Ignition Engine Management Systems”, sponsor: DENSO International America Inc., total project amount: $32,004

Mohan Rao (PI, ME-EM), “Vibration Based Flow Detection in Fiber Reinforced Polymer Wraps”, sponsor: Neptune Re-search, Inc., total project amount: $43,369.

When you make breakfast, chances are you don’t think twice about whether there will be enough electrons zipping through your toaster to brown the bread. That’s because you’re probably on the grid, the beyond-big power network that stretches across the continent and draws energy from thousands of sources.

Read more from the Michigan Tech Research Magazine 2013 article by Marcia Goodrich

The Senior Capstone Design Program in Mechanical Engineering builds on our lab-based, hands-on curriculum to provide students with “their first job,” a project supplied by companies and entrepreneurs. These clients benefit from having a student team address their dynamic goals and tight budgets, and provide a fresh perspective.

The Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics Department Senior Capstone Design Projects completed by the graduating class for Fall 2012 were presented to the faculty, sponsors, and campus on December 11, 2012. The projects are presented on the web with photos, participants at “Senior Design Projects Fall 2012″

Team Photos are also available on Flickr at ME-EM Teams Senior Capstone Design December 2012

A sample of Videos are viewable at Mechanical Engineering Senior Capstone Design Teams.

Dr. Jeffrey Allen teaches Advanced Thermodynamics (MEEM 5200) and Principles of Energy Conversion (MEEM 4200/5290). Principles of Energy Conversion introduces the basic background, terminology, and fundamentals of energy conversion. Students develop project posters for  current and emerging technologies for production of thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy. Topics include fossil and nuclear fuels, solar energy, wind turbines, fuel and solar cells.

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Associate Professor Reza Shahbazian-Yasser (ME-EM/MuSTI) has received $416,809 from the National Science Foundation for, “Revealing the Inside of a Nanoscale Na-Ion Battery: New Understanding on Sodium Intercalation in Cathodes.”

Associate Professor William Endres (ME-EM) and Co-PIs Associate Professor Chuck Van Karsen (ME-EM) and Senior Researcher Robert DeJonge (ME-EM) have received $45,980 from the US Department of Defense, Air Force Research Lab for “ME-EM Senior Design Team 57–Jackhammer Test Rig.”

ASME.org, a website published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, has posted an article about Michigan Tech’s efforts to raise endowed scholarship funds for women students and another article citing Associate Professor Fernando Ponta (ME-EM) discussing his work on innovative new wind turbine technologies. See Raising Money for Financial Aid and Small Wind Turbine Fulfill Their Promises.

Graduate student Brennan Tymrak (ME-EM) has received $17,625 from the NSF for the first increment of a potential $126,000 project, “NSF Graduate Research Fellowship–Technologies for Developing Countries.”

The Mobile Lab Coalition, an international coalition of traveling, laboratory-based STEM education programs, featured Michigan Tech’s hybrid electric vehicles mobile lab in the organization’s newsletter. See Mobile Lab.