Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering News

Susanta Ghosh (MEEM/MuSTI) is Principal Investigator on a project that has received a $170,604 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is titled “EAGER: An Atomistic-Continuum Formulation for the Mechanics of Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.” This is a potential 19-month project.

By Sponsored Programs.

Extract

Two-dimensional materials are made of chemical elements or compounds of elements while maintaining a single atomic layer crystalline structure. Two-dimensional materials, especially Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs), have shown tremendous promise to be transformed into advanced material systems and devices, e.g., field-effect transistors, solar cells, photodetectors, fuel cells, sensors, and transparent flexible displays.

To achieve broader use of TMDs across cutting-edge applications, complex deformations for large-area TMDs must be better understood. Large-area TMDs can be simulated and analyzed through predictive modeling, a capability that is currently lacking.

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award supports fundamental research that overcomes current challenges in large-scale atomistic modeling to obtain an efficient but reliable continuum model for single-layer TMDs containing billions of atoms.

Read more at the National Science Foundation.

Orbion Space Technology, a company that develops plasma thrusters for satellites, announced a contract award from NASA‘s Science Mission Directorate. Under the contract, Orbion will develop advanced propulsion system components that will help spacecraft to rendezvous with, orbit, and conduct in-situ exploration of planets, moons, and other small bodies in the solar system. The NASA contract will focus on increasing the reliability of spacecraft thrusters while decreasing the cost to produce and fly them on space missions.

“More than 10,000 small satellites will be launched into space in the next 5-7 years. While the US has been a space-faring nation for 70 years, we are just now learning how to build spacecraft and their components on assembly lines like automobiles instead of like fragile science-fair experiments,” says Lyon B. King, Orbion’s CEO, “Orbion specializes in mass-manufacturing spacecraft hardware, and we are honored that NASA has selected Orbion to develop critical technology for solar system exploration.”

The award is administered by the NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. In the first phase of the project, Orbion will utilize new 3D printing technology to create extremely high-temperature heating elements that can reduce the complexity and cost of critical spacecraft thruster components. The components will be tested in space-simulation chambers on the ground to prove their performance and reliability. In a follow-on, second phase of the contract, Orbion anticipates integrating the new heaters with their commercial plasma propulsion system for demonstration in space.

To learn more about Orbion, visit their website.

By MTEC SmartZone.

Sajjad Bigham ( MEEM/APSRC) is Principal Investigator on a project that has received a $534,565 research and development cooperative agreement with the US Department of Energy. The project is titled “Next-Generation Desiccant-Based Gas Clothes Dryer Systems.” This is a potential three-year project.

Paul van Susante (MEEM) presented during the Moon Development & Exploration track at the International Space Development Conference in Arlington, VA on June 8, 2019, about “Lunar ISRU and Design and Sizing of Regolith Excavation & Handling Hardware.” He participated/organized a workshop/panel session on “ASCE Resources and Standards workshop.”

He also participated in the Space Resources Roundtable in Golden, CO from June 10 to 15 and chaired Technical Session 4 on Space Manufacturing and Processing Technologies, presented a paper during the “Mars Resources” track on ” Poly-Hydrated Sulfate Mining and Water Extraction on Mars: Experimental Results and System Requirements.”

As the secretary of the AIAA Space Resources Technical Committee, he helped organize the technical committee meeting, organized a roundtable discussion on landing pad necessity and construction and helped host a Google Hangout Session of the AIAA Space Resources TC during the reception. Watch the hangout channel on YouTube.

Experts from Michigan Tech showcased some of the newest AV technologies—from connected car communications to infrastructure—and how they impact and improve fuel economy. The event—Connected and Automated Vehicles and Modern Methods for Light-Duty Automotive Energy Savings—took place at one of the state’s premier testing grounds, the American Center for Mobility (ACM), on May 7 and May 9, 2019.

The event addressed key trends and challenges by showcasing how these technologies can improve fleet fuel efficiency. Researchers from the University shared background knowledge on the technologies. There were also tours of the Michigan Tech Mobile Lab and the Advanced Power Systems Laboratories (APS LABS).

As part of ACM’s Academic Consortium, a partnership between ACM and 15 Michigan colleges and universities to collaborate on talent training, this event ties industry to education to further discussion on talent retention and training in addition to addressing energy savings within autonomous and connected vehicles.

Michigan Tech Mobile Lab Headed To ACM In Ypsilanti, MI, May 7th And 9th

After being connected by the team at PlanetM, with MEDC, Jeffrey Mosher speaks to a pair from Houghton, MI, Christopher Morgan, and Jim Desrochers who are set to hit the road next month for a special open house.

Read the article and listen to the SoundCloud Podcast at Michigan Business Beat, hosted by Chris Holman.