Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics News

Ezra Bar-Ziv (ME-EM/APSRC) was quoted by WLUK FOX 11 of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in a story on Green Bay’s candidacy for a new plastic recycling system that uses solvents to break down plastic film types. The system prototype is being built at Michigan Tech. The story was picked up by 101.1 WIXX-FM and five other Wisconsin news outlets.

George Huber, a College of Engineering professor at UW-Madison came up with the process called STRAP (Solvent Targeted Recovery and Precipitation). According to Huber, “It uses solvents to selectively solubilize one plastic over another. Then, we precipitate it out, and then we’re left behind with a pure plastic.”

Michigan Tech staff and students are creating the system prototype to breakdown the plastic in a larger scale.

“What we are doing is, we’re going from a lab scale—which could be a pound, half a pound, quarter pound—all the way to something similar to say a ton, ton per hour. That’s what we’re trying to do that, and we are doing it in strong collaboration with the Madison crew,” says Ezra Bar-Ziv, a mechanical engineering professor at Michigan Tech.

Read more at WLUK FOX 11 by Emily Matesic.

Related

Ezra Bar-Ziv (ME-EM/APSRC) is the principal investigator (PI) on a project that has received a $549,954 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is titled “Continous Process for Solvent-Targeted Recovery and Precipitation (STRAP) for Plastic Wastes using Green Solvents.”

Shreyas Kolapkar (ME-EM/APSRC) is the co-PI on this potential three-year project.

April 19, 2023.

Jeff Naber and Jeremy Worm (ME-EM/APSRC) were quoted by WLUC TV6 in a story answering Keweenaw residents’ questions about operating electric vehicle batteries in cold temperatures. The story was picked up by Lansing’s WILX News 10.

Naber and Worm are researchers at Michigan Tech’s Advanced Power Systems Research Center.

“We’re looking at how we can extend the useful life of these vehicles and how we can extend the range of vehicles when we’re using them under climates in the Upper Peninsula,” said APS LABS Director Jeffrey Naber.

“If you’re operating and the battery is continuously at 32 degrees its life expectancy could decrease as much as 20%, if it’s 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it could decrease as much as 50%,” Worm said.

Read more and watch the video out WLUC TV6, by Annette Giachino.

Associate Teaching Professor Aneet Narendranath (ME-EM) has been selected as one of nine international scholars for the International Alliance to Advance Learning in the Digital Era (IAALDE) VISTAS Colloquium Series.

In a first phase, IAALDE has called for ambitious midcareer researchers, pre-tenured or recently tenured, who are developing and implementing a long-range research vision (think: 5-10 years ahead) and are therefore interested in discussing their research vision with peers from multiple societies and different disciplinary backgrounds.

The goal of the VISTAS (Vision, Inspiration, Synergy, and Transformation Across Societies) Colloquium Series on Learning and Technologies Research is to create a discussion space where researchers can connect with one another to explore ideas across multiple disciplinary and society perspectives. It is envisioned to inspire transformative research and to improve our societies by better connecting researchers to one another and to cross-disciplinary ideas.

A graduate of Michigan Technological University, Narendranath’s teaching interests include classical mechanics, numerical methods for differential equations and symbolic solution packages. His research interests focus on numerical solutions and applications to engineering of nonlinear partial differential equations and low Reynolds Number fluid physics.

Congratulations to Narendranath on achieving this honor.

One PhD student position with full assistantship is available in the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (MEEM) at Michigan Technological University. The student will work under Dr. Kai Zhou’s supervision.

The position will start in Spring 2023. It is available immediately and open until filled. The applicants must have a BS or MS degree in Mechanical Engineering with a particular emphasis on Structural Dynamics and Vibrations. The qualified applicant is expected to:

1. Have the extensive experiences and strong skills in testbed set-up, experimental instrumentation and data acquisition.
2. Demonstrate the capability in using FE simulation to perform both the linear and nonlinear structural dynamic analysis. It is a plus if the student has the experiences conducting other multi-physics FE simulations, e.g., electromechanical FE, fluid-structure coupled FE, thermal-structural coupled FE. The preferred software include: Abaqus, Ansys and COMSOL.
3. Have the in-depth knowledge in signal processing, machine learning (especially deep learning), data analytics and optimization. Have the strong programing skill using MATLAB, Python to support the implementation. The knowledge of Fortran and LabVIEW is a plus.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Kai Zhou (kzhou@mtu.edu) with your CV, transcripts.