Quick Navigation Mechanical Engineering Department Facilities
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Quick Navigation Department Facilities Multi-User Facilities Other Facilities Mechanical Engineering Department Facilities Departmental Facilities and Individual Faculty Research Laboratories: Shared Services Facilities Director: Haejune Kim We provide students and researchers open access to a wide range of equipment for measuring, characterizing and imaging of samples. If necessary, shared facility staff or super user of the instrument will offer training before giving access to the equipment. The shared services facilities are available to mechanical engineering faculty and students. Currently the group maintains and has available for scheduling the following machines:VEGA II LSU SEM, KLA- Tencor P-6 Stylus Profiler, VHX-600 Digital Microscope, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) System, MicroClimate environmental chamber, Photron FSTCAM SA5 High Speed Camera, Olympus BX 61/Visitech QLC-100 Confocal Microscopy, Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer – Q600 SDT, Differential Scanning Calorimeter – DSC Q1000, Veeco Dektak 150 Profilometer, and Salt Spray Chamber. Acoustics and Signal Processing Laboratory Contact: Dr. Yong-Joe Kim The ASPL, founded in 2009, is a research laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, Texas, USA. It is located at James J. Cain ’51 Building #409. Prof. Yong-Joe Kim currently serves as the director for the ASPL. The current research is focused on the areas of acoustics, signal processing, vibration, dynamics, and biomechanics. Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory Contact: Dr. J.N. Reddy Professor Reddy’s Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory (ACML) at Texas A&M University is dedicated to state-of-the-art research in the development of novel mathematical models and numerical simulation of physical phenomena. Some of the research projects carried out at the Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory include variational principles of theoretical mechanics, mathematical theory of mixed and penalty finite-element approximations, analytical solutions of the refined theories of laminated composite plates and shells, nano and bio mechanics, least-squares finite element models of viscous, incompressible, Newtonian and non- Newtonian fluid flow problems as well as plate and shell structures as well as well-received textbooks on applied mathematics, variational methods, the finite element method, and laminated composite plates and shells. The ACML computing facilities include a 16-node supercomputer comprised of 1-head node, 11-compute nodes and 4-Gluster storage nodes. Each compute node has: Dual Hexa-Core E5- 2630 “Sandy Bridge” 2.3 GHz Processors, 32 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD scratch storage. The system also has 66 TB of archival storage space. Advanced Engine Research Laboratory Contact: Dr. Timothy Jacobs Advanced Engine Research Lab is operated by Dr. Tim Jacobs in Mechanical Engineering Department of Texas A&M University. Team members are doing the following fundamental experimental and theoretical research to investigate advanced methods for internal combustion engine energy conversion and emission reduction: • In-cylinder combustion processes, • The coupling to advanced concepts, • The use of alternative fuels, • The integration of exhaust after treatment systems. The testing facility is located in 103 Thompson Hall and the student office is located in 218 Thompson Hall. Multi-Cylinder Facility • John Deere 4-Cylinder 4.5L Diesel Engine • General Motors 4-Cylinder 1.9L Diesel Engine o Common Rail fuel Injection System o Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) o Variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) o Drivven / National Instruments Engine Controller • 150 hp (111 kW) DC motoring dynamometer • National Instruments (NI) Low-speed and Drivven High-speed Data Acquisition System • Measurement Computing Corporation (MCC) Low-speed Data Acquisition System Single-Cylinder Facility • Ajax Single-Cylinder 9.29L Natural Gas Engine • Taylor 100HP (75 kW) Air Cooled Eddy Current Dynamometer • National Instruments Low-speed (cDAQ) and High-speed Data (cRIO) Acquisition System Shared Equipment • Horiba MEXA 7100D Emissions Bench (CO2, CO, O2, NOx, and HC) • AVL 415S Smoke Meter • Electro-Mechanical Associates (EMA) Mini-Diluter Particulate Sampling System Professional Software & Programming Languages • LabVIEW • GT-POWER • CONVERGE • STAR-CCM+ • Cantera • Python • MATLAB • C / C++ • FORTRAN90 Advanced NanoManufacturing Laboratory Contact: Dr. Jonathan Felts We develop new tools and techniques to pattern unconventional materials at the nanoscale, with particular interests in polymers, organic small molecules, metallic and semiconducting nanoparticles, and 1- and 2-D materials. Aerosol Technology Laboratory Contact: Dr. Yassin Hassan The Aerosol Technology Laboratory is an independent University research laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University that was established under the direction of Dr. Andrew R. McFarland, Wyatt Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and has been serving for over thirty-five years as a center for aerosol research for both private and public sector interests. • A robust engineering and research environment, the Aerosol Technology Laboratory has produced dozens of M.S. and Ph.D. graduates at Texas A&M University, many of whom have gone on to lead research efforts at prestigious research facilities such as Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Ohio State University. • The Aerosol Technology Laboratory operates from laboratory facilities within at Texas A&M University, as well as a large-scale wind tunnel facility located off the main campus. Capabilities of the Aerosol Technology Laboratory include: • Static bench-top testing of aerosol devices with inert monodisperse aerosol (liquid or solid particles with imbedded fluorescent tracer) as well as with non-pathogenic bacteria spores; fluorometric analysis, and imaging of test aerosol particles; culturing of bacteria spores for quantitative analysis; and wind-tunnel testing of aerosol sampling equipment with either inert aerosol particles or non-pathogenic bacteria spores. • Specific accomplishments of past Aerosol Technology Laboratory research include: o The design and patenting of a Shrouded Probe for representative sampling of aerosols at a constant flow rate and high wind speeds. o Development of American National Standards Institute Standard 13.1-1999 describing the method and application of single-point representative sampling from stacks and ducts. o Design of the Generic Mixing Plenum for low power mixing of duct effluent to satisfy single-point representative sampling criteria. o Design of a Continuous Air Monitor for detection of airborne alpha-emitting particles (Alpha Sentry System, Canberra Industries Inc., Meriden, CT). o Design of a Continuous PM10 Particulate Monitor for real-time measurement of dust emissions from a corrosive stack environment. • Design (patented) of a Circumferential Slot Virtual Impactor for low power concentration of aerosols. • Design (patented) of the Wetted Wall Cyclone (WWC) for low power collection and concentration of bioaerosols and nanoaerosols. Bio-Inspired Complex Network Design for Sustainability Contact: Dr. Astrid Layton Environmentally Benign Manufacturing as defined by the National Science Foundation in 2001 is “a system of goals, metrics, technologies, and business practices that address the long-term dilemma for product realization: how to achieve economic growth while protecting the environment.” There is no evidence that the environmental problems from our production systems are solvable by a “silver bullet” technology [1]. Rather, the need for systems-based solutions was noted, requiring a comprehensive systems approach in which, e.g., the product’s design is formed in conjunction with its logistical and recycling systems. Clearly, this raises the level of design complexity. A framework for such a systems- based approach to Environmentally Benign Design and Manufacturing (EBDM) that is both efficient and effective in reducing environmental impact while maintaining or increasing a product’s or system’s technical and financial performance. Bio-inspired product design is becoming commonplace, however using this same solution source for network design has not yet become popular. The methods by which biotic systems reach their environmentally sustainable state are hypothesized to support the engineering of sustainable products, processes and systems. My work, building upon e.g. [2,3,4], has demonstrated that the use of biological methods and principles can lead to environmental improvements at multiple scales. The goal of my research is to move ideas from biology to human systems design in such a way that they become implementable tools. Biomechanical Environments Laboratory Director: Dr. Michael Moreno The Biomechanical Environments Laboratory research is focused on the effects of solid and/or fluid mechanical factors in the development of cardiovascular disease, implantable orthopedic devices, traumatic brain injury, regenerative therapies, and biodegradable technologies. Researchers in the Biomechanical Environments Laboratory specialize in reconstructing physiologically relevant mechanical environments for in vitro studies of cells, tissues, organs and medical devices, to ensure critical mechanical cues that drive physiologic processes are maintained. BioRobotics Laboratory Contact: Dr. Seokchang