2019 — 2022 |
Zhou, Chenn (co-PI) [⬀] Li, Jiliang (co-PI) [⬀] Zhou, Ran Liu, Yun Zeytinoglu, Nuri |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Mri: Acquisition of An Advanced Three-Dimensional Flow Measurement System
This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art three-dimensional flow measurement system to enhance Purdue Northwest's capacity to conduct fundamental research and foster multidisciplinary research collaborations, including those with regional industries. The award will give faculty and more than 50 undergraduate and graduate students-- particularly female and first-generation university students-- access to state-of-the art instrumentation. The research will provide new knowledge leading to advances in renewable energy, regenerative medicine and the development of micro air vehicles.
The instrumentation will serve as a catalyst for fundamental research on complex flows. Flow phenomena are fundamental to a range of important multidisciplinary research problems including turbulence, bio-fluid mechanics, and wind energy. These phenomena are naturally three-dimensional with complexities that previous flow measurement techniques, such as digital PIV, were unable to resolve. The instrumentation's particle tracking capabilities allow complex three-dimensional flow to be measured and characterized with high spatial resolution and accuracy. This will enable the researchers to gain a new understanding of three-dimensional fundamental flow physics, such as the lift generation/augmentation mechanisms in flapping flight.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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0.964 |
2019 — 2022 |
Abramowitz, Harvey Spaulding, Michelle Chen, Chien-Chung (co-PI) [⬀] Kim, Hansung Zhou, Ran |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Mri: Acquisition of Tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope
This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition of a state-of-the-art table top Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that greatly benefits Purdue University Northwest's (PNW) research programs on topics ranging from advanced manufacturing and civil and mechanical engineering to material science and biology. The acquired SEM system will expand the research and training infrastructure, attract and retain junior faculty, and expedite current NSF-funded research at PNW. The SEM's enhanced nanotechnology capabilities will allow faculty to resolve fundamental scientific questions in these research fields--enabling significant societal benefits such as enhanced manufacturing productivity. The instrumentation will also attract qualified and motivated students to participate in high-impact research activities. This award will enhance collaboration with local industry and planned growth in academic programs. The new SEM system will be integrated into laboratory and course curricula across multiple disciplines through live demonstrations and focused projects, expanding access to undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and biological science. Outreach efforts in Northwest Indiana will use the instrument to help broaden the higher education participation of significantly underrepresented populations and to engage and benefit local industrial partners.
The SEM, with secondary and back scattering electron imaging and energy dispersive spectroscopy for elemental analysis, will help fill the gap between the magnification provided by existing optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The superior imaging of this new instrument, along with the embedded 3D surface roughness reconstruction algorithm, will allow researchers to better understand physical phenomena at the fundamental level. For example, to better understand process parametric relations in microfluidic device fabrications, the researchers will use SEM to evaluate and identify the resolution capacities of the master mold and resulting microstructures, such as the minimum feature size, aspect ratio, and side-wall angles for various dry film thicknesses, to achieve the required tolerance. Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) devices fabricated with high resolutions will achieve high-efficiency focusing and separation of micro-particles by precisely controlling the particle trajectories under the drag and lift forces that can be accurately quantified. The effects of height, diameter and sidewall angle of micro-posts and their arrangement pattern in the DLD system on the unique laminar flow patterns can therefore be investigated with much higher accuracy with the superior imaging capability provided by the acquired SEM system. The SEM will also be used to study lead-free solder joint failure mechanisms by investigating the formation and growth of tin whiskers as a function of relative humidity and temperature for lead-free alloy compositions used commercially. The information obtained will provide input to models that predict tin whisker formation, which is important in helping to determine the reliability of lead-free solder joints.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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0.964 |
2021 — 2024 |
Zhou, Chenn [⬀] Abraham, Sunday Zhou, Ran Pretorius, Eugene |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Goali/Collaborative Research: Understanding Formation and Removal Mechanisms of Micron-Sized Non-Metallic Inclusions in Steel Refining by Computational and Experimental Studies
Steel is one of the most versatile structural materials and has played a vital role in history and societal advancements. With the increasingly harsh environments demanded of steel, steelmaking requires strict engineering of chemistry, microstructure, and surface and interior quality characteristics of the ladle - the vessel used to transport and pour out molten steel. In steelmaking, steel cleanliness, defined as the amount and size of non-metallic inclusions, is a critical issue and directly influences both subsequent processing steps and the quality of steel products. Micron-sized non-metallic inclusions are typically removed using argon and/or electromagnetic stirring. These processes, though very difficult, are crucial to minimize such inclusions for lightweight high-performance components. The lack of fundamental knowledge of complex mechanisms and the ability to quantify the formation and transport of inclusions has hindered progress in the inclusions control in ladle refining. This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry project, collaboration between two institutions and two steel companies, pursues fundamental research on the formation and removal of micron-sized non-metallic inclusions during liquid steel refining in a ladle. The strong partnership in this project uniquely facilitates the know-how transfer to steel manufacturers with improved product quality and productivity, and therefore, increases the competitiveness of U.S. steel and relevant industries. The award will also provide students with opportunities of academic and industrial research and the project results will be showcased in outreach events to inspire K-16 students to pursue STEM education and careers.
To tackle the challenge associated with inclusions in a ladle refining process, this project aims at obtaining basic knowledge that will address such questions as: what are the mechanisms that generate micron-sized inclusion particles during argon and/or electromagnetic stirring; can flow shear instability at the slag/steel interface generate micron-sized inclusions and are slag-based inclusions the primary source to the total concentration of non-metallic inclusions in molten steel? The team will integrate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling with laboratory water modeling and microfluidic experiments as well as on-site measurements in steel plants for fundamental studies. The outcomes of the project are expected to provide the following technical insights: (1) the relationships between flow instability at the steel-slag interface, slag-based inclusions, and the total amount of non-metallic inclusions, (2) the quantitative effects of stirring rate on the slag inclusion generation and entrainment, as well as inclusion flotation, (3) experimental technique and methodology for validating the CFD model, and (4) a high-fidelity comprehensive three-dimensional multiphase multi-scale, multi-physics, and multi-species CFD model for steel ladle refining, which can be employed to provide best practice guidance for steel cleanliness control and high-quality mass production.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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0.964 |