Introduction to Mechanical EngineeringGK12 Student: Kyle Barr

Professor Frank Fisher

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Stevens Institute of Technology

Web: http:://www.stevens.edu/nanolab

Email: ffisher@stevens.edu

Supported by:  NSF Graduate Teaching Fellow in K-12 Education ProgramAssociated Institution: Stevens Institute of Technology - Hoboken, NJ

What does a mechanical engineer do?

• Here are some examples from the professors at Stevens:

– Materials design and modeling (advanced materials, composites, etc)

– Thermodynamics (engines, energy conversion, etc)

– Robotics and automated processes

– Manufacturing and metal forming

– Structural design

– Fluid mechanics

– Heat transfer and thermal design

– Vibrations and acoustics

– Emerging technologies: Micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS), Nanotechnology, etc

• These are examples of the “areas” of mechanical engineering…

• What are some applications of “fluid mechanics”?

Senior Design Projects in Mech Eng

• Autonomous Robotic Vacuum Cleaner

• Piezoelectric-based Energy Harvesting Methodology

• Formula SAE Competition: Suspension System

• Automated Medication Container Openers

• Heavy Lift Cargo Plane

• NASA Exploration Systems Mission Project

• Design of a Robotic Push Golf Cart

• Human-Powered Potable Water Still

• Wearable Ultra Sensitive Nano Gas Sensor

• Hydroelectric System Design

• Robotic Fencing Training Dummy

Formula SAE car• asdasdad

Yield strengthsSteel, high strength 700 MPaAluminum 200 MpaPolycarbonate 50 Mpa

Rough values, depend on number of variables

Fencing Training Device

Engineers Without Borders (EWB)

My research interests…

1. Mechanics of Advanced Materials (relationship between force and

elongation)

– Shape memory alloys (online demos here)

– Piezoelectric materials

– Composite materials

2. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)

• MRI: Acquisition of an instrument for nanoscale manipulation and experimental characterization, NSF DMI-0619762, 09/01/06-08/31/09, $326k

Nanomechanics and Nanomaterials Lab (Fisher)

Nanomechanics and Nanomaterials Lab http://personal.stevens.edu/~ffisher

Processing-induced Crystallization of Semicrystalline Nanocomposites (Kalyon)

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting (Shi, Prasad, ECE…)

Polymer Nanocomposite NanomechanicsNanomanipulation and Nanomechanical Characterization (Shi, Yang, Zhu)

• Challa, Prasad & Fisher, Measurement Sci. & Tech., under review• Challa, Prasad & Fisher, Smart Mat. & Struct. 18, 095029 (2009)• Challa, Shi, Prasad & Fisher, Smart Mat. & Struct. 17, 015035 (2008)

• Mago, Kalyon & Fisher, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 114, 1312 (2009)• Mago, Fisher & Kalyon, J. Nanosci. & Nanotech. 9, 3330 (2009)• Mago, Kalyon & Fisher, J. Nanomaterials 3, 759825 (2008)• Mago, Fisher & Kalyon, Macromolecules 41, 8103 (2008)

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• Fisher & Lee, Composites Science and Technology (to be submitted)• Fisher, Oelkers & Lee, Composites Science and Technology (to be submitted)

E(t) E E j e t

j

j1

N

Ardil I Sr C0

1 Cr C0 1

C f0C 0 fr Cr Ardil

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Using nanoparticles + processing to promote preferred crystalline phases Harvesting energy from ambient vibrations for wireless sensors

In situ SEM characterization of nanomaterials and nanocomposites Novel micromechanical modeling for polymer nanocomposites

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Vibration Energy Harvesting (VEH)

VEHD

Vibrating Structures

Electrical Energy

Electrostatic

+_

Electromagnetic

+_

Piezoelectric

+_

High amplitude of vibration = High power output

MagnetostrictiveHuang et al SPIE 03

Potential Energy Harvesting ApplicationsLow Power Devices

Active Pixel Sensor: 100 µW

Advanced Microcontroller: 0.05 W

Gas Nanoscale Sensor: 200 µW

Wireless Sensor Node: 300 µW

Wireless Sensing

Wireless Security Systems

Naval Applications

Tire Pressure Monitoring

Remote Structural Monitoring

Military Applications

Portable Medical Devices

Asset Tracking

VEHD

EXAMPLE: Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)

This is not good!!

Could this help?

Current State of the Art

@ UC Berkeley

@ Univ of Southampton, U.K

@ Georgia Tech.

CommercialK1

M1

Single degree of freedom system

Academic

@ MIT

@ NCSU, Raleigh

Many of the VEH Devices are single resonant

frequency based

Magnetically Tuned Resonant Frequency

Technique

Attractive Mode: ωdevice < ωbeam

Repulsive Mode: ωdevice > ωbeam

V. Challa, MG Prasad, Y. Shi, and FT Fisher (2008), Smart Materials and Structures, 17, 015035

Tuned EH Device: exp. results

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Tuned EH Device: modeling