ASM International Worcester Chapter

Student Night
WPI Major Qualifying Project Competition

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
O'Connors Restaurant
1160 W. Boylston St., Worcester.

Undergraduate students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute must complete a Major Qualifying Project (MQP), under the guidance of academic advisors, in order to obtain their degrees. Ideally, the project synthesizes all previous study in order to solve problems and perform tasks in the chosen major field, with students striving to communicate results confidently and effectively. Prof. Sisson and Chuck Innis, ASM - Worcester Chapter President, congratulate Amanda Young and Lester Li , both seniors of the Chemical Engineering Department as they accept their prize.

This is the third year, the Worcester Chapter of ASM International sponsored a competition for the best MQP
presentation in the Mechanical Engineering department with special emphasis on materials research.
The four teams gave brief presentations of the highlights of their accomplishments.

WPI Major Qualifying Project Competition Finalists:

Design of a Quiet Impact Stop

Michael Bedford, Adrian Farrell, Dukens Rene

Advisors: Diana Lados, Robert Norton

The objective of this research was to develop a methodology for the evaluation of acoustic responses of metallic and non-metallic materials. Various materials were acoustically examined under impact loading using a test set-up consisting of a solenoid-driven hammer, a microphone, and software to record and interpret the sound response. Test data were ranked in reference to an acoustically high hardened tool steel and normalized on an A-weighted scale to account for the enhanced sensitivity of the human ear at certain frequencies. A complete microstructural analysis was conducted on each material to relate its acoustic behavior to intrinsic material characteristics. The results of this study were used in a manufacturing setting to redesign an impact stop, and the proposed prototypes were tested in the industrial environment for noise reduction.

Submicron Alloy Formation from Organmetallic Precursors

Benjamin St. James, Peter Eliopoulos

Advisor: Satya Shivkumar

The goal of this project was to fabricate submicron alloy structures by high temperature thermal degradation of organometallic compounds containing iron and nickel precursor metals. Degradation studies of iron pentacarbonyl and nickelocene organometallic compounds were conducted using direct heating in a lab furnace. Structures were analyzed before and after degradation using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and electron dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The degradation products were compared against a calibration study of AISI1018 bar and powder samples to confirm the presence of iron structures. Magnetite (Fe3O4), Hematite (Fe2O3) and Iron (Fe) diffraction peaks were matched to experimental x-ray diffraction scans of degraded iron pentacarbonyl using JADE powder diffraction analysis software. Scanning electron micrographs of degraded iron pentacarbonyl and organometallic mixture samples revealed fiber diameters in the submicron range. From analysis using electron dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, it was found that by degrading mixtures of the two organometallic in the right proportion alloys containing Iron and Nickel could be generated.

3D Polymer Printing with Desktop Inkjet Technology

Seth Karsten Bleech and Marisa Santos

Advisor: Satya Shivkumar

The purpose of this project was to modify an inkjet printer originally designed for home or office use to print three dimensional shapes composed of polymer. This concept involved the engineering of a polymer solution capable of being deposited by the printer onto a substrate, as well as modifying the mechanical components of the printer in order to produce multiple layers of that polymer. Through the development of various polymer ink solutions consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone, isopropyl alcohol, and water, the required concentration to flow through the cartridge nozzle of a Hewlett-Packard DeskJet printer was found. With the addition of a new paper feeding system, the polymer ink was deposited on a sheet of paper becoming the first layer of a 3-dimensional object.

Composite Pd Membranes for Hydrogen Separation

Lester Li and Amanda Young

Advisors:Prof. Yi Hua Ma and Prof. M. Engin Ayturk

To reduce the thickness of palladium (Pd) membranes for hydrogen separation, porous non-Pd supports are employed. However, intermetallic diffusion still presents problems for the lifespan of the membrane as well as the purity of the product with time. Through characterization studies on two composite Pd membranes prepared via electroless plating methods, it was possible to determine the effects of an intermetallic diffusion barrier of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) compared to an oxidized surface of porous uncoated stainless steel (USS). Testing completed at 300, 350, and 400°C using pure hydrogen showed that the ZrO2 coating helped produce a thinner membrane, achieving a higher flux and increased activation energy, but had a reduced selectivity and a higher resistance to mass transfer.

Highlights of the Evening

students enjoying the meal(table 1)	students at table 2	ASM Int'l Worcester Chapter members
ASM Worcester Chapter members table	Prof. Sisson and Virendra

Link to 2009 Project Presentation Day

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Last modified: May 12, 2009, 17:09 EDT