DSSL welcomes MS student, Eric Nolan.  Eric received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2018 from Tennessee Tech University.  Welcome Eric!

Austin Scheyer successfully defended his Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering entitled “An Investigation into the Feasibility of Embedding Piezoelectric Sensors in Additive Manufactured Structures for Impedance Based Structural Health Monitoring” on June 25, 2015.  Congratulations Austin!

Abstract:

Embedding sensors within additive manufactured (AM) structures gives the ability to develop smart structures capable of monitoring the mechanical health of a system. AM provides an opportunity to embed sensors within a structure during the manufacturing process. One major limitation of AM technology is the ability to verify the geometric and material properties of fabricated structures. Over the past several years, the electromechanical impedance (EMI) method for structural health monitoring (SHM) has been proven to be an effective method for sensing damage in structures. The EMI method utilizes the coupling between the electrical and mechanical properties present in piezoelectric transducers to detect a change in the dynamic response of a structure. A piezoelectric device, usually a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic wafer, is bonded to a structure and the electrical impedance is measured across a range of frequencies. A change in the electrical impedance is directly correlated to changes made to the mechanical condition of the structure. In this work, the EMI method is employed on piezoelectric transducers embedded within AM structures to evaluate the feasibility of performing SHM as well as detecting manufacturing errors. The fused deposition modeling (FDM) method is used to print specimens from polylactic acid (PLA) with an embedded monolithic piezoelectric ceramic disc for this feasibility study. The specimen is mounted as a cantilever while impedance measurements are taken using an HP 4194A impedance analyzer. After taking a baseline measurement of the healthy specimen, the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) method is utilized as a metric for quantifying changes to the system. Both destructive and non-destructive damage is simulated in specimens by adding a tip mass and drilling a hole near the free end of the cantilever, respectively. The SHM method proved to be successful at detecting both destructive and non destructive damage. Manufacturing errors are simulated using a reduced infill percentage and internal voids to change the internal structure of specimens. The manufacturing errors proved to be more difficult to detect due to variation between responses from different specimens, though this method was still successful in detecting the manufacturing errors. ANSYS is used to model both free and embedded PZTs to simulate piezoelectric materials under various conditions. Free PZTs are modeled in both 2D and 3D simulations. Embedded PZT models with no damage and both non-destructive and destructive damage are simulated in 3D. ANSYS proved to be highly accurate when modeling a free PZT in both 2D and 3D models. The embedded PZT models with no damage and destructive damage showed promising results, though it had a frequency shift with respect to the experimental data. The simulation of non-destructive damage also showed promising shifted results, though in some areas it was slightly erratic.

DSSL saw four MS students graduate during the Spring 2018 term. Pictured are MS student Edward Tefft (left), Dr. Anton (center), and MS student Austin Scheyer (right) at the commencement ceremony.

DSSL undergraduate researchers Justin Carlson and Zach Tiberi received the Best Poster Award for undergraduate research in Mechanical Engineering at the 2018 TTU Research and Creative Activities Day.  Justin and Zach presented a poster entitled “Simulating Gait Cycle for Total Knee Replacement with Embedded Piezoelectric Transducers” Congratulations Justin and Zach!

DSSL researchers Mohsen Safaei, Rob Ponder, Ekramul Ehite (pictured), Justin Carlson, and Zach Tiberi presented posters at the 2018 TTU Research and Creative Activities Day on April 10, 2018.  The event is an effort to emphasize the significance of research in postsecondary education; and to recognize the diverse areas of research unique to the different disciplines.  Participants from all colleges in the university are welcome to present their research.

Ekramul Ehite successfully defended his Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering entitled “Experimental Investigation of Electromechanical Impedance-Based Structural Health Monitoring in Highly Dynamic Environments” on April 4, 2018.  Congratulations Ehite!

Abstract:

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a damage detection strategy widely used for monitoring the state of engineering structures. The Electromechanical Impedance (EMI) method utilizing piezoelectric (PZT) materials is one of the most common techniques for applying SHM. Contemporary SHM technologies for characterization and assessment of in-service structures are suitable for detecting incipient damage in slowly changing structures on the order of seconds to minutes. There is a growing need to advance this technology for structures operating in highly dynamic environments (e.g. shock, blast, high-velocity impact, hypersonic flight, etc.) to enable microsecond to millisecond detection.

In this study, the application of the EMI method for continuous monitoring of changes of state in dynamic environments is investigated. A modular impact-based experimental system (MIES) is designed, which creates a dynamic event in the form of a collision between a pneumatically actuated moving striker bar and an instrumented static incident bar at different impact velocities. The parameters of the system including the impact velocity, incident bar boundary conditions, and the striker bar dimensions and material are made user-configurable. The velocity of the striker is measured by a photoelectric sensor-based measurement system. The incident bar is instrumented with a single PZT transducer, and the PZT is excited using both single-tone and multi-tonal excitation signals. The impedance of the PZT is measured by an EMI-based impedance measurement system. The velocity data is used to verify the capability of the system to generate customized, repeatable impact events. The impedance data using single-tone excitation signals at different impact velocities show that the impact causes a significant change in the PZT impedance signature, resulting from a corresponding change in the dynamic system state of the incident bar. The impedance data using multi-tonal excitation signals show a similar change in the PZT impedance signature, while allowing multiple frequencies to be monitored simultaneously, thereby providing more information about the system without increasing the measurement time. The overall results indicate that the experimental system can be potentially used for continuous evaluation of system state in highly dynamic environments by combining it with a rapid data acquisition and processing system capable of operating in the microsecond to millisecond scale.

Ryan Kettle successfully defended his Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering entitled “Electromechanical Impedance Based Microsecond State Detection” on March 14, 2018.  Congratulations Ryan!

Abstract:

This thesis concerns the development of various technologies necessary to increase the speed of electromechanical impedance based state detection to the microsecond timescale. The eventual end goal of this research is the creation of a microsecond state detection system for structures operating in highly dynamic environments capable of monitoring the structure during dynamic events in real-time. Measurements are made using the electromechanical impedance method, which utilizes a piezoelectric transducer bonded to the surface of the structure as both an actuator and sensor. State detection is the process of continuously monitoring a structure with the goal of detecting and identifying any physical change that effects the structure and so is related to the field of structural health monitoring. Conventionally though, structural health monitoring is applied to large civil structures which undergo slow structural changes, such as crack propagation and creep; therefore both the measurements and time between measurements of the structure take place over large time scales. By decreasing the measurement time sufficiently physical changes occurring in a structure during dynamic events can be detected. This drastic decrease in measurement time will be achieved through the use of: a novel multi-tonal excitation signal, field-programmable gate arrays, and high-frequency MHz excitation signals. This work applies these methodologies to static structure and lays the foundations for further work to be done on dynamic testing.

DSSL presents one technical paper at the 2018 SPIE Smart Structures & Nondestructive Evaluation conference held March 5-8, 2018 in Denver, CO. Both Dr. Anton and Mohsen Safaei were in attendance.

• Safaei, M., Ponder, R. I., and Anton, S. R., Detection of Compartmental Forces and Location of Contact Areas with Piezoelectric Transducers in Total Knee Arthroplasty, Proc. SPIE, 2018, Vol. 10595, 105951Q (10 pp.)

DSSL presents two technical papers at the 2018 SEM IMAC conference held February 12 – 15, 2018 in Orlando, FL. Both Dr. Anton and Ekramul Ehite were in attendance.

• Ehite, E. H. and Anton, S. R., A Low-Cost Modular Impact-Based Experimental Setup for Evaluation of EMI Based Structural Health Monitoring at High Rates, Proc. SEM IMAC, 2018 (10 pp.)
• Kettle, R. A. and Anton, S. R., Multi-tonal Based Impedance Measurements for Microsecond State Detection, Proc. SEM IMAC, 2018 (7 pp.)

Edward Tefft successfully defended his Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering entitled “A Coupled Electromechanical Model of Piezoelectret Foam in a Multi-layer Stack Configuration” on February 9, 2018.  Congratulations Edward!

Abstract:

Piezoelectric polymers, such as the Emfit polypropylene piezoelectret foam investigated in this study, have distinct advantages over traditional piezoceramics. Although piezopolymers have a smaller piezoelectric coupling coefficient when compared to piezoceramics, they are well suited for in vivo applications, having a lead-free composition, for applications with curved or flexible surfaces, being flexible, or where weight or large shocks are factors, being light weight and resilient. Presented here is a 20-layer flexible electret stack harvester design with no adhesive between layers, but that incorporates the Emfit foam electret material, composite graphene sheets as the electrode material, and Kapton tape as the encapsulation material. Also presented is an electromechanical, fully coupled, single degree of freedom model of the multilayer piezoelectret foam stack’s mechanical and electrical vibration responses to harmonic base excitation, including a cubic stiffness nonlinear factor. The model parameters are tuned to fit the experimental data through an iterative error minimization process, with the final model accurately representing the stack’s frequency response for a range of electrical load resistances on the stack. Finally, the energy harvesting capabilities of the electret stack are demonstrated by charging a 100 µF capacitor to 1.041 V in 15 minutes and a 1000 µF capacitor to 1.025 V in an hour.

DSSL welcomes undergraduate URECA! (Undergraduate REsearch and Creative Activity) grant winners Justin Carlson and Zach Tiberi to the lab. The title of their joint research project is “Parametric Testing of Surrogate Knee Replacement Bearings with Embedded Piezoelectric Transducers.”

DSSL PhD student Mohsen Safaei has won the Best Student Hardware Paper Competition and was runner up for the Best Student Paper Competition at the 2017 ASME Smart Materials Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems conference held September 18-20, 2017 in Snowbird, UT! Mohsen was awarded for his work entitled “Experimental Evaluation of Sensing and Energy Harvesting Behavior of Implanted Piezoelectric Transducers in Total Knee Replacement.” Students participating in the Best Hardware competition were judged based on their technical paper by a committee of smart materials and structures experts. Five finalists were selected and the overall winner was judged based on a poster presentation and demonstration of the developed hardware in a special session of the conference. Students participating in the Best Paper competition were judged based on their technical paper by a committee of smart materials and structures experts. Six finalists were selected and the overall winner was judged based on an oral presentation of the research in a special session of the conference. Congratulations Mohsen for this prestigious award!

DSSL presents two technical papers and one technical presentation at the 2017 ASME Smart Materials Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems conference held September 18-20, 2017 in Snowbird, UT. Both Dr. Anton and Mohsen Safaei were in attendance.

• Safaei, M. and Anton, S. R., Experimental Evaluation of Sensing and Energy Harvesting Behavior of Implanted Piezoelectric Transducers in Total Knee Replacement, Proc. ASME SMASIS, 2017, SMASIS2017-3881 (8 pp.)
• Ponder, R. I., Safaei, M., and Anton, S. R., Development of Surrogate Biomedical Knee Implants for Validation of Embedded Smart Sensors, Proc. ASME SMASIS, 2017, SMASIS2017-3879 (7 pp.)
• Ehite, E. H., Kettle, R. A., and Anton, S. R., Investigation of Various Excitation Signals for Real-Time Impedance Structural Health Monitoring, ASME SMASIS Conference, Snowbird, UT, September 19, 2017, SMASIS2017-3902

DSSL welcomes MS student, Robert Ponder.  Rob received the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017 from Tennessee Tech University. Rob previously participated as an undergraduate researcher in DSSL.  Welcome back Rob!

The DSSL lab volunteered at the innaugural “Invention Convention”, a free community STEM event held on Tennessee Tech’s campus and organized by the Cookeville Children’s Museum, on July 29, 2017. DSSL put on a 3D printing demonstration with free keychain and rocket giveaways!

DSSL PhD student Mohsen Safaei received the Best Poster Award for graduate research in Mechanical Engineering, and DSSL undergraduate researcher Robert Ponder received the Best Poster Award for undergraduate research in Mechanical Engineering at the 2017 TTU Research and Creative Inquiry Day. The awards were presented by Dr. Francis Otuonye, Associate Vice President for Research at TTU. Mohsen presented a poster entitled ““Smart Knee” – Instrumented Total Knee Replacement with Piezoelectric Transducers,” and Robert presented a poster entitled “Modeling and Prototyping of Artificial Knee Joint for Embedded Piezoelectric Transducers” Congratulations Mohsen and Robert!

TTU President Dr. Philip Oldham also stopped by to chat with DSSL researchers Ryan Kettle and Ekramul Ehite regarding their poster entitled “Investigation of Alternative Electromechanical Impedance Method for Condition Monitoring”!

DSSL presents five technical papers at the 2017 SPIE Smart Structures & Nondestructive Evaluation conference held March 26-29, 2017 in Portland, OR. Both Dr. Anton and Mohsen Safaei were in attendance.

• Safaei, M. and Anton, S. R., Analytical and Finite Element Performance Evaluation of Embedded Piezoelectric Sensors in Polyethylene, Proc. SPIE, 2017, (12 pp.).
• Hoummadi, E., Safaei, M., and Anton, S. R., Design, Analysis, and Fabrication of a Piezoelectric Force Plate, Proc. SPIE, 2017, (11 pp.).
• Tefft, E. C., and Anton, S. R., A Multiple Degree of Freedom Model of Piezoelectret Foam in an Updated Multilayer Stack Configuration, Proc. SPIE, 2017, (13 pp.).
• Scheyer, A. G. and Anton, S. R., Impedance Based Structural Health Monitoring of Additive Manufactured Structures with Embedded Piezoelectric Wafers, Proc. SPIE, 2017, (10 pp.).
• Poissenot-Arrigoni, B., Scheyer, A. G., and Anton, S. R., Determination of Orthotropic Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Parts for Structural Health Monitoring, Proc. SPIE, 2017, (9 pp.).

Dr. Anton has been named as the inaugural recipient of the College of Engineering Rising Renaissance Engineer Faculty Scholar Award. The award, which recognizes tenure-track faculty who are making outstanding accomplishments as documented in their scholarship activities, was presented at the 2017 Engineer’s Week Banquet hosted by the Tennessee Tech College of Engineering on February 23, 2017.

DSSL undergraduate researcher Robert Ponder was awarded the Rising Renaissance Engineer Spectrum Award for Mechanical Engineering at the 2017 Engineer’s Week banquet on February 23, 2017. The Rising Renaissance Engineer Spectrum Award recognizes a diverse body of students across all the degree-granting departments in the College of Engineering for their initiatives and achievements in educational, research, and professional development activities. Congratulations Rob!

DSSL presents one technical paper at the 2017 SEM IMAC conference held January 30 – February 2, 2017 in Garden Grove, CA. Both Dr. Anton and Ryan Kettle were in attendance.

• Kettle, R. A., Dodson, J. C., and Anton, S. R., High Frequency Impedance Measurements for Microsecond State Detection, Proc. SEM IMAC, 2017, (9 pp.)

DSSL welcomes undergraduate URECA! (Undergraduate REsearch and Creative Activity) grant winner Robert Ponder to the lab.  The title of Robert’s research project is “Modeling and Prototyping of Artificial Knee Joint for Embedded Piezoelectric Transducers.”

Dr. Anton has received the Distinguished Researcher award from the Tennessee Tech Student Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award was presented by Mr. Josh Watkins (right), president of the Tennessee Tech Student Chapter of ASME at the annual Mechanical Engineering department holiday luncheon.

DSSL presents one technical paper and one technical presentation at the 2016 ASME Smart Materials Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems conference held September 28-30, 2016 in Stowe, VT. Both Dr. Anton and Mohsen Safaei were in attendance.

• Safaei, M. and Anton, S. R., Sensing and Energy Harvesting Performance, and Fatigue Life of Embedded Piezoelectric Transducer in Total Knee Arthroplasty, Proc. ASME SMASIS, 2016, SMASIS2016-9216 (11 pp.)
• Kettle, R. A., Dodson, J. C., and Anton, S. R., Experimental Feasibility Study of Microsecond State Detection using Electromechanical Impedance, ASME SMASIS Conference, Stowe, VT, September 30, 2016, SMASIS2016-9206

DSSL MS student Ryan Kettle has been awarded the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Space and Missile Defense Working Group (SMDWG) Graduate Fellowship Award from the Tennessee Valley chapter of NDIA. Congratulations Ryan on this exciting award!

DSSL welcomes graduate student, Ekramul Ehite.  Ehite graduated from Michigan Technological University with a MS in Mechanical Engineering in May, 2016 and previously earned his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Oct, 2014.  Welcome Ehite!

Dr. Anton has received an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his work entitled “Self-Powered In Vivo Force and Implant Wear Sensing in Knee Arthroplasty.” The grant has been awarded through the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS).

This work, which will be supported for three years, will focus on developing implantable, self-powered piezoelectric sensors in total knee replacement implants to record force and wear data in a non-intrusive manner, allowing in vivo feedback to be used by surgeons, physical therapists, and implant manufactures to develop better surgical procedures and better implant designs in order to improve surgical outcomes and ultimately public health.

Through this grant, Dr. Anton and his team at TTU will collaborate with R. Michael Meneghini, MD, Director of Joint Replacement at IU Health Saxony Hospital and Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Additionally, two TTU undergraduate students will have the opportunity to conduct hands on biomedical research each summer in Dr. Meneghini’s clinic.

DSSL MS student Ryan Kettle has been selected to participate in the 2016 Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program. The program aims to pair graduate and undergraduate students with AFRL researchers and scientists to pusue cutting-edge research and technology. Ryan will be spending 10 weeks this summer conducting research at Eglin Air Force Base near Destin, FL. Ryan will continue the work he pursued last summer at Eglin on the development of a real-time state detection framework for highly dynamic systems. Additionally, he will work on various dynamic testing projects in the shock laboratory. Photo is taken at the Air Force Armament Museum.

Dr. Anton has been awarded a 1-year Academic Research Grant from the Vibration Institute entitled “Enabling Microsecond Condition Monitoring for Real-Time Assessment of Critical Infrastructure.” The grant will provide support to pursue the adaptation of our Real-Time State Monitoring concept to the condition monitoring community by investigating near instantaneous fault identification in rotating machinery.

DSSL researcher and PhD student Mohsen Safaei received the Best Poster Award for graduate research in Mechanical Engineering at the 2016 TTU Research and Creative Activities Day.  Mohsen presented a poster entitled “Energy Harvesting and Load Sensing by Piezoelectric Transducer in Total Knee Arthroplasty” Congratulations Mohsen!

DSSL researchers Ryan Kettle, Mohsen Safaei, and Edward Tefft presented posters at the 2016 TTU Research and Creative Activities Day on April 7, 2016.  The event is an effort to emphasize the significance of research in postsecondary education; and to recognize the diverse areas of research unique to the different disciplines.  Participants from all colleges in the university are welcome to present their research.

DSSL presents three technical papers at the 2016 SPIE Smart Structures & Nondestructive Evaluation conference held March 21-24, 2016 in Las Vegas, NV

• Kettle, R. A. and Anton, S. R., Rapid Evaluation of Mechanical Boundary Conditions using Impedance Based Structural Health Monitoring, Proc. SPIE, 2016, (13 pp.).
• Safaei, M. and Anton, S. R., The Effects of Dimensional Parameters on Sensing and Energy Harvesting of an Embedded PZT in a Total Knee Replacement, Proc. SPIE, 2016, (13 pp.).
• Tefft, E. C., and Anton, S. R., A Multiple Degree of Freedom Modeling Approach of Piezoelectret Foam in a Multilayer Stack Configuration, Proc. SPIE, 2016, (12 pp.).

DSSL friend Mr. Carlos Carvajal, MBA, PE (BSME 2006) has received the inaugural TTU College of Engineering Young Alumnus Achievement Award for 2016. Carlos joined Eastman Chemical Company in 2007 after completing his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech and is currently a Global Procurement Manager at Eastman. During his tenure with Eastman, Carlos has been the lead inventor on two U.S. patents and a contributor to an additional four patents. He has also continued to advance his education, earning the Professional Engineer license in 2012, the Six Sigma Black Belt in 2014, and the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2014.

Carlos is an active member of his local ASME chapter and held the position of Education Initiatives Program Chair. He is also active in his community and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, Carlos is involved in leadership within the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech. He served on the Mechanical Engineering External Advisory Board from 2013-2015 and is currently a member of the Dean’s College of Engineering External Advisory Board.

Congratulations Carlos and thank you for your service to the profession and to TTU!

Dr. Anton, Ryan Kettle, and Edward Tefft (not pictured) volunteered for the 2015 FIRST Lego League East Tennessee Championship event held at Tennessee Tech.  FIRST Lego League is an exciting STEM robotics program for small teams of students ages 9 to 16.  Teams build unique robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game.  The 2015 challenge was called Trash Trek.  There were about 40 teams from all over Tennessee in attendance.  Click for more information on FIRST!

DSSL presents one technical paper at the 2016 SEM IMAC-XXXIV conference held January 25-28, 2016 in Orlando, FL

• Kettle, R. A., Dick, A. J., Dodson, J. C., Foley, J. R., and Anton, S. R., Real-Time State Detection in Highly Dynamic Systems, Proc. SEM IMAC, 2016, (9 pp.).

Dr. Anton is one of 56 researchers in 2016 awarded the Young Investigator Research Program (YIP) award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) for his work entitled “‘Continuous Real-Time State Monitoring in Highly Dynamic Environments.” Further details can be found in the AFOSR press release.

This work, which will be supported for three years, will focus on developing novel sensing systems for structures experiencing rapid changes “by extending conventional electromechanical impedance-based structural health monitoring (SHM) concepts to structural systems experiencing rapid changes in state (e.g. boundary conditions, interfaces, structural damage, etc.) in order to identify those changes on the microsecond to millisecond time frame.”

Dr. Anton is honored to be selected for this prestigious award. Through this award we are excited to continue our research with our collaborator Dr. Jacob Dodson at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida!

Dr. Anton traveled to Kingsport, TN this weekend to host a workshop entitled “FIRST Robotics Design Brainstorming Session” to 6 tri-cities high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams. The workshop was presented by Dr. Anton and his wife, Tiffany Anton and sponsored by Eastman Chemical Company and Tennessee Tech. Approximately 50 high school students and adult volunteer mentors attended the event, which focused on providing advice for running sustainable and competitive FRC teams. The workshop was organized with the help of DSSL friend and TTU alum Mr. Carlos Carvajal of Eastman.

Dr. Anton has been named the Energy Harvesting Symposium Chair for the 2016 ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures, and Intelligent Systems conference.  The conference will be held in Stowe, VT from September 28-30, 2016.

DSSL presents one technical paper at the 2015 ASME Smart Materials Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems conference held September 21-23, 2015 in Colorado Springs, CO

• Contreras, C. E., Parkison, A. E., Wilson, B. E., Meneghini, R. M., and Anton, S. R., Geometric Effects on Embedded Piezoelectric Energy Harvester in Knee Replacement Bearing, Proc. ASME SMASIS, 2015, SMASIS2015-9063 (11 pp.)

DSSL welcomes MS student, Austin Scheyer.  Austin graduated from Tennessee Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in December, 2014.  Welcome Austin!

DSSL welcomes MS student, Edward Tefft.  Edward graduated from Tennessee Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in May, 2015. He previously conducted undergraduate research in DSSL.  Welcome Edward!

DSSL welcomes PhD student, Mohsen Safaei Mohammadabadi.  Mohsen received the M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Isfahan University of Technology in Iran and the B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yazd University in Iran.  Welcome Mohsen!

Dr. Anton and DSSL MS student, Ryan Kettle, spent the summer at Eglin Air Force Base near Destin, FL performing research as part of the Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship program.  Their work is on high speed detection of dynamic states in real-time.  Photo is taken in front of a SR-71 Blackbird at the Air Force Armament Museum which currently holds the Air Speed Record for a manned airbreathing jet aircraft with a speed of 3,530 km/h (2,193 mph) set back in 1976!

Congratulations to Brooke Wilson and Chase Ray who completed the requirements for the MS degree and participated in Commencement on May 9, 2015!

Three DSSL researchers were recognized at the 2015 College of Engineering Eminence Awards banquet for their excellence in research and teaching.  Congrats Ryan, Chase, and Cesar!

• Ryan Kettle – Outstanding Teaching Assistant
• Chase Ray – Outstanding Graduate Research
• Cesar Contreras – Outstanding Undergraduate Research

Dr. Anton has been awarded a Faculty Research Grant for 2015-2016 from the Office of Research at Tennessee Tech titled “Integrated Sensing and Energy Harvesting in Total Knee Replacement Implants.“

Brooke Wilson successfully defended her Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering entitled “Modeling and Experimentation for Evaluation of Piezoelectric Sensors for In-Vivo Monitoring” on April 16, 2015.  Congratulations Brooke!

Abstract:

The knee replacement is the second most common orthopedic surgical intervention in the United States, but currently 1 in 5 knee replacement patients are not satisfied with their level of pain reduction one year after surgery. It is imperative to make the process of knee replacement surgery more objective by developing a data driven approach to ligamentous balance, which increases implant life. In this work, piezoelectric materials are considered for both sensing and energy harvesting applications in the total knee replacement implants. This work aims to embed piezoelectric material in the polyethylene tibial component of a knee replacement unit to act as sensors that will aid in the alignment and balance of the knee replacement by providing intraoperative feedback to the surgeon. Postoperatively, the piezoelectric sensors can monitor the structural health of the implant in order to perceive potential problems before they become bothersome to the patient. Specifically, this work will discuss the use of finite element modeling coupled with uniaxial compression testing to prove that piezoelectric stacks can be utilized to harvest sufficient energy to power the sensors needed for this application. This work will show that energy on the order of 20 J can be generated over the course of a day.

Chase Ray successfully defended his Masters of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering entitled “Piezoelectret Foam in a Multilayer Stack Configuration for Vibration Energy Harvesting” on April 14, 2015.  Congratulations Chase!

Abstract:

Electronic devices are high demand commodities in today’s world, and such devices will continue increasing in popularity. Currently, batteries are implemented to provide power to these devices; however, the need for battery replacement, their cost, and the waste associated with battery disposal present a need for advances in self- powered technology. Energy harvesting technology has great potential to alleviate the drawbacks of batteries. In this work, a novel piezoelectret foam material is investigated for low-level vibration energy harvesting. Specifically, piezoelectret foam assembled in a multilayer stack configuration is explored. Modeling and experimentation of the stack behavior when excited in compression at low frequencies are performed to investigate piezoelectret foam as a multilayer energy harvester. An examination of modeling piezoelectret foam as a stack with an equivalent circuit is made following recently published work and is used in this study. Two 20-layer prototype devices and a 40-layer prototype device are fabricated and experimentally tested via harmonic base excitation. Electromechanical testing is performed by compressing the foam stacks to obtain output electrical energy; consequently, allowing the frequency response between input mechanical energy and output electrical energy to be developed. Modeling results are compared to the experimental measurements to assess the fidelity of the model at resonance. Lastly, energy harvesting experimentation in which the devices are subject to harmonic base excitation at the natural frequency is conducted to determine the ability of the piezoelectret foam stack to successfully charge a capacitor. For a 20-layer stack, a 100 F capacitor is charged to 1.45 V in fifteen minutes, and produces a peak power of 0.45 W. A 40-layer stack can charge a 100 F to 1.7 V in iffteen minutes, and produce a peak power of 0.89 W.

DSSL researchers Chase Ray and Cesar Contreras received Best Poster Awards at the 2015 TTU Student Research Day.  Chase presented a poster titled “Evaluation of Piezoelectret Foam in Stack Configuration for Low-Level Vibration Energy Harvesting” and Cesar presented a poster titled “Finite Element Modeling of Embedded Piezoelectrics in Knee Replacements Bearings.”  Congratulations Chase and Cesar!

DSSL researchers Brooke Wilson, Chase Ray, April Parkison, and Cesar Contreras presented posters at the 2015 TTU Student Research Day on April 9, 2015.  The event is an effort to emphasize the significance of research in postsecondary education; and to recognize the diverse areas of research unique to the different disciplines.  Participants from all colleges in the university are welcome to present their research.

Dr. Anton has been selected for the 2015 Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (AF SFFP).  This program, sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), allows faculty to gain first-hand exposure to Air Force research challenges through summer residencies at participating Air Force research facilities.  Dr. Anton, along with DSSL MS student, Ryan Kettle, will spend 10 weeks this summer at Eglin Air Force Base performing research in the Munitions Directorate on a proposal titled “Real-Time Monitoring of Structures under Highly Dynamics Environments”.

DSSL presents two technical papers at the 2015 SPIE Smart Structures & Nondestructive Evaluation conference held March 9-12, 2015 in San Diego, CA

• Wilson, B. E., Meneghini, R. M., and Anton, S. R., Embedded Piezoelectrics for Sensing and Energy Harvesting in Total Knee Replacement Units, Proc. SPIE, 2015, Vol. 9431, 943111E (10 pp.)
• Ray, C. A. and Anton, S. R., Evaluation of Piezoelectret Foam in a Multilayer Stack Configuration for Low-Level Vibration Energy Harvesting Applications, Proc. SPIE, 2015, Vol. 9431, 943111 (11 pp.)

DSSL undergraduate researcher April Parkison was awarded the Rising Renaissance Engineer Spectrum Award for Mechanical Engineering at the 2015 Engineer’s Week banquet on February 26, 2015. The Rising Renaissance Engineer Spectrum Award recognizes a diverse body of students across all the degree-granting departments in the College of Engineering for their initiatives and achievements in educational, research, and professional development activities. Congratulations April!

Dr. Anton and Ryan Kettle volunteered as a referees at the 2014 FIRST Lego League East Tennessee Championship event held at Tennessee Tech.  FIRST Lego League is an exciting STEM robotics program for small teams of students ages 9 to 16.  Teams build unique robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game.  The 2014 Challenge was called World Class.  There were about 40 teams from all over Tennessee in attendance.  Click for more information on FIRST!

DSSL welcomes two undergraduate URECA! (Undergraduate REsearch and Creative Activity) grant winners, April Parkison and Cesar Contreras, to the lab.  The title of April and Cesar’s research project is “Feasibility Analysis of Piezoelectric Materials in Knee Replacements.”

Dr. Anton presented an invited lecture titled “Project-Based Learning Approaches for Cyber-Physical Systems Education” to the National Academies of Science in Washington DC at the Workshop on 21st Century Cyber-Physical Systems Education organized by the National Science Foundation held on October 3, 2014.

Dr. Anton has been named the Energy Harvesting Symposium Co-Chair for the 2015 ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures, and Intelligent Systems conference.  The conference will be held in Colorado Springs, CO from September 21-23, 2015.

DSSL presents one technical paper at the 2014 ASME Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures, and Intelligent Systems conference held September 8-10, 2014 in Newport, RI.

• Wilson, B. E., Anton, S. R., and Meneghini, R. M., Development of Biomechanical Knee Force Model for Evaluation of Piezoelectric Sensors for In-Vivo Monitoring, Proc. ASME SMASIS, 2014, SMASIS2014-7692.

DSSL paper titled “Piezoelectret Foam-Based Vibration Energy Harvesting” has been selected as a featured article in the “Editor’s Choice – SMASIS 2014” of the Journal of Intelligent Materials Systems and Structures.

Full citation and download link:

• Anton, S. R., Erturk, A., and Farinholt, K. M., 2014, Piezoelectret Foam-Based Vibration Energy Harvesting, Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, Vol. 25, No 14, pp. 1681-1692.

DSSL welcomes MS student, Ryan Kettle.  Ryan graduated from Tennessee Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in May, 2014.  Welcome Ryan!

DSSL paper titled “A Case Study to Quantify Prediction Bounds Caused by Model Form Uncertainty” has been published in Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing.

Full citation and download link:

• Van Buren, K. L., Hall, T. M., Gonzales, L. M., Hemez, F. M., Anton, S. R., 2015, A Case Study to Quantify Prediction Bounds Caused by Model Form Uncertainty of a Portal Frame, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, Vols. 50-51, pp 11-26.

Dr. Anton presented an invited lecture titled “Smart Materials: An Enabling Technology for Cyber Physical Systems” to the Los Alamos Dynamics Summer School (LADSS) at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.

DSSL paper titled “Piezoelectret Foam-Based Vibration Energy Harvesting” has been published in the Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures.

Full citation and download link:

• Anton, S. R., Erturk, A., and Farinholt, K. M., 2014, Piezoelectret Foam-Based Vibration Energy Harvesting, Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, Vol. 25, No 14, pp. 1681-1692.

Dr. Anton presented an invited lecture titled “Piezoelectric Materials & Energy Harvesting” at the MAT4ENERGY workshop at Grenoble INP – Phelma MINATEC in Grenoble France

Dr. Anton has been awarded a Faculty Research Grant for 2014-2015 from the Office of Research at Tennessee Tech titled “Exploring Novel Piezoelectret Polymers for Energy Harvesting“

Dr. Anton volunteered as a referee at the 2013 FIRST Lego League East Tennessee Championship event held at Tennessee Tech.  FIRST Lego League is an exciting STEM robotics program for small teams of students ages 9 to 16.  Teams build unique robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game.  The 2013 Challenge was called Nature’s Fury.  There were about 40 teams from all over Tennessee in attendance.  Click for more information on FIRST!

DSSL welcomes one of our first MS students, Chase Ray.  Chase graduated from Tennessee Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in December, 2012.  Welcome Chase!

DSSL welcomes one of our first MS students, Brooke Wilson.  Brooke graduated from Tennessee Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in May, 2013.  Welcome Brooke!