School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering

Thesis/Capstone project topics.

2018 MECHANICAL TOPICS

Industrial and Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Supervisor: Professor Steven Armfield

steven.armfield@sydney.edu.au

Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling of turbulent mixing in two layer flows

Understanding the mechanics of the mixing in two layer flows is important in a number of areas of fluid dynamics. For instance a number of countries use desalination to obtain fresh water from seawater. As well as producing fresh water these plants discharge hot highly saline water back to the sea. For environmental reasons it is important to determine the behaviour of this discharge, which will be controlled by the level of turbulence as well as the relative variations in heat and salinity between the discharge and the seawater. The heat makes the discharge fluid buoyant, while the salinity makes it heavier than seawater, while additionally double diffusive effects can lead to an instability that may control the interfacial mixing.

Stability of Fountain flows

Fountains are jet flows with the buoyancy force acting in the direction opposite to the jet direction. Such a flow occurs, for instance, in a room when a jet of heated air is directed downward from the ceiling as means of heating the room. Similar flows occur in many other industrial and environmental settings. In this project computational work will be undertaken to investigate the initial unstable modes of the fountain using both direct numerical simulation and semi-analytic stability analysis via investigation of the eigen-values and eigen-vectors of the system.

Developing a fast accurate solver for the Navier-Stokes equations

Accurate solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations are required for the direct and large eddy simulation of turbulent and transition flows. In this project a novel Poisson solver will be developed and tested for use on parallel architectures. The scheme will initially be applied to the heat equation, and subsequently will be included in a full Navier-Stokes solver.

Natural convection flows

A number of projects are available in the simulation and analysis of natural convection flows, such as the flow that develops next to a heated plate. The fluid mechanics and heat transfer properties of such flows are important in determining the efficiency of heat transfer devices; ventilation systems; crystal growth and many other systems. The flow is analysed via direct numerical simulation using state of the art computing techniques, stability analysis and scaling analysis.

Solving a foaming problem at the A2 Milk Company

The A2 milk company has a problem with air-entrainment in the filling line at their Camden facility, leading to excess foaming, reducing their filling capacity. The air entrainment is believed to be occuring inside the milk containers during the filling process. This project would involve working closely with the company to isolate and identify the exact cause of the entrainment, and to propose remediation measures. The problem involves two phase flow and will most likely require designing and building some test-bench facilities.

General Fluid Mechanics

Any projects students may wish to pursue involving the development and testing of wings, paddles, keels, hulls and other flow devices, flow measurement and visualisation and analysis and simulation.

Industrial and Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Supervisor: A/Prof Michael Kirkpatrick Room S422, Mechanical Engineering Building

email: michael.kirkpatrick@sydney.edu.au

Overview

I currently supervise thesis and capstone projects / dissertations in the following areas:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics • Computational Heat Transfer

Details are given below.

It is up to you to come up with your own project. Think about the sort of project that interests you. If it falls into one of the categories above, come and have a chat. I will give you an idea of what is and isn’t feasible. It will then be up to you to determine the details of the project. This will involve undertaking a review of the literature in your area of interest to determine what research has already been done, and coming up with a research question that remains unanswered. You will then formalize this by writing a research proposal outlining the motivation, context, objectives, and proposed method for your research project.

Computational Fluid Dynamics / Computational Heat Transfer

(You will gain skills in: Computational Fluid Dynamics / Fluid Dynamics / Heat Transfer / Numerical Methods / Data Analysis and Processing)

CFD modelling using commercial CFD software – ANSYS FLUENT / CFX

Commercial CFD software is best suited for simulations of flows involving complex geometries. It typically uses a “RANS” (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) based approach in which only the large scale time-averaged flow is computed, while the effects of small time-dependent features such as turbulent eddies are accounted for using a turbulence model. This approach dramatically reduces computational requirements making it feasible to run simulations of complex flows on a PC. As such it is the approach commonly used in industry. It can be used to model a wide variety of fluid flows. These include:

• external flows such as air or water flow over vehicles, aircraft, ships, buildings or other structures

• internal flows such as to simulations of heating / ventilation and air-conditioning of buildings / concert halls / sports stadiums; biomedical flows such as blood flow, air- flow through naso-pharyngeal tract, flows inside mechanical devices such as engines and pumps.

Examples of a project would be to investigate the effect on lift and drag of various types of spoilers, canards and diffusers fitted to your favourite sports car.

Requirements:

• HWAM > 70 • Completion of the Computational Fluid Dynamics elective before or in parallel with your

thesis

CFD projects using research-oriented CFD software - PUFFIN

PUFFIN is a research-oriented CFD code that I have developed. It is different from commercial codes in that it does not use a RANS based approach (see above). Instead it obtains time-dependent solutions of the governing equations on very high-resolution grids and resolves all (Direct Numerical Simulation) or most (Large Eddy Simulation) of the time-dependent features of the flow. An image from a Direct Numerical Simulation of a turbulent boundary layer computed by PUFFIN is shown below.

Vorticity field in a turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate generated using PUFFIN

This simulation used a 100 million node mesh and was computed over 1 million time steps. Considering there are 5 variables (3 components of velocity, pressure and temperature), this amounts to the solution of one hundred trillion equations! In order to be feasible, simulations such as these must be run in parallel across multiple processors. We have a Linux-based parallel computing cluster in the School for this purpose, and also run on the university supercomputer – Artemis – and the 57,472 core 1.2 petaflop supercomputer – Raijin – at the national supercomputing facility.

http://nci.org.au/systems-services/national-facility/peak-system/raijin/

You can watch movies of similar flows here

http://web.aeromech.usyd.edu.au/~kirkpatrick/

PUFFIN is best suited for more fundamental research investigations involving very high fidelity simulations of heat transfer or mixing of fluid streams with relatively simple geometries.

Examples of possible projects are

1. Heat transfer: CFD investigation to determine the heat transfer characteristics (eg. Nusselt number correlation) for a particular heat transfer device or geometry.

2. HVAC: CFD investigation to study the heat transfer or fluid dynamic characteristics of devices used in specialized HVAC systems such as chilled ceilings or buoyant wall-attached jets.

3. Environmental Fluid Mechanics: CFD investigation of turbulent mixing processes resulting from environmental forcings such as solar heating, night-time cooling or wind shear in rivers, lakes or estuaries. This is my personal research focus at the moment. You can read

Requirements:

• HWAM > 80 • Good programming skills • Ability to use Linux Operating System • Good understanding of fluid dynamics and heat transfer • Completion of the Computational Fluid Dynamics elective before or in parallel with thesis

Industrial and Environmental Fluid Mechanics

Supervisor: Nicholas Williamson

Room S411, Mechanical Engineering Building email: nicholas.williamson@sydney.edu.au

Thesis projects offered in: Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics, Turbulence Modelling, Numerical Modelling, Heat Transfer, Algae fluid dynamics.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Projects

Students should have taken AMME3060 Engineering Methods or intend to enrol in AMME5202 Computational Fluid Dynamics to undertake these CFD projects.

1) Turbulence modelling in stably stratified shear flow Turbulence models are widely used in computational fluid dynamics. These models are inadequate in many instances. This project aims to provide improved models for turbulent flows in which stable density stratification damps turbulent motion. This project will involve using an in-house CFD code written in Fortran. The student will be able to run large numerical simulations of stably stratified flow on our local Linux cluster and possibly also on high performance computing facilities. The project will require the student to write new post-processing routines to obtain flow statistics and analyse the results.

2) Near free surface scaling for turbulent mixing This project involves using an existing set of CFD solutions to derive new understanding of turbulent flow in a stably stratified environment adjacent to a free surface. An in-house CFD code written in Fortran has been used to generate a large data-set of stratified open channel flow. This project will involve analysing this data set to investigate and hopefully obtain a new scaling relationship for turbulent mixing in the presence of a free surface.

3) Turbulent entrainment of a stratified mixing layer. When a light fluid flows parallel to a more dense fluid, the two fluids mix. The rate of mixing is a key parameter in many engineering models. The effect of density on this rate of mixing is not well understood. The effect of many flow characteristics, such as background turbulence, are not well quantified. Numerical simulations allow us to control these characteristics very well. This project would aim to improve understanding of the properties of this flow using large-scale numerical simulation: CFD. This challenging project would require the student to work with a research code, run the large simulations required to resolve the flow properly and then analyse the flow. You would then be required to analyse the data set and compare with existing experimental data. The long-term outcome of this research would be improved prediction of the mixing rate in stratified shear flows.

(Experimental result of stratified shear flow obtained in our fluids laboratory)

Laboratory Based Fluid Dynamics Projects

We have laboratory space for three student projects in our fluid dynamics laboratory. These projects typically involve a student designing and building a laboratory rig (or use an existing one), developing an experimental procedure, conducting the experiments and analysing the results.

4) Laboratory Investigation of Air-curtains for prevention of smoke along corridors of buildings Air curtains jets of air which separate and prevent mixing between two bodies of fluid. These are used for example to prevent cold air in a commercial refrigerator from mixing with warm ambient air. This project will investigate their use for preventing smoke from a fire from propagating along a corridor. The project will involve using a laboratory rig to investigate how long it takes the smoke to mix through the air curtain.

5) Laboratory Investigation of Natural Ventilation Heating and Cooling in a Building

The heating ventilation and cooling of a building can be modelled in a laboratory setting using sources/sinks of fresh and saline water as a proxy for thermal heat flux. The aim of this project is to produce a simple experimental rig representing ventilation flow in a model building. The student would be able to use dye visualisation and image capturing techniques to obtain estimates of the temperature distribution in the model building and use these measurements to validate a simple mathematical model of the flow.

6) Laboratory Investigation of Mixing in Displacement Air-Conditioning- Negatively Buoyant Jets

In displacement air-conditioning a situation can arise where a hot air jet is directed vertically downwards into a cool room or a cool jet upwards into a warm room. In these situations buoyancy forces oppose the inflow forming a kind of fountain like flow. If we understand the mixing between the fountain and the ambient environment we can estimate the temperature distribution in the room and the turnover time for ventilation. At present these attributes are poorly understood. This project will use an existing laboratory rig to investigate these types of flows and aim to provide fundamental understanding of the flow regimes.

These flows are also important in other contexts. Erupting volcanoes also behave like a fountain flow initially, and the mixing between the rising plume and the ambient determines whether the eruption collapses as a pyroclastic flow. The rejection of hyper saline water from desalination plants often takes place in ocean outfalls. These outfalls have the characteristics of a fountain flow. Designers must ensure there is sufficient mixing at the source to provide dilution of the saline flow.

7) Purging Cavity Problem

In NSW, saline ground water leaches into the base of some rivers, forming stable saline ponds at the base of the rivers. The stability of these ponds prevents mixing with the fresh oxygenated water. This environmental problem is often controlled by environmental release of water from upstream, increasing the flow such that the saline fluid is purged. This project would use an existing laboratory model to determine the rate of mixing of the saline water under different flushing conditions.

Supervisor: Dr Rod Fiford rod.fiford@sydney.edu.au

When contacting me about projects, it is highly desirable that you have already conducted some preliminary research into the topic. I will also ask for a one-page outline that defines the project problem statement, provides some background information/research and a plan to solve the problem.

1. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Research Projects I am willing to supervise students (WAM>65) on Engineers Without Borders research projects: https://www.ewb.org.au/whatwedo/education-research/research-program/available-research-projects Interested students need to come and talk with me about the projects first, then register and apply via the Engineers Without Borders webpage, applications for these projects close mid-November.

2. Biomimetics

Biomimetics involves the study of naturally occurring biological structures and application of these structures to engineering designs. This thesis aims to investigate unique biomechanical macroscopic structures and morphology from plants that may be of use in engineering; analyze these structures with FEA and then construct and mechanically test 3D printed models based on these biological structures.

3. History & Philosophy of Engineering – Engineering Ethics

This topic involves investigating the current views and attitudes of Australian engineering students and practicing engineers towards professional engineering ethics and how this relates to past and current expectations of Australian society. It is expected that this study will draw heavily on published research, case studies and surveys/interviews with current engineering students and professionals.

Supervisor: A R Masri assaad.masri@sydney.edu.au

Thesis only Project 1: Spray Injectors for Micro-Propulsion (one student) Electro-hydrodynamics (EHD) deals with the interaction between electric fields, electric charge and fluid flow. EHD is a possible route to the realisation of thermally efficient liquid fuelled micro-engines and micro-thrusters for very small UAVs, given that the technology can be used to generate fuel sprays with less than 2milli-Watts of electrical power. To date, there has been no repeatable or viable pulsed electrostatic (EHD) fuel injector for combustion or propulsion applications, largely due to the lack of understanding of how electrostatic atomization works (see photo). In this project, you will design a pulsed electrostatic fuel injection system, whilst in parallel experimentally characterise a conventional (non-pulsed) EHD atomizer running on both conventional and renewable bio- fuels.

Top: EHD-Spray Injector. Bottom: Typical EHD- generated sprays highlighting, from left to right, the effect of increasing the electrical charge on atomization.

Thesis only Project 2: Biofuel sprays (one student) Combustion of biofuels (or biofuel blends) in the form of sprays will be more common in the future of many industrial applications such as diesel engines, direct injection spark ignition engines, jet propulsion units, furnaces and incinerators. The opposite burner is designed to study spray flows in a controlled environment in order to resolve controlling physical processes such the interaction between droplets and turbulence. The atomization, evaporation, mixing, and combustion characteristics of spray jets and flames are important stages which remain only vaguely understood. Laser diagnostic tools will be used to measure the velocity and composition fields as well as the droplet number density and size distribution in controlled spray flows. A duplicate of this burner was taken to Purdue University to perform novel laser- based measurements of temperature in turbulent spray flames.

Thesis only Project 3: Stratified and Inhomogeneous Turbulent Combustion (one student) This project is aimed at studying the characteristics of stratified and inhomogeneous combustion under conditions of high shear rates. This mode of combustion is highly relevant in modern engines and common in gas turbines but remains vaguely understood particularly at high turbulence levels. A new burner, consisting of two concentric tubes feeding premixed fuel-air mixtures at different equivalence ratios has been developed. Both tubes are centred in a hot co-flowing stream of combustion products. A schematic of this burner is shown here. The project will study the stability features of this burner under different levels of stratification.

Thesis only Project 4: Micro-combustion (up to two students) Micro-combustion is a relatively new field of research that is fast evolving due to interest in micro-power generation systems. Hydrocarbon fuels are particularly useful here due to their huge specific energy which is about two orders of magnitude higher than the best battery available. The most difficult problem is loss of flame stability due to thermal and radical quenching. This project studies the interaction between surface and gas chemistries using configuration shown here. Measurements are made for a variety of fuels and catalysts. Parallel calculations are also conducted using detailed chemical kinetics for the surface as well gaseous reactions. These will be validated against measurements performed using gas sampling and analysis.

Thesis only Project 5a: Turbulent Propagating Flames (one student) This project is relevant for industrial safety, explosion risk and internal combustion engines. The burning rate of turbulent propagating flames is strongly affected by turbulence which changes the structure of the flame front. The combustion chamber shown here is built to study flames propagating from rest past baffle plates that generate significant turbulence. Fast video images, velocity measurements and laser induced fluorescence of hydroxyl radicals (LIF-OH) will be made at various stages of flame

propagation. Processing the images to obtain an estimate of dimensionless numbers and turbulence levels will be a focus of the project.

Project 5b: Turbulent Propagating Flames with stratification (one student) This is a modified version of the combustion chamber sown here which is extended to include a secondary downstream chamber containing air. The mixture from the primary chamber stratifies the flow into the secondary chamber while combustion is occurring. The presence of obstacles will lead to further turbulence generation. The project involves the construction of the chamber along with initial testing and high-speed imaging of the propagating flames (using LIF-OH) at varying degrees of stratification.

Thesis only Project 6: Transition from auto-ignition to premixed flame propagation. This project is aimed at studying the temperature regime over which fluid mixtures undergo a transition from auto-ignition to premixed flame propagation. Auto-ignition is a critical process in diesel and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines while premixed flame propagation dominates processes in standard spark ignition engines. Both processes may exist in modern engines. The model burner involves a fluid mixture issuing in a co-flow of varying temperature as shown in the opposite image. Measurements of temperature and species concentration will be performed at various experimental conditions.

Thesis only Project 7a: Swirl stabilised flames (one student) This mode of flame stabilisation is common in industrial burners but the resulting turbulent flow is very complex and difficult to calculate even in the absence heat release. Large eddy simulation (LES) techniques are making significant advances in this area but the preliminary finding point to significant sensitivity of the calculations to the condition in the boundary layers at the burner’s surface. This project aims at studying experimentally the effects of boundary layers on flames stabilised on swirl burners similar to that shown here. Measurements of the velocity and turbulence fields in the boundary layers of this burner will be made.

Project 7b: Swirl stabilised spray jets and flames (one student) These complex flows are highly relevant in industrial applications such as boilers and furnaces and may involve significant instabilities which affect the combustor’s performance. A spray injector will be positioned in the central part of the burner and swirl is applied to the surrounding air. High swirl numbers can be generated. The flow and droplet fields will be measured for various levels of spray loadings. Flame stability characteristics will also be determined for the selection of flames for further investigations.

Thesis only Project 8: Three Dimensional Imaging of Atomizing Sprays (one student) This is a new project aimed at enabling three-dimensional imaging of fluid structures that are shed from the core of an atomizing spray jet. Such diagnostics capability does not currently exist. Recently, two shadowgraph, planar images of spray fragments were taken at 90 degrees (see opposite sample). The method of multiple ellipsoids was used to reconstruct the original three- dimensional shape of the fluid fragment. The objective of this project is to extend such capabilities from two to three imaging planes. This adds a significant level of complexity due to the additional of a third camera as well as the processing of the images. The student will be involved in both the setting of the imaging system as well as data collection and imaging processing.

Thesis only Project 9: Droplets/Particles in flows with temperature gradients (one student) This is a new project aimed at studying the dynamics of droplets and particles in turbulent flows where a temperature gradient is imposed. It is envisaged that the local fluctuations in temperature will affect the local dissipation as well as evaporation rate of particles. A simple rig will be constructed for this experiment where measurements of velocity and temperature fields will be performed.

Supervisor: Dr Matthew Cleary

Room S513, ME Bldg , m.cleary@sydney.edu.au

Title: Modelling of NOx emissions from the burning of coal and biomass

The cofiring of coal and biomass can reduce CO2 emissions from electricity generation and also our reliance on fossil fuels. However, due to composition differences between coal and biomass, technical problems such variations in toxic gas emissions can arise when the biomass fraction rises above just a few percent. But with careful analysis and plant design, the addition of biomass can lead simultaneous reductions of global and local pollutants. We will develop quality computational combustion models to address this issue. The models will be accurate and affordable so as to provide valuable fundamental tools to assist both engineering designers and operators of electricity generating plant.

This project will focus on prediction of NOx from a single coal and/or biomass particle undergoing combinations of evaporation, pyrolysis and char reactions. It will involve implementation of the models into a numerical solver such as Matlab and validation of the predictions against available experimental data.

Students are expected to have taken or to be taking the Advanced Combustion elective course.

Title: Computational fluid dynamics of lifted flames

Due to high mass throughput rates, modern gas turbine combustors operate very close to the point of flame blowoff and are typically lifted from the burner nozzle. Autoignition in diesel engines also results in a lifted flame. Controlling the lift-off distance and/or autoignition timing is essential to controlling engine power. Due to environmental concerns and finite oil supplies, there is increasing use of exotic fuels with vastly different combustion properties. Fuel flexible engines are in demand but the lift and autoignition mechanisms designed for conventional fuels are not always suitable and simple fuel substitution can lead to engine failure. Engine designers such as General Electric and Rolls Royce are increasingly using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to improve their designs.

The aim of this thesis is to perform a CFD model of a lifted flame series, make comparison to experimental data and explore the sensitivity to changes in the fuel.

During 2018, specific attention will be given to the calculation of the combustion chemical reactions and you will be expected to implement computationally efficient methods for doing this. The TDAC in-situ tabulation and dynamic dimension reduction technique is suggested as a starting point.

Students are expected to have taken or to be taking the CFD and Advanced Combustion elective courses.

Title: Firehawkers – optimised bushfire suppression

The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission stresses the importance of aerial firefighting for rapid response to stop nascent fires growing into destructive forces while lamenting that severe conditions can impair the deployment of piloted aircraft. A solution has been proposed that is based on unmanned aerial vehicles called firehawkers. These offer the ability to fight bushfires quickly, cheaply and with precision at close-quarters in all terrains.

Firehawkers offer the potential for high precision delivery of suppressant. Up to three projects are available to determine (i) the location within a flame where suppressant should be targeted and the optimal droplet size, (ii) the choice of suppressant and the balance between chemical and physical suppression, and (iii) the delivery mechanism of the suppressant to the optimal location and at the optimal size.

Students are also expected to have taken or to be taking the CFD elective course.

Title: Dispersion of pulmonary drugs in inhaler devices and the respiratory tract

Pulmonary drug delivery via inhaled powders is an efficient form of therapy for a range of diseases. Although inhalers are part of a multi-billion dollar industry, currently available dry powder inhalers are unable to ensure consistent dose delivery to the lungs. Improvements will rely on improved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling to gain a better understanding of the powder dispersion and de-agglomeration.

The project will involve the development of models for particle de-agglomeration via a statistical population balance equation approach and comparison against idealised laboratory data. Two projects are available: one will concentrate on turbulent dispersion and deagglomeration and the other on deagglomeration by mechanical impaction.

This project requires a very high level of mathematics. Students are expected to have taken or to be taking the CFD elective course.

Title: Novel propulsors which mimic nature for long-range autonomous vessels

Autonomous sea-going vessels are used or have potential use for exploration, monitoring of equipment such as undersea cables and oil rigs, and for military purposes. Since the vessels are powered by solar, wind and wave energy, it is important to minimise power usage. Optimisation of the propulsion system is a major way of achieving that. Additionally, if used for military purposes, low noise generation is required. Propulsors which mimic nature (e.g. fin and tail motion) have been suggested. This project will use computational fluid dynamics to investigate various propulsor designs.

This project requires a very high level of mathematics. Students are expected to have taken or to be taking the CFD and Advanced Combustion elective courses.

Supervisor: Prof. Julie Cairney

julie.cairney@sydney.edu.au

Assessment of the creep damage evolution in P22 steel (in collaboration with ANSTO)

Project/Overview:

Understanding and effective assessment of the creep damage of material in-service is of technological importance particularly in the power-generation industry, because any unexpected failure can potentially lead to dangerous situations for on-site personnel and to high losses in revenue. The monitoring and assessment of the creep damage evolution during the lifetime of the material in-service is thus critical in minimizing the risk of catastrophic failures that pose a threat to safety and to effective as well as economical operation of any type of power plant (renewables, conventional or nuclear). Historically, the assessment of creep damage in the power generation industry is carried out by means of replica metallography (manual count of voids).

The goal of the present project is to work on a novel creep damage assessment methodology using the orientation imaging microscopy. The student will use the Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique in combination with standard optical microscopy to study the evolution of the creep damage in P22 steel (Fig. 1 shows the microstructure of the as-received P22 steel). In addition, the student will use either the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) or/and neutron powder diffraction to determine the volume-averaged (bulk) amount of plastic damage the microstructure. Because of the time demanding nature of creep testing ANSTO has been preparing a test matrix of creep samples for past 18 months (85MPa, 605°C). Some knowledge of Matlab and diffraction principles is desirable but not essential.

Figure 1: As-received microstructure of P22 steel, regularly used in power generation industry.

This project is suitable for Honours Thesis A/B and will be supervised by Dr Ondrej Muránsky at ANSTO, under the guidance of Prof. Julie Cairney

The effect of cold work on the corrosion resistance of 316L stainless steel (in collaboration with ANSTO) Project/Overview: One of the proposed next generation of nuclear reactor designs uses a molten salt as the energy collection medium (coolant), while the proposed thermo-solar power plant design uses a molten salt as the energy collection and also energy storage medium. The main advantage of using a molten salt in these proposed energy-generating systems is the fact that the salt remains liquid over a wide range of temperatures so that the system can operate at low pressure (i.e. a leak in a tube does not automatically result in an expulsion of molten salt). On the other hand, the main disadvantage of using a salt is the material degradation (corrosion, creep, radiation). Therefore, it is of technological importance for the future low-greenhouse emission power-generating systems to develop a detail understanding of the effect of molten salt on the structural materials.

The goal of the present project is to determine the effect of cold working on the corrosion resistance of the 316 stainless steel in a molten salt environment. Cold working has numerous effects on a material, including changes in microstructure, mechanical properties, and residual stress state. The test material has been cold-rolled to three levels: 0%, 20%, and 30%. The student will use the Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique in combination with standard optical microscopy to assess the effect of the molten salt on the microstructure and identify the corrosion products (Fig. 1 shows EBSD orientation map (a) and chromium (b) distribution at the surface of Ni-based alloy after 200h/650°C exposure to molten salt (FLiNaK). Some knowledge of Matlab is desirable but not essential.

Surface

Fig. 1a: Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) orientation map, 200h/650°C, FLiNaK.

Surface

Fig. 1b: Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) chromium (Cr) distribution map, 200h/650°C, FLiNaK.

This project is suitable for Honours Thesis A/B and will be supervised by Dr Ondrej Muránsky at ANSTO, under the guidance of Prof. Julie Cairney

Supervisor: Xiaozhou Liao

Development of Ultrafine-Grained Materials for Extreme Environments via High-Pressure Torsion (HPT)

Dr Ondrej Muránsky, ondrej.muransky@ansto.gov.au

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Prof Xiaozhou Liao, xiaozhou.liao@sydney.edu.au

The Univeristy of Sydney (USyd)

A scholarship will be offered for an ANSTO-USyd honours program that comprises of a summer project and an honours thesis project. The scholarship value will be $6,000 and will be paid in three steps: $2000 after the summer project, $2000 after the first semester, and $2000 after the last semester. Third-year undergraduate students interested in this position should submit their CV, undergraduate transcript and a recommendation letter to Prof. Xiaozhou Liao.

Selection criteria: (1) average mark so far >80% and (2) Australian citizen (because clearance is needed for working in ANSTO).

Working arrangements: the student (1) will be full-time at ANSTO for the 12-week summer project and (2) will be doing the thesis project in USyd and ANSTO as required during the two semesters.

Reporting requirements:

1) Monthly short reports (a paragraph for each report is enough) should be submitted to Dr. Muránsky and Prof. Liao on the progress of the project conducted in ANSTO and USyd.

2) The literature review that would later form part of the thesis should be cut-and-paste to an internal ANSTO format report

3) The final thesis should also be cut-and-paste to an internal ANSTO format report

Project Description:

The safe and reliable operation of all advanced energy systems (conventional, renewables, nuclear) relies to a great extent on the performance of structural materials, which are subjected to harsh environments during the lifetime of a power plant. In particular, materials in proposed fission (so-called Generation IV nuclear reactors) and fusion (e.g. International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) energy systems will be subjected to high temperatures, corrosive environments, and damage from high-energy particles released during nuclear reactions. It is thus of technological importance to develop materials with increased strength, thermal creep resistance, and superior corrosion and radiation damage resistance.

It is well-known that ultra-fine-grained materials pose superior mechanical properties to conventional forged or cast alloys. It has also been shown that the presence of nano-features in the microstructure (e.g. nano-crystalline grains, nano-particles (carbides, oxides, etc.), and dislocations) dramatically improves radiation tolerance by trapping or annihilating radiation-induced defects (e.g. self-interstitials, vacancies and foreign atoms) at sites of these nano-features. Figs 1 and 2 schematically compare accumulation of radiation-induced defects in conventional (coarse-grained) and ultra-fine-grained material containing nano-particles (e.g. Y203) with increased radiation-resistance.

Fig. 1) Conventional Material – formation of He bubbles, voids, clusters, dislocation loops, precipitates, leads to radiation-induced swelling, growth, creep, hardening, and embrittlement.

Fig. 2) Radiation-Resistant Material – trapping He in fine bubbles, thus preventing swelling and He embrittlement – high stable sink for defect trapping, and annihilation as well as high creep strength due to the dislocation pinning.

The goal of this project is to prepare and characterise selected Ni-based ultrafine-grained alloys. The student will use the High Pressure Torsion (HPT) facility at the University of Sydney (USyd) to refine the microstructure of a selected material, which were developed for next-generation energy systems. The student will first characterise the microstructure of the prepared material using different techniques available at ANSTO and USyd (e.g. electron microscopy, atom-probe tomography, positron annihilation), in order to compare key microstructural characteristics between the material in a conventional (forged) condition, and the prepared material in an ultra-fine-grained condition after HPT process. The student will then evaluate the corrosion resistance of prepared samples in molten salt (FLiNaK) environment. The obtained results will allow us to make a direct performance comparison of conventional alloys and ultrafine-grained alloys in molten salt environment. Some knowledge of Matlab is desirable but not essential.

Supervisor: Dr. Agisilaos Kourmatzis

(agisilaos.kourmatzis@sydney.edu.au)

http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/people/agisilaos.kourmatzis.php

DRY POWDER INHALER FLUID DYNAMICS (max 2 projects) Primary Supervisor: Dr. Agisilaos Kourmatzis

External Collaborators: Prof. Hak-Kim Chan (Faculty of Pharmacy), Dr. Shaokoon Cheng (Macquarie University)

Industry Link: DFE Pharma (Dr. Gerald Hebbink)

Our current understanding of the fluid mechanics of many inhaler systems remains very poor. This is particularly true of dry powder inhalers which have traditionally been designed on the basis of a trial and error approach using outdated engineering processes. This project aims to improve our fundamental understanding of how oral dry powder delivery systems work by applying state-of-the-art laser and optical diagnostic methods to enable us to design the next generation of inhaler devices. You will be involved in designing a new experimental rig to test drug powder fluidization properties, a new inhaler device, or a new rig capable of replicating realistic human inhalation profiles. Key issues/tasks:

• What are the fundamental processes that drive the fragmentation of inhaled powders?

• Can we use this knowledge to improve drug delivery?

• Can we design a patient-specific inhaler?

Eligibility: Evidence of very good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluid dynamics or equivalent, a keen interest in design and/or experimental work.

Figure from ongoing research: Dual Laser Extinction examining drug excipient evacuation rates at time resolution of 200,000 samples/second, spatially line integrated.

HUMAN UPPER AIRWAY DYNAMICS (max 2 projects) Primary Supervisor: Dr. Agisilaos Kourmatzis

External Collaborators: Prof. Hak-Kim Chan (Faculty of Pharmacy), Dr. Shaokoon Cheng (Macquarie University)

The human upper airway is a complex dynamic structure. Recent work has shown us that neuromuscular activation of the upper airway muscles cause the airway dimensions to change from breath-to-breath and this varies according to an individual’s physiology. We know virtually nothing about the fluid dynamics of this process despite how critical it is towards the design of new drug delivery devices. You will be involved in either designing a new experimental rig or a new optical/laser diagnostic experiment to measure fluid flow and transport properties in an existing physiologically scaled model of the human upper airway. This project may require some off-site work with collaborators at Macquarie University. Key issues/tasks:

• How does dynamic movement of a physiologically representative airway wall affect general features of the flow?

• How does this dynamic movement influence the deposition of inhaled drug particles?

• Are there drug delivery device interventions that we can suggest to maximize deep lung deposition based on features of dynamic upper airway movement?

Eligibility: Evidence of very good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluid dynamics or equivalent, a keen interest in design and/or experimental work.

Figure from ongoing research: Inverse Casted Upper Airway Model Sample (from 3D Printed Mold). Reconstructed from axial MRI images, includes mouth, oro and

laryngopharynx, epiglottis up to upstream of first airway bifurcation

TURBULENCE CONTROL USING ELECTROHYDRODYNAMICS (max 1 projects)

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Agisilaos Kourmatzis External Collaborator: Prof. John S. Shrimpton (University of Southampton, UK)

In this ongoing, predominantly computational work, you will examine how turbulent flow can be generated or altered in a variety of problems upon injection of electric charge, i.e. using electrohydrodynamics (EHD). The key application in mind is that of electrostatic atomization, however many industries can benefit including industrial heat transfer systems (heat exchanger design), drag control in hydrodynamics or aerodynamics and micro- propulsion. Key issues:

• How does the electrical-kinetic energy transfer occur in a turbulent flow?

• Can we advantageously control mixing processes in flows under the influence of an electric field?

• How can we advantageously use electric charge to modify industrially relevant flows

Eligibility: Evidence of very good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluid dynamics or equivalent. Students should be taking the computational fluids dynamics course or demonstrate experience in CFD.

Figure from ongoing research: Generation of turbulent mixing using electric field and charge. These were the first direct numerical simulations of turbulent electro-hydrodynamics

demonstrating how electric charge can fundamentally alter turbulent flow.

FLUID DYNAMICS OF INTRANASAL DRUG DELIVERY FOR BRAIN TREATMENT (max 1 project)

External Collaborators: Prof. Hak-Kim Chan (Faculty of Pharmacy), Dr. Shaokoon Cheng (Macquarie University)

Drug Delivery to the brain is extremely challenging due to the presence of the blood-brain- barrier and first pass metabolism. This generally makes standard intravenous delivery of drugs very ineffective for treatment of brain disorders. Intranasal drug delivery shows great promise in this area and has been applied under certain settings it remains a non- established technology, due to our poor understanding of the mechanisms of particle transport in the nasal cavity. You will be involved in designing a new experimental rig to mimic the human nasal cavity as well as designing new optical/laser diagnostic experiments to measure fluid flow and transport properties. This project may require some off-site work with collaborators at Macquarie University. Key issues/tasks

• What is the influence of transient nasal flow on drug particle transport?

• What is the influence of nasal cavity geometry on particle deposition?

Eligibility: Evidence of very good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluid dynamics or equivalent, a keen interest in design and/or experimental work.

MICRO-SCALE DELIVERY OF RENEWABLE FUELS FOR THERMAL POWER (max 2 projects)

Co-supervision: Prof. Assaad R. Masri Technologies for the delivery of liquid fuels have been around for over a century. In virtually every application the desire is to generate small droplets that are well mixed with the surroundings. This is ultimately what leads to effective mixing, emissions reductions, and improved thermal efficiency. While there are many mature technologies, scaling them down to a small size has always been an enormous challenge. Imagine for instance a small engine the size of a 50 cent coin. Due to its high surface-volume ratio heat losses are unacceptably high and lead to rapid deterioration of the energy generating device. In this project you will explore one of many “nascent” micro-liquid fuel delivery technologies for deployment with renewable or synthetic fuels. Key issues/tasks:

• Develop and test the effectiveness of a low gas-to-liquid ratio atomization system with standard and non-standard liquids. Is the device stable/unstable, and can it be operated for extended periods of time?

• How do droplet sizes compare to typical larger scale atomization systems and can we suggest any design strategies to bring us a step closer to small scale power generation?

Eligibility: Evidence of very good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluid dynamics, and in 2nd

and 3rd year thermal engineering or equivalent. A keen interest in design and/or experimental work.

Figure from ongoing research: Approximate time sequences of far field microscopic images from a 100 micrometer diameter Diesel fuel jet forming into droplets. The power drawn for

this atomization process was 2mW, about how much is needed for an LED light

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FOR MEASUREMENT OF ANATOMICAL STRUCTURES (max 1 project)

External Collaborators: Dr. Shaokoon Cheng (Macquarie University), Dr. Jason Amatoury (American University of Beirut)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a medical imaging method broadly relying on laser interferometry to reconstruct spatial information related to a particular anatomical structure or feature. It has been used in the past to provide geometrical information on sarcomas, the eye, and the human airway amongst other features. In this project you will work on developing a new type of OCT system relevant to measurements in humans (Provision Patent Filed). This project will require some degree of off-site work (Macquarie University).

Eligibility: Proficiency in MATLAB.

PROJECTS IN TURBULENT SPRAY COMBUSTION Multiple projects are available in the area of turbulent liquid fuelled combustion focusing on temperature gradient effects on droplet evaporation, three dimensional imaging, and micro- propulsion. (also see project listings by Prof. Assaad Masri for more details)

Eligibility: Most of these projects require evidence of very good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluids, and in 2nd and 3rd year thermal engineering or equivalent. Students should be taking the advanced combustion unit.

OTHER PROJECTS IN TURBULENT MULTIPHASE FLOWS

Maybe you have an absolutely fabulous idea that relates to turbulence, laser diagnostics, multi-phase flows (sprays/powders/aerosols/bubbly flows/slurries) that you don’t see above. I am happy to entertain a new idea from a highly motivated and highly capable student in applications related to pharmaceutics/drug delivery, clean combustion, biomedical flows or agricultural flows.

Eligibility: Good performance in 2nd and 3rd year fluids and/or in 2nd and 3rd year thermal engineering or equivalent. Computational projects will require the student to be taking the computational fluid dynamics unit.

Supervisors: Dr Li Chang, Dr Tania Vodenitcharova

tania.v@sydney.edu.au

FEA simulations of cutting process in nano/micro–composites based on soft matrix materials

Cutting is a common process applied to fabrication of products with required size and surface furnish.

Although it has been used for a long time in manufacturing, it is still under-researched, especially in the case of soft materials and composites based on soft matrices.

This project will study the cutting mechanism in soft materials and soft-material-based nano/micro–composites by means of numerical simulation of the cutting process using an FEA code. Sample preparation and standard cutting tests will be conducted in parallel on another project. A representative sample will be first modelled using the FEA code and then subjected to the cutting conditions employed in the experiments. The numerical results will be compared with the experiments, and thus the model will be validated. A valid model will then allow predictions to be made and parameters be set to achieve optimized results in terms of cutting force and surface finish.

The project will enhance the problem solving ability of the student in analysis and design of new materials, and expose them to the area of product development of contemporary and future significance. The student is expected to have sound knowledge in solid mechanics and an FEA code.

Fracture resistance of solar-grade wafers to cyclic loadings

Sustainable living is a current research priority worldwide with solar energy being the key in achieving long–lasting natural power sources. The main functional units in the solar energy devices (solar cells) are silicon wafers. Their inherent defects and brittleness, however, impair the mechanical reliability of the silicon–based devices. In addition, the solar devices are subject to varying loads (induced by thermal and mechanical means) leading to alternating stress state and increased chance of failure.

This project will study the fracture behaviour of polished un-coated and coated-with-Si3N4 wafers under mechanical cyclic loading. A ball-on-ring testing procedure will be adopted and the samples will be loaded to alternating bending stresses using an Instron MTS of 25kN loading cell. The propagation of a predefined crack will be followed with the number of cycles increasing, and the fatigue life of the wafers will be elucidated.

The project will improve the student’s experimental skills and expose them to an area of increasing significance. The student is expected to have sound knowledge in solid mechanics and experimentation.

Supervisor: Prof. Marcela Bilek

marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Atomic Molecular and Plasma Physics / Condensed Matter Physics

Title of Project: Deposition of robust functionalized coatings on pulse-biased substrates

Supervisor: Dr Behnam Akhavan and Prof. Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor:

Email Contact: behnam.akhavan@sydney.edu.au and marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area:

Plasma polymerization is a versatile surface engineering process capable of depositing ultra-thin functionalized films for a range of applications such as biomaterials for cell attachment and immobilization of enzymes and proteins. In this technology, the desired monomer is initially converted into vapour under a low pressure, and it is subsequently excited into the plasma state using an electric field. The recombination of active species takes place on any surface exposed to the plasma, thus

forming a thin layer of functionalized plasma polymer coating. Production of plasma polymer films that are high in functional group(s) yet stable in body fluids is, however, challenging. This research will be focused on the production of robust functionalized plasma polymer films through judicious choice of plasma deposition parameters. The student will obtain experience in laboratory experiments including both fabrication and characterization of novel engineered surfaces.

Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan

Title of Project: Development of plasma activated coatings on particulate surfaces

Supervisor: Dr Behnam Akhavan and Prof. Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor:

Email Contact: behnam.akhavan@sydney.edu.au and marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area:

A plasma activated coating (PAC) is deposited onto substrates via excitation of a precursor gas, e.g. acetylene, in a plasma deposition system consisting of an RF electrode and a pulsed voltage source. PAC facilitates the immobilization of bioactive molecules on the surface owing to highly reactive radicals generated in the coating. While we have successfully fabricated such surfaces onto 2-D substrates, there is great potential to further develop this knowledge for the coating of particulate materials. In comparison with 2-D substrates, plasma polymer-coated 3-D surfaces are of more interest in real-world applications such as protein adsorption/separation and removal of toxic matter from water. This project

will involve designing an agitation system to retrofit an existing plasma deposition system followed by the deposition of plasma activated coatings onto model particulate substrates. The student will obtain experience in laboratory experiments including both fabrication and characterization of novel engineered surfaces.

Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan

Title of Project: Fabrication of oxidized sulphur-containing films through a plasma-assisted approach

Supervisor: Dr Behnam Akhavan and Prof. Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor:

Email Contact: behnam.akhavan@sydney.edu.au and marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area:

Surfaces containing oxidized sulfur species [−SOx(H)] are of great interest in a number of critical applications including biomaterials, fuel cells, and water purification. SOx(H)-containing surfaces show remarkably high blood compatibility because of their decreased platelet adhesion and anti-inflammatory properties. These surfaces also exhibit enhanced ionic conductivity, which makes them excellent

candidates for proton-exchange membranes. This project will look into the fabrication of such surfaces using a plasma deposition system consisting of an RF electrode and a pulsed voltage source for biasing the substrates. Precursor gas mixtures and deposition parameters will be tuned to achieve desirable sulphur-containing plasma polymer films for the above-mentioned applications. The student will obtain experience in laboratory experiments including fabrication and characterization of novel engineered surfaces.

Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan

Title of Project: Plasma ion implantation treatment of porous polymeric materials

Supervisors: Prof. Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisors: Dr Elena Kosobrodova and Dr Behnam Akhavan

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au and behnam.akhavan@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area:

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) results in the creation of highly reactive radicals on targeted polymeric materials. These reactive radicals are excellent sites for the immobilization of bioactive molecules. Membranes and porous materials treated via this technique will be of interest for a number of applications including cell culture, tissue engineering and protein adsorption/separation. For such applications, reactive sites should ideally be generated not only onto the surface of a membrane, but also onto the entire internal network of pores. The development of these membranes requires specific reactor designs and geometries that are already available in our laboratories. This

project will involve PIII treatment of porous materials under optimized conditions followed by immobilization/separation of targeted biomolecules. The student will obtain experience in laboratory experiments including fabrication and characterization of novel engineered surfaces.

Credit: Dr Behnam Akhavan

Applied and Plasma Physics / Biological, Biomedical and Medical physics

Title of Project: Bioactive interfaces for cardiovascular implants using plasma discharges

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Behnam Akhavan and Dr Steven Wise (Heart Research Institute)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

In this project you will develop and characterise biocompatible plasma activated interfaces for medical implants using state-of-the-art plasma discharge technologies. The work will develop novel High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) and Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation processes, aiming to synthesise thin films for improving the compatibility of cardiovascular stents. Precursors for the films can be delivered as sputtered vapour or dip-coated natural materials such as Shellac. Electrical and optical diagnostics will be used to explore the most relevant plasma physics during the process. The physical and chemical characteristics of the thin-films will be studied using electron microscopy techniques (TEM, SEM, EDS and EELS), nano-indentation, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ellipsometry. The project is highly interdisciplinary and will involve a continuous collaboration with the Heart Research Institute, where the biocompatibility and mechanical stability of the plasma coated stents will be further studied using in-vitro and in-vivo techniques. You can learn more about our project at the following link: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4145875.htm

Plasma activated coatings on cardiovascular stents made from a range of materials including stainless steel (A and D) and CoCr (B) NiTi (C). All stents were subjected to plastic deformation carried out by crimping and balloon expansion. Scale bars are 100 μm (A), 60

Credit: Miguel Santos and Dr Steven Wise.

Title of Project: Plasma pen discharges to activate tissue engineering scaffolds during additive manufacturing

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Khadijeh Alavi and Professor David McKenzie

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Additive manufacturing (commonly also known as 3D printing) holds great promise in medicine where it can be used to create arbitrarily complex scaffolds for tissue and organ repair/ replacement. The thermoplastic materials optimised for use with these manufacturing processes typically suffer from poor biocompatibility. Our group has developed a number of low-pressure plasma processes that can render such materials not only biocompatible but positively biologically active in that they stimulate and direct desirable cell proliferation. This project aims to develop and characterise localised discharges that can be used to render scaffolds and implantable devices biocompatible during their additive manufacture. The work builds on a prior honours project in which capillary discharges compatible with the additive manufacturing processes were created and their ability to activate polymeric surfaces to enable covalent attachment of biomolecules was demonstrated. In this project, the fundamental physics unpinning the biomolecule immobilisation will be explored. Experiments conducted in controlled atmospheres in which certain atmospheric gas constituents are absent and pretreatment with chemicals that inactivate radicals and other reactive species will be used to eliminate various hypotheses. The physical and chemical characteristics of the plasma-activated scaffolds will be studied using X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The project is highly interdisciplinary and will

involve a continuous collaboration with the Charles Perkins Centre, where the biocompatibility of the plasma-modified scaffolds will be studied using in-vitro and in-vivo techniques.

Figure: Two plasma pen designs operating in laboratory atmosphere using Argon and Helium respectively as feed gases.

Credit: Oliver Charles Lotz and Dr Khadijeh Alavi.

Title of Project: Next generation hybrid materials for biomedical applications

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Behnam Akhavan and Professor Fariba Dehghani (Faculty of Engineering)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Hydrogels are cross-linked fibrous materials that incorporate large amounts of water and provide environments for cells that mimic the native aqueous environments of cells in living tissues. Existing technologies allow the creation of a variety of hydrogels that incorporate biological signalling molecules but they lack the structural stability and mechanical strength required for many applications in biomedical implantable devices and sensing. This project will investigate the potential of using plasma surface activation to create hybrid hydrogel materials in which the hydrogel is robustly bonded to a stronger polymeric scaffold. Plasma parameters with a focus on gas flow dynamics and electric field distributions will be tuned to achieve uniform activation of complex scaffold structures. We have already demonstrated that such treatments are possible and that they make the polymer surfaces more hydrophilic and capable of direct covalent binding to hydrogels. The hydrophilic surfaces facilitate easy hydrogel incorporation and the embedded radicals facilitate covalent bonding of the hybrid structures. The physical and chemical characteristics of the plasma-activated scaffolds will be studied using X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Together with our colleagues in Engineering, mechanical properties of the hybrid materials will be assessed for suitability for applications in implantable medical devices and microfluidic sensors.

Title of Project: Plasma immersion ion implantation for controlled drug release and biodegradation

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Behnam Akhavan and Dr Steven Wise (Heart Research Institute)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Local delivery of drugs and biological from coatings on biomedical implants to prevent infections, mitigate adverse immune responses and facilitate optimal tissue integrations suffers from high initial release rates leading to toxicity and lower than therapeutic release rates thereafter. Biocompatible coatings with tuneable degradation and release rates could solve these problems. Shellac, a fundamentally biocompatible resin secreted by the female lac bug, can be dissolved in ethanol, combined with drugs or biological agents and brushed or dip coated onto arbitrarily complex structures as used in biomedical devices. In this project, we plan to explore the use of ion implantation from a plasma to control the degradation rates of such coatings in aqueous environments and study the effects on drug release rates over time. Ions accelerated by high voltages in a plasma sheath deposit energy tens of nanometers below the coating surface breaking chemical bonds and forming new cross-links in polymeric materials. We have evidence that shows that release of agents loaded into the treated surface layers is inhibited, eliminating the initial toxic burst and that the cross-linking can slow the biodegradation leading to a sustained therapeutic delivery in the long term. An in-depth study of the changes in microstructure, cross-linking and degradation rates is required to allow the production of controlled drug release devices. The physical and chemical characteristics of the ion implanted coatings will be studied using contact angle goniometry, ellipsometry, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Elution assays will be used to study changes in drug elution rates and biodegradability. Biological testing will be carried out together with colleagues at the Heart Research Institute and colleagues in China.

Title of Project: Multi-functional nanocarriers for targeted therapeutics and imaging (a range of projects available)

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Steven Wise and Miguel Santos (Heart Research Institute)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Nanoparticles hold great promise in medicine. In the size range 50-200 nm they can enter cells and deliver cargo including drugs, imaging and targeting agents. An optimum nanocarrier would be able to find a specific target (eg a malignant tumour), deliver a drug and be externally detectable with convenient medical imaging modalities to allow effective monitoring of the treatment. Although there has been a great deal of research on the development of nanoparticles globally, nanoparticles that can be easily functionalised with multiple agents are not available. In recent research, our group has developed and patented a new type of nanoparticle that contains reactive species that enable linking of a wide range of cargo molecules on contact. The attachment of the cargo is achieved through a spontaneous reaction with radicals embedded in the surface of the particle during its synthesis in plasma. We are in discussion with Thermofischer and Merck about the commercial translation of these particles and are conducting a number of engineering, biomedical and basic physics studies to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms unpinning their plasma synthesis, behaviour in aqueous solution when mixed with cargo to be attached, mechanisms of reaction, charge-charge interactions that can be used to orient immobilised bioactive molecules and their biological interactions in vitro and in vivo. This work enables many interesting honours projects and can be tailored to student interests.

Nanoparticle production in plasma. Credit Miguel Santos.

Title of Project: Plasma surface engineering of high surface area to volume scaffolds for stem cell expansion and protein/blood purification

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Elena Kosobrodova, Dr Ali Abbas (Chemical Engineering) and Dr Giselle Yeo and Dr Anna Waterhouse (Charles Perkins Centre)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Stem cells, found in the bone marrow, are cells that can differentiate into a wide variety of cells and hence they can be used to repair and regenerate tissues all over the body. As such they have great potential in medicine. Despite stunning results that have already been demonstrated in therapies employing stem cells, their introduction in standard treatment modalities is limited by the difficulties and expense arising from the expansion of these cells in vitro (outside the patient). Reactors in which small populations of cells can be used to cost-effectively generate populations 100s of times larger are required. Effective reactors need to have very high surface area to volume ratios as the cells need to adhere to a surface to proliferate and the volume needs to be continuously refilled with costly media, containing nutrients to keep the cells alive. The surfaces need to have physical and chemical properties that facilitate cell adhesion and promote their growth. This project (suitable for more than one student) will develop and employ novel plasma treatments to create optimal cell microenvironments in a variety of inexpensive 3D porous materials and structures including cuttlefish bone and organic polymers. The physical and chemical characteristics of the plasma-activated scaffolds will be studied using X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to develop an in depth understanding of how conditions in the plasma regulate the surface properties. In prior work, we have shown that treatments involving energetic ions generate radicals below the surface that can be used to attach biologically active molecules. The radical densities will be quantified using electron spin resonance (ESR) and selected bioactive molecules will be immobilised on the modified surfaces to optimise microenvironments for the growing cells. Incorporation of the structures into bioreactor designs will be done together with Dr Ali Abbas of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Opportunities to utilise the same materials functionalised with antibodies for blood or protein purification devices will be explored together with colleagues at the Charles Perkins Centre.

Title of Project: Microfluidic devices for analysis of blood materials interactions

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Elena Kosobrodova and Dr Anna Waterhouse (Charles Perkins Centre and Heart Research Institute)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Blood clots present major and often fatal problems for virtually all implantable blood contacting devices, such as cardiovascular stents, as well as imposing limitations on the processing of blood products from donors. Materials that can make contact with flowing blood without initiating clotting or thrombosis are needed but an understanding of how blood flow in contact with the surfaces of synthetic materials causes clotting or thrombosis is currently lacking. This project aims to create microfluidic devices that can be used to study the clotting behaviour of blood in contact with various materials under a range of flow conditions. Lithographic processing will be used to make microfluidic structures that will be tested with blood in the Charles Perkins Centre together with thrombosis expert, Dr Anna Waterhouse. The surfaces of these devices will be modified using a variety of plasma treatments ranging from low pressure to atmospheric and the effects on thrombosis quantified. The physical and chemical characteristics of the plasma-modified surfaces will be studied using contact angle goniometry, ellipsometry, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to reveal new understanding of the effects of various surface properties on the formation of blood clots.

Title of Project: Bio-functionalization of capsules to maintain insulin secretion, enhance angiogensis and inhibit fibrosis

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Elena Kosobrodova, Dr Steven Wise (Heart Research Institute) and Prof Peter Thorn (Charles Perkins Centre)

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

Diabetes is an increasingly prevalent autoimmune disease that is difficult to manage and predisposes suffers to many life-threatening and debilitating secondary conditions. Since the underlying cause is that the body’s own immune system destroys insulin secreting beta cells, the only cure currently available is to implant beta cells in a capsule that keeps the immune cells out. Such treatments have been successful but they are typically short lived due to difficulties in maintaining effective insulin secreting cell populations within the capsules. In this project, we will explore the use of polymeric hollow fibres of no more than a few hundred nanometres in diameter with pores below 50 nm in size as capsules for beta cells. Plasma treatments recently developed in our group will be used to render both the inner and outer surfaces of the fibres hydrophilic and activated so that functional biological molecules can be covalently tethered. The physical and chemical characteristics of the plasma-activated fibres will be studied using X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and correlated to biological outcomes. Biomolecules for functionalising the inner regions of the capsules will be chosen to promote healthy beta cell function whilst those on the outside will be selected to promote angiogenesis (the creation of blood vessels) for effective transfer of insulin into the circulation through the pores in the fibre walls. This project is part of a multidisciplinary research program funded by the US based JDRF. Beta cell studies to evaluate the efficacy of the fibres will be carried out by the team of Professor Peter Thorn in the Charles Perkins Centre and in-vivo assessments of angiogenesis performance will be carried out by the team of Dr Steven Wise at the Heart Research Institute.

Anatomy of a fibre capsule.

Title of Project: Early detection bio-sensors for Alzheimer’s disease

Supervisor: Professor Marcela Bilek

Co-supervisor: Dr Elena Kosobrodova

Email Contact: marcela.bilek@sydney.edu.au

Brief Description of Project or Project Area (5 – 10 lines long):

As our populations are living longer the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions is increasing. As recent clinical trials failed to show positive effects of promising trial treatments, interest is shifting to early detection combined with measures that can delay the on-set of these conditions. Our research group has teamed up with an Australian spin-off company, AusBiologics Pty Ltd, to develop early detection bio-sensors for neurodegenerative disease. AusDiagnostics has developed proprietary antibodies that interact strongly and specifically with oligomers that appear in a patient’s blood and spinal fluid many decades prior to the on-set of symptoms. The aim of this project is to investigate a number of biosensor concepts that can be employed to detect these oligomers at low concentrations in patient samples. AusBiologics’ antibodies will be immobilised on plasma treated polymer slides and used to capture oligomers from solution. A focus will be on developing protocols using electric fields to maximise the surface density and optimise the orientation of the immobilised antibodies to provide the lowest possible detection limit. Orientation will be studied using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (tof-SIMS). Detection based on optical and infra-red sensing will be explored in parallel using spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier transform infra-red microscopy respectively.

Sensor in the form of an antibody microarray

Credit: Dr Elena Kosobrodova

Rapid Engineering (1 or 2 students)

Semester 1 2018 Start date Supervisors; Paul Briozzo (Room S318, Bldg J07) <paulb@aeromech.usyd.edu.au> An open ended Project / Thesis topic to explore 3D printing of materials other than; ABS and PLA. The ultimate aim is to compare the results obtained with ABS, PLA and Nylon into operating knowledge that could be readily applied to practical use.

The main requirements of the suitable candidate would be; 1. A strong interest in CAD and Manufacturing Engineering. 2. Completed MECH3660, 9660 or AMME5902. 3. Prior experience in FDM would be a distinct advantage. Prospective students will be required to produce a brief 500 word research proposal with referencing on the desired topic prior to it being accepted.

Use of LS-DYNA in the Analysis of Manufacturing Processes or Mechanical Design

(Unlimited No. of students) Semester 1 2018 Start date

Supervisors: Paul Briozzo (Room S318, Bldg J07) <paulb@aeromech.usyd.edu.au> This is an open ended Thesis topic that deals with interesting areas related to Manufacturing or Design that may be analysed by using LS-DYNA.

The main requirements of the suitable candidates would be; 1. A strong interest in CAD and FEA. 2. Completed AMME5912 or prepared to undertake the subject in Semester 1 2018. 3. A high skill level in the use of computers. Prospective students will be required to produce a brief 500 word research proposal with referencing on the desired topic prior to it being accepted.

Choose your own Mechanical Design Adventure (Unlimited No. of students) Semester 1 2018 Start date

Supervisors; Paul Briozzo (Room S318, Bldg J07) <paulb@aeromech.usyd.edu.au> Students to undertake a Mechanical Design in a particular area of interest will be considered. Preferred areas include but are not limited to, the development of software to carry out; Mechanical Design component selection, the creative design process and other areas that may interest Prospective students will be required to produce a brief 500 word research proposal with referencing on the desired topic prior to it being accepted.

Industry Sponsored Projects (Unlimited No. of students) Semester 1 2018 Start date

Supervisors; Paul Briozzo (Room S318, Bldg J07) <paulb@aeromech.usyd.edu.au> Students that require an Internal Academic Supervisor are welcome to submit their proposal for consideration. External Project topics should be of a Mechanical Design or Manufacturing Engineering nature. Prospective students will be required to produce a brief 500 word research proposal with referencing on the desired topic prior to it being accepted.

Engineering Educational Research (1 student)

Semester 1 or 2 2018 Start date Supervisors; Paul Briozzo (Room S318, Bldg J07) <paulb@aeromech.usyd.edu.au>

Engineering educational research is a growing sector of educational research that is having a profound effect on the suitability for industry or research based careers on the graduates produced. The research topic proposed for 2018 is, “Creativity Methods Applied to Mechanical Design” Prospective students will be required to read a provided paper and produce a brief 500 word research proposal with referencing on the desired topic prior to it being accepted.

17/10/2018 Paul Briozzo

Supervisor: Dr. Matthew Dunn (matthew.dunn@sydney.edu.au),

Rm S 505 (Mech. Eng.)

I am offering a number of thesis topics in energy and thermofluids related areas

including, but not limited to: combustion, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat

transfer, solar reactors, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and

refrigeration. Some samples of the topics I am offering are detailed below. Most

projects can be tailored to take advantage of particular skills and interests in areas

such as mechanical design, practical experiments, thermodynamics, fluid

mechanics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), programming, chemistry, lasers,

spectroscopy, physics and signal processing. If you are interested in any of the topics or topic areas I have

outlined, please come and see me to discuss further as well as to find out about additional topics that I am offering

that are not outlined below.

Oxy-fuel combustion as route towards carbon neutral power generation

Oxy-fuel combustion is a mode of combustion that utilizes

an oxidiser of oxygen and a diluent such as carbon

dioxide. Significant further developments in the

understanding and prediction of oxy-fuel combustion are

necessary for the development of next generation

combustion cycles that allow carbon capture processes

such as clean coal and natural gas power generation

technologies. This project will seek to build upon recently

obtained experimental results to further understand the

flame stability, flame extinction and radiant emissions in

oxyfuel flames. Both experiments utilising advanced laser

diagnostic techniques and numerical modelling streams for

this project are available.

Chemiluminescence image of a typical laboratory scale

oxy-fuel flame

Formation of nanoparticles in conventional and Biodiesel flames

Nanoparticles are renowned for featuring an extreme bio-reactivity, this bio-reactivity has recently been exploited

in cancer drug delivery using nanoparticle encapsulated cancer drug delivery. The extreme bio-reactivity of

nanoparticles can also be an extreme health hazard if the nanoparticles are formed in flames or other chemical

processes resulting in particles with an extreme toxicity and carcinogenic properties. Combustion formed

nanoparticles from Diesel engines are becoming an increasing concern and correspondingly modern emission

regulations such as in Euro 5 and Euro 6 attempt to regulate their emission. Biodiesels are a promising alternative

to fossil fuel derived Diesel in terms of sustainability and carbon cycle neutrality, however there is significant

debate and conflicting experimental evidence as to if Biodiesels enhance or inhibit nanoparticle production when

combusted. This project will the investigate the nanoparticle formation and sooting properties of different fuels

including biodiesels to determine the presence, size and quantity of nanoparticles and soot using advanced laser

diagnostic techniques.

High speed CMOS cameras for measurements in combustion

The use of high speed cameras in many popular TV

shows (MythBusters) and YouTube channels (The Slow

Mo Guys) is testament to insights (and wow factor) that

can be obtained from viewing events at high speed.

Recent applications of high speed CMOS cameras to

combustion applications have revealed many new

insights into transient combustion phenomena. This

project will focus on the application of high speed

CMOS cameras to combustion applications where

quantitative measurements are desired. A particular

emphasis of this project will be to extend the use of high

speed imaging to go beyond feature tracking to the

analysis of temporally varying quantities such as

temperature and fuel concentration.

Solar fuels and solar reactors

Solar energy is an abundant energy source that is being investigated as a source to drive industrial energy

intensive processes such as the formation of hydrocarbon fuels (such as Diesel and jet A fuel) from water, CO2

and air. Whilst this may initially seem ridiculous from a thermodynamic perspective, in that the formation of fuel

from combustion products is highly endothermic process, they key point to understand here is that all of the

energy to drive the reaction is delivered from the sun and is essentially free. This project will leverage high

powered lasers to allow the simulation of very high irradiances similar to those found in large solar heliostats (10

000 suns) in the laboratory. The influence of irradiance levels relevant to solar reactors will be examined using

laser diagnostics with a particular emphasis on soot, particle, aerosol and droplet behaviour under these very high

irradiance levels.

Solar reactors for mineral processing

Solar energy is a plentiful renewable resource available in abundance in Australia. Typically applications of

utilising solar energy include photovoltaic based collection converting the solar energy to electricity or a solar

pumped Rankine cycle. This project will look at an application where the energy from the sun is collected and

used to drive a chemical process. The particular novelty of this project is that it looks at the specific application

of where a laser is optically pumped by the sun and the laser concentrates this energy into a short duration

pulse to create laser pulses with instantaneous power levels in the MW and GW range. Such pulses produce

localised extreme temperatures sufficient to reduce mineral oxides to their parent metals, such as conversion of

magnesium oxide to magnesium.

Flame synthesis of nanoparticles

Flame synthesis of nanoparticles has proven to be an excellent method to produce tailored nanoparticles on a

large scale. Such tailored nanoparticles have a broad array of potential applications from the medical industry,

compact sensors and as catalysts in the chemical process industry. There is a considerable gap in understanding

of how nanoparticles form and evolve in the high temperature highly reactive environment of a flame. This

project will look at developing an experimental rig to investigate the production and formation of flame formed

nanoparticles using a flame spray pyrolysis method.

Laser based measurement of temperature in turbulent reacting

multiphase systems

The accurate and precise measurement of temperature in reacting, turbulent and multiphase systems such as

combustors and particle reactors is an enormous challenge. The accurate measurement of temperature reveals

significant insight into chemical reacting systems due to the strong nonlinear dependence of chemical reactions

on temperature. This project will look at the development, application and processing of a laser based

measurement technique, coherent anti-Stoke Raman spectroscopy (CARS) for the measurement of temperature

turbulent reacting systems. Suitable students for this project have an interest in lasers, chemistry or physics and

possibly, but necessarily, doing a combined degree in science

Active heat transfer technology

The ability to adequately cool high power density

devices such as CPUs is becoming a major limitation to

further advances in many applications. By utilizing

active heat transfer technology whereby the heat transfer

component is a non-stationary rotating component, the

need for an external fan is eliminated and significantly

increased heat transfer rates can be achieved compared

to standard fan and passive heat sink methods. The aim

of this project is to develop a detailed description of

active heat transfer technology realised through the

combination of heat pipe technology and a multiple disk

Tesla type pump.

Application of high power light emitting diodes for fluid mechanics and

combustion diagnostics

In the past 40 years lasers have made an enormous impact in advancing the experimental fields of fluid mechanics

and combustion. Given the recent rapid developments in high power light emitting diode (LEDs) technology,

LEDs are poised to deliver a new wave of advances in experimental fluid mechanics and combustion. Whilst

LEDs will never replace lasers in many experiments, there are many new applications that can capitalise on the

desirable properties of LEDs such as their wide ranges of spectral bandwidths, variable temporal pulse width,

high repetition rates and their ability to be employed in a clusters due to their cost being potentially 4-5 orders of

magnitude cheaper than an equivalent laser. This project will employ and evaluate experimental techniques based

on LEDs to explore and understand fluid mechanic and combustion related phenomena. This topic is best suited

to a student with a keen interest and skills in electronics.

Second generation biofuels as alternative transportation fuels

Second generation biofuels such as dimethyl ether

(DME), are a promising renewable alternative

transportation fuel for the future as they do not require

the use of food crops for their production. Measurements

in biofuel flames have indicated significantly lower

emissions of pollutants such as soot compared to

conventional fuels. However biofuels such as DME are

far more complex in terms of their chemical

mechanisms, flame behaviour and the application of

laser diagnostic measurements when compared to more

standard fuels such as methane. This project will utilize

both laminar and turbulent flames to investigate the

flame structure in terms of the established chemical

mechanisms, transport properties and the behaviour of

these fuels in turbulent flames. Both experimental and

numerical streams are offered in this project.

Prediction of occupant comfort for next generation air conditioning systems

The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system

accounts for a significant fraction of the energy usage of

large and medium sized buildings. Minimising the HVAC

system’s energy usage is an obvious area to address to

reduce the overall energy usage and emission profile of

modern and next generation high-efficiency buildings.

Current thinking and research indicates that low energy

HVAC systems will involve environments where there is both

thermal stratification and a strong thermocline. Occupant

comfort and the prediction of comfort these thermally

stratified environments is known to be poorly understood as

well as the current design tools predict occupant comfort

under these conditions poorly if not completely wrong.

Therefore, understanding and developing tools to predict occupant comfort in complex thermal environment is key to the

successful design and implementation of next generation HVAC systems. This project will explore occupant comfort in

thermally stratified environments using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as well as working collaboratively with Prof.

Richard de Dear’s research group in the indoor environment quality laboratory in Architecture. Projects utilising both the

commercial CFD code ANSYS Fluent as well as a state of the art large eddy simulation code are being offered.

Assessment of draft risk using CFD in air-conditioning systems

Conventional global metrics for comfort such as Fanger’s original predicted mean vote (PMV) and percentage people

dissatisfied (PPD) do not account for high velocity drafts and their impact on occupant comfort. This project will look at

integrating the component of occupant comfort due to drafts. Particular emphasis will be placed on modelling and

evaluating air conditioning system types what employ high velocity stream such as jet diffusers in the figures below.

Multi-node modelling of the human body

Modelling the physiological response of the human body and translating the individual skin temperatures to a

psychological response from a CFD model is a particular challenge that has not been adequately solved. Accurate models

of the human body are required to assess the effectiveness of many next generation air conditioning systems using CFD.

This project will look to continue the progress we have currently made in developing and implementing physiological and

psychological models of humans in CFD simulations.

Big data as a way of achieving next generation high efficiency buildings

In modern buildings an enormous amount of data is collected by the building management system and only a very small

fraction is actually utilised to make decision related to energy usage and energy minimisation. This project will work with

the data from several modern buildings to determine potential opportunities and ways the large amount of data can be

utilised to minimise the net energy usage of the building. Particular emphasis will be placed in the integration of the HVAC

system and renewable energy generation primarily from rooftop photovoltaic.

Dr. Hong-Yuan Liu, hong-yuan.liu@sydney.edu.au, Room S519 Jo7, 93517148

Topic 1: Environmental effects on the mechanical properties of natural fibre composites

Tasks: Manufacturing the natural fibre composite samples and testing their properties with temperature and moisture effects.

Comparisons will be made between different matrix modifications and different fibres. Basic knowledges of fibre composite materials and solid mechanics are required. (For one student)

Topic 2: Effect of composite structure on its mechanical properties

Tasks: Manufacturing the composite samples (by 3D printing) with different structures and testing their properties.

Finite element analysis will be applied in designing the composite structures and comparing the experimental results. Basic knowledges of fibre composite materials, solid mechanics and finite element analysis are required. (For one student)

Supervisor: Professor Lin Ye

Lin.ye@sydney.edu.au

Materials Engineering

1) Modelling of thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of composites 2) Damage assessment CFRP composites based on electrical conductivity of carbon fibres 3) Embedded smart sensors for damage detection. 4) Processing-structure-property relationship of 3D printed materials. 5) Artificial skins with sensing capacity 6) Structural battery as a structural component.

The Australian Centre for Innovation and International

Competitiveness, Faculty of Engineering & IT

University of Sydney 2006.

John Currie

Tel 02 9351 5672 Fax 02 9351 3974

Email: john.currie@sydney.edu.au

AMME Thesis/Project topics 2018

John Currie

INNOVATION

The study of innovation involves developing and sustaining new technologies

and organisational forms and practices to create competitive advantage and/or

economic, social, environmental improvement.

Topics will be finalised in consultation with the student and can be

selected from the following areas:

• Leadership and the development of engineering managers - the

development of managers as leaders to enhance organizational

effectiveness is crucial in times of change. This topic will involve students

understanding the theory of leadership and its practical application in

engineering management.

• Management of organisational change - the need to maintain

competitiveness means that change is the organisational norm. This topic

will investigate the factors and conditions that impact on change in

strategy, operations or projects that allow managers to innovate and make

more effective choices.

• ‘Digital disruption’, the development of smart technologies and their impacts – a new stage of technology development with advanced

computing and mechatronics is rapidly advancing. The potential for

industrial, organisational and social change will be investigated along with

the nature of specific engineering associated with these developments.

• Space engineering and technology development – Recent discussions on

space flights to Mars have reignited debate on the costs and benefits of

space engineering. This topic will investigate the nature and potential of

wider industrial and technological innovation as a result of Space

engineering R&D.

• Organisational learning and knowledge management - this topic will

examine the readiness of engineer managers to undertake the

management of learning and knowledge in organisations, leading to a

better understanding of the factors necessary to generate effective

organisational outcomes.

• Human resource development - career development for C21 professionals

will mean inevitable job and career changes. This topic will investigate the

development of engineering careers, organisational career planning and

the personal and skill development necessary for the development of

successful careers.

• Management of industrial research, innovation and technology

development - Competitiveness through new technology and product

development is a cornerstone of business success. This topic will

examine the factors that lead to success (and failure) in the

technology/product development process.

• Gender equity/women in engineering - This topic will examine the factors

necessary for women to enjoy successful careers in engineering, the

factors that inhibit this, and the implications for organisational

competitiveness and Australian society.

• Humanitarian Engineering- The Nature and Development of Humanitarian

Engineering within the Engineering profession will be examined to

discover the challenges and benefits for both engineers and/or recipients

of humanitarian development assistance.

• Engineering Education#1 - the promotion of Mechanical, Mechatronic and

Aeronautical Engineering in schools - This topic will involve investigating

the relevance of the HSC’s “Engineering Studies” curriculum as a precursor to Engineering at University, and whether the Aeromech degree

program successfully builds on this prior learning. It will also include how

Aeromech can support Engineering Studies in an attempt to encourage

more students to consider future careers in engineering.

• Engineering Education#2 – This topic will seek to examine the extent to

which ideas of humanitarian engineering and social justice are utilised in

Aeromech curriculum and teaching, and how these ideas are, or could be,

utilised to enhance student learning and development of graduate

attributes.

• Attitudes to professional engineering - This topic will examine the origins

and the development of perceptions and understandings as to what

comprises professional engineering practice and its appropriateness to

both individuals and society.

Thesis Project: Probing the optical properties of bent and stretched semiconductor nanowires

Supervisors: Professor Simon Ringer (simon.ringer@sydney.edu.au);

Dr Carl Cui (carl.cui@sydney.edu.au)

Semiconductor nanowires are important building blocks in electronic, photonic and

optoelectronic devices in the nanometer scale due to their superior electrical and optical

properties. Lattice strain is a useful and economic way to tune the device performance and is

commonly present in nanostructures. By performing state-of-the art first principles (without

experimental parameter) density functional theory (DFT) calculations, this project will study

the band gap change and exciton spectra evolution with continuously tuned lattice strain of a

wide range of bending semiconductor nanowires. Our preliminary results show a diverse

near-band edge emission shift as well as broadening in response of tensile or compressive

strain. The outcome of this project will broaden the application and provide useful guidance

for rational manipulation of nanowires.

No prior DFT simulation experience is required. The successful implementation of this

project is expected to lead to a journal publication.

Thesis Project: Designing low-modulus Ti-based multilayer composites for biomedical application

Supervisors: Professor Simon Ringer (simon.ringer@sydney.edu.au);

Dr Carl Cui (carl.cui@sydney.edu.au)

Titanium alloys are finding ever-increasing applications, especially for biomedical devices. Ti-alloys with Young’s moduli close to that of cortical bone are currently receiving extensive attention because of their potential in preventing stress shielding, which usually leads to bone resorption and poor bone remodelling. Nanoscale multilayer composites Ti-X, a directed placement of alternating layers of Ti and the X, may offer new properties distinct from its parent materials. By performing state-of-the art first principles (without experimental parameter) density functional theory (DFT) calculations, this computational project aims to investigate how the composition and geometry (layer thickness) influence the multilayer properties, such as Young’s modulus and strength, for a range of low- Young’s modulus X elements. This, in turn, will provide essential information for material design for biomedical application.

No prior DFT simulation experience is required. The successful implementation of this

project is expected to lead to a journal publication.

Exploring the formability of ultrafine-grained pure magnesium

Supervisors: Professor Xiaozhou Liao, Room S522, Mechanical Eng. Building, AMME

Mr. Peng Gao (PhD candidate), Room S342, Mechanical Eng. Building, AMME.

Objective: This project is to investigate the formability and deformation mechanisms of

commercial pure Mg with ultrafine-grained microstructures at room temperature using in-situ

straining scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Project Description: As the lightest structural metallic materials, Mg and Mg alloys have

been extensively investigated in recent years to develop their applications in areas including

automotive industry that can significantly reduce vehicle weight and therefore decrease the

greenhouse gas emission. However, the poor formability of Mg alloys has severely limited

their applications. A recent study revealed that pure Mg samples with fine grains ( grain sizes

in the range of 1.1-1.2 µm) have extremely high formability at room temperature (see Fig. 1)

[1]. This finding indicates that grain size reduction contributes significantly to the

super-formability. However, the deformation mechanisms of this unconventional

phenomenon have not been clear. It is also not clear if smaller grain sizes would further

improve the formability of Mg. This project aims to answer these two questions by producing

ultrafine-grained (~0.5 µm) Mg using high-pressure torsion processing, and conducting

deformation and structural characterisation simultaneously using an in-situ deformation

technique in the scanning electron microscope.

Fig. 1. The super-formable Mg samples with fine-grained microstructure. (a) Structural information

on grain sizes and grain orientations (indicated by colors). (b) The high formability of Mg. The figure

is adapted from ref. [1].

Requirement: HWAM > 75

Reference:

[1] Z. R. Zeng, J. F. Nie, S. W. Xu, C. H. J. Davies, N. Birbilis, Super-Formable Pure Magnesium at

Room Temperature, Nature Communications 8, 972 (2017).

Research Projects for Honours Thesis A/B and Engineering

Project A/B for 2018 - Proposed List of Projects

Contact: Rhett Butler, AM Adjunct Associate Professor. AMME

It is proposed that there will be opportunities for research projects thesis work in

2018 that compliment existing active humanitarian projects and development work in

Africa, India and Latin America. The SkyJuice Foundation and its partners are

keen to support capable undergraduates on a variety of applied projects.

These thesis projects focus on affordable sustainable services such as low cost

potable water, decentralized water/energy hubs, off-grid lighting and power, as well

as low cost heating. Key objectives of the project include, sustainable design

principles and an imperative for maximizing local content and value adding.

These research topics have a high applied content and lend themselves to “market

ready’ deployment within a 12-18 month timeframe. Students should have a strong

desire to utilise sound multi disciplinary design skills and a desire to commit to

project implementation timelines.

It is desirable if students can self fund “in country” concept design and value

engineering assessments.

The following organisations outlined below will be participating partners (direct and

indirect) in the projects. The thesis student will be the “approved project manger” and

collaborative assistance will be offered during the thesis and assistance with

introductions to target user groups ;

<> SkyJuice Foundation Inc. (SJ) - follow the link to www.skyjuice.org.au

<> Evoqua Water Technologies Pty Ltd. (EVT)

<> Siemens Foundation (Siemens Stiftung, SF)

<> Barefoot Power (BFP)

<> Disaster Aid Australia (DAI)

Students are also encouraged to utilise the additional resources of existing AMME

faculty members and linkages on these thesis projects.

Thesis Topics

1) Pop-up low cost water kiosks - gravity fed water filtration systems

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS : SJ, DAI, SF

Gravity ultrafiltration (UF) designs are now becoming benchmark technology for safe potable options in developing countries. UF solutions now provide simple and affordable treatment solutions that are below the “price point” for traditional water filtration technology options. Water vending is a real and growing business in developing countries. Ultrafiltration is the key to a differentiated technical and commercial offering.

The project would explore the opportunity to further drive down cost reductions in unit cost and manufacturing. It is envisaged that a value-engineering program and prototype development phase will result in a “step change” design for pop-up low cost kiosk for say 50 -150 person village design. Existing 500 - 2000 person units are well established within the NGO sector

This can be further enhanced to investigate best design configurations and resulting performance benefits. It is expected that the student will critically examine market potential of the unit. A requirement will be to prepare a realistic “social” business plan

based on the prototype.

2) Concept deign of a low cost Hybrid Energy Water Kiosk

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS : SJ, BP, SF

The development of decentralised utility hubs in the developing world is a recent and growing trend. These hubs (kiosks) are filling a much needed void for the provision of basic utilities and essential services. Water kiosks and energy charging kiosks, particularly in Africa, are surging ahead. The project will look at engineering a combined water/ energy hub (kiosk) as a stand-alone facility.

This project seeks an individual with creative, technical and practical skills. Functionality and form at a realistic “cost point” is critical.

The design will market focussed and involve real “ design “ hurdles to achieve a cost effective Kiosk structure that is replicable throughout the developing world. Capital coat of production, operating cost of the internal utility functions and local assimilation are key objectives.

Apart from the design component of the project, the student will need to assess business models that can enable a sustainable business entity. A business plan will be required that examines social entrepreneurship options

3) MEMREGEN - Recovery and recycle of used membrane modules for community potable water devices in developing countries

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS: SJ, SF, EWT, DAI

This project will examine the harvesting of “used” or “end of commercial life” ultrafiltration membrane modules. These membranes are currently discarded from municipal water treatment plants in huge numbers and go into landfill. The objective is to “reconfigure” and rework them into usable smaller potable water filter to be “offered” into developing countries via direct and established NGO partners. The

“reconfigured” mini filters will provide a powerful and effective potable water solution to the world’s most needy people. There is an immediate market pull for such

devices. NGO Partners are ready field test prototypes. A student with interests in polymer chemistry, materials science and mechanical design would be preferable.

An important perspective on this work will be elimination of what is currently a waste disposal issue for the Australian and global water industry. So, in principle, there are winners all round on this project. The problem is real and the need is tangible. Immediate market opportunities wait for prototype testing.

This project will require a strong skillset and commitment to innovative design including lab testing /prototyping, as well strategic marketing/ business plan of the prototype offerings. It is proposed that field-testing will be undertaken in several countries within 6-12 months

4) Low cost energy harvesting for developing countries

SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS: SJ, SF

Communities in developing countries spend significant time energy and resources on basic energy requirements for their daily life. Essentially, energy is used for rudimentary cooking lighting and heating. Quite often the energy harvesting and usage (kerosene, charcoal etc.,) is used inefficiently for lighting, heating or sterilising water. It also has serious ongoing health implications for the users

Recent developments have seen improvements in LED technology and battery charging technologies. This has resulted in a dramatic growth in off-grid lighting and battery related mini business ventures.

This project will target the investigation assessment of thermodynamically efficient options for harvesting, storage and utilise of energy on a decentralised / village level. Renewable energy options will be assessed in conjunction with sensible synergistic

design concepts that could result in local/ decentralised co-generation and or energy hubs.

The investigation would include the utilisation of all available waste resources and methane production option (anaerobic digestion, direct solar irradiation etc.) A concept design could see a multipurpose energy generation device that can store and transfer energy efficiently/indirectly and satisfy basic village needs

Supervisor: A/Prof. Ahmad Jabbarzadeh Room S311, Bldg J07, ph: 9351 2344 ahmad.jabbarzadeh@sydney.edu.au These following research projects are available for Thesis A/B (AMME 4111/4112) My research work involves projects related to rheology, tribology and nanoscale flow and related phenomena. Both experimental and computational works are available. The following projects are examples of the projects you can undertake towards your honours thesis. For projects related to Tribology enrolment to Engineering Tribology (AMME5310), and for computational projects related to nanoscale flow and related phenomena enrolment in Computational Nanotechnology (AMME5271) is recommended either concurrently or before commencing your project. If you have projects in mind within the scope of my research, I will be happy to discuss the feasibility. 1A- Tribology (experiments) (1 student) Tribology is the science that deals with friction, lubrication and wear. The objective of this project is to measure the tribological properties of soft materials used in biomedical applications. You will use tribometers and rheometers to characterize the materials and find the relationship between the frictional/mechanical properties of the material and its chemical/physical composition. Examples of the materials to be tested include hydrogels, contacts lens, and soft tissues such as cartilage. 1B- Tribology (Simulations) Self-assembled monolayers (SAM) are used to modify surface properties and protect against wear, in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). In this project, simulations will be conducted to study how the friction between two surfaces coated by SAMs can be affected by changing the molecular composition of the monolayer. No programming is required. However, you should be willing to learn how to use existing software and run simulations on supercomputers. 2 Suspensions and Polymer Melts Rheology (1 student) 2A Polymer Melts Entanglement This computational project involves molecular dynamics simulation of polymer melts modelled by large polymeric molecules at flow condition and aims to test some theoretical ideas about polymer dynamics, tube theory, and entanglement. 2B) Effect of confinement and surface roughness on viscosity of polymers The project involves direct molecular simulation of polymeric and non-Newtonian systems to investigate the effect of confinements on the viscosity of large polymeric molecules. The student is expected to conduct simulations on supercomputers and analyze the results. You should be willing to learn how to use existing software/ or develop your tools for post-processing, analysis and to conduct the study.

2C) Suspension Rheology (experiments) Rheology is the science of deformation and flow. Suspensions are a mixture of particles and a carrier fluid (Newtonian and Non-Newtonian). The effect of particle choice in developing shear thickening fluid in high volume fractions is explored in this project. 3-Crystallization of Particles (1 student) Crystallization of particles in spray drying and polymer atomization experiments will be investigated. The target area for this study is to understand the effect of processing conditions on particles crystallization kinetics. This is important in the food industry and customized nano/micro particle making processes. 3A Effect of shape of nucleating agents on crystallization kinetics-Simulations (1 student) The microstructure of crystallized polymers can be significantly affected by the presence of additives of various shape and size used for various purposes. In this project simulations of low molecular weight, hydrocarbons will be conducted to study the effect of shape and size of particles in nucleation process during crystallization. The microstructure (morphology) of such systems and the rate of crystallization are believed to be affected by the characteristic of the solid particles in the polymer melt. Polymer processing and nano-composites are areas that would benefit from the results of this project. Two research projects are available in this area to use molecular dynamics simulations to study these challenging problems. Programming is not required; you will use an existing computer program to run the simulations. 3B Flow-Induced Crystallization of nano-particles (1 student) Simulations will be conducted to understand the crystallization of polymeric nano-particle subjected to flow. The aim is to understand the effect of nanoparticle size, flow conditions and cooling rate on the crystallization kinetics and morphology of the polymers and comparison with the bulk crystallization. 4-Computational nano-fluidics (2 students) Nano-fluidics is the science of flow at the nano-scale. There is considerable interest in this area due to advances made in nanoscience and engineering. The behaviour of flow at nano-scale where the size of pores and channels are comparable to the size of molecules could be very different from that of macroscopic flows. For example, carbon nanotubes can be manufactured with sizes ranging from a fraction of nanometer to a few hundred nanometers. They can be used for transportation of particles and liquids in nano-scale applications. Experimental measurements and understanding the flow behaviour at such small scales is a daunting task. In computational nano-fluidics molecular dynamics simulations are used as one of the tools for analysing the nanoscopic local properties and flow conditions in such situations. There are two projects available in this area for two interested students. Students working on these projects will need to use an existing computer program to simulate the flow in nano-channels and nano-pores. They should have a basic understanding of fundamental

physics, fluid mechanics and Newtonian dynamics. Some basic understandings are required about molecular structures such as atomic lattice structure and inter-atomic force potentials such as van der Waals forces. The research projects are computational, so interest in working with computers is essential. You will be using existing software, and computer programming will not be necessarily required.

Figure 1 Flow over a 5 nm cube (Re~6.8).

5- Effect of surface topology on diffusion and spreading of liquids (1 student) Physical properties of surfaces including their topology play an essential role in spreading and diffusion of liquids that come into contact with them. Spreading of a liquid drop and its diffusion on the surface are of vital importance in many processes such as lubrication, surface induced diffusion, cell growth, and micro/nanofluidics. The project will use simulations at the molecular level to investigate such a process. The research projects are computational, so interest in working with computers is essential. You will be using existing software, and computer programming will not be necessarily required. Figure 2. Surfaces can be made liquid repelling or liquid loving by controlling their nano-scale topology. 6- CFD simulations of a Flying Leaf - Learning from Nature The simulation involves scanning and 3D printing of a leaf and using CFD software to conduct the simulation and possible tests in a wind tunnel. You must have completed or enrolled in AMME5202 (Computational Fluid Dynamics).