Dr. Haifeng Zhang, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department at University of North Texas will give a seminar titled "Innovations in Sensor Technology Across Smart Manufacturing, Nuclear Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering" to the interested faculty and students at Discovery Park.

Abstract

Despite the numerous benefits offered by additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, their widespread adoption is hindered by issues such as inconsistent part quality and repeatability. Close-loop sensing technology, facilitating real-time control of the AM process, holds significant promise for enhancing part quality and repeatability. Presently, close-loop sensing tools primarily rely on commercially available thermal or optical cameras, providing observation of the topmost layer during the build but lacking sub-surface sensitivity. This presentation will introduce our recent work on the development of a novel ultrasonic transducer for the measurement of part microstructure. Through this innovative approach, additional process signatures can be generated, serving as valuable feedback for controlling process parameters and potentially predicting part quality.
Beyond advanced manufacturing, nuclear engineering presents unique challenges, with many structures fully enclosed by metal and thick concrete walls. Monitoring crucial parameters such as temperature, pressure, radiation, humidity, and Helium gas leaks within these enclosed vessels is essential for ensuring safe reactor operation and fuel security. However, conventional sensing techniques face significant limitations in such enclosed environments. This talk will showcase the author's recent breakthrough in monitoring canister internal pressure using a temperature-compensated SAW strain sensor.
In aerospace engineering, lean combustion in gas turbine engines, characterized by a large fuel-air ratio, offers enhanced fuel efficiency but also poses challenges such as increased emissions and potential flame instability and flashback due to high combustion temperatures resulting from a high compression ratio. Close-loop gas sensors capable of operating in high-temperature environments could provide real-time control to improve combustion efficiency and safety. Our presentation will detail our recent efforts in designing, fabricating, and testing a novel langasite ZnO Nanorod-coated MEMS gas sensor.

Bio

Dr. Zhang is a Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of North Texas. He received his Ph.D. degree in Engineering Mechanics from University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2007. He was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Material Science and Engineering in the Ohio State University before joining in University of North Texas in 2008. His research interests include advanced sensors, energy harvesters, structural health monitoring and ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation. Dr. Zhang has been the PI or a co-PI of $13M grants (his own share $5.6 M) from a variety of federal funding agencies (NSF, ARO, DoD, DOE, ARPA E, USDA, US Army) and industry. He has published more than 110 peer reviewed papers. He is the secretary for ASME Structural Health Monitoring technical committee, member of ASME Adaptive structure and materials branch and member of ASME website subcommittee of technical committee on vibration and sound.