1st EditionFall 2013

The PACCAR Technology Institute is an interdisciplinary research unit of University of North Texas. PACCAR

Technology Institute is a unique, non-traditional center for research and educational excellence which works

on a variety of research topics related to alternative energy and energy efficiency of buildings and industrial

processes. By involving academic researchers and industry experts from various physical and social sciences

and engineering disciplines, the Institute engages in a quest for better solutions to the challenge of allowing

communities and nations to grow and prosper in a sustainable way.

To realize this vision, PACCAR Technology Institute combines technology, entrepreneurship and education

for the benefit of the student community. PACCAR Technology Institute uses the tools of research to build a

new platform for multidisciplinary technological advancements and in the process foster the capabilities of

the student community. We are helping communities locally and globally ask better questions and get better

answers about the complex problems they face. We believe this is the best way to support personal growth

and establish an enduring relationship between community and industry.

At PACCAR Technology Institute we: • Use research to make a positive impact on society.

• Establish collaborative relationships between industry and community to a broad audience that makes

research more gratifying.

• Educate the student community to conduct and use research to bring a positive change in the local

community.

• Share results, models and information through conferences, workshops, publications and other public

forums.

PACCAR Technology Institute works on the following emerging fields: • From materials to energy efficiency technology, a multi-scale (components to system) approach.

• Optimal balance between the energy efficiency technology and human comforts

• Sustainable and resilient engineering systems.

PACCAR Technology InstitutePACCAR at University of North Texas

PACCAR TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE

NEWSLETTER

Welcome to PACCAR Technology Institute at University of North Texas, where we are advancing scientific and technological innovations to meet the energy challenge for a stronger and brighter tomorrow.

At the PACCAR Technology Institute, we are

working on unique solutions through our

research projects, few among them are:

• Making breakthroughs and improving

our fundamental understanding of

science and technology impacting net-

zero energy consumption of buildings.

• Sustainable and resilient engineering

systems for industrial applications

We are committed to excellence. Our

approach to managing and operating PACCAR

Technology Institute is to simultaneously

deliver excellence in science and technology,

management and operations, and community

service. Achieving simultaneous excellence

means we enable the conduct of research to

maximize national impact in a way that is safe,

secure and sustainable.

I invite you to look around and learn more

about how we are combining our past

and current efforts and expertise to create

innovative solutions for the future.

Dr. Yong Tao

DirectorPACCAR Technology Institute

Fall 2013 - PACCAR Newsletter2

Dr. Tao is an internationally known researcher in fundamentals of thermal sciences, refrigeration system performance and renewable energy applications in buildings. His current primary research areas include zero-energy buildings and renewable energy, energy efficient building cooling systems, ground source heat pump, and heat and mass transfer in multiphase media. • Energy Efficient Building Cooling Systems • Ground Source Heat Pumps for Hot Climates • Heat and Mass Transfer in Multiphase Media • Microchannel Heat Exchangers • Predictive Modeling of Sustainable Human-Building Ecosystem

Dr. Nandika D’Souza Professor

Dr. D’Souza works in sensor fibers and textiles, environmentally friendly manufacturing of foams, lightweight transportation materials, Nano composites for flame-retardance and increased structural reliability, mechanical performance, viscoelasticity, rheology, processing and manufacturing of coatings, films, sheets and composites.

• Fibers and Nanofibers • Environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing • Biocomposites • Bio-nanocomposites • Piezoresistive Sensors • Biomaterials for Drug Delivery • Flame retardant polymer nanocomposites • Aging in polymer Nano composites

Dr. Yong Tao PACCAR Professor, Director of PTI, and Chair, Mechanical & Energy Engineering

Dr. Sheldon Shi Associate Professor

Cellulose Nanocomposites • Nanophase treatment of natural fiber for functional composites, such as

anti static, anti radiation, anti permeation, anti microbial, de-toxication, and with enhanced or reduced thermal conductivities

• Cellulose nanofiber / nano whisker

Green Building Materials • Engineering wood composites for construction applications • Composite material processing, product evaluation, and qualification • Environmental friendly adhesives for biocomposite building materials • Building insulation materials, such as PU foam, etc. from renewable

biomass resources.

Faculty

Fall 2013 - PACCAR Newsletter 3

Dr. Jiangtao Cheng Associate Professor

Dr. Cheng’s primary research areas include electrowetting solar cells and solar houses, drop wise condensation on lotus-leaf-like-structures, adaptive beam tracking and steering via electrowetting-controlled liquid prism, wickless vapor chamber with active electrowetting control, hydraulic tomography, biofuel, and nanoparticle transport in a microchannel.

• Adaptive Beam Tracking and Steering via Electrowetting-Controlled Liquid Prism

• Electrowetting Solar House • A Wickless Vapor Chamber with Active Electrowetting Control • Hydraulic Tomography • Nanoparticle Transport in a Microchannel

Dr. Jaehyung Ju Associate Professor

Laboratory of Advanced Vehicle Technology (L-AVT): We are investigating fuel efficiency and sustainability in automotive engineering with advance structural mechanics and manufacturing technologies.

• Multiscale modeling of tire materials for low rolling resistance • Fuel economy of automobiles • Additive Manufacturing • Nanoparticle Transport in a Microchannel

Dr. Cheng Yu Associate Professor

Thin-walled, cold-formed steel structures, Structural stability, Computational mechanics, Composite structural materials

• Comprehensive Research on Cold-Formed Steel Sheathed Shear Walls: Special Detailing, Design, and Innovation

• Performance and Detailing of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Shear Walls using Corrugated Steel Sheathing

• Steel Sheet Sheathing Options for Cold-formed Steel Framed Shear Walls Assemblies Providing Shear

• Cold-formed Steel Bolted Connections using Oversized Holes without Washers - Phases I and II

• Evaluation of Stiffback System for Monolithic Placement of Ecospan Joist on Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Walls

• Behavior and Performance of Steel Moment Frame under Cyclic Loading • Innovative light gauge steel shear wall systems • Design methodology for cold-formed steel framing connections • Innovative light gauge steel shear wall systems • Design methodology for cold-formed steel framing connections • Efficient joint design for steel trusses

Fall 2013 - PACCAR Newsletter4

Junghyon Mun Visiting Assistant Professor

Tingzhen Ming Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Graduate Students • Thomas Checketts • Pooya Sharifani • Anton Yorzh • Davis Thanh • Kasemson Boriboonsomsin • Nima Sadeghpour • Sara Nahang Touhdeshki • Aref Vandadi • Mohamad Yousof • Raviteja Charungundia • Martin Dara • Changlei Xia • Zhiguang Ding • Mauricio Londono • Oludami Adesanya • Md Salah Uddin • Jiwon Mun

Undergraduate Students • Anirudh Nagasimha • Evan Judice • Daniel Raherimanjato • Tom Kalisky • Francisco Lima

Alumni • Guangyuan Xiong • Jiang Zhu • Basu Pandel • Dusten Gambrell • David Bunce • Haseeb Kazi • David Reilly

Advisory Board Members • Stanley Ingman Professor Department of Sociology, University of North Texas

• Thomas Babb Pre-Engineering Instructor, Advanced Technology Complex

• John Bobb General Manager, TexEnergy Solutions

• Mark Burroughs Mayor, City of Denton

• Bill Kahn R&D Project Manager, Peterbilt Motors Company, A Division of PACCAR

• Jeff Eggleston Senior System Integration Sales, Schneider Electric

Fall 2013 - PACCAR Newsletter 5

Faculty PartnersDr. Tao 1. University of North Carolina at Charlotte 2. Florida State University 3. Florida International University 4. Texas A&M University 5. Carnegie Mellon University 6. University of Michigan 7. Prairie View A&M University 8. Tsinghua University, China 9. Tongji University, China 10. Hong Kong Polytechnic University 11. State University of Ponta Grossa (Brazil) 12. University of Tartu (Estonia) 13. City of Denton, Texas 14. Peterbilt Motors Company 15. TexEnergy 16. Lennox

Dr. D’Souza 17. Francis D’Souza 18. Brian Ayre 19. UNT Biology 20. Rubberlite 21. DIAB and Kengro 22. Adriana Gregorova 23. Austria and Lucia Innocenti-Mei

Dr. Ju 24. Peterbilt 25. Halliburton 26. Hankook Tire

Dr. Yu 27. NUCONSTEEL

Research ProjectsEnergy and Thermal Engineering

• DOE ground source heat pump project• America house in Beijing, China• Adaptive beam tracking and steering via electrowetting-controlled liquid prism• Electrowetting solar house• A wickless vapor chamber with active electrowetting control• Hydraulics tomography• Nanoparticle transport in a microchannel• Low rolling resistance tires• Tire wear modelling for low tire particle emission• Energy harvesting with electro-active polymers• Compliant cellular materials• Microscale heat transfer enhancement by nano phase change materials• Heat transfer characteristics from a melting particle in flow• Flow characteristics around a melting particle• Modeling ice layer growth on a wind turbine rotor blade• Microgravity effects on convective melting• Evaporative thin liquid film on a heated cylinder

Sustainable and Resilient Materials and Manufacturing

• Cold-formed steel shear walls• Cold-formed steel clip angle design• Innovative truss joint design• Impregnated organic nanopartricles at the natural fiber and polymer

interface• An innovative porositization process on carbon and carbonaceous

materials for activated carbon• PFI: Farmer-Academic-Industry Partnership in Sustainable, Energy

Efficient, Multifunctional Bioproducts for the Built Environment• Thermally insulative renewable foams• Lightweight renewable based fiberglass replacement composites• High temperature automotive electronic packaging (SRC funded)

• Richard Haws VP, Technical Services, Nucon Steel

• Landon Sproull Chief Engineer, Peterbilt Motors Company, A Division of PACCAR

• Kirk Teske Chief Sustainability Officer at HKS Architects, Founding Chair at U.S.

Green Building Council (USGBC) North Texas Chapter

• Phil Williams Program Manager, Denton Municipal Electricity (DME)

Fall 2013 - PACCAR Newsletter6

Grants and Contracts • “RCN-SEES: Predictive Modeling Network for Sustainable Human-Building

Ecosystems (SHBE),” National Science Foundation (NSF), Yong Tao. $652,846. 2013-2018

• “Planning Grant: I/UCRC - Center for Tire Research - UNT Site Initiative - Sustainable Technologies of Tires”. National Science Foundation (NSF), Nandika D’Souza, Jaehyung Ju. $13,800. 2013-2014

• “Boron Nitride Thermally Conductive High Temperature High Dielectric Strength Interface Materials”. Semiconductor Research Corporation, Nandika D’Souza. $240,000. 2013-2015

• “Fracture Toughness Modeling of Ductile Cellular Materials”. Korea Intelligent Cellular Structures Co., Ltd., Jaehyung Ju. $20,000. 2013-2014

• “Evaluation of the Application Options of CCTS Carbon Powders”. Carbon Component Tech Services, Sheldon Shi. $62,500. 2012-2014

• “UNT Distributed Renewable Energy Initiative: Eagle Point Campus Project”. State Energy Conservation Office, Yong Tao. $1,995,000. 2011-2012

• “PFI: Farmer-Academic-Industry Partnership for the Development of Sustainable, Energy Efficient, Multifunctional Bioproducts for the Built Environment”. National Science Foundation (NSF), Yong Tao , Nandika D’Souza. $600,000. 2011-2013

• “Establishment of a UNT-SRC Center for Electronic Materials Processing and Integration (CEMPI)”. Semiconductor Research Corporation, Nandika D’Souza. $5,000. 2011-2013

• “Bioinspired Nanocomposite Coatings for Corrosion Protection”. Qatar University, Nandika D’Souza. $275,000. 2012-2015

• “Impregnated Inorganic Nanoparticles at the Natural Fiber-Thermoplastic Polymer Interface”. National Science Foundation (NSF), Sheldon Shi. $116,900. 2011-2012

• “US-CHINA: Workshop for US-China Cyber-Enabled, User-Oriented, Interoperability Modeling for Engineering Sustainable Built Environments”. National Science Foundation (NSF), Yong Tao. $60,000. 2011-2013

• “Strength of Stud-to-Track Connections”. NUCONSTEEL, Cheng Yu. $3,500. 2010

• “CAREER: Comprehensive Research on Cold-Formed Steel Sheathed Shear Walls: Special Detailing, Design, and Innovation”. National Science Foundation (NSF), Cheng Yu. $400,010. 2010-2015

• “Analysis of energy, environmental and life cycle cost reduction potential of ground source heat pump (GSHP) in hot and humid climate”. Florida International University, Yong Tao. $103,000. 2010-2011

• “Mechanical Testing of Composite Panels for Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.”. Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc., Nandika D’Souza. $30,000. 2010-2011

Fall 2013 - PACCAR Newsletter 7

Faculty Lab EquipmentThermal Engineering Laboratory 1. Refrigerant mass flow meters 2. High temperature exhaust testing unit

Zero Energy Laboratory 3. Photo Voltaic system 4. Wind turbine 5. Solar collector 6. Energy recovery ventilator unit 7. Water to water heat pumps 8. Water to air heat pump 9. Radiant floor system 10. Geothermal wells, sensors and monitoring system 11. Differential scanning calorimeter

Optofluidic Laboratory 12. Spectrophotometer 13. Five optical tables 14. High temperature furnace and pneumatic system 15. Phantom Miro M310 high-speed CCD camera 16. Particle image velocimetry 17. Thermal conductivity measurement system

Composite Manufacturing Laboratory 18. Hot press with fluid heater for compression molding of panel products 19. Cold press for compression molding of panel products 20. Truck dryer for material drying and treatment 21. Forming line for the forming of strand-based products 22. Moisture chamber 23. Instrumented impact 24. Flame chamber 25. Microhardness apparatus 26. Twin screw extruder 27. Supercritical CO2 chamber 28. Compression press 29. Morgan injection press 30. Electrospinning system

Composite Synthesis Laboratory 31. Vacuum assist resin transfer system for polymer composites 32. Sonicator for nanoparticle dispersion 33. Vacuum furnace for fiber cooking 34. High-temperature vacuum oven for annealing with process control 35. Pilot compression molding line 36. Composite extrusion line 37. Dynamic mechanical analysis instrumentation 38. Mechanical testing system 39. Differential scanning calorimeter 40. Underwriter Laboratory flame chamber UL94 testing system

Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory 41. Rheometer 42. High performance computers 43. MTS rubber testing facility 44. 3D printer and mixing equipment

Structure Testing Laboratory 45. Large scale truss testing frame 46. Cold-formed steel testing system 47. Full scale adaptable reaction frame 48. Universal testing machine 49. Two directional dynamic testing system

PACCAR Technology Institute | Discovery Park3940 North Elm St., Room F101, Denton, TX 76207 USA

940-565-2400 | 940-369-8675 (Fax) | Yong.Tao@unt.edu

The completion of the Zero Energy Research Laboratory at the University of North Texas will give students and researchers the tools to study the next generations of sustainable and renewable energy technologies.

The lab is a state-of-the-art facility – the only one of its kind in Texas – designed specifically to test various energy technologies and systems in order to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy. Net-zero consumption means different building systems, such as solar, geothermal and wind systems, can produce enough energy to power a building and in many cases even create excess energy to return to the power grid.

“UNT is developing a multi-faceted research program in renewable energy, energy conservation, and sustainability,” said Dr. Vish Prasad, vice president for research and economic development. “Our LEED-platinum certified Apogee Stadium, which receives power from three wind turbines, and the first net-zero energy house in Texas further add to UNT’s goal of being a leader in sustainability.”

The structure has a number of advanced energy technologies integrated into its 1,200 square-foot space, including a geothermal heat pump, a radiant heated floor slab, solar panels, a building energy monitoring and control system and a rainwater collection system, to name a few. Outside, the facility has a residential-scale wind turbine and an electric vehicle charging station.

The doors, windows, roof and supporting energy efficient equipment are designed to be easily expanded and exchanged so that researchers can analyze new building materials. Dr. Nandika D’Souza and her research team hope to use the facility to test their plant-based building materials eventually. D’Souza is developing materials made from the fibers of the

kenaf plant, a cousin to bamboo, with a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

D’Souza is a key member of the Renewable Bioproducts and the Renewable Energy and Conservationresearch clusters. Both interdisciplinary research groups will take advantage of this unique facility to conduct cutting edge sustainability and energy research.

Dr. Yong Tao, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Energy engineering at UNT and the PACCAR Professor of Engineering, spearheaded the design and creation of the lab. Previously, Tao oversaw a similar project at Florida International University, where he served as an associate dean of their College of Engineering and Computing.

Tao also served as the director of the Future House USA project, an initiative that brought together academics, builders, industry sponsors and lobbyists to create a 3,200 square-foot zero-net energy house. The house was built in Beijing and displayed during the 2008 Olympic Games.

“There are very few places for students to get hands-on experience working with the green technologies that will power our future. The Zero Energy Research Laboratory is now one of those locations,” said Tao. “This facility will be a great resource for our students, researchers and our industry partners.”

This project is funded at $1,150,000 with a combination of HEAF (higher education assistance funds), operating funds and gifts-in-kind. It was made possible by donations from Schneider Electric, NuconSteel, Axium Solar, H2Options/BlueScope Water, Benchmark Precision Buildings and Acme Brick. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is the architect of record for the facility and Nouveau Construction served as the general contractor.

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