Date of Award

11-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Matt Riley

Second Advisor

Simon Jones

Third Advisor

Eduardo Vitral Freigedo

Abstract

This thesis investigates dual-reinforced polymer composites tailored for flywheel energy storage, combining short, chopped carbon fibers for load bearing with iron particulates for multifunctionality. A unified experimental–computational workflow was developed: tensile coupons were fabricated and tested, machine compliance was quantified using neat resin and removed from all curves, and elastic moduli were extracted with robust MATLAB routines. Parallel finite-element models in ANSYS 2023R reproduced the dog-bone geometry with standardized meshing, named selections, and displacement-controlled loading. Four material states—neat resin, resin and iron, resin and short carbon fiber, and the iron and fiber hybrid— were evaluated. Results show carbon fibers dominate stiffness gains, iron offers modest matrix stiffening, and the hybrid trades some tensile capacity for added functionality. Agreement between FEM and theory at 1% strain confirms model fidelity and clarifies load-sharing mechanisms. The framework provides a defensible basis for optimizing microstructure and property trade-offs in high-speed rotor composites.

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