{"689857":{"#nid":"689857","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Proposal by Preksha Vichare","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPreksha Vichare\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ewill propose a doctoral thesis entitled\u003C\/em\u003E,\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EMechanical role of porous mesh for improved dewatering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003EOn\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThursday, April 23 at 10:00 am\u003Cbr\u003EEBB Krone 4029\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVirtually via\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/24976321543276?p=ANkvYNTOTzqcYcTy16\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/teams.microsoft.com\/meet\/24976321543276?p=ANkvYNTOTzqcYcTy16\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeeting ID: 249 763 215 432 76\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPasscode: dG9Y6Q9w\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Dr. Blair Brettmann \u2013 School of Materials Science and Engineering\u0026nbsp;(Advisor)\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Dr. Victor Breedveld\u0026nbsp;\u2013 School of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Co-advisor)\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Dr. Christopher Luettgen\u0026nbsp;\u2013 School of Chemical and Biological Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Dr. Donggang Yao\u2013 School of Materials Science and Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Dr. Mary Lynn Realff\u2013 School of Materials Science and Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe papermaking process is highly energy-intensive, with the drying stage accounting for up to 50% of a paper mill\u2019s total energy consumption. To reduce this energy demand, one promising approach is to maximize water removal during the forming and pressing stages prior to evaporation. During pressing, the wet paper is compressed against a felt to drive water out of the paper and into the felt. However, during decompression, the paper web undergoes pore expansion, leading to undesired return of water (rewet). Introducing a stiff, porous mesh layer between the paper and felt improves dewatering by disrupting the liquid bridges that flow back into the fibrous paper. This thesis investigates how the\u0026nbsp;design and intrinsic properties of the mesh porous layer affect dewatering. This includes evaluating the role of mesh geometry, understanding how stress distribution from these porous layers affects the wet fibrous paper, and analyzing transient behavior during compression-decompression cycles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the first part of this thesis, I will investigate how the void volume of the mesh provides pathways for fluid to travel between the paper and the felt. I will also study how stacking multiple porous mesh layers between the paper and felt affects dewatering performance. In the second part, I will focus on the role of pressure distribution, specifically how uniform stress and compaction of the paper sheet affect the efficiency of the dewatering process. In the last part, I will examine time as a key process variable and evaluate its influence on the overall pressing system during cyclic pressing. Overall, this research seeks to develop a framework to optimize the mesh\u2013felt system and improve dewatering efficiency by understanding the interactions among layered porous materials during press cycles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMechanical role of porous mesh for improved dewatering\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mechanical role of porous mesh for improved dewatering"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-04-19 01:18:57","changed_gmt":"2026-04-19 01:19:40","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-04-23T10:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-04-23T12:00:36-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-04-23T12:00:36-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-04-23 14:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-04-23 16:00:36","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-04-23 16:00:36","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"EBB Krone 4029","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"102851","name":"Phd proposal"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}