Emerson / Effects of Chitin Doping on Common Materials /
Thesis Proposal
Tobias Emerson
M.S. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Department of Grimmology
Atlas National Institute
Committee Chair(s)
Professor Lapsing Souchong, Ph. D
Professor Jane Sigerson, Ph. D
Committee Member(s)
Professor Forest Davenport, Ph. D
Professor Peter Archibald , Ph. D
06-13-2013
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Abstract
This project is inspired by recent advances in the field of Grimmology. Because the Grimm disintegrate shortly upon death, study of this material has been nearly impossible. It has only been recently that Dr. Sigerson developed an airtight chamber capable of observing the continued effects of the Grimm's body after death. Her experiments demonstrate that by compressing the chamber, the Grimm's gaseous state is revealed as a blackened swirl within the chamber. Amongst these materials is the hard bone like structure that grows from their bodies, a substance known as Chitin due to its relation to the exoskeleton of beetles. Through the use of centripetal forces, the Chitin particles are separated from the gaseous mixture, and suspend it in a binding agent. This Chitin salve is then applied to a variety of materials ranging from cotton to steel and tested against its untreated counterparts for significant changes to structural integrity and energy absorption. Chitin has been speculated to possess energy absorption properties. If the doped materials show more energy dissipation than their vanilla counterparts, The Chitin must dissipate the energy.
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Introduction
As is known in the scientific community, the Grimm are an anomaly that has proven difficult to study in depth. Any Grimm that are killed in the field undergo a theorized self-destruct sequence, in where the Grimm's body quickly aerosolizes and dissipates into the atmosphere. Even live Grimm who can be brought back for study quickly expire in their containment chambers. Little therefore is understood regarding the Grimm's biology, and what little advancements have been made in Grimmology have been painstakingly acquired over decades of opportunistic research.
Dr. Sigerson in 2010, proposed that the Grimm could not oppose the conservation laws, and conducted an experiment to contain these Grimm vapors. This was accomplished through the use of an airtight chamber which could house a captive Grimm until the Grimm was set to expire. Upon the Grimm's death, the aerosolized form was to fill the chamber, and was unable to escape through the airtight fit. The chamber's ceiling was equipped with a piston that could press upon the contained gas, increasing the density of air particles by compressing the overall volume. This experiment demonstrated that while aerosolized Grimm quickly dissipates in open air environments, the controlled chamber revealed a blackened sea of particles upon compression. Dr. Seagerson's experiment proved that the Grimm's mass while solvent, did not vanish upon death.
This is the first time Grimm material has been available for practical application. There is little known about the chemical properties of this material, meaning the mixture must be separated by centrifugal forces. The Schnee Dust Company has volunteered the use of their centrifuges for this experiment, in exchange for a portion of unused samples.
Credit must also be given to Dr. Montgomery for his methodology for experimental design. The concepts of randomization and blocking not only reduce the total costs for experiments, but provided a much more cohesive model. Without the techniques established in "Design and Analysis of Experiments" (4), conducting this experiment would prove more resource and time intensive than could be accomplished with the resources given.
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Purpose
The purpose of this research is to catalog the effects of Chitin doping on various materials, and the cost for manufacturing additional aerosolized Chitin. The hypothesis states that if the doped material shows a 5% or more reduction in force, the doping process must have a significant effect. If no such effects are noticed, or if the material shows less than a 5% difference, the hypothesis is rendered null.
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Research Question(s)
Can Grimm Chitin be separated from the gaseous Grimm compound?
What emulsion works best for binding Grimm Chitin?
What effects does Chitin Doping have on various materials?
What costs are associated with creating this material?
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Importance
This project focuses on applying Chitin to materials after they are made, but future projects could extend to infusing Chitin directly into base materials. Chitin could be an excellent conductor for excess Aura, which would make it an ideal material for clean energy generation. Metallic compounds infused with Chitin would also be more resistant to Aura based strikes, and would gain an inherent resistance to Dust related discharges, an effect that would improve combat effectiveness for all branches of the Atlas military.
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Method of Approach
In order to manufacture the Chitin salve, the Chitin must first be collected. Under the supervision of Dr. Sigerson, the Grimm will be contained within her patented vacuum chamber. Upon the creatures death, the remains will be collected into a pressurized canister that can be safely transported to the Schnee Dust Company, where it will be run through their centrifuges. The heavier Chitin substance will precipitate to the edges of the centrifuge, and will be pulled out and stored in a second pressure canister capable of holding the material. Once the first cycle is completed, the purer substance is run through once again, and more of the undesirable contents are filtered out. This process is repeated until a specimen containing 99% Chitin is collected.
Since the Chitin will be in limited supply, a minimal amount of tests can be conducted. Three emulsion agents have been chosen to be mixed with the Chitin, each chosen for their ease of use and their capacity for long term storage. The first is a base solvent commonly used in spray paints. This compound is readily available through spray paint companies for cheap. This material is highly toxic however, and it is not known whether or not the Chitin will survive long term storage in this form. The second compound is a thicker acrylic base used for traditional painting. It share many downsides with its spray paint alternative, but the thicker paint will be more likely to avoid losing Chitin to the outside air, once the concoction is exposed. Finally, there is a sticky resin that comes from Duster trees which while difficult to apply, is made from naturally occurring compounds that would not stifle the long term survivability of the cells. The spray paint will be handled by a local company who specializes in the craft, as their pressure chambers are ideal for handling the Chitin. The other two substances will be treated at the Institutes airtight chamber, in case of any potential leaks. The Chitin will be slowly released through a pressure hose in the container as the heated paint and sap is stirred into a thin liquid. Each of these solutions will receive a third of the Chitin, ensuring that the doped solution has the maximum chance of yielding a significant effect, and to not bias any measurements with uneven portions.
With the salves created, a selection of materials is collected for testing. These include steel, cast iron, duster wood, rubber, and cotton sheet. Glass was considered for testing, but due to safety concerns will be omitted. 30 1x1 inch squares are produced for each of these materials, three serving as the untreated control for each factor tested. The remaining 27 will be split into groups of 9, and each group will be doped with a different solution. Each test will therefore have three replicates to ensure a minimal pure error. Once the salves have dried on each of the materials, the baseline tests are conducted for compression, point loads, and energy absorption.
Compressive loads will be measured through the use of Force Meters placed beneath the material. The device itself can measure pressure differences up to 0.3% of the total load. A large press is given increasing pressure until the subject breaks, the increase of force measured over time, with marks to note structural failure at specific moments. The three doped solutions are compared against the baseline material to see if any changing effects occur.
After that comes shock loads. A pressure sensor is placed on a supporting beam that will hold the pane of material in pace. The striking force will be a swinging pendulum that can be outfitted with an increasing amount of weight, and dropped from various extremities of angles. By keeping track of the weight and angle of drop, the force acting on the plate can be calculated, and compared against the readings in the pressure sensor. The weight is increased between runs, until the material breaks, giving a maximum thresh hold.
Finally comes the Aura test. A similar set up is used for this as for the shock loads, only these measurements are far more accurate. The sensors to measure Aura have been tried and tested in the Vytal Festival and have a proven track record. It is with only a slight modification that the code can be modified from the traditional percentage score, to a true measurement given in Auric Thaums. For this experiment, a participant with no aura training will strike a panel to determine the baseline. A trained hunter from the academy is then to practice striking the pad until they can get a consistent reading from the pressure sensor, and from the Auraometer. The pad is then replaced with a slab of the material desired for testing, and the hunter delivers three good punches of similar strength. The hunters according to their testimony are not worried about flying debris, as their Aura will protect them from any hazards that might occur during testing. Each reading from the pressure transducer is cataloged and compared against the Aura meter readouts. A complete model will be compiled once all data points are accounted for.
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Work Plan
August
1. Capture of Grimm Subjects and Collection of Aerosolized Materials.
October
2. Centrifuge Runs for Purified Chitin.
3. Meet with committee
November
4. Mixing with Potential Emulsions
5. Data Entry
6. Submit abstract for professional conference paper or poster presentation
7. Console with Spraypainting Company
December
7. Data Entry
8. Submit salve for test line production
9. Begin thesis draft.
January - March
10. Data analysis and write-ups
11. Conduct Stress Tests
12. Begin writing thesis draft
13. Brown bag presentation to department
April
14. Continue writing thesis and revise when necessary
15. Submit draft to committee for review
May
16. Final draft complete by end of May with committee revisions
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Budget
Line Item
Amount
Rental of Schee Centrifuge and Spraypainting Facilities, Student Wages
2,000
Airtight Grimm Containment (Transport, Maintenance, Safety Training)
5,000
Materials (Emulsions, Wood, Metal Plating)
1,000
Total
8,000
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References
1) Sigerson, Jane S. "Preservation of Grimm Beyond Death." Journal of Grimmology 34.6 (2010): 168-234. Print.
2) Schnee, Winter. Dust: The History of the Schnee Company and Its Impact on the World. Atlas: Penguin, 2010. Print.
3) Oobleck, Bartholomew. "A Grimm Account: A Hunter's Perspective on Mankinds Most Deadly Foe." Vytal Naturalist 30.6 (2002): 50-165. Print.
4) Bortelo, Flavio. "Grimm Tidings! 10 Great Tips to Prepare for the Grimm Apocalypse!" The Grimm Is Nigh! Flavio Bortelo, Mar.-Apr. 2012. Web.
5) Montgomery, Douglas C. Design and Analysis of Experiments. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.
6) Hibbeler, R. C. Mechanics of Materials. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, 1997. Print.
Glossary
Duster Tree – More commonly known as the Christmas Tree, it's a conifer that grows in cold rocky climates. This tree pulls Dust through its roots and stores it in sap pockets just beneath the bark. The tree is easy to spot with its glittering pine needles and soft thrumming glow.
Chitin – A term describing the exoskeleton of insects like cockroaches and beetles. For the sake of this paper, it refers exclusively to the Grimm's bone like plate atop their skin.
PROOF COPY - Not for distribution