South Dakota Mines student Kaytie Barkley is researching a process called ultrasonic
welding that utilizes low amplitude, high frequency vibrations to fuse two
pieces of plastic together. This type of welding could someday be used to build
things like spaceships out of lightweight but strong polymer or composite
material.
“The sonic welder we
use operates at 20 kilohertz. This frequency makes the plastic target vibrate
so fast that it melts the material and fuses it together,” says Barkley.
NASA has recognized
Barkley’s work with a prestigious Space Technology
Graduate Research Opportunity award of $68,924. Barkley finished her
undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Mines in 2020, and this
research is part of her master’s degree.
Dr. Cassandra Birrenkott,
an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Mines, is Barkley’s major
professor. “Kaytie is very deserving of this prestigious NASA Space Technology
Graduate Research Opportunity,” says Birrenkott. “This year, only 58 awards were made
throughout the US, and we are very proud that Kaytie’s research was selected to
be supported by NASA. It is great to see Kaytie’s hard work and high level of
commitment to her graduate education and research recognized by NASA through
this award."
Barkley’s research could
yield new methods for building everything from automobiles to spacecraft and other
items needed in space. “It costs about $10,000 to ship a pound of weight into
space. So, if we can come up with lightweight materials to replace heavier
weight metals there would be a lot of cost savings,” says Barkley.
The process of ultrasonic
welding of plastics is still being understood. Two ultrasonic welds often come
out different even when completed under the same conditions. “Right now, the
flow of the material in an ultrasonic weld is unpredictable. So, we are trying
to figure out a joint design that will yield more consistent high-quality
welds,” says Barkley. “There are additional challenges when changing materials,
such as moving from a simple uniform polymer to a composite material which may
include imbedded glass fibers. So, there are a lot of exciting challenges to
tackle in this research.”
Barkley credits her
success to inspiration and support from her advisors -- Dr. Birrenkott and Dr. Prasoon
Diwakar, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at South Dakota
Mines. “I immensely appreciate both of my advisors. They saw potential in me
and encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree. They are great at challenging me
to do difficult tasks and encouraging me to expand my knowledge, but also
patient with me as I go through the learning curves associated with doing
research,” says Barkley.
Barkley got
interested in studying mechanical engineering thanks to encouragement from her
father and her brother, who is also a Mines alumnus. “I love math and I enjoy a
challenge,” she says. “Especially challenging problems that continue to evolve
during the process of solving them. I think STEM is great for anyone who finds
satisfaction in pursuing a good challenge, and who enjoy working with others of
the same mindset.”