Date of Award

August 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Surojit Gupta

Abstract

This thesis presents two complementary approaches for developing sustainable engineering materials through additive manufacturing and advanced ceramics. The first study investigates the utilization of recycled wind turbine blade waste as reinforcement in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) of Nylon 12 composites. Composites containing 5 vol.% resin powder and 4.65 and 18.82 vol.% wind turbine waste were fabricated in both solid and porous configurations, and evaluated for their mechanical, tribological, and surface properties. The results demonstrated that 4.65 vol.% reinforcement provided the optimal balance between mechanical performance and sustainability, while 18.82 vol.% significantly enhanced the wear resistance. The second study focuses on the development of a cobalt-free W₂NiB₂ ceramic by using powder metallurgy approach. X-ray diffraction confirmed the successful synthesis with high phase purity, and tribological testing demonstrated the wear rate performance comparable to conventional WC–Co materials. Overall, this research demonstrates effective strategies for recycling composite waste and developing high performance cobalt-free ceramics, advancing the design of sustainable, wear-resistant engineering materials for future industrial applications.

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