Welcome to Dr. Newell's Research Page

 

Dr. Brittany Newell

Assistant Professor
School of Engineering Technology

 

Contact Information

E-mail: bnewell1@purdue.edu
Office: Knoy 189
Office Phone: 765-494-7724

 

Sensors

Dr. Newell's research interests lie in detection of imminent failure of industrial components such as tires, hoses, vbelts, seals and various others. Dr. Newell focuses on solutions that utilize standard industrial materials and constructions to minimize negative impact on manufacuring processes and deviation from industry standards. These embedded sensors provide a quality control check at manufacturing, provide increased safety to operators and equipment, and reduce cost due to testing, failures, and unscheduled downtime.

Electroactive Polymers

Electroactive polymers are materials that convert electrical energy to mechanical energy therefore providing a means of actuation. They can also be used an energy harvesting devices by converting mechanical energy to electrical energy. Dr. Newell's research focuses on identifying common industrial materials that can be utilized as dielectric electroactive polymers, characterizing and enhancing their material properties, and identifying methods of manufacturing such materials including roll to roll processes and 3-D printing. Her work focuses on utilizing these materials for industrial projects and medical applications.