Affiliations
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
University of Waterloo
Contact Information
Phone: (519)-888-4567, ext. 36963
Office: E3-3134A
Email: apequegn@uwaterloo.ca
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1
Canada
Biographical Information
April 2008: BASc, Mechanical Engineering, Specializing in Welding and Joining Processes, University of Waterloo
April 2010: MASc, Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo
MASc thesis title: A Study of the Electrical Flame off Process During Thermosonic Wire Bonding with Novel Wire Materials
Research Projects
Microwelding work
As a leader of the microwelding subgroup of the Centre for Advanced Materials Joining, I am exposed to many different projects at all times.
Projects that are currently underway include:
1. Joining of dissimilar materials using laser microwelding (LMW) and resistance microwelding (RMW) processes (i.e. PtIr-SS, NiTi-SS, etc.)
2. Hermetic sealing of titanium medical device components using LMW
3. Joining of Nitinol alloys using LMW and RMW
Project supervisor(s)
- Professor Y. Norman Zhou
Processing of shape memory alloys
Shape memory alloys (SMAs) such as, but not limited to, Nitinol, find increasing applications in many industries because of their unique properties. These unique properties include the shape memory effect (SME), pseudo-elasticity (PE), and biocompatibility. Up until recently, SMAs have been limited to having only a single shape memory, which limits the functionality of monolithic components. A state-of-the art processing technology, developed at the University of Waterloo, has successfully demonstrated the ability to embed multiple memories and alter PE properties. Using this technology, the local properties of a monolithic piece of Nitinol can be altered to produce a multiple-memory-material (MMM). There are countless applications of this groundbreaking technology, particularly in the medical industry where Nitinol is already utilized in numerous medical device applications. There is, however, still a lack of fundamental understanding of the effects of processing Nitinol in literature. Therefore, research in this area has great potential to provide significant contribution to the smart materials industry. The knowledge and engineering know-how gained through this work is essential in the advancement of knowledge in the smart materials field and to increase flexibility in the design of Nitinol devices.
Project supervisor(s)
- Professor Y. Norman Zhou
Research Interests
- Advanced materials processing techniques
- Laser microwelding (LMW) and resistance microwelding (RMW) processes
- Manufacturing of medical devices
- Biomaterials engineering and how materials react with the human body
- Analytical techniques such as high resolution electron microscopy (i.e. SEM, FETEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
- Thermosonic wire bonding for microelectronic applications (MASc thesis work)
Selected Publications
- W.H. Song, C.J. Hang, A. Pequegnat, M. Mayer, Y. Zhou, Y.K. Song, and J. Persic, “Comparison of Insulated with bare Au bonding wire: HAZ length, HAZ breaking force, and FAB deformability”, Journal of Electronic Materials (2009), Vol. 38, No. 6, pp.834-842
- A. Pequegnat, C.J. Hang, M. Mayer, Y. Zhou, J.T. Moon, and J. Persic, “Effect of EFO current on online deformability vs. microhardness for both Au and Cu wire”, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Engineering (2009), Vol. 20, pp. 1144-1149.
Thesis Supervisor(s)
- Professor Y. Norman Zhou