Nidal Abu-Zahra - Associate Professor


Contact Information

Office Address:
EMS E351
3200 North Cramer Street
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Phone: 414-229-2668
Fax: 414-229-6958
Email: nidal@uwm.edu

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 784
Department of Materials Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI 53201

 Nidal Abu-Zahra
Education

Ph.D. - Manufacturing Engineering, Cleveland State University (Ohio), 1996
M.S. - Mechanical Engineering, University of Manchester (UK), 1994
B.S. - Mechanical Engineering, University of Jordan (Jordan), 1992

Research Interests

Thermolpastic extrusion and foaming processes; Polymer foam nanocomposites - synthesis and characterization; Glassfiber-CNT/CNF nanocomposites; Real-time process monitoring and characterization using ultrasound waves; Mechatronics applications in materials processing; Advanced materials processing


Selected Publications
  • Nidal Abu-Zahra, “Measuring Melt Density in Polymer Extrusion Processes Using Shear Ultrasound Waves,” Int. J. of Adv. Manufac. Tech.  Vol. 24, No. 9-10, pp 661-665  (2004).
  • Nidal H. Abu-Zahra, “In-Line Monitoring of PVC Melt Viscosity Using Dielectric Measurements,” The International Polymer Processing Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp 16-20 (2004).
  • Nidal Abu-Zahra and Taysir H. Nayfeh, “On-Line Measurement of Glass Filler in Polypropylene Compounds Containing TiO2,” The Journal of Materials Evaluation. Vol. 62, No. 1, pp 63-68 (2004).
  • Nidal Abu-Zahra, “Real-Time Viscosity and Density Measurements of Polymer Melts Using Dielectric and Ultrasound Sensors Fusion,” The International J. of Mechatronics.  Vol. 14, No. 7, pp 789-803 (2004).
  • Nidal Abu-Zahra, “Measuring Polymer Melt Density and Viscosity in Real-Time during Extrusion Processes using Ultrasound Sensors Fusion,” The International Polymer Processing Journal, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp 362-367 (2003).
  • Nidal Abu-Zahra, “Neural Network Approach to Density Control of Rigid PVC Foam in Extrusion Process,” The Int. Polymer Processing Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp 122-126 (2003).
  • Nidal Abu-Zahra and Samira Karimi, “On-Line Monitoring of PVC Foam Density Using Ultrasound Waves and Artificial Neural Networks,” International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 19, No. 8, pp 618-622 (2002).
  • T. H. Nayfeh, N. H. Abu-Zahra, W. M. Fedak, A. A. Salem, “Ultrasound Measurement of Two Filler Concentrations in Polypropylene Compounds - Part 1: Static Calibration,” International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp 313-318 (2002).
  • T. H. Nayfeh, W. M. Fedak, N. H. Abu-Zahra, A. A. Salem, “Ultrasound Measurement of Two Filler Concentrations in Polypropylene Compounds - Part 2: On-Line Calibration,” International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 20, No. 11, pp 812-816 (2002).
  • Nidal H. Abu-Zahra and Ashish Seth, “In-Process Density Control of Extruded Foam PVC Using Wavelet Packet Analysis of Ultrasound Waves,” Mechatronics, Vol. 12, pp 1083 (2002)
  • "Real-Time Tool Condition Monitoring in Turning Operations - Analytical Review," Nidal H. Abu-Zahra and Gang Yu, submitted to the Int. J. of Adv. Mfg. Tech, June 15, 2001.
  • "On-Line Monitoring of PVC Foam Density Using Ultrasound Waves and Artificial Neural Networks," Nidal Abu-Zahra AND Samira Karimi, Int. J. of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, accepted for Publication on 4/2/2001.
  • "Analytical Model For Tool Wear Monitoring in Turning Operations Using Ultrasound Waves," Nidal H. Abu-Zahra and Gang Yu International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, Vol. 40, No. 11, 2000.
  • "In-Line Density Monitoring of Rigid PVC Foam During Extrusion Process," Nidal Abu-Zahra and Hong Chang, The International Polymer Processing Journal, Vol. 15, No. 4, Dec 2000.
  • "In-Process Density Control of Foamed Polymers Using Ultrasound Waves," Nidal Abu-Zahra and Ashish Seth, 7th Int. Mechatronics Conference, Atlanta, GA, September 2000.