Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

8-2020

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M. Eng.

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Committee Chair

Williams, Stuart J.

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Brehob, Ellen G.

Committee Member

Brehob, Ellen G.

Committee Member

Watters, James

Author's Keywords

Whiskey Web; American Whiskey; Bourbon; Data Acquisition; Reel to Reel; Thermal Inkjet

Abstract

Whiskey webs are a recently discovered phenomenon in which the monolayer collapse during evaporation of diluted American whiskey results in self-assembled, web-like structures. It was found that the pattern of weblike structures were unique between different American whiskey products. It is desirable to use these unique patterns as a “fingerprint” which can be used to identify whiskeys, their chemical constituents, and perhaps even counterfeits. In pursuit of identifying whiskey products based on their web pattern, it is necessary to have a large database of samples imaged for each product. The device discussed herein is the realization of an apparatus capable of automating the droplet deposition and imaging of whiskey webs. The apparatus was shown to produce droplets with a smaller volumetric deviation than traditional methods. The apparatus will standardize the droplet deposition procedure and serve as the foundation for statistical studies of whiskey web uniqueness and chemical characterization.

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