Digital Commons Network^™

Cooling Of Qps Modular Coils Using Embedded Copper Tubes, Shankar Narasimhaswami

Masters Theses

In an era of insatiable appetite for energy, mankind is challenged to develop a sustainable, safe and clean means of energy production, which would virtually eliminate the existing dependence on fossil fuels. In this regard, Nuclear Fusion technology would give man a quantum leap to mark a near end to the long-term energy concerns and redefine the basis of energy production on earth and elsewhere. This explanation holds rationale on two principal elements 1-Abundant supply of cheap fusion fuel and 2-Surpassingly superior energy production efficiency.

But, as every boon comes with a ‘But’, the criticality of technology is that fusion …

A Distributed Solution For Visual Sensor Networks To Detect Targets In Crowds, Cheng Qian

Masters Theses

Visual sensor networks (VSNs), a novel concept about fulfilling vision tasks by a network of collaborative visual sensors, has been attracting more and more attentions these days. This thesis introduces some pioneering research on developing a distributed algorithm for VSNs to detect targets in a cluttered scene. The algorithm is aimed to achieve excellent performances on both detection accuracy and energy efficiency.

Based on a statistical model of the cluttered scene, the development starts with a centralized version where all the nodes send visual data to a central node and the central node invokes an iterative prioritization strategy (IPS) to …

Integrated Corridor Management: Operational Strategies Under Interstate Diversion Scenarios, Shaun Michael Quayle

Masters Theses

This thesis looks at operational strategies to increase capacity within the context of Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) under a non-recurring Interstate incident scenario. This incident scenario creates lengthy queues and increased delay and travel times on the Interstate, forcing a portion of Interstate traffic to utilize alternate routes throughout the corridor, changing the network traffic patterns. Particular operational strategies are tested under this premise to qualify and mildly quantify the benefits of relaying incident and diversion routing information to corridor drivers, mimicking ITS information dissemination elements such as changeable message signs, highway advisory radio, in vehicle navigation systems and etc. …

Effectiveness Of Alternative Detector Configurations For Option Zone Protection On High-Speed Approaches To Traffic Signals, Jianwen Si

Masters Theses

Safety and efficiency are both prime issues of concern at high-speed signalized intersections. However, although safety problems at high-speed signalized intersections can be mitigated by the application of detector configurations with option zone protection, such configurations can themselves create problems. For example extending the green indication to the maximum time can create max-out situations which terminates the phase without regard for vehicle location. The detector configurations with option zone protection may also produce higher delay times for vehicles on other approaches at the intersection.

In this study, four detector configurations with option zone protection features-- the Single Detector configuration, the …

Installing A Night Vision Imaging System In The Cf-188 Hornet: Compatibility Of Warning And Caution Lights, Andrew John Soundy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the NVIS compatibility of fire warning lights as installed during a NVIS upgrade of the CF-188 Hornet for operation with Generation 3 AN/AVS-9 night vision goggles. Data was gathered and compared to the specifications listed in MIL-STD-3009 to determine suitability of the implemented design. Of particular concern during the execution of this project was the compatibility of fire warning lights for operation in both day-time and night-time conditions with respect to NVIS radiance. The initial design placed the NVIS radiance of cockpit warning lights at a level commensurate with that suggested by …

Rheology Of 1- Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride Cellulose Solutions, Joy Louise Watson

Masters Theses

Cellulose is the most common organic polymer on earth. It is a natural, biodegradable polymer that can be obtained from any number of renewable sources. Wood, a major source of cellulose, contains cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses. It can be used to make regenerated cellulosic fibers such as rayon whose manufacturing process involves chemicals which are toxic to humans and the environment. Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of environmentally benign solvents some of which dissolve cellulose.

Cellulose can be dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C₄mim]Cl), an IL. Solutions of [C₄mim]Cl and cellulose with various concentrations were prepared …

Design And Optimization Of A Wind Deflector For Round-Nose Md-500 Series Helicopters, James Joseph Wright

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the problem experienced by the numerous rotary wing operators whose operations require flight with personnel seated outside the fuselage or with doors off. This investigation is specific to the round nose configured MD-500 series aircraft due to test aircraft availability and the wide range of missions it conducts worldwide. During cruise flight, personnel exposed to the aircraft slipstream are subjected to high wind loads and extreme wind chill effects, compromising their ability to perform required tasks. External passengers also add to the overall helicopter parasite drag, decreasing its performance as well as interfering with the crew through …

Preparation And Characterization Of Melt Blown And Electro-Spun Polyurethane Webs, Constance Rebecca Eastman

Masters Theses

Nonwoven fiber webs were formed through the processes of melt blowing and electro-spinning with the use of polyester thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), aromatic polyether TPU, and aliphatic polycarbonate TPU. Each polyurethane was used to form fiber webs into sheets and onto stainless steel springs. Three types of fiber sheets were made: (1) melt blown, (2) electro-spun, and (3) melt blown coated with electro-spun fibers to form a composite structure. The melt blown sheets consisted of polyether TPU or aliphatic polycarbonate (PC) TPU. The electro-spun sheets were made from a 15wt% polymer solution of polyester TPU or aliphatic PC TPU. There were …

An Investigation Of Different Golf Ball Dimple Flow Fields, Walter Robert Michalchuk

Masters Theses

This experimental study evaluated the potential of various golf ball dimple designs to reduce the drag produced by a golf ball in flight. An experimental setup using four dimple models placed between the leading and trailing edges of a wing section was used. A traditional spherical dimple design was used as the baseline to comparatively study and evaluate the results of the other three different designs. This study was performed on scaled dimple geometries in a water channel at realistic Reynolds number. Surface dye flow visualization, pressure measurements and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) were used to evaluate the various designs. …

Lignin Composites With Phenol-Acrylates Cured By Electron Beam, Seth N. Bowman

Masters Theses

As the major by-product of the pulp and paper industry, determining a use for lignin represents a key priority to almost any bio-materials research organization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the interaction with and effects of lignin within phenol- acrylate composites cured by electron beam, characterizing changes to both physical and chemical properties. In order to more fully characterize the effects of lignin, results of pure lignin as well as cellulose samples subjected to electron beam radiation and tested by FT-IR are presented. For the composite material, results of both DMA and FT-IR spectroscopy will be presented. …

A Resource Efficient Localized Recurrent Neural Network Architecture And Learning Algorithm, Daniel Borisovich Budik

Masters Theses

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are widely acknowledged as an effective tool that can be employed by a wide range of applications that store and process temporal sequences. The ability of RNNs to capture complex, nonlinear system dynamics has served as a driving motivation for their study. RNNs have the potential to be effectively used in modeling, system identification and adaptive control applications, to name a few, where other techniques fall short. Most of the proposed RNN learning algorithms rely on the calculation of error gradients with respect to the network weights. What distinguishes recurrent neural networks from static, or feedforward …

Forced Resonant Periodic Shock Waves And Mean Pressure Shift In A Closed Tube, Eric James Jacob

Masters Theses

The thesis outlines an experiment done in the oscillation of a closed tube near to its fundamental frequency. A tube with a length of ten feet was oscillated via a piston driven by a DC motor. The pressure waveform and mean pressure was recorded at the end of the tube and the mean pressure was measured at the middle of the tube. When the tube was excited near to its 1^st mode non-linear features such as shock-like waveforms, cascading of energy to higher modes and mean pressure shift were recorded.

These Results are only possible to predict by using …

Analysis Of Information Networks Of Freshman Engineering Students, Sara Noel Abdulla

Masters Theses

The main purpose of this study was to determine if social interaction within the University of Tennessee, Knoxville college freshman engineering classrooms correlates with academic performance. Also of interest was whether the interactions between genders had a significant affect on academic performance. Better academic performance is cited in the literature as improving retention and graduation rates; therefore, if factors that affect academic performance can be understood measures can be taken to help students perform better.

Five UT freshman engineering classes were surveyed to determine their level of involvement with the rest of the members in their class. Academic performance of …

Processing And Characterization Of A Novel Bioabsorbable Polymer For Biomedical Applications, Katherine Atchley

Masters Theses

A series of amino acid based bioanalogous polymers have been synthesized by Dr. C. C. Chu at Cornell University for future use in biomedical applications. These poly(ester amide)s have been designed to be bioabsorbable, with particular interest in internal fixation and drug delivery applications. The polymers PEA 4-Phe-4, 4-Phe-Das, and 8-Phe-Das were studied; however, due to better material properties, the focus mainly centered on 4-Phe-4. Since these are new polymers, processing conditions needed to be determined and the structure and properties characterized. The fibers were also processed post-extrusion in an effort to induce orientation and crystallinity within the polymer chains. …

Design And Implementation Of A Complex-Conjugate Shaper And Baseline Restorer For A Silicon-Based Neutron Detector Front-End, Jonathan Lanier Britton

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a CMOS shaper with baseline restoration for use in the silicon-based neutron detector front-end to be used at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The system consists of a voltage-to-current (V-to-I) converter, a four-pole complex-conjugate semi-Gaussian current-input active filter, and a ground-sensing baseline restorer (BLR) operational transconductance amplifier (OTA). The first prototype chip Patara has been fabricated in the TSMC 0.35-micron process, and experimental results show that proper functionality was achieved. The shaper, which is influenced by a real pole prior to the V-to-I converter, has …

Compressible Flow In Slab Rocket Motors, Brian A. Maicke

Masters Theses

In this thesis, the compressible flow inside a rectangular, porous channel is considered. A Rayleigh-Janzen perturbation is applied to the inviscid, steady, two-dimensional, isentropic flow equations. Closed form expressions are derived for the main properties of interest. The results of the study are verified via numerical simulation, with laminar and turbulent models, and with available experimental data. The critical point where the flow field reaches sonic conditions is determined analytically. Our analysis captures the steepening of the velocity profiles that has been reported in several studies using either computational or experimental methods. Explicit design criteria are presented to quantify the …

Using Gps And Gis To Evaluate Military Vehicle Traffic Patterns For The Prediction Of Vegetation Removal, Matthew Kendall Rice

Masters Theses

Military vehicle traffic during military training at installations can result in land degradation, vegetation removal, and increased soil erosion in training areas. Multiple vehicle passes (possible column movement) over the same terrain result in more severe damage to the soil and vegetation. Military training area land managers have a responsibility to manage the military lands in a sustainable way and maintain the environmental integrity of the land. This study utilized the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to evaluate military vehicle traffic patterns to predict vegetation removal. Investigation included vehicle tracking, estimation of impact during maneuvers, comparison …

Synthesis Of Lipase-Catalyzed Saccharide-Fatty Acid Esters Using A Packed Bed Bioreactor System With Continuous Re-Circulation Of Reaction Medium: A Continuation Of Batch-Mode-Related Research, Oriana Okutu Obiri

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis study was to further study the batch synthesis of lipase- catalyzed saccharide-fatty acid esters and to introduce the fed-batch synthesis of saccharide-fatty acid esters as a preliminary design to the continuous synthesis of these esters in a packed bed bioreactor system. The batch reaction method is the conventional mode of synthesizing saccharide-fatty acid esters on a lab-scale basis and some conversion-related parameters of the reaction mode were investigated. These experiments included investigating the effect of water content on the equilibrium conversion of fructose oleates and exploring the activity retention of immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase (RML) …

“Design, Development And Characterization Of A Thermal Sensor Brick System For Modular Robotics, Nikhil Arun Naik

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the work on thermal imaging sensor brick (TISB) system for modular robotics. The research demonstrates the design, development and characterization of the TISB system. The TISB system is based on the design philosophy of sensor bricks for modular robotics. In under vehicle surveillance for threat detection, which is a target application of this work we have demonstrated the advantages of the TISB system over purely vision-based systems. We have highlighted the advantages of the TISB system as an illumination invariant threat detection system for detecting hidden threat objects in the undercarriage of a car. We have compared …

Experimental Analyses Of An Atmospheric Pressure Electrical Plasma Decontaminator, Eric Pius Pradeep

Masters Theses

Electrical Gas Plasmas have been widely utilized in the frontiers of sterilization and disinfection of hazardous chemicals and unsafe microorganisms. In this research Atmospheric Pressure Non-thermal Plasma has been employed using various working gases such as air, helium and nitrogen to study its decontamination effects. Focus is given to analyze the constituents of the plasma such as UV light, charged particles, and chemical components produced during the operation of the discharge which influences the incapacitation of the exposed entities, in this specific study, only bacteria and bacteriophages were exposed. Biological tests involved the cultivation of bacteria and bacteriophages on Petri …

Application Of Energy Analysis To The Problem Of Propulsion Driven Nutation Instability Of Spin Stabilized Spacecraft, Tina Morina Rice

Masters Theses

Propulsion driven nutation instability in spin stabilized spacecraft was first observed in the late nineteen seventies. It’s often referred to as the PAM-D coning anomaly, as it first occurred in the McDonnell Douglas Payload Assist Module (PAM-D). Propulsion driven nutation instability is a performance degrading phenomenon that occurs in spin-stabilized spacecraft used for the raising of satellite payloads to geosynchronous orbit. It is characterized by a coning (wobbling) motion that grows to a large degree during the final seconds of motor burn. The instability is clearly related to the increased size of the rocket needed to support the increasing …

Characterization Of Processes Used In Nanofabrication Of Digital Electrostatic E-Beam Array Lithography (Deal) Devices, Ryan Benjamine Rucker

Masters Theses

The ultimate goal of this research was to nanofabricate an advanced field emission electron beam lithography platform using an electron beam induced deposition process (EBID) to deposit tungsten (W) nanofibers cathodes. In order to fabricate the devices, it was necessary to characterize the reactive ion etching (RIE) processes for the fabrication of the Digital Electrostatic e-beam Array Lithography (DEAL) device. To optimize the reactive ion etch processes of the silicon and silicon dioxide layers, a JMP desktop statistical discovery software from SAS® was employed to design a set of experiments. The design of experiments (DOE) employed variable conditions of R.F. …

A Parametric Study Of Water Vapor Condensation In Supersonic Nozzle Flow Fields, Todd Branson Vanpelt

Masters Theses

Combustion driven hypersonic and supersonic wind tunnels are impaired in their flight simulation abilities by the condensation of water vapor introduced into the test stream by the burning byproducts of air and hydrocarbon fuels. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the abilities of a condensation model to predict the beginning axial locations of vapor changing into liquid droplets and study the correlations with initial combustion chamber conditions. A test matrix with different fuels, chamber pressure, and equivalence ratio was applied to the FIRACON model written by Erickson, et al. [7] using the dimensions of the NASA Langley …

An Experimental Study Of Incompressible Axisymmetric Cavity Flow With Swirl, Lee Charles Wendell

Masters Theses

A systematic study was performed of the flow phenomena in an axisymmetric cavity. Axial flow Reynolds numbers ranged from 100,000 to 530,000 for cavity L/D range of 0.25 to 1.65. Working medium for this study was water reflecting that only incompressible domain of cavity flow was covered in this study. Previous results of axisymmetric flow investigations were reproduced and extended to lower L/D values, with the modified test article. Introduction of swirl in the cavity flow was studied in detail for its effects on the enhancement or suppression of cavity modes that have been measured.

The axial apparatus tested here …

Terminal Velocity Determinations For Component Separation Biomas, Sarah Elizabeth Klasek

Masters Theses

Biomass processors require a technology that will separate node and internode segments to enhance the end product or to reduce production cost. Separation techniques that segregate by particle density and aerodynamic differences use terminal velocity properties as exemplified by classifiers and cyclones.

A fabricated vertical wind tunnel for determining terminal velocity had a velocity range from 3.0 to 9.5 m/s. Velocity variations between highest and lowest readings across the outlet was a maximum of about 20% at a given air velocity. Comparisons of measured terminal velocity to values calculated using Mohsenin (Mohsenin, N.N. 1970. Physical Properties of Plant and Animal …

Developing A Model To Evaluate Maintenance Operations, Soundararajan Kannan

Masters Theses

Maintenance has become a prominent function in today's manufacturing environment. Tremendous efforts have been put into in developing different types of maintenance strategies for enhancing the performance of the equipment but very little has been done in actually streamlining maintenance activities. This refers to systematically evaluating and analyzing the non-value added activities within the maintenance function. One of the primary lean tools that can provide a different dimension in identifying and analyzing non-value added activities is Value Stream Mapping (VSM). However, the traditional VSM cannot be utilized "as is" because the maintenance activities do not completely correspond with VSM terminology. …

Controlling The Dispersion Of Nanoparticles In Polymer Matrices, Chang-Uk Lee

Masters Theses

The dispersion of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix is a critical parameter to design and realize targeted morphologies and properties of a final polymer-based nanocomposite. This thesis presents experimental studies to investigate the dispersion of nanoparticles is polymer matrices using specific intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the nanoparticles and polymer matrices under two main topics.

The first topic is the impact of sample preparation processes on the properties of polymer carbon nanotube nanocomposites. Polymer nanocomposites composed of poly(styrene-co-vinyl phenol) (PSVPh) copolymers and 5 wt % multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were prepared from three different methods, including melt-mixing and solution casting. The …

Increasing The Reliability Of General Purpose Bomb Fuzing In Precision Strike Warfare, Mitchell Ralph Conover

Masters Theses

The advent of modern high-precision guided airborne weapons has increased the need for extremely reliable bomb fuzing systems. An electro-mechanical bomb fuzing system is currently used in U.S. Navy and Air Force General Purpose bomb based-weapons to include Joint Direct Attack Munition and Laser Guided Bombs. The demonstrated reliability of that fuzing system in combat operations on average has been less than perfect. The operational commanders have expressed that this is unacceptable since any dud results in coalition forces being held at additional risk because a duded bomb could be utilized as an Improvised Explosive Device by enemy forces. Just …

Design Of A 5-V Compatible Rail-To-Rail Input/Output Operational Amplifier In 3.3-V Soi Cmos For Wide Temperature Range Operation, Robert Lee Greenwell

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a 5-V compatible operational amplifier in a 3.3-V technology capable of accepting rail-to-rail inputs, providing a rail-to-rail output swing and wide temperature range operation. The major system components consist of a fully-differential input (gain) stage and an output (driver) stage, with protection and bias circuitry components. The op amp is biased by a constant inversion coefficient current reference to optimize its performance over temperature. Measured results demonstrate the functionality of the design, which has been fabricated in a 0.35-µm, partially-depleted silicon-on-insulator (PDSOI) CMOS process.

An Evaluation Of The Ah-64 Night Vision Systems For Use In 21st Century Urban Combat, John Kevin Heinecke

Masters Theses

Currently one of the most arduous and dangerous aviation missions for the military attack helicopter pilot is the night combat mission. The mission entails flight at close proximity to the ground and obstacles such as wires, trees, and buildings in an effort to avoid detection by enemy air defense and insurgent small arms fire. Night flight requires the use of augmented vision systems and enhanced aircraft stability and control systems to allow pilots to effectively see and negotiate those hazards that would otherwise be visible during daylight.

The U.S. Army currently fields two variants of augmented visionics, the Aviator Night …