Engineering Commons^™

Energy Conservation Day: Symbolism Doesn’T Pay, Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan

Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan

The much publicised panting competition at school level on the occasion of Energy Conservation Day was a good effort to send message to consumers to influence their energy consumption behaviour. But the effect is minuscule.

As a child one might have walked or cycled to school. But as a breadwinner, once energy related decisions largely get influenced by one's income level and opportunities and restrictions.

Developing Professional Skills In Stem Students: Data Information Literacy, Lisa Zilinski, Megan R. Sapp Nelson, Amy S. Van Epps

Lisa Zilinski

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need …

Control And Resilience Within The Maritime Traffic Management Domain, Gesa Praetorius

Gesa Praetorius

This article presents research conducted within the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) domain. VTS is a service that is provided close to ports and geographically challenging areas to support merchant vessels in their navigation. Although VTS is legally an advice and assistance service, applying concepts from Cognitive Systems Engineering and Resilience Engineering can highlight how the joint human-machine system works to promote safe and efficient traffic movements. The VTS is a Joint Cognitive System that maintains control through a mixture of opportunistic and tactical control. Strategic control is only partially supported by the higher levels of system aggregation that provide the …

Electronic Supplement: Value Focused Thinking For Community-Based Organizations: Objectives And Acceptance In Local Development, Jeffrey Keisler, David A. Turcotte, Rachel B. Drew, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Michael P. Johnson

This is an electronic supplement to the manuscript "Value Focused Thinking for Community-Based Organizations: Objectives and Acceptance in Local Development", published by the EURO Journal on Decision Processes.

Community Impacts Of Decision Modeling For Foreclosed Redevelopment, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Alvine Sangang, Buki Usidame

Michael P. Johnson

Community development corporations purchase distressed housing to rehabilitate for renter or owner-occupancy. These mission-driven organizations, skilled in the business of housing development, often lack analytic expertise to determine which acquisitions to pursue that would maximize social impact. This paper presents results, using actual purchase data from a Boston-area CDC, to assess the potential social benefits associated with using a decision model as compared to conventional practices.

Data And Analytics For Neighborhood Development: Smart Shrinkage Decision Modeling In Baltimore, Maryland, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Justin Hollander, Eliza D. Whiteman

Michael P. Johnson

Many older cities in the United States confront the problem of long-term declines in population and economic activity in certain neighborhoods have resulted in blighted conditions that make conventional revitalization initiatives based on increased residential and commercial development unlikely to succeed. Planning scholars have developed a theory of smart shrinkage in which emphasis is placed on non-residential land uses that can maintain and improve quality of life while positioning some land for future growth-oriented activities (Hollander and Németh 2011). Smart shrinkage research and practice involves application of methods from information technology and decision science to identify vacant and abandoned parcels …

Improved Hydrogen Storage Properties Of Mgh2 Doped With Chlorides Of Transition Metals Hf And Fe, M Ismail Ismail, Yue Zhao, Xuebin Yu, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

The effects of HfCl4 and FeCl3 addition on the de/rehydrogenation properties of MgH2 were investigated. Both HfCl4 and FeCl3-doped MgH2 samples started to released hydrogen at about 270 °C, a decreased of about 70 °C and about 140 °C compared to as-milled and as-received MgH2, respectively. In terms of the desorption kinetics, the HfCl4-doped MgH2 sample showed significant improvement, with 6.0 wt.% hydrogen released within 10 min at 300 °C, while the FeCl3-doped MgH2 and undoped MgH2 samples released 3.5 and 0.2 wt.% hydrogen, respectively, under the same conditions. In terms of the absorption kinetics, 5.5 wt.% hydrogen was charged …

Electrospun P2-Type Na 2/3 (Fe 1/2 Mn 1/2 )O 2 Hierarchical Nano Fibers As Cathode Material For Sodium-Ion Batteries, Sujith Kalluri, Kuok Hau Seng, Wei Kong Pang, Zaiping Guo, Zhixin Chen, Hua-Kun Liu, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Sodium-ion batteries can be the best alternative to lithium-ion batteries, because of their similar electrochemistry, nontoxicity, and elemental abundance and the low cost of sodium. They still stand in need of better cathodes in terms of their structural and electrochemical aspects.

Large Piezoelectric Coefficient And Ferroelectric Nanodomain Switching In Ba(Ti0.80zr0.20)O3-0.5(Ba0.70ca 0.30)Tio3 Nanofibers And Thin Films, A Jalalian, A Grishin, Xiaolin Wang, Zhenxiang Cheng, S X. Dou

Shi Xue Dou

Currently available low-dimensional piezoelectric materials show a low piezoelectric coefficient d33 of merely 100 pm V-1 with Pb(Zr, Ti)O3-based materials at the high end. Here, we report very large piezoelectricity in Ba(Ti0.80Zr0.20)O 3-0.5(Ba0.70Ca0.30)TiO3 (BTZ-0.5BCT) lead-free nanostructures sintered as thin films (d33 = 140 pm V -1) and nanofibers (d33 = 180 pm V-1). The influences of lateral size, geometry, and the clamping effect on the piezoelectric performance were investigated for both thin films and nanofibers. Combining a high piezoelectric coefficient with environmental benefits, the BTZ-0.5BCT nanostructures provide the superior functions sought for highly efficient piezoelectric devices and electromechanical systems. 2014 …

Strategy Design For Community Response To Distress And Decline Using Data Analytics, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Michael P. Johnson

The foreclosure crisis in the U.S. has resulted in immense economic and social losses for individuals and neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods face long-term declines in population and economic activity that have been compounded by the foreclosure crisis. How can government and non-profit organizations design responses to neighborhood distress that reflect distinctive community characteristics and are consistent with long-term policy and planning goals? In this talk, I discuss alternative decision modeling strategies that support neighborhood health. Where foreclosure responses are likely to ensure that neighborhoods remain vital places for residential housing, productive strategies may include property acquisition and redevelopment. Other neighborhoods, however, …

Urban Blue Space And "The Project Of The Century": Doing Justice On The Seattle Waterfront And For Local Residents, Anne Wessells

Anne Taufen

No abstract provided.

Alternative Al Production Methods: Part 2 - Thermodynamic Analyses Of Indirect Carbothermal Routes, M A. Dewan, M A. Rhamdhani, G A. Brooks, B J. Monaghan, L Prentice

Brian Monaghan

It has been widely claimed that direct and indirect carbothermic reduction of alumina for the production of aluminium have the potential to consume less energy, generate fewer perfluorocarbons and have lower total greenhouse gas emissions compared to the Hall-He´ roult process. A review of alternative aluminium production techniques focusing on the indirect carbothermal reduction routes has been presented in the Part 1 paper. In this Part 2 paper, systematic thermodynamic analyses of indirect carbothermal reduction routes are presented. These include the analyses of the Stage 1 of the process where alumina is converted to intermediate aluminium compounds before they are …

Blast Furnace Hearth Refractory And Coke Ash Mineral Interactions, P B. Drain, M W. Chapman, R J. Nightingale, B J. Monaghan

Brian Monaghan

In the blast furnace hearth the calcium aluminate by-products of coke dissolution can react with the hearth refractories. Reactions between these coke ash minerals and the aluminosilicate and alumina-carbon hearth refractories may result in increased refractory wear reducing the blast furnace campaign life. Hence improved understanding of these interactions may have implications for the campaign life of the blast furnace hearth refractory materials. The interactions between the coke ash minerals and aluminosilicate hearth refractory have been assessed by heating samples of calcium aluminates (CA, CA2 & CA6) coupled with aluminosilicate refractory to temperatures representative of the blast furnace hearth (1450 …

Thermodynamic Considerations Of The Corrosion Of Nickel Ferrite Refractory By Na3alf6-Alf3-Caf2-Al 2o3 Bath, Raymond Longbottom, Sharon Nightingale, Brian Monaghan

Brian Monaghan

Thermodynamic analysis was carried out to interpret the results of corrosion testing of nickel ferrite samples in cryolite-based baths. The equilibrium between cryolite-based baths and nickel ferrite was considered. Isopleths between cryolite-based baths and nickel ferrite confirmed that for the temperature range of interest (1223-1273 K) there was limited solubility of nickel ferrite in the bath. To better understand the formation of the metal from nickel ferrite, the effect of reducing potentials on nickel ferrite and nickel ferrite-cryolite-based bath systems were considered. The formation of a metal phase was predicted at relatively high pO2. The metal phase was nickel-rich at …

Flow Of Molten Slag Through Coke Channels, Hazem Labib George, Brian Joseph Monaghan, Raymond James Longbottom, Sheng Jason Chew, Peter Richard Austin

Brian Monaghan

In the lower zone of the iron making blast furnace, liquid iron and slag descend counter-current to reducing gases through a packed bed of coke. The characteristics of the flow of these liquids and their holdup influence product quality and furnace operation. The present study aimed to establish the criteria for the passage of slag through the narrow pore necks that form between coke particles. The flow of slag through coke pore necks has been simulated using an experimental technique that assesses slag flow from a funnel entering a narrow channel of known diameter. Synthetic coke was mainly used to …

Alternative Al Production Methods: Part 1 - A Review Of Indirect Carbothermal Routes, M A. Rhamdhani, M A. Dewan, G A. Brooks, B J. Monaghan, L Prentice

Brian Monaghan

The production of Al from its ores at present relies on the Bayer (alumina production) and the Hall- Heroult (Al production) process. The cost associated with alumina production and apparent disadvantages of the Hall-Heroult process have led to intensive research to find alternative routes for Al production. The direct carbothermal reduction process has been thoroughly investigated as an alternative technique. Another alternative includes the indirect carbothermal reduction route where alumina (or aluminous ores) is first reduced to intermediate Al compounds before reduced further to Al. The present study reviews and provides systematic thermodynamic analyses of alternative Al production routes. In …

The Dynamic Wetting Characteristics Of Ladle Slags On Spinel, Hamed Abdeyazdan, Neslihan Dogan, Muhammad Rhamdhani, Michael W. Chapman, Brian Monaghan

Brian Monaghan

Inclusion removal by slag is primarily achieved by optimizing process conditions that promote slag contact with the inclusion. For efficient inclusion removal the inclusions must adhere to the slag phase. The strength of the attachment can be characterised by the wettability of the slag on the inclusions.

Behaviour Of New Zealand Ironsand During Iron Ore Sintering, Zhe Wang, Harold Rogers, David Pinson, Brian J. Monaghan, Sheng Chew, Paul Zulli, Sharon Nightingale, Guangqing Zhang

Brian Monaghan

Titanium-bearing burdens are commonly introduced into blast furnaces to protect the hearlh because the so-called "titanium bear" which is a precipitate of carbide, nitride and carbonitride of titanium may form in the blast furnace hearth if Ti02 is present in the feed [1 , 2J. New Zealand ironsand is a titanomagnetite, containing around 60 wt.% iron, 8 wt.% titanium and other substances such as silica, phosphorus and lime [3, 4]. Since it is competitive in price, introduction of the ironsand into the ferrous feed can reduce the production cost and potentially increase blast furnace campaign life. An appropriate method of …

Inclusion Reactivity: Morphology And Composition Changes Of Spinel (Mgal2o4) In Steel, Neslihan Dogan, Raymond Longbottom, Mark Henry Reid, Michael W. Chapman, Paton Wilson, Les Moore, Brian Monaghan

Brian Monaghan

Due to an ever increasing demand for cleaner, high quality steels, there is an increasing push for steelmakers to lower the non-metallic inclusion contents of the steel they produce. Understanding inclusion reactivity in steel is key in producing high quality steels at high production rates. Our current knowledge in controlling and predicting inclusion development during liquid steel processing is limited. In this study, spinel (MgAI204) inclusions of close to stoichiometric MgO.AI2O3 and known size distribution where added to the liquid steel bath prior to assessing their reactivity. The pO2 of the gas phase was controlled to 10-13 atm throughout the …

Interfacial Assessment Of Cao-Al2o3-Sio2-Mgo Slags On Mgal2o4 Spinel, Hamed Abdeyazdan, Neslihan Dogan, M Akbar Rhamdhani, Michael Chapman, Brian J. Monaghan

Brian Monaghan

Steel cleanness is an important and growing research area driven by the demands to produce high quality steel. Lowering the inclusion content in steel is an important criterion for clean steel. It is therefore important to better understand the interaction between inclusions and slag to improve the removability of inclusions from liquid steel. For efficient inclusion removal the inclusions must attach/bond with the slag phase. The strength of the attachment can be characterised by the wettability of the slag on the inclusions. In this study, the dynamic wetting of ladle slags of the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2- MgO system on a solid spinel …

Strength And Bonding In Reduced Ironsand-Coal Compacts, R J. Longbottom, B J. Monaghan, S A. Nightingale, J G. Mathieson

Brian Monaghan

In this investigation, the strength and bonding within reduced ironsand-coal compacts were studied, with the aim of better understanding the binding mechanisms in the reduced compacts and, based on this understanding, to improve their strength. Ironsand ore and sub-bituminous coal were mixed and pressed into compacts, which were reduced by heating in a thermogravimetric furnace to temperatures between 1273 and 1573 K under argon. The progress of the reaction was monitored by measuring the weight loss with time. The reduced compacts were found to have low strength in compression testing. The main form of bonding between the reduced ironsand particles …

Modeling Of Thin Strip Profile During Cold Rolling On Roll Crossing And Shifting Mill, A Aljabri, Z Y. Jiang, D B. Wei, X D. Wang, H Tibar

Abdulrahman Daifullah Aljabri

Strip profile control in cold rolling of thin strip is a difficult and challenge problem found in industry. Currently using the novel type of strip rolling mill, such as the work roll crossing and shifting is the one of the main methods to control the strip profile quality in cold rolling. In this paper, 3-D finite element simulation models of the thin strip profile in cold rolling for the work roll crossing and shifting system were successfully developed. The strip profile and edge drop are discussed considering both crossing angle and shifting value of the work rolls. The research shows …

Analysis Of Thin Strip Profile During Asymmetrical Cold Rolling With Roll Crossing And Shifting Mill, Abdulrahman Aljabri, Zhengyi Jiang, Dongbin Wei

Abdulrahman Daifullah Aljabri

Strip profile control during rolling is required to assure the dimensional quality of rolled thin strip is acceptable for customers. Throughout rolling, the strip profile is controlled by using the advanced shape control rolling mill, such as the combination of work roll crossing and shifting during asymmetrical rolling, the one of the valuable methods to control the strip profile quality in rolling process. In this paper, the influences of cold rolling parameters such as the crossing angle and axial shifting value of work rolls on the strip profile are analysed. The strip shape control is discussed under both symmetrical and …

Thin Strip Profile Control Capability Of Roll Crossing And Shifting In Cold Rolling Mill, Abdulrahman Aljabri, Zhengyi Jiang, Dongbin Wei, Xiaodong Wang, Hassan Tibar

Abdulrahman Daifullah Aljabri

Controlling cold strip profile is a difficult and significant problem has been found in industry during thin strip rolling. At present choosing the new type of strip rolling mill is the one of main methods to control the strip shape quality in cold rolling. The influences of rolling process parameters such as the work roll cross angle and work roll shifting on the strip shape and profile of thin strip are recognised throughout this study. The results show that the roll crossing and shifting is efficient way to control the strip shape. The increase of the work roll crossing angle …

Public Street Surveillance: A Psychometric Study On The Perceived Social Risk, David J. Brooks

David J Brooks Dr.

Public street surveillance, a domain of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), has grown enormously and is becoming common place with increasing utilization in society as an all-purpose security tool. Previous authors (Ditton, 1999; Davies, 1998; Horne, 1998; Tomkins, 1998) have raised concern over social, civil and privacy issues, but there has been limited research to quantify these concerns. There are a number of core aspects that could relocate the risk perception and therefore, social support of public street surveillance. This study utilized the psychometric paradigm to quantitatively measure the social risk perception of public street surveillance. The psychometric paradigm is a …

Vessel Traffic Service (Vts): A Maritime Information Service Or Traffic Control System? Understanding Everyday Performance And Resilience In A Socio-Technical System Under Change, Gesa Praetorius

Gesa Praetorius

Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) is a shore-side maritime assistance service that supports bridge teams in their safe navigation of port approaches and other areas that present navigational difficulties. The VTS is implemented in national waters and provides vessels with information through transmissions and broadcasts on Very High Frequency (VHF) radio. With a continued growth in the number, size and cargo volumes of merchant vessels, the role of the VTS has recently become a matter of discussion, and it has been argued that changes, such as implementing an aviation-like control system, would be of an enormous benefit for stakeholders and guarantee …

The Asian Evolution Of High Speed Rail, Philip G. Laird

Dr Philip Laird

In Australia, in 2001, the Howard government released an East Coast HSR Scoping Study. This followed two major investigations by the private sector into HSR options for Australia; the first being a Sydney Canberra Melbourne Very Fast Train as proposed in 1984 by CSIRO, and the second being the Sydney Canberra Speed HSR proposal.

Too Many Loads On Our Roads When Rail Is The Answer, Philip Laird

Dr Philip Laird

“Without trucks, Australia stops” is now a fact of modern life. But when all costs are considered, road freight is an expensive way of moving large amounts of freight. And, as shown by ongoing fatal crashes involving large trucks, road freight can also be dangerous. The main beneficiaries of road freight are not the truck drivers who work hard in a dangerous occupation, but the companies that choose to consign large quantities of freight by road. Road freight has seen strong growth, in part, due to good service levels and major road improvements that include highways with dual carriageways and …

Railroad Privatization And Deregulation: Lessons From Three Decades Of Experience Worldwide, Randolph Resor, Philip Laird

Dr Philip Laird

Railroads exist worldwide, on all inhabited continents. The rail industry began nearly 200 years ago as a series of privately financed ventures in the United Kingdom and the United States, but the ownership model rapidly evolved during the 19th Century. By the middle of the 20th Century, railroads in most parts of the world were government-owned.

A Balanced Approach Is Needed For Sydney - Brisbane Freight, Philip Laird

Dr Philip Laird

No abstract provided.