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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Characterization Of Potential Wear Sources In Knee Arthroplasty Prostheses After In Vivo Function, Nicole Durig May 2013

Characterization Of Potential Wear Sources In Knee Arthroplasty Prostheses After In Vivo Function, Nicole Durig

All Theses

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is a common procedure generally performed in patients with osteoarthritis. While TJA continues to be a successful treatment for degenerative joint disease, there are many studies that demonstrate wear and its sequelae as the major limitation of joint replacement longevity. Previous studies have shown that wear debris originates from four main locations: articulating surfaces, modular component surfaces, surfaces of fixation, and adjuvant fixation devices. Each of these possible wear sources can initiate the cascade of failure associated with wear-induced osteolysis and lead to subsequent revision surgery. The objective of this thesis is to characterize the in …


Biohydrogen Production By Thermotoga Neapolitana In Agricultural Media, David Morris May 2013

Biohydrogen Production By Thermotoga Neapolitana In Agricultural Media, David Morris

All Theses

In this study the production of hydrogen gas by eubacteria Thermotoga neapolitana was investigated. The organism was grown using varying media of cull peach solids and soybean meal. Hydrogen, co-products, and sugar concentrations were observed and compared.
T. neapolitana grew in medium containing peaches and soybean meal as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, and produced hydrogen gas. A standard medium containing glucose and yeast extract produced the most hydrogen at 31.5 mmol H2/L-medium. Withholding the vitamins and minerals from the standard the media had a significant effect on hydrogen production reducing the amount of gas produced to 25.8 mmol H2/L-medium. …


An Experimental Study On The Influence That Failure Number, Specialization, And Domain Have On Confidence In Predicting System Failures, Somaiah Thimmaiah May 2013

An Experimental Study On The Influence That Failure Number, Specialization, And Domain Have On Confidence In Predicting System Failures, Somaiah Thimmaiah

All Theses

Design reviews are typically used for three types of design activities: 1) identifying errors, 2) assessing the impact of the errors, and 3) suggesting solutions for the errors. This experimental study focuses on understanding the second issue as it relates to the number of errors considered, the existence of controls, and the level of domain familiarity of the assessor. A set of design failures and associated controls developed for a completed industry sponsored project is used as the experimental design problem. Non-domain individuals (psychology class students), domain generalists (first year engineering students), and domain specialists (graduate mechanical students) are provided …


The Effect Of Packaging Material Properties On Consumer Food Quality Perception In Quick-Service Restaurants, Emily Thackston May 2013

The Effect Of Packaging Material Properties On Consumer Food Quality Perception In Quick-Service Restaurants, Emily Thackston

All Theses

The majority of menu items available in quick-service restaurants (QSR) are consumed directly from a container or package. The main reasons consumers choose to eat fast food are because it is convenient, prepared quickly, a good value, and inexpensive. Therefore, the packaging becomes an integral part of the food product and from a consumer perspective must be consistent with their expectations and motives for choosing to eat fast food. Prior research has directly linked characteristics of consumer food packaging experience to their perception of its contents. The purpose of this research is to determine if consumer quality perception of food …


Numerical Study Of The Structural Performance Of Large Panelized All-Wood Roof Diaphragms, Sami Pant May 2013

Numerical Study Of The Structural Performance Of Large Panelized All-Wood Roof Diaphragms, Sami Pant

All Theses

The use of flexible roof diaphragms is very common in the United States, both for multi-family residential buildings and large-scale commercial buildings. Due to its simplicity, the traditional diaphragm design method is commonly used in diaphragm design, in particular for the design of diaphragms with relatively small dimensions. The traditional diaphragm design method assumes the axial forces developed in framing members under in-plane loading carried only by the perimeter chords. The traditional diaphragm design method has always been thought to be a conservative design method, especially when applied to large diaphragms. In recent years, the engineering community began to question …


Decision Support Systems For Assembly Line Planning -Modular Subsytems For A Large Scale Production Management System, Rahul Renu May 2013

Decision Support Systems For Assembly Line Planning -Modular Subsytems For A Large Scale Production Management System, Rahul Renu

All Theses

In the domain of assembly lines, process sheets are entities that carry assembly process descriptions (work instructions), assembly time estimations, product workspaces and other configuration management and control information. These process sheets get assigned to workstations during the process of assembly line balancing. In this research two tools have been developed to aid in the assembly line planning process. In order to ensure that assembly line workers do not intrude upon each other's workspace, two assembly processes operating on the same product workspace must not be assigned to the same station. Generating and maintaining product workspace information for every process …


Influence Of Pcb-Contaminated Water Bodies On The Pcb Content Of Riparian Vegetation Through Foliar Deposition, Timothy Matthew Sattler May 2013

Influence Of Pcb-Contaminated Water Bodies On The Pcb Content Of Riparian Vegetation Through Foliar Deposition, Timothy Matthew Sattler

All Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants that are generally considered semi-volatile. Volatilization and transport of PCBs from contaminated water bodies can result in PCB accumulation on terrestrial plant surfaces, acting as an entry point for contaminants into terrestrial food webs. Evergreen plants can serve as biomonitors of this PCB accumulation, as they often retain foliage for several years, allowing for greater concentrations to accumulate and subsequently be measured. Rhododendron maximum plants often grow in the riparian zone adjacent to water bodies in the Appalachian region, such as near Town Creek, Pickens, South Carolina. This research aimed …


Identification Of And Effects On The Depth Of The Machining Affected Zone In Nickel-Based Superalloys, Boyce Richardson May 2013

Identification Of And Effects On The Depth Of The Machining Affected Zone In Nickel-Based Superalloys, Boyce Richardson

All Theses

The formation of subsurface damage during machining of nickel-based superalloys is a critical quality concern for the manufacture of gas turbine components. The identification and understanding of this zone are critical to the reduction of destructive testing and scrap costs in an ever changing manufacturing environment. This thesis seeks to provide a novel objective method for identification of the depth of this zone and an empirical model for the effects of machining parameters on this zone. This allows for optimal machining parameters to be used in manufacturing reducing the need for destructive testing, while also reducing manufacturing costs by reducing …


Improving R-Value In Brick Systems Using Various Pore-Forming Agents, Graham Shepherd May 2013

Improving R-Value In Brick Systems Using Various Pore-Forming Agents, Graham Shepherd

All Theses

Energy efficiency and energy savings are two topics that have continued to gain momentum over the last decade. This topic is extremely important when it comes to the construction of buildings and homes. Efforts have been ongoing to increase the insulation value of brick systems to hinder the conductive heat transfer through the material. The use of pore-forming agents (PFA’s) have been studied to increase the porosity within a ceramic system, through sacrificial burnout or place–holder method, which leave a residual, defined pore size distribution. This increase in porosity leads to better insulating capabilities and inherently lower conductivity values. In …


A Methodology For Designing Pervious Bicycle Lanes For Stormwater Management, Donald West Iii May 2013

A Methodology For Designing Pervious Bicycle Lanes For Stormwater Management, Donald West Iii

All Theses

Bicycles have proven to be an efficient and reliable form of transportation in urban settings. Therefore, the addition of bicycle lanes into the transportation network could significantly impact and improve the sustainability of our infrastructure by reducing greenhouse emissions and improving the health of individuals who cycle on a regular basis. Pervious pavements are an approved (LID) strategy that could potentially be used to construct these new facilities thereby reducing the quantity of stormwater runoff and improving the water quality. Practicing engineers need both a design aid and research supported methods for designing these improvements before they can be fully …


Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis Of Sound Transmission Performance Of Honeycomb Sandwich Structures, Xin Wang May 2013

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis Of Sound Transmission Performance Of Honeycomb Sandwich Structures, Xin Wang

All Theses

Due to the lighter weight of honeycomb structures compared with a cuboid of similar material, honeycomb is widely used in applications requiring a high stiffness to weight ratio. One important honeycomb meta-structure is sandwich composites designed with a honeycomb core between two thin panel layers. The geometry of the honeycomb is formed from periodically spaced, non-overlapping unit cells. An important advantage of cellular materials such as honeycomb is that vibration and acoustic properties can be changed simply by changing the unit cell geometry variables such as included angle, cell wall thickness and length, while keeping the overall dimensions of the …