Engineering Commons^™

Modeling The Reactor Time-Dependent Delayed Particle Tail With Monte Carlo N-Particle (Mcnp) Version 6.2, Eli James Boland

Masters Theses

"Energy is deposited into experiment packages due to post-shutdown decay heat created from delayed particles. Modeling these delayed particles in a reactor assists researchers in quantifying the expected energy deposition sources to an experiment package before irradiation. This paper focuses on modeling the delayed particles in a reactor in MCNP6.2 by capturing a reactor as a source, converting this source capture to a source definition, applying appropriate physics such as activation and photonuclear interactions, and finally using proper tallies to create the expected delayed particle tail of a reactor.

To capture the source distribution, the FMESH capability within MCNP was …

Modeling The Construction Of Polymeric Adsorbent Media: Effects Of Counter-Ions On Ligand Immobilization And Pore Structure, Enrico Riccardi, Jee-Ching Wang, Athanasios I. Liapis

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Molecular dynamics modeling and simulations are employed to study the effects of counter-ions on the dynamic spatial density distribution and total loading of immobilized ligands as well as on the pore structure of the resultant ion exchange chromatography adsorbent media. The results show that the porous adsorbent media formed by polymeric chain molecules involve transport mechanisms and steric resistances which cause the charged ligands and counter-ions not to follow stoichiometric distributions so that (i) a gradient in the local nonelectroneutrality occurs, (ii) non-uniform spatial density distributions of immobilized ligands and counter-ions are formed, and (iii) clouds of counter-ions outside the …

Probabilistic Simulation Of Solidification Microstructure Evolution During Laser-Based Metal Deposition, Jingwei Zhang, Frank W. Liou, William Seufzer, Joseph William Newkirk, Zhiqiang Fan, Heng Liu, Todd E. Sparks

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A predictive model, based on a Cellular Automaton (CA) - Finite Element (FE) method, has been developed to simulate microstructure evolution during metal solidification for a laser based additive manufacturing process. The macroscopic FE calculation was designed to update the temperature field and simulate a high cooling rate. In the microscopic CA model, heterogeneous nucleation sites, preferential growth orientation and dendritic grain growth kinetics were simulated. The CA model was able to show the entrapment of neighboring cells and the relationship between undercooling and the grain growth rate. The model predicted the dendritic grain size, structure, and morphological evolution during …

A Mechanistic Model Of Early Fcεri Signaling: Lipid Rafts And The Question Of Protection From Dephosphorylation, Dipak Barua, Byron Goldstein

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present a model of the early events in mast cell signaling mediated by FcεRI where the plasma membrane is composed of many small ordered lipid domains (rafts), surrounded by a non-order region of lipids consisting of the remaining plasma membrane. The model treats the rafts as transient structures that constantly form and breakup, but that maintain a fixed average number per cell. The rafts have a high propensity for harboring Lyn kinase, aggregated, but not unaggregated receptors, and the linker for the activation of T cells (LAT). Phosphatase activity in the rafts is substantially reduced compared to the nonraft …

Attenuation In Extended Structures Coated With Thin Magneto-Dielectric Absorber Layer, Marina Koledintseva, Alexander G. Razmadze, Aleksandr Yakubovich Gafarov, Victor Khilkevich, James L. Drewniak, Takanori Tsutaoka

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thin absorbing layers containing magnetic alloy or ferrite inclusions can be effectively used for attenuating common-mode currents on extended structures, such as power cords, cables, or edge-coupled microstrip lines. An analytical model to evaluate attenuation on the coaxial line with the central conductor coated with a magneto-dielectric layer is proposed and validated by the experiments and numerical modeling. The analytical model is validated using available magneto-dielectric samples of different thicknesses. This model can serve for comparing and predicting the absorptive properties of different samples of magneto-dielectric materials, whose compositions may be unknown, but dielectric and magnetic properties can be determined …

A Molecular Dynamics Study On The Transport Of A Charged Biomolecule In A Polymeric Adsorbent Medium And Its Adsorption Onto A Charged Ligand, Enrico Riccardi, Jee-Ching Wang, Athanasios I. Liapis

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The transport of a charged adsorbate biomolecule in a porous polymeric adsorbent medium and its adsorption onto the covalently immobilized ligands have been modeled and investigated using molecular dynamics modeling and simulations as the third part of a novel fundamental methodology developed for studying ion-exchange chromatography based bioseparations. To overcome computational challenges, a novel simulation approach is devised where appropriate atomistic and coarse grain models are employed simultaneously and the transport of the adsorbate is characterized through a number of locations representative of the progress of the transport process. The adsorbate biomolecule for the system studied in this work changes …

Novel And Simple High-Frequency Single-Port Vector Network Analyzer, Mohamed A. Abou-Khousa, Mark A. Baumgartner, Sergey Kharkovsky, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Portable, accurate, and relatively inexpensive high-frequency vector network analyzers (VNAs) have great utility for a wide range of applications, encompassing microwave circuit characterization, reflectometry, imaging, material characterization, and nondestructive testing to name a few. To meet the rising demand for VNAs possessing the aforementioned attributes, we present a novel and simple VNA design based on a standing-wave probing device and an electronically controllable phase shifter. The phase shifter is inserted between a device under test (DUT) and a standing-wave probing device. The complex reflection coefficient of the DUT is then obtained from multiple standing-wave voltage measurements taken for several different …

Modeling The Effect Of Moisture On Resilient Modulus Of Untreated Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Mohamed Attia, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as a base layer is increasing as quality aggregate becomes scarcer and more expensive. Moisture content is known to have a great impact on the resilient modulus (M_R) of granular materials, and several researchers have devoted effort to develop and verify analytical models to describe that impact. Limited work has been done to quantify the effect of moisture content on RAP as a base layer. It has not been determined whether the existence of aged binder will allow designers to use the same analytical models developed for granular materials. This study …

A Bipolar Clamp Mechanism For Activation Of Jak-Family Protein Tyrosine Kinases, Dipak Barua, James R. Faeder, Jason M. Haugh

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Most cell surface receptors for growth factors and cytokines dimerize in order to mediate signal transduction. For many such receptors, the Janus kinase (Jak) family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases are recruited in pairs and juxtaposed by dimerized receptor complexes in order to activate one another by trans-phosphorylation. An alternative mechanism for Jak trans-phosphorylation has been proposed in which the phosphorylated kinase interacts with the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of SH2-B, a unique adaptor protein with the capacity to homo-dimerize. Building on a rule-based kinetic modeling approach that considers the concerted nature and combinatorial complexity of modular protein domain …

Mutual External Inductance In Stripline Structures, Marina Koledintseva, James L. Drewniak, Thomas Van Doren, David Pommerenke, Matteo Cocchini, David M. Hockanson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Method of Edge Currents (MEC) proposed in our previous paper [1] is applied herein for calculating the mutual external inductance associated with fringing magnetic fields that wrap ground planes of a stripline structure. This method employs a quasi-static approach, image theory, and direct magnetic field integration. The resultant mutual external inductance is frequency-independent. The approach has been applied to estimating mutual inductance for both symmetrical and asymmetrical stripline structures. Offset of the signal trace from the centered position both in horizontal and vertical directions is taken into account in asymmetrical structures. The results are compared with numerical simulations using …

Bist Design For Ccd Based Digital Imaging System, Bin Jin, Nohpill Park, Serge N. Demidenko, Minsu Choi, Fabrizio Lombardi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a BIST design for CCD-based digital imaging system. Pixels on a CCD are not free from defective or faulty pixels due to numerous causes such as imperfect fabrication, excessive exposure to light, radiation, sensing element aging, and excessive mechanical shock, to mention a few. Today's high demand for high resolution CCDs is dictating defect/fault-tolerance in such devices. Especially, traditional on-device BIST cannot be readily employed on the imaging devices such as CCD due to the unique requirement that no pixel can be utilized to repair or bypass a defect on any other pixels. Therefore, the BIST technique …

Accurate Macro-Modeling For Leakage Current For IDdq Test, Kyung Ki Kim, Yong-Bin Kim, Minsu Choi, Nohpill Park

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a new precise macro-modeling for leakage current in BSIM4 65nm technology considering subthreshold leakage, gate tunneling leakage, stack effect, and fanout effect. Using the accurate macro-model, a heuristic algorithm is developed to estimate the leakage power and generate input test pattern for minimum leakage. The algorithm applies to ISCAS85 benchmark circuits, and the results are compared with the results of Hspice. The experimental result shows that the leakage power estimation using our macro-model is within 5% difference when comparing to Hspice results.

Inherited Redundancy And Configurability Utilization For Repairing Nanowire Crossbars With Clustered Defects, Yadunandana Yellambalase, Minsu Choi, Yong-Bin Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

With the recent development of nanoscale materials and assembly techniques, it is envisioned to build high-density reconfigurable systems which have never been achieved by the photolithography. Various reconfigurable architectures have been proposed based on nanowire crossbar structure as the primitive building block. Unfortunately, high-density systems consisting of nanometer-scale elements are likely to have many imperfections and variations; thus, defect-tolerance is considered as one of the most exigent challenges. In this paper, we evaluate three different logic mapping algorithms with defect avoidance to circumvent clustered defective crosspoints in nanowire reconfigurable crossbar architectures. The effectiveness of inherited redundancy and configurability utilization is …

Signal Link-Path Characterization Up To 20 Ghz Based On A Stripline Structure, Jianmin Zhang, James L. Drewniak, David Pommerenke, Richard E. Dubroff, Zhiping Yang, Wheling Cheng, John C. Fisher, Sergio Camerlo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dielectric properties and losses are two critical issues in signal link-path characterization. To obtain the substrate dielectric properties for a planar transmission line, an analytical solution is derived and validated based on a stripline structure and measured scattering parameters with TRL de-embedding. The characterized dielectric property is used to evaluate dielectric loss and conductor loss. The total loss is thereby found from their summation. The calculated total loss is compared to the measured total loss, and the conductor loss and dielectric loss are then quantifiable. Since the conventional description using the loss tangent and dielectric constant to represent material properties …

A Method For Charactering Emi Coupling Paths And Source Properties In Complex Systems, Shishuang Sun, Gang Feng, Chong Ding, David Pommerenke, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method for charactering EMI coupling paths in complex systems is presented. While it is relatively easy to determine the EMI antenna structures or the sources of EMI, it is often quite difficult to identify, and even more difficult to quantify coupling paths. This paper introduces a measurement-based method to quantify EMI coupling paths, and the source strengths can be indirectly determined by applying linear system theory. Circuit design guidelines, e.g., the permissible even-mode current in a differential signal, can be derived with the knowledge of the coupling path and EMI limits. Moreover, the EMI can be better predicted with …

High Resolution Millimeter Wave Detection Of Vertical Cracks In The Space Shuttle External Tank Spray-On-Foam Insulation (Sofi), Sergey Kharkovsky, R. Zoughi, F. L. Hepburn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Space Shuttle Columbia's catastrophic failure, the separation of a piece of spray-on-foam insulation (SOFI) from the external tank (ET) in the Space Shuttle Discovery's flight in 2005 and crack detected in its ET foam prior to its successful launch in 2006 emphasize the need for effective nondestructive methods for inspecting the shuttle ET SOFI. Millimeter wave nondestructive testing methods have been considered as potential and effective inspection tools for evaluating the integrity of the SOFI. This paper presents recent results of an investigation for the purpose of detecting vertical cracks in SOFI panels using a focused millimeter wave (150 GHz) …

Hysteresis And Delta Modulation Control Of Converters Using Sensorless Current Mode, Jonathan W. Kimball, Philip T. Krein, Yongxiang Chen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sensorless current mode (SCM) is a control formulation for dc-dc converters that results in voltage-source characteristics, excellent open-loop tracking, and near-ideal source rejection. Hysteresis and delta modulation are well-known, easy-to-construct large-signal methods for switched systems. Combining either large-signal method with SCM creates a controller that is simpler and more robust than a pulse-width modulation (PWM) based controller. The small-signal advantages of PWM-based SCM are retained and expanded to include converter response to large-signal disturbances. These approaches can be used with any converter topology over a broad range of operating conditions. In the present work, hysteresis and delta modulation SCM controllers …

High Accuracy Disbond Thickness Estimation Scheme Employing Multiple-Frequency Near-Field Microwave Measurements, Mohamed A. Abou-Khousa, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microwave nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques have shown great potential for disbond detection in multi-layer dielectric structures. However, a quantitative disbond thickness estimation scheme has not been introduced yet. In this paper, we propose a maximum-likelihood (ML) disbond thickness estimation scheme utilizing multiple independent measurements obtained at different frequencies. By simulations and experiments, we show that the proposed scheme produces highly accurate disbond thickness estimates.

Patterns In Team Communication During A Simulation Game, David M. Baca, Ray Luechtefeld, Steve Eugene Watkins

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The development of communication skills is a necessary preparation for effective engineering teamwork. Argyris' "Theory of Action" provides a framework for understanding patterns in team dialogue. Students can benefit from an awareness of these patterns. The theory highlights the detection and correction of errors by sharing information during group collaboration and interactions. Quality decision-making can be enhanced when members of a team develop high degrees of openness and interdependence. Quality decision-making can be diminished when members of a team regulate the information shared within the team. This work analyzes team interactions from simulation games used in an interdisciplinary engineering course …

Validation Of Circuit Extraction Procedure By Means Of Frequency And Time Domain Measurement, Giulio Antonini, Antonio Ciccomancini Scogna, Antonio Orlandi, Vittorio Ricchiuti, Giuseppe Selli, Shaofeng Luan, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aim of this paper is the validation in both frequency and time domain of the procedure to extract fully H-Spice compatible equivalent circuits of structures on printed circuit boards. The procedure is initiated by standard measurement of scattering parameters between 40MHz to 20GH. After the extraction of the equivalent circuit, the computed scattering parameters are compared with those measured. The same equivalent circuit is also used for transient analysis in order to compare TDR measurement and eye-pattern to a pseudo-random bit sequence with those coming from the simulations.

Comparison Of Via Equivalent Circuit Model Accuracy Using Quasi-Static And Full-Wave Approaches, Bruce Archambeault, Samuel R. Connor, Jianmin Zhang, James L. Drewniak, Mauro Lai, Antonio Orlandi, Giulio Antonini, Albert E. Ruehli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The EMC and signal integrity impact of printed circuit board (PCB) trace discontinuities, such as vias, where the signal is transitioned from one layer to another in the PCB stackup, have become significant recently with the use of very high speed signals in today''s systems. If these discontinuities are ignored, significant distortion of the high speed signal can occur, and in many cases, cause data errors. A fast and accurate technique to include the effect of via discontinuities in the typical design process is needed to ensure this distortion is considered if significant. Therefore, a simple equivalent circuit for the …

A Method Of Including Switching Loss In Electro-Thermal Simulations, Jonathan W. Kimball

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Often, power electronics systems are simulated with ideal switching elements, perhaps augmented with conduction loss models. A behavioral model is proposed that also includes switching loss and is independent of switching frequency. Therefore, it is suitable for variable frequency control methods, including hysteresis, delta modulation, and random PWM. Models have been realized in Dymola using voltage-controlled voltage sources, current sources, logic, and additional ideal switches. Thermal ports are included to facilitate electro-thermal simulation. A method for parameter extraction is demonstrated using experimental data from standard PWM.

An Extrapolation Procedure To Shorten Time Domain Simulations, Giuseppe Selli, James L. Drewniak, David Pommerenke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Time-domain simulation algorithms are widely used in the anaylsis and design of electromagnetic systems. Many of them are characterized by high Q's. Thus, the simulations have to employ many time steps in order to achieve a complete characterization of these systems. This time-consuming computational effort can be avoided if the late instants of time are extrapolated by applying a parametric estimation algorithm. An optimized implementation of a time-domain extrapolation method and a stop criterion are discussed in this paper. The latter criterion is based upon a normalized squared difference between the waveforms extrapolated from two different sets of initial data …

Testing Layered Interconnection Networks, Bin Liu, Fabrizio Lombardi, Nohpill Park, Minsu Choi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present an approach for fault detection in layered interconnection networks (LINs). An LIN is a generalized multistage interconnection network commonly used in reconfigurable systems; the nets (links) are arranged in sets (referred to as layers) of different size. Switching elements (made of simple switches such as transmission-gate-like devices) are arranged in a cascade to connect pairs of layers. The switching elements of an LIN have the same number of switches, but the switching patterns may not be uniform. A comprehensive fault model for the nets and switches is assumed at physical and behavioral levels. Testing requires configuring the LIN …

Boost Integrated Push-Pull Rectifier With Power Factor Correction And Output Voltage Regulation Using A New Digital Control Technique, Zhong Nie, Mehdi Ferdowsi, Ali Emadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An integrated converter is a synthesized converter based on the overall system integration, which is simplified by the system objective and can implement the system functions similar to the discrete converters. An integrated converter consists of converter sets; each converter set has a special function defined by the designer. A family of DC/DC Boost based integrated rectifiers with two active switches can be derived by the integration concept. In this paper, Boost + Push-Pull integrated converter is introduced and derived. To regulate the output voltage and shape the input current, a new simple digital control method is applied. In contrast …

Suitability Of Pulse Train™, A Novel Digitally Implemented Real-Time Control Technique, For Bifred Converter, Mehdi Ferdowsi, Ali Emadi, Mark Telefus, Anatoly Shteynberg

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Pulse Train^TM, a new control scheme, is presented and applied to a BIFRED converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), which avoids the light-load high-voltage stress problem. In contrast to the conventional control techniques, the principal idea of Pulse Train is to regulate the output voltage using a series of high and low energy pulses generated by the current of the inductor. In this paper, applicability of the proposed technique to both the input and magnetizing inductances of BIFRED converter is investigated. Analysis of BIFRED converter operating in DCM as well as the output voltage ripple estimation are …

Memory Dimm Dc Power Distribution Analysis And Design, Jingkun Mao, Chen Wang, Giuseppe Selli, Bruce Archambeault, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

DC power bus design is critical in meeting signal integrity (SI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. A suitable modeling tool is beneficial to evaluate power bus design and develop design guidelines. This paper discusses difficulties met in evaluating the power distribution design on a dual inline memory module (DIMM) board, such as a power bus with arbitrary shape, parasitic inductance associated with vias, and so on. Moreover, some solutions are given in this paper. A simple cavity model with a segmentation method was employed to model a power bus with irregular shapes. The partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) technique was …

Anticipating Emi Using Transfer Functions And Signal Integrity Information, Chen Wang, James L. Drewniak, Jim Nadolny

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Discontinuities in a circuit can lead to signal integrity as well as EMI problems. A method, which efficiently combines full-wave tools and circuit simulators, is proposed herein to analyze the coupling at discontinuities. The proposed method may be applied to practical engineering designs.

Fdtd Method Capable Of Attaching Rectangular Domains, Kai Xiao, David Pommerenke, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method capable of attaching rectangular computational domains is proposed herein. The aim of this approach is to reduce the size of computational domain according to the geometry of the modeled structure so as to reduce the simulation time with keeping precision of the result in an acceptable range. A multigrid algorithm is applied on the attaching interface between two rectangular domains so that different resolution can be achieved in different domains.

Modeling Issues For Full-Wave Numerical Emi Simulation, Michael A. Cracraft, Xiaoning Ye, Chen Wang, Sandeep K. R. Chandra, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In electromagnetic modeling, agreement between modeling and measurements is a common goal. There are questions that define every model. What is to be modeled? How is it going to be modeled? At what scale is it to be modeled? Through sample results and discussion, this paper addresses some general and some specific elements of model veracity. Through determination, numerical models can certainly be pushed to match any measured results. However, in the end the question that this paper addresses is not necessarily "How good can this model be?" as it is "Is this model good enough?".