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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
An Investigation Of Concrete Properties In Support Of International Testing Standards, Justine Barnes
An Investigation Of Concrete Properties In Support Of International Testing Standards, Justine Barnes
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Fresh and hardened concrete testing is an important aspect in evaluating the quality of ready mixed concrete. The testing process requires many standards to ensure repeatable results. The research being conducted examines two particular standards ASTM C143-The Slump of Hydraulic Concrete and ASTM 496-Split Tension Testing of Hardened Concrete. The first test compares the slump on a flat and level surface with the slump when tested on a surface which slopes up to 8%. For each batch of concrete created, 30 slump tests are conducted and three 4x8 cylinders were created for compression testing. The second test examines whether the …
Short-Range Sonar Development, Matthew Larue, Alex Mcguffey
Short-Range Sonar Development, Matthew Larue, Alex Mcguffey
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Our project involves the development of a short-range detection sonar system using Matlab signal processing techniques. Currently, the necessary equipment has been researched and purchased, and the preliminary work on output signal creation, transmission, and reception is being conducted.
Impacts Of The Species Elaeagnus Umbellate On The Soil And Water Quality Of The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Ecosystem, Yacoub Aljobeh, Kristin Engerer
Impacts Of The Species Elaeagnus Umbellate On The Soil And Water Quality Of The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Ecosystem, Yacoub Aljobeh, Kristin Engerer
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The species Elaeagnus umbellate, more commonly known as autumn olive, is a shrub that is invasive to the United States and indigenous to East Asia. Even though the autumn olive is not native to North America, it was able to thrive and adapt to the new environment by using its ability to fix nitrogen. Nitrogen-fixing is a process where plants intake molecular nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into other forms of nitrogen that can be used by the plants. One of the nitrogen-fixing by-products is nitrate. Excessive amounts of nitrate can easily leach from the plant’s root …
An Improved Method For Quantifying The Stiffness Of Running Shoes, Jorie Ballun, Kyle Zobeck
An Improved Method For Quantifying The Stiffness Of Running Shoes, Jorie Ballun, Kyle Zobeck
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The purpose of running shoes is to protect feet from injury by stabilizing motion and cushioning impact. As material technology and product testing develop, shoes can offer more protection through advanced designs. A typical test for running shoes is a flexion test in which the shoe is bent through a fixed angle and the applied force is measured. Most tests bend the forefoot of a shoe, but this characterizes stiffness over a limited portion of the shoe. The goal of this research is to develop an improved flexion test by evaluating and quantifying the stiffness of running shoes in both …
Accelerating Quantum Computer Simulation Via Parallel Eigenvector Computation, Karl Stathakis
Accelerating Quantum Computer Simulation Via Parallel Eigenvector Computation, Karl Stathakis
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Quantum-dot cellular automata (QDCA) hold great potential to produce the next generation of computer hardware, but their development is hindered by computationally intensive simulations. Our research therefore focuses on rewriting one such simulation to run parallel calculations on a graphics processing unit (GPU). We have decreased execution time from 33 hours 11 minutes to 1 hour 39 minutes, but current progress has shown that further gains are possible. The calculation of eigenvectors holds particular promise for acceleration. Our research has two components: testing MATLAB’s algorithm for these calculations and creating a C-based algorithm to improve on MATLAB’s execution time. MATLAB …
Staggered Truss Frames, Jordan Piaskowsky, Owen Prough
Staggered Truss Frames, Jordan Piaskowsky, Owen Prough
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Staggered truss framing systems have been gaining popularity for use in structural engineering because they provide large, column-free openings and rapid construction. However, their performance during seismic events has not been fully investigated. The failure of the shear connection between the floor system and the top of the truss may cause building failure and is essential to the understanding of the behavior of staggered trusses during an earthquake. The shear connection will be tested by simulating a seismic event. The strong wall/floor at Valparaiso University will be utilized to test a scale model of the shear connection until failure. The …
Solar Furnace: Heliostat And Concentrator Design, Tyler Heagney, Andrew Schiller, Matthew Gaide
Solar Furnace: Heliostat And Concentrator Design, Tyler Heagney, Andrew Schiller, Matthew Gaide
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
In recent decades, solar energy has been shown as a viable, clean, and abundant alternative to fossil fuels. Many methods of solar energy collection are being researched, with solar thermal electrochemistry being one of the most promising. Solar thermal electrochemistry uses sunlight to heat a furnace to temperatures nearing 2000 K. At these temperatures, metallic oxides can be decomposed to metals and oxygen with minimal electrical work. Achieving these high temperatures requires a solar furnace that consists of a heliostat to track and reflect the sun’s rays into a concentrator, which then focuses the sunlight to a single point in …
Decoupled Solar Thermal Chemical Electrolysis Of Water To Produce Hydrogen, Melissa Meyer, Megan Wilken
Decoupled Solar Thermal Chemical Electrolysis Of Water To Produce Hydrogen, Melissa Meyer, Megan Wilken
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Solar thermal chemical research at Valparaiso University focuses on using concentrated solar energy to produce hydrogen, which can be used to generate electricity in fuel cells. A two-step solar electrolytic process has been proposed for chemical systems such as Fe2O3/Fe3O4, Co3O4/CoO, and Mn2O3/MnO. This new process produces hydrogen using ideally 63-82% less electricity than the traditional electrolytic process. Theoretical solar-to-electrical efficiencies are approximately 19-40%, a range comparable to similar solar thermal chemical processes. Preliminary experimental work with the Fe2O3/Fe3O4 system has validated the chemical possibility of each step of the process. Future work seeks to determine if the proposed processes …
Solar Thermal Electrolytic Production Of Mg From Mgo, William Sheline, L. Matthews, N. Lindenke, S. Duncan, R. Palumbo
Solar Thermal Electrolytic Production Of Mg From Mgo, William Sheline, L. Matthews, N. Lindenke, S. Duncan, R. Palumbo
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The electrolytic production of Mg from MgO was experimentally and theoretically investigated near 1550 K. The oxide was dissolved in either CaF2 or MgF2. The cathode was Mo and the anode was either Pt or Cgr. Mg evolved as a gas, was quenched on cooling coils at the exit of the reactor and was collected for analysis. A thermodynamic cycle study indicates that the ideal thermal efficiency for the solar process is 35 percent for an inert anode and 39 percent for a carbon anode, making the process competitive with the industrial potential of other solar to metal processes. Experimental …
An Evaluation Of Non-Contact Temperature Measurements For Oxyacetylene Torch Testing Of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics, Justin Cotter
An Evaluation Of Non-Contact Temperature Measurements For Oxyacetylene Torch Testing Of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics, Justin Cotter
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The feasibility of using noncontact measurement devices in oxy-acetylene torch ablation testing for UHTCs has been investigated. UHTCs are candidate materials for use in hypersonic and atmospheric re-entry vehicles for their oxidation resistance and thermal capabilities and an oxy-acetylene torch rig is being used to screen materials that show promise for these applications. Non-contact temperature measurement devices have been used for similar testing, but there are some potential issues regarding their use, such as changing emissivity of the UHTCs and combustion interferences. The feasibility of using non-contact temperature measurement devices will be evaluated through the use of thermocouples and a …
Oxidation Performance Of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics In Air And A Simulated Combustion Environment, Tim Englert
Oxidation Performance Of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics In Air And A Simulated Combustion Environment, Tim Englert
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The oxidation resistance of various (Zr or Hf)B2-based ceramics will be tested in order to evaluate their respective performances in both furnace and oxyacetylene torch environments. Furnace testing will allow experimentation at temperatures similar to hypersonic travel or reentry conditions (>2000°C); use of an oxyacetylene torch flame will enable the replication of severe thermal gradients and combustion conditions. Oxidation resistance will be firstly quantified by measuring a sample’s change in mass after exposure to the testing environment for a defined time period. A sample that experiences a smaller change in mass is better able to resist oxidation. Oxidation rate …
Oxidation Performance Of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics In Air And A Simulated Combustion Environment, Kevin Fedde
Oxidation Performance Of Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics In Air And A Simulated Combustion Environment, Kevin Fedde
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The objective of this experiment is to evaluate the oxidation performance and heat resistance of the Ultra-high Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs) ZrB2 and HfB2 under high temperature, high heat flux, ablative, and oxidative environments. The investigation of UHTCs such as ZrB2 and HfB2 could potentially lead to new, easily reusable thermal protection systems (TPS) for space craft. The UHTC samples will be oxidized using an oxy-acetylene torch and a high temperature air furnace. The torch will expose the samples to rapid heating, high velocity combustion gasses, and sample temperatures in excess of 3000°C. The furnace will expose the samples to temperatures …