Engineering Commons^™

Impacts Of Contour Coal Mining On Streamflow, A Case Study Of The New River Watershed, Tennessee, Hong-Shoung Tung

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to promote stripped coal as an economically and environmentally acceptable fuel source, it is essential to assess properly the societal (external) cost of extracting coal by strip mining. One of the elements contributing to the damage function associated with the societal costs on the production side of extracting coal by means of stripping, is the change impacted on the watershed hydrologic environment. One of the most important such watershed hydrologic changes in terms of the watershed response is peak flow due to its potential to cause serious damages.

The objective of this study is to determine the quantitative …

Design, Fabrication, And Application Of Uniformly Distributed Rc Networks For Use In Electronic Circuits, Michael Flynn Kavanaugh

Doctoral Dissertations

"In the design of electronic circuits, both linear and non-linear, one of the goals is the reduction of the number of elements needed to complete the design. By using distributed RC networks a reduction in the number of elements by at least 50% is usually possible. This dissertation discusses several distributed RC networks, develops detailed design procedures for each, and applies them in the design of electronic circuits.

The indefinite admittance matrix (IAM) for the DRURC (double-resistive uniformly distributed RC network) and the URC (single-resistive uniformly distributed RC network) , which have been previously derived, are used as the starting …

Optimizing Underground, Trackless Loading And Hauling Systems, Richard Lee Bullock

Doctoral Dissertations

"Determining the optimum system and equipment to be utilized in today's underground trackless haulage mine is a complex problem which was dealt with in this research by systems simulation. The computer program developed by the Caterpillar Tractor Company served as the starting point for simulating the equipment's capabilities to move material over a course in a prescribed time. Extensive time studies of the unsimulated events lead to structuring this program in the deterministic mode since it was felt to be more acceptable to the operating management which would eventually use the technique. Every phase of the simulation was successfully validated …

Development Of Helicopter Flight Path Models Utilizing Modern Control Techniques, Alfred Fermelia

Doctoral Dissertations

"The nonlinear set of equations which represents helicopter motion are linearized about a prescribed nominal state. Once the linearized system is obtained it is validated by comparing the output of the nonlinear system to that of its linearized counterpart. Having obtained a linear model, linear system theory may then be applied in order to investigate the stability and control characteristics of the aircraft.

General techniques for simulating helicopter pilot response for inclusion in a flight path simulation program have been devised. To provide the desired flight goal, a nominal flight trajectory is obtained from an existing nonlinear model. With this …

Effect Of Photoneutrons On Transients Of Beryllium Reflected Reactors, Safdar Ahmad Ali

Doctoral Dissertations

"An analytical model is developed to account for the photoneutron sources present in a beryllium reflector. The time-dependent, two- dimensional and three energy-group diffusion equations are written with an additional photoneutron source term. Then an approximate flux composed of two spatial shapes chosen beforehand, each having an unknown time coefficient, is inserted into time-dependent multigroup equations and the weighted residual criterion is applied. This yielded multimode kinetics equations with generalized definitions for conventional matrix parameters: generation time, reactivity, delayed neutron and delayed photoneutron fraction matrices.

Two transients are analyzed for the University of Missouri Research Reactor: simulation of rod drop …

Excitation Of Source Electromagnetic Waves At Microwave Frequencies Using Optical Techniques, M. Davarpanah

Doctoral Dissertations

"The coupling efficiencies for the excitation of surface electromagnetic waves (SEW} for both the prism and the grating techniques have been studied experimentally in the microwave frequency range. The grating experiments included studies of the SEW coupling efficiencies as functions of the frequency, the angle of incidence, the grating constant, the number of grating bars, and the position of the grating bar at which the maximum radiation field of the antenna was aimed. For the prism coupling technique, the coupling efficiency was studied as functions of the angle of incidence, the aiming point of the transmitting antenna on the prism …

Bit Penetration Into Rock - A Finite Element Study, Jaw-Kuang Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"A finite element approach has been developed to simulate bit penetration from bit-rock interaction to chip formation. A mathematical rock failure model, based on a review of the existing literature on rock tests, has been proposed to represent post-failure rock behavior and applied in the penetration simulations. The finite element program has been developed for two dimensional plane strain problems with non-linear material properties, geometrical nonlinearities and fracture. An anisotropic element as well as variable stiffness and stress release methods have been used. An iteration method, using an incremental approach, has been applied for continuous penetration and modifications of material …

Application Of Voltammetry To Copper Electrodeposition, Louis Francis Toth Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

"A study was undertaken to determine the feasibility of using voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy techniques to characterize copper deposition from an acid-sulfate electrolyte. The main process variables investigated were temperature and addition agents (chloride ion, glue, separan or thiourea) at different concentrations, over a range of current densities. Cathodes employed were either polycrystalline titanium or copper. Some long-time copper deposits were also made using Ti cathodes and the orientations of these deposits were determined by x-ray diffraction.

Observations of copper crystals produced during voltammetry scans, on a Ti cathode, indicated that a characteristic morphology was associated with each type …

Corrosion And Electrochemical Behavior Of Indium And Indium-Bismuth Alloys In Hydrochloric Acid, Yar Ming Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The corrosion of In-Bi alloys was studied using X-ray, scanning electron microscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry techniques.

Calculated activation energy values indicated that the corrosion of In-Bi alloys was activation controlled. The effect of amine mixtures on the corrosion of In and In₂Bi (ß₁ phase) was studied. Morphological studies revealed that the porosity of the resulting physical surface structure was influential in determining the corrosion rate. In deaerated 3N HCl solutions, the selective dissolution of indium was the predominant mechanism in the corrosion of In-Bi alloys. The corrosion was always accompanied by a phase change …

Influence Of Initial Turbulence Intensity On The Heat And Moisture Transfer Through A Recirculated Air Curtain, Nguyen Quang Van

Doctoral Dissertations

"An air curtain is a directed jet of air separating a controlled space from an environment of different temperature and humidity. This investigation describes the development and verification of an eddy viscosity model which accounts for the influence of the initial turbulence intensity on the transfer of heat and moisture across a recirculated air curtain. The control of the turbulence intensity at the nozzle exit of an air curtain permits control of heat and moisture transfer and therefore the energy required to operate the air curtain.

Both theoretical and experimental studies were made of the recirculated air curtain. An explicit …