Engineering Commons^™

Fast Neutron Assay Of Elemental Content Of Bulk Samples, Calder Emerson Lane

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to analyze the capabilities of fast neutrons in the detection and analysis of various isotopes in bulk samples. The deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction generates highly penetrating, high-energy (14.1-MeV) neutrons which induce nuclear reactions in irradiated targets. Neutrons and gamma rays are generated in these reactions. Emitted gamma rays are characteristic of the emitter; the gamma spectrum enables stoichiometric identification of the assayed samples. Neutron backscattering can also be used for identification of the elemental composition of the sample.

This work had three objectives. The first objective was to develop a computational technique to model …

Alternate Novel Thermal Structure Interaction Designs Of Molten Salt Shell Structures At High Temperatures Ranging From 565˚C To 700˚C, Nathan David Tyrrell Loyd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Excess energy from solar power stations and other baseline power production methods canbe stored in molten salts (MS) in the 565°C range, therefore allowing the use of large containers to store energy for up to a week and generate eight hours of electricity or more to be used during peak demand hours, at night, or adverse weather conditions, depending on the container size. Supported by Office of Naval Research (ONR), this research presents a survey of molten salt properties used in solar power storage, as well as the history of molten salt usage for energy storage and production for nuclear …

Minimizing Visual Defects Through Augmentation Of Computer Aided Diamond Rough Planning, Abhijith Prabhu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many computer aided design systems today utilize a workflow where physically accurate rendering of the product is not a functional component of its design process. This gap in workflow can lead to a sub optimal product or even a longer iterative design process in instances where a product's visual attributes and aesthetics are one their primary functional characteristic.

Diamonds are graded on their carat, color, clarity and cut, referred to as the 4Cs of a diamond; a standard set by G.I.A. and universally agreed upon. The cut of a diamond significantly affects the rest of the characteristics as it modifies …

Fighter Aircraft Guidance And Control, Kaushik Raj

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aircraft technology has undergone momentous improvements over the decades due to the growing demand and competition among industries. The performance requirement and stability of fighter aircraft is a major factor due to the ever-increasing flight envelope. Advanced fighter aircraft are expected to be highly maneuverable. To achieve extreme maneuverability a very good aircraft design with multiple redundant control actuators having static instabilities in certain modes, near accurate nonlinear aircraft mathematical model, and suitable nonlinear control design technique is required. Conventionally, training aircrafts such as Cessna and Piper aircraft are built for static and dynamic stability, making them easy to trim …

Developments Of Machine Learning Potentials For Atomistic Simulations, Howard Yanxon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Atomistic modeling methods such as molecular dynamics play important roles in investigating time-dependent physical and chemical processes at the microscopic level. In the simulations, energy and forces, sometimes including stress tensor, need to be recalculated iteratively as the atomic configuration evolves. Consequently, atomistic simulations crucially depend on the accuracy of the underlying potential energy surface. Modern quantum mechanical modeling based on density functional theory can consistently generate an accurate description of the potential energy surface. In most cases, molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory suffer from highly demanding computational costs. On the other hand, atomistic simulations based on …

A Circle Hough Transform Implementation Using High-Level Synthesis, Carlos Lemus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Circle Hough Transform (CHT) has found applications in biometrics, robotics, and imageanalysis. In this work, the focus is the development of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based accelerator that performs a series of procedures and results in circle detection. The design is performed using Vivado High-Level Synthesis (HLS) tools and targeted for a Zynq UltraScale+ ZCU106. The implementation includes the following procedures: Gaussian filter, Sobel edge operator, thresholding, and finally the CHT algorithm. The performance is evaluated based on the execution time as compared to the software (Python code) execution and the analysis tools provided by Vivado HLS tool. …

Design And Fabrication Of A 6-Bit Current-Mode Adc For Lidar And High-Speed Applications, Jason Silic

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The design, simulation, fabrication, and testing of a 6-bit current-mode ADC is presented with related calculations. Capable of producing samples at greater than 100MHz, the proposed design should excel at measuring fast current transients such as those produced by arrays of avalanche photodiodes (APDs). An array of 63 current comparators feed digital logic gates, via “thermometer code,” that produce a 6-bit output word that is driven off-chip by appropriate buffers.The circuit was designed using Cadence Virtuoso design software. Simulated Differential Non-Linearity (DNL), with an 8µA reference current, is 1.656 LSB at the worst transition involving a scale change. Excluding scale …

A Multi-Channel Mcp-Pmt Based Readout Integrated Circuit For Lidar Applications, Sachin Purushothaman Namboodiri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Photon counting techniques are becoming more critical in fields such as LiDAR, high energy physics (HEP), and positron emission tomography (PET). For space-based aerosol-cloud-ocean (ACO) LiDAR, the total aggregate photon flux signal has a very high dynamic range, from a single-photon up to giga-photons per second for a single channel. This dissertation focuses on the design of a multichannel, photon counting readout circuit that can interface with MCP-PMTs for high dynamic range, space-based LiDAR applications. Chapter 2 presents the conventional current mode approach that has been employed to realize a photon counting circuit. A transimpedance amplifier, a 6-bit delay line …

Current-Mode Photon-Counting Circuit With Sige Bicmos Input Stage, Gonzalo Guadalupe Arteaga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Continued advances in photodetector technology have helped improve the imaging capabilities of LiDAR systems or other time-of-flight imaging efforts. As a major part of the receiver within a LiDAR system, the photodetector can offer features such as faster rise times, narrower pulse widths, or larger gains to help achieve greater timing resolution or sensitivity to faint light levels. These benefits, however, are contingent on the ability of the accompanying readout circuit to reliably process the fast, electrical signals generated by the photodetector. While common front-end circuits involve the use of feedback amplifiers, their stability can become a major concern at …

Validation Of Novel Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment With Silicone Gel Experimental Models, Dustin Walter Burd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Predictive modeling to increase treatment success rates for surgical procedures is becoming more common in the scientific community. For obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), modeling has been predominately performed using computers as opposed to experimental models. Computer simulation saves time by eliminating the need to fabricate complex experimental models but comes at the expense of insight gained through physical observations made in real time. Experimental models for studying OSA are needed to validate computational work, provide perspective on anatomical scale and demonstrate complex deformations in real time. This work addresses prior hurdles in experimental model fabrication with a novel process using …

Impact Of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Participation And Mobilization Cost On Highway Project Performance, Shristy Maharjan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction practitioners have their goals to complete projects within time without exceeding the allocated budget. However, studies have shown many projects overrun their allocated budget and face delays due to numerous reasons. Some of the main reasons are lack of efficient construction and financial resource management, lack of proper planning, and unavailability of new construction technologies, as well as ineffective supervision and communication, design changes, and unskilled workers. In some studies, mobilization costs, along with the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in projects were identified as factors affecting the cost and schedule performance of construction projects. However, no statistical …

Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of The Wage Gap For Women And Underrepresented Minorities In The Architecture, Engineering, And Construction (Aec) Workforce, Saba Nikkhah Manesh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry has failed to solve persistent labor shortage problems or to fill the labor demand in the workforce by recruiting from untapped/underrepresented groups such as Women and Underrepresented Minorities (WUMs). There have been several studies on diversity and inclusion in the AEC industry, but the issue still persists, as the AEC industry has failed to solve these issues. If the industry better understands the status of wage gaps by gender and race, as well as how the industry has performed in terms of providing comparable wages for the workforce over time, along with the …

Three-Dimensional (3d) Characterization Of The Middle Ordoovician (Darriwilian) Strata In The Southern Great Basin, Western United States, Uday Mohamed Baheej Kara Ali

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Carbonates are mostly produced in shallow-marine environments and their deposition is sensitive to water depth changes on carbonate platforms. The water depth in depositional environments of a particular carbonate platform is controlled by the interplay of eustatic sea-level change, tectonic subsidence, platform morphology, and depositional rate. Due to the morphological variations of carbonate platforms in different tectonic settings, facies distribution across carbonate platforms varies significantly even during a single eustatic sea-level cycle. Carbonate platforms developed on passive continental margins are thought to be the most stable platforms and their facies distribution is commonly taken as examples in textbook depositional models. …

An Investigation Into Multi-View Error Correcting Output Code Classifiers Applied To Organ Tissue Classification, Daniel Alvarez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Large amounts of data is being generated constantly each day, so much data that it is difficult to find patterns in order to predict outcomes and make decisions for both humans and machines alike. It would be useful if this data could be simplified using machine learning techniques. For example, biological cell identity is dependent on many factors tied to genetic processes. Such factors include proteins, gene transcription, and gene methylation. Each of these factors are highly complex mechanism with immense amounts of data. Simplifying these can then be helpful in finding patterns in them. Error-Correcting Output Codes (ECOC) does …

Water Quality Prediction Based On Machine Learning Techniques, Zhao Fu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water is one of the most important natural resources for all living organisms on earth. The monitoring of treated wastewater discharge quality is vitally important for the stability and protection of the ecosystem. Collecting and analyzing water samples in the laboratory consumes much time and resources. In the last decade, many machine learning techniques, like multivariate linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) model, have been proposed to address the problem. However, simple linear regression analysis cannot accurately forecast water quality because of complicated linear and nonlinear relationships in the water quality dataset. The ANN model also has shortcomings …

Thermo-Mechanical Modeling And The Application Of Coiled Polymer Actuators In Soft Robotics And Biomimetics, Robert Hunt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Coiled polymer actuators (CPA) are a recently discovered smart material. Due to their large tensile stoke and power densities they are often used as actuators or artificial muscles. CPA’s are fabricated from a polymer fiber, typically nylon, mechanically twisted into a coil or coiled around a mandrel and annealed. When heated over the glass transition temperature they can contract, expand or exhibit torsional actuation, depending on the fabrication method and end conditions.

The fabrication and application of CPA is well documented and has made many innovations in the fields of smart materials, soft robotics and the likes. However, there is …

Toward Developing A Valid And Reliable Assessment Of Learners’ Nature Of Engineering Views, Erdogan Kaya

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nature of Engineering (NOE) refers to the epistemological beliefs pertaining to engineering (Antink-Meyer & Brown, 2019; Deniz et al., 2019; Hartman & Bell, 2018; Kaya et al., 2017; Pleasants & Olson, 2019). Given that a person’s engineering values and beliefs can affect how that individual perceives not only certain tasks, but also his/her ability to accomplish them, it is important to support pre-college teachers and students in improving their NOE understanding. This continues to be one of the main goals of pre-college Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, and has become particularly relevant since the release of the Next …

The Impact Of Electrostatic Correlations On The Electrokinetics, Elaheh Alidoosti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this project we are interested in electrokinetics phenomenon (i.e., study of electrical charges in a liquid matter) and focus on three families of this phenomenon, dielectrophoresis, electro-osmosis and streaming current. For the first work, at concentrated electrolytes, the ion-ion electrostatic correlations effect is considered as an important factor in electrokinetics. In this project, we compute, in theory and simulation, the dipole moment for a spherical particle (charged, dielectric) under the presence of an alternating electric field using the modified continuum Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) model by Bazant et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 2011) [25]. We investigate the dependency of the …

3d Parametric Hand To Improve Prosthetic Hand Functionality, Maria C. Gerardi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The use of prosthetics can significantly enhance an individual’s standard of living, not only offering functional advantages but psychological advantages as well. Unfortunately for children with upper limb reduction, options are limited and rejection rates are high due to a multitude of reasons including discomfort and poor functionality. This study proposes a new parametric 3D design model (Parametric Hand) with an adjustable thumb that can be easily manipulated to the uniqueness of an individual. The Parametric Hand was evaluated, both qualitatively and quantitatively, against the Flexy-Hand 2, a commonly used prosthetic hand. The results showed insignificant differences in all testing …

Remote Radiation Sensing Using Robotic Platforms, Monia Kazemeini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Remote sensing of ionizing radiation has a significant role in waste management, nuclear material management and nonproliferation, radiation safety, and accident response in situations such as the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Robotic platforms are able to surpass the number of tasks that could be achieved by humans. With the use of robots, the operator’s radiation exposure can be considerably decreased. Remote sensing allows for the evaluation and monitoring of radiological contamination in hazardous and hard to reach areas and locating radiation sources. In this work, gamma-ray and neutron sensors were integrated onto the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) making it …

Simulation Of Oxygen Control Technology In Applications Of Liquid Lead And Lead– Bismuth Eutectic Systems For Mitigating Materials Corrosion Using The Lattice Boltzmann Method, Emad Pouryazdanpanah Kermani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation is a study of material corrosion, along with solving momentum, energy, and mass transport equations by using the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for the mesoscale modeling of oxygen transfer in liquid metals within a non-isothermal domain. One of the main goals of the project, proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is to control and decrease the corrosion of materials, which are often a common problem in advanced nuclear reactors and accelerator driven systems (ADS). One of the most efficient ways to decrease the corrosion rate is to add oxygen to the coolant to create an oxide …

The Dynamic Control Platform: Reinventing The Wheel, One Leg At A Time, Angel Javier Solis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Upright bipedal walking is a complex balance of forces and actions that is almost taken for granted. How this system is modeled, how it affects a prosthesis, and how it can be implemented in the real world are topics that the proposed Dynamic Control Platform aims to address.

The Dynamic Control Platform (DCP) is a bipedal robot designed to test bio-inspired control algorithms with the aim to smooth out the walking experience for prosthetic legs. The main control paradigm that the DCP centers on the principle of orthogonal constraint, which aims to enforce a perpendicular relationship between the center of …

Gen-Foam Multiphysics Model Development For Molten Salt Reactors, Jeffrey Stewart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In thermal neutron spectrum Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), a graphite moderator contributes a positive reactivity value to the overall temperature reactivity coefficient of the core. When irradiated in the core, graphite undergoes dimensional changes which depend on the neutron spectrum. The graphite lifespan is a limiting parameter in MSR designs; it correlates strongly with the graphite’s dimensional changes. Multi-physics modeling is necessary to evaluate the graphite thermal and mechanical responses to the MSR core conditions. To assess graphite dimensional changes associated with irradiation, a computational model was developed upon the foundation of the multi-physics solver, GeN-Foam. Irradiated graphite dimensional change …

An Evaluation Of Bank Storage At Lake Mead Reservoir In The Southwest United States, Jon Woodrow Wilson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A water balance model is employed at Lake Mead to monitor and verify changing hydrology that affects total volume at the reservoir. Bank storage, which is defined as the volume of water captured in permeable lithologic layers subject to changes induced by contact and proximity to an open waterbody, is one component that is updated regularly and is based upon data and methods that were developed in the 1960’s from observations made within the first 30 years of the reservoir's maturation. Since this period, the reservoir has undergone further development and a current understanding of additional hydrologic affects to bank …

High Salinity, High Concentration Perchlorate Reduction In The Presence Of Hexavalent Chromium, Nitrate, And Chlorate, Nicole Martin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Perchlorate is a chemically stable anion which was used as an oxidizer in rocket propellant and explosives throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. While natural sources of perchlorate exist, perchlorate in the environment is primarily a result of contamination from anthropogenic processes. Perchlorate contamination has now been identified in at least 45 states and is hazard to human health due to perchlorate’s ability to interfere with uptake of iodine in the thyroid gland. One of the most common and cost effective treatment methods for perchlorate remediation is biological reduction—utilizing bacteria to enzymatically reduce perchlorate into chloride and oxygen.

The purpose of …

Acoustic Sonolysis Of Antibiotics In Water, Natalie Pinon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Antibiotic resistance is a prominent issue in the world today. It is said by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it is one of the major public health challenges we face today. Predominantly, antibiotic resistance is growing because conventional wastewater treatment processes are not able to completely break down antibiotics. As bacteria are exposed to such antibiotics, which don’t kill them due to selective pressure, they become immune and develop resistance which is a huge health concern. To prevent this from occurring, antibiotics need to be removed from hospital wastewater. Sonication is a promising technology that can be …

3-D Silk Fibroin Porous Particles Created By The Ouzo Effect For Biomedical Applications, Ashley Nicole Lamb

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Due to its high biocompatibility and biodegradability, silk fibroin – produced from

Bombyx mori (B. mori) cocoons – has been at the forefront of research for many

biomedical application formats: hydrogels, films, microspheres, and porous

sponges/scaffolding, to name a few. For drug delivery, in particular, porous particles are

desirable for their large surface area, uniform and tunable pore structure, and high

porosity. This thesis focuses on the fabrication of porous particles from silk fibroin by the

very interesting Ouzo effect. The Ouzo effect, so named because of the Greek

beverage ouzo, describes the phenomenon of an ethanol + anethole oil …

Abiotic, Biotic, And Bio-Enhanced Reduction Of Hexavalent Chromium, Chloroform And Co-Contaminants Using Nano-Scale Zero Valent Iron In Highly Contaminated Groundwater, Eduardo Robleto Martinez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Investigations of groundwater in a former industrial perchlorate manufacturing site have shown high contamination with perchlorate, chlorate, nitrate, hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)), and chloroform (CF) with levels greater than 3,000, 30,000, 300, 100, and 4 mg/L, respectively. Remediation efforts using biological reduction to desired contaminant levels at this site has been challenging due to high contaminant concentrations, and high total dissolved solids (TDS). Furthermore, removal of Cr(VI) and CF in the presence of nitrate, chlorate, and perchlorate has not been examined at the contaminated site. Nano-scale Zero-Valent-Iron (NZVI) has been effective at reducing groundwater contamination both with and without bacterial …

Public-Private Partnership Contract Framework Development And Project Performance Analysis Compared To Design-Build In The Us Highway Projects, Medya Fathi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction projects can be delivered through various approaches; nevertheless, all practitioners and involved parties have a mutual goal, which is completing the project within the original scope, defined budget, and schedule. Reviewing the literature on public-private partnership (PPP), many efforts have been made covering different research areas, including policies, risks, roles and responsibilities, and finance. However, a study involving the development of a framework for PPP contracts, and quantitative assessment of project performance associated with PPP highway projects in the US is lacking. Therefore, this research fills such a noticeable gap in the body of knowledge on the PPP delivery …

Front-End Cmos Transimpedance Amplifiers On A Silicon Photomultiplier Resistant To Fast Neutron Fluence, Mario Valles Montenegro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Radiation hard electronics are indispensable in providing reliable diagnostics in fast radiation detection, which are necessary for new fundamental science research. In the case of radiation detection, transimpedance amplifiers are needed to magnify low photodetector signals to readable levels reliably. This thesis investigates a way to design a transimpedance CMOS-front-end transimpedance amplifier (TIA) as a first stage front-end amplifier. The TIA is to be mounted on silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), as a photodetector in fast neutron scintillation experiments capable of sustaining up to 10^15 n/cm of fast neutrons in the range of 0.1 to 20 MeV. The proposed TIA was designed …