Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Water-Based Ink System For Braille Printing, Saurabh Varma

Masters Theses

The most commonly used system of writing by and for blind persons is called Braille, named after its French inventor, Louis Braille (1809-1952). Braille is comprised of a rectangular six-dot cell on its end, with up to 63 possible combinations using one or more of the six dots. Braille is the only reliable method of literacy for blind persons, because it enables them to read and write by touch¹.

Currently, Braille is printed by special embossers that serve as a printing press. These embossers create Braille output when it is attached appropriately to computers. The speed of these …

Electronic Data Collection For Rockfall Hazard Evaluation, Derrick Ladon Bellamy

Masters Theses

Rockfall field data collection traditionally has used conventional stationery tools, i.e. pencil and paper, for data collection. Traditional methodologies are being revisited with the advent of PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants) or penbased computers. With the utilization of such technology, field data can be collected electronically. An electronic data collection system using PDA’s was developed for this thesis. The advantages of the PDA approach over pencil and paper data collection include automatic error and data integrity checks during data input, and the elimination of manual data entry. The PDA’s also allow automatic branching to solicit data input based on previous data …

Investigation Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Bearing Species In Steam Gasification Of Poultry Litter, Bratendu Bagchi

Masters Theses

The production of broiler chickens has become one of the largest sectors in United States agriculture and the growing demand for poultry has led to an annual production growth rate of five percent. Over 70 percent of the production can be traced to the Southeastern United States. With increased demand for poultry, poultry litter management has become a major challenge in the agriculture industry and for the United States Department of Agriculture.

One of the options being considered for chicken litter management is steam gasification of the litter. Detailed study and research of this option has already been carried out …

Analysis And Characterization Of Single-Poly Floating Gate Devices In 0.35um Pdsoi Process, Chandra Sekhar Acharyulu Durisety

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate a single-poly Floating Gate Device (FGD) in 0.35 m Partially Depleted Silicon On Insulator (PDSOI) process for use in analog circuits for post process trimming. Floating gate devices with different aspect ratios have been fabricated to facilitate this behavioral study in PDSOI process. Fundamentals of floating gate devices, the advantages and disadvantages of PDSOI compared to bulk CMOS with respect to single-poly floating gate devices are discussed. Various experiments on behavior and performance of threshold voltage have been conducted and its variation with programming/erasing time and amplitude has been analyzed. The single-poly …

Verification Of Intellectual Property Blocks Using Reconfigurable Hardware, Koay Teng Kuan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a procedure to verify intellectual property (IP)cores on the Pilchard platform which contains reconfigurable hardware. The hardware and tools used for the verification process are documented.

Two IP cores are used as examples of how the Pilchard design flow is to be applied. One core that does a simple logical function is implemented to serve as a demonstration of Pilchard read and write operations. To demonstrate the versatility of the hardware platform, a complex core that performs a Fast Fourier Transform operation was also implemented successfully.

Results from these IP implementations indicate …

Evolution Of A Monomer Concentration Field In A Micro-Fluidic Channel, Michael Francis Kirsch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to determine how long a micro-channel could be in the production of Non-Linear Optical Thin Film Wave-Guides. In determining this length, it is necessary to compute the monomer diffusion process between two solutions of monomers in a micro channel flow. Two models of this flow were created, the first with no flow in a one dimensional channel making diffusion a function of time and position and the second of flow in a two dimensional channel with an imposed velocity profile. Using these models it was determined that the micro channel could be the longest …

F/A-18e/F Catapult Minimum End Airspeed Testing, Michael M. Wallace

Masters Theses

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the result of major upgrades to previous series of F/A-18 Hornet aircraft (F/A-18A/B/C/D). These upgrades resulted in an airplane requiring a complete Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. Catapult minimum end airspeed tests took place near the end of the three and a half year EMD program to provide data for the Aircraft Launch Bulletin for Operational Evaluation and fleet operations. The tests had occurred on average only every six years for any type of aircraft and 10-15 years for the same model of aircraft in the last 30 years.

The objective of this thesis …

Resonance Detection And Acoustic Behaviour In Polymer Intake Manifolds, Amrith Ramanan

Masters Theses

The Automotive Industry, over the last few years, has been placing major emphasis on the use of lightweight components in engines as well as other structural components. The material for these lightweight components are being chosen in such a way that they require minimal secondary operations to place the components in service. One area that has developed is the use of Polymer (Plastic) Intake Manifolds for Internal Combustion engines. Plastics meet all the criteria for quality low cost production with a minimum weight component. Plastic intake manifolds, however, have been found to be excessively noisy in operation. This noise can …

Metastable Phases Of Mgo-Tio2 Solid Solutions, Liang-Chieh Ma

Masters Theses

Magnesium titanium oxide powders were synthesized by the sol-gel method using alkoxides of magnesium and titanium with different ratios. Matastable phases of qandilite, Mg₂TiO₄, were found with Mg:Ti ratios down to 1.52:1 in lower temperature 600 °C than in the equilibrium condition which is above 1200 °C. Powder samples were examined by neutron powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for analysis of structure and oxidation states. Also, samples were tested for the Mg:Ti ratios by induced coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The structure refinements of the samples were done by General Structure Analysis System (GSAS) …

Development Of A Data Driven Multiple Observer And Causal Graph Approach For Fault Diagnosis Of Nuclear Power Plant Sensors And Field Devices, Ke Zhao

Masters Theses

Data driven multiple observer and causal graph approach to fault detection and isolation is developed for nuclear power plant sensors and actuators. It can be integrated into the advanced instrumentation and control system for the next generation nuclear power plants.

The developed approach is based on analytical redundancy principle of fault diagnosis. Some analytical models are built to generate the residuals between measured values and expected values. Any significant residuals are used for fault detection and the residual patterns are analyzed for fault isolation.

Advanced data driven modeling methods such as Principal Component Analysis and Adaptive Network Fuzzy Inference System …

Developmental Flight Test Of A Powered Approach Stability Augmentation System On The U.S. Navy's E- 2c Hawkeye 2000 Aircraft, Robert K. Williams

Masters Theses

The E-2C aircraft is a Navy carrier based high-wing, twin engine turboprop powered aircraft used for the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) mission. In the power approach configuration, the aircraft displays strong adverse yaw, weak directional stability, and excessive rudder control power. These antagonistic characteristics, when coupled together, result in an extremely high workload for the pilot during both carrier and field landings. Although the aircraft has a yaw axis stability augmentation system, it is currently only applicable to cruise conditions. Engaging the stability augmentation in the power approach configuration results in a 1 Hz directional oscillation due to the system’s …

State Of Charge Estimation For Batteries, Baskar Vairamohan

Masters Theses

In this thesis, a methodology to accurately estimate the state of charge (SOC ) of the batteries used in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) is proposed. A linear relationship exists between open circuit voltage (V_OC ) and SOC . In the proposed scheme, a system theory approach is employed to identify the open circuit voltage of the battery, from which the state of charge of the battery is determined. This method is very unique because it estimates the V_OC of the battery in the vehicle even under load conditions. A state variable approach yields a set of …

Economic Feasibility Of Sludge Treatment By Nitro-Hydrolysis With Product Recovery And Recycle, Shinu George Simon

Masters Theses

Activated sludge treatment facilities generate a waste stream consisting of 0.25-4% sludge, which must be disposed of as a solid waste. Conventional methods such as landfills, land farming, wet air oxidation, and incineration. The main disadvantages of such disposal methods have been the high cost of operation and aesthetic objections.

The purpose of the research was to investigate the economic and technical feasibility of utilizing a nitro-hydrolysis process as a means of sludge disposal. The nitro-hydrolysis process is based on the nitric acid hydrolysis of sludge. A generalized reaction can be written as

Sludge + HNO3 [arrow] Biodegradable organic + …

Adaptation Of Project Finance To Small Contractor Financing, Ragunathan Venkateswaran

Masters Theses

One key reason for the poor performance of small construction establishments in securing a higher chunk of the annual project volume is funding. While construction industry does not require a large capital investment it does require a large working capital to start up the project and generate bills so that the resulting cash flow may take over the remaining funding requirements. Unfortunately for small contractors there are very limited options available from the banks or other lending institutions to cover this large working capital requirement in the absence of sufficient collateral. The "Project Finance" method, which has been used in …

Development Of A Simulation For The Prediction Of Pvdf Surface Velocity Sensor Response For Vibrating Beams And Rectangular Plates, Brian C. Zellers

Masters Theses

A simulation for the prediction of Polyvinylidene Flouride (or PVDF) sensor charge response to structural vibration displacements of beam and rectangular plate structures was developed. The simulation uses measured vibration displacements from an actual structure using point sensors (accelerometers) assembled in an array on the surface of the structure. The PVDF sensor charge output equation was written for a PVDF film of constant spatial sensitivity so that numerical analysis tools in Matlab® can be used to solve the equation. Preliminary experimental results showed that the bending strain component, due to transverse vibration displacements, is the dominant term for both the …

An Imaging System For Concrete Bridge Inspection, Mohammed Talal Al-Bataineh

Masters Theses

Bridges are the most important element in the road network because of, the strategic position a bridge occupies, its direct impact on safety, and its high cost. Therefore, a continuous maintenance and inspection should be performed. During the past years visual inspection has been the primary method of bridge inspection.

Pontis is a comprehensive bridge management system developed as a tool to assist in the challenging task of bridge management. Pontis stores bridge inventory and inspection data and formulates network-wide preservation and improvement policies for use in evaluating the needs of each bridge in a network.

The concrete bridge inspection …

Management Commitment To Construction Safety, Areen M. Shaar

Masters Theses

The objective of all businesses including construction is to make money and to be profitable. The costs resulting from personal injuries and equipment damage, combined with the associated financial impact resulting from schedule disruptions, insurance hikes, and workers compensation can definitely impact the profitability of any construction operation. Most times those costs can be minimized or avoided by giving safety more attention on construction job sites.

The main purpose of this research is to determine the correlation between management commitment to safety and its impacts on the frequency of injuries and illnesses. To achieve this, a survey was methodically developed …

Discrete Event Simulation In Manufacturing Environments: The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Benjamin Thomas Burnette

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to construct a discrete event model of the waste handling activities inside of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in order to examine "what-if" scenarios designed to increase the rate at which waste is disposed.

The discrete event modeling software EXTEND was chosen by Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) because of its ease of use, flexibility, ability to customize, and low cost. Historical and observed data were used to construct, verify, and validate the resulting model. Verification ensures that the model works as programmed, and validation ensures the real world system is truly being modeled …

Interface Behavior Of Water Saturated Limestone Rock Joints Using Hollow Cylinder Testing And A Case History Regarding Mine Roof Stability: Fort Hartford Mine Superfund Site, Roger W. Cecil

Masters Theses

Presented herein is a multi-part thesis prepared to partially meet the requirements for the Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Tennessee. Part I provides a brief introduction to the two primary thesis topics that are presented in Parts II and III, respectively.

Part II presents findings from a series of tests performed with a hollow cylinder combined axial-torsional testing apparatus to study the effects of confining fluid pressure on the shear strength of artificial rock joints for Holston Limestone. Tests were performed for confining fluid pressures of 0.14 MPa to 0.55 MPa and effective joint …

Thermo-Oxidative Behavior Of Ptmg And Ppg Based Polyurethane-Ureas With Varying Degree Of Fluorination, Rogerio Silva Tocchetto

Masters Theses

The thermo-oxidative behavior of ether based fluorinated polyurethane elastomers was assessed. For achieving this goal, samples were exposed to high temperatures (118±3^oC) for periods of up to eight weeks. The chemical structure changes were monitored through infrared spectroscopy and several other test methods such as mass retention, contact angle measurements and viscosity measurements. Thermo-gravimetric analysis was done for the unexposed samples, and the mechanical properties of these materials were monitored through a multi-frequency dynamic mechanical analyzer.

The polyurethanes supplied for this study are ether based polymers synthesized in a two step process where on the first step 4,4’-diphenyl …

Production Of Fine Carbon Nanoparticles And Hydrogen-Rich Gas From Laser-Thermal Cracking Of Methane Using Regenerable Iron Based Catalyst, Shenghong Qiu

Masters Theses

Carbon nanotubes, having remarkable material properties, hold tremendous potential applications. Among the synthesis methods, cracking of natural gas (methane) is one of the effective ways, which also produces hydrogen without any 2 CO emission. The reaction energy in conventional methods is usually supplied by burning some feedstock, which results in low thermal efficiency. A new approach, direct laser irradiation, will give an environmentally clean and efficient process to produce carbon nanoparticles.

Some exploratory studies on catalytic laser-thermal cracking of methane were carried out at UTSI. Regenerable iron-based ( 2 3 Fe / Al O ) catalyst made by soaking-drying technique …

Scale Model Investigations Of The Effects Of Flow Conditioning Devices, Grady P. Saunders

Masters Theses

A scale model was constructed of a portion of a supersonic wind tunnel to perform experiments on various flow conditioning devices. The various devices researched were: swirl vanes, screens, honeycombs, and various combinations thereof. Each flow conditioning device was analyzed to show its effect on total pressure profiles, static pressure profiles, test section flow angularity, test section turbulence, and acoustic noise. Of most concern are the effects flow conditioning devices have on temporal fluctuation of previously mentioned parameters.

The data from these experiments were used as the basis for selecting a screen-honeycomb combination to be installed in the full-scale tunnel. …

Online Determination Of The Steady-State Condition Of An Aerodynamic Test Article Mounted In A Wind Tunnel Test Cell, Martin Vincent Fette

Masters Theses

The Propulsion Wind Tunnel (PWT) facility at Arnold Engineering Development Center is devoted to aerodynamic and propulsion integration testing of large-scale aerodynamic models. Models of aircraft, missiles and rockets are tested at simulated altitude conditions from sea level to about 150,000 feet.

Before the data acquisition sequence, it is necessary to establish that the model position has stabilized following the movement of the test model to a new orientation. The existing procedure requires an extra delay, after moving the model, before data is acquired. This delay, however, may be more or less than necessary, resulting in wasted testing time or …

Statistical Mechanical Models Of Adsorption And Diffusion Of Fluids In Crystalline Nanoporous Materials, Mithun Ramdas Kamat

Masters Theses

Statistical mechanical analytical theories are developed to model adsorption and diffusion of single component and binary fluids in crystalline nanoporous materials. The theory provides insight into the molecular level mechanisms governing the behavior of adsorbed molecules. The theory predicts diffusivities, adsorption isotherms, and heats of adsorption as functions of temperature, pressure, and composition.

Molecular dynamics simulations have identified localized adsorption sites within the adsorbent lattice. In this work, a lattice model of adsorption is developed using an extension of the Quasi-Chemical Approximation Theory. The theory demonstrates that competing entropic and energetic effects dictate the placement of molecules within the lattice …

Extension Of The Continuity Constraint Algorithm To Variable-Density Flow Simulation, Mark William Yambert

Masters Theses

One class of problems commonly encountered in the study of computational fluid dynamics involves the flow of fluids with variable density. Such flows are characterized by density variations too large for the assumption used in most incompressible Navier-Stokes formulations, that small changes in density are linearly proportional to changes in temperature, to be valid. Unlike fully compressible flows, such as the high-speed flow of gases, variable-density flows are often characterized by low Mach numbers. Examples of such flows include 1) combustion problems, where significant density variations may arise due to the large temperature differences present, and 2) flows involving liquids, …

Building Deconstruction Guidelines: Tools For Recovering Building Materials, Ali Ayedh Merzen

Masters Theses

The traditional method of tearing down building when its life cycle is completed is known as demolition, which means destroying most of the structures and burying it in the landfills. This is the most common practice in most countries, but in recent years there is a new movement toward using the components of these buildings. Burying usable or recyclable materials in landfills means more pollution and increasing the need for more landfills. The concept of reusing or recycling building materials is known as Deconstruction. This practice is relatively new in the construction industry and requires more research and studies to …

Using The Boundary Element Method For Prediction Of Sound Radiated From An Arbitrarily Shaped Vibrating Body, Mark J. Christensen

Masters Theses

The Boundary Element Method can be used to predict sound pressure levels radiated from an arbitrarily shaped vibrating body. Using the Direct, Indirect and Approximation formulation one can solve such an ‘exterior’ acoustic problem. In this work, the Direct formulation was chosen. The two major methods employed for implementation of this formulation are the Combined Helmholtz Integral Equation Formulation (CHIEF) and the Burton–Miller Method. Since the CHIEF method was easier to program and adapt to changes, it was decided that the CHIEF method would be the focus of this research. Using the CHIEF method as a guide, a computer simulation …

Molecular Simulation Of Aqueous Electrolytes In Silica Nanochannels, Jiandong Zhou

Masters Theses

Aqueous electrolytes, NaCl and CaCl₂, in silica nanochannels with radius ranging from 0.67 nm to 1.5 nm were simulated with the molecular dynamics technique. An atomistic wall model and the SPC/E water model were used in the simulations. The effects of radius and charge on the wall surface of the nanochannel were studied. The self-diffusivity of water molecules and ions along the axial direction of nanochannel was calculated. It was shown that water molecules form different layers when the radius of the nanochannel changes. The effects of the wall on the movement of water molecules and ions are …

Design And Integration Of A Display For A Low Cost Laser Altimeter For General Aviation Applications, Scott Edward Hutcheson

Masters Theses

This project began when Opti-Logic, a local manufacturer of laser rangefinders for military and sporting applications, expressed a desire to design an altimeter for General Aviation application to measure absolute altitude based on the laser range finder as a sensor. The sensor they chose was the RS400, which was originally designed for security applications. The purpose of this thesis was to aid Opti-Logic by designing and flight-testing an intuitive display for the laser altimeter. A Systems Engineering approach was used throughout the design process. A basic assumption in the design of the system is that a suitable laser sensor was …

Measuring Vehicle Volumes And Monitoring And Modeling Of Pm2.5 Concentrations In A Travel Center Associated With A Major Urban Interstate And Interchange, Seung-Ju Yoon

Masters Theses

The Watt Road interchange that crosses over I-40 interstate in West Knox County, TN is associated with three travel centers which have overnight parking spaces for approximately 700 vehicles, primarily occupied by heavy heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HHDDV). Field studies were conducted to characterize the traffic patterns by vehicle type within the I-40 and Watt Road corridors and travel centers, and to monitor and model PM_2.5 concentrations resulting from the various vehicle activities within the corridors and at the PETRO travel center. Traffic volumes and the associated vehicle mixes were measured for each hour of day. Monitoring PM2.5 concentrations was …