Engineering Commons^™

The Effects Of Non-Uniform Blade Geometries On Cascade And Turbine Stage Performance, Hiroyuki Maeda

Masters Theses

It is known that in-service turbomachinery blades do not have uniform shapes. There are small differences due to blade erosion, manufacturing tolerances, or faulty installation. These differences can be in the size, shape, or relative angles of the blade. In an effort to predict losses resulting from changes in blade thickness and/or blade angles, a two-part investigation has been conducted. A two-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes flow analysis has been used to perform numerical experiments.

First, simulations were performed for an isolated cascade. One of the two stators was scaled and/or rotated. Results of the numerical simulations show that increasing the blade …

A Heuristic Procedure For Designing A Cellular Manufacturing System While Minimizing Makespan, Panduranga Badam

Masters Theses

This study is the first of its kind in Group Technology (GT) literature and successfully demonstrates the application of the simulation technique to analyze different alternatives for machine and part grouping problem.

This study considers several aspects such as processing time, sequence of operations, alternative routing, setup time and dynamic shop condition for machine-part grouping. The heuristic developed aims to reduce intercellular moves, setup time and makespan time of parts. It also enables the decision markers to evaluate performance measures and to choose the best alternative at every step of the machine grouping process. Two examples have been used to …

An Evolutionary Approach To Allocating Tasks In Hard Real-Time Distributed Systems, Christian Lang

Masters Theses

In real-time systems, correctness not only depends on the result of the computation but also on the time at which this result is available. The violation of timing constraints in hard real-time systems can be critical to human life or environment. Therefore, the scheduling algorithm for distributed systems has to allocate tasks to processing nodes so that no timing constraints can be violated. In addition to timing constraints, tasks have precedence and fault-tolerance constraints.

Static scheduling allocates tasks to processing nodes before the tasks are executed. Static scheduling problems are known to be NP-hard [4]. Therefore, heuristic techniques are necessary …

An Investigation And Improvement Of Electrorheological (Er) Fluid Technology, Adil F. Dalal

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate and overcome the limitations of Electrorheological (ER) fluids and to introduce this advanced technology at WMU. Electrorheological (ER) Fluids are a special class of fluids, which exhibit a reversible, infinitely variable phase transition from a liquid to a solid/semi-plastic state, in the presence of an electric field.

ER fluids can provide a unique solution to the problems of vibration isolation of systems. The applications are currently limited due to the high voltage requirements, electric power related heating and limited research into wear/abrasive characteristics of ER fluids.

A specially designed and constructed "electro-viscosimeter" …

A Pc-Based Signal Validation System For Nuclear Power Plants, Ali Seyfettin Erbay

Masters Theses

The safe operation and efficient control of a nuclear power plant requires reliable information about the state of the process. Therefore the validity of sensors which measure the process variables is of great importance. Signal validation is the detection, isolation and characterization of faulty signals. Properly validated process signals are also beneficial from the standpoint of increased plant availability and reliability of operator actions.

In recent years, several methods have been developed for signal validation (SV). Some of these methods include generalized consistency checking (GCC) , process empirical modeling (PEM) for prediction, multi-dimensional process hypercube (PHC), univariate and multivariate autoregression …

Effect Of Poly Acrylate Addition On Coating Color Rheology, Water Retention And Coating Performance, Shambhu Nath

Masters Theses

Five polyacrylate samples were used to study their effects on coating color rheology, water holding and runnability. The Cylindrical Laboratory Coater was used to apply the coatings and study the runnability of the coating colors. The healing tendencies of the coatings were studied by inducing a scratch under the blade. The higher acid level and degree of crosslinking of the polyacrylate gave higher viscosity and the higher acid level also gave higher water retention. Coating colors containing polyacrylates were less prone to dilatancy at high shear. The addition of polyacrylate reduced the healing of coating colors, but for the same …

Mechanical Impedance Methods For Vibration Simulation, Jeffrey Allen Gatscher

Masters Theses

Realistic laboratory simulation of a system's field vibration environment has been of major concern to design and test engineers for many years. The usual practice of basing vibration design and test specifications on an envelope of the equipment base acceleration levels experienced in the field environment has often resulted in excessive levels of overtesting. This results from the large differences between the mechanical impedance of the vehicle structure and that of a fully equalized vibration shaker. Mechanical impedance effects occur naturally in a field environment. Including such effects in a laboratory vibration environment achieves more realistic conditions of similitude. A …

Rear Seat Belt Usage And Comfort, Kuntal Thakurta

Masters Theses

Seat belts have been shown to be effective in reducing car crash fatalities and injuries. Despite consistent evidence that seat belts when worn can provide the greatest vehicle occupant protection of all currently available occupant restraint systems, seat belt use rates remain low. The rates of occupants wearing seat belts in rear seats is much lower than front seat occupants. One of the primary causes for occupants not using seat belts in rear seats has been lack of comfort. The purpose of this thesis was to study the relationship of comfort and seat belt use in rear seats. The current …

Application Of A Generalized Quartic Equation Of State To Pure Polar Fluids, Yen-Liang Lin

Masters Theses

A generalized four-parameter quartic equation of state proposed by Shah (1992) has been extended to polar fluids. For the use the new generalized quartic equation of state for polar fluids, only four characteristic properties of the pure compound are required, critical temperature, critical volume, acentric factor, and dipole moment. For nonpolar fluids, the previous equation (Shah, 1992) is recovered and its superior performance with nonpolar fluids is retained.

A new set of coefficients for polar fluids in the quartic equation of state has been obtained from multiproperty regressions using various physical and thermodynamic experimental literature data for 30 pure compounds. …

An Empirical Study Of Just-In-Time And Total Quality Management Principles Implementation In Manufacturing Firms In The U.S., Loknath Sriparavastu

Masters Theses

Literature in vogue points out that, in the last decade, American manufacturing companies came a long way in their renewed emphasis on the quality process. Justin- Time (JIT) and Total Quality Management (TQM) are the two magical phrases that are being frequently used in almost all the articles published on quality and productivity. Nevertheless, the literature does not provide any satisfactory explanation as to how JIT and TQM principles are implemented in the manufacturing industries.

This research, through a nationwide empirical survey, analyzed the effects of JIT and TQM strategies implementation. Survey results showed that implementing both JIT and TQM …

An Empirical Investigation Of Total Quality Management (Tqm) Effectiveness In Healthcare Organizations, Lokesh S. Basappa

Masters Theses

American hospitals are implementing quality programs to offer higher quality service at reduced cost. However, the results of these programs in many hospitals have often not met expectations.

This research analyzed the effectiveness of Total Quality Management (TQM). The objective of the study was to better understand how TQM strategies can best be applied by hospitals. An empirical survey was distributed to Michigan hospitals and an analysis was performed to meet this objective.

The survey results show that hospitals involved indirectly with quality programs haven't realized that they are implementing TQM strategies. On the other hand some hospitals say that …

Recent Advances In Engineering Design: Theory And Practice, Andrew J. Moskalik

Masters Theses

In the last few years, industry and academia have focused greater attention on the area o f engineering design. Manufacturers have implemented new design methods such as concurrent engineering and design for manufacture, and academia has increased research in design-related issues. This paper will attempt to summarize the recent advances, both scholarly and industrial, relating to the field of design. I will examine new methodologies and supporting tools for the design process, both in use and under research. This paper will cover concurrent engineering, design for manufacture, quality methods, design theory research, computer-aided design, expert systems, analysis programs, manufacturing, and …

Internal Acoustic Excitation Of An Airfoil Surface For Drag Reduction, Wendy L. Holforty

Masters Theses

This research investigated the effects of internal acoustic excitation on the boundary layer and surface of an airfoil. A NACA 16- 018 symmetric airfoil was tested in the Western Michigan University wind tunnel. The shedding vortex frequency of the airfoil was determined using hot-film anemometry. Using stroboscopic and holographic interferometry, the natural frequencies of the airfoil surface were determined. The airfoil surface was tuned such that the frequency of the shedding vortex is a resonant frequency and two internally mounted acoustic drivers were used to excite the surface of the airfoil at the shedding vortex frequency. The effects on pressure …

A State Architecture Notation Specification Of The Electronic Industries Association Rs-232-C Generic Interchange Circuit, Nelson E. Hastings

Masters Theses

The Electronic Industries Association (BIA) RS-232-C recommendation is an interface specification which was introduced in August 1969 and presents a natural language specification of a 25 pin binary serial data interface between a Data Communication Equipment (DCE) and a Data Terminal Equipment (DTE). The exchange of data signals between a DCE and a DTE ultimately provides the means for DTEs to communicate on networks of DCEs interconnected by different transmission mediums possibly over great distances. The exchange of data signals between a DCE and a DTE occurs at an interface via interchange circuits.

In this thesis we will create a …

An Ergonomics Approach To Evaluate The Use Of Two Different Fixtures For Upholstering, Maria Luisa Roa

Masters Theses

A furniture company in West Michigan proposed an evaluation of a new fixture that will be used in a repetitive manual stapling operation.

Numerous studies reveal that activities involving repetitive wrist motions cause inflammation in the median nerve that runs through the structure of the carpal wrist, causing a cumulative disorder known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). This syndrome is one of the most prevalent in industrial settings and service companies.

This study investigated if the use of a new design of a fixture had an impact on operators' performances. Three-dimensional comparative analysis was used to observe operators' wrist angular …

Efficacy Of Implementing An Ergonomics Program In An Industrial Setting Regarding Cumulative Trauma Disorders To The Upper Extremity, Christa Abraham, Lisa Evans, Patrick Hoban

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if implementation of an industrial ergonomics program would decrease the number of upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders, lost days of work, and insurance costs. Data was collected from company records and OSHA logs including type of injury, lost days of work, restricted days of work, and insurance costs. This data was then analyzed using regression analysis and descriptive statistics.; The results of this study supported the concept that ergonomic programs may decrease the number of lost days of work. In this study, a number of limitations and weak correlations were found between …

An Investigation Of Recycled High Density Polyethylene Reinforced By Short Glass Fibers, Tony Lynn Alwardt

Masters Theses

The mechanical properties of recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) reinforced by short glass fibers were investigated. The composites formed by an injection molding process were examined in terms of tensile strength, percent elongation, and hardness. Recycled HDPE was compared to virgin HDPE regarding the effects of fiber concentrations, types, sizes, and treatments. The addition of three coupling agents at different concentrations was investigated.

The virgin HDPE composites slightly outperformed their recycled HDPE counterparts; having higher tensile strength and hardness, but were less ductile. Increase in fiber concentration generally increased the tensile strength and hardness, but the concentration of fibers was …

Adaptive Critic Based Neural Networks For Control, Victor Biega

Masters Theses

"Dynamic Programming is an exact method of determining optimal control for a discretized system. Unfortunately, for nonlinear systems the computations necessary with this method become prohibitive.

This project investigates the use of adaptive neural networks that utilize dynamic programming methodology to develop near optimal control laws. First, a one dimensional infinite horizon problem is examined. The first part of this thesis considers problems involving cost functions with final state constraints for one dimensional linear and nonlinear systems. It also investigates a two dimensional linear problem. In addition to these examples, an example of the corrective capabilities of critics is shown. …

Information Processing Using Laser Speckle, Rathnakar Gopisetty

Masters Theses

"The random speckle intensity pattern, which is produced by the scattered optical field from a rough surface when illuminated, can be used as a carrier of information. A theoretical study is performed to use the speckle patterns for retrieving the information of various kinds of object motions. A mathematical model of speckle is developed and used to relate different speckle patterns at various intervals as the object is experiencing motion. Four different object motions, i.e., one dimensional perpendicular motion, axial motion, three-dimensional motion, and rotational motion of an object are analyzed. In each case an interference pattern is produced which …

An Analysis Of The Payback Potential Of New Lighting Technology, James L. Cox

Masters Theses

Recent, energy saving improvements in lighting technology have been made involving the use of more efficient lamps, silver coated light reflectors, and electronic light ballasts. Research indicates that it is economically feasible to retrofit existing light fixtures to utilize the advantages of these developments. This process consists of the removal of all standard lamps and ballasts in each light fixture, the installation of a highly refined light reflector and the replacement of the existing lamps with brighter, more efficient ones. Standard magnetic ballasts are exchanged for more efficient electronic ballasts. Resulting is a light fixture that produces a comparable amount …