Engineering Commons^™

Distributed Electrical Power System In Cubesat Applications, Robert Burt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The cubesat spacecraft was conceived over ten years ago. Since that time, close to 100 cubesat satellites have either been launched or are in the process of construction. Although started as an educational teaching tool, the cubesat is gaining popularity in the satellite industry and is making inroads as a standard architecture for many nano and pico satellite applications. The electrical power system for the cubesat class satellites almost exclusively conforms to a centralized architecture.

This thesis researches the potential of using a distributed architecture for the cubesat power system. There are several key advantages of a distributed architecture that …

Analysis Of The Import, Export, And Bioavailability Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Within Pineview Reservoir, Brady K. Worwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to provide new and useful data about Pineview Reservoir and its watershed, produce water and phosphorus (P) budgets for Pineview Reservoir, test the validity of conclusions made in the Pineview Reservoir Total Maximum Daily Loading (TMDL) document, and create estimates of nitrogen (N) loading to the reservoir from both surface and ground water sources. The production of the water and P budgets, as well as the N loading estimates, was accomplished by measuring flow, nitrate, ammonium, total phosphorus (TP), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) that was entering and exiting the reservoir through surface water sources and …

Ultrasonic Flow Measurement For Pipe Installations With Non-Ideal Conditions, Devin M. Stoker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the arid west, water is among the most valuable of resources. One of the most critical aspects of water resource management is that of flow measurement. Accurate flow measurement data is needed to effectively manage any water distribution system, whether for culinary or irrigation use. In order to successfully and accurately measure water flow in pipes, it is recommended that a straight section of pipe be installed immediately upstream from the flow meter to avoid distorted flow patterns at the metering location. In many existing piping scenarios, however, such flow conditions are impossible to achieve.

The performance of ultrasonic …

Environmental Sensor Anomaly Detection Using Learning Machines, Erick F. Conde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The search for improvements in the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of real-time environmental measurements has been a field well exploited in recent years. These measurements describe actual environmental conditions and processes that provide relevant information upon which water quality management decisions are based. In situ sensors (located at the site of interest) are commonly used for such real-time measurement purposes. However, the performance of these types of sensors can be affected by such things as human factors, lack of necessary maintenance, flaws on the transmission line or any part of the sensor, and unexpected changes in the sensors surrounding conditions. …

Evaluation And Seismically Isolated Substructure Redesign Of A Typical Multi-Span Pre-Stressed Concrete Girder Highway Bridge, Brian D. Richins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seismic considerations greatly influence the lateral and vertical design of a structure, often necessitating larger elements than would otherwise be required. Seismic isolation greatly reduces the demands on a structure due to earthquake loading, allowing the use of smaller, more efficient members and foundations. This case study illustrates the theory and procedure of evaluating the response of a recently built multi-span highway bridge using the most recent (2009) AASHTO code. Based on this response, an equivalent structure was designed to incorporate a seismic isolation system, and the substructure of the isolated bridge redesigned to meet the reduced demands more economically. …

Optimization Of Dissolved Air Flotation For Algal Harvesting At The Logan, Utah Wastewater Treatment Plant, Andrew R. Elder

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research being completed at the Logan, UT wastewater treatment plant could provide a locally-sourced gasoline replacement by collecting algae that grows naturally. This process would also provide the City of Logan with a method to meet certain standards set by the state of Utah.

Problem and proposed solution:

The water leaving Logan’s wastewater treatment plant has high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, two elements that are found in all wastewater treatment plants. These two substances need to be controlled, because they kill fish and cause pond scum to grow in recreational reservoirs downstream. A unique method has been found to …

Axisymmetric Finite Element Modeling Of Adhesive Joint Between A Laminated Composite And Metal Cylinder, Casey A. Talbot

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Because lowering weight as much as possible is desirable in all applications designed to go to space, the use of composite materials is desirable. Composites are materials that are made up of two or more separate materials usually with significantly different characteristics which remain separate and distinct in their completed state. Fiber-reinforced epoxy composites, in general, are very strong and light. Because most space structures cannot solely be made of composites, a method to join them with metals is needed. Adhesive joining, or gluing, has been determined to be the most promising option.

For the joining technique to be used, …

Effect Of Vegetation On The Accumulation And Melting Of Snow At The Tw Daniels Experimental Forest, Vinod Mahat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Snow melt is an important component of Western US water resources, accounting for about 50-80% of the annual runoff. Water resources management requires prediction of runoff from snowmelt accounting for the variability of vegetation present in heterogeneous watersheds. This dissertation has examined ways to improve snowmelt modeling capability to better account for vegetation canopy effects on snowmelt and has presented enhancements to an energy balance model that include i) an improved representation of the transmission of radiation through the canopy, ii) an improved representation of the atmospheric transport of heat and water vapor between the snow on the ground, in …

Fish Passage Through Rehabilitated Culverts Laboratory Study, Amber H. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Slip lining culverts represent a low-cost technique that can restore life to decaying culverts. However, slip liners are smoother than typical host culverts; therefore, they generate higher flow velocities and lower flow depths within the culvert, which are fish passage barriers. One way to mitigate these barriers is by installing baffles. Unfortunately baffles can jeopardize the flow capacity of the culvert.

The Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) at Utah State University contracted with the Utah Department of Transportation for $85,000 to test the effectiveness of baffles in improving fish passage through culverts. The goal of this project was to identify …

Prediction Models For Estimation Of Soil Moisture Content, Swathi Gorthi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Center for Self-Organizing Intelligent Systems (CSOIS) has been successful in developing personal remote sensing systems. These systems can be further enhanced to monitor important resources of earth such as soil moisture content. Soil moisture is the major component of the soil in relation to plant growth. Soil water dissolves salts and makes up the soil solution, which is important as medium for supply of nutrients to growing plants.

Usually, measuring such physical quantities would include using derived formulas that mathematically describe the relationships between the parameters involved. With the advancements in computer modeling, other methods such as empirical modeling …

Predictive Modeling And Analysis Of Student Academic Performance In An Engineering Dynamics Course, Shaobo Huang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Engineering dynamics is a fundamental sophomore-level course required for many engineering students. This course is also one of the most challenging courses in which many students fail because it requires students to have not only solid mathematical skills but also a good understanding of dynamics concepts and principles.

The overall goal of this study was to develop a validated set of mathematical models to predict student academic performance in an engineering dynamics course taught in the College of Engineering at Utah State University. The predictive models will help the instructor to understand how well or how poorly the students in …

Designing Predictive Mathematical Models For The Metabolic Pathways Associated With Polyhydroxybutyrate Synthesis In Escherichia Coli, Angela Dixon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plastics are a versatile and widely used material. However, traditional plastics are derived from petrochemicals and are not biodegradable. Polymers synthesized from microorganisms that have similar properties to plastic are potential biodegradable replacements. The objective of this project is to use mathematical modeling as a tool to engineer a strain of bacteria optimized for the production of bio-plastics.

Production costs can be reduced by using a bacterial strain specifically optimized for bio-plastic production. By reducing production costs, bio-plastics will be able to commercially compete with traditional plastics. Society will benefit as bio-plastics replace traditional plastics. Fossil fuels will not be …

Air Demand In Low-Level Outlet Works, Jason Arthur Larchar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most dams have a low-level outlet that consists of a closed conduit through the dam with a slide gate or valve to regulate flow. These outlets are used mainly for irrigational purposes but also for flushing the reservoir and controlling the reservoir elevation. When discharging through the low-level outlet works, negative pressures can develop on the downstream side of the gate creating a potential for cavitation damage and vibration. To minimize these effects, air vents (vented to the atmosphere) are installed on the downstream side of the gate to limit downstream pressure to something above vapor pressure (i.e., near atmospheric …

Optimization Of A Low Reynold's Number 2-D Inflatable Airfoil Section, Todd A. Johansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A stand-alone genetic algorithm (GA) and an surrogate-based optimization (SBO) combined with a GA were compared for accuracy and performance. Comparisons took place using the Ackley Function and Rastrigin's Function, two functions with multiple local maxima and minima that could cause problems for more traditional optimization methods, such as a gradient-based method. The GA and SBO with GA were applied to the functions through a fortran interface and it was found that the SBO could use the same number of function evaluations as the GA and achieve at least 5 orders of magnitude greater accuracy through the use of surrogate …

Asymptotic Multiphysics Modeling Of Composite Beams, Qi Wang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A series of composite beam models are constructed for efficient high-fidelity beam analysis based on the variational-asymptotic method (VAM). Without invoking any a priori kinematic assumptions, the original three-dimensional, geometrically nonlinear beam problem is rigorously split into a two-dimensional cross-sectional analysis and a one-dimensional global beam analysis, taking advantage of the geometric small parameter that is an inherent property of the structure.

The thermal problem of composite beams is studied first. According to the quasisteady theory of thermoelasticity, two beam models are proposed: one for heat conduction analysis and the other for thermoelastic analysis. For heat conduction analysis, two different …

Movement Of Air Through Submerged Air Vents, Clay W. Woods

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah Water Research Lab (UWRL) proposes to study the behavior of air bubbles in submerged vent tubes. This study is coordinated with a study for the Las Vegas wastewater treatment system that discharges into Lake Mead. The UWRL collaborates with government agencies and private companies to research water-related issues around the world. The behavior of air bubbles is of interest in order to more efficiently vent air from pipelines with submerged vent tubes. The Las Vegas wastewater treatment system discharges into Lake Mead and is required to meet an environmental guideline that no air bubbles are discharged into the …

Evaluation Of An Incompressible Energy-Vorticity Turbulence Model For Fully Rough Pipe Flow, Doug F. Hunsaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Traditional methods of closing the Boussinesq-based Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are considered, and suggestions for improving two-equation turbulence models are made. The traditional smooth-wall boundary conditions are shown to be incorrect, and the correct boundary conditions are provided along with sample solutions to traditional models. The correct boundary condition at a smooth wall for dissipation-based turbulence models is that which forces both the turbulent kinetic energy and its first derivative to zero. Foundations for an energy-vorticity model suggested by Phillips are presented along with the near-smooth-wall behavior of the model. These results show that at a perfectly smooth wall, the turbulent …

Inkjet-Printed Highly Transparent Solar Cell Antennas, Jesus A. Arellano

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Small satellites, especially Cube Satellites (CubeSats), have become important vehicles for space exploration. One of the challenges CubeSats face is limited surface area. This limitation poses a question for antenna design–where to mount the antenna? Transparent antenna is a solution to resolve the competition between solar cells and antennas for surface area. The transparent antennas can be directly integrated on top of solar cells without requiring additional space. It is for this reason that this thesis focuses on the integration of highly transparent meshed antenna with solar cells. Even though transparent antennas allow light to travel light through them, they …

Managing Water Shortages In The Weber Basin Using The Water Evaluation And Planning (Weap) System, Bereket K. Tesfatsion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water is a scarce natural resource while the demand for water grows constantly. In Utah, most of the water resources have already been developed. In addition, Utah is prone to drought events and the effects of climate change may exacerbate the already dire situation. Hence, managing this scarce resource efficiently is very important in meeting the growing demand.

Reservoirs are used to store water which is subsequently released to meet demands. For management purposes, reservoirs have different zones such as flood control zone, conservation zone, buffer zone and inactive zone. Water is normally released from the conservation zone. The water …

Measuring The Differences In Spatial Ability Between A Face-To-Face And A Synchronous Distance Education Undergraduate Engineering Graphics Course, Scott D. Greenhalgh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was conducted in the Engineering and Technology Education Department at Utah State University by Scott Greenhalgh and Gary Stewardson to measure and compare a face-to-face engineering graphics course with a synchronous distance education engineering graphics course by identifying the impact of the teacher's physical presence on students' spatial ability. This study is unique because it involves laboratory classes in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field with greater emphasis on hands-on laboratory experiences and skills rather than mastery of information and knowledge. The potential for impact of the study extends beyond a few courses in a specific …

Frequency Response Of A Gas-Filled Tube With Minor Losses, Brian M. West

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A thesis on the study of the frequency response of a pneumatic system designed to provide pulsed flow for flow control applications is presented. The system consists of a high pressure air source, a high-frequency solenoid valve, a length of tube and a minor loss. The experiment mimics the pneumatic drive for our Coanda-Assisted Spray Manipulation actuator and applies to many flow control applications involving pulsed flow. Square wave signals of various frequency are fed to the solenoid valve. The flow at the exit of the system is measured with a single hot wire and compared to steady flow through …

Autonomous Aerial Manipulation Using A Quadrotor, Vaibhav Ghadiok

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper presents an implementation of autonomous indoor aerial gripping using a low-cost, custom-built quadrotor. Such research extends the typical functionality of micro air vehicles (MAV) from passive observation and sensing to dynamic interaction with the environment. To achieve this, three major challenges are overcome: precise positioning, sensing and manipulation of the object, and stabilization in the presence of disturbance due to interaction with the object. Navigation in both indoor and outdoor unstructured, Global Positioning System-denied (GPS-denied) environments is achieved using a visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm that relies on an onboard monocular camera. A secondary camera, capable …

Zeolite‐Based Algae Biofilm Rotating Photobioreactor For Algae And Biomass Production, Ashton M. Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alkaline conditions induced by algae growth in wastewater stabilization ponds create deprotonated ammonium ions that result in ammonia gas (NH₃) volatilization. If algae are utilized to remediate wastewater through uptake of phosphorus, the resulting nitrogen loss will hinder this process because algae generally require a stoichiometric molar ratio of N₁₆P₁. Lower ratios of N/P due to loss of ammonia gas will limit the growth and yield of algae, and therefore will reduce phosphorus removal from the water phase into the algae phase. In order to reduce nitrogen loss through volatilization, an ammonium selective zeolite, …

Cognitive Formation Flight In Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Personal Remote Sensing Systems, Long Di

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This work introduces a design and implementation of using multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to achieve cooperative formation flight based on the personal remote sensing platforms developed by the author and the colleagues in the Center for Self-Organizing and Intelligent Systems (CSOIS). The main research objective is to simulate the multiple UAV system, design a multi-agent controller to achieve simulated formation flight with formation reconfiguration and real-time controller tuning functions, implement the control system on actual UAV platforms and demonstrate the control strategy and various formation scenarios in practical flight tests. Research combines analysis on flight control stabilities, develop- ment …

Low-Thrust Assisted Angles-Only Navigation, Robert W. Gillis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tradition spacecraft proximity operations require large and expensive on-board sensors and significant ground support. Relative angle measurements can be obtained from small, simple, and inexpensive on-board sensors, but have not traditionally been used for proximity operation because of difficulty generating rang information. In this thesis it is shown that useful relative range data can be generated provided that the spacecraft is experiencing a small continuous thrust such as would be provided by a low-thrust propulsion system. In previous work range observability was shown with impulsive maneuvers. This thesis will expand this work to low-thrust spacecraft and will show how range …

Experimental Testing Of The Accuracy Of Attitude Determination Solutions For A Spin-Stabilized Spacecraft, Keegan P. Ryan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spin-stabilized spacecraft generally rely on sun and three-axis magnetic field sensor measurements for attitude determination. This study experimentally determines the total accuracy of attitude determination solutions using modest quality sensors. This was ac- complished by having a test spacecraft collect data during spinning motions. The data was then post-processed to find the attitude estimates, which were then compared to the experimentally measured attitude. This same approach will be used to test the accuracy of the attitude determination system of the DICE spacecraft to be built by SDL/USU.

Discharge Coefficients Of Oblique Weirs, Samuel Egnew Tingey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Oblique weirs are those weirs placed at an angle with respect to the channel centerline. They can be used in canal applications where more discharge is needed, but there is limited freeboard. The discharge coefficients were determined for 54 different weirs by measuring total head for various flows over each weir. These weirs included sharp, half round and quarter-round-crested weirs. There were 18 weirs for each crest shape with three weir heights for each angle tested. The oblique angles tested were 10°, 15°, 25°, 45°, 60°, and 90° with respect to the channel centerline, with the nominal weir heights being …

A Two-Dimensional Numerical Simulation Of Plasma Wake Structure Around A Cubesat, Rajendra Mitharwal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A numerical model was developed to understand the time evolution of a wake structure around a CubeSat moving in a plasma with transonic speed. A cubeSat operates in the F2 layer of ionosphere with an altitude of 300 − 600 Km. The average plasma density varies between 10⁻⁶cm⁻³ − 10⁻⁹cm⁻³ and the temperature of ions and electrons is found between 0.1−0.2 eV. The study of a wake structure can provide insights for its effects on the measurements obtained from space instruments. The CubeSat is modeled to have a metal surface, which is a realistic …

Estimating Yield Of Irrigated Potatoes Using Aerial And Satellite Remote Sensing, Saravanan Sivarajan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Multispectral aerial and satellite remote sensing plays a major role in crop yield prediction due to its ability to detect crop growth conditions on spatial and temporal scales in a cost effective manner. Many empirical relationships have been established in the past between spectral vegetation indices and leaf area index, fractional ground cover, and crop growth rates for different crops through ground sampling. Remote sensing-based vegetation index (VI) yield models using airborne and satellite data have been developed only for grain crops like barley, corn, wheat, and sorghum. So it becomes important to validate and extend the VI-based model for …

Structural Identification And Damage Identification Using Output-Only Vibration Measurements, Shutao Xing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation studied the structural identification and damage detection of civil engineering structures. Several issues regarding structural health monitoring were addressed.

The data-driven subspace identification algorithm was investigated for modal identification of bridges using output-only data. This algorithm was tested through a numerical truss bridge with abrupt damage as well as a real concrete highway bridge with actual measurements. Stabilization diagrams were used to analyze the identified results and determine the modal characteristics. The identification results showed that this identification method is quite effective and accurate.

The influence of temperature fluctuation on the frequencies of a highway concrete bridge was …