Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2014

Clemson University

All Theses

Articles 1 - 30 of 88

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Inlay Vs. Onlay: A Comparison Of Two Glenoid Systems In Total Shoulder Arthroplasty, Sarah Helms Dec 2014

Inlay Vs. Onlay: A Comparison Of Two Glenoid Systems In Total Shoulder Arthroplasty, Sarah Helms

All Theses

Loosening of the glenoid component via a 'rocking horse' phenomenon, whereby the glenoid loosens as a result of edge loading of the implant during mild off-axis motion, is a common complication of total shoulder arthroplasties (TSAs). Recently, a partial glenoid resurfacing implant, known as a glenoid inlay, has become available and due to its geometry has the potential to exhibit less rocking-horse loosening during humeral articulation than the standard glenoid onlay systems currently used in TSA. The inlay design is implanted centrally on the glenoid to match the surrounding anatomy with a fit that leaves it flush with the surrounding …


A Study Of The Regularity Of Autocorrelation Of Manipulation Of Wrist Motion During Eating, Xueting Yu Dec 2014

A Study Of The Regularity Of Autocorrelation Of Manipulation Of Wrist Motion During Eating, Xueting Yu

All Theses

This thesis considers the problem of detecting the eating activities (e.g. meals, snacks) of people by tracking their wrist motion. Our goal is to automatically de- tect the start and end times of eating activities during free-living. It builds upon previous work done by our research group [6] [7] [8] [21]. The detection is done by segmenting data into segments then classifying the segments as EA (eating activity) and NonEA (non-eating activity) using a Bayesian classier. Previous features used in the classier developed by our group included the sum of acceleration, the amount of manipulation, the amount of wrist roll …


The Effects Of Chlorine Dioxide Gas On The Sensory Properties Of Whole Tomatoes, Christopher Gottilla Dec 2014

The Effects Of Chlorine Dioxide Gas On The Sensory Properties Of Whole Tomatoes, Christopher Gottilla

All Theses

This experiment sought to measure the changes in sensory quality that occur in tomatoes as the result of chlorine dioxide gas treatment. Tasti-Lee tomatoes (VFFF Hybrid #5755) were treated with two different levels of chlorine dioxide gas (10mg and 50mg of ClO2-forming material per kg of tomato) utilizing sachets. Testing compared the treated tomatoes and an untreated control group. These tests included flat-plate compression for firmness, sensory evaluation using a difference from control test, color analysis of the skin and flesh using a colorimeter, and enumeration of aerobic microbes and yeasts and molds. Flat-plate compression of whole tomatoes revealed no …


Combining Modified Atmosphere Packaging And Nisin To Extend The Shelf Life Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar), Dong Han Dec 2014

Combining Modified Atmosphere Packaging And Nisin To Extend The Shelf Life Of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar), Dong Han

All Theses

Atlantic salmon is often used in laboratory experiments to represent marine fishes. Many researchers try to optimize the levels and dosage of preservatives to maintain the freshness and extend the shelf-life of Atlantic salmon. Little information has been provided about the effectiveness of combined method between MAP and nisin, especially on the preservation of Atlantic salmon. Strong evidences suggest that MAP associated with nisin may have a potential to improve Atlantic salmon storage quality. Preservation effectiveness of combining modified atmosphere package (MAP) and nisin on fresh Atlantic salmon was determined using various methods. Six groups of farmed Atlantic salmon were …


Scientific Application Acceleration Utilizing Heterogeneous Architectures, Edwin Weill Dec 2014

Scientific Application Acceleration Utilizing Heterogeneous Architectures, Edwin Weill

All Theses

Within the past decade, there have been substantial leaps in computer architectures to exploit the parallelism that is inherently present in many applications. The scientific community has benefited from the emergence of not only multi-core processors, but also other, less traditional architectures including general purpose graphical processing units (GPGPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and Intel's many integrated cores (MICs) architecture (i.e. Xeon Phi). The popularity of the GPGPU has increased rapidly because of their ability to perform massive amounts of parallel computation quickly and at low cost with an ease of programmability. Also, with the addition of high-level programming …


Optimizing Light Collection From Extractive Scintillating Resin In Flow-Cell Detectors, Amy Meldrum Dec 2014

Optimizing Light Collection From Extractive Scintillating Resin In Flow-Cell Detectors, Amy Meldrum

All Theses

The objectives of this study were to investigate the changes in light collection efficiency for flow cell detector as various parameters are altered to find the optimum flow cell configuration. Columns with inner diameters of 0.16 cm, 0.48 cm, 0.79 cm, and 1.11 cm were packed with synthesized nonporous, un-functionalized beads to measure their detection efficiencies for solutions containing 210Po, 14C, or 90Sr/90Y. The average diameter of the beads used in the experiments was 147 µm ± 33 µm. The highest detection efficiency for 210Po was 15.3 ± 3.9% with the 1.11 cm diameter column. The 1.11 cm diameter column …


Using Gis To Prioritize Green Infrastructure Installation Strategies In An Urban Watershed, Lauren Owen Dec 2014

Using Gis To Prioritize Green Infrastructure Installation Strategies In An Urban Watershed, Lauren Owen

All Theses

This study seeks to quantify runoff volume generation and peak flow rates from the urban Sand River Headwaters to determine the most effective placement of additional green infrastructure in Aiken, SC. ArcMap 10.1, HEC-GeoHMS, and HEC-HMS were used to delineate a total outlet watershed along with subwatershed(s) for urban stormwater infrastructure system by 'burning' the stormwater system at an artificial elevation below the existing topologically-based Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The result was a higher resolution DEM that allowed for storm routing and subsequent volume and flow predictions compared to that based on the original DEM created by using Light Detecting …


Fabrication And Characterization Of Magnetic Nanoparticle Composite Membranes, Akeem Cruickshank Dec 2014

Fabrication And Characterization Of Magnetic Nanoparticle Composite Membranes, Akeem Cruickshank

All Theses

To effectively and accurately deliver drugs within the human body, both new designs and components for implantable micropumps are being studied. Designs must ensure high biocompatibility, drug compatibility, accuracy and small power consumption. The focus of this thesis was to fabricate a prototype magnetic nanoparticle membrane for eventual incorporation into a biomedical pump and then determine the relationship between this membrane deflection and applied pneumatic or magnetic force. The magnetic nanoparticle polymer composite (MNPC) membranes in this study were composed of crosslinked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). An optimal iron oxide fabrication route was identified and particle size …


Geotechnical Analysis Of The Foundation Of Fort Sumter National Monument Using Numerical Modeling, Daniel Kyser Dec 2014

Geotechnical Analysis Of The Foundation Of Fort Sumter National Monument Using Numerical Modeling, Daniel Kyser

All Theses

The foundational condition of the historical coastal fortification of Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC was analyzed though the use of numerical modeling. In this study, two-dimensional Finite Element (FE) analyses were conducted to assess the stability of the foundation-casemates-wall system in a coupled manner subjected to potential loadings such as ocean waves, storm surge and earthquake. The finite element model was verified by modeling the historical events (construction between 1820 and 1860, demolition due to artillery bombardment, reconstruction, earthquake, building of the Battery Huger, and the removal of fill from the parade ground) since the construction of the fort in …


A Device To Record Naturally Daily Wrist Motion, Surya Sharma Dec 2014

A Device To Record Naturally Daily Wrist Motion, Surya Sharma

All Theses

We introduce a new device to record and store wrist motion activity data. The motivation to create this device was the fact that this data can be used to detect periods of eating or the number of bites consumed. There is no similar device available in the market. This device uses new components that have been recently introduced to the market, and newer techniques that can be used for low quantity production. The production cost for this device was $52, similar to other fitness trackers on the market. The device was capable of recording wrist motion activity for 24 hours …


Characterizing Navigational Tools In A Virtual Search Task, Austin Riggs Dec 2014

Characterizing Navigational Tools In A Virtual Search Task, Austin Riggs

All Theses

The goal of this thesis is to characterize and empirically compare navigational tools in the context of a virtual inspection task. The framework considers both directional-cue navigational tools (e.g., GPS navigation arrows) and trail navigational tools (e.g.,footprints) in comparison to a control condition. Characterizing the tools allows for documented relationships between specific navigational tool-performance combinations. It is intended that by characterizing and comparing the tools a more advantageous use of navigational tools will emerge to increase the benefit provided to both the users and implementers of virtual environments. The focus of the metrics in the paper were distance traveled, speed …


Design, Analysis And Implementation Of An Experimental System To Harvest Energy From Atmospheric Temperature Variations Using Ethyl Chloride Filled Bellows, Gibran Ali Dec 2014

Design, Analysis And Implementation Of An Experimental System To Harvest Energy From Atmospheric Temperature Variations Using Ethyl Chloride Filled Bellows, Gibran Ali

All Theses

The increase in global warming and the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels have shifted the focus from traditional to alternate sources of energy. This has resulted in a concerted effort towards finding new energy sources as well as better understanding traditional renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. In addition to the shift in focus towards alternate energy, the last two decades have offered a dramatic rise in the use of digital technologies such as wireless sensor networks that require small but isolated power supplies. Energy harvesting, a method to gather energy from ambient sources including sunlight, vibrations, …


Microanalysis Of Polymer Chain Diffusion In Heat Seals, Russell Cooper Dec 2014

Microanalysis Of Polymer Chain Diffusion In Heat Seals, Russell Cooper

All Theses

Heat sealing is an integral method for the closure and protection of packaging. Previous work has shown that seal strength is developed by the interdiffusion of polymer chains within heat seals. Heat seals were made between two dissimilar materials. Poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (EAA) was heat sealed to ionomer. Diffusion within the EAA-ionomer heat seals was estimated. The diffusion estimates were then related to resulting seal strength in the EAA-ionomer sealant system. Heated tooling sealing was utilized to make heat seals at 40 psi (275.79 kPa), 0.5 seconds, and a range of temperatures between 180˚F (82.22˚C) and 300˚F (148.89˚C). Scanning electron microscopy …


Numerical Simulation Of The Heat Leakage At The Gasket Region Of Domestic Refrigerators, Feng Gao Dec 2014

Numerical Simulation Of The Heat Leakage At The Gasket Region Of Domestic Refrigerators, Feng Gao

All Theses

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed to investigate the heat loss at the gasket of a standard over/under domestic refrigerator. The study numerically simulates a unique experimental test cell with only the gasket region exposed to the ambient environment and other parts protected by insulation (see picture below). The test cell is cubic with an interior cavity having dimensions 2' x 2' x 2' within which a heating element is placed to create a specified temperature difference. A matching set of door and side panels exposes a 2' width of the gasket region to heat transfer with the surroundings. …


Stochastic Wavenumber Estimation: Damage Detection Through Simulated Guide Lamb Waves, Garrison Stevens Dec 2014

Stochastic Wavenumber Estimation: Damage Detection Through Simulated Guide Lamb Waves, Garrison Stevens

All Theses

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a field of research that seeks to identify the onset of damage in infrastructure systems such that catastrophic failures can be averted. Acoustic Wavenumber Spectroscopy (AWS) is an emerging SHM technique that can identify and locate change of thickness resulting from damage in thin plates through the estimation of the characteristic wavenumber. AWS measures the ultrasonically induced vibrations of thin plates by laser scanners and monitors the propagation of Rayleigh-Lamb waves through the structure. This method is particularly suitable for thin-walled structures such as those contained in pipes, airplanes, and wind turbine blades. While AWS …


Combined Numberical And Experimental Assessment Of Steel Roof Decks Subjected To Windborne Debris, Robert Roper Dec 2014

Combined Numberical And Experimental Assessment Of Steel Roof Decks Subjected To Windborne Debris, Robert Roper

All Theses

In the summer of 2013, a steel roof deck manufacturer (Company A) approached Clemson University about testing their steel roof decking product to evaluate the performance of the steel roof deck to resist impact from tornado windborne debris using FEMA P-361 Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms. To assist Company A in better serving their customers in areas prone to severe wind events and to facilitate use of their products in community safe rooms, debris impact tests were conducted on two cold-formed corrugated steel roof decking products. Community safe rooms are buildings that are constructed in accordance with …


Design Of A Mobile Web-Based Dashboard To Improve Work Practices Of Crna Board Runners, Mahesh Sreedharan Dec 2014

Design Of A Mobile Web-Based Dashboard To Improve Work Practices Of Crna Board Runners, Mahesh Sreedharan

All Theses

Traditional artifacts such as whiteboards serve as key tools in helping healthcare professionals keep track of frequently changing information and managing their work schedule. The simplicity of these tools has made them easy to adopt into the work culture and since these artifacts are not usually electronic, they need no external technical support or maintenance. However, these artifacts present unique challenges to their users, the primary one being lack of mobility offered. The whiteboards are usually stationary and the users will have to assemble near them to update or gather information. In a hospital, this adds significant overhead to the …


Relationship Between Peel Force, Opening Force, And Burst Force For A Semi-Rigid Cup And Lid, Pre- And Post-Retort, Raj Navalakha Dec 2014

Relationship Between Peel Force, Opening Force, And Burst Force For A Semi-Rigid Cup And Lid, Pre- And Post-Retort, Raj Navalakha

All Theses

This research determines if there is any relationship between the peel force, the opening force and the burst force for a semi-rigid cup and lid system, for pre- and post-retort conditions. It also compares the relationship (regression lines) between these forces pre- and post-retort. These seal results were studied by varying the sealing parameters of dwell time and temperature while keeping the pressure constant. Polypropylene cups and a peelable barrier retort lidding were used in this study. As compared to past research, a different peel testing technique was used to measure the peel and the opening force. The entire lid …


Deveopment Of Explant Registry And Mechanical Testing Of Pristine And Explained Surgical Mesh, Colin Burns-Heffner Dec 2014

Deveopment Of Explant Registry And Mechanical Testing Of Pristine And Explained Surgical Mesh, Colin Burns-Heffner

All Theses

Abdominal hernia repair is the most commonly performed general surgical procedure, with synthetic surgical mesh commonly used to buttress the defect in the abdominal wall. A majority of surgical mesh is made from Polypropylene (PP), which has been shown to invoke a foreign body response as long as the material remains in the body. Complications such as chronic pain require further investigation of mesh performance in hernia repair to better understand how performance differs for various surgical mesh materials. The broad objective of this thesis is to quantitatively characterize surgical mesh after exposure to human physiology in an in-vivo environment. …


Characterization Of Biofilms On Medical Device Materials With Application To Reusable Surgical Instruments, Amanda Macaluso Dec 2014

Characterization Of Biofilms On Medical Device Materials With Application To Reusable Surgical Instruments, Amanda Macaluso

All Theses

Reusable medical devices or reprocessed single-use devices are original medical devices that have been used once and then are cleaned, sterilized, and remanufactured for the purpose of an additional single use on a single patient [4]. Improperly reprocessed devices are a significant contributor to hospital-associated infections [4]. Challenges that hinder reprocessing are related to the complexity of reusable medical device design, the necessary validation of cleaning protocols required by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the impact of human factors throughout the reprocessing cycle, as well as economic factors within new business models that are centered on reprocessing. Current …


Fast Fission Neutron Detection Using The Cherenkov Effect, Matthew Millard Dec 2014

Fast Fission Neutron Detection Using The Cherenkov Effect, Matthew Millard

All Theses

The Cherenkov effect in optically clear media of varying indices of refraction and composition was investigated for quantification of fast neutrons. The ultimate application of the proposed detection system is criticality monitoring. The optically clear medium, composed of select target nuclei, was coupled to a photomultiplier tube. Neutron reaction products of the target nuclei contained within the optical medium emit beta particles and gamma rays that produce Cherenkov photons within the medium which can be detected. Assessed media include quartz (SiO2), sapphire (Al2O3), spinel (MgAl2O4), and zinc sulfide (ZnS), which were irradiated with un-moderated 252Cf. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code …


Transformation Of Uranium In A Geological Environment, Derrell Hood Dec 2014

Transformation Of Uranium In A Geological Environment, Derrell Hood

All Theses

Incorporation of uranium into iron oxide minerals is a promising mechanism for the environmental immobilization of U(VI). In this study, synthesized hematite was doped with uranium and analyzed with SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and ICP-MS. The results of this analysis strongly indicate uranium incorporation into the mineral, as well as the possible presence of a co-precipitated uranium mineral clarkeite. Preliminary results also shows an increase in the amount of uranium associated with the hematite particles as a function of mineral aging. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) was used to induce and characterize electrochemical changes of uranium in the doped hematite system; these changes …


Thermo-Physical Property Models And Effect On Heat Pipe Modelling, Devakar Dhingra Dec 2014

Thermo-Physical Property Models And Effect On Heat Pipe Modelling, Devakar Dhingra

All Theses

Heat transfer devices find applications in various aspects of life. Be it residential, commercial or industrial application, efficient heat transfer is a challenge to all. Other than geometric design considerations and wick selection, the optimization of heat transfer in the heat pipe also depends on fluid selection. Heat pipe technology has proven to work efficiently with properly selected thermal fluid, from cryogenic temperatures to very high temperatures. Higher heat transfer ability through small temperature differences makes the heat pipe an efficient technology. Hence, it can be stated that selecting a proper working fluid enhances the heat transfer performance of a …


A Model Of The Diurnal Variation In Lake Surface Temperature, Jonathan L. Hodges Dec 2014

A Model Of The Diurnal Variation In Lake Surface Temperature, Jonathan L. Hodges

All Theses

Satellite measurements of water surface temperature can benefit several environmental ap-plications such as predictions of lake evaporation, meteorological forecasts, and predictions of lake overturning events, among others. However, limitations on the temporal resolution of satellite mea-surements restrict these improvements. A model of the diurnal variation in lake surface temperature could potentially increase the effective temporal resolution of satellite measurements of surface tem-perature, thereby enhancing the utility of these measurements in the above applications. Herein, a one-dimensional transient thermal model of a lake is used in combination with surface tempera-ture measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard the …


Adsorption Of Halogenated Aliphatic Contaminants By Graphene Nanomaterials: Comparison With Carbon Nanotubes And Granular Activated Carbons, Yang Zhou Aug 2014

Adsorption Of Halogenated Aliphatic Contaminants By Graphene Nanomaterials: Comparison With Carbon Nanotubes And Granular Activated Carbons, Yang Zhou

All Theses

Graphene nanomaterials are two-dimensional single layer sp2 hybridized carbon atoms densely packed in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice and can be visualized as basic building blocks for fullerenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and graphite. In addition, they are hydrophobic nanomaterials and possess a large specific surface area (SSA), thus they have been evaluated as promising adsorbents to remove synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) from water. As with granular activated carbons (GACs) and CNTs, adsorption behavior of SOCs on graphene depends on the physicochemical properties of the adsorbents (e.g., specific surface area, pore size distribution and surface chemistry), SOCs (e.g., hydrophobicity, molecular size and …


A Load-Based Approach To Forming A Connected Dominating Set For An Ad Hoc Network, Raihan Hazarika Aug 2014

A Load-Based Approach To Forming A Connected Dominating Set For An Ad Hoc Network, Raihan Hazarika

All Theses

Efficient routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is highly desired and connected dominating sets (CDS) have been gaining significant popularity in this regard. The CDS based approach reduces the search for a minimum cost path between a pair of source and destination terminals to the set of terminals forming the backbone network. Researchers over the years have developed numerous distributed and localized algorithms for constructing CDSs which minimize the number of terminals forming the backbone or which provide multiple node-disjoint paths between each pair of terminals. However none of this research focuses on minimizing the load at the bottleneck …


Design And Demonstration Of A Two-Dimentional Test Bed For Uav Controller Evaluation, Ran Huang Aug 2014

Design And Demonstration Of A Two-Dimentional Test Bed For Uav Controller Evaluation, Ran Huang

All Theses

A three degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar test bed for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) controller evaluation was built. The test-bed consists of an instrumented tether and an experimental twin-rotor, planar UAV mounted with a one DOF manipulator mounted below the UAV body. The tether was constructed to constrain the UAV under test to motion on the surface of a sphere. Experiments can be conducted through the tether, approximating motion in a vertical plane by a UAV under test. The tether provides the means to measure the position and attitude of the UAV under test. The experimental twin-rotor UAV and one-link on-board manipulator, …


Potential Effects Of Geologic Storage Of Co2 On Surface Water And Shallow Groundwater, Shuangshuang Xie Aug 2014

Potential Effects Of Geologic Storage Of Co2 On Surface Water And Shallow Groundwater, Shuangshuang Xie

All Theses

ABSTRACT Storage of supercritical phase CO2 in deep saline aquifers is being considered to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and this process is expected to increase the pressure in these deep aquifers. One potential consequence of pressurization is an increase in the upward flux of saline water. Saline groundwater occurs naturally at shallow depths in many sedimentary basins, so an upward flux of solutes could degrade the quality of aquifers, and threaten aquatic ecosystems where groundwater discharge is important. The objective of this research is to evaluate the impacts associated with increasing the upward flux of saline water as …


Synthesis Of Silicon Carbide Fibers From Polycarbosilane By Electrospinning Method, Yuan Yue Aug 2014

Synthesis Of Silicon Carbide Fibers From Polycarbosilane By Electrospinning Method, Yuan Yue

All Theses

Silicon carbide (SiC) is widely used in many fields due to its unique properties. Bulk SiC normally has a flexural strength of 500 - 550 MPa, a Vickers hardness of ~27 GPa, a Young's modulus of 380 - 430 GPa, and a thermal conductivity of approximately 120 W/mK. SiC fibers are of great interest since they are the good candidates for reinforcing ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) because of the weavability and high temperature strength of about two to three GPa at about 1000 °C. Silicon carbide fibers have been synthesized from polycarbosilane (PCS) with ~25 μm diameter using the melt-spinning …


Effects Of Natural Organic Matter On Contaminant Removal By Superfine Powdered Activated Carbon Coupled With Microfiltration Membranes, Mengfei Li Aug 2014

Effects Of Natural Organic Matter On Contaminant Removal By Superfine Powdered Activated Carbon Coupled With Microfiltration Membranes, Mengfei Li

All Theses

Hybrid activated carbon/membrane systems are used in drinking water treatment for their significant capability of removing synthetic organic contaminants (SOCs) or taste-and-odor compounds along with particles. Preliminary data showed that decreasing the carbon particle size and creating superfine powdered activated carbon (S-PAC) removed phenanthrene and atrazine better than adsorbents with larger particle size in the presence of competitive adsorbents like natural organic matter (NOM). NOM is present in all natural water from degradation of terrestrial biomass which leaches from soil into a water source. Water treatment facilities target the removal of NOM because they are precursors to disinfection by-products formed …