Engineering Commons^™

Characterizing Students’ Engineering Design Strategies Using Energy3d, Jasmine Singh, Viranga Perera, Alejandra Magana, Brittany Newell

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

The goals of this study are to characterize design actions that students performed when solving a design challenge, and to create a machine learning model to help future students make better engineering design choices. We analyze data from an introductory engineering course where students used Energy3D, an open source computer-aided design software, to design a zero-energy home (i.e. a home that consumes no net energy over a period of a year). Student design actions within the software were recorded into text files. Using a sample of over 300 students, we first identify patterns in the data to assess how students …

Micro-Manipulation Using Learned Model, Matthew A. Lyng, Benjamin V. Johnson, David J. Cappelleri

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Microscale devices can be found in applications ranging from sensors to structural components. The dominance of surface forces at the microscale hinders the assembly processes through nonlinear interactions that are difficult to model for automation, limiting designs of microsystems to primarily monolithic structures. Methods for modeling surface forces must be presented for viable manufacturing of devices consisting of multiple microparts. This paper proposes the implementation of supervised machine learning models to aid in automated micromanipulation tasks for advanced manufacturing applications. The developed models use sets of training data to implicitly model surface interactions and predict end-effector placement and paths that …

Development Of A Water Quality Status And Trend Detection Tool*, Ruchir Aggarwal, Valeria Mijares, Margaret W. Gitau

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Water Quality Index (WQI) models have been developed since the early 1970s. They present a means by which water quality status and trends can be compared across time and space on the basis of a composite value computed using existing water quality data. There is a need for a tool that can bring the different water quality parameters together and calculate the WQIs so as to facilitate data use in predictive modeling and water quality management. We are developing a software tool that can be used by water quality managers and others with different technical backgrounds to calculate WQI of …

Analysis Of The Flow Behaviors Of Corn Meal During Extrusion, Daniel N. Hauersperger, Martin R. Okos, Troy Tonner

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Food extrusion can be used to make many products we consume today, including pasta, cereals and more. The ability to predict the characteristics of the final product from an extruder using raw material characteristics and operating conditions is vital to the extrusion process. In order to answer this need, the flow behavior of corn meal was measured in a lab viscometer (off-line) and compared to the flow behaviors from an extruder (in-line) at three different moisture contents (32.5%, 35%, 37.5% wet basis). The extruder and product are heated through the friction of the corn meal passing through the barrel not …

An Operationalized Model For Defining Computational Thinking, Tony A. Lowe, Sean B. Brophy

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

The Computational Thinking (CT) conceptual framework is entering its second decade of research yet still lacks a cohesive definition by which the field can coalesce. The lack of clear definition makes assessment tool challenging to formulate, pedagogical efforts difficult to compare, and research difficult to synthesize. This paper looks to operationalize differing definitions of CT enhancing the ability to teach then assess the presence of CT. Expanding upon CT definitions, industry practices and processes, and educational theory, we link existing concepts and propose a new element to model an active definition of CT as a theoretical framework to guide future …

Real-Time Sensing Of Trust In Human-Machine Interactions, Wan-Lin Hu, Kumar Akash, Neera Jain, Tahira Reid

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Human trust in automation plays an important role in successful interactions between humans and machines. To design intelligent machines that can respond to changes in human trust, real-time sensing of trust level is needed. In this paper, we describe an empirical trust sensor model that maps psychophysiological measurements to human trust level. The use of psychophysiological measurements is motivated by their ability to capture a human's response in real time. An exhaustive feature set is considered, and a rigorous statistical approach is used to determine a reduced set of ten features. Multiple classification methods are considered for mapping the reduced …

Evaluating The Performance Of Passive Chilled Beams With Respect To Energy Efficiency And Thermal Comfort, Janghyun Kim

Open Access Dissertations

Existing modeling approaches for passive chilled beams determined from tests on individual chilled beams in a laboratory are not adequate for assessing overall energy usage and occupant comfort within building simulation programs. In addition, design guidelines for passive chilled beam systems are needed for identifying appropriate applications and optimal configurations. This thesis includes (i) extensive experimental studies for characterizing the performance of passive chilled beams, in both laboratory settings and in field studies, (ii) development of passive chilled beam performance prediction models, (iii) integration of these models into building simulation models/tools and (iv) use of building simulation for overall assessment …

Microstructural Evolution In Electron Beam Additive Manufactured Ti–6al–4v Build Plate: Thermal Modeling And Microstructural Characterization, Jun Cao, Philip Nash

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Computer Modeling Of Graphene Field Effect Transistors, Drew M. Ryan, Robert S. Bean

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Graphene has been the centerpiece of numerous research projects since its discovery in 2004, greatly due to its multitude of unique properties. Its variable conductivity, relative strength, and electron mobility make graphene a prime candidate for applications in the field of radiation detection. While work has been performed in the past on testing radiation detection using graphene using Graphene Field Effect Transistors (GFET), due to its limited size, fabricating GFETs can be tedious and costly. Therefore, a need arose for a way to test potential GFET designs without the cost and limitations of fabricating GFETs for each test iteration. Using …

Estimating The Water Quality Condition Of River And Lake Water In The Midwestern United States From Its Spectral Characteristics, Jing Tan

Open Access Dissertations

This study focuses on developing/calibrating remote sensing algorithms for water quality retrieval in Midwestern rivers and lakes. In the first part of this study, the spectral measurements collected using a hand-held spectrometer as well as water quality observations for the Wabash River and its tributary the Tippecanoe River in Indiana were used to develop empirical models for the retrieval of chlorophyll (chl) and total suspended solids (TSS). A method for removing sky and sun glint from field spectra for turbid inland waters was developed and tested. Empirical models were then developed using a subset of the field measurements with the …

Thermophotovoltaic System Simulation With Realistic Experimental Considerations, Evan L. Schlenker, Zhiguang Zhou, Peter Bermel

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems are a promising type of energy generation method that convert heat into electricity via thermal radiation. TPV has potential to benefit the economy, the energy sector, and the environment by converting waste heat from other power generation methods into electricity. Simulations of these systems can play a key role in designing TPV systems and validating their experimental performance. Current simulation tools can model important aspects of TPV systems fairly accurately, but generally make certain simplifying assumptions that are challenging to reproduce in experiments. Developing a simulation tool that accurately captures thermal emission and reflection in complex, realistic …

Characterizing And Modeling The Experience Of Transfer Students In Engineering—Progress On Nsf Award 0969474, Matthew Ohland, Clemencia M. Cosentino, Catherine E. Brawner, Catherine Mobley, Russell A. Long

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Characterizing and Modeling the Experience of Transfer Students in Engineering— Progress on NSF Award 0969474Quantitative analysis of MIDFIELD databaseOur analysis used records for 94,732 undergraduate students from the Multiple-InstitutionDatabase for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD). MIDFIELDcomprises a census of undergraduate students who attended 11 public institutions between 1988and 2008. MIDFIELD institutions represent public universities that educate large numbers ofengineering students.From the 977,950 records available, we restricted our sample to those who (1) were domesticstudents (927,350), (2) were in the data set early enough for us to observe the possibility ofgraduation within six years (677,691), and (3) declared a major in …

Computer Modeling And Simulation Of Implantable Medical Device Heating Due To Mri Gradient Coil Fields, Bryan David Stem

Open Access Theses

For patients with implantable medical devices, the ability to safely undergo MRI scanning is critical to ensuring the highest standard of care. The gradient coils of an MRI generate kilohertz frequency, time varying magnetic fields. These magnetic fields induce a voltage on the external case of metallic, implantable medical devices through electromagnetic induction. Since the magnetic field generated by a gradient coil is time varying, the induced voltage results in the flow of eddy currents which can cause heating effects. These heating effects have been successfully modeled using ANSYS Maxwell and ANSYS Mechanical software packages.

The multi-physics simulation and solution …

No And No2 Modeling For Diesel Oxidation Catalyst At Different Thermal Aging Levels, Keqin Zhou

Open Access Theses

Different DOC modeling methods are analyzed and compared. Detailed reaction mechanisms of DOC reaction are discussed and a new NO and NO2 modeling technique is proposed. Experiments are conducted measuring downstream DOC NO and NOx . DOC out NO and NO2 concentrations are modeled as a function of DOC temperature. A robust model is built such that with the input of real time NOx and DOC temperature information, DOC-out NO and NO2 concentrations can be precisely predicted.

As is true with many catalysts, the DOC thermally ages as it operates, which reduces the thermal effectiveness level of the catalyst. This …

3d Laser Scanning & Modeling System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Traditional methods of measuring and modeling the surface geometry of large, complex structures or sites that require engineering or survey-grade accuracy are often inaccurate, incomplete or expensive. Inaccurate or incomplete drawings and models often lead to costly construction errors or delays. A portable, auto-scanning laser and PC system that lets users economically obtain accurate, complete, and timely as-built geometry information for large structures and sites. The system can remotely measure natural surfaces up to 100m away at the speed of 800 points per second. With spacing between adjacent points as fine as 1mm, users can capture an extremely high level …

Evaluation Of Surface (Top Down) Longitudinal Wheel Path Cracking, Terhi K. Pellinen, Geoff Rowe, Kalapi Biswas

JTRP Technical Reports

The research involved evaluating three surface cracked pavements during 2002 and 2003. A 500m section of I-65 North of Lafayette was chosen as the first site (designated as Site 1), an I-65 section in downtown Indianapolis was the second site (Site 2), and US-421 in Madison was the third site (Site 3). Site 1 had 11-year old pavement, Site 2 had 12-year old pavement and Site 3 had 4.5-year old pavement. All these sites exhibited longitudinal wheel path cracking which was later identified as top-down cracking. All sites had excellent structural capacity indicating that the top-down cracking was confined in …