Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Environmental Benefits Of Che Emerging Technologies By Using Lca, Nenad Zrnić, Andrija Vujičić

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

In the era of climate change combat transport industry is recognized as a sector with one of the largest environmental footprints. A part of transport industry is container shipping and handling division, which is currently growing with the fastest rate. This massive growth of container sector is due to containers pouring from Asia, mainly from China. Thus, container port operations are also experiencing significant increase in port emissions. This fact puts port authorities in position to find a way to reduce environmental impact of port operations and at the same time withhold increase in number containers being handled. In response …

Toward Sustainability, High Density And Short Response Time By Live-Cube Storage Systems, Nima Zaerpour, Yugang Yu, René De Koster

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

This paper studies random storage in a live-cube storage system where loads are stored multi-deep. Although such storage systems are still rare, they are increasingly used, for example in automated car parking systems. Each load is accessible individually and can be moved to a lift on every level of the system in x- and y-directions by a shuttle as long as an open slot is available next to it, comparable to Sam Loyd’s sliding puzzles. A lift moves the loads across different levels in z-direction. We derive the expected travel time of a random load from its storage location to …

Open Location Management In Automated Warehousing Systems, Yugang Yu, René De Koster

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

A warehouse needs to have sufficient open locations to be able to deal with the change of item inventory levels, but due to ongoing storage and retrieval processes, open locations usually spread over storage areas. Unfavorable positions of open locations negatively impact the average load retrieval times. This paper presents a new method to manage these open locations such that the average system travel time for processing a block of storage and retrieval jobs in an automated warehousing system is minimized. We introduce the effective storage area (ESA), a well-defined part of the locations closest to the depot; where only …

Functional Design Of Physical Internet Facilities: A Road-Based Crossdocking Hub, Russell D. Meller, Benoit Montreuil, Collin Thivierge, Zachary Montreuil

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

As part of the 2010 IMHRC, Montreuil, Meller and Ballot proposed a set of facility types that would be necessary to operate a Physical Internet (PI, π), which they termed nodes. This paper is part of a three-paper series for the 2012 IMHRC where the authors provide functional designs of three PI facilities. This paper covers a unimodal road-based crossdocking hub designed specifically to exploit the characteristics of Physical Internet modular containers so as to enable the efficient and sustainable transhipment of each of them from its inbound truck to its outbound truck. The objective of the paper is to …

Robust Design Of Public Storage Warehouses, Yeming Yale Gong, Rene De Koster

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

We apply robust optimization and revenue management in public storage warehouses. We optimize the expected revenue of public storage warehouses against the worst cases with a max-min revenue objective, and the decision variables are mainly the number of storage units for each storage type. With the robust design, we can observe worst-case revenue improvement.

Analysis Of Material Handling Systems Based On Discrete Time Design Modules, Furmans Kai, Ozden Eda, Stoll Judith, Epp Martin, Schmidt Thorsten, Meinhardt Ingolf, Schulze Frank

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

In this paper, we present a method for the performance evaluation of material handling systems in an early planning stage. We are mapping typical material handling elements onto stochastic analytical models. Our intention is to build a toolbox of material handling modules that allows a fast analysis of typical continuous conveying systems. The tool should enable the identification of bottlenecks and the computation of lead time distributions for intra-logistic systems.

Humanitarian Logistics – The First Week, Selina Begum, Bill Ferrell

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

Decisions made on material flow during the first week of a natural disaster are critical for victims. Currently, decision makers appears to be making important choices based on experience and intuition with little or no support from quantitative approaches because they do not exist. This research proposes a paradigm and offers two supporting models that will assist decision makers regarding the routing of materials during the first week of a disaster. It explicitly includes information regarding the victims’ needs and the degree to which routes are available in a quantitative way that allows updating as information improves. The paradigm involves …

Collaborative Freight Transportation To Improve Efficiency And Sustainability, Kimberly P. Ellis, Steven Roesch, Russell D. Meller

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

Collaborative distribution offers the potential for substantial improvements in freight transportation. As collaboration increases, more loads are available for sharing among transportation service providers, leading to more fully loaded trailers that travel fewer miles and reduce the cost per load on average. In this study, we develop approaches to analyze improvements in key performance measures as collaboration increases in freight transportation. For the data sets analyzed, improvements include a 34% increase in trailer fullness, a 29% reduction in average costs per load, and a 25% decrease in average miles per load. Based on this analysis, collaboration provides substantial improvements for …

Theory And Modeling Of Graphene And Single Molecule Devices, Lyudmyla Adamska

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research is focused on first principles studies of graphene and single organic molecules for nanoelectronics applications. These nanosized objects attracted considerable interest from the scientific community due to their promise to serve as building blocks of nanoelectronic devices with low power consumption, high stability, rich functionality, scalability, and unique potentials for device integration. Both graphene electronics and molecular electronics pursue the same goal by using two different approaches: top-down approach for graphene devices scaling to smaller and smaller dimensions, and bottom-up approach for single molecule devices. One of the goals of this PhD research is to apply first-principles …

Improving The Throughput And Reliability Of Wireless Sensor Networks With Application To Wireless Body Area Networks, Gabriel Arrobo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will present several novel techniques that use cooperation and diversity to improve the performance of multihop Wireless Sensor Networks, as measured by throughput, delay, and reliability, beyond what is achievable with conventional error control technology.

We will investigate the applicability of these new technologies to Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) an important emerging class of wireless sensor networks. WBANs, which promise significant improvement in the reliability of monitoring and treating people's health, comprise a number of sensors and actuators that may either be implanted in vivo or mounted on the surface of the human body, and which are …

Aggregation Of Sediment And Bacteria With Mucilage From The Opuntia Ficus-Indica Cactus, Audrey Lynn Buttice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flocculants are commonly used in industrial settings where solid-liquid separations are desired including industrial and municipal wastewater management and potable water production facilities. Conventional flocculants include inorganic metal salts and synthetic organic polymers. The cost, availability, and harmful effects of the non-biodegradable nature of these flocculants have led to the widespread study of natural flocculants. Current natural flocculants being studied include polysaccharides cultivated from microbial extracellular matrix products and plant based materials. In this study, the mucilage of Opuntia ficus-indica cactus was evaluated as a natural flocculant for sediments and bacteria. The O. ficus-indica cactus is also known as the …

Design Of Colloidal Composite Catalysts For Co2 Photoreduction And For Co Oxidation, Bijith D. Mankidy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this doctoral dissertation, novel colloidal routes were used to synthesize nanomaterials with unique features. We have studied the impact of nanoparticle size of catalyst, role of high surface area of a photocatalyst, and the effect of varying elemental composition of co-catalytic nanoparticles in combination with core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles. We have demonstrated how physical and chemical characteristics of nanomaterials with these unique features play a role in catalytic reactions, specifically the oxidation of CO and the photoreduction of CO2. The first objective of this doctoral dissertation involved the preparation of CoO nanoparticles with discrete nanoparticles sizes (1-14 nm) using a …

Model And Validation Of Static And Dynamic Behavior Of Passive Diamagnetic Levitation For Energy Harvesting, Chamila Shyamalee Siyambalapitiya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports the investigation conducted on the static and dynamic behavior of the passive diamagnetic levitation systems.

Attachment of a device to a substrate hinders the optimum performance ability of vibrating devices by altering the dynamic behavior of the moving part whilst introducing higher overall stiffness. The significance of this effect is prominent especially in vibration based energy harvesters as higher stiffness elevates the resonance frequency of the system, making it difficult to tune into ambient low frequencies. Other advantages of the proposed method are given by the removal of mechanical bending elements, which are often the source of …

Series-Fed Aperture-Coupled Microstrip Antennas And Arrays, Bojana Zivanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is on the development and circuit modeling of planar series-fed, linear- and circular-polarized microstrip aperture-coupled antennas and N-element arrays operating in C-band. These arrays were designed to be used as part of airborne or land-based frequency-hopped communication systems. One of the main objectives of this work was to maintain a constant beam angle over the frequency band of operation. In order to achieve constant beam pointing versus frequency, an anti-symmetric series-fed approach using lumped-element circuit models was developed. This series feed architecture also balances the power radiated by each element in the N-element arrays.

The …

Direct Verification Of The Locking Of Liquid Locking Compounds In Threaded Fasteners, Ryan Hunter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The motivation of this research is to explore the viability of a method to directly verify whether or not an anaerobic adhesive within a threaded fastener assembly has cured sufficiently to provide secondary locking. Direct verification was implemented via the application of a test torque in the loosening direction of a fastener assembly with Loctite (given a 24 hour cure time). A three phase test plan was developed with the intent of identifying and utilizing this verification torque value which is unique to a given fastener assembly.

It was proved that the direct verification method, as outlined in the test …

Design Of A Reversible Alu Based On Novel Reversible Logic Structures, Matthew Arthur Morrison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Programmable reversible logic is emerging as a prospective logic design style for implementation in modern nanotechnology and quantum computing with minimal impact on circuit heat generation. Recent advances in reversible logic using and quantum computer algorithms allow for improved computer architecture and arithmetic logic unit designs. In this paper, a 2*2 Swap gate which is a reduced implementation in terms of quantum cost and delay to the previous Swap gate is presented. Next, a novel 3*3 programmable UPG gate capable of calculating the fundamental logic calculations is presented and verified, and its advantages over the Toffoli and Peres gates are …

Estimation Of The Impact Of Single Airport And Multi-Airport System Delay On The National Airspace System Using Multivariate Simultaneous Models, Nagesh Nayak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Airline delays lead to a tremendous loss of time and resources and cost billions of dollars every year in the United States (U.S.). At certain times, individual airports become bottlenecks within the National Airspace System (NAS). To explore solutions for reducing the delay, it is essential to understand factors causing flight delay and its impact on airports in the NAS. Major causal factors of flight delay at airports include over-scheduling, en-route convective weather, reduced ceiling and visibility around airports, and upstream delay propagation. Delay at one airport can be passed on to other airports in the NAS, in another word, …

Optimization Of Bio-Impedance Sensor For Enhanced Detection And Characterization Of Adherent Cells, Dorielle T. Price

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the detection and characterization of cells using

impedance-based techniques to understand the behavior and response of cells to internal/environmental changes. In combination with impedimetric sensing techniques, the biosensors in this work allow rapid, label-free, quantitative measurements and are very sensitive to changes in environment and cell morphology. The biosensor design and measurement setup is optimized to detect and differentiate cancer cells and healthy (normal) cells. The outcome of this work will provide a foundation for enhanced 3-dimensional tumor analysis and characterization; thus creating an avenue for earlier cancer detection and reduced healthcare costs.

The magnitude of …

On The Development Of The Extradosed Bridge Concept, Steven Lynn Stroh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Extradosed Prestressed Bridge represents a relatively new bridge type. The first of this type bridge was constructed in Japan in 1994, and Japan has since built at least 29 examples of this bridge type. Throughout the rest of the world, another 34 of this bridge type have been built, with most countries having only one, or at most a few, examples. A broader application of this bridge type has been hampered by lack of design information and in particular lack design criteria for the stay cables. The purpose of this dissertation is to progress the understanding and application of …

Model Estimation Of Electric Power Systems By Phasor Measurement Units Data, Yasser Wehbe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation tackles the online estimation of synchronous machines' power subsystems electromechanical models using the output based Phasor Measurements Units (PMUs) data while disregarding any inside data. The research develops state space models

and estimates their parameters and states. The research tests the developed algorithms against models of a higher and of the same complexity as the estimated models.

The dissertation explores two estimations approaches using the PMUs data: i)non-linear Kalman filters namely the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and then the Unscented

Kalman Filter (UKF) and ii) Least Squares Estimation (LSE) with Finite Differences (FN) and then with System Identification. …

Biological Evaluation Of A Novel Tissue Engineering Scaffold Of Layered Double Hydroxides (Ldhs), Fateme Fayyazbakhsh, Mehran Solati-Hashjin, M. A. Shokrgozar, S. Bonakdar, Y. Ganji, N. Mirjordavi, S. A. Ghavimi, P. Khashayar

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bone Tissue Engineering (BTE) Composed of Three Main Parts: Scaffold, Cells and Signaling Factors. Several Materials and Composites Are Suggested as a Scaffold for BTE. Biocompatibility is One of the Most Important Property of a BTE Scaffold. in This Work Synthesis of a Novel Nanocomposite Including Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) and Gelatin is Carried Out and its Biological Properties Were Studied. the Co-Precipitation (PH=11) Method Was Used to Prepare the LDH Powder, using Calcium Nitrate, Magesium Nitrate and Aluminum Nitrate Salts as Starting Materials. the Resulted Precipitates Were Dried. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron …

Numerical Study Of Pressure Fluctuations Due To High-Speed Turbulent Boundary Layers, Lian Duan, Meelan M. Choudhari, Minwei Wu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are used to examine the pressure fluctuations generated by fully developed turbulence in supersonic turbulent boundary layers with an emphasis on both pressure fluctuations at the wall and the acoustic fluctuations radiated into the freestream. The wall and freestream pressure fields are first analyzed for a zero-pressure gradient boundary layer with Mach 2.5 and Reynolds number based on momentum thickness of approximately 2835. The single and multi-point statistics reported include the wall pressure fluctuation intensities, frequency spectra, space-time correlations, and convection velocities. Single and multi-point statistics of surface pressure fluctuations show good agreement with measured data …

Hafnia-Based Nanostructured Thermal Barrier Coatings For Next Generation Gas Turbine Technology, Mohammed Noor-A-Alam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Extensive efforts have been directed in the last several decades towards improving thermodynamic efficiency of industrial gas turbines for power generation plants. The central theme of the efforts is to increase the turbine operating temperature and, thus, allowing higher efficiency. Thermal barrier coatings (TBC) constitute an advanced technology to protect the metallic surface from high temperature exposure for long time operation. The TBCs protect the gas turbine components from high temperature and allows further increase in engine operating temperature which subsequently increases the efficiency of the gas turbine power plant. However, the current TBC materials are capable of allowing the …

Economics, Innovations, Technology, And Engineering Education: The Connections, John M. Ritz, P. Scott Bevins

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Throughout history the success of economies around the world has in large part been influenced by technological growth and innovations. Along with such growth and innovations came higher living standards and an improved quality of life for citizens residing and participating in those economies. However, not all countries were able to grow and develop at the same rate, resulting in considerable differences in economic welfare across populations. As nations around the world address the 21st century, economic growth and prosperity for some nations will depend upon how well their citizens are equipped and motivated to seek new technological discoveries and …

Development, Characterization, And Modeling Of Ballistic Impact On Composite Laminates Under Compressive Pre-Stress, Eric Oscar Kerr-Anderson

All ETDs from UAB

Structural composite laminates were ballistically impacted while under in-plane com-pressive pre-stress. Residual properties, damage characterization, and energy absorption were compared to determine synergistic effects of in-plane compressive pre-stress and impact velocity. A fixture was developed to apply in-plane compressive loads up to 30 tons to structural composites during an impact event using a single-stage light-gas gun. Observed failure modes included typical conical delamination, the development of an impact initiated shear crack (IISC), and the shear failure of a pre-stressed composite due to impact. It was observed that the compressive failure threshold quadratically decreased in relation to the impact velocity up …

Wear Of Nanofilled Dental Composites In A Newly-Developed In Vitro Testing Device, Nathaniel C. Lawson

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose In vivo wear of dental composites can lead to loss of individual tooth function and the need to replace a composite restoration. To evaluate the wear performance of new and existing dental composites, we developed a novel system for measuring in vitro wear and we used this system to analyze the mechanisms of wear of nanofilled composite materials. Methods: A modified wear testing device was designed based on the Alabama wear testing machine. The new device consists of: 1) an antagonist which is lowered to and raised from the composite specimen by weight loading, 2) a motorized stage to …

Channel Dimension Constraints For Miniature Low Humidity Pem Fuel Cells, Denise A. Mckahn, Xizhu Zhao

Engineering: Faculty Publications

Numerous applications exist requiring power for small loads (<5W) with minimal mass operating in extreme ambient conditions. Making progress toward reducing stack mass, we investigate the influence of flow field channel depth and endplate compression on cell performance. The best performance was found at endplate compressions of 139 psi, cathode channel depths of 0.032 in and anode channel depths of 0.032 in. The maximum power mass-density achieved with these 4.84 cm2 cells was 16.8 mW/g in a single cell stack. If deployed in a multicell stack, this same performance would translate to a power mass-density of 45.3 mW/g, nearing the performance of off-the-shelf lithiumion batteries (approximately 70 mW/g).

Electrokinetic Flow In Polyelectrolyte–Modified Nanopores, L. H. Yeh, M. Zhang, Shizhi Qian, J. P. Hsu, S. W. Joo

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

In Situ And Ex Situ Studies Of Molybdenum Thin Films Deposited By Rf And Dc Magnetron Sputtering As A Back Contact For Cigs Solar Cells, K. P. Aryal, H. Khatri, R. W. Collins, S. Marsillac

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Molybdenum thin films were deposited by rf and dc magnetron sputtering and their properties analyzed with regards to their potential application as a back contact for CIGS solar cells. It is shown that both types of films tend to transition from tensile to compressive strain when the deposition pressure increases, while the conductivity and the grain size decreas. The nucleation of the films characterized by in situ and real time spectroscopic ellipsometry shows that both films follow a Volmer-Weber growth, with a higher surface roughness and lower deposition rate for the rf deposited films. The electronic relaxation time was then …

Electric-Field-Induced Interfacial Instabilities Of A Soft Elastic Membrane Confined Between Viscous Layers, Mohar Dey, Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Ashutosh Sharma, Shizhi Qian, Sang Woo Joo

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

We explore the electric-field-induced interfacial instabilities of a trilayer composed of a thin elastic film confined between two viscous layers. A linear stability analysis (LSA) is performed to uncover the growth rate and length scale of the different unstable modes. Application of a normal external electric field on such a configuration can deform the two coupled elastic-viscous interfaces either by an in-phase bending or an antiphase squeezing mode. The bending mode has a long-wave nature, and is present even at a vanishingly small destabilizing field. In contrast, the squeezing mode has finite wave-number characteristics and originates only beyond a threshold …