Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

A Framework For Using Fused Image Data In Statistical Process Control, Shengfeng Chen

Dissertations

The use of image data in manufacturing quality control systems has grown rapidly over the years. Technological advancements in imaging devices (e.g., digital cameras, x-ray scanners, infrared cameras) have provided convenient and cost-effective ways to obtain images. These images contain important quality features (e.g., textures and product dimensions) that can be used to monitor, diagnose, predict, and control manufacturing processes. A key tool for monitoring images is statistical process control charts. Integrating images of parts to detect process shifts can significantly improve a quality systems efficiency. Unfortunately, appropriate techniques that take full advantage of data-rich images for control charting are …

The Modification Of A Curtain Coating Formulation: A Study Of Rheology And Surface Tension, And Their Effect On Pitting, Samantha Leigh Schoenfelder

Masters Theses

When an undisclosed recycled fiber mill installed a “two-slotted” curtain coater to replace their air knife coater, a prominent defect arose known as “pitting,” which is also called pinholing or cratering. Pitting occurs when the coating of the sheet has small holes that mar its surface, which, when clustered together or larger in size, can cause print breakup during the printing process.

Through research, pitting is known to be caused by a boundary layer of air that gets laterally pulled in between the coating and board during their initial contact. Thus, rheological properties and the surface tension of the curtain …

Satellite Sequencing Optimization And Observational Orbit Determination Using Genetic Algorithms, Andrew W. Verstraete

Masters Theses

The problem of mission design for a robotic servicing satellite in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) was investigated. A representative set of potential client satellites was selected, and operational needs were randomly assigned based on the average number of GEO retirements, anomalies, and repositioning maneuvers that currently occur each year. An objective function was developed to represent the value of servicing mission sequences, including client fees, time penalties, and operational risk. A genetic algorithm was then used to find sequences of operations on the potential client set that maximized the objective function’s value. Scenarios were analyzed with the database of satellites …

Development Of An Effective Portable And Flexible Glove For Hand Tremor Suppression, Abdulrahem Turkistani

Masters Theses

This paper presents the work carried out in designing and developing a prototype for a tremor suppression system that reduces hand tremor by counteracting vibrations initiated from a patient’s shaking hand. This system includes a glove with a built-in vibration simulation module that oscillates and mimics the hand vibration. The oscillation is generated by a DC motor mounted on the top of the glove, and can vary in degree of vibration. The glove is also equipped with an accelerometer-gyroscope based micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) and vibrating coin motors mounted on each finger, both interfaced with a microcontroller. The microcontroller used in …

Development And Evaluation Of Matrix Material Formulations For Potential Integration Into Immunodiagnostic Biosensors, Payam Aminayi

Dissertations

This study supports the development, characterization and optimization of biosensor material formulations for immunodiagnostic applications based on experimental findings and hypotheses by Wang and Wu [1, 2], and using a test-plate apparatus and thin-film design developed by Young [3].

Certain biosensors working on the basis of conductance/impedance changes have demonstrated their potential to detect various bacteria, enzymes, and biomolecules due to their enhanced electrical properties with incorporated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT). From the work conducted in our laboratory, we are attempting to determine and develop a matrix formulation containing highly dispersed SWNT, antibody and other components that elicit a significantly …

Human-Assisted Fluid Power Vehicle, Aaron Huntoon

Honors Theses

The rising cost of energy has prompted industrial and technology companies to research and implement renewable or green energy sources in every aspect of their business. This green technology can consist of sources such as: solar, wind, fluid, or others to create energy from renewable sources. The use of these various sources reduces the pollution associated with standard methods of energy development, and it will ultimately drive costs down to benefit the general population. One of the largest benefactors to the use of renewable energy sources is the transportation industry. Billions of people rely on various modes of transportation every …

A Parameterized Implementation Of A Hybrid Fuzzy Boolean Finite State Machine Using An Fpga, Sean T. Fuller

Masters Theses

A fuzzy system based on the extended Hybrid Fuzzy Boolean Finite State Machine (HFBFSM) model is designed and implemented in a Xilinx Zynq® all programmable System on Chip (SoC). The system allows for a single dominant crisp state and multiple non-dominant states to be activated simultaneously. A method is proposed to calculate the degree of membership of non-dominant states, β, by the distance of defuzzified fuzzy inputs to state transition trigger mechanisms.

The HFB-FSM is was realized by the author using custom logic written in VHDL (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language) in the Programmable Logic (PL) …

Printing Functional Electronic Circuits And Components, Ahmed Tausif Aijazi

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges in printing reliable multilayer flexible circuits, devices and components. Gravure was used as the primary printing process for this work, but due to some limitations of gravure, other printing methods were also investigated. At first a systematic study was done to determine the optimum parameters for the gravure printing of sub 50 micron lines. Commercially available silver nanoparticle inks were printed on a lab scale gravure printer, Accupress®. The highest resolution line that was electrically conductive was 36μm wide. The 9μm, 18μm and 27μm lines were printed but were not …

Integrating 3d Layered Manufacturing With Photonic Sintering, Precision Machining And Smart Coating Techniques For Rapid Casting Applications, Hemant Bohra

Dissertations

Developments in rapid casting technologies have led to a new era of inclusion of 3D printing. Three-Dimensional (3D) printing provides the flexibility and ease of reproducing a sand mold directly from CAD models, eliminating patterning steps, thus reducing the process time for creating prototypes. In addition to minimizing processing steps, 3D printing provides the advantages of higher precision and the ability to produce complex shaped sand molds, but it simultaneously possesses some limitations and concerns related to throughput, safety and logistics.

This study proposes an alternative method for creating sand molds by introducing a hybrid rapid prototyping approach to overcome …

Self-Supported Printed Multi-Layer Capacitors, Michael James Joyce

Masters Theses

The increasing demand for miniaturized electronic devices has increased the need for rechargeable micro-power sources. Although lithium and lithium ion batteries have been utilized in these applications since the late 1990s, other energy harvesting technologies, such as thermal, mechanical, and solar, are now being used to augment batteries to enable systems to be self-powered. However, the lifetime of any battery is finite, which may be a major problem when the application is in a permanent structure or medical implant device. For power or significant energy storage applications, printed multilayer capacitors or supercapacitors are being explored as an enhancement, or replacement …

A Novel Silica-Based Nano Pigment As A Titanium Dioxide Replacement, Ryan Stoneburner

Masters Theses

This research focused on the evaluation of a new Silica-based pigment for the replacement of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in paperboard coatings. The silica-based pigment has shown the ability to be a replacement in terms of functionality and runnability. TiO₂ is currently the highest opacifying pigment used in paper coatings, but it is also the most costly. Finding a less expensive pigment that doesn't reduce effectiveness is critical to reducing the cost of TiO₂ formulations. To evaluate the new pigment, coatings will be applied using a Cylindrical Laboratory Coater (CLC) with varying amounts of TiO₂ and …

New Media Icc Profiles Construction And Concerns, Reem El Asaleh

Dissertations

With the advent of the modern digital technology, users can now capture an image and reproduce it between different media, such as display it on LCD monitor or tablet computer, print it on desktop printer or send it to a printing press. The challenge has been then to maintain the accuracy of image colors during this reproduction, which has led to the development of Color Management Systems. Using these systems, the color reproduction across-media will be accomplished using device ICC profiles that describe each device’s color characterization data in a standardized format based on International Color Consortium (ICC) specifications.

ICC …

"Elementary" Engineering Experiences, Steven E. Butt, Tycho K. Fredericks

Academic Leadership Academy

Through early exposure to engineering, this program attempts to open the minds of children to future exciting opportunities that are accessible to them if they are appropriately prepared in mathematics and science. The program consists of a two to four hour session in which students, parents, and teachers are walked through a sequence of hands-on activities in various locations within the CEAS building. In addition to immersing the students in engaging activities, time is also invested in helping students understand who engineers are and what engineers do. This includes describing the various engineering disciplines, and their workplaces.

Effects On Digital Image Quality When Photographing Through A Transparent Material Used To Hold Or Flatten An Original Object, Paul E. Howell

Masters Theses

An increasing number of libraries and archives are initiating projects where new and updated technologies make it practical to digitize materials containing color and fine detail. Many of the imaging systems and methods used for this process require that some type of glass or plastic be placed over the original to hold it flat and in the correct position during image capture. The physical properties of a material placed between an original object and the capture system or camera, during digitization, could possibly affect the accuracy of image color and quality being reproduced by the system. This investigation provides an …

Flexography Printing Of Silver Based Conductive Inks On Packaging Substrates, Ramesh Chandra Kattumenu

Dissertations

Printing technologies for the production of flexible electronics have gained much interest due to its potential as a means to reduce the complexity and costs of present technology. High volume printing techniques like flexography are of great importance in order to produce rolls of flexible electronics printed directly on paper substrates. The proposed research will be focused on RFID components being in-line printed using flexography printing as the manufacturing platform. The properties of substrates and inks and printing process parameters are evaluated to study their effect on printed traces and RFID antenna. It was found in the study that properties …

Oxidation Of Titanium In Alpha-Calf Serum Solution, Ali Stait Ismailoglu

Masters Theses

Titanium and its alloys have been used extensively in orthopedic implants mainly because of its excellent biocompatibility. This biocompatibility is attributed to its surface oxide film (3-7 nm thickness) that forms immediately upon exposure of titanium to air. In the research, the oxidation of Ti-6Al-4V in alpha-calf serum solution was studied. Four different immersion times were tested. Characterization of surface topography and its chemical composition was examined using Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform-infrared radiation (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The AFM results clearly show the gradual change that occurred in the samples topography which is associated with more-rounded …

Structure And Spectroscopy Of Polymer Ultra Thin Films And Nanocomposites, Ramesh Chandra Kattumenu

Masters Theses

This research involves the study of structure and properties of polymer composite thin films. The intrinsic relation between the morphology and thickness of polymer thin films is the main idea behind this research. Polymer films with thickness in the range of 3nm to 600nm (comparable with the characteristic molecular length scale - radius of gyration) are studied for changes in morphology with temperature and thickness using Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The study of very thin polymer films using Force Modulation technique with AFM and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy showed that polymers could be characterized with these techniques at …

Mechanical Properties And Corrosion Resistance Of Ni-Sic Nano Composite Coatings On 2024-T3 Aluminum, Amit Jain

Masters Theses

Coatings of nickel with and without silicon carbide nano-particles were carried out on 2024-T3 aluminum alloy by the electrochemical process. The size of the silicon carbide particles was less than 50nm. Nickel coatings were done using a nickel sulfamate bath maintained at a constant temperature of 50° ± 5° C. Tensile specimens were prepared and studied to determine the Young's modulus of bare aluminum, with nickel coatings and with composite nickel and silicon carbide coatings. Wear samples of 1 inch² (6.45cm²) were prepared and studied for wear resistance. The residual stress measurements were done by the hole …

Structural Studies Of Metastable Nanocrystalline Magnesium Titanate Ceramics, Renmei Xu

Masters Theses

Nanocrystalline magnesium titanate powders were produced using alkoxides of magnesium and titanium for the sol-gel method. High temperature phases which can only be formed at above 1200°C in equilibrium were formed at much lower temperature 600°C in nanometric system. Cation ordering and structural changes in qandilite (Mg₂TiO₄ ), geikielite (MgTiO₃ ) and karrooite (MgTi₂O₅ ) were studied by Rietveld refinement of neutron powder diffraction data and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Single qandilite phases were obtained in a wide range of Mg:Ti ratios from 2:038:1 to 1.52:1, and appeared to be Mg_2-xTi_{1+x …}

A Study Of The Effects Of Polyacrylates On Water Retention And Binder Migration Tendencies Of Coatings, Wichan Charoenkitsupat

Masters Theses

Five commercial polyacrylate samples were used to study their effects on viscosity, water holding, and binder migration under non-pressure conditions. The polyacrylates used were different in acid level, degree of crosslinking, and type of polymer (copolymer and terpolymer). A series of coatings was prepared using a number two clay and three styrene-butadiene latexes of similar particle size and T⋁g but different degrees of carboxylation, then the polyacrylates were added at several levels. The coatings were evaluated for rheological properties, water loss rate and binder migration. The results show that with increasing amounts of polyacrylates, the viscosity increased and the water …