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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Discrete Element Analysis Of Scb Variability: Asphalt Mixtures, David Saul Renteria
Discrete Element Analysis Of Scb Variability: Asphalt Mixtures, David Saul Renteria
Theses and Dissertations
The Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) test was modeled using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) implemented in numerical software Particle Flow Code (PFC). The fracture analysis of the SCB was studied using two mixtures gradation, Superpave and Coarse Matrix High Binder. The aggregate phase in the model was achieved by using two-dimensional aggregate images with different angularity indexes. The study of the variability of the SCB extends to the random generation of aggregate particles and air voids in the model, in addition to changing the properties at the interface between the aggregate and mastic phases. Results indicate the strong influence of the …
Fracture Analysis In Biomimetic Bouligand Architectures, Nobphadon Suksanqpanya
Fracture Analysis In Biomimetic Bouligand Architectures, Nobphadon Suksanqpanya
Open Access Dissertations
The Bouligand structure, which is found in many biological materials, is a hierarchical architecture that features uniaxial fiber layers assembled periodically into a helicoidal pattern. Many studies have highlighted the high damage-resistant performance of Bouligand structures and its biomimetic materials. One of the outstanding species with the Bouligand structures is the smashing Mantis Shrimp, Odontodactylus Scyllarus, (or stomatopod) due to its capability of generating high speed, high acceleration blows using its raptorial appendage to defeat highly armored preys. The load-bearing part of this appendage, the dactyl club, contains an interior region, which is mainly characterized by the Bouligand structure. This …
Algorithms For Lidar Based Traffic Tracking: Development And Demonstration, Vamsi K. Bandaru
Algorithms For Lidar Based Traffic Tracking: Development And Demonstration, Vamsi K. Bandaru
Open Access Theses
The current state of the art of traffic tracking is based on the use of video, and requires extensive manual intervention for it to work, including hours of painstaking human examination of videos frame by frame which also make the acquisition of data extremely expensive. Fundamentally, this is because we do not have observability of the actual scene from a camera which captures a 2D projection of the 3D world. Even if video were to be automated, it would involve such algorithms as RANSACK for outlier elimination while matching features across frames or across multiple cameras. This results in algorithms …
Modeling Of Frame Structures Undergoing Large Deformations And Large Rotations, Hui Liu
Modeling Of Frame Structures Undergoing Large Deformations And Large Rotations, Hui Liu
Open Access Dissertations
Numerical simulation of large-scale problems in structural dynamics, such as structures subject to extreme loads, can provide useful insights into structural behavior while minimizing the need for expensive experimental testing for the same. These types of problems are highly non-linear and usually involve material damage, large deformations and sometimes even collapse of structures. Conventionally, frame structures have been modeled using beam-frame finite elements in almost all structural analysis software currently being used by researchers and the industry. However, there are certain limitations associated with this modeling approach. This research focuses on two issues, in particular, of modeling frame structures undergoing …
Kinetic Energy Harvesting Mechanism For Vortex Drop Structures, Mungtra Chusilp
Kinetic Energy Harvesting Mechanism For Vortex Drop Structures, Mungtra Chusilp
Doctoral Dissertations
Energy recovery from wastewater is gaining significance as utilities work toward achieving energy neutrality and sustainability in their wastewater collection and treatment systems. In this dissertation, kinetic energy harvesting mechanism for vortex drop structures found within the municipal waste and storm water conveyance systems is presented. There are thousands of sewer drop structures installed across the U.S. carrying billions of gallons of sewage each year. A custom micro water turbine is developed in this research which could be retrofitted within the existing drop shafts to harvest the excessive kinetic energy available. This dissertation presents the conceptual design and analysis of …
The Aerodynamic And Dynamic Loading Of A Slender Structure By An Impacting Tornado-Like Vortex: The Influence Of Relative Vortex-To-Structure Size On Structural Loading, Matthew Nicholas Strasser
The Aerodynamic And Dynamic Loading Of A Slender Structure By An Impacting Tornado-Like Vortex: The Influence Of Relative Vortex-To-Structure Size On Structural Loading, Matthew Nicholas Strasser
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Structural loading produced by an impacting vortex is a hazardous phenomenon that is encountered in numerous applications ranging from the destruction of residences by tornados to the chopping of tip vortices by rotors. Adequate design of structures to resist vortex-induced structural loading necessitates study of the phenomenon that control the structural loading produced by an impacting vortex. This body of work extends the current knowledge base of vortex-structure interaction by evaluating the influence of the relative vortex-to-structure size on the structural loading that the vortex produces. A computer model is utilized to directly simulate the two-dimensional impact of an impinging …
Three Dimensional Simulations Of Tornado Sheltering Effect Of Man-Made Structures, Piotr Gorecki
Three Dimensional Simulations Of Tornado Sheltering Effect Of Man-Made Structures, Piotr Gorecki
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
A three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was utilized to investigate tornado-like vortex interactions with wide man-made structures. The tornado-like wind profile was approximated using Rankine vortex model. By utilizing the CFD model, it was explained why tornadoes exhibit less damage on leeward side of large structures. During the preliminary stage of this study, a perpendicular vortex-prism interaction was analyzed. The prism height and the length were equal to the vortex core radius. The prism was also 12 times wider than the vortex core radius. During the vortex-prism interaction, the near-ground portion of the vortex was blocked by the …
High Voltage Rear Electric Drivetrain Design For A Parallelthrough-The-Road Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Adam Garrett Fogarty
High Voltage Rear Electric Drivetrain Design For A Parallelthrough-The-Road Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Adam Garrett Fogarty
Open Access Theses
Purdue University was selected as one of 15 universities to participate in a three year Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) called EcoCar2: Plugging Into the Future. The vehicle built by the Purdue team was a Parallel-Through-The-Road Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PTTR PHEV). The vehicle utilized a B20 diesel powertrain to power the front wheels, as well as a custom electric drivetrain to power the rear wheels. Using this vehicle during the final year of the competition, the team was successful in placing 4th overall as well as 2nd in the category of Well-To-Wheel (WTW) Greenhouse Gas Emissions. A stock 2013 …
Experimental And Numerical Study Of The Air Distribution In An Airliner Cabin, Wei Liu
Experimental And Numerical Study Of The Air Distribution In An Airliner Cabin, Wei Liu
Open Access Theses
Nowadays, more people, including those with impaired health or who are otherwise potentially sensitive to the cabin environment, are traveling by air than ever before. The flying public demands a higher comfort level and a cleaner environment because they encounter a combination of environmental factors including low humidity, low air pressure, and sometimes, exposure to air contaminants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, various organic chemicals, and biological agents. Moreover, international air travel has increased the potential risks associated with airborne disease transmission and the release, whether accidentally or intentionally, of noxious substances during flight. Many studies suggest that the risk …
Development Of Hydrodynamic Channel Routing Model Of The Lower Rio Grande River To Assist In Flood And Stormwater Management, Andrew W. Leeper
Development Of Hydrodynamic Channel Routing Model Of The Lower Rio Grande River To Assist In Flood And Stormwater Management, Andrew W. Leeper
Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
Flooding and stormwater management of the Lower Rio Grande River (LRG) has become a major issue throughout the years with local entities along the river. The purpose of this study is to develop a hydrodynamic channel routing model to predict water surface elevation changes due to flooding. The study area consists of the LRG from Los Ebanos to Brownsville, Texas. This hydrodynamic model displays the hydraulics of the water flow through the LRG and determines where potential flood hazards exist. To verify the accuracy of the model a series of calculated output hydrographs were established at the Progreso Bridge and …
Development Of Mems-Based Corrosion Sensor, Feng Pan
Development Of Mems-Based Corrosion Sensor, Feng Pan
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This research is to develop a MEMS-based corrosion sensor, which is used for monitoring uniform, galvanic corrosion occurring in infrastructures such as buildings, bridges. The corrosion sensor is made up of the composite of micro/nano metal particles with elastomers. The mechanism of corrosion sensor is based on the mass transport of corrosive species through the sensor matrix. When the metal particles in the matrix corrode, the electrical resistivity of the material increases due to increasing particle resistances or reduction of conducting pathways. The corrosion rate can be monitored by detecting the resistivity change in sensing elements. The life span of …
Computer Modeling Of The Influence Of Structure Plan Areas On Tornado Forces, Nashmi Hassan M Alrasheedi
Computer Modeling Of The Influence Of Structure Plan Areas On Tornado Forces, Nashmi Hassan M Alrasheedi
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The study of the conventional Straight Line (SL) wind flow dominates research into wind loads on structures. Most structure design takes into account only research into SL flow. Few researchers have studied tornado forces on buildings and attempted to distinguish between tornadic wind loads and SL flow loads. Using a computer simulation, this research addresses and distinguishes between the tornadic forces and SL forces on structures. In the numerical simulation, tornado forces and SL forces will be compared on large structure plan areas and on thin structure plan areas. Additionally this research investigates how the increase in the vortex strength …
Development Of A Structured Concrete Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage System, Bradley M. Brown
Development Of A Structured Concrete Thermocline Thermal Energy Storage System, Bradley M. Brown
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
The past couple of decades have shown a concern when considering the way the world obtains its power. The focus has been switching from fossil fuels that have been used for hundreds of years to renewable energy sources, such as the sun. Solar energy is readily and infinitely available for harnessing. One problem with solar energy, though, is its inability to be used during the night time and during cloud covered weather. A solution to this problem is the use of energy storage mechanisms. For solar plants that use solar thermal energy (concentrating solar power plants), thermal energy storage (TES) …