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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Structural Health Monitoring Of Composite Parts: A Review, Jacob Pessin
Structural Health Monitoring Of Composite Parts: A Review, Jacob Pessin
Honors Theses
Structural health monitoring has the potential to allow composite structures to be more reliable and safer, then by using more traditional damage assessment techniques. Structural health monitoring (SHM) utilizes individual sensor units that are placed throughout the load bearing sections of a structure and gather data that is used for stress analysis and damage detection. Statistical time based algorithms are used to analyze collected data and determine both damage size and probable location from within the structure. While traditional calculations and life span analysis can be done for structures made of isotropic materials such as steel or other metals, composites …
Diesel Particulate Generation, Matthew Ferdenzi
Diesel Particulate Generation, Matthew Ferdenzi
Honors Theses
The goal of this project is to design a diesel particulate generator to test aerogels as diesel particulate filters. Diesel particulate generators are machines that generate diesel particulate matter, or diesel soot. Diesel particulate filters have been recently put into the market to help many car companies meet the ever-changing diesel emission regulations set by the EPA and other international agencies. The main goal of the filter is to block soot from exiting to the environment. Once the filter is full, the soot is oxidized and released. The problem with these filters is that they are large, costly, detrimental to …
Phosphorus Adsorption Through Engineered Biochars Produced From Local Waste Products, Peter Ogonek
Phosphorus Adsorption Through Engineered Biochars Produced From Local Waste Products, Peter Ogonek
Honors Theses
Phosphorus contained in agricultural runoff is a major anthropogenic contributor to harmful algal blooms (HABs). Biochars are carbon-based materials produced from the pyrolysis of waste biomass that have the potential to amend soils and remediate inorganic and organic contaminants from water. Engineered biochars tailored to adsorb phosphorus from water could reduce the availability of the nutrient in agricultural runoff, reducing the size and frequency of HABs. This study observed the phosphorus adsorption properties of engineered biochars produced from two source materials, oak sawdust and cornstalk residue, and being unmodified, acid-rinsed, or loaded with magnesium prior to pyrolysis, creating acid-rinsed, unmodified, …
Evaluation Of The Use Of High Frequency Acoustic Cavitation To Improve Water Quality In Commercial Catfish Operations, Bennett Elizabeth Barr
Evaluation Of The Use Of High Frequency Acoustic Cavitation To Improve Water Quality In Commercial Catfish Operations, Bennett Elizabeth Barr
Honors Theses
Catfish processing plants must chill the water used for their fillet wash and flush and refill their piping systems frequently, requiring a pause in operations until the piping flush is complete. There is a need for a (preferably non-chemical) solution that enables the plants to chill the water less and flush their systems less often to mitigate high energy and water consumption. High amplitude acoustic waves (sonication) were introduced into water samples from catfish ponds to determine if they could be used as a replacement for chemical treatments to improve the water quality in the plant piping systems. Preliminary tests …
Transit As An Alternative Mode Of Transportation: A Case Study Of Its Usage, Availability, Patterns And Value For Non-Commuter Trips, Sara Hardman
Honors Theses
The mode of transportation a user picks impacts the environment, the social environment, and the user himself/herself. While research on alternative modes of transportation is prevalent in both the engineering and sociology fields, little attention has been given to the choices people make concerning how they run errands and other social trips, focusing instead on commuter trips. This case study examines three different shopping malls and the surrounding bus stops in order to determine the role distance plays in bus usage and the value that shopping centers place on access to local bus routes. Determination of the value and potential …
Design And Testing Of An Automated Semiâ]Trailer Control System, Conor H. Dodd
Design And Testing Of An Automated Semiâ]Trailer Control System, Conor H. Dodd
Honors Theses
Growing up in Maine, the trucking industry is an ever-present part of life. With a very sparse, lightly used rail system, almost all of the raw materials and goods that enter and leave the state do so by truck. Truckers in Maine are constantly challenged by Maine’s roads, which can often be difficult or even treacherous to navigate. The rough logging roads near Jackman or Millinocket, or the sharp ninety degree turns near the Portland oil docks, can ruin a trucker’s day, or even worse, cause an accident. For example, there is a tiny four-way intersection on Broadway in South …