Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Engineering And Computer Science, Spring 2018, Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

No abstract provided.

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Engineering And Computer Science, Fall 2017, Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

No abstract provided.

Dynamical Thermal Conductivity Of Suspended Graphene Ribbons In The Hydrodynamic Regime, Zlatan Aksamija, Arnab K. Majee

Zlatan Aksamija

Intrusion Detection In Aerial Imagery For Protecting Pipeline Infrastructure, Paheding Sidike, Almabrok Essa, Vijayan K. Asari

Vijayan K. Asari

We present an automated mechanism that can detect and issue warnings of machinery threat such as the presence of construction vehicles on pipeline right-of-way. The proposed scheme models the human visual perception concepts to extract fine details of objects by utilizing the corners and gradient histogram information in pyramid levels. Two real-world aerial image datasets are used for testing and evaluation.

How To Establish Successful Cooperative Student Learning Centers For Stem Courses, Ronald James Bieniek, Douglas R. Carroll, Cesar Mendoza, Oran Allan Pringle, Ekkehard Sinn, Kai-Tak Wan, Donald C. Wunsch

Oran Pringle

Students learn more if they are actively involved in the learning process, particularly in a cooperative manner. Several UMR faculty have operated course-based learning centers (LCs) as part of the campus-wide Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines (LEAD) Program of student learning assistance and enhancement. LCs are designed to assist large numbers of students in a cost- and time-efficient manner that promotes student engagement without requiring undue amounts of faculty time. Course instructors spend time in the open learning environment of the LC, in lieu of office hours, guiding students to master course material and skills in their evolution from novice to …

A Comprehensive Optimized Model For On-Board Solar Photovoltaic System For Plug-In Electric Vehicles: Energy And Economic Impacts, Mahmoud M. Abdelhamid

Mahmoud M Abdelhamid

A Platinum Nanowire Network As A Highly Effective Current Collector For Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Hanping Ding, Xingjian Xue

Xingjian "Chris" Xue

We report the fabrication and evaluation of a platinum nanowire network as a highly efficient current collector for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The ink of carbon-black supported platinum nanoparticles was sprayed onto the cathode. After firing, the carbon black was oxidized and disappeared as carbon dioxide gas while the platinum nanoparticles connect with one another, forming a tree-branch-like nanowire network. The diameters of the nanowires range from 100 nm to 400 nm. Compared to a conventional platinum paste current collector, the polarization resistance of the PrBaCo₂O_5+δ (PBCO) cathode with a nanowire current collector was reduced …

A Platinum Nanowire Network As A Highly Effective Current Collector For Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Hanping Ding, Xingjian Xue

Xingjian "Chris" Xue

We report the fabrication and evaluation of a platinum nanowire network as a highly efficient current collector for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The ink of carbon-black supported platinum nanoparticles was sprayed onto the cathode. After firing, the carbon black was oxidized and disappeared as carbon dioxide gas while the platinum nanoparticles connect with one another, forming a tree-branch-like nanowire network. The diameters of the nanowires range from 100 nm to 400 nm. Compared to a conventional platinum paste current collector, the polarization resistance of the PrBaCo2O5+δ (PBCO) cathode with a nanowire current collector was reduced by 44% at 650 …

Umass Amherst Green Building Guidelines 2013, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Ted Mendoza, Ezra Small, Patricia O'Flaherty, Nariman Mostafavi, Mohamed Farzinmoghadam, Somayeh Tabatabaee Pozveh

Ludmilla D Pavlova

Facilities & Campus Services, Sustainable UMass and Campus Planning support sustainability and energy conservation initiatives by providing in-house resources to campus staff as well as designers and contractors working with the University. The UMass Amherst Green Building Guidelines provide a framework for approaching new construction and major renovation projects at UMass Amherst that are undergoing LEED certification by focusing the conversation on green building aspects that are most important to the campus. They are intended to be the beginning of a dynamic conversation between designers, environmental consultants and constructors, university stakeholders, and users of new high performance buildings.

Umass Amherst Building Measurement, Verification, Coordination And Template Plan, Nariman Mostafavi, Ted Mendoza, Jeffrey G. Quackenbush, Sandy J. Beauregard, Jason J. Burbank, Mohamad Farzinmoghadam, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Kylie A. Landrey, Patricia O'Flaherty

Ludmilla D Pavlova

Facilities & Campus Services, Sustainable UMass and Campus Planning support sustainability and energy conservation initiatives by providing in-house resources to campus staff as well as designers and contractors working with the University. The UMass Amherst Building Measurement, Verification, Coordination and Template Plan was begun in 2013 and finalized in 2015 as a resource to project teams that undertake the measurement and verification of building systems during the first year of occupancy of a new building and renovation project, particularly projects undergoing LEED certification.

Umass Amherst Energy Modeling Guidelines, Nariman Mostafavi, Ted Mendoza, Jeffrey G. Quackenbush, Sandy J. Beauregard, Jason J. Burbank, Mohamad Farzinmoghadam, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Kylie A. Landrey

Ludmilla D Pavlova

Facilities & Campus Services, Sustainable UMass and Campus Planning support sustainability and energy conservation initiatives by providing in-house resources to campus staff as well as designers and contractors working with the University. The Campus energy Modeling Guidelines were developed in 2015 as a resource on how to: i) generate energy models for campus buildings; ii) provide quality assurance review of current energy models; and iii) share UMass Amherst energy modeling input parameters with project design teams for them to establish a baseline building energy profile.

Direct-Write Stretchable Sensors Using Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Matrix, Morteza Vatani, Yangfen Lu, Kye-Shin Lee, Ho-Chan Kim, Jae-Won Choi

Dr. Jae-Won Choi

There have been increasing demands and interests in stretchable sensors with the development of flexible or stretchable conductive materials. These sensors can be used for detecting large strain, 3D deformation, and a free-form shape. In this work, a stretchable conductive sensor has been developed using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and monofunctional acrylate monomers (cyclic trimethylolpropane formal acrylate and acrylate ester). The suggested sensors have been fabricated using a screw-driven microdispensing direct-write (DW) technology. To demonstrate the capabilities of the DW system, effects of dispensing parameters such as the feed rate and material flow rate on created line widths were investigated. …

Design Of Novel Charge Balancing Networks In Battery Packs, D. Dane Quinn, Tom Hartley

Dr. D Dane Quinn

In a modern battery pack, the charge in the individual cells can diverge in time, leading to decreased capacity and reduced operating life of the pack. Charge balancing systems can be introduced to equalize the state of charge across the multiple cells, therefore increasing the performance of the battery pack. This work considers the dynamic performance of charge balancing systems, and through simulation explores how their ability to equalize the state of charge depends on the design of the underlying charge balancing network. The performance of the charge balancing system is described in terms of the rate at which the …

High Ppeed Circuit Techniques For Network Intrusion Detection Systems (Nids), Ajay Mohan Mahajan

Dr. Ajay Mahajan

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of Magnetoelectric Thin-Film Sensors Using Supperlattice Composition Spreads, K.-S. Chang, M. Aronova, C. Gao, C. Lin, Jason Hattrick-Simpers, M. Murakami, I. Takeuchi

Jason R. Hattrick-Simpers

No abstract provided.

Modeling Of Chemical-Mechanical Couplings In Anode-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells And Reliability Analysis, Xinfang Jin, Xingjian Xue

Xingjian "Chris" Xue

Oxygen ionic transport in conducting ceramics is an important mechanism enabling solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. The multi-physicochemical processes lead to the fact that the distribution of oxygen vacancy site fraction is not uniform in a positive-electrode electrolyte negative-electrode (PEN) assembly. Different oxygen vacancy concentrations induce different volumetric expansion of ceramics, resulting in complicated chemical–mechanical coupling phenomena and chemical stress in SOFCs. In this research, a mathematical model is developed to study oxygen ionic transport induced chemical stress in an SOFC. The model is validated using experimental polarization curves. Comprehensive simulations are performed to investigate chemical stress distribution in …

Evaluation Of On-Board Photovoltaic Modules Options For Electric Vehicles, Mahmoud M. Abdelhamid

Mahmoud M Abdelhamid

This paper presents an overview of different commercial photovoltaic (PV) module options to power on-board electric vehicles (EVs). We propose the evaluation factors, constraints, and the decision-making criteria necessary to assess the suitability of this PV module for this application. The incorporation of quality function deployment (QFD) and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is the decision-making methodology used in this study. Our approach is innovative and robust in that the evaluation depends upon data collected from PV manufactures datasheets. Unlike traditional research, a hybrid AHP and QFD innovative decision-making methodology has been created, and current commercial PV market data for …

Conditions For Capacitor Voltage Regulation In A Five-Level Cascade Multilevel Inverter: Application To Voltage-Boost In A Pm Drive, John Chiasson, Burak Ozpineci, Zhong Du, Leon Tolbert

Burak Ozpineci

A cascade multilevel inverter is a power electronic device built to synthesize a desired AC voltage from several levels of DC voltages. Such inverters have been the subject of research in the last several years, where the DC levels were considered to be identical in that all of them were either batteries, solar cells, etc. Similar to previous results in the literature, the work here shows how a cascade multilevel inverter can be used to obtain a voltage boost at higher speeds for a three-phase PM drive using only a single DC voltage source. The input of a standard three-leg …

A Five-Level Three-Phase Hybrid Cascade Multilevel Inverter Using A Single Dc Source For A Pm Synchronous Motor Drive, John N. Chiasson, Burak Ozpineci, Leon M. Tolbert

Burak Ozpineci

The interest here is in using a single DC power source to construct a 3-phase 5-level cascade multilevel inverter to be used as a drive for a PM traction motor. The 5-level inverter consists of a standard 3-leg inverter (one leg for each phase) and an H-bridge in series with each inverter leg, which use a capacitor as a DC source. It is shown that one can simultaneously maintain the regulation of the capacitor voltage while achieving an output voltage waveform which is 25% higher than that obtained using a standard 3-leg inverter by itself.

Development Of A Novel Handheld Device For Active Compensation Of Physiological Tremor, Abhijit Saxena

Abhijit Saxena

In microsurgery, the human hand imposes certain limitations in accurately positioning the tip of a device such as scalpel. Any errors in the motion of the hand make microsurgical procedures difficult and involuntary motions such as hand tremors can make some procedures significantly difficult to perform. This is particularly true in the case of vitreoretinal microsurgery. The most familiar source of involuntary motion is physiological tremor. Real-time compensation of tremor is, therefore, necessary to assist surgeons to precisely position and manipulate the tool-tip to accurately perform a microsurgery. In this thesis, a novel handheld device (AID) is described for compensation …

Sugarmap: Location-Less Coverage For Micro-Aerial Sensing Swarms, Aveek Purohit, Zheng Sun, Pei Zhang

Zheng Sun

No abstract provided.

Measurements Of Nh3 Linestrengths And Collisional Broadening Coefficients In N2, O2, Co2, And H2o Near 1103.46 Cm−1, Kyle Owen, Et-Touhami Es-Sebbar, Aamir Farooq

Dr. Et-touhami Es-sebbar

Laser-based ammonia gas sensors have useful applications in many fields including combustion, atmospheric monitoring, and medical diagnostics. Calibration-free trace gas sensors require the spectroscopic parameters including linestrengths and collisional broadening coefficients to be known. Ammonia's strong ν2 vibrational band between View the MathML source has the high absorption strength needed for sensing small concentrations. Within this band, the 1103.46 cm−1 feature is one of the strongest and has minimal interference from CO2 and H2O. However, the six rotational transitions that make up this feature have not been studied previously with absorption spectroscopy due to their small line spacing ranging from …

Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Sensing Applications, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of ultra-thin-film (250 nm) aluminum nitride (AlN) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) contour mode resonators (CMRs) suitable for the fabrication of ultra-sensitive gravimetric sensors. The device thickness was opportunely scaled in order to increase the mass sensitivity, while keeping a constant frequency of operation. In this first demonstration the resonance frequency of the device was set to 178 MHz and a mass sensitivity as high as 38.96 KHz⋅μm2/fg was attained. This device demonstrates the unique capability of the CMR-S technology to decouple resonance frequency from mass sensitivity.

5-10 Ghz Aln Contour-Mode Nanoelectromechanical Resonators, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of Super High Frequency (SHF) laterally vibrating NanoElctroMechanical (NEMS) resonators. For the first time, AlN piezoelectric nanoresonators with multiple frequencies of operation ranging between 5 and 10 GHz have been fabricated on the same chip and attained the highest f-Q product (4.6E12 Hz) ever reported in AlN contour-mode devices. These piezoelectric NEMS resonators are the first of their class to demonstrate on-chip sensing and actuation of nanostructures without the need of cumbersome or power consuming excitation and readout systems. Effective piezoelectric activity has been demonstrated in thin AlN films having vertical …

Ultra-Thin Super High Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators And Filters, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the demonstration of a new class of ultra-thin (250 nm thick) Super High Frequency (SHF) AlN piezoelectric two-port resonators and filters. A thickness field excitation scheme was employed to excite a higher order contour extensional mode of vibration in an AlN nano plate (250 nm thick) above 3 GHz and synthesize a 1.96 GHz narrow-bandwidth channel-select filter. The devices of this work are able to operate over a frequency range from 1.9 to 3.5 GHz and are employed to synthesize the highest frequency MEMS filter based on electrically self-coupled AlN contour-mode resonators. Very narrow bandwidth (~ …

Nanoenabled Microelectromechanical Sensor For Volatile Organic Chemical Detection, Chiara Zuniga, Matteo Rinaldi, Samuel M. Khamis, A. T. Johnson, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

A nanoenabled gravimetric chemical sensor prototype based on the large scale integration of single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as nanofunctionalization layer for aluminum nitride contour-mode resonant microelectromechanical (MEM) gravimetric sensors has been demonstrated. The capability of two distinct single strands of DNA bound to SWNTs to enhance differently the adsorption of volatile organic compounds such as dinitroluene (simulant for explosive vapor) and dymethyl-methylphosphonate (simulant for nerve agent sarin) has been verified experimentally. Different levels of sensitivity (17.3 and 28 KHz µm^2/fg) due to separate frequencies of operation (287 and 450 MHz) on the same die have also …

Super-High-Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Rf Applications, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of thin-film (250 nm) superhigh- frequency laterally-vibrating piezoelectric microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonators suitable for the fabrication of narrow-band MEMS filters operating at frequencies above 3 GHz. The device dimensions have been opportunely scaled both in the lateral and vertical dimensions to excite a contourextensional mode of vibration in nanofeatures of an ultra-thin (250 nm) AlN film. In this first demonstration, 2-port resonators vibrating up to 4.5 GHz have been fabricated on the same die and attained electromechanical coupling, kt^2, in excess of 1.5%. These devices are employed to …

Green Scheduling For Radiant Systems In Buildings, Truong X. Nghiem, Madhur Behl, George J. Pappas, Rahul Mangharam

Truong X Nghiem

In this report we look at the problem of peak power reduction for buildings with electric radiant floor heating systems. Uncoordinated operation of a multi-zone radiant floor heating system can result in temporally correlated electricity demand surges or peaks in the building’s electricity consumption. As peak power prices are 200-400 times that of the nominal rate, this uncoordinated activity can result in high electricity costs and expensive system operation. We have previously presented green scheduling as an approach for reducing the aggregate peak power consumption in buildings while ensuring that indoor thermal comfort is always maintained. This report extends the …

Effects Of N2o And O2 Addition To Nitrogen Townsend Dielectric Barrier Discharges At Atmospheric Pressure On The Absolute Ground-State Atomic Nitrogen Density, Et. Es-Sebbar, N. Gherardi, F. Massines

Dr. Et-touhami Es-sebbar

Absolute ground-state density of nitrogen atoms N (2p3 4S3/2) in non-equilibrium Townsend dielectric barrier discharges (TDBDs) at atmospheric pressure sustained in N2/N2O and N2/O2 gas mixtures has been measured using Two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF) spectroscopy. The quantitative measurements have been obtained by TALIF calibration using krypton as a reference gas. We previously reported that the maximum of N (2p3 4S3/2) atom density is around 3 × 1014 cm−3 in pure nitrogen TDBD, and that this maximum depends strongly on the mean energy dissipated in the gas. In the two gas mixtures studied here, results show that the absolute N …

Performance Investigation Of A Hybrid Renewable Power Generation And Storage System Using Systemic Power Management Models, Damianos Giaouris, Athanasios Papadopoulos, Chrysa Ziogou, Dimiptris Ipsakis, Spyors Voutetakis, Simira Papadopoulou, Panos Seferlis, Fotis Stergiopoulos, Costas Elmasides

Sakis Papadopoulos

Hybrid renewable power generation systems considering storage of energy and/or hydrogen involve considerable complexity as heterogeneous equipment need to be interconnected and activated or deactivated at different time instances. This work employs generic and flexible decision making models to develop complex power/hydrogen management strategies and investigate their performance on systems integrating multiple power generation and storage devices. These models significantly facilitate the analysis of both a standalone power generation and storage system forming a microgrid currently in operation as well as three interconnected microgrids of different functionalities considered in this work. These systems are used to investigate the performance of …