Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2007, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Analysis Of Three Phase Controlled Rectifier With The Same Distance Control As Compared To The Same Angle Control, Sudirman S., Sri Kurniati A.

Makara Journal of Technology

Analysis of three phase controlled rectifier with the same distance control as compared to the same angle control. This research aim to compare the firing of the same distance and the same angle control at three phase controlled rectifier with seen generated harmonic at input (AC side). Then calculate of rectifier efficiency and power factor comparison from both the control type. The rectifier use passive filter with resistance 11 ohm and is analysed with program simulation using PSPICE version 7.1. Result of research indicate that use of the same distance control generates the 5th and 7th harmonics, while the same …

Limiting Maximum Drag Reduction Asymptote For The Moment Coefficient Of An Enclosed Rotating Disk With Fine Spiral Grooves, Budiarso Budiarso, Keizo Watanabe, Satoshi Ogata

Makara Journal of Technology

In this study, the limiting maximum drag reduction asymptote for the moment coefficient of an enclosed rotating disk with fine spiral grooves in turbulent flow region were obtained analytically. Analysis which were based on an assumption for a simple parabolic velocity distribution of turbulent pipe flow to represent relative tangential velocity, was carried out using momentum integral equations of the boundary layer. For a certain K- parameter the moment coefficient results agree well with experimental results for maximum drag reduction in an enclosed rotating disk with fine spiral grooves and drag reduction ratio approximately was 15 %. Additionally, the experimental …

Reverse Link Cdma System Capacity Evaluation For Stratospheric Platform Mobile Communications, Iskandar Iskandar

Makara Journal of Technology

We propose an analysis of reverse link CDMA multispot beam stratospheric platforms (SPF) in this paper. The SPF is currently proposed as a novel wireless technology for the development of the next generation fixed and mobile communications. The geometry of this technology is different from that of the terrestrial but rather similar to the satellite based cellular system. However, evaluation on the CDMA system capacity of this technology has not been much reported. This paper addresses all possible multiple access interference analyses including the effects of channel fading and shadowing in order to evaluate the system capacity. Single SPF and …

Trajectory Shaping Of Surface-To-Surface Missile With Terminal Impact Angle Constraint, S. Subchan

Makara Journal of Technology

This paper presents trajectory shaping of a surface-to-surface missile attacking a fixed with terminal impact angle constraint. The missile must hit the target from above, subject to the missile dynamics and path constraints. The problem is reinterpreted using optimal control theory resulting in the formulation of minimum integrated altitude. The formulation entails nonlinear, two-dimensional missile flight dynamics, boundary conditions and path constraints. The generic shape of optimal trajectory is: level flight, climbing, diving; this combination of the three flight phases is called the bunt manoeuvre. The numerical solution of optimal control problem is solved by a direct collocation method. The …

Effect Of Contact Time On Interface Reaction Between Aluminum Silicon (7% And 11%) Alloy And Steel Dies Skd 61, Bambang Suharno, Neni Octapiani Nurhayati, Bustanul Arifin, Sri Harjanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Effect of Contact Time on Interface Reaction between Aluminum Silicon (7% and 11%) Alloy and Steel Dies SKD 61. Die soldering (die sticking) is a defect of metal casting in which molten metal “welds” to the metallic die mold surface during casting process. Die soldering is the result of an interface reaction between the molten aluminum and the die material. Aluminum alloy with 7 and 11% silicon and SKD 61 die steel are the most common melt and die material used in aluminum die casting. This research is done to study the morphology and the characteristics of the formed AlxFeySiz …

Co2 Absorption From Its Mixture With Ch4 Or N2 Through Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor Using Water As Solvent, Sutrasno Kartohardjono, Anggara Anggara, Subihi Subihi, Yuliusman Yuliusman

Makara Journal of Technology

CO2 Absorption from Its Mixture with CH4 or N2 through Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactor using Water as Solvent. Hollow fiber membrane contactors have been widely used as gas-liquid contactors recently such as in the CO2 absorption process from gas stream. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of hollow fiber membrane contactor to absorb CO2 from its mixture with CH4 or N2 using water through mass transfer and hydrodynamic tests. There are 3 membrane modules used in this research with shell diameter of 1.9 cm, length of 40 cm, outer fiber diameter of 2.7 mm and fiber number in the …

The Use Of Red Cabbage’S Anthocyanine Extract As A Photosensitizer On A Dye-Sensitized Nanocrystalline Tio2 Solar Cell, Akhiruddin Maddu, Mahfuddin Zuhri, Irmansyah Irmansyah

Makara Journal of Technology

The use of Red Cabbage’s anthocyanine extract as a photosensitizer on a Dye-Sensitized Nanocrystalline TiO2 Solar Cell. A solid-state dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 solar cell utilizing anthocyanin extract form red cabbage as photosensitizer was fabricated. The solar cell was formed in sandwich structure, which two electrodes sandwiching polymer electrolyte containing a redox couple (I-/I3 -). One of the electrodes, namely working electrode, TiO2 layer on TCO (transparent conducting oxide) coated glass substrate was sensitized with anthocyanin dye as electron donor in the system. Another electrode was a carbon sheet as a counter electrode. Gel electrolyte based on PEG (polyethylene glycol) containing …

The Potency Of Fire And Explosion Hazard On Premium Oil Storage Tank At Depot X 2007, Fatma Lestari, Warid Nurdiansyah

Makara Journal of Technology

The Potency of Fire and Explosion Hazard on Premium Oil Storage Tank at Depot X 2007. Premium oil storage tanks have fire and explosion risk because Premium oil is flammable liquid. Because of that, fire and explosion risk assessment on Premium oil storage tank at Depot X is needed as foundation to fire and explosion risk management, and comply with regulations. Method of this research is Dow’s Fire and Explosion Index. This research indicate that F&EI value for Premium oil storage tank is 118,82. Based on that F&EI value, level of risk at Premium oil storage tank is intermediate risk.

Optimal Control Of Class Of Non-Linear Plants Using Artificial Immune Systems: Application Of The Clonal Selection Algorithm, S. A. Panimadai Ramaswamy, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, S. N. Balakrishnan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The function of natural immune system is to protect the living organisms against invaders/pathogens. Artificial Immune System (AIS) is a computational intelligence paradigm inspired by the natural immune system. Diverse engineering problems have been solved in the recent past using AIS. Clonal selection is one of the few algorithms that belong to the family of AIS techniques. Clonal selection algorithm is the computational implementation of the clonal selection principle. The process of affinity maturation of the immune system is explicitly incorporated in this algorithm. This paper presents the application of AIS for the optimal control of a class of non-linear …

Experiments In Cooperative Timing For Miniature Air Vehicles, Derek R. Nelson, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard

Faculty Publications

This paper presents experimental results for two cooperative timing missions carried out using a team of three miniature air vehicles (MAVs). Using a cooperative timing algorithm based on coordination functions and coordination variables, the MAV team executed a series of simultaneous arrival and cooperative fly-by missions. In the presence of significant wind disturbances, the average time difference between the first and last vehicle in the simultaneous arrival experiments was 1.6 s. For the cooperative fly-by experiments, the average timing error between vehicle arrivals was 0.6 s. These results demonstrate the practical feasibility of the cooperative timing approach.

Reinforcement Learning Based Output-Feedback Control Of Nonlinear Nonstrict Feedback Discrete-Time Systems With Application To Engines, Peter Shih, Jonathan B. Vance, Brian C. Kaul, Jagannathan Sarangapani, J. A. Drallmeier

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel reinforcement-learning based output-adaptive neural network (NN) controller, also referred as the adaptive-critic NN controller, is developed to track a desired trajectory for a class of complex nonlinear discrete-time systems in the presence of bounded and unknown disturbances. The controller includes an observer for estimating states and the outputs, critic, and two action NNs for generating virtual, and actual control inputs. The critic approximates certain strategic utility function and the action NNs are used to minimize both the strategic utility function and their outputs. All NN weights adapt online towards minimization of a performance index, utilizing gradient-descent based rule. …

Shaken Baby Syndrome: Retinal Hemorrhaging. A Biomechanical Approach To Understanding The Mechanism Of Causation, Steven Alex Hans

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a form of abuse where typically an infant, age six months or less, is held and shaken. There may or may not be direct impact associated with this action. Further, there is very little agreement on the actual mechanism of SBS. Clinical studies are limited in showing the exact mechanism of injury and only offer postulations and qualitative descriptions. SBS has received much attention in the media, has resulted in a great deal of litigation and can be the source of unfounded accusations. Therefore, it is necessary to try to quantify the forces that may …

An Intermediate-Layer Lithography Method For Producing Metal Micron/Nano Patterns And Conducting Polymer-Based Microdevices, Xinchuan Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

Metals have been widely used in the areas of integration circuit (IC) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fields as materials for gates, contact pads, interconnects, corrosion resistance coatings, rectifying contacts, redundancy memories, heating elements, mechanical parts, magnetic component, etc. due to their good properties, such as high electrical conductivity and good thermal conductivity. Conducting polymers, because of their promising potential to replace silicon and metals in building devices, have attracted great attention in recent decades.

Traditional photolithography methods are often used to pattern metals and conducting polymers. However, it cannot be used to fabricate nano patterns because the minimum feature size …

Radio Frequency Mems Switch Contact Metal Selection, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., Paul E. Kladitis, Robert L. Crane, Kevin D. Leedy

AFIT Patents

A method for selecting metal alloys as the electric contact materials for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metal contact switches. This method includes a review of alloy experience, consideration of equilibrium binary alloy phase diagrams, obtaining thin film material properties and, based on a suitable model, predicting contact electrical resistance performance. After determination of a candidate alloy material, MEMS switches are conceptualized, fabricated and tested to validate the alloy selection methodology. Minimum average contact resistance values of 1.17 and 1.87 ohms are achieved for micro-switches with gold (Au) and gold-platinum (Au-(6.3 at %)Pt) alloy contacts. In addition, `hot-switched` life cycle test results …

Implementation Of A Mems Laboratory Course With Modular, Multidisciplinary Team Projects, John Lee, Stacy H. Gleixner, Tai-Ran Hsu, David W. Parent

David W. Parent

This paper presents the implementation and outcomes of a hands-on laboratory course in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), co-developed by a multidisciplinary team of faculty from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and materials engineering. Central to the design of the course is an emphasis on implementing modules that are able to overcome critical barriers related to (1) diverse academic background from different majors and (2) practical limitations in microfabrication facilities. These points are vital for promoting MEMS education, because they expand the student pool and reach audiences that need a cost-effective way to support instructional laboratory experiences in MEMS without the broader infrastructure …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2007, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

An Overview Of Mav Research At Brigham Young University, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard, D. Blake Barber, Nathan B. Knoebel

Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes research efforts at Brigham Young University related to the control of miniature aerial vehicles (MAVs). Recent results in the areas of vector field path following, precision landing and target prosecution, target localization, obstacle detection and avoidance, tailsitter aircraft control, and cooperative control are presented.

Management Of An Intelligent Argumentation Network For A Web-Based Collaborative Engineering Design Environment, Xiaoqing Frank Liu, Man Zheng, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ming-Chuan Leu

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Conflict resolution is one of the most challenging tasks in collaborative engineering design. In our previous research, a web-based intelligent collaborative system was developed to address this challenge based on intelligent computational argumentation. However, two important issues were not resolved in that system: priority of participants and self-conflicting arguments. In this paper, we develop two methods for incorporating priorities of participants into the computational argumentation network: 1) weighted summation and 2) re-assessment of strengths of arguments based on priority of owners of the argument using fuzzy logic inference. In addition, we develop a method for detection of self-conflicting arguments. Incorporation …

Simple: System Automatic Essay Assessment For Indonesian Language Subject Examination, Anak Agung Putri Ratna, Bagio Budiardjo, Djoko Hartanto

Makara Journal of Technology

SIMPLE: System Automatic Essay Assessment for Indonesian Language Subject Examination. Evaluation of study of a student is a very important aspect of an educational process. Evaluation is aimed at measuring the level of student understanding of the given lecture materials. Measuring student understanding of the course material, using essay-type exam, is generally used as the evaluation tool. In this essay-type exam, the student has to answer questions using sentences, whereby choices of possible answers are not indicated. The student has to answer the questions with his/her sentences. The answers may vary, since it reflects the student’s best thoughts of the …

Biodesulphurization Within Natural Gas In Oil And Gas Field, Sri Astuti Rahayu, M. Fierdaus, Syafrizal Syafrizal, M. Udiharto

Makara Journal of Technology

The presence of sulphur compounds in natural gas can interfere to the quality of natural gas. The decline of combustion gas capacity, metal instrument corrosion in gas piping, and the environmental pollution from gas emission can affect by their presence. Bio-filter is one of the methods that selected to reduce sulphur content in natural gas. A lab scale study of hydrogen sulphide reduction in natural gas had conducted in oil and gas field using bio-filter method. The bio-filter system (±1 L volume) contains an active carbon and thiosulphide medium as a substrate, Thiobacillus thioparus as a single culture of sulphur …

Mechanical Study On Using Of Accr Thermal Conductor At 500 Kv Sutet, Suprihadi Prasetyono

Makara Journal of Technology

Mechanical Study on using of ACCR Thermal Conductor at 500 kV SUTET. At the height of electricity demand increasing recently, circumstance of environment more limited and also expense of high investment, making thermal conductor (conductor thermal resistance) considered to be one of alternative in the electricity transmission bottlenecks. These days it has been developed thermal conductor ACCR (Aluminium Conductor Composite Reinforced) which can operate with temperature up to 240oC, so that making the current carrying capacity being higher than conventional conductor. This research aimed to study load current leading to mechanical characteristic ACCR conductor included tension, length of elongation and …

Kinetic Model For Triglyceride Hydrolysis Using Lipase:Review, Heri Hermansyah, A. Wijanarko, Dianursanti Dianursanti, Misri Gozan, Praswasti P. D.K Wulan, Rita Arbianti, Roekmijati W. Soemantojo, Tania Surya Utami, Yuliusman Yuliusman, Momoji Kubo, Naomi Shibasaki Kitakawa, Toshiy Yonemoto

Makara Journal of Technology

Triglyceride hydrolysis using lipase has been proposed as a novel method to produce raw materials in food and cosmetic industries such as diacylglycerol, monoacylglycerol, glycerol and fatty acid. In order to design a reactor for utilizing this reaction on industrial scale, constructing a kinetic model is important. Since the substrates are oil and water, the hydrolysis takes place at oil-water interface. Furthermore, the triglyceride has three ester bonds, so that the hydrolysis stepwise proceeds. Thus, the reaction mechanism is very complicated. The difference between the interfacial and bulk concentrations of the enzyme, substrates and products, and the interfacial enzymatic reaction …

Sulfonation Of Cptfe Film Grafted Styrene For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Yohan Yohan

Makara Journal of Technology

Sulfonation of cPTFE Film grafted Styrene for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. Sulfonation of γ-ray iradiated and styrene-grafted crosslinked polytetrafluoroethylene film (cPTFE-g-S film) have been done. The aim of the research is to make hydropyl membrane as proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Sulfonation was prepared with chlorosulfonic acid in chloroethane under various conditions. The impact of the percent of grafting, the concentration of chlorosulfonic acid, the reaction time,and the reaction temperature on the properties of sulfonated film is examinated. The results show that sulfonation of surface-grafted films is incomplete at room temperature. The increasing of concentration of chlorosulfonic acid and …

Impact-Induced Damage Characterization Of Composite Plates Using Neural Networks, Steve Eugene Watkins, Farhad Akhavan, Rohit Dua, K. Chandrashekhara, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Impact-induced damage in fiber-reinforced laminated composite plates is characterized. An instrumented impact tower was used to carry out low-velocity impacts on thirteen clamped glass/epoxy composite plates. A range of impact energies was experimentally investigated by progressively varying impactor masses (holding the impact height constant) and varying impact heights (holding the impactor mass constant). The in-plane strain profiles as measured by polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric sensors are shown to indicate damage initiation and to correlate to impact energy. Plate damage included matrix cracking, fiber breakage, and delamination. Electronic shearography validated the existence of the impact damage and demonstrated an actual damage …

Utilization Of Bagasse Cellulose For Ethanol Production Through Simultaneous Saccharification And Fermentation By Xylanase, M. Samsuri, Misri Gozan, R. Mardias, M. Baiquni, Heri Hermansyah, Anondho Wijanarko, Bambang Prasetya, M. Nasikin

Makara Journal of Technology

Utilization of Bagasse Cellulose for Ethanol Production through Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation by Xylanase. Bagasse is a solid residue from sugar cane process, which is not many use it for some product which have more added value. Bagasse, which is a lignosellulosic material, be able to be use for alternative energy resources like bioethanol or biogas. With renewable energy resources a crisis of energy in Republic of Indonesia could be solved, especially in oil and gas. This research has done the conversion of bagasse to bioethanol with xylanase enzyme. The result show that bagasse contains of 52,7% cellulose, 20% hemicelluloses, …

Construction Of Short-Length High-Rates Ldpc Codes Using Difference Families, Deny Hamdani, Ery Safrianti

Makara Journal of Technology

Low-density parity-check (LDPC) code is linear-block error-correcting code defined by sparse parity-check matrix. It is decoded using the massage-passing algorithm, and in many cases, capable of outperforming turbo code. This paper presents a class of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes showing good performance with low encoding complexity. The code is constructed using difference families from combinatorial design. The resulting code, which is designed to have short code length and high code rate, can be encoded with low complexity due to its quasi-cyclic structure, and performs well when it is iteratively decoded with the sum-product algorithm. These properties of LDPC code are …

Production Of Medium Chain Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates From Oleic Acid Using Pseudomonas Putida Pga1 By Fed Batch Culture, Sidik Marsudi, Irene K.P. Tan, Seng Neon Gan, K. B. Ramachandran

Makara Journal of Technology

Bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polymers currently receiving much attention because of their potential as renewable and biodegradable plastics. A wide variety of bacteria has been reported to produce PHAs including Pseudomonas strains. These strains are known as versatile medium chain length PHAs (PHAs-mcl) producers using fatty acids as carbon source. Oleic acid was used to produce PHAs-mcl using Pseudomonas putida PGA 1 by continuous feeding of both nitrogen and carbon source, in a fed batch culture. During cell growth, PHAs also accumulated, indicating that PHA production in this organism is growth associated. Residual cell increased until the …

Derivation And Application Of A Conserved Orbital Energy For The Inverted Pendulum Bipedal Walking Model, Jerry E. Pratt, Sergey V. Drakunov

Publications

We present an analysis of a point mass, point foot, planar inverted pendulum model for bipedal walking. Using this model, we derive expressions for a conserved quantity, the “Orbital Energy”, given a smooth Center of Mass trajectory. Given a closed form Center of Mass Trajectory, the equation for the Orbital Energy is a closed form expression except for an integral term, which we show to be the first moment of area under the Center of Mass path. Hence, given a Center of Mass trajectory, it is straightforward and computationally simple to compute phase portraits for the system. In fact, for …

Derivation And Application Of A Conserved Orbital Energy For The Inverted Pendulum Bipedal Walking Model, Jerry E. Pratt, Sergey V. Drakunov

Sergey V. Drakunov