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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Composition Control Of Spinel Lithium Manganese Oxide For High Voltage, High Energy Lithium Ion Batteries, Hilary Eikhuemelo Jan 2014

Composition Control Of Spinel Lithium Manganese Oxide For High Voltage, High Energy Lithium Ion Batteries, Hilary Eikhuemelo

LSU Master's Theses

In the quest for renewable source of energy, a remarkable step made was in the introduction of the battery system. The lithium ion battery was revolutionary in this regard particularly for its light weight and high energy density. There has been significant progress in the development of this battery system since the present form was introduced in the 1990s. There is currently a global dependence on the use of lithium ion battery in diverse applications such as in the electronics, communications and automobiles. Unfortunately, the energy obtainable from the lithium ion battery continuously falls behind the energy demand. This setback …


A Parametric Investigation Of A Novel, Modular, Gasketless, Microfluidic Interconnect Using Parallel Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Christopher Ramsey Brown Jan 2014

A Parametric Investigation Of A Novel, Modular, Gasketless, Microfluidic Interconnect Using Parallel Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Christopher Ramsey Brown

LSU Master's Theses

The gasketless microfluidic interconnect has the potential to offer a standardized approach to interconnects between modular microfluidic components. This strategy uses parallel superhydrophobic surfaces (contact angle ≥ 150ᴼ) to passively seal adjacent, concentric, microfluidic ports separated by an air gap using a liquid bridge created between the chips. The parallel superhydrophobic surfaces do not require the addition of a gasket or other additional components so that the assembly process scales favorably with an increasing number of fluidic interconnects. The gasketless seal does not contribute to geometric constraint between the component chips which allows alignment between chips to scale favorably with …


Fabrication And Enhancement Of Aluminum-Based Microchannel Devices, Paul Joseph Hymel Jan 2014

Fabrication And Enhancement Of Aluminum-Based Microchannel Devices, Paul Joseph Hymel

LSU Master's Theses

Microscale molding replication and transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding were used to fabricate Al-based microchannel heat exchangers (MHEs) and micro gas chromatograph (mGC) columns. Metal-based microchannel heat exchangers often experience corrosion as a result of their operating conditions. To address this problem, an internal anodization method was developed in Al microtubes by pulsing the flow of electrolyte through a microtube when the current dropped below a set value. The anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) cross sections, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to determine their growth rate and morphology. …


Influence Of Magnetic Fields On The Evaporation And Combustion Of A Single Droplet, Domingo Elias Jan 2014

Influence Of Magnetic Fields On The Evaporation And Combustion Of A Single Droplet, Domingo Elias

LSU Master's Theses

The reliance on combustion as the primary source of energy will continue in the US for the next thirty years [1]. Experiments suggest that the use of magnetic fields can be one tool in the many-sided approach to the problem of environmental protection and energy conservation in the US. For instance, it is estimated that an increase in efficiency of 2% in spray combustion can save the US economy billions of dollars [2]. In this thesis I report on improving the quality of combustion through the use of magnetic fields. (1)I investigated the effects of magnetic fields on the evaporation …


Using Eye-Tracking To Investigate Strategy And Performance Of Expert And Novice Control Room Operators, Christina Marie Koffskey Jan 2014

Using Eye-Tracking To Investigate Strategy And Performance Of Expert And Novice Control Room Operators, Christina Marie Koffskey

LSU Master's Theses

There is lacking research within the Petrochemical Industry that uses eye-tracking to explore the differences between the strategies of expert and novice control room operators as they monitor and address process parameters that could be used to improve novice training programs and interface design. Scan paths and three eye-tracking metrics (Fixation Frequency, Gaze Duration Mean, and Gaze Percentage) were used to investigate the differences in eye behavior of three expert control room operators and six novice students as they monitored and corrected a Crude Refinement simulation. A 2x2x2 mixed factor design was used to explore the effects that expertise (expert …


An Experimental Investigation Of Corrosion Fatigue Life Via Thermographic Method, Richard Wayne Purvis Jan 2014

An Experimental Investigation Of Corrosion Fatigue Life Via Thermographic Method, Richard Wayne Purvis

LSU Master's Theses

The effect of prior corrosion fatigue damage on the thermographic response of 1018 low carbon steel is investigated. Specimens were subject to rotating bending fatigue at 38 Hz loading frequency while being exposed to a 3.5% NaCl and distilled water solution. Some specimens were subject to corrosion fatigue for part of their fatigue life and then their thermographic response measured under fatigue in air at 62 Hz loading frequency. Fatigue tests in air with thermographic measurement were performed as a comparison. It was observed that the initial temperature rise after corrosion fatigue fits the previously proposed model for air fatigue, …


Assessing The Effects Of Work Zone Configurations On Drivers' Visual Attention, Karthy Punniaraj Jan 2014

Assessing The Effects Of Work Zone Configurations On Drivers' Visual Attention, Karthy Punniaraj

LSU Master's Theses

This study assessed the effects of two different work zone configurations on driver’s visual attention by eye movement monitoring. A driving simulator study was conducted with thirty participants. Variations in traffic density and warning sign placement distance were added to the merge configurations to simulate the real time situation. A 2 x 2 x 3 within-subjects factorial design was used for this research. The independent variables used in this study were (1) merge configuration [(i) Conventional Lane Merge (CLM) and (ii) Joint Lane Merge (JLM)], (2) traffic density [(i) high and (ii) low] and (3) distance between traffic signs [(i) …


Using A Sleep And Activity Monitor To Operationalize Fatigue Risk Management, Vanessa Bégat Seitz Jan 2014

Using A Sleep And Activity Monitor To Operationalize Fatigue Risk Management, Vanessa Bégat Seitz

LSU Master's Theses

When a person continues to work despite being fatigued, an accident may occur or productivity may decrease. Reducing fatigue related accidents is complicated due to the subjective nature and pervasiveness of the feeling of fatigue. Because finding one universal definition or measure of fatigue is problematic, fatigue is typically measured by a combination of factors such as amount of sleep obtained, physical or cognitive work performed, or sleepiness which can then be related back to a measure of performance. Until recently, sleep measurement was restricted to a lab setting; however, with the emergence of actigraph devices, it is now possible …


Age, Performance And Retention Interval Effects On Acceptance Of A Consumer Health Information Technology System, Stephen Andrew Ford Jan 2014

Age, Performance And Retention Interval Effects On Acceptance Of A Consumer Health Information Technology System, Stephen Andrew Ford

LSU Master's Theses

The older adult population will continue to place pressure on the financial and resource allocation of the healthcare industry as the over 65 population continues to grow. Health care expenditures to treat the aging population will continue to rise as older adults are more likely to have expensive chronic conditions. The future may lay with Consumer Health Information Technology which may allow the patients to have more control of their treatment schedule and self-management of their health and chronic conditions. However, older adults may exhibit cognitive declines that prohibit the learning and proper use of technology, and this assumption is …


Minimization Of Transportation, Installation And Maintenance Operations Costs For Offshore Wind Turbines, Tasnim Ibn Faiz Jan 2014

Minimization Of Transportation, Installation And Maintenance Operations Costs For Offshore Wind Turbines, Tasnim Ibn Faiz

LSU Master's Theses

Although it is a sustainable source and there is abundant potential for energy, cost of energy generated from offshore wind is still high compared to other sustainable energy sources. Apart from the manufacturing cost of turbines, cost of energy is significantly affected by costs of transportation and installation operations of wind turbines and maintenance operations of turbine components. Through optimum selection of decision variables, such as turbine installation method and rated power output of each turbine, cost of transportation and installation operations can be minimized. The first model in this study investigates the impact of these decision variables and effect …


Analyses Of Online Monitoring Signals For A Gmaw Process Before And After Improvement, Aniruddha Joshi Jan 2014

Analyses Of Online Monitoring Signals For A Gmaw Process Before And After Improvement, Aniruddha Joshi

LSU Master's Theses

The ability to detect the onset of welding instability is a very powerful tool in welding process monitoring and control. Toward this goal, this study investigates a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process by analyzing online monitoring signals. Two separate data sets are obtained from the process, which correspond to (a) a stable process after improvement and (b) a relatively unstable process which tends to exhibit spatter and poor weld bead geometry. Voltage, current, wire-feeding speed and line speed signals for both data sets are analysed and features are extracted from the raw signals using different signal processing techniques. Specifically, …


Association Of Lean Implementation On Perceived Organizational Maturity Levels Of Managers And Staff In The Public Sector, Patrick Eduardo O'Mara Jan 2014

Association Of Lean Implementation On Perceived Organizational Maturity Levels Of Managers And Staff In The Public Sector, Patrick Eduardo O'Mara

LSU Master's Theses

Extensive research has shown the impact of Lean implementation at the process level of an organization to increase quality, reduce cycle time, and reduce operational costs. However, little research has been done to associate Lean with improvement at the strategic level of an organization. The objectives of the present research were to (a) study the association of Lean implementation with maturity levels of employees (b) study the relationship between Lean implementation in the levels of agreement with cohesion between managers and staff in evaluating perceived current state and desired state of organizational practices (c) identify potential barriers of Lean implementation …


A Thermographic Method For Remaining Fatigue Life Prediction Of Welded Joints, Paul Thomas Williams Jan 2014

A Thermographic Method For Remaining Fatigue Life Prediction Of Welded Joints, Paul Thomas Williams

LSU Master's Theses

A non-destructive thermographic technique is adapted and applied to study the fatigue life and behavior of welded specimens made from two different materials. Results show good agreement between experimental predictions of consumed fatigue life and predicted fatigue life. Further, the thermal evolution of the specimens is used to calculate Damage Parameter, which is also used to make fatigue life predictions with promising results. To gain further insight Buckingham Pi theorem is also applied to determine the role of the important parameters involved in a dimensionless form. For this purpose, a series of experiments were performed and used for the analysis …