Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Wavelength Dependence Of Transverse Mode Coupling With/Without E-Block Of Gan Laser Cavity, Krishneel Lal

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Au Content On Microstructural Evolution Of Snagcu Solder Joints That Undergo Isothermal Aging And Reliability Testing, Patrick J. Hyland

Master's Theses

Electronics, especially, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a widespread technology. Metal coatings or “surface finishes” are often added to PCB board pads and component leads during manufacturing to improve their performance. Electroplated nickel/gold over copper is a popular surface finish for printed circuit boards and component leads. The presence of gold in solder joints, however, is known to have detrimental effects referred to as gold embrittlement. It is generally understood that tin-lead solder joints with less than 3 weight percent (wt%) of gold will not experience reliability issues. The acceptable level of gold in lead-free solder joints, however, is less …

Morphology Changes In Pcpdtbt:Pcbm And P3ht:Pcpdtbt:Pcbm And Its Effect On Polymer Solar Cell Performance, Galen David Cauble

Physics

Polymer solar cell morphology is sensitive to both heat and time. By thermally annealing polymer solar cells the morphology of the devices can be altered causing immediate changes in device performance. Blending PCPDTBT:PCBM with P3HT:PCPDTBT combines the absorption characteristics of each to create a more even absorption spectrum. Subjecting PCPDTBT:PCBM, and P3HT:PCPDTBT:PCBM polymer solar cells to thermal annealing as well as recording device performance through time has shown that P3HT:PCPDTBT:PCBM devices react positively to thermal annealing (increasing from 0.8% to 1.4%) while PCPDTBT:PCBM devices have varied reactions. Furthermore, the P3HT:PCPDTBT:PCBM devices have achieved efficiencies of 1.6% in AM 1.5 compared …

Comparison Of A High Purity Germanium Gamma Ray Spectrometer And A Multidimensional Nai(T1) Scintillation Gamma Ray Spectrometer, Greg Stratton

Aerospace Engineering

This report compares two different gamma ray spectrometers in terms of performance, operation, and apparatus and also investigates the design and integration challenges of using gamma ray spectrometers in space. The first spectrometer is a one-dimensional high purity germanium (HPGe) spectrometer and the second is a multidimensional NaI(Tl) scintillation spectrometer (MGRS). The key results show that the HPGe exhibits 15 to 27 times better energy resolution than the MGRS, but the MGRS is 52 times more sensitive and removes 177 % more of the background radiation.

Groundwater Research In Middle Earth, Thomas Lapoint

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

My senior project focused on studying saltwater intrusion in a coastal town of New Zealand. I feel lucky that I was able to travel to such a distant place, conduct research that was insightful and interesting, and immerse myself in an international culture all in the name of my education. As a Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies student, I aim to analyze not only the cultural differences and similarities that the foreign environment offers to me but also the detailed, technical, engineering aspect of my research. I believe that my education should be approached with a well rounded perspective that …

Artificial Muscle Project: Process Development Of Polydimethyl Siloxane Thin Films For Use In Dielectric Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle Actuators, Vincent J. Gayotin, Richard W. Morrison, Paul A. Preisser

Materials Engineering

An artificial muscle design was created founded on the principles of a dielectric electroactive polymer (DEAP), which is fundamentally similar to a capacitor. A polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS)-based elastomer, Sylgard 184 from Dow Corning, was chosen for the design and spun coat onto polystyrene (PS) Petri dishes at varying speeds to create a thin film, using speeds of 2000 rpm, 3000 rpm, 4000 rpm, 5000 rpm, and 6000 rpm. The film thicknesses were measured optically through use of a microscope with coupled computer imaging software to generate a characteristic curve of film thickness to spin speed, achieving a minimum film thickness …

The Effects Of Cure Schedule On Properties Of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Composites, Trevor J. Lee

Materials Engineering

Two different two-component resin systems were cured, via Differential Scanning Calorimetry, for the times recommended by their respective manufacturers. The resin cure schedules were designed to simulate typical and attainable processing conditions; they were cured at 120°F, 140°F, and 160°F, and in-mold post-cured at 200°F, 230°F, and 260°F. The resulting scans were then compared to a baseline cure for each resin system, consisting of two heating-cooling cycles at a constant rate of temperature change. These baseline cures were then used to determine the percent cure of each sample and the shift in glass transition temperature between the baseline cure and …

Android Application Controlled Surge Protector, Lok An

Electrical Engineering

A significant amount of consumer electronics cannot be switched off completely without being unplugged. Standby power, also known as phantom power, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances when they are switched off. There are some devices that need constant power; items like alarm clocks and security systems need constant power to function correctly. Some devices, such as video game consoles and televisions, consume power without offering any features. Electricity lost from standby power has been increasing with the amount of consumer electronics increasing in households.

This project’s goal is to create a low power remote that can …

Human Powered Helicopter: Observing The Impacts Of Ground Effect And Intermeshed Rotors, Shane Stowe

Physics

No abstract provided.

A Modular Design For Nuclear Battery Technology, Randy Lao

Physics

This paper is an exploration of the physics and technology behind the development and on-going research of nuclear batteries. This includes the topics of isotope radiation suitable for such a device as well as the components necessary to utilize the energy of natural decay, such as solid and liquid semiconductors. Most importantly for public use, the battery requires a safe containment system while allowing convenient modularity. An efficiency and total output comparison will be made with standard button cell and dry cell batteries. Also, a proposal is made for the design of an enclosure to contain radioactive materials. The safe …

Development Of A Cubesat Instrument For Microgravity Particle Damper Performance Analysis, John Trevor Abel

Master's Theses

Spacecraft pointing accuracy and structural longevity requirements often necessitate auxiliary vibration dissipation mechanisms. However, temperature sensitivity and material degradation limit the effectiveness of traditional damping techniques in space. Robust particle damping technology offers a potential solution, driving the need for microgravity characterization. A 1U cubesat satellite presents a low cost, low risk platform for the acquisition of data needed for this evaluation, but severely restricts available mass, volume, power and bandwidth resources. This paper details the development of an instrument subject to these constraints that is capable of capturing high resolution frequency response measurements of highly nonlinear particle damper dynamics.

Reactive Routing In Hidra Networks, Scott Michael Marshall

Computer Engineering

In recent years, the Internet has grown so large that the future scalability of the Internet has become a major concern. The two primary scalability concerns are the size of the forwarding table and the ability for BGP to converge while distributing hundreds of thousands of routes.

HIDRA is a new Internet routing architecture that is backwards-compatible with existing routing technologies and protocols that focuses on feasibility-of-implementation. HIDRA remedies the first Internet scalability concern by proposing a means to reduce the number of entries in the default-free zone (DFZ) forwarding table.

This project extends HIDRA by designing a complete reactive …

Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis For Reverse Faults And Surface Rupture Scale Invariance, Zachary E. Ross

Master's Theses

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A methodology is presented for evaluating the potential surface fault displacement on reverse faults in a probabilistic manner. This methodology follows the procedures put forth for Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis (PFDHA). Empirical probability distributions that are central to performing a PFDHA are derived from field investigations of reverse faulting events. Statistical analyses are used to test previously assumed properties of scale invariance with respect to magnitude for normalized displacement. It is found that normalized displacement is statistically invariant with respect to magnitude and focal mechanism, allowing for the …