Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering

Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1531 - 1560 of 2424

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Use Of Factor Analysis In The Development Of Hand Sizes For Glove Design, Trevor M. Mclain May 2010

The Use Of Factor Analysis In The Development Of Hand Sizes For Glove Design, Trevor M. Mclain

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Factor analysis was used to develop a more detailed description of the human hand to be used in the creation of glove sizes; currently gloves sizes are small, medium, and large. The created glove sizes provide glove designers with the ability to create a glove design that can provide fit to the majority of hand variations in both the male and female populations. The research used the American National Survey (ANSUR) data that was collected in 1988. This data contains eighty-six length, width, height, and circumference measurements of the human hand for one thousand male subjects and thirteen hundred female …

Go to article

Women In The Aviation Industry, Maureen N. Mutisya Apr 2010

Women In The Aviation Industry, Maureen N. Mutisya

Senior Honors Theses

The Aviation industry has developed extensively since its establishment by the Wright Brothers in 1903. Over time, the highly male-dominated industry experienced significant changes to incorporate female aviators. Determined women initiated this process through participating in the aircraft engineering sector and pursuing careers as pilots. However, these women faced various challenges, which resulted in setbacks to their effective growth in the industry. In fact, vital issues encountered in the past are still present and often overlooked in today’s aviation industry. Therefore, identifying these problems and proposing solutions with effective corrective measures is necessary to increase and motivate female pilots globally.

Go to article

Section Abstracts: Aeronautical And Aerospace Sciences Apr 2010

Section Abstracts: Aeronautical And Aerospace Sciences

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Aeronautical and Aerospace Science Section for the 88th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 20-21, 2010, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Go to article

Utilizing Knowledge Transfer To Promote Management Of Countervailing Risks In Value Stream Analysis, Jeffery A. Temple Apr 2010

Utilizing Knowledge Transfer To Promote Management Of Countervailing Risks In Value Stream Analysis, Jeffery A. Temple

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Organizations are frequently faced with the challenges of modifying and streamlining their processes by utilizing the latest process improvement techniques such as Lean Thinking. They use these techniques to allow them to better perform their organizational purposes through the elimination of waste and non-value added steps. Personnel performing these modifications need to account for potential outcomes and risks when streamlining processes. An association of knowledge transfer and experience to the identification and handling of these countervailing or alternative risks when performing Lean Thinking value stream analysis is investigated. The elements of risk management, Lean Thinking and knowledge transfer are described. …

Go to article

Cyber This, Cyber That...So What?, Eric D. Trias, Bryan Bell Apr 2010

Cyber This, Cyber That...So What?, Eric D. Trias, Bryan Bell

Faculty Publications

This article endorses the idea that cyber operations may be conducted in all war-fighting domains: air, space, cyberspace, land, and sea. In addition, despite the immaturity of cyberspace operational doctrines, the doctrines from air and space remain relevant and applicable to the cyberspace domain. Cyber operations are just another set of tools in the commander's toolbox. Although cyber operations have distinct ways of achieving effects, from an Air Force perspective they are similar too the air and space operations that support air and space (and cyberspace) functions. Known and established cyber operations provide war fighters with viable options to kinetic …

Go to article

Determining The Utility Of Technology For Education, Brian Spencer Dillon Apr 2010

Determining The Utility Of Technology For Education, Brian Spencer Dillon

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a substantial debate concerning the place of technology in education. This debate has been going on over every technology introduced through at least three millennia although the modern version takes place in journal articles. Technology, in the general sense, is already in the educational arena 1n ways which have become so commonplace that we hardly question them today. More modern technologies, however, meet perpetual resistance in achieving their potential. This paper calls into question the most recent trend in research and suggests a new research paradigm which focuses not only on student achievement, but on a variety of …

Go to article

Aerial Recovery Of Micro Air Vehicles: Orbit Estimation And Tracking, Daniel Clarke Carlson Mar 2010

Aerial Recovery Of Micro Air Vehicles: Orbit Estimation And Tracking, Daniel Clarke Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

Aerial recovery of autonomous micro air vehicles (MAVs) presents many unique challenges due to the difference in size and speed of the recovery vehicle and MAV. This thesis presents algorithms to enable an autonomous MAV to estimate the orbit of a recovery vehicle and track the orbit until the final docking phase. Methods for estimating ellipses that are rotated out of the x − y plane are developed and demonstrated through simulation. These algorithms are shown to be robust to noise and stable numerically. Parameter update methods that are computationally inexpensive, such as recursive least squares and Kalman filtering, are …

Go to article

Handshaking Protocols And Jamming Mechanisms For Blind Rendezvous In A Dynamic Spectrum Access Environment, Aaron A. Gross Mar 2010

Handshaking Protocols And Jamming Mechanisms For Blind Rendezvous In A Dynamic Spectrum Access Environment, Aaron A. Gross

Theses and Dissertations

Blind frequency rendezvous is an important process for bootstrapping communications between radios without the use of pre-existing infrastructure or common control channel in a Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) environment. In this process, radios attempt to arrive in the same frequency channel and recognize each other’s presence in changing, under-utilized spectrum. This paper refines existing blind rendezvous techniques by introducing a handshaking algorithm for setting up communications once two radios have arrived in the same frequency channel. It then investigates the effect of different jamming techniques on blind rendezvous algorithms that utilize this handshake. The handshake performance is measured by determining …

Go to article

Improved Multispectral Skin Detection And Its Application To Search Space Reduction For Dismount Detection Based On Histograms Of Oriented Gradients, Adam L. Brooks Mar 2010

Improved Multispectral Skin Detection And Its Application To Search Space Reduction For Dismount Detection Based On Histograms Of Oriented Gradients, Adam L. Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the general shift from conventional warfare to terrorism and urban warfare by enemies of the United States in the late 20th Century, locating and tracking individuals of interest have become critically important. Dismount detection and tracking are vital to provide security and intelligence in both combat and homeland defense scenarios including base defense, combat search and rescue (CSAR), and border patrol. This thesis focuses on exploiting recent advances in skin detection research to reliably detect dismounts in a scene. To this end, a signal-plus-noise model is developed to map modeled skin spectra to the imaging response of an …

Go to article

High Power Microwave (Hpm) And Ionizing Radiation Effects On Cmos Devices, Nicholas A. Estep Mar 2010

High Power Microwave (Hpm) And Ionizing Radiation Effects On Cmos Devices, Nicholas A. Estep

Theses and Dissertations

Integrated circuits (ICs) are inherently complicated and made worse by increasing transistor quantity and density. This trend potentially enhances concomitant effects of high energy radiation and local or impressed electromagnetic interference (EMI). The reduced margin for signal error may counter any gain in radiation hardness from smaller device dimensions. Isolated EMI and ionizing radiation studies on circuits have been conducted extensively over the past 30 years. However, little focus has been placed on the combined effects. To investigate the effect of combined EMI and ionizing radiation, two complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverter technologies (CD4069 and SN74AUC1G04) were analyzed for …

Go to article

An Approach To Large Scale Radar-Based Modeling And Simulation, Lester C. Long Iv Mar 2010

An Approach To Large Scale Radar-Based Modeling And Simulation, Lester C. Long Iv

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a method of aggregating, or reducing the resolution, of a commonly available Department of Defense (DoD) simulation. It addresses the differences between varying levels of resolution and scope used in the DoD’s hierarchy of models pyramid. A data representation that aggregates engagement-level simulation data to use at a lower resolution level, the mission-level, is presented and analyzed. Two formats of implementing this data representation are developed and compared: the rigid cylinder format and the expanding tables format. The rigid cylinder format provides an intuitive way to visualize the data and is used to develop the theory. The …

Go to article

Increasing The Sensitivity Of Surface Acoustic Wave (Saw) Chemical Sensors And Other Chemical Sensing Investigations, Nina R. Smith Mar 2010

Increasing The Sensitivity Of Surface Acoustic Wave (Saw) Chemical Sensors And Other Chemical Sensing Investigations, Nina R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The work involves the fabrication and testing of three different surface acoustic wave (SAW) device designs, an investigation of nanowires sensitive to chemicals and preconcentrator prototypes to include with chemical sensors. The SAW chemical sensor designs include modifications to a basic SAW device to see if the sensitivity of the SAW device is increased. The modifications consist of etched trenches along the propagation field, coating the device with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under the chemically sensitive layer and coating CNTs on top of the chemically sensitive layer. SAW devices are coated with Nafion®, a polymer sensitive to ethanol. The tests indicate …

Go to article

Aiding Gps With Additional Satellite Navigation Services, Yasin A. Mutlu Mar 2010

Aiding Gps With Additional Satellite Navigation Services, Yasin A. Mutlu

Theses and Dissertations

In modern warfare navigation services are very important. GPS is currently providing service for accurate navigation, except in some areas, especially urban areas, where GPS signals cannot always be tracked by users. In these cases some additional navigation support could be provided by other global navigation satellite systems. If GPS is combined with other navigation systems than the navigation gap will be minor. In this thesis, the effect of combining GPS with other satellite navigation systems, specifically GLONASS, Galileo and Compass, is evaluated in terms of availability and position dilution of precision (PDOP) values. First, satellite constellations are simulated in …

Go to article

Analysis Of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System Designs For Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Ryan M. Hiserote Mar 2010

Analysis Of Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System Designs For Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Ryan M. Hiserote

Theses and Dissertations

Currently fielded electric-powered small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) lack the endurance desired by warfighters, while their internal combustion engine (ICE) driven counterparts generate mission compromising acoustic and thermal signatures. Parallel hybrid-electric propulsion systems would meet the military’s needs by combining the advantages of hydrocarbon and electric power systems. Three distinct parallel hybrid-electric system designs, each with three unique battery discharging profiles, were analyzed and compared using a constrained static optimization formulation based upon traditional aircraft design equations. Each system combined an ICE sized for cruise speed with an electric motor sized for endurance speed. The nine hybrid variations were compared …

Go to article

Structural Response Of Slotted Waveguide Antenna Stiffened Structure Components Under Compression, Joseph W. Sabat Jr. Mar 2010

Structural Response Of Slotted Waveguide Antenna Stiffened Structure Components Under Compression, Joseph W. Sabat Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The Slotted Waveguide Antenna Stiffened Structure (SWASS) is an aircraft system that can provide the capabilities of a stiffened panel skin structure and a slotted waveguide radar antenna simultaneously. The system made from carbon fiber reinforced polymers is designed around a 10 GHz radar frequency in the X-band range and uses a WR-90 waveguide as a baseline for design. The system is designed for integration into fuselage or wing sections of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft and would increase the system performance through the availability of increased area and decreased system weight. Elemental parts of the SWASS structure were …

Go to article

Simulation And Application Of Gpops For Trajectory Optimization And Mission Planning Tool, Danielle E. Yaple Mar 2010

Simulation And Application Of Gpops For Trajectory Optimization And Mission Planning Tool, Danielle E. Yaple

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid trajectory generation is crucial to prompt global warfare. To meet the USAF’s objective of Persistent and Responsive Precision Engagement, a rapid mission planning tool is required. This research creates the framework for the mission planning tool and provides a sample optimal trajectory which is solved using the GPOPS software package. GPOPS employs a Gaussian pseudospectral method to solve the non-linear equations of motion with both end conditions and path constraints. By simultaneously solving the entire trajectory based on an initial guess and small number of nodes, this method is ideal for generating rapid solutions. The sample case is a …

Go to article

A Simulation Based Methodology To Examine The B-1b'S An/Alq-161 Maintenance Process, Ricardo R. Garza Mar 2010

A Simulation Based Methodology To Examine The B-1b'S An/Alq-161 Maintenance Process, Ricardo R. Garza

Theses and Dissertations

The B-1 Bomber is the Air Force’s only supersonic, conventional-only strike platform. This thesis looks at the maintenance procedures associated with the defensive electronic counter measure (ECM) system on the B-1B, designated the AN/ALQ-161. Computer simulation of the current line-replaceable-unit maintenance network for Ellsworth AFB and Dyess AFB is modeled. In addition, two hypothetical repair networks are proposed and analyzed. This research considers the applicability of this type of computer simulation, using ARENA software to study the AN/ALQ-161 repair system. The contribution of this research is a discrete simulation methodology specific to the AN/ALQ-161 LRU repair line. Two response variables …

Go to article

Development Of Morphing Aircraft Structure Using Smp, Soo-Chan Jee Mar 2010

Development Of Morphing Aircraft Structure Using Smp, Soo-Chan Jee

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S Air Force needs new aircraft which provide longer flight time, less fuel consumption, better aerodynamics in order to perform Air Force missions successfully as the mission environment changes rapidly. A morphing wing aircraft is considered as a potential new aircraft for those missions. This thesis explores Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) properties test results and its application for morphing wing skin. Several SMP composite laminates were considered for investigating shape changing characteristics required for morphing skin. The braided composite preforms used in making SMP composites were explored in morphing wing operating system based on the results of property tests. …

Go to article

Knowledge Transformation In The United States Air Force Civil Engineer Career Field: A System Dynamics Approach, Gregory J. Ward Mar 2010

Knowledge Transformation In The United States Air Force Civil Engineer Career Field: A System Dynamics Approach, Gregory J. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

Recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought the level of expeditionary contractors to historically unprecedented levels, altering the work composition for military engineers. The alteration has shifted emphasis from technical knowledge areas toward managerial knowledge associated with supervising the increased number of contractors. This research utilizes System Dynamics modeling to analyze this shift in the United States Air Force Civil Engineer officer career field and resulting transformative effect on career field knowledge levels, both technical and managerial. The model is then tested with multiple external policy adjustments in the areas of career field structure, training, and operating policy. Results …

Go to article

Development Of A Novel Noise Delivery System For Jp-8 Ototoxicity Studies, John E. Stubbs Mar 2010

Development Of A Novel Noise Delivery System For Jp-8 Ototoxicity Studies, John E. Stubbs

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous chemicals with ototoxic properties may cause hearing loss directly, potentiate noise-induced hearing loss, or produce additive effects. Of interest to the US Air Force are studies showing ototoxic effects of JP-8 jet fuel and its hydrocarbon constituents. The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in conjunction with the USAF, is studying the ototoxic effects of JP-8 in rats. The study requires a white noise source that is one octave band wide, centered at 8 kHz frequency, delivered from outside of exposure chambers. Sound pressure levels must be within ± 2 dB at all exposure points within …

Go to article

Visually Managing Ipsec, Peter J. Dell'accio Mar 2010

Visually Managing Ipsec, Peter J. Dell'accio

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force relies heavily on computer networks to transmit vast amounts of information throughout its organizations and with agencies throughout the Department of Defense. The data take many forms, utilize different protocols, and originate from various platforms and applications. It is not practical to apply security measures specific to individual applications, platforms, and protocols. Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) is a set of protocols designed to secure data traveling over IP networks, including the Internet. By applying security at the network layer of communications, data packets can be secured regardless of what application generated the data or which …

Go to article

Developing Cyberspace Data Understanding: Using Crisp-Dm For Host-Based Ids Feature Mining, Joseph R. Erskine Mar 2010

Developing Cyberspace Data Understanding: Using Crisp-Dm For Host-Based Ids Feature Mining, Joseph R. Erskine

Theses and Dissertations

Current intrusion detection systems generate a large number of specific alerts, but do not provide actionable information. Many times, these alerts must be analyzed by a network defender, a time consuming and tedious task which can occur hours or days after an attack occurs. Improved understanding of the cyberspace domain can lead to great advancements in Cyberspace situational awareness research and development. This thesis applies the Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) to develop an understanding about a host system under attack. Data is generated by launching scans and exploits at a machine outfitted with a set of …

Go to article

Utilizing The Digital Fingerprint Method For Secure Key Generation, Jennifer C. Anilao Mar 2010

Utilizing The Digital Fingerprint Method For Secure Key Generation, Jennifer C. Anilao

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines a new way to generate an uncloneable secure key by taking advantage of the delay characteristics of individual transistors. The user profiles the circuit to deduce the glitch count of each output line for each number of selectable buffers added to the circuit. The user can then use this information to generate a specific glitch count on each output line, which is passed to an encryption algorithm as its key. The results detail tests of two configurations for adding a selectable amount of buffers into each glitch circuit in order to induce additional delay. One configuration adds …

Go to article

Frequency Diverse Array Radar: Signal Characterization And Measurement Accuracy, Steven H. Brady Mar 2010

Frequency Diverse Array Radar: Signal Characterization And Measurement Accuracy, Steven H. Brady

Theses and Dissertations

Radar systems provide an important remote sensing capability, and are crucial to the layered sensing vision; a concept of operation that aims to apply the right number of the right types of sensors, in the right places, at the right times for superior battle space situational awareness. The layered sensing vision poses a range of technical challenges, including radar, that are yet to be addressed. To address the radar-specific design challenges, the research community responded with waveform diversity; a relatively new field of study which aims reduce the cost of remote sensing while improving performance. Early work suggests that the …

Go to article

Monocular Vision Localization Using A Gimbaled Laser Range Sensor, Don J. Yates Mar 2010

Monocular Vision Localization Using A Gimbaled Laser Range Sensor, Don J. Yates

Theses and Dissertations

There have been great advances in recent years in the area of indoor navigation. Many of these new navigation systems rely on digital images to aid an inertial navigation estimates. The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has been conducting research in this area for a number of years. The image-aiding techniques are centered around tracking stationary features in order to improve inertial navigation estimates. Previous research has used stereo vision systems or terrain constraints with monocular systems to estimate feature locations. While these methods have shown good results, they do have drawbacks. First, as unmanned exploration vehicles become smaller …

Go to article

Development Of A Flapping Wing Design Incorporating Shape Memory Alloy Actuation, Jeffrey A. Barrett Mar 2010

Development Of A Flapping Wing Design Incorporating Shape Memory Alloy Actuation, Jeffrey A. Barrett

Theses and Dissertations

This research sought to validate a proof of concept regarding shape memory alloy actuation of a flapping-wing blimp. Specimen wires were subjected to cyclic voltage at increasing frequencies to quantify expected strains. A laser vibrometer captured 2048 sample velocities during single contraction and elongation cycles, and the resulting samples were used to calculate displacements. Displacements were determined ten times for each specimen and frequency to compute averages. Subsequently, a circumventing frame was designed to encase a blimp envelope and provide support for a flapping motion actuation system. Contraction of shape memory wire translated force to the flapping mechanism via bellcranks, …

Go to article

Conceptual Design Tool For Fuel-Cell Powered Micro Air Vehicles, Paul M. Hrad Mar 2010

Conceptual Design Tool For Fuel-Cell Powered Micro Air Vehicles, Paul M. Hrad

Theses and Dissertations

A conceptual design tool was built to explore power requirements of a hybrid-power system for Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) comparable in size to the Cooper's Hawk. An inviscid aerodynamic code, Athena Vortex Lattice (AVL), and a motor-propeller analysis code, QPROP, provide overall lift, drag, and thrust data for power-required calculation as functions of many variables to include mass, platform geometry, altitude, velocity, and mission duration. Phoenix Technologies’ Model Center was used to integrate multi-disciplinary components that employ specific power and specific energy of two power sources to determine power system mass required for a designated mission. The tool simulated a …

Go to article

Editorial Special Issue On Enhancement Algorithms, Methodologies And Technology For Spectral Sensing, James O. Jensen, Robert J. Trew, Dwight L. Woolard, Neelam Gupta, Jean-Marc Theriault, Majeed M. Hayat, Yanqiu Li, Patti Gillespie Mar 2010

Editorial Special Issue On Enhancement Algorithms, Methodologies And Technology For Spectral Sensing, James O. Jensen, Robert J. Trew, Dwight L. Woolard, Neelam Gupta, Jean-Marc Theriault, Majeed M. Hayat, Yanqiu Li, Patti Gillespie

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The paper is an editorial issue on enhancement algorithms, methodologies and technology for spectral sensing and serves as a valuable and useful reference for researchers and technologists interested in the evolving state-of-the-art and/or the emerging science and technology base associated with spectral-based sensing and monitoring problem. This issue is particularly relevant to those seeking new and improved solutions for detecting chemical, biological, radiological and explosive threats on the land, sea, and in the air.

Go to article

Design And Performance Of Circulation Control Flap Systems, Rory M. Golden, David D. Marshall Jan 2010

Design And Performance Of Circulation Control Flap Systems, Rory M. Golden, David D. Marshall

Aerospace Engineering

The design of circulation control (CC) dual radius flap systems were investigated to characterize the parameters that make up the flap surface to offer further knowledge into the CC field of study. Multiple dual radius flap geometries, along with variants, were developed by varying specific flap parameters from a baseline configuration that had previously developed. The aerodynamics of the different flap geometries were analyzed using two-dimensional CFD. This research will explore the design of CC pneumatic flap systems to improve the performance of existing CC flap configurations, and provide insight into the characteristics of the CC flap geometry.

Go to article

Using Simulation Systems For Decision Support, Andreas Tolk Jan 2010

Using Simulation Systems For Decision Support, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

This chapter describes the use of simulation systems for decision support in support of real operations, which is the most challenging application domain in the discipline of modeling and simulation. To this end, the systems must be integrated as services into the operational infrastructure. To support discovery, selection, and composition of services, they need to be annotated regarding technical, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, dynamic, and conceptual categories. The systems themselves must be complete and validated. The data must be obtainable, preferably via common protocols shared with the operational infrastructure. Agents and automated forces must produce situation adequate behavior. If these requirements …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last