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Clemson Commencement Program, August 2016, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

A Savonius Wind Turbine With Electric Generator: Model And Test, Yogendra Kumar Yadav

All Theses

The overall goal of this research is to study the performance of Savonius wind tur-bine. Some of the advantages of a Savonius wind turbine include simple construction, good startup characteristics, low noise, and reduced wear. The applications of this type of wind machine include water pumping and small scale electricity generation. In the present re-search, an experimental model of the Savonius wind turbine is studied including the for-mulation of a mathematical model. The mathematic model for the torque acting on the Savonius rotor has been developed and the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) model has been simulated using the d-q …

Understanding The Role And Importance Of Design Problems In Creativity Research, Varun Kumar

All Theses

The overall objective of this research is to address the need for using similar conceptual design problems in experiments in engineering design creativity. This is accomplished by addressing three sub-objectives i) to identify the pattern of design problem usage, ii) to enable comparison between two conceptual design problems based on their natural language representations and iii) to analyze the impact of design problems on effectiveness of example interventions used in user studies in engineering design creativity. Design problems are an essential component of experiments in creativity research.The requirements of experiment’s design sometimes limit problem sharing between researchers or studies conducted …

An Approach To The Procedural Generation Of Worn Metal Surfaces, Junyan Wang

All Theses

Motivated by the phenomenon that wear and tear tends to happen more near sharp cornersof a surface, this thesis presents a method for procedurally generating photorealistic metal surfacesbased upon evaluating curvature values. The thesis describes the development of eight metal shadersthat are used to replace the manual texture painting typically used in production. The approach isdemonstrated by applying these metal shaders to a robotic dog model from a short film involvinglive action and CG elements. Frames from a short animation of the robotic dog are presented, anda discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of this methodology.

Safety Risk Investigation Of Horizontal Directional Drilling Projects, Phalguni Yamuna Moganti

All Theses

Traditional underground utility construction and rehabilitation methods entail cutting open the ground which not only disrupts traffic causing delays and inconvenience, but also damages surface-based vegetation in some areas. Additionally, underground infrastructure density has been growing thereby making it more challenging to employ the traditional open-cut construction method. A sustainable alternative is the use of trenchless construction methods where underground infrastructure is installed or repaired with minimal surface disruption. Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is one of the popular trenchless methods for installing buried utility pipelines. Risk dimensionality and severity is generally greater in the case of HDD projects because of …

Development Of Position-Dependent Luminescent Sensors: Spectral Rulers And Chemical Sensing Through Tissue, Melissa M. Rogalski

All Dissertations

Assessing the performance of medical devices is critical for understanding device function and monitoring pathologies. With the use of a smart device clinically relevant chemical and mechanical information regarding fracture healing may be deduced. For example, strain on the device may be used as a mechanical indicator of weight-bearing capacity. In addition, changes in chemical environment may indicate the development of implant associated infections. Although optical methods are widely used for ex vivostrain/motion analysis and for chemical analyses in cells and histological tissue sections, there utility is limited through thick tissue because light scattering reduces spatial resolution. This dissertation presents …

Development And Initial Validation Of A Surgical Instrument For In Situ Mechanical Characterization Of Surgical Mesh-Tissue Composites, Jorge Ivan Hernandez Sanchez

All Theses

Approximately 5 million Americans have an abdominal wall hernia, and over 700,000 undergo surgical procedures every year to treat them. Surgical procedures have evolved with the goal of preventing recurrences, leading to the current gold standard of treatment: hernia repair with mesh. Hernia repair with mesh consists on augmenting the weakened abdominal wall by implanting a synthetic or biological mesh. Although the adoption of hernia repair with mesh has improved outcomes, recurrence from primary repair procedures with large incisions (>10 cm) remains an alarming 32%.

The wide variety of implanted surgical mesh (materials, structure) and surgical variability (attachment method, …

Joule Heating And Induced Charge Effects On Electroosmotic Entry Flows In Microfluidic Devices, Rama Aravind Prabhakaran

All Theses

Microfluidic devices have become a powerful tool for chemical and biological applications in the past two decades due to their several advantages over the conventional benchtop counterparts such as smaller size, reduced reagent consumption and higher efficiency. Manipulations of samples and electrolytes, for instance, sorting, trapping, and mixing etc., are important in these applications. Electrokinetics is an efficient method for performing these manipulations by the application of electric field. It is the preferred method of sample transport over the traditional pressure driven flow due to the essentially plug-like velocity profile that has smaller dispersion effects. However, the majority of the …

A Study On The Impact Of Tool-Chip Contact Time On The Shear Angle In Orthogonal Machining Using Constitutive Models On Metal Cutting Fem Simulations, Naga Sai Chakravarthy Velamakuri

All Theses

Machining is a subtractive production technique for achieving desired shapes from preformed blocks of materials with surface quality and dimensional accuracies. Despite the development of high performance finite-element codes, the simulation of machining remains a complex task due to geometric complexities, high cutting speeds, high temperatures and strain rates that need high simulation times. In the mathematical formulation for machining research, shear angle is one of the most important parameter which helps determining the parameters such as chip velocity, cutting force and the energy requirements which determine the efficiency of a machining operation. From the early machining research and supporting …

Continuum Surrogate Software Interface For Teleoperation Of Continuum Robots, Ryan Matthew Scott

All Theses

This thesis presents a novel teleoperation interface for continuum robots. Previous tele-operation interface methods for continuum robots did not include a natural mapping due to a degree-of-freedom mismatch, using non continuum input devices with fewer degrees-of-freedom than the robot that was being controlled. The approach introduced in this thesis involves creating a 3D model of the robot using graphics libraries and a continuum kinematic model, then manipulating that graphical 3D model on screen to directly control the continuum robot. This thesis details the development of both the model and software. The teleoperation interface was developed specifi-cally for a nine degree-of-freedom …

Transportation, Handling, And Microbial Comparison Of Molded Fiber And Expanded Polystyrene Apply Trays, Mackenzie Lussier

All Theses

Washington Apples are shipped all over the United States for retail consumption. In order to survive the distribution cycle, the apples need adequate packaging to reduce damage. The two main materials used for the apple trays are expanded polystyrene (EPS) and molded fiber. An industrial switch from Molded Fiber to EPS trays provoked an interest in the difference between the two materials. Testing was required to conclude which tray material, if any, provided better protection for the apples. In order to determine the differences between the two trays, the physical and microbial characteristics were tested. The physical performance of the …

Effect Of Irrigation Water On Growth And Physical Characteristics Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) And Mung Bean (Vigna Radiata) Sprouts, Kathryn Frances Cornelia Davis

All Theses

With resources to produce food predicted to become scarce and strongly limited,the need for producing more and consuming fewer resources will become increasingly important in the agricultural environment. Production methods that are ‘soil-less’ which are not tradition in-ground methods are viewed as creative solutions that have the potential of being sustainable. An aquaponic system is one of these productions methods that have the potential to be sustainable. Research demonstrates the water conservation an aquaponic system can establish if proper management is maintained, thus upkeep and monitoring of water quality parameters are crucial for successful growth of plants. The purpose of …

Understanding The Expenditure And Recovery Of Anaerobic Work Capacity Using Noninvasive Sensors, Phoebe Bickford

All Theses

The objective of this research is to advance the understanding of human performance to allow for optimized efforts on specific tasks. This is accomplished by 1) understanding the expenditure and recovery of Anaerobic Work Capacity (AWC) as related to the Critical Power (CP) of a human, and 2) determining if and how a case for an energy-management system to optimize energy expenditure and recovery can be made in real-time using noninvasive sensors. As humans exert energy, the body converts fuel into mechanical power through both aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. The mechanical power produced can be measured through the use …

Cloud Abstraction Libraries: Implementation And Comparison, Udit Agarwal

All Theses

Vendor lock-in makes it difficult for an organization to port their services, application or data. Cloud providers are in race to provide the best-in-class storage, networking and compute resources. Many organizations are moving towards micro-services and cloud services architecture. It is very important for an infrastructure platform to offer a high-quality cloud computing environment consistently across multiple cloud platforms. To enable this, a collaborative yet an independent cloud abstraction service is required. The cloud abstraction library should support the basic use cases of delivery pipeline, service management, cloud operations and security service. Cloud interoperability standards helps to improve availability and …

Computational Evaluation Of Ventricular Assist Device Implementation In The Single Ventricle Circulation, Tyler Matthew Schmidt

All Theses

Patients with a single ventricle congenital heart defect are prone to increased volume loading, which can lead to heart failure and require mechanical circulatory support. A ventricular assist device (VAD) can serve as a bridge treatment option for these patients. However, in VAD support cases, pediatric patients possessing congenital heart defects have lower survival rates than patients without and outcomes worsen further in single ventricle cases. Performance differences between pulsatile and continuous flow VADs have also been clinically observed, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood.

Six pediatric, stage 1 single ventricle patients (cohort mean BSA = 0.30 m2) were …

Numerical And Experimental Design Of Coaxial Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems, Niranjan Raghavan

All Theses

Geothermal Energy has emerged as one of the front runners in the energy race because of its performance efficiency, abundance and production competitiveness. Today, geothermal energy is used in many regions of the world as a sustainable solution for decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing health hazards. However, projects related to geothermal energy have not received their deserved recognition due to lack of computational tools associated with them and economic misconceptions related to their installation and functioning. This research focuses on numerical and experimental system design analysis of vertical shallow geothermal energy systems. The driving force is the temperature …

Particle Separation Using Electrokinetically-Driven Deterministic Lateral Displacement: A Computational Study, Xuchen Liu

All Theses

Electrokinetically-driven deterministic lateral displacement (e-DLD) is a recently proposed technique for continuous, two-dimensional fractionation of particle suspensions in microfluidic platforms. It utilizes the negative dielectrophoretic force that is induced by the DC electric field gradients formed around an array of regularly spaced posts. While e-DLD devices have been demonstrated to be able to separate particles by size, a fundamental understanding of the separation process and the factors that affect the separation is still lacking. This thesis is aimed to answer these questions using a computational study of electrokinetic particle transport and separation in e-DLD devices. We first numerically prove a …

Responses Of Aquatic Organisms To Exposures Of Sodium Carbonate Peroxyhydrate, Tyler David Geer

All Theses

Sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate (SCP), a granular algaecide containing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), is used to mitigate risks associated with noxious algae. Episodic exposures of SCP algaecides in aquatic systems prompt the need for a fundamental understanding of exposure-response relationships for aquatic organisms, both target and non-target, exposed to H2O2 as SCP. In the first experiment, influences of organic carbon on exposures of H2O2 as SCP and consequent responses of a frequent problematic alga (cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa) were measured. Results indicate that the exposure of H2O2 as SCP necessary to control growth of a noxious alga is proportional to the density of …

Part 1: One Minute Peptoid Synthesis, From Peptoid Oligomers To Peptoid Polymers - Part 2: Synthesis Of Creatine Derivatives, Dan Y. Dong

All Theses

Part 1:

Peptoids are isomers of peptides where the side chains are on the nitrogens instead of the carbons, which have been developed for a variety of biomedical, nano, and materials applications. Conventional peptoid synthesis uses molar concentrations of reagents and hours of reaction time per residue, thus practically limiting the lengths of peptoids. Recently, we have managed to improve yields and make peptoids of unprecedented lengths while reducing the reaction times and concentrations of reagents. Indeed, we have demonstrated that the conventional longer reaction times degrade the peptoids and lead to lower purities. In addition, by using microwave conditions, …

Population Dynamics Of Black Bears In Northwestern South Carolina, Shefali Azad

All Theses

Black bears (Ursus americanus) are managed as a game species in the northwestern region of South Carolina. However, no formal research study has examined their long-term population trends. I used the Downing harvest population reconstruction technique to establish abundance trends. The total population in 2013 was estimated at about 412 bears, increasing from about 97 bears in 1998. I also derived abundance, density, average age, and sex ratios at a county-level to investigate differential stages of recovery. Overall my results suggest that in 1998-2013 Oconee county had a rapidly expanding population, Pickens county requires further investigation into potential bear overharvest, …

Experiment-Based Validation And Uncertainty Quantification Of Partitioned Models: Improving Predictive Capability Of Multi-Scale Plasticity Models, Garrison N. Stevens

All Dissertations

Partitioned analysis involves coupling of constituent models that resolve their own scales or physics by exchanging inputs and outputs in an iterative manner. Through partitioning, simulations of complex physical systems are becoming evermore present in scientific modeling, making Verification and Validation of partitioned models for the purpose of quantifying the predictive capability of their simulations increasingly important. Parameterization of the constituent models as well as the coupling interface requires a significant amount of information about the system, which is often imprecisely known. Consequently, uncertainties as well as biases in constituent models and their interface lead to concerns about the accumulation …

Development Of An Automated Electrical Impedance Tomography System And Its Implementation In Cementitious Materials, Tao Ruan

All Dissertations

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) based non-destructive evaluation showed great potentials in assessing the health condition of the new or existing civil infrastructures. Damages or anomalies that on the surface and embedded inside the structures exhibited as local conductivity changes and altered the path of electrical current flow. This investigation was focused on developing a new automated EIT system and employing EIT to identify the anomalies in cementitious materials structures. This dissertation is structured as follows. First, common nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques including conductivity-based techniques were summarized as well as their advantages and disadvantages. Then the theories of EIT modality as …

Cytoplasmic Dynein Binding, Run Length, And Velocity Are Guided By Long-Range Electrostatic Interactions, Lin Li, Joshua Alper, Emil Alexov

Publications

Dyneins are important molecular motors involved in many essential biological processes, including cargo transport along microtubules, mitosis, and in cilia. Dynein motility involves the coupling of microtubule binding and unbinding to a change in the configuration of the linker domain induced by ATP hydrolysis, which occur some 25 nm apart. This leaves the accuracy of dynein stepping relatively inaccurate and susceptible to thermal noise. Using multi-scale modeling with a computational focusing technique, we demonstrate that the microtubule forms an electrostatic funnel that guides the dynein’s microtubule binding domain (MTBD) as it finally docks to the precise, keyed binding location on …

Autologous Protein Solution Exhibits Potential To Mitigate Osteoarthritis (Oa) Progression In A Human Explant Co-Culture Model, Kathleen Emily Steckbeck

All Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating and painful disease that affects upwards of one in every eight adults1,2. OA influences the entire joint, but is traditionally characterized by cartilage degradation3. OA is a multifactorial disease with genetic, biological, and biochemical consideration, but there has been a recent shift in scientific opinion that the pathological progression of OA stems from an inflammatory milieu produced by the feed-forward progressive pathway as evidenced by simultaneous cartilage and synovium co-culture4–7. Autologous protein solution (APS) poses as an intriguing potential OA therapy by possessing a high anti-inflammatory and anabolic mediator concentration profile that could potentially mitigate …

Empirical Analysis Of Large Diameter Water Main Break Consequences, Sreeganesh Reddy Yerri

All Theses

The recent ASCE report card gave a near failing “D” grade to drinking waterinfrastructure in the U.S. and reported that about 240,000 water main breaks occurannually. The economic, environmental and societal consequences of some of these watermain breaks have been hard to comprehend in the context of risk assessment andrehabilitation planning. In an attempt to understand the various impacts of such failuresand subsequently estimate the overall impact cost, this study synthesized the reportedconsequences of 20 large diameter water main breaks in the U.S., most of which haveoccurred in the recent past, and subsequently estimated the overall cost of the impacts …

Influence Of Surface Tension On The Nonlinear Planar Sloshing Of Incompressible Fluids In Rectangular Containers, Yawen Xu

All Theses

Most of the previous research studies that discuss the influence of surface tension on the nonlinear planar sloshing of incompressible fluids in rectangular containers focused on the deep water scenario where internal resonances among the sloshing modes of the fluid column cannot be easily activated. Very few, if any, have investigated how surface tension influences the dynamics of the surface waves in the vicinity of an internal resonance. To fill this gap in the current knowledge, this thesis aims at investigating the influence of surface tension on the nonlinearity of the sloshing modes and the potential activation of internally-resonant multi-mode …

Identification And Use Of Psd-Derived Features For The Contextual Detection And Classification Of Eeg Epileptiform Transients, Sharan Rajendran

All Theses

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, which is characterized by seizures. For diagnosis, trained neu-rologists go over the patient’s EEG (Electroencephalograph) records looking for epileptic transients. This is a tedious and long process. The objective of this thesis is to automate the procedure by developing a detector that would pick out epileptic transients containing the ”Abnormal Epileptiform Paroxysmal” (AEP) type. The process was split into detection of potential AEPs and the classification of the detected segments. The detection of potential AEPs (called Yellow Boxing) passed boxed segments of the EEG signal to be classified as to segments that contain paroxysmal activity …

Aerosol Removal In A Cylindrical Ultrasonic Standing Wave Field, Tyler Merrell

All Theses

Aerosols are solid particles or liquid drops typically less than 100 microns in diameter, suspended in a gas. Some types of aerosols can be very hazardous. Particulate pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels and other sources is of great concern due to health problems those exposed can experience. One method for removing these particles from industrial sources is wet scrubbing, where water sprays are used to capture particles before exhausting to the environment. Wet scrubbers work well for a large range of particle diameters, but are ineffective for particles on the order of 1 µm in diameter. Particles of …

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav)-Assisted Water Sampling, Cengiz Koparan

All Theses

Water quality assessment programs require the collection of water samples for physical, chemical, and bacteriological analysis. Lack of personnel, accessibility of water bodies, and time constraints for water sampling, especially after natural disasters and emergencies, are some of the challenges of water sampling. To overcome these challenges, a water collection mechanism was developed and mounted on a multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for autonomous water sampling from water bodies. The payload capacity and endurance of the UAV (hexacopter) were verified using an indoor test station. The hexacopter was equipped with floating foam, and the electronic components were coated against water …

Thermomechanical Modelling For Phonon Transport And Damping Analysis Of Silicon Nano-Structure, Ying Yu

All Dissertations

With the technology advancement in fabrication and processing over the past decades, the miniaturization of structures down to nano-scale has been successfully applied in many fields such as high strength automotive parts, ultra-high frequency electromechanical res-onators, ultra-light sensors, high efficiency energy harvesting devices and etc. For these applications, the concept of energy efficiency is of particular significance to designing high performance and stability nanoscale electromechanical and thermomechanical sys-tems. Similar to traditional engineering fields, effective computational tools can be ex-tremely useful to investigate the properties and behavior, and to expedite the design process of nano-sized materials and structures. However, the development …