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Borders And Bids: Assessing How Competition In Transportation Projects Is Shaped By The Presence Of Out-Of-State Contractors, Mariam Elazhary, Islam H. El-Adaway Sep 2026

Borders And Bids: Assessing How Competition In Transportation Projects Is Shaped By The Presence Of Out-Of-State Contractors, Mariam Elazhary, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Competitive bidding in transportation construction is vital for securing better value for money and higher-quality proposals. Prior research has attempted to encourage more competition by proposing novel delivery methods, contractual incentives, or alternative bidder profiles. However, one viable bidder profile, which has received limited attention in the literature, is to encourage cross-border participation to expand the pool of qualified firms and thereby increase competition. While, in theory, this may improve economic efficiency, the inclusion of more out-of-state contractors (OSCs) is not costless. The goal of this paper is to assess whether participation by OSCs is associated with strengthening competition in …


Thermal And Electrical Properties Of (Cr,Mo,Ta,V,W)C High-Entropy Carbide Ceramics, Ali Sarikhani, Steven M. Smith, Suzana Filipovic, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas Sep 2026

Thermal And Electrical Properties Of (Cr,Mo,Ta,V,W)C High-Entropy Carbide Ceramics, Ali Sarikhani, Steven M. Smith, Suzana Filipovic, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The synthesis and characterization along with the resulting properties of fully dense (Cr,Mo,Ta,V,W)C high entropy carbide ceramics were studied. The ceramics were synthesized from metal oxide and carbon powders by carbothermal reduction, followed by spark plasma sintering at various temperatures for densification. Increasing the densification temperature resulted in grain growth and an increase in the lattice parameter. Thermal diffusivity increased linearly with testing temperature, resulting in thermal conductivity values ranging from ∼7 W/m•K at room temperature to ∼12 W/m•K at 200 °C. Measured heat capacity values matched theoretical estimates calculated using the Neumann-Kopp rule. Room temperature electrical resistivity decreased from …


The Role Of Mxene In The Process Of Sintering Hpcs To Ceramic, Jianyu Dai, Congjie Wei, Jeremy Watts, Chenglin Wu Sep 2026

The Role Of Mxene In The Process Of Sintering Hpcs To Ceramic, Jianyu Dai, Congjie Wei, Jeremy Watts, Chenglin Wu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work presents a detailed investigation of the pyrolysis and sintering processes of hydridopolycarbosilane (HPCS) polymers, focusing on the formation of β-silicon carbide (β-SiC) and the influence of Ti3C2–Ox in this process. Due to the computational limitations of density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics methods with appropriate potentials are necessary for simulating large-scale systems, however, the available potentials are limited when the modeling process evolves relatively more element types or complex chemical-mechanical processes are studied. In this work, a machine learning based MACE (Multi-body ACE) model is adopted and trained to accurately capture the polymer's transformation …


Manufacturing Routes For Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Alloys, Ertugrul Demir, Seung Min Ha, Alexander Killips, Guan Cheng Chen, Yitian Chi, Dileepa Maddumage, Dalong Zhang, Xiaochun Li, Haiming Wen, Enrique Lavernia Sep 2026

Manufacturing Routes For Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Alloys, Ertugrul Demir, Seung Min Ha, Alexander Killips, Guan Cheng Chen, Yitian Chi, Dileepa Maddumage, Dalong Zhang, Xiaochun Li, Haiming Wen, Enrique Lavernia

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxide dispersion strengthened alloys are promising structural materials for high temperature, irradiation, and mechanically demanding environments because their performance depends on fine and stable oxide dispersoids distributed within a metallic matrix. However, reliable fabrication remains challenging because precursor oxide nanoparticles or oxide forming species must be transformed into stable oxide dispersoids without excessive agglomeration, coarsening, contamination, or loss during processing. This review critically compares powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing, and liquid metallurgy routes for ODS alloy fabrication, with emphasis on oxide evolution, microstructure control, mechanical performance, scalability, and industrial maturity. Powder metallurgy remains the most reliable route for producing fine and …


Msmgoptimizer: An Open-Source R Package And Web Application For Streamlining Life Cycle Inventory Data Automation In Life Cycle Assessment, Philip Duah, Kwame Awuah-Offei Sep 2026

Msmgoptimizer: An Open-Source R Package And Web Application For Streamlining Life Cycle Inventory Data Automation In Life Cycle Assessment, Philip Duah, Kwame Awuah-Offei

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) compilation is indispensable in any Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, yet the preparation of inventory data for import into LCA software remains one of the most time‑consuming and error‑prone steps in the LCA workflow. LCI datasets frequently originate from multiple data sources and formats, necessitating automation tools that can optimize inventory data for direct use in LCA modeling platforms. SimaPro, the world's leading LCA modeling platform, for example, requires inventory data to be structured according to a proprietary CSV specification that is labour-intensive to prepare manually. Existing tools remain largely inaccessible to most researchers due to …


Review: Advancements In Fibrous Aerosol Filtration Across Experimental Analysis, Numerical Modeling, And Fabrication Technologies, Mirza Muhammad Zaid, Ashish Ranjan Kumar, Ashish Kakoria, Lina Zheng, Guang Xu Sep 2026

Review: Advancements In Fibrous Aerosol Filtration Across Experimental Analysis, Numerical Modeling, And Fabrication Technologies, Mirza Muhammad Zaid, Ashish Ranjan Kumar, Ashish Kakoria, Lina Zheng, Guang Xu

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The increasing incidence of aerosol-related pulmonary diseases has intensified the need for efficient fibrous filtration technologies capable of capturing ultrafine particles with low pressure drop. Although nonwoven fibrous filters are widely used in medical, industrial, and ventilation systems, their complex internal structures and multiscale transport mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. This review examines the theoretical foundations of aerosol filtration, including single-fiber capture mechanisms and the concept of the most penetrating particle size. In addition, electrostatic interactions, including charge generation, transport, and stability, are incorporated to extend conventional mechanical filtration frameworks. Particular attention is given to flow–particle interactions within fibrous media. We …


Benchmarking Zero-Shot Open-Vocabulary And Fine-Tuned Object Detectors For Underground Mine Personnel Detection, Ellen Essien, Samuel Frimpong Sep 2026

Benchmarking Zero-Shot Open-Vocabulary And Fine-Tuned Object Detectors For Underground Mine Personnel Detection, Ellen Essien, Samuel Frimpong

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reliable personnel detection is critical for the safe deployment of autonomous haulage systems in underground mining, where challenging environmental conditions demand robust real-time perception. Existing research has focused primarily on fine-tuned convolutional detectors, while systematic comparisons with zero-shot vision-language models remain limited. This study presents a cross-paradigm benchmark comparing four zero-shot vision-language models (YOLO-World, Grounding DINO, OWL-ViT, and OWLv2) with four fine-tuned YOLO detectors (YOLOv8s, YOLOv9s, YOLO11s, and YOLO26s) using 31,396 real-world underground coal mine images. Detection performance was evaluated using precision, recall, F1-score, average precision, inference speed, and condition- and target scale-specific recall. The experimental results show that the …


Automated Haulage Trucks: Impact On Workplace Safety And Efficiency In Surface Mining Systems, Samuel Frimpong, Mabel Obosu Sep 2026

Automated Haulage Trucks: Impact On Workplace Safety And Efficiency In Surface Mining Systems, Samuel Frimpong, Mabel Obosu

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The mining industry continues to face significant safety challenges, particularly with powered haulage equipment (PHE). PHE incidents account for a substantial percentage of mining-related fatalities, often resulting from vehicle collisions, equipment rollovers, operator errors, and blind-spot hazards. Despite the industry's efforts to improve safety protocols, fatal accidents involving haulage trucks remain persistent. The mining industry has increasingly adopted automation to enhance operational efficiency and improve safety, particularly in surface mines where haulage truck accidents remain a critical concern. Automation has significantly reduced human exposure to hazardous tasks by removing operators from dangerous environments, thereby mitigating risks associated with human error …


Geometric And Operational Design Principles For Autonomous Haulage Systems In Open-Pit Mining: A Systematic Review, Justina Senam Lotsu, Samuel Frimpong, Muhammad Azeem Raza Sep 2026

Geometric And Operational Design Principles For Autonomous Haulage Systems In Open-Pit Mining: A Systematic Review, Justina Senam Lotsu, Samuel Frimpong, Muhammad Azeem Raza

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rapid deployment of autonomous haulage systems (AHSs) in open-pit mining has significantly altered haul road geometric design requirements, as autonomous trucks operate under strict kinematic constraints related to turning radius, gradient, and braking performance. Since haulage accounts for 50–60% of total mining costs, optimizing haul road geometry is critical for improving operational efficiency, energy consumption, and safety. This study presents a systematic review of 50 highly relevant studies selected from 81 candidate publications published between 2003 and 2025 through structured database searches and citation chaining. The review synthesizes current developments in haul road layout optimization, turning radius accommodation, gradient …


Radiological Safety Assessment Of Gamma Spectroscopy Based Spent Fuel Burnup Analysis At The Itu Triga Mark Ii Reactor, T. Akyurek, Z. Boduroglu, A. Kaya, O. Erbay, I. A. Reyhancan, M. S. Kiziltas, S. Ozcan Sep 2026

Radiological Safety Assessment Of Gamma Spectroscopy Based Spent Fuel Burnup Analysis At The Itu Triga Mark Ii Reactor, T. Akyurek, Z. Boduroglu, A. Kaya, O. Erbay, I. A. Reyhancan, M. S. Kiziltas, S. Ozcan

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates radiological safety and photon attenuation behavior during spent fuel inspection and burnup analysis at the ITU TRIGA Mark II Research Reactor. A lead-shielded fuel inspection system equipped with an HPGe detector was used to perform remote gamma spectroscopy on spent fuel elements, ensuring operator safety. Dose rate measurements were taken using a handheld radiation monitor at both the surface and at a distance of 1 m from the inspection system for each fuel element. The highest contact dose rate was observed for the B4 element (6.68 ± 0.60 μSv/h), while the lowest was for F30 (2.4 ± …


Biodesulfurization Of Crude Oil Using Locally Isolated Pseudomonas Aeruginosa From Oil-Contaminated Soil In Iraqi Kurdistan, Yousif Mohammed Sharif, Sherwan Mohammed Simo, Lokman Aziz Abdulkareem, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan Sep 2026

Biodesulfurization Of Crude Oil Using Locally Isolated Pseudomonas Aeruginosa From Oil-Contaminated Soil In Iraqi Kurdistan, Yousif Mohammed Sharif, Sherwan Mohammed Simo, Lokman Aziz Abdulkareem, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Locally sourced crude oil from Iraqi Kurdistan contains recalcitrant organosulfur compounds that impair air quality, corrode refinery equipment, and hinder compliance with fuel sulfur regulations. This study isolated a Pseudomonas sp. closely related to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa from oil-contaminated soil near Kashy Refinery (Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq) and evaluated its biodesulfurization potential as an environmentally friendly alternative to hydrodesulfurization. Batch experiments were conducted at 34 °C and atmospheric pressure using mineral salts medium supplemented with 1%, 3%, and 5% (v/v) Tawki crude oil. The highest sulfur removal efficiency of 83.33% was obtained at 1% (v/v) crude oil after 10 …


Optimizing Ball‐Milled Composites For Fast Energy Release Under Shock Compression, Siva Valluri, Edward Dreizin, Dana Dlott Aug 2026

Optimizing Ball‐Milled Composites For Fast Energy Release Under Shock Compression, Siva Valluri, Edward Dreizin, Dana Dlott

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microparticle additives containing both Al fuel and oxidizer, fabricated by arrested reactive milling (ARM), could potentially increase the power of energetic materials such as HMX because they contain premixed fuel and oxidizer. Optimizing shock reactivity requires exploring a vast parametric space encompassing composition, milling parameters that govern microstructural features such as intraparticle voids and fuel-oxidizer mixing, and the resulting inhomogeneous shock reactivity of individual particles. To present our approach, we used a model composition 8Al⋅3CuO, previously optimized for combustion. We milled powders and prescreened different prepared batches using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to rule out batches with significant pre-reaction. Then …


Percolation-Induced Thermo-Rheological Transitions In Biobased Graphene Nanoplatelet Nanofluids, Abiodun A. Saka, Tobechukwu K. Abor, Anthony C. Okafor, Monday U. Okoronkwo Aug 2026

Percolation-Induced Thermo-Rheological Transitions In Biobased Graphene Nanoplatelet Nanofluids, Abiodun A. Saka, Tobechukwu K. Abor, Anthony C. Okafor, Monday U. Okoronkwo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biobased lubricants with thermally responsive rheology are increasingly needed for high-efficiency mechanical systems. Graphene nanoplatelet (GnP) nanofluids in vegetable oils are promising candidates, yet their percolation-driven thermo-rheological transitions remain insufficiently understood. In particular, the coupled concentration–temperature landscape controlling network-mediated flow transitions has not previously been established. Here, surfactant-free GnP nanofluids were prepared in high-oleic soybean oil (HOSO) at concentrations of 0.025–2.15% v/v (ϕ), and their rheological response was mapped between 25°C and 80 °C under steady-shear and oscillatory conditions. Below the percolation threshold (ɸ ≤ 0.1% v/v), the nanofluids exhibit near-Newtonian behavior, moderate reversible viscosity enhancement, and classical Arrhenius-type temperature …


Mineral Composition-Driven Competitive Adsorption Behavior Of Superplasticizer In Recycled Concrete Powder-Cement Pastes: Quantification And Validation, Junpeng Du, Tongsheng Zhang, Hongyan Ma, Peiliang Shen, Yiqun Guo, Siqing Zeng, Jiangxiong Wei, Qijun Yu Aug 2026

Mineral Composition-Driven Competitive Adsorption Behavior Of Superplasticizer In Recycled Concrete Powder-Cement Pastes: Quantification And Validation, Junpeng Du, Tongsheng Zhang, Hongyan Ma, Peiliang Shen, Yiqun Guo, Siqing Zeng, Jiangxiong Wei, Qijun Yu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recycled concrete powder (RCP) exhibits pronounced variability in mineral component contents, which leads to competitive adsorption of superplasticizers in RCP-Portland cement (PC) pastes and consequently to mineral composition-dependent deviations in rheological properties. In this study, limestone powder (LSP), quartz powder (QZP), and hardened paste powder (HPP) were used to simulate the main components of RCP. Effects of RCPs with target components on the rheological properties of blended cement paste were investigated, and a competitive-adsorption coefficient (CC) was proposed to quantify the competitive adsorption of superplasticizer. Results showed that increasing LSP-enriched RCP content reduced the yield stress of cement paste, primarily …


Linear Relationships Of Gibbs Free Energy For Rare Earth Element Oxide, Hydroxide, Chloride, Fluoride, Carbonate, Ferrite, And Zirconate Minerals And Crystalline Solids, Ruiguang Pan, Alexander P. Gysi, Artaches A. Migdisov, Nicole C. Hurtig, Chen Zhu Aug 2026

Linear Relationships Of Gibbs Free Energy For Rare Earth Element Oxide, Hydroxide, Chloride, Fluoride, Carbonate, Ferrite, And Zirconate Minerals And Crystalline Solids, Ruiguang Pan, Alexander P. Gysi, Artaches A. Migdisov, Nicole C. Hurtig, Chen Zhu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rare Earth Elements (REE) are classified as critical minerals and materials essential for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable and clean energy. Accurate thermodynamic properties of REE minerals and other crystalline solids are crucial for geochemical modeling of REE speciation, solubility, and transport in ore deposits and for extraction, chemical processing, and recycling. However, the standard Gibbs free energy of formation (∆Gof,REEX) for these solids vary by 10s kJ mol−1 across different sources from literature. We applied the Sverjensky linear free energy relationship (LFER) to evaluate internal consistency for isostructural REE solid groups and predicted ∆Gof values for solid …


Asm And A Culture Of Sharing, Caring, And Fun In Education, David J. Westenberg Aug 2026

Asm And A Culture Of Sharing, Caring, And Fun In Education, David J. Westenberg

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

One doesn't always equate a professional scientific society with sharing, caring, and fun, but in this age of public distrust, public engagement with science and active student learning are ways to regain trust. ASM holds a leadership position in promoting and recognizing the value of education in the future of our profession and is there to support your educational journey. From K12 outreach and public engagement, to professional development, to presenting and publishing scholarship of teaching and learning, ASM has been at the forefront of biology education. Under the leadership of visionary directors such as Amy Chang and now Irene …


Laplace Factor Models In High-Dimensional Data, Siqi Liu, Xuerong Meggie Wen, Akim Adekpedjou, Guangbao Guo Aug 2026

Laplace Factor Models In High-Dimensional Data, Siqi Liu, Xuerong Meggie Wen, Akim Adekpedjou, Guangbao Guo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laplace factor models (LFMs) provide a heavy-tailed alternative to Gaussian factor models by representing high-dimensional observations through a low-rank common component and Laplace-distributed idiosyncratic errors. This paper develops an assumption-consistent finite-sample analysis of matrix concentration, covariance estimation, and Monte Carlo integration under this model. We first formulate the model with explicit dimensional, independence, covariance, and identifiability conditions. Standard matrix Laplace-transform and matrix Bernstein inequalities are then recalled with their precise applicability conditions. Because untruncated Laplace variables are neither almost surely bounded nor strongly log-concave, these standard results cannot be applied directly in the forms commonly used for bounded or Gaussian-like …


A Stabilized Weighted Interior Penalty Method For Thermal Convection Model In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Yuanyuan Hou, Qianqian Ding, Xiaoming He, Yanping Lin Aug 2026

A Stabilized Weighted Interior Penalty Method For Thermal Convection Model In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Yuanyuan Hou, Qianqian Ding, Xiaoming He, Yanping Lin

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this article, we propose and analyze a stabilized weighted interior penalty method for solving the thermal convection problems in heterogeneous porous media. We first transform the thermal convection model into the pressure primal form with homogeneous Neumann boundary condition and develop a symmetric weighted interior penalty method to handle the discontinuous Darcy number and automatically adjust the penalty coefficient corresponding to the varying permeability. Then we recover the velocity by a stabilized method and incorporate it into the energy equation to obtain the temperature. The stability and convergence rates of the numerical solutions are rigorously proved and verified by …


Identification Of Inhibitors Of An N- Monooxygenase From Aspergillus Fumigatus, Kendra B. Bufkin, Pablo Sobrado Aug 2026

Identification Of Inhibitors Of An N- Monooxygenase From Aspergillus Fumigatus, Kendra B. Bufkin, Pablo Sobrado

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

The flavin-dependent N-monooxygenase SidA from Aspergillus fumigatus catalyzes the conversion of l -ornithine to N5-hydroxy- l -ornithine. This product is incorporated into hydroxamate containing siderophores, which are iron chelators required for growth during A. fumigatus infection in mammals. The activity of SidA has been shown to be required for siderophore biosynthesis. Here, we used a colorimetric product formation assay to screen a small-molecule library for the identification of potential inhibitors of SidA. Ebselen, an organoselenium compound, was identified as an inhibitor of SidA. This compound inhibited SidA with an IC50 value of 11 ± 1 μM. Ebselen derivative, …


Effect Of Rheology Modification On Fiber Orientation And Dispersion In 3d-Printed Ultra-High-Performance Concrete, Haodao Li, Alfred Addai-Nimoh, Seongho Han, Kamal H. Khayat Aug 2026

Effect Of Rheology Modification On Fiber Orientation And Dispersion In 3d-Printed Ultra-High-Performance Concrete, Haodao Li, Alfred Addai-Nimoh, Seongho Han, Kamal H. Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The extrusion process in 3D concrete printing (3DCP) facilitates horizontal alignment of steel fibers along the printing direction, thus enhancing the load-bearing capacity of printed elements. However, such shear-induced fiber alignment is highly sensitive to rheological properties. This study investigates how variations in dynamic yield stress (τd) and plastic viscosity (μ), influence the extrudability, fiber orientation and dispersion, and anisotropic mechanical behavior of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). Five viscosity-modifying agent (VMA) types were incorporated at two content levels to modify the rheology of printable UHPC. Results showed that moderate VMA additions improved printability, whereas excessive contents markedly increased τd and μ; …


Barrier-Drainage Performance Of A Wicking Geotextile In Controlling Capillary Rise In Silt: Experimental Evaluation, Dahao Zou, Yipeng Guo, Jiejin Chen, Yafeng Li, Xiong Zhang, Yongjie Zhang, Luqiang Ding Aug 2026

Barrier-Drainage Performance Of A Wicking Geotextile In Controlling Capillary Rise In Silt: Experimental Evaluation, Dahao Zou, Yipeng Guo, Jiejin Chen, Yafeng Li, Xiong Zhang, Yongjie Zhang, Luqiang Ding

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Capillary rise in silt significantly degrades its strength and durability, yet the hydraulic mechanisms governing moisture control using wicking geotextile in silt remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates the barrier-drainage performance of a wicking geotextile in silt through one-dimensional column experiments, supported by preliminary trials. Three configurations were examined: a control specimen without geotextile (CS), an embedded configuration (ES), and a surface-exposed configuration (SES). Volumetric moisture content and matric suction were monitored, capillary responses at the soil-geotextile interface and water storage behavior were evaluated. The results show that the wicking geotextile initially acts as a temporary capillary barrier due to …


Five-State Seismic Damage Classification Of Steel-Girder Bridges On Soft Soil Using Directional Intensity Measures And Multi-Parameter Damage Indices, Ibrahim Alomari, Woubishet Zewdu Taffese, Mohammad Hossein Afsharmovahed, Genda Chen Aug 2026

Five-State Seismic Damage Classification Of Steel-Girder Bridges On Soft Soil Using Directional Intensity Measures And Multi-Parameter Damage Indices, Ibrahim Alomari, Woubishet Zewdu Taffese, Mohammad Hossein Afsharmovahed, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rapid yet accurate post-earthquake damage assessment of highway bridges is essential to ensure transportation network resilience. Traditional inspection, fragility analysis, and finite element modeling are time-consuming or inaccurate for real-time decision-making. This study compares ten machine-learning classifiers for the seismic damage states of highway steel-girder bridges that incorporate directional intensity measures to represent the variance of ground motions. Based on the nonlinear time-history analyses of two Missouri bridges, one Michigan bridge, and one Wisconsin bridge, multi-parameter structural damage indices were proposed and mapped to five damage states from none to collapse. Among ten supervised algorithms studied, the artificial neural network …


Field Calibration Of Flow Over Tilting Weirs In Canals, Joseph E. Pugh, Timothy K. Gates, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Caner Kutlu Aug 2026

Field Calibration Of Flow Over Tilting Weirs In Canals, Joseph E. Pugh, Timothy K. Gates, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Caner Kutlu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Tilting weirs are widely used to regulate water levels in open channel irrigation systems and can also provide flow measurement capability that helps optimize irrigation efficiency and ensure equitable water distribution. This case study demonstrates adaptation of lab-based tilting weir ratings to field settings, where flow behavior is more complex. We compile and analyze an extensive data set derived from independent studies of five structures within three canal systems, featuring both lined and unlined channels with discharge ranging from 0.35 to 15 m3/s (12 to 530 ft3/s). Results indicate that lab-based rating equations can be calibrated to account for site-specific …


Impact Of Climate Change On Extreme Windstorms And Implications For Structural Design In The United States, Teng Wu, Reda Snaiki, Frank Lombardo, Sihan Li, Michele Barbato, Guirong Yan, Robert J. Trapp Aug 2026

Impact Of Climate Change On Extreme Windstorms And Implications For Structural Design In The United States, Teng Wu, Reda Snaiki, Frank Lombardo, Sihan Li, Michele Barbato, Guirong Yan, Robert J. Trapp

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Climate change impacts various extreme windstorms associated with specific meteorological phenomena in different ways. Because various windstorms contribute to the design wind speeds, this study systematically reviewed the state-of-the-art understanding of climate change effects on wind events that collectively contribute to structural wind design in North America, particularly the US, including extratropical cyclones (as well as nor'easters), tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. For each windstorm type, the general evidence of climate change impacts on storm activities (e.g., occurrence frequency and intensity) are summarized, followed by the introduction of existing simulation frameworks for yearly (or subyearly) maximum storm winds under changing …


Reframing Soil Freezing As An Unsaturated Process, Antai Dong, Xiong Zhang Aug 2026

Reframing Soil Freezing As An Unsaturated Process, Antai Dong, Xiong Zhang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Soil freezing and frost heave are inherently unsaturated soil phenomena. However, most existing numerical models are based on saturated soil mechanics or assume full saturation. This simplification introduces conceptual inconsistencies, requires modifications that violate fundamentals in soil mechanics and fluid mechanics, and often leads to the use of self-conflicting soil properties. To overcome these limitations, this study develops a physically consistent, fully coupled thermohydraulic model for soil freezing grounded in modern unsaturated soil mechanics. A soil freezing characteristic surface (SFCS) is introduced to represent unfrozen water content in partially frozen soils as a function of both suction and temperature. Recognizing …


Wind Effects Induced By Multivortex Tornadoes On A Low-Rise Building, Yi Zhao, Guirong Yan, Tetsuya Takemi, John Van De Lindt Aug 2026

Wind Effects Induced By Multivortex Tornadoes On A Low-Rise Building, Yi Zhao, Guirong Yan, Tetsuya Takemi, John Van De Lindt

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multivortex tornadoes contain two or more subvortices that orbit within a parent vortex and can generate highly intermittent and localized near-ground wind fields. This study investigates how tornado flow structure affects wind effects on a low-rise building using large-eddy simulations. One single-vortex tornado and three multivortex tornadoes with different subvortex configurations are examined by systematically varying swirl ratio. Tornado translation is modeled using a relative-motion framework in which the building traverses the vortex field. Aerodynamic force and moment coefficients are evaluated along the traversing path. Additional stationary simulations are conducted to examine repeated load amplification associated with subvortex passages. Compared …


Non-Uniform Mixing Of Quantum Walks On The Symmetric Group, Avah Banerjee Aug 2026

Non-Uniform Mixing Of Quantum Walks On The Symmetric Group, Avah Banerjee

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

It is well-known that classical random walks on regular graphs converge to the uniform distribution. Quantum walks, in their various forms, are quantization's of their corresponding classical random walk processes. Gerhardt and Watrous (2003) demonstrated that continuous-time quantum walks do not converge to the uniform distribution on certain Cayley graphs of the Symmetric group, which by definition are all regular. In this paper, we demonstrate that discrete-time quantum walks, in the sense of quantized Markov chains as introduced by Szegedy (2004), also do not converge to the uniform distribution. We analyze the spectra of the Szegedy walk operators using the …


A Transfer-Learning And Continuous Optimization-Based Framework For Predicting Heat Treatment-Dependent Mechanical Properties Of Ded-Processed Low-Alloy Steels, Atiqur Rahman, Sung Heng Wu, Ranjit Joy, Frank Liou Aug 2026

A Transfer-Learning And Continuous Optimization-Based Framework For Predicting Heat Treatment-Dependent Mechanical Properties Of Ded-Processed Low-Alloy Steels, Atiqur Rahman, Sung Heng Wu, Ranjit Joy, Frank Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Directed energy deposition (DED) of low-alloy steels involves strongly coupled effects among alloy composition, solidification behavior, and post-deposition heat treatment, making mechanical property prediction difficult when target-domain data are limited. This study develops a transfer-learning and continuous optimization framework for predicting heat treatment-dependent yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness (HV), and as-solidified phase fractions of martensite, ferrite, and austenite in DED-processed low-alloy steels. A CALPHAD-based dataset was generated for 125 low-alloy steel compositions. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) surrogate was first trained as a baseline model, then fine-tuned through transfer learning and progressively updated as staged continuous optimization; the …


Underground Mine Tunnel Fire Dynamics: Experimental Investigation And Ai-Driven Characterization Of Flame Behavior, Jingmin Xu, Rui Tian, Ashish Kakoria, Aamir Iqbal, Tao Yang, Lina Zheng, Guang Xu Aug 2026

Underground Mine Tunnel Fire Dynamics: Experimental Investigation And Ai-Driven Characterization Of Flame Behavior, Jingmin Xu, Rui Tian, Ashish Kakoria, Aamir Iqbal, Tao Yang, Lina Zheng, Guang Xu

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Underground mine tunnel fires pose serious threats to personnel safety and infrastructure integrity, yet their detection and characterization remain challenging due to complex ventilation environments and limited visibility. This study combines full-scale fire experiments with advanced computer vision analysis to investigate the influence of fire size and ventilation on thermal, chemical, and visual signatures of mine fires. Six full-scall controlled experiments were conducted using two fire pan sizes under three ventilation conditions. Fuel mass loss, temperature distribution, and gas concentrations were systematically recorded using thermocouples, gas sensors, and visual/thermal imaging. Results show that mass loss rate is primarily governed by …


Synthesis Of Bea Zeolite From Coal Fly Ash Nano-Silica Extract: Application In Co2 Adsorption, Alechine E. Ameh, Shabnam Feyziyeva, Jean Luc Mukaba, Keagan Pokpas, Baylar Zarbaliyev, Ojo O. Fatoba, Benoit Louis, Leslie F. Petrik, Oluwaseun O. Oyekola Aug 2026

Synthesis Of Bea Zeolite From Coal Fly Ash Nano-Silica Extract: Application In Co2 Adsorption, Alechine E. Ameh, Shabnam Feyziyeva, Jean Luc Mukaba, Keagan Pokpas, Baylar Zarbaliyev, Ojo O. Fatoba, Benoit Louis, Leslie F. Petrik, Oluwaseun O. Oyekola

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study demonstrates a circular economy approach to carbon dioxide sorption by re-purposing coal fly ash (CFA) into BEA zeolite using CFA-derived nano-silica and aluminum precursors via hydrothermal synthesis. The XRD patterns, with characteristic peaks at 15° and 37° 2θ, and SEM images both confirmed the complete transformation of the spherical-shaped CFA particles into amorphous nano-silica materials with particle sizes less than 100 nm. The absence of amorphous phases and the formation of high-intensity peaks at 7.8° and 22.8° 2θ further indicated the production of a highly crystalline BEA zeolite, obtained after hydrothermal synthesis durations between 10 and 72 h. …