Digital Commons Network^™

Robotics Development And Design: Optical And Computer Controls, David E. Brown

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

In industry today, the use of robotic systems is growing. They can be found in many diverse applications including washing dishes, assembling automobiles and carrying explosives. With such a wide range of applications, robotic systems are a very important division of engineering.

Designing such systems requires an interaction between different disciplines of engineering. In the work world, engineers are required to interrelate with other engineers of differing disciplines and backgrounds. This research was designed to implement this type of partnership and develop a project that required the knowledge of an electrical, a mechanical and a computer science engineer.

Using the …

Stiffness Change Effects On Structure Control Systems, R. J. Falkenrath

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

This paper contains the results of a computer analysis performed on a two-dimensional model structure, in which the structure response was found under dynamic loading conditions. A structural dynamics program (BASIC) was modified to perform its analysis on a two-dimensional structure with a control system modelled into it. The modified program was then used to determine whether a change in the stiffness of the structure would cause the control algorithm to be ineffective for the structure. In light of the limited scope of the analysis (two-dimensional model with constant applied force on one story), the results indicate that a control …

Thermal Buckling Of Composite Tubes, S. Fulkerson

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The object was to design and initiate the use of a fixture capable of testing for pre-buckling deflections in a composite tube under thermal loading. The fixture is to be used on a continuing basis to test three types of composites: (1) glass/epoxy, (2) Kevlar/epoxy, and (3) graphite/epoxy. The course of action chosen was to adapt a fixture designed by Tim Streb and Steve Fulkerson in the spring of 1991. The fixture was completed, and one test was performed. An added responsibility was to initiate a course of action such that the volumetric percentage of fiber in the composite may …

Head-Spine Finite Element Computer Model On A Work-Station, Kay F. Schilli

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

In this project, the head-cervical spine finite element computer model has been modified and made portable on the Apollo work-station. The program was developed to aid the researcher in analyzing the simulated behavior of the human spine. The modifications in the computer program have been made in order to utilize the finite element code for continuation of further research.

A Pessimistic Look At Optimism, Maureen Sidio

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The personality construct of optimism has been shown to be related to important outcome measures like depression, physical health and achievement. Several recent studies have questioned the psychometric uniqueness of the concept of optimism and its relationship to neuroticism. This study examined this relationship and found that the measures of optimism were as highly correlated with neuroticism as they were with each other. Results are discussed in the context of optimism being a subordinate construct in the multifaceted construct of neuroticism.

Physical And Numerical Experiments On Flat Plate Boundary Layers, Scott A. Atterberry

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The results of an interactive computer program developed to predict the boundary layer flow over a flat plate with suction or injection are presented. The results include the solutions for the Blasius function and its derivatives, the velocity profiles, the shear stress distribution, and the temperature distribution. The program can be used for predicting steady, two-dimensional, laminar, viscous flow fields with temperature gradients.

A wind tunnel setup that can be used in addition to the computer program is described. The setup description includes a description of the flat plate, the wind tunnel test section, and the suction/injection unit. The experimental …

Stimulation Of Amorphizing Reactions In Co-Si Multi-Layers, Jeanne K. Jackson

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Co-Si multi-layer specimens do not normally amorphize. To possibly stimulate amorphization, Ti was added by evaporation and the specimens were annealed at 300 and 400 degrees Celsius. The results showed that amorphization occurred at 400 degrees Celsius in the presence of Ti, but did not occur at 300 degrees Celsius. Further research would be necessary to conclude whether the amorphization was stimulated by the addition of Ti or the temperature increase.

"Working The Political Engine": Sam Adams And The Spread Of Revolution In Provincial Massachusetts, Kirk G. Bast

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Since the Revolutionary crisis with Britain began, people have debated Samuel Adam’s role in America’s break from the Empire. Currently, scholars are particularly interested in Adams ’ influence over both the people of Boston and other inhabitants of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, as they resisted British regulations. Was he able to manipulate crowd and mob behavior to enhance provincial fervor? Key to understanding Adams' influence is his conversion of rural Massachusetts to revolutionary sentiment. The purpose of this project is to assess Adam’s impact as a propagandist from the mid-1760s to the early 1770s.

Design And Development Of A Superconducting Induction Motor, Terry Bowness

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The discovery of high-T_c superconductors has led to the development of a number of experimental superconducting motors. This report documents the design, construction, and methods of evaluating the performance of an induction motor with a high-T_c superconducting rotor. While others have utilized the Meissner effect, our superconducting motor works due to Lenz’s law. In theory such a device will act as an induction motor only during start-up, after which its behavior is more like that of a synchronous machine. With a one-pole copper squirrel cage providing start-up torque two high-T_c discs encased in the rotor core act …

Computer Modeling Of A Liquid Fuel Spray, Clement R. Goodin Jr.

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

This project was designed to find an accurate and convenient method of computing fuel spray parameters. The project centers around an experimental setup which basically fires a laser beam through a fuel spray mist. A concentric ring detector then measures energy from the scattered light.

A computer code was written which solves a governing equation to give computed values of the energy from scattered light. Comparison of the experimental energy and the computed energy tells how well the fuel parameters of the computer model matches those of the real spray of the experiment. An iteration technique then manipulates the computer …

Microcomputer Control Of A Model Robot System, David N. Ilges

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The project involved creating an interface board that would allow an I.B.M.- AT computer to control a model robotic system already in existence. The I.B.M.- AT computer was then to be programmed in Pascal such that the model robotic system could perform various path movements and functions. The interface board involved taking various digital outputs from the computer and converting them to analog control signals or use them to turn devices off and on. The interface board also would collect inputs from the robotic system and convert these analog values back to digital words.

Implementation Of T1545 In Air Pressure Control, Kenneth D. Kangas

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The Texas Instruments Model 545 programmable logic controller is used to control the air pressure in a heating/ventilation simulator designed and built for a classroom experiment station. Through the use of the PLC's built-in PID algorithm, the pressure in the duct was controlled to within a 2% tolerance and over 72% of the sensor range for a load setting of 10%. The theory of PID controllers and their application to this problem are discussed. Also, the configuration of the simulator, and plans for future work are described.

The Effect Of Self-Rated Attractiveness On Personal And Interpersonal Functioning, Bonnie Mathis

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Self-ratings of erne's own physical attractiveness among 455 students (311 male and 144 female) were compared with their scores on a scale measuring personality (the California Psychological Inventory) and subjective perceptions of their body weight In addition, they completed two measures of shyness; the Social Provisions scale (Russell & Cutrona, 1984); the Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire (Baker & Siryk, 1984); and the Interpersonal Betrayal Scale. For both sexes, self-rated physical attractiveness correlated significantly with (a) all seven folk scales (dominance, capacity for status, sociability, social presence, self-acceptance, independence, and empathy) on Cluster I (extraversion) of the CPI; (b) two …

Member Stiffness And Contact Pressure Distribution Of Bolted Joints, Matthew L. Mckay

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Member stiffness and the stress distributions in the bolts and members of bolted joints have been calculated for various bolt sizes, as well as thicknesses and materials of the members. The finite element method has been used to calculate the displacements and the stress distributions in the components of the bolted joint Using axisymmetric elements, the bolted joint could be analyzed as a two dimensional problem. Member stiffness ratios were calculated from the finite element results and compared with those calculated by an existing commonly used theory. The values were comparable for conditions where the theory could be applied. In …

Thermally Induced Stresses In Micro-Chip Mounting Devices, K. J. Mikulcik

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Microchip thermal stress due to the temperature change related to the mounting of a chip to its lead frame was investigated by moire interferometry. Large scale models were made, and the problems of applying a grating to this model at high temperature were addressed without success. Further possibilities, however, remain to be attempted. Moire interferometry was successfully used at room temperature by examining mechanically relieved residual stresses. The results agreed with an analytical approach to stress analysis and also to a finite element analysis. A practical solution to the problem of peeling was found.

Static And Dynamic Testing Of Serpentine Belt Drive Tensioners, John W. Minor

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Serpentine belt drive tensioners are used in virtually every model of automobile produced today. Limited testing has been done to see how the tensioner performs under certain situations. In each case outside influences were either not accounted for or considered not to influence the way the tensioner performed in a given situation. By developing new ways of testing tensioners for static and dynamic characteristics separately, the influence each trait has on the performance of the tensioner can be exactly gauged.

Mielnik Probability Spaces And Functional Equations, J. J. Mitchell

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The invariance properties of the solutions of those functional equations naturally occurring in the construction of Mielnik probability spaces are studied, and in turn are related to one another. In particular, the possibilities for fixed points of these solutions are found, and the relationships between these results are discussed. The two functional equations studied include a representation of the generalized parallelogram law and an equation used in the modeling of polarization phenomena. The main result of the paper lies in the extention of previous research on Mielnik probability spaces to a higher dimension, as well as a discussion of their …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Metal Binding Polymers Containing 2,2'-Biimidazole, R. A. Proctor

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Epoxides are known to form ring-opened polymer products that have demonstrated improved material strength, high heat stability, and chemical resistance as adhesives, coatings, and molding materials. It has been suggested that imidazoles can be used in the catalysis of this polymerization, and that the pyridyl nitrogen of the imidazole ring participates in epoxy ring-opening and is then incorporated in the polymeric structure. This study was conducted to test this theory of the role of pyridyl nitrogen in the reaction of 1,1'-dihydroxyethyl-2,2'- biimidazole (HEB) and metal-HEB complexes with the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA). Of particular interest in this study …

Calculation Of Neutron Flux And Neutron Radiation Dose In A Human Phantom, L. Alan Smith

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

At present, the neutron dose received by personnel working in nuclear installations is recorded by body surface dosimeters worn by workers. To estimate the true neutron dose to internal organs, this ’surface dose” is multiplied by empirical factors to account for the attenuation of the body itself.

The objective of this work was to obtain better estimates of the internal dose by calculating the attenuation of the neutron flux provided by the body. Using DOT, a 2-D radiation transport code, the neutron flux as a function of energy was calculated at several points in a 2-D model of the human …

A Heat Balance Program For A Nuclear Power Plant, Timothy C. Steadham

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

In a coal fired power plant, the steam leaving the boiler can reach 1000 °F and 3000 psia; this state is superheated considerably. On the other hand, a nuclear power plant is not capable of reaching such conditions without compromising reactor safety and integrity. Therefore, the steam leaving the reactor might only be a few degrees superheated, and hence the steam leaving each turbine will be wet. Since wet steam will erode turbine blades very quickly, devices must be placed between turbines to separate the steam into saturated vapor and saturated liquid. The steam is routed through the next turbine …

Behavior Of Composites For The Nasp Project, Robert B. Stone

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

It is well known that ceramics are strong, highly heat resistant, refractory materials. Unfortunately, they are brittle and fail catastrophically. However, the strength as well as fracture toughness of ceramics can be greatly improved with the addition of continuous fibers, thus obtaining ceramic matrix composites (CMC). Normally the addition of aligned continuous fibers to a matrix degrades the transverse (the direction 90° to the fiber axes) properties while greatly improving the longitudinal properties. It has been shown that the addition of whiskers to a continuous fiber CMC will improve moduli and strength properties in both the transverse and longitudinal directions. …

An Investigation Into The Engineering Considerations Required To Design An Ultra Low Noise Logarithmic Amplifier For An Ultrasound Imaging System, Michael Wilhelm

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Ultrasound imaging instruments and other "radar" type systems frequently employ variable gain amplifiers to effectively process signals of high dynamic range. One such device uniquely suited for this task is the logarithmic amplifier. Presented in this paper are many of the key design issues and solutions concerning the enhancement of one particular company's ultrasound system.

Shooting Method Solutions Of Eigenvalue Problems, Xi Chen

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

A shooting method was developed to study eigenvalue problems derived from Schrodinger equation. The challenging problem, the two-dimensional hydrogen system with the logarithmic potential function, was successfully solved by the shooting method. But no complete proof was given for its rationale and correctness. This paper not only gives the complete proof for the shooting method, but also generalizes it to solve a large class of eigenvalue problems. In a certain sense, the shooting method proves more effective numerically and more powerful theoretically than the classical functional analysis approach.

The Missouri Miner, April 15, 1992

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

The Missouri Miner, April 08, 1992

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

Relaxing Synchronization In Distributed Simulated Annealing, Chul-Eui Hong, Bruce M. Mcmillin

Computer Science Technical Reports

Simulated annealing is an attractive, but expensive, heuristic for approximating the solution to combinatorial optimization problems. Attempts to parallelize simulated annealing, particularly on distributed memory multicomputers, are hampered by the algorithm's requirement of a globally consistent system state. In a multicomputer, maintaining the global state S Involves explicit message traffic and is a critical performance bottleneck. To mitigate this bottleneck, it becomes necessary to amortize the overhead of these state updates over as many parallel state changes as possible. By using this technique, errors in the actual cost C(S) of a particular state S will be introduced into the annealing …

The Missouri Miner, April 01, 1992

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

Electron Production In Proton Collisions With Atoms And Molecules: Energy Distributions, M. Eugene Rudd, Yongki Kim, Don H. Madison, Timothy Gay

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

All known data on the energy distribution of secondary electrons from collisions of protons with atoms and molecules have been reviewed and differential cross sections have been collected. The two experimental methods used to obtain the data are discussed and possible sources of error pointed out. Theoretical treatments are reviewed and several methods of checking the consistency of the data are discussed. Two semiempirical models have been chosen to represent the differential cross sections, and parameters for these models are given which fit the average of the experimental data, subject to known constraints. Recommended values of differential cross sections are …

The Missouri Miner, March 25, 1992

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

An Algorithm For Generating Executable Assertions For Fault Tolerance, Martina Schollmeyer, Hanan Lutfiyya, Bruce M. Mcmillin

Computer Science Technical Reports

This paper presents an algorithm for deriving executable assertions that can be evaluated in a faulty distributed environment. A transformation from the global auxiliary variable approach into a new proof system based on the history of the auxiliary variables is introduced. This transformation, which matches the operational distributed environment more closely than the global auxiliary variable system, is then shown to retain the properties of this system such as noninterference, satisfaction, soundness, and completeness. An example is presented in which a model problem is transformed from one system into the other.