Digital Commons Network^™

A Numerical Study Of Automotive Gas Tank Filler Pipe Two Phase Flow, R. Banerjee, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac, L. Oliver, W. Breig

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automotive refueling is gaining greater importance because fuel vapors released during refueling are believed to increase ozone levels in urban areas. As a step towards On-Board Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) designs, vapor generation and transport during refueling needs to be understood to develop recovery techniques. The objective of the present study is to understand the fluid flow inside the automotive gas tank filler pipe using commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. This effort is expected to yield detailed flow field information, including air entrainment. The phenomena of well-back, the process of fuel flooding the filler pipe and flowing backwards …

Re-Examination Of The Crypto-Steady Pressure-Exchanger (Virtual Turbomachine), T. Scott, David W. Riggins

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A crypto-steady pressure-exchanger (rotating center body ejecting fluid in a supersonic flow field) is investigated based on fundamental fluid dynamic principles. The results are then compared to computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of a simplified device. On the basis of this comparison the device studied is correctly classified as an unsteady ejector instead of a type of turbomachinery. Entropy gains (total pressure losses) associated with the complex fluid-fluid and fluid-center body interactions are shown to be greater than total pressure gains due to work addition. Compared to a steady ejector, the virtual turbomachine shows increased entrainment (mixing) of the main …

Finite Element Analysis And Active Control For Nonlinear Flutter Of Composite Panels Under Yawed Supersonic Flow, Khaled Abdel-Motagaly

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A coupled structural-electrical modal finite element formulation for composite panels with integrated piezoelectric sensors and actuators is presented for nonlinear panel flutter suppression under yawed supersonic flow. The first-order shear deformation theory for laminated composite plates, the von Karman nonlinear strain-displacement relations for large deflection response, the linear piezoelectricity constitutive relations, and the first-order piston theory of aerodynamics are employed. Nonlinear equations of motion are derived using the three-node triangular MIN3 plate element. Additional electrical degrees of freedom are introduced to model piezoelectric sensors and actuators. The system equations of motion are transformed and reduced to a set of nonlinear …

Radiative Interactions In Thermochemical Nonequilibrium Expanding Flows, Srikanth B. Pidugu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A numerical study is conducted to investigate radiative interactions in flows with thermal and chemical nonequilibrium. The two dimensional spatially elliptic Navier-Stokes equations have been used to numerically investigate different physical processes in the nozzle flow problem. The system of governing equations are solved using explicit, unsplit MacCormack predictor-corrector scheme. The chemistry source term is treated implicitly to alleviate stiffness associated with fast chemical reactions.

Different physical processes considered in this study are investigated in a systematic manner. Finite chemical processes in chemically reacting supersonic nozzle flows are studied. Five hydrogen-air combustion models have been employed to study the influence …

Rulemaking's Promise: Administrative Law And Legal Culture In The 1960s And 1970s, Reuel E. Schiller

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Computational Study Of Mixing In Stratified Liquid-Liquid Flows Using Analogy Between Heat And Mass Transfer., Andrew Charles Burt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research is being conducted at West Virginia University (WVU) in collaboration with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to study the mixing that occurs during the refueling of U.S. naval vessels. These vessels employ a series of tanks to both store fuel and to maintain the balance of the ship by taking on seawater as the fuel is consumed. Hence, these are referred to as Compensated Fuel/Ballast Tanks (CFBT). This study is applicable to naval destroyers such as the DDG 51 (Arleigh Burke) class. Previous work by Umbel and Wilson under the direction …

A Break-Even Analysis Of Trout Processing In West Virginia: A Case Study Approach., Ryan M. Fincham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to determine the current status of trout processing in West Virginia and to determine break-even quantities of whole pounds of trout required for the two main processors in the state. Simulation models were developed for each firm specific to the characteristics of the plant. Scenarios were developed according to historical demand for products and product profit margins determined by the model. Results show that the smaller of the plants experiences regional prices, which are higher than what the industry acquires. If the prices decrease, the plant will have to make changes in processing techniques …

Wv Dpms: District-Level Pavement Management System For West Virginia Doh District 5., Anthony W. Ford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The motoring public has an expectation that they will be provided with roads that are both safe and in satisfactory condition. State highway agencies’ investment of public funds to keep roads in good condition pays large rewards in terms of savings for road users. Highway agencies using a Pavement Management System (PMS) will be provided with information for better decisions to ensure the tax-paying public gets the best value for their dollars. This project consists of developing a useful and efficient network-level PMS for District Five of the West Virginia Division of Highways. The study area includes the counties of …

The Quantification Of Oscillatory Force Parameters That Affect Eccentric Contraction-Induced Injury In An In Vivo Rodent., Kenneth Bradley Geronilla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Skeletal muscle injury is a major concern in areas of occupational health and sports medicine. To date, the mechanisms responsible for muscle injury are not clearly understood. The objective of this research was to quantify the dynamic force parameters resulting from oscillatory contractions (stretch-shortening cycles), which are associated with skeletal muscle injury. An in vivo rodent experimental model was used to study the oscillatory contraction response of the dorsiflexor muscles in male Sprague-Dawley rats. In vivo testing of anesthetized animals was accomplished via a custom designed isokinetic rat dynamometer, which allowed for continuous monitoring of muscle force output. The rats …

Processing Improvement Of Moirã© Interferometry For Accurate Crack-Tip Deformation Measurement., Ridha Kamil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent research advancement of moiré interferometry has incorporated phase shifting, a technique for better accuracy and easier digital image processing. However, moiré interferometry with phase shifting also revealed some sensitivity problems. Background noise associated with the topography of the specimen and optical effect produces rough and discontinuous displacement fields, which makes it difficult to obtain accurate strains and stresses. In this research, two alternate methods that improve the sensitivity of moiré interferometry, with and without phase shifting is developed. The result is a smoother displacement fields with higher sensitivity at the crack tip area. A single edge notched bend specimen …

A Computational Study Of Mixing In A Liquid Jet Impinging On An Immiscible Liquid Layer., Sherif Mohamed Kandil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Droplet formation is a phenomenon that has great significance in multiphase flows, and it takes place in many natural and man-made applications. The application of interest in this study is the turbulent mixing of Diesel fuel and seawater during the refueling process of naval ships outfitted with compensated fuel ballast tanks (CFBT). Several phenomena take place in fuel tanks that cause turbulent mixing and thus droplet formation. These phenomena include, among other phenomena, a stratified shear flow of two immiscible fluids of different densities, and a densely buoyant vertical jet flow of a higher density fluid impinging on a quiescent …

Transfer Function Model For An Oxy-Fuel-Fired Batch Tank., James Robert Rhodes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oxy-fuel combustion is an alternative method for melting glass that has recently become increasingly attractive as one way for the glass industry to improve its energy efficiency and reduce its environmental impacts. Research, however, is still needed to better appreciate the advantages that oxy-fuel combustion offers to the users of the batch tanks. Efforts have been underway by the WVU Projects with Industry Program to identify the parameters that govern the combustion and control behavior of an oxy-fuel fired batch tank. The two primary goals of this thesis are to develop a transfer function model for the oxy-fuel fired batch …

A Life Cycle Cost Estimation Model For Frp Bridge Decks., Pratik Roychoudhury

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research developed a prototype life cycle cost-estimating model for FRP bridge decks called “bridgeMATE”. The model considers the agency costs, user costs and the third party costs to establish the life cycle cost of an FRP bridge deck. The model features two condition indices for maintenance and for repair that can estimate the condition of the bridge deck in any given year. Based on the limiting values set on the indices, a decision for maintenance and repair is made when the index value for a year exceeds the limiting value. These limiting values can be entered by the user …

Enjoying A Bad Life: Short Fiction Drawn From Disorder., Kate Green Van Sant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My own cultural background is somewhat confused, and I inherited from my late father many strange and suspicious stories that can never be corroborated. This allowance for ambiguity also reminded me of my fondness for the labyrinths and forking paths of Borges, and I realized that this duality was probably closely related to my travels between cultural frontiers and my frequent passages between mania and depression. The narrator struggles for independence and emotional stability with humor, attempting to pull order, both creative and practical, from her disorder. Her success is to be judged not as much in her accomplishments as …

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling Of Total Hip Arthroplasty: Creep Under Dynamic Load., Ganesh Thyagarajan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Theclinical success of the polished tapered stem in particular has widely been demon strated. However, the mechanical environment of this stem is not understood. The overall goal of this research was to understand the influence of bone cement creep on the me chanical environment of a polished tapered stem using a physiological three-dimensional finite element model. Specifically, the objectives were to: (1) Investigate the influence of three different commercially available cements on stem subsidence and cement mantle stresses. Both short (24 hours) and long (16 years) term simulations were conducted; (2) Consider the effect of cyclic loading (using a creep …

A Comparison Of The Operating Envelopes Of Diesel-Fueled Truck Engines And Hybrid Electric Bus Engines To The Federal Testing Procedure Cycle., Nene Akunor Azu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent chassis and on-road testing of hybrid electric buses (HEBs) performed by West Virginia University demonstrated the potential of hybrid technology to be significantly fuel efficient and reduce regulated emissions and greenhouse gas output compared to buses with conventional drivetrains. All heavy-duty engines, including the engines in HEBs, need to be certified through the Federal Testing Procedure (FTP) prescribed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The operation of series HEBs with engine-generator units does not follow the behavior of the FTP, which is transient in nature. It was evident that, unlike conventional buses, HEBs were designed to operate over …

Object-Oriented Expert System Design: Texpert., Maryam Farmani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Object-Orientation is a powerful approach to managing complexity, which has received widespread attention in the past few years. Object-Oriented Design is based on a small number of basic concepts: object, classes, operations and relationships. Some important relationships are inheritance, message passing, and encapsulation. Different methods and notations have been proposed within this paradigm, and a Unified Modeling Language has been developed based on several of these methods. Most rule-based expert systems are not flexible enough to handle problems that mix logical deductions, rule-based inferences, and procedure execution, but mixed problems are common in modern society. Management decisions, for example, are …

From Difference To Dominance To Domesticity: Care As Work, Gender As Tradition, Joan C. Williams

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Mechanotransduction In Bone: Passive And Load-Induced Fluid Transport In Rat Femora., Bixia Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The capacity of bone tissue to alter its mass and structure in response to mechanical demands has long been recognized but the mechanisms involved remained poorly understood. Load-induced interstitial fluid flow has been postulated to provide a mechanism for transduction of the mechanical signals to the cellular level to activate bone adaptation. This research is to investigate experimentally the effects of mechanical loading on fluid flow in bone by introducing stain/tracer. Rat femurs were used to test the passive diffusion and mechanical transport properties of the stain in bone. It was found that fluorescein is compatible with an animal model …

Sulfur Dioxide Removal With Coal Scrubbing., Hari Prashanth Sundaram

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis is based on an effective removal of sulfur dioxide from flue gas with coal as the scrubbing medium instead of lime, which is used in the conventional FGD (flue Gas Desulfurization) processes. A laboratory study proves that coal scrubbing is an innovative technology that can be implemented into a commercial process in place of the conventional lime scrubbing flue gas desulfurization process. It was found that SO2 removal was highly temperature sensitive, giving 13.1% recovery at 210 C and 99.2% recovery at 730 C after 4 hours. The removal of SO2 was accomplished by the catalysis of iron …

A Prototype Automatic Dental Identification System (Adis)., Diaa Eldin Mohamed Nassar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this work we apply combined digital image processing and artificial neural network techniques in developing a prototype of an automatic dental identification system (ADIS) to be employed for postmortem forensic identification. The prototype ADIS follows a pyramidal image-matching architecture used in developing an analogous fingerprint comparison system. Owing to the differences in image natures, we used new techniques and modified some mathematical models. We introduce an adaptive technique for dental radiograph enhancement and an adaptive strategic searching technique for neural network training. The training and testing results we obtained are promising.

Manufacturing Security: Mass Media Coverage Of Depleted Uranium Weapon Use In Okinawa, Japan., Yoko Abe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the reversion of Okinawa to Japan in 1972, thirty-eight U.S. military bases still remain in the prefecture. While the local residents’ entreaties to end their suffering from the consequences of the U.S. military presence remain strong, the U.S. and Japanese governments have adopted measures to maintain the U.S. military foothold. This study examined the viewpoints of six claimsmakers to illustrate an overlooked political process in the perpetuation of the U.S. military presence. The research applied a content analysis of newspaper articles appearing in the Okinawa Times following the disclosure of the U.S. Marine Corps’ use of depleted uranium weapons. …

An Intelligent System's Approach To Reservoir Characterization In Cotton Valley., Mofazzal Hossan Bhuiyan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reservoir characterization in the Cotton Valley formation has always been a challenge for the Engineers, Geologist and Geophysists because of its heterogeneity as well as for the fact that well logs and reservoir characteristics are non-correlatable from well to well. This study introduces a new technique to characterize the cotton valley reservoir. Synthetic magnetic resonance imaging logs (MRI) provide information about reservoir characteristics such as effective porosity, fluid saturation and rock permeability more accurately than conventional wireline logs. The fuzzy C- mean analysis tool is utilized to group well logs together based on similarity criteria of the reservoir formation and …

The Economical Use Of High-Performance Steel In Slab-On-Steel Stringer Bridge Design., Beth F. Clingenpeel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the early 90’s a collaborative effort between the American Iron & Steel Institute, the US Navy, and the Federal Highway Administration began the development of high performance steel (HPS). HPS70W is the product of this effort and is currently being employed in bridge design. The benefits of this steel are higher fracture toughness, improved welding characteristics, and enhanced weathering characteristics. However, HPS70W has an increased material relative to traditional bridge steels. Because of the increased cost, there is a need to investigate the economical use of HPS70W in design. A few studies have been performed to explore this issue …

Japan's Ise Shrine And Selected Norwegian Stave Churches: An Examination Of The Definition Of Vernacular Architecture., H. Gary Gillespie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Japan’s Ise Shrine (300-600 C.E.) and Norway’s stave churches (1100-1250 C.E.) are examples of vernacular architecture. Analyses of their functions, building materials, construction techniques, structural forms, and the impact of local philosophical, mythological, and folk influences upon their forms and decorations show that the Ise Shrine and selected Norwegian stave churches reflect cultural values and idea systems common to both cultures. By definition, vernacular architecture implies a regional, provincial character wherein architectural style is perpetuated by native traditions as opposed to cross-cultural influences or universal expression. Yet, as this study demonstrates, all vernacular architecture is not so idiosyncratic and provincial, …

Embracing The Darkness: Logerquist V. Mcvey And The Doctrine Of Ignorance Of Science Is An Excuse, David L. Faigman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Water Rights For New Federal Land Conservation Programs: A Turn-Of-The-Century Evaluation, John D. Leshy

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Technologies Of Property Rights: Choice Among Alternative Solutions To Tragedies Of The Commons, Bruce Yandle, Andrew P. Morriss

Faculty Scholarship

Garrett Hardin's classic description of the tragedy of the commons tells us that all environmental problems require a property rights solution. The property solution or rule may call for the definition and enforcement of common, public, or private property rights, but any escape from the tragedy requires some rationing mechanism that allocates a form of property rights to some entity. These solutions fall into one of two broad traditions within economics: the Pigouvian, or regulatory tradition, and the Coasean, or market-based tradition. Any proposal for action in either tradition implies some definition of property rights. The difference lies in the …

Lessons From The Development Of Western Water Law For Emerging Water Markets: Common Law Vs. Central Planning, Andrew P. Morriss

Faculty Scholarship

The story of water in the American West shows that political intervention is unnecessary. Local institutions and rules could be the basis for a legal regime sufficient to deal with water issues that arise. The importation of central planning regimes for water can thus not only lead to the allocation of water in ways that harm the interests of indigenous peoples, but also can contribute to the destruction of customary legal systems, which themselves form a valuable part of indigenous people's cultural heritage. Failing to resist the attempts by special interests at a water grab may thus leave both the …

Student Perception Of The Online Approach To Technology Teacher Education At Valley City State University : A Study Of Twenty Students, James Allen Boe

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.