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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Performance Of Mud Mortar Walls Under Seismic Loading, Christian L. Berneking Vi, Santiago Pujol, Prateek Pratap Shah, Lucas Laughery Aug 2017

Performance Of Mud Mortar Walls Under Seismic Loading, Christian L. Berneking Vi, Santiago Pujol, Prateek Pratap Shah, Lucas Laughery

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The inherently brittle nature of unreinforced masonry structures results in poor performance during earthquakes, presenting major hazards to communities. Many of these structures found in Nepal were severely damaged or destroyed during two earthquakes in 2015. The purpose of this project is to test the effect on seismic response of several modifications to stone and mud mortar structures. These structures are common in many areas of Nepal. Two T-shaped stone and mud mortar masonry walls are constructed. The first wall has no modifications and represents current building practices. The second wall uses steel wire mesh as external reinforcement. Each wall …


Assessment Of The Ecosystem Services Of Rain Gardens, Hannah M. Hawrot, Dr. Sara Mcmillan, Rachel Scarlett Aug 2017

Assessment Of The Ecosystem Services Of Rain Gardens, Hannah M. Hawrot, Dr. Sara Mcmillan, Rachel Scarlett

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces contributes to degradation of urban stream ecosystems. Impacts include increased flooding, water quality impairment, and disruption of habitats. Rain gardens are a type of green infrastructure designed to mitigate the adverse effects of stormwater runoff by promoting evapotranspiration, reducing peak flows, and retaining pollutants. Rain gardens can provide additional ecosystem services, defined as benefits that ecosystems provide to people. This includes, but is not limited to, increasing biodiversity by providing habitat, creating green spaces for recreation, and storing carbon. To date, little research has been done integrating these multiple services. My research measured water quality, …


The Effect Of Reinforcing Bar Bend Radius On The Strength And Behavior Of Knee Joints, Xitong Zhou, Christopher S. Williams, Hwa Ching Wang Aug 2017

The Effect Of Reinforcing Bar Bend Radius On The Strength And Behavior Of Knee Joints, Xitong Zhou, Christopher S. Williams, Hwa Ching Wang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The strut-and-tie method (STM) is used by structural engineers to design discontinuity regions of reinforced concrete structures. Using STM, the stress distribution in a concrete member is expressed as a set of struts, ties, and nodes in a strut-and-tie model. These components are then proportioned and evaluated to develop an appropriate design. One type of node that appears in knee joints (i.e., frame corners) subjected to closing moments is referred to as a curved-bar node. Although curved-bar nodes represent a unique concentration of stresses in a structure, little research focused on curved-bar node design has been conducted. In response to …


Improving The Accuracy For The Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-Thia) Model, Anqi Zhang, Lawrence Theller, Bernard A. Engel Aug 2017

Improving The Accuracy For The Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-Thia) Model, Anqi Zhang, Lawrence Theller, Bernard A. Engel

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Urbanization increases runoff by changing land use types from less impervious to impervious covers. Improving the accuracy of a runoff assessment model, the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) Model, can help us to better evaluate the potential uses of Low Impact Development (LID) practices aimed at reducing runoff, as well as to identify appropriate runoff and water quality mitigation methods. Several versions of the model have been built over time, and inconsistencies have been introduced between the models. To improve the accuracy and consistency of the model, the equations and parameters (primarily curve numbers in the case of this model) …


Buckling Of Cylindrical Shells Under Wind Loading, Tianlong Sun, Eyas Azzuni, Sukru Guzey Aug 2017

Buckling Of Cylindrical Shells Under Wind Loading, Tianlong Sun, Eyas Azzuni, Sukru Guzey

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cylindrical shells such as aboveground steel storage tanks are widely used to store gases, chemicals and fuels. Stiffener rings are introduced to prevent cylindrical shells from buckling due to wind loads. The current top wind stiffener design rules used in the USA for such cylindrical storage tanks are specified in API 650. However, the design methodology of top stiffener rings is overly conservative. Therefore, relaxation of the design rules for the top stiffener is investigated in this study. The API 650 mandated top stiffener size was reduced to the same size as the mandated intermediate stiffener ring in this study. …


Purdue Airsense: An Open-Source Air Quality Monitoring System, Ruihang Du, Stephane Junior Nuoafo Wanko, Shadi Tariq Azouz, Brandon Emil Boor, Greg Michalski Aug 2017

Purdue Airsense: An Open-Source Air Quality Monitoring System, Ruihang Du, Stephane Junior Nuoafo Wanko, Shadi Tariq Azouz, Brandon Emil Boor, Greg Michalski

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Ambient air pollutants have received increasing attention in recent years since studies have demonstrated their adverse health effects. To address the sparsity of concentration data for major ambient air pollutants, researchers have introduced several new low-cost measurement methods. Despite these efforts, only a few gas concentration data and aerosol size distribution data are publicly accessible through online platforms. In this study, we used Alphasense sensors to build an innovative low-cost portable sensor system that measures the concentration of ozone, CO, NOx, and coarse and fine particulate matter (PM). Alongside the portable sensor system, we assembled lab-grade analytical instruments in a …


Full-Water Column Turbulence Parameterization Of Stratified Waters In Southern Lake Michigan, Kyla A. Prendergast, Cary D. Troy, David Cannon Aug 2017

Full-Water Column Turbulence Parameterization Of Stratified Waters In Southern Lake Michigan, Kyla A. Prendergast, Cary D. Troy, David Cannon

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Full water column mean flow and turbulence structure was characterized at two stratified locations in Lake Michigan (a. Muskegon, MI; b. Michigan City, IN) in order to better understand the filtration potential of invasive quagga mussels. Invasive quagga mussels in Lake Michigan are filter feeders and can dramatically alter clarity as well as the biological/chemical characteristics of the water column. This filtering capacity is highly contingent on turbulence characteristics throughout the water column, which is poorly understood in the Great Lakes. Using velocity, temperature, and turbulence data collected from these locations, the structure of the water column turbulence was modeled …


Assessing The Hydraulics Of Water Heaters By Adding Fluoride As A Tracer To Inform Its Overall Effect On Water Quality, Christian A. Guerrero, William Schmidt, Antoine Aubeneau, Amisha D. Shah Aug 2017

Assessing The Hydraulics Of Water Heaters By Adding Fluoride As A Tracer To Inform Its Overall Effect On Water Quality, Christian A. Guerrero, William Schmidt, Antoine Aubeneau, Amisha D. Shah

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

As residential water heaters are the primary source of waterborne disease outbreaks in the U.S. there is a need to better understand how they are contributing to decreased water quality in buildings. Previous work has indicated that intermittent stagnation, low disinfection residual and operation temperatures promote the growth of pathogens in water heaters. The overall effect of hydrodynamics of water heaters on these factors remains unclear. Therefore, a tracer study was performed to determine the effect of and characterize hydraulics of the typical residential water heater on water quality. Controlling temperature and flow rate, a pilot-scale hot water system (50 …


Purdue Airsense: An Affordable Way To Measure And Study Air Pollution, Stephane Junior Nouafo Wanko, Shadi Tariq Azouz, Ruihang Du, Brandon Boor, Greg Michalski Aug 2017

Purdue Airsense: An Affordable Way To Measure And Study Air Pollution, Stephane Junior Nouafo Wanko, Shadi Tariq Azouz, Ruihang Du, Brandon Boor, Greg Michalski

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Air pollution is a major health hazard worldwide, accounting for one-eighth of all deaths in 2012 (World Health Organization). Globally, there is a severe lack of ground-based spatiotemporal monitoring of gaseous and particulate air pollutants, particularly in Africa, South and Central America, and the Middle East. This is in great part due to the high costs of air quality instrumentation that meet accuracy and reliability criteria set by monitoring agencies. The air quality data that is available is often not presented to the public in a user-friendly manner. Taking advantage of recent developments in low-cost sensing technologies, an integrated sensor …


Evaluation Of Radiation And Design Criteria For A Lunar Habitat, Hayley E. Bower, Daniel Gomez, Antonio Bobet, Julio A. Ramirez, Shirley J. Dyke, H. Jay Melosh Aug 2017

Evaluation Of Radiation And Design Criteria For A Lunar Habitat, Hayley E. Bower, Daniel Gomez, Antonio Bobet, Julio A. Ramirez, Shirley J. Dyke, H. Jay Melosh

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Extraterrestrial habitation has long been the object of science fiction, and experts in the fields of science and engineering have proposed many designs for a lunar base. The research conducted has focused on either structural stability, radiation protection, or meteorite-impact vulnerabilities, but rarely have these been considered together. The Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats (RETH) project aims to design a lunar habitat from a hazards perspective, considering general degradation, meteorite impacts, seismic activity, radiation exposure, thermal extremes, and geomagnetic storms in addition to the physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects of astronauts living in such a habitat. Several members of the RETH team …


Hazard Assessment Of Meteoroid Impact For The Design Of Lunar Habitats, Herta Paola Montoya, Shirley Dyke, Julio A. Ramirez, Antonio Bobet, H. Jay Melosh, Daniel Gomez Aug 2017

Hazard Assessment Of Meteoroid Impact For The Design Of Lunar Habitats, Herta Paola Montoya, Shirley Dyke, Julio A. Ramirez, Antonio Bobet, H. Jay Melosh, Daniel Gomez

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The design of self-sustaining lunar habitats is a challenge primarily due to the Moon’s lack of atmospheric protection and hazardous environment. To assure safe habitats that will lead to further lunar and space exploration, it is necessary to assess the different hazards faced on the Moon such as meteoroid impacts, extreme temperatures, and radiation. In particular, meteoroids pose a risk to lunar structures due to their high frequency of occurrence and hypervelocity impact. Continuous meteoroid impacts can harm structural elements and vital equipment compromising the well-being of lunar inhabitants. This study is focused on the hazard conceptualization and quantification of …


Laboratory Characterization Of Unsteady Boundary Layers, Umair Sarwar, Cary Troy Aug 2017

Laboratory Characterization Of Unsteady Boundary Layers, Umair Sarwar, Cary Troy

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The study of waves and their effects on mean flow and turbulence in natural water bodies is an important issue for applications in aquatic biology, coastal engineering, sediment transport and hydrodynamic of the lake. These waves result in the generation of an oscillatory (Stokes) boundary layer near the bottom of the water column. The goal of this study was to conduct various experiments that will be used to characterize the turbulence in unsteady boundary layers and help understand the relation between various flow variables (e.g. wave amplitude, frequency, water depth, turbulent kinetic energy, etc.). Using the research facilities provided, three …


Post-Earthquake Fire Assessment Of Steel Buildings, Yi Li, Rachel Chicchi, Amit H. Varma Aug 2017

Post-Earthquake Fire Assessment Of Steel Buildings, Yi Li, Rachel Chicchi, Amit H. Varma

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Resilience of structural systems after hazardous events is a crucial concern of building design. An abundance of research has focused on hazards such as seismic and fire separately. This project conducted a multi-hazard study on steel buildings considering both seismic and fire damage. A literature review of the behavior of steel-framed buildings due to fires after earthquakes, known as post-earthquake fires (PEF), is offered. The new PEF methodology, delivered in this study, starts with creating a three dimensional (3D) model of the examined steel building using the finite element method software, ABAQUS. Next, varying intensities of seismic and fire hazards …


Modelling Of Phase Transforming Cellular Material (Pxcm), Chidubem N. Enebechi, Yunlan Zhang, David Restrepo Arango, Pablo Zavattieri Aug 2017

Modelling Of Phase Transforming Cellular Material (Pxcm), Chidubem N. Enebechi, Yunlan Zhang, David Restrepo Arango, Pablo Zavattieri

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Phase transforming cellular materials (PXCMs) are a new class of materials that can go through large deformation and return to their original configuration. Currently, there are reliable cellular materials that can resist large deformation, for example, honey comb; however, when these materials are compared to PXCMs, they cannot stay in their elastic range. The biggest advantage about PXCMs is that they are not only inexpensive materials, but they are also highly-durable and they absorb and dissipate high amounts of energy. The main concept behind PXCMs is that they contain unit cells that have stable configurations. Each stable configuration of the …


Electrochemical Removal Of Lead In Water With Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotube Filters, Benjamin M. Stryker, Sol Park, Zhi Zhou Aug 2017

Electrochemical Removal Of Lead In Water With Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotube Filters, Benjamin M. Stryker, Sol Park, Zhi Zhou

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heavy metals, such as lead, are highly toxic and typical removal techniques are costly for household applications; causing serious public health risks and economic burdens. Previous studies using electrochemical filtration showed that singe-wall carbon nanotube membranes (SWCNTs) were effective at removing lead, but the use of less expensive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has not been fully explored. Therefore, there is a critical need to determine if MWCNTs are cost-effective for the removal of lead in water. The removal efficiency of lead(II) ions in an aqueous solution was evaluated in a flow-through filtration system over 50 minutes at 1.5 mL/min. Calcium …