Engineering Commons^™

Modular Composite Sandwich Structures For Thermal And Structural Retrofitting Of Existing Buildings, Marc Al Ghazal

Masters Theses

Around 40% of global energy consumption and 30% of worldwide carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are attributed to buildings. Most of this consumption is dedicated to ensuring thermal comfort. The goal of this research was to develop and field validate retrofit solutions to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Exterior cladding panels were designed and tested to ensure adequate thermal and structural performance. Sandwich panels (glass fibers reinforced polymer (GFRP) skins and polymeric foam cores) were fabricated using the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) and polyurethane (PU) foams were compared as core materials through a series …

Enhancing Human Key Point Identification: A Comparative Study Of High-Resolution Vicon Dataset And Coco Dataset Using Bpnet, Bibash Lama

Masters Theses

Accurately identifying human key points is crucial for various applications, including activity recognition, pose estimation, and gait analysis. This study presents a high-resolution dataset created using the VICON motion capture system and three differently oriented 2D cameras, that can be used to train different neural networks for estimating the 2D key joint positions of the person from the 2D images or videos. The participants in the study included 25 healthy adults (17 males and 8 females) performing normal gait movements for about 2 to 3 seconds. The VICON system captured 3D ground truth data, while the three 2D cameras collected …

Design Of Machine Tool Cross Beam Using Metal Big Area Additive Manufacturing, Tyler Poon

Masters Theses

The modern world would not be what it is now without machine tools. Advances in materials and processes, such as carbon fiber and additive manufacturing (AM), enable the design space for machine tool components to expand. However, machine tool components require accurate geometry, which is not available from parts produced by metal Big Area Additive Manufacturing (mBAAM). This project outlines the process in which a traditionally manufactured machine tool component, a welded box structure on an existing machine tool, was redesigned to be made using mBAAM. The goal was to design a structure that was printable using the MedUSA system …

Image Based Processing For Weld Defect Detection, Shems-Eddine Belhout

Masters Theses

There is a growing need for automation in the welding industry due to a growing shortage in skilled welders. TIG [Tungsten Inert Gas] welding, a method of welding that uses an electrode shielded by gas and is fed externally by a wire, is incredibly advantageous for its precise heat control. TIG welding is considered the standard for nuclear application which requires highly precise welds to be performed. Robotic welding can address this issue, and one major problem that occurs during welding is welding defects. Typical weld defect detection requires a highly knowledgeable welder or destructive and nondestructive evaluation. Destructive evaluation …

Redundant Kinematics Solution For A Combined 6dof Robotic Manipulator And 2dof Part Positioner In A Waam Application, Ethan C. Vals

Masters Theses

A typical wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) robot cell consists of a 6 DOF robot manipulator and a 2 DOF part positioner. Since the WAAM process requires a minimum of 5 DOFs, there are three redundant DOFs in the system that can be utilized to improve the robot manipulator positioning during part printing. In this thesis, the redundant kinematics of a manipulator and part positioner robot system are solved and then implemented on an actual robot system. The inverse kinematics of the manipulator and part positioner are solved as a kinematic chain using the pseudo-inverse Jacobian method. The two DOFs …

A Parametric Computational Fluid Dynamics (Cfd) Study Of In-Line Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (Hawts) With Yaw, North Alyster Yates

Masters Theses

Because of the constant use of non-renewable fossil fuels, and the enormous impact they have on global warming and pollution, there has been a push to use more eco-friendly and renewable sources for power. One such form is wind power via turbines. The most common form, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs), can generate massive amounts of power. However, they also have a serious flaw in their design. As the wind passes through the swept area of the blades and past the tower, it creates massive disturbances in the airflow. These disturbances are called a ‘wake’. When trying to create a …

Experimental Investigation Of Spray Cooling/Heating Of A Near-Isothermal Hydro-Pneumatic Energy Storage System, Saiid Kassaee

Masters Theses

Proposing experimental investigation of spray cooling/heating of a near-isothermal, scalable, efficient, high density, hydro-pneumatic integrated energy storage system; capable of spray cooling/heating during gas compression/expansion and capable of excess heat integration. The invented Ground-Level Integrated Diverse Energy Storage (GLIDES) is an energy storage technology capable of storing energy in high-pressure vessel using hydro-pneumatic concept. Indicated roundtrip efficiencies of 98% can be reached using the proposed technology marking an isothermal compression/expansion energy storage.

Design And Fabrication Of Invar Layup Tool Molds Using Additive And Subtractive Manufacturing, Matthew Lamsey

Masters Theses

The development of novel additive manufacturing technologies, such as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), has opened the door for the fabrication of complex part geometries that could not be achieved with traditional manufacturing methods. Best practices for designing parts for fabrication with WAAM are still in their infancy. This thesis presents a novel design and fabrication framework for parts created using WAAM, which was realized through the fabrication of two demonstration composite layup tool molds. The framework includes design principles for WAAM, finite element simulation of part performance, metrological analysis of printed preforms, and considerations for closely integrating the WAAM …

Design Of A Robotic Instrument Manipulator For Endoscopic Deployment, Ryan Ponten

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the initial design process for an application of continuum robotics to endoscopic surgical procedures, specifically dissection of the colon. We first introduce the long-term vision for a benchtop dual-instrument endoscopic system with intuitive haptic controllers and then narrow our focus to the design and testing of the instrument manipulator itself, which must be actuated through the long, winding channel of a standard colonoscope.

Based on design requirements for a target procedure, we analyze simulations of two types of continuum robots using recently established kinematic and mechanic modeling approaches: the concentric-tube robot (CTR) and the concentric agonist-antagonist robot …

Dynamic Monitoring And Life Prediction Of Internal Strain-Gage Balances, David Leon Yoder

Masters Theses

Wind tunnel test customers continue to push the limits by producing air vehicle designs that produce high aerodynamic loads at the desired test conditions. These loads are a combination of steady aerodynamic, unsteady aerodynamic, and inertial forces. A methodology to monitor the health of a wind tunnel strain-gage balance has been developed. The objective of this methodology is to define the stress limits of the balance and monitor these limits so the balance can be safely tested without failure of the balance. A balance failure could result in costly damage to the wind tunnel model, support system, and the wind …

Improving Ventricular Catheter Design Through Computational Fluid Dynamics, Sofy Hefets Weisenberg

Masters Theses

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunts are fully implantable medical devices that are used to treat patients suffering from conditions characterized by elevated intracranial pressure, such as hydrocephalus. In cases of shunt failure or malfunction, patients are often required to endure one or more revision surgeries to replace all or part of the shunt. One of the primary causes of CSF shunt failure is obstruction of the ventricular catheter, a component of the shunt system implanted directly into the brain's ventricular system. This work aims to improve the design of ventricular catheters in order to reduce the incidence of catheter obstruction and …

Development Of Learning Objectives For An Undergraduate Computer-Aided Drafting And Design Animation Using The Delphi Technique, Gavin M. Wilk

Masters Theses

This study reflects on learning objectives created for an advanced computer aided drafting (CAD) learning module(s) or course with the emphasis on simulation and engineering animations. These objectives were derived by using the Delphi technique by access the support of a panel of subject matter experts (SME) from academia and industry that are interested in CAD. The results of this study are intended for the use of creating instructional modules for undergraduate studies.

A panel of experts were chosen through an electronic listserv of engineering and technology supporters. Two rounds of two different Delphi survey instruments were utilized to complete …

Cfd Analysis Of Viscosity Effects On Turbine Flow Meter Performance And Calibration, Carl Tegtmeier

Masters Theses

In this research turbine flow meters were studied, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to the study effects of viscosity on the flow meters, across a wide range of operation, to improve our understanding and their performance. A three-dimensional computational model was created for a typical flow meter geometry. The work began with a steady state model to provide an acceptable initial condition for further simulations. These results were input into a transient model that has a rotating zone around the rotor to provide insight into the interaction between static and rotational structures. In order to automatically adjust the rotor …

A Gps-Based Mobility Power Model For Military Vehicle Applications, George William Bozdech

Masters Theses

In recent years, military vehicles have been equipped with hybrid, diesel-electric drives to improve fuel efficiency and stealth capabilities. These vehicles require an accurate estimate of the power duty cycles during distinct operating conditions. To meet this demand, a GPS-based mobility power and duty cycle analysis is one approach to predict the power requirements of on-road and off-road vehicles. The dynamic vehicle parameters needed to estimate the forces developed during locomotion are determined from the GPS tracking data, and these forces include the following: the motion resistance, gravitational, linear inertia, rotational inertia, and aerodynamic drag. The motion resistance force generated …

Development And Verification Of A Navier-Stokes Solver With Vorticity Confinement Using Openfoam, Austin Barrett Kimbrell

Masters Theses

Vorticity Confinement (VC) is a numerical technique which enhances computation of fluid flows by acting as negative diffusion within the limit of vortical regions, preventing the inherent numerical dissipation present with conventional methods. VC shares similarities with large eddy simulation (LES), but its behavior is based on a stable negative dissipation of vortical structures controlled by the automatic balance between two parameters, μ [mu] and ε [epsilon].

In this thesis, three-dimensional, parallel-computing Navier-Stokes solvers with VC are developed using the OpenFOAM computational framework. OpenFOAM is an open-source collection of C++ libraries developed for computational fluid dynamics. Object-oriented programming concepts are …