Engineering Commons^™

An Assessment Of Building Energy Efficiency Options At Horn Island Ranger Station, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida Solar Energy Center, Stephen Barkaszi

FSEC Energy Research Center®

As requested by Joe Martin of the National Park Service (NPS), Southeast Support Office, researchers from the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) conducted a building energy efficiency assessment for the ranger station on Horn Island, Mississippi. The assessment included audits and inspections of the energy systems, building thermal performance, appliances, and energy use patterns. FSEC researchers Stephen Barkaszi and John Harrison conducted the audits and on-site inspections June 29 and June 30, 1999. The purpose of the assessment was to evaluate the facility and to present recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of the building. This report summarizes the information …

United States Patent: Method And System For Estimating The Tenderness Of A Meat Product, Maria Victoria Spadaro, Rosana Moreira, Jimmy Keeton, D. H. Allen

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

A method for estimating the tenderness of a meat product is provided. The method includes determining the stress relaxation coefficient of a meat sample. One or more physical parameters of the meat sample are then determined from the stress relaxation coefficient. Diagnostic sensory characterization data, such as a numerical estimation of the meat's overall tenderness, is then determined for the meat sample. The physical parameters are then correlated to the diagnostic sensory characterization data, to allow the diagnostic sensory characterization data to be estimated solely from the measured physical parameters.

Development Of Rear-End Collision Avoidance In Automobiles, Uttamkumar Dravidam

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this work is to develop a Rear-End Collision Avoidance System for automobiles. In order to develop the Rear-end Collision Avoidance System, it is stated that the most important difference from the old practice is the fact that new design approach attempts to completely avoid collision instead of minimizing the damage by over-designing cars. Rear-end collisions are the third highest cause of multiple vehicle fatalities in the U.S. Their cause seems to be a result of poor driver awareness and communication. For example, car brake lights illuminate exactly the same whether the car is slowing, stopping or the …

Internally Constrained Mixtures Of Elastic Continua, Stephen M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

A treatment of internally constrained mixtures of elastic continua at a common temperature is developed. Internal constraints involving the deformation gradient tensors and the common mixture temperature are represented by a constraint manifold, and an internally constrained mixture of elastic continua is associated with each unique equivalence class of unconstrained mixtures. The example of intrinsic incompressibility of each constituent first proposed by Mills is discussed.

Development Of Cfd Algorithms For Transient And Steady Aerodynamics, Fergal Boyle [Thesis]

Other Resources

Research carried out in the United States and in Europe over the last 20 years has led to the development of the advanced propeller, a small-diameter, highly-loaded, multi-bladed, swept, variable-pitch propeller, that can achieve potential fuel savings of 30% over an equivalent technology turbofan engine at competitive speed and altitudes.

In this work an implicit finite-volume algorithm is developed for predicting the transient flow around an advanced propeller under asymmetric inflow conditions. The development of the unsteady propeller algorithm evolves from a family of methods for progressively more complex applications. In total six algorithms are developed: three steady and three …

Energy Efficient Industrialized Housing Research Summary Of Fy 1998 Activities (July 1998 - August 1999), Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The objectives of this work are to increase the market share of energy-efficient housing by conducting field testing and monitoring, research, development, design assistance, and training activities in partnership with housing manufacturers, production builders, non-profits and related members of the housing industry.

Development Of A Near-Perfect Lens Surface Generation Advisor (Nplsga), Victor De Rossi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Near-Perfect Lens Surface Generation Advisor is a software program designed to optimize manufacturing conditions of acrylic lenses. The program numerically minimizes the total manufacturing cost of machining and hand polishing by choosing the optimal feed rate, tool diameter and step size. Derivations of mathematical equations plus neural networks estimations were used to calculate the total cost as a function of these given variables. Machining time was found from values obtained from feed rate and tool displacement. Polishing time was estimated based on the scallop height, and the total polished surface area. Scallop height was calculated from geometrical expressions depending …

Breakaway Steel Guardrail Post, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid, John R. Rohde

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A breakaway guardrail post includes upper and lower post sections spaced apart but connected by a breakaway joint. The joint is attached at one end to the upper post by a first fastener set and connected at a second end by a second fasteners set. Upon impact forces being applied to the upper post section, the first fastener fails and the upper post section rotates downwardly.

Evaluation Of Energy Efficient Improvements To Portable Classrooms In Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Michael Callahan

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Florida has over 25,000 portable classrooms in use around the state. Energy costs for these structures exceed $20 million a year - or about 11% of all energy-related expenditures for educational facilities. Research has also shown interior ventilation rates in these classrooms typically fall far below the recommended levels in ASHRAE Standard 62-1989.

To explore ways in which costs might be reduced and the physical learning environment improved, we conducted a two year experiment in two highly instrumented portable classrooms at Silver Sands Middle School in Volusia County. A series of retrofits, aimed to cut energy use and improve ventilation …

Simtrainer: A Management Training Tool, Wade Stark, Sema E. Alptekin

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Abstract published of poster paper presented at conference.

Collaborative Undergraduate Research, Hamid Davoodi, Frederick Just, Ali Saffar, Mohammad Noori, William W. Durgin

Office of the Provost Scholarship

A joint undergraduate research project between University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) started four years ago. Each year a group of students, varying between six and ten, from WPI will come to Puerto Rico to work with a group of students, varying from six to ten, from UPRM on a well defined research project. Although the topics of the projects have been different but all follow the same goal, Vibration Control of Structures by Utilizing Shape Memory Alloys. Each year the project starts on January and ends on May. Both groups of the students …

Diagnostic Test Report On Florida Power Corporation's 15-Kwp Amorphous Silicon Photovoltaic System, Florida Solar Energy Center, Fsec Pvdg Division

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Florida Power Corporation (FPC) owns and operates a 15-peak-kilowatt (kWp) amorphous silicon photovoltaic (PV) system at its Econ substation in Orlando, Florida. The PV system, commissioned on August 23, 1988, was designed to generate power that would be injected directly to the FPC electric grid. The Solar Progress Generating Station was developed as part of FPC's interest in new power generation technologies. The PV system design and installation was a collaborative effort among FPC, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).In March 1999, FPC informed FSEC that the PV system …

An Evaluation Of Ploughing Models For Orthogonal Machining, Daniel J. Waldorf, Richard E. Devor, Shiv G. Kapoor

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

An analytical comparison is made between two basic models of the flow of workpiece material around the edge of an orthogonal cutting tool during steady-state metal removal. Each has been the basis for assumptions in previous studies which attempt to model the machining process, but no direct comparison had been made to determine which, if either, is an appropriate model. One model assumes that a separation point exists on the rounded cutting edge while the other includes a stable build-up adhered to the edge and assumes a separation point at the outer extreme of the build-up. Theories of elastic-plastic deformation …

Scheduling Semiconductor Device Test Operations On Multihead Testers, Tali Freed, Robert C. Leachman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Past attempts to devise scheduling methods for the device test operations of semiconductor manufacturing firms fail to address a significant characteristic of multiple-head test systems—the dependency of processing rates on the lots processed simultaneously on the testers. Since the problem has never been modeled accurately in the scheduling literature, feasibility and performance of previously proposed scheduling methodologies for multihead testers may not be accurately assessed. In this paper, we describe the multihead tester scheduling problem, present an enumeration solution procedure, and illustrate the problems of previously suggested tester scheduling algorithms.

Evaluation Of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems At The Nature Conservancy - Disney Wilderness Preserve, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Dunlop

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report presents the results of an evaluation of two grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems installed at the Disney Wilderness Preserve, in Kissimmee, FL. Conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), this evaluation consisted of visual inspection of the equipment and installation, as well as electrical performance measurements on the PV array and operating system. Following lists the key results from this evaluation.

• The two grid-connected PV systems at this site were functioning properly and their operational performance is within expectations. The photovoltaic array installation is generally pleasing and complete, and uses listed equipment (PV panels, inverter and combiner box). …

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition Experiment Using The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite - Lessons Learned, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carol Emrich

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Satellite Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) of a Photovoltaic (PV)/diesel hybrid system was tested using NASA's Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) and Ultra Small Aperture Terminal (USAT) ground stations. The setup consisted of a custom-designed PV/diesel hybrid system, located at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), which was controlled and monitored at a remote hub via Ka-band satellite link connecting two USATs in a SCADA arrangement. The robustness of the communications link was tested for remote monitoring of the health and performance of a PV/diesel hybrid system, and for investigating load control and battery charging strategies to maximize battery …

Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility Study For A 3-D Solder Paste Inspection System, Jianbiao Pan, Gregory L. Tonkay, Robert H. Storer, Ronald M. Sallade, David J. Leandri

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Due to the increased use of Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs) and fine pitch and ultra fine pitch Quad Flat Packages (QFPs), there is a dramatic increase in demand for solder paste inspection after the stencil printing process. The important response variables of the printing process are deposited solder paste volume, area, height and position. To identify and remove defects at the earliest possible process step, a 3-D solder paste inspection system should be used to monitor solder paste deposited on all pads on every board before component placement. An example is a fully automatic laser-based 3-D triangulation solder paste inspection …

Critical Variables Of Solder Paste Stencil Printing For Micro-Bga And Fine Pitch Qfp, Jianbiao Pan, Gregory L. Tonkay, Robert H. Storer, Ronald M. Sallade, David J. Leandri

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Stencil printing continues to be the dominant method of solder deposition in high volume surface mount assembly. Control of the amount of solder paste deposited is critical for fine pitch and ultra-fine pitch SMT assembly. The process is still not well understood as indicated by the fact that industry reports 52-71% of SMT defects are related to the solder paste stencil printing process. The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical variables that influence the deposited solder paste volume, area, and height. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of relevant process parameters on the amount of …

Application Of A Fiber-Reinforced Continuum Theory To Multiple Deformations Of The Annulus Fibrosus, Stephen M. Klisch, Jeffrey C. Lotz

Mechanical Engineering

Accurate tissue stress predictions for the annulus fibrosus are essential for understanding the factors that cause or contribute to disc degeneration and mechanical failure. Current computational models used to predict in vivo disc stresses utilize material laws for annular tissue that are not rigorously validated against experimental data. Consequently, predictions of disc stress resulting from physical activities may be inaccurate and therefore unreliable as a basis for defining mechanical–biologic injury criteria. To address this need we present a model for the annulus as an isotropic ground substance reinforced with two families of collagen fibers, and an approach for determining the …

Ole Miss Engineer 1999

Ole Miss Engineer

No abstract provided.

The Microchannel Flow Of A Micropolar Fluid, Guohua Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

Micro-channel flows have been computed to investigate the influence of Navier-Stokes formulation for the slip-flow boundary condition, and a micro-polar fluid model, respectively.

The results of the slip boundary condition show that the current methodology is valid for slip-flow regime (i.e., for values of Knudsen number less than approximately 0.1). Drag reduction phenomena apparent in some micro-channels can be explained by slip-flow theory. These results are in agreement with some computations and experiments.

An ad hoc micro-polar fluid model is developed to investigate the influence of micro effects, such as micro-gyration, in micro-scale flows. The foundation of the ad hoc …

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition Experiment Using.The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carol Emrich

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Satellite Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) was tested using the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) Ka-band signal and Ultra Small Aperture Terminal (USAT) ground stations. The SCADA system included a photovoltaic (PV)/diesel hybrid power generator designed to provide electricity to a rural community in a developing country. End-to-end baseline hardware checkout experiments have been completed. Results show that continuous two-second data transfers for real time monitoring can be completed with an error rate of less than 1%. The system recovers from simulated perturbations quickly and gracefully. Specifically, normal operation is resumed within 36 seconds following loss of power to …

Effect Of Interfacial Mobility On Flexural Strength And Fracture Toughness Of Glass/Epoxy Laminates, T. W. H. Wang, Frank D. Blum, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mechanical testing and surface fractography were used to characterize the fracture of E-glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites as a function of the silane coupling agent used. gamma-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) and delta-aminobutyltriethoxysilane (ABS) were used because these have been shown to have different interfacial mobilities at multilayer coverage. The values of the properties studied generally increased from untreated c, as determined from a Mode I translaminar fracture toughness tests, for the untreated composites (10.5 ± 0.4 kJ/m2) was lower than that for the ABS-treated composites (14.3 ± 2.1 kJ/m2) which was lower than that for the APS-treated composites (17.1 ± 2.4 kJ/m2). …

The Mechtech Program: An Education And Training Model For The Next Century, Robert Forrant

New England Journal of Public Policy

The small-firm metalworking industry is routinely characterized by cutthroat competition and fierce privacy. Yet, since the late 1980s, the members of the western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association have participated in an education, training, and technology diffusion network characterized by a high degree of interfirm cooperation. Hundreds of workers and managers have take part in group training sessions and seminars. The reconstruction of the skill base is central to the MechTech apprenticeship program through which apprentices spend four years in participating firms, exiting the program as licensed machinists, tool and die makers, or moldmakers. In an …

Sept 1999, Tractor Museum

Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum: Planning and Development Documents

Director's Report Curator's Report Friend's Letterhead and Logo

Screen Printing Process Design Of Experiments For Fine Line Printing Of Thick Film Ceramic Substrates, Jianbiao Pan, Gregory L. Tonkay, Alejandro Quintero

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Screen printing has been the dominant method of thick film deposition because of its low cost. Many experiments in industry have been done and many models of the printing process have been developed since the 1960's. With a growing need for denser packaging and a drive for higher pin count, screen printing has been refined to yield high resolution prints. However, fine line printing is still considered by industry to be difficult. In order to yield high resolution prints with high first pass yields and manufacturing throughput, the printing process must be controlled stringently.

This paper focuses on investigating the …

Galnnas Resonant-Cavity-Enhanced Photodetector Operating At 1.3 Μm, J. B. Heroux, Xiaodong Yang, W. I. Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We demonstrate a GaAs-based p-i-n resonant-cavity-enhanced (RCE) GalnNAs photodetector operating near 1.3 µm. The device design was optimized using a transfer matrix method and experimental absorption spectra obtained from p-i-n structures grown without a resonant cavity. The RCE photodetector was fabricated in a single growth step by using GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflectors for the top and bottom mirrors. A 72% quantum efficiency was obtained with a full width at half maximum of 11 nm.

Interventions Of Water Jet Technology On Skin Surgery, Kittipat Vichyavichien

Theses

The perfect and precise surgical cut, similar to today's laser one, is very important in many surgeries, especially in dissection and to recanaize arterial occlusive lessions. Causing no coagulation is one of the advantages of water jet because it generates no heat. It also provides omni-directional cutting capabilities at very high speeds, resulting edge quality that is usually superior to other existing conventional cutting processes. Debris is always carried away from incisions by jet stream and less damaged tissue, than mechanical incisions. In addition, water jet exerts minimal contact pressure on the tissue being cut due to the small diameter …

Biomechanical Study Of Performance Of A Plugged Femoral Implant Coupled With A Trochanter Cable System Using Finite Element Analysis, Deanna Yvonne Carstarphen

Theses

A Finite Element Analysis was conducted to determine the effect of a plug on the performance of the critical section of a femoral implant coupled with a trochanter cable grip system. The critical section was defined near the proximal end of the stem where a hole was designed for the purpose of attaching the cable grip system. Two models were generated for the analysis. One consisted of the critical section with the grip cables and a plug filled in the hole and the other was without the plug. The models were based on design specifications provided by Howmedica Incorporated. Two …

An Assessment Of Renewable Energy Options At Brooks Camp, Katmai National Park And Preserve, Florida Solar Energy Center, Gerard Ventre

FSEC Energy Research Center®

At the request of Brad Richie, NPS Alaska Support Office and manager of the Brooks Camp relocation project, a renewable energy team (RET) from the Department of Energy/Federal Energy Management Program (DOE/FEMP) conducted an on-site power system assessment at Brooks Camp. The assessment included:

• An evaluation of the current electrical loads at the site,
• An evaluation of the current facility power system,
• A review of the plans for the relocated facility and planned power needs,
• An assessment of the renewable resources and possible siting options, and
• The identification of potential opportunities for renewable power systems.

The RET activities were coordinated …