Engineering Commons^™

The Rrnat/Rdna Ratio As A Measure Of Nitrite Oxidizing Activity, Shawn A. Hawkins

Doctoral Dissertations

A bench scale nitrification reactor (BSNR) containing nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) of the genus Nitrobacter (» 1 × 10¹⁰/L; 5 - 22% of bacteria) was used to assess the ribosomal RNA transcript (rRNAt) to ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) ratio as an in-situ nitrite oxidizing activity metric. A quantitative PCR detection system was developed that amplified a 143 base pair sequence within the Nitrobacter spp. 16S - 23S intergenenic spacer region. The resulting real-time PCR (rDNA) and real-time RT-PCR (rRNAt) assays were specific, accurate, and sensitive, requiring three replicate nucleic acid extracts to reliably detect a true 2-fold concentration …

Sensors To Monitor Cfrp/Concrete Bond In Beams Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Sangdo Hong, Ronald S. Harichandran

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The use of inexpensive electrochemical impedance spectroscopy based sensor technology for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of bond degradation between external carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) reinforcement and concrete is examined. Copper tape on the surface of the CFRP sheet, stainless steel wire embedded in the concrete, and reinforcing bars were used as the sensing elements. Laboratory experiments were designed to test the capability of the sensors to detect the debonding of the CFRP from the concrete and to study the effect of short-term (humidity and temperature fluctuations) and long-term (freeze-thaw and wet-dry exposure and rebar corrosion) environmental conditions on the measurements. The …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design And Implementation Of 1-2 Ghz Stepped Frequency Gpr For Buried Metal Detection, Joko Suryana, Andriyan B. Suksmono, Tati R. Mengko

Makara Journal of Technology

Design and Implementation of 1-2 GHz Stepped Frequency GPR for Buried Metal Detection. In this paper, we describe the design and realization steps of 1 – 2 GHz SFGPR (Stepped Frequency Ground Penetrating Radar) transceiver for metal detection under the ground. Before using prototyped GPR for detecting the metal under the ground, several of calibration processes must be performed, namely phase calibration and monocycle pulse waveform calibration. After completing the calibrations, this prototyped GPR would be ready for detecting a hidden object such as a metal plate 5 cm under the ground in our small test range size 25 cm …

Simultaneous Treatment Of Organic (Phenol) And Heavy Metal (Cr6+ Or Pt4+) Wastes Over Tio2, Zno-Tio2 And Cds-Tio2 Photocatalysts, Slamet Slamet, R. Arbianti, Daryanto Daryanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Simultaneous Treatment of Organic (Phenol) and Heavy Metal (Cr6+ or Pt4+) Wastes over TiO2, ZnO-TiO2 and CdS-TiO2 Photocatalysts. Treatment of heavy metal (Cr6+ and Pt4+) and organic (phenol) wastes has been studied using the relatively new method, i.e. simultaneous photocatalytic process over TiO2 photocatalysts in the batch photoreactor. Following the photocatalytic reduction of the heavy metal wastes, recovery of Cr and Pt was carried out by precipitation and leaching method, respectively. The experimental results show that in the simultaneous photocatalytic system, there is a synergism effect between the photocatalytic reduction of heavy metal waste (Cr6+ or Pt4+) and the oxidation …

Synthesis Of Fuel Cell Membrane: Copolymerization Of Styrene On Etfe Film By Grafted Pre-Irradiation, Yohan Yohan, Rifai M. Nur, Lilik Hendrajaya, E. S. Siradj

Makara Journal of Technology

Synthesis of Fuel Cell Membrane: Copolymerization of Styrene on ETFE Film by Grafted pre-Irradiation. Preirradiation Grafting styrene monomer on ETFE film has been prepared. Research has been performed by γ-ray radiation at various total dose from 2.5 – 12.5 kGy and various dose rate from 1.3 – 1.9 kGy/hour. Irradiated copolymer is then grafted by styrene monomer in various solvent: ethanol, 2-propanol, and toluene, various concentration from 20 – 70% volume, various temperature from 50 – 90oC, and various grafting time from 2 – 12 hours. The results showed that percent of grafting is increase with increase of total dose …

Design Of Generating Dual Frequency Operation For Triangular Microstrip Antenna Using Electromagnetic Coupling, Indra Surjati, Eko Tjipto Rahardjo, Djoko Hartanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Design of Generating Dual Frequency Operation for Triangular Microstrip Antenna Using Electromagnetic Coupling. A new design is proposed in this paper by applying a pair of slits using a microstrip feed line. Therefore the microstrip line feeding system is electromagnetically coupled to the patch. The antenna works at two different frequencies in the range from 2 GHz to 4 GHz (S band frequency). The results of the simulation shows that the dual frequency operation can be created when the slit width is 1 mm and the height of the slits ranges from 10 mm to 14 mm with inter slit …

Development Of Low Frequency Vibration Method Of Direct-Write Deposition Relevant To Layer Manufacturing Application, Susilo Adi Widyanto, Alva Edy Tontowi, Jamasri Jamasri, Heru Santosa Budi Rochardjo

Makara Journal of Technology

The research of deposition process is the first step in development process of multi materials selective laser sintering. The deposition process enables to settle multi materials powder in horizontal formation on one layer. In this research we use low frequency (70 - 200Hz) to vibrate a hopper nozzle in which powder is settled. The research method consists of two steps, the first step is to determine flow-ability parameters and the second is to join flow ability parameter with other parameters such that the line width can be controlled. The results show that the line width depends on uniformity of particle …

Design Of Product Placement Layout In Retail Shop Using Market Basket Analysis, Isti Surjandari, Annury Citra Seruni

Makara Journal of Technology

Retailing is an industry with high level of competition. It is a customer-based industry which depends on how it could be aware of what the customers’ needs and requirements are. One technique most used in supermarkets is the mix merchandise. The purpose of this paper is to identify associated products, which then grouped in mix merchandise with the use of market basket analysis. This association between products then will be applied in the design layout of the product in the supermarket. The process of identifying the related products bought together in one transaction is done by using data mining technique. …

Production Hydrogen And Nanocarbon Via Methane Decomposition Using Ni-Based Catalysts. Effect Of Acidity And Catalyst Diameter, Widodo W. Purwanto, M. Nasikin, E. Saputra, L. Song

Makara Journal of Technology

Objectives of this research are mainly to study impacts of acidity strength (by varying amount of precipitant and loading Al-Si) and the effect of nickel particle size (by varying calcinations temperature) on decomposition reaction performances. In this research, high-nickel-loaded catalyst is prepared with two methods. Ni-Cu/Al catalysts were prepared with co-precipitation method. While the Ni-Cu/Al-Si catalyst were prepared by combined co-precipitation and sol-gel method. The direct cracking of methane was performed in 8mm quartz fixed bed reactor at atmospheric pressure and 500-700°C. The main results showed that the Al content of catalyst increases with the increasing amount of precipitant. The …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Least-Squares Finite-Element Scheme For The Lattice Boltzmann Method On An Unstructured Mesh, Yusong Li, Eugene J. Leboeuf, P. K. Basu

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

A numerical model of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) utilizing least-squares finite-element method in space and the Crank–Nicolson method in time is developed. This method is able to solve fluid flow in domains that contain complex or irregular geometric boundaries by using the flexibility and numerical stability of a finite-element method, while employing accurate least-squares optimization. Fourth-order accuracy in space and second-order accuracy in time are derived for a pure advection equation on a uniform mesh; while high stability is implied from a von Neumann linearized stability analysis. Implemented on unstructured mesh through an innovative element-by-element approach, the proposed method …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Modified Log–Wake Law For Zero-Pressure-Gradient Turbulent Boundary Layers, Junke Guo, Pierre Y. Julien, Meroney N. Meroney

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This paper shows that the turbulent velocity profile for zero-pressure-gradient boundary layers is affected by the wall shear stress and convective inertia. The effect of the wall shear stress is dominant in the so-called overlap region and can be described by a logarithmic law in which the von Karman constant is about 0.4 while the additive constant depends on a Reynolds number. The effect of the convective inertia can be described by the Coles wake law with a constant wake strength about 0.76.A cubic correction term is introduced to satisfy the zero velocity gradient requirement at the boundary layer edge. …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Per Capita Expenditures Of Suburbanizing Communities In Maine, New England Environmental Finance Center

Economics and Finance

This study analyzes per capita expenditure trends among selected fast-growing Maine towns from 1970-2004. The ten communities studied are termed as “suburbanizing” towns. This term is used to describe towns that over the past 30-40 years have been in the process of transition from rural to suburban – in terms of their population and housing densities, their forms of government, and the services they provide, as well as other characteristics.1 Such towns are of particular interest because they have been absorbing a healthy percentage of the state’s population growth during this time period, often at the expense of Maine’s service …

Stabilization And Improvement Of Organic Soils, Joonho Hwang, Aaron Humphrey, Antonio Bobet, Maria Caterina Santagata

JTRP Technical Reports

Peats and organic soils in general pose significant problems to geotechnical engineers due to their low strength, high compressibility and elevated creep. The research performed addressed one soil improving technique, deep soil mixing, that has been widely used for treating soft clays, but that especially in the US has found limited use in presence of organic soils. The work performed made use primarily of one soil sampled on Lindberg Road (LR) in West Lafayette, IN characterized by LOI= 45-52%, LL= 327%, PL= 162%, LLoven dried/LLnon-dried = 0.31, Gs = 2.05-2.12, fiber content ~2.29%, clay fraction = 40.6%. In addition, a …

Effects Of Long-Term Wastewater Application On Chemical Properties And Phosphorus Adsorption Capacity In Soils Of A Wastewater Land Treatment System, Cong Hu, Tian Zhang, Yong Huang, Mohamed F. Dahab, Rao Surampalli

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The buildup of phosphorus (P) in the soil is a major factor limiting the operating life of a wastewater land treatment system. In this study, we evaluated changes of chemical properties, P profiles, and adsorption isotherms in the soils of a Muskegon wastewater land treatment system, which has received wastewater for ~30 years. It was found that the pH in the 15-cm topsoil increased from ~5-6 in 1973 to ~7.4-7.8 in 2003; a large amount of salt (e.g., Ca, Mg) in wastewater was adsorbed by the soil; the soil Al content (either exchangeable or oxalate extractable) decreased, while the oxalate-extractable …

High-Impact, Energy-Absorbing Vehicle Barrier System: U.S. Patent No. Us 6,926,461 B1, Ronald K. Faller, Dean L. Sicking, John R. Rohde, A. Keller, Robert W. Bielenberg, James C. Holloway, Kenneth H. Addink, Karla A. Polivka

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

A high-impact, energy-absorbing vehicle barrier system generally includes a substantially rigid outer containment wall coupled via cable restraint assemblies with an energy-absorbing inner impact wall, and energy-absorbing cartridges strategically positioned between the impact wall and containment-wall: The impact wall is constructed of a number of rectangular tubes coupled with one another to presents a substantially smooth, uniform surface to passing vehicles. The energy-absorbing cartridges generally consist of a number of foam sheets which compress and crush between the containment wall and impact wall to absorb energy from an errant vehicle striking the face of the impact wall, while the deflection …

Novel Distributed Cable Sensors For Detection Of Cracks In Rc Structures, Genda Chen, David Pommerenke

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, the development of a fundamentally new, topology-based cable sensor design concept is summarized for crack detection in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The sensitivity, spatial resolution, and signal loss of sensors are investigated both numerically and experimentally. Two sensors were fabricated and validated with small- and large-scale laboratory tests under different loads. Both were proven sensitive to crack of various sizes from visually undetectable to excessive, giving the location and severity of damage simultaneously. One sensor has been installed on a three-span bridge for its long-term monitoring. It is capable of recording damage that has occurred during a …

Floating Wim Threshold Concept For Truck Weight Enforcement, Zhongren Gu

Doctoral Dissertations

Weigh stations are the primary weight compliance checkpoints for commercial trucks. In the past several decades, states have used weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology to reduce delay and increase enforcement on overweight vehicles. This study offers a detailed analysis of weigh station systems and presents floating-threshold algorithms to improve the efficiency of WIM equipped weigh stations.

This research evaluates weigh station design and operational parameters using queueing theory and found that WIM technology not only enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of weigh station operations but also largely reduces travel delay for trucking companies. The effects of truck demand, truck weight distribution, static …

Application Of Statistical Methods And Process Models For The Design And Analysis Of Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants (Wwtps), Jinsheng Huo

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate statistical procedures to qualify uncertainty, and explicitly evaluate its impact on wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The goal is to develop a statistical-based procedure to design WWTPs that provide reliable protection of water quality, instead of making overly conservative assumptions and adopting empirical safety factors. An innovative Monte Carlo based procedure was developed to quantify the risk of violating effluent as a function of various design decisions. A simulation program called StatASPS was developed to conduct Monte Carlo simulations combined with the ASM1 model.

A random influent generator was developed to describe the …

Freeway Crash Prediction Models For Long-Range Urban Transportation Planning, Vasin Kiattikomol

Doctoral Dissertations

The need for safety assessment tools for long-range transportation planning was not seriously recognized until the Transportation Equity Act for Twenty First Century (TEA-21) established a requirement related to safety considerations in the planning process of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO). Currently, most MPOs do not assess the safety consequences of alternative transportation systems. The goal of this dissertation is to develop practical tools for assessing safety consequences of freeways in the context of long-range urban transportation plans. Data for freeway segments and crashes were obtained from North Carolina Department of Transportation and Tennessee Department of Transportation. Three different modeling approaches …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Stochastic Modeling Of The Permeability Of Randomly Generated Porous Media, Yusong Li, Eugene Leboeuf, P. K. Basu, Sankaran Mahadevan

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Permeability of porous media in subsurface environments is subject to potentially large uncertainties due to the heterogeneity of natural systems. In this study, a first-order reliability method (FORM) is combined with a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to estimate the permeability of randomly generated porous media. The proposed procedure provides an increased ease of addressing complex pore structures by employing LBM to model fluid flow, while inheriting the computational efficiency from FORM. Macroscale- equivalent permeability can thus be estimated with significantly reduced computational efforts, while maintaining a connection to the complex microscale fluid dynamics within a pore structure environment. Implemented on …

Modeling And Analysis Of The Dupont Access Bridge, Naiyu Wang

Masters Theses

This thesis evaluates the lateral wheel load distribution on a two-span experimental highway bridge, examines the continuity of the superstructure over the center pier, and investigates the connection between bridge girders and abutments. Simplified finite element models of the bridge superstructure with different boundary conditions were made during the research to simulate the bridge behavior and verify the field data. Live load distribution factors for moment from the model with a rotational spring connection between bridge girders and abutment correlated well with factors from field measurements, and they were compared with factors from other methods currently in use such as …

Analytical Verification Of The Aci Approach Of Estimating Tensile Strain Capacity Of Mass Concrete, Cristina Diane Seay

Masters Theses

Mass concrete fill is being used for the support of a facility foundation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The facility design requires the support foundation to be relatively crack-free in order to attain the shear wave velocity of 6000 fps, which is necessary for acceptable structural behavior during a design basis earthquake. Specifications were developed for use during construction of the support foundation to ensure that the mix design, sequential placement, and curing are performed to standards that would best ensure a relatively crack-free product. The mix design and subsequent placement strategy were developed by using an American Concrete Institute (ACI) …

Modern Technologies For Design Data Collection, James Samuel Bethel, Steven D. Johnson, Monica Prezzi, Boudewijn H. W. Van Gelder, Bob G. Mccullouch, Ali Fuat Cetin, Seungwoo Han, Mosab Hawarey, Changno Lee, Aparajithan Sampath, Jie Shan

JTRP Technical Reports

Design data collection involving the use of Lidar instrument, in conjunction with GPS proves to be very effective. Data required to model two bridges over the I-70 was collected on a single day, involving five and six sessions with Lidar equipment. Even though the data was collected on two bridges, it did not cause any disruption of the traffic, either on the Interstate or on the bridges. A major cause of concern during survey activities, particularly along interstates is safety, both for the motorists as well as the people involved in data collection. Lidar data collection was found to be …

Stabilization Of Residual Soil With Rice Husk Ash And Cement, Hilmi Mahmud

Hilmi Mahmud

Stabilization of residual soils is studied by chemically using cement and rice husk ash. Investigation includes the evaluation of such properties of the soil as compaction, strength, and X-ray diffraction. Test results show that both cement and rice husk ash reduce the plasticity of soils. In term of compactability, addition of rice husk ash and cement decreases the maximum dry density and increases the optimum moisture content. From the viewpoint of plasticity, compaction and strength characteristics, and economy, addition of 6-8% cement and 10-15% rice husk ash is recommended as an optimum amount. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence Of Optical Fiber Coating Damage In The Light Transmissivity Characteristics Of Microbend Sensors, Franz Campero, Paul J. Cosentino, David C. Fleming, Edward H. Kalajian, Barry G. Grossman

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

A laboratory testing and engineering modeling study was completed to determine the influence of fiber optic coating damage caused by microbend contact on the performance of microbend sensors developed based on relatively low cost single-sided microbending technique using a multimode optical fiber. A testing method was designed, developed and implemented to determine the loads that caused optical fiber glass-coating debonding and coating fracture. Finite Element models of the fiber-deformer system were developed to study the failure modes and predict the stresses that caused this failure. Loads and displacements predicted by Finite Element models were found to be in good agreement …