Engineering Commons^™

Is The Test Of Senior Friendly ⁄Child Resistant Packaging Ethical?, Laura Bix, Javier De La Fuente, Kenneth D. Pimple, Eric Kou

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Research has documented the drastic reduction of unintentional poisonings of children since the introduction of child resistant (CR) packaging. However, studies also indicate that consumers report difficulty using CR packages, in part because tests which determine the ‘senior friendliness’ of CR designs that are used throughout the world disallow people with ‘overt or obvious’ disabilities from being test subjects. Our review of drug package usability suggests that the current tests of CR packaging can and should be revised to correct this problem. We use US legislation, regulation and data to exemplify these points, but the conclusions are applicable to all …

Design And Implementation Of A Neural Network Controller For Real-Time Adaptive Voltage Regulation, Xiao-Hua Yu, Weiming Li, N. F. N. Taufik

Electrical Engineering

An adaptive controller based on multi-layer feed-forward neural network is developed for real-time voltage regulation of a class of PSFB (phase-shifted full-bridge) DC–DC converters. The controller has the unique advantages of nonlinear mapping and adaptive learning, and performs well over a wide range of input voltages and output load currents. The controller is implemented and tested in hardware using a DSP (digital signal processor) board. Experimental results show that it outperforms conventional controllers in both line regulation and load regulation.

Design And Implementation Of A Neural Network Controller For Real-Time Adaptive Voltage Regulation, Xiao-Hua Yu, Weiming Li, Taufik

Electrical Engineering

An adaptive controller based on multi-layer feed-forward neural network is developed for real-time voltage regulation of a class of PSFB (phase-shifted full-bridge) DC–DC converters. The controller has the unique advantages of nonlinear mapping and adaptive learning, and performs well over a wide range of input voltages and output load currents. The controller is implemented and tested in hardware using a DSP (digital signal processor) board. Experimental results show that it outperforms conventional controllers in both line regulation and load regulation.

Discussion Of “Analyzing Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreads Using Strength Ratios" By S.M. Olson And C.I. Johnson, Robb E.S. Moss, Justin Chow Hollenback

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Seismic Analysis Of Buildings To Recorded Motions, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This investigation focused on developing an improved understanding of challenges associated with computation of nonlinear response of three-dimensional building to recorded ground motions, and if the base shear estimated from recorded motions, denoted as “estimated base shear” in this report, is an accurate indicator of the true base shear. For this purpose, three-dimensional models of two buildings – one reinforced-concrete building and one steel building – are developed in OpenSees and Perform3D¬. The analysis of these models included pushover analysis for lateral force distribution proportional to the first mode in each of the two principle directions, and nonlinear response history …

Cost Of Quality In The Construction Industry, Philip L. Barlow

Construction Management

The construction industry needs to decrease its costs due to nonconformance by implementing an objective model for analyzing the excessive cost of poor quality and the overall savings realized from good quality. Direct cost estimates from rework in commercial building construction average about 5%. A simple calculation based on U.S. construction industry expenditures of $1.246 trillion in 2007 reveals that $62 billion is wasted just on the direct cost construction rework alone! The term quality can be applied in many different ways to various aspects of the construction process. This paper proposes a model which helps illustrate how the various …

Water Conservation's Role In California Water Transfers, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This paper describes various irrigation district water transfer projects. Water transfers have been of many types, including agriculture to agriculture, agriculture to urban, and agriculture to environment. In each case that will be described, the unique circumstances of each district will be described. Typical actions include developing a water balance to determine if “wet water” truly exists for conservation, then identifying the sources of that wet water. Subsequent actions include developing designs that will conserve the water, achieving board approval, and constructing and implementing the conservation measures.

Enhanced Vehicle Identification Utilizing Sensor Fusion And Statistical Algorithms, Stephane Roussel, Hemanth Porumamilla, Charles Birdsong, Peter Schuster, Christopher Clark

Mechanical Engineering

Several studies in the area of vehicle detection and identification involve the use of probabilistic analysis and sensor fusion. While several sensors utilized for identifying vehicle presence and proximity have been researched, their effectiveness in identifying vehicle types has remained inadequate. This study presents the utilization of an ultrasonic sensor coupled with a magnetic sensor and the development of statistical algorithms to overcome this limitation. Mathematical models of both the ultrasonic and magnetic sensors were constructed to first understand the intrinsic characteristics of the individual sensors and also to provide a means of simulating the performance of the combined sensor …

Measurement And Analysis Of Shocks To Products Packaged In Pails In Single Parcel Ground Shipments, Sher Paul Singh, Jay Singh, Pakapol Kittipinyovath

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The objective of this study was to measure and analyse the shocks and impacts experienced by pails in the single parcel distribution environment, with and without a secondary corrugated shipper. The study was conducted in the FedEx Ground shipping environment in the USA. Instrumented 5 gal pails were shipped with and without an outer corrugated box, and with and without handling (precautionary warning) labels, from East Lansing, Michigan to destinations in California and New York. Data recorders were used to collect and analyse shock distribution data (drop heights, drop orientations and number of drops). The results showed that the precautionary …

Microalgal Biomass For Greenhouse Gas Reductions: Potential For Replacement Of Fossil Fuels And Animal Feeds, D. E. Brune, Tryg Lundquist, J. R. Benemann

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Microalgal biomass production offers a number of advantages over conventional biomass production, including higher productivities, use of otherwise nonproductive land, reuse and recovery of waste nutrients, use of saline or brackish waters, and reuse of CO₂ from power-plant flue gas or similar sources. Microalgal biomass production and utilization offers potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) avoidance by providing biofuel replacement of fossil fuels and carbon-neutral animal feeds. This paper presents an initial analysis of the potential for GHG avoidance using a proposed algal biomass production system coupled to recovery of flue-gas CO₂ combined with waste sludge and/or animal manure …

Algae Grown On Dairy And Municipal Wastewater For Simultaneous Nutrient Removal And Lipid Production For Biofuel Feedstock, Ian Woertz, A. Feffer, Tryg Lundquist, Yarrow Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Algae grown on wastewater media are a potential source of low-cost lipids for production of liquid biofuels. This study investigated lipid productivity and nutrient removal by green algae grown during treatment of dairy farm and municipal wastewaters supplemented with CO₂. Dairy wastewater was treated outdoors in bench-scale batch cultures. The lipid content of the volatile solids peaked at Day 6, during exponential growth, and declined thereafter. Peak lipid content ranged from 14–29%, depending on wastewater concentration. Maximum lipid productivity also peaked at Day 6 of batch growth, with a volumetric productivity of 17 mg/day/L of reactor and an …

Reduced Uncertainty Of Ground Motion Prediction Equations Through Bayesian Variance Analysis, Robb E.S. Moss

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A ground motion prediction equation estimates the mean and variance of ground shaking with distance from an earthquake source. Current relationships use regression techniques that treat the input variables or parameters as exact, neglecting the uncertainties associated with the measurement of shear wave velocity, moment magnitude, and site-to-source distance. This parameter uncertainty propagates through the regression procedure and results in model uncertainty that overestimates the inherent variability of the ground motion. This report discusses methods of estimating the statistical uncertainty of the input parameters, and procedures for incorporating the parameter uncertainty into the regression of ground motion data using a …

Increasing Productivity In Irrigated Agriculture: Agronomic Constraints And Hydrological Realities, Chris Perry, Pasquale Steduto, Richard C. Allen, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Irrigation is widely criticised as a profligate and wasteful user of water, especially in watershort areas. Improvements to irrigation management are proposed as a way of increasing agricultural production and reducing the demand for water. The terminology for this debate is often flawed, failing to clarify the actual disposition of water used in irrigation into evaporation, transpiration, and return flows that may, depending on local conditions, be recoverable. Once the various flows are properly identified, the existing literature suggests that the scope for saving consumptive use of water through advanced irrigation technologies is often limited. Further, the interactions between evaporation …

Workshop - Feminist Engineering Education: Building A Community Of Practice, Alice L. Pawley, Donna Riley, Susan M. Lord, Trevor S. Harding

Materials Engineering

As a result of a series of papers and special sessions held at FIE between 2004 and 2008, a community of CSET educators interested in exploring feminist pedagogies has formed at FIE. Past participants in these sessions have expressed a desire to learn more about what makes a set of pedagogies "feminist." At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of research papers at FIE that draw on feminist research methods or topics. This workshop is designed to meet the needs of members of the FIE community who have some experience with feminist pedagogies or research …

Wireless Data Acquisition For Photovoltaic Power System, Makbul Anwari, Arief Hidayat, M. Imran Hamid, Taufik

Electrical Engineering

This paper presents a wireless system for monitoring the input and output of the array in a photovoltaic generation plant. The system comprises of sensors, data acquisition system, wireless access point and user computer that enable the users to access the array parameter wirelessly. Description and function of set up equipment are presented as well as the application program that supports the system.

Work In Progress - Role Of Faculty In Promoting Lifelong Learning, Jonathon Stolk, Susan M. Lord, Candice Stefanou, John Chen, Katharyn E. K. Nottis, Michael J. Prince

Mechanical Engineering

Students’ development of self-directed and lifelong learning capacities is vital for their success in today’s engineering environment. Instructors play a critical role in influencing outcomes related to self-directed learning (SDL) through their design of courses that support students’ transitions from controlled to autonomous learning behaviors. Yet there is a critical lack of research examining how instructor choices promote self-directed (and eventually lifelong) learning development in undergraduate engineering students. In this work in progress, we introduce a project that explores how instructor choices affect a range of student outcomes related to their development as self-directed and lifelong learners. Drawing on existing …

Nutrient Removal & Greenhouse Gas Abatement With Co2 Supplemented Algal High Rate Ponds, Ian Woertz, Laura Fulton, Tryg Lundquist

Civil and Environmental Engineering

High rate algae ponds fed clarified domestic wastewater and CO₂-rich flue gas are expected to remove nutrients to concentrations similar to those achieved in mechanical treatment technologies, such as activated sludge. However, the energy intensity of wastewater treatment with CO₂-supplemented high rate ponds (HRPs) would be less than that of mechanical treatments. In conjunction with anaerobic digestion of algal biomass and co-substrates, the algae-based system would produce a substantial excess of electricity. Greenhouse gas abatement from such CO₂-HRP/digestion systems would stem mainly from energy conservation and the offset of fossil fuel electricity with biogas-derived …

Biogas Production From Algae Biomass Harvested At Wastewater Treatment Ponds, Michael Salerno, Yakup Nurdogan, Tryg J. Lundquist

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Waste-grown microalgae are a potentially important biomass for biofuel production. However, most of the 7,000 wastewater treatment ponds systems in the US do not use algae harvesting. Those that do, typically return the biomass to the ponds, where it decomposes on the pond floor, releasing methane to the atmosphere and degrading water quality. Instead, the algae biomass could be processed in anaerobic digesters. Algae typically yield less methane than wastewater sludge (~0.3 vs. 0.40 L CH4/g volatile solids introduced). Ammonia toxicity and recalcitrant cell walls are commonly cited causes of the lower yields. Ammonia toxicity might be counteracted by co-digesting …

Compliance Calibration For Fracture Testing Of Anisotropic Biological Materials, J. A. Creel, S. M. Stover, R. B. Martin, D. P. Fyhrie, S. J. Hazelwood, J. C. Gibeling

Biomedical Engineering

The compliance technique has been used to monitor crack length during fracture and fatigue testing of materials. Difficulties arise when this technique is applied to anisotropic biological materials such as bone. In this tutorial, two different methods of analyzing compliance calibration data are described: the standard ASTM method and a new approach developed by the authors specifically for anisotropic materials. An example is given showing how data from equine cortical bone can be analyzed. In this example, calibration tests were conducted on thirty-six three point bend specimens machined from the middiaphysis of six pairs of equine third metacarpal bones. Cracks …

Material Properties Are Related To Stress Fracture Callus And Porosity Of Cortical Bone Tissue At Affected And Unaffected Sites, Rachel C. Entwistle,, Sara C. Sammons, Robert F. Bigley, Scott J. Hazelwood, David P. Fyhrie, Jeffery C. Gibeling, Susan M. Stover

Biomedical Engineering

Stress fractures are overuse injuries of bone that affect elite athletes and military recruits. One response of cortical bone to stress fracture is to lay down periosteal callus. The objectives of this study were to determine if material properties are different among bones with different stages of stress fracture callus, at both a callus site and at a distal site. Cortical specimens were mechanically tested to determine their stress–strain response. Material property differences were examined using nonparametric and regression analyses. At the callus site, material properties were low during the earliest stages of callus, higher with increasing callus maturity, but …

A Biomechanical Comparison Of Locked Plate Fixation With Percutaneous Insertion Capability Versus The Angled Blade Plate In A Subtrochanteric Fracture Gap Model, Brett D. Crist, Afshin Khalafi, Scott J. Hazelwood, Mark A. Lee

Biomedical Engineering

Objectives: The angled blade plate has been the historical standard in fixed-angle extramedullary subtrochanteric femur fracture fixation, but it requires an extensile lateral approach to the femur. Little formal evaluation exists for specifically designed percutaneous extramedullary implants. The purpose of this study was to compare 3 locked plating constructs, all with percutaneous insertion capability, with the standard 95-degree angled blade plate to determine whether specifically designed fixed-angle extramedullary implants for subtrochanteric femur fractures were biomechanically comparable to the angled blade plate.

Methods: Forty composite adult femurs were divided into 4 equal groups. The constructs evaluated included a 95-degree angled blade …

Effect Of Manufacturer's Joint Fastening Techniques On Compression Strength Of Corrugated Fiberboard Boxes, Jay Singh, A. Attema, Eric Olsen, Keith Vorst

Industrial Technology and Packaging

A flat piece of corrugated fiberboard, which has been cut, slotted and scored, is often referred to as a box blank. For several box styles, in order to convert the box blank into a box, its two ends must be fastened together with tape, staples or adhesives such as water soluble glues. The location at which the two ends meet is known as the manufacturer's joint. There are several variations within the three fastening techniques mentioned with most corrugated box manufacturers following their own protocols for fastening the manufacturer's joints. This study explored the compression and tensile strengths of RSC …

Harmonic Analysis Of Input Current Of Single-Phase Controlled Bridge Rectifier, Michael Mccarty, Taufik, Andre Pratama, Makbul Anwari

Electrical Engineering

Harmonic analysis of input current of single phase uncontrolled rectifier is widely known. However, little has been known about harmonic of the input current of single phase controlled or thyristor rectifier. This paper presents such an analysis using the bridge configuration for the controlled rectifier circuit. Results obtained from mathematical derivation, computer simulation, and hardware measurements will also be discussed.

Efficiency Performance Analysis Of Series Loaded Resonant Converter, Michael Mccarty, Taufik, Andre Pratama, Makbul Anwari

Electrical Engineering

Series Loaded Resonant (SLR) converter is a well known topology typically used in kilowatt-range power supplies. The topology may operate in either continuous or discontinuous conduction modes whose switching properties are covered in many power electronic text books. However, information related to the actual converter’s efficiency for each conduction mode is lacking and thus will be addressed in this paper. The development of a lab scale SLR converter will be described along with results of computer simulation. Efficiency performance from hardware results for each conduction mode when output power and switching frequency are varied will also be discussed.

A Nonlinear Constituent Based Viscoelastic Model For Articular Cartilage And Analysis Of Tissue Remodeling Due To Altered Glycosaminoglycan-Collagen Interactions, Gregory C. Thomas, Anna Asanbaeva, Pasquale Vena, Robert L. Sah, Stephen M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

A constituent based nonlinear viscoelastic (VE) model was modified from a previous study (Vena, et al., 2006, “A Constituent-Based Model for the Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behavior of Ligaments,” J. Biomech. Eng., 128, pp. 449–457) to incorporate a glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-collagen (COL) stress balance using compressible elastic stress constitutive equations specific to articular cartilage (AC). For uniaxial loading of a mixture of quasilinear VE constituents, time constant and relaxation ratio equations are derived to highlight how a mixture of constituents with distinct quasilinear VE properties is one mechanism that produces a nonlinear VE tissue. Uniaxial tension experiments were performed with newborn bovine AC …

Shock Effects On Delta Wing Vortex Breakdown, Lucy A. Schiavetta, Okko J. Boelens, Simone Crippa, Russell M. Cummings, Willy Fritz, Ken J. Badcock

Aerospace Engineering

It has been observed that delta wings placed in a transonic freestream can experience a sudden movement of the vortex breakdown location as the angle of incidence is increased. The chapter reports on the use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to examine this behaviour in detail. The study shows that a shock-vortex interaction is responsible. The balance of the vortex strength and axial flow, and the shock strength, is examined to provide an explanation of the sensitivity of the breakdown location. Limited experimental data is available to supplement the CFD results in certain key respects, and the ideal synergy between CFD …

Numerical Solutions For The Cawapi Configuration On Unstructured Grids At Usafa, United States, Scott A. Morton, David R. Mcdaniel, Russell M. Cummings

Aerospace Engineering

No abstract provided.

Numerical Solutions For The Vfe-2 Configuration On Unstructured Grids At Usafa, United States, Russell M. Cummings, Andreas Schϋtte

Aerospace Engineering

The numerical simulation of the flow for the VFE-2 configuration with rounded leading edges is presented. For the numerical simulation the Cobalt Code was used, which uses a cell-centered unstructured hybrid mesh approach. Several numerical results are presented for the steady RANS equations as well as for DES and DDES hybrid approaches. Within this paper the focus is related to the dual primary vortex flow topology, especially the sensitivity of the flow to angle of attack and Reynolds number effects. Reasonable results are obtained with both steady RANS and SA-DDES simulations. The results are compared and verified by experimental data, …

Lessons Learned From The Numerical Investigations On The Vfe-2 Configuration, Willy Fritz, Russell M. Cummings

Aerospace Engineering

The Second International Vortex Flow Experiment provided a variety of experimental data for a 65° delta wing with sharp and blunt/rounded leading edges. Flow measurements including forces and moments, surface pressures, Pressure Sensitive Paint measurements, and off-surface flow variables from Particle Image Velocimetry were made available for comparisons with computational simulations. A number of test cases were chosen for simulation by seven numerical groups, and a summary of their results is presented here. The ability of computational fluid dynamics to predict such flow features as the dual primary vortex system found on the blunt leading edge configuration and a shock/vortex …

Power Quality Analysis Of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System With Adjustable Speed Drives, M. Anwari, M. Imran Hamid, M.I. M. Rashid, Taufik

Electrical Engineering

This paper presents power quality analysis of a distributed generation system consisting of Photovoltaic (PV)-Inverter system as the renewable source connected to a network of Adjustable Speed Drives (ASDs) as the load. A small-scale laboratory consists of Photovoltaic, Inverter, ASDs and loads system was setup. Two power supplies from PV and grid were connected to two ASDs which powered two separate induction motors. Load of motor 1 was fixed while load of motor 2 was varied. In the experiment, both energy supplies from the grid and photovoltaic system were connected to the loads. Measurements have been done at both side …