Engineering Commons^™

Integration Of Process Parameter Control And Digital Image Correlation Methods In An Investigation Of The Variability Of Marine Polymer Matrix Composite Material Properties, Keith Andrew Berube

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The very nature of continuous fiber composite materials, with their heterogeneous structure of layered and interwoven fibers bound together by a polymer resin matrix, lead to an inevitable variability in mechanical properties. This is especially true if the fabrication process is not well controlled. Unlike fabricating components with metals, where the properties of the material are known beforehand, the final properties of the composite material are determined during the process of fabricating the composite part. The research described herein was undertaken to better enable the use of polymer matrix composites in the marine construction industry by developing a knowledge base …

Cleavage Of Acetyl Groups For Acetic Acid Production In Kraft Pulp Mills, Ravikant Amogisidha Patil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to determine appropriate conditions for cleavage of acetyl groups from northeast hardwood. Currently, acetyl groups end up in a waste product stream in most wood based pulp mills and thus are underutilized. Recently, a techno‐economic analysis was published that evaluated the suitability of the ‘Near‐Neutral Extraction’ process for recovery of acetic acid and ethanol in Kraft pulp mills. The results showed that the proposed process suffered from high capital investment and a low rate of return on investment. Additionally, the revenues generated by the sale of acetic acid were two times greater than the …

Assessment Of Audio Interfaces For Use In Smartphone Based Spatial Learning Systems For The Blind, Shreyans Jain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in the field of indoor positioning and mobile computing promise development of smart phone based indoor navigation systems. Currently, the preliminary implementations of such systems only use visual interfaces—meaning that they are inaccessible to blind and low vision users. According to the World Health Organization, about 39 million people in the world are blind. This necessitates the need for development and evaluation of non-visual interfaces for indoor navigation systems that support safe and efficient spatial learning and navigation behavior. This thesis research has empirically evaluated several different approaches through which spatial information about the environment can be conveyed …

Testing Of A Ducted Axial Flow Tidal Turbine, Thomas A. Lokocz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Energy independence and a reduction on the reliance on fossil fuels is a critical area of current research and development. Utilizing the energy in the world’s oceans can help the world move towards a more sustainable energy supply. One of the most promising sources of ocean energy is tidal energy or marine hydrokinetics, the topic of this thesis. This research analyzes the performance of a ducted axial flow tidal turbine and compares the result to an unducted turbine. While the focus of this research is on experimental results obtained in tow tank tests, the turbine and duct were designed using …

Physical Modeling Of Suction Caissons Loaded In Two Orthogonal Directions For Efficient Mooring Of Offshore Wind Platforms, Jade Chung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade a number of Federal and State policies and programs have promoted the development of the wind energy industry, including the establishment of offshore wind. A strategy by the Department of Energy set objectives of reducing cost and reducing time to deployment through specific deliverables such as innovative anchor and mooring design for floating offshore systems and hardware design concepts including turbine array grids. This research program proposes and investigates use of suction caissons as combined anchors to resist line loads from multiple platforms as an efficient solution for anchoring a network of wind turbine platforms.

Suction …

Flow Field Measurements For A Cross Flow Turbine, Matthew Cameron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the flow pattern around hydrokinetic devices is important for the development of tidal energy technology. The objective of the research is to provide the wake characteristics from laboratory measurements, including wake structure, and flow recovery in the near and far fields of a cross-flow turbine. The data can be used to assist in optimization of an array of turbines by providing experimental results for numerical models validation and industrial developers of tidal energy. Another critical use of this data will be to provide a basis for parameterization of energy extraction in coastal ocean models in resource assessment. The experimental …

Chemically Enhanced Water Removal In Papermaking, James John Beaupré

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work examines the utilization of chemical means to enhance the amount of water removed in the papermaking process prior to the application of heat. Through wet end application of a cationic surfactant, a significant increase in the amount of water removed in the forming and pressing sections is observed. This results in a reduction in the energy required to thoroughly dry the paper.

A variety of compounds hypothesized to potentially enhance dewatering were examined. A cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), produced significant enhanced dewatering via addition to a pulp slurry. Extensive bench top testing characterized the extent of reduction …

Surface Variable Effects On The Dynamic Properties Of Thoroughbred Horse Racetracks, Christie A. Mahaffey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, equine racing surfaces have been selected and maintained without considering quantifiable data for horse biomechanics or surface mechanical properties. This approach is currently shifting in the racing industry, with an increased interest in understanding the mechanics of the hoof-surface interface to reduce injuries. This dissertation examines three components influencing the hoof-surface interface: 1) correlations between mineralogical composition of dirt tracks, track designs, and climate; 2) the effect of variable cushion depth on dynamic loading, and 3) the effects of different horseshoes on dynamic loading. The second and third pieces of this research are based on an experimental procedure designed …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Mesoporous Silica Membranes Modified By Atomic And Molecular Layer Deposition, David Emmett Cassidy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Inorganic membranes offer a means for chemical separations in a variety of applications including chemical processing, drug delivery systems, battery separators and fuel cells. There is currently a “pore size gap” in silica membranes between 1-2 nanometers. Synthesizing membranes with a fine control of the pore size and distribution within that gap is a significant challenge. This thesis reports findings on using atomic and molecular layer deposition as new synthesis approaches to controlling pore size and chemical functionality of silica membranes. Mesoporous silica membranes, prepared using surfactant-templates with pore diameters ~4nm, were modified using atomic layer deposition and molecular layer …

Depth Sensing Planar Structures: Detection Of Office Furniture Configurations, Brendan O'Shaughnessy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Handheld devices with depth sensors have the potential to aid low-vision users in performing tasks that are difficult with traditional modes of assistance. Heuristic studies have revealed that tables have a key functional role in indoor scene descriptions. The research question addressed in this thesis is: how can we robustly and efficiently detect tables in indoor office environments? This thesis presents a solution that utilizes a functional approach to robustly detect rectangular tables in depth images generated from a Kinect sensor.

Perhaps the most significant function of a table is to provide its users with a supporting plane. This demands …