Engineering Commons^™

Method And Apparatus For Flotation Separation, Xiang-Huai Wang

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

A flotation method and apparatus for separating a selected constituent from an effluent of an industrial process is provided. The apparatus includes a conditioning tank and a flotation cell. The conditioning tank allows mixing a flotation reagent with an effluent and includes a mechanism for also dissolving gas in the effluent within the conditioning tank. The flotation cell includes a dissolved gas flotation chamber having an overflow for recovering the selected constituent and a tailings drain. In addition, the flotation cell also includes an added gas flotation chamber having a sparger for injecting gas into the effluent, an overflow for …

Implant Having Reduced Generation Of Wear Particulates, David A. Pienkowski

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Patents

A method is provided for reducing the amount of wear particulates generated by a total joint orthopaedic implant. The implant consists of two matched articulating components. The method includes the steps of placing the total joint orthopaedic implant in a fluid bath and articulating the implant in the fluid bath for at least 1,000 cycles. The articulation may be performed in three stages. In the first, the implant is articulated under a load of substantially 0.1-500 Newtons with sliding speeds of substantially 0.01-0.5 meters per second. During a second stage the articulation takes place under a load of substantially 200-2,500 …

On The Strain-Rate Sensitivity Of Columnar Ice, M. E. Manley, E. M. Schulson

Dartmouth Scholarship

A power law relation between stress and strain rate of the form σ ∝ ε̇1/n was used to describe the response to strain rate of S1 ice loaded across the columns at -10°C. The rate exponent, n, decreased with increasing strain from about 4.6 at an observed peak on the load displacement curve to approximately 2.6 at a shortening of 2%. Analysis of these results and of the results of other authors on different forms of ice deformed at the same temperature suggests that the power law exponent, n, is proportional to Fc/Fg. The parameter Fc/Fg is the far-field basal …

Composition Containing A Polymer And Conductive Filler And Use Thereof, Ravi F. Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

A composition containing a polymeric matrix and a conductive filler component is provided. The conductive filler component comprises conductive particles and a polymer selected from the group consisting of substituted and unsubstituted polyanilines, substituted and unsubstituted polyparaphenylenevinylenes, substituted and unsubstituted polythiophenes, substituted and unsubstituted polyazines, substituted and unsubstituted polyparaphenylenes, substituted and unsubstituted polyfuranes, substituted and unsubstituted polypyrroles, substituted and unsubstituted polyselenophene, substituted and unsubstituted poly-p-phenylene sulfides and substiututed and unsubstituted polyacetylenes, and mixtures thereof, and copolymers thereof. Compositions of the present invention are useful as corrosion protecting layers for metal substrates, for electrostatic discharge protection, electromagnetic interference shielding, and as …

A Portable Photovoltaic Water Aeration System, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Water aeration is a method to improve the water quality in a lake by adding oxygen to the water. Because water aeration systems are often located in remote locations, photovoltaics are ideal for powering these systems. This paper describes a water aeration system powered by photovoltaics that is used in Florida. The portable nature of this system permits the owner to conveniently relocate the system and aerate bodies of water as needed.

Statistical Continuum Theory For Inelastic Behavior Of A Two-Phase Medium, Brent L. Adams, H. Garmestani, S. Lin

Faculty Publications

This work was supported in part (B.L. Adams) by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation under Award no. DMR-9632556. Further support was provided by the Center for Materials Research and Technology (MARTECH at FSU) and Center for Nonlinear and Nonequilibrium Sciences (CENNAS at FAMU). A statistical contiuum mechanics formulation is presented to predict the inelastic behavior of a medium consisting of two isotropic phases. The phase distribution and morphology are represented by a two-point probability function. The isotropic behavior of the single phase medium is represented by a power law relationship between the strain rate and the resolved …

Markovian Decision Control For Traffic Signal Systems, Xiao-Hua Yu, Allen R. Stubberud

Electrical Engineering

Setting signals at intersections to minimize the queue length and vehicle delay time is a key goal in traffic management. In this paper, a new control strategy for a signalized traffic intersection is developed by applying Markovian decision control theory. Statistical analysis of simulation results with different arrival rates indicate the excellent potential of this approach.

Development And Experimental Verification Of A Three-Dimensional Model Of Left Ventricular Flow Dynamics, Tong Ding

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ischemic heart disease, which results from the insufficient coronary artery blood flow is a leading cause of mortality in developed countries. It manifests itself by abnormal left ventricular wall motion during systole.

A three dimensional numerical model was developed to simulate the flow patterns in the left ventricle. Numerical solutions were obtained by discretizing the Navier-Stokes equations for viscous, incompressible, steady flow using finite element method.

A diagnostic index Central Ejection Region (CER) as well as its quantitative version CER coefficient which are based on the flow patterns were defined as the region in which velocity vectors were aligned 5 …

34. Shunsuke Murahashi, Otto Vogl, Mikiharu Kamachi, Koichi Hatada

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Icris '96: Controlled Organization And Molecular Dynamics Of Polymers, Uji, Kyoto, Japan, Otto Vogl, Masaki Tsuji

Emeritus Faculty Author Gallery

No abstract provided.

Determination Of A Flexibility Range For Cellular Manufacturing Systems Under Product Mix Variations, Hamid Seifoddini, Manocher Djassemi

Industrial Technology and Packaging

One of the underlying assumptions in cellular manufacturing is that product mix is relatively stable over time. In this paper, a procedure for the sensitivity analysis of the performance of a cellular manufacturing system with respect to changes in the product mix is presented and a flexibility range representing the capability of the system in dealing with these changes is determined using simulation modelling. The simulation results in this study show that as the changes in the product mix increase the superiority of the performance of the cellular manufacturing system to the corresponding job shop system diminishes.

Formation Of A Metastable Bcc Solid Solution And Decomposition To A C15 Laves Phase In Melt-Spun Crnb10Ti10, Katherine C. Chen, P. G. Kotula, F. Chu, Dan J. Thoma

Materials Engineering

A metastable, disordered bcc phase has been formed from the melt in a Cr-rich alloy of the Nb-Cr-Ti system, where large volume fractions of the Laves phase would develop under equilibrium solidification conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and lattice constant determinations confirm that the melt-spun ribbons contain a bcc phase beyond its terminal solid solution limits. Solidification pathways are proposed based upon metastable and equilibrium phase diagrams. Microstructures have been studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cross-sectional TEM reveals tiny, dispersed Laves phase precipitates within the metastable bcc grains near the chill (wheel) …

The Development Of Electromechanical Batteries For Power System Support And For Short-Term Standby Power, Michael Peter O'Leary

Masters

The slow move from a fossil-fuel powered society to a renewable-energy powered society is creating and will continue to create a demand for good energy storage techniques. The electromechanical battery (EMB), comprising a flywheel energy storage system with electrical input and output, is one of the many candidate technologies. Two different EMB types are evaluated in this present project. The first is a ring (or annular) flywheel to be constructed using fibre composite materials and to rotate at high speed in a vacuum. Energy is to be imported and exported electromagnetically based on linear electrical machine principles. Confinement of the …

21st Conference On Senior Engineering Design Projects, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 21st Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects was held on December 9, 1997 at the College of Engineering and applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The college sponsors the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

Acuta Enews December 1997, Vol. 26, No. 12

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Sixth Annual Institutional Excellence Awards Competition

Slamming on the Rise

President's Column

Slamming

Board Report

A Great Seminar

Board Approves New Appointments

Meet Me at.... UM

Technology Timetable

On the Move

1998 ACUTA Events

Spotlight

DC at a Glance

Journal Editorial Calendar for 1998

Welcome New Members

Coincidences Are Not Accidental: A Theorem, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In this paper, we formalize and prove the statement that coincidences cannot be accidental, a statement that underlies many useful heuristics in mathematics and physics.

Our proof uses a version of Kolmogorov complexity, a technique originally developed to describe randomness and "accidentalness".

Why Kolmogorov Complexity In Physical Equations, Vladik Kreinovich, Luc Longpre

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Several researchers, including M. Gell-Mann, argue that the notion of Kolmogorov complexity, developed in the algorithmic information theory, is useful in physics (i.e., in the description of the physical world). Their arguments are rather convincing, but there seems to be a gap between traditional physical equations and Kolmogorov complexity: namely, it is not clear how the standard equations of physics can lead to algorithmic notions underlying Kolmogorov complexity. In this paper, this "gap" is bridged: we explain how Kolmogorov complexity naturally appear in physical equation.

Joint Map Registration And High Resolution Image Estimation Using A Sequence Of Undersampled Images, Russell C. Hardie, Kenneth J. Barnard, Ernest E. Armstrong

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

n many imaging systems, the detector array is not sufficiently dense to adequately sample the scene with the desired field of view. This is particularly true for many infrared focal plane arrays. Thus, the resulting images may be severely aliased. This paper examines a technique for estimating a high-resolution image, with reduced aliasing, from a sequence of undersampled frames. Several approaches to this problem have been investigated previously. However, in this paper a maximum a posteriori (MAP) framework for jointly estimating image registration parameters and the high-resolution image is presented. Several previous approaches have relied on knowing the registration parameters …

Measured Energy Savings Of A Comprehensive Retrofit In An Existing Florida Residence, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Simulation analysis suggests that electricity consumption can be reduced up to 40% in existing Florida homes with judicious use of methods to reduce loads, as well as more efficient equipment. To test this theory, an all-electric home was located in Miami, Florida upon which to perform a variety of retrofits. The total annual electricity consumption in the one year base-line period preceding the study was 20,733 kWh. Although high, this is not unusual for a South Florida home with a swimming pool since pool pumping often accounts 3,000 -4,000 kWh per year. Detailed instrumentation and metering equipment was installed in …

New Perspectives For Maximum Likelihood Time-Delay Estimation, John A. Stuller

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Paper Introduces a New Realization for Maximum Likelihood Time-Delay Estimation (TDE) that Illuminates the Relationships between Maximum Likelihood TDE and Other Methods. We Obtain the Result by Deriving the Likelihood Function using a Fundamental Method that Appears to Be New to the Field of Array Processing. This Method is a Natural Complement to the Generalized Karhunen-Loève Expansion. © 1997 IEEE.

Spacing Of Connections In Compression Elements For Cold-Formed Steel Members (Beams), Michael L. Jones, Roger A. Laboube, Wei-Wen Yu

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

PREFACE The spacing of connectors in compression elements of built-up flexural members was evaluated both experimentally and analytically at the University ofMissouri-Rolla (UMR) under the sponsorship of the American Iron and Steel Institute. A computational model was developed for determining the bending capacity of single-fluted sections with cover plates that do not have edge stiffeners. The results of the investigation are presented and recommendations are made for design of single-flute cross sections having cover plates without edge stiffeners. Previous research developments by Yener, at Purdue University, and Luttrell, at the University of West Virginia, were compared to the UMR experimental …

Evaluation Of The Et2000 Guardrail End Treatment, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Darrell Mcalister, Tim Gatewood

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to monitor and report the performance of the ET2000 guardrail end treatment design in traffic accidents. Data for a total of 34 collisions involving the ET2000 were identified. In most cases, an accident report was obtained and the damaged guardrail was inspected. The involved vehicle was inspected when available. Proper or improper performance of end treatments in the collisions were judged based on whether it performed as designed.

Field performance of the ET2000, as documented in traffic accidents, shows that, considering all the impacts, this end treatment has performed properly. In several instances the …

Real-Time And On-Line Near-Field Microwave Inspection Of Surface Defects In Rolled Steel, R. Zoughi, Christian J. Huber, Nasser N. Qaddoumi, Emarit Ranu, Vladimir Otashevich, Radin Mirshahi, Stoyan I. Ganchev, Thomas Johnson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The potential and limitations of near-field microwave inspection techniques for detecting various surface defects in rolled steel have been investigated. The focus of this study has been to investigate this potential for tin mill products containing gross and subtle defects including steel induced defects, roll marks, holes, scratches and gouges.

Evaluation Of Road Weather Information System: Interim Report, Joel M. Weber, R. Clark Graves, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study are to monitor and evaluate the Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS). Six RWIS sites have been installed at locations selected by the Kentucky Department of Highways. Each site includes sensors which measure temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, pavement temperature, surface condition, and chemical concentration. The data can be accessed remotely using a Windows-based software program. The data are also stored in a central database for future use.

A preliminary reliability study has been completed for five of the sites, and data are being collected for a more extensive reliability assessment. The accuracy of the …

Sinusoidal-Gaussian Beams In Complex Optical Systems, Lee W. Casperson, Dennis G. Hall, Anthony A. Tovar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sinusoidal-Gaussian beam solutions are derived for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in free space and in media having at most quadratic transverse variations of the index of refraction and the gain or loss. The resulting expressions are also valid for propagation through other real and complex lens elements and systems that can be represented in terms of complex beam matrices. The solutions are in the form of sinusoidal functions of complex argument times a conventional Gaussian beam factor. In the limit of large Gaussian beam size, the sine and cosine factors of the beams are dominant and reduce to the …

Pressure Impulses During Microsecond Laser Ablation, Hanqun Shangguan, Lee W. Casperson, Scott A. Prahl

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The collapse of laser-induced cavitation bubbles creates acoustic transients within the surrounding medium and also pressure impulses to the ablation target and light-delivery fiber during microsecond laser ablation. The impulses are investigated here with time-resolved flash photography, and they are found to occur whether or not the light-delivery fiber is in contact with the target. We demonstrate that the impulses depend primarily on the energy stored in the cavitation bubble. They are not directly dependent on the mode of light delivery (contact versus noncontact), and they are also not directly correlated to the other acoustic transients. The pressure impulses do …

Strategic Planning For Activation And Operation Of The North Central Superpave Center (Ncsc): Interim Report, Jan Olek, Rebecca Mcdaniel

JTRP Technical Reports

The North Central Superpave Center (NCSC) was established to serve the needs of the states and industry in ten states and two Canadian provinces as they implement the Superpave system. Accomplishing this goal requires the cooperation and active support of a number of people and organizations. Organizational and operational issues related to infrastructure, personnel, equipment and finances also needed to be resolved. This project was designed to address those issues, develop a comprehensive strategic plan and initiate a number of activities of the North Central Superpave Center (NCSC).

This report summarizes the efforts in the following areas:

1 . Personnel …

Flow And Congestion Control For Internet Streaming Applications, Shanwei Cen, Calton Pu, Jonathan Walpole

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The emergence of streaming multimedia players provides users with low latency audio and video content over the Internet. Providing high-quality, best-effort, real-time multimedia content requires adaptive delivery schemes that fairly share the available network bandwidth with reliable data protocols such as TCP. This paper proposes a new flow and congestion control scheme, SCP (Streaming Control Protocol) , for real-time streaming of continuous multimedia data across the Internet. The design of SCP arose from several years of experience in building and using adaptive real-time streaming video players. SCP addresses two issues associated with real-time streaming. First, it uses a congestion control …

Energy Needs During Disasters: Workshop Summary Report, Florida Solar Energy Center, Gerard Ventre

FSEC Energy Research Center®

When natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, occur, thousands of people can be left without homes, electrical power, communications, potable water, and food storage capabilities. Adequate electrical power is imperative for both disaster relief operations and community rebuilding. However, the disaster may have disrupted the commercial power supply to a community, requiring disaster relief agencies to rely on alternative sources of power. Photovoltaic-powered equipment provides electrical power which is renewable, quiet, and safe, and which can be used for many essentials of disaster relief efforts, such as refrigeration, communications and lighting. However, at present, photovoltaic (PV) technology is …

Tractor Test Museum Commttee Minutes November 19th, 1997, Tractor Museum

Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum: Planning and Development Documents

Update on Roof Progress Big Red Club State Fair Project