Engineering Commons^™

Wind Farm Layout Optimization With Loads Considerations, Andrew P. J. Stanley, Jennifer King, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

The objective of this paper is to improve the annual energy production of a wind farm by optimizing the layout of a wind farm, while considering fatigue loads on turbines. In this paper, the loads are estimated using the edgewise bending moment computed using CCBlade, a steady-state blade element momentum code. The edgewise bending moment is then used to calculate fatigue damage using Miner’s rule. The fatigue damage is used to constrain the layout optimization problem. We show that our method can predict blade root damage with similar trends to damage calculated with other methods, such as a complex, computationally …

Controlling Weldment And Metallurgical Properties Through Process Control In Rotary Friction Welding, Brandon Scott Boyer Taysom

Theses and Dissertations

Weld quality in the context of process control and internal conditions is studied. Several different alloys are welded including plain carbon steel, high-temperature steels, and several traditional and advanced superalloys. Across all studied weld systems, the following conditions led to stronger welds: higher forces and feedrates, lower temperatures, and moderate or limited upsets. In the best cases, post-weld strengths were nearly equal to basemetal strength. Tradition holds that large and symmetric upsets are necessary for good welds, but this study contradicts that notion. The fundamental requirements for bonding are two sufficiently clean surfaces in intimate contact. Only minimal upset is …

Adhesion Testing Of Printed Inks While Varying The Surface Treatment Of Polymer Substrates, Clayton Neff, Edwin Elston, Amanda Schrand, Nathan B. Crane

Faculty Publications

Additive manufacturing with conductive materials enables new approaches to printed electronics that are unachievable by standard electronics manufacturing processes. In particular, electronics can be embedded directly into structural components in nearly arbitrary 3D space. While these methods incorporate many of the same materials, the new processing methods require standard test methods to compare materials, processing conditions, and determine design limits. This work demonstrates a test method to quantitatively measure the adhesion failure of printed inks deposited on a substrate without changing the ink printing conditions. The proposed method is an adaption of single lap shear testing in which the lap …

Evaluation And Demonstration Of Take Home Laboratory Kit, J. A. Rossiter, S. A. Pope, B. Ll. Jones, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

This paper discusses some of the reasons for producing take home laboratory kits. This is then supplemented by detailed presentation of three different types of take home kit, alongside the motivations for their design and an evaluation of their efficacy with students.

Investigating Inducer Performance Over A Wide Range Of Operating Conditions, David Tate Fanning

Theses and Dissertations

Inducer performance is investigated for a variety of inducer geometries operating at multiple flow conditions using computational fluid dynamics. Inducers are used as a first stage in turbopumps to minimize cavitation and allow the pump to operate at lower inlet head conditions. The formation of inlet flow recirculation or backflow in the inducer occurs at low flow conditions and can lead to instabilities and cavitation-induced head breakdown. Backflow formation is often attributed to tip leakage flow. The performance of an inducer with and without tip clearance is examined. Removing the tip clearance eliminates tip leakage flow; however, backflow is still …

A Comparison Of Lithium-Ion Cathode Vertical Homogeneity As Influenced By Drying Rate And Drying Method, Alexander Jay Smart

Theses and Dissertations

During lithium-ion battery electrode fabrication, slurry drying conditions influence the resulting microstructure of electrodes. It has been found that the drying conditions can result in non-uniform cathode microstructures and material distributions. Accelerated drying, for example, is widely assumed to cause the binder in an electrode to migrate within the slurry, which can contribute to adhesion failure, and ultimately capacity fade and reduced battery life. While there are some conflicting studies regarding the aspects of accelerated drying that cause binder migration, there is not a widely used standard metric for measuring the gradient of binder across the thickness of an electrode. …

Mechanical And Temperature Resilience Of Multi-Material Systems For Printed Electronics Packaging, Clayton Neff, Justin Nussbaum, Chris Gardiner, Nathan B. Crane, James L. Zunino, Mike Newton

Faculty Publications

In this work, two AM technologies were utilized to compare the effectiveness of fabricating a simple electronic device with a conductive trace and hollow cylinder representative of ‘printed packaging’ that would survive harsh environmental conditions. The printed packaging cylinder delineates printed potting for electronics packaging. An nScrypt direct write (DW) system was the primary manufacturing system but a developing technology—coined large area projection sintering (LAPS)—manufactured a subset of samples for comparison. The tests follow Military Standard (MIL STD) 883K and include resiliency evaluation for die shear strength, temperature cycling, thermal shock, and high G loading by mechanical shock. Results indicate …

Effects Of Infiltration Temperature, Time, And Gas Flow Rate On Material Properties Of Carbon Infiltration Carbon Nanotubes, Shane Dirk Sypherd

Theses and Dissertations

This work characterizes the material properties of carbon infiltrated carbon nanotube (CI- CNT) structures. The impacts of temperature, time, and hydrogen flow rates on the material prop- erties of modulus of elasticity and strength are examined and compared. Carbon infiltration levels are assessed through the use of SEM images to determine which parameters give the highest level of infiltration. Through the use of SEM, carbon capping is observed on samples infiltrated for longer times at 900 and 950◦ C, suggesting that the samples are not being infiltrated during the entire desired infiltration period at these temperatures. The highest material properties …

Reduction Of A Detailed Soot Model For Simulations Of Pyrolysing Solid Fuels, Alexander J. Josephson, Emily M. Hopkins, David O. Lignell, Rod R. Linn

Faculty Publications

This work presents a computationally inexpensive soot formation model for use in simulating large solid-complex fuel systems. The proposed model evaluates three variables: number density of tars, bulk mass density of soot particles, and particle number density. Each of these variables are influenced by soot formation phenomena, and this model evaluates the most common of these phenomena: soot nucleation, surface reactions, and coagulation. Two separate simulations were carried out using this model and results were compared against simulations using a more detailed and computationally expensive model. Results are promising and show a meaningful reduction in model complexity and computational cost …

Characterization Of Mechanical Properties Of Thin-Film Li-Ion Battery Electrodes From Laser Excitation And Measurements Of Zero Group Velocity Resonances, Jing Yao, Joseph Cassler, Dean R. Wheeler, Brian A. Mazzeo

Faculty Publications

The mechanical properties of thin-film Li-ion battery electrodes are controlled by the microstructure of the constituent materials. In this work, a noncontact and nondestructive measurement of the mechanical properties of electrode films is performed by measurement of zero-group velocity (ZGV) resonances. Theoretical models are used to quantify the sensitivity of the ZGV resonances to changes in mechanical properties. The ZGV Lamb modes of a solid bilayer consisting of a thin metallic layer and a thin compliant coating layer are shown to be dependent on Young’s moduli, thicknesses, densities, and Poisson’s ratios of the layers. Experimental ZGV resonances are excited using …

Generalized Beam–Spring Model For Predicting Elastic Behavior Of Partially Composite Concrete Sandwich Wall Panels, Salam Al-Rubaye, Taylor Sorensen, Robert J. Thomas, Marc Maguire

Faculty Publications

Partially composite sandwich wall panels (SWP) have been used in the construction industry for at least twenty years. Currently there is limited codified guidance for designers of partially composite concrete SWP, but they are being designed safely and routinely. Design is often guided by the composite connector manufacturers who sell proprietary composite connectors often using a variation of truss-type matrix methods for prediction of elastic behavior of SWPs. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the accuracy of such a model in a uniform manner by developing a generalized version of these matrix models called the beam-spring model (BSM). …

Relative Navigation Of Fixed-Wing Aircraft In Gps-Denied Environments, Gary J. Ellingson, Kevin M. Brink, Timothy Mclain

Faculty Publications

The future impact of small unmanned aircraft will depend in part on how well they can navigate in GPS-denied and GPS-degraded environments. While several GPS-denied navigation methods have been introduced, small fixed-wing aircraft have, for the most part, been neglected. This paper introduces a method to enable GPS-denied fixed-wing flight while accounting for fixed-wing-specific sensing requirements. This work uses a methodology called relative navigation as an overarching framework. The development of an odometry-like, front-end, EKF-based estimator that utilizes only a monocular camera and an inertial measurement unit is presented. The filter uses the measurement model of the multi-state-constraint Kalman filter. …

Irregular Quadrature Amplitude Modulation For Adaptive Physical-Layer Security, Hunter Searle, Marco A. C. Gomes, Joao P. Vilela, Willie K. Harrison

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis propose adding an irregular quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellation to a wireless transmission scheme in order to obtain greater control over the signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) required to successfully decode the signal. By altering the separation between adjacent symbols, the minimum required SNR is raised without degradation in the performance of the scheme. This allows the system to adapt to preferable channel conditions for the authorized user, making it harder for eavesdroppers to intercept and decode the transmission, thus making the communication safer. In addition, we show that by overlaying a coset code onto the QAM constellation, a new, …

Wetting Metamorphosis Of Hydrophobic Fluoropolymer Coatings Submerged In Water And Ultrasonically Vibrated, Matthew Trapuzzano, Nathan B. Crane, Rasim Guldiken, Andrés Tejada-Martínez

Faculty Publications

Many important processes, from manufacture of integrated circuit boards, to an insect’s ability to walk on water, depend on the wetting of liquids on surfaces. Wetting is commonly controlled through material selection, coatings, and/or surface texture. However, wetting is sensitive to environmental conditions. In particular, some hydrophobic fluoropolymer coatings are sensitive to extended water exposure as evidenced by a declining contact angle and increasing contact angle hysteresis. Understanding “degradation” of these coatings is critical to applications that employ them. The durability of a series of fluoropolymer coatings were tested by measuring the contact angle before, during, and after extended submersion …

Studies Of Dislocation Density Quantification Via Cross-Correlation Ebsd, Samuel Searle Friedbaum

Theses and Dissertations

One conventional method for studying dislocations uses the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), a complex and expensive piece of equipment which requires extensive specimen preparation in order to thin the specimens to electron transparent thickness. Newer High Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffraction (HREBSD) methods of determining geometrically necessary dislocation content via cross-correlation promise to be able to produce estimates of the dislocation density of the sample over a larger area with considerably less preparation time and using a much more accessible instrument. However, the accuracy of the new EBSD technique needs more experimental verification, including consideration of possible changes in the specimen …

A Methodology To Measure The Impact Of Diversity On Cybersecurity Team Effectiveness, Caralea May Cornel

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the definition of cybersecurity professional has been diluted to include more individuals, particularly women, to be included. Depending on the definition used, women currently comprise between 11% and 25% of the cybersecurity workforce. While multiple studies have indicated the benefits to diverse teams, research in the cybersecurity area is lacking.This research proposes a framework that uses a modified escape-the-room gamified scenario to measure the effectiveness of cybersecurity teams in technical problem-solving. The framework presents two routes, incident response and penetration testing, the participants can choose. In a preliminary study, this framework is used to show the combination …

Simulation Framework And Potential Field Relocation For Systems Of Shared Autonomous Vehicles, Landon Blaine Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Shared autonomous vehicles present a significant opportunity to change the way that urban mobility is viewed by society. By providing a shared mobility platform at a cost lower than has previously been obtainable there are significant possibilites to enable a new era of mobility for consumers. This opportunity, however, comes with significant risks in the form of emissions and increased road usage. Understanding how the risks and benefits of shared autonomous vehicles can be balanced is crucial to be able to adequately prepare for their introduction. One of the primary ways to understand the interplay between the risks and benefits …

Characterization Of Dislocation - Grain Boundary Interactions Through Electron Backscatter Diffraction, Landon Thomas Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

Further understanding of dislocation-GB interactions is critical to increasing the performance of polycrystalline metals. The research contained within this dissertation aims to further dislocation-GB interaction understanding through three research studies. First, the effect of noise in EBSPs on GND calculations was evaluated in order to improve dislocation characterization via HR-EBSD. Second, the evolution of GNDs and their effects on back stress was studied through experimental and computational methods applied to tantalum oligo specimens. Third, statistical analysis was used to evaluate grain parameters and current GB transmission parameters on their correlation with dislocation accumulation.

Distribution Of Tremorogenic Activity Among The Majorsuperficial Muscles Of The Upper Limb Insubjects With Essential Tremor, David Jordan Standring

Theses and Dissertations

Optimized peripheral tremor suppression could address many limitations of surgical or medicinal treatments of Essential Tremor, however it is not well understood how the tremorogenic activity is distributed among the muscles of the upper limb, and therefore how to optimize such suppression. We recorded electromyographic (EMG) activity in the 15 major superficial muscles from the shoulder to the wrist while subjects performed postural and kinetic tasks similar to activities of daily living. We calculated the power spectral density and computed the total power in the tremor band (4"12 Hz) for each muscle, from which we determined the distribution of tremorogenic …

The Effect Of Subglottic Stenosis On The Aerodynamic, Acoustical, And Vibratory Output Of Synthetic Vocal Fold Models, Benjamin Allen Hilton

Theses and Dissertations

There are many conditions and diseases that affect voice production. One of these, subglottic stenosis (SGS), is characterized by a narrowing of the trachea near the cricotracheal junction. SGS causes dyspnea (labored breathing) and frequently surgery is necessary to eliminate the airway obstruction. SGS is also believed to adversely affect voice quality. While significant research has been conducted to study the effect of SGS on breathing, relatively few studies concerning its effect on voice production have been performed. The purpose of this research was to provide quantitative results concerning the predicted effects of SGS on vocal fold (VF) vibration and …

Comparison Of Heat Generation Models In Finite Element Analysis Of Friction Welding, Richard Verile Livingston

Theses and Dissertations

Finite element models of friction welding can be used to estimate internal conditions of welds which are useful for weld analysis and developing experimental welding procedures. Many modeling techniques are used to accomplish these goals, each with relative strengths and weaknesses. A comparative analysis of friction welding models using different heat generation methods is presented. The three different heat generation methods examined were viscoplastic friction, constant steady-state generation, and experimentally measured power data. The models were compared against each other using three output measurements: temperature, axial force, and upset. The friction model predicted temperatures within 40 degrees C. Temperature accuracy …

Significance Of The Rates Of Atmospheric Deposition Around Utah Lake And Phosphorus-Fractionation Of Local Soils, Joshua Glen Reidhead

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophic Utah Lake receives a large nutrient load from a variety of sources, includingtreated wastewater discharges, runoff and tributaries, recycling from bottom sediments andAtmospheric Deposition (AD). AD was the focus of this study and was comprised of twocomplementary parts. First was a study of nitrogen and phosphorus depositions from theatmosphere, and second was a study of phosphorous as contained in soils near Utah Lake viafractionation methods.The soil samples were found to contain approximately 1,000 mg-P/kg soil for totalphosphorus (TP). A separate phosphorus (P) fractionation gave slightly higher values, excludingthe residual P, we are 95% confident that one gram of sample …

Cybersecurity Education In Utah High Schools: An Analysis And Strategy For Teacher Adoption, Cariana June Cornel

Theses and Dissertations

The IT Education Specialist for the USBE, Brandon Jacobson, stated:I feel there is a deficiency of and therefore a need to teach Cybersecurity.Cybersecurity is the “activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation” (NICE, 2018). Practicing cybersecurity can increase awareness of cybersecurity issues, such as theft of sensitive information. Current efforts, including but not limited to, cybersecurity camps, competitions, college courses, and conferences, have been created to better prepare cyber citizens nationwide for such cybersecurity occurrences. In …

Predicting Hardness Of Friction Stir Processed 304l Stainless Steel Using A Finite Element Model And A Random Forest Algorithm, Tyler Alan Mathis

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir welding is an advanced welding process that is being investigated for use in many different industries. One area that has been investigated for its application is in healing critical nuclear reactor components that are developing cracks. However, friction stir welding is a complicated process and it is difficult to predict what the final properties of a set of welding parameters will be. This thesis sets forth a method using finite element analysis and a random forest model to accurately predict hardness in the welding nugget after processing. The finite element analysis code used and ALE formulation that enabled …

Binder Jetting: A Review Of Process, Materials, And Methods, Mohsen Ziaee, Nathan B. Crane

Faculty Publications

Binder Jet printing is an additive manufacturing technique that dispenses liquid binding agent on powder. Layers are formed repeatedly to build up a physical article. Binder jetting (BJ) can be adapted to almost any powder with high production rates. The BJ process utilizes a broad range of technologies including printing methods, powder deposition, dynamic binder/powder interaction, and post-processing methods. A wide variety of materials have been demonstrated including polymers, metals, and ceramics, but a common challenge is developing printing and post-processing methods that maximize part performance. This article presents a broad review of technologies and approaches that have been applied …

Simulated Tremor Propagation In The Upper Limb: From Muscle Activity To Joint Displacement, Thomas Corie, Steven Knight Charles

Faculty Publications

Although tremor is the most common movement disorder, there are few non-invasive treatment options. Creating effective tremor suppression devices requires a knowledge of where tremor originates mechanically (which muscles) and how it propagates through the limb (to which degrees of freedom, DOF).

To simulate tremor propagation, we created a simple model of the upper limb, with tremorogenic activity in the 15 major superficial muscles as inputs and tremulous joint displacement in the 7 major DOF as outputs. The model approximated the muscle excitation-contraction dynamics, musculoskeletal geometry, and mechanical impedance of the limb.

From our simulations, we determined fundamental principles for …

Pressurized Combustion Product Temperature Measurement Using Integrated Spectral Band Ratios, Scott Cutler Egbert

Theses and Dissertations

With increasing global power demands, there is a growing need for the clean and efficient use of fossil fuel resources. Gas turbine engines are a commonly used means for generating power; from the propulsion of aircraft to electricity on municipal grids. Measuring the temperature within a turbine combustor or at a turbine inlet could provide numerous advantages related to engine control, durability, efficiency, and emissions and yet this relatively straightforward task has eluded turbine engine manufacturers, primarily because of the high temperatures and pressures, harsh environment, and limited access. Optical emissions measurements are of particular interest for this task as …

Isogeometric Bezier Dual Mortaring And Applications, Di Miao

Theses and Dissertations

Isogeometric analysis is aimed to mitigate the gap between Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and analysis by using a unified geometric representation. Thanks to the exact geometry representation and high smoothness of adopted basis functions, isogeometric analysis demonstrated excellent mathematical properties and successfully addressed a variety of problems. In particular, it allows to solve higher order Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) directly omitting the usage of mixed approaches. Unfortunately, complex CAD geometries are often constituted by multiple Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) patches and cannot be directly applied for finite element analysis.parIn this work, we presents a dual mortaring framework to couple adjacent patches …

Development And Analysis Of 3d-Printed Synthetic Vocal Fold Models, Ryan Gregory Romero

Theses and Dissertations

Vocal fold models are valuable for studying voice production. They provide an alternative method of studying the mechanics of the voice that does not require in vivo experimentation or the use of excised human or animal tissue. In this thesis, a new method of creating vocal fold models through additive manufacturing is described. The purpose of this research was to reduce model fabrication time, to decrease the number of model failures during manufacturing, and to lay the foundation for creating models with more lifelike geometric and material properties. This research was conducted in four stages. First, a suitable silicone additive …

Improving And Modeling Bacteria Recovery In Hollow Disk System, Clifton Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Identifying antibiotic resistance in blood infections requires separating bacteria from whole blood. A hollow spinning disk rapidly removes suspended red blood cells by leveraging hydrodynamic differences between bacteria and whole blood components in a centrifugal field. Once the red cells are removed, the supernatant plasma which contains bacteria is collected for downstream antibiotic testing. This work improves upon previous work by modifying the disk design to maximize fractional plasma recovery and minimize fractional red cell recovery. V-shaped channels induce plasma flow and increase fractional plasma recovery. Additionally, diluting a blood sample spiked with bacteria prior to spinning it increased the …