Engineering Commons^™

An Advanced Ambiguity Selection Algorithm For Seawinds, David G. Long, David W. Draper

Faculty Publications

SeaWinds on QuikSCAT, a spaceborne Ku-band scatterometer, estimates ocean winds via the relationship between the normalized radar backscatter and the vector wind. Scatterometer wind retrieval generates several possible wind vector solutions or ambiguities at each resolution cell, requiring a separate ambiguity selection step to give a unique solution. In processing SeaWinds on QuikSCAT data, the ambiguity selection is "nudged" or initialized using numerical weather prediction winds. We describe a sophisticated new ambiguity selection approach developed at Brigham Young University (BYU) that does not require nudging. The BYU method utilizes a low-order data-driven Karhunen-Loeve wind field model to promote self-consistency. Ambiguity …

Density Of States Simulations Of Proteins, Nitin Rathore, Thomas A. Knotts Iv, Juan J. De Pablo

Faculty Publications

A modified version of a recently introduced algorithm that calculates density of states by performing a random walk in energy space has been proposed and implemented to study protein folding in a continuum. A united atom representation and the CHARMM19 [B. R. Brooks, R. E. Bruccoleri, B. D. Olafson, D. J. States, S. Swaminathan, and M. Karplus, J. Comput. Chem. 4, 187 (1983)] force field are employed for these simulations. This method permits estimation of the density of states of a protein via a random walk in the energy space, thereby allowing the system to escape from local free-energy minima …

Fuel Characteristics Of Processed, High-Fiber Sugarcane, Scott Q. Turn, Charles M. Kinoshita, Lee A. Jakeway, Bryan M. Jenkins, Larry Lin Baxter 8507091, Ben C. Wu, Linda G. Blevins

Faculty Publications

A study of treatment methods to improve the fuel characteristics of sugarcane variety B52298 was conducted. Two parent materials, whole cane (WC) and stripped cane (SC), were included in the study. The whole cane material was subjected to three treatments: (1) no treatment, WC-U; (2) a single milling, WC-M; and (3) an initial milling followed by leaching and a secondary milling, WC-MLM. Treatments (1) through (3) are in order of increasing severity. The stripped cane material was subjected to treatment (3) and designated as SC-MLM. Regardless of parent material, milling produced moisture contents of ∼50% wet basis and fiber bulk …

Satisficing Applied To Simulated Soccer, Jay Packard

Theses and Dissertations

Satisficing was introduced by the economist Herbert Simon to allow for decisions that are "good enough" when there are insufficient computational resources and knowledge to obtain the optimal outcome. Autonomous multi-agent systems often require such decision making because of the complexity and unknown factors present in such an environment. Satisficing has been extended significantly by Wynn Stirling. Through extended satisficing, he has departed from conventional approaches to autonomous multi-agent systems, based as they usually are on the assumption that each participant is motivated exclusively by its own self interest, and will therefore attempt to maximize its benefit, regardless of the …

Time Aliasing Methods Of Spectrum Estimation, Jason F. Dahl

Theses and Dissertations

Time aliasing methods of spectrum estimation alter the time representation of a signal for the purpose of improving its frequency domain representation. Time aliasing allows characteristics of longer time window functions to be used with shorter DFT length. Windows designed specifically for use with time aliasing have improved properties compared to conventional windows. Many previous uses of time aliasing, including overlap-and-add methods of digital filtering, have focused on the elimination of time aliasing effects in the frequency domain in order to improve the representation of reconstructed signals in the time domain and have not addressed the issues associated with spectrum …

Real Time Dynamic Trajectory Smoothing For Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles, Erik Anderson, Randal Beard, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

Sponsorship: AFOSR, DARPA. This paper presents a real-time, feasible trajectory generation algorithm for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) flying through a sequence of waypoints. The algorithm produces extremal trajectories that transition between straight-line path segments in a time-optimal fashion. In addition, the algorithm can be configured so that the dynamically feasible trajectory has the same path length as the straight-line waypoint path. Implementation issues associated with the algorithm are described in detail. Simulation studies show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Comprehensive Model Of Alkali-Salt Deposition In Recovery Boilers, Richard A. Wessel, Larry Lin Baxter 8507091

Faculty Publications

Algorithms for alkali-salt deposition have been implemented into a comprehensive model for recovery boilers. The model includes (a) mechanisms for particle formation and chemistry, (b) particle deposition and adhesion, and (c) deposit thermal properties. These algorithms are fully coupled with models for turbulent flow, black liquor combustion, and heat transfer in the boiler. Model predictions for particle deposition in the convection pass are presented for a Babcock & Wilcox recovery boiler. This work is part of an ongoing project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate an improved ability to anticipate ash behavior with changes in fuel composition, …

Tools And Metrics For Evaluating Modular Product Concepts Based On Strategic Objectives, Matthew Bailey Strong

Theses and Dissertations

The design of modular products has recently become the focus of significant research in the area of design theory and methodology. This focus is the result of increased awareness of the potential power of modularity to achieve certain product objectives. However, there continues to be a gap between the results of academic research and industrial application. The refinement, consolidation, and extension of this academic research would help design teams who are charged with developing modular products to use these academic findings in real world, industrial applications. The research presented in this document focuses on developing design tools, based on past …

High-Pressure Coal Pyrolysis In A Drop Tube Furnace, Koichi Matsuoka, Zhi-Xin Ma, Hiroyuki Akiho, Zhan-Guo Zhang, Akira Tomita, Thomas H. Fletcher, Marek A. Wojtowicz, Stephen Niksa

Faculty Publications

To obtain useful and reliable pyrolysis data under high pressures, continuous pyrolysis experiments were carried out using a drop tube furnace. To ascertain the reliability of data, a mass balance during pyrolysis was carefully checked. The pyrolysis data obtained in this equipment was compared with previous results, and it was found that the weight loss observed in the drop tube furnace was somewhat larger than those obtained with other apparatuses. The experimental results were compared with those predicted by three pyrolysis models. Although discrepancies between predictions and experimental results were observed under a certain condition, the agreement between the experimental …

High-Pressure Intrinsic Oxidation Kinetics Of Two Coal Chars, William C. Hecker, Peter M. Madsen, Michael R. Sherman, Jared W. Allen, Rebecca J. Sawaya, Thomas H. Fletcher

Faculty Publications

Chars were produced from two coals (North Dakota lignite and Pittsburgh No. 8 hva bituminous coal) in a flat flame burner at atmospheric pressure. Intrinsic char reactivities to oxygen were then measured in a high-pressure thermogravimetric analyzer as a function of temperature, total pressure, and partial pressure of oxygen. Care was taken to avoid mass transfer effects. Reactivities were normalized by the available mass of char at any given time (g/(gavailâs)). Reactivity data were obtained over a wide range of char burnout and were found to be independent of burnout level between char burnouts of 20 and 60%. Data were …

Motion Planning Using Potential Fields, Randal W. Beard, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

The objective of these notes is to describe a reactive approach to motion planning for mobile robots. In a reactive approach, trajectories are not planned explicitly. Rather, robot interactions are defined explicitly and the robot motion is said to "emerge." The drawback of reactive methods is that it is sometimes difficult to get the robot to do exactly what you want. The reactive approach that will be described in these notes is called the "virtual fields" method and is commonly used in robotics.

On-Chip Actuation Of An In-Plane Compliant Bistable Micromechanism, Michael S. Baker, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

A compliant bistable micromechanism has been developed which can be switched in either direction using on-chip thermal actuation. The energy storage and bistable behavior of the mechanism is achieved through the elastic deflection of compliant segments. The Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model was used for the compliant mechanism design, and for analysis of the large deflection flexible segments. To achieve on-chip actuation, the mechanism design was optimized to allow it to be switched using linear motion thermal actuators. The modeling theory and analysis are presented for three design iterations, with two iterations fabricated in the MUMP's process and the third in the SUMMiT …

An Assessment Of Seawinds On Quikscat Wind Retrieval, David Draper, David G. Long

Faculty Publications

The scatterometer ocean wind retrieval process produces several possible solutions or ambiguities at each point, requiring a separate ambiguity selection step to infer a unique wind vector field. An ambiguity selection error occurs when the selected wind vector is not the closest ambiguity to the true wind. The current ambiguity selection routine for SeaWinds is ad hoc, but performs well under most circumstances. Factors such as instrument noise and rain can also cause the estimated wind flow to deviate from the true wind. A quality assurance (QA) analysis is performed to assess the ambiguity selection effectiveness and noise level of …

Development And Design Of Constant-Force Mechanisms, Brent Lewis Weight

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis adds to the knowledge base of constant-force mechanisms (CFMs). It begins by reviewing past work done in the area of CFMs and then develops new nondimensionalized parameters that are used to simplify the calculations required to design a CFM. Comparison techniques are then developed that utilize these non-dimensionalized parameters to compare mechanisms based on stiffnesses, percent constant-force, actual lengths, normal displacements, and feasible design orientations. These comparison techniques are then combined with optimization to define new mechanisms with improved performance and range of capabilities. This thesis also outlines a design process, methods to identify mechanisms that are suitable …

Mapping The Mesoscale Interface Structure In Polycrystalline Materials, Brent L. Adams, C. L. Bauer, D. Casasent, A. Morawiec, S. Ozdemir, A. Talukder, Chialin T. Wu

Faculty Publications

This work was supported primarily by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers DMR-9632556 and DMR-0079996. A new experimental approach to the quantitative characterization of polycrystalline microstructure by scanning electron microscopy is described. Combining automated electron backscattering diffraction with conventional scanning contrast imaging and with calibrated serial sectioning, the new method (Mesoscale Interface Mapping System, MIMS) recovers precision estimates of the 3-dimensional idealized aggregate function G(x). This function embodies a description of lattice phase and orientation (limiting resolution ~ 1 degree) at each point x (limiting spatial resolution ~ 100 nanometers), and therefore contains a complete …

Modeling The Thermal Behavior Of A Surface-Micromachined Linear-Displacement Thermomechanical Microactuator, Christian D. Lott, Timothy W. Mclain, John N. Harb, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

Thermomechanical microactuators possess a number of desirable attributes including ease of fabrication and large force and displacement capabilities relative to other types of microactuators. These advantages provide motivation for improving thermomechanical microactuator designs that are more energy efficient and thus better suited for low-power applications. To this end, this paper describes the development and experimental validation of a finite-difference thermal model of a thermomechanical in-plane microactuator (TIM). Comparisons between the model and experimental results demonstrate the importance of including the temperature dependence of several parameters in the model. Strategies for reducing the power and energy requirements of the TIM were …

Modification Of All-Hexadedral Finite Element Meshes By Dual Sheet Insertion And Extraction, Michael J. Borden

Theses and Dissertations

The development of algorithms that effectively modify all-hexahedral finite element mesh is currently an active area of research. Mesh modification can be used to improve mesh quality reduce the time required to mesh a model, and improve the finite element analysis results. However, general modification of all-hexahedral meshes has proven difficult because of the global effects of local modifications. This thesis explains the global constraints on modifying all-hexahedral meshes and then presents three mesh modification techniques that make it possible to do local modifications while accounting for the global effects. These techniques are sheet insertion, sheet extraction, and mesh cutting. …

Viewpoint: Experimental Recovery Of Geometrically Necessary Dislocation Density In Polycrystals, Brent L. Adams, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Anthony D. Rollett

Faculty Publications

The authors wish to thank The Alcoa Technical Research Center for supplying the specimens and performing the compression tests. This work was supported primarily by the MRSEC program of the National Science Foundation under DMR-0079996. Application of electron backscattering diffraction methods to recover estimates of the geometrically necessary dislocation density is described. The limitations of the method arising from the opacity of crystalline materials and the spatial and angular resolution limits are discussed.

Experimental Demonstration Of Multiple Robot Cooperative Target Intercept, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard, Jed M. Kelsey

Faculty Publications

This paper presents experimental results for the simultaneous intercept of preassigned targets by a team of mobile robots. The robots are programmed to mimic the dynamic behavior of unmanned air vehicles in constant-altitude flight. In proceeding to their targets, robots must avoid both known static threats and pop-up threats. An overview of the cooperative control strategy followed is given, as well as a description of the robot hardware and software used. Experimental results demonstrating simultaneous intercept of targets by the robot team are presented.

Validation Of Sea Ice Motion From Quikscat With Those From Ssm/I And Buoy, David G. Long, Yunhe Zhao, Antony K. Liu

Faculty Publications

Arctic sea ice motion for the period from October 1999 to March 2000 derived from QuikSCAT and ocean buoy observations. Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data using the wavelet analysis method agrees well with ocean buoy observations. Results from QuikSCAT and SSM/I are compatible when compared with buoy observations and complement each other. Sea ice drift merged from daily results from QuikSCAT, SSM/I, and buoy data gives more complete coverage of sea ice motion. Based on observations of six months of sea ice motion maps, the sea ice motion maps in the Arctic derived from QuikSCAT data appear to have smoother …

Autonomous Hierarchical Control Of Multiple Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (Ucavs), Timothy Mclain, Randal W. Beard, Sai-Ming Li, Jovan D. Boskovic, Sanjeev Seereeram, Ravi Prasanth, Jayesh Amin, Raman K. Mehra

Faculty Publications

In this paper we present a hierarchical control scheme that enables multiple UCAVs to achieve demanding missions in hostile environments autonomously. The objective is to use a swarm of UCAVs for a SEAD type mission: fly the UCAVs in a formation to an enemy territory populated with different kinds of threats, collect enemy information or destroy certain targets, and return to the base, all without human intervention. The scheme is an integration of four distinct components, including: (1) high level Voronoi diagram based path planner to avoid static threats; (2) low level path planner to avoid popup threats; (3) differential …

Elasticity In Microstructure Sensitive Design Through The Use Of Hill Bounds, Benjamin L. Henrie

Theses and Dissertations

In engineering, materials are often assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic; in actuality, material properties do change with sample direction and location. This variation is due to the anisotropy of the individual grains and their spatial distribution in the material. Currently there is a lack of communication between the design engineer, material scientist, and processor for solving multi-objective/constrained designs. If communication existed between these groups then materials could be designed for applications, instead of the reverse. Microstructure sensitive design introduces a common language, a spectral representation, where both design properties and microstructures are expressed.

Using Hill bounds, effective elastic properties …

In-Plane Linear-Displacement Bistable Microrelay, Troy Gomm, Larry L. Howell, Richard H. Selfridge

Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the Linear Displacement Bistable Mechanism (LDBM) for use in microrelays. The LDBM, thermal actuators, and contacts are integrated to demonstrate a relay design. The performance of the relay is characterized using relay performance metrics, including size (1.92 mm2), contact force (23.4 μN), switching time (340 μs), breakdown voltage (> 475 V), and isolation (> 235 V). The actuation voltage and current are 11 V and 85 mA, respectively. AC characteristics, including contact-to-contact crosstalk and AC isolation are also measured. The testing results demonstrate that it is feasible to use the LDBM as a microrelay and that it …

Modeling The Indoor Mimo Wireless Channel, Michael A. Jensen, Jon W. Wallace

Faculty Publications

This paper demonstrates the ability of a physically based statistical multipath propagation model to match capacity statistics and pairwise magnitude and phase distributions of measured 4 x 4 and 10 x 10 narrow-band multiple-input multiple-output data (MIMO) at 2.4 GHz. The model is compared to simpler statistical models based on the multivariate complex normal distribution with either complex envelope or power correlation. The comparison is facilitated by computing channel element covariance matrices for fixed sets of multipath statistics. Multipolarization data is used to demonstrate a simple method for modeling dual-polarization arrays.

Surfacing Splicing: A Method Of Quadrilateral Mesh Generation And Modification For Surfaces By Dual Creation And Manipulation, Benjamin Todd Grover

Theses and Dissertations

The effective generation high quality quadrilateral surface meshes is an area of important research and development for the finite element community. Quadrilateral elements generally lead to more efficient and accurate finite results. In addition, some all hexahedral volume meshing algorithms are based on an initial quadrilateral mesh surface mesh that has specific connectivity requirements. This thesis presents a new and unique procedure named "Surfaced Splicing". Surface Splicing allows for the generation of all quadrilateral surface meshes as well as the ability to edit these meshes via the dual. The dual contains the same data as the mesh but, unlike the …

Effect Of Catalyst Structure On Oxidative Dehydrogenation Of Ethane And Propane On Alumina-Supported Vanadia, Morris D. Argyle, Kaidong Chen, Alexis T. Bell, Enrique Iglesia

Faculty Publications

The catalytic properties of Al2O3-supported vanadia with a wide range of VOx surface density (1.4-34.2 V/nm2) and structure were examined for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane and propane. UV-visible and Raman spectra showed that vanadia is dispersed predominately as isolated monovanadate species below ~2.3 V/nm2. As surface densities increase, two-dimensional polyvanadates appear (2.3-7.0 V/nm2) along with increasing amounts of V2O5 crystallites at surface densities above 7.0 V/nm2. The rate constant for oxidative dehydrogenation (k1) and its ratio with alkane and alkene combustion (k2/k1 and k3/k1, respectively) were compared for both alkane reactants as a function of vanadia surface density. Propene …

Using Transition Probability Geostatistics With Modflow, Norman L. Jones, J. R. Walker, S. F. Carle

Faculty Publications

This paper describes a technique for applying the transition probability geostatistics method for stochastic simulation to a MODFLOW model. Transition probability geostatistics has several advantages over traditional indicator kriging methods, including a simpler and more intuitive framework for interpreting geological relationships and the ability to simulate juxtapositional tendencies such s fining-upwards sequences. The indicator arrays generated by the transition probability simulation are converted to layer elevation and thickness arrays for use with the new Hydrogeologic Unit Flow (HUF) package in MODFLOW 2000. This makes it possible to preserve complex heterogeneity while using reasonably sized grids.

Slab-Geometry Molecular Dynamics Simulations: Development And Application To Calculation Of Activity Coefficients, Interfacial Electrochemistry, And Ion Channel Transport, Paul S. Crozier

Theses and Dissertations

Methods of slab-geometry molecular dynamics computer simulation were tested, compared, and applied to the prediction of activity coefficients, interfacial electrochemistry characterization, and ion transport through a model biological channel-membrane structure. The charged-sheets, 2-D Ewald, corrected 3-D Ewald, and corrected particle-particle-particle-mesh (P3M) methods were compared for efficiency and applicability to slab-geometry electrolyte systems with discrete water molecules. The P3M method was preferred for long-range force calculation in the problems of interest and was used throughout.

The osmotic molecular dynamics method (OMD) was applied to the prediction of liquid mixture activity coefficients for six binary systems: methanol/n-hexane, n-hexane/n-pentane, methanol/water, chloroform/acetone, n-hexane/chloroform, methanol/ …

Surface Micromachined Force Gauges: Uncertainty And Reliability, Jonathan W. Wittwer, Troy Gomm, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

Surface micromachining of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), like all other fabrication processes, has inherent variation that leads to uncertain material and dimensional parameters. By considering the effects of these variations during the design of micro force gauges, the gauge uncertainty and reliability can be estimated. Without means of calibrating micro gauges, these effects are often significant when compared to experimental repeatability. The general force gauge model described in this paper can be used to measure a wide range of forces, and simple design changes can lead to improved accuracy in measurement. A method of probabilistic design is described that is not …

Evaluation Of A Compound Probability Model With Tower-Mounted Scatterometer Data, David G. Long, Benjamin E. Barrowes

Faculty Publications

Six months of data from the YSCAT94 experiment conducted at the CCIW WAVES research platform on Lake Ontario, Canada, are analyzed to evaluate a compound probability model. YSCAT was an ultrawideband small footprint (ap 1 m) microwave scatterometer that operated at frequencies of 2-18 GHz, incidence angles from 0° to 60°, both h-pol and v-pol, and which tracked the wind using simultaneous weather measurements. The probability distribution function of the measured instantaneous backscattered amplitude (p(a)) is compared to theoretical distributions developed from-the composite model and a simple wave spectrum. Model parameters of the resulting Rayleigh/generalized lognormal distribution probability density function …