Engineering Commons^™

Accident Events In Automated Vehicles, Peter Hancock, Tiffani Walker, Valarie Yerdon, William Volante, Shu Ling Li

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

We are all aware of the increasing penetration of purely automated vehicles into the coming panoply of ground transportation. Much of the test and evaluation procedures of these respective vehicles have occurred on unidirectional, multi-lane highways and freeways where the central computational problem is relatively simple longitudinal and lateral control. In essence, these controls over what Gibson and Crooks labelled the ‘field of safe travel,’ can be affected by a suite of on-board sensors that measure a combination of range (d) and closure velocity (v). These combinatorial kinematics and kinetics can then provide satisficed solutions to the question of relative …

Development Of A Habitat Monitoring System For Simulated Mars Missions, Rebecca Demarco

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

The developers for the Habitat Monitoring System (HMS) for the Mobile Extreme Environment Research Station (MEERS) Mission Control System (MCS) faced challenges in the design and implementation of their human machine interface. Designing a human machine interface for a diverse group of end users presents technical and design challenges for the developers. By applying human factors concepts and following the engineering process, the development team was able to produce a human machine interface that met the product requirements and satisfied their product owners. This presentation discusses the process used by the development team to create the interface for the Habitat …

Ergonomics In Space Flight – Past, Present, & Future, Robert Consolo

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

From the days of “The Rocket Men” to the uprising of SpaceX, spaceflight has always inspired awe in humanity. If you examine the men that were apart of those first missions, you will find that they were not only the most capable, but won the genetic lottery to become this nations first astronauts. Looking to the times of Mercury, you see the extreme constraints that potential astronaut candidates had to meet in order to go to space. Aside from the rigorous medical testing, potential candidates also had to meet strict height and weight requirements. Early candidates could not be taller …

Creation And Implementation Of An Underwater-Capable Vr Headset Through The Use Of Additive Manufacturing, Matthew D. Meyers, Nathan Sonnenfeld

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

No abstract provided.

Concept Design For Technology Enhanced, Self-Paced Student Lesson, Yolanda Ortiz

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

No abstract provided.

Atc Weather Knowledge Skills: A Contributor To The Aviation Weather Problem, Jayde M. King

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

No abstract provided.

Designing A Mobile Space Habitat Analog, Victor Kitmanyen, Matthew Burkhard, Timothy Disher

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

No abstract provided.

Human Factors In The Development Of The Mobile Extreme Environment Research Station (Meers) Mission Control System (Mcs), Rebecca Demarco

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

The developers for the MEERS MCS were required to develop a novel interface for their product. During the development of the MCS, analytical human factors methods and display principles were implemented to create the user interface. The methods and principles were also used so the MCS had a user centered design. The MCS went through several iterations of design. This presentation discusses the development process of the MEERS MCS from a human factors standpoint.

Heating Element Including Carbon Nanotube (Cnt) Layer, Santhosh Kumar Loganathan, Virginie Rollin, Daewon Kim

Publications

Apparatus , materials , and techniques and techniques herein can include providing a deposited layer comprising a com posite material including carbon nanotubes ( CNTs ) . Accord ing to various examples , the composite can be applied to a substrate such as using a solution containing CNTs and other constituents such as sulfur . The solution can be spray applied to a substrate , or spin - coated upon a substrate , such as to provide a uniform , conductive , and optically - transpar ent film layer . In one application , such a film layer can be …

Under The Needle: Ergonomic Issues With Lethal Injection Protocols, Gabriella Hancock

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

The institution of capital punishment represents one of the most contentious issues affecting societies today; and while the practice is only implemented in 58 countries, the controversy affects the world at large as over 60% of the human population lives in nations that condone the death penalty (Hali, 2015). In the United States, people who support capital punishment believe the practice to be an effective crime deterrent for potential criminals and therefore a prospective protective measure for law abiding citizens. Moreover, advocates defend their position by forwarding the argument that executions are ‘humane’; that use of lethal injection ensures that …

Airline Quality Rating 2016, Brent D. Bowen, Dean E. Headley

Airline Quality Rating Report

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) is the most comprehensive study of the performance and quality of the largest airlines in the United States. The rating is a multifactor look of the airlines based on mishandled baggage, consumer complaints, on-time performance and involuntary denied boardings.

The Airline Quality Rating industry score for 2015 shows an industry that improved slightly in overall performance quality over the previous year. Six airlines (Delta, ExpressJet, JetBlue, SkyWest, Southwest, and United) showed improvement in AQR scores in 2015. ExpressJet and SkyWest had the largest improvements in their AQR scores for 2015.

Airline Marketing Preferences, Kylie Johnson, Deborah Carstens Ph.D., Stephen Rice Ph.D.

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

The aim of this research is to assess airline marketing strategies providing consumer preferences to better target potential customers. The airline industry has transformed over the years, and cost and amenities have been impacted in the airline evolution. There has been consideration of whether flight cost, or flight amenities and passenger experience should be analyzed to result in enhanced marketing in the airline industry. An online survey was issued to examine which flight amenities potential customers preferred. Furthermore, the length of the flight was examined to determine if consumer preferences changed for domestic versus international flights. The survey findings are …

Oscillatory Flow Mechanism For Enhanced Heat Transfer, Sultan Taher Raml

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This research project is about the use of an oscillatory flow mechanism to enhance heat transfer. The idea behind this is to induce oscillation of the end wall of one of two connected chambers of a heat exchanger which effectively will induce oscillation of the boundary layer within the connecting duct. The main idea of this thesis came from using species separation studies before 40 years ago in hyperventilation technology to help patients under anesthesia in hospitals. There are many applications for this research such as removing heat from chemical reactors, electrical devices and other enclosed environments such as submarines, …

Improving Damage Tolerance Of Composite Sandwich Structures Subjected To Low Velocity Impact Loading: Experimental And Numerical Analysis, Ravi B. Gondaliya

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Sandwich structures with composite facing skins have seen applications in variety of sectors including aerospace and automobile, owing to their high specific mechanical properties. However, there is a need to develop better damage tolerant sandwich structures since conventional composite facing skins exhibit low impact resistance in the transverse direction. Here, composite skin sandwich structures with three different impact resistant core materials were fabricated and tested both experimentally and numerically. Neat CFRP and 2024-T3 aluminum alloy sheets were also investigated. Cores utilizing impact resistant D3O® were found to have very favorable weight specific energy absorbing properties at higher impact velocities as …

Forecast Verification Of The Current Icing Potential (Cip) To Predict Lightning Hazards At U.S. Spaceports, Robert Edward Haley

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Government spaceports employ extensive lightning detection networks that may not be available at commercial spaceports. Therefore, the Federal Aviation Administration identified the need for diagnosing the threat of triggered lightning without in-situ measurements. Anecdotal observations of the Aviation Weather Center’s Current Icing Potential (CIP) diagnostic model indicated a potentially high correlation between lightning activity and icing potential. A forecast verification study and supporting representative case studies were conducted to quantify the CIP’s ability to diagnose existing lightning hazards. The study showed that high positive statistical correlations between the CIP and lightning activity do exist, but so do negative correlations. During …

Nonlinear Control Of A Thermoacoustic System With Multiple Heat Sources And Actuators, Mikael O. Molina Sandoval

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Thermoacoustic instabilities can occur in thermal devices when unsteady heat release is coupled with pressure perturbations. This effect results in excitation of Eigen-acoustic modes of the system. These instabilities can lead to unpredictable behavior of the system. Gas-turbine combustion systems are especially prone to this phenomenon reducing their overall efficiency. Additionally, due to the nature of the combustion, the turbines end up releasing undesired amounts of harmful chemicals to the atmosphere, such as Nitrous Oxide (NOX).

A Rijke tube, representing a resonator with a mean flow and a concentrated heat source, is a convenient system to study the thermoacoustic phenomena. …

A Hybrid Vortex Solution For Surge Margin Enhancement In Axial Compressors, Daniel Port

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A new vortex solution to the Simple Radial Equilibrium Equation (SREE) is presented that incorporates endwall effects into the preliminary design stage of a single stage, low pressure compressor with a hub-to-tip ratio of 0.4 and non-axial inlet flow. This vortex solution is proposed to overcome the rapidly approaching asymptotic peak in compressor performance in the industry today. The Hybrid Vortex theory incorporates a versatile, higher-order solution to the SREE, resulting in more accurate preliminary designs requiring less manipulation in the final design stages. This new solution results in significant changes in hub geometry with the stagger of the hub …

Conversations About Diversity: Institutional Barriers For Underrepresented Engineering Students, Leroy Long Iii, Joel Alejandro Mejia

Publications

The United States is becoming increasingly more diverse. Specifically, demographics are shifting because of growth among historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, including African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. At the same time, a declining number of skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields threatens U.S. global competitiveness and national security. Low participation, representation, engagement, and inclusion continue to reduce the intellectual capacity of the U.S. STEM workforce. The aforementioned societal changes require diversity in STEM education and the nation at large. Past research offers additional support for the importance of diversity. For example, racial diversity can …

Dreamland: Secrets Of Area 51, Peter Merlin

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Dreamland, or Area 51, at Groom Lake, Nevada, has served as a secret proving ground for advanced aircraft and weapon systems since 1955. Throughout the Cold War, workers at this secret site toiled in anonymity to test the U-2, A-12 (first of the triple-sonic Blackbirds), Soviet fighters, stealth aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Declassified interviews, documents, and pictures now make it possible to tell the true story of this unique national asset. Hear this fascinating story from Peter Merlin, an ERAU graduate who has appeared in more than a dozen aviation documentaries.

Peer Reviewed Safety Management System (Sms): Collaboration For Continuous Improvement (Literature Review), Michael F. Canders Ph.D. Cfii

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Safe operations are essential for organizational success, perhaps no more so than in aviation. A culture of safety can be a leading contributor to an aviation organization’s success but developing such a culture and maintaining it can be very challenging. Collegiate aviation programs provide an exceptional opportunity to teach essential safety culture components to new aviators. A Safety Management System (SMS) is an effective framework to present and reinforce key safety principles and can be effectively tailored for the collegiate aviation flight training environment. Some aviation colleges may have developed a safety program or SMS but sharing and benchmarking the …

A Second Language Acquisition Approach To Learning Programming Languages, Rachel Cunningham, Paula Sanjuan Espejo, Christina Frederick, Lulu Sun, Li Ding

Publications

The instructional design for modules in the study was based on the evidence that learning a programming language is analogous to students acquiring a second language, and utilized tools from Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory. A programming language has vocabulary, syntax, grammar and communicative outcomes that must be sufficiently developed for the learner to function successfully in the environment that utilizes the language. This proposed study utilized an SLA approach to programming language in a blended learning environment. Modifications to the course pedagogy included breaking the course topics into video lessons focusing on basic programming vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. These …

Cognitive Loading, Affect Regulation And Aerodynamic Considerations In Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Systems Refueling Operations, Sam Holley, Ian R. Mcandrew

Publications

Factors influencing aerodynamics involved in aerial refueling illustrate the potential for specialist operators to manage these operations for remotely piloted vehicles. The authors review aerodynamic characteristics of uninhabited aerial systems during refueling, drogue and boom design and associated flight dynamics, cognitive factors associated with control transfer and refueling, and affective components and their influence on decision making and operator performance. Attention is directed to cognitive loading and encoding challenges, with considerations for hippocampal mapping and hemispheric asymmetry. Implications for system state awareness are examined. Advantages for specially trained refueling pilot operators are discussed and recommendations given for areas of concentration.

Pilot Perceptions On Impact Of Crew Rest Regulations On Safety And Fatigue, Lukas Rudari, Mary E. Johnson, Robert C. Geske, Lauren A. Sperlak

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The risk of fatigue on pilot performance and safety is well recognized in aviation. In response to increased safety concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration addressed fatigue risk for passenger airline pilots in Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 117, which included accommodations to address fatigue related risk-factors such as circadian rhythm and the phenomenon commonly described as jet-lag. The rule became effective in January 2014. A survey was conducted in March and April of 2014 to better understand pilot perceptions of the new Part 117 rule. This study analyzed survey responses from 92 self-identified pilots to determine the effect …

System Safety Modeling Of Alternative Geofencing Configurations For Small Uas, James T. Luxhoj

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

As is well known, the integration of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) or “drones” into the National Airspace System (NAS) has captured significant industry, academic, regulatory and media attention. For sUAS that typically fly low and slow, the possibility of a mid-air collision with a nearby general aviation aircraft needs to be studied from a system safety perspective to identify possible hazards and to assess mitigations. The Aviation System Risk Model (ASRM) is a first-generation socio-technical model that uses a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) methodology to integrate possible hazards to assess a non-linear safety risk metric. Using inductive logic, the …

The Legacy Of The Tuskegee Airmen, William Norwood

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Learn about the historic Tuskegee Airmen of WW II and how they influenced the first African American pilot hired by United Airlines. Raised in segregated Centralia, IL, he was inspired to fly by his elementary school principal who was a “Red Tail” pilot. He overcame obstacles along the way to become a USAF B-52 pilot before joining UAL where he would retire 31 years later as a DC-10 Captain. Bill shares his love of flying and adventurous spirit in hopes of inspiring others to pursue their dreams.

Thermoelastic Waves In Microstructured Solids, Arkadi Berezovski, Mihhail Berezovski

Publications

Thermoelastic wave propagation suggests a coupling between elastic deformation and heat conduction in a body. Microstructure of the body influences the both processes. Since energy is conserved in elastic deformation and heat conduction is always dissipative, the generalization of classical elasticity theory and classical heat conduction is performed differently. It is shown in the paper that a hyperbolic evolution equation for microtemperature can be obtained in the framework of the dual internal variables approach keeping the parabolic equation for the macrotemperature. The microtemperature is considered as a macrotemperature fluctuation. Numerical simulations demonstrate the formation and propagation of thermoelastic waves in …

Hybrid Clutch Assembly For An Aircraft, Richard P. Anderson, Charles N. Eastlake, Matt Gonitzke, Glenn P. Greiner

Publications

A hybrid clutch assembly inserted between an internal com bustion engine and the propeller of an aircraft to provide a hybrid-powered aircraft. The hybrid clutch assembly allows a direct current (DC) electric motor to be attached to the hybrid clutch assembly using drive belts. The hybrid clutch assembly allows the internal combustion engine to transmit power to the aircraft's propeller and freely spin the DC motor. The DC motor can transmit power to the aircraft's propeller without turning the internal combustion engine. The hybrid clutch assembly independently allows either the internal combus tion engine or the DC motor in parallel …

Not-So-Risky Business? Assessing The Risk Of Integrating Large Rpvs Into The Current Air Traffic System, Hans-Joachim K. Ruff-Stahl, Steven Esser, Dirk Farsch, Thomas Graner, Robert Klein, Christian Schneidt, Stefan Schoenborn

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

In spite of considerable efforts to commercialize large remotely piloted vehicles (RPV), an integration of these RPVs into the existing Air Transportation System (ATS) and Airspace Structure is pending. The purpose of this paper was to assess the risks of an exemplary integration of a Heron 1 type RPV into the existing European air space structure within the current regulatory framework and without the availability of sense and avoid technology. Six incident occurrence scenarios were investigated, based on a modified Fault Tree Analysis and Eurocontrol’s risk matrix. It was found that without the implementation of technological or procedural changes, an …

Maintenance Implications For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles In Remote Locations, Ian R. Mcandrew, Mark Kaintz, Andrew Carruthers

Publications

Maintenance in the aviation industry has evolved considerably since commercial and general aviation became a modern mode of transportation. ICAO has made maintenance a top priority by directing local National Aviation Authorities, NAA, to have implemented, robust and standardized training and qualifications for all maintenance personnel that work on any safety critical structure or component. There are rules, law and standards that are audited and the aviation industry is, perhaps, the most successful industry in maintaining standards and reliability. With the advent of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV, the role of maintenance is now needing to be reviewed to determine how …

Glide Effects On Low Speed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles With Ice Formation, I. Mcandrew, K. Witcher, E. Navarro

Publications

This paper builds on the research that was previously presented and defended at a conference and adds to the depth of glide characteristics and aerodynamics. The basic assumed theory of low speed flight is used as the starting point and determined if this holds true for low speed. Traditionally, flight has always been about achieving faster and high flight operations. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are not typically designed to fly fast, the construction and power units are limiting, added to the lack of complexity in propulsion systems prevents high speeds in most cases. Here, aerodynamic data for Ice on leading …