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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

A New Approach To Evaluate Fracture Strength Of Uv-Liga Fabricated Nickel Specimens, Catherine Oropeza Jan 2002

A New Approach To Evaluate Fracture Strength Of Uv-Liga Fabricated Nickel Specimens, Catherine Oropeza

LSU Master's Theses

One of the major difficulties faced by MEMS researchers today is the lack of data regarding properties of electroplated metals or alloys at micro-levels as those produced by the LIGA and LIGA related process. These mechanical properties are not well known and they cannot be extrapolated from macro-scale data without experimental verification. This lack of technical information about microscale physical properties has affected the consistency and reliability of batch-fabricated components and leads to very low rates of successful fabrication. Therefore, this material issue is of vital importance to the development of LIGA technology and to its industrial applications. This thesis …


Experimental Evaluation Of Control Fluid Fallback During Off-Bottom Well Control In Vertical And Deviated Wells, Fernando Sebastian Flores-Avila Jan 2002

Experimental Evaluation Of Control Fluid Fallback During Off-Bottom Well Control In Vertical And Deviated Wells, Fernando Sebastian Flores-Avila

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study measured the liquid fallback during simulated blowout conditions. The purpose of the study was to establish a basis for developing a procedure for controlling blowouts that relies on the accumulation of liquid kill fluid injected while the well continues to flow. The results from experiments performed with air, water, 10.5 ppg and 12.0 ppg mud in an experimental 48 ft flow loop at 0°, 20°, 40°, 60° and 75° deviation angles from the vertical, as well as results from full-scale experiments performed with natural gas and water based drilling fluid in a vertical 2787-foot deep research well, are …


Data Mining And Knowledge Discovery: A Guided Approach Base On Monotone Boolean Functions, Vetle Ingvald Torvik Jan 2002

Data Mining And Knowledge Discovery: A Guided Approach Base On Monotone Boolean Functions, Vetle Ingvald Torvik

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation deals with an important problem in Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (DM & KD), and Information Technology (IT) in general. It addresses the problem of efficiently learning monotone Boolean functions via membership queries to oracles. The monotone Boolean function can be thought of as a phenomenon, such as breast cancer or a computer crash, together with a set of predictor variables. The oracle can be thought of as an entity that knows the underlying monotone Boolean function, and provides a Boolean response to each query. In practice, it may take the shape of a human expert, or it …


Log-Derived Cation Exchange Capacity Of Shaly Sands : Application To Hydrocarbon Detection And Drilling Optimization, Gamze Ipek Jan 2002

Log-Derived Cation Exchange Capacity Of Shaly Sands : Application To Hydrocarbon Detection And Drilling Optimization, Gamze Ipek

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers at Louisiana State University, LSU, have introduced several petrophysical models expressing the electric properties of shaly sands. These models, to be used for hydrocarbon detection, are based on the Waxman and Smits concept of supplementing the water conductivity with a clay counterions conductivity. The LSU models also utilize the Dual Water theory, which relates each conductivity term to a particular type of water, free and bound, each occupying a specific volume of the total pore space. The main difference between these models and the other shaly sand models is that the counterion conductivity is represented by a hypothetical sodium …


Thermal Rheological Analysis Of Cure Process Of Epoxy Prepreg, Liangfeng Sun Jan 2002

Thermal Rheological Analysis Of Cure Process Of Epoxy Prepreg, Liangfeng Sun

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The cure process of epoxy prepreg used as composite pipe joints was studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Bohlin Rheometer and other techniques. Isothermal DSC measurements were conducted between 110 and 220 oC, at 10 oC intervals. The results show that the complete cure reaction could be achieved at oC. The isothermal cure process was simulated with the four-parameter autocatalytic model. Except in the late stage of cure reaction, the model agrees well with the experimental data, especially at high temperatures. To account for the effect of diffusion on the cure rate, a diffusion factor was introduced into …


Prediction Of Transient Head On Seepage Path Using Boundary Fitted Coordinate (Bfc) System, Sherly Hartono Jan 2002

Prediction Of Transient Head On Seepage Path Using Boundary Fitted Coordinate (Bfc) System, Sherly Hartono

LSU Master's Theses

One of the main causes of levee failure is seepage through levee. This seepage can cause weakening in the levee structure, which in turn can cause sudden levee failure or overtopping of the levee due to levee depression. The purpose of this study is to determine the transient head on the seepage path due to changing water level during flood period. Transient seepage problems are very important as critical condition can occur during this time rather than during steady state condition. Seepage path through a levee can be predicted using the Boundary Fitted Coordinate (BFC) system method. The physical coordinate …


A Factorization Approach For Solving The Hamilton-Jacobi Equations In Nonlinear Optimal Control, Mohammad Dikko Aliyu Jan 2002

A Factorization Approach For Solving The Hamilton-Jacobi Equations In Nonlinear Optimal Control, Mohammad Dikko Aliyu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Hamilton-Jacobi equation (HJE) arose early in the last century in the study of the calculus of variation, classical mechanics and Hamiltonian systems. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in HJEs arising in various analysis and synthesis problems in systems theory. The HJE despite providing a necessary and sufficient condition for an optimal control, is very difficult to solve for general nonlinear systems, and therefore its application remained limited to linear systems. Yet, the HJE has been studied extensively in the literature from diverse areas of science and engineering, varying from mathematical physics, to mechanics, control theory, and to …


Analysis Of Methods For Assigning Capacity In A Transportation Planning Network, Yogesh Kandaswamy Dheenadayalu Jan 2002

Analysis Of Methods For Assigning Capacity In A Transportation Planning Network, Yogesh Kandaswamy Dheenadayalu

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of the research was to analyze the current practice of assigning capacity values to links of a network and to determine how capacity can be assigned more accurately without greatly increasing time, effort and costs. Currently in most planning networks, the link capacities are assigned based on the number of lanes and a gross facility and area type considerations (LSU, 1997). This practice might have affected the results of travel demand modeling performed using the network. To test this hypothesis, the current practice was compared to the practice of assigning capacities link-by-link using the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) …


Tribological Behavior Of Nanostructured Nickel, Dean Joseph Guidry Jan 2002

Tribological Behavior Of Nanostructured Nickel, Dean Joseph Guidry

LSU Master's Theses

The present study reports the effects of electroplating parameters on the microstructure, and thus the mechanical and tribological properties, of nanostructured nickel. Electroplating was conducted in a Watt's type bath with a pH of 3.0 carried out using direct current in galvanostatic mode at current densities of 30 mA/cm2 and 15 mA/cm2 in electroplating bath temperatures of 30°C and 50°C. Grain size and distributions were determined from TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) micrographs. Tribological tests were carried out on a pin-on-disc type tribometer. The same tests were conducted on Ni-200 for the purpose of …


Wavelength Assignment In All-Optical Networks For Mesh Topologies, Prabhulaiah Bijja Jan 2002

Wavelength Assignment In All-Optical Networks For Mesh Topologies, Prabhulaiah Bijja

LSU Master's Theses

All-Optical Networks employing Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) are believed to be the next generation networks that can meet the ever-increasing demand for bandwidth of the end users. This thesis presents some new heuristics for wavelength assignment and converter placement in mesh topologies. Our heuristics try to assign the wavelengths in an efficient manner that results in very low blocking probability. We propose novel static and dynamic assignment schemes that outperform the assignments reported in the literature even when converters are used. The proposed on-line scheme called "Round-Robin" assignment outperforms previously proposed strategies such as first-fit and random assignment schemes. …


Development Of Catalytic Processes For Aromatic Amides And Carboxylic Acids, Yujun Song Jan 2002

Development Of Catalytic Processes For Aromatic Amides And Carboxylic Acids, Yujun Song

LSU Master's Theses

New catalysts were prepared and studied for: (1) a model amidation with a hindered amine, diethylamine (DEA), to N,N¡¯-diethyltoluamide (DEET); (2) the oxidation of m-xylene (MX) to DEET¡¯s alkylaromatic precursor, m-toluic acid (MTA). In both cases the goal was to reduce waste associated with current processes. Thermodynamic analyses showed that the amidation to produce DEET from MTA and DEA was an equilibrium limited reaction with equilibrium constants (Ke) less than 41 at temperatures below 320¡ÆC. The kinetics on silica-supported titanium (¥³) (triethanolaminato)-isopropoxide (Tyzor TE), calcium hydroxyapatites and silica supported tungsten heteropolyacids were studied using a continuous reactor. Both porous hydroxyapatites …


Visco-Elastic Creep In The Lumbar Spine Associated With Static Flexion: A Feline Model, Guntulu Selen Hatipkarasulu Jan 2002

Visco-Elastic Creep In The Lumbar Spine Associated With Static Flexion: A Feline Model, Guntulu Selen Hatipkarasulu

LSU Master's Theses

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have become a major health concern with the industrial revolution and technological advances. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently estimated the cost of MSDs at $13 to $20 billion annually. Back, spine, and spinal cord disorders add up to 60% of the total MSD injuries. Based on pervious studies, it is known that lumbar ligaments play a limited or little role in stabilizing the spine; where as the musculature around the spine is the major stabilizing structure. However, repetitive or prolonged static displacement or load induces creep in passive tissues of the spine …


Fecal Coliform Decay And Regrowth Kinetics In An Anaerobic Dairy Wastewater Environment, Shufang Liu Jan 2002

Fecal Coliform Decay And Regrowth Kinetics In An Anaerobic Dairy Wastewater Environment, Shufang Liu

LSU Master's Theses

The kinetics of fecal coliforms (FC) decay and regrowth were analyzed under laboratory conditions using filtered dairy wastewater under anaerobic conditions. The mean specific growth rates during the regrowth phase, µr , in the batch study were 1.79, 1.46, and 1.27d-1 for initial organic carbon concentrations of 478, 235 and 127 mg/L COD, respectively. The substrate concentrations had a significant impact on the FC regrowth. A maximum specific growth rate (mmax) of 1.92 d-1, and half-saturated coefficient (ks) of 60.92mg/L were determined from these data. The mean dark FC decay rate coefficients, kd , at 35oC in the batch study …


Bayesian Updating Of Simulated Household Travel Survey Data For Small/Medium Metropolitan Areas, Sirisha Murthy Kothuri Jan 2002

Bayesian Updating Of Simulated Household Travel Survey Data For Small/Medium Metropolitan Areas, Sirisha Murthy Kothuri

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis tests an approach for generating simulated travel survey data that has local characteristics incorporated in it. Travel survey data are generally required for estimating and calibrating travel demand models for a region. The high cost associated with travel surveys puts them beyond the budget of most small/medium MPOs. Therefore simulation of travel survey data provides a viable alternative for these data starved regions to generate data. The simulated data is produced by combining socio-demographic data along with a national survey data set. Updating the simulated data distributions with the distributions obtained by surveying a small sample of local …


Three-Dimensional Micromachined On-Chip Inductors For High Frequency Applications, Nimit Chomnawang Jan 2002

Three-Dimensional Micromachined On-Chip Inductors For High Frequency Applications, Nimit Chomnawang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Demands for wireless communication are ever-escalating for consumer and military communication applications. The requirements of portability, more functionality and lower cost have been driving forces toward smaller, more sophisticated and flexible wireless devices with lower power consumption. To meet these requirements, monolithically integrated passive inductors with high Q-factors and high self-resonant frequencies are desirable. Q-factor and self-resonant frequency of an inductor are significantly degraded at high frequencies due to conductor ohmic loss, magnetically induced eddy current in the conductive substrate, and lower self-resonant frequency from capacitance between conductive substrate and conductors.
In this dissertation, novel three-dimensional arch-like solenoid and dome-shaped …


The Effects Of Local Hydrodynamics On Mass Transfer In Disordered Porous Media, Gang Guo Jan 2002

The Effects Of Local Hydrodynamics On Mass Transfer In Disordered Porous Media, Gang Guo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Interfacial mass transfer in disordered media was studied experimentally and numerically. The dissolution of solid benzoic acid spheres in packed columns showed the existence of spatial variations in mass transfer coefficients in monodisperse and polydisperse packings at the same overall Peclet number. The concept of a local Peclet number (single-particle average) was introduced to quantify the effect of local hydrodynamics on local mass transfer. Correlations between Sherwood number and Peclet number having the form Shi=A·(xiPe)m were used to quantify data from various sites in each packing. These experiments also showed that the exponent m varies …


Intrinsic Biodegradation Potential Of Crude Oil In Salt Marshes, Julius Enock Jan 2002

Intrinsic Biodegradation Potential Of Crude Oil In Salt Marshes, Julius Enock

LSU Master's Theses

Understanding the influence of different perturbations on the fate of spilled oil in marine ecosystems is useful in assessing the environmental impact and remedial investigation. The effect of flooding and spill recurrence on the fate of an experimental crude oil spill (2 L/m2) was investigated using salt marsh intact cores, incubated for about 3 months, by monitoring residual petroleum hydrocarbons, heterotrophic microbial activity (fluorescein diacetate assay) and soluble organic carbon (SOC). For the flooding study, biodegradation rate of crude oil (with half-lives varying between 16.50 and 49.51 days and turnover times between 23.81 and 71.43 days) and microbial …


Quantification Of The Spatial Gradient Of Local Volume Fraction From Tomography Images, Yongping Wang Jan 2002

Quantification Of The Spatial Gradient Of Local Volume Fraction From Tomography Images, Yongping Wang

LSU Master's Theses

Asphalt concrete has three constituents: aggregate, asphalt binder and air voids. In the mixture, aggregates serve as a skeleton of the mixture; asphalt serves as a binder to hold the aggregates together; and air voids prevent asphalt concrete from bleeding to avoid plastic mixes. The properties of asphalt concrete are controlled by the interaction of these three components. In asphalt concrete, asphalt binder, voids and aggregates are not uniformly distributed. The local volume fractions of these constituents vary with spatial locations. As a result, there exist a spatial gradient of the local volume fractions between two locations. Due to the …


Extraction Of Physically-Realistic Pore Network Properties From Three-Dimensional Synchrotron Microtomography Images Of Unconsolidated Porous Media, Riyadh Ibrahim Al-Raoush Jan 2002

Extraction Of Physically-Realistic Pore Network Properties From Three-Dimensional Synchrotron Microtomography Images Of Unconsolidated Porous Media, Riyadh Ibrahim Al-Raoush

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Algorithms were implemented to obtain high resolution three-dimensional images using synchrotron microtomography. Morphological algorithms were developed to extract physically-realistic pore-network structure from unconsolidated porous media systems imaged using synchrotron microtomography. The structure can be used to correlate pore-scale phenomena with the pore structure and can also be incorporated into a pore-network model to verify existing models, understand, or predict transport and flow processes and phenomena in complex porous media systems. The algorithms are based on the three-dimensional skeletonization of the pore space in the form of nodes connected to paths. Dilation algorithms were developed to generate inscribed spheres on the …


Analysis Of Diagnostic Testing Of Sustained Casing Pressure In Wells, Rong Xu Jan 2002

Analysis Of Diagnostic Testing Of Sustained Casing Pressure In Wells, Rong Xu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over 8,000 wells in the Gulf of Mexico exhibit sustained casing pressure (SCP). SCP is defined as “any measurable casing pressure that rebuilds after being bled down, attributable to cause(s) other than artificially applied pressures or temperature fluctuations in the well”. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) regulations consider SCP hazardous and, in principle, require its elimination. In some cases the agency may allow continuing production at a well with SCP by granting a temporary “departure” permit. The departure permits are based on diagnostic tests involving pressure bleed-down through a 0.5-inch needle valve followed by closing the valve and recording pressure …


Computing Moments Of A Binary Horizontally/Vertically Convex Image Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Cheowway Neoh Jan 2002

Computing Moments Of A Binary Horizontally/Vertically Convex Image Using Run-Time Reconfiguration, Cheowway Neoh

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, we present a design for computing moments of a binary horizontally/vertically convex image on an FPGA chip, using run-time reconfiguration. We compute the moments of up to third order for a total of 16 moments. We address how run-time reconfiguration speeds up moment computations without taking up huge hardware resources. Since we are considering a binary horizontally/vertically convex image, we look at an alternative method in moment computations that utilizes constant coefficient multipliers. We divide the image into segments and process one segment at a time. We reconfigure the constant coefficient multipliers before processing the next segment. …


Bench-Scale Compost Reactors System And The Self-Heating Capabilities, Michael Alden Vining Jan 2002

Bench-Scale Compost Reactors System And The Self-Heating Capabilities, Michael Alden Vining

LSU Master's Theses

Less expensive bench-scale composting reactor systems which can mimic actual composting process via self-heating are needed. One can achieve such systems without using the expensive temperature feed-back control by properly insulating the bench composting reactors. However, the knowledge of heat generation and transfer in bench composting reactors is essential in properly designing such inexpensive insulation systems. All compost trial temperature profiles illustrated initial elevated temperature levels followed by a slow gradual temperature decreasing phase. Of all of the variables, the airflow rate, the volume and the overall heat transfer coefficient, seem to have the greatest impact on producing thermophilic temperatures. …


Buckling Analysis Of Grid Stiffened Composite Structures, Samuel Kidane Jan 2002

Buckling Analysis Of Grid Stiffened Composite Structures, Samuel Kidane

LSU Master's Theses

Buckling of a stiffened composite cylinder is a very complex phenomenon that involves complex interactions between the skin and the stiffeners. Depending on different configurations of the skin and stiffener, different buckling failure modes and failure loads are observed in stiffened cylinders. In this work failure modes and buckling loads of stiffened composite cylinders under uniaxial loading condition is investigated by using analytical and experimental approaches. In the first Chapter an improved smeared method is developed to model the buckling problem of an isogird stiffened composite cylinder. In this model the stiffness contributions of the stiffeners is computed by analyzing …


Offline And Online Variants Of The Traveling Salesman Problem, John Ebenezer Augustine Jan 2002

Offline And Online Variants Of The Traveling Salesman Problem, John Ebenezer Augustine

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, we study several well-motivated variants of the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). First, we consider makespan minimization for vehicle scheduling problems on trees with release and handling times. 2-approximation algorithms were known for several variants of the single vehicle problem on a path. A 3/2-approximation algorithm was known for the single vehicle problem on a path where there is a fixed starting point and the vehicle must return to the starting point upon completion. Karuno, Nagamochi and Ibaraki give a 2-approximation algorithm for the single vehicle problem on trees. We develop a Polynomial Time Approximation Scheme (PTAS) for …


Enhanced Bioremediation Of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane In Wetland Soils, Jason S. House Jan 2002

Enhanced Bioremediation Of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane In Wetland Soils, Jason S. House

LSU Master's Theses

This research investigated the capability of wetland soils to function as a medium for the degradation of 1,1,2,2-TeCA and its daughter products, and the influence of different hydrogen donors and nutrients on this process. The rate constants calculated for this study, show that removal of 1,1,2,2-TeCA is occurring in the microcosms receiving hydrogen donors as well as the biotic controls. The parent compound was undergoing complete degradation to ethene, which was confirmed by ethene analysis, as well as monitoring the intermediate compounds. The analysis for the degradation products of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethene is important in determining the overall potential for successful degradation …


Development Of A Magnetite Tracer Protocol For Seasonal Measurement Of Bed Sediment Biodiffusion Coefficients, Paul D. Libbers Jan 2002

Development Of A Magnetite Tracer Protocol For Seasonal Measurement Of Bed Sediment Biodiffusion Coefficients, Paul D. Libbers

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis describes the development of a particle tracer technique for making short-term, in situ measurements of aquatic bed sediment biodiffusion coefficients. The bioturbation process in the upper sediment layers of streams, lakes, estuaries, and the marine environment moves particles and porewater. When present, organic chemicals, metals, colloids, etc., are transported across these layers and exchanges may occur at the sediment-water interface. Fickian biodiffusion coefficients that characterize such particle movements, Db (cm2/yr), are used for assessing chemical diagenesis rates and contaminant fluxes and are specific to each site. Chemical Fate and Transport (CFaT) models, developed for tracking contaminants in aquatic …


Tapered Liga Mold Insert, Ryan Anthony Turner Jan 2002

Tapered Liga Mold Insert, Ryan Anthony Turner

LSU Master's Theses

The applications of microstructures produced by the LIGA process are useful in a broad range of fields including: microfluidics, heat transfer, and mechanics. The Microsystems Engineering Team at Louisiana State University has used the LIGA process as a foundation for the team’s productivity in these areas. Many advances in the processes involved in producing these microstructures have been made in the past increasing the efficiency of the entire process. A modified exposure technique in the lithography stage of the LIGA process is being developed to produce microstructures with a draft angle as opposed to the standard straight walled structures. Electroformed …


Surfactant-Induced Relative Permeability Modifications For Oil Recovery Enhancement, Subhash C. Ayirala Jan 2002

Surfactant-Induced Relative Permeability Modifications For Oil Recovery Enhancement, Subhash C. Ayirala

LSU Master's Theses

Surfactants have been considered for enhanced oil recovery by reduced oil-water interfacial tension. However, these surfactants may enhance oil recovery via wettability alteration as well. This study experimentally determines the influence of surfactant type and concentration on oil recovery, oil-water relative permeabilities and wettability in reservoir rocks. Several coreflood experiments were conducted using Yates reservoir fluids in Berea rocks and two types of surfactants (nonionic and anionic) in varying concentrations. A coreflood simulator was used to calculate oil-water relative permeabilities by history matching recovery and pressure drop measured during the corefloods. These relative permeability variations were interpreted using Craig's rules-of-thumb …


Numerical Studies Of Reactive Polymer Flows In Porous Materials, Honggao Liu Jan 2002

Numerical Studies Of Reactive Polymer Flows In Porous Materials, Honggao Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a new numerical model of reactive polymer flow in heterogeneous porous media. A moment representation of the log-normal polymer molecular weight distribution is used to model polymer as a multi-component species. Three leading moments are used to simulate the polymer transport and reaction processes in a two-dimensional porous medium. A new operator splitting technique that allows the moment equations for polymerization to be incorporated into a finite-difference transport model is developed. The novelty of this approach is the use of two different dependent variables (for the transport versus reaction parts of the problem). It is significant from …


Development Of A Phosphorus Management Model To Address Filamentous Algae In A Shallow, Subtropical, Urban Hypereutrophic Lake, Jennifer Eileen Ruley Jan 2002

Development Of A Phosphorus Management Model To Address Filamentous Algae In A Shallow, Subtropical, Urban Hypereutrophic Lake, Jennifer Eileen Ruley

LSU Master's Theses

City Park Lake is a shallow, subtropical, urban hypereutrophic lake located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. By the late 1970’s, this artificial lake had experienced extreme eutrophication and suffered from frequent algal blooms and fish kills. Restoration of City Park Lake occurred in 1983 and consisted of dredging nutrient-laden sediments and the rehabilitation of sewage pipelines. Pre- and post-restoration water quality monitoring programs have provided valuable information by which to gage the long-term success of the restoration work. Following the restoration effort, dramatic improvements were observed in the lake including lower nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a concentrations, reduced frequencies in algal blooms …