Engineering Commons^™

Ice Nucleation And Overseeding Of Ice In Volcanic Clouds, Adam J. Durant, R. A. Shaw, William I. Rose, Y. Mi, G. G. J. Ernst

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Water is the dominant component of volcanic gas emissions, and water phase transformations, including the formation of ice, can be significant in the dynamics of volcanic clouds. The effectiveness of volcanic ash particles as ice-forming nuclei (IN) is poorly understood and the sparse data that exist for volcanic ash IN have been interpreted in the context of meteorological, rather than volcanic clouds. In this study, single-particle freezing experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of ash particle composition and surface area on water drop freezing temperature. Measured freezing temperatures show only weak correlations with ash IN composition and surface …

Catalytic Wet Oxidation Of Lactose, Joseph Holles

Michigan Tech Patents

A process for converting lactose into carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide using catalytic wet oxidation. Oxygen gas and an aqueous solution of lactose are fed to a reactor comprising a Pt/Al203 catalyst, a Mn/Ce catalyst or a Pt/Mn—Ce catalyst, and the lactose is oxidized in the reactor at elevated temperature and pressure to produce at least one of small organic acids, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water and combinations thereof. The small organic acids may be further degraded by feeding the small organic acids and oxygen gas into a reactor containing a Mn/Ce catalyst and oxidizing the small organic acids to …

Engineering Research 2008, College Of Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Michigan Tech Engineering Magazine

Table of Contents

• Energy
• Air & Water
• Engineered Materials
• Sensing & Imaging
• Research Centers & Institutes
• People
• Innovation & Technology Transfer

Me-Em 2008 Annual Report, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• Engineering Education
• Students
• Alumni
• Resources
• Graduates
• Publications
• ME-EM Community

Quantum Dot / Optical Protein Bio-Nano Hybrid System Biosensing, Mark H. Griep

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The integration of novel nanomaterials with highly-functional biological molecules has advanced multiple fields including electronics, sensing, imaging, and energy harvesting. This work focuses on the creation of a new type of bio-nano hybrid substrate for military biosensing applications. Specifically it is shown that the nano-scale interactions of the optical protein bacteriorhodopsin and colloidal semiconductor quantum dots can be utilized as a generic sensing substrate.

This work spans from the basic creation of the protein to its application in a novel biosensing system. The functionality of this sensor design originates from the unique interactions between the quantum dot and bacteriorhodopsin molecule …

Adaptive Control Of Sinusoidal Brushless Dc Motor Actuators, Liangtao Zhu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Electrical Power Assisted Steering system (EPAS) will likely be used on future automotive power steering systems. The sinusoidal brushless DC (BLDC) motor has been identified as one of the most suitable actuators for the EPAS application. Motor characteristic variations, which can be indicated by variations of the motor parameters such as the coil resistance and the torque constant, directly impart inaccuracies in the control scheme based on the nominal values of parameters and thus the whole system performance suffers. The motor controller must address the time-varying motor characteristics problem and maintain the performance in its long service life.

In this …

Performance Evaluation Of Vip Latrines In The Upper West Region Of Ghana , James W. Dumpert

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The prevalence of Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines in Ghana suggests that the design must have a high user acceptance. The two key factors attributed to user acceptance of a VIP latrine over an alternative latrine design, such as the basic pit latrine, are its ability to remove foul odors and maintain low fly populations; both of which are a direct result of an adequate ventilation flow rate.

Adequate ventilation for odorless conditions in a VIP latrine has been defined by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the World Bank, as an air flow rate equivalent to 6 air …

High Cycle Fatigue Of Aa6082 And Aa6063 Aluminum Extrusions , Nicholas E. Nanninga

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The high cycle fatigue behavior of hollow extruded AA6082 and AA6063 aluminum extrusions has been studied. Hollow extruded aluminum profiles can be processed into intricate shapes, and may be suitable replacements for fatigue critical automotive applications requiring reduced weight. There are several features inherent in hollow aluminum extrusions, such as seam welds, charge welds, microstructural variations and die lines. The effects of such extrusion variables on high cycle fatigue properties were studied by taking specimens from an actual car bumper extrusion. It appears that extrusion die lines create large anisotropy differences in fatigue properties, while welds themselves have little effect …

Photolithography Based Patterning Of Bacteriorhodopsin Films, Christopher M. Anton

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The patterning of photoactive purple membrane (PM) films onto electronic substrates to create a biologically based light detection device was investigated. This research is part of a larger collaborative effort to develop a miniaturized toxin detection platform. This platform will utilize PM films containing the photoactive protein bacteriorhodopsin to convert light energy to electrical energy.

Following an effort to pattern PM films using focused ion beam machining, the photolithography based bacteriorhodopsin patterning technique (PBBPT) was developed. This technique utilizes conventional photolithography techniques to pattern oriented PM films onto flat substrates. After the basic patterning process was developed, studies were conducted …

Bislug Flow In Circular And Noncircular Channels And The Role Of Interface Stretching On Energy Dissipation, Joseph E. Hernandez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The area of microfluidics has increased in popularity with such fields as MEMS, microreactors, microscaleheat exchangers, etc. A comprehensive understanding of dissipation mechanisms for fluid flow in microchannels is required to accurately predict the behavior in these small systems. Tests were performed using a constant pressure potential created by two immiscible fluids juxtaposed in a microchannel. This study focused on the flow and dissipation mechanisms in round and square microchannels. There are four major dissipation mechanisms in slug flow; wall shear, dissipation at the contact line, menisci interaction and the stretching of the interface. A force balance between the internal …

Comparison Of Common Dredging Equipment Air Emissions , Mark J. Anderson P.E.

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The purpose of this study is to provide a procedure to include emissions to the atmosphere resulting from the combustion of diesel fuel during dredging operations into the decision-making process of dredging equipment selection. The proposed procedure is demonstrated for typical dredging methods and data from the Illinois Waterway as performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District. The equipment included in this study is a 16-inch cutterhead pipeline dredge and a mechanical bucket dredge used during the 2005 dredging season on the Illinois Waterway.

Considerable effort has been put forth to identify and reduce environmental impacts …

Development Of A Direct Evaporation Bismuth Hall Thruster, Dean Richard Massey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Hall thrusters have been under active development around the world since the 1960’s. Thrusters using traditional propellants such as xenon have been flown on a variety of satellite orbit raising and maintenance missions with an excellent record. To expand the mission envelope, it is necessary to lower the specific impulse of the thrusters but xenon and krypton are poor performers at specific impulses below 1,200 seconds.

To enhance low specific impulse performance, this dissertation examines the development of a Hall-effect thruster which uses bismuth as a propellant. Bismuth, the heaviest non-radioactive element, holds many advantages over noble gas propellants from …

Multiscale Constitutive Modeling Of Polymer Materials, Pavan Kumar Valavala

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Materials are inherently multi-scale in nature consisting of distinct characteristics at various length scales from atoms to bulk material. There are no widely accepted predictive multi-scale modeling techniques that span from atomic level to bulk relating the effects of the structure at the nanometer (10^-9 meter) on macro-scale properties. Traditional engineering deals with treating matter as continuous with no internal structure. In contrast to engineers, physicists have dealt with matter in its discrete structure at small length scales to understand fundamental behavior of materials. Multiscale modeling is of great scientific and technical importance as it can aid in designing …

Planning And Adaptation Measures For Urban Slum Communities In West Africa : Stochastic Rainfall Modeling Applied To Domestic Rainwater Harvesting And Climate Change Adaptation, Joshua R. Cowden

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Over half of the world’s population is living in urban settlements, and most urban growth is occurring in developing countries. These countries’ economies are often unable to accommodate these rural-urban immigrations, resulting in millions of people settling in insecure communities known as urban slums. Current efforts to prevent urban slums include UN-HABITAT strategies to upgrade slums and stimulate urban/regional development. Urban metabolism analysis, which studies material and energy flows/stocks through urban processes, help decision-makers better understand their urban system. Nine lessons from past urban metabolism studies are presented to assist in finding answers on how to best solve urban slum …

The Effect Of Demand, Tank Parameters, And Pumping Stations On Energy Use In Municipal Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Santosh Raj Ghimire

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Two of the indicators of the UN Millennium Development Goals ensuring environmental sustainability are energy use and per capita carbon dioxide emissions. The increasing urbanization and increasing world population may require increased energy use in order to transport enough safe drinking water to communities. In addition, the increase in water use would result in increased energy consumption, thereby resulting in increased green-house gas emissions that promote global climate change. The study of multiple Municipal Drinking Water Distribution Systems (MDWDSs) that relates various MDWDS aspects--system components and properties--to energy use is strongly desirable. The understanding of the relationship between system aspects …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Room Temperature Operating Single Electron Transistors Using Focused Ion Beam Technologies, Prasanjit Santosh Karre

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The single electron transistor (SET) is a Coulomb blockade device, whose operation is based on the controlled manipulation of individual electrons. Single electron transistors show immense potential to be used in future ultra lowpower devices, high density memory and also in high precision electrometry. Most SET devices operate at cryogenic temperatures, because the charging energy is much smaller than the thermal oscillations. The room temperature operation of these devices is possible with sub- 10nm nano-islands due to the inverse dependance of charging energy on the radius of the conducting nano-island. The fabrication of sub-10nm features with existing lithographic techniques is …

Mse News 2008, Department Of Materials Science And Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• MSE Department Welcomes New Assistant Professor
• Lee Retires
• Peter Moran
• Michigan Tech Honors Levy for Research Efforts in Magneto-Photonics
• Student Accomplishments
• Awards and Honors
• Alumni News

Electrical And Computer Engineering Research Report 2008, Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Annual Reports

• Department
• Research
• New Chair
• Publications
• Enterprise

Method Of Introducing A Plurality Of Genes Into Plants, Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Laigeng Li

Michigan Tech Patents

A method of concurrently introducing multiple genes to plants and trees is provided. The method includes an Agrobacterium-mediated gene delivery system by which multiple genes together with a single selectable marker gene are simultaneously transferred and inserted into the genome of plants, including trees.

Genetic Engineering Of Syringyl-Enriched Lignin In Plants, Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Laigeng Li

Michigan Tech Patents

The present invention relates to a novel DNA sequence, which encodes a previously unidentified lignin biosynthetic pathway enzyme, sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase (SAD) that regulates the biosynthesis of syringyl lignin in plants. Also provided are methods for incorporating this novel SAD gene sequence or substantially similar sequences into a plant genome for genetic engineering of syringyl-enriched lignin in plants.

Control System For Suppression Of Boom Or Arm Oscillation, Kee Moon

Michigan Tech Patents

A control for a working apparatus having a boom arm. The apparatus includes a controller operable to receive signals from at least one pressure sensor. The at least one pressure sensor detects pressure of hydraulic fluid in at least one chamber of a control valve. The controller compares the signals from the at least one pressure sensor to parameters generated by testing the working apparatus. The controller predicts boom arm oscillations based on the comparison of the signals with the parameters, and generates a control signal in response to predicting the boom arm oscillations.

Method And Apparatus For Blood Flow Measurement Using Millimeter Wave Band, David Nelson

Michigan Tech Patents

A system and method that determines a blood flow rate in an area of a subject. The system includes a transmitter operable to transmit an electrical signal in the range of about 20 GHz to about 300 GHz to the area, a temperature sensor positioned adjacent the area, and a processor operable to determine the blood flow rate in the area based on the rate of change of temperature in the area as a result of the application of the electrical signal on the area and a power density value.

A Wireless, Passive Sensor For Quantifying Packaged Food Quality, Ee Lim Tan, Wen Ni Ng, Ranyuan Shao, Brandon D. Pereles, Keat Ghee Ong

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This paper describes the fabrication of a wireless, passive sensor based on aninductive-capacitive resonant circuit, and its application for in situ monitoring of thequality of dry, packaged food such as cereals, and fried and baked snacks. The sensor ismade of a planar inductor and capacitor printed on a paper substrate. To monitor foodquality, the sensor is embedded inside the food package by adhering it to the package’sinner wall; its response is remotely detected through a coil connected to a sensor reader. Asfood quality degrades due to increasing humidity inside the package, the paper substrateabsorbs water vapor, changing the capacitor’s capacitance …

An Overview Of Snow Photochemistry: Evidence, Mechanisms And Impacts, A. M. Grannas, A. E. Jones, J. Dibb, M. Ammann, C. Anastasio, H. J. Beine, M. Bergin, J. Bottenheim, C. S. Boxe, G. Carver, G. Chen, J. H. Crawford, F. Dominé, R. E. Honrath, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

It has been shown that sunlit snow and ice plays an important role in processing atmospheric species. Photochemical production of a variety of chemicals has recently been reported to occur in snow/ice and the release of these photochemically generated species may significantly impact the chemistry of the overlying atmosphere. Nitrogen oxide and oxidant precursor fluxes have been measured in a number of snow covered environments, where in some cases the emissions significantly impact the overlying boundary layer. For example, photochemical ozone production (such as that occurring in polluted mid-latitudes) of 3-4 ppbv/day has been observed at South Pole, due to …

Physisorption Of Nucleobases On Graphene: Density-Functional Calculations, Gowtham S, Ralph H. Scheicher, Rajeev Ahuja, Ravindra Pandey, Shashi P. Karna

Data Science Publications

We report the results of our first-principles investigation on the interaction of the nucleobases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), thymine (T), and uracil (U) with graphene, carried out within the density-functional theory framework, with additional calculations utilizing Hartree-Fock plus second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory. The calculated binding energy of the nucleobases shows the following hierarchy: G>A≈T≈C>U, with the equilibrium configuration being rather similar for all five of them. Our results clearly demonstrate that the nucleobases exhibit significantly different interaction strengths when physisorbed on graphene. The stabilizing factor in the interaction between the base molecule and graphene sheet is …

Room Temperature Operational Single Electron Transistor Fabricated By Focused Ion Beam Deposition, P. Santosh Kumar Karre, Paul Bergstrom

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

We present the fabrication and room temperature operation of single electron transistors using 8nm8nmtungsten islands deposited by focused ion beamdeposition technique. The tunnel junctions are fabricated using oxidation of tungsten in peracetic acid. Clear Coulomb oscillations, showing charging and discharging of the nanoislands, are seen at room temperature. The device consists of an array of tunnel junctions; the tunnel resistance of individual tunnel junction of the device is calculated to be as high as 25.13GΩ25.13GΩ. The effective capacitance of the array of tunnel junctions was found to be 0.499aF0.499aF, giving a charging energy of 160.6meV160.6meV.

Cellulose Synthase Promoter And Method For Modifiying Cellulose And Lignin Biosynthesis In Plants, Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chandrashekhar P. Joshi, Luguang Wu, Daniel T. Carraway

Michigan Tech Patents

This invention relates to an isolated cellulose synthase promoter, methods for genetically altering cellulose and lignin biosynthesis, and to methods for improving strength properties of juvenile wood and fiber in trees. The invention further relates to methods for identifying regulatory elements in a cellulose synthase promoter and to methods for augmenting expression of polynucleotides operably linked to a cellulose synthase promoter.

A Model Curriculum For Service Systems Engineering Using A Delphi Technique, S. A. Sorby, Leonard J. Bohmann, Dana M. Johnson, Kris G. Mattila, Frederick Sutherland

College of Business Publications

Over the past 100 years, the US economy has evolved from one based primarily in the goods-producing sector (agriculture, manufacturing, and mining) to the service sector. Today the service sector accounts for more than 80% of US Gross Domestic Product and more than 85% of the workforce. In fact, today many engineering graduates go on to work in service sector industries instead of more traditional manufacturing industries. In part, the service sector may be such a large segment of our economy because its processes are highly inefficient. Engineering problem-solving and talent, if properly applied to processes in the service sector, …

Magnetic Annealing Of Ferromagnetic Thin Films Using Induction Heating, Paul L. Bergstrom, Melissa L. Trombley

Michigan Tech Patents

A method of performing magnetic annealing of a ferromagnetic thin film applied to a substrate includes applying an oscillating magnetic field to the ferromagnetic thin film to induce a current therein and heat the ferromagnetic thin film. A directional magnetic field is applied to the ferromagnetic thin film at the same time as the ferromagnetic thin film is heated, and the ferromagnetic thin film is allowed to acquire a desired magnetic characteristic, and then the oscillating magnetic field is removed and the ferromagnetic thin film is allowed to cool.

Modified Luciferase, Eileen H. Kim Choi, David R. Shonnard, Irina V. Rybina

Michigan Tech Patents

The invention comprises modified luciferase proteins which are more resistant to inhibition by test chemicals than wild type luciferase. The modified luciferases also contain greater thermostability than wild type luciferase.