Engineering Commons^™

Response Of Green Lake, Wisconsin, To Changes In Phosphorus Loading, With Special Emphasis On Near-Surface Total Phosphorus Concentrations And Metalimnetic Dissolved Oxygen Minima, Dale M. Robertson, Benjamin J. Siebers, Robert Ladwig, David P. Hamilton, Paul C. Reneau, Cory P. Mcdonald, Stephanie Prellwitz, Richard C. Lathrop

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Green Lake is the deepest natural inland lake in Wisconsin, with a maximum depth of about 72 meters. In the early 1900s, the lake was believed to have very good water quality (low nutrient concentrations and good water clarity) with low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations occurring in only the deepest part of the lake. Because of increased phos¬phorus (P) inputs from anthropogenic activities in its water¬shed, total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in the lake have increased; these changes have led to increased algal produc¬tion and low DO concentrations not only in the deepest areas but also in the middle of the …

Gradient And Pressure Recovery Of A Self-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Depends On Ascending Aorta Size: In Vitro Study, Milad Samaee, Hoda Hatoum, Michael Biersmith, Breandan Yeats, Shelley C. Gooden, Vinod H. Thourani, Rebecca T. Hahn, Scott Lilly, Ajit Yoganathan, Lakshmi Prasad Dasi

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Objective: In this study we aimed to understand the role of interaction of the Medtronic Evolut R transcatheter aortic valve with the ascending aorta (AA) by evaluating the performance of the valve and the pressure recovery in different AA diameters with the same aortic annulus size. Methods: A 26-mm Medtronic Evolut R valve was tested using a left heart simulator in aortic root models of different AA diameter (D): small (D = 23 mm), medium (D = 28 mm), and large (D = 34 mm) under physiological conditions. Measurements of pressure from upstream to downstream of the valve were performed …

Experimental Assessments Of Methanol-Based Foaming Agent In Latex Modified Foamed Binders And Warm Asphalt Mixtures, Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan, Tai Guo, Hainian Wang, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Latex is one of the natural rubbers that is used to enhance the performance of asphalt pavement for the last few decades. The presence of latex, which is categorized as an elastomer, helps to improve pavement performance and durability. Conversely, higher viscosity of latex modified asphalt binder increases the production-temperatures of asphalt mixture, thus consuming higher energy during asphalt mixture’s production stage. In this study, the effectiveness of methanol as an energy-efficient foaming agent was assessed to reduce the viscosity and enhance the workability of the modified asphalt binder. The basic and rheological properties of the asphalt binders were determined …

Multisector Dynamics: Advancing The Science Of Complex Adaptive Human-Earth Systems, Patrick M. Reed, Antonia Hadjimichael, Richard H. Moss, Christa Brelsford, Casey D. Burleyson, Stuart Cohen, Ana Dyreson, David F. Gold, Rohini S. Gupta, Klaus Keller, Megan Konar, Erwan Monier

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The field of MultiSector Dynamics (MSD) explores the dynamics and co-evolutionary pathways of human and Earth systems with a focus on critical goods, services, and amenities delivered to people through interdependent sectors. This commentary lays out core definitions and concepts, identifies MSD science questions in the context of the current state of knowledge, and describes ongoing activities to expand capacities for open science, leverage revolutions in data and computing, and grow and diversify the MSD workforce. Central to our vision is the ambition of advancing the next generation of complex adaptive human-Earth systems science to better address interconnected risks, increase …

Novel Stimuli-Responsive Pectin-Pvp-Functionalized Clay Based Smart Hydrogels For Drug Delivery And Controlled Release Application, Shabnam Rehmat, Nayab Batool Rizvi, Saba Urooge Khan, Abdul Ghaffar, Atif Islam, Rafi Ullah Khan, Azra Mehmood, Hira Butt, Muhammad Rizwan

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems are urgently required for injectable site-specific delivery and release of drugs in a controlled manner. For this purpose, we developed novel pH-sensitive, biodegradable, and antimicrobial hydrogels from bio-macromolecule pectin, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), 3-aminopropyl (diethoxy)methyl silane (3-APDEMS), and sepiolite clay via blending and solution casting technique. The purified sepiolite (40 um) was functionalized with 3-APDEMS crosslinker (ex-situ modification) followed by hydrogels fabrication. FTIR and SEM confirmed crosslinked structural integrity and rod-like morphology of hydrogels respectively. The swelling properties of hydrogels could be controlled by varying the concentration of modified clay in pectin/PVP blends. Moreover, the decrease in pH …

Storage Minimization Of Marine Energy Grids Using Polyphase Power, Salman Husain, Gordon Parker, Wayne W. Weaver

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Multiple wave energy converter (WEC) buoys can be used to establish a WEC array-powered microgrid collectively forming a Marine Energy Grid (MEG). An oceanic domain with gravity waves will have significant spatial variability in phase, causing the power produced by a WEC array to have high peak-to-average ratios. Minimizing these power fluctuations reduces the demand for large energy storage by WEC array-powered DC microgrids while also reducing losses in the undersea cable to the shore. Designs that reduce energy storage requirements are desirable to reduce deployment and maintenance costs. This work demonstrates that polyphase power in conjunction with an energy …

A Note On Gradient/Fractional One-Dimensional Elasticity And Viscoelasticity, Kostas Parisis, Vlasis Dimosthenis, Leonidas Kouris, Avraam Konstantinidis, Elias C. Aifantis

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

An introductory discussion on a (weakly non-local) gradient generalization of some one-dimensional elastic and viscoelastic models, and their fractional extension is provided. Emphasis is placed on the possible implications of micro-and nano-engineering problems, including small-scale structural mechanics and composite materials, as well as collagen biomechanics and nanomaterials.

Asphalt Mixture With Scrap Tire Rubber And Nylon Fiber From Waste Tires: Laboratory Performance And Preliminary M‐E Design Analysis, Dongzhao Jin, Dongdong Ge, Xiaodong Zhou, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Scrap tire rubber and nylon fiber are waste materials that could potentially be recycled and used to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt pavement. The objective of this research was to investigate the properties of scrap tire rubber and nylon fiber (R‐F) modified warm mix asphalt mixture (WMA). The high‐temperature performance was estimated by the Hamburg wheel-tracking testing (HWTT) device. The low‐temperature cracking performance was evaluated by the disk‐shaped compact tension (DCT) test and the indirect tensile strength (IDT) test. The stress and strain relationship was assessed by the dynamic modulus test at various temperatures and frequencies. The extracted asphalt …

Long Short-Term Memory Based Subsurface Drainage Control For Rainfall-Induced Landslide Prevention, Aynaz Biniyaz, Behnam Azmoon, Ye Sun, Zhen Liu

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Subsurface drainage has been widely accepted to mitigate the hazard of landslides in areas prone to flooding. Specifically, the use of drainage wells with pumping systems has been recognized as an effective short-term solution to lower the groundwater table. However, this method has not been well considered for long-term purposes due to potentially high labor costs. This study aims to investigate the idea of an autonomous pumping system for subsurface drainage by leveraging con-ventional geotechnical engineering solutions and a deep learning technique—Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM)—to establish a geotechnical cyber-physical system for rainfall-induced landslide prevention. For this purpose, a typical soil …

Multisector Dynamics: Scientific Challenges And A Research Vision For 2030, A Community Of Practice Supported By The United States Department Of Energy's Office Of Science, Patrick M. Reed, Antonia Hadjimichael, Richard H. Moss, Erwan Monier, Sequoia Alba, Christa Brelsford, Ana Dyreson, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

No abstract provided.

Performance Prediction Of Underwater Acoustic Communications Based On Channel Impulse Responses, Evan Lucas, Zhaohui Wang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Featured Application: Convolutional neural networks are used on the channel impulse response data to predict the performance of underwater acoustic communications. Abstract: Predicting the channel quality for an underwater acoustic communication link is not a straightforward task. Previous approaches have focused on either physical observations of weather or engineered signal features, some of which require substantial processing to obtain. This work applies a convolutional neural network to the channel impulse responses, allowing the network to learn the features that are useful in predicting the channel quality. Results obtained are comparable or better than conventional supervised learning models, depending on the …

Experimental Studies Of Low-Load Limit In A Stoichiometric Micro-Pilot Diesel Natural Gas Engine, Vinicius Bonfochi Vinhaes, Gordon Mctaggart-Cowan, Sandeep Munshi, Mahdi Shahbakhti, Jeffrey Naber

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

While operating at light loads, diesel pilot-ignited natural gas engines with lean pre-mixed natural gas suffer from poor combustion efficiency and high methane emissions. This work investigates the limits of low-load operation for a micro-pilot diesel natural gas engine that uses a stoichiometric mixture to enable methane and nitrogen oxide emission control. By optimizing engine hardware, operating conditions, and injection strategies, this study focused on defining the lowest achievable load while maintaining a stoichiometric equivalence ratio and with acceptable combustion stability. A multi-cylinder diesel 6.7 L engine was converted to run natural gas premix with a maximum diesel micro-pilot contribution …

Review On Applications Of Lignin In Pavement Engineering: A Recent Survey, Hui Yao, Yiran Wang, Junfu Liu, Mei Xu, Pengrui Ma, Jie Ji, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Lignin is the second-largest plant polymer on Earth after cellulose. About 98% of lignin produced in the papermaking and pulping industry is used for combustion heating or power generation. Less than 2% of lignin is used in more valuable fields, mainly in the formulation of dispersants, adhesives, and surfactants. Asphalt is one of the most important materials in pavement engineering. It is a dark brown complex mixture composed of hydrocarbons with different molecular weights and their non-metallic derivatives. Because the chemical structure of lignin is similar to that of asphalt, it is a carbon-based hydrocarbon material. More researchers studied the …

Integrated Parametric Graph Closure And Branch-And-Cut Algorithm For Open Pit Mine Scheduling Under Uncertainty, Devendra Joshi, Amol Paithankar, Snehamoy Chatterjee, Sk Md Equeenuddin

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Open pit mine production scheduling is a computationally expensive large-scale mixed-integer linear programming problem. This research develops a computationally efficient algorithm to solve open pit production scheduling problems under uncertain geological parameters. The proposed solution approach for production scheduling is a two-stage process. The stochastic production scheduling problem is iteratively solved in the first stage after relaxing resource constraints using a parametric graph closure algorithm. Finally, the branch-and-cut algorithm is applied to respect the resource constraints, which might be violated during the first stage of the algorithm. Six small-scale production scheduling problems from iron and copper mines were used to …

Graphene Oxide Functionalized Biosensor For Detection Of Stress-Related Biomarkers, Erican Santiago, Shailu Shree Poudyal, Sung Y. Shin, Hyeun Joong Yoon

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

A graphene oxide (GO)-based cortisol biosensor was developed to accurately detect corti-sol concentrations from sweat samples at point-of-care (POC) sites. A reference electrode, counter electrode, and working electrode make up the biosensor, and the working electrode was functional-ized using multiple layers consisting of GO and antibodies, including Protein A, IgG, and anti-Cab. Sweat samples contact the anti-Cab antibodies to transport electrons to the electrode, resulting in an electrochemical current response. The sensor was tested at each additional functionalization layer and at cortisol concentrations between 0.1 and 150 ng/mL to determine how the current response differed. A potentiostat galvanostat device was …

Lava Volume From Remote Sensing Data: Comparisons With Reverse Petrological Approaches For Two Types Of Effusive Eruption, Pauline Verdurme, Simon Carn, Andrew J.L. Harris, Diego Coppola, Andrea Di Muro, Santiago Arellano, Lucia Gurioli

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Five effusive eruptions of Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion) are analyzed to investigate temporal trends of erupted mass and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. Daily SO2 emissions are acquired from three ultraviolet (UV) satellite instruments (the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS), and the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI)) and an array of ground-based UV spectrometers (Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change (NOVAC)). Time-averaged lava discharge rates (TADRs) are obtained from two automatic satellite-based hot spot detection systems: MIROVA and MODVOLC. Assuming that the lava volumes measured in the field are accurate, the MIROVA …

Stress Corrosion Analysis And Direct Cell Viability Of Biodegradable Zn-Fe-Ca Alloy In In-Vitro Conditions, Orit Avior, Noa Ben Ghedalia-Peled, Tomer Ron, Jeremy Goldman, Razi Vago, Eli Aghion

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Due to the excellent biocompatibility of Zn and Zn-based alloys, researchers have shown great interest in developing biodegradable implants based on zinc. Furthermore, zinc is an essential component of many enzymes and proteins. The human body requires ~15 mg of Zn per day, and there is minimal concern for systemic toxicity from a small zinc-based cardiovascular implant, such as an arterial stent. However, biodegradable Zn-based implants have been shown to provoke local fibrous encapsulation reactions that may isolate the implant from its surrounding environment and interfere with implant function. The development of biodegradable implants made from Zn-Fe-Ca alloy was designed …

Atomistic-Continuum Membrane And Machine Learning Models For Two-Dimensional Materials, Upenda Yadav

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

“What could we do with layered structures with just the right layers?” asked Richard Feynman in his famous 1959 lecture, “There’s plenty of room at the bottom.” With the help of the amazing developments of the past several years, we are coming close to answering that question. In 2004, graphene was first isolated from graphite and only six short years later it won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Graphene is one atomic layer of Carbon, it is the thinnest and yet the strongest materials we have ever seen. It is 200 times stronger than its equivalent weight in steel and …

An Experimental Study Of Fuel Selection For A Gasoline Multi-Mode, Spark Ignited – Compression Ignition Engine, Zachary J. Stanchina

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In this study of fuels of different reactivities and their performance in a low-temperature combustion (LTC) engine. The engine was a 2.2L CRDI engine code D4HB provided by industry partner Hyundai America Technical Center inc. (HATCI). The engine was instrumented with in-cylinder pressure sensors allowing for monitoring of the combustion process.

First, the engine was operated with standard US pump grade gasoline, Research Octane number (RON) 91 E10, to find initial operation conditions as well as control points of stable operation for daily checks on system conditions.

Tested were 8 different fuel blends, the four base blends were provided by …

Microscale Transverse Compression Modeling: A Comparative Study Of The Analytical Mac/Gmc Methods To Experimental Results, Emily Zeitunian

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Composite materials require a multi-scale approach to fully understand its behavior. At the micro level, material behavior analysis is conducted most often using numerical or analytical approaches. These models, however, require validation from experimental data to ensure material predictions are accurate. This study compares a semi-analytical micromechanical analysis tool, MAC/GMC, to experimental results of in-situ microscale transverse compression testing conducted at AFRL facilities. Effective properties, stress-strain curves, stress and strain fields, and damage predictions are compared with experimental outputs. Both generalized method of cells (GMC) and high-fidelity generalized method of cells (HFGMC) theories implemented within MAC/GMC show results that agree …

Image-Data-Driven Deep Learning For Slope Stability Analysis, Behnam Azmoon

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Landslides cause major infrastructural issues, damage the environment, and cause socio-economic disruptions. Therefore, various slope stability analysis methods have been developed to evaluate the stability of slopes and the probability of their failure. This dissertation attempts to take advantage of the recent advancements in remote sensing and computer technology to implement a deep-learning-based landslide prediction method.

Considering the novelty of this approach, this dissertation leads with proof-of-concept studies to evaluate and establish the suitability of deep learning models for slope stability analysis. To achieve this, a simulated 2D dataset of slope images was created with different geometries and soil properties. …

Maximum Likelihood Estimator Method To Estimate Flaw Parameters For Different Glass Types, Nabhajit Goswami

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Glass is commonly used in architectural applications, such as windows and in-fill panels and structural applications, such as beams and staircases. Despite the popularity of structural glass use in buildings, an engineering design standard to determine the required component or member strength for design loads does not exist. Glass is a brittle material that lacks a well-defined yield or ultimate stress, unlike ductile materials. The traditional engineering methods used to design a ductile material cannot be used to design a glass component. Glass fails in tension primarily due to the presence of microscopic flaws present on the surface that acts …

Design And Analysis Of Marangoni-Driven Robotic Surfers, Mitchel L. Timm

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

We designed and experimentally studied the dynamics of two robotic systems that surf along the water-air interface. The robots were self-propelled by means of creating and maintaining a surface tension gradient resulting from an asymmetric release of isopropyl alcohol (IPA). The imbalance in the distribution of surface tension surrounding the robots generates a propulsive force commonly referred to as Marangoni propulsion. First, we considered a single surfer, which was custom-made with novel control mechanisms that allow for both forward motion and steering to be remotely adjusted solely through the manipulation of local surface stresses. We analyzed the performance of this …

The Photo-Transformation Of Free Methionine In The Presence Of Surrogate And Standard Isolate Dissolved Organic Matter Under Sunlit Irradiation, Benjamin J. Mohrhardt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Sulfur (S)-containing amino acids are key sources of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur involved in protein synthesis, protein function, and providing energy for microbial growth. Dissolved free and combined methionine is one of two S-containing amino acids incorporated into proteins and has been attributed to their stability and function. The oxidation of methionine has received considerable attention given its ubiquitous presence in most biological systems and has been associated with losses in protein function and pathological disorders. In natural waters, methionine is rapidly and selectively taken up by microorganisms to achieve cellular requirements of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. The abiotic transformation …

Fidget Spinner Generator System For Mi-Star Unit 7.1, Douglas Oppliger

Mi-STAR

This simple system is an integral and important part of this unit. It allows students to see, feel, and experience how kinetic energy can be transformed to another kind of energy. It is an effective learning tool in the unit because it is reasonably easy to make, has just a few simple and visible components, and reliably transforms enough energy to light an LED (light emitting diode). The LED provides a satisfying light output which is easy to observe.

Experimental Analysis And Computer Simulation Of A Laboratory-Scale Intermittent Water Supply System, Brian Rivers

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Intermittent water systems (IWS) are prevalent throughout developing regions of the world. However, few tools exist to predict IWS performance because modeling transient flow is difficult: IWS networks can experience widely fluctuating conditions, ranging from completely empty to completely full (pressurized flow). An experimental IWS, consisting of a 50.75-gallon reservoir, an elevated distribution network, and four outlets was constructed to study the hydraulics of IWS. Three experiments were run on the system that represented two falling-head scenarios and a constant-head scenario. Computer simulation models of the experimental IWS were developed in EPANET 2.2.0 and EPA-SWMM 5.1, which are open-source modeling …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Mitigation From Contaminated Groundwater Using Halophyte And Cow Bone Biochars, Bailey Papes

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) groundwater contamination is a growing concern for the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility. Two of the four wells onsite are contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). The removal of PFAS by adsorption onto powder activated carbon (PAC) is promising, but the production of PAC is energy intensive and expensive. A potential cost-effective alternative to PAC is biochar. This study quantified the capacities of two halophyte biochars, cow bone biochar and PAC to adsorb PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxS from brackish groundwater. The three biochars were ineffective at …

Wireless Power Transfer In Autonomous Mobile Microgrids, Carl Greene

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The ability to autonomously dock unmanned ground vehicles plays a key role in mobile micro-grids, where efficient power transfer is paramount. The approach utilized in this work allows for near-field wireless power transfer in remote locations with minimal support. Establishing a micro-grid power system connection autonomously using wireless power eliminates the arduous task of designing a complex, multiple degrees of freedom (MDOF) robotic arm. The work presented in this thesis focuses on both the hardware and software within the micro-grid system. This particular near-field wireless system consists of a primary and secondary set of modules, comprised of Litz wire coils, …

Simulating Groundwater Pollutant Transport For Remediation Design, Antrim County, Michigan, Abilynn Raetz

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Located in Antrim County, Michigan between the coasts of Torch Lake and Lake Michigan is a hydrocarbon plume that has impacted surrounding residential wells. The plume is comprised of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) and primarily resides in the shallowest groundwater aquifer. The plume is suspected of having originated from an underground storage container that was removed in 1979. A conceptual model was developed for the site, comprising of a simplified hydrogeological model. Groundwater modeling was performed using Aquaveo's groundwater modeling software (GMS). PEST parameter calibration was performed on the hydraulic conductivity and recharge values using data from surrounding …

Eager Scheduling Of Dependent Instructions, Kurush Kasad

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Modern superscalar processors are able to potentially issue and execute multiple instructions per cycle. Several techniques over the years have focused on increasing the Instruction Level Parallelism (ILP) that a processor can exploit. However, there are many limitations of ILP that hinder performance, chief of them being the chain of dependencies between instructions that stops instructions from being executed in parallel.

We propose a new micro-architecture design which extends the superscalar pipeline with a data-flow pipeline where the dataflow part identifies immediately dependent instructions and executes them early. The dataflow pipeline is able to identify redundant instructions, track changes in …