Engineering Commons^™

Systems Approach For Estimating Field Moisture Content, Thomas M. Petry, Yuh-Puu Han, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper describes a software tool developed for estimation of the field moisture content of subgrade materials. Subgrade behavior is directly related to its moisture content. Unfortunately, some approaches of estimating field moisture content are too complex to be used in routine design. In this paper, the authors attempt to provide an approach that is easy to use. The software presented here was developed using expert system approaches. It is capable of analyzing data entered by the users, and providing estimations to meet different scenarios. The information entered by the user is first examined for its reasonableness and accuracy. Then, …

Transverse-Earthquake Induced Deformations Of A Bridge Approach Embankment In The New Madrid Seismic Zone, Wanxing Liu, Richard Wesley Stephenson, Ronaldo Luna

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

It is predicted that strong earthquakes, larger than M 7.0, may occur within next 50 years in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), the location of three of the most powerful earthquakes in United States history. Large displacements may occur during strong earthquakes that can cause an embankment to fail or lose its function. The hyperbolic stress-strain model with Masing rules was modified to account for strength and stiffness reduction due to change in the effective confining pressure. The Byrne model was combined with a hyperbolic model to calculate the pore water pressure caused by seismic shaking. This modified hyperbolic …

Origin-Destination (O-D) Trip Table Estimation Using Traffic Movement Counts From Vehicle Tracking System At Intersection, S. Lee, Hojong Baik

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new video-based vehicle tracking system is proposed to provide accurate information on directional traffic counts at intersections. The extracted counts are fed to estimate an origin- destination trip table which is necessary information for traffic impact study and transportation planning. The system utilizes a fisheye lens to expand the area covered by a single camera and uses a particle filtering method to track an individual vehicle. The filter is designed to handle environmental changes and multiple motion dynamics. Experimental results show its strong ability on tracking in various conditions. The paper shows how to use the tracking outputs in …

Strength And Durability Characteristics Of A 70% Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (Ggbfs) Concrete Mix, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For a bridge pier and abutment mass concrete project, three mixes were studied: an ordinary portland cement (OPC) mix (Type I PC) and two 70% by weight ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) mixes (Type II Low Heat PC). One of the slag mixes contained a high range water reducer (HRWR). Tests for compressive strength, freezethaw durability, rapid chloride permeability, and salt scaling were conducted on field samples. Results showed that the strengths of the slag mixes were lower than the OPC mix at all ages up to one year, although the use of HRWR did improve the strength somewhat. …

Adaptive And Probabilistic Power Control Algorithms For Dense Rfid Reader Network, Kainan Cha, Anil Ramachandran, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, the detection range and read rates may suffer from interferences between high power devices such as readers. In dense networks, this problem grows severely and degrades system performance. In this paper, we investigate feasible power control schemes to ensure overall coverage area of the system while maintaining a desired data rate. The power control should dynamically adjust the output power of a RFID reader by adapting to the noise level seen during tag reading and acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We present a novel distributed adaptive power control (DAPC) and probabilistic power control (PPC) as …

Adaptive Critic Design Based Neuro-Fuzzy Controller For A Static Compensator In A Multimachine Power System, Salman Mohagheghi, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a novel nonlinear optimal controller for a static compensator (STATCOM) connected to a power system, using artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic. The action dependent heuristic dynamic programming, a member of the adaptive Critic designs family, is used for the design of the STATCOM neuro-fuzzy controller. This neuro-fuzzy controller provides optimal control based on reinforcement learning and approximate dynamic programming. Using a proportional-integrator approach the proposed controller is capable of dealing with actual rather than deviation signals. The STATCOM is connected to a multimachine power system. Two multimachine systems are considered in this study: a 10-bus system …

Advanced Detection And Coding Techniques For Nonlinear Intersymbol Interference Cancellation In 40 Gb/S Systems, B. Vasic, I. B. Djordjevic, Vittal S. Rao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Two Optimal Control Strategies For A Grid Independent Photovoltaic System, Richard L. Welch, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents two optimal control strategies for a grid independent photovoltaic system consisting of a PV collector array, a storage battery, and loads (critical and non-critical loads). The first strategy is based on Action Dependent Heuristic Dynamic Programming (ADHDP), a model-free adaptive critic design (ACD) technique which optimizes the control performance based on a utility function. ADHDP critic network is used in a PV system simulation study to train an action neural network (optimal neurocontroller) to provide optimal control for varying PV system output energy and loadings. The second optimal control strategy is based on a fuzzy logic controller …

Density Estimation Using A Generalized Neuron, R. Kiran, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, M. Palaniswami

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Neural networks have been shown to be useful tools for density estimation. However, the training of neural network structures is time consuming and requires fast processors for practical applications. A new method with a generalized neuron (GN) for density estimation is presented in this paper. The GN is trained with the particle swarm optimization algorithm which is known to have fast convergence than the standard backpropagation algorithm. Results are presented to show that the GN can estimate the density functions for distribution functions with different means and variances. This density estimation method can also be applied to the multi-sensor data …

Speeding Up Vlsi Layout Verification Using Fuzzy Attributed Graphs Approach, Nian Zhang, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Technical and economic factors have caused the field of physical design automation to receive increasing attention and commercialization. The steady down-scaling of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device dimensions has been the main stimulus to the growth of microelectronics and computer-aided very large scale integration (VLSI) design. The more an Integrated Circuit (IC) is scaled, the higher its packing density becomes. For example, in 2006 Intel's 65-nm process technology for high performance microprocessor has a reduced gate length of 35 nanometers. In their 70-Mbit SRAM chip, there are up to 0.5 billion transistors in a 110 mm2 chip size with …

Permutation Coding Technique For Image Recognition Systems, Ernst M. Kussul, Tatiana N. Baidyk, Donald C. Wunsch, Oleksandr Makeyev, Anabel Martin

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A feature extractor and neural classifier for image recognition systems are proposed. The proposed feature extractor is based on the concept of random local descriptors (RLDs). It is followed by the encoder that is based on the permutation coding technique that allows to take into account not only detected features but also the position of each feature on the image and to make the recognition process invariant to small displacements. The combination of RLDs and permutation coding permits us to obtain a sufficiently general description of the image to be recognized. The code generated by the encoder is used as …

Real-Time Implementation Of An Optimal Transient Neurocontroller For A Gcsc, Swakshar Ray, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the design of an optimal Auxiliary Transient Neurocontroller (ATNC) for the Gate Controlled Series Capacitor (GCSC) in a multi-machine power system. GCSC is a recent advancement in the family of series FACTS devices. While GCSC regulates power flow through a transmission line, an auxiliary control signal can provide damping to the power oscillations during disturbances. The ATNC has been designed using heuristic dynamic programming to develop an optimal neurocontroller with fixed weights. The ATNC is implemented in real-time using the TMS3206701 DSP and the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS). Results are presented to show the effectiveness of the …

Robustness And Distance Discrimination Of Adaptive Near Field Beamformers, Y. Rosa Zheng, Peng Xie, Steven L. Grant

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A robust adaptive beamformer is proposed using the near field regionally constrained adaptive approach that designs a set of linear constraints by filtering on a low rank subspace of the near field signal over a spatial region and a wide frequency band. This method can accurately control the beam-former response over the designed spatial-temporal region using a small number of linear constraint vectors and improve the robustness against target location errors. Meanwhile, this method enhances the capability of the near field beamformer in distance discrimination without additional constraints so that interference impinging at the same direction as the desired signal …

A Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos Method For Uncertainty Propagation In Cfd Simulations, Serhat Hosder, R. Perez, Robert W. Walters

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An inexpensive non-intrusive polynomial chaos (NIPC) method for the propagation of input uncertainty in CFD simulations is presented. The method is straightforward to implement for any stochastic fluid dynamics problem and computationally less expensive than sampling or quadrature based non-intrusive methods. To validate the present NIPC approach, the method has been applied to: (1) an inviscid oblique shock wave problem with geometric uncertainty, (2) an inviscid expansion wave problem with geometric uncertainty, and (3) a subsonic, two-dimensional, laminar boundary layer flow over a flat plate with an uncertain free-stream dynamic viscosity. For all test cases, the statistics (mean and the …

Effects Of Current On Droplet Generation And Arc Plasma In Gas Metal Arc Welding, J. Hu, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In gas metal arc welding (GMAW), a technology using pulsed currents has been employed to achieve the one-droplet-per-pulse (ODPP) metal transfer mode with the advantages of low average currents, a stable and controllable droplet generation, and reduced spatter. In this paper, a comprehensive model was developed to study the effects of different current profiles on the droplet formation, plasma generation, metal transfer, and weld pool dynamics in GMAW. Five types of welding currents were studied, including two constant currents and three wave form currents. In each type, the transient temperature and velocity distributions of the arc plasma and the molten …

Statistically Steady Measurements Of Rayleigh-Taylor Mixing In A Gas Channel, Malcolm J. Andrews, Arindam Banerjee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel gas channel experiment is described to study the development of high Atwood number Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. Two gas streams, one containing air and the other containing a helium-air mixture, flow parallel to each other separated by a thin splitter plate. The streams meet at the end of a splitter plate leading to the formation of an unstable interface and of buoyancy driven mixing. This buoyancy driven mixing experiment allows for long data collection times, has short transients, and is statistically steady. The facility was designed to be capable of large Atwood number studies (At~0.75). We describe initial validation work …

Completely Explosive Autonomous High-Voltage Pulsed-Power System Based On Shockwave Ferromagnetic Primary Power Source And Spiral Vector Inversion Generator, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Evgueni F. Talantsev, Jason Baird, Millard F. Rose, Zachary Shotts, Z. Roberts, Allen H. Stults, Larry L. Altgilbers

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Novel explosive and conventional pulsed-power technologies were combined, and a series of explosive-driven high-voltage power supplies was designed, built, and tested. The power supply contained an explosive-driven high-voltage primary power source based on the fundamental physical effect of shockwave demagnetization of Nd₂ Fe₁₄B high-energy ferromagnet and a power-conditioning stage. The volume of the energy-carrying ferromagnetic elements in the shockwave ferromagnetic generators (FMGs) was 8.75 cm³. The power-conditioning stage was based on the spiral vector inversion generator (VIG). The combined FMG-VIG system demonstrated successful operation and good performance. The output-voltage pulse amplitude of the combined FMG-VIG …

Pulse Charging Of Capacitor Bank By Explosive-Driven Shock Wave Ferroelectric Generator, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Evgueni F. Talantsev, Jason Baird, Allen H. Stults, Larry L. Altgilbers

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultracompact explosive-driven shock wave ferroelectric generators (FEGs) were used as autonomous primary power sources for charging capacitor banks of different capacitance. The FEGs utilized longitudinal (when the shock wave propagates along the polarization vector P) shock wave depolarization of Pb(Zr₅₂Ti₄₈)O₃ (PZT) polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramic. PZT disks having diameters ranging from 25 to 27 mm and three different thicknesses: 0.65, 2.1, and 5.1 mm. It was experimentally shown that during the charging process the FEGs were capable of producing pulsed power with peak amplitudes up to 0.3 MW. Results for charging voltage, electric charge transfer and …

Completely Explosive Ultracompact High-Voltage Nanosecond Pulse-Generating System, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Evgueni F. Talantsev, Jason Baird, Millard F. Rose, Zachary Shotts, Larry L. Altgilbers, Allen H. Stults

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A conventional pulsed power technology has been combined with an explosive pulsed power technology to produce an autonomous high-voltage power supply. The power supply contained an explosive-driven high-voltage primary power source and a power-conditioning stage. The ultracompact explosive-driven primary power source was based on the physical effect of shock-wave depolarization of high-energy Pb(Zr52Ti48)O3 ferroelectric material. The volume of the energy-carrying ferroelectric elements in the shock-wave ferroelectric generators (SWFEGs) varied from 1.2 to 2.6 cm3. The power-conditioning stage was based on the spiral vector inversion generator (VIG). The SWFEG-VIG system demonstrated successful operation and good performance. The amplitude of the output …

Redox Stable Electrodes For Hydrogen Producing Solid Oxide Electrolyzer, Yong Wook Sin, Vladimir Petrovsky, Harlan U. Anderson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This report focuses on a study which measured the electrical conductivity of LSCrM, LSCr and LSM as a function of oxygen activity and temperature to evaluate the chemical and mechanical stability of the materials as an electrode in a solid oxide fuel-fed electrolyzer cell (SOFEC). the LSCrM symmetrical cell was fabricated using La_0.75Sr_0.25Cr_0.5Mn_0.5O₃ (LSCrM) powder and evaluated using electrical conductivity, impedance spectroscopy, current density and power density as a function of temperature. during the evaluation, symmetrical cell tests and fuel cell tests were performed as a function of temperature. Silver (Ag) …

Crystal And Electronic Structures Of Linh₂, Jinbo Yang, X.-D. Zhou, Qingsheng Cai, William Joseph James, William B. Yelon

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The crystal structure of LiNH₂ was reinvestigated using powder neutron diffraction with high sensitivity. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group I4 with lattice parameters α = b= 5.034 42 (24) Å, c = 10.255 58 (52) Å. It is found that H atoms occupy 8g1(0.2429, 0.1285, 0.1910) and 8g2 (0.3840, 0.3512, 0.1278) sites. The bond lengths between the nearest nitrogen and hydrogen atoms are 0.986 and 0.942 Å, respectively. The bond angle between H-N-H is about 99.97°. These results are significantly different from those of previous experiments. The electronic structure was calculated according to the revised structural …

Force Measurements On A Flapping And Pitching Wing At Low Reynolds Numbers, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac, Anthony Colozza, Jessica Rolwes

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Force measurements from experiments conducted in water on a flapping-and-pitching thin flat plate wing of semi-elliptic planform at low Reynolds numbers are reported. Time varying force data, measured using a force transducer, provide a means to understand the mechanisms that lead to enhanced performance observed in insect flight compared to fixed wing aerodynamics. Experimental uncertainties associated with low level (∼1N) fluid dynamic force measurements on flapping-and-pitching wings are addressed. a previously proposed pitching mode in which the leading edge and trailing edge switch roles to allow using cambered airfoils has been shown to be viable and may have advantages over …

Decreasing Electrical Energy Consumption Through Sic Additions, Kent D. Peaslee, Semen Naumovich Lekakh, Von Richards, John Carpenter, Chen Wang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper summarizes results of industrial experiments investigating the introduction of supplemental chemical energy in Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF). Specifically, this research evaluates the effects of adding 0.4-0.6% of the scrap charge weight as SiC (10 lbs per scrap ton charged) in the EAF. SiC additions increase the available exothermic reactions during oxygen boiling in an attempt to reduce the electrical energy requirements. Results from 180 trial heats at two different steel foundries are highlighted and statistically evaluated. In both cases, the SiC additions had a measurable effect on decreasing the electrical energy consumption.

Improving Melting Efficiency Through The Application Of New Refractory Materials, Kent D. Peaslee, Semen Naumovich Lekakh, Von Richards, Todd P. Sander, Jeffrey D. Smith, Mangesh Vibhandik

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ladle design and ladle practices have a significant effect on a foundry operation and product quality. Large steel temperature losses or instabilities in the pouring temperature are frequently compensated by tapping at higher temperatures dramatically increasing furnace and ladle lining wear, oxidation of the steel, alloying element losses, and energy consumption in steel melting. Ladle lining materials need to satisfy a complex array of often conflicting requirements. For example, ceramic materials for linings must possess a high strength at liquid steel temperatures to prevent erosion and crack formation. However, linings need to also have a low thermal conductivity which typically …

Vibration Testing Of Repaired Lead-Tin/Lead-Free Solder Joints, Matthew O'Keefe, S. Vetter, D. Murry, J. Smith, P. Amick, Martin G. Perez, D. W. Kleine, Richard S. Colfax

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Method Of Improving Weld Quality, P.-C. Wang, Hai-Lung Tsai, R. J. Menassa

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method of improving weld quality between aluminum members by slowing the rate of solidification of a molten weld trough into solidified material. Upper and lower aluminum members are positioned together in contact between facing surfaces thereof to expose a first outer surface of the upper aluminum member to laser irradiation. A welding laser beam is moved in a path over the first outer surface, wherein the welding laser beam has an energy and width to progressively melt a trough of molten metal to a depth through the upper aluminum member and into the lower aluminum member. The molten metal …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Vehicle Performance On Consumer Satisfaction, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Doctoral Dissertations

"Value is the relationship of functionality or benefit to the cost of a product or service. Consumers appear to seek value, but not all consumers are alike in their needs and wants. Common characteristics that consumers desire in automobiles include a high level of value relative to the product's cost. Consumers measure vehicle performance in terms of twenty-three attributes such as roominess, ride, reliability, handling, brake pedal feel, visibility, interior noise, acceleration, etc. Problems arise when automakers try to translate these characteristics into vehicle performance specifications and capabilities.

Quality is an essential element for both the consumer and producer since …

Earthquake Hazard Input For Loss Estimation Study: St. Louis Highway System, Ronaldo Luna, David J. Hoffman, William T. Lawrence

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The long recurrence period and high consequence earthquakes events in the New Madrid Seismic Zone have caused some federal agencies (e.g., NEHRP, FHWA) to look at the more densely populated areas where higher seismic risk is present. This paper presents the data collection, interpretation, and analysis of the geotechnical information required for an earthquake loss estimation study in St. Louis metro area. The loss estimation study was limited to the highway transportation system, where only the major highways were considered. The project information was processed using a GIS, and the subsequent loss analysis was executed using the HAZUS-MH program.

Residential Hip Roof Framing Using Cold-Formed Steel Members, Luke Waldo, Sutton F. Stephens, Roger A. Laboube

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.

Development Of Cost-Effective, Energy Efficient Steel Framing: Structural Performance Of Slit-Web Steel Wall Studs, Nahb Research Center

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

No abstract provided.