Engineering Commons^™

The Design Of A Molten Fueled, Vortex Reactor, For Use As A Rocket Propulsion Device, Robert Philip Schmitt

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation is to design a nuclear reactor which can be used as a rocket propulsion device. The reactor investigated is fueled with a molten uranium-bismuth alloy and utilizes a two phase vortex flow principle. Hydrogen is employed as a coolant and rocket propellant. The hydrogen is heated directly by the fuel thus eliminating the need for heat exchangers. The major part of the investigation consists of a two group neutron diffusion study to show the operational feasibility of this type of reactor and to obtain an optimum design. the study shows that this type of reactor …

Construction Time And Cost Control Using The Ibm Project Management System/360, James Donald Bailey

Masters Theses

"The object of this investigation was to determine the advantages or disadvantages involved in the use of the IBM Project Management system/360 as a time and cost control tool as compared to the methods presently used by construction contractors in the small to medium size range.

The methods used by three construction contractors were investigated in order to acquire a sample of methods presently used.

It was determined from the investigation that a number of advantages could be obtained which would provide better control of a construction project.

It was also decided that a detailed investigation concerning the cost of …

A Numerical (Matrix) Solution For The Vibration Frequencies And Modes Of A Nonuniform Rectangular Plate With Arbitrary Edge Conditions, F. David Utterback

Masters Theses

"The material presented in this thesis is designed to provide the practicing engineer with a practical, approximate method of solution for the increasingly important problem of plate vibrations. The technique presented herein is basically an application of the use of generalized coordinates to describe the elastic and inertial properties of a finite element representation of a nonuniform rectangular plate. The plate will be idealized by utilizing a modification of the grid work technique developed by Hrennifkoff as a lattice work of interconnecting beams. By employing the elastic displacements as generalized coordinates, the only required compatibility conditions are that the displacements …

The Numerical Solution Of Two-Dimensional Fluid Flow Problems, E. David Spong

Masters Theses

"A numerical solution method is developed for the solution of two-dimensional, irrotational and compressible fluid flow problems. The partial differential equation, in terms of the velocity potential, describing the flow is replaced by finite difference equations and the resulting matrix is solved by Gaussian elimination. The method is successfully applied to two subsonic flow problems: a 7.5⁰ wedge and a 6⁰ wedge inlet. The method becomes invalid, as expected, with the appearance of sonic velocity in the flow field. An investigation of the definition of the singularities is made. This indicates that the best agreement with the experimental results for …

Sufficiency Conditions For Constrained Optima, Cheng-Chun Huang

Masters Theses

"The sufficiency conditions for constrained optimization problems are derived through the use of Lagrangian functions and through the introduction of the new concept of "constrained total derivatives." The relations can be used with equality and/or inequality constraints. The sufficiency conditions derived earlier by Phipps were corrected in this work--Abstract, page ii.

Distillation Column Simulation And Control, Hsian T. Chao

Masters Theses

"A 5-component, 10-stage distillation column was simulated by PACTOLUS by use of the hybrid technique. It was found that the digital-analog simulator is completely satisfactory for solving unsteady-state multicomponent distillation problems. A feedforward controller for a distillation column was designed and tested. The effects of feedforward and feedback control on binary system distillation columns were compared by PACTOLUS. It was found that the liquid flow rates, the holdups as well as the number of stages are important factors in the design of a feedforward controller"--Abstract, page ii.

A Study Of Swirling Air Flow In A Converging Nozzle, Charles William Lineberry

Masters Theses

"A study was conducted to determine the behavior of swirling air flow in a converging nozzle. Special instrumentation was constructed to obtain radial traverses of the flow at four axial positions. the data collected consisted of velocity, static pressure, and stagnation temperature. The flow pattern demonstrated the Ranque-Hilsh effect and reversed axial flow in the core region. As the flow entered the nozzle, it had the characteristics of a free vortex. At the exit plane the characteristics were those of a forced vortex. The converging nozzle caused an increase in the magnitude of the axial velocity component"--Abstract, page ii.

An Experimental Method Of Determining The Thermal Accommodation Coefficients Of Metallic Surfaces, Raymond John Dethorne

Masters Theses

"In the free molecule regime, Knudsen number greater than 10, heat is transferred from a solid by radiation and conduction. The ability of a surface to emit radiant energy is governed by a surface property called emittance while the surface property which apparently regulates the amount of heat transferred by conduction is called the thermal accommodation coefficient. This thesis presents the results of an experimental investigation to determine a relationship between these two properties, emittance and thermal accommodation coefficient. A test apparatus was constructed to measure both the radiation and conduction contributions between two concentric cylinders. cylinders of aluminum and …

Compressive Creep Of Basic Refractories, Maurice E. Green

Masters Theses

"The microstructure and mineralogical composition of direct bonded, 50 wt.% magnesia - 50 wt.% chrome ore refractory compositions containing controlled additions of silica were correlated with their compressive creep behavior in the temperature range 1450⁰ to 1550⁰C under stresses of 100 to 175 psi. Steady state creep rates were determined from the linear regression of the steady state regions of deformation on time. Apparent activation energies and deformation flow characteristics were determined from the temperature and stress dependence of the steady state creep rates. Silica contents up to 3.5 wt.% increased the amount of direct intergranular bonding which decreased the …

Kinetics Of The Formation Of Strontium Zirconate, W. H. Parker

Masters Theses

"The decomposition rate of strontium carbonate (SrC0₃) was measured using a TGA apparatus. It was found to deviate slightly from zero order classical reaction. The rate of formation of strontium zirconate (SrZr0₃) from zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) and strontium oxide (SrO) in the form of the decomposition product of SrCO₃ was measured using quantitative x-ray diffraction for mineralogical analysis. It was found to most nearly follow the Zhuravlev-Lesokhin-Tempel' man rate equation. The rate of decomposition of strontium carbonate was found to be more rapid than the rate of formation of strontium zirconate such that for the most part strontium oxide is …

Spacing Of Explosive Charges, Calvin J. Konya

Masters Theses

"It is generally believed that the spacing of simultaneously initiated collar primed multiple charges is not dependent on the charge length. The stresses generated by explosive charges have been assumed to propagate through a material in a cylindrical manner. this assumption implied that the stress generated in any plane along the charge diameter would have been uniform in magnitude and direction. A finite explosive velocity along with a conical stress wave causes the stresses near the collar to differ from those farther down the column. for this reason, the spacing of charges would be dependent on charge length. An experimental …

Thermal Runaway In Power Transistors, Jerry H. Lee

Masters Theses

"Considerable work has been done on the theory of thermal runaway and the relationship between transistor junction temperature and collector power dissipation. The first part of this thesis is a review of literature. An equation for the normalized junction temperature and its peak value is developed. From this equation, the junction temperature at the thermal runaway point for a given maximum power dissipation could be determined. The second part of this thesis is experimental. The author examined the thermal runaway points for eight different transistors in the basic common emitter class A circuit which operated under no signal DC conditions"--Abstract, …

Radiation And Annealing Characteristics In Neutron Bombarded Transistors Operated In The Inverse Configuration, Lo-Soun Su

Masters Theses

"When operating a silicon planar epitaxial transistor in the inverse configuration (i.e., with the emitter functioning as a collector and the collector functioning an emitter) the bulk space-charge volume of the new "emitter-base" junction is increased by a factor of 26.5 times that of the normal emitter-base junction. The carrier concentration in the new "emitter" is decreased by five orders of magnitude from that of the normal emitter, thus making it easier to investigate the effects of neutron radiation on the space-charge region and at the surface. Experiments using biasing of the new "emitter-base" junction during neutron radiation to change …

An Intragastric Ph And Motility Monitoring And Automatic Titration System, Barry Foster Maycock

Masters Theses

"Knowledge of the effects of prolonged states of weightlessness on the physiological activities of gastric motility and acid secretion will aid in the planning of future space flights, since aberrations in these activities could affect the performance of astronauts. Investigation of these activities requires monitoring of the pressure and pH in the stomach and titration of the gastric contents. Since previous methods and equipment used for performing these functions are inadequate for this investigation, the equipment whose design and operation are discussed in this thesis was developed. This equipment includes an ingestible sensor capsule which is tethered in the stomach, …

A Study Of Porous Membrane Evaporation For Desalination In A Flow System, Jing Ming Lee

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to study the simultaneous mass and heat transfer mechanism in evaporation through a porous membrane with a non-wettable surface. Such water repellent membranes permit the passage of water vapor, but not liquid water. The investigation concerned the mass transfer rate through the membrane pores with flow on one or both sides of the membrane. The water-repellent membrane separated a hot salt solution from the fresh water, and a copper sheet separated the fresh water from a cold salt solution. A three-channel evaporator-condenser was used, and the membrane consisted of glass fiber paper treated with …

The Decomposition Of 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-Furaldehyde Under Gamma Irradiation, William George Bowles

Masters Theses

"An investigation into the effects of gamma irradiation decomposition of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) revealed HMF to be resistant to radiation catalyzed decomposition. A 1.0 normal solution of HMF was irradiated at a dose rate of 4.1 x 10⁵ Rads/hr to a total dose of 8.2 x 10⁶ Rads from a 5000 Curie ⁶⁰Co source. a total of 31 per cent of the HMF decomposed in a zero order reaction, although it was found the HMF decomposed completely under cadmium shielded irradiation in a nuclear reactor with some neutrons present. The reaction rate constant was found to be 4.8 x 10⁻³ moles …

Fast Neutron Induced Resistivity Changes In Order-Disorder Fe₃Al, Bruce A. Betts

Masters Theses

"Resistivity measurements were made of ordered, disordered and intermediate states of order-disordered specimens of Fe₃Al while being irradiated by neutrons. All the specimens were irradiated at ambient temperature, approximately 35°C in a modified Bulk Shielding Swimming Pool type reactor. The ordered and near ordered specimens increased in resistivity indicating disordering whereas the disordered and near disordered specimens decreased in resistivity indicating an ordering process was occuring [sic]. By extrapolation, an equilibrium condition was determined and estimated at 130-135 micro-ohms-cm resistivity that would remain constant during irradiation because the ordering and disordering affects of neutron irradiation would be in equilibrium"--Abstract, page …

Investigation Of Thermal Resistance At The Interface Of Dissimilar And Similar Metals, Ching-Liang Lin

Masters Theses

"Experiments have been conducted to investigate the resistance and the effect of the directional heat flow at the interface of metals in contact. The test specimens were cylinders, axially aligned and dead weight loaded. Specimen materials were aluminum, bronze, and steel. The tests were conducted at environment pressures of 5x10⁻⁵ Torr. or less. The dead weight load was kept at 10 lbs. for all tests and the surface roughness for all specimens was from 6 to 8x10⁻⁶ inch. The results of the investigation reveal that the resistance to heat flow at the interface of metals decreases as the interface temperature …

Instrumentation Of A Shock Tube Facility, James Everett West

Masters Theses

"The theory of schlieren and interferometer systems was described and related to studies of shock waves in a shock tube. An interferometer was procured and a schlieren system was modified for use with the UMR shock tube facility. The design and construction of a base for the systems and window assemblies for the shock tube comprised the major portion of the work on this project. A short series of tests were run to ascertain the compatibility of the instrumentation to the UMR shock tube facility. While no schlieren photograph of the shock wave was obtained, the system was shown to …

Constant Horizontal Force Machining Through Flash Welded Steel Bars Of Varying Hardness, Donald Naeger

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of a constant horizontal force applied to the carriage of a lathe as it turned a piece of stock which consisted of two steel bars, of different hardness, flash welded together. This experiment was performed on a lathe to which a pulley system with a mechanical advantage of six was attached to the carriage. The strain on the tool was measured both in the horizontal and vertical directions by a tool dynamometer on which eight strain gages were mounted. The strain gages were calibrated on a Tinius-Olsen testing machine. The …

An Intensity Regulation System For A Monochromator, David A. Wayne

Masters Theses

"In the investigation of phenomena involving both optical intensity and wavelength, an instrument is often desired which allows one of the quantities to be held constant while the other is varied. A relatively inexpensive system is described which utilizes a commercial grating monochromator and external feedback electronics to regulate the output intensity as the wavelength is varied. In this system, a sample of the output intensity is taken by a photosensor with known spectral response. The output of the photosensor is then compared electronically with that of a pre-programmed function generator which cancels nonlinearities in the photo-sensor. The resulting signal …

The Effect Of Prior Cold Work On The Pressure Welding Of Ferritic Nodular Iron, Ronald Morris Ledbetter

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of prior cold work by swaging on the pressure welding of ferritic nodular iron. Test pressure welds were produced from continuously cast ferritic nodular iron in the as cast condition and with prior cold work of 20, 30, 40, and 50 per cent reductions in area. Welding pressures of 23,500 psi, 35,300 psi, and 47,100 psi were employed. All welds were made at interface temperatures of 2000°F. Welds made with the as cast material at high welding pressures possessed relatively low tensile strengths due to the creation of planes of …

Computer Simulation Of Scraper-Pusher Behavior During Early Open Pit Mining Operations, Martin Alan Thieme

Masters Theses

"A method has been developed for study and evaluation of overburden removal systems in open pit mining. The computer simulation method shows the effect of vehicle and course characteristics and the control of loading time on overall production and cost per unit of overburden removed. Data are available from vehicle manufacturers and from past mining experience. The data are punched onto processing cards and the system is then simulated and analyzed using a digital computer. The products of the system simulation consist of a tabulated listing of all control variables after each simulated vehicle loading and a system summary predicting …

Radar Waveform Synthesis By Mean-Square Optimization Techniques, John D. Wolf

Masters Theses

"The ambiguity function is derived and its properties useful to radar waveform analysis are investigated. Synthesis of the phase-modulated waveform whose ambiguity function is the minimum mean-square estimate of some desired ambiguity function is accomplished by expanding the phase modulation function in an orthogonal series. The ambiguity function, defined as a magnitude, and the value of an arbitrary cost functional defined on the ([tau],w_d) plane is then expressed in terms of the coefficients of the orthogonal series. thus, the "optimum" waveform can be determined by solving the variational equations for the coefficients. Numerical examples are presented for the …

Design And Construction Of A Liquid Nitrogen Cryostat For Use In A Swimming Pool Type Reactor, Bruce B. Joiner

Masters Theses

"The continued expansion of the nuclear reactor facility and the nuclear engineering program dictates the need that a liquid nitrogen cooled cryostat be available at the reactor. This unit would be available for use in graduate and undergraduate laboratories and for graduate research. A liquid nitrogen cooled cryostat capable of maintaining a sample between 77°K to 80°K for an extended period of time in or adjacent to the core of the reactor was designed, constructed, and successfully operated. Recommendations were made for possible modifications to expand the versatility of the system"--Abstract, page ii.

The Modeling, Fabrication, And Testing Of An Instantaneous Torque Measuring System, Thomas Phillip Hertel

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this work was to obtain a measuring system to experimentally determine the instantaneous magnitude and frequency of the torques from zero to 2400 Hertz produced by a single phase motor. This paper explains the methods employed in designing and fabricating a measuring system and shows the results from tests using this equipment. It was found that a measuring system based on the determination of the instantaneous value of the stator's reaction torques could be realized. Also, it was found that some simple methods of computation could be used to find the magnitudes of the frequency components comprising …

Evaluation And Application Of Dye Tracing In A Karst Terrain, James William Scanlan

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to select and evaluate in the laboratory a tracing method appropriate for use in karstic areas, and to perform field tracing studies in the south central Missouri area bounded by the cities of Rolla, St. James, and Salem in an attempt to establish existing direct flow connections between surface and subsurface waters. Fluorescein (sodium salt), Rhodamine WT, and Rhodamine B were evaluated as tracers in the laboratory and the first two dyes were employed in the field. After careful evaluation of a number of adsorbents, extracting solvents, and detection techniques, a method consisting of …

Lattice Parameters, Coefficients Of Thermal Expansion, Densities, And Lattice Perfection Of The Copper-Indium Primary Solid Solutions, Lin Sheng Yu

Masters Theses

"Precise measurements of lattice parameters and densities of the alpha-phase Cu-In solid solutions were made at temperatures of 25°C. The thermal expansion coefficients between 15 and 65°C, the solid solubility of In in Cu at 650°C, and the soundness of crystal structure resulting from alloying were determined. The Cu-In alloys were prepared from high purity (99.999%) Cu and In by melting both metals inside evacuated quartz tubes. The solidified alloys were annealed and then examined by X-ray for homogeneity...The slowly solidified alpha-phase alloys gave densities lower than the theoretical (X-ray) values due to the presence of shrinkage microporosity. This density …

Determination Of Molecular Diffusivities In Liquids, Pai-Chuan Wu

Masters Theses

"A porous plate, initially at a uniform solute concentration is immersed in a well-stirred pure solvent bath of known volume. It is desired to find the molecular diffusivity of the solute-solvent system by observing the change of the solute concentration in the solvent bath with time. In this study, concentration-time data were curve-fitted by non-linear, least squares techniques to the various mathematical solutions describing molecular diffusion in the porous frit. This technique is used to determine the diffusion coefficient and predict the value of other parameters existing in the different mathematical diffusion models. The results from the different models are …

Impulse Response Of Rc Exponential Lines, Oscar Gojon

Masters Theses

"This thesis presents an application of the analysis of the n-wire exponential line to the case of the 3-wire RC exponential line terminated in its characteristic impedance, and to the 2-wire exponential line with open and short circuit terminations. These lines are excited with Δ-function voltage generators, and the corresponding impulse responses are obtained"--Abstract, Page ii.