Engineering Commons^™

Nonlinear Response And Fatigue Estimation Of Surface Panels To White And Non-White Gaussian Random Excitations, Jean-Michel Dhainaut

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In stochastic structural dynamics, the majority of analyses have dealt with linear structures under stationary, Gaussian, and band-limited white noise excitations. Although these simplifying assumptions may be justified, in many processes experimental data have shown quite frequently the non-stationary and non-Gaussian characteristics of the loads. An efficient finite element modal formulation has recently been developed to extend the analysis to nonlinear structural responses. Laminated plate theory and von Karman large displacement relations are used to derive the nonlinear equations of motion for an arbitrarily laminated composite panel subjected to combined acoustic and thermal loads. The nonlinear equations of motion in …

Entropy Generation Method To Quantify Thermal Comfort, S. C. Boregowda, S. N. Tiwari, S. K. Chaturvedi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The present paper presents a thermodynamic approach to assess the quality of human-thermal environment interaction and quantify thermal comfort. The approach involves development of entropy generation term by applying second law of thermodynamics to the combined human-environment system. The entropy generation term combines both human thermal physiological responses and thermal environmental variables to provide an objective measure of thermal comfort. The original concepts and definitions form the basis for establishing the mathematical relationship between thermal comfort and entropy generation term. As a result of logic and deterministic approach, an Objective Thermal Comfort Index (OTCI) is defined and established as a …

Xenon Excimer Emission From Pulsed Microhollow Cathode Discharges, M. Moselhy, R. H. Stark, K. H. Schoenbach, U. Kogelschatz

Bioelectrics Publications

By applying electrical pulses of 20 ns duration to xenon microplasmas, generated by direct current microhollow cathode discharges, we were able to increase the xenon excimer emission by more than an order of magnitude over direct current discharge excimer emission. For pulsed voltages in excess of 500 V, the optical power at 172 nm was found to increase exponentially with voltage. Largest values obtained were 2.75 W of vacuum-ultraviolet optical power emitted from a single microhollow cathode discharge in 400 Torr xenon with a 750 V pulse applied to a discharge. Highest radiative emittance was 15.2 W/cm². The …

Future Research Vessels, Larry P. Atkinson

CCPO Publications

The academic research vessel fleet in the United States is embarking on a great experiment. By 2004 we will know if SWATH vessels such as the Mlo Moana and the possible built Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution coastal SWATH have such great advantages that all future vessels will be of SWATH design. Or, we will find that the two hull forms have distinct niches and the fleet will evolve with a strategic mix. Regardless of the Mure hull form research vessels will grow in size to accommodate advanced technology and the people to run and maintain it. The research vessel will …

Global Engineering In An Interconnected World: An Upper Division General Education Cluster At Old Dominion University, Sushil Chaturvedi, Gary Crossman, William Swart, Joseph Betit

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The “Global Engineering in an Interconnected World” cluster of courses fosters among students an awareness and understanding of global technology, quality assurance standards, and differences in cultural, communication, and business practices and their impact on a global work environment. This cluster will prepare the growing numbers of students who will accept employment with global firms or find themselves part of a merger or strategic alliance involving multinational corporations. This newly approved cluster of five courses described in the paper has been approved by the University for satisfying University upper-division general education requirements. As a consequence, students choosing this route to …

Stm And Electrochemical Investigation Of Homoepitaxial Boron-Doped Cvd Diamond Films, John B. Cooper, Jason A. Moulton, Sacharia Albin, Bing Xiao

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Homoepitaxial growth of boron-doped CVD diamond films was carried out on (100) and (111) oriented substrates. Atomic resolution images were obtained for both (100) and (111) surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy. STM images reveal the presence of a 2x1-monohydride reconstruction for the untreated (100) surface and a lxl reconstruction for the untreated (111) surface. No other atomically resolved reconstructions were observed under a wide range of growth conditions. Non-aqueous electrochemical investigations were carried out on the films exhibiting atomically resolved reconstructions. Evidence for potential-induced surface-reconstruction and surface chemical modification of the (100) 2xl-monohydride surface has been observed.

Innovative Student Research Projects, Alok K. Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Innovation in capstone projects, which should not be limited by external funding, is discussed. It is found that the properly designed unfunded senior projects can offer quality learning experience for students. Involvement of industry is a key factor for a successful capstone course. Innovative research projects can be offered under various organizational framework.

Prototype Development For A Leak-Preventive Toilet Flush System- An Met Senior Design (Capstone) Project, Cheng Y. Lin

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

A senior design (Capstone) project for three mechanical engineering technology students at Old Dominion University is described. A prototype design is presented to perform the functional test of a leak-preventive toilet system. There are two major leaks in the toilet water tank. In the first case, leaking occurs when the seal in the water tank becomes aged. The leak is very easy to detect visually, since the outside of the tank and the floor becomes wet. In the second case, leak occurs when the flapper valve can't complete shut off the water, due to corrosion or damage of the rubber …

Radiative Interactions In Thermochemical Nonequilibrium Expanding Flows, Srikanth B. Pidugu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A numerical study is conducted to investigate radiative interactions in flows with thermal and chemical nonequilibrium. The two dimensional spatially elliptic Navier-Stokes equations have been used to numerically investigate different physical processes in the nozzle flow problem. The system of governing equations are solved using explicit, unsplit MacCormack predictor-corrector scheme. The chemistry source term is treated implicitly to alleviate stiffness associated with fast chemical reactions.

Different physical processes considered in this study are investigated in a systematic manner. Finite chemical processes in chemically reacting supersonic nozzle flows are studied. Five hydrogen-air combustion models have been employed to study the influence …

Boron-Doped Homoepitaxial Diamond (100) Film Investigated By Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Bing Xiao, Weihai Fu, Sacharia Albin, Jason Moulton, John Cooper

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Conducting epitaxial diamond films of high quality are essential for many diamond studies and diamond electronic device fabrication. We have grown boron-doped epitaxial diamond films on type Ila natural diamond (100) substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. A gas mixture of H₂/CH₄ was used. Boron doping was done by placing solid sources of pure boron in the microwave plasma. Homoepitaxial films with atomic smoothness were achieved under the following growth conditions: substrate temperature 900 °C, gas pressure 40 Torr, and gas flow rates of H₂/CH₄ = 900/7.2 seem. The growth rate was 0.87 …

A Noninvasive Test For Vesico-Ureteric Reflux In Children, R. A. Mevorach, B. Cilento, S. Zahorian, C. Badgett, R. Walker, A. Atala, S. Iannello, M. Meyer

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective To report the development and testing of a device for the noninvasive diagnosis of vesico‐ureteric reflux (VUR) which avoids the need for urethral catheterization (currently required to reliably determine the presence of VUR), and which thus avoids the anxiety of parents and patients that causes many families to refuse such evaluation.

Patients and methods Fifty‐four children (49 girls and five boys, mean age 7.2 years, range 4–14) previously evaluated as having VUR volunteered to participate; no child was symptomatic at the time of the study. Refluxing units were known to be present by voiding cysto‐urethrography (within 1 year, mean …

Optical Properties Of Wide Band Gap Indium Sulphide Thin Films Obtained By Physical Vapor Deposition, N. Barreau, S. Marsillac, J. C. Bernède, T. Ben Nasrallah, S. Belgacem

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Thin films of indium sulphide containing oxygen have been synthesized following a dry physical process. The constituents are deposited by thermal evaporation on glass substrates and then annealed under argon flow. Polycrystalline β-In₂S₃ containing oxygen thin films are obtained as soon as the temperature of annealing is between 623 and 723 K. In this paper, these β-In₂S₃ thin films have optically been studied. The optical band gap is direct. Its value is not dependent on the temperature of annealing. It is about 2.8 eV, which is higher than that of β-In₂S_{3 …}

A New Compensating Element For A Femtosecond Photoelectron Gun, Bao-Liang Qian, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Design and analysis of a new compensating element for improving the electron pulse front and compressing the pulse duration in a femtosecond photoelectron gun are described. The compensating element is a small metallic cylindrical cavity in which an external voltage is applied in such a way that a special electric field forms and interacts with the electron pulse. This electric field reduces the distances between the faster and slower electrons inside the cavity and efficiently compensates for electron pulse broadening caused by the photoelectron energy spread and space charge effects. Poisson's equation and the equation of motion are solved to …

Time-Resolved Structural Study Of Low-Index Surfaces Of Germanium Near Its Bulk Melting Temperature, Xinglin Zeng, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The structure of the low-index surfaces of germanium near its bulk melting temperature is investigated using 100-ps time-resolved reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The surface is heated by 100-ps laser pulses while a synchronized electron beam probes the structure. Ge(111)was observed to remain in its incomplete melting structure up to at least T_m + 134 ± 40 K when heated by a 100-ps laser pulse. Both the Ge(100) and Ge(110) surfaces are observed to melt near the bulk melting temperature when heated with 100-ps laser pulses. Because of the low-diffraction intensity-to-background ratio at high temperatures and because of the temperature …

Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating In Spherical Plasmas: O-X-Ebw Mode Conversion In Mast, Josef Preinhaelter, M. A. Irzak, Linda L. Vahala, George Vahala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Using a full wave solution, the O-X-EBW mode conversion is examined for density and magnetic profiles in MAST. The effects of magnetic shear and the sharp density pedestal for H-mode operation are considered with an eye to understanding both electron cyclotron emission (ECE) and electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH).

Meeting Research & Publication Requirements In An Undergraduate E T Program Through Senior Design Projects, Alok K. Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) Success in an Engineering Technology programs has been traditionally evaluated based upon three factors namely, Teaching, Research and Service. While the relative ranking of these factors is arguable 1,5, it is the research (and the associated requirement of publication) which causes great anxiety for faculty in ET programs. This is specially true, in view of increasing emphasis placed on the research and publication by the ET programs in the nation. A number of articles have been written on the promotion and tenure requirements 2,3,4. Most of these publications discuss the general requirements of promotion and tenure and the …

Arc - An Oai Service Provider For Digital Library Federation, Xiaoming Liu, Kurt Maly, Mohammad Zubair, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The usefulness of the many on-line journals and scientific digital libraries that exist today is limited by the inability to federate these resources through a unified interface. The Open Archive Initiative (OAI) is one major effort to address technical interoperability among distributed archives. The objective of OAI is to develop a framework to facilitate the discovery of content in distributed archives. In this paper, we describe our experience and lessons learned in building Arc, the first federated searching service based on the OAI protocol. Arc harvests metadata from several OAI compliant archives, normalizes them, and stores them in a search …

Smart Objects And Open Archives, Michael L. Nelson, Kurt Maly

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Within the context of digital libraries (DLs), we are making information objects "first-class citizens". We decouple information objects from the systems used for their storage and retrieval, allowing the technology for both DLs and information content to progress independently. We believe dismantling the stovepipe of "DL-archive-content" is the first step in building richer DL experiences for users and insuring the long-term survivability of digital information. To demonstrate this partitioning between DLs, archives and information content, we introduce "buckets": aggregative, intelligent, object-oriented constructs for publishing in digital libraries. Buckets exist within the "Smart Object, Dumb Archive" (SODA) DL model, which promotes …

Buckets: Smart Objects For Digital Libraries, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Current discussion of digital libraries (DLs) is often dominated by the merits of the respective storage, search and retrieval functionality of archives, repositories, search engines, search interfaces and database systems. While these technologies are necessary for information management, the information content is more important than the systems used for its storage and retrieval. Digital information should have the same long-term survivability prospects as traditional hardcopy information and should be protected to the extent possible from evolving search engine technologies and vendor vagaries in database management systems. Information content and information retrieval systems should progress on independent paths and make limited …

Characterization Of The Biological Activities Of Recombinant Fusion Protein Green Fluorescent Protein/Human Zona Pellucida Protein 3 (Gfp/Hzp3), Zhiyong Lin

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Despite numerous reports indicating the successful production of bioactive recombinant ZP3, no report has shown the rhZP3 having direct binding activity with human sperm. Recombinant ZP3 generated from our previous study displayed binding activity with human sperm through indirect evidence from hemizona assay (HZA).

This present study focused on the production of recombinant ZP3 with direct binding activity with human sperm. Through the application of a pEGFP expression vector, fusion protein GFP/ZP3 was successfully generated and expressed. The expression of GFP/ZP3 was evidenced by RT-PCR and western blot. The fusion protein was partially purified by Ni-NTA affinity column from cell …

Determination Of Anisotropy Of Granular Materials And Its Relation To Liquefaction Resistance Under Cyclic Loading, Omer Faruk Capar

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Granular materials such as sand deposits have anisotropic characteristics due to the gravitational forces during depositional process and various stress histories. These anisotropic characteristics make evaluation of liquefaction resistance of soil very complex. Since obtaining undisturbed soil specimens for laboratory tests from discrete elements like sandy soils is very laborious, the soil specimens are reconstituted in laboratory with regards to the in-situ density of soil. Reconstituting the soil changes the soil fabric or anisotropic characteristics in comparison with field conditions. Many researchers have pointed out that liquefaction resistance is highly influenced by differences in the structure of the soil (or …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Silicon Field Emitter Arrays, Aaron M. Brock

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Field emission is a process through which the application of a large electric field to the surface of a material causes electron emission into vacuum. The electron emission current is a strong function of the geometry of the emitting material. The focus of this thesis is to investigate the effect of geometry on the emission current. Specifically, silicon field emitter arrays were fabricated using two separate fabrication processes termed the standard process and the new process. The uniformity of the arrays was measured experimentally. The arrays were used in field emission tests from which parameters controlling field emission were extracted. …

Studies Related To The Design And Implementation Of A Magnetic Suspension And Balance System, Syed Adeel Akhtar Jafri

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents studies related to the magnetic suspension and balance system (MSBS) of the Princeton/ONR High Reynolds Number Testing Facility (HRTF). The main motivation for developing the MSBS is to provide interference free aero/hydrodynamic testing of submersible models, which will lead to more accurate measurements. From the controls point of view, the main specification of the MSBS is to robustly control the position of a submersible model in five degrees of freedom (DOF), including three translational as well as pitching and yawing positions. The MSBS should not only regulate the submersible model's position but should also allow for small …

A Study For An Optimal Delivery Sequence Of A Bowling Pinspotter Distributor Mechanism, David Michael Burt

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The two major competitors in bowling sports equipment are Brunswick, Inc., and AMF Bowling Co. The latest version of a piece of bowling equipment machinery is called a Pinspotter, the design of which has been in existence since the 1950's. With the exception of electronic scoring systems, much of the original design is still being implemented in this model. It is the desire to eliminate undesirable traits in the original Pinspotter model design. Commercial Bowling observations have detected flaws found in a piece of machinery known as the Distributor. The flaws attributed to the Distributor are believed to be sources …

Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy For Process Control In The Petroleum Industry, Kent Lawson Wise

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

As early as 1950, Raman spectroscopy was proposed as a method to determine aromatics and olefins in hydrocarbon mixtures. Until recently, extensive use of Raman spectroscopy in the characterization of hydrocarbons has not been practical due to several limitations. One early limitation to Raman analysis was the absence of a high intensity and stable excitation source. This problem has been overcome with the advent of lasers. Another limitation was the presence of fluorescence in hydrocarbon fuels when excited by visible lasers. However, the development of Fourier-transform Raman spectrometers now allows Raman spectra to be collected using near-IR lasers (e.g …

Signal Modeling With Non-Uniform Time Sampling Of Features For Automatic Speech Recognition, Montri Karnjanadecha

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents an investigation of non-uniform time sampling methods for spectral/temporal feature extraction in speech. Frame-based features were computed based on an encoding of the global spectral shape using a Discrete Cosine Transform. In most current “standard” methods, trajectory (dynamic) features are determined from frame-based parameters using a fixed time sampling, i.e., fixed block length and fixed block spacing. In this research, new methods are proposed and investigated in which block length and/or block spacing are variable. The idea was initially tested with HMM-based isolated word recognition, and a significant performance improvement resulted when a variable block length and …

Advanced Atmospheric Water Vapor Dial Detection System, Tamer Refaat

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Measurement of atmospheric water vapor is very important for understanding the Earth's climate and water cycle. The remote sensing Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) technique is a powerful method to perform such measurement from aircraft and space. This thesis describes a new advanced detection system, which incorporates major improvements regarding sensitivity and size. These improvements include a low noise advanced avalanche photodiode detector, a custom analog circuit, a 14-bit digitizer, a microcontroller for on board averaging and finally a fast computer interface.

This thesis describes the design and validation of this new water vapor DIAL detection system which was integrated onto …

The Fundamental Use And Extension Of Mode Stirred Chambers, Stephen A. Scearce

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Mode stirred chambers are used to perform radiated susceptibility tests on equipment that is expected to operate normally when exposed to electromagnetic (EM) fields. These tests are useful in identifying failure events in airborne equipment and other electronic equipment that are exposed to EM fields. This thesis is focused on further defining the operating environment of mode stirred chambers and relating the electromagnetic environment in the chamber to the electromagnetic environment of an actual aircraft. The majority of mode stirred chamber tests are implemented by using mechanical mode stirring. Mechanical mode stirring is the process of varying boundary conditions in …

Routing Optimization Through Computer-Aided Simulation, Madhusudhan Akundi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Routing has always been a challenging field, and the various techniques of mathematics and operations research have been developed. For commercial organizations, routing has begun to receive extensive attention because of the savings gained in terms of time, money, personnel, and the transportation fleet by developing optimized routing networks. Until recently, it was difficult to develop optimized networks due to the computational difficulties of the problem. However, with the advancement in computer technology and processing speeds, it has become possible to simulate a large number of routing scenarios and determine optimal solutions for a given set of constraints. Not only …

Simulation Studies Of Cellular Electroporation Due To Ultra-Fast Electric Pulses, Gayathri R. Barthaki

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Biological systems, from cells to ecosystems, are intrinsically complex information-processing networks. It often becomes difficult to predict their behavior during an experimental investigation, as their behavior is fundamentally chaotic, Hence, building models that mimic the dynamics of such systems and performing computer simulations would help in understanding, predicting, controlling and optimizing these systems. This thesis is aimed at the development of a mathematical model for the process of electroporation in biological cells when they are subjected to ultra-fast electric pulses and at conducting simulations to understand its dynamic behavior with special emphasis on the physics of ultra-short time scales.

With …