Engineering Commons^™

Implementation Of Uniform Perturbation Method For Potential Flow Past Axisymmetric And Two-Dimensional Bodies, Tin Chee Wong

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The aerodynamic characteristics of potential flow past an axisymmetric slender body and a thin airfoil are calculated by using a uniform perturbation analysis method. The method is based on the superposition of potentials of point singularities distributed inside the body. The strength distribution satisfies a linear integral equation by enforcing the flow tangency condition on the surface of the body. The complete uniform asymptotic expansion of its solution is obtained with respect to the slenderness ratio by modifying and adapting an existing technique. Results calculated by the perturbation analysis method are compared with the existing surface-singularity-panel method and some available …

Selection Of Sludge Conditioning Chemicals And Filter Media For Vacuum Filter Dewatering Of Sludge At The Atlantic Wastewater Treatment Plant, Douglas W. Fredericks

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A literature review was conducted to determine the types of vacuum filter systems available for sludge dewatering, the characteristics of wastewater sludge which are important to dewatering, and the methods of sludge conditioning for vacuum filtration which are available. Capillary suction time and Buchner funnel tests were performed to determine the dewatering characteristics of sludge conditioned with ferric chloride and lime, polymer, polymer and lime, and polymer and incinerator ash. Filter leaf tests were performed to determine filter cake release characteristics of various conditioned sludge and the performance characteristics of several filter media. It was determined that ferric chloride and …

Block Encoding Of Speech Spectral Principal Components, James R. Holland Jr.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A Karhunen-Loeve series expansion was used to block encode speech spectral principal components as a function of time. Each of ten principal components was first obtained as a linear combination of 2© speech spectral band energies. Using a fixed block length of 10 frames (0.128 s), the K-L basis vectors were computed separately for various speakers for each principal component. In all cases the resulting basis vectors were essentially a set of discrete cosine basis vectors. Synthesis of speech from the block encoded parameters showed that very little information is lost with up to 70% data reduction. The block encoding …

An Experimental And Analytical Investigation Of Friction Factors For Fully Developed Flow In Internally Finned Triangular Ducts, Hoshang Chegini

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Friction factors for fully-developed flow in triangular ducts with fins of various sizes are investigated for Reynolds numbers ranging from 150 to 90,000. Two triangular ducts having apex angles of 60 and 38.8 degrees are studied. Results are presented in the form of standard plots of friction factor as a function of Reynolds number. Friction factor values for the smooth triangular-duct cases are in good agreement with the existing results. For the finned-duct cases, the fully developed axial-velocity profiles in laminar flow are determined by solving the x-momentum equation iteratively by the Gauss-Seidel finite difference technique. The theoretically determined friction …

A 250-Kv Two-Pulse Modulator For The Gas Flow Switch Test Facility, David Michael Barrett

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

High-pressure spark gap switches are often used in pulsed power systems because of their high power capabilities. Unfortunately, these switches cannot be operated at high repetition rates because of the time required for the switch to recover. However, the recovery rate of a spark gap may be improved by flowing a gas through the interelectrode region so as to remove the hot gases and debris.

A test facility has been designed and constructed at Old Dominion University to evaluate the performance of gas-flow spark gap switches operating over a wide range of voltages and flow parameters. The facility consists of …

Derivations For Discrete-Time Cumulant Control, Henk Albert Roelant

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Expressions for discrete-time cumulant control systems are derived. These expressions are useful for both control system performance analysis and controller selection. Derivation of the performance cumulant expressions parallels the development for the continuous-time case. Two matrix difference equations based on the first two-cumulants are derived. A heuristic procedure for controller selection using the two matrix difference equations paralleling the procedure for the continuous-time case is developed.

Comparative Heat Load Analysis For A Direct Gain Passive Solar Building, Hong Hu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A newly erected University Police Safety Building on the campus was constructed with passive solar design features. The slab-on-grade brick building has 3081 square feet of conditioned space, an ample south-facing solar aperture with clerestory and an air-to-air heat pump system. A comparative winter heat load assessment has been made in order to determine the fraction of the heat load which can be met by the winter sun (Norfolk, VA 37°N Latitude), and more importantly to probe differences which result when various heat load estimating methods are employed. Techniques employed included the degree day method·, bin method with and with …

Finite Element Thermal-Structural Analysis Of Cable-Stiffened Space Structures, Ajay Kumar Pandey

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Finite element thermal-structural analyses of cable-stiffened space structures are presented. A computational scheme for calculation of prestresses in the cable-stiffened structures is also described. The determination of thermal loads on orbiting space structures due to environmental heating is described briefly. Three finite element structural analysis techniques are presented for the analysis of prestressed structures. Linear, stress stiffening and large displacement analysis techniques are investigated.

The three techniques are employed for structural analysis of prestressed cable structures at different prestress levels. The three analyses produce similar results at small prestress. but at higher prestress differences between the results become significant. For …

Design Of A Combustion System Simulating Waste Heat Recovery From Diesel Engine Exhaust Gases, Nikolaos Papadopoulos

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A forced-draft laboratory combustion system simulating diesel engine exhaust gas volume flow rate and temperature conditions for waste energy recovery is analyzed and discussed. The system consists of a fan which supplies the air. The slightly compressed air is then ducted through a combustor where it is heated, and then to an air-quencher where it is cooled to a desired temperature. Finally, the air is sent through a heat exchanger, after a diffuser process, for waste heat recovery.

A gas dynamic analysis has been performed for each component part as well as a parametric study via a computer program in …

The Development Of A Microprocessor Controlled Linearly Actuated Valve Assembly, Raymond H. Wall

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The development of a proportional fluid control valve/assembly is presented. This electro-mechanical system is needed for space applications to replace the current proportional flow controllers that use bulky hydraulic or pneumatic actuation systems. The flow is controlled by a microprocessor system that monitors the control parameters of upstream pressure and requested volumetric flow rate. The microprocessor achieves the ·proper valve stem displacement by means of a digital linear actuator. A linear displacement sensor is used to measure the valve stem position. 'Ibis displacement is monitored by the microprocessor system as a feedback signal to close the control loop. With an …

Design Of Multivariable Feedback Control Systems Via Spectral Assignment Using Reduced-Order Models And Reduced-Order Observers, Preston Ivanhoe Carraway Iii

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The feasibility of using reduced-order models and reduced-order observers with eigenvalue/eigenvector assignment procedures is investigated. A review of spectral assignment synthesis procedures is presented. Then, a reduced-order model which retains essential system characteristics is formulated. A constant state feedback matrix which assigns desired closed loop eigenvalues and approximates specified closed loop eigenvectors is calculated for the reduced-order model. It is shown that the eigenvalue and eigenvector assignments made in the reduced order system are retained when the feedback matrix is implemented about the full order system. In addition, those modes and associated eigenvectors which are not included in the reduced-order …

A Plasma Focus Interrupting Switch, Gregory Francis Knapp

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The feasibility of using a dense plasma focus (DPF) as a current interrupting device has been investigated. Specifically, a 34-kJ, Mather-type DPF was modified to accept a third electrode so that a discharge could be created between this electrode and the center electrode of the DPF by a 10-kJ inductive energy storage circuit. It was anticipated that the accelerating mechanisms of the DPF pinch, which are known to cause a rapid reduction in the DPF current, would interrupt the 1-kA to 10-kA secondary discharge current thus forcing the secondary current through an external load and hence result in power amplification. …

Shape Optimization For Elastic Hollow Bars In Torsion, Jahau Lewis Chen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The problem of finding optimal cross-sectional shapes of elastic hollow bars in torsion is formulated and solved numerically. A variational formulation for the state equation is presented, and the material derivative of continuum mechanics is used for the shape design sensitivity analysis. Performance criteria include the bending stiffness, the torsional rigidity, and the weight of the bar. The existence of a keyway, an example of geometric irregularity, can be considered as well. The material can be either isotropic or anisotropic. The finite element method is used for the numerical solution of the variational state equation and is integrated into an …

Block Transform Coding Of Presample Filtered Data, Thomas A. Shull

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the application of non-adaptive transform coding for bit rate reduction of presampled filtered data. Transform coding is examined as an alternative to conventional pulse code modulation (PCM) for multi-source, fixed rate data acquisition systems. Typical bandlimiting presample filters introduce redundancy into the sequence of data samples. Linear transformation of successive N-length blocks of the data sequence and subsequent binary coding of the resulting components is shown to lead to reduced average bit rate for the same less distortion as PCM.

Four Butterworth filters, two corresponding to eight bit PCM systems, and two corresponding to ten bit PCM …

Underwater Acoustic Wavefront Phase Fluctuations, George L. Vojtech Jr.

OES Theses and Dissertations

In conventional underwater acoustics sound propagation is generally modeled and applied as a coherent or incoherent process. This paper addresses a relatively new theory, that of a range driven increasingly incoherent ray propagation through a real ocean environment, Possible mechanisms are discussed and experimental data presented to reinforce the theory.

An Analytical Design Procedure For The Determination Of Effective Leading Edge Extensions On Thick Delta Wings, Farhad Ghaffari

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An analyt1cal des1gn procedure for Lead1ng-Edge Extensions (LEE) has been developed for thick delta wings. This LFE device is des1gned to be mounted to a w1ng along the pseudo-stagnation stream surface associated w1th the attached flow design lift coeff1cient of greater than zero. The intended purpose of the device is to improve the aerodynamic performance of high subsonic and low super son1c aircraft at incidences above that of attached flow design lift coefficient, by us1ng a vortex system emanating along the leading edges of the device. The low pressure assoc1ated with these vort1ces would act on the LEE upper surface …

Radiation Damage To Gaas Solar Cells Including Isotropic Effects, Larry Victor Stock

Physics Theses & Dissertations

A model is developed for the short circuit current of a GaAs solar cell due to radiation (proton or electron) induced defects in the crystal structure. This model is verified by a comparison with proton and electron irradiation results. For electron radiation and energetic protons (energy> 10 MeV), it is found that the damage in the crystal is independent of the angle of incidence. On the other hand, for lower energy proton radiation, the damage as a function of cell thickness is highly dependent on incident angle and energy. The cell's response to low energy protons is strongly dependent on …

Circuit Analysis Of A Gas Flow Switch, Teri Marie Owens

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The circuit analysis of a gas flow switch is presented. The objective of the analysis is to model the switching process during spark gap breakdown. This information is useful in understanding switch operation and identifying ways to improve switch performance.

A lumped circuit model is used to describe a gas flow switch during the switching process. Certain circuit element values are determined experimentally through static tests. Other component values, including a time-varying switch resistance and inductance, are estimated from current measurements. In particular, unknown constants in expressions for gap resistance and inductance are determined using an iterative parameter estimation technique. …

Experiments On Melting Around An Isothermal Horizontal Cylinder Under Computer Control, Timothy Moore Rothgeb

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The melting of a solid around an isothermal horizontal cylinder is a physical phenomenon which must be understood when attempting to design a latent heat storage system. The desire to design such a system is the motivating factor in this research. To gain this understanding of the fundamental melting processes several experiments were designed, and two sets of Stefan and Rayleigh number experiments were undertaken. Experiments were also performed to determine the properties of the paraffin that was used in these investigations. During the investigations of the melting processes, the temperature was measured at several locations throughout the liquid and …

Design Of Efficient Algorithms Through Minimization Of Data Transfers, Yong Mo Chong

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the time optimal implementation of computational graphs on a finite register machine. The implementation fully exploits the machine architecture, especially, the number of registers. The derived algorithms allow one to obtain time efficient implementations of a given graph in machines with a known number of registers.

These optimization procedures are applied to digital signal processing graphs. It is shown that the regular structure of these graphs allows one to identify computational kernels which, when used repeatedly, can cover the entire graph. The l- and r-register implementations of Hadamard and Fast Fourier Transforms using various computational kernels are …

Experiments Conducted On The Electron Beam Produced By A Dense Plasma Focus, Mark Steven Pronko

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An experimental investigation was conducted using a 34-kJ Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) in which the possible enhancement of the electron beam was addressed. Electron beams ejected from the DPF have been observed to exceed 30 kA with pulse durations of a few nanoseconds. Enhancement was considered to be either an increase in the probability that the peak beam current exceeded some lower limit, or an increase in the mean energy of the beam electrons. The investigation was divided into two parts, each addressing one of the aspects of enhancement.

In the first part of the investigation, an axial magnetic field …

Treatment Process Optimization At The Lee Hall Water Treatment Plant Newport News, Virginia, Marcy Granum Garnett

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Various methods can be used in operating a water treatment plant. It is desirable to produce good quality water as efficiently and economically as possible. This study evaluates each phase of operation at the Newport News (Lee Hall} water treatment plant for overall efficiency.

This study begins by giving a detailed description of the Lee Hall water treatment plant. The description includes sources of water, a description of each treatment process, a plan view of the treatment plant, and a flow diagram of the treatment plant.

Based on the raw water data, flow rates, and the treatment plant characteristics, the …

The Use Of Complex Versus Normal Modes In Structural Model Improvement, Chih Lin

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the past, normal modes approximation to complex modes was employed by most researchers or users in the process of identification or modification of structural systems. This is true, of course for simple structures with no or proportional damping. For complex structures with nonproportional damping, even level of which is small, it will be shown that applying this approximation is inadequate. Use of complex modes instead of approximated normal modes is justified.

An algorithm is presented that computes a set of normal modes from the corresponding measured complex modes. The computed normal modes are then used in the Berman's technique …

Analysis And Stability Of Closed Surge Tanks, John Emory Fowler

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The equations representing the water surface oscillations in a closed surge tank form a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations when the system is considered as lumped. Because of the nonlinear terms present in the equations, a closed-form solution of the equations is not available. Several numerical methods ranging from single step methods to higher-order multi-step methods were used to find numerical solutions to the governing equations. As all the methods required a similar amount of CPU time, the degree of accuracy required would determine which numerical method should be used. The effect of various system parameters on the stability …

Viscous Modeling And Computation Of Leading-And Trailing-Edge Vortex Cores Of Delta Wings, Balakrishnan Lakshmanan

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A Finite-Difference method is presented for calculating steady quasi-axisymmetric flow of an incompressible fluid at large Reynolds number. Approximations of the boundary-layer type are employed to reduce the Navier-Stokes equations to a pair of non-linear parabolic equations. Along with the governing equations, initial conditions are specified at some upstream cross section and boundary conditions are specified at the axis of symmetry and on the outer bounding surface.

The governing equations are replaced by a set of quasilinear finite-difference equations. The solution is obtained by a marching technique, which proceeds step-by-step in the axial direction. At each axial station, an iterative …

On The Space Shuttle Wing Thermal-Structural Analysis, Kumar Krishna Tamma

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A finite element approach for efficient thermal-structural analysis of structures with thermal protection systems (TPS) is described. The approach is applied to Space Shuttle wing structure configurations subjected to reentry heating. New two and three-dimensional finite elements are developed to model heat transfer in the TPS and supporting structure. A typical TPS/Structural element predicts transient nonlinear temperature variations through the TPS thickness and detailed structural temperatures at the TPS/Structure interface. The accuracy of the TPS/Structure approach in two and three-dimensions is evaluated by comparisons with the conventional approach for various configurations of the wing structure. The results indicate that the …

Evaluating The Effects Of Alum With Polyelectrolyte Coagulant Aids In Treatment Of Low Turbidity Waters, Kenneth John Stockwell

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Potable water sources usually require treatment for removal of suspended organic and inorganic particles. Conventional treatment processes incorporate chemical coagulants for removal of these suspended particles. Alum is a widely used coagulant that can provide adequate removals of turbidity. However, high alum dosages are required for treatment of low turbidity waters producing a voluminous sludge that is difficult to dewater.

Recent Federal regulations have limited disposal options for chemical sludges. This has prompted a reevaluation of coagulants and their dosages with the goal of reducing the amount of sludge produced and improving the sludge handling characteristics necessary for ultimate disposal. …

Application Of The Method Of Lines For Solutions Of The Navier-Stokes Equations Using A Nonuniform Grid Distribution, Jamshid Samareh Abolhassani

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The feasibility of the method of lines is investigated for solutions of physical problems requiring nonuniform grid distributions. To attain this, it was also necessary to investigate the stiffness characteristics of the pertinent equations. For specific applications, the governing equations considered are those for viscous, incompressible, two-dimensional and axisymmetric flows. These equations are transform­ ed from the physical domain having a variable mesh to a computational domain with a uniform mesh. The two governing partial differential equations are the vorticity and stream function equations. The method of lines is used to solve the vorticity equation and the successive over relaxation …

Transient Two Dimensional Ground-Water Flow: A Comparison Of Computed And Analytical Results, Robert Jan Fennema

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The exact analytical solution of the transient-flow equation is compared with the finite difference solution. The finite difference program, written by the author, uses an iterative alternating direction implicit procedure to solve the linearized partial differential equation. A second order accurate central difference method is employed to solve the equation in two dimensions.

Variable cell spacing to divide the physical domain, a weighting factor and a time acceleration function were used to investigate rate of convergence and accuracy of the numerical solution. The exact integral solution to the one-dimensional form of the flow equation i n radial coordinates is used …

Effect Of Transducer Size On The Statistical Properties Of A Simulated Turbulent Wall Pressure Field, Mehdi R. Khorrami

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The root mean square pressure was calculated with synthetically generated pressure signals for transducers of different size. The transducer diameters were in the range of 0.02 < _s*of 12,250. The lower limit of the diameter simulated here was much smaller than diameters reported previously by other workers. Calculated root mean square pressure levels developed in the present work were in good agreement with the measured experimental data.

In order to check the simulated pressure signals, the power spectrum and two point correlation were calculated as well. The power spectra obtained with the smaller transducers were higher in energy level at …