Engineering Commons^™

Ultra-Low Power Adcs For Space Sensors And Instruments, Shea Smith, Wood Chiang

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A 28nm 0.1V 10-bit 20kS/s time domain ADC with 225Hz bandwidth is proposed. This design opens the doors to both low supply and low power space sensors and instruments. Due to the stringent voltage supply, unique challenges arise that are met with innovation in the sample switch and the quantizer design. These components of the ADC architecture are aggressively optimized to perform successfully at a 0.1V supply with a sample rate suitable for most sensor applications.

Heat Management For Electromagnetic 3d Printing, Brian Elder, Yong Lin Kong

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The integration of nanomaterials with additive manufacturing, a.k.a. 3D printing, can enable the creation of complex architecture with tunable functional properties.^[1] As discussed in our review paper,^[1] particles can be patterned or assembled with a broad range of forces during the printing process to impart specific functionalities in an otherwise passive structure. For example, a magnetic field can be leveraged to program the local magnetic remanence of a printed ferromagnetic composite. Magnetic programming can enable the fabrication of biocompatible materials with high energy density, which have promising applications in magnetically actuated biomedical robots. For example, a wireless ingestible …

Antenna Designs For Cubesat-Borne, Continuous-Waveform Radar, Logan E. Voigt, Reyhan Baktur

Utah Space Grant Consortium

CubeSat-borne radar has many potential applications in space exploration including tracking, imaging, and weather prediction. A continuous-waveform radar has advantages of compact size and low power consumption, making it suitable to implement on small platforms such as CubeSats. This paper demonstrates an isolation technique that overcomes the self-interference between the transmit and receive antennas inherent to continuous-waveform radar. The presented approach combines opposite circularly polarized antennas on two deployed solar panels to minimize the self-interference. The prototype antennas are tested on a 6U CubeSat frame and the results show more than 40 dB isolation, satisfying the power budget requirements.

Globally-Attractive Logarithmic Geometric Control Of A Quadrotor For Aggressive Trajectory Tracking, Jacob C. Johnson, Randal W. Beard

Utah Space Grant Consortium

We present a new quadrotor geometric control scheme that is capable of tracking highly aggressive trajectories. Our geometric controller uses the logarithmic map of SO(3) to express rotational error in the Lie algebra, and we show that it is globally attractive without requiring a complicated hybrid switching scheme. We show the performance of our controller against highly aggressive trajectories in simulation experiments. Additionally, we present an adaptation of this controller that allows us to interface effectively with the angular rate controllers on an onboard flight control unit and show the ability of this adapted control scheme to track aggressive trajectories …

Automated Quality Control For In-Situ Water Temperature Sensors, Leah S. Richardson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The identification of data not representative of the target subject for outdoor (in-situ) environmental sensors (bad data) is a topic that has been explored in the past. Many tools (such as data filters and computer models) have succeeded in providing an end user with properly identified incorrect data over 95% of the time. However, with the continuous increase in the use of automated data collection, a simple indication of the bad data may no longer provide the end user with enough information to reduce the amount of time that must be spent for manual quality control. The purpose of this …

Investigating Tourists' Decision Making And Intentions For Outdoor Recreation Participation During Early Covid-19, Prasanna Humagain

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation aims at discerning tourists’ behaviors and decision making processes for outdoor recreation participation, during the early COVID-19 pandemic. An outdoor recreation trip is defined in this study as “a journey involving at least one overnight stay away from home, and where the purpose is to engage in recreational activities in an outdoor or natural environment.” This dissertation first explores the factors that inhibit tourists’ desires for participating in outdoor recreation trips, the strategies they apply to avoid COVID-19 transmission, and the motivational factors that induce their desires for outdoor recreation participation in the COVID-19 context. The impact of …

Network-Wide Pedestrian And Bicycle Crash Analysis With Statistical And Machine Learning Models In Utah, Md Rafiur Rahman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent trends in crashes indicate a dramatic increase in both the number and share of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities nationally and in many states. Crash frequency modeling was undertaken to identify crash prone characteristics of segments and non-signalized intersections and explore possible non-linear associations of explanatory variables with crashes. Crowdsourced “Strava” app data was used for bicycle volume, and pedestrian counts estimated from nearby signalized intersections were used as pedestrian volume. Multiple negative binomial models investigated crashes at different spatial scales to account for different levels of data availability and completeness. The models showed high traffic volume, steeper …

Regression Tree Predictive Filter, Jarren Worthen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many algorithms have been developed to predict future samples of a signal. These algorithms, such as the recursive least squares predictive filter, rely on the assumption that the system generating the signal can be modeled as a linear system of equations. These systems perform poorly when used to predict signals generated by non-linear systems. To predict a non-linear signal, non-linear methods must be used. Regression trees are a simple form of machine learning that is non-linear in nature and can predict output based on a set of given input. The goal of this capstone project was to develop an algorithm …

Ng-Torque/Tension Testing Of Bolts With Epoxy Primer, Gabrielle Van Brunt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This capstone project is in conjunction with Northrop Grumman (NG). The goal of the project is for NG to apply an epoxy in the future to aerospace structures that they produce. This epoxy is meant to prevent corrosion of threaded joints in the structures. Although NG has the epoxy and has no issues procuring it, NG does not know the properties of the epoxy; it cannot be used until the epoxy’s nut factor is experimentally determined. The epoxy nut factor will be used for design and drawing purposes on various projects. To determine the nut factor, the Aggiepoxy team created …

Small Spacecraft Thermal Control Louvers, James Anthony Mullen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Small satellites missions are becoming increasingly complex and are requiring more power. These demands lead to temperature fluctuations on the satellite due to spacecraft layout, sunlight and shadow in orbit, and high-powered instrumentation. Products which provide necessary thermal stability for components on the satellite are desirable to small satellite manufacturers.

In September of 2015, Dr. Allison Evans of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center filed a patent for an innovative louver system configured for small satellite applications. The design was sized for satellites with a 1U form factor and utilized bimetallic springs to lift the louver flaps. The design was …

Optimal Relative Path Planning For Constrained Stochastic Space Systems, Nathan Bohus Stastny

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rendezvous and proximity operations for automated spacecraft systems requires advanced path planning techniques that are capable of generating optimal paths. Real-world constraints, such as sensor noise and actuator errors, complicate the planning process. Operations also require flight safety considerations in order to prevent the spacecraft from potentially colliding with the associated companion spacecraft. This work proposes a new, ground-based trajectory planning approach that seeks an optimal trajectory while meeting all mission constraints and accounting for vehicle performance and safety requirements. This approach uses a closed-loop linear covariance simulation of the relative trajectory coupled with a genetic algorithm to determine fuel …

A Study Of Wings With Constant And Variable Sweep For Aerodynamic Efficiency In Inviscid Flow, Bruno Moorthamers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wing sweep has been studied by industry and academia since the pioneering days of aviation for both high-speed and low-speed applications. In transonic and supersonic flight regimes it serves to delay the onset of compressibility effects and decrease wave drag. In subsonic conditions, flying wing designs sweep back the main lifting surface in such a way that it can be used for longitudinal stability and control, to allow for the elimination of a traditional empenage. This is desirable because it can decrease the aerodynamic drag. Sweep can also be seen in nature in the wings of birds and fins of …

Evaluating Plant Uptake Of 4,4'-Methylenedianiline, Jeff Wight

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

4,4’-Methylenedianiline (MDA) is an important industrial chemical used primarily in the production of polyurethane. It is toxic and a suspected human carcinogen. Polyurethane is used in a wide variety of applications such as furniture cushioning, coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers. Polyurethane in soil may degrade and release MDA. This is concerning due to some models predicting a high potential for MDA to be taken up by plants and stored in edible tissue, creating a possible route of exposure for humans and animals. In this project, the potential for MDA to be take up by plants was investigated in order to …

Improving Flood Inundation And Streamflow Forecasts In Snowmelt Dominated Regions, Irene Garousi-Nejad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Much effort has been dedicated to expanding hydrological forecasting capabilities and improving understanding of the continental-scale hydrological modeling used to predict future hydrologic conditions and quantify consequences of climate change. In 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Water Prediction implemented the National Water Model (NWM) to provide nationally consistent, operational hydrologic forecasting capability across the continental U.S. The primary goal of this research was to develop hydrological tools that include modeling of flood inundation mapping and snowmelt contributions to river flow in snowmelt-dominated regions across the Western U.S. This dissertation first presents terrain analysis enhancements developed …

Thermodynamic Analysis Of A Novel Cycle For Nuclear Smr And Heat Transfer Performance Validation Of The Related Supercritical Working Fluids, Benjamin M. Pepper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Currently, all operating nuclear power facilities in the U.S. follow the same general design and process: light-water reactors boil water into steam using bundles of nuclear fuel rods as a heat source, pumping that steam through a turbine which powers a generator to produce clean year-round electricity. Water is an effective coolant, but other facilities around the world have demonstrated the ability to use non-water-based coolants in nuclear reactor designs, which consequently have their own trade-offs. Some positive consequences of using different reactor designs include enhanced safety, better economics, and cheaper clean consumer energy. The work described in this paper …

Calibration Procedure For Dic Strain Measurements During Vibration-Based Fatigue Testing, Benjamin D. Hill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Vibration-based fatigue testing is fast and effective method for determining failure characteristics of a material. Often, a small electrical device called a strain gage is bonded to a rectangular plate specimen to measure the deformation of the plate during a test. However, these strain gages break before the plate does, so an alternative method would improve the results obtained from the test. As an alternative to strain gages, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a non-contacting, camera-based technique that measures the deformation of an object by comparing digital images taken before and after the object is deformed. During a vibration-based fatigue …

Advancing Data Collection, Management, And Analysis For Quantifying Residential Water Use Via Low Cost, Open Source, Smart Metering Infrastructure, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Urbanization, climate change, aging infrastructure, and the cost of delivering water to residential customers make it vital that we achieve a higher efficiency in the management of urban water resources. Understanding how water is used at the household level is vital for this objective.Water meters measure water use for billing purposes, commonly at a monthly, or coarser temporal resolutions. This is insufficient to understand where water is used (i.e., the distribution of water use across different fixtures like toilets, showers, outdoor irrigation), when water is used (i.e., identifying peaks of consumption, instantaneous or at hourly, daily, weekly intervals), the efficiency …

Evaluation Of Human And Ecological Water Management Tradeoffs In A Seasonal Watershed With Spatially-Distributed Demands, Jesse Lee Rowles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

River managers must balance the needs of the ecosystems that rely on the river by leaving water instream, often while also considering human demands. It is especially difficult to balance these water needs in systems that are highly seasonal and have no instream storage (e.g., reservoirs) since water cannot be stored for use throughout the year. An example of a watershed that has both of these characteristics is the South Fork Eel River in coastal northern California. In order to evaluate tradeoffs between human and ecological demands in this system, a water allocation model with water management scenarios and environmental …

What Keeps Technology And Engineering Teachers In The Classroom? A National Mixed Methods Study, Cory J. Ortiz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher retention is a significant issue impacting educational agencies around the country. Factors that have been found to be predictors of teacher retention include sense of belonging, sense of efficacy, and job satisfaction. Many personal and professional characteristics of a teacher also have been found to predict teacher retention. The purpose of this research was to explore how these factors predicted Technology and Engineering Educators' (TEE) teachers’ persistence to remain in the teaching profession. Furthermore, this research sought to identify programs that existed to help support TEE teachers in their persistence intentions.

This research found teacher job satisfaction was a …

Assessing The Role Of Magnetite In Municipal Wastewater Treatment, Patricia Ayaa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Some municipal wastewater treatment (MWWT) facilities have adopted magnetite in their treatment processes through a technology called BioMag® to meet effluent regulatory requirements for total nitrogen and total phosphorus. However, there is limited information on the mechanisms and efficiency of magnetite in the removal of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from wastewater. This research, therefore, estimated its effectiveness in the removal of these nutrients, with a case study of the Marlay-Taylor Water Reclamation Facility in Maryland. The intervention analysis model was used, but a new forecasting approach to the model was proposed to fit the data in this study and …

Advances In Process Understanding And Methods To Support River Temperature Modeling In Large Regulated Systems, Bryce A. Mihalevich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

River temperatures play a key role in determining the suitability of habitat for aquatic ecosystems. While thermal regimes are influenced by many factors, flow and temperature patterns in large rivers are often shaped by water development. As such, water management associated with large reservoirs and diversions have also altered aquatic ecosystems. As climate change introduces new climate and hydrologic patterns, the decisions water managers make to address changes in runoff may further impact aquatic ecosystems. This calls for robust modeling tools that can predict river and reservoir temperature responses to water management decisions over large regions. However, highly variable topography …

Release Of Large Water Droplets, Jeffrey N. Fonnesbeck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water is familiar to all human beings and water droplets are an integral part of our daily lives. From irrigation sprinklers to waterfalls we can observe the formation of water droplets. For most, the droplets are so common and mundane that no thought is given to how the droplets form. Scientists have spent many decades detailing the processes that lead to droplet formation. Current theories and experiments agree quite well for specific cases such as pendant drop formation and jet breakup, but in regards to large volumes of free falling liquid there is very little experimental work to confirm the …

Quantifying The Dynamics Of An Idealized Oil-Plume In Stratified Environment Using Direct Numerical Simulations, Jasmin Ahmed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deep-water oil spills such as the incident in the northern Gulf of Mexico 2010, produce turbulent oil plumes. Multiphase turbulent plumes under stratification are simulated to understand the dynamics of oil plume in oceanic environment. The evolution of the plume is strongly affected by the level of turbulent mixing during the rise of oil through the stratified water. The relative velocity due to the difference in density between oil and water causes slip of oil in water. The plume has been modeled as a two fluid mixture-model, which allows the use of one continuity and momentum equation for the oil-water …

Evaluation Of Hydrograph Separation Techniques With Uncertain End-Member Composition, Eileen Page Lukens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes to precipitation and temperature occurring as a result of climate change can influence water sources (such as groundwater or snowmelt) that contribute to stream flow in a watershed. This is significant, as shifts in the amount of water coming from different water sources can shape watershed management decisions. One technique often used to investigate changes in water sources is hydrograph separation, a mathematical tool that allows for the quantification of the amount of water that came from different water sources. However, it can be difficult to perform hydrograph separations in remote watersheds as there may be insufficient infrastructure, i.e. …

Improved Digital Image Correlation Techniques At High Speed And High Temperature, Lindsey J. Rowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In extreme environments, such as hot-fire rocket testing, gathering strain data can be challenging due to temperature constraints. Traditional methods for measuring material deformation such as strain gages, a small device attached to a test specimen, cannot withstand the extreme temperature and tend to burn off. When these situations occur non-contacting methods such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC) are preferable. DIC is an optical method of measuring strains across the material’s entire surface by using a camera to track the deformation of a speckle pattern applied to the surface of a deforming object. When used at temperatures above approximately 500°C, …

Efficient And Secure Resource Allocation In Mobile Edge Computing Enabled Wireless Networks, Qun Wang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To support emerging applications such as autonomous vehicles and smart homes and to build an intelligent society, the next-generation internet of things (IoT) is calling for up to 50 billion devices connected world wide. Massive devices connection, explosive data circulation, and colossal data processing demand are driving both the industry and academia to explore new solutions.

Uploading this vast amount of data to the cloud center for processing will significantly increase the load on backbone networks and cause relatively long latency to time-sensitive applications. A practical solution is to deploy the computing resource closer to end-users to process the distributed …

Using Experiments, 3d Scanning, And Computational Fluid Dynamics To Analyze Variance In Minor Loss Coefficients, Adam B. Pack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As water moves through pipes, it loses energy. The energy losses are due to friction and the minor losses associated with various pipe fittings, which change the direction of flow. Pipe bends, or elbows, are a common pipe fitting and a significant source of energy loss in piping systems. This research was performed to better understand the variability of energy loss due to different pipe elbow designs and to investigate methods to replicate these losses using numerical simulations.

Eight pipe elbows, all 3-inch, 90-degree, schedule 40 PVC elbows that vary by radius of curvature and/or end connection type, were tested …

Seam Shifted Wake In The Magnus And Non-Magnus Directions, John W. Garrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An experiment was done to look at the effect baseball seams can have on how a pitched baseball moves in flight. Both non-spinning and spinning baseballs were analyzed in this study. Data was taken and analyzed at 60, 90, and 110 MPH to determine the influence of velocity and altitude on the ability of seams to alter the trajectory of a pitched baseball. Additionally, a ball's spin causes movement in a certain direction that is dependent on the spin axis. A second focus of this study was on the effect of baseball seams changing the movement in the same direction …

Exploring The Effects Of Upstream Disturbances On Elbow Meter Performance With Numerical Modeling Applications, Riley D. Manwaring

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Physical data was collected for a 6-in. long-radius elbow meter in order to determine the effects of certain upstream disturbances on its metering performance. Discharge coefficients are calculated for each of the three tested configurations at various installation distances between the upstream disturbance and the elbow meter. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software was used to determine which turbulence models most accurately modeled the observed physical results in order to provide a base from which to model the effects of additional upstream disturbances not modeled in this study.

Long Term Feasibility Of Inductive Power Transfer Systems Embedded In Concrete Pavement Panels, Nathan J. Raine

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electric vehicles (EVs) have a variety of issues that prevent widespread acceptance. Range limitations, charging times, and lack of accessible locations are all viable concerns when considering the future of EVs. This research seeks to address lack of useable infrastructure and battery life by embedding wireless chargers directly into roadway concrete. These embedded chargers would make it possible to charge an EV while it is in transit, addressing many concerns associated with owning an EV.

Embedding a wireless charger, or Inductive Power Transfer System (IPTS), can cause premature failure in the concrete. To determine the long-term feasibility of the technology, …