Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Novel Method For Simultaneously Testing Multiple Specimens To Evaluate Tension-Tension Fatigue Life, Mehedi Hasan Mahfuz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The aim of this study is to develop a novel method for rapidly evaluating the tension–tension fatigue life of metals. Fatigue failure, which occurs when materials gradually weaken and fracture under repeated loading, is a critical concern in designing safe and reliable structures such as airplanes, cars, and bridges. Traditional fatigue testing methods are slow, costly, and typically limited to one specimen at a time. To address this, a high-throughput testing method was developed that allows multiple small-scale specimens to be tested simultaneously while following international testing standards. Using stainless steel sub-sized specimens scaled at 1:5 relative to the ASTM …

Relaxed Convex Approximation For Optimal Control In Cislunar Space, Jondavid K. Hertzel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis develops a method of optimal control for a spacecraft in the region between the Earth and the Moon known as cislunar space. The optimal control method is developed through a modern optimization technique called “convex relaxation” to achieve a formulation that can be reliably solved by numerical computation tools. The primary research objective is to evaluate the efficacy of this method in accommodating the physical thrust constraints of a spacecraft. This approach is tested in simulation with an unstable halo orbit around the Moon in the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) model. The simulation incorporates realistic disruptions from …

Reconfigurable Antennas Using Varactors On A Planar Parasitic Layer And Pin Diodes On A Dome Parasitic Layer, Andrew J. Hendricks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This research explores two types of reconfigurable, steerable antennas. These antennas change their beam direction based on electric input signals. The antennas have a layer that overlays the main antenna circuit board. The layer has small copper rectangles (pixels) that may be connected using either varactor diodes (which behave as voltage-controlled capacitors) or PIN diodes (electronic switches). The first antenna can steer in the xz-plane in any direction within about 23° from boresight (straight up from the antenna) and in the yz-plane to about 29° from boresight. The antenna uses varactor diodes on a planar layer. The second …

Effects Of Subsurface-Drip-Irrigation On Alfalfa Evapotranspiration In The Intermountain West, Namuna Dhakal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Alfalfa is one of Utah’s most important crops, but it is also the largest agricultural consumer of water. Because the state faces frequent droughts and growing pressure on limited water supplies, farmers and water managers are increasingly interested in irrigation systems that could reduce water use. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), which delivers water directly to plant roots through buried drip lines, has shown promising results in other regions, where it often reduces water consumption and increases yield. However, little research has evaluated SDI under Utah’s unique climate, soils, and high-elevation valleys.

This study compared an SDI system with a traditional …

Freshwater Mussel Reintroduction And Recolonization Habitat Modeling Using Hydraulic, Sediment And Geomorphic Parameters, Megan Elizabeth Dinicola

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Freshwater mussels are an important group of aquatic animals that live within the riverbed, but their populations have been drastically reduced by habitat alteration and other anthropogenic activities. In an effort to bolster populations, river managers and biologists are using mussel reintroductions as part of their restoration efforts but there are gaps in our understanding of where to reintroduce mussels within a river to see them create self-sustaining populations. This research helps shrink this gap by better understanding the physical habitat needs and population expansion potential of subadult freshwater mussels, or the size of mussel that hatcheries grow for reintroduction, …

Two Applications Of Lifting-Line Theory For The Design Of Efficient Aircraft, Amanda K. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Numerical lifting-line is a tool that can be used to evaluate the forces and moments of an aircraft wing. This method has limitations but it is beneficial in obtaining a large set of results with relatively little computational power. This research seeks to analyze two different flight scenarios through the use of two numerical lifting-line tools developed at the Utah State University AeroLab. The first scenario involves an aircraft in ground effect flight. When an aircraft flies close to the ground, a phenomenon called ground effect occurs where the lift is increased and the induced drag is decreased. Therefore, flying …

Development Of A Laboratory Apparatus For Evaluating Infiltration Performance Of Filter Strips In Utah, Pranish Dahal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Stormwater from Utah’s roadways often carries pollutants such as oil, metals, and sediments, especially during small storms when runoff is not diluted. Vegetated filter strips—areas of soil and vegetation placed alongside roads—are one of the most effective ways to capture and clean this runoff before it reaches rivers and lakes. However, choosing the right combination of topsoil and base soil for these filter strips is difficult, expensive, and traditionally requires multiple field visits.

This thesis introduces a laboratory device that allows engineers to test how different soil combinations absorb and filter water without having to go to the field each …

Developing And Improving Digital Image Correlation (Dic) Techniques For Challenging Environments, Prasenjit Dewanjee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding how materials and parts deform during testing is crucial for creating safer and more reliable engineering systems. Engineers need to measure not only how much a part deforms, but also where deformation concentrates before any damage or failure happens. Digital image correlation (DIC) is a camera-based, non-contact measurement method that tracks surface motion and deformation across a whole area. It is particularly useful when traditional contact-based measurement techniques cannot withstand harsh conditions or capture enough detail. This dissertation develops optical methods to improve DIC in three challenging measurement situations. First, a shortwave ultraviolet lighting technique is developed to reduce …

Examining Motivations And Perceptions In Secondary Technology And Engineering Education: A Gendered Analysis Using The Fit-Choice Scale, Abigail Villanueva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined why individuals choose to become secondary technology and engineering education (TEE) teachers and whether motivations differ between men and women. TEE programs help prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), yet schools face teacher shortages and low female representation in the field. Understanding what draws people to this profession can support better recruitment and retention efforts. Sixty-six current TEE teachers completed a survey about the factors that influenced their decision to teach. Overall, the strongest motivations were a personal interest in teaching, enjoyment of working with young people, and the desire to make …

Comparison Of Consumptive Use Of Furrow And Drip Irrigated Onions, Chad C. Withers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The State of Utah funded agricultural water optimization studies to determine how agricultural water depletion can be decreased while maintaining or improving yields. Conversion from surface irrigation to drip irrigation is investigated as a method to decrease consumptive use.

Some Utah onion producers are converting from furrow irrigation to drip irrigation to decrease water and fertilizer use and improve profits. This study compares the consumptive use and yield of three drip irrigated onion fields against the consumptive use and yield of three furrow irrigated onion fields.

Arrays of soil moisture sensors at various depths were placed in drip and furrow …

Extracting Wildfire Influence From Natural Streamflow Variability To Inform Post-Fire Peak Flow Predictions, Haley Anne Canham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildfire is a natural process, however, wildfire occurrence, severity, and size is increasing globally along with large storms. Despite the expectation that floods will be larger after wildfire, a large range in post-fire flood size has been observed. This creates challenges for emergency managers to prepare for flooding in areas where wildfire might occur. Aside from wildfire, many other factors influence the size of floods, making it difficult to isolate the influence of wildfire. This work finds that factors including wetter versus drier years and seasons can alter the size of a flood, effectively hiding the influence of wildfire. Additionally, …

Numerical Investigation On Lightning Survivability And Residual Strength Of Scarf-Patched And Z-Pinned Cfrp Composites, Logan Hales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are critical in aerospace applications yet remain vulnerable to lightning strikes due to orthotropic electrical conductivity and poor thermal resistance. Over the past decades, lightning-strike damage in pristine CFRP has been extensively investigated. However, the response of damaged and subsequently repaired laminates remains poorly understood, raising concerns about the structural integrity of repaired aircraft. This study aims to develop a sequentially coupled thermo-structural modeling framework to quantify how two common composite repair strategies (scarf patching and z-pinning), along with patch size, pin material, and configuration, influence lightning-induced damage and the residual flexural strength of …

Developing Fragility Curves For Steel Special Moment-Resisting Frames In Utah, Olivia P. Murphy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Major seismic events along the Wasatch Fault represent a serious threat to Utah's residents and built environment. Engineers currently rely on a statistical approach that calculates earthquake ground shaking based on probabilities of various events occurring over extended time periods. This method informs how strong new buildings must be constructed. However, many structural engineering professionals in Utah worry that this probability-based approach may significantly underestimate the actual ground shaking compared to an alternative method that examines the largest possible earthquake a fault can generate. The substantial differences between the two analytical approaches raise fundamental concerns about whether existing construction standards …

Quantifying Evapotranspiration From The Wetlands In The Peripheral Area Between The Most Downstream Stream Gages And The Open Water Body Of The Great Salt Lake, Motasem S. Abualqumboz, David G. Tarboton

Publications

Study region: The eastern peripheral area between the most downstream stream gages and the open water body of the Great Salt Lake (GSL), located in northern Utah within the semiarid western United States (US). 

Study focus: As GSL levels decline, the eastern peripheral area is expanding, exposing former lakebed, much of which has transitioned into natural and managed wetlands. Evapotranspiration (ET) from these wetlands consumes water that would otherwise reach the open-water lake body, yet these losses remain poorly quantified and directly affect the GSL water balance. This study compares a water-balance-based ET estimate for the wetlands in the peripheral …

Energetic Characterization Of 3-D Printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Fuels For Hybrid Rocket Propulsion Applications, Stephen A. Whitmore, Ryan J. Thibaudeau, Ava T. Wilkey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Hybrid rocket technologies are gaining recognition as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional propulsion systems. Utah State University’s Propulsion Research Laboratory has developed a High-Performance Green Hybrid Propulsion (HPGHP) technology, leveraging 3D-printed ABS fuel for reliable, low-energy ignition. Among tested materials, only ABS shows suitable electrical-breakdown properties for arc ignition. Unfortunately, due to the proprietary formulations in commercial ABS blends, and its limited use as a rocket-propellant, related composition and combustion data are limited. This study uses spectroscopic evaluation and bomb calorimetry to estimate material compositions, enthalpies of formation, and combustion energies for multiple commercially available 3-D print feed stock ABS types, …

Evaluating The Impact Of Residential Landscape Audits Using 5-Second Water Use Data, Mahmud Aveek, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco, David E. Rosenberg, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Kelly Kopp, Belize A. Lane

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

We used 5-s water use data to evaluate the effectiveness of residential landscape water audits in summer 2022. Fifty-nine households in two northern Utah cities were monitored for 2–5 weeks before and 3–10 weeks after an audit. We found that the distribution of weekly irrigation volumes postaudit was statistically less than the distribution preaudit (significant at the 1.9E10-5 level). Collectively, the participants reduced their landscape irrigation water use by approximately 379,000 L per week (100,300 gal per week; 0.3 acre-feet per week). We also analyzed changes in irrigation event volume, duration, frequency, and the number of days between events at …

Hypersonic Impact Method For Aerodynamics And Convective Heating (Hi-Mach) With Sensitivities, Jeremiah Goates, Logan Freeman, Nathan Hoch, Douglas Hunsaker

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this paper is to present the development of an engineering level code for calculating hypersonic aerodynamics and convective heating, HI-Mach. Novel to this paper are the use of analytic methods for streamline tracing and the direct differentiation of geometric sensitivities for both forces and heat load. Independent panel inclination methods calculate the pressure distribution on the surface of a hypersonic vehicle. Normal shock relations provide the thermodynamic state on each panel. Streamlines are integrated using closed-form streamline equations. Flat plate formulas corrected for compressibility calculate the skin friction coefficient and acreage heat flux on each panel. Formulas …

Further Development Of A Low-Energy Arc-Ignition System For Nytrox/Abs Hybrid Propulsion Systems, Stephen A. Whitmore, Jared S. Coen, Ryan J. Thibaudeau

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Utah State University has developed a high-performance “green” hybrid propulsion technology based on the unique electrical breakdown properties of 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Using 3D-printed ABS as fuel, typical startup sequences require approximately 5–15 joules and, once started, the system can be sequentially fired with no additional energy inputs required. The number of possible ignitions is limited only by the amount of fuel. The most technologically mature version uses gaseous oxygen (GOX) as oxidizer and 3D-printed ABS as fuel. While GOX is mass-efficient, it lacks volumetric efficiency unless highly pressurized. Nytrox, a blend of GOX and nitrous oxide, improves propellant …

Sprinkler Package Runoff Risk Tool For Center Pivot Irrigation Systems, Will Bowers

Spring Runoff Conference

Center pivots in Utah 

• 403,524 acres = 67% of sprinkler irrigated fields in the open in Utah 
• Considered one of the most effective sprinkler systems available with technological advancements over the years

Evaluating Alternative Water Conservation Scenarios For Alfalfa In The Great Salt Lake Basin Using Integrated Climate Model Projections, Saddy Pineda-Castellanos, Masoumeh Hashemi

Spring Runoff Conference

Elevation of Great Salt Lake North and South Arms (1903-2026)

An Estimation Of Crop Evapotranspiration Using Soil Water Balance In Vineyards, Tarique Aziz, Burdette Barker, Michael Caron, Michael Pace

Spring Runoff Conference

Breakout Session presentation given at the 2026 Spring Runoff Conference

Immersive Modeling To Generate Holistic Strategies To Get More Water To Great Salt Lake, Hadia Akbar

Spring Runoff Conference

How to get more water to GSL?

Must Address

• Complex water rights
• Competing water needs
• Historical legacies
• Variable and arid hydrology
• Infrastructure limitations and opportunities
• Lack of trust

What Makes Smart Irrigation Work? Lessons From Producers In The Upper Colorado River Basin, Tejinder Singh, Matt Yost, Elisa Flint, Burdette Barker, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Silas Ekadu

Spring Runoff Conference

Colorado River Basin Water Crisis

• Water allocations in the Colorado River Basin were set during wetter periods and now exceed current river flows, creating a gap between water supply (12.5 maf yr^-1) and demand (15 maf yr^-1).
• River flow has declined 19% since 2000.

Making Water Visible: Neutral, Verification-First Infrastructure For Basin-Scale Water Accountability, Eric Mcculley

Spring Runoff Conference

Every Tool Tells You What the Lake Level WAS.

None Tell You What It WILL BE.

• Current monitoring is retrospective — USGS gauges and DWR reports show only historical data
• Decision lag: By the time you see the problem, it’s too late to adjust
• 2024–2025 season: GSL dropped to record lows before upstream conservation kicked in
• Agricultural users, municipalities, and GSL all compete for limited supply with imperfect information

Leasing Water For Great Salt Lake: Water Savings And Producer Impacts, Conner Harwood

Spring Runoff Conference

Great Salt Lake Water Leasing

• Utah is working to increase inflows to GSL through voluntary water leasing from agriculture
• But key information is missing:
• How much water can leases save at the field level?
• At what price should farmers be compensated?
• This project:

1. Estimates field-level consumptive water use
2. Estimates the value of water in agricultural production
3. Evaluates water savings and producer impacts across leasing strategies

Meteorological Monitoring With Real-Time Data Processing Using Uas, Htoo Poe Sar, Cal Coopmans, Sierra Young

Spring Runoff Conference

Background and Motivation 

• Agricultural water management requires information about crop water use and water consumption 
• Remote sensing methods are used to model and estimate environmental processes – but they require weather data 

Utah Prototype For Visualizing Vulnerabilities Downstream Of Dams, Courtney Flint, Michael Englert, Nicolas Holden

Spring Runoff Conference

The climate question 

• Overtopping = 1/3^rd of all dam failures (ASDSO) 
• Drought concerns and supply uncertainty motivate keeping reservoirs full 
• Overtopping likelier if extreme storm when reservoir full 
• Over much of the country the probability of the annual daily maximum rainfall > 100-year event and the preceding 30-day rainfall >10-year event are going up (Hwang & Lall 2024) 

The Reform Of Prior Appropriation And The Fate Of Great Salt Lake, Christopher L. Lant, Rocky Seeley, Beth Parker, Andrew Follett

Spring Runoff Conference

Legal Issues Raised by the Decline of Great Salt Lake

• Violations of Clean Air Act from dust threaten federal intervention
• Petition to list Wilson’s Phalarope as an endangered species

Nutrient Inputs, Crop Removal, And Residual Soil Nitrogen Under Automated Surge Irrigation In Northen Utah, Ngoni Mufute

Spring Runoff Conference

Introduction

• Increasing pressure on already water scarce resources due to

• Climate Change and or variability

• Increasing demand and competition for water. E.g. due to -urban expansion

• Environmental concerns (Especially concerning the Great Salt Lake (GSL)-

• the shrinking of water levels in the GSL,

• increasing pollution levels in the GSL and

• the impact of these issues on industry,

• dust from the drying lakebed,

• increasing threat to both aquatic life and land animals

The Physical, Legal, And Modeling Infrastructure For Water Resource Management Has Reached A Tipping Point, Paul Brooks

Spring Runoff Conference

Addressing these challenges requires improved predictions of water supply