Engineering Commons^™

Design And Characterization Of Circularly Polarized Cavity-Backed Slot Antennas In An In-House-Constructed Anechoic Chamber, Mangalam Chandak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Small satellites have become important vehicles for space exploration. One of the challenges on these satellites is their limited surface area, which creates problems in allocating resources for devices such as antennas. Also, an effective satellite communication system often requires circularly polarized antennas. Therefore, integrating cross slot antennas around solar cells to form a multifunctional solar panel is one of the best solutions for small satellites. The cross geometry provides circular polarization and the slot configuration does not compete for any additional surface space. The main goal of this thesis was to design, fabricate, and test such type of slot …

New Methods For Engineering Site Characterization Using Reflection And Surface Wave Seismic Surveys, Susit Chaiprakaikeow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study presents two new seismic testing methods for engineering application, a new shallow seismic reflection method and Time Filtered Analysis of Surface Waves (TFASW). Both methods are described in this dissertation.

The new shallow seismic reflection was developed to measure reflections at a single point using 2-4 receivers, assuming homogeneous, horizontal layering. Two problems commonly encountered in reflection testing are dealt with in this new method. These problems are: phase shifts between the wave source and ground motion; and, loss of high frequency energy. Using approaches to mitigate these problems significantly improved the shape of measured waveforms. However, none …

Design Of A Split Hopkinson Bar Apparatus For Use With Fiber Reinforced Composite Materials, Shawn Michael Lang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tabulated material properties are the starting block for the design of most structures. Mechanical structures undergo a wide range of loading conditions. Structures can be loaded statically or dynamically with a wide range of strain rates. With impact loading or high strain rates the relationships between stress and strain are not the same as in static loading. It has been observed that material properties are dependent upon the rate at which they are tested. Many investigators have studied the effect of high compressive strain rate loading conditions, in metals. The most common method for determining the dynamic response of materials …

Root Uptake Of Organic Contaminants Into Plants: Species Differences, Naho Orita

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Xenobiotic organic contaminants are widely found in the environment, including soils, sediments, surface waters, wastewater streams, and even in drinking water. Food chain contamination resulting from the uptake of these contaminants by plants is a concern. Although the uptake of a variety of xenobiotic organic contaminants by plants has been reported but the differences between plant species are not fully understood. The emphasis of this thesis research is to further investigate the unique root to shoot transfer ability of “gold rush” zucchini that has been reported repeatedly in recent years.

A pressure chamber technique was used to measure transpiration stream …

Numerical And Experimental Study Of Anisotropic Effective Thermal Conductivity Of Particle Beds Under Uniaxial Compression, Jingwen Mo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Planetary heat flow is of great interests to planetary scientists, which can be used to determine the history and current status of pianetary bodies. Thermal conductivities of planetary bodies are generally measured using long needle-like probes inserted into planet's surface, which measure the horizontal effective thermal conductivity (parallel to the planetary surface). The vertical effective thermal conductivity (perpendicular to the planetary surface), used for heat flow calculation, is assumed to be the same as the horizontal effective thermal conductivity. However, ETC of particle beds is known to be an anisotropic property under low compressive pressures.

The objective of this study …

Experimental Studies Of Vertical Mixing In An Open Channel Raceway For Algae Biofuel Production, Ram Sudheer Voleti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The USU BioEnergy Center has been successful in developing algae feedstocks for renewable biofuels and bioproducts. The concept is to utilize and maximize algae feedstocks for liquid transportation fuels, biomass for burning and digestion, and high value co-products. It is theorized that increasing the mixing in open and closed algal production systems improves the productivity of the algae culture. A raceway cultivation system was chosen to examine the phenomena of mixing. Vertical mixing will provide more uniform exposure to sunlight for all of the algae in the raceway. The main focus of this research was to increase vertical mixing. Delta …

Unified Rating Equations For Cutthroat Flumes Derived From A Three-Dimensional Hydraulic Model, Sathaporn Temeepattanapongsa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A sophisticated mathematical model of three-dimensional hydraulics was used to develop complete calibrations for Cutthroat flumes, which are structures used in canals (or “open channels”) to measure flow rates. Although Cutthroat flumes have been used for many years, and much research has been done on their calibrations and application in the field, never before was there a complete set of calibration parameters for all 24 standard flume sizes. This research was validated by previously published laboratory results on prototype flumes at Utah State University and elsewhere, and it was successful in generating accurate calibration parameters for all 24 flume sizes, …

Value Of Information In Design Of Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network Under Uncertainty, Abdelhaleem I. Khader

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to variations in rainfall and limited surface water resources, groundwater is considered the main source for freshwater in many places throughout the word. But this precious resource is being jeopardized by pollution from human activities such as: industry, agriculture, and untreated wastewater, which highlight the need for efficient groundwater resources management. To be efficient, groundwater resources management requires efficient access to reliable information that can be acquired through monitoring. On the other hand, the complicated nature of groundwater aquifers and the uncertainties in the data and the models used to understand the aquifer and its behavior require more powerful …

A Study On Conformal Antenna Solutions For Cube Satellites, Maryam Jamali

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This master's thesis presents a study on two types of conformal antennas for the use on cube satellites (CubeSats). The two antenna solutions are including slot and microstrip patch antennas. CubeSats have been one of the most important vehicles for space exploration due to their small sizes and very low payload. At the same time, a challenge rises when allocating extremely limited surface real estate to space instrument, solar cells, and antennas. The most effective solution for such a challenge is to design antennas such that they do not block solar cells or compete for space with solar cells. Accordingly, …

Effects Of Single Panel Replacement Of A Full-Scale, Full-Depth, Precast Concrete Bridge Deck System, Jason Robert Perry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of precast concrete deck panels is becoming increasingly popular for bridge construction and rehabilitation in the state of Utah and across the country. It allows for the use of full depth concrete deck panels but removes the long construction times of traditional cast-in-place methods. One of the challenges to the use of precast deck panels is the transverse deck panel joints that exist between the panels. These joints are unreinforced using traditional methods and therefore are the weakest section of the bridge. In many situations the joint will fail and water seeps through and can damage the bridge …

Hydroshare: An Online, Collaborative Environment For The Sharing Of Hydrologic Data And Models, David G. Tarboton, R. Idaszak, Daniel Ames, J. Goodall, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, L. Band, V. Merwade, C. Song, A. Couch, D. Valentine, R. Hooper, J. Arrigo, D. Maidment, T. Whiteaker

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Merrill-Cazier Library Gas Exhibition, Betty Rozum, Andrew Wesolek, Pamela N. Martin

Education and Outreach

This exhibition, presented in the Merrill-Cazier Library, captured the history and accomplishments of the GAS program. Click the download button to see a PowerPoint presentation featuring images and text from the exhibition.

Interdisciplinary Modeling: Water-Related Issues And Changing Climate - New Mexico State University, Laurel Saito, Alexander Fernald, Timothy Link

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in interdisciplinary modeling: water-related issues and climate change offered at University of Nevada, Reno in Summer 2012.

Evaluation And Development Of Unmanned Aircraft (Uav) For Udot Needs, Steven L. Barfuss, Austin Jensen, Shannon Clemens

Publications

This research involved the use of high-resolution aerial photography obtained from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to aid the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) in monitoring and documenting State Roadway structures and associated issues. Using geo-referenced UAV high resolution aerial photographic imagery, the project documented the before, during and after stages of the Southern Parkway construction near the new Saint George International airport, in addition to photographing and classifying wetland plant species in the Utah Lake wetland mitigation bank on the North East corner of Utah Lake.

Montana Flume Flow Corrections Under Submerged Flow, Ryan P. Willeitner, Steven L. Barfuss, Michael C. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A Montana flume is a Parshall flume without a diverging downstream section and is used to measure open channel flow. Under free-flow conditions, the Parshall flume and the Montana flume have the same calibration characteristics, but under submerge flows, their calibrations significantly differ. Tests were conducted at the Utah Water Research Laboratory on an acrylic 15.2-cm (6-in.) Montana flume to determine the effects of submergence on the flow readings. This type of investigation has not been previously analyzed. It was found that a standard Parshall flume rating curve overpredicted flow rates in the submerged Montana flume, up to 48%. Parshall …

Plants For Stormwater Pollution Removal: Greenhouse Research And Field-Study At Green Meadows Subdivision Logan, Ut, Ryan Dupont, Margie Rycewicz-Borecki

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Much of the stormwater protection in Cache Valley is done with respect to prevention of TSS contamination during construction activities. Preventing contamination of stormwater from construction activities is critical, but stormwater can still be highly polluted

Application Of An Energy-Vorticity Turbulence Model To Fully Rough Pipe Flow, E. B. Fowler, Doug F. Hunsaker, W. F. Phillips

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Based on a more direct analogy between turbulent and molecular transport, a foundation was recently presented for an energy-vorticity turbulence model. The new turbulent-energytransport equation contains two closure coefficients; a viscous-dissipation coefficient and a turbulent-transport coefficient. To help evaluate the closure coefficients and provide insight into the energy-vorticity turbulence variables, fully rough pipe flow is considered. For this fully developed flow, excellent agreement with experimental data for velocity profiles and friction factors is attained over a wide range of closure coefficients, provided that a given relation between the coefficients is maintained.

A Modeling Approach To Assessing The Effect Of Multiple Lakes In Sequence On Nutrient Transport, Dave M. Epstein, Bethany T. Neilson, Keli J. Goodman, David King Stevens, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The effects of a single lake on downstream water chemistry may be compounded by the presence of additional lakes within the watershed, augmenting or negating the effects of the first lake. Multiple, linked lakes are a common feature of many watersheds and these resemble reactors in series often studied in engineering. The effects of multiple lakes in series on nutrient transport are largely unexplored. We populated and calibrated a simple lake model to investigate the role of a sub-alpine lake (Bull Trout Lake (BTL), Rocky Mountains, USA) on the transport of the macronutrients during the summer of 2008. Further, we …

Pumping Systems With Variable Reference Head: The Non-Visualized Problems, Boris Rodriguez C., Astrid Pérezo O., José Manuel Adriasola V.

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: In several industries, like the mining business, it is very common to observe high head pumping systems, which transport water to more than one discharge point. These discharge points could have, in some cases, variable discharge pressures and, furthermore, could be utilized as water sources (a water reservoir, for example) for other facilities using the same pipes that feed them (flow in double direction). Because of this particular design, the pumping systems can have different Total Dynamic Head (TDH) depending on the water level in the reservoir(s), resulting in a complication for the design and operation of the pumping …

International Junior Researcher And Engineer Workshop On Hydraulic Structures Session 2, Francois Rulot, Riley Olsen, Gonzalo Duró

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

No abstract provided.

International Junior Researcher And Engineer Workshop On Hydraulic Structures Session 3, Maria Trujillo, Bryan Heiner, Francois Rulot

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

No abstract provided.

International Junior Researcher And Engineer Workshop On Hydraulic Structures Session 6, Boris Rodriguez, Josh Mortensen, Riley Olsen, Nathan Christensen, Mitch Dabling, Gonzalo Duró

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

No abstract provided.

Water Level Sensors, What Works?, Bryan J. Heiner, Thomas W. Gill

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: Water level sensors come in all shapes, sizes, and types and can range in price from a couple hundred to several thousand US dollars. This project utilizes real world examples from around the western United States to determine what level sensors work well and to document what characteristics may prevent them from providing accurate water level measurements in differing climates. Researchers have developed a calibration procedure that can be used in field or laboratory situations to obtain accurate calibrations of multiple types of water level sensors. Sensors that have been calibrated and installed are being monitored to determine their …

The Effect Of Boulder Spacing On Flow Patterns Around Boulders Under Partial Submergence, Iordanis Moustakidis, Athanasios Papanicolaou, Achilleas Tsakiris

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: This study focuses on documenting the influence of boulder spacing on flow patterns within an array of boulders in mountain streams. Boulder arrays modify the flow structures in their vicinity, which in turn regulate the depositional patterns. However, a critical literature review reveals that the effects of boulder spacing on flow have been overlooked. Herein, we hypothesize that the developing flow structures around boulders are controlled by the boulder spacing. The objective of this study is to map the surface flow structures around partially submerged boulders for two different boulder spacing scenarios: (1) λ/d_c = 6 and (2) …

Dealing With Sedimental Transport Over Partly Non-Erodible Bottoms, François Rulot, Benjamin Dewals, Pierre Archambeau, Michael Pirotton, Sébastien Erpicum Hece

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: In depth-averaged flow and morphodynamic models using a finite volume discretization based on explicit time integration, a specific difficulty can arise during a computation: the computed sediment level can become lower than the level of a non-erodible bottom. The original developments presented in this paper enable correction of the non-physical sediment levels. The method, based on iterative limitation of the outward fluxes, is perfectly mass conservative and remains computationally efficient. The resulting model has been validated with several 1D benchmarks leading to configurations with sediment transport over a nonerodible bottom. Two interesting experimental benchmarks are highlighted in this paper …

Using Particle Image Velocimetry (Piv) System In Fish Passage Through Rehabilitated Culverts, Mohanad Khodier, Blake P. Tullis

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: The Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system was used to investigate fish passage behaviour through a circular, 0.61-m diameter pipe with evenly spaced baffles along the invert. A section of the pipe wall between two adjacent baffles was replaced with a transparent window (Lexan) and a water box placed outside of the pipe to create a tested section. The test was conducted for different pipe slopes 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5%. For each slope, the pipe was tested for different flow rates 28.3, 56.6, and 85 l/s. Also, the PIV was used to produce the velocity vector field by post-processing …

Conference Proceedings, Blake Tullis, Robert Jansson

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of Turbulence In Pressurized Pipe Flow Using Particle Image Velocimetry, Josh Mortensen

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

Abstract: Invasive mussel species can cause problems at a variety of water resource facilities by colonizing within piping systems, significantly reducing flow capacity. Exposing mussels to intense turbulence as they enter the system may be effective in reducing mussel settlement downstream. To quantify turbulence in a pressurized pipe, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements were made downstream of a newly developed pipe fitting designed to generate intense turbulence for mussel control. Two-dimensional (2D) velocity data were collected throughout the pipe profile at various distances downstream of the fitting and were analyzed to quantify hydrodynamic properties of the turbulent flow including dissipation …

Mean Velocity Effect In Bio-Fouled Pipes, Maria Ximena Trujillo, Juan Saldarriaga

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: The hydraulic resistance of pipes with biofilm surface coatings can be difficult to predict based on smooth-wall pipe theory. The impacts of biofilm growth in distribution networks and the influence of mean velocity in their development were studied in a recirculation model system at the Hydraulic Laboratory of Universidad de los Andes, using as nutrient a grass specie called “kikuyu” (s.p. Pennicetum clandestine), which is common in raw water sources of Bogotá, Colombia. Water flowed constantly through the system during 150 days, and biofilm measurements were taken from monitors installed on the pipe’s wall. Bio-fouling was observed for various …

Heat Exchanger System Piping Design For A Tube Rupture Event, Fadi Antoine Wakim, Pinar Cakir Kavcar, Mustafa Samad

International Junior Researcher and Engineer Workshop on Hydraulic Structures

ABSTRACT: Tube-rupture events in shell and tube heat exchangers can result in significantly high surge pressures. Steady state and dynamic methods can be used to assess the impacts of these events on heat exchanger system piping networks. This paper presents the findings of a set of dynamic surge simulations on the impacts of tube-rupture events in a Propane-Feed Gas Heat Exchanger System. Once adjacent piping design is considered, the Joukowsky formulation-based method is not always appropriate to estimate tube-rupture surge impacts. Dynamic simulations need to be conducted to assess the tube-rupture impact on piping systems due to the surge wave …