Engineering Commons^™

Assessing Canopy Features, Its Shading Factor, And Their Influence In The Estimation Of Evapotranspiration In Almond Orchards Using Uas Information And The Two-Source Energy Balance Model, Moises R. Duran-Gomez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study explored how canopy biomass and shadows affect evapotranspiration (ET) estimates, a crucial factor for irrigation management in almond orchards in California’s Central Valley. Data from 24 drone flights over three almond plots in 2021 and 2022 were analyzed using the Two-Source Energy Balance (TSEB) model, combined with meteorological data from EC-towers. The study found that filtering out shadows improved ET estimation, particularly in young orchards, and identified the importance of using new Leaf Area Index (LAI) models for better accuracy. This research is part of the T-REX initiative, which integrates drone and ground-based data to enhance water use …

Examining The Impacts Of Demographics, Individual Experiences, And Perceptions On Range Anxiety And Electric Vehicle Road Trips, Joshua Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Range anxiety is perhaps the most widely cited barrier to electric vehicle (EV) adoption and use. Range anxiety is generally defined as a general fear that an EV has insufficient battery range or that there is insufficient charging infrastructure to travel from one place to another. Although this barrier is widely cited, there is little research that investigates how EV drivers experience range anxiety and how it might vary based on personal characteristics, perceptions, and experiences. Data on long-distance EV trips is also scarce in the United States and mainly limited to personal stories of an EV road trip.

This …

A Relaxable Vortex Wake Model For Modern Supersonic Panel Methods, Joshua J. Hurwitz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis presents an improved vortex wake model for unstructured, supersonic panel methods. Panel methods are numerical methods that utilize inviscid flow assumptions and other simplifications to allow efficient computation of pressure distributions, velocity fields, and aerodynamic forces. They are commonly used for preliminary design, automatic design codes, and automatic optimization routines. Most existing supersonic panel methods do not include automatic wake generation and relaxation. This prevents the accurate analysis of many geometries, including those with conventional horizontal stabilizers or canards. This thesis first outlines the derivation of a relaxable generalized supersonic vortex filament equation. Next, it explores other necessary …

Quasi-Static Indentation Characteristics Of Foam-Filled Sandwich Composite Structures With Additively Manufactured Cfrp And Gfrp Corrugated Cores, S.Z.H. Shah, Juhyeong Lee, Khurram Altaf, M. Mohammad, M.Z. Hussain, R.S. Choudhry

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the quasi-static indentation performance of polyurethane (PU) foam-filled carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) corrugated sandwich composite structures (SCSs) under different indenter tip geometries (conical, trapezoidal, hemispherical, pyramidal, and cylindrical shapes). The SCSs were produced using hybrid manufacturing methods: (1) the facesheets were fabricated using the vacuum-assisted resin infusion (VARI) process, (2) the CFRP and GFRP corrugated cores were additively manufactured using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process, and (3) the self-expanding PU foam-filled the open spaces in the core. The results elucidated that the indenter tip geometry and core …

A Probabilistic Kp And Hp Driven Auroral Boundary Model Using 28 Years Of Dmsp Data, Riley N. Troyer, Russell Landry, Michael David, Vincent Eccles, Adrian E. Acosta

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

This paper uses energy flux data from the DMSP F6 thru F19 satellites to construct a new equatorward auroral boundary model. This method of processing the data allows one to easily extend boundary detections to different instrument generations because it is based on a standard deviation value instead of hard thresholds. Using this method, the paper provides statistics from just under 1 million auroral boundaries between 1986 and 2014. These statistics are based on normal distribution fits for each Kp/Hp and MLT bin, which allows one to specify the boundary for an arbitrary distribution percentile. The paper compares …

Thermal Straps: Aluminum 1235 Foil Qualification Summary, Holly Mortensen

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) first developed thermal strap technology in 1994 when we designed, built, and tested the SABER instrument, which is still on orbit and has performed flawlessly since 2001. Since then, we have continued to pioneer solderless flexible thermal straps and supporting technologies.

SDL’s heritage thermal straps used aluminum 1145 foil, an extremely pure alloy that contains 99.45% aluminum content. Unfortunately, it is no longer readily procurable in the market. Aluminum 1235 is a very similar alloy with similar chemical composition and physical attributes, but more readily available than 1145.

This report documents the process and results in …

Development And Testing Of A Fast-Acting, 8-Bit, Digital Throttle For Hybrid Rocket Motors, Stephen A. Whitmore

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The potential for throttle control of hybrid rocket systems has long been known as a potential advantage for a variety of applications. Because only a single flow path is controlled, theoretically, hybrids should be significantly easier to throttle than bipropellant systems. Unfortunately, the slow response times and nonlinearity of traditional position-control valves have limited practical applications of hybrid throttling. This paper presents an alternative throttling system where the oxidizer flow path is broken into multiple streams, with each flow path controlled by a solenoid-operated on/off valve. The parallel paths allow significantly faster and more precise control than can be achieved …

Sunrise Propulsion Subsystem Leak Rate Measurement Methodology, Alex Kirkman, Brittany Woytko, Holly Walen, Bret Maughan

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

As part of the integration and testing for Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE), it was necessary to characterize the propellent leak rate of the fully assembled propulsion subsystem for each satellite to ensure compliance with performance requirements. SunRISE utilized a cold gas system for its propulsion subsystem, using R-236fa propellant inside a tank made from a monolithic 3D printed SLA material. It was not possible to accurately characterize the propellent leak rate via weight by measuring the mass loss from the tank. This is due to the SLA material having both a high absorbance rate of water in normal …

Origami And Kirigami-Inspired Sandwich Panels For Uam Primary Structural Applications, Kalyan Raj Kota, Juhyeong Lee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Foldcore sandwich panels (FSPs) provide highly tailorable structural and multifunctional performance over legacy sandwich panels made with honeycomb or foam cores. In FSP manufacturing, skins and foldcore are made from any flat sheets of unitary or hybrid materials, folded into a desired pattern. Two common folding mechanisms include origami and kirigami: origami core is involved with folding only, while kirigami core is associated with a strategic combination of folding and cutting. Material and core geometry can be determined to satisfy the applications’ performance requirements. Overall, origami- or kirigami-inspired FSPs have the potential to revolutionize the ways to design and …

Wing-Shaped Leading-Edge Stealth Composites Using An Over-Expanded Honeycomb Core And A Periodic Pattern Etched On Ni-Coated Glass Fabric For Lightning Strike Protection, Seonghaeng Heo, Hannah Jang, Shanigaram Mallesh, Dongjun Hong, Byeongsu Kwak, Juhyeong Lee, Youngwoo Nam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper proposes an RF-stealth sandwich composite, designed in a leading-edge shape, using Ni-coated glass fabric and an over-expanded honeycomb core, which incorporates a highly conductive nickel-coated glass fabric for lightning strike protection. The presented structure was designed and fabricated using nickel-coated glass fiber, which effectively absorbs electromagnetic (EM) waves, and an SWCNT-coated over-expanded honeycomb core, which improves sheet resistance properties. The designed RAS was subjected to an artificial lightning strike with the waveform of component A. Pristine and damaged RAS specimens from the artificial lightning strikes were measured using a free-space measurement system. The fabricated RAS specimens demonstrated satisfactory …

Multiscale Analysis Of Thermal Barrier Coated Cfrp Composites Under Thermal Loading, Devin Nielsen, Trenton M. Ricks, Juhyeong Lee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are commonly used in high performance applications. Although offering several advantages (i.e., superior specific properties and improved structural rigidity), traditional CFRP composites often exhibit poor thermal stability due to a low matrix thermal decomposition temperature. The effective operating temperature of the CFRP composites can be raised by applying an outermost, protective thermal barrier coating (TBC) layer. Prefabricated high void content ceramic TBCs are ideal for composite applications due to their high thermal stability and relatively low thermal conductivity. In this paper, the thermo-mechanical response of the TBCCFRP composite laminate subjected to 500°C are assessed through …

Critical Comparison Of Potential Machine Learning Methods For Lightning Thermal Damage Assessment Of Composite Laminates, Juhyeong Lee, Scott L.J. Millen, Xiaodong Xu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The present study assesses the potential of using machine learning (ML) methods to predict the extent of lightning thermal damage in fiber-reinforced composite laminates using three supervised machine learning (SML) algorithms: (1) linear regression (LR), (2) decision tree (DT)-based, and (3) MLP models. These models were based on the 10 most significant factors that influence the severity of lightning damage, including three current waveform parameters, four material configurations, and three orthogonal electrical conductivities of each composite. All models demonstrated good performance with coefficient of determination (R²) values between 0.84 ~ 0.96. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) regression model trained …

Water Use Efficiency In Rice Under Alternative Wetting And Drying Technique Using Energy Balance Model With Uav Information And Aquacrop In Lambayeque, Peru, Lia Ramos-Fernández, Roxana Peña-Amaro, José Huanuqueño-Murillo, David Quipse-Tito, Mayra Maldonado-Huarhuachi, Elizabeth Heros-Aguilar, Lisveth Flores Del Pino, Edwin Pino-Vargas, Javier Quille-Mamani, Alfonso Torres-Rua

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In the context of global warming, rising air temperatures are increasing evapotranspiration (ET_c) in all agricultural crops, including rice, a staple food worldwide. Simultaneously, the occurrence of droughts is reducing water availability, affecting traditional irrigation methods for rice cultivation (flood irrigation). The objective of this study was to determine ET_c (water use) and yield performance in rice crop under different irrigation regimes: treatments with continuous flood irrigation (CF) and irrigations with alternating wetting and drying (AWD₅, AWD₁₀, and AWD₂₀) in an experimental area in INIA–Vista Florida. Water balance, rice physiological data, …

Atmospheric Waves Experiment (Awe) Advanced Mesopheric Temperature Mapper (Amtm) Optomechanical Design, Fabrication, And Environmental Test, Tyrel C. Rupp, James Champagne, Greg Hopkins, Roy Esplin, Burt Lamborn, Erik Syrstad, Jordan Jacobson

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The AWE AMTM is a widefield of view (WFOV) infrared imaging radiometer designed for use in measuring the P₁(2) and P₁(4) emission lines of the earth’s OH layer to determine temperature and produce images of gravity waves. The sensor was designed, built, and characterized by Utah State University (USU) Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) and has been externally mounted to the International Space Station (ISS) looking nadir to collect images for analysis for a minimum of two years. The Opto-Mechanical Assembly (OMA) consists of four identical imaging telescopes, each comprised of a fisheye lens, a field lens, …

Overcoming Contamination Obstacles In Additive Manufacturing A Monolithic Propulsion Structure For The Sunrise Mission, Holly Walen, Emma Brown, Robert Fowler

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The SunRISE propulsion system utilizes an additively manufactured monolithic structure containing a main tank, plenum, and six thrusters. The complex design geometry and novel manufacturing approach of this structure lends itself to several problems, primarily related to the consistent fabrication of the thruster channels. Standard cleaning methods for stereolithography printing were inadequate to meet program requirements for this structure, leading to the development of a rigorous cleaning approach and intermediate characterization of the thruster throughput during the manufacturing process. In this paper, we present the cleaning and characterization approach that lent to the successful manufacturing of the SunRISE propulsion structure.

A Comprehensive Study On Long-Term Durability Of Protective Epoxy Coatings For Electrified Roadways, Md Tareq Hassan, Samiul Alam, Juhyeong Lee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Underground wireless power transmission (WPT) systems are susceptible to environmental threats such as high temperatures, water ingress, and mechanical impact from above-ground objects. Typical WPT systems electronics are safeguarded with civil-grade epoxy coating, thus it is imperative to assess the coating's durability in these extreme conditions. Among various environmental threats, this study is primarily focused on both experimental and numerical investigations on long-term water diffusion characteristics of civil-grade epoxy materials at various temperatures. A series of water diffusion tests were performed on the specimens made from two commercially available electronics casting epoxy materials at room (23°C) and high (50°C) temperatures. …

Atmospheric Waves Experiment (Awe) Advanced Mesopheric Temperature Mapper (Amtm) Optical System Design, Alignment, And Image Quality Verification, James Champagne, Roy Esplin, Tyrel Rupp, Greg Hopkins, Burt Lamborn, Erik Syrstad, Mike Holt, Matt Ralphs

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The AWE AMTM is a wide field-of-view (WFOV) infrared imaging radiometer designed for use in measuring the P₁(2) and P₁(4) emission lines of the earths OH layer. From these measurements, the atmospheric temperature is determined and finally images of gravity waves will be produced as the AWE field of view transverses the OH layer. Designed, built, and characterized by Utah State University (USU) and its Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), the sensor has been externally mounted to the International Space Station (ISS) looking nadir. Images will be collected and analyzed for a minimum of two years. The …

Performance-Tunable Thermal Barrier Coating For Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Composites Via Flame Spraying, Heejin Kim, Kandasamy Praveen, Min Wook Lee, Juhyeong Lee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are essential for improving the heat resistance of materials operating in high-temperature environments. This paper proposes a new method for manufacturing double-layered TBC with graded porosity for carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites. The TBC was created by a flame spraying process, consisting of relatively dense and porous layers: (1) a dense layer was produced by spraying yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particles directly onto neat carbon fabric substrate and (2) a porous layer was prepared by co-spraying YSZ particles with sacrificial polyetheretherketone (PEEK) particles. The porosity of the porous layer was controlled by varying a PEEK injection distance …

Biomanufacturing Of High-Strength Concrete: Incorporation Of Hemp Fiber To Improve High-Temperature Performance, Srishti Banerji

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Career: Innovation For Inclusion: Transforming Engineering Through Scalable Accessibility, Cassandra J. Mccall

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Eager: Leveraging Disruptive Technologies To Promote Learner Agency In Engineering Education, Cassandra J. Mccall

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Biofilm Colonization On The Dynamics Of Microplastics In Turbulent Flow, Liyuan Joanna Hou

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

A Simulated Annealing Approach To The Scheduling Of Battery-Electric Bus Charging, Alexander Brown, Greg Droge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

With an increasing adoption of battery-electric bus (BEB) fleets, developing a reliable charging schedule is vital to a successful migration from their fossil fuel counterparts. In this paper, a simulated annealing (SA) implementation is developed for a charge scheduling framework for a fixed-schedule fleet of BEBs that utilizes a proportional battery dynamics model, accounts for multiple charger types, allows partial charging, and further considers the total energy consumed by the schedule as well as peak power use. Two generation mechanisms are implemented for the SA algorithm, denoted as the "quick" and "heuristic" implementations, respectively. The model validity is demonstrated by …

Damage Of Nickel-Coated Glass/Epoxy Foam-Core Composites Induced By Artificial Lightning Strikes, Van-Tho Hoang, Won-Ho Choi, Juhyeong Lee, Chanyeop Park, Jin-Hwe Kweon, Byeong-Su Kwak, Young-Woo Nam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In the field of composite materials, many reports have shown that catastrophic structural damage is caused by lightning strikes. In this study, new design concepts were proposed for the lightning-strike protection of nickel-coated glass/epoxy foam-core composites. Instead of using a neat metal mesh, glass fibers were modified with nickel particles via a plating technique to improve their thermal and electrical conductivities. In addition, a thin Invar plate was inserted at the middle of the structure and a foam core was introduced to reduce damage to the structure. Three models with different materials and stacking sequences were used in this study. …

Balancing Results From Ai-Based Geostatistics Versus Fuzzy Inference By Game Theory Bargaining To Improve A Groundwater Monitoring Network, Masoumeh Hashemi, Richard C. Peralta, Matt Yost

Plants, Soils and Climate Student Research

An artificial intelligence-based geostatistical optimization algorithm was developed to upgrade a test Iranian aquifer's existing groundwater monitoring network. For that aquifer, a preliminary study revealed that a Multi-Layer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (MLP-ANN) more accurately determined temporally average water table elevations than geostatistical kriging, spline, and inverse distance weighting. Because kriging is usually used in that area for water table estimation, the developed algorithm used MLP-ANN to guide kriging, and Genetic Algorithm (GA) to determine locations for new monitoring well location(s). For possible annual fiscal budgets allowing 1-12 new wells, 12 sets of optimal new well locations are reported. Each …

Assessment Of Economic Viability Of Direct Current Fast Charging Infrastructure Investments For Electric Vehicles In The United States, Daniel Bernal, Adeeba A. Raheem, Sundeep Inti, Hongjie Wang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

As the global transportation sector increasingly adopts electric vehicles, the demand for advanced and accessible charging infrastructure is rising. In addition to at-home electric vehicle (EV) charging, there is a growing need for the swift development of commercial direct current fast charging (DCFC) stations to meet on-the-go EV charging demands. While government funds are available to support the expansion of the EV charging network in the United States, the establishment of a robust nationwide EV charging infrastructure requires significant private sector investment. This study was conducted to assess the economic feasibility of various business models for fast charging stations in …

Sustainable Waste-To-Bioproducts Engineering Center Laboratory Safety Project, Claudine Mock

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Laboratory accidents are common in teaching and research labs; these accidents can be injurious or even fatal. The consequences of each type of laboratory accident are different based on the activities performed and the hazardous materials used in each facility. However, the most common issue related to laboratory accidents is the lack of proper safety measures (e.g., poor handling of hazardous materials, not reporting incidents immediately, etc.). This project aimed to establish and strengthen best practices and procedures to ensure laboratory safety at the Utah State University Sustainable Waste-to-Bioproducts Engineering Center. To achieve this goal, different practices and measures were …

Improving The Long-Term Maintenance And Durability Of Pervious Concrete Pavements, Kate Elizabeth Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Impervious concrete is constructed for most new infrastructure such as housing developments, commercial projects, and industrial facilities, which prevents stormwater runoff from infiltrating into groundwater storage. Pervious concrete is a sustainable, economical, and safe alternative to collect runoff and prevent the issues resulting from increased land development.

Although pervious concrete has the benefit of a large porous structure for water infiltration, this high porosity leads to issues with debris, sand, and other materials clogging the porous areas. Pervious concrete also has the challenge of non-standardized material preparation techniques, testing, and construction practices. As such, more research is needed to improve …

Gps-Denied Navigation Using Location Estimation And Texel Image Correction, Nikolas I. Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In recent years, the use of small drones, also categorized as small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV), has surged. They are used for tasks like surveying land, collecting data from a distance, and performing maneuvers for military operations. These drones are popular because they are affordable, small, easy to use, and can navigate well in complex areas. These factors make them a cheap and quick option for tasks like surveying and surveillance when compared to traditional methods.

This thesis introduces a system that uses algorithms to figure out where the drone is. Typically, this relies on sensors and GPS, but GPS …

Emerging Technologies And Advanced Analyses For Non-Invasive Near-Surface Site Characterization, Aser Abbas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation introduces novel techniques for estimating the soil small-strain shear modulus (G_max) and damping ratio (D), crucial for modeling soil behavior in various geotechnical engineering problems. For G_max estimation, a machine learning approach is proposed, capable of generating two-dimensional (2D) images of the subsurface shear wave velocity, which is directly related to G_max. The dissertation also presents a method for estimating frequency dependent attenuation coefficients from ambient vibrations collected using 2D arrays of seismic sensors deployed across the ground surface. These attenuation coefficients can then be used in an inversion process …