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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Development Of A Design Enabler Tool For Frame Analysis For A Small Enterprise: A Case Study, Madhusudan Kayyar Dec 2007

Development Of A Design Enabler Tool For Frame Analysis For A Small Enterprise: A Case Study, Madhusudan Kayyar

All Theses

This case study investigates the design process followed by a small to medium scale enterprise (SME) that primarily depends on special expertise in the form of a few key individuals. These individuals design products mainly based on past experience, augmented by trial and error. This is an inefficient, time consuming, and expensive way of designing products and evaluating their performance. This study critiques the different steps in the current design process, identifying areas of potential improvement and enhancement through application of formal design methods and innovative design enablers. The 'Design Enablers' are design tools that assist the designer at various …


Seismic Fragility Curves For A Typical Highway Bridge In Charleston, Sc Considering Soil-Structure Interaction And Liquefaction Effects, Matthew Bowers Dec 2007

Seismic Fragility Curves For A Typical Highway Bridge In Charleston, Sc Considering Soil-Structure Interaction And Liquefaction Effects, Matthew Bowers

All Theses

Evidence from historical earthquakes suggests that the vulnerability of highway bridges is significantly affected by large permanent ground deformations caused by liquefaction as well as soil-structure interaction (SSI). The vulnerability of a typical multi-span simply-supported (MSSS) concrete girder bridge found in Charleston, South Carolina, is evaluated with consideration for liquefaction and SSI effects. In general, existing bridges in this region were not originally designed with consideration for seismic events or liquefaction of underlying soils. Fragility curves that represent the probability of exceeding predefined performance levels of damage given an earthquake of a particular intensity are used to evaluate the effects …


Morphological Charts: A Systematic Exploration Of Qualitative Design Space, Gregory Smith Dec 2007

Morphological Charts: A Systematic Exploration Of Qualitative Design Space, Gregory Smith

All Theses

A morphological chart is a tool that represents a large qualitative design space. These charts list the functions identified for the design problem, and the means (solutions) that can perform each function. Combining one means for each function will produce a potential integrated conceptual design solution. Repeating this process with every possible combination contained in the morphological chart will generate a long list of conceptual design solutions. Not all of these solutions will be practical, or even physically possible.
As it is difficult to analyze a long list of design solutions and as at present, there are no systematic design …


Mixed Convective Heat Transfer And Evaporation At The Air-Water Interface, Prasad Gokhale Dec 2007

Mixed Convective Heat Transfer And Evaporation At The Air-Water Interface, Prasad Gokhale

All Theses

Functional forms for mixed convective heat transfer and evaporation from an air-water interface were obtained. To obtain these functions, heat transfer and evaporation rates from the air-water interface of an evaporating body of water were quantified in a wind/water tunnel in the presence of an oleyl alcohol monolayer on the water surface. The Nusselt (Nu) and Sherwood (Sh) numbers, parameterizing the dimensionless heat and mass transfer respectively, for transport from the water bulk to air were expressed as functions of the air side Rayleigh (Ra) and Reynolds (Re) numbers. The Nu and Sh were calculated for a range of Ra …


A Pilot Study On The Effects Of Temperature On The Material Properties Of Prestressed Concrete And The Use Of Thermogravimetric Analysis In The Assessment Of Heat-Affected Concrete, Kacie Caple Dec 2007

A Pilot Study On The Effects Of Temperature On The Material Properties Of Prestressed Concrete And The Use Of Thermogravimetric Analysis In The Assessment Of Heat-Affected Concrete, Kacie Caple

All Theses

An understanding of the material property changes in building materials due to exposure to a fire is needed for accurate damage assessment of a structure. Discussion pertaining to material property changes and the bond between concrete and prestressing steel following elevated temperature exposures is presented. Evaluation of the use of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as a post-fire analysis tool to determine the maximum temperature exposure of concrete is also included.
Heated concrete cylinders were tested to determine the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity changes of concrete. Heated steel prestressing strands were tested in tension to determine changes in the ultimate …


Experimental And Analytical Application Of The Hodd Method For The Detection Of Damage, Jacob Merkley Dec 2007

Experimental And Analytical Application Of The Hodd Method For The Detection Of Damage, Jacob Merkley

All Theses

Detecting damage location and severity in civil engineering structures has become an important research topic in the past several decades. Various non-destructive damage identification methods using dynamic properties from ambient and forced vibration have been developed. Researchers have shown that higher order derivatives of mode shapes of the 2nd and 4th order can be effective in detecting damage in civil engineering structures. Furthermore, these higher order derivatives are sensitive to small changes in global stiffness facilitating the detection of small degrees of damage.
In this study a modal analysis is performed on analytical and experimental simply supported beams using the …


Formulation Of Integral Equations Using Analytic Green's Functions In Elliptic Cylindrical And Prolate Spheroidal Coordinates, Adam Schreiber Dec 2007

Formulation Of Integral Equations Using Analytic Green's Functions In Elliptic Cylindrical And Prolate Spheroidal Coordinates, Adam Schreiber

All Theses

It is desired to develop and present techniques, using analytic Green's functions in elliptic cylindrical coordinates and in prolate spheroidal coordinates, for formulating integral equations for physically practicable structures and sources. Equivalent models for two structures are introduced which serve as guides in the derivation of analytic Greens functions, comprising special functions and satisfying required boundary conditions. Expressions for needed field components are represented in terms of integrals of Greens functions times unknowns, and integral equations follow from the proper relationships among sources and field components needed to satisfy Maxwell's equations.


Adipocyte Response To Injectable Beads Engineered For Breast Tissue Reconstruction, Katherine Neser Dec 2007

Adipocyte Response To Injectable Beads Engineered For Breast Tissue Reconstruction, Katherine Neser

All Theses

It is estimated that over 150,000 patients will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2007. Patients must undergo a mastectomy or a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous tissue, but only a mastectomy allows breast reconstructive surgery. Due to the limitations of current reconstruction options, new alternatives are being explored. Injectable materials have been suggested for breast tissue reconstruction because of their versatility. Cells cultured on injectable beads form cell carriers that may be mixed with a hydrogel, resulting in a construct that may be injected through a syringe to restore normal tissue mass. This solution offers breast cancer patients …


Glycosaminoglycan Stabilization In Bovine Pericardium, Lauren Browne Dec 2007

Glycosaminoglycan Stabilization In Bovine Pericardium, Lauren Browne

All Theses

Glutaraldehyde crosslinked bovine pericardium has been used for fabrication of bioprosthetic heart valves as well as cardiac patches for soft tissue repair. However, calcification and limited mechanical stability result in shortened life for the prostheses. Previous research has shown that glutaraldehyde crosslinking does not stabilize glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and that GAGs are lost from porcine bioprosthetic heart valves[1]. Bovine pericardial tissue is composed of an amorphous network of collagen and elastin fibers, proteoglycans, and GAGs. The GAGs of bovine pericardium include dermatan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronan [2].
It is hypothesized that Glut does not stabilize GAGs in pericardium and loss …


Load Shedding Algorithm Using Voltage And Frequency Data, Poonam Joshi Dec 2007

Load Shedding Algorithm Using Voltage And Frequency Data, Poonam Joshi

All Theses

Under frequency load shedding schemes have been widely used, to restore power system stability post major disturbances. However, the analysis of recent blackouts suggests that voltage collapse and voltage-related problems are also important concerns in maintaining system stability. For this reason, both frequency and voltage need to be taken into account in load shedding schemes. The research undertaken here considers both parameters in designing a load shedding scheme to determine the amount of load to be shed and its appropriate location. An introduction about the need for a load shedding scheme and the purpose of doing research on this particular …


Design Of Alu And Cache Memory For An 8 Bit Alu, Pravin Chander Chandran Dec 2007

Design Of Alu And Cache Memory For An 8 Bit Alu, Pravin Chander Chandran

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The design of an ALU and a Cache memory for use in a high performance processor was examined in this thesis. Advanced architectures employing increased parallelism were analyzed to minimize the number of execution cycles needed for 8 bit integer arithmetic operations. In addition to the arithmetic unit, an optimized SRAM memory cell was designed to be used as cache memory and as fast Look Up Table.
The ALU consists of stand alone units for bit parallel computation of basic integer arithmetic operations. Addition and subtraction were performed using Kogge Stone parallel prefix hardware operating at 330MHz. A high performance …


Performance Based Contracting And Improving The Current Contracting Process, Troy Berkland Dec 2007

Performance Based Contracting And Improving The Current Contracting Process, Troy Berkland

All Theses

The primary objective of the research described in this report was to suggest improvements to the maintenance contracting process currently utilized by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). A secondary research objective was to examine to what extent SCDOT could migrate more toward performance based, as opposed to method based, highway maintenance specifications.
A comprehensive literature review indicated some states had successfully implemented performance based specifications for a wide range of maintenance activities whereas others had not. Some states have adopted performance based specifications as part of a comprehensive asset management program whereby the contractor typically performs all routine …


Achiral And Chiral Analysis Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In The Aquatic And Riparian Food Webs In Twelve Mile Creek, South Carolina., Viet Dang Aug 2007

Achiral And Chiral Analysis Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In The Aquatic And Riparian Food Webs In Twelve Mile Creek, South Carolina., Viet Dang

All Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in the Twelve Mile Creek arm of Lake Hartwell, South Carolina, has been an issue for decades. Lake Hartwell, which is a reservoir located on the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia, was contaminated with an estimated 440,000 pounds of PCBs. PCBs were released from the Sangamo-Weston capacitor plant located on Town Creek, which feeds into Twelve Mile Creek and ultimately Lake Hartwell. The Twelve Mile Creek tributary connecting the Sangamo-Weston plant to Lake Hartwell has had little attention. Understanding PCBs contamination in the aquatic and riparian food webs of Twelve Mile Creek …


Exact Solution Of Time History Response For Dynamic Systems With Coupled Damping Using Complex Mode Superposition, Manoj Kumar Chinnakonda Aug 2007

Exact Solution Of Time History Response For Dynamic Systems With Coupled Damping Using Complex Mode Superposition, Manoj Kumar Chinnakonda

All Theses

An exact solution method for general, non-proportional damping time history response for piece-wise linear loading proposed by Dickens is generalized to piece-wise quadratic loading. Comparisons are made to Trapezoidal and Simpson's quadrature rules for approximating the time integral of the weighted generalized forcing function in the exact solution to the decoupled modal equations arising from state-space modal analysis of linear dynamic systems. The time integral of the forcing function is recognized as a weighted integral with complex exponential and the general update formulas are derived using polynomial interpolation to the forcing function. Closed-form expressions for the weighting parameters in the …


Assessment Of Driver Speeds, Compliance In Rural School Zones: Comparison Of Speed By School Level And Time Of Day, Stuart Day Aug 2007

Assessment Of Driver Speeds, Compliance In Rural School Zones: Comparison Of Speed By School Level And Time Of Day, Stuart Day

All Theses

TThis study analyzed driver's speeds prior to entering school zones as well as the speeds traveling through school zones. A comparison was conducted to determine if drivers complied with school speed zones using only the standard school sign arrangement found in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device. Two rural school zones in Oconee County, South Carolina were analyzed in this study as rural areas tend to have higher speeds and fewer other factors that could contribute to changes in driver behavior. In order to gather data, data collection devices known as Hi-Stars were placed in the roadway on both …


Enterprise Security Analysis Including Denial Of Service Countermeasures, Chinar Dingankar Aug 2007

Enterprise Security Analysis Including Denial Of Service Countermeasures, Chinar Dingankar

All Theses

Computer networks are the nerve systems of modern enterprises. Unfortunately, these networks are subject to numerous attacks. Safeguarding these systems is challenging. In this thesis we describe current threats to enterprise security, before concentrating on the Distributed denial of Service (DDoS) problem.
DDoS attacks on popular websites like Amazon, Yahoo, CNN, eBay, Buy, and the recent acts of war using DDoS attacks against NATO ally Estonia [1] graphically illustrate the seriousness of these attacks. Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are explicit attempts to block legitimate users' system access by reducing system availability [2]. A DDoS attack deploys multiple attacking entities …


Steer It And Clear It: Effectiveness Of Quick Clearance Legislation, Amy Carol Hamlin Aug 2007

Steer It And Clear It: Effectiveness Of Quick Clearance Legislation, Amy Carol Hamlin

All Theses

Innovative incident management strategies have been sought by transportation professionals to minimize the impacts of incidents on traffic operation and safety. Some current quick clearance strategies such as 'Steer It and Clear It' legislation in South Carolina, which requires driver(s) of involved vehicle(s) in a minor incident to move vehicles promptly from the traveled roadway prior to the arrival of the first responders, can potentially reduce the duration of an incident. The research detailed in this paper endeavored to measure the benefit of the Steer It and Clear It law on a section of I-85 in South Carolina. A simulation …


A Hydraulic Actuated Thermal Management System For Large Displacement Engine Cooling Systems, Peyton Frick Aug 2007

A Hydraulic Actuated Thermal Management System For Large Displacement Engine Cooling Systems, Peyton Frick

All Theses

The performance of automotive cooling systems can be improved by replacing the traditional mechanically driven radiator fan and water pump assemblies with computer controlled components. The introduction of electric servo-motors to drive the cooling components can improve temperature tracking, which should increase fuel efficiency and decrease tailpipe emissions. However, the power requirement for these electric motors increases with greater cooling demands if the radiator surface area remains constrained. For heavy-duty applications, where engines are subjected to significant cooling loads, electric motors may become impractical due to their increased size and power requirements; in these situations, hydraulic-based components are advantageous due …


Comparison Of Effectiveness Of Roadway Design Treatments For Transitioning From Rural Areas To Urban Areas Using A Driving Simulator, Candice Hein Aug 2007

Comparison Of Effectiveness Of Roadway Design Treatments For Transitioning From Rural Areas To Urban Areas Using A Driving Simulator, Candice Hein

All Theses

Traffic fatalities are a leading cause of death in the United States. Rural roads are especially hazardous as they account for 60 percent of all traffic fatalities in the United States. Three main reasons for the rural road problems are high speeds, low volumes, and reduced driver awareness. This is particularly problematic where these roads navigate through communities requiring reduced speeds. Drivers who aren't alert and are driving too fast often miss the reduced speed warning signs and often don't slow until after they have entered the community. Therefore, engineers must do something to the design of the roadway environment …


Registration Using Graphics Processor Unit, Koushik Aravalli Aug 2007

Registration Using Graphics Processor Unit, Koushik Aravalli

All Theses

Data point set registration is an important operation in coordinate metrology. Registration is the operation by which sampled point clouds are aligned with a CAD model by a 4X4 homogeneous transformation (e.g., rotation and translation). This alignment permits validation of the produced artifact's geometry. State-of-the-art metrology systems are now capable of generating thousands, if not millions, of data points during an inspection operation, resulting in increased computational power to fully utilize these larger data sets. The registration process is an iterative nonlinear optimization operation having an execution time directly related to the number of points processed and CAD model complexity. …


Simulation Of A Backrest Moment Test For An Automotive Front Seat Using Nonlinear Contact Finite Element Analysis , Abhinand Chelikani Aug 2007

Simulation Of A Backrest Moment Test For An Automotive Front Seat Using Nonlinear Contact Finite Element Analysis , Abhinand Chelikani

All Theses

Computer aided engineering and finite element simulation are essential in order to predict accurately the safety performance of automotive structures in an event of crash. In this work, finite element simulation is used to evaluate the strength and deflection characteristics of a reference automotive front seat in an event of vehicle rear impact. Understanding the strength-deflection characteristics of front automotive seats during vehicle rear impact is important to ensure the safety function of the seat. The safety function is measured based on a moment test in accordance with government (ECE R17) regulations. Accurate finite element modeling of a reference seat …


Development And Evaluation Of An Enrichment Culture For Bioaugmentation Of The P-Area Chlorinated Ethene Plume At The Savannah River Site, Elizabeth Wood Aug 2007

Development And Evaluation Of An Enrichment Culture For Bioaugmentation Of The P-Area Chlorinated Ethene Plume At The Savannah River Site, Elizabeth Wood

All Theses

The Twin Lakes chlorinated ethene plume at the Department of Energy's
Savannah River Site (SRS) emerges in a wetland in which trichloroethene (TCE) is
completely reduced to ethene and ethane. Novel strains of Dehalococcoides have been
detected from the wetland area. The objectives of this study were 1) to develop an
enrichment culture capable of completely dechlorinating TCE and tetrachloroethene
(PCE) to ethene using samples from the wetland; 2) to evaluate the use of lactate,
emulsified vegetable oil and corn syrup as possible electron donors for biostimulation of
the P-area chlorinated ethene plume at SRS that is not undergoing natural …


Pursuit-Evasion With Acceleration, Sensing Limitation, And Electronic Counter Measures, Jing-En Pang Aug 2007

Pursuit-Evasion With Acceleration, Sensing Limitation, And Electronic Counter Measures, Jing-En Pang

All Theses

Abstract: The use of game theory to analyze the optimal behaviors of both pursuers and evaders originated with Isaac's work at the Rand Corporation in the 1950's. Although many variations of this problem have been considered, published work to date is limited to the case where both players have constant velocities. In this thesis, we extend previous work by allowing players to accelerate. Analysis of this new problem using Newton's laws imposes an additional constraint to the system, which is the relationship between players' velocities and allowed turning radius. We find that analysis of this relationship provides new insight into …


An In Vitro Evaluation Of Dbm As A Tissue Engineered Scaffold, Stephanie Arnold Aug 2007

An In Vitro Evaluation Of Dbm As A Tissue Engineered Scaffold, Stephanie Arnold

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Over 500,000 bone graft procedures are performed each year in the United States. Bone grafting involves a surgical procedure to replace missing bone. Problems can arise with donor and defect sites during and after surgery, sometimes resulting in poor clinical results. The development and optimization of bone graft substitutes via a tissue engineering approach could markedly improve bone graft surgical outcome. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM), a bone graft material, is currently used in a clinical setting but has variable success rates.
The primary objective of the research presented in this thesis was to assess the cellular activity of D1 mouse …


Laser-Assisted Synthesis And Optical Properties Of Bismuth Nanorods, Jason Reppert Aug 2007

Laser-Assisted Synthesis And Optical Properties Of Bismuth Nanorods, Jason Reppert

All Theses

Bismuth in the bulk form is a semimetal with a rhombohedral structure. It has a small band overlap between the conduction and valence bands and a highly anisotropic electron effective-mass tensor. Thermoelectric materials, in which one of the three dimensions is in the nanometer regime, exhibit unique quantum confinement properties and have generated much interest in recent years. Theoretical investigations have suggested that nanowires with diameters <10 nm will possess a figure-of-merit ZT>2. Prior to this research, it has been shown by the Dresselhaus group at MIT that Bi nanowires with small enough diameters (~50 nm), prepared via the template-method, undergo a transition from a semimetal …


Performance Of Serial, Matched-Filter Packet Acquisition Algorithms With A Preamble-Sequence Acceptance Criterion, Javier Schloemann Aug 2007

Performance Of Serial, Matched-Filter Packet Acquisition Algorithms With A Preamble-Sequence Acceptance Criterion, Javier Schloemann

All Theses

In this thesis, we consider two methods to improve the acquisition performance of a packet radio system that uses serial, matched-filter acquisition: an adaptive acquisition threshold, and an acceptance criterion for the system's preamble sequences. Each packet transmission includes a fixed-length acquisition preamble, and the preamble sequence used in packet transmissions is changed at predetermined times based on a sequence-generation algorithm. It is shown that acquisition performance depends largely on the sidelobe energy of the preamble sequence, the acquisition threshold, and the signal-to-noise ratio.
The first method uses a threshold-scaling technique to account for the variation in the signal-to-noise ratio. …


Advanced Thermal Management For Internal Combustion Engines, Thomas Mitchell Aug 2007

Advanced Thermal Management For Internal Combustion Engines, Thomas Mitchell

All Theses

The automotive cooling system has unrealized potential to improve internal combustion engine performance through enhanced coolant temperature control and reduced parasitic losses. Advanced automotive thermal management systems use controllable actuators (e.g., smart thermostat valve, variable speed water pump, and electric radiator fan) in place of conventional mechanical cooling system components to improve engine temperature tracking over most operating ranges. To optimize advanced cooling system performance, the electro-mechanical actuators must work in harmony to control engine temperature. The design and placement of cooling components should also be considered when attempting to maximize the performance.
In this research project, two distinct vehicle …


Nonlinear Modeling Of The Adsorption-Induced Surface Stress In Piezoelectrically-Driven Microcantilever Biosensors, Mana Afshari Aug 2007

Nonlinear Modeling Of The Adsorption-Induced Surface Stress In Piezoelectrically-Driven Microcantilever Biosensors, Mana Afshari

All Theses

Microcantilever-based biosensors are rapidly becoming an enabling sensing technology for a variety of label-free biological applications due to their extreme applicability, versatility and low cost. These sensors operate through the adsorption of species on the functionalized surface of microcantilevers. The adsorption of biological species induces surface stress which originates from the molecular interactions such as adhesion forces of attraction/repulsion, electrostatic forces or the surface charge redistribution of the underlying substrate. This surface stress, consequently, alters the resonance frequency of the microcantilever beam.
This study presents a general framework towards modeling resonance frequency changes induced due to the surface stress arising …


A Study Of Estimation Techniques And Of Mechatronic System Design And Testing, Brett Castelloe Aug 2007

A Study Of Estimation Techniques And Of Mechatronic System Design And Testing, Brett Castelloe

All Theses

This thesis is a collection of two projects that the author worked on during his master's studies at Clemson University. The first project--adaptive camera calibration--involves the design and simulation of an estimator for the calibration parameters of a camera. The second project--basket drive wear testing--includes the design of a test plan for measuring wear on a mechatronic system.


Transmission Gate Based Dual Rail Logic For Differential Power Analysis Resistant Circuits, Srinidhi Narasimha Char Aug 2007

Transmission Gate Based Dual Rail Logic For Differential Power Analysis Resistant Circuits, Srinidhi Narasimha Char

All Theses

Cryptographic devices with hardware implementation of the algorithms are increasingly being used in various applications. As a consequence, there is an increased need for security against the attacks on the cryptographic system. Among various attack techniques, side channel attacks pose a significant threat to the hardware implementation. Power analysis attacks are a type of side channel attack where the power leakage from the underlying hardware is used to eavesdrop on the hardware operation. Wave pipelined differential and dynamic logic (WDDL) has been found to be an effective countermeasure to power analysis. This thesis studies the use of transmission gate based …