Engineering Commons^™

On Generalized Adaptive Neural Filter, Zhiqiang Zhang

Dissertations

Linear filters have historically been used in the past as the most useful tools for suppressing noise in signal processing. It has been shown that the optimal filter which minimizes the mean square error (MSE) between the filter output and the desired output is a linear filter provided that the noise is additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). However, in most signal processing applications, the noise in the channel through which a signal is transmitted is not AWGN; it is not stationary, and it may have unknown characteristics.

To overcome the shortcomings of linear filters, nonlinear filters ranging from the median …

Statistical, Random And Fractal Characterizations Of Surface Topography With Engineering Applications, Gongyao Zhou

Dissertations

Two methods, namely the conventional and fractal geometry methods, are developed for surface topography characterization. The conventional method utilizing statistical and random process techniques is used to study waterjet machined surfaces. In the study the waterjet surfaces are separated into smooth and striation zones, where striation influence is negligible in the smooth zone. It is found that the smooth zone has a random, moderately isotropic texture, with the height distribution nearly Gaussian. In the striation zone the major frequencies of the surface profile power spectra are independent of cutting parameters, while the amplitudes of these frequencies monotonically increase with cutting …

Constitutive Equation For Concrete Using Strain-Space Plasticity Model, Yuxiang Xing

Dissertations

Plasticity theory has been used to model the concrete constitutive relationship for about two decades. With the modifications and refinement based on experimental data, achievement has been made in these plasticity models for concrete. Almost all the existing models are developed in stress space. With a lot of experimental data and more understanding about stress states of concrete, the stress-space model shows many advantages. Because of this and also due to conventional engineering practice, the stress-space plasticity approach has been in the dominant position. However, the conventional stress-space plasticity method has one inherent drawback in which it cannot deal with …

On Orthogonal Collocation Solutions Of Partial Differential Equations, Herli Surjanhata

Dissertations

In contrast to the h-version most frequently used, a p-version of the Orthogonal Collocation Method as applied to differential equations in two-dimensional domains is examined. For superior accuracy and convergence, the collocation points are chosen to be the zeros of a Legendre polynomial plus the two endpoints. Hence the method is called the Legendre Collocation Method. The approximate solution in an element is written as a Lagrange interpolation polynomial. This form of the approximate solution makes it possible to fully automate the method on a personal computer using conventional memory.

The Legendre Collocation Method provides a formula for …

Minimum Redundancy Array Structure For Interference Cancellation, Wan-Ling Chen

Dissertations

Adaptive antenna arrays are widely used in many advanced radar, sonar, and communication systems because of their effectiveness in cancelling intentional or unintentional interferers. A uniformly spaced linear array, referred to as a Uniform Regular Array (URA), is the usual structure used for interference cancellation. The Minimum Redundancy Array (MRA) structure proposed in this work is a special kind of thinned array whose application was limited in the past to direction finding. MRAs with the same number of array elements can resolve directions of much more closely spaced signals than URAs.

The URA structure is customarily utilized for interference cancellation, …

Tensile Behavior Of Concrete And Mortar Under Direct Impact Tensile Load, Kayumars Emad

Dissertations

Structures are often subjected to impact loadings during their lifetime. Most structural specifications including the special provisions for seismic design in the current ACI building codes, have been developed on the basis of quasi-static assumptions. Cement composites are strain rate sensitive materials therefore, their properties determined under quasi-static condition should not be used to predict their performance under high strain rates.

The objectives of this investigation are:

• to develop a standard test set-up for direct tensile testing of cementitious composites.
• to study the tensile behavior of mortar and concrete under direct impact tensile load.
• to develop a simplified formula to …

Characterization Of Advanced Etching Reactors Using Novel Diagnostic Tools, Vipulkumar Patel

Dissertations

Plasma etching equipment used for sub-micron integrated circuit fabrication at present are exclusively based on 13.56 MHz, capacitively coupled, parallel-plate geometry. The underlying mechanisms of plasma processes in these reactors are not well understood and there is even less understanding of how the etch-tool parameters relate to the plasma discharge characteristics which actually determine the etch process. In this thesis, new diagnostic techniques were applied for the characterization and optimization of plasma etching processes in various reactor configurations.

Specifically, diode and triode configurations were studied extensively using tuned scanning Langmuir probes. Both radial and axial distributions of plasma density were …

Kinetic Study Of Decomposition Of Azo Dyes And Phenol In Advanced Oxidation Processes Reaction Mechanisms, Pathways And Intermediates, Hung-Yee Shu

Dissertations

Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) are an emerging technology for treatment of various hazardous organics in wastewater and groundwater. However, the kinetics and mechanisms for AOP have not been well understood. A mechanism including light intensity was studied for the decomposition of azo dyes and phenol in an AOP reactor with a 5,000 watt low pressure mercury lamp. UV light absorption is an important parameter. The effect of pH, hydrogen peroxide dosage, and dye concentration on the decomposition of azo dyes in an H₂O₂/UV reactor were also studied. Reaction pathways and intermediates of phenol oxidation by different …

Unreinforced Masonry Structures : Nonlinear Analysis And Evaluation Of Some Rehab Schemes, Sanjay Mehta

Dissertations

Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures have been a common type of construction in the past and are still used in regions of low seismicity. Retrofitting of these structures is necessary because of two reasons: Firstly, observed damage after earthquakes reveals that URM construction is one of the most hazardous constructions even in the region of low seismicity; secondly, reclassification of seismic zones would require retrofitting of existing structures to comply with new guidelines for earthquake design.

Retrofitting measures require that the response of original and new structural systems as well as their interaction be considered. It is therefore important to correctly …

Utilization Of Fly Ash In Concrete, Chai Jaturapitakkul

Dissertations

Fly ash, a by-product of coal burning power plants, is produced in large quantities each year. It is commonly known that fly ash possesses pozzolanic behavior which can enhance the properties of concrete. Due to a lack of proper understanding on the formation of fly ash and its performance in concrete, the question of quality assurance has frequently been a major concern of engineers using fly ash in their construction projects. As a result, much fly ash is disposed of as waste material in landfills. Recent environmental concerns and a shortage of landfill space have rapidly escalated the disposal cost …

Competition Between Two Microbial Populations In A Sequencing Fed-Batch Reactor And Its Implications For Waste Treatment Applications, Sitaram Dikshitulu

Dissertations

Pure and simple competition between two microbial populations in a sequencing fed-batch reactor (SFBR) was studied both at the theoretical and experimental level. Competition occurred for a single chemical pollutant which could serve as the sole carbon and energy source for both competitors. A mathematical model describing the process under inhibitory kinetics (as is usually the case with hazardous and toxic substances) was derived and theoretically analyzed. The model predicts that the dynamics of a SFBR, and the kinetics of biodegradation, result in a complex set of operating regimes in which neither species, only one species, or both species survive …

Analysis Of The Optimum Extraction System Design For The Separation And Purification Of Rare Earths, Kenneth Yeon-Kang Chan

Dissertations

A mathematical model for the liquid-liquid equilibrium of the lanthanide and yttrium oxides in the nitric acid - water - tributyl phosphate (HNO₃-H₂O-TBP) two-phase system has been developed. This model is based on the interrelationships of chemical reactions, phase equilibrium, and material balance. The chemical reactions were modelled using experimentally derived empirical equations for components involved. The distribution coefficients of 16 rare earths which were experimentally determined. by UK Harwell Laboratory were used to evaluate the parameters of this equilibrium model. Once model parameters are determined, material balance for all species in the HNO₃-H …

Analysis Of A Band-Saw, Suat Ali Ozsoylu

Dissertations

The solution for the transverse oscillations of a band-saw is determined. Two different models are treated: a fourth-order model and a second-order model. The response characteristics for both models are determined using Laplace transformation. To obtain the inverse Laplace Transform for the fourth-order model, it was necessary to fmd the frequencies by applying the Extended Lanczos Method in order to overcome the problem for computer overflow.

The limits of stability for both models are studied by plotting the eigenvalues against changing parameter values. Conditions for the onset of divergence and flutter instabilities, which need to be taken into account in …

Kinematic Synthesis Of Adjustable Four-Bar Mechanisms For Multi-Phase Motion Generation, Shao Jie Wang

Dissertations

A four-bar linkage can satisfy up to five prescribed positions for the motion generation problem. The adjustable four-bar linkage, on the other hand, can satisfy more than five given positions by making some of the parameters adjustable.

Limited work had been done in the area of motion generation problems of kinematic synthesis of adjustable four-bar linkages until Wilhelm introduced the concept of multiple adjustments.

This study considers for the first time, the adjustment of a moving pivot, and the problems of three phases of motion. Various combinations of the number of prescribed positions for the motion generation problems are solved …

Study Of Surface Properties Produced By Magneto-Plasma On Nitriding For Improving Wear Resistance, I-Tsung Shih

Dissertations

In this work a newly developed surface treatment process, Magneto-Plasma Ion Nitriding process, was developed and studied. This process was developed to increase durability and wear resistance of operational surfaces of different machine components.

In this study, orthogonal experimental analysis was used to develop, optimize, and select the process parameters. Coating layers were characterized and studied by using scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy(AES), and image analysis system. The influence of different process treatment parameters, such as temperature, nitrogen concentration, and magnetization, on the layers properties was studied. The mechanism of layer formation and bonding was proposed and a mathematical …

Investigation Of The Striation Formation In The Course Of Abrasive Waterjet Cutting, Jo-Fei Chao

Dissertations

The principal defect of the surfaces generated by abrasive waterjet machining is excessive waviness (striation). The existing theories of striation formation are not adequate to explain this phenomenon. The presented study is concerned with the development of an understanding of the mechanism of striation formation.

A spectral analysis of temporal process and spatial surface characteristics demonstrated that the striation is caused by nozzle vibration that is due to the conditions of the motion control of the nozzle. This enabled us to discover a means for improving the surface finish. From a study of the surface spectra, it was found that …

Investigation Of The Consumer Electronics Bus, Jaesoo Yang

Dissertations

The objectives of this dissertation are to investigate the performance of the Consumer Electronics Bus (CEBus) and to develop a theoretical formulation of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Contention Detection and Contention Resolution (CSMA/CDCR) with three priority classes protocol utilized by the CEBus

A new priority channel assigned multiple access with embedded priority resolution (PAMA/PR) theoretical model is formulated. It incorporates the main features of the CEBus with three priority classes. The analytical results for throughput and delay obtained by this formulation were compared to simulation experiments. A close agreement has been found thus validated both theory and simulation …

On Adaptive Censored Cfar Detection, Loizos Anastasiou Prastitis

Dissertations

In an automatic radar detection system the received signal in every range resolution cell is compared with a threshold to test for the presence of a target. A Neyman-Pearson type test is used which maximizes the probability of detection for a fixed probability of false alarm. For the simple case where the noise is homogeneous a fixed threshold is chosen to achieve the designed constant false alarm rate (CFAR). In the more realistic case the noise background is non-stationary due to clutter and interference. In this situation, the threshold used for testing a particular cell is usually set adaptively using …

Investigation Of Reactor Design Parameters Towards Optimizing Biodegradation Of Chlorophenols By Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Nirupam Pal

Dissertations

The biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (246-TCP) and 2,4,5-trichiorophenol (245-TCP) by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was studied in batch and in continuous systems. Contrary to most of the previous reports from the literature, this study shows that degradation of both TCPs can occur in the absence of any measurable ligninase activity. The microorganism did not retain its degradative ability for more than about two weeks

In order to better understand the degradation process, the individual contributions of both the biomass and the extracellular proteins were studied separately. The results show that neither the biomass nor the extracellular proteins alone can completely degrade 246-TCP, but …

Behavior Of High Strength Concrete And Slender Reinforced Concrete Columns With And Without Steel Fibers, Lin Showmay Hsu

Dissertations

A series of compression tests are conducted on 3 in. by 6 in. cylindrical specimens using a modified testing method that give the complete stress-strain behavior for both plain and fibrous high strength concretes with or without tie confinements. The volume fractions of fiber in the concrete are 0%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1.0%, respectively. Empirical equations are proposed herein to represent the complete stress-strain relationships of high strength and high strength fibrous concretes with compressive strength exceeding 10,000 psi. Various parameters are studied and their relationships are experimentally determined. The comparison between the experimental and analytical results shows to have …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Gated Silicon Field Emission Micro Triodes, Nanchou Liu

Dissertations

This dissertation describes the fabrication technology and characterization of a gated silicon field emission micro triode that is a novel electron tunneling device for generating electron emission into a vacuum. Conic (point) and wedge field emitter structures with nm-scale radii were fabricated in silicon and GaAs by etching, MOCVD and dry oxidation. A new self-aligned process was developed for fabrication of vertical field emission triodes. This process allows control of gate opening to less than 0.5 μm diameter without the need of electron-beam writing. It also provides a planar gate electrode and a thick dielectric layer for reduction of the …

The Influence Of Pore Fluids On Shear Strength And Stress-Strain Behavior Of Granular Soils, Prasanna Ratnaweera

Dissertations

When a dry granular soil is subjected to an external load, the stresses are transferred through mineral to mineral contacts. The shear strength of such a soil is governed by its contact properties. Presence of a thin layer of fluid between mineral to mineral contacts in a saturated soil will alter its contact properties. Therefore any change in the physical properties of pore fluid can logically be reasoned to influence the deformation characteristics of granular soils.

To investigate the influence of pore fluid viscosity on shear strength and stress-strain behavior of a soil, a series of consolidated drained triaxial tests …

Expert System For The Injection Molding Of Engineering Thermoplastics, Tzy-Cherng Jan

Dissertations

Injection molding of engineering thermoplastics is the most widely used manufacturing method in industry. It is a priority to maintain a deviation-free operating environment to ensure high quality, low cost manufacture. An expert system for the injection molding of engineering thermoplastics has been investigated. The system can be used to attenuate the deviations experienced during the injection molding of engineering thermoplastics. The system is coded in C programming language.

The resolution procedures of this system include two stages such as the definition of declarative knowledge and the procedure of corrective actions. In the definition of declarative knowledge, all of the …

A Study On Radical Scavenging And Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characteristics Of Stable Radical Nitroxides, Shiey-Shiun Horng

Dissertations

Several nitroxides have been prepared for study of their image enhancement capability. These nitroxides contain different nitroxyl moieties within one molecule. On MRI examination for the nitroxides prepared, TEMPO and HPTPO are better due to their better water solubility, even though some of the others have more nitroxyl centers available. The intensity response is linear with respect to concentration in the range studied in most of the cases except for HPTPO, whose intensity finally reaches maximum when its concentration is higher than 10 mM.

Three sources of biomass, namely, liver microsomes, whole-cell yeast and a bacterial activated sludge consortium, have …

Investigation Of Waterjet-Workpiece Interaction, Hung-Yuan Li

Dissertations

The objective of this research is to develop new knowledge related to the fundamental physical phenomena of waterjet machining of ductile materials, and to use this knowledge to construct a numerical analysis model. The resulting knowledge will enable enhancement of waterjet cutting efficiency.

Experimental study of fundamental mechanisms and the acquisition of the data detailing micro and macro scale phenomena which occur during the machining process is carried out. It is shown that the material damage mechanism associated with waterjet machining is erosion cavitation which initiates ultrasonic stress wave propagation in the workpiece. Fatigue, an important element in producing material …

Development Of Prediction Technique For The Geometry Of The Abrasive Waterjet Generated Kerf, Yichung Chung

Dissertations

This study is concerned with the development of a practical and accurate technique for off-line determination of the variables characterizing the macro-geometry of the kerf generated in the course of abrasive waterjet (AWJ) machining of ductile materials. The study involved generation and processing of a database relating operational conditions with kerf dimensions. The total number of generated samples exceeded 1500.

A physical model relating the process results with operational conditions was constructed and used for the selection of a statistical technique for analysis of the acquired experimental information. The semiempirical model developed here is based on a simple theoretical model …

Kinetic Studies Of Photo-Initiated Oxidation Of Toxic Organic Pollutants Including The Formation And The Destruction Of Intermediates, Yuan-Shen Li

Dissertations

The photo-initiated oxidation process, using hydrogen peroxide or ozone under ultraviolet radiation, has been proven to be an effective treatment method for toxic organic pollutants in wastewater. Most of the recent kinetic studies of the process were concentrated on the breakdown mechanisms of the pollutant itself. The formation and the destruction of intermediates were seldom investigated. Also the mechanisms and their reaction rate constants of free radical formation and destruction in the O₃/UV or H₂O₂/UV reactor were seldom studied.

The objective of this research is to study the kinetics of photo-initiated oxidation of toxic …

Performance Evaluation Of Spread Spectrum System With Cochannel Interference Through A Nonlinear Channel, Yong H. Kim

Dissertations

This thesis deals with the problem of more than one subscriber transmitting data signals through a common satellite repeater using code division multiplexing to separate the signals. We are concerned with the problem of amplifying two DS spread spectrum signals, both QPSK or BPSK modulated, in a common device in which limiting occurs. One signal is considered the signal we desire to receive, and the other, having the same nominal carrier frequency with a small random offset, is considered to be a cochannel interferer. The case of a cochannel interferer on the uplink and downlink in QPSK signalling and BPSK …

Particle Dynamics Modeling Of Boundary Effects In Granular Couette Flow, Hyeong-Jin Kim

Dissertations

This study provides insights in understanding boundary effects on the flow of dry granular materials composed of identical, smooth, inelastic spheres between parallel, bumpy walls in the absence of gravity. The results of this study are useful in providing a basis upon which developing theories can be modified as well as substantiating previous and current experiments. This in turn has a major importance in many industries which are concerned with handling of particulates, such as coal, mineral processing, powder metallurgy, and agriculture.

The particle dynamics or discrete element method is used to model this flow, thereby providing a means of …

Structural Reliability Using Finite Element Method, Che-Chen Liou

Dissertations

During the last decade, structural reliability theory has been treated in a large number of research papers; therefore, from being a subject only well known by a relatively small number of researchers, it has become an important engineering discipline. From the application point of view, many practical applications have been made successfully.

In this dissertation some important fundamental concepts in statistics and in reliability theory are presented. The concept of failure mode can be defined as: A set of failed elements turn a structure into a mechanism. Usually, a structure has many possible failure modes; therefore, it will be necessary …