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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Computational Symmetric Grain Boundary Energy Of Thorium Dioxide, Brendan J. Carroll Dec 2022

Computational Symmetric Grain Boundary Energy Of Thorium Dioxide, Brendan J. Carroll

Honors College Theses

With fossil fuels being depleted at a faster rate than ever, there has been an effort to convert fossil fuel energy to different forms of green energy. One of these forms is nuclear power, and while nuclear power itself is not new, new fuel sources for different types of reactors are being developed. This study aims to do computational experiments on Thorium Dioxide (a potential new nuclear fuel source) to look for the lowest grain boundary energy and what the effect of grain boundary conditions on the energy. Different orientations of the materials grain boundary were modeled and molecular dynamic …


Synthesis And Characterization Of Hybrid Catalysts For Fischer-Tropsch Jet Fuel Production, Jack M. Steinagel Dec 2022

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hybrid Catalysts For Fischer-Tropsch Jet Fuel Production, Jack M. Steinagel

Honors College Theses

Climate change is a major issue that our world is facing today. Finding renewable options for current infrastructure is paramount to solving this issue. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of syngas from gasified biomass can produce renewable fuels that can be used in current conventional combustion engines. In order to make this process more industrially viable, a higher selectivity towards the desired range of liquid hydrocarbon products must be achieved. A novel way to do this is to introduce a catalyst to the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. The catalyst’s physical and chemical properties can promote chain growth of specific hydrocarbons. For the purpose of this …


Development And Optimization Of Classification Neural Networks For Disaster-Assessment Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems, Maria Isabel Gonzalez Bocanegra May 2022

Development And Optimization Of Classification Neural Networks For Disaster-Assessment Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems, Maria Isabel Gonzalez Bocanegra

Honors College Theses

This research focuses on increasing the classification accuracy of convolutional neural networks in an autonomous network of unmanned aerial vehicles for transportation disaster management. The autonomous network of UAVs will allow first responders to optimize their rescue plans by providing relevant information on inaccessible roads. The research seeks to explore different methods to optimize the architecture of convolutional networks for the multiclass classification of disaster-damaged roads.


Analysis Of Properties Of Asphalt Binder With The Addition Of Lignin, Frank A. Martin Junior May 2022

Analysis Of Properties Of Asphalt Binder With The Addition Of Lignin, Frank A. Martin Junior

Honors College Theses

As asphalt ages, its resistance to shear diminishes due to a change in composition, resulting in the need for repaving of roads. Current additives to asphalt binder focus on increasing the strength of the binder, but do nothing to prevent the ageing of the asphalt binder. Lignin is a biological additive that is known for its resistance to ultraviolet radiation. This research aims to study Lignin as an asphalt additive, which exhibits properties that can increase the resistance of degradation due to aging, as well as increasing the strength of the asphalt binder. This was done through the comparison of …


Computational Comparison Of Dual Bell, Expansion-Deflection, And Aerospike Nozzles, Manuel R. Abadie Ardon Apr 2022

Computational Comparison Of Dual Bell, Expansion-Deflection, And Aerospike Nozzles, Manuel R. Abadie Ardon

Honors College Theses

In the search for a Single-Stage-to-Orbit rocket, Altitude Compensating Nozzles concepts (ACNs) have been proposed since the 1950s, but research has stalled despite the modern analysis tools available. These nozzle concepts offer optimum performance at two or more altitude settings. This research chose three of these concepts, these being the Dual Bell, Expansion-Deflection, and Aerospike, which were designed and analyzed at various pressure ratios (NPR=10,15,30,36,30,45) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software FLUENT. Simulations generated pressure distributions along the nozzle wall, which allowed to calculate data values such as thrust coefficients. Nozzle efficiency is calculated from this data and used to …


Effects Of Varied Oxygen Levels, Laser Powers, And Scanning Speeds On Manufactured Components By Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion, Amelia Mcnamee Apr 2022

Effects Of Varied Oxygen Levels, Laser Powers, And Scanning Speeds On Manufactured Components By Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion, Amelia Mcnamee

Honors College Theses

This project addresses the effects of oxygen concentration, laser power, and scanning speed on the melt pool geometry of laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additively manufactured components. A parametric analysis using the substrate alone was conducted to determine a range of desirable laser powers and scanning speeds. The parameter with the more significant effect will be decided upon based on the depth-to-width ratios (D/W) of the resultant laser weld bead. A range of oxygen levels and scan speeds was selected for the next phase. These samples were then be analyzed for depth-to-width ratios. It was expected that higher oxygen concentrations …


Structural Health Monitoring Of Bioprinted Materials, Kathryn H. Mcintosh Apr 2022

Structural Health Monitoring Of Bioprinted Materials, Kathryn H. Mcintosh

Honors College Theses

Bioprinting is a new method that utilizes additive manufacturing to construct organs, tissues, and other biostructures. This method presents endless possibilities - less reliance on organ donors (according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S.), more transplant opportunities, and the ability to save significantly more lives. While bioprinting has opened a new frontier in the biomedical field, there may be some research issues that need to be addressed. For example, numerous researchers have focused on creating novel approaches to print complicated geometries. However, the structural integrity or …


Investigation Of The Low-Temperature Combustion Phenomena Of A Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Aerospace Fuel In A Constant Volume Combustion Chamber For Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Lily H. Parker Apr 2022

Investigation Of The Low-Temperature Combustion Phenomena Of A Fischer-Tropsch Synthetic Aerospace Fuel In A Constant Volume Combustion Chamber For Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Lily H. Parker

Honors College Theses

Greenhouse gases (GHG) have a harmful effect on our environment as they trap heat in the atmosphere accelerating climate change. As such, the Federal Aviation Administration’s 2025 strategic plan to reduce GHG emissions from air transportation. This call to action for a more environmentally friendly option highlights the importance of synthetic fuels as they are more sustainable compared to traditional fossil fuels. An investigation was conducted into the thermal-physical properties of Synthetic Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and the Low Temperature Combustion (LTC). LTC is composed of the Low Temperature Heat Release (LTHR) and Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) region, …


Jet Engine Emissions And Vapor Contrail Reduction Through Increased Combustion Efficiency With The Aim To Mitigate Greenhouse Gases Emissions, Austin J. Brant Apr 2022

Jet Engine Emissions And Vapor Contrail Reduction Through Increased Combustion Efficiency With The Aim To Mitigate Greenhouse Gases Emissions, Austin J. Brant

Honors College Theses

As society continues to globalize and advance in complexity, the increased demand for business aviation has caused the global travel rate of airlines to increase with each year. With this continual increase in aviation travel, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicts that the fuel consumption rate is to increase by 1.6 percent as of the year 2025. While this increase in fuel consumption is a positive trait of a thriving aviation community, concerns also arise regarding increased greenhouse gas emissions and enlarged contributions to the greenhouse effect. The most prevalent greenhouse gases associated with jet engine emissions are water vapor, …