Engineering Commons^™

Soft Hexapod Robot With Tendon-Driven Continuum Legs For Internal Infrastructure Inspection, Setayesh Yavari

LSU Master's Theses

The need for robotic systems capable of operating in confined, hazardous, or complex environments has driven interest in soft and legged platforms for industrial inspection and structural integrity assessment. This thesis presents the design and fabrication of a tentacle-like, soft-legged hexapod robot, which uses six cable-stiffened, pre-curved, tendon-driven continuum robot (TDCR) legs. These biologically inspired legs are designed to offer a balance between compliance and control, enabling the robot to navigate unstructured terrains and potentially grasp cylindrical structures such as pipes. The design phase involved the development and comparison of multiple leg geometries using CAD modeling and finite element analysis …

Ergonomic And Biomechanical Assessment Of Vertical Ladder Climbing For Exoskeleton Integration In Construction Tasks, Ehsan Shourangiz

LSU Master's Theses

Active exoskeletons are increasingly utilized in physically demanding industries such as construction and manufacturing to reduce strain and lower the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, supporting worker safety and long-term health. However, most existing systems are designed for repetitive tasks like lifting or prolonged standing, with limited consideration for dynamic activities such as vertical ladder climbing. Ladder climbing is common and physically demanding in industrial environments, often required to access elevated areas like scaffolding, tanks, or rooftops. Since exoskeletons are intended to remain worn throughout multiple tasks, requiring workers to remove and re-don the device during ladder climbing would reduce …

Anion Exchange Membrane Durability For Electrochemical Co2 Reduction In Membrane Electrode Assembly Cells, Soundarzo Tasnim

LSU Master's Theses

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ using membrane electrode assembly (MEA) cells has emerged as a promising approach for carbon capture and conversion into valuable products. This study investigates the degradation mechanisms of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) in CO₂ reduction applications, focusing on Sustainion X37-50, PiperION, and FAA-3-50. The research analyzes the impact of chemical and mechanical degradation on membrane performance, highlighting key stability challenges in long-term operation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to monitor functional group stability and ionic conductivity loss over extended operation. The results indicate that hydroxide-induced degradation leads to nucleophilic …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Various Types Of Inert And Active Fillers On Asphalt Mixture Performance, Mohammad Hadizadeh Pirbasti

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract:

The performance of asphalt mixtures is significantly influenced by the type and characteristics of fillers used as a replacement for filler part of the aggregates’ batching. According to this research investigation the performance along with durability characteristics of asphalt mixtures are evaluated through different inert and active fillers. The fillers used include Fly Ash, Cement, steel slag powder, and additional filler. These fillers incorporate into two types of asphalt mix design of Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) and a surface mix. Fillers are categorized according to their reactive properties alongside their physical attributes leading to active fillers strengthening bond formation …

Passive Vibration Isolation Systems For Mitigating Rotational Forces In Football Helmet Impacts, Julian Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Helmets have been used for centuries to mitigate head injuries, evolving with advancements in materials and design. They are critical in athletics, construction, and military applications, where shock and vibration isolation play a key role in head protection. Helmet performance is currently rated using the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and Helmet Performance Score (HPS) metrics. HIC is a metric used in sports and automotive industries which focuses on the probability of injury occurring due to the magnitude and duration of linear acceleration of the head [1]. The HPS metric was created by using a linear combination of HIC and a …

Privacy At Scale: A Study Of Mobile App Privacy Practices, Katherine Perez

LSU Master's Theses

What is privacy in a world where people are more connected than ever? Due to the Internet and its rapid advancement, the way information is shared and accessed has fundamentally changed. Millions of people interact with social networks, websites, and applications daily—and with each interaction, some data is collected from the user. In many cases, users cannot access a website or application without first accepting the service’s Privacy Policy. However, these policies often obscure the details of how a consumer’s data is handled, burying important information under dense legal language. In response to growing concerns about transparency, some platforms have …

Quantitative Risk Analysis For Elections, George A. Buras

LSU Master's Theses

This paper examines risk analysis and risk management in the field of election security. The purpose of this paper is not to enumerate risks to election security or explain how they might be mitigated, but rather to understand and improve how we measure and communicate those risks.

First, I contextualize election security risks by establishing what it means for an election to be secure and I give an overview of the types of events that might threaten election security. Then, I explore different methods that we can use to model electoral risks. Existing resources for managing electoral risks use qualitative …

Abundance And Prevalence Of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia Coli In Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Water Bodies Impacted By On-Site Wastewater Treatment System Effluent, Katherine Weise

LSU Master's Theses

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health concern, especially with the spread of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli. This study examined the prevalence and abundance of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in Yellow Water (YW) and Natalbany River (NR) in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, which receive effluent from decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Monthly surface water grab samples were collected at four sites on each river from February 2023 to July 2024 and screened for generic and antibiotic-resistant E. coli using membrane filtration with ceftriaxone and cefotaxime as screening agents per the WHO Tricycle Protocol. We evaluated resistance patterns of the …

Bayesian Network-Based Framework To Uncover Social Inequities In Flood Risk: Application To East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Fuad Hasan

LSU Master's Theses

Regional flood risk assessment requires understanding the complex interplay of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, hydrogeologic, built environment, and climatic variables that impact flood vulnerability. Traditional studies often focus on large-scale units, overlooking localized variations and disproportionate exposure within populations. To address these gaps, a methodological framework of flood risk assessment using the Bayesian network was proposed and applied to East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, for the August 2016 flood event to identify relationships between flood risk variables at the housing unit level. Flood exposure representativeness (FER) was determined using the Bayesian network's inference capabilities to identify over- or under-represented groups. This study …

State-Of-Charge Estimation Using Deep Learning For Electric Vehicles, Samer Yahya Ribhe Tahboub

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the application of deep learning models for State of Charge (SOC) estimation in Battery Management Systems (BMS) for electric vehicles (EVs), focusing on optimizing EV range, lifespan, and performance while addressing challenges like range anxiety. The study explores three deep learning architectures—Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU)—each designed to capture complex temporal dependencies in battery data. The LSTM model is trained on EV battery data, including voltage, current, temperature, and SOC, providing a strong baseline for SOC estimation. The BiLSTM model enhances accuracy by processing data in both forward and backward …

Statistical Investigation Of Gypsum Crystallization Kinetics, Azmain A. Akash

LSU Master's Theses

Gypsum, a naturally occurring mineral salt, is frequently encountered in industrial processes such as seawater desalination and power plant cooling. Over the years, significant effort has been devoted to controlling the crystallization of gypsum through various chemical approaches, including acidification, chelating agents, and antiscalant polymers. Nevertheless, the cost associated with chemical treatments may be reduced by incorporating physical operational strategies to complement chemical methods in regulating gypsum crystallization.

This study systematically examines the comparative roles of chemical and physical entropy in the gypsum crystallization process to elucidate their respective influences on gypsum growth kinetics. Chemical entropy is manipulated by adjusting …

Physics-Informed Heterogeneous Spatiotemporal Graph Neural Network For Reservoir Simulation, Ahmed A.M.A. Abdullah

LSU Master's Theses

Reservoir simulation is the state-of-the-art method for predicting the flow of petroleum reservoir fluids in porous media. It provides an accurate and unbiased prediction of the performance of petroleum reservoirs under different operating conditions. Despite its advantages, reservoir simulation is computationally expensive; with typical full-field simulation models running for several hours. This limitation is worsened when simulating reservoirs with several equations for each cell, such as multiphysics or compositional reservoir simulation. The goal of this research is to provide a fast and accurate spatiotemporal machine-learning model that incorporates discretized governing mass balance equations for training. To achieve this, we propose …

Lignin Cationization For The Removal Of Phosphates And Nitrates From Effluents Of Wastewater Treatment Plants, Fannyuy V. Kewir

LSU Master's Theses

The removal of phosphates and nitrates from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents is important for preventing pollution of receiving waters. In this study, we chemically modified alkaline lignin (aLN) with quaternary ammonium groups to obtain biodegradable cationic lignin (cLN). We characterized the cLN and tested its efficacy for removing phosphates and nitrates in a lab setting and on field-collected WWTP samples. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies were performed in aqueous media, and the effects of several variables (contact time, pH, initial concentration, and adsorbent dose) were investigated. The Langmuir isotherm described phosphate and nitrate adsorption well, with R2 values of …

Integrated Sustainability Analysis Of A Shared Micro-Mobility System In University Campus: Life-Cycle Assessment And User Impact Study Of Electric Scooters, Md Afif Rahman Chowdhury

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of implementing e-scooter technology on the LSU campus. The study is structured into three main parts: (1) an environmental life-cycle assessment of e-scooters, (2) a comparative environmental and economic impact assessment of e-scooters, cars, and campus shuttle buses, and (3) a comprehensive survey of e-scooter users to assess their characteristics, satisfaction levels, and comfort while using e-scooters on the LSU campus.

To achieve the objectives of the study, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to assess the environmental sustainability of e-scooters, encompassing all stages from raw …

Next Generation Permeable Pavement For Enhanced Durability And Functionality, S M Tanvir

LSU Master's Theses

Porous Asphalt Concrete (PAC), also known as Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC), is known for its high permeability, which provides benefits such as enhanced rainwater drainage, improved skid resistance, and reduced hydroplaning risks. These characteristics are due to its high air void content, allowing water to flow through the pavement and reducing splash, spray, and noise compared to conventional asphalt mixes. However, this high air void content also contributes to durability concerns, such as raveling, stripping, and clogging, which can reduce service life and increase costs, making OGFC more expensive than conventional asphalt mixtures.

This research focuses on identifying the failure …

Forensicllm: A Local Large Language Model For Digital Forensics, Binaya Sharma

LSU Master's Theses

Large Language Models (LLMs) excel in diverse natural language tasks but often lack specialization in fields like digital forensics. Their reliance on cloud-based APIs or high-performance computers restricts their use in resource-limited environments, and response hallucinations could compromise their applicability in forensic contexts. We introduce ForensicLLM, a 4-bit quantized LLaMA-3.1-8B model fine-tuned using Retrieval Augmented Fine-tuning (RAFT) on 6,739 Q&A samples extracted from 1,082 digital forensic research articles and curated digital artifacts. Evaluation on 2,244 Q&A samples showed that ForensicLLM outperformed the base LLaMA-3.1-8B model by 4.06%, 5.43%, and 15.79% on BERTScore F1, BGE-M3 cosine similarity, and G-Eval, respectively. Compared …

Effect Of Workload And Trust On Automation Levels In Human-Robot Collaboration, Abhiram Maddula

LSU Master's Theses

Automation is becoming increasingly common in manufacturing and assembly plants. The future lies in hybrid workspaces where the strengths of humans and robots complement each other, with robots excelling in precision, speed, and strength, and humans excelling in creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making. Collaborative robots can foster a more efficient and productive work environment by bridging the gap between human and machine capabilities. This study examines how semi-automated and automated modes impact human-robot collaboration, focusing on mental workload, trust, and task performance.

In this experiment, 58 participants performed a primary task alongside a collaborative robot assembling a miniature lamppost …

Development Of Multifunctional Wood Composites With Integrated Phase Change Materials For Enhanced Thermal Management, Self-Healing, And Sustainability., Emmanuel Igbokwe

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract

This study focused on incorporating self-healing, flame retardancy, and energy harvesting capabilities into the wood composite to contribute to more sustainable and energy-efficient building practices. Oriented strand board has been widely used as sheath for roofing or dry walls in residential buildings. Residential buildings account for a large portion of energy consumption. Therefore, an oriented strand board with energy harvesting capability is highly desired. Additionally, flame retardancy and damage self-healing and end-of-life recycling are also critical features for buildings.

In this study, we prepared a novel oriented strand board by constructing sandwich structures. The face sheets of the sandwich …

Resource Harvesting For Parallel Functions In Serverless Workflows, Peiman Fotouhi

LSU Master's Theses

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud computing, serverless architectures have gained attention for their scalability and cost-effectiveness. This thesis aims to introduce a novel approach to maximize resource utilization in serverless environments through the concept of harvesting idle resources within Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based workloads. Our proposed solution targets resource harvesting at parallel stages by utilizing Machine Learning models to accurately harvest or accelerate serverless functions. Additionally, we present a scheduling algorithm specifically designed to address the unique requirements of DAG workloads in cloud environments.

The framework leverages dynamic resource allocation techniques to identify and exploit idle resources within …

Performance Analysis Of C++ Parallel Algorithms In Hpx, Srinivas Yadav Singanaboina

LSU Master's Theses

The exponential growth in computational power and the increasing demand for high-performance applications have driven the need for greater parallel efficiency. Over the years, the number of cores in consumer-level CPUs and high-performance computing (HPC) systems has grown significantly. In response, numerous parallel programming li- braries have been developed. Each of these libraries offers unique mechanisms to enhance parallel performance. In this paper, we investigate the performance of five such paral- lel programming backends: C++ std::execution::par, OpenMP, TBB, Taskflow, and HPX. We evaluate these libraries using two sets of benchmarks. The first set focuses on standard C++ STL algorithms, including …

Evaluating Laser Tracking For The Improvement Of Quality Control Methods Of Precast Concrete, Blake A. Barbay

LSU Master's Theses

Current quality control (QC) methods of precast concrete are outdated and present challenges of human error and lengthy inspections. Current research into modernizing QC practices revolves around the implementation of laser scanners, with less focus on the possibility of using laser trackers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation of laser trackers into the QC process of precast concrete by comparing time, accuracy, and cost to the traditional method of using a tape measure. The time studies and accuracy tests were performed in the pre- and post-pour of the precast concrete process at a precast concrete plant …

An In-Situ Method For Quantifying Entropy Generation In Fatigue Via A Novel Thermographic Approach, Peyton J. Wilson

LSU Master's Theses

This work features a new approach that is used to measure the rate of plastic work during a cyclic fatigue test, based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Using the one-dimensional Fourier heat equation coupled with the concept of fracture fatigue entropy, the rate of plastic work during fatigue can be measured without the need to interrupt a fatigue test, and the accumulated entropy to failure can be quantified. Experimental fatigue tests are conducted on Aluminum 6061-T6 specimens under cyclic axial loading and Carbon Steel 1018 specimens under fully reversed cyclic bending loading. The obtained results in addition …

Sources And Transport Of Dissolved Organic Carbon In Barataria Basin, Louisiana, Mukseet Mahmood

LSU Master's Theses

The fate of soil organic carbon loss from eroding coastal wetlands is of great importance, given its potential impact on atmospheric CO2 concentration. A large fraction of this soil organic carbon upon coastal erosion is released as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC) to adjacent water bodies.

In this study, we investigate the seasonal distribution and transport of DOC and DIC in Barataria basin in Louisiana, USA, bordering northern Gulf of Mexico. This region is currently undergoing one of the highest land-loss in the USA. Seasonal measurements of DOC, DIC and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were carried …

Analysis Of Traffic Operation And Safety At Cloverleaf And Diamond Interchanges With And Without Connected And Autonomous Vehicles, Nischal Khadka

LSU Master's Theses

Even though diamond and cloverleaf interchanges are commonly used in road networks, comparative studies on their operational safety and efficiency remain limited. Also, previous studies have explored the impact of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) at diamond interchanges, but the effects on cloverleaf interchanges are not yet thoroughly investigated. This study addresses these gaps by evaluating the traffic operation and safety performance of cloverleaf interchanges compared to diamond interchanges. It also assesses the influence of various Market Penetration Rates (MPRs) of CAVs on travel time, queue lengths, and conflict points at cloverleaf interchanges, considering different weaving lengths.

Data on peak-hour …

Reality Capture Technologies For Continuous Inline Quality Monitoring In Construction 3d Printing, Michael J. Martin Ii

LSU Master's Theses

Extrusion-based construction 3D printing (C3DP) is an innovative and emerging technology aiming at the modernization of the construction industry. It uses robots and computer control to reduce the need for human labor and to decrease construction time and cost. C3DP creates elements layer by layer without using formworks, and it is critical to detect layer defects and deformations to ensure that each layer is printed with the desired dimensions. These defects can lead to a variety of issues during or after the construction process, including the collapse of freshly printed elements. In order to detect such deformations and to enable …

Evaluation Of Dotd’S Aggregate Sources Friction Using Laboratory And Accelerated Testing, Sudhir Bharati

LSU Master's Theses

Roadway safety is of utmost importance to the state transportation agencies. One of the major factors of roadway safety that agencies have control over is pavement friction which is affected by aggregate and mixture type. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) currently uses Polished Stone Values (PSV) obtained from the British Pendulum Device to rate its aggregates. These ratings determine the applicability of aggregates for various projects. However, the ratings are inconsistent, posing significant safety and financial risks. The first part of the thesis compares the currently adopted British Wheel Polisher-based Standard Practice for the Accelerated Polishing of …

Hurricane Vulnerability Of Above Ground Storage Tanks, Santosh Ghimire

LSU Master's Theses

The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop an approach to determine the effectiveness of regional storm surge reduction strategies and structural mitigation measures for aboveground storage tanks (ASTs), and 2) study the feasibility of controlled flotation of ASTs during flood and storm surge events. This study provided a comprehensive risk assessment strategy for regional portfolio of tanks, considering all dominant failure modes relevant to future planning initiatives aimed at reducing AST failures. Additionally, this research contributed a new methodology to prevent AST failures during flooding, offering a potential solution to prevent hazardous spills.

Design guidelines such as API …

High-Resolution Groundwater Modeling For Understanding Sparta-Memphis Aquifer Condition, Rafin Hasan

LSU Master's Theses

The Sparta-Memphis aquifer is one of the major sources of domestic and industrial water supplies in the Mississippi Embayment region. However, besides altering the natural direction of flow, several serious complications such as elevated chloride concentration, significant water level decline, large cones of depression, and land subsidence have arisen from excessive groundwater consumption. To better understand the Sparta-Memphis aquifer condition, a high-resolution groundwater flow model for the Sparta-Memphis aquifer was developed in this study to assess groundwater availability and analyze aquifer responses to future groundwater withdrawal scenarios. For the development of the groundwater flow model, firstly about 3,700 electrical log …

Understanding Social Impacts Of Major Disruptions From The Perspective Of Destination Access, Manika Rana Bhat

LSU Master's Theses

Major disruptions (like public health crises and extreme weather events) significantly impact human mobility and travel patterns. This study investigates the social impacts of major disruptions on human mobility from the perspective of accessing destinations. This study used a large-scale dataset from SafeGraph and focused on analyzing the impacts of COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida on destination access in Louisiana. The findings of the temporal plots indicated that the impact magnitude of Hurricane Ida was much smaller than that of the COVID-19 pandemic but still resulted in hardship on destination access. During COVID-19, it was found that parishes with limited active …

Copper-Based Electrocatalysts For Electrochemical Reduction Of Co2 To C2 Products, Monsuru Olatunji Dauda

LSU Master's Theses

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ using copper-based electrocatalysts has emerged as a promising approach for sustainable chemical production, offering a pathway to mitigate the rising atmospheric CO₂ levels while generating valuable fuels and chemicals. However, the selectivity and efficiency of copper-based catalysts towards specific C₂ products remain a major challenge, hindering their commercial viability. This thesis focuses on the development, characterization, and mechanistic understanding of three promising electrocatalyst systems for multi-carbon product generation from CO₂ reduction: copper-phosphide (Cu-P), copper-tin (Cu-Sn), and copper selenide (Cu₂Se). A comprehensive investigation of the electrocatalysts was conducted using advanced …