Engineering Commons^™

Processing Of Simulated And Experimental Images Of Closely Spaced Binary Stars Using Speckle Interferometry, Niels Smidth

Master's Theses

Theory and methods of processing speckle interferometry data from close visual binary stars are presented and implemented. The effects of the optical systems used for observing close visual binary stars are explained and simulated from both the geometrical and physical optical viewpoints. The atmospheric phase distortion and shot noise responsible for the observed speckle patterns are simulated. The deconvolution technique originally presented by Labeyrie is implemented to extract astrometric data from close visual binary stars. This method is applied to both simulated and experimental data from Kitt Peak National Observatory as validation. Parts of the deconvolution process are optimized to …

Benefits Of Advanced Traffic Management Solutions: Before And After Crash Analysis For Deployment Of A Variable Advisory Speed Limit System, Alexander Lindsay Chambers

Master's Theses

Variable speed limit (VSL) systems are important active traffic management tools that are being deployed across the U.S. and indeed around the world for relieving congestion and improving safety. Oregon’s first variable advisory speed limit signs were activated along Oregon Highway 217 in the summer of 2014. The variable advisory speed system is responsive to both congestion and weather conditions. This seven-mile corridor stretches around Western Portland and has suffered from high crash rates and peak period congestion in the past. VSL systems are often deployed to address safety, mobility and sustainability related performance. This research seeks to determine whether …

Wavelength Accuracy Study For High-Density Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Systems Using A Rapidly-Swept Akinetic-Laser Source, Jacob Egorov

Master's Theses

This thesis studies the center wavelength accuracy of a Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor system that has a large number of sensor elements both as a function of wavelength and as a function of position. Determining the center wavelength of each of the fiber optic sensors is a critical parameter that ultimately determines sensor accuracy. The high density environment can result in degradation of accuracy of the center wavelength measurement. This thesis aims to quantify this measurement error both with theoretical and experimental studies.

There are many sensing applications where optical fiber sensors are preferred over electrical sensors, such as the …

Ism S-Band Cubesat Radio Designed For The Polysat System Board, Craig Lee Francis

Master's Theses

Cal Poly’s PolySat CubeSat satellites have begun to conduct more complex and scientifically significant experiments. The large data products generated by these missions demonstrate the necessity for higher data rate communication than currently provided by the PolySat UHF radio. This thesis leverages the proliferation of consumer wireless monolithic transceivers to develop a 250kbps to 2000kbps, 2W CubeSat radio operating within the 2.45GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio band.

Estimating a link budget for a realistic CubeSat leads to the conclusion that this system will require a large deployable CubeSat antenna, large earth station satellite dish, and a fine-pointing attitude …

Optimization Of Rfid System Coverage In A Manufacturing Environment, Scott D. Malatesta

Master's Theses

This paper compiles existing ideas, theories, and experiments across multiple disciplines to provide guidance for a company looking to implement an optimal RFID system in their production facility. The desire is to maximize the information received by the system while minimizing the cost. Four potential layouts of RFID antennas, two with overlapping antenna coverage and two with non-overlapping layouts, are first analyzed to understand the special coverage and the number of antennas required. The value of information is then quantified to determine whether higher coverage layouts are worth the additional costs associated with the higher number of antennas required. It …

Effects Of Curing Cycle And Loading Rates On The Bearing Stress Of Double Shear Composite Joints, Mateja Andrejic

Master's Theses

In the last few decades, there has been a shift to using more lightweight materials for the potential of fuel consumption reduction. In the Aerospace Industry, conventional metal structures are being replaced by advanced composite structures. The major advantage of an advanced composite structure is the huge reduction in the number of parts and joints required. Also composite materials provide better resistance to creep, corrosion, and fatigue. However, one cannot eliminate all the joints and attachments in an aircraft’s structure. Eliminating structural joints is impractical in present-day aircraft because of the requirements for inspection, manufacturing breaks, assembly and equipment access, …

Multi-Level Analytic Network Process Model To Mitigate Supply Chain Disruptions In Disaster Recovery Planning, Martina Ursula Kroener

Master's Theses

Over the past few decades, environmental changes have led to more frequent occurrences and greater intensities of natural disasters worldwide. In terms of globally connected supply chains, this has resulted in an enormous economical loss for corporations. Therefore, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) planning and management has become essential for businesses in order to protect their critical business flow. Yet there is a lack of systematic and transparent methodologies for companies to handle this problem.

Hence, this thesis introduces a novel approach to combine consecutive steps of the Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) process within one application. The multi-criteria decision-making …

Design And Validation Of A Fall Detection Application For Ios, Connor Lewis Mosley

Master's Theses

Despite significant preventative efforts, falls continue to be a major source of morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Additionally, the fear of falling can be a major obstacle to independent living for otherwise self-sufficient individuals. This fear is significantly heightened in individuals who have sustained a fall and often results in self-imposed restrictions on mobility and exercise, causing weakening in these individuals and further exacerbating the danger. Much time has been spent developing alert systems in an attempt to mitigate these problems. Unfortunately these systems typically involve dedicated monitoring centers and therefore often come with substantial upfront and recurring costs. …

Oceanographic Instrument Simulator, Amy Chen

Master's Theses

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) established the Free Ocean Carbon Enrichment (FOCE) experiment to study the long-term effects of decreased ocean pH levels by developing in-situ platforms [1]. Deep FOCE (dpFOCE) was the first platform, which was deployed in 950 meters of water in Monterey Bay. After the conclusion of dpFOCE, MBARI developed an open source shallow water FOCE (swFOCE) platform located at around 250 meter of water to facilitate worldwide shallow water experiments on FOCE [1][2]. A shallow water platform can be more ubiquitous than a deep-water platform as shallow water instruments are less expensive (as it …

Automated Vehicles: A Guide For Planners And Policymakers, Charlie Coles

Master's Theses

Automated vehicles are those which are capable of sensing their environments in order to perform at least some aspects of the safety-critical control (like steering, throttling, or braking) without direct human input. As a guide for planners and policymakers, the objective of this thesis is to develop a strong foundation for anticipating the potential impacts resulting from advancements in vehicle automation. To establish the foundation, this thesis uses a robust qualitative methodology, coupling a review of literature on the potential advantages and disadvantages of vehicle automation and lessons from past innovations in transportation, with recent trends of the Millennial Generation, …

Exploring Transit Ridership Using Census, Routing & Scheduling, And Stop Characteristic Data, Douglas Harvey Moody

Master's Theses

This study develops, analyzes, and a­­­­­pplies transit-system-specific regression tree models that identify and prioritize transit system improvements through analysis and application of ridership, Census, routing and scheduling, and transit stop characteristic data. Regression trees identify and rank independent variables that split dependent variable datasets into meaningful subsets according to significant relationships with independent variable datasets, and regression tree models can be used to identify and prioritize transit system improvements. In this study, ridership datatypes are the dependent variables (i.e., boardings and alightings) and Census, routing and scheduling, and transit stop characteristic datatypes are the independent variables. Data associated with the …

Towards Improved Estimates Of Upper Ocean Energetics, Alexander Grant Wineteer

Master's Theses

The energy exchanged between the atmosphere and the ocean is an important parameter in understanding the Earth’s climate. One way of quantifying this energy exchange is through the use of “wind work,” or the work done on the ocean by the wind. Since wind work is calculated according to the interaction between ocean surface currents and surface wind stress, a number of surface current decompositions can be used to decompose wind work calculations. In this research, geostrophic, ageostrophic, Ekman, and total current decompositions are all used to calculate wind work. Geostrophic currents are formed by the balance of surface pressure …

Evaluation Of Strength Reduction Factor For Concentrically Braced Frames Based On Nonlinear Single Degree-Of-Freedom Systems, Ryan Michael Slein

Master's Theses

Strength Reduction Factor (R-Factor), often referred to as Response Modification Factor, is commonly used in the design of lateral force resisting systems under seismic loading. R-Factors allow for a reduction in design base shear demands, leading to more economical designs. The reduction of strength is remedied with ductile behavior in members of proper detailing. Modern seismic codes and provisions recommend R-Factors for many types of lateral force resisting systems. However these factors are independent of the system fundamental frequency and many other important system properties, resulting in factors that may result in an unfavorable seismic response. To evaluate the validity …

Structural Damage Detection By Comparison Of Experimental And Theoretical Mode Shapes, William George Rosenblatt

Master's Theses

Existing methods of evaluating the structural system of a building after a seismic event consist of removing architectural elements such as drywall, cladding, insulation, and fireproofing. This method is destructive and costly in terms of downtime and repairs. This research focuses on removing the guesswork by using forced vibration testing (FVT) to experimentally determine the health of a building. The experimental structure is a one-story, steel, bridge-like structure with removable braces. An engaged brace represents a nominal and undamaged condition; a dis-engaged brace represents a brace that has ruptured thus changing the stiffness of the building. By testing a variety …

Development Of A Model And Optimal Control Strategy For The Cal Poly Central Plant And Thermal Energy Storage System, Daniel Douglas Castro

Master's Theses

This thesis develops a calibrated model of the Cal Poly Central Chilled Water Plant with Thermal Energy Storage for use in determining an optimal operating control strategy. The model was developed using a transient systems simulation program (TRNSYS) that includes plant performance and manufacturer data for the primary system components, which are comprised of pumps, chillers, cooling towers, and a thermal energy storage tank. The model is calibrated to the actual measured performance of the plant using the current control strategy as a baseline. By observing and quantifying areas for potential improvement in plant performance under conditions of high campus …

Coffee Queue Project, George Dimitrov Gargov

Master's Theses

In this paper, a computer vision system for counting people standing in line is presented. In this application, common techniques such as Adaptive Background Subtraction (ABS), blob tracking with Kalman filter, and occlusion resistive techniques are used to detect and track people. Additionally, a novel method using Dual Adaptive Background Subtractors (DABS) is implemented for dynamically determining the line region in a real-world crowded scene, and also as an alternative target acquisition to regular ABS. The DABS technique acts as a temporal bandpass filter for motion, helping identify people standing in line while in the presence of other moving people. …

Seasonal And Dilution Rate Impacts On Nannochloropsis Oceanica Productivity In Algae Raceway Ponds, Garrett Dameron Murawsky

Master's Theses

Biomass growth of the alga Nannochloropsis oceanica, cultivated outdoors in six pilot-scale raceway ponds, was monitored over the course of 1.5 years, at two different dilution regimes each season, to establish the effects on algal biomass productivity and concentration of dilution rate, pond water temperature, and solar radiation. The 4.5-m² ponds were located in a mild, mid-latitude, coastal region (central California). Experimental conditions were operated in duplicates or triplicates with a consistent artificial seawater medium, pond depth, pH range, paddle wheel mixing speed, and replete nutrient conditions for the duration of the study. Two cultivation regimes were used …

Out-Of-Loop Compensation Method For Op-Amps Driving Heavy Capacitive Loads, Shubham Gandhi

Master's Theses

It is well known that real op-amps do not share most of the desirable characteristics of an ideal one, particularly those of gain and output impedance. When presented with a capacitive load, such as a MOSFET or ADC, feedback in an op-amp circuit can quickly become unstable. This thesis studies and characterizes an op-amp’s output impedance and how its interaction with this type of load creates a parasitic pole which leads to instability. Applying ideas from feedback control theory, a model for studying the problem is developed from which a generalized method for compensating the undesirable circumstance is formulated.

Even …

Design And Analysis Of A Lift Assist Walker, Deep P. Shah

Master's Theses

Walkers provided stability to the elderly but cannot assist a person from sitting to standing. The objective of this project is to present the design and analysis of a lift assist walker. This report discusses the design and analysis of a collapsible lift assist walker capable of lifting a patient up to 250 lbs. from seated to standing in under 10 seconds. The designed walker utilized a two stage scissor mechanism with a gas spring assisted embedded linear actuator.

Effect Of Low Velocity Impact On The Vibrational Behavior Of A Composite Wing, Richard M. De Luna

Master's Theses

Impact strength is one of the most important structural properties for a designer to consider, but it is often the most difficult to quantify or measure. A major concern for composite structures in the field is the effect of foreign objects striking composites because the damage is often undetectable by visual inspection. The objective for this study was to determine the effectiveness of using dynamic testing to identify the existence of damage in a small scale composite wing design. Four different impact locations were tested with three specimens per location for a total of 12 wings manufactured. The different impact …

Fluid Flow Characterization In Rapid Prototyped Common Iliac Artery Aneurysm Molds, Daniel Cole Greinke

Master's Theses

The goal of this project was to determine whether i) fused deposition modeling could be employed to manufacture molds for vascular constructs, ii) whether vascular constructs could be created from these molds, and iii) to verify practical equivalence between observed fluid velocities. Dye tracking was to be employed to characterize fluid velocity profiles through the in vitro vascular constructs, including a half-vessel model and a full vessel model of an iliac artery aneurysm. A PDMS half-vessel construct was manufactured, and the movement of dye through the construct was tracked by a cellphone camera. Thresholds were applied to each video in …

A Simulation Model For Decision Support In Business Continuity Planning, Marissa Anne Mosunich

Master's Theses

Enterprises with a global supply network are at risk of lost revenue as a result of disruptive disasters at supplier locations. Various strategies exist for addressing this risk, and a variety of types of research has been done regarding the identification, assessment and response to the risk of disruption in a supply chain network.

This thesis establishes a decision model to support Business Continuity Planning at the first-tier supplier level. The decision model incorporates discrete-event simulation of supply chain networks (through Simio software), Monte Carlo simulation, and risk index optimization. After modeling disruption vulnerability in a supply chain network, costs …

Full-Scale Shake Table Cyclic Simple Shear Testing Of Liquefiable Soil, Jasper Stanford Jacobs

Master's Theses

This research consists of full-scale shake table tests to investigate liquefaction of sandy soils. Consideration of the potential and consequences of liquefaction is critical to the performance of any structure built in locations of high seismicity underlain by saturated granular materials as it is the leading cause of damage associated with ground failure. In certain cases the financial losses associated with liquefaction can significantly impact the financial future of an entire region.

Most liquefaction triggering studies are performed in the field where liquefaction has been previously observed, or in tabletop laboratory testing. The study detailed herein is a controlled laboratory …

Wide-Band Gap Devices For Dc Breaker Applications, Olukayode O. Sodipe

Master's Theses

With the increasing interest in wide-band gap devices, their potential benefits in power applications have been studied and explored with numerous studies conducted for both SiC and GaN devices. This thesis investigates the use of wide-band gap devices as the switching element in a semiconductor DC breaker. It involves the design of an efficient semiconductor DC breaker, its simulation in SPICE, construction of a hardware prototype and the comparative study of SiC and Si versions of the aforementioned breaker. The results obtained from the experiments conducted in the process of concluding this thesis show that the SiC version of the …

Analyzing General-Purpose Computing Performance On Gpu, Fanfu Meng

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Analyzing General-Purpose Computing Performance on GPU

Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) has become one of the most important components in modern computer systems. GPUs have evolved from a single -purpose graphic rendering hardware to a powerful processor that is capable of handling many different kinds of computing tasks. However, GPUs don’t perform well on every application, and it takes a lot of design effort to get good performance on a GPU.

This thesis aims to investigate the relative performance of a GPU vs. CPU. Design effort is held minimum for both CPU implementations and GPU implementations. Matrix multiplication, Advance Encryption …

A Platform For Fast Detection Of Let-7 Micro Rna Using Polyaniline Fluorescence And Image Analysis Techniques, Partha P. Sengupta

Master's Theses

The project describes a new strategy for transducing hybridization events through modulating intrinsic properties of the electroconductive polymer polyaniline (PANI). When DNA based probes electrostatically interact with PANI, its fluorescence properties are increased, a phenomenon that can be enhanced by UV irradiation. Hybridization of target nucleic acids results in dissociation of probes causing PANI fluorescence to return to basal levels. By monitoring restoration of base PANI fluorescence as little as 10^-11 M (10 pM) of target oligonucleotides could be detected within 15 minutes of hybridization. Detection of complementary oligos was specific, with introduction of a single mismatch failing to …

Spatial Variability Of Soil Velocity Using Passive Surface Wave Testing, Daniel Raymond Wagstaffe

Master's Theses

Lifelines such as highways, pipelines, telecommunication lines, and powerlines provide communities with vital services, and their functionality is dependent upon the foundation soil that supports them. However, when designing the infrastructure, it can be difficult to know where to test the soil in order to give spatially representative sampling, particularly for long, lifeline structures. Finding this distance requires knowledge of the spatial correlation and/or the spatial variability of the soil parameter (stiffness, cohesion, etc.). But this correlation distance is not typically found in practice because it requires large amounts of data and the costs of retrieving that data can be …

The Effects Of Transcutaneous Electrical Neurostimulation On Analgesia And Peripheral Perfusion, Leah I. Schafer

Master's Theses

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) affects 8 to 12 million Americans over the age of 50. As the disease progresses, arterial occlusions arising from atherosclerotic lesions inhibit normal metabolic vasodilation in the peripheries, resulting in limb ischemia and claudication. Pharmacological and surgical treatments currently used to treat both the hemodynamic and pain symptoms associated with PAOD can involve adverse and potentially life-threatening side effects. Thus, there is a need for additional innovative therapies for PAOD.

Neurostimulation has a known analgesic effect on both acute and chronic pain. Although the exact mechanisms remain under investigation, local vascular tone may be modulated …

Medical Image Registration Using Artificial Neural Network, Hyunjong Choi

Master's Theses

Image registration is the transformation of different sets of images into one coordinate system in order to align and overlay multiple images. Image registration is used in many fields such as medical imaging, remote sensing, and computer vision. It is very important in medical research, where multiple images are acquired from different sensors at various points in time. This allows doctors to monitor the effects of treatments on patients in a certain region of interest over time. In this thesis, artificial neural networks with curvelet keypoints are used to estimate the parameters of registration. Simulations show that the curvelet keypoints …

A Lidar Based Semi-Autonomous Collision Avoidance System And The Development Of A Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulator To Aid In Algorithm Development And Human Studies, Thomas F. Stevens

Master's Theses

In this paper, the architecture and implementation of an embedded controller for a steering based semi-autonomous collision avoidance system on a 1/10^th scale model is presented. In addition, the development of a 2D hardware-in-the-loop simulator with vehicle dynamics based on the bicycle model is described. The semi-autonomous collision avoidance software is fully contained onboard a single-board computer running embedded GNU/Linux. To eliminate any wired tethers that limit the system’s abilities, the driver operates the vehicle at a user-control-station through a wireless Bluetooth interface. The user-control-station is outfitted with a game-controller that provides standard steering wheel and pedal controls along …