Engineering Commons^™

Cable Discharge Events (Cde) -- A Modeling And Simulation Perspective, Viswa Pilla

Masters Theses

"Cable discharge events (CDE) typically occur when a charged cable is connected to an electronic device. Several CDE damages in Ethernet LAN and USB communication interface equipment are reported by the IC manufacturers. CDE differs from other types of ESD such as human body model (HBM), charged device model (CDM) and IEC 61000-4-2 mainly due to faster rise times, longer pulse widths and higher peak currents. Various factors such as cable geometries, charging and discharging mechanisms, and load conditions influence CDE. Several researchers have developed some measurement techniques to understand CDE waveforms. However, there is little information regarding its modeling …

Design And Implementation Of Two Non-Isolated High Gain Dc-Dc Converters, Huawei Yang

Masters Theses

"In most solar energy systems, the output voltage of a photovoltaic panel is usually between 20 to 40 Vdc. In order to interface the panels to a 400 Vdc bus, a high voltage gain dc-dc converter is required.

This thesis starts with analyzing and simulating several topologies that have been already introduced for this application. The voltage gain and efficiency are investigated analytically. A hardware prototype of one of the existing topologies, the interleaved boost converter with voltage multiplier cell, has been developed. Finally, a new topology with a higher voltage transfer ratio is proposed and its experimental results are …

Economic And Environmental Comparison Of Different Ordering Policies For An Integrated Inventory Control And Supplier Selection Problem, Sepideh Almasi Monfared

Masters Theses

"This study analyzes an integrated inventory control and supplier selection problem in stochastic demand environment under carbon emissions regulations. In particular, a continuous review inventory model with multiple suppliers is investigated under carbon taxing and carbon trading regulations. We analyze and compare the optimal supplier selection and order splitting decisions with single sourcing and two alternative delivery structures for multi-sourcing, namely, sequential ordering and sequential delivery. For each of the three ordering policies, a solution method is proposed and these policies are compared in terms of their economic as well as environmental performances. A numerical study is conducted to demonstrate …

Uterine Cervical Cancer Histology Image Feature Extraction And Classification, Koyel Banerjee

Masters Theses

"The current study presents the investigation and development of image processing, computational intelligence, fuzzy logic, and statistical techniques for different types of data fusion for a varied range of applications. Raw data, decision level and feature level fusion techniques are explored for detection of pre Cervical cancer (CIN) grades from digital histology images of the cervical epithelium tissues.

In previous research, an automated, localized, fusion-based approach was investigated for classifying squamous epithelium into Normal, CIN1, CIN2, and CIN3 grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) based on image analysis. The approach included medial axis determination, vertical segment partitioning as medial axis …

Performance Evaluation Of Coaxial Horizontal Axis Hydrokinetic Turbines System, Abdulaziz M. Abutunis

Masters Theses

"Hydrokinetic energy technologies are emerging as a viable solution for renewable power generation. Unlike conventional hydropower turbines, hydrokinetic turbines are environmentally friendly; they operate at zero-head, and do not need dams to preserve the water. Unfortunately, they have a low efficiency which makes their design a challenging task. This work was focused on the hydrodynamic performance of horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbines (HAHkTs) under different turbine arrangements and flow conditions.

It was undertaken in an effort to improve the efficiency of small HAHkTs that harness a river's kinetic energy. Four sets of experiments were performed in a water tunnel to investigate …

Fabrication Of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Transparent Composites Using Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding Process, Gregory A. Taylor

Masters Theses

"The most commonly used transparent material is glass. Traditionally, glass is not desired for applications involving a low weight material while preserving high strength such as aerospace and military applications where armor must also be transparent. Some applications may include aircraft canopies and other vehicle windows. Development of a reliable transparent composite would fill a need for many of these applications where a transparent structure must both be strong and lightweight. A transparent polymer reinforced with a glass fiber fabric is a viable solution. To ensure transparency, both fiber and matrix must match in refractive index.

In the present work, …

Numerical Analysis Of Thermal Stress And Deformation In Multi-Layer Laser Metal Deposition Process, Heng Liu

Masters Theses

"Direct metal deposition (DMD) has gained increasing attention in the area of rapid manufacturing and repair. It has demonstrated the ability to produce fully dense metal parts with complex internal structures that could not be achieved by traditional manufacturing methods. However, this process involves extremely high thermal gradients and heating and cooling rates, resulting in residual stresses and distortion, which may greatly affect the product integrity. The purpose of this thesis is to study the features of thermal stress and deformation involved in the DMD process. Utilizing commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software ABAQUS, a 3-D, sequentially coupled, thermo-mechanical model …

Evaluation Of Ceramic Coaxial Cable Sensors For Long-Term In-Situ Monitoring Of Geologic Co₂ Injection And Storage, Yurong Li

Masters Theses

"Monitoring is an essential component of CO₂ injection and storage projects in order to manage the injection process, identify leakage risks, provide early failure warnings, determine the movement of CO₂ plume and provide input into reservoir models. In-situ monitoring provides critical and direct data points that can be used to fulfill the above objectives. However, downhole sensors that can withstand the harsh conditions and run over decades of the project life cycle remain unavailable. A new idea of ceramic coaxial cable temperature, pressure and strain sensor has recently been put forward and the sensors are under development.

A high pressure …

Numerical Modeling Of Infrared Thermography Techniques Via Ansys, Hayder Abdulnabi Thajeel

Masters Theses

"Several inspection techniques have been developed over years. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) technology has become a widely accepted as a nondestructive inspection (NDI) technique for different fields and various applications as well. Infrared thermography stands as one of the most an attractive and a successful NDI technique that has ability to detect the object's surface/subsurface defects remotely based on observing and measuring the surface's emitted infrared heat radiation by using an infrared camera. The finite element modeling FEM ANSYS was successfully used for the modelling of several IRT techniques; such as Pulsed Thermography (PT) and Lock-in Thermography (LT) that can …

Single-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem For Home Delivery Of Pharmaceutical Products, Kimberly Starr Harms

Masters Theses

Some retail pharmacies offer home delivery services to establish a competitive advantage in the growing healthcare market. The handling of orders for home delivery includes several internal and external processing and transportation activities. In this work, models were developed for use in a pharmacy delivery system to assist personnel in their daily activities. This work includes standard operating procedures for picking, packing and loading of delivery orders and the assignment and routing of vehicles to deliver customer orders. Results from simulated delivery areas identified interesting tradeoffs when comparing densely populated areas to sparsely populated areas. In addition, recommendations for order …

Analytical Solutions For A Large-Scale Long-Lived Rotating Layer Of Fluid Heated Underneath, Pouya Jalilian

Masters Theses

In this work, the system of equations for a large- scale long lived rotating layer of fluid with the deformable upper free surface and non-deformable lower free surface heated underneath has been reviewed and derived. The quasi-geostrophic approximation, the beta effect and the method of multi-scale expansions have been employed to and as a result, an equation governing the evolution of large-scale perturbations, has been derived. The effect of each term present in the upper surface deformation equation has been analyzed and the analytical solutions have been obtained by virtue of employing auxiliary Riccati equation method. The soliton solutions obtained …

Instrumentation Electronics For An Integrated Electrophysiology Data Acquisition And Stimulation System, Donovan Squires

Masters Theses

The Neurobiology Engineering Laboratory at Western Michigan University has need of an electrophysiology instrumentation system combining generation of multiple arbitrary stimulation waveforms and recording of action potentials on multiple channels. Electronics for an instrumentation system with the capability of generating four unique stimulation waveforms and recording action potentials on eight channels were developed and implemented on a printed circuit board. Collaboration with fellow graduate student, Mr. Kyle Batzer, who developed firmware and software for the instrumentation system as described in his thesis, was essential for successful realization of the instrumentation system. Knowledge gained and reported by previous students working in …

Implementation And Analysis Of A 1.4l Turbo Liquid Cooled Cac And Ac Condenser System, Mitchell Zajac

Masters Theses

This project report serves as a continuation and finalization of an overall experience with the design process including working on the development of system components, working with automotive industry leaders, suppliers and dealing with the aspects of business and production feasibility. The development of a dual level cooling concept to apply Centro Richerche Fiat established components on a Chrysler Group vehicle application was the foundation of the design project completed in December 2012 by Matt Cutler and Mitch Zajac. The development of this system aimed to decrease overall vehicle power consumption, minimize overall system packaging space, and to increase vehicle …

Standardized Longitudinal Connection Detail For Decked Precast Prestressed Concrete Girders, Ramzi Muftah Ali Abduallah

Masters Theses

The use of decked precast prestressed concrete girders (DPPCG) is becoming popular in accelerated bridge construction. DPPCGs are assembled and connected on site using grout or concrete longitudinal connections. The durability performance of these connections is a concern. The objective of this research is to document the longitudinal connection behavior with respect to its design parameters, and establish a process for developing a standardized connection detail considering the demands due to live load and temperature gradient (TG) load. In order to demonstrate this process, decked bulb-tee and decked box-beam girders were considered. Finite element models, under various types and levels …

Investigating Crash Frequency And Injury Severity At Freeway Fixed Weigh Stations In Michigan, Fathi Salam Mo. Alkhatni

Masters Theses

At fixed weigh station, the movement of commercial vehicles (CMVs) from and back to the mainline traffic stream could create conflicts in traffic stream in its vicinity. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of presence of weigh stations on injury severity and frequency of crashes on Michigan freeways. A comparison study, which observed crash patterns in the vicinity of 12 fixed weigh stations as compared to crash patterns in the vicinity of 65 rest areas and 77 selected comparison segments, was conducted. The study used eight years (2004 to 2011) crash data recorded in Michigan freeways. …

Firmware And Software For An Integrated Electrophysiology Data Acquisition And Stimulation System, Kyle D. Batzer

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the firmware and software design for a prototype electrophysiology experimentation system. The overall system, built on the work of previous students and developed with fellow graduate student Mr. Donovan Squires, provides eight channels of acquisition and four channel of arbitrary waveform generation for stimulation of biological systems. In order to show the performance of the system, a common electrophysiology experiment was performed on the giant axon of an earthworm and the results were compared to previously validated systems. The developed system is intended to support future work at the Neurobiology Engineering Laboratory at Western Michigan University.

The …

Formulation And Evaluation Of Resistive Inks For Applications In Printed Electronics, Sughosh Satish Bhore

Masters Theses

In the 21^st century, it has been shown that printing methodologies can be used to print electrically functional devices on a variety of substrates. In comparison to conventional electronic manufacturing methods, printing is a more cost effective and less complex process. The requirements for manufacturing Printed Electronics (PE) components are much more demanding than graphic printing applications due to the additional requirement of easy electron flow. This additional requirement increases the need for print uniformity and layer-to-layer registration to a much higher degree. In this work, hybrid UV-curable, water-based, electrical resistive inks were formulated. Inkjet inks were prepared by …

Fuctional Properties Of Phthalocyanine Dye Based Inks, Yumeizhi Jia

Masters Theses

Currently, inkjet printing techniques are getting more attention. They have the features of non-contact and additive patterning feasibility, compatibility with different substrates (the materials on which the ink is printed), low temperature processing, and low cost (1) (2). They can be used for patterning solution processable polymers or nanoparticle inks on various substrates including conductive materials, paper and glass (3). The need for proper functional inks is increasing every year. The goal of my work was to formulate a phthalocyanine water based ink, which can work as a dielectric ink. In my research, all the materials which were used to …

Evaluation Of Point Cloud Data Dispersion With Relation To Point Cloud Density Under Field Conditions, Ling Kit Kong

Masters Theses

3D laser scanning is a non-contact imaging technology that can rapidly capture a surface of an object and produce a point cloud representation of that surface. For the purpose of bridge condition assessment, the 3D laser scanner is capable of capturing a global scan of a bridge. With the point cloud data, a 3D CAD model of the bridge can be obtained representing the in-service conditions. Properly developed CAD models can be used for developing structural models and documenting condition data. However, accurate CAD models heavily depend on the level of accuracy of the scan data collected under field conditions. …

Use Of Polymer Rapid Tools As Functional Injection Mold Tooling, Sean Derrick

Masters Theses

Conventional tool making for injection molded plastics is expensive, time consuming, and generates a great deal of waste. Presently, industry is waiting for what is commonly referred to as Rapid Tooling (RT). The greatest opportunity for RT implementation would be the use of Additively Manufacturing (AM) technology. Specifically, AM techniques which use a high strength polymer resin substrate.

The following research is an initial feasibility study to determine if Polymer Rapid Tools (PRTs) could be used as functional injection mold tooling. The objective of the research was to determine if a PRT could mold a variety of features to a …

Improved Deinkability Of Lep (Liquid Electrophotography) Digital Prints, Zheng Wei

Masters Theses

Digital printing plays a very important role in the life of modern society. With the development of digital printing technologies, and the increasing market share of digital printing, the amount of digital prints in waste paper is rapidly increasing. Under “green” manufacturing and environmental sustainability, deinking of digital print inks is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Indigo is a typical series of HP (Hewlett-Packard) digital presses that use a liquid ink named ElectroInk (Liquid Electrophotography or LEP). The particle size of HP ElectroInk is very small, 1-2 microns, which is smaller than dry toners. But, during flotation, …

Use Of A Gateway In-Street Sign Treatment To Increase Yielding To Pedestrians At Crosswalks, Miles K. Bennett

Masters Theses

An important goal to reduce the number of collisions between motorists and pedestrians is to increase motorist’s yielding right-of-way to pedestrians in crosswalks. The current study addresses this goal. A Gateway installation of instreet signs (one in-street sign installed between the two travel lanes in each direction and one on both edges of the roadway in each direction) was evaluated on multilane roads. The first experiment compared the efficacy of adding multiple in-street signs used in a gateway configuration with a single sign between the two travel lanes in each direction. The second experiment compared the in-street sign gateway treatment …

Spatial Factors Impacting Non-Motorized Exposures And Crash Risks, Farhad Abasahl

Masters Theses

This research investigates spatial factors, that impact non-motorized exposures and crashes, and examines the relationship between exposure at signalized intersections and crash frequencies involving pedestrians and bicycles at a census tract level. The four Michigan cities of Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Flint and Grand Rapids are examined. After completing an extensive literature review to provide a list of required data, 92 intersections are selected from the four cities to collect pedestrian and bicyclist counts. Five-year crash records, special attractions, non-motorized facilities and transportation infrastructure data for the four cities are gathered for the four cities. This data are later mapped …

Gis-Based Flood Analysis For Adequate Flood Mitigation In An Unplanned Urban Area; The Case Of Pikine Dagoudane In Dakar County, Senegal, Sokhna Helene Diop

Masters Theses

Since 1989, Pikine Dagoudane, in the suburbs of Dakar City has faced several flooding events, resulting in economic loss, environmental degradation and severe disturbance of the social life of the residents. The mitigation programs implemented have not appeared to provide any relief since 2000. Review of the existing literature on the crisis has revealed that the general scale of the studies, and the insufficient attention to some of the major factors could be accounted for such little efficiency. This thesis applies a different approach, based on a small area and focusing mainly on topographic characteristics, to provide a better understanding …

Broncoblade: An Open Source Wind Turbine Blade Analysis Tool, Alex R. Quinlan

Masters Theses

This thesis reports the development and validation of BroncoBlade, a horizontal axis wind turbine analysis tool. BroncoBlade prepares finite element models and integrates them with an aeroelastic simulator. Analysis results for the SNL100-00 baseline blade are evaluated against reference results published by Sandia National Laboratories. Variations on the SNL100-00 blade incorporating carbon fiber are compared to the baseline blade.

Eeg Acquisition System On Mobile Platform, Veerendra Dasari

Masters Theses

The Electro-encephalogram [EEG] recording systems play a major role in the Brain Computer Interface machines where the brainwave signals are given as controls. There is a considerable development in transmission of these signals onto different platforms based on the necessity and portability of applications. With the advent of wireless signal transmission protocols for the medical devices, there is an increased research in the domain of offsite patient monitoring applications.

This document describes the evolution prototype of the portable EEG acquisition system developed to acquire the human scalp signals via electrodes and display them on the Android mobile phone after pre-conditioning …

Development Of Cfd Models For The Purposes Of Exploring Free Surface Wave Phenomena, Leonard P. Stoehr

Masters Theses

With the push for finding alternative, green energy sources, the harnessing of energy from ocean and lake waves is becoming a more researched field. To fully understand the behavior of wave interactions and optimize designs to extract this energy, it is necessary to develop computer models that can accurately replicate this behavior. A case is presented in which previous work done using the wave tank found in the Western Michigan University fluids lab is examined. The case involves harnessing the energy generated by ocean waves through the usage of plates of different shapes resting horizontally on the water’s surface. The …

Extended Color Gamut For Flexographic Printing, Gaurav Dinesh Sheth

Masters Theses

The advancement in technology and the necessity to satisfy the increasing quality requirements has aroused the need for use of extended color gamut in flexographic printing. The information about extended gamut inks and ink systems is not easily available therefore, it is essential to define ink sets and color sequences that will produce optimal results in the flexographic printing process. The results were produced by evaluating color gamut volumes obtained by printing with four color process inks, and additional ink sequences, as well as by evaluating other print parameters that provide evidence in support of the research work. Special focus …

An Automated Approach To Dynamic Site Layout Planning, Duy Huu Nguyen

Masters Theses

Dynamic site layout planning involves determining the optimum location of resources on the construction site. Site layouts are considered dynamic because construction activities and the number and nature of associated resources change as the project progresses. Previous research has focused on the use of several algorithms to address dynamic site layout problems. These efforts do not enable automated tracking of the dynamic context of construction resources, site space and activities. This research presents an automated adaptive component level system capable of generating layouts which are optimized throughout the phases of construction projects. The system involves the integration of building information …

Cyber-Adaptive Physical Systems For Automated Construction Progress Monitoring And Asset Tracking, Syed Hammad Rasheed

Masters Theses

Despite the benefits of building information models as a means of communication, collaboration and integration in construction projects, their use is often limited to the design and tendering/bidding stage. Potential of building information models lies in its implementation during construction, operations and maintenance phases of a facility’s lifecycle. Tight Integration of building information model and physical facility by means of computational resources is required to achieve this potential such that changes in one environment are automatically reflected in the other. This is termed a cyber-adaptive physical systems approach. This research investigates the applicability of a cyber-adaptive physical systems approach in …