Engineering Commons^™

The Construction Of A Fermi Neutron Chopper For Cross Section Measurements, Cleon Marion Mobley

Masters Theses

"A Fermi neutron chopper and control system has been constructed and put into operation at the end of the UMR Reactor thermal column.

The operation of the chopper has been demonstrated by reproducing the slow neutron cross section data for aluminum and by measuring the previously undetermined slow cross section of cobalt.

The chopper which is powered by a series DC motor consists of 34 cadmium plated stainless steel blades separated by 1/16 inch aluminum spacers. The design incorporates the better characteristics of the Brookhaven and Argonne slow choppers. Speed regulation is accomplished using a silicon controlled rectifier feed back …

Plastic Design Of Steel Frames For Minimum Weight, I-Chen Hung

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this study was to develop a method for weight minimization of the plastically designed frame, braced normal to its plane of action, and composed of prismatic steel members. The method accounts for the non-linear relationship between weight and moment capacity for both beams and columns. Reduction in the pure-bending fully-plastic moment in the presence of axial loading and both beam-column instability and overall frame instability due to sidesway are taken into account. Provision is made for minimization of frames employing standard sections as well as for frames whose built-up members may be chosen from a continuous spectrum. …

Fast Flux Measurement By A Single Multi-Threshold Foil, Kenneth Lawrence Cage

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation is to determine the fast neutron spectrum by use of a single multi-threshold foil. The foils and the elements which constituted the foils were selected by the following criteria: availability of adequate cross-section data, energy dependence of the given reaction, gamma radiation emitted during decay and the half-life of the daughter. The two foils selected were an In-Fe- P pellet, and ALCOA 2509 (Al-Ni). The gamma spectrum of each constitute was stripped from the composite spectra using a least-squares fit. The activation results were utilized to calculate the fast flux using the weighted orthonormal method. …

Modification Of The Hydraulic Jump By Submerged Jets, Edward Leon Tharp

Masters Theses

"Tests were performed in order to determine the effect of submerged jets injecting water into the base of the hydraulic jump. The jump was studied in terms of the following properties: specific energy of the flow leaving the hydraulic jump, length of the hydraulic jump, tailwater depth, and wave formation properties. These properties for the hydraulic jump with submerged jets were compared to the natural hydraulic jump.

Results of the tests indicate that: submerged jets at any angle tested tend to decrease the specific energy of the water leaving the jump and are more effective than the impulse-momentum principle indicates, …

A Mathematical Study Of Voigt Viscoelastic Love Wave Propagation, David Nuse Peacock

Masters Theses

"This research is a mathematical investigation of the propagation of a Love wave in a Voigt viscoelastic medium. A solution to the partial differential equation of motion is assumed and is shown to satisfy the three necessary boundary conditions. Velocity restrictions on the wave and the media are developed and are shown to be of the same form as those governing the elastic Love wave"--Abstract, page ii.

The Thermodynamics Of The Zno-Fe₂O₃-Fe₃O₄ System, Dennis George Dreyer

Masters Theses

"A study was made of the ZnO-Fe₂O₃-Fe₃O₄ system at 1200ºC using oxygen pressures between 0.1 and 1x10⁻⁴ atmospheres. The results of this study were used to calculate the activities of ZnO, Fe₂O₄, and Fe₃O₄ in the spinel solid solution region of this ternary system. The activities of ZnFe₂O₄ and Fe₃O₄ across the pseudo-binary system were then calculated. The activities of the components in both the ternar and pseudo-binary systems exhibited large positive deviations from Raoult's Law, being more pronounced at the higher Fe₃O₄ content. The free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of mixing of the pseudo-binary system ZnFe₂O₄-Fe₃O₄ at 1200ºC were …

The Effect Of Epoxy Resins On The Durability And Unconfined Compressive Strength Of An A-1b Soil, Guy H. Payne

Masters Theses

"This thesis reports the procedure and results obtained from the stabilization of a clean poorly graded sand with various amounts of epoxy resin. The same soil was also stabilized with varying amounts of Portland cement in order to have a basis for comparison of the results obtained. The sand used in this research came from the Meramec River in Central Missouri and is classed as an A-lb soil by the AASHO classification system. The following tests were performed on the stabilized samples: 1. Specimens were molded and compacted at 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 12% portland cement by weight of …

Anodic Dissolution Of Lead In Aqueous Solutions, Christopher Kuo-Chieh Wu

Masters Theses

"The apparent valence of lead was determined in one normal solutions of potassium nitrate, ammonium acetate, lead nitrate, and lead acetate at temperatures of 25 and 50°C. The current density was varied from 0.001 to 1.00 amp•cm ^-2. The apparent valence of lead ranged between 1.90 and 2.00 in all solutions. The lower valences were reached at higher current densities. The amount of disintegration was very small, and was dependent upon film formation on the surface of the anode.

Potential-current density relationships for the anodic dissolution of lead were obtained in the electrolytes mentioned above. In potassium nitrate and …

Numerical Solution Of Water Hammer Analysis Including Friction Losses, Lih Hsun Weng

Masters Theses

"The water hammer phenomena is a very important problem in pipe lines and gate operations. There are many analytical solutions tor water hammer problems including friction losses, but most of them use a linear approximation tor the friction effect that is different from the actual situation. Also the existing methods for solving water hammer problems involve difficult mathematical operations that are impractical and inaccurate.

In order to find a more rapid method for solving water hammer problems including friction losses and to obtain closer agreement with the actual condition, the problem is solved here using the basic partial differential equations …

An Investigation Of Failure Patterns Of Layered Specimens Loaded In Uniaxial Compression, Narendra Y. B. Choudary

Masters Theses

"Uniaxial compressive strength for two and three-layered specimens was obtained with different thicknesses of layers and also for different length to diameter ratios. The fracture and failure pattern was studied. Shear and extension fractures were observed in the layers. Geometry and end conditions of the specimen had a great influence in the failure and fracture pattern.

The uniaxial compressive strength of a layered specimen was found to be lower than the weighted average strength and either low or high when compared to the arithmetic average strength, depending on the ratio of the heights of the layers. The compressive strength of …

An Automatic Data Acquisition System For Semiconductor Device Testing, Donald L. Bartling

Masters Theses

"An Automatic Data Acquisition System for determining the Voltage/Current characteristics of semiconductor devices is presented. The system is capable of measuring currents in the range from 10^-10 amperes to 200 milliamperes. The system includes various pieces of commercially available equipment plus several pieces of specially designed and fabricated equipment.

The system yields a maximum of 59 data points each for both the base and collector characteristics of the transistor tested. The system is designed to perform a particular sequence of events. These events are controlled by a specially designed and fabricated piece of equipment called the Control Center.

The …

Rc-Tunnel Diode Network Synthesis, Jerry Dale Lee

Masters Theses

"The synthesis of networks having prescribed transfer functions using resistors, capacitors, and one tunnel diode is presented.

The restrictions on the given transfer function are that it be a ratio of two polynomials in s, its poles lie on the finite, negative real axis of the s plane, and its numerator polynomial have only real coefficients, with a positive leading coefficient.

In general, this synthesis results in two two-port networks, each having a common connection between one input and one output terminal, connected either in parallel or series.

Procedures are presented for realizing any one of the several two-port network …

The Constant Impedance Tapered Lossless Transmission Line, Yu Kuo Chen

Masters Theses

"Considerable work has been done on the theory and development of the distributed RC network which is a special case of the general distributed network type of transmission line.

Sir William Thompson analyzed telegraph cables, assuming the RC line as a model. Oliver Heaviside made numerous contributions to transmission line theory. The solution of a two-wire transmission line with constant parameters R and C is obtainable by direct solution of the telegraphist's equations which are developed from the equivalent circuit of an incremental length of the network. The sinusoidal steady-state solutions of certain tapered RC lines have been exhibited. The …

Study Of Mass Transfer Through Porous, Water-Repellent Membranes, Virendra V. Tanna

Masters Theses

"A new method of desalination using a porous, water-repellent membrane was studied. The membrane utilized surface forces to support a vapor phase in its pores which separated the salt water from fresh water. The method used a vapor pressure difference across the membrane as the driving force for mass transfer of water from the salt water phase to the fresh water. This vapor pressure difference was obtained by maintaining a temperature difference between the two liquid phases.

The experimental data and results indicated the feasibility of vaporization through porous, water-repellent membranes. The flux of water through a membrane made of …

Study Of Heat And Mass Transfer Through Non-Wettable Porous Membrane, Rajender Kumar Rohatgi

Masters Theses

"The object of this investigation was to study the use of non-wettable porous membranes for simultaneous heat transfer and mass transfer of water from a hot salt solution stream to a cold distilled water stream, the streams being in countercurrent flow separated by the membrane. This type of mass transfer was achieved in the experiments, and mass and heat transfer coefficients were measured.

The membranes studied in this work were made of fiberglas treated with Teflon dispersion and aluminum sulphate. The fiberglas membranes yielded desired results. Empirical correlations were proposed which predict values of heat and mass transfer coefficients close …

Effect Of Artificial Roughness On Convection, Lee W. Burford

Masters Theses

"Considerable work has been done in recent years, and is still being done, to find ways of increasing the heat transfer rate in fluid heat exchangers. One particular type of potential heat exchanger that has been studied analytically, as well as experimentally, is the use of artificially roughened tubing.

The test sections used in this experiment consisted of four aluminum pipes, three of which have been artificially roughened internally by machining ninety- degree V-shape grooves along the axis of the pipes. The grooves were 30/1000, 60/1000, and 90/1000 inches in depth. The remaining pipe was a smooth test section with …

Empirical Evaluation Of The Eccentric Orifice In Small Diameter Pipes, Gary A. Hinz

Masters Theses

"This investigation has taken different orifice sizes (0.3005", 0.4000", 0.5045", 0.6015") and tested their flow characteristics when used in a 1" diameter pipe. Each orifice was initially placed in a fully eccentric position, that is the circumference of the orifice was placed tangent to the inside circumference of the pipe. Data was taken with the orifice eccentric to concentric in increments of 0.050".

Plots of flow coefficient versus Reynold's number were made for each position of the four orifices tested.

Empirical equations were developed for determining the flow coefficient of the various orifice sizes placed in any eccentric position.

It …

Fluid Flow In Pipes Of Rectangular Cross Sections, Bruce Harold Bradford

Masters Theses

"Head loss due to fluid friction was measured in smooth conduits of rectangular cross section. The data covers the laminar and turbulent range. Results were compared with previous theoretical and empirical data.

The customary practice of calculating head loss in non-circular conduits by use of the friction factor obtained on an “equivalent” circular pipe was discussed. It was found that this practice is successful in square cross sections undergoing turbulent flow. In laminar flow, however, this method is not accurate"--Abstract, page ii.

Comparison Of Plastic Stress-Strain Material Properties As Determined From Conventional Experiments, Wen Mo Chen

Masters Theses

"In problems of engineering design, it is usually assumed that the stress-strain diagrams of a given material, as obtained from different loading conditions, are the same. In fact, by using the classical theory of plasticity, it can be shown that, with an appropriate selection of stress and strain related parameters, the diagrams should coincide.

Three different materials - magnesium, aluminum and steel, have been tested under tension, compression, torsion and bending loads. Stress-strain diagrams were constructed from these observations. This thesis presents an analysis of the relative agreement between the theoretical and experimental results of these materials"--Abstract, page i.

Measurement Of The Velocity And Temperature Profiles Of Air Swirling Through A Conical Shaped Nozzle, Stephen Abner Thompson

Masters Theses

"A study was conducted to determine the velocity and temperature distributions in swirling flow of air through a converging nozzle. Radial traverses were taken at three axial positions with a specially designed pitot tube constructed of hypodermic needles. The most significant finding was the large magnitude of the radial velocity component. A combination of reversed axial flow along the nozzle axis, and an outward flow near the nozzle surface was also experienced. An increase of temperature with increasing radial position may be attributed to the Ranque-Hilsch effect"--Abstract, page ii.

Catalytic Effects On Radiation-Induced Polymerization Of Methyl Methacryalate, David E. Bartine

Masters Theses

"A study has been made of the effect of Kaolin clay particle size and acidity on the degree of radiation-induced polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The results indicate that the degree of polymerization varies with the clay particle size, and that the amount of polymer produced is influenced by the pH of the clay"--Abstract, page ii.

The Performance Of A Countercurrent Extraction Column With Vibrated Packing, Mehmet Uran ÖZsoy

Masters Theses

"The performance of a continuous countercurrent extraction column with a packing -- that could be vibrated vertically at various amplitudes and frequencies by a variable speed motor -- was investigated under both non-flooding and flooding conditions using the high interfacial tension benzene-acetic acid-water ternary system. In all the experimental runs, which were sequenced randomly with a full-factorial experiment design, mass transfer of the solute (acetic acid) from the aqueous to the organic phase was studied. Column performance was evaluated in terms of the height of an overall transfer unit, HTU, based on the benzene phase. The variables studied were: amplitude …

A Procedure For Analysis Of Three-Segment Symmetrical Balcony Beams, Ronald A. Hansen

Masters Theses

"A procedure for analysis of three-segment symmetrical balcony beams unsymmetrically loaded was derived whereby the normally complicated energy solution is eliminated. A moment distribution technique is used in the solution of the first and second phases of the problem. Tables are given to aid in determining the proper distribution factors. Due to the complexity of the third phase, a table of solutions is given for varying values of length, geometry, etc.. An example problem is also given demonstrating the use of interpolation within the tables"--Abstract, page ii.

A Study Of The Effect Of Magnetite Additions To Shell Molds On The Surface Quality Of Low Carbon Steel Castings, Robert C. Tooke

Masters Theses

"Shell molds containing additions of ten to fifty percent magnetite, Fe₃O₄, of various particle sizes were cured by induction heating. For comparison, regular shell molds were made using silica and zircon sand. Low carbon steel was cast into all of the molds.

Castings produced from the regular shell molds exhibited poor surfaces due to mold expansion. Magnetite additions eliminated the expansion defects from the casting surfaces.

Excellent surfaces were obtained on the low carbon steel castings with proper selection of the magnetite particle size and the percent of magnetite added. Improper combinations of size and amount …

The Effect Of Initial Moisture Content On The Swelling Characteristics Of Putnam Soil, William Howell Branum

Masters Theses

"The literature on swell and swell pressure in expansive soils was reviewed. The effect of initial moisture content on the swelling properties of untreated Putnam silt loam was investigated by performing free swell and swell pressure tests on specimens with varying initial moisture contents compacted to a constant dry density. The free swell tests were conducted by allowing the samples to swell freely under a low load (the weight of the plunger and the porous stone in the swelling apparatus) and measuring the volume change that resulted. The swell pressure tests were performed using two different procedures: (1) determining the …

Correlation Of Drag Reducing Data In Dilute Polymer Solutions, Jorge Mario Rodriguez

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this investigation was to obtain a correlation for drag reducing solutions in circular tubes under turbulent conditions. Data were taken for three polymer-solvent systems: polymethyl methacrylate V-100 (M_v ~ 110,000) in toluene, polyisobutylene L-200 (M_v ~ 4,700,000) in toluene, and polyisobutylene L-200 in cyclohexane. The data from the two polyisobutylene systems, together with other data on polymethyl methacrylate G (M_v ~ 1,500,000) in toluene and polyisobutylene L-80 (M_v ~ 860,000) in cyclohexane, were used to attempt to obtain the correlation. The V-100 solutions were not used because they were not drag reducing.

The …

Two-Dimensional Seismic Model Studies, Joong Hee Chun

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this research was to design and construct apparatus suitable for two-dimensional seismic model studies.

A new technique for two-dimensional seismic model testing was devised which allows wide application of the equipment. This enabled the author to place the source and receiver in any desired position on the model, thereby permitting the recording of seismic events as function of distance and depth at any position

Two simple geometric models were tested to demonstrate the experimental range of the apparatus designed. The recorded data were compared with theoretical predictions and were found to be in good agreement"--Abstract, page ii.

Calibration Of An Instrument To Calibrate Accelerometers, Nader Khorzad

Masters Theses

"The purpose of this research was to calibrate an instrument with which an accelerometer could be calibrated accurately. The instruments used were a piezoelectric shaker and a modified Michelson interferometer together with necessary electronic equipment. This equipment was used to calibrate a Kistler Model 808A accelerometer.

Weight was added to the shaker in the second part of this experiment in order to determine its effect on the amplitude and frequency of oscillation of the shaker.

Results show that this instrument may be used to calibrate an accelerometer quite accurately. The weight added to the shaker will effect only the amplitude …

Tensile Strength Of Prereacted Porcelain Compositions, Chester Lee Hill

Masters Theses

"The tensile strengths of two porcelain compositions containing prereacted silica and feldspar have been determined with the diametral loading technique. A comparison was made between the strength of the prereacted samples and the strength of samples of the same compositions, but prepared in the conventional manner. At the optimum firing temperature, no significant differences in tensile strengths were observed between the prereacted and control samples for the two compositions studied. At temperatures below and above the optimum firing temperature, the prereacted samples had the higher tensile strengths. The tensile strengths are correlated with the average size of the quartz particles …

The Effect Of Concentration On The Viscosity Of Polyisobutylene Solutions, Lung-Yu Chou

Masters Theses

"In the past twenty years the viscosity of dilute polymer solutions (i.e., where the solute molecules are far apart) has been investigated in great detail, both theoretically and experimentally. The viscosity characteristics of such systems are well-understood.

Only a few studies have been made of the effect of concentration on the viscosity of polymer solutions in the concentration range where the polymer molecules begin to overlap. This range of concentrations is important in practical applications such as dry spinning of fibers, cross-graded automotive motor oils and in many industrial formulations where polymers are used to thicken solvent vehicles. Development of …