Engineering Commons^™

Errors In Constant-Velocity Shaft Couplings, Philip M. Remington

Theses

A Multiloop spatial system of rotations is used to represent a shaft coupling, allowing a transmission plane which may deviate from the plane of symmetry to be specified. The plane of transmission, for intersecting input and output shaft axes, is the locus of intersections of screw axes that compose the system. By prescribing the transmission plane outside of the plane of symmetry (commonly called the "homokinetic plane" or "bisecting plane") to pecified orientations, a phase shift between the input and output shaft rotational displacements will he quantified. The rotational phase shift between the input and output shafts can be evaluated …

Mathematical Model And Simulation Of The Progression Of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma, Maria L. Agostinho

Theses

A simple mathematical model and simulation of the progression of cancer with particular emphasis on Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma was investigated. The mathematical model consists of a set of differential equations that first satisfies the homeostasis levels of the different components present and second predicts the dynamics during a diseased or unhealthy condition. The simulation was done using a FORTRAN program for integrating the differential equations.

Simulation of the immune system is important in evaluating the usefulness of particular sorts of biologically targeted therapies and in selecting the most promising treatment strategies for clinical trials. In particular, the effects of …

Automatic Motion Analysis Of Colliding Spheres, John Vijayakumar Caesar

Theses

Motion analysis is useful to compute linear and angular velocities and acceleration of an object from a sequence of images. This thesis is part of an investigation to compute the translation and rotation velocities needed to determine the collision parameters of two colliding spheres. This involves the tracking of the spheres and feature points on the spheres over a time interval. An experimental setup releases two spheres such that they collide and a high speed imaging system, i.e., Kodak Ektapro 1000 is utilised to record the motion of the spheres. The imaging system is capable of recording at a speed …

Point Pattern Matching By Heuristic Methods : A Genetic Algorithm And Simulated Annealing, Erh-Chin Chen

Theses

The problem we consider is to find a subset of points in a pattern that best match to a subset of points in another pattern through a transformation in an optimal sense. Exhaustive search to find the best assignment mapping one set of points to another set is, if the number of points that are to be matched is large, computationally expensive. We propose two stochastic searching techniques - a genetic algorithm and simulated annealing to search for the best ("almost the best") assignment efficiently. To make the comparison between GA and SA fair, we introduce a piece-wise linear cooling …

Uses And Applications Of Artificial Intelligence In Manufacturing, Manojkumar H. Desai

Theses

The purpose of the THESIS is to provide engineers and personnels with a overview of the concepts that underline Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems. Artificial Intelligence is concerned with the developments of theories and techniques required to provide a computational engine with the abilities to perceive, think and act, in an intelligent manner in a complex environment.

Expert system is branch of Artificial Intelligence where the methods of reasoning emulate those of human experts. Artificial Intelligence derives it's power from its ability to represent complex forms of knowledge, some of it common sense, heuristic and symbolic, and the ability to …

The Durability Of Hot Mix Asphalt With Petroleum Contaminated Soils, Bonnie H. Dubose

Theses

Petroleum contaminated soils are considered solid waste They must be taken to solid waste facilities such as landfills or some other method must be found to deal with them. Landfills are becoming limited and is looked upon by the government as the least attractive option. One method that looks promising is to use petroleum contaminated soils in Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete.

In the research program the following are examined: 1) Investigation of material properties of the petroleum contaminated soil and aggregates 2) The proper procedure to produce a design blend of asphalt concrete. 3) Establishing the test procedure protocol to …

Automatic Surface Mount Solder Joints Inspection, Zhu Liu

Theses

This thesis reports the research results on automatic inspection of solder joints on printed circuit boards. The previous work on this subject has been advanced significantly in the following three aspects. With the support of AT&T Bell Lab, the most updated surface mount solder joints are inspected in this work instead of larger simulation solder joints or traditional through hole solder joints in the previous work. A small set of features is extracted for surface mount solder joints in both infrared and visual light inspection. A new image processing software named Khoros has been applied to improve the quality of …

Posterior Stabilized Knee Design Biomechanical Considerations, Donald E. Mcnulty

Theses

Numerous posterior stabilized knee systems are available for primary and revision total knee arthroplasty. Design of these systems requires an understanding of the articulating geometries and kinematic/kinetic biomechanical considerations of the normal knee. The findings for the normal knee are integrated into the design of a prosthetic system.

The natural femoral, tibial and patella articulating geometries are defined to enable subsequent kinematic and kinetic analyses. The articulating geometries are characterized from review of anthropometric studies of the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joint.

The kinematic analysis of the natural knee defines knee motion in terms of rotation, adduction/abduction, range of motion and …

The Design And Manufacture Of Institutional Trays Using Simultaneous Engineering, Antonio Schmidt

Theses

This study evaluates thermoformed trays as used in the food service industry. The resin used in fabricating trays is a blend of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polycarbonate (PC). The life of the trays is presently between 1 to 3 years. The trays are used in correctional facilities and hospitals. The handling of the tray is not abusive. The trays are pulled out of service once they exhibit stress cracking.

To further understand the unpredictable life of the thermoformed trays an understanding of the behavior of the plastics is required and the method of comparing one resin from another, as …

Computation Of Collision Parameters Of Spheres By Computer Vision, Sumit Sen

Theses

Collision parameter evaluation of rigid spherical particles requires estimation of pre- and post-impact position, velocity and angular velocity vectors of colliding particles. A three dimensional experimental technique is devised where the instantaneous position and orientation of the particles are determined by analyzing frames obtained through high speed video imaging system. Since the image obtained is two dimensional, a mirror setting is designed to capture two orthogonal views of collision in order to estimate motion in depth. The translational velocity vector is determined from the position information extracted through application of available image analysis techniques over two time frames of digitized …

Three-Dimensional Beam-Columns, Mohammad Hassan Shams

Theses

This thesis explores several special cases of three-dimensional beam-columns and suggests that the method of finite differences can be used when a solution of general case is required. The thesis begins with a review of the three-dimensional beam-column equations and then shows how these equations can be used to generate the member stiffness matrix for the nonlinear analysis of three-dimensional frames. Examples are included which discuss the differences between the analytical and numerical solutions.

Application Of Desktop Manufacturing System (Sla) For The Manufacturing Of A Centrifugal Pump Impeller Using Cad (I-Deas), Wasimuddin Azam Muhammad Syed

Theses

Desktop Manufacturing (DTM) systems which combine personal computer, laser and other technologies are being used to sculpt objects from computer generated models created on computer aided design (CAD) workstations. As a member of DTM systems, StereoLithography Apparatus (SLA) transforms 3-dimensional designs into a 3-D output. This can substantially reduce the time required to produce a prototype through the process of photopolymerization. The process involves the transfer of a liquid plastic monomer into a solid polymer by exposing it to ultraviolet light.

Although the process looks productive, inefficiencies can occur, if incorrect parameters are selected before its application for a particular …

Modeling, Evaluation, And Control Of A Flexible Manufacturing Cell Using Petri Nets, Glenn Arthur Thorniley

Theses

This thesis describes the usefulness of Petri nets in modeling, evaluating, and controlling a Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC). The basics of Petri net theory are explained and a specific FMC is examined. First, the FMC is modeled. The purpose of modeling is to facilitate the evaluation and provide a framework on which the control methodologies can be applied. The objective of the evaluation is to determine how the FMC would benefit most by replacing or adding equipment. Several ideas on control are combined to form a useful framework for the designing of the control net. With this framework the control …

Catalytic Ozone/Ultraviolet Light Oxidation Of Organics In Water : Integrated Charcoal/Ozonation/Uv Radiation, Dawei Wang

Theses

A novel heterogeneous catalytic-oxidation technology where activated carbon is used as a catalyst-adsorbent, ozone serves as the oxidant and UV light as activation agent, is developed in a lab scale study. We demonstrate this process for destruction of recalcitrant organics in water i.e: combined oxidation by ozone, UV light plus activated carbon. The investigation includes evalution of various operating conditions: ozone levels, activated carbon levels; time for complete destruction of the individual target pollutants, plus evalution of activity of the continuously recativated carbon surface in-situ. All experiments were performed at room temperature in a semi-batch reactor. Seven representative chemicals was …

Bragg Reflection Grating Waveguide, Wei Zhong

Theses

Bragg reflection waveguides (BRW) are non-conventional optical guides in which optical confinement is achieved via periodic set of grooves or stratified media along the guiding path. BRW may also serve as optical filters, because of spectral discrimination of the guiding process. A novel UV laser ablation technique was used in this thesis to fabricate periodic metal-clad polymeric waveguides. Spin-on technique was applied to fabricate the waveguide core on glass substrates, evaporation of metal film and selective ablation process defined the optical guides. Various periodicities have been fabricated and the near field patterns have been measured to compare the different guiding …

Modification, Reimplementation And Studies Using The Meisner Model Of The Heart, Ari Zvi Zivotofsky

Theses

The study of left ventricular filling in both the normal and the pathological heart is of great importance. A computer model simulation of the heart with emphasis on mitral flow was designed by Meisner in 1986 and implemented in QuickBASIC. This paper discusses how the original program was altered to be able to perform "Parameter vs. Parameter" runs in which it can be observed how varying an input parameter affects output parameters. The output data is then formatted in such a way that it can be used by QUATTRO PRO, a standard spreadsheet package, to yield graphical outputs.

In addition, …

Pure Strong Competition For Two Microbial Populations In A Chemostat, Efthimios Ioannis Banias

Theses

The dynamics of pure, strong, double competition between two microbial populations in an ideal chemostat have been investigated by using mathematical and numerical analysis. The two nutrients competed for have been assumed to be complementary for both competitors. Inter active models have been used for the specific growth rates. Two cases have been considered; one in which neither of the two substrates exerts inhibitory effects on the growth of either one of the competing populations, and one in which the growth of one population is inhibited by only one of the two substrates. The primary focus of this investigation was …

Inability Of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium To Degrade Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Sand, Pankaj Pankaj

Theses

The white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been previously found to successfully degrade a wide spectrum of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (some of them in soil or sand matrices). In this research, it was tested if the fungus could also degrade a very recalcitrant class of pollutant, i.e. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in sand at a concentration of 100 ppm (w/w PCB to sand). For this purpose, a number of experiments were performed, in which several operating parameters, such as nutrient concentrations (nitrogen and glucose), amount of initial biomass, aeration, and degree of chlorination of the PCBs were varied. The results obtained …

The Study Of Activated Sludge Settleability Using The Solids-Flux Analysis, Churng-Cherng Lin

Theses

The activated sludge was cultivated in two pilot-scale activated sludge systems under three ratios of BOD to N, equal to 20:1, 70:1 and 300:1 in the influent wastewater. The aeration tank of the activated sludge system was constructed in two different configurations: one without compartments in the tank, the other consisting of six compartments. The activated sludge withdrawn from the last compartment of each system was tested in a one-liter graduate cylinder to measure its zone settling velocity. The solids-flux method was employed to analyze the sludge settling characteristic as a function of solids concentration. The results show that the …

The Effects Of Twist On Pressure Through A Teflon Vascular Prosthesis, Steven Alfred Olivieri

Theses

A closed loop fluid system was developed which mimics the flow curve in the human circulatory system in order to test the effects of pressure drop and flow velocity on artificial arterial implants. This device consists of a piston pump connected to a microcomputer controlled servo-motor. Fluid (in this case distilled water) flows through transparent Tygon tubing to a test chamber. The prosthetic tube is placed in the fluid but is attached through a specially constructed chamber. The pressure across the implant can be measured for different conditions. System compliance was generated by using flexible tubing in the return loop …

Design For Quality Manufacture : Formulation Of The Macro Architecture For A Dfqm Methodology, Shrad Prasad

Theses

The focus of the available techniques in concurrent engineering for the development and improvement of the design of a product, has been in the areas of product assemblability and manufacturability. These techniques are concerned with the reduction of the cost associated with the manufacture and handling of the product.

The Design For Quality Manufacturability focuses on the quality manufacturability issue of the product design. A macro architecture is developed for the introduction of a new methodology to evaluate designs based on the quality manufacturability of these designs. A set of defects occurring at the assembly stage of the manufacture of …

Optimization Of A 3-Micron Bccd Process For High Density Ccd Registers, Mark Ratner

Theses

In July 1991, Dr. Walter F. Kosonocky proposed a High-Frame-Rate-CCD Imager. The design of the imager is such that the CCD channel width be 3-microns and capable of handling at least 3000 - 5000 electrons per square micron. Using process (SUPREM III) and device (PISCES IIB) simulations, charge handling capacities as a function of implant energy and junction depth were studied. Arsenic implants ranging from 100 to 200keV were driven-in to obtain junction depths between 0.40µm and 0.80µm. As a result of this work it was determined that charge handling capacities as high as 9400 electrons/µm² were achievable with …

Comparing Techniques Of Mapping Pyramid Algorithms Onto The Hypercube : A Case Study For The Connection Machine, Muhammad Ali Siddiqui

Theses

The pyramid structure is most widely used for low-level and intermediate-level image processing and computer vision because of its efficient support of both local and global operations. However, the cost of pyramid computers (PC) may be very high. They also do not support the efficient implementation of the majority of the scientific algorithms. In contrast, the hypercube network has widely been used in the field of parallel processing because it offers a high degree of fault tolerance, a small diameter and rich interconnection structure that permits fast communication at a reasonable cost. Thus, several algorithms have been developed for the …

Ultrasonic Ranging System For Gait Analysis, Mu Wu

Theses

A new method of measuring range for gait analysis is described. The method is based on a coherent measurement of the phase shift of an ultrasonic signal as a function of range.

A prototype of the ranging system was breadboarded, tested, and found to have a relative accuracy of better than 0.5 mm over a range of 3 meters. The maximum range the system is at least 20 meters. The method used here is new and has not been found in the literature. Tt is demonstrated by experiments with a prototype system that can measure distance with a higher accuracy …

A Computer Implementation Of A Multi-Neuron Expandable Network, Mary Ellen Ellen Aleksza

Theses

The primary goal of this thesis is to develop a small, expandable neural network that oscillates when presented with an appropriate stimulus. This model will be used in the future as a base to create larger networks. Future studies of these larger networks may be used in the simulation of neuronal activity such biological oscillators.

This thesis encompasses a study of neuron activity, neural networks, neuron models and biological oscillators. The focus of the thesis is the modification and expansion of a single neuron simulation into a simulation of an interconnected multi-neuron oscillatory network.

A single neuron model based on …

Slow, Red-Green Counterphase (Parvo) And Fast, Black-White Magno) Snow In The Detection Of Scotomata In Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma, Rey Favis

Theses

No one knows why Primary Open Angle Glaucoma sufferers can detect their glaucoma induced blindspots by monocularly fixating on a mark in the center of a screen of television snow. An attempt was made to determine which of two pathways from retina to lateral geniculate nucleus is more involved in the detection of the blindspots. Previous studies demonstrated that the large diameter axon, magno cellular pathway is maximally stimulated by 30 Hertz high contrast black-white patterns. The small diameter axon, parvo cellular pathway is known from past research to be maximally stimulated by 12 Hertz red-green counterphase patterns. It was …

Computational Aspects Of A Three Dimensional Non-Intrusive Particle Motion Tracking System, Avadhani S. Ashok

Theses

Development of a technique for non-intrusive particle motion tracking in three dimensions is considered. This technique is based on the principle of magnetic induction. In particular, the determination of the position and onentation of the particle from the information gathered is the pnncipal focus of this thesis. The development of such a system is motivated by the need to understand the flow patterns of granular material. This is of cntical importance in dealing with problems associated with bulk solids flows which occur in almost all industries and in natural geological events. A study of the current diagnostic techniques reveals the …

Analysis Of Electric Field On Surface Of An Atomically Sharp Field Emitter, Ziyan Cheng

Theses

In this thesis, exact calculation and computer simulation of an atomically sharp emitter are presented. In the theoretical analysis, the cathode-anode or cathode-gate complex is modeled for cone- and wedge-shaped emitters so that exact solution can be obtained. The exact solution reveals that the field on the emitter surface depends not only on the sharpness of the emitter, but also on the global geometry of the field emitter, gate, and anode complex. This finding is contrary to a widely accepted concept that field is predominantly determined only by local curvature of the tip.

The theoretical results are confirmed by computer …

Processor Allocation Strategies For Modified Hypercubes, Nagasimha G. Haravu

Theses

Parallel processing has been widely accepted to be the future in high speed computing. Among the various parallel architectures proposed/implemented, the hypercube has shown a lot of promise because of its poweful properties, like regular topology, fault tolerance, low diameter, simple routing, and ability to efficiently emulate other architectures. The major drawback of the hypercube network is that it can not be expanded in practice because the number of communication ports for each processor grows as the logarithm of the total number of processors in the system. Therefore, once a hypercube supercomputer of a certain dimensionality has been built, any …

Local Stress Due To A Radial Loading At Nozzle-Pipe Connection With Different Thickness, Guosheng Lu

Theses

This thesis presents an analysis using the finite element method of the local stress at the nozzle and pipe connection subjected to a radial loading.

In this study, the local stress factor (for membrane and bending stresses) is presented in a series of plots with beta (nozzle radius/pipe radius) values ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 and gamma (pipe radius/wall thickness) values ranging from 10 to 100. The membrane and bending stresses in longitudinal and circumferential directions of the run pipe are computed as a function of the dimensionless parameters, beta and gamma.

For a given external radial loading with different …