Engineering Commons^™

Clustering Algorithm For Local Area Network Design In A Cim Environment, A. C. Manjunath

Theses

Communication systems have come to be regarded as being one of the most important aspects in manufacturing enterprises in recent years. It continues to offer enormous potential for improving the efficiency of manufacturing enterprises through Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). It is true however that this potential cannot be realized by developments on the communications front alone. Strategic and economic considerations in installing a communications system in a manufacturing environment is of vital significance.

This thesis, at the outset attempts to bring out some of the issues in the area of communications (research), specifically in relation to CIM. A perception of …

Modeling And Performance Of Token Bus Lan With Petri Nets, Zhenggang Pan

Theses

A token bus local area network (LAN) is analyzed by Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets (GSPN). The GSPN models of both a single station and LAN for four types of service schemes are obtained and their liveness property is proved. The network performance parameters comprise throughput and delay. The performance analysis for both symmetric and asymmetric single-service systems is conducted for varying load. In order to analyze a token bus LAN with a large number of stations, an approximation method is developed to resolve the .state space explosion problem. A token bus LAN with twenty-one stations is used to show the …

Evaluation Of Homogeneity For Hazardous Waste Solidification By Video Imaging Technique, Yi-Min Gao

Theses

The field of chemical solidification has just begun to mature into an accepted environmental technology for hazardous waste disposal. From the engineering point of view, some key issues still dominate the feasibility and effectiveness of hazardous waste solidification process. "Mixing" is essentially regarded as the most critical element but unfortunately, no evidence has been proposed to prove the homogeneity of the large monolith produced by solidification in order that the effectiveness of the solidification process can be evaluated in satisfactorily short time. The Homogeneity Evaluation by Video Imaging System (HEVIS) proposed in this study is to solve this problem with …

Evaluating The Homogeneity Of Solidification/Stabilization Treated Waste Soils By Chemical Analysis Method, Mei Liu

Theses

Solidification/Stabilization technology has been widely used for waste treatment, especially for heavy metals, non-volatile wastes, radioactive wastes and soils. Homogeneity is a very important criterion for this kind of technology.

This study focuses on the development of a method to evaluate the homogeneity of S/S treated soil. A chemical analysis method, atomic absorbance, is employed to evaluate the distribution of S/S reagent in a soil-cement mixture and thus the uniformity of the soil-cement mixture. Also, a fluorescent tracer method is discussed in this study, which can be used to estimate the homogeneity of the soil-cement surface. The fluorescent tracer method …

Wear And Friction Of Titanium Nitride On Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Under Oscillating Motion For Evaluation Of Use In Articulating Orthopedic Applications, David Scott Jacobson

Theses

Materials are a factor in the performance of articulating orthopedic implants. An oscillating tribometer is utilized to investigate mechanisms of wear and friction of TiN (titanium nitride) coated on Ti-6Al-4V (titanium) alloy against UHMWPe (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene). Three thicknesses of TiN coating (1.76 pm, 4.15 µm, and 10.5 µm) are used to evaluate the performance of each in UHMWPe wear reduction and coating integrity. An uncoated Co-Cr (cobalt chromium) coupon is used against UHMWPe pins for control purposes. Oscillations are carried out to 10 million cycles to discover and evaluate short- and long-term wear mechanisms. Mass differentials and …

Improvement Of Light Collection Efficiency By Laser-Induced Patterning The Surface Of Schottky-Barrier Solar Cells, Kejia Fang

Theses

In order to achieve maximum light collection efficiency in silicon made solar cells, reflectivity of the silicon surface must be reduced to as low level as possible. In the past, researchers have concentrated on coating the Si surfaces with anti-reflection coatings. Another approach was to form textures on the Si wafers to capture further the light impinging on the solar cells.

Theoretical studies, which were based on ray tracing approach, revealed that some geometrical patterns are better capturing the light than others. In this work, different geometrical surface configurations on a Cu/n-Si Schottky-barrier solar cell have been investigated. The configurations …

Low Temperature Synthesis And Characterization Of Lpcvd Silicon Dioxide Films Using Diethylsilane, Chakravarthy Srinivasa Gorthy

Theses

Diethylsilane (DES) has been used as a precursor to produce silicon dioxide films by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. These films were synthesized in the temperature range of 350 to 475°C thus allowing the use of the material as an intermetal dielectric or as a top layer passivation coating in microelectronic devices. In that process, the growth rate was observed to follow an Arrhenius behavior yielding an activation energy of 10 kcal/mol. The growth rate was also observed to increase with higher pressure and to vary as a function of the square root of the DES flow rate and O …

Disinfection Of Wastewater Using Ultraviolet Radiation, David L. Klemm

Theses

The disadvantages associated with the use of chlorine for disinfection, in conjunction with improvements in ultraviolet radiation disinfection technologies have led to the recent increased use of ultraviolet radiation to provide disinfection of effluents from wastewater treatment plants. The theory of ultraviolet radiation and the engineering design of the ultraviolet disinfection system are discussed in depth.

The operational history and records of two wastewater treatment plants that use ultraviolet radiation for disinfection were analyzed in an attempt to develop correlations on the factors that affect ultraviolet radiation disinfection efficiency and to investigate as to whether disinfection with ultraviolet radiation is …

Expert System For Preventive Maintenance The Aluminum Extrusion Press And Related Equipment, E-Ping Lin

Theses

ESPM is an Expert System for Preventive Maintenance that provides the framework for application-specific equipment maintenance tools. The expert system for preventive maintenance and diagnosis was developed for the Aluminum Extrusion Press and Related Equipment. The system is built in VP-Expert and is implemented on a personal computer.

The expert system includes many characteristics of an expert system cell because it can be expanded easily by adding new information to its knowledge base or by changing the existing information. The expert system can be connected directly with a PC system through a VP-Expert software package and can interact with C …

Design Of A Material Handling System For The Automatic Assembly Of A Shower Head, Irshad Meherally

Theses

The design of a Material Handling System for the Shower Head assembly is proposed. The working principle of complete automation and individual workstation is presented using "I-DEAS" software. Alternative equipments and their usage in the automation of the assembly is also proposed. Custom made fixtures, workcarriers, orienters, magazines, part feeders are designed for the assembly. Analysis of design for assembly in terms of cost and efficiency is performed by generating a Coding System Technique.

A New Method To Optimize The Satellite Broadcasting Schedules Using The Mean Field Annealing Of A Neural Network, Youyi Yu

Theses

This thesis reports a new method for optimizing satellite broadcasting schedules based on the Hopfield neural model in combination with the mean field annealing theory. A clamping technique is used with an associative matrix, thus reducing the dimensions of the solution space. A formula for estimating the critical temperature for the mean field annealing procedure is derived, hence enabling the updating of the mean field theory equations to be more economical. Several factors on the numerical implementation of the mean field equations using a straightforward iteration method that may cause divergence are discussed; methods to avoid this kind of divergence …

An Embedded Controller-Based Fiber Optic Sensor For Use In Fresh Concrete, Zhaowu Zhang

Theses

The principle of refraction and reflection of light in optical fibers is applied to detection of air bubbles in a previous thesis. In the earlier work, a microcomputer was employed in acquisition and processing of air bubble data. In the present thesis, an embedded controller system is interfaced and programmed in order to replace the microcomputer. In this way, the system can be more easily integrated into field construction operations. Reflected light intensity signals are detected and analyzed by a microcontroller. The entrained percentage of air in concrete is displayed immediately. The signal can be transferred through a UART (Universal …

Effect Of 2,3-Butanedione Monoxide On Whole-Cell Potassium Channel Currents In Rat Single Myocytes, Youliang Zhou

Theses

The patch clamp technique is a simple procedure which can isolate ion channels on cell membranes. Our previous data have shown that 2,3-Butanedione Monoxime (BDM) could inhibit the calcium current by dephosphorylation of the channel. In this study, the effect of BDM on the potassium channels were investigated with the whole-cell recording method in single myocytes enzymatically isolated from the left ventricle of 3-4 months old rats. Superfusion of myocytes with BDM elicited a dose dependent decrease of the outward transient potassium current. BDM with concentrations of 5, 20 and 50 mM reduced the maximal peak potassium current by 7.3 …

Kinetic Measuremenmt Of Decomposition Of Aniline, 2,4-Dichlorophenol And 1,2,4-Trichlorophenol Using A Calorimetric Method, Ming-Chin Chang

Theses

Biological treatment techniques for detoxification of toxic organic compounds have been studied and applied for many years. There are many research and commercial applications proving that the biological method is more economic and efficient than the other treatment methods.

The traditional biomass measurements are time-consuming tasks. Researchers have intended to develop a simpler, faster, and also accurate method for determining the bioactivity. This study has tried to use the microcalorimetric method to monitor the energy productions from the degradation of aniline, 2,4-Dichlorophenol and 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene. Thereafter, by utilizing the data obtained from the present study, it was possible to compute kinetic …

Computer Aided Shape Optimization Using Finite Element Analysis, Charanpreet Singh Bagga

Theses

Various theories behind Computer Aided Shape Optimization are studied. A special attention is paid to the shape representation, mesh generation and refinement during the shape optimization process. Shape optimization process for a wall bracket is performed using the Computer Aided Engineering package of I-DEAS. Finite element analysis of the wall bracket is done and the stress distribution over the bracket is studied. The bracket is trimmed in the selected low stress regions using shape optimization capability of I-DEAS and an optimized shape of the wall bracket is obtained. The end product is evaluated using Supertab module of I-DEAS as well …

Series Compensation Investigation On The Hydro-Quebec And Nypa 765 Kv Transmission System : Modeling And Stability Analysis, Hans J. Candia

Theses

This thesis presents a mathematical approach for raising the power steady state stability limit by adding series capacitive compensation to a transmission line. The effect of series capacitive compensation and degree of compensation were investigated in detail. The power system studied includes an automatically controlled power system, IEEE Type I.

The results of the actual and theoretical steady state stability limits for a given series capacitance location and degree of compensation were obtained by applying the frequency domain technique. The natural frequencies of each compensated power network were examined.

The best location for series capacitive compensation is proposed which is …

Mathematic Models On Leaching Behavior Of Chemical Solidification And Stabilization Process For Heavy Metal Sludges, Sz-Hung Chen

Theses

Chemical Solidification and Stabilization of toxic metal-containing sludges is one of the most important problems for environmental protection. Although Chemical Solidification and Stabilization of hazardous wastes prior to disposal is increasing in importance, very little work has been done concerning the leaching mechanisms and kinetic models.

In this study, we apply Freundlich & Langmuir isotherms on Chemical Solidification and Stabilization process, and the theoretical results match with experimental data very well. In the same time, we develop a simple methematical kinetic model which relates leaching concentration of heavy metal to curing time. In this study kinetic model, what you need …

Ion Exchanged Glass Waveguides With Efficient Coupling To Fibers And Lasers, Shiqing Hu

Theses

To be of practical use in optical communications networks, optical components must have both low on-chip losses and efficient coupling to fibers, semiconductor lasers and detectors. In this thesis work two types of channel waveguides were designed and fabricated on BK7 glass substrate using a low-cost ion-exchange process. The first type of waveguide was formed in a simple sequence of ion-exchange and post-exchange annealing. These single mode waveguides had large mode size and were efficiently coupled to single mode fibers. The lowest loss achieved in fiber-guide direct coupling was 1.25 dB. The second type of waveguide was formed in a …

Conditional Artificial Dielectric : Optically Controlled Microwave Modulator, J. Manuel Jimenez

Theses

A conditional artificial dielectric with embeddings of either CdS, GaAs or Si in PMMA form the dielectric material of a microstrip in a homodyne microwave detection system. The system consists of a Michelson or Mach-Zehnder interferometers with the microstrip placed in one arm. The index of refraction of the microstrip substrate is modulated by chopped incident light causing amplitude and phase variations in the incoming RF signal. Those variations are detected by mixing the light modulated microwave carrier(information channel) with the unmodulated carrier (reference channel) in the interferometer. The output is sensed by the square law detector and a lock-in …

A Finite Element Thermal And Diffusion Analysis At Bearing Metal Interface In Extrusion Processes, Biju Dennis

Theses

A mathematical model is developed to study the effect of extrusion speed and the bearing length on the surface temperature along the die billet interface. The surface temperature distribution resulting from the plastic work done on the die billet interface is studied. Finite element analysis is done on the model incorporating the mass transport effect occurring during the extrusion process and the interdependence of various parameters are presented. Die wearing problem is analyzed considering the effect of diffusion. Thermal analogy of the diffusion problem is utilized in the development of the mathematical model for diffusion problem and finite element analysis …

Biodegradation Of Phenol And Benzoic Acid In Batch And Sequencing Batch Reactors, Stephane Reynaud

Theses

A pure culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( ATCC 10145 ) was used for the biodegradation of phenol and benzoic acid. Two sets of small scale (shaker flask) experiments were originally performed: in the first set, phenol was the only carbon source present while in the second, benzoic acid was the sole carbon source. These experiments revealed the kinetics of benzoic acid degradation (they were found to be described by a Monod, non-inhibitory model), as well as of phenol biodegradation (they were found to be described by Andrews'inhibitory model) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The kinetic expressions from the small scale experiments …

Efficient Hypercube Communications, Shreyas R. Bhatt

Theses

Hypercube algorithms may be developed for a variety of communication-intensive tasks such as sending a message from one node to another, broadcasting a message from one node to all others, broadcasting a message from each node to all others, all-to-all personalized communication, one-to-all personalized communication, and exchanging messages between nodes via fixed permutations. All these communication patterns are special cases of many-to-many personalized communication. The problem of many-to-many personalized communication is investigated here.

Two routing algorithms for many-to-many personalized communication are presented here. The algorithms proposed yield very high performance with respect to the number of time steps and packet …

Computer Numerical Controlled (Cnc) Machining Of Screws And Dies For Plasticating Extruders : Determination Of The Criteria For Implementing Cnc Machining, Nilesh H. Desai

Theses

The work of this thesis is dedicated to the manufacturing industry making production equipment to manufacture plastic products. The main theme of the thesis is to determine the criteria for implementing Computer Numerical Control machining to make parts with complex geometries for production equipment.

A small manufacturing company with job shop type of production was chosen as the subject and study of extruder manufacturing process was performed. The various available alternatives of CNC manufacturing units available in the market were chosen and their feasibility examined.

At present a large variety of CNC machine tools are available in the market, offered …

Analytical Methodology For Atm Control Panel Design, Donald C. Johnson

Theses

This thesis presents a methodology for control panel design and layout along with a case study of an automated teller machine (ATM). A predictive model of human endurance and fatigue is developed from anthropometric, biomechanical and kinematics research. The layout problem is formulated to assign controls to locations to minimize the fatigue imposed on an operator performing a known set of tasks. A family of optimal and near-optimal layouts are found using conventional algorithms. The final hardware design refinements are suggested by human factors concerns. Ergonomic guidelines are also proposed for software aspects of the design. The methods and guidelines …

Computer-Aided Process Planning (Capp) Sorich, Sohail Pirzada

Theses

The last two decades have witnessed the increasing role of the computer in the process planning function. This has been further enhanced by the advent of the knowledge based expert system, and its impact on Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP). CAPP has emerged as a strategic link between design and manufacture. This thesis discusses the various methods used in the process planning function. Group Technology (GT) plays a pivotal role in establishing CAPP. The utilization of Artificial Intelligence techniques in CAPP is listed. This study also presents an Interactive Software adaptive to product/part configuration variables.

Error Detection And Correction In Compressed Data, Nadir Sezgin

Theses

Encoded data is very sensitive to the channel errors. Especially if the data is compressed by Arithmetic Encoding procedure, then the error propagation is very high. The error propagation in Arithmetic Coding is studied. Exploiting the high error propagation property when compressing data by Arithmetic encoding procedure, two different algorithms have been proposed for error detection and correction. Under certain conditions these algorithms detect and with a very high probability correct the errors introduced to the compressed data.

Conditional Artificial Dielectrics ; Fabry-Perot Etalon, Ling-Yi Hu

Theses

Fabry-Perot etalons are optical resonators comprise of two mirrors and a spacer layer. By embedding a thin, photo-sensitive layer ( Conditional Artificial Dielectric - CAD layer ) in the middle of the spacer layer, we were able to photo-control the transmission properties of a Fabry-Perot etalon. Different structures have been analyzed and measured to find that a change of .01 was photo-activated in the refractive index of the Conditional Artificial Dielectric layer.

Computer Control For 2-Axis Magnetic Suspension System, Jian Chen

Theses

A two-axis magnetic suspension system. using linear-potentiometer position sensing and DC solenoids, controlled digitally by a 80386 microcomputer has been built and operated in our laboratory. Control algorithms obtained by combining the full-state feedback control law with two methods of estimating velocities are studied. One method uses a nonlinear reduced-order observer; the other uses a finite difference algorithm. The nonlinear reduced-order observer performs better in simulation but the difference algorithm takes less calculation time and is used in the implementation. The system has been operated successfully to suspend weights up to 1.2 lb. and to get a slant angle more …

Influence Of Heavy Metal Concentration On Rotating Biological Contrator Performance, Huei-Sheng Cheng

Theses

Seven heavy metals ( Fe⁺², Mn⁺², Zn⁺², Ag⁺, Pb⁺², Cu⁺², Cd⁺² ) at various concentrations were investigated in a Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) system. The experimental data indicated that the degree of heavy metal toxicity in the biological system mainly depended on the ratio of inflow heavy metal concentration to organic loading. The optimal ratio of heavy metal to organic loading was determined on the basis of the maximum removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) under different operating conditions. In addition, the effect of heavy metal on …

Design And Development Of An Automated Assembly System In A Discrete Manufacturing Environment, Sandeep K. Desai

Theses

This work is dedicated to extend the technology of automated assembly to include small and thin parts, light in weight. As the parts are thin a problem exists in the feeding process and orientation. The objective of project is to overcome this difficulty. The main theme of this thesis is to reduce labor cost and to improve productivity and quality of assembly operations by introducing low cost automation in the companies having discrete manufacturing environment.

An example of assembly involving a thin part has been selected. Two components from an electrical switch assembly are chosen, namely the spring and rivet. …