Engineering Commons^™

Evolutionary Nonlinear Model Predictive Control On A Fixed-Wing And Multirotor, Jaron Ellingson, Matthew Haskell

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Real-time model predictive control (MPC) is limited to short time horizons and linear systems because the optimization complexity is too large with long time horizons and nonlinear systems. For this reason, MPC is typically accomplished using linearized models and convex optimization solvers. We seek to explore evolutionary algorithms allowing for nonlinear models and constraints, non-convex costs, and extended time horizons.

Our contributions include extending nonlinear evolutionary MPC to flight vehicles, fixed-wing and multirotor UAVs, as well as enhancing the evolutionary algorithm. We also intend to parameterize the design space of the optimization to reduce solve times. These contributions validate the …

Spectral Absorption Coefficient Of Additive Manufacturing Polymers, Nicholas J. Wallace, Matthew R. Jones, Nathan B. Crane

Utah Space Grant Consortium

As NASA turns to additive manufacturing processes, there is a need to ensure that the parts they produce are reliable. This is especially true when creating parts in space, where resources are limited and failure could result in catastrophe. Active thermography has shown potential as a non-destructive quality assurance technique for additive manufacturing processes. Heat transfer models used in active thermography techniques require accurate material property measurements in order to extract useful information about the system, including defect location. The spectral absorption coefficient, which determines the depth at which radiative power is absorbed into a surface, is a material property …

Investigating Novel Biomarkers Associated With Aki Diagnosis And Risk, Lars Lofgren, Natalie Silverton

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication associated with cardiac surgery. Those patients who develop AKI have increased hospital costs, hospital LOS and odds of death. The current diagnostic criteria rely on serum creatinine measurements and urine output data. Serum creatinine is not renal specific. It is known that there are other factors that influence serum creatine concentrations other than renal injury. Serum creatinine levels are measured as concentrations which means large changes in fluid balance may alter the serum creatinine measurement. Urine output is not a reliable measurement of renal injury either. During surgery it is common to …

A Reinforcement Learning Based Control Approach For Propofol-Induced Burst Suppression, Jason C. Huang, Scott C. Tadler, Brian J. Mickey, Keith Jones

Utah Space Grant Consortium

High-dose propofol is being investigated for its potential antidepressant effect. Propofol is titrated to induce burst suppression, a specific EEG pattern. However, propofol is difficult to dose due to uncertainty in each patient’s pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD), and the lack of a commercially available monitor of propofol concentration. Clinicians currently infer the proper drug dose after observing the EEG response to the given dose. In this report we share our development of an automated controller to optimally administer propofol-induced burst suppression. We designed a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, which includes two deep neural networks and relates a …

Advanced Video Laryngoscope And Automatic Data Collection System, Gabrielle Hoyer, Sean Runnels, Samer Merchant

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The Advanced Video Laryngoscope is designed to address the high stress situation of an inexperienced healthcare provider performing an intubation on a patient. The technology is superior to current video laryngoscopes in that it utilizes machine learning techniques to guide the healthcare provider in real-time, providing augmented reality cues to anatomical features, feedback to prevent critical levels of deoxygenation of the patient, and an automated system to assess the difficulty of airway and call on the assistance of other physicians if first-pass intubation is not successful. By providing real-time assistance to the operator, this device will increase the success rate …

Assessing The Impact Of Drop Velocity And Spacing In Binder Jetting To Improve Printing In Novel Powders And New Environments, Trenton Colton

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Binder Jetting (BJ) is a low-cost Additive Manufacturing (AM) process that uses inkjet technology to selectively bind particles in a powder bed. The interaction of the binder droplets with the powder is essential to the process. This is a complex interaction in which picoliter-sized droplets impact powder beds at velocities of approximately 10 m/s. The binder partially fills the voids between the powders. The fraction of void space filled with binder is the saturation and is a key parameter in BJ. The effects of printing parameters such as droplet velocity, size, and spacing on saturation levels are unknown. This study …

Effect Of Superhydrophobic Surface Microstructure On Transient Jet Impingement Cooling, D. Jacob Butterfield, John Morris

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Jet impingement is an effective method of rapid surface cooling, and is highly dependent on surface condition and properties. Here, silicon surfaces are modified by ion-etching different micropatterns (posts or holes) on one side and coated with Teflon to make them superhydrophobic (SH). The other side of the surface has a screen-printed resistance heater. Surfaces are heated to temperatures between 200 to 320 °C, and then impinged on by a pure water jet at room temperature with flow rates ranging from 6 to 18 mL/s. Results show that there is little effect of microstructure, although hole surfaces and shorter microstructures …

Applying Real-World Learning Through Amusement Parks To Help Teach The Upcoming Changes To Utah Core Standard, Phil Lundgreen, Amanda Otterstrom

Utah Space Grant Consortium

To assist educators in satisfying the Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) Standards the Utah State University (USU) Physics Department has developed a curriculum centered around USU Physics Day at Lagoon.

With an upcoming change to Utah's core standards and a shift to more hands-on learning styles, the use of real-world learning offered by amusement park applications is analyzed in its ability to satisfy the Utah State Bureau of Education’s (USBE) SEEd standards. Amusement park learning allows educators a vehicle to capture students’ attention in the classroom by discussing science principles in a fun and exciting manner with a promise of …

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Based Heat Exchanger On The Martian, Sarah Guinn

Discovery Day - Prescott

The use of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) in power cycles has been fairly new in the last decade. Due to this, there is a lack in research for both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications. The purpose of this project is to utilize sCO2 as a working fluid and design and optimize a Brayton Cycle based heat exchanger on the Martian surface. Due to the lack of water on Mars, this research will provide a stronger analysis of planetary based drycooling processes in low atmospheric pressure and colder temperatures. We have been conducting an in-depth analysis of the heat exchanger by modeling …

Multiphysics Computational Model Of Fluid Flow And Mass Transfer In Aneurysm, Tanja Cupac

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) mostly affects men between the ages 65-85 and is very common with more than 3 million cases in the United States per year. AAA is defined as the weakening of the arterial wall producing a blood-filled bulge in the body’s largest blood vessel. AAA is progressive, asymptomatic, and can eventually lead to rupture which is a catastrophic event leading to massive internal bleeding and possibly death. Of the males within this age range, 1-3% will die from this disease. About 75% of AAA cases will be characterized by the development of an intraluminal thrombus (ILT). …

Experimental Study On Compression And Shear Strength Of Cfrp, Joseph Gentile, Ethan Garber

Discovery Day - Prescott

The increasing use of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in the aerospace industry requires a better understanding of its damage properties. Many modern aircraft under high loads are utilizing this material for their primary structures due to its high strength to weight ratio. However, CFRPs are sensitive to out-of-plane loading such as low-velocity impact and indentation. These damages can reduce the compressive strength significantly without leaving a visible mark on the surface, which is known as Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID). The behavior and residual strength of CFRPs after impact damage under compressive loading are still not fully understood. Studies of …

An Ergonomic Analysis Of Ingredient Batching In A Dairy Bottling Facility, Hayden Johnson, Laila Elhidmi

Scholars Week

Dairy production facilities rely on batching operators to unload palletized ingredients and mix them to meet ingredient specifications. Batching operators in the dairy industry are frequently required to work for prolonged periods of time in awkward postures while performing repetitive and forceful exertions. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) typically impact workers’ performance and increase job discomfort. Such incidents are generally costly to employers as they often result in workers compensation claims and increased insurance premiums. The purpose of this study was to characterize the ergonomic risk factors associated with commonly performed batching processes and evaluate possible solutions to reduce exposure to …

Automated Extraction Of Crosswalk From High-Resolution Images, Luciano Lalika, Thobias Sando Phd

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Intersection geometric data are crucial in addressing various safety and operation issues in roadway intersections. Traditionally, agencies have hire staff to extract geometric information from images visually and manually. Manual data extraction is time-consuming, costly (labor intensive), and prone to errors. This study aims to develop an automated signalized intersection geometric data extraction algorithm based on high-resolution images in order to identify crosswalks, left and right turns, and mid-block crosswalks. Using the computer vision technology, the developed algorithm will be able to extract key intersection geometrics such as intersection width, number of lanes, intersection configuration, the presence of turn lanes, …

Analysis And Implementation Of Quantum Computing Algorithms, Caroline Fedele, Asai Asaithambi Ph.D

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

In this research, we investigate the relationships between classical and quantum computing, and the superior time complexity and memory allocation proposed theoretically for quantum algorithms. This is accomplished by building quantum circuits to represent algorithms and test in a quantum computer simulation. Classical circuit components have been continually reducing in size to the point where they are now being impacted by quantum properties, resulting in the need to investigate quantum computing. The inherent parallelism of quantum computing also allows us to solve problems for which classical computers are inept. The class of intractable problems in computing where the solution can …

Race Car Performance Increase Using A Precision-Fabricated Aerodynamics (Wing) Package, Jacob Millard, Brian Ramsey, John Nuszkowski

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Formula SAE is an international collegiate competition that spans over 300 campuses worldwide. Each year, teams from these campuses design and manufacture a prototype Formula-style race car to compete in various static and dynamic competitions every May in Michigan. Static competitions include engineering design, business presentations, and cost accounting; while Dynamic competitions include Autocross, Acceleration, and Endurance racing events, where the prototype cars from each team race head-to-head in a bid to achieve first place. Of the 300+ campuses that participate in Formula SAE, only 120 are permitted to compete in the Michigan competition each year and The University of …

What Are The Most Important Features On Infant Car Seats To Prevent Injuries: A Systematic Qualitative Review, Andrew Miceli, Donovan Arnold

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Background: Pediatric safety continues to be a main topic of scientific research and specifically injuries sustained from accidents in automobile accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been quoted as saying “Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for children 4 years of age or older.” In the studies analyzed, head impacts were the most frequently injured body region for children occupants seated in a child restraint system. Traumatic brain and skull injuries sustained from these types of accidents were the case studies considered for this literature review due to the high nature of volume …

Performance Evaluation Of Long Range (Lora) Wireless Rf Technology Blue For The Internet Of Things (Iot) Using Dragino Lora At 915 Mhz, Victor Lopez, Hemani Kaushal, Zornitza Prodanoff

Showcase of Osprey Advancements in Research and Scholarship (SOARS)

Internet of Things (IoT) is a developing concept that introduces the network of physical sensors which are interconnected to each other. Some sensors are wirelessly connected among themselves and to the internet. Currently, IoT applications demand substantial requirements in terms of Radio Access Network (RAN) such as long-range outdoor coverage, environmental factors, obstructions, interference, power consumption, and many others. Also, the current wireless technologies are not able to satisfy all these requirements simultaneously. Therefore, there is no single wireless standard that would predominate the IoT. However, one relevant wireless radio solution to IoT is known as Long Range Wide Area …

Arizona Hyperloop: The Fifth Mode Of Transportation, Eleanor Pahl, Matthieu Rada

Discovery Day - Prescott

Arizona Hyperloop is a coalition between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Arizona State University students competing in Elon Musk’s annual SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. Hyperloop is the proposed “Fifth Mode of Transportation” - coined “a cross between a Concorde, a rail gun, and an air hockey table.” A hyperloop pod levitates and travels at nearly the speed of sound inside a vacuum tube, which eliminates air resistance. Musk hosts the annual competition to university students to encourage the evolution of urban transportation. The goal is to design, build, and race the fastest prototype pod at SpaceX’s mile-long test track in Hawthorne, …

Vex U Robotics, Kyle Lutterman, Jeffrey Ryan, Sierra Wong, Elizabeth Geiger

Discovery Day - Prescott

VEX U is a competition hosted by the REC Foundation for university students to get engaged in hands-on engineering. Each team produces two robots using the VEX provided parts to compete in the VEX U competition. The competition changes every year with the only constants being the size of the field, the tools and parts teams are able to use, and the size constraints of the robots. The teams compete in regional competitions in order to qualify for the World Championship Competition, which is the highest competition a team can compete in for VEX U. The VEX U teams at …

Aircraft Leading Edge Strakes On Conventional Naca Wings, Anthony Pirone

Discovery Day - Prescott

The prevention of stall on aircraft wings has been a great challenge over the history of airplanes. As the aircraft become more and more complex, it becomes harder to fit high lift devices and leading-edge devices onto high camber, supercritical airfoil aircraft wings. In the fighter jet class of aircraft the obstacle of stall is usually delayed by the implementation of leading-edge root extensions or strakes. Strakes create a tip vortice along the sharp leading edge that transitions over the surface of the wing preventing separation on both the upper and lower surface of the wing allowing the fighter jet …

Studies Of Oval Tube And Fin Heat Exchangers, Phillip Nielsen

Discovery Day - Prescott

Heating Ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) is a system which changes the temperature of the surroundings for the purposes of cooling or heating. This system requires energy to maintain a temperature difference from the outside temperature. This is important since minimized power is one of the requirements for the system to achieve a better efficiency. Optimizing the flow over the evaporator coils is one way to increase the cooling efficiency. This will reduce the power required to have a sustainable system. Optimizing the flow to increase the energy transfer between the fins and the incoming air could result in a greater …

Sae Aero West Heavy Lift Competition Team - Eaglenautics, Anthony Pirone, Evan Stuart, Jessica Millard, Nathaniel Scott

Discovery Day - Prescott

ERAU’s SAE Aero Design West Competition team encourages students of all majors who have an interest in the design of heavy-lift cargo and passenger aircraft to design, build, and fly a large RC aircraft to meet a new set of regulations each competition year. Since the team, Eaglenautics, was founded in 2017 it has successfully been to competition once in April 2019 in California. The team’s aircraft flew 4 out of 5 flight rounds, passed all technical inspections, and is now on display in ERAU’s Aero-Fab in the AXFAB. The 2020 competition requirements are unique in that the cargo’s weight-to-volume …

Tech Comm Eagle Eye-Tracking Control System, Gabiella Lail, Robert Shaw, Hunter Smatla, Matthew Gary

Discovery Day - Prescott

Mobile eye-tracking systems provide usability research support as well as access to a wide range of robotics and technical communication research opportunities. Optical tracking systems are often prohibitively expensive and do not provide the mobility or flexibility needed for a variety of research application possibilities. Our team proposes building a simple mobile eye-tracking system to be used in-house at ERAU for heat-mapping, robotics, control systems, and various technical communication applications in a structured research environment. The mobile eyetracking system will become part of a larger research and hands-on technical communication usability lab and research center. The research team intends to …

Supercavitation Capabilities On A Submarine, Adam Vu

Georgia College Student Research Events

Submarines have shaped the way wars have been fought and have been influential in our understanding of fluid dynamics. In the past, supercavitation has been implemented to an idea that has been used to significantly increase the velocity of torpedoes in Chinese and Russian submarines. An example of this is the Russian VA-111 Shkval torpedo. The idea being that if your torpedo is expelling a gas out of the nose cone region, creating a boundary layer between the water and the torpedo, the torpedo will be facing much less resistance relative to when it was traveling in water alone. This …

Launch Vehicle Design For The Far-Mars Competition, Matthew Boban, Bryce Smoldon, Jonathan Noble, Stefan Johnson, Maxwell Kauker, Nicholas Wright, Andrew Lucka

Discovery Day - Prescott

Zenith Propulsion is constructing a launch vehicle, named Altair, to compete in a competition hosted by the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) and the Mars Society. The objective for Zenith Propulsion is to design, build and launch Altair to a qualifying altitude of 30,000 feet in the FAR-Mars competition. Altair will utilize a rocket engine that has been in development at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott campus since late 2018. This engine, named Janus, uses liquid oxygen and Jet-A and is designed to deliver 1000 lbf of thrust. Altair will be launched from the FAR launch site, in Mojave, CA, on …

Design And Construction Of Drilled Shafts For Landslides, Malek Smadi

Purdue Road School

In general, weathered shale underlain by shale interbedded with limestone is the main forma-tion that underlies many of the slopes adjacent to the Ohio River in southern Indiana. During wet periods the weathered shale exhibits a sig-nificant decrease in strength, which has led to a number of landslides. In this session several case histories will be presented where drilled shafts have been used to repair and improve the safety of homes and roadways.

Plant Growth Layer: Recurring Special Provision 629-R-630, Kurt Pelz, Shawn Slaymon

Purdue Road School

This presentation encapsulates everything from what plant growth layer is and how it was developed to when it should be added to projects, its proper verification, and estimating PGL quantities. This presentation will also include project-specific examples of the limitations and expectations of PGL during the design and construction phase.

Superpave5: What Is It?, Matt Beeson, Gerry Huber

Purdue Road School

INDOT revised the asphalt specification in 2019 based on the concept of Superpave 5—that higher in-place density yields improved performance disability. This session will provide insight into the science of how Superpave 5 works while giving designers an understanding of how it affects design and construction specifications.

Railway Bridges Up-To-Date, Stephen Dick

Purdue Road School

Railroad bridges are not foremost on people’s minds, but they are still a critical item in our nation’s infrastructure. The railroads have a major investment in their bridges, and with many beyond 100 years old, maintenance and replacement of them is still a major cost item. This presentation describes the current state of railroad bridges, discusses older and new bridges, and addresses the current regulatory environment.

Travel Time Data Using Google, Xinbo Mi

Purdue Road School

When we need travel time information between an origin and destination, we used to drive the corridor and record the travel time data. Now we have a much easier way to obtain travel time data along a corridor: Google API (application programming interfaces). This is a very easy tool to use. All you need is a browser, a text editor, and perhaps my presentation, which is not highly technical. Everyone is welcome!