Engineering Commons^™

Functional Disaster Resistant Buildings, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, tornados, tsunami and earthquakes, are becoming a greater problem as they destroy lives, homes, businesses and the natural environment. Such disasters can happen with little or no warning, leaving hundreds or even thousands of people without medical services, potable water, sanitation, communications and electrical services for up to several weeks. One proactive strategy to minimize this type of destruction and disruption to lives is the implementation of disaster-resistant buildings that are energy efficient, fortified to the latest codes, and incorporate renewable energy systems. This approach uses the best energy-efficient buildings, fortified to the latest …

Problems And Solutions: Training Disaster Organizations On The Use Of Pv, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

In 1992, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) assisted the University of Miami Field Epidemiology Survey Team (FEST) with photovoltaic systems to power temporary medical clinics after Hurricane Andrew struck south Dade County. At that time, it became apparent that there were no educational materials prepared for disaster relief or emergency management personnel on the use of photovoltaic (PV) to supply electrical power in response to a disaster. This need prompted FSEC to create an education program to develop awareness and train organizations on the proper use of PV in disasters. Since then, FSEC has …

Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Design Review And Approval, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Dunlop

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This document provides details of operations and procedures for the approval of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system designs and documentation conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center. The principal goal of this process is to help ensure the safety and quality of installed PV systems, and provides an assurance to installers, consumers and financiers that approved designs meet accepted codes and industry practices, and are accompanied by a complete System Manual that meets the minimum requirements outlined in this document.

Executive Summary: Evaluation Of The Impact Of Vacant Home Space Conditioning Strategies On Summer Relative Humidity, Energy, And Peak Load; Phase Ii, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Vacant Home Space Conditioning Study was sponsored by Florida Power & Light (FPL) as part of its Conservation R&D Program and carried out by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). In the US, about one in four retiree "snowbirds" make Florida their destination to escape the northern cold. Snowbird residents number more than 900,000 in Florida during the winter. In some counties of FPL's territory these seasonal residents compose up to 15% of the population (Shih, 1981). This pattern of seasonal occupancy creates a need for space conditioning guidelines for vacant homes to avoid mold problems while minimizing both …

Test Method For Photovoltaic Module Ratings, Florida Solar Energy Center, Kevin Lynn

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This document describes the testing and reporting requirements for certification and labeling of photovoltaic modules (PV) for their power ratings. The test methods and procedures chosen for this purpose are based on consensus standards of relevant committees of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Single-Sided Crash Cushion System, John D. Reid, John R. Rohde, Dean L. Sicking

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A single-sided crash attenuation cushion system having an impact head and three stage energy absorption mechanism. The energy absorbing mechanism has a mandrel for deforming thin-walled tubes in a controlled collapse to absorb impact forces from a colliding vehicle. The third stage of the absorption mechanism includes an additional deformable compressible tube between the fixed-object hazard and the thin walled tubes.

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2006, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Reliability-Based Optimization Of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Deck Panels, Michel D. Thompson, Christopher D. Eamon, Masoud Rais-Rohani

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

A reliability-based optimization (RBO) procedure is developed and applied to minimize the weight of eight fiber-reinforced polymer composite bridge deck panel configurations. The method utilizes interlinked finite element, optimization, and reliability analysis procedures to solve the weight minimization problem with a deterministic strength constraint and two probabilistic deflection constraints. Panels are composed of an upper face plate, lower face plate, and a grid of interior stiffeners. Different panel depths and stiffener layouts are considered. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to identify significant design and random variables. Optimization design variables are panel component ply thicknesses while random variables include load and material …

Titanium Alloyed With Boron, Seshacharyulu Tamirisakandala, Daniel B. Miracle, Raghavan Srinivasan, Jay S. Gunasekera

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Small additions of boron to conventional titanium alloys have been found to produce significant changes to the microstructures and associated properties. Grain refinement and improved strength and stiffness are first-order effects, which lead to possibilities for developing novel and affordable processing methodologies and to enhance performance over conventional titanium alloys. In this article, we introduce this new class of titanium alloys and describe unique formability benefits achieved via engineering microstructures.

Solar Dhw Storage Tanks And Systems, Florida Solar Energy Center

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Water is by far the most common storage medium in solar domestic hot water systems. Rock storage is another method of sensible heat storage, but is not generally used in systems that are exclusively DHW. Storage of heat in solutions of phase-changing salts is extremely rare in DHVJ systems and therefore is not discussed.

A Fuzzy Logic Controller For Autonomous Wheeled Vehicles, Mohamed Trabia, Linda Z. Shi, Neil Eugene Hodge

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Autonomous vehicles have potential applications in many fields, such as replacing humans in hazardous environments, conducting military missions, and performing routine tasks for industry. Driving ground vehicles is an area where human performance has proven to be reliable. Drivers typically respond quickly to sudden changes in their environment. While other control techniques may be used to control a vehicle, fuzzy logic has certain advantages in this area; one of them is its ability to incorporate human knowledge and experience, via language, into relationships among the given quantities. Fuzzy logic controllers for autonomous vehicles have been successfully applied to address various …

A Simple Numerical Method Of Cycle Jumps For Cyclically Loaded Structures, D. Cojocaru, Anette M. Karlsson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

A method for accelerated numerical simulations of structures subjected to cyclic loading is investigated. Of particular interest is a class of structures where the structural properties evolve with time. The proposed method is based on conducting detailed finite element analysis for a set of cycles to establish a trend line, extrapolating the trend line spanning many cycles, and use the extrapolated state as initial state for additional FEA simulations. This includes a control function that automatically monitors the length of the cycle jump to ensure a realistic solution. We compare the proposed method to a reference calculation, where all incremental …

Multisensor Processing Algorithms For Underwater Dipole Localization And Tracking Using Mems Artificial Lateral-Line Sensors, Saunvit Pandya, Yingchen Yang, Douglas L. Jones, Jonathan Engel, Chang Liu

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

An engineered artificial lateral-line system has been recently developed, consisting of a 16-element array of finely spaced MEMS hot-wire flow sensors. This represents a new class of underwater flow sensing instruments and necessitates the development of rapid, efficient, and robust signal processing algorithms. In this paper, we report on the development and implementation of a set of algorithms that assist in the localization and tracking of vibrational dipole sources underwater. Using these algorithms, accurate tracking of the trajectory of a moving dipole source has been demonstrated successfully.

Vision-Based Target Geo-Location Using A Fixed-Wing Miniature Air Vehicle, D. Blake Barber, Joshua D. Redding, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard, Clark N. Taylor

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a method for determining the GPS location of a ground-based object when imaged from a fixed-wing miniature air vehicle (MAV). Using the pixel location of the target in an image, with measurements of MAV position and attitude, and camera pose angles, the target is localized in world coordinates. The main contribution of this paper is to present four techniques for reducing the localization error. In particular, we discuss RLS filtering, bias estimation, flight path selection, and wind estimation. The localization method has been implemented and flight tested on BYU’s MAV testbed and experimental results are presented demonstrating …

Field Monitoring And Computer Modeling To Determine Energy And Demand Savings From The Melink Intellihood Exhaust And Make-Up Air Control System At Two Supermarkets, One Restaurant, And One Fast Food Restaurant, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Note: Only the Executive Summary of this proprietary report is available for public download.

Balanced Return Air, Duct Airtightness, And Combustion/Dilution Air Code Compliance In 40 Central Florida Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report has been extracted from a larger report titled "Florida Building Code - Enhance Florida's Building to Next-Generation Energy & Mechanical Codes and Enrich Compliance", FSEC-CR-1678-06, November 29, 2006, which can be found at http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/publications/pdf/FSEC-CR-1678-06.pdf

Florida Building Code - Enhance Florida's Building To Next-Generation Energy & Mechanical Codes And Enrich Compliance, Florida Solar Energy Center, Muthusamy V. Swami

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The project Implemented ASHRAE 90.1 2004 into Florida's compliance tool, EnergyGauge, to allow inclusion of the methodologies and rule sets of ASHRAE 90.1-2004. The project also implemented IECC 2003 into Florida's compliance tool to allow inclusion of the methodologies of Chapters 4, 5, and 6 of the International Energy Conservation Code 2003 (IECC 2003). Field testing was completed in 40 central Florida homes (built after March 1, 2002) to examine compliance with the balanced return air, duct leakage, and combustion/dilution air requirements of the Florida Mechanical Code. A course titled Complying with Duct System Requirements of the Florida Energy Code …

Simulation Of A Carbon Nanotube-Based Compliant Parallel-Guiding Mechanism: A Nanomechanical Building Block, Martin L. Culpepper, Christopher M. Dibiasio, Robert M. Panas, Spencer P. Magleby, Larry L. Howell

Faculty Publications

The authors report the behavior of a nanoscale parallel-guiding mechanism wherein the compliant components are single-walled carbon nanotubes. Parallel-guiding mechanisms are often the building blocks of macro- and microscale mechanical systems. The authors present results that provide insight into the performance of a parallel-guiding mechanism for nanoscale devices. The device exhibits a range over 75% of the device size, i.e., 5.5 nm, when actuated with 6.4 nN. Below 3.6 nN, displacements are due to bulk elastic bending of the nanotubes. Above 5.2 nN, displacements are governed by the hingelike bending of kinks in the nanotubes. van der Waals forces are …

Effect Of Chromium–Gold And Titanium–Titanium Nitride–Platinum–Gold Metallization On Wire/Ribbon Bondability, Jianbiao Pan, Robert M. Pafchek, Frank F. Judd, Jason B. Baxter

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Gold metallization on wafer substrates for wire/ribbon bond applications requires good bond strength to the substrate without weakening the wire/ribbon. This paper compares the ribbon bondability of Cr-Au and Ti-TiN-Pt-Au metallization systems for an optoelectronic application. Both Chromium and Titanium are used to promote adhesion between semiconductor substrates and sputtered gold films. However, both will be oxidized if they diffuse to the gold surface and result in the degradation of the wire/ribbon bondability. Restoring bondability by ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) etch was investigated. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Cr-Au and Ti-TiN-Pt-Au, annealing, and CAN etch processes, on …

Comparison Of Solar Hot Water Systems Simulated In Energygauge Usa And Trnsys 15, Florida Solar Energy Center, Michael Anello

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This document is meant to serve as a detailed summary of the comparison between the simulation methods of EnergyGauge USA and TRNSYS (version 15) relating to solar hot water systems. The initial motivation behind this comparison was to verify that the f-chart model created for EnergyGauge's solar hot water calculations was reporting the correct results. To this end, models of three systems were created in TRNSYS in order to serve as a baseline for the EnergyGauge results. The three systems modeled were: Liquid-active closed loop (LACL), Liquid-active open loop (LAOL), Integrated collector storage (ICS). This document will detail each of …

Integrated Guidance And Control Of Missiles With Θ-D Method, Ming Xin, S. N. Balakrishnan, Ernest J. Ohlmeyer

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new suboptimal control method is proposed in this study to effectively design an integrated guidance and control system for missiles. Optimal formulations allow designers to bring together concerns about guidance law performance and autopilot responses under one unified framework. They lead to a natural integration of these different functions. by modifying the appropriate cost functions, different responses, control saturations (autopilot related), miss distance (guidance related), etc., which are of primary concern to a missile system designer, can be easily studied. A new suboptimal control method, called the θ-D method, is employed to obtain an approximate closed-form solution to this …

One-Class-At-A-Time Removal Sequence Planning Method For Multiclass Classification Problems, Chieh-Neng Young, Chen-Wen Yen, Yi-Hua Pao, Mark L. Nagurka

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Using dynamic programming, this work develops a one-class-at-a-time removal sequence planning method to decompose a multiclass classification problem into a series of two-class problems. Compared with previous decomposition methods, the approach has the following distinct features. First, under the one-class-at-a-time framework, the approach guarantees the optimality of the decomposition. Second, for a K-class problem, the number of binary classifiers required by the method is only K-1. Third, to achieve higher classification accuracy, the approach can easily be adapted to form a committee machine. A drawback of the approach is that its computational burden increases rapidly with the number of classes. …

Systems And Methods For Inspecting Coatings, Kozo Saito, Mohammed I. Hassan Ali, Akira Numasato, Mohammed A. Omar, Sakakibara Masahito, Suzuki Toshikazu, Tanigawa Yasuo

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Patents

A system for detecting defects in paint coatings includes a temperature manipulation apparatus configured to change the temperature of a surface and a coating applied to the surface. The system may further include an infrared sensor for measuring the change in temperature of the surface and coating and a processor to compare the measured change in temperature of the surface and coating to an expected change of temperature in order to determine anomalies in the coatings.

High Temperature Heat Exchanger Project: Quarterly Progress Report July 1, 2006 Through September 30, 2006, Anthony Hechanova

Publications (NSTD)

Hydrodynamics and thermal numerical modeling coupled with sulfur trioxide decomposition for the one channel geometry with three different channel configurations were performed. The results obtained from the numerical modeling were compared with the baseline design under the same boundary and operation conditions. The case with diamond shaped channels has the highest percentage of sulfuric acid decomposition. The baseline channel geometry has the lowest pressure drop compared with other cases.

Mechanical Response Of Fuel Cell Membranes Subjected To A Hygro-Thermal Cycle, Ahmet Kusoglu, Anette M. Karlsson, Michael H. Santare, Simon Cleghorn, William B. Johnson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The mechanical response of fuel cell proton exchange membranes subjected to a single hygro-thermal duty cycle in a fuel cell assembly is investigated through numerical means. To this end, the behavior of the membrane with temperature and humidity dependent material properties is simulated under temperature and humidity loading and unloading conditions. The stress-evolution during a simplified operating cycle is determined using finite element analysis for two clamping methods and two alignments of the bipolar plates. It is shown that compressive, plastic deformation occurs during the hygro-thermal loading, resulting in tensile residual stresses after unloading. These residual in-plane stresses in the …

Measured Impacts Of Proper Air Conditioning Sizing In Four Florida Case Study Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jeffrey Sonne

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Previous studies have shown that residential air-conditioning system oversizing is a common practice that has both energy and comfort penalties. A Florida Power and Light / Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) study involving over 350 homes found that 50% of the studies AC systems were over sized by 120% or more (James et al. 1997). The same study found oversizing AC systems by 1.0 to 1.2 times Manual J resulted in 3.7% higher cooling energy use and oversizing systems 1.2 to 1.5 times Manual J resulted in 9.3% higher cooling energy use.

The goal of Task 3.2, Benefits of Proper …

Evolution Of Surface Morphology Of Thermo-Mechanically Cycled Nicocraly Bond Coats, J. Shi, Anette M. Karlsson, B. Baufeld, M. Bartsch

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We investigate morphological surface instabilities on bond coat surfaces of thermal barrier coatings, induced due to thermo-mechanical loading. Experimental results of hollow circular cylindrical specimens, consisting of a directionally solidified superalloy (IN 100 DS) coated with a NiCoCrAlY bond coat, show that the morphological instabilities are strongly dependent on the load conditions. In particular, the morphological instabilities develop during thermal cycling with a thermal gradient over the cylinder wall, whereas the surface remains smooth for thermal cyclic conditions without a gradient. Furthermore, if a cyclic, axial tensile force is applied (synchronized with the thermal cycling), the morphological instabilities become aligned …

Effects Of Middle Plane Curvature On Vibrations Of A Thickness-Shear Mode Crystal Resonator, J. S. Yang, Xiaomeng Yang, Joseph A. Turner, John A. Kosinski, Robert A. Pastore, Weiping Zhang

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

We study the effects of a small curvature of the middle plane of a thickness-shear mode crystal plate resonator on its vibration frequencies, modes and acceleration sensitivity. Two-dimensional equations for coupled thickness-shear, flexural and extensional vibrations of a shallow shell are used. The equations are simplified to a single equation for thickness-shear, and two equations for coupled thickness-shear and extension. Equations with different levels of coupling are used to study vibrations of rotated Y-cut quartz and langasite resonators. The influence of the middle plane curvature and coupling to extension is examined. The effect of middle plane curvature on normal acceleration …

Task-Driven Multi-Formation Control For Coordinated Uav/Ugv Isr Missions, Herbert G. Tanner

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The report describes the development of a theoretical framework for coordination and control of combined teams of UAVs and UGVs for coordinated ISR missions. We consider the mission as a composition of an ordered sequence of subtasks, each to be performed by a different team. We design continuous cooperative controllers that enable each team to perform a given subtask and we develop a discrete strategy for interleaving the action of teams on different subtasks. The overall multi-agent coordination architecture is captured by a hybrid automaton, stability is studied using Lyapunov tools, and performance is evaluated through numerical simulations.

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (Baihp), Final Project Report, September 1, 1999 - June 30, 2006, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This final report summarizes the work conducted by the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (www.baihp.org ) for the period 9/1/99 - 6/30/06. BAIHP is led by the Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida and focuses on factory built housing. In partnership with over 50 factory and site builders, work was performed in two main areas - research and technical assistance.

In the research area -- through site visits in over 75 problem homes, we discovered the prime causes of moisture problems in some manufactured homes and our industry partners adopted our solutions to nearly eliminate this …