Engineering Commons^™

Indefinability Of Effective Stress For Unsaturated Soils, Xiong Zhang, Sandra Houston

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For decades, researchers have searched for an unsaturated soil effective stress that performs analogously to effective stress for saturated soils and provides some simplifications over net stress and suction approaches. A recent debate is whether problems identified with unsaturated soil effective stress can be resolved via elastoplastic analyses. Effective stress equations are reviewed and categorized as being based on volume change, shear strength, yield, or degree of saturation. These equations are evaluated for consistency with saturated soil effective stress expectations using the Barcelona basic model (BBM), simplified into an integrated elastoplastic framework using the modified state surface approach (MSSA). Under …

Design And Development Of Uio-67-Coated Pim-1-Based Composites And Demonstration Of Their Detoxification Performance, Sukanta K. Mondal, Peter O. Aina, Ali A. Rownaghi, Fateme Rezaei

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polymer-supported MOF composites have emerged as versatile candidates for various separation and catalytic applications. In this study, we demonstrate design and development of UiO-67-coated Ce(OH)₄@PIM-1 composites via dip-coating, drop-casting, solid-phase coating, and supramolecular assembly, and assess their preparation-structure-performance relations. The catalytic performance of the composites was investigated through hydrolysis of dimethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP), as a nerve agent simulant. The findings revealed that while dip-coating method was unable to achieve a thick and uniform coverage of the MOF layer on the Ce(OH)₄@PIM-1, the supramolecular assembly gave rise to 16 wt.% MOF loading and the composite prepared …

Examination And Improvement Of The Taguchi-Based Nanofluids Impact On Co2 Absorption Using Al2o3 Nanoparticles, Safa Waleed Shakir, Saif Saleh Hussein, Shaymaa Hasan Khazaal, Hyder Akram Al-Naseri, Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed, Rana Najah Hachim, Muthanna Hikmat Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, a batch absorption reactor was used to evaluate the nanofluid of a binary aqueous solution of monoethanolamine and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (MEA/AMP) with nanoparticles of aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) as a solvent used to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from simulated flue gas. Furthermore, the application of the Taguchi experiment design method determined the optimal conditions for the absorption process. This research focuses on the CO₂ absorption process and the optimal conditions related to nanoparticle addition. The main effects of using nanofluid were investigated. The concentration of nanoparticles, nanoparticle size, and stirrer speeds were …

Tectonic Implications Of Seismic Anisotropy Layering Beneath The Southern Tibetan Plateau Revealed By Integrated Shear Wave Splitting And Receiver Function Analyses, Cong Shen, Stephen S. Gao, Fansheng Kong, Kelly H. Liu

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To investigate continental dynamics underneath the south-central Tibetan plateau, which composes the Himalayan, Lhasa, and Qiangtang blocks, we have conducted comprehensive examinations of seismic azimuthal anisotropy in the crust using receiver functions (RFs) and crustal and mantle anisotropy using teleseismic shear wave splitting (SWS) analysis. In the Qiangtang block, the observed predominantly E-W fast orientations from RF and SWS analyses with similar magnitude are interpreted as resulting from eastward crustal flow with minor contributions from the mantle. In the Lhasa block, the crustal anisotropy is approximately N-S oriented, which is parallel to the strike of rift basins and southward crustal …

Meteorological Data Mining And Synthesis For Supplementing On-Site Data For Regulatory Compliance, Ben Sonpon, Shoaib Usman, Joseph Smith, Sarah Kovaleski, Jason Wibbenmeyer

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many regulatory requirements add significant delay in the licensing of new nuclear power stations. One area of particular interest is the environmental impact of potential atmospheric release. The purpose of this research is to demonstrate effectiveness of meteorological data mining and synthesis from offsite locations to reduce need for onsite data, hence allowing rapid licensing. The automated procedures tested for data mining and extraction of meteorological data from multiple offsite sources and the data analytic tool developed for data fusion are presented here. Three important meteorological parameters from regulatory compliance are considered for this analysis: wind velocity, wind direction, and …

Quantifying The Impact Of Technology Utilization On Schedule And Cost Performance In Construction Projects, Fareed Salih, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

There Has Been a Plethora of Research on the Performance of Schedule and Cost in Construction Projects. However, Current Research Falls Short in Investigating the Combined Contribution of Different Construction Technologies on Project Performance Metrics. Specifically, None of the Previous Efforts Have Used Integrated Earned Value Management (EVM) Parameters and Utilized Construction Technologies to Assess Project Schedule and Cost Performance. This Paper Fills This Knowledge Gap. to This End, a Multistep Research Methodology Was Employed to (1) Explore the Utilization Ratings of 13 Construction Technologies based on Data Collected from 52 Industry Experts; (2) Rank These Technologies in Terms of …

Accelerating The Circular Economy Transition: A Construction Value Chain-Structured Portfolio Of Strategies And Implementation Insights, Radwa Eissa, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Despite the Increasing Recognition of the Potential of Circular Economy (CE) Strategies, their Effective Application to Decarbonize the Construction Value Chain Faces Multiple Challenges. Ambiguity Surrounding CE, stemming from a Lack of Clarity on Actionable Strategies, is a Common Concern. Existing Studies Lack a Holistic Approach for Systematically Integrating CE Principles throughout the Construction Value Chain, resulting in a Scarcity of Information on How to Practically Adopt CE within Projects. This Research Aims to Accelerate CE Adoption by Creating a Value Chain-Structured Portfolio of CE Strategies and Analyzing the Implementation of Such Strategies in Actual Projects. to This End, a …

Randomly Generated Non-Negative Linear Programs, Jay Rosenberger

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Datasets - Archive

This dataset include randomly generated non-negative linear programs that appears in several papers on Constraint Optimal Selection Techniques (COSTs) for Linear Programming.

Road To Sustainability: Developing A Sustainability Performance Measurement Framework For City Logistics From A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective, Xu Zhang

Doctoral

Sustainability assessment in city logistics has been a perpetual and salient agenda among city managers and logistics industry practitioners, especially in light of the promotion of the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Research studies to date have tried to assess city logistics operations’ sustainability performance and their impact, but most endeavours have ended in vain due to elusive sustainability goals, inconsistent indicator quality, ambiguous stakeholder responsibility, and poor data availability on city levels.

To address these challenges, this study is advocating for a collaborative sustainability reporting and assessment process among public and private …

Modeling Rate Dependent Volume Change In Porous Electrodes In Lithium-Ion Batteries, Taylor R. Garrick, Miguel A. Fernandez, Brian J. Koch, Erin Efimoff, Matthew Jones, Rafid Mollah, Hunter Teel, Xiaoniu Du, Sirivatch Shimpalee, Song-Yul Choe, Venkat R. Subramanian, Jason B. Siegel

Faculty Publications

Automotive manufacturers are working to improve individual cell, module, and overall pack design by increasing the performance, range, and durability, while reducing cost. One key piece to consider during the design process is the active material volume change, its linkage to the particle, electrode, and cell level volume changes, and the interplay with structural components in the rechargeable energy storage system. As the time from initial design to manufacture of electric vehicles decreases, design work needs to move to the virtual domain; therefore, a need for coupled electrochemical-mechanical models that take into account the active material volume change and the …

Recent Advancements In Applications Of Encapsulated Phase Change Materials For Solar Energy Systems: A State Of The Art Review, Shahin Shoeibi, Furqan Jamil, Seyed Masoud Parsa, Sadaf Mehdi, Hadi Kargarsharifabad, Seyed Ali Agha Mirjalily, Wenshan Guo, Huu Hao Ngo, Bing Jie Ni, Mehdi Khiadani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In recent decades, solar energy systems have played an increasingly important role in human societies, including support of the supply of drinking water, hot water, and electricity in arid, semi-arid and remote communities. The most challenging aspects of solar energy systems are storing energy when it is available and using it when there is a high demand for energy without access to solar energy. Encapsulating phase change materials (PCMs) or nano enhanced PCMs can serve as thermal batteries for storing solar energy, whereby it is important to consider the energy characteristics of various encapsulation methods. This includes taking into account …

On The Role Of Perceived Safety Concerns On Public Acceptance Behavior Of Autonomous Vehicles, Fatemeh Nazari, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite maturing road tests and limited commercial mobility services with autonomous vehicles (AVs), the existing behavioral research, surveys, and polls suggest that, to date, the public is largely reluctant or neutral to accept this emerging technology due to potential lurking failures and malfunctions in unexpected weather/road conditions and cyber-attacks. The persistence of this demand landscape for AVs could curb the promising economic, societal, and environmental benefits of prevalent autonomous mobility. Proactive policy interventions are thus much needed early on to provide impetus for AV acceptance, which should be informed by an in-depth understanding of the AV acceptance behavior of the …

Enhancing Traffic Safety And Connectivity: A Data-Driven Multi-Step-Ahead Vehicle Headway Prediction Leveraging High-Resolution Vehicular Trajectories, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, Fatemeh Nazari, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Vehicle headway, defined as the time elapsed between two successive vehicles passing a roadway point, is a key mesoscopic-scale measure in traffic flow theory with safety-critical transportation applications, such as preemptive collision avoidance warning systems as well as connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) platoon control. Hence, it is crucial to accurately predict vehicle headway over sufficiently long future horizons (i.e., multi-step-ahead prediction) to be applicable for downstream safety-critical applications. This is a challenging task due to several random factors influencing headway, including inter- and intra-driver heterogeneity, asymmetric car-following driving behavior, and vehicle heterogeneity under mixed traffic of different vehicle classes. …

Space Program: Center For Space Research - Austin, Texas #3, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Space Program: Center for Space Research - Austin, Texas #3" from July 29, 2024.

Space Program: Center For Space Research - Austin, Texas #2, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Space Program: Center for Space Research - Austin, Texas #2" from July 29, 2024.

Tension–Compression Fatigue Of A Hybrid Polymer-Matrix/Ceramic-Matrix Composite At Elevated Temperature, Marina B. Ruggles-Wrenn, Joshua Schmidt

Faculty Publications

Fully reversed tension–compression fatigue of a hybrid material comprising polymer matrix composite (PMC) co-cured with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) was investigated. The PMC portion had a polyimide matrix reinforced with 15 plies of carbon fibers woven in an eight-harness satin weave (8HSW). The CMC portion had three plies of a quartz-fiber 8HSW fabric in a zirconia-based ceramic matrix. The hybrid PMC/CMC was developed for use in aerospace thermal protection systems (TPS). Hence, the experimental setup aimed to simulate the TPS service environment—the CMC side was kept at 329 °C, whereas the PMC side was open to laboratory air. Compression …

Materials Data Science Using Cradle: A Distributed, Data-Centric Approach, Thomas G. Ciardi, Arafath Nihar, Rounak Chawla, Olatunde Akanbi, Pawan K. Tripathi, Yinghui Wu, Vipin Chaudhary, Roger H. French

Faculty Scholarship

There is a paradigm shift towards data-centric AI, where model efficacy relies on quality, unified data. The common research analytics and data lifecycle environment (CRADLE™) is an infrastructure and framework that supports a data-centric paradigm and materials data science at scale through heterogeneous data management, elastic scaling, and accessible interfaces. We demonstrate CRADLE’s capabilities through five materials science studies: phase identification in X-ray diffraction, defect segmentation in X-ray computed tomography, polymer crystallization analysis in atomic force microscopy, feature extraction from additive manufacturing, and geospatial data fusion. CRADLE catalyzes scalable, reproducible insights to transform how data is captured, stored, and analyzed.

Advances In Electrocatalytic Dehydrogenation Of Ethylamine To Acetonitrile, Yanlin Zhu, Dezhen Wu, Jinyao Tang, Dakota Braaten, Bin Liu, Zhenmeng Peng

Faculty Publications

The electrocatalytic dehydrogenation of ethylamine (EDH), owing to its high hydrogen content, holds broad prospects in electrochemical hydrogen (H2) production, H2 storage, and addressing energy issues, thus deserving wide attention. In this feature article, we first summarized the fundamentals of thermocatalytic and electrocatalytic EDH and reviewed the recent state-of-the-art advances in catalyst research, specifically platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts and non-PGM catalysts. We systematically discussed the potential applications of electrocatalytic EDH in energy storage and conversion. Finally, we provide our perspective on the key challenges and future developments in this field. We believe this feature article will offer helpful guidance …

Opening And Constructing Stable Lithium-Ion Channels Within Polymer Electrolytes, Yangmingyue Zhao, Libo Li, Da Zhou, Yue Ma, Yonghong Zhang, Hang Yang, Shubo Fan, Hao Tong, Suo Li, Wenhua Qu

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Lithium-ion batteries play an integral role in various aspects of daily life, yet there is a pressing need to enhance their safety and cycling stability. In this study, we have successfully developed a highly secure and flexible solid-state polymer electrolyte (SPE) through the in-situ polymerization of allyl acetoacetate (AAA) monomers. This SPE constructed an efficient Li+ transport channel inside and effectively improved the solid-solid interface contact of solid-state batteries to reduce interfacial impedance. Furthermore, it exhibited excellent thermal stability, an ionic conductivity of 3.82×10-4 S cm-1 at room temperature (RT), and a Li+ transport number (tLi+) of 0.66. The numerous …

Experimental Study On The Effect Of Micro Concentrations Of Hybrid Nanofluids Through Microchannel Heat Sinks, Mohamed Salaheldin Elsherbiny, Moustafa Ali, Moatsem Shahin, Mahmoud El-Kady

Renewable Mechanical Energy

The current study examines the convective heat transfer coefficient experimentally. It assesses the performance of Al2O3, CuO, ZnO, and Ag/ distilled water nanofluids up to a tetra level of hybridization utilized in microprocessor cooling systems equipped with MCHS. An equal ratio of 50%, 33.3%, and 25% for di-, tri-, and tetra-nanofluids, respectively, with a focus on micro-volume fraction 0.025% and comparing it with 0.05%. Operating conditions were as follows: heat loading from 136.4 up to 196.4 watts; and flow rate from 0.35 up to 0.5 LPM. The findings showed that all types of mono nanofluids showed an increase in Nu …

The Effect Of Tio2 On The Electrochemical Performance Of Sb2o3 Anodes For Li-Ion Batteries, Kithzia Gomez, Elizabeth M. Fletes, Jason Parsons, Mataz Alcoutlabi

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Antimony (Sb) and its composites have been recognized as potentially good anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their relatively high theoretical capacity of 660 mAh g−1 and to their low cost. However, Sb-based anodes suffer from a high-volume change during the lithiation/delithiation process that results in capacity fading and anode degradation after prolonged charge/discharge cycles. To address this issue, Sb2O3/TiO2 nanocomposite electrodes can be synthesized and used as anodes for LIBs with high capacity and good electrochemical stability. In the present work, TiO2@Sb2O3 composites with different (TiO2:Sb2O3) ratios of 0:1, 1:1, 1:4 and 3:1 were synthesized and directly …

Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis Of Cerebrospinal Fluid In Postoperative Delirium, Bridget A. Tripp, Simon T. Dillon, Min Yuan, John M. Asara, Sarinnapha M. Vasunilashorn, Tamara G. Fong, Sharon K. Inouye, Long H. Ngo, Edward R. Marcantonio, Zhongcong Xie, Towia A. Libermann, Hasan H. Otu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Preoperative risk biomarkers for delirium may aid in identifying high-risk patients and developing intervention therapies, which would minimize the health and economic burden of postoperative delirium. Previous studies have typically used single omics approaches to identify such biomarkers. Preoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the Healthier Postoperative Recovery study of adults ≥ 63 years old undergoing elective major orthopedic surgery was used in a matched pair delirium case–no delirium control design. We performed metabolomics and lipidomics, which were combined with our previously reported proteomics results on the same samples. Differential expression, clustering, classification, and systems biology analyses were applied to individual …

Exploring Small-Scale Propellers Performance At Low Advance Ratios, Ali Akber Mollick, Sara Catto, Forrest E. Ames, Clement Tang

Mechanical Engineering Student Publications

The performance of small-scale propellers was experimentally measured at low advance ratios and Reynolds numbers. The propeller diameters range from 14 to 19 inches, with all propellers having the same pitch value of 12. Using a thrust stand situated in a low-speed open-circuit wind tunnel, the propeller thrust, torque, and angular speed were measured at various freestream velocities. The results from this study offer insights on the performance of small propellers at low advance ratios and low Reynolds numbers. Propeller performance results at these conditions tend to be limited in the literatures. At the same pitch value of 12, the …

Reduction In Porosity In Gmaw-P Welds Of Cp780 Galvanized Steel With Er70s-3 Electrode Using The Taguchi Methodology, Maleni García-Gómez, Francisco Fernando Curiel-López, Jaime Taha-Tijerina, Victor Hugo Lopez-Morelos, Julio César Verduzco-Juárez, Carlos Adrián García-Ochoa

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

In this study, the theoretical welding parameters influencing porosity formation were examined with the aim of reducing or minimizing porosity levels. An experimental design was implemented using the Taguchi methodology for data analysis, resulting in an L9 orthogonal array matrix of experiments. The welding variables considered in the orthogonal array were peak current, peak time, and frequency. Nine lap welds were performed on CP780 steel using the gas metal arc welding process with pulsed arc (GMAW-P), employing an ER70S-3 electrode as filler metal. The percentage of porosity was determined as a response variable, and the actual heat input was treated …

Enhancement Of Mechanical Properties Of Pcl/Pla/Dmso2 Composites For Bone Tissue Engineering, Kyung-Eun Min, Jae-Won Jang, Cheolhee Kim, Sung Yi

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bone tissue engineering shows potential for regenerating or replacing damaged bone tissues by utilizing biomaterials renowned for their biocompatibility and structural support capabilities. Among these biomaterials, polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) have gained attention due to their biodegradability and versatile applications. However, challenges such as low degradation rates and poor mechanical properties limit their effectiveness. Dimethyl sulfone (DMSO₂) has emerged as a potential additive to address these limitations, offering benefits such as reduced viscosity, increased degradation time, and enhanced surface tension. In this study, we investigate tailored composites comprising PLA, PCL, and DMSO₂ to enhance mechanical …

Multimodal Data Integration For Oncology In The Era Of Deep Neural Networks: A Review, Asim Waqas, Aakash Tripathi, Ravi P. Ramachandran, Paul A. Stewart, Ghulam Rasool

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Cancer research encompasses data across various scales, modalities, and resolutions, from screening and diagnostic imaging to digitized histopathology slides to various types of molecular data and clinical records. The integration of these diverse data types for personalized cancer care and predictive modeling holds the promise of enhancing the accuracy and reliability of cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Traditional analytical methods, which often focus on isolated or unimodal information, fall short of capturing the complex and heterogeneous nature of cancer data. The advent of deep neural networks has spurred the development of sophisticated multimodal data fusion techniques capable of extracting and …

Ultrasonic Cigarettes: Chemicals And Cytotoxicity Are Similar To Heated-Coil Pod-Style Electronic Cigarettes., Esther E. Omaiye, Wentai Luo, Kevin J. Mcwhirter, Prue Talbot

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that ultrasonic cigarettes (u-cigarettes), which operate at relatively low temperatures, produce aerosols that are less harmful than heated-coil pod-style electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). The major chemicals in SURGE u-cigarette fluids and aerosols were quantified, their cytotoxicity and cellular effects were assessed, and a Margin of Exposure risk assessment was performed on chemicals in SURGE fluids. Four SURGE u-cigarette flavor variants ("Blueberry Ice," "Watermelon Ice," "Green Mint," and "Polar Mint") were evaluated. Flavor chemicals were quantified in fluids and aerosols using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Cytotoxicity and cell dynamics were assessed using the MTT assay, live-cell …

A Survey On Fused Filament Fabrication To Produce Functionally Gradient Materials, Arup Dey, Monsuru Ramoni, Nita Yodo

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a key extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) process for fabricating components from polymers and their composites. Functionally gradient materials (FGMs) exhibit spatially varying properties by modulating chemical compositions, microstructures, and design attributes, offering enhanced performance over homogeneous materials and conventional composites. These materials are pivotal in aerospace, automotive, and medical applications, where the optimization of weight, cost, and functional properties is critical. Conventional FGM manufacturing techniques are hindered by complexity, high costs, and limited precision. AM, particularly FFF, presents a promising alternative for FGM production, though its application is predominantly confined to research settings. This paper …

Modeling Powder Spreadability In Powder-Based Processes Using The Discrete Element Method, Austin T. Sutton, M. Hossein Sehhat, Ming C. Leu, Joseph W. Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Powder-bed fusion (PBF) processes refer to a subset of Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques where powder is spread on the build-plate before melting (by a laser or electron beam). While PBF processes are attractive due to their ability for realizing complex structures that are either difficult or impossible to create through conventional means, the parts fabricated with these techniques can exhibit defects such as pores, inclusions, and excessive surface roughness. To minimize these defects, much research has been dedicated towards process maturation by optimizing laser or electron beam parameters. However, these developmental efforts typically do not address the recoating process where …

Vertiport Ventures: Assessing Operational Feasibility For Evtol Integration In São Paulo’S Helipad And Heliport Infrastructure, Peter E. O'Reilly, Ramy A. Rahimi, Jorge Luiz Rosa Marques, Marco Aurélio Feitosa De A. L. Babadopulos1

Publications

The objective of this study is to assess the operational viability of introducing Electric Vertical Take-Of and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles in São Paulo and its metropolitan area, utilizing existing helipads and helicopter infrastructure. eVTOL aircraft, capable of vertical take-of and landing like helicopters, difer from traditional helicopters in their propulsion systems, with eVTOLs typically featuring multiple smaller electric motor-driven propulsion units instead of internal combustion engines and mechanical transmissions (Schuchardt et al. 2023). The study specifcally targets eVTOLs with the capacity to transport a minimum of four passengers and one pilot for distances of at least 50 km. Appendix provides …