Engineering Commons^™

The Creation, Validation, And Implementation Of The Engineering Process Safety Research Instrument, Brittany Lynn Butler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument that can measure how senior chemical engineering students make process safety decisions. The Engineering Process Safety Research Instrument (EPSRI) contains dilemmas that represent process safety scenarios, followed by three decision options, and 12-15 considerations that fall into pre-conventional, conventional, or post-conventional forms of reasoning. Three studies were completed as a part of this research. The content validation study ensured the dilemmas represented process safety scenarios, the considerations matched their perceived theoretical definitions, and that no content areas were omitted. This study resulted in validation of the content, following …

A Biofuel Supply Chain Equilibrium Analysis With Subsidy Consideration, Amirsaman Hamzeh Bajgiran

Theses and Dissertations

Growing environmental concerns in the last few decades along with the energy security issues have led governments to take actions to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and enhance renewable energy usage, including biofuels. Enforcement of federal or state mandates and regulations that obligate a certain amount of biofuel production are one of the main levers that governments use to achieve their goals. In the U.S. as an example, Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires the production of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022, 21 billion gallons of which should be advanced biofuels derived from biostocks other than corn starch. …

A Microscopic Simulation Laboratory For Evaluation Of Off-Street Parking Systems, Yun Yuan

Theses and Dissertations

The parking industry produces an enormous amount of data every day that, properly analyzed, will change the way the industry operates. The collected data form patterns that, in most cases, would allow parking operators and property owners to better understand how to maximize revenue and decrease operating expenses and support the decisions such as how to set specific parking policies (e.g. electrical charging only parking space) to achieve the sustainable and eco-friendly parking.

However, there lacks an intelligent tool to assess the layout design and operational performance of parking lots to reduce the externalities and increase the revenue. To address …

Equivalent Circuit Model Generation For Batteries Using Non-Ideal Test Data, Logan Crain

Theses and Dissertations

Modeling is a key component in the development of battery products. While there are multiple levels of complexity which may be achieved in model development, equivalent circuit modeling is able to quickly produce reliable and accurate predictions for battery behavior. While the use of equivalent circuit models has been described in great detail for lithium ion batteries, it is also desirable to use this methodology regardless of chemistry, specifically with respect to lead-acid technology. When developing battery models for predicting battery behavior in a vehicle, the testing methods meant to mimic vehicle applications often cause non-ideal data for model generation. …

Evaluation And Influence Of Recycled Concrete Aggregate Base Layers On Hma Pavement Performance, Jessie Daniel Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the influence of the RCA base layers on the HMA pavement performance as compared with CA base layers using laboratory tests on collected base layer materials and field tests on corresponding pavement sections. Field and laboratory testing programs were conducted to investigate RCA and CA base layer materials in which identified test sections at the selected pavement sites were subjected to testing using FWD, walking profiler, and DCP. Visual distress surveys were also conducted at the selected pavement sections. RCA and CA base layer samples were collected from these pavement sites and were subjected to a laboratory …

Applications Of Dynamic Mode Decomposition And Sparse Reconstruction In The Data-Driven Dynamic Analysis Of Physical Systems, Mojtaba F. Fathi

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in data collection methods and equipment have resulted in a huge increase in the amount of data collected by observing various types of physical phenomena. Regardless of the amount of data collected, it is well known for many physical systems, the so-called information rank of the collected data is much lower than the rank of the data itself. This usually means the data may be represented sparsely in terms of a properly-chosen basis. This realization has led to methods for storing large amounts of data through compression by sacrificing negligible data quality. More importantly, with the advent of …

Fabrication Of Silver-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Through Optimized Sol-Gel Deposition And Nanoparticle Wetting Process, Reed T. Heintzkill

Theses and Dissertations

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) has been of significant interest as a Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) given its sizable direct band-gap, and as a potential substitute for Indium-Tin Oxide for use in opto-electronic and piezo-electric devices, due to its comparatively abundant and nontoxic precursor materials. Sol-gel processing is an easy, low-energy method for fabricating ZnO thin films, and there has been increasing interest in doping the compound such to give it p-type semiconductive character.

This thesis thoroughly investigates sol-gel processing of ZnO thin solid films, with focus on wet-chemistry (sol-gel) methods of doping the material with silver (both as elemental ions and …

Synthesis And Performance Analysis Of Polyethersulfone (Pes) Nanocomposite Membrane Grafted With Functionalized Iron (Ii, Iii) Oxide Nanoparticles For Arsenate Removal, Jiyoung Rowley

Theses and Dissertations

Arsenic (As) is one of the detrimental elements in nature, which has negative effect on human health as well as the environment. High levels of arsenic concentration in the drinking water can cause skin, bladder, lung liver, and prostate, as well as cardiovascular, pulmonary, immunological, neurological and endocrine diseases. Arsenic pollution in the water has been reported in many countries as a worldwide problem, including the United States.

To develop a separation method for removing Arsenic, various treatment technologies including precipitation, coagulation with ferric chloride or aluminum sulfate coagulants, ion exchange and adsorption with modified nanocomposite material have been extensively …

Projekti Ideor "Rrugë Në Fshatin Damjan- Gjakovë", Andi Qarkaxhija

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim synon të japë një pamje të përgjithshme të projektit ideor për ndërtimin e një rruge, duke treguar karakteristikat e ndryshme dhe hapat për të filluar ndërtimin e një rruge. Projektimi i rrugëve është një proces i ndërlikuar professional si dhe kërkimor i cili ka për qëllim zgjidhjet optimale, ku në kë këtë projekt ideor janë paraqitur të dhënat thelbësore për ndërtimin e një rruge siç janë: matjet gjeodezike në terren, pjesën tekstuale, pjesën grafike, paramasen dhe parallogarinë, raportin teknik etj.

Rruga e projektuar ndodhet në Komunën e Gjakovës, fshati Damjan dhe ka 727,14m gjatësi. Projekti është bërë duke …

Roli Dhe Rëndȅsia E Mbrojtsjes Në Punë Në Sektorin E Ndȅrtimtarisë, Rinor Hajrizi

Theses and Dissertations

Sektori i ndërtimit paraqet një nga sektorët më të rëndësishem të zhvillimit gjatë të gjitha periudhave të zhvillimit njerëzor. Sot, në këtë sektor janë bërë shumë transformime falë avancimit tekniko-teknologjik dhe kërkimeve shkencore me qëllim të përsosjes së veglave, pajisjeve dhe makinerisë për kryerjen e punëve ndërtimore në mënyrë sa më të sigurtë dhe me shkallë të lartë të efikasitetit dhe produktivitetit. Avancimi tekniko-tekonologjik në sektorin e ndërtimit po lehtëson realizimin e veprave inxhinierike me shkallë më të lartë të sigurisë dhe mbrojtjes në punë. Por, pavarsisht të arriturave inxhinierike në lëmin e ndërtimit, prap se prap ky sektor, si …

Organizimi I Ndërtimit Të Objektit Shumebanesor, Sokol Mehmeti

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim do të trajtojë çështjen e organizimit të ndërtimit të një objekti shumëbanesor. Do të trajtohen tema dhe fusha si përshkrimi teknik, organizimi i punishtës me disa faza dhe pjesë përbërëse si punët përgaditore, rrugët e përkohshme, rrethoja, instalimet e përkohshme, zyret e përkohshme, mënyra e vendosjes, ushqimi dhe sigurimi shëndetësor i punëtoreve si dhe depot. E gjithë kjo do të paraqitet edhe me skemë lidhur me rregullimin e punishtës. Pas këtij përshkrimi, në punim do të përshkruhën edhe mënyrat e kryerjes së punëve kryesore ndërtimore, duke përfshirë punët tokësore, punën beton-armesë, si dhe proceset e tjera përcjellëse. Zgjedhja …

Discrete Event Simulation And Cost Model For Optimization Of Manufacturing Resource Usages Associated With Implementation Of A Redesigned Product, Alexander Eierle

Theses and Dissertations

This paper demonstrates an approach to evaluating production factors related to schedule and resources based on changes to the production process. A discrete event simulation model was developed to evaluate different production factors, such as arrival times, number of entities, resource availabilities, and work in process (WIP) times, compared to the total yield at a production facility. This model helped to develop relationships between the required asset resource usages and the overall production resource allocation with the related effects to process wait times and production outputs. A comparative analysis with cost was performed to determine the effect that varied resources …

Transient Analysis Of A Coolant-To-Refrigerant Heat Exchanger To Provide Temporary High Performance In An Automotive Vehicle, Abhinav Ravi

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to provide a numerical and experimental design tool to understand the heat transfer analysis of a coolant reservoir being chilled at a sub-ambient temperature with a goal of eventually providing a transient burst in performance. A high performance vehicle usually has a liquid charge air cooler that cools air before entering the engine. This liquid charge air cooler cools the air by using a specific coolant coming from the low temperature radiator. This study involves a coolant reservoir independent of the low-temperature radiator to provide coolant at a sub-ambient temperature to the liquid charge …

Improvement Of Speech Perception For Hearing-Impaired Listeners, Fang Du

Theses and Dissertations

Hearing impairment is becoming a prevalent health problem affecting 5% of world adult populations. Hearing aids and cochlear implant already play an essential role in helping patients over decades, but there are still several open problems that prevent them from providing the maximum benefits. Financial and discomfort reasons lead to only one of four patients choose to use hearing aids; Cochlear implant users always have trouble in understanding speech in a noisy environment.

In this dissertation, we addressed the hearing aids limitations by proposing a new hearing aid signal processing system named Open-source Self-fitting Hearing Aids System (OS SF hearing …

Graphene-Based Materials Coated On Zeolite For The Removal Of Persistent Organic Pollutants From Water, Yan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Adsorption is a fast, low-cost and the most commonly implemented water treatment technology for the removal of multiple contaminations from ground water, drinking water or wastewater. Difficulties in removing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to improve quality and safety of treated water sources require the exploration of novel and multifunctional materials. Graphene-based materials having unique structures, high specific surface areas and tailorable functional groups are promising candidates as adsorbents.

The main goal of this work is to fabricate a novel adsorbent made of GO/rGO attached on natural zeolite substrates for the removal of variably charged organic model compounds and POPs in …

Radiative Heat Transfer Analysis Of Railroad Bearings For Wayside Thermal Detector Optimization, James Alexandro Aranda

Theses and Dissertations

Wayside hot-box detectors (HBDs) are devices that are currently used to evaluate the health of railcar components including bearings, axles, and brakes by monitoring their temperatures. While HBDs have been instrumental in reducing some train derailments in the past few decades, the number of non-verified bearing removals has increased significantly. In general, HBDs tend to underestimate bearing temperatures in both field service and in laboratory testing, which is not surprising considering the simple two-point calibration method that is used to calibrate these devices. Because of this, different calibrations were compared and analyzed including two-point, three-point, and multi-point calibrations. Analysis of …

Synthesis And Design Of Metals Sulfide/Carbon Composite-Fibers Anodes For Lithium Ion Batteries, Jorge Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, Forcespinning is used to produce Titanium sulfide (TiS2)/carbon composite fibers for use as lithium-ion battery anodes. The high surface area to volume ratio of the composite fibers can have a high impact on the ionic and electronic conductivity of the active materials leading to improved electrochemical performance of the battery. TiS2 nanoparticles were chosen as the active materials to produce Metal-Li-alloys/C composite fibers due to their high theoretical capacity and low volume change during charge/discharge cycles. The use of a 2-D layered structure of TiS2 nanoparticles in the carbon fiber matrix can greatly accommodate more Li-ions between …

Boron Nitride Thin-Film Deposited By Rf Magnetron Sputtering, Jesus A. Valladares Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Cubic Boron Nitride is considered a superhard material, its thermochemical stability makes it suitable for applications with corrosive environments and high temperatures. C-BN is grown by PDV on Si substrates. The plasma is energized via an RF source to sputter the target. The ion species in the plasma can be described by the classic electrodynamic expression . Plasma temperature is given by T = (6.2836*E/8*k). The sputter is given by the ratio of the heat transfer to the enthalpy of formation , of the target. The Hall Measurement is performed as recommended by NIST. The measurement was performed on a …

Improving Thermal-Hydraulic Performance Of Flat-Tube Louver-Fin Heat Exchangers By Eliminating Louver Gap Condensate Bridges, Alan L. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The air side performance of heat exchangers is a well studied subject. Flat-tube louver-fin heat exchangers experience a decrease in performance when operating in dehumidifying conditions. As water vapor is pulled from the air, water condensate may create blockages between louvers. Flat-tube louver-fin heat exchanger may experience a drop in thermal-hydraulic performance by up to 50% due to blockages. The aim of this study is to make macro scale geometric changes to louver dimensions and eliminate louver condensate bridges. By eliminating louver condensate blockages, the heat exchanger should see an overall gain in thermal performance when compared to current fin …

Aligning Anatomical Knee Model With Kinematic Experimental Data To Investigate Squat Exercise, Jose Mario Salinas

Theses and Dissertations

A two-dimensional inverse dynamics anatomical model of the human knee was developed by aligning anatomical structures of the knee (taken from x-rays) with kinematic experimental data (collected from motion capture cameras). The mathematical model was used to study the forces related to the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints during the squat and knee extension exercises. Forces calculated by the model included: tibiofemoral contact force, patellofemoral contact force, forces generated by cruciate ligaments, quadriceps force, and patellar tendon force. Bone alignment consisted of superimposing the geometric center of the lateral femoral condyle (from x-rays) with the relative instantaneous center of rotation of …

Novel Engineered Porous Materials For The Removal Of Lead From Water, Mohsen Hajipour Hajipour Manjili

Theses and Dissertations

The estimated average blood lead level for the population younger than 5 years in the United States is approximately 100 times higher than ancient background levels, indicating that substantial sources of lead exposure exist in the environment. This research is focused on the removal of lead from water with a functionalized zeolite. Functionalization improves adsorption behavior to achieve adsorbent materials with high capacity and stability with potential multiple re-uses.

The lead sorption from water onto an Australian zeolitic mineral (clinoptilolite) unmodified and modified with sulfide-based reagents is investigated with batch and fixed bed column experiments. The effect of solution pH, …

Heuristic Algorithm To Minimize Total Weighted Tardiness On The Unrelated Parallel Machine With Sequence Dependent Setup And Future Ready Time, Tzu Yi Li

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a heuristic algorithm to minimize total weighted tardiness on unrelated parallel machines with sequence-dependent setup time and future ready time. We propose a new rule based on Apparent Tardiness Cost (ATC). The performance of the rule is evaluated on unrelated parallel machines. In order to solve a problem, we use a look-ahead method and a job-swap method. When a machine becomes idle, the heuristic compares the jobs on the machine and selects the one with the smallest total tardiness value to carry out a process.

The propose heuristic is divided into three stages: The first stage employs …

In Silico Analysis Of Advanced Processing Methods For Light-Weight Alloys Powders, Marjan Nezafati

Theses and Dissertations

Light-weight Al and Mg-based metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) are lauded as one of the most promising structural materials for vehicle, military, and construction applications. These MMNCs are often synthesized using the powder metallurgy (PM) process under liquid nitrogen cryogenic environments to control the grain sizes. It is believed that proper incorporation of the nitrogen species into the bulk lattice during processing could strongly enhance the mechanical properties of MMNCs by forming N-rich dispersoids. In this work, using the density-functional theory (DFT), the adsorption, absorption and diffusion behavior of nitrogen molecule/atoms have been studied and related to t Al and Mg MMNC …

A Novel Numerical Method To Analyze Laminar Flow In Serrated Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Designs, Nabila Rubaiya

Theses and Dissertations

In the present research work, a simple numerical method has been explored to calculate the performance of serrated plate-fins. The numerical data of heat transfer and pressure drop performances have been compared with the available literature [6, 21], by means of calculating Chilton-Colburn j Factor and Fanning Friction Factor f, respectively. The numerical findings show good agreement with the experimental results from literature. Hence, the numerical analysis procedure proposed in this paper can be used to predict the performance of new designs of plate fins including different types of notched serrated fins. A detailed calculation and analysis of results have …

Manufacturing Energy Consumption And Assessment For Us Small And Medium Sized Manufacturers, Yadan Zeng

Theses and Dissertations

U.S. Manufacturing sector consumes remarkable amount of energy while the energy efficiency is quite low. Energy consumption of CNC machines is significant and various empirical models have been developed to model the Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) of CNC machines. However, most of the models are developed for specific machines, hence have limited applications in manufacturing industry. In this research, a general empirical SEC model for milling machine at certain power level is developed based on actual cutting experimental data. In this model, stand-by power and spindle power are used in the SEC model for the first time. The Material Removal …

A Systematic Approach To High Blood Pressure Risk Analysis And Healthcare Cost Reduction In Young Adults [Metodología Sistemática Para El Análisis De Riesgo Y Reducción De Costos De Servicios Médicos De Hipertensión En Adultos Jóvenes], Francisco Rafael Torres Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to utilize publicly available data to estimate the current rate of occurrence of undiagnosed High Blood Pressure (HBP) in young adults (18 to 24 years old) and the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses associated with complications of HBP, to provide feasible alternatives to mitigate the effects on a region's economy. This has been done by building a Risk Factor Simulation Model that utilizes known HBP risk factors’ correlation to HBP, insurance coverage data, and rate of diagnosis to formulate the average Risk Factor Value for a region, which through an Annual Expected Cost Function estimates the …

Coordination And Control For A Team Of Mobile Robots In An Unknown Dynamic Environment, Sucheta Roy

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a dual-level control structure for controlling a mobile robot or a group of robots to navigate through a dynamic environment (such as an object is moving in the workspace of a robot). The higher-level controller operates in cooperation with robot’s state estimation and mapping algorithm, Extended Kalman Filter – Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (EKFSLAM), and the lower-level controller (PID) controls the motion of the robot when it, encounters an obstacle, i.e., it reorients the robot to a predefined rebound angle and move it straight to maneuver around the obstacle until the robot is out of the obstacle …

Probabilistic Reliability Analysis Of The Water-Energy Nexus Using Monte Carlo Simulation, Yunfan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, with the development of science and technologies, our modern society is more and more dependent on the reliable performance of the critical infrastructures. Both water systems and power systems are national critical infrastructure supporting our daily life and the development of economic growth. These two types of systems are highly interconnected and complex networks, which consist of various system elements. Similarly, the core function of water and power system is to deliver satisfactory quality water and power to consumers, and at the same time it should satisfy all the demands at all load points. The reliable performance of these …

Improving Detection Of Dim Targets: Optimization Of A Moment-Based Detection Algorithm, Shannon R. Young

Theses and Dissertations

Wide area motion imagery (WAMI) sensor technology is advancing rapidly. Increases in frame rates and detector array sizes have led to a dramatic increase in the volume of data that can be acquired. Without a corresponding increase in analytical manpower, much of these data remain underutilized. This creates a need for fast, automated, and robust methods for detecting dim, moving signals of interest. Current approaches fall into two categories: detect-before-track (DBT) and track-before-detect (TBD) methods. The DBT methods use thresholding to reduce the quantity of data to be processed, making real time implementation practical but at the cost of the …

Carbon Nanotube Fibers: Mechanical Behavior And The Effects Of The Space Environment, Ryan A. Kemnitz

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotube materials are promising multifunctional materials for incorporation into aerospace structures because of their high tensile strength, high electrical conductivity, and low density. This research aimed to characterize the mechanical failure mechanisms of carbon nanotube fibers and examine the effects of the space environment on their material properties. Tensile tests were conducted at varying strain rates and on fibers of varying gage lengths to examine the underlying molecular failure mechanisms and impact of defects on fiber strength. Tensile strength and elastic modulus were observed to increase with increasing strain rate and decrease with increasing gage lengths. The observed effects …