Engineering Commons^™

Simulation And Characterization Of Fuel Cell System Incorporated Internet Of Things, Ahmad N. Alhjouj

Mechanical Engineering Theses

Small air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems are increasingly relevant for portable and distributed applications, yet practical modeling and monitoring methods remain limited: high-fidelity physics-based models are too costly for real-time use, while purely data-driven models discard physical interpretability. This thesis develops an experimentally grounded gray-box framework for the characterization, reduced-order modeling, and IoT-enabled monitoring of a small hydrogen PEMFC system. A low-order nonlinear state-space model couples an electrochemical voltage layer to a lumped thermal layer, with parameters identified in stages using self-adaptive differential evolution. Identifiability analysis shows that static loss parameters are well constrained, while dynamic parameters …

Non-Invasive Digital Restoration Of Damaged Photographic Film Negatives, Ankan Bhattacharyya

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Physical restoration of damaged photographic film causes more damage. Also, existing non-invasive digital restoration of film negatives does not produce print-quality optical images. Instead, they produce X-ray projections, which are not the same as optical projections. This thesis addresses these problems and establishes a framework that can digitally restore old, damaged films without the need to open them physically. Virtual Unwrapping is an existing pipeline that has proven itself over the last couple of decades to work on unopenable papyrus scrolls, like the Herculaneum Scrolls. This thesis utilizes the concept of virtual unwrapping to restore damaged photographic film negatives. Due …

Computational Study Of Rotating Detonation Combustors, Aditya Balasubramaniam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

Rotating detonation combustors (RDCs) are pressure-gain combustion devices that sustain one or more continuously rotating detonation waves, offering potential thermodynamic and performance advantages over conventional deflagration-based systems. Their behavior depends strongly on combustor geometry and operating conditions. Understanding these effects is therefore essential for the design and optimization of practical RDCs. Accordingly, this thesis numerically investigates annular RDCs with two primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the effects of propellant mass flux and (2) to assess the influence of annular width on detonation-wave dynamics and combustor performance.

A finite-volume framework is used to solve the compressible reactive Euler equations with hydrogen–air …

Scalable Quantum Network Routing Through Reinforcement Learning And Resource Optimization, Tasdiqul Islam

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

Long-distance quantum communication depends on distributing high-delity entanglement across quantum repeaters. Entangled states are fragile: they decohere in memory, are consumed when used, and lose delity after each swap. Quantum routing therefore diers from classical routing: an algorithm must decide not only the path, but when to generate, store, swap, and consume entanglement before they lose their usefulness. This dissertation studies scalable resource allocation and routing for quantum networks under delity, memory, and concurrency constraints. It rst addresses re- peater deployment with heuristics that nd near-optimal locations while cutting com- putation from days to seconds versus integer linear programming (ILP). …

Early Detection And Objective Assessment Of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Severity, Soheila Norasteh

Bioengineering Dissertations

Hypoxic–ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a neonatal brain injury caused by reduced oxygen and blood flow to the brain around the time of birth. It remains a major cause of neonatal mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment worldwide. Therapeutic hypothermia is the standard treatment for moderate-to severe HIE and improves outcomes when initiated within the first six hours of life. Therefore, accurate assessment of injury severity during this period is essential. Cur rently, HIE severity is determined primarily through neurological examination and classified as mild, moderate, or severe. However, these examinations are subjective, cannot provide continuous monitoring of brain function, and may …

Stress-Strain Behavior Of Saturated Clays From Vane Shear Test Results: A Numerical Approach, Gustavo Rodrigues De Avila Oliveira

Master’s Theses

The vane shear test (VST) is widely used to estimate the undrained shear strength of soft cohesive soils; however, it does not directly provide constitutive information such as the stress–strain response. Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), a mesh-free numerical method, offers an attractive alternative for modeling the large deformations involved in the VST and extracting additional information from the test.

This study develops and calibrates a two-dimensional SPH model to simulate the field vane shear test and investigate the stress–strain behavior of soft soils. The VST was implemented within an SPH framework, while field and laboratory data were used to define …

Feasibility Of Upcycling Spent Lithium-Ion Battery To Carbon Dioxide Capture Adsorbent, Chimezie Frank Onwudinjo

Master’s Theses

This study investigates the feasibility of repurposing spent lithium-ion battery (SLIB) to lithium orthosilicate (Li₄SiO₄), a high temperature carbon dioxide sorbent. Two synthesis pathways including conventional acid-leaching method (Scenario 1) and a pyrolysis-based route (Scenario 2) were explored. Additionally, techno-economic analysis (TEA) and lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the two processes were also performed. Different analytical characterization techniques were performed to understand the material properties of Li₄SiO₄ including surface area, crystallinity, morphology and thermal stability. CO₂ capture performance of the synthesized Li₄SiO₄ was tested in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) using …

Control System Emendation And Ai-Driven Optimization For Enhancing A Smart Residential Microgrid, Anthony Nyoyoko

Master’s Theses

This thesis began with a simple idea: to restore the control system of a smart residential microgrid to respond intelligently to electricity prices while remaining safe, reliable, and practical on low-cost hardware. At the start, the goal was to design an economically aware microgrid that could look at electricity prices from the PJM market and make better operational decisions than traditional rule-based control. The motivation was straightforward. As residential renewable energy adoption increases, microgrids are expected to do more than just supply power. They are expected to respond to price volatility, integrate renewable generation, and operate reliably using embedded controllers …

Novel Methods For Environmental Fluoride Measurement, Cable Warren

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

Fluoride analysis has been an important focus of analytical analysis for many years and will continue to be so going forward. Today, fluorinated compounds, specifically per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as “forever chemicals” have captured the moment and are the subject of vast research and regulation. Under this context, I have researched new methods of fluoride separation and concentration in complex media as well as a novel method of PFAS destruction and total organic fluorine analysis for screening of PFAS in aqueous samples. Through research and work on micro-scale detection methods, an understanding of the state of the art and …

Development Of An Active Heave Compensation System On A Cost Effective Microcontroller For A Fiber Optic Tether Management System, Frances Truong

Open Access Master's Theses

Fiber optic tether systems are used for real-time data transmission to remotely operated vehicles (ROV) due to their ease of deployment and light weight, but are prone to damage from tension loads. An active heave compensation system applied to a fiber optic tether system can address these challenges by actively managing the tether payout to reduce peak loads. Tether management systems with active heave compensation have been in use for larger systems such as work class vehicles and offshore oil rigs, but few are developed for small maritime systems. This work focuses on the development and incorporation of an active …

Gpu-Accelerated Biased Random-Key Genetic Algorithms: Framework Optimization And Llm-Driven Configuration, Fnu Harishjitu Saseendran

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis presents two complementary contributions to the field of GPU-accelerated evolutionary metaheuristics for combinatorial optimization, organized in manuscript format.

The first manuscript, “BrkgaCuda 3.0: A Redesigned Multi-GPU Framework for Biased Random-Key Genetic Algorithms,” presents a ground-up architectural redesign of BrkgaCuda 2.0 that enables a true multi-GPU island model for Biased Random-Key Genetic Algorithms (BRKGA). The BRKGA island model evolves multiple semi-independent populations that periodically exchange elite solutions, a structure that maps naturally to multi-GPU parallelism; however, BrkgaCuda 2.0 is confined to a single GPU. BrkgaCuda 3.0 introduces an IslandManager that distributes populations across any number of GPUs, with multiple …

Design Of A Communication And Control System For A Mesopelagic Vertical Profiling Robot, Julian Blanco

Open Access Master's Theses

The VAMPIRE (Visual and Acoustic Mesopelagic Profiler for Interdisciplinary Research) is a new platform capable of collecting simultaneous environmental, acoustic, and visual data in the Mesopelagic ocean. This work describes the communication and control systems of the vehicle, and presents preliminary data from initial deployments in the open ocean. A system architecture was developed to allow high level control of the vehicle with several layers of redundancy and automatic fail over systems allowing for safe operation.  A one dimensional motion model is developed and a system identification is performed to better understand the vehicle's vertical maneuverability. This model is used …

Dynamics Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes In Structured Complex Fluids, Sepehr Yari

Open Access Master's Theses

Cancer survival depends strongly on the stage at which the disease is detected, motivating the development of biosensors capable of identifying early changes in cellular state. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising intracellular biosensors because their intrinsic near-infrared fluorescence, photostability, and tunable surface chemistry and lenght enable prolonged measurements in living cells. Disease such as cancer can progress and alter intracellular physical properties, suggesting that SWCNT motion may provide a physical readout of changes in cellular state. Interpreting this motion is challenging, however, because the cytoplasm is structurally heterogeneous and contains both passive fluctuations and active transport processes. As a …

Using A Record Player Inspired Probe System To Investigate Adhesion And Friction Of Tire Rubber At Micrometer Length Scales, Kyle J. Galigher, Brendan Schmitt

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We will be using the principles behind how a record player turns physical grooves into electrical signals to develop a device that can be used to measure the surface of tires. The device will be capable of measuring the surface roughness of rubber samples from both new and worn tires, in order to compare the differences between them. It will be operable at varying speeds, and will produce electrical signals that correspond to the bumps along the surface of the rubber. The design will be carried out and optimized with the use of SolidWorks modeling, finite element analysis, motion analysis, …

Hvac Design And Calculations, Sarah Walters, Sarah Beyea

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project studies Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems for a car dealership located in Seguin, Texas. The building construction and architectural drawings were provided by EPIC Engineering Group. Comprehensive load calculations were done on the building in order to calculate necessary airflows throughout the building. Three possible HVAC design solutions were compared: Rooftop Units (RTUs), rooftop units paired with Variable Air Volume (VAV) Terminals with electric reheat, and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) paired with a Dedicated Outdoor Air Unit (DOAS). Energy modeling was completed to compare the utility costs and energy consumption of each system. A comprehensive weighted …

Made On Mars: Design And Manufacturing Of Structural Polymer-Regolith Composites, Pailey M. Vitale

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Human exploration of Mars is constrained by harsh environmental conditions and the prohibitive cost of transporting materials from Earth. Long-term sustainability requires the local production of mechanical and structural components using resources available on Mars, thereby minimizing payload mass. This project investigates polymer–regolith composites derived from atmospheric CO₂ and mineral-rich regolith as a pathway toward in-situ manufacturing. These composites, when compatible with additive manufacturing, could replace imported plastics, enable on-demand fabrication, and support closed-loop recycling systems. The objective is to design and evaluate polymer–regolith composites that maintain mechanical integrity and environmental resistance under Martian conditions, including extreme temperature swings, radiation …

Active Altitude Control For High Powered Rockets, Henry Allen, Jason Secora, Charles Williams, Donavon Sanchez, Caleb Nedoma

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) is the premier collegiate high power rocketry competition in the world hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA). The Akronauts Rocket Design team has been competing in IREC since 2015 and have won several awards. The main goal of IREC is to launch a rocket to a specified altitude of 10k, 30k, or 45k ft while carrying a payload and successfully recover with little to no damage.

The control of a typical high-powered rocket is purely passive; the center of pressure of the rocket must be behind the center of gravity with respect …

Energy Efficient Windows Using Pvme, James S. Bronstrup

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This Honors Project aims to improve window energy efficiency using the thermoplastic polymer PVME (polyvinyl methyl ether), which displays temperature-dependent transparency that can be adjusted by mixing it with water and salt to reduce heat transfer through a window. The objective is to determine the optimal PVME water-salt ratios for placement inside a windowpane, evaluate energy savings compared to a traditional argon-filled window, and compare estimated costs. A small-scale model will test different concentrations for various climates, with heat transfer measured by temperature indicators via a LabQuest. Building on research by Yang Zhou at Nanyang Technological University, who used a …

Microscopic Insights On Shear Rheology Of Polyampholyte Ionomers Via Molecular Simulations, Kyle Vonscio

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Ionomers are polymers that contain a small fraction of charged groups. The ionic attraction of charged groups allows ionomers to act similarly to crosslinked polymers. Depending on the strength of electrostatic interactions and structure of the ionomers, different dynamics and rheological responses can be observed. With moderate attraction between ions, these noncovalent crosslinks can be broken when heated, allowing ionomers to flow and show the strength of a crosslinked network at low temperatures. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations will be performed under shear in the xy-plane and the macroscopic rheology and conformation of the polyampholyte ionomer will be determined. The …

A 1d Symmetric Interior Penalty Discontinuous Galerkin Solver In Rust, William Aey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This honors project will build a 1D Symmetric Interior Discontinuous Galerkin (SIPDG) solver in Rust for Stum-Liouville type problems such as the Poisson equation, with Robin, Dirichlet, and Neumann boundary conditions. The work will cover the full pipeline: starting from the strong form of the PDE, deriving the DG weak form, implementing element and interface operators, and assembling or apply the discrete operator. Rust's safety and concurrency (e.g, via Rayon) will be used to explore serial and parallel performance. A test-driven development approach will be used to maintain a strong suite of tests. The project will result in a documented …

Determining Critical Micelle Concentrations Of Standard Surfactants And Rhamnolipids, Kathryn E. Kunz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My proposed project will study the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of rhamnolipids using the pendant-drop and drop-weight methods. First, the critical micelle concentrations of ionic and nonionic common surfactants will be tested. Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) will be used as an ionic surfactant and Tween 20 will be used as a nonionic surfactant. The critical micelle concentrations will be determined using the pendant-drop and drop-weight methods. The experimental results from the standard surfactants compared to their accepted values will be tested to assist with determining a more suitable approach. Completing the tests will provide a better understanding of critical micelle …

Ai-Based Porosity Detection In Babbitt Bore Turning, Kaylee Leggett, Hannah Adams Gemmell, Kaisa Shingleton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, an external company reached out to the University of Akron requesting assistance with defect detection during their vertical turning operations. As babbitt is removed in a vertical turning process, it occasionally reveals defects, mainly porosity, which can lead to costly downstream failures of the part. Current inspection techniques involve use of dye penetrant, which is time consuming, labor intensive, unergonomic, and a source of human error. The goal of the project is to create an alternative inspection method using an AI-based machine-learning model. After the turning operation, a camera is deployed to perform an in-place inspection, taking …

Design New Stage For Vacuum Pin On Disk, Miranda Boyd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my senior design project, I am redesigning the moving stage for the vacuum pin-on-disk test used in the Akron Engineering Tribology Lab. This system is used to evaluate bearings and lubricants for aerospace applications under controlled vacuum conditions. The current stage design limits flexibility when adjusting for different testing parameters, so my goal is to develop a new movable stage that allows for varying weights and loads to be applied accurately and safely. The redesigned stage will improve test efficiency, adaptability, and precision, ensuring the system can accommodate a wider range of experimental conditions and materials while maintaining compatibility …

Printer For Music Box, Chad Lewis, Caleb Murawski, Zion Smith, Bryan Tibbs

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The traditional method of creating music box sheet music involves manually punching holes into a paper strip using a hand-operated hole punch. This process involves precise knowledge of each note’s location and the ability to achieve perfect accuracy for hours.

The goal of this system is to automate this process, significantly reducing the time required while greatly improving the accuracy of the resulting music box playback. The user simply uploads a MIDI file of their choice into a user-friendly application. Here, the file is modified based on the user’s needs and sent to an automated hole-punching system to punch the …

Crashheart, Ellie Riekert, Kennady Skidmore, Madison Furino

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project aims to develop an XR (extended reality) iPad training system to improve pediatric crash cart preparedness among nurses and clinical staff at Akron Children’s Hospital. In emergencies such as respiratory failure or shock, quick and accurate access to crash cart supplies is vital, yet opportunities for hands-on practice are limited. Current nurse training relies on PowerPoint instruction or costly physical simulations, reducing engagement and skill retention. Our interactive XR solution replicates the crash cart’s layout and contents, allowing users to practice identifying and retrieving critical items in a realistic environment without using physical supplies. The system will be …

Seat Belt Data Collection Methods: A Comparison Between States And National Guidelines, Madison R A Richards

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Thousands of fatalities related to vehicle crashes occur every year. One method to reduce fatalities is to encourage seat belt use compliance. To promote statistics regarding seat belt use, there first must be reliable data on seat belt compliance and this comes from good survey design.

This report is a comparative analysis of seat belt data collection methodologies for Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana, in addition to an evaluation of how each state aligns with standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The framework for this analysis focuses on NHTSA’s five core survey design requirements: selection of observation …

Security Onion Ids Case Study: Detecting And Investigating Threat Traffic Using Suricata, Zeek, And Pcap Evidence, Daryna Myroniuk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A key component of cybersecurity is network intrusion detection, which is used to examine network traffic for any malicious activity. Many organizations deploy intrusion detection systems (IDS) but still face challenges such as validating detections, investigating alerts in a timely manner, and producing clear and repeatable evidence of what has occurred, especially when live traffic capture may be limited to risks, permissions, or privacy concerns. The goal of this project was to use Security Onion, which includes Suricata and Zeek to create and demonstrate a controllable and manageable evidence-based IDS investigation workflow. This project is focused on deploying and validating …

Analyzing Network Traffic And Data Exfiltration Via Smb In Post-Vm Escape Scenarios, Noah M. Disanza

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Virtual machines (VMs) play a crucial role in modern IT infrastructure environments by providing isolation and enhanced security, among other things, for both personal and corporate systems. VMs are heavily rely upon to safely test malware, manage infrastructure, and reduce risk to host systems. This reliance is so substantial that the idea of reducing risk to the host system is believed to be erasing risk entirely. However, this mindset has shown to be challenged time and time again by the emergence of exploits known as virtual machine escapes. These exploits allow malicious actors to break out of the virtualized environment …

Lumacurve Control System Update, Jacob Kustra, Caleb Wengerd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The existing track heater control system used by Lumacurve has become outdated and requires frequent maintenance due to inconsistent operation and component failures. This project aims to modernize the system through the implementation of a programmable logic controller (PLC), infrared non-contact temperature sensing, and an automated pneumatic ejection mechanism.

The redesigned system improves temperature monitoring accuracy and reduces operator intervention by automatically ejecting heated plastic tracks from the heater once the desired temperature is reached. An emergency ejection subsystem is also incorporated to safely clear tracks from the heater in the event of improper operation or system faults. Additional emphasis …

Rapid Skin Stapler, Emma J. Patterson, Allison M. Milligan, Morgan E. Dunlap

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Severe burn injuries frequently require split-thickness skin grafts, with metal surgical staples serving as the current standard for fixation. While staples provide rapid and secure placement of graft material, they also introduce significant challenges. Removal is painful, time-consuming, and often requires sedation in pediatric patients, leading to added risk, resource strain, and poor patient experience. These drawbacks highlight the need for improved fixation methods that maintain graft stability while reducing procedural burden. This project applies the engineering design process to address these challenges through identification of user needs, translation into design inputs, risk assessment, and development of a prototype aimed …