Engineering Commons^™

Aerodynamic Noise Reduction Of Wind Turbine Blades, Steven Davenport

Honors Theses

This project is presented to meet Western Michigan University’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Senior Design requirements. With wind turbines becoming increasingly popular as a form of energy generation, the need to reduce the aerodynamic noise is needed. Most commercial wind farms use turbines with a NACA 0012 airfoil. Thus, that is the only profile shape considered in this research. Seven modifications were made to a NACA 0012 airfoil to reduce aerodynamic noise. The airfoils were designed in SolidWorks and 3D printed at the WMU College of Aviation. The airfoils were simulated in Ansys Fluent and experimentally tested in …

Graph Neural Networks Powered Scientific Paper Recommendation, Junhao Shen

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Scientific paper recommendation systems aim to help researchers discover relevant papers amidst the vast and ever-growing body of literature. With the exponential yearly increase in scientific publications, the demand for effective paper recommendation solutions has become both critical and increasingly challenging. In recent years, deep learning techniques have revolutionized recommender systems, and scientific paper recommendations have naturally integrated these advancements. In this dissertation, we address these challenges through three progressive contributions.

First, we enhance traditional content-based methods using Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) by introducing a Graph Convolutional Network-strengthened Topic Modeling (GCN-TM) approach. This method improves upon conventional topic modeling techniques …

Solar Module Material And Support Testing, Darbi Dorr

Honors Theses

Sunseeker Solar Car Project manufactures and uses solar modules with a specific material composition to power their car. The current composition consists of many expired materials that are also too expensive to repurchase. In order to find new materials, they need to meet the material requirements while also being affordable for the team. A material analysis was done, and new materials were chosen based on specific properties like transmissibility, UV wavelength range, volume resistivity, adhesion strength, and the thickness. Power losses were then measured using an IV tracer at a set irradiance. This was done before and after encapsulating solar …

Deployable Assembly Structure And Harnessing For A Langmuir Probe (Dash-Lp), Sean Cowell

Honors Theses

The nanosatellite being designed by the Western Aerospace Launch Initiative (WALI) will demonstrate the technology of single-polarity electrospray thrusters. Essential to the mission is the collection of information from the ionospheric plasma surrounding the CubeSat in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Due to the plasma sheath generated by the spacecraft, a 1.75 m boom is required to extend the Langmuir probe (LP) outside of the region of disturbed plasma. This project, Deployable Assembly Structure and Harnessing for a Langmuir Probe (DASH-LP), developed components that accompany the boom deployment system. In particular, a cable stowage system to store the RG403 shielded triaxial …

Processing Cost Analysis For Great South Metals, Evan Briggs, Madisen Laskos, Jared Perrin

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Great south Metals (GSM), a steel processing company based in Acworth, GA, has partnered with the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Industrial and System Engineering (ISYE) department to optimize its costing model. Currently, GSM uses a flat pricing structure for GSM-owned materials and estimates costs for toll processing. However, this approach has led to inaccuracies in pricing and challenges in tracking profitability. GSM seeks to transition to a more systematic and data-driven costing model that will improve both internal and external quoting while ensuring competitiveness in the market.

To address these challenges, the project focused on developing separate costing matrices for …

Inventory Tracking System, Anthony B., Ankita Hattangady

Senior Design Project For Engineers

The project will target the three big issues that the Kennesaw State University Textile Department is currently facing. The first is real-time tracking of inventory. We want to create a system that tracks how much inventory is always available to be used, and how much depletes each time a student/ faculty member uses a product. As restocking finished items is a long process, low stock alerts may help combat wait times. This system tracks when an item is running low and is able to send out low stock alerts in order to avoid shortages and make repurchases easier. The second …

Increasing Drift Capacity Of Non-Ductile Concrete Shear Walls Through Confinement With Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Application, Andrew Duong, Sophia Maglabe, Sheyna Rongong

Architectural Engineering: Graduate Reports

The seismic response and laboratory testing of pre-1980s reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls commonly exhibit undesirable concrete crushing and rebar buckling in the wall end-zones leading to a flexural compressive failure. The lack of ductility of these walls is attributed to low reinforcement ratios and absence of special boundary elements (SBE) as required by modern design code. Thus, the authors are proposing a fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) retrofit method to provide confinement to the end-zones of pre-1980s walls equivalent to that of an SBE. Current industry applications of FRP have largely been for shear strengthening of RC beams, columns, and …

Measuring Gait Of Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients Pre-Op And Post-Op Using A Smartphone, Celeste A. Thai

Master's Theses

Motion capture technology is a tool often used in orthopedic applications, including measuring gait dysfunctions. However, gait analysis research focused on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients is limited, especially using motion capture systems. This may be due to a multitude of factors, such as inaccessibility to gait labs to the general public, difficulty of travel post-surgery, and overall costs of care and maintenance of motion lab equipment. New emerging novel methods use wearable devices such as smartphones and inertial measurement devices (IMUs) to perform gait assessment and are becoming favorable due to their increasingly ubiquitous nature. One such method using …

Design And Testing Of A Prototype Prosthesis For Pediatric Upper-Limb Transradial Amputees To Provide Adjustable Size And Modular Characteristics, Paul Heli

Master's Theses

This study was conducted to develop a financially accessible body-powered upper-limb prosthetic socket that can be adjusted to maintain fit and function for a growing child with a transradial amputation. The main objectives of the study were to design, manufacture, and test a device that was comfortable, functional, affordable, and adjustable. The socket was designed to be comfortable using global variables controlling the computer-aided design (CAD) model size with user-specific measurements. Comfort was also incorporated using shape-forming of the socket for specific residual limb features. The device was designed to perform the two main functions of suspension, or attachment to …

Assessing The Effect Of Material Properties On Full Depth Reclamation (Fdr) Mixtures Via Compressive Strength Characterization, Toluwanimi Ogundipe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enormous amounts of money to replace all poorly maintained roads with brand new construction or with rehabilitation options like the mill and overlay which neglects the address of underlying pavement issues. To reduce the cost intensity of new construction of dilapidated pavements, state departments of transportation are seeking cost-effective techniques to rehabilitate roads. One of the techniques that have been explored and implemented by state DOTs is full-depth reclamation. Full depth reclamation (FDR) as a pavement rehabilitation technique is the reclaiming and recycling of an existing pavement with a predetermined amount of existing base layer. The combination of the reclaimed …

Controlling Expansion Behavior Through Curing And Mix Design For An Expansive, Rapid-Setting Bcsa Cement, Amanda Parolini Dutra

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cracking in concrete has been a concern for engineers because it reduces its durability and strength. Some of this cracking behavior is due to shrinkage, which occurs when the water in the concrete evaporates and causes a reduction in volume. Expansive cements were invented to counteract this shrinkage behavior. This research studies a new formulation of a standalone, fast-setting, fast-strength gain expansive BCSA cement. Since it is a new cement, a limited amount of literature is available about mixture design, strength properties, and how to obtain the desired level of expansion. This study then aims to fill some of these …

Determination Of The Internal Erosion Potential Of Bcsa Soil-Cement Using A Modified Hole Erosion Test System, Edgar Enrique Ortega De La Cruz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Levees play a fundamental role in preserving human lives and resources and are the key infrastructure protecting against flood events. In the United States, the levee system is extensive, but unfortunately many of the levees were either not engineered or have well exceeded their intended design life. This was evident after the Midwest floods of 2019, which resulted in the failure of multiple levees leading to costly losses and repairs. In addition, flood levels remained high for days at a time, making it imperative to find fast and effective repair methods. This thesis presents a study conducted at the University …

Advanced Numerical Techniques For Multiscale Simulations In Biofluid Dynamics, Justin Tamico Jack

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of anisometric particle suspensions and congenital heart defects (CHDs) involve exploring complex phenomena within the biological sciences. The former subject dives into the phase behavior of liquid crystals (LCs), particularly the influence of the shape anisotropy of rod-like nanoparticles on phase transitions, through the implementation of statistical techniques involving molecular dynamics (MD). Conversely, the latter topic focuses on the assessment and management of severe congenital arterial stenoses, such as those found in Williams-Beuren syndrome (WS), through advanced multi-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Both areas emphasize the importance of detailed analysis and the use of advanced numerical modeling …

Paste Properties, Hardened Concrete Properties, And Mix Design Process For Magnesium Phosphate Cement, Rilye Dillard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) is a rapid-setting alternative cement typically used as a quick repair material. MPC has gained popularity in recent years due to its ability to reduce CO2 emissions, its strong chemical resistance, and potential use in large scale applications. There is currently limited research on the properties of MPC when varying the proportions of its ingredients. Several hardened concrete properties were analyzed on concrete mixtures made with MPC. A mix design process for MPC concrete is proposed based on testing of 300 MPC paste mixtures and 115 MPC concrete mixtures. A standardized mix design process is imperative …

An Investigation Into The Effect Of Performance Engineered Mixture (Pem) Design On The Workability And Strength Of Concrete Pavement Mixtures, Alexander Cook

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) currently requires a minimum cement content of 564 pounds of cement per cubic yard of concrete. This minimum cement requirement can be reduced through the utilization of optimized gradation of aggregates within concrete mixtures as well as the addition of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as fly ash. The study presented in this paper aims to demonstrate how the use of the Tarantula Curve can be used to design concrete mixtures with reduced cement contents while maintaining sufficient workability for concrete mixtures to be used for slipform paving. Fresh workability was measured using the …

Microwave Flow Cytometer For Single Cell Detection, Differentiation, And Drug Effect Study, Neelima Dahal

All Dissertations

New methods to rapidly detect and identify pathogens in patients’ blood are needed for timely disease treatment. In this work, a tunable microwave interferometer was used to measure single Candida cells of C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, and C. krusei at multiple frequencies between 0.265 GHz and 7.76 GHz. A Quadratic Discriminate Analysis was used to classify Candida species with an accuracy of 0.875. Likewise, a microwave device was used to measure single Escherichia coli cells of B and K-12 strains at multiple frequencies between 500 MHz and 8 GHz. A LightGBM model was developed to …

Electrochemical Techniques For The Treatment Of Source-Separated Urine, Philip Arve

All Dissertations

Urine makes up approximately 1% of the total volume of municipal wastewater, but it contributes up to 75% of the nitrogen and 50% of the phosphorus received by publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). These elements are essential nutrients for plant growth and trigger algal blooms when released into natural bodies of water, resulting in rapid ecological degradation. Removing these nutrients from municipal wastewater is energy intensive and often operationally sensitive. The past few decades have seen an increase in focus on the source-separation and side-stream treatment of urine.

Urine characteristics differ greatly from those of municipal wastewater, presenting an opportunity …

Development Of A Pressure Sensing System Coupled With Deployable Machine Learning Models For Assessing Residual Limb Fit In Lower Limb Prosthetics, Maxwell D. Lewter

Master's Theses

Lower limb amputations pose significant challenges for patients, with over 150,000 cases annually in the U.S., leading to a high demand for effective prosthetics. However, only 43% of lower limb prosthetic users report satisfaction, primarily due to issues with socket fit, which is critical for comfort, stability, and preventing injury. This study presents a deployable sensing system for potentially real-time monitoring of prosthetic socket fit by using pressure sensors and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to analyze the pressure distribution within the socket. A novel CNN architecture, utilizing both dilated and strided convolutions, is proposed to effectively capture spatial-temporal patterns in …

Greek Key-Inspired Fractal Metamaterials With Enhanced Flexibility And Energy Absorption., Zhennan Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Architected materials with intricate three-dimensional (3D) geometries offer unique properties and functionalities but face challenges in manufacturing costs and complexity. This research explores the integration of simple 2D Greek Key-inspired lattices into fractal designs to achieve exceptional mechanical performance. Using 3D printing and kerfing, these fractal structures demonstrate enhanced flexibility and energy absorption capabilities. Through three-point bending and in-plane tensile tests, the 2D fractal lattices exhibited a 600-fold reduction in bending force and a tensile stretch capacity of up to 520%, significantly outperforming brittle parent materials. Out-of-plane compression tests revealed a five-fold increase in energy absorption compared to honeycomb structures, …

Analysis Of The Robustness And Sensitivity Of Deep Learning Models For Automatic Target Recognition., Wael Bouchaala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) is an essential technology in various domains such as security, autonomous vehicles, and military applications. ATR systems are designed to detect, recognize, and classify objects of interest using sensor data, typically infrared imagery, to ensure reliable real-time operations under varying environmental conditions. However, the robustness and accuracy of ATR systems are often challenged by factors such as target occlusion, varying distances, and environmental perturbations. This thesis investigates the application of state-of-the-art deep learning techniques to enhance the performance and robustness of ATR systems. Specifically, we explore the use of Vision Transformers (ViT), Swin Transformer, and a …

Spectrum Optimization For Advanced Air Mobility Communications Using Deep Reinforcement Learning., Rafael D. Apaza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As aviation operations expand and new participants enter the National Airspace System (NAS), the demand for aeronautical communications will experience a significant rise. This surge is propelled by increased air travel and the emergence of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations, a subset of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). UAM aims to facilitate intra-city transportation of people and cargo utilizing remotely piloted aircraft capable of electric vertical takeoff and landing operations. The growing dependence on efficient wireless communication systems underscores the critical importance of intelligent spectrum allocation and effective airspace management to ensure safe, seamless, and technologically advanced air operations. However, the …

Ai-Driven Approach For Diagnosis Of Renal Transplant Rejection Based On Biomarkers Identification And Integration., Israa Sharaby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

They kidney is a vital organ for which humans are fortunate to find a spare through transplantation to sustain critical body functions, offering a hope to those struggling with renal failure. Kidney transplant procedure is the optimal treatment for people who suffer from end-stage renal failure. However, there are posed challenges due to the risk of immune rejection and the limited availability of donors. Early detection of renal rejection can provide timely intervention and accurate diagnosis that are critical to improve the transplant outcomes. This study explores the innovative approaches for addressing the current challenges through biomarkers identification, imaging techniques, …

Synthesis And Doping Effects In Highly Conductive Chalcogenide Solid Electrolytes., Selim Halacoglu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lithium and sodium ion batteries have been a vital component in the growth of small, portable electronic devices and EVs over the past 30 years. For future energy needs, changes to battery chemistry and composition will be necessary for two primary reasons: safer and higher energy batteries. Metal anodes have not seen widespread commercialization because of their propensity to react aggressively with the flammable liquid electrolytes commonly used in modern batteries. Non-flammable solid-state batteries (SSB) with solid electrolytes can safely be used with metal anodes, potentially providing a solution to both problems. The future perspective of safer battery is that …

Development Of A Square Wave Voltage Field-Oriented Controller For A Linear Vapor Compressor., Thomas Everson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a novel control strategy for an inverter-driven linear compressor system is proposed in which the overall electrical losses of a coupled inverter-linear motor system are reduced through the use of a modified square wave inverter modulation scheme to minimize inverter switching losses at the expense of a modest increase in conduction losses. The controller is based on a single-phase field-oriented control strategy, and to achieve the FOC control objectives, the fundamental and dc components of the applied square wave voltage are matched to the corresponding values requested by the current controller. To validate the efficiency improvements offered …

Nickel Electrocatalysts On Carbon Supports For The Hydrogen Evolution Reaction., Mohan Paudel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen is an important energy storage alternative to fossil fuels due to its high energy density. Currently, most hydrogen is produced through petroleum feedstocks, which produce large amounts of carbon dioxide. However, a more eco-friendly method is the electrocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Efficient catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are typically platinum group metals, which are rare and expensive. There is growing interest in developing HER electrocatalysts with earth-abundant metals for water electrolysis. Nickel, which lies in the same group in the periodic table as Pt and has similar chemical properties, is explored extensively for …

Co-Emulation Of Robotics And Software-Defined Radio Based 5g Wireless Communications., Bhaskara Venkata Raju Garuda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The convergence of robotics and 5G wireless communication technologies has opened new avenues for real-time, dynamic robotic applications. This dissertation introduces a novel framework that integrates the Robot Operating System (ROS), Software-Defined Radios (SDRs), and 5G wireless networks to achieve seamless coemulation of robotic systems. The research emphasizes the unique features of 5G, such as ultra-low latency and high throughput, which enable critical applications like remote surgery, industrial automation, and autonomous vehicles. The methodology combines ROS for robotic control, SDRs for programmable communication channels, and 5G testbeds for high-speed, reliable data transmission. The experimental evaluation focuses on both position-based and …

Modeling And Understanding Of Additive Manufacturing Periodic Cellular Structures With Heterogeneity: Property, Quality And Design Strategy., Naresh Koju

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lightweight cellular structures with their higher per mass performance capability, multifunctional designability and property tolerability are gaining much wider adaptation in many engineering applications ranging from aerospace, defense, biomedical, automotive to sports. However, to achieve the desired performance levels careful design must be carried out. The experimental-based empirical design often involves high manufacturing cost, and there are also certain information/knowledges about the cellular deigns that could not be easily obtained experimentally, such as the deformation local fracture initiation. Similarly, numerical modeling-based design approach commonly suffers from high computation cost and the lack of inverse designability. In addition, numerical models often …

High Energy Density Lithium-Ion Battery Materials., Rachel Dewees

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growth of the EV industry has created an increased demand for Li-ion battery electrode materials, and support of a robust lithium-ion battery supply chain is a national imperative. For mainstream acceptance in the American market, the range of EVs must be improved, i.e., the energy density of the battery must be increased. Increasing the specific capacity of the electrode materials is the most direct strategy for increasing the energy density of the battery. Silicon anode materials have a theoretical capacity of over 3700 mAh·g^-1 - an order of magnitude beyond that of the graphitic materials which are currently implemented. …

Open-Source Cubesat Flight Board, Braydon M. Burkhardt

Electrical Engineering

The Helmsman Flight Board is an open-source main flight computer and electrical power system for educational and entry-level CubeSats. The board incorporates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components in conjunction with simplified monitoring and management circuitry, supporting easy adoption, modifiability, and affordability while crucially enabling the emerging aerospace industry’s rapid ‘design-build-test’ methodology in student satellite teams. Its design includes essential CubeSat subsystems such as battery management, command and data handling, attitude determination, on-board processing, and is built to support real-time embedded operating systems. Key features include an Arm Cortex-M7 based STM32, radiation-resistant memory for OS storage, bulk Flash memory, real-time clock, two …

Learning To Represent Temporal Dynamics And Generative Factors For Intelligent Visual Navigation, Sahand Khoshdel

All Theses

Visual navigation systems are crucial in various applications, including autonomous driving, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and industrial automation. For these systems to operate efficiently in dynamic environments, they must not only interpret complex surroundings but also anticipate changes over time. Temporal prediction—forecasting environmental changes like moving obstacles or shifting lighting conditions—enables navigation systems to act proactively, enhancing both safety and performance. This dissertation investigates representation learning methods both as a backbone feature extractor for RL agents as well as a proxy for systems oriented for Explainable AI (XAI). Two main projects are presented as case studies to achieve the aforementioned …