Engineering Commons^™

Comparison Of One-Dimensional And Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling Approaches For Red River Basin, Sajjad Ahmad, Slobodan P. Simonovic

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A devastating flood in Red River valley in 1997 emphasized the need to study the flood control measures in the Red River basin using state of the art modeling tools. The Red River and its floodplains can be modeled using one-dimensional, quasi two-dimensional or fully two-dimensional hydrodynamic models. Each modeling approach has its own advantages and limitations. The main purpose of this report is a comparison between one-dimensional (or quasi two dimensional) and fully two-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling approaches for modeling floods in the Red River basin.

A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, MIKE 21, coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) …

Boundary Control For Automated Sweeping Of Finite Element Meshes, Robert A. Kerr

Theses and Dissertations

Finite element analysis depends greatly upon a high-quality mesh to be able to provide reasonably accurate answers to engineering problems. Models that need to be analyzed using finite element analysis are becoming increasingly more complex, and correspondingly harder to mesh with good quality. Skew is one quality metric which can cause problems with finite element analyses. This thesis explains how skew is calculated, discusses two common sources of skew: multiply-linked surfaces with interval constraints, and biased edge meshes. Two methods of lessening skew in surface meshes are then presented: the skew control algorithm, and the curve morphing algorithm. These algorithms …

A Literature Review On Methods Being Used For Hot Tearing And Shrinkage Prevention In The Permanent Mold Casting Of Aluminum Alloys, Matthew D. Nolte

Graduate Research Papers

Statement of the Problem: What can be done to eliminate the threat of hot tears and shrinkage in the production of aluminum rims?

Research Questions:

The research being carried out will use a library research or a literature review methodology. The research will provide answers to the following questions:

1. What do sources of authority cite as being the most effective ways to prevent hot tearing and shrinkage in the production of aluminum rims?

2. Is there a way to predict where hot tearing and shrinkage will occur in a casting before any castings are poured?

3. What is being …

Power, Performance, And Perception (P3): Integrating Usability Metrics And Technology Acceptance Determinants To Validate A New Model For Predicting System Usage, Alan P. Fiorello

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there are two distinct approaches to assist information technology managers in the successful implementation of office automation software. The first approach resides within the field of usability engineering, while the second approach is derived from the discipline of management information systems (MIS). However, neither approach has successfully produced conclusive evidence that explains what characteristics facilitate system use as well as influence user acceptance of the system. This study reports on the validity of a new model, entitled the Power, Performance, Perception (P3) model, that links the constructs of usability engineering to user acceptance. Additionally, speech recognition software (SRS) was …

Electrical And Optical Characterization Of Intrinsic And Ion-Implantation Induced Defects In 6h- And 4h-Sic, Michael B. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), Hall effect, and cathodolummescence (CL) measurements are used to characterize the intrinsic and ion-implantation induced defects in high-temperature (475 and 500 °C) ion-implanted epitaxial n-type 6H- and 4H-SiC, ion-implanted with Cr, Mg, Ar, N, and P atoms. Comparison of room-temperature and high-temperature ion-implanted 6H-SiC:Mg and :Cr indicate the significance of high-temperature ion implantation on the activation of the ion-implanted atoms and damage-recovery of the crystalline lattice. The effects of high-temperature annealing on both damage-recovery and implanted ion activation are detected and analyzed, from 1200 to 1800 °C. Trap parameters of both damage-related and species-related defects …

Reverse Engineering Of Foreign Missiles Via Genetic Algorithm, Jon D. Wollam

Theses and Dissertations

One mission of the National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC) is the reverse engineering of foreign missile weapon systems from incomplete observational data. In the past, intuition and repeated runs of a missile performance model were required to converge to a solution compatible with observed flight characteristics. This approach can be cumbersome and time consuming, as well as being subject to undesirable influences from the analyst's preconceptions and biases. An alternative approach has been created to apply genetic algorithm (GA) techniques to allow automation of the process, wider exploration of the design space, and more optimal solutions matching the observational data. …

Current Design - Structure And Layout, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Current Design - Structure and Layout" from November 30, 1999.

Energy Efficient Industrialized Housing Research Summary Of Fy1998 Activities (July 1998 - August 1999), Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The objectives of this work are to increase the market share of energy-efficient housing by conducting field testing and monitoring, research, development, design assistance, and training activities in partnership with housing manufacturers, production builders, non-profits and related members of the housing industry.

Double Twist In Helical Polymer "Soft" Crystals, Christopher Y. Li, Stephen Z. D. Cheng, Jason J. Ge, Feng Bai, John Z. Zhang, Ian K. Mann, Frank W. Harris, Lang-Chy Chien, Donghang Yan, Tianbai He, Bernard Lotz

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

In natural and synthetic materials having non-racemic chiral centers, chirality and structural ordering each play a distinct role in the formation of ordered states. Configurational chirality can be extended to morphological chirality when the phase, structures possess low liquid crystalline order. In the crystalline states the crystallization process suppresses the chiral helical morphology due to strong ordering interactions, In this Letter, we report the first observation of helical single lamellar crystals of synthetic non-racemic chiral polymers. Experimental evidence shows that the molecular chains twist along both the long and short axes of the helical lamellar crystals, which is the first …

3d Micro-Ct For Functional Genomics, R. H. Johnson, Robert C. Molthen, Christopher C. Hanger, Kelly Lynn Karau, Steven Haworth, Christopher Dawson

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Studies On Methods Of Fuel Cells Electrodes Preparation, Jun Gu, Sheng Sui, Guang-Qiang Li, Zhitong Sui

Journal of Electrochemistry

In fuel cells, the structure of electrodes is an important factor which effect the cell performance. To improve the structure and the performance of electrodes, a new method of providing fuel cell electrodes is proposed in this paper. PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and ethyne black was ground for about half an hour in a high-speed grinder, then the catalyst was added into the grinder and milled for an hour. This milled catalyst was transferred into a mixer followed by the addition of surface-active agent. After a suspension was formed, it was filtered under vacuum condition.Then a thin uniform filter-cake of the catalyst …

A Novel Reaction Region Moving Electrode System For Electrochemical Power Sources, Jin-Kua You, Que Tu, Zheng-Jian Wang, Jie Sun, Zu-Geng Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

In most of practical rechargeable batteries, charging/discharging process is always concerned with phase-transformation in the solid state. Due to the irreversibility of the phase-transformation, the cyclic performance of the rechargeable batteries are limited. In this paper, a novel reaction-region moving counter electrode system is constructed in our laboratory. The electrode system is operated at room temperature and cycled in solid-liquid phase during charging/discharging processes. With this electrode, the metal-complexes are firstly deposited (i.e. charging process) on the nearest working electrode and gradually extended to those another working electrodes several centimeters away from the counter electrode. The deposite is dissolved again …

Prparation Of Nanocrystaline Tio2(Anatase) With High Thermal And Textural Sability By Electrochemical Method, Dao-Bao Chu, Xing-Fu Zhou, Chang-Jian Lin, Jian-Guang Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Titanium alkoxides were prepared by anodic dissolution of metallic titanium in absolute ethanol in the presence of HN(C₂H₅)₂·HCl (electro-conductive additives). The solution was directly hydrolyzed to prepare nanocrystalline of TiO₂ (about 10nm)by a sol-gel process. The precursor gels was calcined at T =450 ℃ and 720 ℃ for 30 min, and nanocrystalline of TiO₂ (anatase) with high textural and thermal stability was obtained. FTIR, XRD, TEM were used to characterize the structure of titanium alkoxides and nanocrystalline of TiO₂. The characteristics of nanocrystalline of TiO₂ was depended on the …

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Study Of Scn- Adsorbed At The Copper And Gold Nanowire Arrays, Jian-Lin Yao, Guo-Ping Pan, Kuan-Hong Xue, Yong Xie, Jing Tang, Bin Ren, Dong-Mei Sun, Bing-Wei Mao, Zhong-Qun Tian

Journal of Electrochemistry

Two-dimensional arrays of Cu and Au nanowires have been fabricated by template synthesis method, using the anodic aluminum oxidation films as the template. The morphology of the nanowire array was monitored by atomic force microscope (AFM) in the dissolution processes of the alumina film. Based on the probe molecule strategy, the spectral feature of SCN^- adsorbed at the Cu and Au nanowires with different diameters has been investigated by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The results reveal that the intensity of the SERS bands depends on the length of the exposed nanowires. The C≡N stretching vibration frequency (ν_{CN …}

Study On Electrochemical Reduction Properties Of Nitrobenzene, Chu-Na Ma, Wen-Kui Zhang, Hui Huang, Yong-Ping Gan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical reduction characteristics of nitrobenzene was extensively investigated by using the techniques such as quasi-steady-state polarization, cyclic voltammetry, fast linear potential sweep method and chronoamperometry in this paper. The electroanalytic properties of Cu, Cu-Hg and Cu-Ni electrodes were evaluated. Based on the study of the transient steping behaviour of nitrobenzene to PAP, the reduction mechanism was discussed. The results showed that the transition steps existed on the electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene in acidic solution, the reactant is also absorbed on electrodes surface. The control step in the reduction of nitrobenzene was ascribed to the diffusion of nitrobenzene and its …

High Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Jing-Rong Yu, Bao-Lian Yi, Ming Han, Xiao-Liang Cheng, Zhi-Gang Shao, Jing-Xin Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFC) using a perfluorosulfonic acid proton exchange membrane as an electrolyte can simplify water and electrolyte management. In this paper, the effects of thickness of PEM on the performance of PEMFC were studied. The Nafion-112 PEM and low platinum loading E-TEK electrode yielded very high power density, of the order of 0.95 W/cm². The energy-conversion efficiency, the degree of platinum utilization and stability for PEMFC using Nafion 112 and E-TEK electrode were also investigated.

Photoelectrochemical Studies On The Tio2 Nanostructured Porous Film Sensitized By Cyanine Dye, Li Zhang, Mai-Zhi Yang, Xue-Bin Qiao, Yan-Zhong Hao, En-Qing Gao, Sheng-Min Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The photoelectrochemical behaviors of the TiO₂ nanostructured porous film sensitized by cyanine dye were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the excitaed state level matched the conduction band edge of TiO₂ nanoparticle. Therefore the sensitization of the dye can increase the photocurrent intensity of the TiO₂ nanostructured electrode obviously and results in a red-shift of optical absorption from the ultra-violet region to the visible. As a result, the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency was improved evidently, the maximum value of IPCE has reached 12.1%.

Investigation Of Sodium Hypophosphite Anodic Oxidizing Behavior In The Process Of Acid Electroless Nickel Deposition, Mei-Yuan Wang, Ya-Fei Kuang, Yan Xu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The anodic oxidizing behavior of sodium hypophosphite in the process of electroless nickle deposition (pH=5.5) was investigated with the linear potential sweep method and alternating current impedance. The results indicated that, the oxidation of NaH₂PO₂ was a complicated electrochemical process and affected by the concentration of NaH₂PO₂, the temperature of the bath, the sweep rate and the existence of nickel ion. The NaH₂PO₂ electrooxidation reaction was very likely preceded by heterogeneous interface transformation process, which might be the control step of the whole anodic process.

The Preparation Of Flexible Polymeric Anode And The Measurement Of Its Protective Ability For Cathodic Protection, Ai-Ling Du, He-Ming Zhang, Ming-Zong Zhang, Shi-De Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

The flexible electrode, whose shape can be changed freely, was made of ethenyl copolymer and conductive component and proper amount of additive for cathodic protection. The resistance of electrode was measured.In low concentration of H₂SO₄, the flexible electrode can be used as auxiliary anode to protect the carbon steel. The protection ability of the flexible auxiliary anode was measured too.

Studies Of The Electrode Preparation Of Electrode From Lead Carbonate For Lead Acid Batteryⅰ. The Activation Of The Pme, Zhong-Xu Dai, Di-Hua Wang, Jun-Wei Jiang, Yun-Hong Zhou, Jin-Yun Zou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lead carbonate which was an intermediate product in lead hydrometallurgy without pollution of lead vapor and sulfur dioxide was selected as electrode material of lead-acid batteries. In the present work, the performances of PbO₂/PbSO₄ or PbSO₄/Pb electrode transformed from PbCO₃ have been investigated by powder microelectrode technique combined with cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the CV characteristics of either negative or positive electrode prepared from PbCO₃ is as good as that of both electrodes made from lead oxide produced by mill machine,when a powder microelectrode with PbCO₃ transformed into PbSO 4 …

The Studies Of The (Photo) Electrochemical Character On The Electrodeposited Silver Indium Selenium Thin Films, Shao-Ai Xie, Xun-Nan Deng, You-Jin Kua

Journal of Electrochemistry

A photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) is constructed, using an AgInSe₂ film photoanode made from electrodeposition and a platinium electrode in aqueous polyiodide or polysufide electrolyte. The V_oc and I_sc of PEC have been tested and measured, and the effect of chemical decoration on the photoanodes also studied.

The Electrochemical Behaviors Of Superoxide Dismutase At Promoter Modified Gold Electrode, Xia-Qin Wu, Xiao-Yun Meng, Zhe-Su Wang, Zong-Rang Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electron-transfer process of superoxide dismutase was investigated by cyclic voltammetry at the 4,4'-dithiodipyridine, L-cysteine, histidine and arginine modified gold wire electrodes repectively. The quasi-reversible behavior was observed at L-cysteine modified gold electrode. An irreversible electrochemical behavior has been observed at hisdinine modified gold wire electrode.

Electro-Oxidation Of Phenol On Sno2/Ti Electrodes Prepared By Thermal Oxidation, Qing-Song Zhang, Hui-Huang Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

A SnO₂/Ti electrode prepared by thermal oxidation was used as the anode for galvanostatic electrolysis in acidic solution containing phenol, the time-dependances of phenol concentration, chemical oxygen demand in solution(COD) and instantaneous current efficiency were determined during electrolysis. The results show that with the SnO₂/Ti anode instead of Pt, the COD significantly decreases at the same charge passage, and average current efficiency of oxidation increases by three times. The mechanism for phenol oxidation at two electrodes was discussed.

Method For Testing Field Programmable Gate Arrays, Charles E. Stroud, Miron Abramovici

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Patents

A method of testing field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) includes the step of configuring programmable logic blocks of the FPGAs for completing a built-in self-test. Specifically, the FPGA under test may be configured to act as an iterative logic array wherein a first group of programmable logic blocks are configured as test pattern generators, output response analyzers and helper cells, and a second group of programmable logic blocks are configured as blocks under test. The blocks under test are then repeatedly reconfigured in order to completely test each block under test in all possible modes of operation. The first and …

Method Of Arc Welding Using Dual Serial Opposed Torches, Yuming Zhang, Shaobin Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Patents

An improved method of arc welding uses a single power supply connected to opposed welding torches placed on both sides of a workpiece. Each torch is connected to a different polarity lead of the power supply and forms a separate arc with the workpiece. When a current is supplied to the first torch, it is guided from the first electrode, through the first arc, the workpiece, the second arc, and to the electrode of the second torch. This guiding function improves the penetration, concentration, as well as the directional stability of the arc. This permits the effective and efficient welding …

Breakaway Steel Guardrail Post, Dean L. Sicking, John D. Reid, John R. Rohde

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A breakaway guardrail post includes upper and lower post sections spaced apart but connected by a breakaway joint. The joint is attached at one end to the upper post by a first fastener set and connected at a second end by a second fasteners set. Upon impact forces being applied to the upper post section, the first fastener fails and the upper post section rotates downwardly.

Simulation And Density Functional Study Of A Simple Membrane Separating Two Restricted Primitive Model Electrolytes, Richard L. Rowley, Dezso Boda, Douglas Henderson, Stefan Sokolowski

Faculty Publications

A simple membrane, supporting charge densities on its inner and outer surfaces, is considered. In addition to the electrostatic potential, the membrane interacts with the surrounding fluid by a short range van der Waals-like potential. The fluid beyond the outer surface is a three-component restricted primitive electrolyte consisting of two cations and one anion. The membrane is impermeable to one of the cations so that the fluid in the membrane and beyond the inner surface is a two-component restricted primitive electrolyte. We use Monte Carlo simulations and density functional theory to study the density profiles of the electrolyte and the …

Thermodynamic Model And The Controlling Variables Of Phosphate Lattice Loss, Mohammad Abutayeh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A thermodynamic model was developed based upon five equilibrium reactions to predict the limits of distribution of phosphates between the liquid and the solid phases in a reactor used to extract phosphoric acid from phosphate rock. A computer code was generated to carry out different simulations of the model using several inputs of temperatures and liquid phase sulfuric acid contents. Ideal Solution, Debye-Hückel, and Robinson-Guggenheim-Bates electrolyte activity coefficient models were employed alternately in each simulation to complete the thermodynamic model and the outputs were compared to one another.

Experimental data of equilibrium constants were regressed to adjust the values of …

Evaluation Of Energy Efficient Improvements To Portable Classrooms In Florida, Florida Solar Energy Center, Michael Callahan

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Florida has over 25,000 portable classrooms in use around the state. Energy costs for these structures exceed $20 million a year - or about 11% of all energy-related expenditures for educational facilities. Research has also shown interior ventilation rates in these classrooms typically fall far below the recommended levels in ASHRAE Standard 62-1989.

To explore ways in which costs might be reduced and the physical learning environment improved, we conducted a two year experiment in two highly instrumented portable classrooms at Silver Sands Middle School in Volusia County. A series of retrofits, aimed to cut energy use and improve ventilation …

Trends. The Crash Of Egyptair 990: Realities Of Psychological Screening, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article further discusses the crash of EgyptAir 990 and the lack of periodic, formal psychological screening by many commercial airlines of all pilots and other members of a flight crew.