Engineering Commons^™

Numerical Assessment Of The Effects Of Grout Characteristics On Settlement Measurements In Borehole Extensometers, Ahmed Abdel-Wahab Mohamed Bayoumi

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Aggregate Fines On Short Term Properties Of Concrete Incorporating Water-Reducing Admixtures, Maged Maher Fakhry

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Why Does Ni Suppress Superconductivity In La1.85sr0.15cu1−Yniyo4?, Daniel Haskel, Edward A. Stern, V. Polinger, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The role played by Ni impurities in destroying the superconducting state of La_2-xSr_xCuO₄ is still unclear. This is partly due to the lack of clear experimental evidence on the effect of Ni substitution upon the atomic and electronic structure of this cuprate. To provide this information, we performed Ni /(-edge polarized XAFS measure-ments on oriented powder. A special magnetic alignment geometry allowed us to measure pure ~ and aAb-polarized XAFS in identical experimental conditions. We found that the NiO6 octahedra are contracted along the t-axis by 0.16(A) relative to the CuO₆ octahedra in Lal.~sSro.~sCuO4, …

Structural Disorder And The Origin Of High-Tc Suppression In La1.875ba0.125cuo4−Δ, Daniel Haskins, Edward A. Sterns, Fatih Dogan, Arnie R. Moodenbaugh

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polarized x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements at all La, Ba and Cu sites were used to study local structural features that accompany the strong T_c suppression at x ~ 1/8 in La_2-xBa_xCuO₄. Two critical parameters regulating the strength of hole-lattice coupling in this material were determined, i.e., the di- rection and magnitude of CuO₆ octahedra local tilts. Our findings include the existence of large disorder in the magnitude of the tilt angle about its average value < 0>, with a rms (formula presented) ≈2< 0>. We suggest that this large disorder strongly …

The Effects Of Offshore Mining Of Beach Quality Sediments On Nearshore Wave Climate, Frank R. Lonza

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Coastal communities rely on the beaches to attract tourism, but these sources of revenue require maintenance, such as beach nourishment. In an effort to maintain these beaches without causing any detrimental results, research is conducted to determine what effects, if any, exist when mining for sand in offshore areas.

The U.S. Government is permitting the search for beach quality sands offshore but is also ensuring that such mining will not have adverse results to the nearshore wave climate. This study was conducted using a coarse grid bathymetric map to calibrate a numerical model developed by the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI). …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Performance Optimization And Light-Beam-Deviation Analysis Of The Parallel-Slab Division-Of-Amplitude Photopolarimeter, Aed M. El-Saba, Rasheed M.A. Azzam, Mustafa A. G. Abushagur

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

A division-of-amplitude photopolarimeter that uses a parallel-slab multiple-reflection beam splitter was described recently [Opt. Lett. 21, 1709 (1996)]. We provide a general analysis and an optimization of a specific design that uses a fused-silica slab that is uniformly coated with a transparent thin film of ZnS on the front surface and with an opaque Ag or Au reflecting layer on the back. Multiple internal reflections within the slab give rise to a set of parallel, equispaced, reflected beams numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3 that are intercepted by photodetectors D₀, D₁, D₂, and D …

Simulation Modeling Presentations: The Life Cycle, Edward Yellig, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A typical large scale simulation modeling project spans many months and encompasses activities such as problem definition, data collection, model development, experimentation, and scenario analysis. During the life cycle of a simulation project, numerous presentations are made to many different types of audiences. The purpose of these presentations will vary from seeking project approval, requesting information, discussing simulation model features, verifying the model, validating the model, presenting the experimental results, and offering model conclusions. This paper will discuss presentation techniques we used during a year-long simulation-modeling project. We will highlight techniques used for defining the purpose of each presentation, identifying …

Positive Anisotropic Group Scattering Cross Sections For Radiation Transport, J. Mark Delgrande

Theses and Dissertations

In solving the Boltzmann transport equation, most discrete ordinates codes calculate the source term by first approximating the scattering cross section using a Legendre polynomial expansion. Such expansions are insufficient when scattering is anisotropic and the Legendre expansion is truncated prematurely. This can lead to nonphysical negative cross sections, negative source terms and negative angular fluxes. While negative sources are problematic for standard discrete ordinates methods leading to poor convergence or convergence to incorrect results, they are of particular concern to exponential methods, causing such calculations to fail. We've developed and tested a new technique to solve this problem called …

Solving An Inverse Control Problem Using Predictive Methods, Chad J. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Model Predictive Control is the class of control methods that optimizes a specified performance index in order to minimize the weighted future output deviations from a setpoint trajectory. This thesis applies MPC in the inverse sense -- known aircraft outputs are applied in the performance index as setpoints in an attempt to determine what control histories caused those outputs. Using this method, aircraft mishap investigators could then have a means of determining what the control surface deflections were throughout an incident since Flight Data Recorder data does not include control surface deflections. The actual Flight Data Recorder data from aircraft …

Ultrasonic Enhancement Of Antibiotic Action On Escherichia Coli Biofilms: An In Vivo Model, Andrea M. Rediske, Beverly L. Roeder, Maren K. Brown, Jared L. Nelson, Rachel L. Robison, David O. Draper, G. Bruce Schaalje, Richard A. Robison, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Biofilm infections are a common complication of prosthetic devices in humans. Previous in vitro research has determined that low-frequency ultrasound combined with aminoglycoside antibiotics is an effective method of killing biofilms. We report the development of an in vivo model to determine if ultrasound enhances antibiotic action. Two 24-h-old Escherichia coli (ATCC 10798) biofilms grown on polyethylene disks were implanted subcutaneously on the backs of New Zealand White female rabbits, one on each side of the spine. Low-frequency (28.48-kHz) and low-power-density (100- and 300-mW/cm2) continuous ultrasound treatment was applied for 24 h with and without systemic administration of gentamicin. The …

Stratified Volume Diffractive Optical Elements As High Efficiency Gratings, Gregory P. Nordin, D. M. Chambers

Faculty Publications

We propose stratified volume diffractive optical elements as a new type of diffractive optical element that is capable of functioning as a high-efficiency grating in applications with requirements not suited to traditional holographic or diffractive optical techniques. In this approach, diffractive optical fabrication methods are used to construct an optical structure that emulates volume grating behavior. We discuss the diffraction properties of stratified volume diffractive optical elements and compare them with those used previously in both volume holographic optical elements and stratified volume holographic optical elements. A systematic design process is then presented for deriving structure parameters. We illustrate this …

A Worst-Case Analysis Of Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum In Multipath Channels, Murad Hizlan, Xuedong Liu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We consider a direct-sequence spread-spectrum system operating in an indoors environment in the presence of multiaccess and multipath interference, and additive white Gaussian noise. We focus on the worst-case bit error probability of this system with a constraint on signal-to-interference ratio, and derive a Chernoff-type upper bound on this error probability. We evaluate the upper bound for a special case in order to gain understanding of the basic worst-case performance. We also compare the effects of the worst-case multipath interference with those of the worst-case multiuser interference of …

Low-Temperature Molecular Beam Epitaxy Of Gaas: A Theoretical Investigation Of Antisite Incorporation And Reflection High-Energy Diffraction Oscillations, K. Natarajan, Rama Venkat, Donald L. Dorsey

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Surface dynamics dominate the incorporation of charged, As+Ga, and neutral, As0Ga, antisite arsenic, and the temporal variation of reflection high-energy electron diffraction(RHEED) intensity in the low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy of (100) gallium arsenide(GaAs). A rate equation model is proposed which includes the presence and dynamics of a physisorbed arsenic (PA) layer riding the growth surface. The PA layer dictates the incorporation and concentration of As+Ga and As0Ga. Additionally, it influences the RHEED oscillations (ROs) behavior and the RO’s dependence on its coverage through its contribution to the reflected intensity. The model results for the dependence of As+Ga and As0Ga concentrations …

Weber Basin Water Quality Optimization, P. Wayne Hale Ii, Elizabeth Hales, Kade Moncur, Jonathan Oldham

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Salt Lake City, after evaluating its projected water needs for the next 25 years, has proposed to route 300 MGD of water via pipeline from the Bear River to Salt Lake's culinary water system. According to Weber Basin Water Conservancy District officials, this water will be available between October and March (the irrigation off-season). En route to the system, the water will pass through an area known as the "Slaterville Diversion" subsequent to water treatment at a new plant. The Diversion is currently the mixing point for several water sources. These waters need to be managed and mixed appropriately with …

Dam Safety Risk Assessment Modeling With Uncertainty Analysis, Sanjay Singh Chauhan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A risk-enhanced approach to dam safety risk assessment combines the benefits of the traditional approach with those of risk assessment. There is a need to automate the risk analysis calculations component of the risk assessment process so that the time and effort thus saved can be beneficially expended on strengthening risk assessment inputs.

The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to develop a dam safety risk analysis model and demonstrate its application to risk assessment and decision analysis, and (2) to develop a framework for uncertainty analysis and demonstrate its application to dam safety risk assessment. Dartmouth Dam, …

Cryosphere Applications Of Nscat Data, David G. Long, Mark R. Drinkwater

Faculty Publications

Though designed to measure vector winds over the ocean, new imaging techniques facilitate the use of NASA scatterometer data (NSCAT) in cryosphere studies. NSCAT provides data of unprecedented coverage, resolution, and quality which, when coupled with the scatterometer image reconstruction with filtering (SIRF) algorithm, enables images of O at resolutions approaching 8 km over stationary targets. Such images are useful in ice mapping and classification, and multidecadal studies are possible by comparison with Seasat Scatterometer (SASS) data. The utility of NSCAT data in polar ice studies is illustrated through a review of two cryosphere applications of NSCAT data: (1) sea-ice …

Postlaunch Sensor Verification And Calibration Of The Nasa Scatterometer, David G. Long, Wu-Yang Tsai, James E. Graf, Carroll Winn, James N. Huddleston, R. Scott Dunbar, Michael H. Freilich, Frank J. Wentz, W. Linwood Jones

Faculty Publications

Scatterometer instruments are active microwave sensors that transmit a series of microwave pulses and measure the returned echo power to determine the normalized radar backscattering cross section (sigma-0) of the ocean surface from which the speed and direction of near-surface ocean winds are derived. The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) was launched on board the ADEOS spacecraft in August 1996 and returned ten months of high-quality data before the failure of the ADEOS spacecraft terminated the data stream in June 1997. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the NSCAT instrument and sigma-0 computation and to describe the …

The Probability Density Of Spectral Estimates Based On Modified Periodogram Averages, David G. Long, Paul E. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Welch's (1967) method for spectral estimation of averaging modified periodograms has been widely used for decades. Because such an estimate relies on random data, the estimate is also a random variable with some probability density function. Here, the PDF of a power estimate is derived for an estimate based on an arbitrary number of frequency bins, overlapping data segments, amount of overlap, and type of data window, given a correlated Gaussian input sequence. The PDFs of several cases are plotted and found to be distinctly non-Gaussian (the asymptotic result of averaging frequency bins and/or data segments), using the Kullback-Leibler distance …

Direct Chip Attach For Low Alpha Emission Interconnect System, Ravi F. Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

An interconnect system that has low alpha particle emission characteristics for use in an electronic device includes a semiconductor chip that has an upper surface and spaced apart electrically resistive bumps positioned on conductive regions of the upper surface, the electrically resistive bumps are made of a composite material of a polymer and metal particles, and a substrate that has conductive regions bonded to the electrically resistive bumps in a bonding process wherein the electrically resistive bumps convert to electrically conductive bumps after the bonding process.

Variable Area Inlet For Vehicle Thermal Control, Thomas R. Layne, Milton E. Franke, Darrell B. Ridgedly

AFIT Patents

A variable area inlet structure for a vehicle utilizing ram air for coolant is described which comprises a variable area inlet device in the ram air inlet in the form of a butterfly valve, damper, shutter, or similar structure, a temperature sensor in thermal contact with a component within the vehicle to be cooled by ram air flow, a controller and actuator, responsive to the temperature sensor and operatively connected to the variable area device, for controlling the inlet area in response to the component temperature.

Use Of Feedforward Neural Networks For Machine Vision Calibration, Mark B. Lynch, Cihan H. Dagli, Mahesh Vallenki

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Machine vision calibration is an important step to obtaining usable measurements in inspection and automation operations. Conventional calibration techniques require the development of elaborate mathematical models and have prior knowledge of many parameters. Creating a suitable model and obtaining reasonable values for some calibration parameters is often difficult and error prone. In this article, a neural network approach is presented as an indirect non-linear optimization method to machine vision calibration. This approach does not require a mathematical model be developed nor any prior knowledge about the setup or calibration parameters. A universal calibration approach is developed and utilized in various …

Pv Lighting Systems For Bcc - Evaluation Of Vrla Batteries And Pwm Controls, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Dunlop

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report presents the initial seven-month performance summary for these 15 PV lighting systems, for the period February 13 through September 15, 1997. During this time, the systems were configured with three types of valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries (five systems using each type of battery), all operating with pulse-width-modulated (PWM) battery charge controllers. Details of the system configurations are presented in this report. Prior to initial operation, extensive baseline data was collected on the individual components installed in each system. This data included battery capacity and high-rate load measurements, battery weights, charge controller set points, PV array currents and …

Guide To Revenue Calculations: Local Option Highway User Tax (Lohut) 1999, Herpicc

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

This guide is provided to explain the output generated by the computer programs, and to suggest ways in which the results can be adapted to specific LOHUT proposals before a County Council. HERPIC neither endorses nor opposes passage of a LOHUT. The revenue projections it provides are intended to be an aid to well-informed decision-making on the part of a county’s citizens and its County Council.

Seismic Control Of Asymmetric Structures, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Student Micro/Nano Space Applications, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Student Micro/Nano Space Applications" from April 15, 1999.

Orion Pdr: Ssdl Program Overview, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Orion PDR SSDL Program Overview" from April 9, 1999.

Simulations Of Passive Matrix Polymer Image Sensors, David Braun, G. Yu

Electrical Engineering

Two-dimensional passive photodiode matrices are hardly useful for image sensing due to the crosstalk between pixels. This crosstalk makes it difficult to recover information from individual pixels. A switching unit attached to each sensing unit has been the common solution in image sensors (such as in CMOS sensors and in TFT-PiN a-Si photosensors). A novel organic photodiode with voltage-switchable photosensitivity was developed recently. Passive photodiode matrices made with such organic photodiodes can be used for image sensing applications. This circuit simulation study demonstrates an effective scheme to extract images from passive photodiode matrices, concluding that individual photodiode parameters determine the …

Output Control Of Vertical Microcavity Light Emitting Device, James A. Lott

AFIT Patents

An improved intracavity sensor based output power control for microcavity light emitting devices. An improved phototransistor transducer is both configured and physically disposed so that it passively transmits the spurious optical energy output of the microcavity light emitting device while simultaneously generating a light determined electrical signal of easily used large magnitude that is nearly free of error. The base-collector region of the transistor is disposed with a quantum well absorbing layer and produces a signal responsive to a selected emission wavelength. The configuration of the optical energy communicating transducer is arranged so that it is improved in sensitivity and …

Three Reasons To Broaden Your Fertigation Knowledge, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.