Engineering Commons^™

Content Aware Request Distribution For High Performance Web Service: A Performance Study, Robert M. Jones

Dissertations and Theses

The World Wide Web is becoming a basic infrastructure for a variety of services, and the increases in audience size and client network bandwidth create service demands that are outpacing server capacity. Web clusters are one solution to this need for high performance, highly available web server systems. We are interested in load distribution techniques, specifically Layer-7 algorithms that are content-aware. Layer-7 algorithms allow distribution control based on the specific content requested, which is advantageous for a system that offers highly heterogenous services. We examine the performance of the Client Aware Policy (CAP) on a Linux/Apache web cluster consisting of …

Real Spacey Programs: Project Based Learning, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Real Spacey Programs: Project Based Learning" from July 11, 2002.

Developments In Evaporative Cooling Of Buildings In Maritime Climates, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Reports

Concern with environmental emissions has focused attention on traditional forms of energy use in buildings, with a view to reducing and making more rational use of energy consumption. One area of concern is the traditional, refrigeration based, commercial air conditioning system, which has high levels of electrical power consumption in fans and refrigeration compressors. There is also concern among building owners and design teams, supported by the PROBE series of post occupancy studies, conducted by the CIBSE, that many buildings, with traditional forms of air conditioning, under perform in terms of occupant satisfaction, ease of operation and control, maintenance costs …

Electric Load Shifting In Irrigation Districts - California's Program, Charles M. Burt, Ricardo Amón, Darren Cordova

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

During the 2000-2001 winter, California experienced a severe imbalance in electricity supply and demand that resulted in blackouts and brownouts. The state legislature initiated a number of emergency programs, one of which (Senate Bill 5x) was targeted for irrigation districts. The primary goal of SB 5x is to reduce peak period electricity demand. The California Energy Commission (CEC), acting under authority of Section 5(b) of the legislation, developed the "Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program". The program was announced on June 1, 2001, and Cal Poly ITRC administers the irrigation district portion of the program for CEC. During the first 9 …

Advances In Plc-Based Canal Automation, Charles M. Burt, Xianshu Piao

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A short history of canal automation is given. PLC-based canal automation is relatively new. Advances in PLC-based canal automation are listed. Also listed are some of the remaining challenges. Recent advances have been made in understanding unsteady flow simulation procedures, the form of the control algorithms used, the tuning procedures for these control algorithms, and the field programming of the algorithms into PLCs. The experiences of the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) in automating a variety of canals with upstream and downstream control are given.

Case Study: Installation Of Canal Control Structures On The Government Highline Canal, Ram Dhan Khalsa, Stuart W. Styles, Charles M. Burt, Bob Norman

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Government Highline Canal Modernization Study was completed in April 2000 to evaluate options for reducing the flow rate requirement of the Government Highline Canal in order to increase the water supply in the “15-Mile Reach” of the Colorado River, thereby helping sustain habitat for fish species identified as endangered. The intent was to develop a design for which Colorado River diversions could be better matched to on-farm demands. It was determined that canal modernization, in the form of automated canal structures, in-system storage, and new operational procedures could significantly reduce operational spill. A systematic evaluation of the existing canal …

Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District Flow Monitoring Program, Dennis Perkins, Stuart W. Styles, Marcus Y. Yasutake

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

In 1996, the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Mid-Pacific Region, Northern California Area Office began the Willows Flow Monitoring Program. The program objective was to monitor, in near real-time, 85% of the Sacramento River Diversions from Shasta Dam to Sacramento. Several site visits were conducted to the District and their diversion points along the Sacramento River by USBR and Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) staff from California Polytechnic state University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. One of the sites identified for flow monitoring was the Glen-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) canal at the Stoney Creek Siphon. At question was …

Breaking The Technology Barriers Imposed By Cast-In Place Concrete Pipe In Irrigation Districts: Case Study Of South San Joaquin Irrigation District, Charles M. Burt, Michael B. Gilton, Kevin Johnson, Keith Crowe

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) in Manteca, California, is beginning an ambitious modernization program to increase its water delivery flexibility. The district has over 200 miles of 30-60 inch cast-in-place (CIP) concrete pipeline that currently allow for little flexibility. SSJID will install four reinforced concrete interceptor pipelines and regulating reservoirs to redistribute water among the CIP pipelines and provide improved flexibility. The district's goal is to improve efficiency and encourage farmers with pressurized irrigation systems to shift from well water to surface water.

Modernizing Irrigational Facilities At Sutter Mutual Water Company: A Case Study, Frederick F. Schantz, Stuart W. Styles, Beau J. Freeman, Charles M. Burt, Doughlas Stevens

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

In 1999 Sutter Mutual Water Company (SMWC) began an effort to modernize its water-distribution system in an attempt to reduce operation and maintenance costs and conserve water and power resources. The primary technical support was provided by professionals from the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC), California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. Additional technical expertise was provided by Concepts in Controls of Visalia, California and Wilson Pumps of Woodland, California. This modernization project was partially funded by the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Mid-Pacific Region, Northern Area Office, though a Field Services Program Grant and technical …

A Method For Thermodynamic Work Potential Analysis Of Aircraft Engines, Robert Mcdonald

Aerospace Engineering

The objective of this paper is to provide a tool to facilitate the application of thermodynamic work potential methods to aircraft and engine analysis. This starts with a discussion of the theoretical background underlying these methods, which is then used to derive various equations useful for thermodynamic analysis of aircraft engines. The work potential analysis method is implemented in the form of a set of working charts and tables than can be used to graphically evaluate work potential stored in high-enthalpy gas. The range of validity for these charts is 300 to 36,000 °R, pressures between 0.01 and 100 atm, …

Stanford Space Systems Program: Using Cubesats, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Stanford Space Systems Program: Using CubeSats" from July 2, 2002.

Design And Construction Of Interior Duct Systems, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

To combat the energy, durability, and indoor air quality penalties of duct leakage, energy experts have recommended putting the duct system and air handler inside the conditioned space. Two paths of accomplishing this have emerged: unvented attics/crawl spaces and interior chases. This study focuses on the design, construction, and performance of the interior chase approach as implemented by five different builders in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida.

Researchers found that, in many cases, breeches of the air barrier were evident from simple visual inspection. Critical points of design and construction were identified and will be presented through photos, design and …

Closure To "Flap Gate Design For Automatic Upstream Canal Water Level Control", Charles M. Burt, Russdon Angold, Mike Lehmkuhl, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Strength And Modulus Degradation Of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Laminates From Fiber Misalignment, Xinbao Yang, Antonio Nanni, Stephen B. Haug, Chung Leung Sun

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates are being used as external reinforcement for strengthening concrete members. The performance of unidirectional FRP laminates is highly dependent on fiber orientation with respect to applied load direction. In the case of fabrication by manual layup, it is possible to have fiber plies installed with improper orientation. In this project, the degradation of strength and modulus of carbon FRP laminates from fiber misalignment was investigated experimentally using tensile coupons. The specimens consisted of one and two plies of unidirectional carbon FRP impregnated with a two-component epoxy. The misalignment angles varied from 0 to 40° for the …

A Simulation Study To Investigate Runway Capacity Using Taam, Prakash Subramanian

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study outlines a method to evaluate runway layouts using simulation, to aid in the airport planning and decision making process. As a sample study, the maximum throughput capacities of proposed expansion alternatives at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), constrained at varying levels, are identified. The objective is to compare the ultimate airport capacities achievable for each of the different layouts to estimate their respective efficiencies in terms of runway system utilization. Given its capabilities for modeling at a very high level of detail and closely representing reality in terms of applicable separation standards and air traffic control procedures, TAAM (Total …

Impulse, Dave Graves, Kyle Johnson, Nicole Schaffer

Impulse (Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Publication)

Features:
[Page] 2 New flume makes waves in fluid mechanics lab
[Page] 4 Solberg: Historic hall
[Page] 6 Crothers addition gets first use in spring
[Page] 8 Peters creates new energy
Students:
[Page] 9 Sigma Phi Delta loses campus location
[Page] 10 Students explore new territory with FIRST project
[Page] 12 Senior design projects give insight into engineering world
[Page] 13 Electrical engineering students make history
Faculty:
[Page] 15 Graphing gales, gusts and gentle breezes
[Page] 16 A marriage made in the stars
[Page] 18 College's OSHA personnel feel impact of World Trade Center
[Page] 21 Paving new ground in …

Acuta Enews July 2002, Vol 31, No.7

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Meet the Board for '02-'03

Looking Back........................... Maureen Trimm, Stanford Univ.

Board Report................................ John Bradley, Rensselaer Polytechnic lnstitute

Can You Say "You're Fired"?....................... Megan Statom, ACUTA Communications Assistant

DC Update........................ Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northern Michigan Univ.

FCC and lndustry Canada Agree on 37.5-42.5 GHz Band

ACUTA Meets with Higher Ed Associations......... Jeri Semer, CAE, ACUTA Executive Director

Welcome New Members

Nebraska Blueprint – Summer 2002

Nebraska Blueprint (Student Publication)

Table of Contents:

From the Editor

Engineers Help Improve Smiles – Multidisciplinary research project takes Biological Systems Engineering students to the Dental College.

Professor, Student, Take Team Approach – Last year, Katie Schmatz learned a lot about teamwork. The industrial and management systems engineering graduate (May, 2002) worked with Dr. Stephanie Adams, assistant professor, IMSE, to find out what exactly makes teams work.

Black Engineers' Contributions to the World – A look at history showcases Black engineers' many contributions to the world.

Student Profiles – "Student finds his place at UNL," "Ship to shore: Former sailor finds niche in EE," …

Semester Project For Engineering Entrepreneurship, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Instructional Materials

This is the semester, team-based, student project required for my special topics course on Engineering Entrepreneurship. The semester project focuses on developing a preliminary business plan for a company. This will entail coming up with an idea, exploring the marketability of the idea, and developing preliminary plans for the business.

An Experimental Investigation Of Direct And Indirect Viewing Of A Remote Manipulation, Stephen N. Plishka

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to evaluate direct and indirect viewing of a remote manipulation. With continued exploration of inner and outer space, the ability to directly manipulate objects is lost due to the nature of operating in harsh environments. Remote viewing and operation of equipment is used in such things as the space shuttle manipulator arm, orthoscopic surgery, undersea exploration, and hazardous material management. Most of these operations do not have the luxury of direct viewing. This study will compare the effects of direct viewing vs. indirect viewing from three different viewing distances of 20cm, 60cm and 100cm.

Amis: Least Cost Path Analysis For Transportation Planning, Joel Brumm, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The State requested a GIS-based route planning tool. More than 50 raster data layers were assembled within ArcView 3.2, encompassing a full spectrum of demographic, physical, and cultural features. These data layers were given a numerical rating using multicriteria decision making software and input from professionals from a variety of fields. The multicriteria decision making software then set the relative importance of these surface features as impediments or attractors, creating a travel-cost surface. This synthesis of technologies, combined in a tool termed AMIS (Analytic Minimum Impedance Surface), found the least-cost path to any point within the study area.

Development Of An Efficient Ti:Sapphire Laser Transmitter For Atmospheric Ozone Lidar Measurements, Khaled A. Elsayed

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The impetus of this work was to develop an all solid-state Ti:sapphire laser transmitter to replace the current dye lasers that could provide a potentially compact, robust, and highly reliable laser transmitter for differential absorption lidar measurements of atmospheric ozone. Two compact, high-energy pulsed, and injection-seeded Ti:sapphire lasers operating at a pulse repetition frequency of 30 Hz and wavelengths of 867 nm and 900 nm, with M² of 1.3, have been experimentally demonstrated and compared to model results. The Ti:sapphire lasers have shown the required output beam quality at maximum output pulse energy, 115 mJ at 867 nm and …

Reflection-High Energy Electron Diffraction Study Of Si(100) Homoepitaxy By Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition, Mohammed S. Hegazy

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The dynamics of femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (fsPLD) of Si(!00)-1 x I and Si(!00)-2x I homoepitaxy are studied by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effects of substrate temperature, laser fluence and the pressure of a passive gas on the Si(!00)-1 x I growth mode are discussed. It is shown that films grow following the Volmer-Weber (3D) growth mode. The substrate temperature largely affects the morphology of the grown film. Below ~ 400 °C (at laser fluence of~ 1.9 J/cm²), randomly oriented 3D clusters are grown. This is shown …

Analysis Of Error Recovery Effects On Digital Flight Control Systems, Arturo Tejada Ruiz

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Life-critical, real-time applications like flight-by-wire aircraft, rely on closed-loop digital control systems and fault-tolerant computer systems to reliably achieve the desired operation. The computer systems, however, may be affected by random hardware/software faults induced mainly by environmental conditions such as high intensity radiated fields (HIRF) and lightning. These harsh electromagnetic environments are known to induce common­ mode faults (CMF) in aircraft electronic systems, which disrupt fault-tolerant provisions and possibly affect the operation of the digital control system. Current flight-by-wire aircraft have computer systems that can neither detect CMF nor recover from them. New systems are under investigation that can recover …

A Conceptual Design Tool For Engineers: An Amalgamation Of Theory Of Constraints, Theory Of Inventive Problem Solving And Logic, Stephen R. Luke

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research creates a design methodology by synthesizing three different design tools, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Logic. The basic approach of this design method is to: (1) Reduce a design problem to a logic diagram, (2) Code the inputs and outputs to determine desirability and degree of control, (3) Identify the best inputs to manipulate in order to obtain the desired outputs and (4) Exploit innovative algorithms developed in TRIZ to find the best ways to manipulate the chosen inputs.

This research integrates and expands the methods of TRIZ and TOC. …

Study Of Non-Equilibrium Electron Dynamics In Metals, Wael Mohamed Gomaa Ibrahim

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Thermal phenomena, such as heat propagation, lattice melting, and ablation, are the result of energy deposition in metals. A fundamental understanding of the electron dynamics leading to these thermal phenomena would benefit many laser applications, such as laser deposition of thin films and laser processing.

In this work, thin metal films were prepared using the resistive heating evaporation technique. High dynamic range autocorrelators were constructed to characterize the different laser systems used in this study. The nonequilibrium electron dynamics in single layer gold films, multi-layer gold-vanadium, and gold-titanium films were studied. The time evolution of the electron temperature was monitored …

2002 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to establish 2002 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 2002 survey continues to document the results after enactment of a statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994. Data were collected at 200 randomly selected sites spread across Kentucky. Data from the individual sites were combined into a statewide percentage considering function classification, geographic region, and vehicle miles traveled.

The data show that the usage rate in 2002 (62.0) was almost identical to that for 2001 (61.9). This compared to 60 percent in 2000, 59 percent in 1999, 54 percent …

Eye Pattern Evaluation In High-Speed Digital Systems Analysis By Using Mtl Modeling, Giulio Antonini, James L. Drewniak, Antonio Orlandi, Vittorio Ricchiuti

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method for simulating the eye pattern of high-speed digital signals propagated on printed circuit boards using multiconductor transmission-line modeling is proposed in this paper. The approach takes into account the frequency-dependent properties of the dielectric materials of the board and of the conductors. The validation is performed by comparing the modeling with measurements taken from the literature, and directly performed on test boards specially design for this study.

Phase I: Design And Analysis Of A Process For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides, Yitung Chen, Randy Clarksean, Darrell Pepper

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The proposed research would be conducted in 3 phases. Each of the phases would be carried out over a one-year period. Phase I includes model development, analysis, and the selection of a new casting furnace design. The work discussed in this report was completed as Phase I. Phase II of the program will lead to more modeling and validation to evaluate the proposed furnace concept. Phase III would be a joint effort between UNLV and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to demonstrate the acceptable use of the new furnace in a simulated remote environment.

The Phase III work would include the …

Raman Scattering And Lattice Defects In Nanocrystalline Ceo2 Thin Films, Igor Kosacki, Toshio Suzuki, Harlan U. Anderson, Philippe Colomban

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The results of Raman scattering studies of nanocrystalline CeO₂ thin films are presented. The spectra have been described using the spatial correlation model from which the correlation length has been determined as a function of grain size. A direct comparison between the concentration of defects related to correlation length and CeO₂ non-stoichiometry has been achieved. The relationship between the lattice disorder and the form of the Raman spectra in nanocrystalline CeO₂ is discussed. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.