Engineering Commons^™

Interview No. 1654, Emmet E. Cook Sr.

Combined Interviews

Emmet E. Cook, Sr. was born in Fort Worth, TX, on March 5, 1918; he became interested in aviation following Charles Lindberg’s flight across the Atlantic, he lived near Meacham Air Field; he attended Texas A&M and majored in mechanical engineering; he was failing so a took test for aviation cadet and attended Alan Hancock School of Aeronautics in Santa Maria, CA; he revealed that he was dismissed due to lack of facilities; he mentions he applied for the British Royal Air Force; he says he went back to Fort Worth to fly planes and got his commercial license; Mr. …

Micro-Switches With Sputtered Au, Aupd, Au-On-Aupt, And Auptcu Alloy Electric Contacts, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., P. E. Kladitis, R. Cortez, R. E. Strawser, Robert L. Crane

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This work is the first to report on a new analytic model for predicting micro-contact resistance and the design, fabrication, and testing of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metal contact switches with sputtered bi-metallic (i.e. gold (Au)-on-Au-platinum (Pt), (Au-on-Au-(6%)Pt)), binary alloy (i.e. Au-palladium (Pd), (Au-(2%)Pd)), and tertiary alloy (i.e. Au-Pt-copper (Cu), (Au-(5%)Pt-(0.5%)Cu)) electric contacts. The micro-switches with bi-metallic and binary alloy contacts resulted in contact resistance between 1-2 /spl Omega/ and, when compared to micro-switches with sputtered Au electric contacts, exhibited a 3.3 and 2.6 times increase in switching lifetime, respectively. The tertiary alloy exhibited a 6.5 times increase in switch lifetime …

Statistical Mechanics Of Worm-Like Polymers From A New Generating Function, Gustavo A. Carri, Marcelo Marucho

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

We present a mathematical approach to the worm-like chain model of semiflexible polymers. Our method is built on a novel generating function from which all the properties of the model can be derived. Moreover, this approach satisfies the local inextensibility constraint exactly. In this paper, we focus on the lowest order contribution to the generating function and derive explicit analytical expressions for the characteristic function, polymer propagator, single chain structure factor, and mean square end-to-end distance. These analytical expressions are valid for polymers with any degree of stiffness and contour length. We find that our calculations are able to capture …

Solvent And Method For Extraction Of Triglyceride Rich Oil, Shubhender Kapila, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, V. J. Flanigan

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The present invention relates to a solvent for use in extracting oil from an oil bearing material, such as soybeans, with the solvent resulting in the selective extraction of a triglyceride rich oil, which contains 95% or greater triglycerides and non-polar constituents, with the solvent comprised of a hydrocarbon, preferably hexane, and a fluorocarbon, so that the solvent has a viscosity less than 2.6 centipoise and a polarity of less than 0.1. The present invention also relates to a method of using the solvent to extract the triglyceride rich oil, with the method including preferably extracting the oil at a …

A Comparison Of Micro-Switch Analytic, Finite Element, And Experimental Results, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., P. E. Kladitis, Lavern A. Starman, J. R. Reid

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Electrostatically actuated, metal contact, micro-switches depend on having adequate contact force to achieve desired, low contact resistance. In this study, higher contact forces resulted from overdriving cantilever beam style switches, after pull-in or initial contact, until the beam collapsed onto the drive or actuation electrode. The difference between initial contact and beam collapse was defined as the useful contact force range. Micro-switch pull-in voltage, collapse voltage, and contact force predictions, modeled analytically and with the CoventorWare finite element software package, were compared to experimental results. Contact resistance was modeled analytically using Maxwellian spreading resistance theory. Contact resistance and contact …

The Benefit Of Using Simulation To Improve The Implementation Of Lean Manufacturing Case Study: Quick Changeovers To Allow Level Loading Of The Assembly Line, Jack J. Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

In today's competitive manufacturing environment, companies are constantly looking for ways to improve. Because of this, many companies are striving to become "lean" by implementing lean manufacturing, which is a difficult process. To aid in the implementation of lean manufacturing, simulation was used to reduce the trial-and-error period of lean manufacturing and find to optimum approach to implement the lean manufacturing principle. In this research, a case study of implementing level loading of the production schedule for BullFrog International, L.C. will be examined. To make it possible to implement level loading, the thermo-former machine at the beginning of the operations …

A Review Of Setup Practices And Procedures For Creating Ieee 802.11 Wireless Community Networks, Jae M. Theobald

Theses and Dissertations

IEEE 802.11 wireless networking equipment has made it possible to bridge the last mile for new broadband internet service providers. Inexpensive wireless networking equipment and high gain antennas enable high speed internet delivery at a fraction of the cost of installing or upgrading land lines for cable or DSL services. Based on this research, a guide of general practices and procedures is proposed for designing, installing, and maintaining a reliable wireless community area network. Included tests have provided performance results for several types of wireless antennas (including wire grid parabolic dishes, Yagi and Vagi styles, and echo backfire), wireless bridges, …

Techniques And Patterns For Safe And Efficient Real-Time Middleware, Angelo Corsaro

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Over 90 percent of all microprocessors are now used for real-time and embedded applications. The behavior of these applications is often constrained by the physical world. It is therefore important to devise higher-level languages and middleware that meet conventional functional requirements, as well as dependably and productively enforce real-time constraints. Real-Time Java is emerging as a safe, real-time environment. In this thesis we use it as our experimentation platform; however, our findings are easily adapted to other similar platforms. This thesis provides the following contributions to the study of safe and efficient real-time middleware. First, it identifies potential bottlenecks and …

Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Of Mixing In A Bottom Gas-Stirred Ladle, Jun Aoki, Brian G. Thomas, Jörg Peter, Kent D. Peaslee

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Chemical/Mechanical Analyses Of Anhydride-Cured Thermosetting Epoxys: Dgeba/Nma/Bdma, Wei Chian, Delmar C. Timm

Papers in Molecular Chemistry

The chemical state of cure in a thermosetting resin was used to predict the resin’s equilibrium modulus. High performance liquid chromatography analyses of the sol fraction yielded molar dynamics for monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric molecules. Their population density distributions were compared with theoretical predictions based on a chain-growth polymerization mechanism. The resulting chemical estimates of the state of cure were integrated into calculations yielding concentrations of network structures within the gel that contribute to the density of elastically active strands and junctions. The theory of rubber elasticity was then used to predict the equilibrium modulus. Measurements incorporated dynamic mechanical analysis. …

Kinetic Reaction Analysis Of An Anhydride-Cured Thermoplastic Ep-Oxy:Pge/Nma/Bdma, Wei Chian, Delmar C. Timm

Papers in Molecular Chemistry

A comprehensive reaction analysis of a linear epoxy resin cured with an anhydride was performed to evaluate the reaction rate expressions. Monomers included phenyl glycidyl ether and methyl- 5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride or nadic methyl anhydride; the catalyst was N,N-dimethylbenzylamine; the initiator was n-propanol. Emphasis was initially placed on the molar dynamics of monomeric and oligomeric molecules. Molecular fractionations were achieved using reversed phase, high performance liquid chromatography. Chemical reaction rate constants were examined as a function of degree of polym-erization. For the chain-initiated polymerization, the initiation rate constant was observed to be approximately 3 times greater than the propagation constant associated …

High Order Convergence With A Low Order Discretization Of The 2d Mfie, Clayton P. Davis, Karl F. Warnick

Faculty Publications

Moment method solutions to the MFIE are often less accurate for a given grid than corresponding solutions to the EFIE. We propose that the cause of this observation is the identity operator in the MFIE and show how regularizing the identity increases the convergence rate of the discretized 2D MFIE by three orders.

Electromagnetic Bias At Off-Nadir Incidence Angles, David V. Arnold, Floyd W. Millet, Karl F. Warnick

Faculty Publications

Sponsorship: JPL Subcontract 961461. Nadir and off-nadir measurements of electromagnetic (EM) bias measurements are presented and compared with an off-nadir bias model. Measurements of the bias were made during the BYU Off-Nadir Experiment (Y-ONE) in the months of March and April, 2003. Using radar measurements of the surface and backscattered power, the EM bias was computed at angles from nadir to 17º degrees. Simultaneous surface measurements from a laser rangefinder provide accurate measurements of the long wave surface parameters. An off-nadir bias model incorporating the effects of hydrodynamic modulation of short waves and tilt modulation of long waves is developed …

Numerical Simulations In Electro-Osmotic Flow, Joseph S. Tenny

Theses and Dissertations

The developing flow field in a parallel plate microchannel, induced by wall motion, has been modeled numerically. This type of flow simulates the physical driving mechanism that exists in electro-osmotically generated flow with large channel diameter-to-Debye length ratios (Z). The physics of the flow field were compared between the moving wall model (MWM) and electro-osmotic flow (EOF) at Reynolds numbers of 1 and 1800, and Z > 2500. Also, Z-values between 50 and 500 were studied to investigate the accuracy of the MWM. Results show that for Z-values greater than 100 the MWM shows good agreement with EOF.

The dynamics of …

Optical Properties Of SioX Nanostructured Films By Pulsed-Laser Deposition At Different Substrate Temperatures, X. Y. Chen, Yongfeng Lu, Y. H. Wu, B. J. Cho, W. D. Song, D. Y. Dai

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Silicon oxide sSiO_xd nanostructured films have been formed by pulsed-laser deposition of Si in oxygen at different substrate temperatures, in order to study the structures and optical properties related to quantum confinement effects. After laser ablation, the single-crystal Si(100) target is converted to a polycrystal structure and shows weak photoluminescence (PL). The as-deposited SiO_x nanostructured films show large particles (i.e., droplets) on a uniform background film. The droplets with weak PL emission have the same high crystallinity as the Si(100) target. Strong PL is observed from the amorphouslike background films rather than from the crystalline droplets. As …

Tcp Processor: Design, Implementation, Operation, And Usage, David V. Schuehler

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

There is a critical need to perform advanced data processing on network traffic. In order to accom-plish this, protocol processing must first be performed to reassemble individual network packets into consistent data streams representing the exact dataset being transferred between end systems. This task is currently performed by protocol stacks running on end systems. Similar protocol processing opera-tions are needed to process the data on the interior of the network. Given millions of network connections operating on multi-gigabit per second network links, this task is extremely difficult. The TCP-Processor addresses this challenge. It is a hardware circuit designed to perform …

2005 Cansat Competition Guide, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A guide created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "2005 CanSat Competition Guide" from September 7, 2004.

Establishing A Cyber Warrior Force, Scott D. Tobin

Theses and Dissertations

Cyber Warfare is widely touted to be the next generation of warfare. As America's reliance on automated systems and information technology increases, so too does the potential vulnerability to cyber attack. Nation and non-nation states are developing the capability to wage cyber warfare. Historically, the Air Force and DoD have concentrated their efforts toward defensive network operations. However, a shift in doctrine has shown both the Air Force and DoD acknowledging the potential for Information Warfare. What appears to be lacking is the trained and educated cyber warrior force that will carry out the information operations if needed. This research …

Defect Chemistry Of Mixed Ionic/Electronic P-Type Oxides, Harlan U. Anderson, Xiao-Dong Zhou, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The p-type perovskite structure oxides are finding use in a number of energy related applications. In particular they are being used as cathodes in fuel cells as well as dense oxygen separation membranes. The defect concentration and defect mobility determine the electrical properties. Since both of these are dependent upon the operating temperature and oxygen activity, it is important to understand how an oxide equilibrates with its environment. In this paper, a defect chemistry model for the oxidation-reduction behavior of p-type perovskites is reviewed with formulations in the (La,Sr)(Cr,Mn,Co,Fe)03 system being used as examples.

An Open Architecture For Versatile Machine And Actuator Control, Michael Scott Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

Automatic control technology increases usability, reliability and productivity in manufacturing, transportation, and climate control. There are many additional areas of modern life that could benefit through automatic control; however, current automation components are too expensive or aren't sufficiently flexible. For example, the cost of current commercial motion control components precludes their use in an average home. This thesis describes an automatic control methodology that is low cost and is flexible enough for a wide variety of control applications. Typical applications could include:

- Home lighting, security and appliances

- Commercial building heating, ventilation and air conditioning

- Industrial machine tool …

Performance And Applications Of Gossamer Wind (Tm) Solar Powered Ceiling Fans, Florida Solar Energy Center, M. Lubliner

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Ceiling fans provide a cooling breeze, reduce temperature stratification and improve thermal comfort. Ceiling fans save energy in homes by improving thermal comfort, which results in changes to the thermostat set-point or reduced use of air conditioning.

Variability And Potential Sources Of Predictability Of North American Runoff, Edwin P. Maurer, Dennis P. Lettenmaier, Nathan J. Mantua

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Understanding the space-time variability of runoff has important implications for climate because of the linkage of runoff and evapotranspiration and is a practical concern as well for the prediction of drought and floods. In contrast to many studies investigating the space-time variability of precipitation and temperature, there has been relatively little work evaluating climate teleconnections of runoff, in part because of the absence of data sets that lend themselves to commonly used techniques in climate analysis like principal components analysis. We examine the space-time variability of runoff over North America using a 50-year retrospective spatially distributed data set of runoff …

Acuta Enews September 2004, Vol. 33, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

ACUTA Joins lntemet2

From ACUTA Headquarters...................... Jeri Semer, CAE, Executive Director

Board Report................................ Carmine Piscopo, Providence College, ACUTA Secretary/Treasurer

Looking Back at the 33rd Annual Conference

So Many Winners....................... Such Nice Prizes

The University of Texas at Austin Unveils UTOPIA

Tech Talk....................... Kevin Tanzilo, Dux Public Relations

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

ACUTA Members Sites to See

A Model Of Computer Science Graduate Admissions Decisions, Nigel Ward

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Potential applicants to graduate school find it difficult to predict, even approximately, which schools will accept them. We have created a predictive model of admissions decision-making, packaged in the form of a web page that allows students to enter their information and see a list of schools where they are likely to be accepted. This paper discusses the design of the model and the way its parameters were estimated. Interesting points include the way that weights are assigned dynamically to various factors based on the informativeness of each factor and on the applicant's relative strengths on each factor.

Exact Bounds On Finite Populations Of Interval Data, Scott Ferson, Lev Ginzburg, Vladik Kreinovich, Luc Longpre, Monica Aviles

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In this paper, we start research into using intervals to bound the impact of bounded measurement errors on the computation of bounds on finite population parameters ("descriptive statistics"). Specifically, we provide a feasible (quadratic time) algorithm for computing the lower bound on the finite population variance function of interval data. We prove that the problem of computing the upper bound on the finite population variance function of interval data is, in general, NP-hard. We provide a feasible algorithm that computes this upper bound under reasonable easily verifiable conditions, and provide preliminary results on computing other functions of finite populations.

Dynamic Testing Of Wooden Guardrail Posts - White And Red Pine Species Equivalency Study, John R. Rohde, Jason A. Hascall, Karla A. Polivka, Dean L. Sicking, Ronald K. Faller

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

A Multi-Criteria Approach To The Evaluation Of Aviation E-Marketplace Portals, Edward Sweeney, Emilio Esposito, Pietro Evangelista, Michel Mastroianni, Renato Passaro, Claudia-Maria Wagner

Conference papers

After a proliferation of logistics e-Marketplaces during the dot.com boom of 1998-2000, there has been a high rate of failure and survivals are developing much more slowly than expected. This is the case of aviation industry where a large number of B2B e-Marketplaces emerged according to the focus of aviation companies’ strategies on electronic B2B in the late 1990s. However, the current use of e-Marketplaces in the industry is low and many of them have ceased trading. The traditional e-Marketplaces model have been characterised by poor quality of portals and the lack of technical standards. Such an approach is unsustainable …

Peer Review Of Teaching Project: Survey Of Project Participants, Paul Savory, Amy M. Goodburn, Amy Nelson Burnett

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Reports

In planning for the future of the Peer Review of Teaching project, we performed a survey of to collect faculty participant feedback on their experience in the project (i.e., writing a course portfolio, possibly having it externally reviewed) and the impact that the experience has had on their teaching. While each of the partner campuses (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Michigan, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Indiana – Bloomington, and University of Kansas) have shaped the project experience differently for campus participants, we sought feedback from participants of all the project partners to get an overall assessment of the project.

Evaluating The Quality Of Research And Innovation At Faculty Level, Mike Murphy

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Steel Deck Institute Diaphragm Design Manual, Third Edition, Larry D. Luttrell

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

No abstract provided.