Engineering Commons^™

Acuta Enews June 2006, Vol. 35, No. 6

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

Planning for VolP...................... Mike Grunder, Vantage Technology Consulting Group

From the President................... Patricia Todus, Northwestern Univ., ACUTA President

Board Report................ Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State Univ., ACUTA Sec./Treasurer

Three Preconference Seminars Offered

Tech Talk: VolP Implementation: The Survey Says...................... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

lnfo Links......................... Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Web Tip: Members Post Job Openings Free............... Aaron Fuehrer, ACUTA lnformation Tech. Mgr.

Dues Notices Mailed

DC Update.............. Jeanne Jansenius, University of the South

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Online Press Room

Nanomanipulation Using Atomic Force Microscope With Drift Compensation, Qinmin Yang, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes an atomic force microscope (AFM) based force controller to push nanoparticles on the substrates since it is tedious for human. A block phase correlation-based algorithm is embedded into the controller for compensating the thermal drift during nanomanipulation. Further, a neural network (NN) is employed to approximate the unknown nanoparticle and substrate contact dynamics including the roughness effects. Using the NN-based adaptive force controller the task of pushing nanoparticles is demonstrated. Finally, using the Lyapunov-based stability analysis, the uniform ultimately boundedness (UUB) of the closed-loop signals is demonstrated

Inertia And Memory In Ambiguous Visual Perception, J. B. Gao, V. A. Billock, I. Merk, W. W. Tung, K. D. White, J. G. Harris, V. P. Roychowdhury

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Perceptual multistability during ambiguous visual perception is an important clue to neural dynamics. We examined perceptual switching during ambiguous depth perception using a Necker cube stimulus, and also during binocular rivalry. Analysis of perceptual switching time series using variance-sample size analysis, spectral analysis and time series shuffling shows that switching times behave as a 1/f noise and possess very long-range correlations. The long memory feature contrasts sharply with the traditional satiation models of multistability, where the memory is not incorporated, as well as with recently published models of multistability and neural processing, where memory is excluded. On the other hand, …

A Field Reconstruction Method For Optimal Excitation Of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines, Weidong Zhu, Babak Fahimi, Steve Pekarek

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vibration caused by torque ripple and radial force harmonics is a concern in many applications of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). Alternative methods of machine design and/or stator excitation to minimize torque ripple have received considerable attention in recent years. Comparatively, methods to minimize radial force harmonics have received less attention. in this paper, a field reconstruction (FR) method is derived that provides a designer with the capability to rapidly determine the radial and tangential components of force under arbitrary stator excitation. using the field reconstruction method, stator current waveforms that minimize the ripple of both torque and radial force …

The Antibacterial Effects Of Zinc Ion Migration From Zinc-Based Glass Polyalkenoate Cements, D. Boyd, H. Li, D. A. Tanner, Mark R. Towler, J. G. Wall

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Zinc-based glass polyalkenoate cements have been synthesised and their potential use in orthopaedic applications investigated. Zinc ions were released from the materials in a rapid burst over the first 24 h after synthesis, with the release rate falling below detectable levels after 7 days. Cement-implanted bone samples were prepared, and the released zinc was shown, using energy dispersive X-ray analysis, to penetrate from the cement into the adjacent bone by up to 40 μm. Finally, the cements exhibited antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces viscosus that reflected the pattern of zinc release, with the inhibition of growth greatest shortly …

Disseminating Molecular Biology For Environmental Engineers With Nsf Ccli Support, Daniel B. Oerther, Catherine V. Maltbie, Baikun Li, Jin Li, Amy Pruden, Peter George Stroot

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For the past five years, more than fifty undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Cincinnati have participated in a term-length course, CEE69 Molecular Biology for Environmental Systems. Using a self-paced approach, teams of students complete laboratory exercises to answer open ended questions about the composition of the microbiological community in an environmental sample. With the financial support of a Adaptation and Implementation (A&I) track grant from the NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement program the course from Cincinnati is being taught at four partner institutions. This paper highlights the unique challenges of adapting the existing course to other …

Active Fpga Security Through Decoy Circuits, Bradley D. Christiansen

Theses and Dissertations

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) based on Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) are vulnerable to tampering attacks such as readback and cloning attacks. Such attacks enable the reverse engineering of the design programmed into an FPGA. To counter such attacks, measures that protect the design with low performance penalties should be employed. This research proposes a method which employs the addition of active decoy circuits to protect SRAM FPGAs from reverse engineering. The effects of the protection method on security, execution time, power consumption, and FPGA resource usage are quantified. The method significantly increases the security of the design with …

Optimal Geometric Deployment Of A Ground Based Pseudolite Navigation System To Track A Landing Aircraft, Matthew P. Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

With much of the military and civilian communities becoming dependent on GPS technology to navigate it has become imperative that the navigation systems be tested in situations in which GPS does not work. This testing is especially necessary for precise tasks such as landing an aircraft. Currently, research is being conducted into using a pseudolite-based reference system to use as a truth model for the GPS jamming test. Pseudolite systems have been proven to provide sub-centimeter level accuracy in the horizontal plane; however in the vertical plane the position error is still in the decimeter to meter level range. This …

Evaluation Of Microbial Diversity In Wetland Through Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr) And Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (Rflp), Gregory K. Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

The diversity of microbial communities in wetlands has not been fully measured. These communities may offer tools to naturally remediate sites polluted with chlorinated compounds. Polmerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) are genomic techniques that are capable of rapidly characterizing bacteria communities and can provide valuable information about the diversity of microbial communities.

Technology Transfer: A Qualitative Analysis Of Air Force Office Of Research And Technology Applications, David C. Trexler

Theses and Dissertations

Everyday within United States Air Forces’ research laboratories there are hundreds of scientists and engineers whose research and development activities contribute to the advancement of science and technology for mankind. The opportunities for successful technology transfer within these research activities are unbounded. This thesis examines the Air Force Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA’s) involvement with technology transfer, the complexities they face, the importance of their position, and what best practices ORTAs use to facilitate technology transfer. Air Force concerns and initiatives are detailed to provide perspective on balancing technology transfer with mission requirements and adherence to United States …

Development And Validation Of Reentry Simulation Using Matlab, Robert E. Jameson Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This research effort develops a program using MATLAB to solve the equations of motion for atmospheric reentry and analyzes the validity of the program for use as a tool to expeditiously predict reentry profiles. The reentry vehicle is modeled as a point mass with constant aerodynamic properties as defined by the user. The equations of motion for reentry are based on the two-body problem. The atmosphere is modeled as a single layer exponentially decreasing in density. The MATLAB program has the ability to derive the initial trajectory conditions from the position and velocity relative to the rotating surface of the …

Particle Image Velocimetry Using A Novel, Non-Intrusive Particle Seeding, Charles J. Delapp Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research effort was to study the use of non-intrusive particle seeding for Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Current seeding material and techniques involve the use of either solid particles or liquid mixtures which can contaminate or damage closed circuit wind tunnels, and in some cases can introduce a potential fire or explosive hazard. The proposed method is based on creating seed particles utilizing Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The CO2 would be dispensed into the flow as a liquid, immediately condensing to solid seed particles as they leave the spray nozzle. The advantage of using these particles is that …

The Determination Of Remaining Satellite Propellant Using Measured Moments Of Inertia, Jason W. Geitgey

Theses and Dissertations

This research is designed to demonstrate that a change in satellite propellant can be determined using measured moments of inertia (MOI) from a satellite. Because satellites are currently incapable of being refueled in orbit it is important to have multiple methods to determine the remaining fuel onboard. This research can also support satellite operator selection of control-system gains to improve performance or recover the spacecraft. To meet the research objectives, new mathematical models of the Air Force Institute of Technology's Simulated Satellite (SimSat) were developed. These models were created using dynamic response analysis techniques on the reaction wheel and SimSat …

Wear Analysis Of Cu-Al Coating On Ti-6al-4v Under Fretting, Karl N. Murray

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of changes in the coefficient of friction (CoF) between the contacting surfaces on the fretting wear characteristics of Cu-Al coating on Ti-6Al-4V were investigated. This Cu-Al coating is part of a system that is applied to titanium turbine blades to reduce fretting at the interface. In the application, there is a solid lubricant that is added on top of the coating as an assembly aid and to help reduce the friction while the lubricant remains within the contact. Previous studies have researched the characteristics of the coating without the additional lubricant. In this study, liquid motor oil was …

An Investigation Into Robust Wind Correction Algorithms For Off-The Shelf Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Autopilots, Brent K. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The research effort focuses on developing methods to design efficient wind correction algorithms to "piggyback" on current off-the-shelf Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) autopilots. Autonomous flight is certainly the near future for the aerospace industry and there exists great interest in defining a system that can guide and control aircraft with high levels of accuracy. The primary systems required to command the vehicles are already in place, but with only moderate abilities to adjust for dynamic environments (i.e. wind effects), if at all. The goal of this research is to develop a systematic procedure for implementing efficient and robust wind effects …

Dynamic Nonlinear Bending And Torsion Of A Cantilever Beam, Michael S. Whiting

Theses and Dissertations

This effort sought to measure the dynamic nonlinear bending and torsion response of a cantilever beam. The natural frequencies of a cantilever beam in both chord and flap directions were measured at different static root pitch angles with varying levels of weights attached at the free end. The results were compared with previous experimentation to validate the data and testing procedures while lowering the associated error bands. Additionally, methodology for measuring mode shapes was set forth and mode shapes were measured for a few test cases with zero degrees of root pitch.

Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, Volume 22, Number 8, June 2006, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

An eight page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

Calibration Of The Corelok Method For Determination Of Missouri Aggregate Specific Gravities, David Newton Richardson, S. M. Lusher

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Specific gravity and absorption are fundamental aggregate properties needed for hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and Portland cement concrete (PCC) mix design and/or volumetric determinations. MoDOT utilizes the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standard test methods T 84 (for fine aggregates) and T 85 (for coarse aggregates) to determine these important properties. Criticisms of these procedures are the subjective nature of determining when the aggregates have reached the saturated, surface-dry (SSD) condition (especially T 84) and the substantial amount of time needed to complete the tests. The CoreLok method addresses these criticisms in that it is an objective …

The Impact Of Tcp Sliding Window On The Performance Of Ieee 802.11 Wlans, Enrique Roques Gomez, Mark Davis

Conference papers

In this paper the TCP sliding window mechanism is experimentally investigated as one of the possible causes of the unfairness often observed as IEEE802.11 wireless LANs. We show how by appropriately sizing the sliding window it is possible to re-introduce fairness into the operation of the WLAN.

Coatings, Sealants, And Fillers To Address Bridge Concrete Deterioration And Aesthetics-Phase 1, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study addresses experimental evaluation and testing of concrete coatings for maintenance purposes on structural (steel reinforced) concrete. The test methods employed are intended to identify coatings and sealers for eventual incorporation into a qualified products list for structural concrete coatings. Some of the methods/procedures used in this study will be used in the future to evaluate additional coatings and sealers. Developmental work focused on identifying relevant coatings systems and laboratory tests. The objectives of experimental project monitoring were to: 1) identify existing viable concrete coatings along with their properties/ characteristics/surface preparation requirements and determine effective acceptance/evaluation tests for those …

Making Kytc Geotechnical Reports Available On The Web, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, Rebecca Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Geotechnical Branch of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) prepares technical reports that contain drawings, explanations, and recommendations for road and structure construction projects in Kentucky. These design reports, once complete, also serve as historical reference materials for new projects and are utilized by State contractors, regional transportation offices, as well as the KYTC staff in Frankfort, KY. In order to reduce the support needed to distribute these documents to their constituents, the KYTC required a Web-based system for storing and disseminating the reports. The system developed under this project allows KYTC staff to upload an electronic document from any …

Early Stage Benefit Cost Analysis For Estimating Economic Impacts, Doug Kreis, Brian Howell, Lenahan O'Connell

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study reviewed the various software packages and other methods in use for estimating the economic impacts of proposed transportation projects. A total of 13 economic software packages were examined as potential applications in meeting KYTC’s business needs. It was determined that only the TREDIS model from the Economic Development Research Group, Inc. or the TranSight model from Regional Economic Models, Inc. could potentially meet Kentucky’s needs as defined in the project.

Characteristics And Engineering Properties Of The Soft Soil Layer In Highway Soil Subgrades, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham, Liecheng Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this research was to examine the conditions and characteristics of soil subgrades that had been stabilized using mechanical compaction. Goals of the study are to identify and examine the engineering properties and behavior of the “soft layer’ of material observed at the top of untreated, highway pavement soil subgrades. Alternative methods of preventing, or mitigating, the development of the soft layer are discussed.

Evidence is presented that shows that a soft layer of soil frequently develops at the top of untreated, highway soil subgrades. Data are presented that show strengths obtained from mechanical compaction are largely destroyed …

Cost Effective Concrete Pavement Cross Sections - Final Report, James Crovetti

Transportation Reports with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

This report presents the findings of a study of alternate pavement designs targeted at reducing the initial construction costs of concrete pavements without compromising pavement performance. Test sections were constructed with alternate dowel materials, reduced dowel placements, variable thickness concrete slabs and alternate surface and subsurface drainage details. Performance data was collected out to 5 and 7 years after construction.

The study results indicate that FRP composite dowels may not be a practical alternative to conventional epoxy coated steel dowels due to their reduced rigidity, which results in lower deflection load transfer capacities at transverse joints. Ride quality measures also …

A Simple Project Paradigm For Teaching Computer Architecture, Yul Chu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a teaching method for a possible computer architect by using a simple DCT project for an undergraduate-level computer architecture course. The goal of the project is to let students (two or three students per team) understand the concept of computer hardware and how to design a simple RISC-type 32-bit Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). The project consists of three different tasks: 1) D (Design) - Designing a processor at the abstract level; 2) C (Code) - Writing a simulation program for the ISA; and 3) T (Test) - Running a test program to verify each function of computer …

Determination Of Uniaxial Residual Stress And Mechanical Properties By Instrumented Indentation, Manhong Zhao, Xi Chen, Jin Yan, Anette M. Karlsson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We propose an improved technique to determine the uniaxial residual stress, elastic modulus, and yield stress of a linear elastic, perfectly plastic bulk material from the force–displacement curve of one conical indentation test. Explicit relationships between the indentation loading–unloading parameters, material properties, and residual stress are established through extensive finite element analyses. Good agreement is found between the input material parameters used in numerical indentation tests and the properties identified from the reverse analysis, with an error of less than 10% in most cases. The technique is applied to a nanoindentation experiment on the crosssection of a thermal barrier system, …

Behavior And Design Of Buried Concrete Pipes, Ece Erdogmus, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Interpolation Algorithms For Temporal-Oriented Datasets, Jun Gao

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Spatiotemporal datasets can be classified into two categories: temporal-oriented and spatial-oriented datasets depending on whether missing spatiotemporal values are closer to the values of its temporal or spatial neighbors. We present an adaptive spatiotemporal interpolation model that can estimate the missing values in both categories of spatiotemporal datasets. The key parameters of the adaptive spatiotemporal interpolation model can be adjusted based on experience.

Methane Production In A 100-L Upflow Bioreactor By Anaerobic Digestion Of Farm Waste, Abhijeet P. Borole, K. Thomas Klasson, Whitney Ridenour, Justin Holland, Khursheed Karim, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Manure Waste from Dairy Farms Has Been Used for Methane Production for Decades, However, Problems Such as Digester Failure Are Routine. the Problem Has Been Investigated in Small Scale (1-2 L) Digesters in the Laboratory; However, Very Little Scale-Up to Intermediate Scales Are Available. We Report Production of Methane in a 100-L Digester and the Results of an Investigation into the Effect of Partial Mixing Induced by Gas Upflow/recirculation in the Digester. the Digester Was Operated for a Period of About 70 D (With 16-D Hydraulic Retention Time) with and Without the Mixing Induced by Gas Recirculation through an Internal …

Introducing The Engineering Technology Programs To All Incoming Freshmen Engineering And Technology Students–The Result Is Better For All, Gary Crossman, Anthony Dean

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The Department of Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University participates in a freshman engineering course sequence, along with four engineering departments in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology. The two course sequence, Exploring Engineering and Technology I and II, involve the five departments in teaching at least one five week module in each of the two courses. Each department generally involves the students in a basic design project related to its discipline. Since the Department of Engineering Technology has three main programs – Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical – it has elected to divide its five week segment into three …