Engineering Commons^™

Afci Quarterly Input – Unlv April 1 Through June 30, 2007, Harry Reid Center For Environmental Studies. Nuclear Science And Technology Division

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

Quarterly report highlighting research projects, activities and objectives of the Transmutation Research Program at the Nuclear Science & Technology Division, Harry Reid Research Center.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas supports the AFCI through research and development of technologies for economic and environmentally sound refinement of spent nuclear fuel. The UNLV program has four components: infrastructure, international collaboration, student-based research, and management and program support.

Nyumba Ya Mungu Reservoir System Simulation By Using Hec-Ressim Model, Deogratias Mulungu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This research paper focused on estimating effective water and optimization of the NyM reservoir for storage conservation and hydropower generation. Several models were used in the study: the Rainfall-Runoff model, GFFS was used to fill in missing data, and the HEC-ResSim Model and the NWBM for reservoir system simulation and water balance respectively. The effective inflows to the NyM reservoir were determined using HEC-ResSim model and the NWBM used to check the total water loss in the system. For the reservoir system simulation, the HEC-ResSim model was used to estimate water loss through irrigation abstractions in Kikuletwa and Ruvu reaches …

Socio-Economic Impacts Of Water Scarcity In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Shadrack Mwakalila

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Drought and the resulting low water levels in rivers exacerbate water scarcity conditions in Dar es Salaam city. The result is frequent water rationing in areas served with piped water, sometimes for days or weeks, and low water pressure, which leads residents to resort to other less safe and sometimes more expensive water sources. The frequent and current response to the inadequate piped water supply in Dar es Salaam has been the use of groundwater resources. There are both public and private bore-holes and wells drilling companies in Dar es Salaam.. This paper therefore, presents some socio-economic impacts of water …

Oaming Characteristics Of The Food-Industry Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant, Samwel V. Manyele

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Intensive foaming observed during aeration of the aerobic food industry wastewater treatment plant is presented. This study was conducted to establish the foaming characteristics using a pilot three-phase fluidized bed bioreactor (TPFBB). A fluidization column (0.2 m i.d. and 6 m high) was used. The TPFBB was loaded with variable masses of novel biomass support particles (BSP). Wastewater samples collected from a plant processing both vegetable oil (VOPWW) and soap (SPWW) were immediately introduced in the TPFBB for aeration. The characteristics studied include: variation of foam volume with time, foam multiplicity, foaming and foam collapse rates. The SPWW produced excessive …

Adhesive Contact In Filaments, Xiang-Fa Wu, Yuris A. Dzenis

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

This paper studies the elastic contact in filaments induced by surface adhesion, which plays an important role in the mechanical response of fibrous materials (e.g., fiber friction, sliding, compression hysteresis, etc.). During the process, a simple 3D elastic contact model was proposed. The filaments were assumed to be uniform, smooth elastic cylinders, and the adhesive force between filaments in contact was estimated according to Bradley’s approach (Bradley 1932 Phil. Mag. 13 853) that relies on the filament configurations before deformation. Under the action of fiber surface adhesion, the elastic deformation and the size of the contact zone were determined in …

Double Statistical Distribution Of Conductivity And Aspect Ratio Of Inclusions In Dielectric Mixtures At Microwave Frequencies, Marina Koledintseva, Richard E. Dubroff, Robert W. Schwartz, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An analytical model of a composite dielectric presented in this paper is the extension of Maxwell Garnett formulation. It takes into account the simultaneous statistical (Gaussian) distribution of conductivity and aspect ratio of inclusions. The inclusions are randomly oriented elongated conducting spheroids at concentrations below the percolation threshold. The formulation presented herein is limited to microwave frequencies. However, taking subtle frequency-dependent effects that play important part at optical frequencies into account is straightforward. Some results of computations of microwave complex effective permittivity of composites with different input parameters have been obtained using analytical and numerical integration in Maple 10 software. …

Finding Lips In Unconstrained Imagery For Improved Automatic Speech Recognition, Jane Zhang, Higinio Ariel Montoya, Brandon Crow

Electrical Engineering

Lip movement of a speaker conveys important visual speech information and can be exploited for Automatic Speech Recognition. While previous research demonstrated that visual modality is a viable tool for identifying speech, the visual information has yet to become utilized in mainstream ASR systems. One obstacle is the difficulty in building a robust visual front end that tracks lips accurately in a real-world condition. In this paper we present our current progress in addressing the issue. We examine the use of color information in detecting the lip region and report our results on the statistical analysis and modeling of lip …

Final Report: Second Generation Waste Package Design Study, L. S. Armijo, Mano Misra, Piyush Kar

Publications (YM)

The objectives of this project activity are: to review the current YMP baseline environment and establish corrosion test environments representative of the range of dry to intermittently wet conditions expected in the drifts as a function of time. to demonstrate the oxidation and corrosion resistance of A588 weathering steel and reference Alloy 22 samples in the representative dry to intermittently dry conditions. to evaluate backfill and design features to improve the thermal performance analyses of the proposed second-generation waste packages using existing models developed at UNR.

Nature-Inspired Interconnects For Self-Assembled Large-Scale Network-On-Chip Designs, Christof Teuscher

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Future nanoscale electronics built up from an Avogadro number of components need efficient, highly scalable, and robust means of communication in order to be competitive with traditional silicon approaches. In recent years, the networks-on-chip (NoC) paradigm emerged as a promising solution to interconnect challenges in silicon-based electronics. Current NoC architectures are either highly regular or fully customized, both of which represent implausible assumptions for emerging bottom-up self-assembled molecular electronics that are generally assumed to have a high degree of irregularity and imperfection. Here, we pragmatically and experimentally investigate important design tradeoffs and properties of an irregular, abstract, yet physically plausible …

Using Student Space Assets For Atmospheric Science Research: Cedr Small Satellite Workshop, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint Presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Using Student Space Assets For Atmospheric Science Research: CEDR Small Satellite Workshop" from June 27, 2007.

A New Method For Treating Wells In Reservoir Simulation, Gregory M. Gessel

Theses and Dissertations

A new method for formulating finite difference equations for reservoir simulation has been developed. It can be applied throughout the entire simulated reservoir or to local segments. When applied to cells containing vertical, fully penetrating, straight-line wells in a homogeneous reservoir, the resulting equations are equivalent to Peaceman's classical well equations used in most reservoir simulators today. However, when the new finite difference equations are applied to both the well-containing cells, and their neighbors, the accuracy of the simulation improves substantially. The method produces still better accuracy results when applied throughout the reservoir. Unlike the Peaceman correction, the new method …

Encouraging Lifelong Learning For Engineering Management Undergraduates, Susan L. Murray, Stephen A. Raper

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The current ABET guidelines place an emphasis on life-long learning for our undergraduate students. What is life-long learning? How can we encourage students to consider global issues, current events, or even anything "that isn't going to be on the next test"? In this paper we present survey results evaluating habits of undergraduate students entering an engineering management program and seniors related to life-long learning including attending professional society meetings, reading trade publications, reading business related books, and other learning outside of the classroom activities. This paper also presents a two semester effort to increase life-long learning activities among undergraduate engineering …

Web-Based Design And Analysis Projects For A Junior Level Integrated Circuits Course, David Braun

Electrical Engineering

Just as the electronics industry can increase productivity with web-based tools, web-based design offers opportunities to improve education in the area of electronics and integrated circuits. This work describes a variety of web based design and analysis projects for a junior level electronics course and assesses their impact on student learning. Since the course using the projects comprises the second quarter of electronics instruction subsequent to introductory circuit analysis courses, the projects focus on relatively well-defined electronics subsystems. The projects exercise students’ skills with a range of course learning objectives, ranging from lower level calculation, analysis and circuit simulation objectives …

Interdisciplinary Team Teaching: Lessons For Engineering Instructors From A Capstone Course In Environmental Studies, David Braun, Emmit B. Evans, Randall Knight, Thomas Ruehr

Electrical Engineering

The capstone course teaches students to analyze global environmental issues, resources, and human activities with a systems approach based on scientific, economic, political, social and ethical perspectives. Such an intrinsically multifaceted subject demands interdisciplinary treatment. To deliver the interdisciplinary treatment, the course uses diverse faculty teams comprised of faculty from fields in the natural and social sciences, engineering, and business. This work describes the interdisciplinary team teaching strategies adopted for the course and how they evolved with subsequent offerings of the course. We present assessment data measuring how well students achieve course objectives. Finally, experience gleaned from this course for …

Ceas E-News 06.26.2007, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

Future tourism to reap rewards of virtual South Haven project

Radio Frequency Mems Switch Contact Metal Selection, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., Paul E. Kladitis, Robert L. Crane, Kevin D. Leedy

AFIT Patents

A method for selecting metal alloys as the electric contact materials for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metal contact switches. This method includes a review of alloy experience, consideration of equilibrium binary alloy phase diagrams, obtaining thin film material properties and, based on a suitable model, predicting contact electrical resistance performance. After determination of a candidate alloy material, MEMS switches are conceptualized, fabricated and tested to validate the alloy selection methodology. Minimum average contact resistance values of 1.17 and 1.87 ohms are achieved for micro-switches with gold (Au) and gold-platinum (Au-(6.3 at %)Pt) alloy contacts. In addition, `hot-switched` life cycle test results …

Fabrication Of Net-Shape Functionally Graded Composites By Electrophoretic Deposition And Sintering: Modeling And Experimentation, E.A. Olevsky, X. Wang, A. Maximenko, M.A. Meyers

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

It is shown that electrophoretic deposition (EPD) sintering is a technological sequence that is capable of producing net-shape bulk functionally graded materials (FGM). By controlling the shape of the deposition electrode, components of complex shapes can be obtained. To enable sintering net-shape capabilities, a novel optimization algorithm and procedure for the fabrication of net-shape functionally graded composites by EPD and sintering has been developed. The initial shape of the green specimen produced by EPD is designed in such a way that the required final shape is achieved after sintering-imposed distortions. The optimization is based on a special innovative iteration procedure …

Vector Field Path Following For Miniature Air Vehicles, Timothy Mclain, Derek R. Nelson, D. Blake Barber, Randall W. Beard

Faculty Publications

In this paper, a method for accurate path following for miniature air vehicles is developed. The method is based on the notion of vector fields, which are used to generate desired course inputs to inner-loop attitude control laws. Vector-field path-following control laws are developed for straight-line paths and circular arcs and orbits. Lyapunov stability arguments are used to demonstrate asymptotic decay of path-following errors in the presence of constant wind disturbances. Experimental flight tests have demonstrated mean path-following errors on less than one wingspan for straight-line and orbit paths and less than three wingspans for paths with frequent changes in …

The Current Generation Of Integrated Engineering Curriculum, Michael A. Collura, Samuel Bogan Daniels, Jean Nocito-Gobel, David Harding

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

In September of 2004 our university adopted the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral Curriculum as the basis for disciplinary engineering programs in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and General Engineering. The curriculum includes a sequence of first and second year engineering courses, matched closely with the development of students’ mathematical sophistication and analytical capabilities and integrated with course work in the sciences. Students develop a conceptual understanding of engineering basics in this series of courses which stress practical applications of these principles. The new curriculum was designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary perspective while developing basic engineering skills and fostering an …

Prime Modules: Teaching Introduction To Materials Engineering In The Context Of Modern Technologies, Stacy Gleixner, Elliot Douglas, Olivia Graeve

Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the progress of curriculum development under an NSF, CCLI-EMD sponsored work, “Development of Project-Based Introductory to Materials Engineering Modules” (DUE # #0341633). A multi-university team of faculty is developing five lecture modules for use in Introductory to Materials courses. This course is required by most engineering programs in the U.S., with an annual enrollment of 50,000 students. This freshman/ sophomore class is an ideal place to excite students about their engineering majors and expose them to real world engineering experiences. PRIME Modules are being developed that teach the fundamentals of a traditional introduction to materials engineering course …

Collaborative Design Of Project-Based Learning Courses: How To Implement A Mode Of Learning That Effectively Builds Skills For The Global Engineer, Richard N. Savage, Jonathan Stolk, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

Success for tomorrow’s engineers necessitates the design of curricula that promote awareness of the broader impacts of engineering, enhances systems thinking, reflects sustainable engineering practices, and helps prepare students to make an impact in the global community. Project-based learning approaches that emphasize student learning rather than instructor teaching may be a key to successful development of “global engineers.” Evaluations of project-based courses show increases in student motivation, problem-solving ability, communication and teaming skills, knowledge retention, and capacity for self-directed learning. Despite these reported benefits, curriculum-wide implementations of project-based learning are rare, probably partly due to the traditional emphasis on technical …

Elastic Modulus Of Bone Using Ultrasonic Testing, Lanny Griffin, Victor Yu

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Developing A Matlab/Simulink Rtwt Based Hydraulic Servo Control Design Experiment, Charles Birdsong

Mechanical Engineering

While one of the stated goals of the Mechanical Engineering Controls course is to develop the tools to design a controller, previous lab experiences did not include an experimental exercise in controller design. This was primarily due to the difficulty in implementing a controller that is robust and flexible enough to accommodate different student designs within the short time constraints of a three hour lab period. This paper describes an effort to use the Mathworks Real Time Windows Target to implement student controller designs on real hardware in a lab setting. Students use experimental data and a physically based model …

Biomedical Engineering Virtual Circuit Simulation Laboratories, Robert B. Szlavik

Biomedical Engineering

Circuit simulators, such as SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) are useful tools that can enhance the educational experience of students in many subject areas within a biomedical engineering curriculum. Courses on biomedical instrumentation are venues for which virtual laboratory experiments, using circuit simulators, can be readily developed. The instructor can use the circuit simulation platform to illustrate relatively complex concepts, such as differential amplification, which have wide applicability to biomedical instrumentation. More advanced courses that focus on the physiology of excitable cells or neural modeling and simulation are also venues for which circuit simulators may be applied to …

Civil And Mechanical Engineering Students Learning Mechanics In A Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Gregory Broderick, Samuel Bogan Daniels, Michael Collura, Richard Stanley

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

This paper describes how mechanical and civil engineering students are introduced to and develop an understanding of mechanics concepts through a sequence of integrated courses as part of a new curriculum taken during the freshman and sophomore years. The Multi- Disciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral is a four-semester sequence of engineering courses, matched closely with the development of students’ mathematical sophistication and analytical capabilities and integrated with course work in the sciences. Students develop a conceptual understanding of engineering basics in this series of courses, which stress practical applications of these principles. Mechanics concepts are introduced in a pair of first …

Biomedical Engineering Simulation Using Visual Basic Macros In Micrsoft Excel, Lanny Griffin, Robert Crockett

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Biomaterials Screening Experiment Using Sessile Drop Contact Angles, Lanny Griffin

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

A Systemic Model Of Development: Strategically Enhancing Students' Cognitive, Psychomotor, Affective And Social Development, Linda Vanasupa, Jonathan Stolk, Trevor S. Harding, Richard N. Savage

Materials Engineering

The challenges of the 21st century create an imperative for engineering educators: to design learning experiences that result in engineering professionals with a sophisticated level of cognitive, psychomotor, social and affective development. We propose a tool for the design process. Our systemic model of development (SMD) is based on a large body of learning theory and empirical data. It maps the relationships among the major factors that influence learning in the form of a causal loop diagram. To demonstrate the value of the SMD, we compared the motivational profiles of a test group (36 students) who took an engineering course …

Application Of Transformative Learning Theory In Engineering Education, John Chen

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this work-in-progress is to improve student engagement and learning in courses that form the core of a discipline. Such gateway courses represent critical milestones in a student's academic career and have a strong influence on his or her attitude and future success in engineering. We contend that students who struggle in gateway courses do so because they are having difficulty with conceptual transformation, and this project aims to facilitate this change through the ideas advocated within Transformative Learning Theory. The essential elements of this project include the integration of information technologies, provision of rapid feedback to students …

Three Enabling Technologies For Vision-Based, Forest-Fire Perimeter Surveillance Using Multiple Unmanned Aerial Systems, Ryan S. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to gather and process information regarding the condition of forest fires is essential to cost-effective, safe, and efficient fire fighting. Advances in sensory and autopilot technology have made miniature unmanned aerial systems (UASs) an important tool in the acquisition of information. This thesis addresses some of the challenges faced when employing UASs for forest-fire perimeter surveillance; namely, perimeter tracking, cooperative perimeter surveillance, and path planning. Solutions to the first two issues are presented and a method for understanding path planning within the context of a forest-fire environment is demonstrated. Both simulation and hardware results are provided for each …