Engineering Commons^™

Comparison Of Focused And Near-Field Imaging Of Spray On Foam Insulation (Sofi) At Millimeter Wave Frequencies, Sergey Kharkovsky, R. Zoughi, Frank L. Hepburn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Millimeter wave imaging techniques can provide high spatial-resolution images of various composites. Lens antennas may be incorporated into the imaging system to provide a small incident beam footprint. Another approach may involve the use of horn antennas, which if operating in their near-fields, images with reasonably high spatial-resolutions may also be obtained. This paper gives a comparison between such near-field and focused far-field imaging of the Space Shuttle Spray on Foam Insulation (SOFI) used in its external fuel tank at millimeter wave frequencies. Small horn antennas and lens antennas with relatively long depth of focus were used in this investigation.

Determining Plastic Properties Of A Material With Residual Stress By Using Conical Indentation, J. Yan, Anette M. Karlsson, X. Chen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Instrumented indentation is a popular method for determining mechanical properties in engineering materials. However, there are several shortcomings and challenges involved with correctly interpreting the test results. We propose here a unified method for evaluating instrumented indentation testing conducted on a material that exhibits both strain hardening under yielding and which is subjected to uniform, equi-biaxial residual stresses. The proposed method is based on extensive finite element simulations that relate the parameter-space spanned by Young’s modulus, yield strength, strain hardening and residual stress, to the response from the indentation test. Based on reverse analysis, the proposed method can be used …

Real-Time On-Line Space Research Laboratory Environment Monitoring With Off-Line Trend And Prediction Analysis, Kenol Jules, Paul P. Lin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

With the International Space Station currently operational, a significant amount of acceleration data is being down-linked, processed and analyzed daily on the ground on a continuous basis for the space station reduced gravity environment characterization, the vehicle design requirements verification and science data collection. To help understand the impact of the unique spacecraft environment on the science data, an artificial intelligence monitoring system was developed, which detects in near real time any change in the reduced gravity environment susceptible to affect the on-going experiments. Using a dynamic graphical display, the monitoring system allows science teams, at any time and any …

Crack Growth Induced By Sonic Ir Inspection, John C. Chen, Jacob Kephart, Kyle Lick, William T. Riddell

Mechanical Engineering

We have developed an experiment to study the propagation of laboratory-synthesized fatigue cracks under various controlled conditions during Sonic IR inspection. The experiment provides for good repeatability in testing. The parameters of interest include the initial crack length, load history (stress intensity and load ratio) during crack generation, geometry of the crack, material and also the various conditions involving the ultrasonic excitation source. In general, we find that under typical sonic IR inspection conditions, the initial crack will propagate under sonic IR testing. The crack growth after each inspection event varies and exhibits a distribution in length of propagation. The …

Big Dams: The Confluence Of Engineering And Politics, Faruq Mahmud Anam Siddiqui

Engineering Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Development Of Knowledge Base Of Concrete Bridge Maintenance System, Bahre Karam

Masters Theses

Bridges are the key elements of any transportation system of a country. Bridges are expensive structures and therefore, it's essential to maintain and repair them on regular basis. Almost one third of the bridges in United States are reported to be in some what deteriorated conditions. This Research presents the development of knowledge base for decision support system for concrete bridges.

During this research various concrete bridge problems are investigated including COlTosion, delamination, cracks, spalling and scour etc. The inspection tools and techniques are addressed in order to identify these problems both for above and below water surface. The various …

Adapting And Implementing The Scale Up Approach In Statics, Dynamics, And Multivariate Calculus, Lisa Benson, Sherrill Biggers, William Moss, Matthew Ohland, Marisa Orr, Scott Schiff

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

This study seeks to deliver and document more effective Statics and Dynamics instruction by implementing the Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment University Programs (SCALE-UP) model, in which large studio classes are taught with an emphasis on learning by guided inquiry instead of on listening. The project is also examining the benefit of integrating the content of the two traditional sequential courses and the parallel content in multivariable calculus. By tracking multiple sections taught using different approaches in different departments, the project’s experimental design plans to control for each of the changes being made simultaneously to understand the benefit of each.

Preliminary Work On The Development Of A Novel Detection Method For Osteoporosis, P. Moran, Mark R. Towler, S. Chowdhury, J. Saunders, M. J. German, N. S. Lawson, H. M. Pollock, I. Pillay, D. Lyons

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Osteoporosis affects both the organic and mineral phases of bone resulting in a decrease in resistance to fracture. Dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans are used for diagnosing osteoporosis, which is conventionally characterized by a decrease in mineral density. Unfortunately, some patients who suffer osteoporotic fractures have normal bone density, because both the organic and the mineral phase are affected. However, there are currently no methods of evaluating the health of the organic phase. Patients undergoing treatment for osteoporosis have reported hardening of their fingernails. As the properties of nail and bone may be linked in a comparable, measurable way, this …

Dynamic Modeling Of Wind Farms With Fixed-Speed Wind Turbine Generators, Wei Qiao, Ronald G. Harley, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A wind farm typically consists of a large number of individual wind turbine generators (WTGs) connected by an internal electrical network. To study the impact of wind farms on the dynamics of the power system, an important issue is to develop appropriate wind farm models to represent the dynamics of many individual WTGs. This paper presents various dynamic models, including a detailed model and three reduced-order equivalent models, of wind farms with fixed-speed WTGs. These models are developed and compared by simulation studies in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment under different wind velocity and fluctuation conditions as well as gird fault conditions. …

Experimental Investigation And Numerical Modeling Of Hybrid Glass/Carbon Frp Section Combined With Concrete Slab, Stephen Craig Raynor

Theses

No abstract provided.

2007 Model County Highway Ordinances, Indiana Ltap, Indiana Association Of County Engineers And Supervisors

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

This report is intended to provide model ordinances for common situations for county highway departments and local street departments in Indiana where no current sample or model ordinance is readily available. Information to prepare model ordinances was collected from other Indiana counties and municipalities. Some of the model ordinances were created at the request of local highway and street departments.

The purpose of this report was not to duplicate regulations already in place such as where state governments cover issues such as road signage, or traffic control, but to provide references for situations that have no other regulation or where …

The Effect Of Cold Work On The Mechanical Behavior Of Niti Shape Memory Alloys, Mohamed Elwi Mitwally

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Vibration- Based Damage Detection Using Damage Location Vectors, Khaled Faizallah Mostafa

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Swarm Multi-Path Congestion & Power Aware Routing Protocol For Manets, Ahmed Said Nagy

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

System Level Modeling And Design Using Sysml And Systemc, Waseem Mohamed Raslan

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Distributed Web Services Firewall, Hesham Samy Sabry

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Automated Selection Of Legacy Systems Soa Modernization Strategies Using Decision Theory, Rafik Amir Salama

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Utilization Of Thermopolastic Rejects With Different Reinforcing Elements In The Production Of Manhole Covers, Lama Mosad El Hatow

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to investigate the potential usage of rejected non-recyclable contaminated plastic rejects with different reinforcing elements to produce a viable product such as a manhole cover. Contaminated plastic rejects are generally deemed unrecyclable due to the cost and effort, including money, water, energy associated with cleaning the product in order to recycle it. By recycling these contaminated plastic rejects as is and reinforcing it with different reinforcing elements, we can enhance the mechanical properties of the material to enable it to be used as a viable, durable product such as a manhole cover. Problems associated with manhole covers …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Control Strategy For Active Power Sharing In Hybrid Fuel Cell/Battery Power Sources, Zhenhua Jiang, Lijun Gao, Roger A. Dougal

Faculty Publications

Hybrid systems composed of fuel cells and batteries combine the high energy density of fuel cells with the high power density of batteries. A dc/dc power converter is placed between the fuel cell and the battery to balance the power flow between them and greatly increase the peak output power of the hybrid. This paper presents an adaptive control strategy for active power sharing in the hybrid power source. This control strategy can adjust the output current setpoint of the fuel cell according to the state-of-charge (or voltage) of the battery, and is applicable in two topologies of active fuel …

Co-Production Of Chemical And Energy Products From Distillers Grains Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction And Thermochemical Conversion Technologies, Lijun Wang, Ajay Kumar, Curtis L. Weller, David D. Jones, Milford A. Hanna

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Dry-grind technology has become the dominant method for ethanol production. During drygrind ethanol production, roughly one-third of the dry grain mass resides in the dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as by-products (i.e., ∼0.8 kg/L ethanol). The energy content residing in the 0.8 kg DDGS is about 20 MJ, compared to the consumption of 1 MJ electricity and 10 MJ thermal energy for production of each liter of ethanol. A sequential supercritical fluid process with solvents including carbon dioxide, water and ethanol was used to recover high-value chemicals from DDGS. Thermochemical conversion methods were used to convert the DDGS residue …

Early Investment In Soil Conservation Research Continues To Provide Dividends, John E. Gilley, D. C. Flanagan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Current soil conservation programs are built upon an established research legacy. Hugh H. Bennett, chief of the USDA Soil Conservation Service from 1935 to 1951, was instrumental in the establishment of a network of 35 soil conservation experiment stations (SCES). Research projects were initiated at the SCES in the 1930s to investigate the principal factors causing erosion and to identify the most effective and practical methods of controlling soil loss from agricultural areas. Information obtained from the SCES, and selected other locations, was assembled at the National Runoff and Soil Loss Data Center (NRSLDC) established on the campus of Purdue …

Development And Evaluation Of A Simulation System Based Upon Standard Pedestrian Thoroughfare Methodologies, Charles O. Pringle

All Master's Theses

This study was undertaken to determine whether existing simulation and modeling systems could be used to analyze and model pedestrian traffic flows. The study incorporates the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 (HCM) (Transportation Research Board, National Research Council [TRB], 2000a) methodologies into a ProModel simulation and then compares and contrasts the results of the HCM calculations with the ProModel simulation.

Modeling Effects Of Channel Complexity And Hyporheic Flow On Stream Temperatures, Chris Berger, Scott A. Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Stream temperatures are affected by multiple forcing functions, including surface heat exchange (including solar radiation, evaporation, conduction, and net long wave radiation) and hyporheic flows. Each of these forcing functions is directly influenced by the level of channel complexity in the stream channel and riparian shading. The interrelationship between channel complexity, hyporheic flow and stream temperature is highly complex, and efforts to manage for habitat diversity by managing channel complexity could result in unintended consequences on stream temperature. When planning modifications to stream channel complexity, consideration should be given to the effects such moderations could have on stream temperatures.

Urbanization …

Evaluating And Adaptive Signal Control System In Gresham, James M. Peters, Jay Mccoy, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cities and Counties are faced with increasing traffic congestion due to rapidly increasing population. Like many agencies, the City of Gresham has struggled with how to manage the increasing congestion with limited funds for major roadway widening projects. Gresham has recognized the need to optimize existing system capacity to get the most out of their current transportation system infrastructure investment.

In 2005, the City of Gresham, in cooperation with numerous agencies in the Portland metropolitan area, evaluated a variety of signal control systems including traditional time-of-day coordination, traffic responsive, and adaptive signal control systems. Based on that evaluation, the steering …

Cfd Investigation Of Effect Of Depth To Diameter Ratio On Dimple Flow // Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation Of Effect Of Depth To Diameter Ratio On Dimple Flow Dynamics, Robert B. Etter

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to further the understanding of laminar flow through a dimple with the goal of mitigating flow separation. Dimples of various depth to diameter ratios (0.05, 0.15) were examined for three different dimple diameters and chordwise locations, corresponding to diameter based (ReD) and chordwise location based (Rex) Reynolds number combinations of ReD 20500\Rex 5000, ReD 20500 Rex 77000, and ReD 9000 Rex 21000. For the last combination, a dimple of depth to diameter ratio of 0.25 was also examined. The dimples were placed in a flat plate located in a diverging channel causing an adverse pressure gradient encouraging …

Efficiency And Pressure Loss Characteristics Of An Ultra-Compact Combustor With Bulk Swirl, James T. Radtke

Theses and Dissertations

Research was conducted on a novel combustor design using a highly centrifugal loaded circumferential cavity to enhance flame speeds and lower mixing time to lower overall combustion time achieving improved efficiency and stability. This Ultra-Compact Combustor (UCC) is fed air with a bulk swirl, resembling gas leaving a compressor without the final set of compressor guide vanes to straighten the flow, at higher than normal Mach numbers for a combustor. The larger Mach numbers in the combustor do not cause a total pressure loss in excess of what Rayleigh theory would dictate for the given heat addition taking place within …

Using Basic Computer Aided Drafting And Design Courses At The Freshman Level To Improve Technology Students Competitiveness In Obtaining Early Academic Career Internships, Anthony Dean, Mustafa Moustafa, Julie Moustafa

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Many students have the desire to have internships and part-time employment during their academic careers. Often students in their freshman and sophomore years in four year engineering and technology programs find it difficult to be competitive against more senior students for these positions. This paper discusses how students, in the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program at ________________University, through taking CAD and Solid Modeling courses early in their academic careers are well suited to be competitive in obtaining internships and part time employment. This paper discusses the MET programs first two years’ curriculum and how it prepares the students to enter …

A General Engineering Technology Program In Motorsports Technology, Gary Crossman, Anthony Dean

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Southside Virginia, in particular the cities of Danville, Martinsville and the surrounding area, is the home of Virginia International Raceway and a rapidly growing motorsports industry. There is a strong need for educational opportunities to support manufacturing and related industries in this region. In the early 2000’s Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville established an associate of applied science degree in Motorsports Technology to help meet the need for technical support personnel. As the industry has grown it has become evident that engineers and technologists are needed at the baccalaureate and masters levels. Old Dominion University (ODU), located in Norfolk, …

Parallel Fast Multipole Method For Molecular Dynamics, Reid G. Ormseth

Theses and Dissertations

We report on a parallel version of the Fast Multipole Method (FMM) implemented in the classical molecular dynamics code, NAMD (Not Another Molecular Dynamics program). This novel implementation of FMM aims to minimize interprocessor communication through the modification of the FMM grid to match the hybrid force and spatial decomposition scheme already present in NAMD. This new implementation has the benefit of replacing all-to-all communications broadcasts with direct communications between nearest neighbors. This results in a significant reduction in the amount of communication compared to earlier attempts to integrate FMM into common molecular dynamics programs. The early performance of FMM …