Engineering Commons^™

Calibration Of Hdm-4 For Use In Pavement Management Systems (Pms), Nurdin Mushule

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

One of major problems of road management in developing countries is the lack of decision making tools for preparing road maintenance programmes. This results in poor resource allocation and poor utilisation of existing assets. Pavement management systems (PMS) have been developed around the world in order to assist with the pavement management process in a co-ordinated and systematic manner. Some developed countries have derived pavement performance models that are suited to local conditions by setting up long term pavement performance studies. Conversely, most developing countries do not have the resources required to set up similar large-scale field experiments. However, validation …

Case Studies: In-Situ Rebuilding Of Damaged Rope Drum Shafts Of Ssg Crane And The Repair Of Circumferential Crack Of Cement Kiln By Welding, Joseph Runyoro

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Material failures in engineering are characterized by unwanted downtime of equipment and require the application of sound engineering principles to rectify the problem so that it does not reoccur. The most widely method for repairing damaged steel structures such as rope drum shaft or cracked cement kiln is by Manual metal arc welding. The equipment mentioned have their main importance that, when they are broken down, they cost a lot of money in lost revenue and affects a lot of people in terms of business and livelihood. The nominal diameter (DN) 240 rope drum shaft was damaged when the roller …

Modelling The Impact Of Urbanization On Groundwater Using System Dynamic Technique. A Case Study Of Arusha Municipal Well Field In Northeastern Tanzania, Nimzihirwa Kashimbiri

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper is concerned with the impact of urbanization in aquifer well-system located in the Municipal area of Arusha city, Tanzania. A system dynamic (SD) model was built under VENSIM PLE workbench from twenty-five years (1978-2003) physical and non-physical data to simulate their interactions and relations. This involved use of mathematics ideas and concepts in studying the physical and non – physical components separately, and finally putting them together in new form (model) and study their relations. After model was found to be structurally complete and simulate properly by using the model and unit check tool of VENSIMPLE, parametric calibration …

A Systemic Framework For Implementation Of Tqm Programmes, Emanuel Mjema

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The purpose of this paper is to present a systemic framework for implementation of TQM program in a manufacturing organisation that produces motor vehicle components in Port Elizabeth - South Africa. The approach used included conceptualisation of the systemic framework and then involvement of the stakeholders in adding scenarios to be considered in the design and implementing the framework in the real field. The findings obtained during the implementation of the systemic framework established that reduction of scrap rate, reduction of production costs, reduction of cycle time and employee motivation could be achieved through the implementation of a Systemic Framework …

Missing-Sensor-Fault-Tolerant Control For Sssc Facts Device With Real-Time Implementation, Wei Qiao, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Control of power systems relies on the availability and quality of sensor measurements. However, measurements are inevitably subjected to faults caused by sensor failure, broken or bad connections, bad communication, or malfunction of some hardware or software. These faults in turn may cause the failure of power system controllers and consequently severe contingencies in the power system. to avoid such contingencies, this paper presents a sensor evaluation and (missing sensor) restoration scheme (SERS) by using auto-associative neural networks (auto-encoders) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). based on the SERS, a missing-sensor-fault-tolerant control (MSFTC) is developed for controlling a static synchronous series …

Potentials And Promises Of Computational Intelligence For Smart Grids, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The electric power grid is a complex adaptive system under semi-autonomous distributed control. It is spatially and temporally complex, non-convex, nonlinear and non-stationary with a lot of uncertainties. the integration of renewable energy such as wind farms, and plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles further adds complexity and challenges to the various controllers at all levels of the power grid. a lot of efforts have gone into the development of a smart grid to align the interests of the electric utilities, consumers and environmentalists. Advanced computational methods are required for planning and optimization, fast control of power system elements, processing of …

Applied Climate-Change Analysis: The Climate Wizard Tool, Evan H. Girvetz, Chris Zganjar, George T. Raber, Edwin P. Maurer, Peter Kareiva, Joshua J. Lawler

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

Background: Although the message of ‘‘global climate change’’ is catalyzing international action, it is local and regional changes that directly affect people and ecosystems and are of immediate concern to scientists, managers, and policy makers. A major barrier preventing informed climate-change adaptation planning is the difficulty accessing, analyzing, and interpreting climate-change information. To address this problem, we developed a powerful, yet easy to use, web-based tool called Climate Wizard (http://ClimateWizard.org) that provides non-climate specialists with simple analyses and innovative graphical depictions for conveying how climate has and is projected to change within specific geographic areas throughout the world. Methodology/Principal Findings: …

Comparative Study Of Population Based Techniques For Power System Stabilizer Design, Pinaki Mitra, Chuan Yan, Lisa Grant, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Komla Folly

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Power System Stabilizers (PSSs) are used in interconnected power systems in order to mitigate low frequency oscillations. the comparison of the performances of four advanced population-based techniques in tuning the parameters of PSS in a three-machine-nine-bus test system is presented in this paper. the algorithms considered in this paper are A) Differential Evolution based Particle Swarm Optimization (DEPSO), b) Modified Clonal Selection Algorithm (MCSA), c) Small Population based Particle Swarm Optimization (SPPSO) and d) Population based Incremental Learning (PBIL). the comparative study is focused on the frequency domain performances. It is observed that MCSA is performing better than the other …

Human Error In Mining: A Multivariable Analysis Of Mining Accidents/Incidents In Queensland, Australia And The United States Of America Using The Human Factors Analysis And Classification System Framework, Jessica Patterson

All Dissertations

Historically, mining has been viewed as an inherently high-risk industry. Nevertheless, the introduction of new technology and a heightened concern for safety has yielded marked reductions in accident and injury rates over the last several decades. In an effort to further reduce these rates, the human factors associated with incidents/accidents need to be addressed. A modified version of the Human Factors Classification and Analysis System (HFCAS-MI) was used to analyze lost time accidents and high-potential incidents from across Queensland, Australia and fatal accidents from the United States of America (USA) to identify human factor trends and system deficiencies within mining. …

Identifying And Comparing Key Process Attributes For Sustainable Building Delivery In India And The U.S., Prashanth Palanisamy

All Theses

India is a rapidly developing nation with the associated brisk pace of construction. More sustainable building practices for construction in India would have social, environmental, and economic benefits. However, the key process attributes for successfully planning, designing, and constructing sustainable buildings in India are largely undefined. Other projects in India would benefit from a rigorous identification of these key process attributes which could help leapfrogging the sustainable building delivery in India to the best available practices.
Sustainable buildings require different delivery processes than traditional buildings; this can lead to process wastes due to unfamiliarity or incompatibility of the processes. These …

A Real-Time Implementation Of A Pbil Based Stabilizing Controller For Synchronous Generator, Komla A. Folly, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the optimal tuning of power system stabilizer parameters using a newly introduced evolutionary algorithm called Population based Incremental Learning (PBIL). to robustly stabilize the system, an objective function that minimizes the infinity norm of the closed-loop system is introduced such that the parameters of a fixed structure PSS are optimally tuned, and the controller stabilizes a pre-specified set of system models. the PBIL-PSS is compared with the Conventional PSS (CPSS). the simulation results presented in this paper show that the proposed PBIL-PSS is more effective than the Conventional PSS in damping the low frequency oscillations. the performance …

An Improved Cube Cell Assembly For The Use With High Pressure/High Temperature Cubic Apparatus In Manufacturing Polycrystalline Diamond Compact Inserts, Kevin Christian Bach

Theses and Dissertations

The goal for this research was to reduce the current manufacturing cost of the polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) inserts utilized in the natural gas and oil drilling industry while not reducing their current performance. Polycrystalline Diamond is added to the tungsten-carbide (WC) substrates commonly utilized in these applications because of its greater wear and thermal resistance. With the current cube cell design for the high-pressure/high-temperature apparatus, it is necessary to bond an extra WC substrate to the polycrystalline diamond insert to achieve the sizes generally ordered by the customers. The problem of bonding the extra WC substrate was solved by …

2009 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library, Michael Schwartz Ph.D.

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Dr. Michael Schwartz was the honored guest.

Increasing Productivity In Irrigated Agriculture: Agronomic Constraints And Hydrological Realities, Chris Perry, Pasquale Steduto, Richard C. Allen, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Irrigation is widely criticised as a profligate and wasteful user of water, especially in watershort areas. Improvements to irrigation management are proposed as a way of increasing agricultural production and reducing the demand for water. The terminology for this debate is often flawed, failing to clarify the actual disposition of water used in irrigation into evaporation, transpiration, and return flows that may, depending on local conditions, be recoverable. Once the various flows are properly identified, the existing literature suggests that the scope for saving consumptive use of water through advanced irrigation technologies is often limited. Further, the interactions between evaporation …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Getting An Nsf Career Award And Beyond, Ganesh Kumar Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The National Science Foundation (NSF), USA, CAREER program is a premier program that emphasizes the importance the Foundation places on the early development of academic careers solely dedicated to stimulating the discovery process in which the excitement of research enriched by inspired teaching and enthusiastic learning. This paper presents the research and education experiences gained by the principal investigator - Vinayagamoorthy and his research collaborators and students as a result of a NSF CAREER proposal been awarded by the Power, Control and Adaptive Networks (PCAN) program of the Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems Division, effective June 1, 2004. the main …

The Role Of Education In Small Satellite Programmes, Olaleye Salu

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Olaleye Salu titled "The Role of Education in Small Satellite Programmes" from September 9, 2009.

Water Purification In Haiti : An Engineers Without Borders Project, Melissa Valoura

Theses

The objective of this thesis was to present the necessary steps to help a town in Haiti develop an organization focused on improving their water quality. It goes through the technology needed to create the organization and explains the procedures for implementing a charitable project in a foreign country. A narrative of the student project in Milot, Haiti, where students from the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Engineers Without Borders Chapter implemented a water purification project, explains the course of action that was taken and gives an example of a successful project. A summary of Haiti and its history paints …

Learning Without Default: A Study Of One-Class Classification And The Low-Default Portfolio Problem, Kenneth Kennedy, Brian Mac Namee, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

This paper asks at what level of class imbalance one-class classifiers outperform two-class classifiers in credit scoring problems in which class imbalance, referred to as the low-default portfolio problem, is a serious issue. The question is answered by comparing the performance of a variety of one-class and two-class classifiers on a selection of credit scoring datasets as the class imbalance is manipulated. We also include random oversampling as this is one of the most common approaches to addressing class imbalance. This study analyses the suitability and performance of recognised two-class classifiers and one-class classifiers. Based on our study we conclude …

Exploring Earth-Building Technology For Liberia., Isaac Dompo Mayon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses earth as a building material and the extent to which earth building technology has evolved over the years. In particular it addresses the adobe, compressed and rammed earth techniques of earth building as suitable techniques for Liberia consumption. In addition, the paper investigates the suitability of the Latosols soils of Liberia for earth building construction purposes using standardized earth building principles and requirements. A local Johnson City, Tennessee, earth sample found to have the same physical characteristics of the Latosols of Liberia was used to simulate Liberia soils to produce specimen blocks at different configurations of moisture …

The Very Basics Of Sustainability - An Alternative Viewpoint (Slides With Audio) (Large File! To Speed Up Download, Right-Click On "Download" Link To Save To Own Pc.), Jim Mcgovern

Other resources

This presentation sets out the very basics of ‘sustainability’, although a definition of sustainability is not attempted. Some of the very basics are the context in which the Earth and humankind exist in space and time, the Earth’s climate, the Earth’s population and humankind’s options and choices. The author advocates keeping an open mind on all available options, including the use of oil, gas, coal, tar sands, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power etc., as well as the technologies that are more widely considered ‘green’. The author also argues that, in addressing the challenges that humankind faces, globally concerted effort …

Observed 1970-2005 Cooling Of Summer Daytime Temperatures In Coastal California, Bereket Lebassi, Jorge González González, Drazen Fabris, Edwin P. Maurer, Norman L. Miller, Cristina Milesi, Paul Switzer, Robert Bornstein

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

This study evaluated 1950–2005 summer [June–August (JJA)] mean monthly air temperatures for two California air basins: the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) and the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA). The study focuses on the more rapid post-1970 warming period, and its daily minima temperature Tmin and maxima temperature Tmax values were used to produce average monthly values and spatial distributions of trends for each air basin. Additional analyses included concurrent SSTs, 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis (ERA-40) sea level coastal pressure gradients, and GCM-downscaled average temperature Tave values. Results for all 253 California National Weather Service …

Hardware Implementation Of A Mamdani Fuzzy Logic Controller For A Static Compensator In A Multimachine Power System, Salman Mohagheghi, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Satish Rajagopalan, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Mamdani-type fuzzy logic controller is designed and implemented in hardware for controlling a static compensator (STATCOM), which is connected to a ten-bus multimachine power system. Such a controller does not need any mathematical model of the plant to be controlled and can efficiently provide control signals for the STATCOM over a wide range of operating conditions of the power system and during different disturbances. The proposed controller is implemented using the M67 digital signal processor board and is interfaced to the multimachine power system simulated on a real-time digital simulator. Experimental results are provided, showing that the proposed Mamdani …

Activities Of The Ita Working Group On Sprayed Concrete Use, Tarcisio B. Celestino, Atsumu Ishida

Shotcrete for Underground Support XI

This paper describes the activities of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) Working Group 12 on Sprayed Concrete Use. The Working Group has carried out tasks with the purpose of promoting information exchange between National Groups and planning, coordinating and releasing the results of testing programs in order to advance the state-of-the-art of sprayed concrete use for underground support. The intention of the Working Group is to explore and develop the idea that the rational use of sprayed concrete improves possibilities for design and construction of new underground works.

Me-Em Enewsbrief, June 2009, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Learning Nonlinear Functions With Mlps And Srns, R. Cleaver, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, nonlinear functions generated by randomly initialized multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) and simultaneous recurrent neural networks (SRNs) are learned by MLPs and SRNs. Training SRNs is a challenging task and a new learning algorithm - DEPSO is introduced. DEPSO is a standard particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with the addition of a differential evolution step to aid in swarm convergence. The results from DEPSO are compared with the standard backpropagation (BP) and PSO algorithms. It is further verified that functions generated by SRNs are harder to learn than those generated by MLPs but DEPSO provides better learning capabilities for …

A Systematic Approach To Developing National Technology Policy And Strategy For Emerging Technologies, Pisek Gerdsri

Dissertations and Theses

As the pace of global competition increases, a country's competitiveness becomes of greater concern. Technology drives competitiveness and is a crucial factor for economic development in developed and developing economies. This poses a need for governments to be involved in supporting technology research and development in their countries. A government must not only provide support when an emerging technology is being considered, it should also nurture and guide its development. The effective national technology policies and strategies should go beyond merely identifying the critical technologies.

This research has developed a systematic and comprehensive approach for policy makers to strategically define …

Impedance Spectroscopy Of Zebrafish Sperm, Robert Egnatchik

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Satellite Earth Observation And Surveillance Payloads, Rainer Sandau

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Rainer Sandau titled "Satellite Earth observation and surveillance payloads" from April 9, 2009.

Flight Physician - April, 2009, Civil Aviation Medical Association

Browse all Civil Aviation Medical Association Newsletters

A sixteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.