Engineering Commons^™

Optimal Design Of Induction Generators For Space Applications, Sushant P. Barave, Badrul H. Chowdhury

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A high frequency electromechanical energy conversion option for space power applications is introduced. an induction generator (IG) operating at high frequencies is an excellent option for obtaining high power and energy densities. Various design aspects affect the operating characteristics of the machine. the effects and consequences of specific trade-offs in the design process are explored. the methodology is helpful in evaluating specific choices for materials as well as machine configurations. Use of power semiconductor devices and other power electronic devices is avoided to provide immunity from radiation and electromagnetic interference. © 2006 IEEE.

Comparison Of An Experimental Bone Cement With A Commercial Control, Hydroset™, O. M. Clarkin, D. Boyd, S. Madigan, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Glass polyalkenoate cements based on strontium calcium zinc silicate glasses (Zn-GPCs) and high molecular weight polyacrylic acids (PAA) (MW; 52,000-210,000) have been shown to exhibit mechanical properties and in vitro bioactivity suitable for arthroplasty applications. Unfortunately, these formulations exhibit working times and setting times which are too short for invasive surgical applications such as bone void filling and fracture fixation. In this study, Zn-GPCs were formulated using a low molecular weight PAA (MW; 12,700) and a modifying agent, trisodium citrate dihydrate (TSC), with the aim of improving the rheological properties of Zn-GPCs. These novel formulations were then compared with commercial …

Conference Review - 4th International Phytotechnologies Conference, Denver, Co, September 24-26, 2007, Jason C. White, Joel G. (Gerard) Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The North American Transportation Security Center – Serri Analysis Update, Steven Douglas Kreis, Michael M. Barclay

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

There are over 800,000 hazardous materials (hazmat) shipments over the nation’s roads each day. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), terrorist activity related to the transportation of hazardous materials represents a significant threat to public safety and the nation’s critical infrastructure. Specifically, the federal government has identified the government’s inability to track hazmat shipments on a real-time basis as a significant security vulnerability.

In 2004, the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) completed a study to determine if “smart truck” technology such as GPS tracking, wireless modems, panic buttons, and on-board computers could be …

Virtual Wired Transmission Scheme - A Novel Technique For Efficient Mobile Adhoc Networks, Manikya Vinay Rali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis proposes a method called virtual wired transmission scheme for ad hoc networks. The scheme is an efficient method to improve network performance parameters such as energy efficiency, capacity, interference, network throughput, etc. Performance parameters improvement can be done at different layers of the network architecture for mobile ad hoc networks. However most of the research efforts are concentrated on Physical, MAC and Network layers. In this thesis, a MAC protocol with a major MAC layer modification is proposed in combination with the usage of directional antennas, developing a novel method called virtual wired transmission scheme. In virtual wired …

A Military Surge In Afghanistan -- Modeling A Focused Security Effort, Brent David Morrow

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In October of 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government. Since their overthrow, the Taliban has pieced together and waged an insurgency to retake Afghanistan. That insurgency has gained momentum and grown in strength while the United States NA TO counterinsurgency effort has decreased in size to about 55,000 troops in 2007. Many factors contribute to the insurgency inside of Afghanistan, from ethnic to economic factors to the failure of the central government. This research used a study of the current state of affairs in Afghanistan and agent-based modeling to determine whether a military troop surge …

Electrospinning Route For The Fabrication Of P-N Junction Using Nanofiber Yarns, A. F. Lotus, S. Bhargava, E. T. Bender, E. A. Evans, R. D. Ramsier, Darrell Hyson Reneker, G. G. Chase

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

Electrospinning is a simple, versatile, and cost effective method for generating nanoscale fibers, wires, and tubes. Nanowires and nanotubes could be important building blocks for nanoscale electronics, optoelectronics, and sensors as they can function as miniaturized devices as well as electrical interconnects. We report on a simple method to fabricate free standing ceramic nanofiber heterostructures, which exhibit rectifying behavior of a p-n junction.

Assessment Of The Embodied Co2eq In Buildings Towards A Sustainable Building Design And Construction, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu

Conference Papers

Research studies have shown that the initial energy embodied in a building can be as much as 67% of the operational energy over a 25 year period. With growing global concerns over material and resource consumption and the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, the energy embodied in buildings constructed in town and cities becomes important and one of the key issues that needs to be tackled in the design stages in order to strive towards sustainable buildings design. In this paper, a hybrid embodied carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) methodology used to assess the CO2eq embodied in buildings is presented. …

An Investigation Of The Use Of A High Resolution Adc As A Digital Biopotential Amplifier, Damon Berry, Frank Duignan, Richard Hayes

Conference Papers

Sigma delta analogue to digital converters have been used in many signal processing applications including some commercially available systems for sampling of bio-signals Bio-potential amplifiers have traditionally utilised specialised highquality analogue components to amplify bio-signals.

The central aim of this work is to investigate the benefits of using high-resolution sigma delta conversion as a digital amplification stage in the signal path of a bio-potential amplifier. A number of system arrangements specific to bio-potential measurement are presented and discussed. These arrangements are designed to use the high resolution capacity of the sigma delta converter in different ways, providing different benefits. To …

A Reference Model For Ground Coupled Heat Transfer, Michael Crowley

Conference papers

A recently completed extension to IEA BESTEST includes further work on tests suitable for the validation of ground coupled heat transfer modules within building energy simulation software. The model described here forms part of this work. A finite difference model was prepared and applied to ground coupled heat transfer in the environs of a building for a range of geometries and boundary conditions. The model was verified by demonstrating close agreement with an analytical solution and with two independent models; it is therefore fit for purpose. A fundamental modelling limitation, applying to ground coupled heat transfer, emerged from the work.

The North American Transportation Security Center – Fedtrak Specifications And Release Plan, Steven Douglas Kreis, Michael M. Barclay

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

In April 2008, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) completed work on the TSA Hazmat Truck Security Pilot (HTSP). This congressionally mandated pilot program was undertaken to prove that a hazmat truck tracking center was feasible from a technology and systems perspective. The HTSP project team built a technology prototype of a hazmat truck tracking system to show that “smart truck” technology could be crafted into an effective and efficient system for tracking hazmat shipments. The HTSP project team also built the Universal Communications Interface – the XML gateway for hazmat carriers to use to provide data to …

Creep-Rupture Behavior Of Die-Cast Magnesium Alloys, Y B. Unigovski

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

It is found that the relationship between the time-to-rupture tr and the time to the onset of tertiary creep tοt (tr /tot) in die-cast Mg-9Al alloy is equal to 1.3 and independent of stress, test temperature and diecasting parameters over the range examined. It is shown that the introduction of creep-rupture strain into Monkman-Grant relation modified by Dobeš and Milička demonstrates only the deviation range of the minimum creep rate from the average creep rate. The apparent activation energy Ec of creep is below the value of magnesium self-diffusion energy ESD up to 175o C. At higher temperatures, Ec > ESD, …

Effect Of Electron Donor On Pe Polymerization, A Thongdonjui, W Trakarnpruk, R H. Strauss

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Ziegler-Natta catalyst was prepared from colloidal MgCl2 (from reaction between magnesium ethyl carbonate and aluminium sesquichloride, Al2Et3Cl3) followed by contact with TiCl4. Al/Mg and Ti/Mg molar ratios were studied as parameters affecting the catalyst synthesis. Catalytic performance and effect of electron donor on ethylene polymerization were investigated. Results showed that addition of electron donor (ethyl benzoate) increased activity balance when polymerizations were performed under hydrogen pressure of 1 bar and 3 bars. The morphology of the polymer can be improved while fine content of the polymer was reduced by addition of dicyclopentyl dimethoxysilane. A productivity of 17.3 and 15.0 kg …

Determination Of Yield Behaviour Of Boron Alloy Steel At High Temperature, J Tungtrongpairoj, V Uthaisangsuk, W Bleck

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The hot tensile test is a basic material testing method for investigation of the mechanical properties of steel at high temperature conditions. In industrial hot sheet forming processes such as hot stamping and hot gas metal forming, the influences of temperature and strain rate on microstructure and material behaviour play a significant role. In this work, sheet samples of steel grade 22MnB5 were examined using a hot deformation simulator. Different temperatures between 900 and 1200°C, which are above Ac3, and strain rates between 0.001 and 0.1 s-1 were considered. During the tensile test, a laser speckle extensometer (LSE) was deployed …

Interfacial Polymerization Of Water-Soluble Polyaniline And Its Assembly Using The Layer-By-Layer Technique, E Detsri, S T. Dubas

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The interfacial polymerization of aniline has been used to prepare water-soluble polyaniline. Polyaniline was made water-soluble by interfacial polymerization in the presence of poly(styrene sulfonated, sodium salt) (PSS), which acted as bundling agent to provide water solubility. The prepared polymer composite was later used for the fabrication of polyaniline nano-thin films using the layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. Film produced by the LbL technique can be used in electro-chromic films, sensors or electro-catalytic films depending on the type of architectures. This paper first presents, a brief review on conducting polymer prepared by interfacial polymerization. Special interest is given to the synthesis …

Mechanical Property Improvement Of Upe Resin From Glycolyzed Pet With Commercial Upe Resin, T Limpiti, P Potiyaraj

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The aim of this research paper is to improve mechanical properties of cured unsaturated polyester (UPE) resin prepared from glycolyzed PET by mixing with a commercial UPE resin. Postconsumer PET bottles were depolymerized by glycolysis reaction in excess propylene glycol at 190ºC in the presence of zinc acetate as a catalyst. The glycolyzed product was polyesterified with maleic anhydride and mixed with styrene monomer in order to obtain UPE resin. The prepared UPE resin was mixed with a commercially available general purpose grade UPE resin at various ratios. The mixed resins were cured using methyl ethyl ketone peroxide and cobalt …

Welding Residual Stresses In Two Competing Single V-Butt Joints, P Wongpanya

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

During fabrication of welded components residual stresses are generated as a result of non-uniform temperature distribution during the welding and particularly the cooling processes. The residual stresses have a major effect on the overall performance of the components in service, especially when hydrogen is involved and the components might become prone to Hydrogen Assisted Cold Cracking (HACC). Up to the present, most of the welding standards and specifications to test the resistance of welds against HACC test are without consideration of the restraint intensity provided by the surrounding structure. This may lead to a misunderstanding of the welding heat treatment …

Effect Of Grain Boundary Engineering On Microstructural Stability During Annealing, Scott M. Schlegel, Sharla Hopkins, Megan Frary

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Grain boundary engineering, which increases the special boundary fraction, may improve microstructural stability during annealing. Different processing routes are undertaken to establish the effectiveness of each and to better understand which microstructural features determine the resulting stability. We find that multiple cycles of grain boundary engineering result in a material that resists abnormal grain growth better than other processing routes despite similarities in special boundary fraction, grain size, and general boundary connectivity among as-processed materials.

Cs 206: Advanced Concepts/Techniques And Software Productivity Tools, Terri Bauer

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

By the end of this course, the students will have a greater depth of understanding in the areas of spreadsheets, databases, and presentation software and web design using Microsoft Excel, Access, and PowerPoint covering the following topics.
Microsoft Excel 2007:
Chapters 4 -6
Microsoft Access 2007:
Chapters 4 -6
Microsoft PowerPoint 2007:
Chapter 3 & 4

Rfid-Based Smart Freezer, Ahmet Soylemezoglu, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a novel radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based smart freezer using a new inventory-management scheme for extremely low temperature environments. The proposed solution utilizes backpressure inventory control, systematic selection of antenna configuration, and antenna power control. The proposed distributed-inventory-control (DIC) scheme dictates the amount of items transferred through the supply chain. when a high item visibility is ensured, the control scheme maintains the desired level of inventory at each supply-chain echelon. The performance of the DIC scheme is guaranteed using a Lyapunov-based analysis. The proposed RFID antenna-configuration design methodology coupled with locally asymptotically stable distributed power control ensures a 99% …

Economic Dispatch Of A Differential Evolution Based Generator Maintenance Scheduling Of A Power System, Yusuf Yare, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ahmed Yousuf Saber

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents generator maintenance scheduling (GMS) and economic dispatch (ED) of the Indonesian power system based on minimization of an economic cost function for the economical and reliable operation of a power system, while satisfying crew/manpower, maintenance window, load demand, generation limits and spinning reserve constraints. Differential evolution (DE), an evolutionary computation technique and an optimization algorithm that utilizes the differential information to guide its further search, is known to effectively solve large scale optimization problems and has been widely applied in power system. In this paper, the DE approach is proposed for solving the GMS problem and the …

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 …

Optical Fiber Harsh Environment Sensors, Hai Xiao, Tao Wei, Xinwei Lan, Yinan Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Various optical fiber harsh environment sensors were reported, including the miniaturized inline Fabry-Perot interferometer sensor by femtosecond laser micromachining, the long period fiber grating sensor and the inline core-cladding mode interferometer by CO2 laser irradiations.

Optimal Control Of Unknown Affine Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems Using Offline-Trained Neural Networks With Proof Of Convergence, Travis Dierks, Balaje T. Thumati, S. Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The optimal control of linear systems accompanied by quadratic cost functions can be achieved by solving the well-known Riccati equation. However, the optimal control of nonlinear discrete-time systems is a much more challenging task that often requires solving the nonlinear Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. in the recent literature, discrete-time approximate dynamic programming (ADP) techniques have been widely used to determine the optimal or near optimal control policies for affine nonlinear discrete-time systems. However, an inherent assumption of ADP requires the value of the controlled system one step ahead and at least partial knowledge of the system dynamics to be known. in …

Advances In Neural Networks Research: An Introduction, Robert Kozma, Steven Bressler, Leonid Perlovsky, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The present Special Issue "Advances in Neural Networks Research: IJCNN2009" provides a state-of-art overview of the field of neural networks. It includes 39 papers from selected areas of the 2009 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN2009). IJCNN2009 took place on June 14-19, 2009, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and it represents an exemplary collaboration between the International Neural Networks Society and the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society. Topics in this issue include neuroscience and cognitive science, computational intelligence and machine learning, hybrid techniques, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, various soft computing technologies, intelligent signal processing and pattern recognition, bioinformatics and biomedicine, and …

Creation Of A Committed Johnsongrass Area And Implementation Study, D. James Morre

JTRP Technical Reports

This project was to develop a committed roadside Johnson grass research area with controlled mowing and date of spraying adjacent to US 63 from I 74 south to JCT US 36 and to continue studies of a cold-adapted Johnson grass ecotype identified in the Northern-most tier counties in Indiana in an area adjacent to IN 23 between South Bend and New Liberty, IN. The cold-adapted Johnson grass provides a further threat of encroachment of roadside-established Johnson grass onto adjacent cropland of considerable potential economic consequence.

Completed was a 3-year study with Roundup alone and in combination with Outrider either as …

Cs 470/670: System Simulation, Mateen M. Rizki

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Cs 241: Computer Programming Ii, Travis E. Doom

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

A continuation of CS240. The emphasis is on data abstraction and software engineering. Prerequisite: CS240.

Cs 480/680: Comparative Languages, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course will introduce fundamental concepts and paradigms underlying the design of modern programming languages. For concreteness, we study the details of an object-oriented language (e.g. Java), and a functional language (e.g., Scheme) . The overall goal is to enable comparison and evaluation of existing languages. The programming assignments will be coded in Java 5 and in Scheme.

Cs 701: Database Systems And Design I, Guozhu Dong

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

An introduction to database design, database system implementation issues and techniques, and advanced data models and concepts.