Engineering Commons^™

John Mcmasters’Contributions To Aircraft Design Education, Russell M. Cummings

Aerospace Engineering

John McMasters was intensely interested in two seemingly diverse pursuits: aircraft design and technical work force development. The later pursuit often got John involved in encouraging the development and improvement of engineering education, especially aircraft design education. He spent countless hours considering the issues that contribute to good design education, and was a strong proponent of programs that would encourage students to become interested in design. An overview of John’s ideas on aircraft design education will be presented based on discussions with John, as well as papers that we co-authored. In addition, John had a long talk with me just …

Propulsion System Modeling And Takeoff Distance Calculations For A Powered-Lift Aircraft With Circulation-Control Wing Aerodynamics, Mark Waters, Cassey Anthony, Gregory Mckenzie, David D. Marshall

Aerospace Engineering

The computation of takeoff distance for powered-lift aircraft is complicated because of the coupling of aerodynamic performance (lift, drag and moment coefficients) with forward speed. Cal Poly has developed an analysis procedure to capture this coupling, and the development of this procedure is continuing. In the past year, Cal Poly has completed a Phase I NRA contract from the NASA for the configuration development and modeling of CESTOL aircraft. The primary objective of this contract was to identify an aircraft configuration in enough detail to proceed into a Phase II contract to design and construct a large scale wind tunnel …

Using Cfd As A Design Tool On New Innovative Airliner Configurations, Bryan H. Blessing, John Pham, David D. Marshall

Aerospace Engineering

This paper demonstrates the use of CFD thus far as a design tool in evaluating aerodynamic performance for a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) project. The NRA project is carried out in two phases over the course of three years. Phase I utilizes CFD to evaluate and down select between two proposed future generations CESTOL airliner concepts; the Hybrid Wing-Body and the Blended Wing-Body. Both configurations are simulated at takeoff and cruise conditions to provide the means to making a final decision on which concept to continue forward with in Phase II. This second phase will take the proposed airliner concept …

A Surface Parameterization Method For Airfoil Optimization And High Lift 2d Geometries Utilizing The Cst Methodology, Kevin A. Lane, David D. Marshall

Aerospace Engineering

For aerodynamic modeling and optimization, it is desirable to limit the number of design variables to reduce model complexity and the requirements of the applied optimization scheme. The Class/Shape Transformation (CST) surface parameterization method presented by Kulfan has proven to be particularly useful for this while maintaining a wide range of applications. These include everything from smooth airfoils to 3D axi-symmetric bodies and wings. However, the CST method is confined to smooth geometries. This limits the CST method in applications incorporating discontinuous surfaces such as high lift aerodynamics with circulation control (CC) slots and flaps. The trailing edge slot on …

Pitch Dynamics Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, W. F. Phillips, Doug F. Hunsaker, N. R. Alley, R. J. Niewoehner

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Dynamic stability requirements for manned aircraft have been in place for many years. However, we cannot expect stability constraints for UAVs to match those for manned aircraft; and dynamic stability requirements specific to UAVs have not been developed. The boundaries of controllability for both remotely-piloted and auto-piloted aircraft must be established before UAV technology can reach its full potential. The development of dynamic stability requirements specific to UAVs could improve flying qualities and facilitate more efficient UAV designs to meet specific mission requirements. As a first step to developing UAV stability requirements in general, test techniques must be established that …

A Laboratory-Based Course In Real-Time Digital Signal Processing Implementation, Scott E. Budge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A four credit-hour laboratory course in real-time digital signal processing (DSP) implementation is described. This course has been developed and taught at Utah State University for over 12 years, incorporating feedback from students and extensive classroom experience. The educational goal of the course is to teach seniors/first year graduate students how to select, implement, and evaluate DSP systems for real-time signal processing. A major component of the class is a series of seven laboratories in which the student must perform realtime processing on hardware based on modern digital signal processors and FPGAs. Student feedback has indicated that the course has …

Power Scaling Of Large Mode Area Thulium Fiber Lasers In Various Spectral And Temporal Regimes, Timothy Mccomb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High power thulium fiber lasers are interesting for a myriad of applications due to their potential for high average output power, excellent beam quality, compactness, portability, high operating efficiency and broad, eye-safe spectral range from 1.8-2.1 microns. Currently, the majority of thulium laser research effort is being invested into scaling average output powers; however, such output powers are being scaled with no degree of control on laser system output spectrum or temporal behavior. Thulium fiber laser technology is not useful for many of its most important applications without implementation of techniques enabling tunable, narrow spectral widths with appropriate pulse durations …

An Investigation Of Students’ Conceptual Understanding In Related Sophomore To Graduate-Level Engineering And Mechanics Courses, Devlin Montfort, Shane Brown, David Pollock

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Interviews were conducted with students from a sophomore-level mechanics of materials class, a sophomore/junior-level structures class, a senior-level steel design class and a graduate-level advanced steel design class to investigate students’ conceptual understanding of bending and normal stress. The graduate students generally demonstrated higher computational skill and confidence but they were not significantly different from the sophomores in terms of conceptual understanding. Interestingly, the seniors showed markedly lower confidence in their ability to solve the problems posed in the interviews. Common difficulties include a conceptual definition of stress and reasoning involving the normal stresses developed under bending.

Virtualisation And Thin Client : A Survey Of Virtual Desktop Environments, Tom Wall

Other resources

This survey examines some of the leading commercial Virtualisation and Thin Client technologies. Reference is made to a number of academic research sources and to prominent industry specialists and commentators. A basic virtualisation Laboratory model is assembled to demonstrate fundamental Thin Client operations and to clarify potential problem areas.

Hydrothermal Preparation Of Gd+3 -Doped Titanate Nanotubes: Magnetic Properties And Photovoltaic Performance, Hoda S. Hafez, M Saif, James T. Mcleskey Jr., M.S.A. Abdel-Mottaleb, I S. Yahia, T Story, W Knoff

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Pure and Gd+3 -doped titanate nanotubes (TNTs) materials were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Their morphology, optical properties, thermal stability, and magnetic properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and magnetic measurements. It was found that doping renders Gd+3-TNT visible light active and results in smaller crystallite size and larger surface area as well as higher thermal stability compared to pure titanate nanotubes. The estimated magnetic moments point to presence of weak antiferromagnetic interaction. Application of the prepared Gd+3-TNT for modifying conventional photoanodes in polymer solar cells was attempted. Preliminary results show …

Nanostructured Solid-State Hybrid Photovoltaic Cells Fabricated By Electrostatic Layer-By-Layer Deposition, Rolf Kniprath, James T. Mcleskey Jr., Jürgen P. Rabe, Stefan Kirstein

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

We report on the fabrication of hybrid organic/inorganic photovoltaic cells utilizing layer-by-layer deposition of water-soluble polyions and nanocrystals. A bulk heterojunction structure was created consisting of alternating layers of the p-conductive polythiophene derivative poly[2-(3-thienyl)-ethoxy-4-butylsulfonate] and n-conductive TiO2nanoparticles. We fabricated working devices with the heterostructure sandwiched between suitable charge carrier blocking layers and conducting oxide and metal electrodes, respectively. We analyzed the influence of the thickness and nanostructure of the active layer on the cell performance and characterized the devices in terms of static and transient current response with respect to illumination and voltage conditions. We observed reproducible and stable photovoltaic …

Newsletters Of First 10 Years, Tractor Museum

Friends of the Larsen Tractor Museum

Newsletters distributed to supporters of the Larsen Tractor Museum.

1998 Spring Newsletter 1 - Non-profit Status, Dedication of Museum, Nebraska Tractor Test Law Beginnings

1998 Winter Newsletter 2 - First Annual Meeting, Library Established, State Fair Report, Winnepeg Plowing Contests

1999 Spring Newsletter 3 - Nebraska State Museum Affiliation, Fundraising Goals, Fuel Saving Devices in the 1920s

1999 Fall Newsletter 4 - Museum Studies Luis Vasquez, Tractor Raffle, Renovation Goals, Fundraising Goals, Annalyzing Tractor Test Results

1999 Winter Newsletter 5 - Mission Statement, Logo and Letterhead, Tractor Storage Facility, Bylaw Amendments, Hand Tool History, The Davidson Traction Dynamometer

2000 Spring …

Electrical And Computer Engineering Research Report 2009, Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Annual Reports

• Department
• Research
• Publications
• Enterprise

2009 Civil And Environmental Engineering Department News, Department Of Civil And Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• New Faculty
• Strategic Hiring Initiative
• Ahlhorn Named Co-chair
• Civil 3D Then and Now
• Alumni Profiles
• MiSTI: University Transportation Center
• D80 Conference
• Student Scholarships
• Academy of Civil and Environmental Engineers
• CEE Donor Recognition
• Department Information

Capacity Optimization Of A Prestressed Concrete Railroad Tie, Russell H. Lutch

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Today the use of concrete ties is on the rise in North America as they become an economically competitive alternative to the historical industry standard wood ties, while providing performance which exceeds its competition in terms of durability and capacity. Similarly, in response to rising energy costs, there is increased demand for efficient and sustainable transportation of people and goods. One source of such transportation is the railroad. To accommodate the increased demand, railroads are constructing new track and upgrading existing track. This update to the track system will increase its capacity while making it a more reliable means of …

Engineering Research 2009, College Of Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Michigan Tech Engineering Magazine

Table of Contents

• Health Science
• Energy
• Air & Water
• Sensing & Imaging
• Engineered Materials
• People
• Research Centers & Institutes

Computer Aided Modeling Of Soil Mix Designs To Predict Characteristics And Properties Of Stabilized Road Bases, Charles W. Berryman Ph.D., Cpc, Wayne Jensen Ph.D., Tim Hensley P.E.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Considerable data exists for soils that were tested and documented, both for native properties and properties with pozzolan stabilization. While the data exists there was no database for the Nebraska Department of Roads to retrieve this data for predicting soil properties. The conventional methods used to determine soil properties, such as maximum laboratory density and optimum moisture content, were tedious, labor intensive and time consuming. When soil stabilization is involved, more time and efforts are needed to determine maximum laboratory density, optimum moisture content and optimum pozzolan content. The objective of this project was to develop a computerized model to …

Inspector’S Manual For Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls, Wayne Jensen Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The scope of the project is to develop a condition rating system, creation of an inspector's manual to reference during inspection or address any training for inspectors at the district level. The research project will develop a MSE wall condition rating system and incorporate this system into the database being developed and create training and reference manuals

Investigation And Mitigation Of Driver Confusion At Modern Roundabouts, Aemal Khattak, Ram Bishu, Karen Schurr, Gregory Mcknight

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This research deals with two related issues: investigation and mitigation of roundabout elements that lead to driver confusion, and development of a flexible criteria matrix by which the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) can evaluate arterial intersections to identify good candidates for conversion to roundabouts. The use of modern roundabouts along arterial roadways is relatively new in Nebraska. The first urban arterial roundabout was opened to traffic in June of 2002 at the intersection of 33rd and Sheridan Blvd in the City of Lincoln. Citizens and some professionals were somewhat skeptical of the capability of this roundabout to improve traffic …

Can We Engineer Our Way To Good Health?, Russell T. Carr

The University Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Biodegradation Of The High Explosive Hexanitrohexaazaiso-Wurtzitane (Cl-20), Pelin Karakaya, Christos Christodoulatos, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Wendy Balas, Steve Nicolich Nicolich, Mohammed Sidhoum

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The aerobic biodegradability of the high explosive CL-20 by activated sludge and the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been investigated. Although activated sludge is not effective in degrading CL-20 directly, it can mineralize the alkaline hydrolysis products. Phanerochaete chrysosporium degrades CL-20 in the presence of supplementary carbon and nitrogen sources. Biodegradation studies were conducted using various nutrient media under diverse conditions. Variables included the CL-20 concentration; levels of carbon (as glycerol) and ammonium sulfate and yeast extract as sources of nitrogen. Cultures that received CL-20 at the time of inoculation transformed CL-20 completely under all nutrient conditions studied. When …

Characterization Of A Viscoelastic Response From Thin Metal Films Deposited On Silicon For Microsystem Applications, Steven L. Meredith

Master's Theses

Understanding the mechanisms that control the mechanical behavior of microscale actuators is necessary to design an actuator that responds to an applied actuation force with the desired behavior. Micro actuators which employ a diaphragm supported by torsional hinges which deform during actuation are used in many applications where device stability and reliability are critical. The material response to the stress developed within the hinge during actuation controls how the actuator will respond to the actuating force. A fully recoverable non-linear viscoelastic response has been observed in electrostatically driven micro actuators employing torsional hinges of silicon covered with thin metal films. …

Locating And Tracking Objects By Efficient Comparison Of Real And Predicted Synthetic Video Imagery, Damian M. Lyons, D. Paul Benjamin

Faculty Publications

A mobile robot moving in an environment in which there are other moving objects and active agents, some of which may represent threats and some of which may represent collaborators, needs to be able to reason about the potential future behaviors of those objects and agents. In this paper we present an approach to tracking targets with complex behavior, leveraging a 3D simulation engine to generate predicted imagery and comparing that against real imagery. We introduce an approach to compare real and simulated imagery and present results using this approach to locate and track objects with complex behaviors. In this …

Preparation And Characterization Of Protein-Nanotube Conjugates, Jonathan S. Dordick, Dhiral A. Shah, Ravindra C. Pangule, Shyam Sundhar Bale, Prashanth Asuri, Amit Joshi, Akhilesh Banerjee, David Vance, Ravi S. Kane

Bioengineering

This chapter describes methods of immobilizing proteins on carbon nanotubes, using two different routes—physical adsorption and covalent attachment. We also provide an overview on how such conjugates can be characterized with the help of various techniques, such as Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopies, in addition to the standard enzyme kinetic analyses of activity and stability. Both the attachment routes—covalent and noncovalent—could be used to prepare protein conjugates that retained a significant fraction of their native structure and function; furthermore, the protein conjugates were operationally stable, reusable, and functional even under harsh denaturing conditions. These …

Acuta Enews January 2009, Vol 38, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

Board approves slate of nominees for 2009-10

From ACUTA headquarters: looking back and looking ahead.......... Jeri Semer, CAE, Exec. Dir.

Be moderator or monitor at the annual conference

Tech talk: a clean slate, and a clean network, for the new year......... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

DC update.......... Dave Ostrom, Washington State University (retired)

FCC summit on pandemic preparedness............. Ed Quinn, The Ohio State University

Board Report, December............. Riny Ledgerwood, San Diego State University

Special Deals and discounts from ACUTA corporate members

Thanks to journal advertisers for 2008

Info Links............. Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern Iowa

Welcome New …

The Effect Of Sodium On The Catalytic Activity Of Zno-Al2o3/Zsm-5 And Sno-Al2o3/Zsm-5 For The Transesterification Of Vegetable Oil With Methanol, Manhoe Kim, Shuli Yan, Steven O. Salley, K.Y. Simon Ng

National Biofuels Energy Laboratory

In order to elucidate the effect of sodium on the activity of ZSM-5 supported metal oxides catalysts (ZnO-Al2O3/ZSM-5 and SnO-Al2O3/ZSM-5) for the transesterification of soybean oil with methanol, ZSM-5 supported metal oxides were prepared with and without sodium hydroxide by impregnation. The metal compositions of the ZSM-5 supported metal oxide catalysts and the metal concentrations dissolved from the catalysts to the methylester phase were measured by SEM-EDS and inductive coupled plasma spectroscopy, respectively. The catalytic activity of ZnO-Al2O3/ZSM-5 and SnO-Al2O3/ZSM-5 containing sodium did not originate from surface metal oxides sites, but from surface sodium sites or dissolved sodium leached from …

Energy Security: An Australian Nuclear Power Industry, Geoff I. Swan

Australian Security and Intelligence Conference

Climate change and energy security are driving a worldwide renaissance in nuclear power. An Australian nuclear power industry has also been seriously investigated by the Australian government and its agencies. This paper provides a broad overview of the nuclear fuel cycle and the nuclear power industry. It identifies aspects that are sensitive to nuclear terrorism and nuclear weapons proliferation to help security professionals identify threats and prepare for a possible Australian nuclear power industry.

Subject Specific Computational Models Of The Knee To Predict Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury, Bhushan S. Borotikar

ETD Archive

Knee joint is a complex joint involving multiple interactions between cartilage, bone, muscles, ligaments, tendons and neural control. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one ligament in the knee joint that frequently gets injured during various sports or recreational activities. ACL injuries are common in college level and professional athletes especially in females and the injury rate is growing in epidemic proportions despite significant increase in the research focusing on neuromuscular and proprioceptive training programs. Most ACL injuries lead to surgical reconstruction followed by a lengthy rehabilitation program impacting the health and performance of the athlete. Furthermore, the athlete is still …

Increasing Pile Capacity And Set-Up In Clay By Electrokinetics, Susheel R. Kolwalkar

ETD Archive

A significant increase in the load capacity over a period of time is often observed in driven piles. This time dependent strength gain is termed as 'set-up'. Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the set-up phenomenon in cohesive soils. A research was initiated to investigate this mechanism in clay soils in terms of electrokinetic theory and explore the possibility of accelerating the process. The system chosen for the study consisted of laboratory scale steel piles driven in kaolinite clay under controlled conditions. The piles were subjected to DC voltage gradients with surrounding electrodes at different time intervals and their …

Probabilistic Stress Analysis Of Liquid Storage Tank, Khader A. Khan

ETD Archive

Liquefied Natural Gas transport and storage has become very important due to its ability to occupy 1/600th of the volume that compressed natural gas would occupy at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. In the present work, an LNG storage tank has been computationally simulated and probabilistically evaluated in view of the several uncertainties in the fluid, structural, material and thermal variables that govern the LNG storage tank. A finite element code ALGOR was used to couple the thermal profiles with structural design. The stresses and their variations were evaluated at critical points on the storage tank. Cumulative distribution functions and …