Engineering Commons^™

Kinetic And Finite Element Modeling For Firing Brick, Daniel Mckinney

All Theses

Kinetic modeling and simulation were used to optimize the firing cycle for brick. This was done to develop a tool for the brick industry to reduce fuel consumption and emissions during firing. A kinetic model was built using shrinkage data from dilatometer measurements and mass loss data from thermogravimetry measurements in order to predict the density as a function of temperature and time. The density of brick was related to the absorption coefficient (C/B), an ASTM standard which is related to the durability of the brick. The kinetic model was used to optimize the firing curve using a rate controlled …

Comprehensive Analysis Of A Student-Centered Active-Learning Integrated Statics And Dynamics Course For Mechanical Engineers, Marisa Orr

All Theses

The Student-Centered Active Learning in Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) approach to instructional design was adapted with the goal of delivering more effective statics, dynamics and multivariate calculus instruction and integrated course curricula. Inquiry-based learning exercises were designed, incorporating material from statics and dynamics into multivariable calculus, and vice-versa, as well as integrating statics and dynamics into one course. Analysis included an exploration of student study habits, multiple measures of course effectiveness, and an examination of curricular effects. Challenges of implementation are also discussed.
Study habits of students in an integrated Statics and Dynamics course were assessed through a voluntary survey in …

Maximizing Throughput Using Dynamic Resource Allocation And Discrete Event Simulation, Gregory Gunn

All Theses

This research studies a serial two stage production system with two flexible servers which can be dynamically assigned to either station. This is modeled using discrete event simulation and more specifically the Arena software package by Rockwell. The goal is to determine dynamic allocation policies based upon the inventory level at each station to maximize the throughput of finished goods out of the system. This model adds to previous work by including actual switching time. The effect of the pre-emptive resume assumption is gauged, and the effectiveness of the OptQuest optimization package is also tested. Studies are conducted to determine …

Detecting And Tracking Tractor-Trailers Using View-Based Templates, Vinay Gidla

All Theses

Vehicle tracking and classification is an important application of computer vision. There exist mainly two types of tracking techniques: Appearance-based tracking and Feature-based tracking.
Appearance-based techniques generally require a model or template of the target to be tracked. However the model needs to be robust to the multitude of deformations possible in the course of the target's movement. This research explores the use of a collection of view based templates, instead of a single template, to accurately trace the contours of the tractor-trailers in moving traffic.

The tracking begins with creation of a template sequence by manually processing a segment …

Long-Term Performance Of Pavement Markings On Primary And Secondary Roads, Joshua Johnson

All Theses

This research analyzes waterbased and thermoplastic pavement markings on primary and secondary roads in South Carolina. The primary objective of this research was to develop retroreflectivity degradation models for these two pavement marking materials, as well as determine the expected useful life of the markings. Predicting retroreflectivity and marking life is important so that state DOTs may efficiently replace markings in order to reduce safety hazards as well as maintenance costs.
Data collection for this research lasted 21 months, where retroreflectivity of pavement markings was measured on over 100 primary and secondary roads in South Carolina. Variables such as marking …

Modeling Phosphate Adsorption For South Carolina Soils, Jesse Cannon

All Theses

Eroded sediment and the pollutants it transports are problems in water bodies in South Carolina (SC) and the United States as a whole. Current regulations and engineering practice attempt to remedy this problem by trapping sediment according to settling velocity, and thus, particle size. However, relatively little is known about most eroded soils. In most cases, little experimental data are available to describe a soil's ability to adsorb a pollutant of interest. More-effective design tools are necessary if design engineers and regulators are to be successful in reducing the amount of sediment and sediment-bound pollutants in water bodies. This study …

Performance Of Expanded Polymer Cushion Materials At Less Than One Inch In Thickness, Glen Potter

All Theses

The purpose of this work is to determine whether peak acceleration values can be predicted from existing cushion curves for polymeric materials with thicknesses less than one inch. The secondary purpose is to determine whether the stress energy method of cushion testing can be applied to polymeric foams with thicknesses less than one inch. Cushion curves were created from materials greater than one inch in thickness and from materials less than one inch in thickness. The curves were compared using three methods; linear regression, comparison of cushion curves by ASTM allowable difference between curves and comparison of predicted acceleration values …

Comparision Of Open Graded Friction Course Mix Design Methods Currently Used In The United States, Laura Kline

All Theses

This research compares the open graded friction course (OGFC) mix design methods which are currently being used in the United States. OGFCs are a type of porous pavement that have been used in the United States since 1944, but has provided inconsistent and highly variable performance results. The design procedures for several agencies were obtained, and then compared for similarities. All of the design methods were then conducted to determine the optimum binder content. The optimum binder content (OBC) of a single aggregate gradation for each method was tested for properties and performance characteristics.
The design methods which are currently …

Characterization And Modification Of Helmet Padding System To Improve Shockwave Dissipation, Katelyn Howay

All Theses

Currently soldiers are being exposed a much higher number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and the resulting shockwaves. These shockwaves can cause traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) even without the occurrence of ballistic impact. The focus of this research was to reduce the amount of shockwaves soldiers are exposed to by inserting fibers and woven fabrics into a foam padding system. These fibers and fabrics facilitate the dissipation of the shockwave energy before it is able to penetrate the padding and cause TBIs.
The sound velocity of high-performance fibers, commodity fibers and woven fabric was measured using a Dynamic Modulus Tester. …

Performance Evaluation Of Sbs Modified Asphalt Mixtures Using Warm Mix Technologies, Hakseo Kim

All Theses

The need for more sustainable methods and techniques in industry has been increasing and it is important to respond to the needs of society and address issues surrounding its environment and health. In order to better introduce such new and more sustainable methods, it is necessary to combine existing and proven methods with new technology. The main idea of this research was to use the established industry standard of using Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS) modified binder and combine it with the relatively new Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technology in order to create a more sustainable and eco-friendly asphalt paving process. …

Software Algorithms To Coordinate And Improve Voltage Sag Ridethrough Capabilities Of Networked Industrial Processes, Owen Parks

All Dissertations

For those who design, operate, and troubleshoot industrial processes, electric power quality is a subject that requires much consideration. Processes that use electronic sensors, actuators, and computation devices are heavily reliant on a stable, consistent input power source. When a power quality event such as a voltage fluctuation occurs, automation equipment often behaves unpredictably and causes process malfunction or failure.
Because industrial power consumers often blame their electric utility for these events, some utilities offer process susceptibility studies as a service for their customers. During a typical study, utility technicians and engineers perform in-house tests on suspect components or systems …

Biodegradation And Bioremediation Of Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers, Chlorinated Ethenes, Chlorinated Benzenes And Benzene, Vijaikrishnah Elango

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Groundwater at an industrial site is contaminated with γ -hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and α-HCH (i.e., lindane) (0.3-0.5 ppm). Other contaminants in the 1-15 ppm range include 1,2,4-trichlorobenezene (TCB), 1,2-dichlorobenzene (DCB), 1,3-DCB, 1,4-DCB, chlorobenzene (CB), benzene, trichloroethene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE). The aquifer consists of a shallow layer of soil over fractured dolomite, where most of the contaminant mass resides. The objective of this study was to compare 1) anaerobic reductive dechlorination of the polychlorinated contaminants, followed by aerobic biodegradation of the daughter products (mainly DCBs, CB, and benzene); and 2) aerobic biodegradation of α- and γ-HCH, TCB, DCBs, CB and …

Fabrication Of Transparent Ceramic Laser Media For High Energy Laser Applications, Karn Serivalsatit

All Dissertations

Sesquioxides of yttrium, scandium, and lutetium, i.e., Y₂O₃, Sc₂O₃, and Lu₂O₃, have received a great deal of recent attention as potential high power solid state laser hosts. These oxides are receptive to lanthanide doping, including trivalent Er, Ho and Tm which have well known emissions at eye-safe wavelengths that can be excited using commercial diode lasers. These sesquioxides are considered superior to the more conventional yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) due to their higher thermal conductivity, which is critical for high power laser system. Unfortunately, these oxides possess high …

A Lyapunov Based Approach To Energy Maximization In Renewable Energy Technologies, Erhun Iyasere

All Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design and implementation of Lyapunov-based control strategies for the maximization of the power captured by renewable energy harnessing technologies such as (i) a variable speed, variable pitch wind turbine, (ii) a variable speed wind turbine coupled to a doubly fed induction generator, and (iii) a solar power generating system charging a constant voltage battery.
First, a torque control strategy is presented to maximize wind energy captured in variable speed, variable pitch wind turbines at low to medium wind speeds. The proposed strategy applies control torque to the wind turbine pitch and rotor subsystems to simultaneously control …

Occurrence And Formation Of Disinfection By-Products In Indoor Swimming Pools Water, Amer Kanan

All Dissertations

Chlorination is used to prevent the spread of waterborne infectious diseases from swimming pools. This required disinfection practice also results in the formation of undesirable disinfection by-products (DBPs) from the reactions of chlorine with the organic matter (released by swimmers or present in the filling water of the pool) and bromide. Some of these DBPs have important adverse public health effects; as a result their concentrations in drinking waters are regulated. Unfortunately, DBPs formation and control in swimming pools have not been studied and investigated to the same extent as their formation and control in drinking water.
The main objective …

Layer-By-Layer Assembly Of {Nanoclay-(Sol-Gel Oxide)}N And {Nanoclay-(Oxide Nanoparticle)}N Multilayers: Synthesis And Growth Mechanisms, Hao Chen

All Dissertations

Two new classes of all-inorganic nanostructured multilayers, {MMTx-(sol-gel oxide)}n and {MMTx-(oxide nanoparticle)}n, have been successfully synthesized for the first time. They were made by adapting a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly method initially developed to synthesize polyelectrolyte-based multilayers. In most previous studies, this electrostatic-assisted LbL assembly method used polyelectrolytes/polymers as the 'structural glue' to prepare multilayers. The synthesis of {MMTx-(sol-gel ZrO2)}n multilayers demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of making sol-gel oxide 'glued' all-inorganic multilayers, thereby introducing an innovative nanoscale fabrication concept. The synthesis of {MMTx-(oxide nanoparticle)}n multilayers further illustrates the versatility of LbL assembly technique by achieving a second new …

Osteoclast-Mediated Cell Therapy As An Attempt To Treat Elastin-Specific Vascular Calcification, Chartrisa Simpson

All Dissertations

Vascular calcification occurs during physiological aging and is clinically recognized as a major risk factor for myocardial infarction, systolic hypertension, heart failure and coronary insufficiency caused by loss of aortic recoil. Medial arterial calcification is an active remodeling process that involves the deposition of bone-specific matrix in close association with elastic fibers. Elastin, a major structural protein in the extracellular matrix of arterial walls, provides elastic recoil to the arteries. Increasing evidence suggests that vascular calcification share features with skeletal bone formation such as bone matrix deposition and bone resorption. Bone morphogenetic proteins and bone cells have been found in …

Isolating Petroleum Pitch Oligomers Via Multistage Supercritical Extraction, Eduardo Cervo

All Dissertations

Petroleum pitches are carbonaceous materials that serve as precursors for advanced carbon products. Because of their highly graphitic nature, such pitches are of particular interest for producing high thermal conductivity carbon fibers for thermal management applications, such as microelectronics packaging for hybrid and plug-in vehicles.
Even though the properties of the final carbon products are impacted by the molecular composition of the starting pitch precursor, a fundamental understanding of this relationship has yet to be established. To this end, dense-gas extraction (DGE), a fractionation technique that allows for the production of pitches of controlled composition for both analytical and rheological …

Extraordinary Transmission From High-Gain Nanoaperture Antennas, Edward C. Kinzel, Pornsak Srisungsitthisunti, Yan Li, Arvind Raman, Xianfan Xu

Birck and NCN Publications

This letter describes a bowtie nanoaperture antenna for coupling light to a subdiffraction limited near-field spot (<λ/8). The gain of the antenna is increased using a concentric grating structure to coherently diffract normally incident light toward the aperture. We experimentally demonstrate that the addition of the grating structure enhances the far-field transmission through the aperture by 6.9 times while the intensity at the near-field is increased more than 15 times. The nanoantenna is useful for applications including nanolithography and data storage.

Gas-Assisted Powder Injection Molding: A Comparison Of Residual Wall Thickness Between Metal Cavity Vs. Sla Cavity And Effect Of Mold Temperature On Residual Wall Thickness, Donghan Kim

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The effects of processing variables on gas penetration depth and Residual Wall Thickness (RWT) in an aluminum (Al) cavity of Gas-Assisted Injection Molding (GAIM) were investigated with Polypropylene (PP) and Stainless Steel Powder Feedstock (SSPF). The selected processing variables were melt temperature, shot size, gas pressure, and gas delay time. By using a Taguchi L9 array, the results were compared with previous work. For PP, there were no significant differences on gas penetration depth. However, the significance of gas delay time was relatively higher in an Al cavity as compared to a Stereolithography (SLA) cavity from previous work with SSPF. …

An Information Technology Suitability Index For Mass Customization, Oscar Leonardo Barrenechea

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In today’s manufacturing world, high competitive markets are pushing companies to find better ways to satisfy their customer’s needs using several Mass Customization (MC) approaches. Consequently, new Information Technologies (IT) have taken a very important role in order to manage the increasing amount of data generated from those customers. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an IT suitability index for MC that would help to identify the critical IT factors to be addressed in order to efficiently support MC. A linear programming regression model was utilized to generate index values. Finally, the results of this model could be …

Water Allocation Challenges In Rural River Basins: A Case Study From The Walawe River Basin, Sri Lanka, D. K. Neelanga Weragala

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation evaluates the water allocation challenges in the rural river basins of the developing world, where demands are growing and the supply is limited. While many of these basins have yet to reach the state of closure, their water users are already experiencing water shortages. Agricultural crop production in rural river basins of the developing world plays a major role in ensuring food security. However, irrigation as the major water consumer in these basins has low water use efficiency. As water scarcity grows, the need to maximize economic gains by reallocating water to more efficient uses becomes important. …

Finite Element Modeling Of Icd Lead Silicone Soft-Tips, Jose J. Lepe

Master's Theses

Although highly underutilized by the medical device industry, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in the development of new technologies is gaining popularity as regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) begin to require additional proof of safety through scientific methods. Non-linear FEA allows engineers to realistically simulate the mechanical behavior of implants as seen in the in-vitro, or in some cases, the in-vivo configurations. The work presented in this report investigates how computational methods can be used to simulate the interaction of a St. Jude Medical silicone soft-tip as it passes through a Peel-Away Sheath (i.e. introducer). In …

Standardization Of A Volumetric Displacement Measurement For Two-Body Abrasion Scratch Test Data Analysis, Ryan L. Kobrick, David M. Klaus, Kenneth W. Street Jr.

Publications

A limitation has been identified in the existing test standards used for making controlled, two-body abrasion scratch measurements based solely on the width of the resultant score on the surface of the material. A new, more robust method is proposed for analyzing a surface scratch that takes into account the full three-dimensional profile of the displaced material. To accomplish this, a set of four volume displacement metrics are systematically defined by normalizing the overall surface profile to statistically denote the area of relevance, termed the “Zone of Interaction” (ZOI). From this baseline, depth of the trough and height of the …

Naked Object File System (Nofs): A Framework To Expose An Object-Oriented Domain Model As A File System, Joseph P. Kaylor, Konstantin Läufer, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

We present Naked Objects File System (NOFS), a novel framework that allows a developer to expose a domain model as a file system by leveraging the Naked Objects design principle. NOFS allows a developer to construct a file system without having to understand or implement all details related to normal file systems development. In this paper we explore file systems frameworks and object-oriented frameworks in a historical context and present an example domain model using the framework. This paper is based on a fully-functional implementation that is distributed as free/open source software, including virtual machine images to demonstrate and study …

Statistical Modeling And Analysis Of Injury Severity Sustained By Occupants Of Passenger Vehicles Involved In Crashes With Large Trucks, Ahmad Koupaenejad

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Crashes are the result of complex interactions between several factors representing driver, roadway, vehicle, and environmental characteristics. Understanding to what degree each factor contributes to the severity of a crash is not a simple task. The outcomes of crashes in the US have been an average of 42,000 deaths and 3 million injuries per year. To better understand the role of significant contributors to crashes, three sets of models using multinomial logit and one using ordered probit were calibrated. To calibrate these models, forty two independent predictor variables including driver/occupants characteristics, crash environment at the crash location, crash characteristics, and …

A Sustainable Business Proposition For Selling Irrigation Pumps In Ndola, Zambia, Robert Hosbach

Biomedical Engineering

Robert Hosbach is proposing a sustainable business plan to bring a small‐scale irrigation pump to rural Ndola, Zambia. With hundreds of thousands of citizens living in poverty and semi‐annual starvation, Ndola is in need of a means to grow crops effectively in the rainy season. Their current agricultural practices rely solely on the inconsistent rainfall during this time. My pump will be constructed from locally‐available aluminum cans, epoxy, glue, and fasteners (refer to Appendix B for technical drawings of the pump). The business will employ only a small number of Zambians, but will bring a means of food and income …

Time-Dependent Scour Depth Under Bridge-Submerged Flow, Yuan Zhai

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Failure of bridges due to local scour has motivated many investigators to explore the reasons of scouring and to give the prediction of the scour depth. But most scour prediction equations only address non-pressure-flow situations. Little research has been dedicated to another destructive scour, submerged-flow bridge scour (pressure flow scour) which can cause significant damages to bridges when partially or totally submerged during a large flood.

This thesis is specifically focused on the experimental study for time-dependent scour depth under bridge-submerged flow. The experiments were conducted in a self contained re-circulating tilting flume where two uniform sediment sizes and one …

Use Of Passive Samplers To Evaluate Pharmaceutical Fate In Surface Waters, Delshawn L. Brown

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Emerging contaminants have been of importance in recent water research. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have proved ineffective at handling present-day antibiotic loads from hospital and municipal sources. Kolpin et al. (2002) performed a study that identified pharmaceuticals in numerous waters downstream from effluent discharge. Though present in trace levels, concern has been raised regarding pharmaceutical persistence in natural environments. In the present study, uptake rates were quantified in the laboratory for 25 pharmaceutical compounds using Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Samplers (POCIS). Twenty new uptake rates were determined for compounds that have no previously reported literature values. POCIS was also used …

The Use Of Factor Analysis In The Development Of Hand Sizes For Glove Design, Trevor M. Mclain

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Factor analysis was used to develop a more detailed description of the human hand to be used in the creation of glove sizes; currently gloves sizes are small, medium, and large. The created glove sizes provide glove designers with the ability to create a glove design that can provide fit to the majority of hand variations in both the male and female populations. The research used the American National Survey (ANSUR) data that was collected in 1988. This data contains eighty-six length, width, height, and circumference measurements of the human hand for one thousand male subjects and thirteen hundred female …