Engineering Commons^™

Global Positioning Logger, Matthew Hall

Computer Engineering

The Global Positioning Logger (GPL) is a mobile embedded device that utilizes GPS technology. The GPS data is used to display current speed and past global locations.

Utopia 3.0: Power Cycling Controller Board, Allan Chan

Computer Engineering

The Universal Test & Observation Power Interface Adapter (UTOPIA) is a device used for hard drive testing by Western Digital. Utopia is designed to provide an interface to communicate with a hard drive and perform power cycling functions on a hard drive.

The purpose of this project is to develop a prototype that retains the features of the previous Utopia boards while including two new features to be used in the next design: voltage margining and improved Serial Input/Output (SIO) drive control.

This document describes the design of version 3.0 of UTOPIA starting with component selection, schematic design and, PCB …

Lipids And Collagen Matrix Restrict The Hydraulic Permeability Within The Porous Compartment Of Adult Cortical Bone, Demin Wen, Caroline Androjna, Amit Vasanji, Joanne M. Belovich, Ronald J. Midura

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

In vivo the hydraulic permeability of cortical bone influences the transport of nutrients, waste products and signaling molecules, thus influencing the metabolic functions of osteocytes and osteoblasts. In the current study two hypotheses were tested: the presence of (1) lipids and (2) collagen matrix in the porous compartment of cortical bone restricts its permeability. Our approach was to measure the radial permeability of adult canine cortical bone before and after extracting lipids with acetone-methanol, and before and after digesting collagen with bacterial collagenase. Our results showed that the permeability of adult canine cortical bone was below 4.0 × 10 …

Low-Complexity Transmit Diversity Scheme Using Moderate-Sized Signal Constellations, B. K. Khoo, P. Xiao, S. Y. Le Goff, B. S. Sharif, C. C. Tsimenidis

Electrical & Electronic Engineering

In the conventional space-time coding technique [1], nT radio frequency (RF) chains are employed to transmit signals simultaneously from nT transmit antennas. In this Letter, a lowcomplexity transmit diversity scheme with nT = 2 transmit antennas is proposed. The proposed system employs only one RF chain as well as a low-complexity switch for transmission.

Functionally Graded Materials By Laser Metal Deposition (Preprint), Syamala R. Pulugurtha, Joseph William Newkirk, Frank W. Liou, Hsin-Nan Chou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fabrication of functionally graded materials (FGMs) by laser metal deposition (LMD) has the potential to offer solutions to key engineering problems over the traditional metalworking techniques. But the issues that need to be addressed while building FGMs are intermixing in the layers and cracking due to the residual stresses. This paper is to present the study of the effect of process parameters (laser power and travel speed) on the degree of dilution between the substrate (or, previous layer) and powder material for few metallurgical systems.

Three-Dimensional Modeling Of Transport Phenomena And Their Effect On The Formation Of Ripples In Gas Metal Arc Welding, Z. H. Rao, J. Zhou, S. M. Liao, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Distinct, periodic arc-shaped ripples are observed on the surface of the weld bead in almost any welded components which have a significant effect on weld quality. This article presents the complex transport phenomena and their effect on the formation of ripples in three-dimensional moving gas metal arc welding. The transient distributions of the melt flow velocity and temperature in the weld pool, weld pool shape and dynamics, and solidified weld bead are calculated. It is found that the surface ripples are formed by the interplay between the up-and-down weld pool dynamics, caused mainly by the periodic droplet impingements, and the …

Combined H∞-Feedback Control And Iterative Learning Control Design With Application To Nanopositioning Systems, Brian E. Helfrich, Chibum Lee, Douglas A. Bristow, Jingyan Dong, Srinivasa M. Salapaka, Placid M. Ferreira, X. H. Xiao, Andrew G. Alleyne

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper examines a coordinated feedback and feedforward control design strategy for precision motion control (PMC) systems. It is assumed that the primary exogenous signals are repeated; including disturbances and references. Therefore, an iterative learning control (ILC) feedforward strategy can be used. The introduction of additional non-repeating exogenous signals, including disturbances, noise, and reset errors, necessitates the proper coordination between feedback and feedforward controllers to achieve high performance. A novel ratio of repeated versus non-repeated signal power in the frequency domain is introduced and defined as the repetitive-to-non-repetitive (RNR) ratio. This frequency specific ratio allows for a new approach to …

A Model-Based Fault-Detection And Prediction Scheme For Nonlinear Multivariable Discrete-Time Systems With Asymptotic Stability Guarantees, Balaje T. Thumati, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a novel, unified model-Based fault-detection and prediction (FDP) scheme is developed for nonlinear multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) discrete-time systems. the proposed scheme addresses both state and output faults by considering separate time profiles. the faults, which could be incipient or abrupt, are modeled using input and output signals of the system. the fault-detection (FD) scheme comprises online approximator in discrete time (OLAD) with a robust adaptive term. an output residual is generated by comparing the FD estimator output with that of the measured system output. a fault is detected when this output residual exceeds a predefined threshold. Upon …

Pced2.0—A Computer Program For The Simulation Of Polycrystalline Electron Diffraction Pattern, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

A computer program for the simulation of polycrystalline electron diffraction patterns is described. PCED2.0, an upgraded version of the previous JECP/PCED, can be used as a teaching aid and research tool for phase identification, microstructure texture analysis, and phase fraction determination. In addition to kinematical theory for diffraction intensity calculation of polycrystalline samples, Blackman two-beam dynamical correction is included. March model is used for out-of-plane and in-plane texture simulation. A pseudo-Voigt function is used for the peak profile fitting of diffraction rings. User-friendly interface is improved in the handling of experimental diffraction data and the flexibility of indexing. Application of …

Influence Of Material Type, Aggregate Size, And Unconfined Compressive Strength On Water Jetting Of Cidh Pile Anomalies, Joseph Carl Heavin

Master's Theses

Water jetting as a means for removing anomalous materials from cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) piles was examined. The primary objective of this research was to establish empirical relationships between different jetting parameters and the removal of commonly occurring anomalous zone materials, including low-strength concrete, slurry mixed concrete, grout, and clay soil. Also investigated was the current standard-of-practice used by water jetting contractors within California. The testing specimens consisted of typical anomalous material with unconfined compressive strengths between 5 and 6,000 psi. The experimental work consisted of water blasting submerged specimens using rotary jets, nozzles, and pumping equipment typically used in construction practice. …

Pavement Settlement Issues And Hydro-Geochemical Water Testing Results For The Cumberland Gap Tunnel, Brad Rister, Clark Graves, Jim Dinger

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Both Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys and Hydro-Geochemical Water Testing (HGWT) have been performed at the Cumberland Gap Tunnel to determine why the reinforced concrete pavement has settled in various areas throughout both tunnels. To date, approximately 7,300 total square feet of pavement surface has voids beneath it that range from 0.05 to 40 inches in depth. Both GPR and HGWT results indicate that approximately 0.75 to 1.5 cubic yards of limestone sub-base material leaves the tunnel in solution form on a monthly basis. Furthermore, HGWT results indicate that the ground water beneath the tunnels is calcium deficient. Thus allowing …

Electrically Mediated Delivery Of Plasmid Dna To The Skin, Using A Multielectrode Array, Richard Heller, Yolmari Criz, Loree C. Heller, Richard A. Gilbert, Mark J. Jaroszeski

Bioelectrics Publications

The easy accessibility of skin makes it an excellent target for gene transfer protocols. To take full advantage of skin as a target for gene transfer, it is important to establish an efficient and reproducible delivery system. Electroporation is a strong candidate to meet this delivery criterion. Electroporation of the skin is a simple, direct, in vivo method to deliver genes for therapy. Previously, delivery to the skin was performed by means of applicators with relatively large distances between electrodes, resulting in significant muscle stimulation and pain. These applicators also had limitations in controlling the directionality of the applied field. …

The Strength Of Silicate Glasses: What Do We Know, What Do We Need To Know?, Charles R. Kurkjian, Prabhat K. Gupta, Richard K. Brow

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the last few years, there has been increased interest in methods to improve the practical strength of inorganic glasses. during this same time period, new theoretical and experimental techniques have appeared. in this paper, we discuss this interest and indicate how and where these new techniques may help us to achieve our objective to increase the practical strength of glass. Our ability to measure the intrinsic inert strength of glass fibers as well as the development of stresses around indentations and scratches now allows us to attack these two important issues experimentally. Likewise, major advances have been made in …

Links With Canada Benefit Dit Prosthesis Research, Colm O'Kane

Articles

Colm O’Kane is a lecturer in the School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering and a member of the DIT Biomedical Device and Assistive Technology Research Group. He is currently engaged in PhD research in the field of knee prosthesis development, focused on developing optimised strategies for partial and total joint replacements used in treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. This article is an account of a research scholarship sponsored by the CHC Helicopter Corporation and awarded by the Ireland Canada University Foundation (ICUF). This foundation awards annual scholarships for research visits between Ireland and Canada with the aspiration of …

Nondestructive Testing Of Defective Astm A 514 Steel On The I ‐ 275 Combs‐Hehl Twin Bridges Over The Ohio River In Campbell County, Kentucky, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Three defective ASTM A 514 steel splice plates were discovered on the I-275 Combs-Hehl twin bridges over the Ohio River. A follow-on in-depth field inspection of 1,356 A 514 steel plates on the bridges revealed 14 additional defective gusset and splice plates. The A 514 steel was improperly heat-treated resulting in a brittle crack-prone microstructure. Ultrasonic and impact hardness tests were used to identify the defective steel. Subsequently, the defective steel plates were either removed or lapped with additional steel plates.

Concrete Cracking In New Bridge Decks And Overlays, Baolin Wan, Christopher Foley, Jordan Komp

Transportation Reports with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

There appears to be a trend for new bridge decks in the state of Wisconsin to develop early-age transverse cracks and map cracks on concrete overlays. A comprehensive literature review of the potential causes of concrete bridge deck cracking is provided. Fifteen bridge structures found in the recently completed Marquette Interchange were analyzed using 21 variables thought to cause early-age bridge deck cracking. Visual inspection of sixteen bridges in Milwaukee is described. The inspections show that the continuous superstructures have more cracks than the simply-supported bridges. A finite element model was created for a typical two-span continuous superstructure with HL-93 …

Novel And Simple High-Frequency Single-Port Vector Network Analyzer, Mohamed A. Abou-Khousa, Mark A. Baumgartner, Sergey Kharkovsky, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Portable, accurate, and relatively inexpensive high-frequency vector network analyzers (VNAs) have great utility for a wide range of applications, encompassing microwave circuit characterization, reflectometry, imaging, material characterization, and nondestructive testing to name a few. To meet the rising demand for VNAs possessing the aforementioned attributes, we present a novel and simple VNA design based on a standing-wave probing device and an electronically controllable phase shifter. The phase shifter is inserted between a device under test (DUT) and a standing-wave probing device. The complex reflection coefficient of the DUT is then obtained from multiple standing-wave voltage measurements taken for several different …

Identification And Implementation Of Best Management Practices For Erosion And Sediment Control That Conform To Indiana Storm Water Quality Regulations And Guidance, Lynn A. Corson

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Modeling Disk Cracks In Rotors By Utilizing Speed Dependent Eccentricity, Andrew L. Gyekenyesi, Jerzy T. Sawicki, Wayne C. Haase

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the feasibility of vibration-based structural health monitoring for detecting disk cracks in rotor systems. The approach of interest assumes that a crack located on a rotating disk causes a minute change in the system’s center of mass due to the centrifugal force induced opening of the crack. The center of mass shift is expected to reveal itself in the vibration vector (i.e., whirl response; plotted as amplitude and phase versus speed) gathered during a spin-up and/or spin-down test. Here, analysis is accomplished by modeling a Jeffcott rotor that is characterized by analytical, numerical, and experimental data. The …

Wi-Fi Evapotranspiration Irrigation Controller, Ryan Goodman

Electrical Engineering

This report discusses the applications of an Irrigation Controller with Wi-Fi connectivity, with focus on cost-effectiveness and usability. It addresses the amount to which traditional irrigation is wasteful, and proposes solutions to solve this problem. Methods for using online weather data resources to increase efficiency of residential landscaping are discussed in depth. Included is the procedural development of an irrigation controller using the Microchip Explorer 16 Development Board and TCP/IP Stack. Also discussed is web hosting and use of the scripting language PHP, and database MySQL. This project found inexpensive means for providing HTTP and FTP services. Results indicate an …

Xins, Kyle Howen

Electrical Engineering

The XINS seeks to provide a navigation system that is sufficient for remote control or automation of a small UAV. This will be accomplished with a general knowledge in electrical engineering concepts and with equipment available to hobbyists.

This paper covers the theory of design and the first steps to prototyping an aircraft navigation system. Though no testing on actual aircraft was available, simulations and ground tests (in an automobile) were performed. All testing supported the intended function of the XINS.

Given some size and power supply modification, the presented XINS prototype should be able to provide all required data …

The Role Of Driver Age And Gender In Motor Vehicle Fatal Crashes, Heng Wei, Deogratias Eustace

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

This study compares the age and gender of at-fault drivers who were involved in fatal crashes and the corresponding driving errors that contributed to these crashes. This comparison provides insights that may help traffic engineers devise countermeasures to lessen the number of these unnecessary deaths. Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 2001 through 2003 were used in this study. The analysis included passenger vehicles (automobiles, utility vehicles, minivans, and pickup trucks) involved in either single or two vehicle crashes. The driver responsible in each crash was identified through the driver error variable codes as listed …

Automated Nanocrystal Orientation And Phase Mapping In The Transmission Electron Microscope On The Basis Of Precession Electron Diffraction, Edgar F. Rauch, Joaquin Portillo, Stavros Nicolopoulos, Daniel Bultreys, Sergei Rouvimov, Peter Moeck

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

An automated technique for the mapping of nanocrystal phases and orientations in a transmission electron microscope is described. It is primarily based on the projected reciprocal lattice geometry that is extracted from electron diffraction spot patterns. Precession electron diffraction patterns are especially useful for this purpose. The required hardware allows for a scanning-precession movement of the primary electron beam on the crystalline sample and can be interfaced to any older or newer mid-voltage transmission electron microscope (TEM). Experimentally obtained crystal phase and orientation maps are shown for a variety of samples. Comprehensive commercial and open-access crystallographic databases may be used …

Near Real-Time Exercise Machine Power Statistics Reporting, Brendan C. Asche

Master's Theses

Cal Poly’s Recreation Center expansion project provides an opportunity to implement Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines (EHFEM). Part of this implementation is a system that reports the exercise machines’ energy production. Although products capable of reporting exercise machine energy harvesting statistics exist, they have limited capabilities. This thesis project defends a system capable of reporting exercise machine power statistics in near real-time.

The system consists of display, database, and power measurement modules. The display module presents statistics in an interactive, graphical, and widely-accessible way. The database module provides an efficient way of organizing and accessing stored statistics. Multiple power measurement …

Exploring The Relationship Of The Closeness Of A Genetic Algorithm's Chromosome Encoding To Its Problem Space, Kevin Mccullough

Master's Theses

For historical reasons, implementers of genetic algorithms often use a haploid binary primitive type for chromosome encoding. I will demonstrate that one can reduce development effort and achieve higher fitness by designing a genetic algorithm with an encoding scheme that closely matches the problem space. I will show that implicit parallelism does not result in binary encoded chromosomes obtaining higher fitness scores than other encodings. I will also show that Hamming distances should be understood as part of the relationship between the closeness of an encoding to the problem instead of assuming they should always be held constant. Closeness to …

Historical Document Enhancement Using Lut Classification, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, Gady Agam, Ophir Frieder

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The fast evolution of scanning and computing technologies in recent years has led to the creation of large collections of scanned historical documents. It is almost always the case that these scanned documents suffer from some form of degradation. Large degradations make documents hard to read and substantially deteriorate the performance of automated document processing systems. Enhancement of degraded document images is normally performed assuming global degradation models. When the degradation is large, global degradation models do not perform well. In contrast, we propose to learn local degradation models and use them in enhancing degraded document images. Using a semi-automated …

Design Of Asynchronous Circuits For High Soft Error Tolerance In Deep Submicron Cmos Circuits, Weidong Kuang, Peiyi Zhao, J. S. Yuan, R. F. Demara

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

As the devices are scaling down, the combinational logic will become susceptible to soft errors. The conventional soft error tolerant methods for soft errors on combinational logic do not provide enough high soft error tolerant capability with reasonably small performance penalty. This paper investigates the feasibility of designing quasi-delay insensitive (QDI) asynchronous circuits for high soft error tolerance. We analyze the behavior of null convention logic (NCL) circuits in the presence of particle strikes, and propose an asynchronous pipeline for soft-error correction and a novel technique to improve the robustness of threshold gates, which are basic components in NCL, against …

Development Of A Framework For Ex Post Facto Evaluation Of Highway Project Costs In Indiana, Abhishek Bhargava, Samuel Labi, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

Researchers and engineers continue to ponder over the reliability of construction cost forecasts made at the early stages of project development. After a project has been incorporated in the statewide transportation improvement program, increasingly detailed estimates of its cost are prepared at the remaining stages of project development, namely, design estimate, engineer’s estimate, and bid estimate. The accuracy of such estimates has critical consequences on contract administration and asset management in general. Most agencies do not have a methodological framework to identify projects where final cost is likely to exceed the cost estimate, or where the cost estimate is likely …

Innovative Bridge Construction Program: Implementation Of Full-Depth Bridge Deck Panels In Indiana, Robert J. Frosch, Julio A. Ramirez, Stephen Price

JTRP Technical Reports

This research evaluates the use of precast, prestressed bridge deck panels on new and existing precast, prestressed concrete girders. The evaluation focuses on the ease of construction and the ability of the system to develop composite action with the concrete girders. A system developed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute New England Region (PCINER) was chosen for testing from available systems because it is representative of the current geometry of precast bridge deck panels. The CDOT system was evaluated in a series of large scale tests in which the panels were placed on a 40 …

A Truck-Mounted Scour Inspection System For Indot, Dennis Lyn, Thomas Cooper, Ranadeep Das

JTRP Technical Reports

Scour monitoring may be a useful tool for INDOT in dealing with local scour problems at bridge sites, and a truck-mounted scour-monitoring system is an attractive option offering flexibility in deployment and cost-effectiveness. This report deals with two aspects related to the further development of such a system: i) a web application that combines the latest available information regarding streamflow with relevant information regarding bridges considered susceptible to bridge scour, thereby assisting in truck-deployment decisions, and ii) development of an acoustic positioning system as a replacement of the original mechanical positioning in order to improve the ease of use.

The …