Engineering Commons^™

An Improved Method For Quantifying The Stiffness Of Running Shoes, Jorie Ballun, Kyle Zobeck

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The purpose of running shoes is to protect feet from injury by stabilizing motion and cushioning impact. As material technology and product testing develop, shoes can offer more protection through advanced designs. A typical test for running shoes is a flexion test in which the shoe is bent through a fixed angle and the applied force is measured. Most tests bend the forefoot of a shoe, but this characterizes stiffness over a limited portion of the shoe. The goal of this research is to develop an improved flexion test by evaluating and quantifying the stiffness of running shoes in both …

Short-Range Sonar Development, Matthew Larue, Alex Mcguffey

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Our project involves the development of a short-range detection sonar system using Matlab signal processing techniques. Currently, the necessary equipment has been researched and purchased, and the preliminary work on output signal creation, transmission, and reception is being conducted.

Accelerating Quantum Computer Simulation Via Parallel Eigenvector Computation, Karl Stathakis

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QDCA) hold great potential to produce the next generation of computer hardware, but their development is hindered by computationally intensive simulations. Our research therefore focuses on rewriting one such simulation to run parallel calculations on a graphics processing unit (GPU). We have decreased execution time from 33 hours 11 minutes to 1 hour 39 minutes, but current progress has shown that further gains are possible. The calculation of eigenvectors holds particular promise for acceleration. Our research has two components: testing MATLAB’s algorithm for these calculations and creating a C-based algorithm to improve on MATLAB’s execution time. MATLAB …

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of A Campus Computing Grid, Preston M. Smith

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Any major research institution has a substantial number of computer systems on its campus, often in the scale of tens of thousands. Given that a large amount of scientific computing is appropriate for execution in an opportunistic environment, a campus grid is an inexpensive way to build a powerful computational resource. What is missing, though, is a model for making an informed decision on the cost-effectives of a campus grid. In this thesis, the author describes a model for measuring the costs and benefits of building a campus computing resource based on the institution’s existing investment in computing hardware.

For …

Optimized Delay-Sensitive Multimedia Communications Over Wireless Networks, Haiyan Luo

Department of Computer Electronics and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Multimedia communication is expected to be the major application of the next-generation wireless networks. However, providing delay-sensitive, loss-tolerant and resource-guzzling multimedia services over the current resource-limited wireless networks is still a very challenging task. In addition to their heterogeneous nature and resource limitation, wireless networks also suffer from channel variations and environmental changes. In this dissertation, we study the optimization techniques for wireless multimedia communications and address the issues from different theoretical and practical perspectives.

To solve the issues resulting from the increasingly heterogeneous wireless networks, we propose a framework for error resilient source coding and distributed application-layer error control, …

Civil Engineering And Construction News, Georgia Southern University

Civil Engineering & Construction: News & Publications (2011-2022)

• Georgia Southern University to Host Project Engineer for the Tallest Building in the World

Experimental Investigation Of Steel Pipe Pile To Concrete Cap Connections, Ryan S. Eastman

Theses and Dissertations

Piles are often used to resist vertical and lateral loads when shallow foundations are inadequate or uneconomical. A critical part in designing pile foundations is the pile-to-cap connection. When a moment resisting connection is desired, reinforcement is typically used between the pile and the cap. A pile-to-cap connection with sufficient pile embedment depth, however, may provide similar results. One model that is currently used to determine the capacity of a pile-to-cap connection was developed by Marcakis and Mitchell for steel members embedded in concrete. This model considers an embedment mechanism that resists rotation at the connection. Recent testing has shown, …

Gis Based Pavement Maintenance: A Systematic Approach, Robert J. Kmetz

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Abstract

According to 2008 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) statistics, there are 2,734,102 miles of paved public roads in the United Sates, with an additional 1,324,245 miles of unpaved public roads.  Road conditions deteriorate with time as the result of weather effects, deicing salts, and vehicle loads.  The most common pavement distress includes cracking, rutting, and potholes.  These pavement defects must be repaired to restore the pavement to a satisfactory service level for road users. According to the FHWA, in 2006 approximately $54.2 billion dollars was spent on maintenance and expansion, just on U.S. highways alone.

Routine maintenance is a cost …

Factors Affecting The Strength Of Road Base Stabilized With Cement Slurry Or Dry Cement In Conjunction With Full-Depth Reclamation, Paul A. Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

Full-depth reclamation (FDR) in conjunction with cement stabilization is an established practice for rehabilitating deteriorating asphalt roads. Conventionally, FDR uses dry cement powder applied with a pneumatic spreader, creating undesirable fugitive cement dust. The cement dust poses a nuisance and, when inhaled, a health threat. Consequently, FDR in conjunction with conventional cement stabilization cannot generally be used in urban areas. To solve the problem of fugitive cement dust, the use of cement slurry, prepared by combining cement powder and water, has been proposed to allow cement stabilization to be utilized in urban areas. However, using cement slurry introduces several factors …

Multi-Channel Peer-To-Peer Streaming Systems As Resource Allocation Problems, Miao Wang

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the past few years, the Internet has witnessed the success of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) streaming technology, which has attracted millions of users. More recently, commercial P2P streaming systems have begun to support multiple channels and a user in such systems is allowed to watch more than one channel at a time. We refer to such systems as multi-channel P2P streaming systems. In this dissertation, we focus on designing multi-channel P2P streaming systems with the goal of providing optimal streaming quality for all channels, termed as system-wide optimal streaming quality. Specifically, we design the systems from the perspective of how to …

Nanocomposite High Displacement Strain Gauges For Use In Human-Machine Interfaces: Applications In Hand Pose Determination, Thomas B. Calkins

Theses and Dissertations

Conductive nanocomposites are finding many uses as multi-functional materials. One recent development involves the creation of high displacement strain gauges, which have potential applications in a variety of engineering roles. The piezoresistive nature of the gauges makes possible their strain sensing capability. The intent of this research is to show that specific High Displacement Strain Gauges can successfully be used in one human-machine interface application that will demonstrate their potential for a range of other human-machine interface applications. This will be shown in the development of these sensors to accomplish hand pose determination. The flexible and inexpensive gauges are attached …

Field Algae Measurements Using Empirical Correlations At Deer Creek Reservoir, Ryan A. Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

Deer Creek Reservoir in Utah has a history of high algae concentrations. Despite recent nutrient reduction efforts, seasonal algae continue to present problems. Cost effective, accurate, and comprehensive monitoring is important to understand the reservoir processes driving this problem and characterizing the algae spatial and temporal distributions are an important part of this effort. Current laboratory methods for accurately measuring algae are expensive and time consuming and are based on water samples taken in the field and transported to the laboratory. This approach only provides data for relatively few point samples because of the time and expense of sample collection …

Modeling, Design, And Testing Of An Underwater Microactuation System Using A Standard Mems Foundry Process, Gregory L. Holst

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents the modeling, design, and testing of an underwater microactuation system. It is composed of several thermomechanical in-plane microactuators (TIM) integrated with a ratchet system to provide long displacements and high forces to underwater microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). It is capable of actuating a 200µN load 110µm. It is a two-layer silicon MEMS device fabricated with a MEMS fabrication process, PolyMUMPS. This work also shows the development of an elliptic integral model to analyze the compliant fixed-guided beams in the TIM and gives new insight into the buckling behavior, reaction forces, and displacement of the beams. The derivation, verification, …

Structure Studies On Lanthanide Technetium Pyrochlores As Prospective Host Phases To Immobilize 99- Technetium And Fission Lanthanides From Effluents Of Reprocessed Used Nuclear Fuels, Thomas Hartmann, Ariana Alaniz

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

We performed a systematic investigation of the incorporation of 99Tc into pyrochlore oxide structures, Ln2Tc2O7, where Ln represents trivalent lanthanide Ln3+ cations, while 99Tc is atetravalent, Tc4+, metal cation. Pyrochlore compounds are high-melting temperature oxides and are recognized for their durability. Our goal in this preliminary study is to characterize and quantify the range of stability of the lanthanum technetium pyrochlore oxide phase. Hereby, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld analysis were used to determine and characterize the crystalline phase content with high accuracy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the microstructure and homogeneity of the synthesized …

Entangling The Lattice Clock With Rydberg Gates, Frank J. Greenhalgh

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Knowledge of the exact time is critical to many engineers and planetary experts; unfortunately atomic clocks can't have infinite accuracy by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. To attain accuracy past the limit we have achieved today, we will design a critical improvement of the atomic clock via the Rydberg gates method. Rydberg gates synchronize the atomic states so that they are more sensitive which will greatly increase the accuracy. This project will introduce fast acting Rydberg gates to an existing atomic clock layout. The Rydberg gates will allow the clock to entangle atoms in less time, thus decreasing decoherence effects on the …

Predicting Homo And Lumo Energy Gaps For Organic Semi-Conductor: A Theoretical Study, Padtaya Pukpayat

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

This poster presents a theoretical approach for characterizing the electronic properties of novel electron-deficient organic semiconductors containing variety of electron donor substituents. In treating these compounds, the following questions will be addressed: What effects to the bandgap will each substituent have? Will any of the substituents lower the band gap to the desired range for solar cell applications(<2.0eV)? Can we use the current, inexpensive and tractable computational methods as a predictive tool for guiding future experimental design of organic based solar cells, rather than depending solely on experimental procedures?

Thin-Film Fabrication For High Pressure Thermoelectric And Electrical Resistivity Studies, Jorge L. Reynaga, Rama Venkat, Ravhi S. Kumar

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Thermoelectric materials are of interest for application such as thermoelectric cooler in microprocessors and power generators in cars. High pressure plays an important role in understanding the changes in the figure of merit of thermoelectric thin films. To study the thermoelectric thin films a direct approach is to fabricate the thin film on the surface of a diamond anvil, so that the pressure dependence of structure and transport properties can be investigated easily. If we could successfully fabricate the electrical probes by depositing thin films, then it reduces the use of electrical wires as probes inside the diamond cell, as …

Construction And Use Of A Direct Calorimeter To Estimate Energy Expenditure In Hibernators, Mark S. Burger, Frank Van Breukelen

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Metabolic rates have traditionally been estimated through indirect calorimetry (gas exchange or respirometry) due to its ease and availability. Oxygen consumption neglects the contributions of anaerobic metabolism, while direct calorimetry (heat production) estimates both anaerobic and aerobic metabolism. Walsberg and Hoffman (2005) report anaerobic metabolism may be more important to small rodents than was previously thought. During the non-steady state of mammalian hibernation, we hypothesize that anaerobic processes may play an even greater role in fueling metabolism. To address this question, we constructed a very sensitive calorimeter that utilizes the Seebeck effect from a thermoelectric element (Peltier device). We describe …

Graphene: Material That Will Change The Future, Jigar Desai, Darryl Reese

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Graphene is the most recent material discovered by scientists and is a star on the horizon of materials science and condensed matter physics. The one atom thick, two dimensional materials is an amazing conductor of electricity. Although graphene was not discovered completely until 2004, it has already revealed potential applications and scientists have begun researching ways of developing graphene products for the market. Only two products have been successfully produced so far, but scientists have encountered amazing results. This material has many potential applications in the real world and is about to change the future in a positive way.

Aspect Ratio Dependent Buckling Mode Transition In Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Under Compression, Jeremy Feliciano

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study axial compressive behavior of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with a wide range of aspect ratios (length to diameter ratio). It is shown that the difference in aspect ratio leads to distinct buckling modes in SWCNTs. Small-aspect-ratio SWCNTs primarily exhibit shell buckling; they switch to column buckling mode with increasing aspect ratio. Further compression of the already column buckled large-aspect-ratio SWCNTs results in a shell buckling. This shell buckling mode is distinct from that of small-aspect-ratio SWCNTs in that it originates from the column buckling induced bending deformation.

Investigation Of Structural And Magnetic Properties Of Iron Clusters Encapsulated In Carbon, Andrew Mohrland, Eunja Kim, Phillipe Weck, Pang Tao, Kenneth Czerwinski

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Our goal is to investigate and predict the properties of iron-carbon nanostructures by performing numerical calculations using the density-functional theory. We are interested in which nanostructures are most stable, and in how they are likely to form. We have a particular interest in the magnetic properties of carbon "buckyballs" containing iron particles. These structures have potential for biomedical application, including use in anti-cancer treatment. Lone iron clusters have potential for use as a catalyst designed to reduce vehicle emissions.

X-Ray Diffraction On The Thermoelectric Silicides At High Pressure, Deep Patel, Ravhi S. Kumar, Andrew Cornelius

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Cobalt Silicide (CoSi2) is a transition metal disilicide that has gathered scientific interest due to its interesting thermoelectric properties and applications in silicon-based devices because of their high temperature stability. It has been reported that CoSi2 undergoes a phase transition at around 0.4 GPa and again at 13 GPa. Furthermore, at 13 GPa the material changes from a cubic cell to an orthorhombic cell, but details of the phase transition at 0.4 GPa could not be determined. To further study the properties of CoSi2 and understand its pressure induced phase changes, we recorded the structural behavior of CoSi2 under pressure.

Computational Study Of Carbon Nanotubes Under Strain, Jeremy Feliciano, William Wolfs

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

We perform computational studies of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using molecular dynamics simulations to examine the behavior of single-walled (SW) and multiwalled (MW) CNTs under large compressive and bending strains. We study the effects of defects, heating and chirality on their properties. Research on CNTs holds great promise for developing new advanced materials in applications ranging from high-strength composites to next-generation electronics.

Event Program, Carl Reiber, Nicholle Booker

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

UNLV Undergraduates from all departments, programs and colleges participated in a campus-wide symposium on April 16, 2011. Undergraduate posters from all disciplines and also oral presentations of research activities, readings and other creative endeavors were exhibited throughout the festival.

The Impact Of The Taipei Port Container Terminal On The Northern Region Of Taiwan: A Computable General Equilibrium Model, Wen-Sheng Chen, Chia-Yon Chen, Feng-Chin Chen, Chun-Chu Liu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

There are some primary modelling tools, including econometric forecasting models, fixed price input-output (I-O) multi-sector models, social accounting matrix (SAM) and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models, used to analyse regional economic issues. CGE models combine the advantages of econometric, I-O models and SAM, strengthening the theoretical basis of the modelling effort and thus enabling more precise policy analysis. Current CGE literature includes models used to analyse international trade, tax reform, energy and environment issues. However, application of this technique on a regional scale is rare in the scientific literature. In this paper, a small regional computable general equilibrium model is …

First-Principles Analysis Of Zrn/Scn Metal/Semiconductor Superlattices For Thermoelectric Energy Conversion, Bivas Saha, Timothy D. Sands, Umesh V. Waghmare

Birck and NCN Publications

We present a first-principles density functional theory-based analysis of the electronic structure, vibrational spectra, and transport properties of ZrN/ScN metal/semiconductor superlattices aiming to understand its potential and suitability for thermoelectric applications. We demonstrate (a) the presence of Schottky barriers of 0.34 eV at the metal/semiconductor interface and (b) a large asymmetry in the electronic densities of states and flattening of electronic bands along the cross-plane directions near the Fermi energy of these superlattices, desirable for high Seebeck coefficient. The vibrational spectra of these superlattices show softening of transverse acoustic phonon modes along the growth direction and localization of ScN phonons …

Aerodynamic Performance And Shedding Characteristics On A Swept-Back Wing, Shun-Chang Yen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

A NACA 0012 finite swept-back wing with a sweep-back angle of 15° was utilized to investigate the effects of angle of attack (α) and the chord Reynolds number (Rec) on the vortex shedding and aerodynamic coefficients. A hot-wire anemometer was applied to measure the vortex-shedding frequency. The projected Strouhal number (Std) at various angles of attack was determined and discussed. The relationship between Std and α is regressed as: Std = -0.0008 α + 0.209, for 22° < α < 90°. Four characteristic surface-flow patterns: separation bubble, leading-edge bubble, bubble burst, and turbulent separation were classified by changing α and Re. The behavior of surface-flow structures significantly affects the lift, drag, and moment coefficients. The lift coefficient (CL) increases with α in the separation bubble and leading-edge bubble regimes. The maximum increase rate of CL with respect to α (d(CL)/dα) is 1.52 π/rad. Occurring in the leadingedge bubble regime. However, the maximum increase rate of drag coefficient (CD) with respect to α (d(CD)/dα) is 0.49 π/rad. Occurring in the bubble-burst regime. The steep-drop of moment coefficient at stall in the unswept-wings is not observed in the swept-back wings.

Hydrogen Absorption/Desorption In A Metal Hydride Reactor Accounting For Varied Effective Thermal Conductivity, Chih-Yuan Wang, Hwa-Chong Tien, San-Der Chyou, Nang-Nong Huang, Shing-Hoa Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This paper investigates the effect of varied effective thermal conductivity on the hydrogen absorption/desorption in a metal hydride (MH) reactor. The effective thermal conductivity of a metal hydride bed was measured by performing steady-state experiment and then compared with the results obtained by employing an existing model. Good agreement was found. Next, numerical simulation on the performance of hydrogen absorption/desorption of the MH reactor was conducted by assuming either varied or constant effective thermal conductivity. Corresponding hydrogen absorption/desorption experiment was performed for comparison. It was found that numerical simulation accounting for varied effective thermal conductivity agrees with the experimental data …

Dual-Channel Imaging System For Singlet Oxygen And Photosensitizer For Pdt, Seonkyung Lee, Martin E. Isabelle, Kristin L. Gabally-Kinney, Brian W. Pogue, Steven J. Davis

Dartmouth Scholarship

A two-channel optical system has been developed to provide spatially resolved simultaneous imaging of singlet molecular oxygen (¹O₂) phosphorescence and photosensitizer (PS) fluorescence produced by the photodynamic process. The current imaging system uses a spectral discrimination method to differentiate the weak ¹O₂ phosphorescence that peaks near 1.27 μ m from PS fluorescence that also occurs in this spectral region. The detection limit of ¹O₂ emission was determined at a concentration of 500 nM benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid (BPD) in tissue-like phantoms, and these signals observed were proportional to the PS fluorescence. Preliminary in …

A Multifaceted Sedimentological Analysis On Hobble Creek, Andrew S. Dutson

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the endangerment of the June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), the lower two miles of Hobble Creek, Utah has been the focus of several restoration efforts. The portion of the creek between Interstate 15 and Utah Lake has been moved into a more "natural" channel and efforts are now being made to expand restoration to the east side of the freeway. This thesis reports on three different parts of a sedimentological analysis performed on Hobble Creek. The first part is a data set that contains information about the particle size distribution on the bed of Hobble Creek between …