Engineering Commons^™

Dendrochemistry Of Multiple Releases Of Chlorinated Solvents At A Former Industrial Site, Jean Christophe Balouet, Joel Gerard Burken, Frank Karg, Don Vroblesky, Kevin T. Smith, Håkan Grudd, Anders Rindby, François Beaujard, Michel Chalot

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Trees Can Take Up and Assimilate Contaminants from the Soil, Subsurface, and Groundwater. Contaminants in the Transpiration Stream Can Become Bound or Incorporated into the Annual Rings Formed in Trees of the Temperate Zones. the Chemical Analysis of Precisely Dated Tree Rings, Called Dendrochemistry, Can Be Used to Interpret Past Plant Interactions with Contaminants. This Investigation Demonstrates that Dendrochemistry Can Be Used to Generate Historical Scenarios of Past Contamination of Groundwater by Chlorinated Solvents at a Site in Verl, Germany. Increment Cores from Trees at the Verl Site Were Collected and Analyzed by Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Line Scanning. the …

Energy Storage Characteristics Of A New Rechargeable Solid Oxide Iron-Air Battery, Xuan Zhao, Nansheng Xu, Xue Li, Yunhui Gong, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Cost effective and large scale energy storage is critical to renewable energy integration and smart-grid energy infrastructure. Rechargeable batteries have great potential to become a class of cost effective technology suited for large scale energy storage. In this paper, we report the energy storage characteristics of a newly developed rechargeable solid oxide iron–air battery. Investigations of the battery’s performance under various current densities and cycle durations show that iron utilization plays a determining role in storage capacity and round-trip efficiency. Further studies of the battery's cycle life reveal a unique charge-cycle originated degradation mechanism that can be interpreted by a …

Framework For Formative Assessment Learning Strategies In Built Environment Higher Education Programmes, Lloyd Scott, Christopher Fortune

Conference papers

Formative assessment has begun to be recognized as a driving force for enhancing student learning. This paper addresses the context of Built Environment (BE) undergraduate programmes and the findings from a research project in the context of the changing Higher Education (HE) environment. The analysis of the literature on formative assessment shows that there is a common concern among the educational researchers about the function and position of assessment in HE today. The overall aim of this research is to contribute to an improvement in the quality of student learning in BE undergraduate education through the development of a theoretical …

Improvement Of Near-Infrared Absorption Linewidth In Algan/Gan Superlattices By Optimization Of Delta-Doping Location, C. Edmunds, L. Tang, J. Shao, D. Li, M. Cervantes, G. Gardner, Dmitri Zakharov, Michael J. Manfra, O. Malis

Birck and NCN Publications

We report a systematic study of the near-infrared intersubband absorption in AlGaN/GaN superlattices grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy as a function of Si-doping profile with and without delta-doping. The transition energies are in agreement with theoretical calculations including many-body effects. A dramatic reduction of the intersubband absorption linewidth is observed when the delta-doping is placed at the end of the quantum well. This reduction is attributed to the improvement of interface roughness. The linewidth dependence on interface roughness is well reproduced by a model that considers the distribution of well widths measured with transmission electron microscopy. (C) 2012 American Institute …

Defining The Role Of Ultrasound In Drug Delivery, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Ultrasound is a very effective modality for drug delivery because energy that is noninvasively transmitted through the skin can be focused on a specific location and employed to release drug at that site. Most of the drug delivery techniques employ one or both of the results of ultrasonic insonation – the generation of thermal energy, called hyperthermia, or the oscillation of gas bubbles, called acoustic cavitation. Cavitation perturbs cell membrane structures via several modes and increases the permeability to drugs or other solutes. Microconvection, caused by stable cavitation, shears cell membranes. The shock waves and fluid jets of inertial cavitation …

Optimal Control Of Vehicular Formations With Nearest Neighbor Interactions, Fu Lin, Makan Fardad, Mihailo R. Jovanovic

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

We consider the design of optimal localized feedback gains for one-dimensional formations in which vehicles only use information from their immediate neighbors. The control objective is to enhance coherence of the formation by making it behave like a rigid lattice. For the single-integrator model with symmetric gains, we establish convexity, implying that the globally optimal controller can be computed efficiently. We also identify a class of convex problems for double-integrators by restricting the controller to symmetric position and uniform diagonal velocity gains. To obtain the optimal non-symmetric gains for both the single- and the double-integrator models, we solve a parameterized …

Measured Performance Of Occupied, Side-By-Side, South Texas Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, Dave Chasar

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The performance of three occupied homes built in 2009 in San Antonio, Texas with identical floor plans and orientation were evaluated through a partnership between the Florida Solar Energy Center, CPS Energy, and Woodside Homes of South Texas. Measurements included whole-house gas and electricity use as well as heating, cooling, hot water, major appliances, and indoor and outdoor conditions. One home built to the builder's standard practice served as the control; the other homes demonstrated high performance features.

The goals of this research were to: (1) learn how energy systems affect peak load profiles during the hottest weather conditions; (2) …

Dynamic Field Test Of A Model Levee Founded On Peaty Organic Soil Using An Eccentric Mass Shaker, E. T. Reinert, S. J. Brandenberg, J. P. Stewart, R. E.S. Moss

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A dynamic field test of a model levee was performed to study the behavior of very soft and compressible peaty organic soils that commonly underlie levees in the Sacramento / San Joaquin Delta in northern California. This first-of-its-kind test applied dynamic loads to the levee/peat system using a large eccentric mass shaker mounted on the levee crest. Loads from the shaker and the inertia of the levee section are transmitted to the peaty organic soils as base shear stresses, and rotational demands that manifest as normal pressures at the embankment/peat interface. We seek to characterize the transmission of seismic energy …

Integrated Traffic And Communication Performance Evaluation Of An Intelligent Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (Vii) System For Online Travel Time Prediction, Yongchang Ma, Mashrur Chowdhury, Adel Sadek, Mansoureh Jeihani

Publications

This paper presents a framework for online highway travel time prediction using traffic measurements that are likely to be available from Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) systems, in which vehicle and infrastructure devices communicate to improve mobility and safety. In the proposed intelligent VII system, two artificial intelligence (AI) paradigms, namely Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Regression (SVR), are used to determine future travel time based on such information as current travel time, VII-enabled vehicles’ flow and density. The development and performance evaluation of the VII-ANN and VII-SVR frameworks, in both of the traffic and communications domains, were conducted, …

Performance Effects Of Damage Arrestment Devices On Sandwich Composite Beams Under Monotonic Loading, Yvette Vanessa Wood

Aerospace Engineering

Face-core delamination has become a subject matter in the Aerospace industry, as it can lead to early failure. In this study, sandwich composite beams are tested initially with no delamination to obtain the ultimate strength. A second case of delamination in the center of the beam in initialized to verify a decrease in ultimate strength. This experiment investigates the performance effects of the addition of Damage Arrestment Devices (DADs), in composite sandwich beams. The performance criterion is measured by strength in flexural loading test. The objective of this project is to verify an increase in the strength and performance with …

Effects Of Thiophene Units On Substituted Benzothiadiazole And Benzodithiophene Copolymers For Photovoltaic Applications, Ping Ding, Yingping Zou, Cheng-Che Chu, Dequan Xiao, Chain-Shu Hsu

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

Two conjugated copolymers, P1 and P2, comprising of benzodithiophene and 5, 6-dioctyloxy-benzothiadiazole (DOBT) derivatives with/without thiophene unit, were synthesized via Stille cross-coupling polymerization reaction. These copolymers are promising for the applications in BHJ solar cells due to their good solubilities， proper thermal stability and moderate hole mobility as well as low bandgap. The photovoltaic properties of the copolymers were investigated based on the blend of the different polymer/PC71BM weight ratio under AM1.5G illumination, 100 mW/cm2. The device with ITO/PEDOT:PSS/P2: PC71BM (1:2, w/w)/Ca/Al gave relatively better photovoltaic performance, with a power conversion efficiency of 1.55%.

Tweeting For Learning: A Critical Analysis Of Research On Microblogging In Education Published In 2008-2011, Fei Gao, Tian Luo, Ke Zhang

Visual Communications and Technology Education Faculty Publications

This study critically analyzed the current body of published research on microblogging in education (MIE) to build a deep and comprehensive understanding of this increasingly popular phenomenon. Twenty-one studies on MIE in 2008-2011 were selected based on the selection criteria and analyzed to answer the following questions: (a) What types of research have been published on MIE? (b) How was microblogging used for teaching and learning in these studies? (c) What educational benefits did microblogging have on teaching and learning? and (d) What suggestions and implications did the current research have for future MIE research and practices? The analysis suggested …

Fiber-Optic Pressure Sensor Based On Π-Phase-Shifted Fiber Bragg Grating On Side-Hole Fiber, Qi Zhang, Nan Liu, Thomas Fink, Hong Li, Wei Peng, Ming Han

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

We present a fiber-optic pressure sensor based on a π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (πFBG) fabricated on a side hole fiber. Due to the resonance effect of a πFBG, its reflection spectrum features two notches that are dramatically narrower than the line width of a regular FBG of similar length. The narrow spectral notches allow high-resolution measurement of their spectral separation, significantly improving the pressure detection limit (defined herein as the minimum detectable pressure change) compared to sensors based on a regular FBG of a similar length and on the same fiber. The πFBG demonstrated in this letter is 8.3 mm …

Production Scheduling And Waste Disposal Planning For Oil Sands Mining Using Goal Programming, E. Ben-Awuah, H. Askari-Nasab, Kwame Awuah-Offei

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In oil sands mining, timely provisions of ore and tailings containment with less environmental footprints are the main drivers of profitability and sustainability. The recent Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board Directive 074 requires oil sands waste disposal planning to be an integral part of mine planning. This requires the development of a well integrated strategy of directional mining and tailings dyke construction for in-pit and ex-pit tailings storage management. The objectives of this paper are to: 1) determine the order and time of extraction of ore, dyke material and waste that maximizes the net present value; 2) determine the destination …

Jet Engine Thrust Ratings, Nihad E. Daidzic

Aviation Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Controlled Deflection Approach For Rotor Crack Detection, Zbigniew Kulesza, Jerzy T. Sawicki

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Atransverse shaft crack is a serious malfunction that can occurdue to cyclic loading, creep, stress corrosion, and other mechanismsto which rotating machines are subjected. Though studied for manyyears, the problems of early crack detection and warning arestill in the limelight of many researchers. This is dueto the fact that the crack has subtle influence onthe dynamic response of the machine and still there areno widely accepted, reliable methods of its early detection. Thispaper presents a new approach to these problems. The methodutilizes the coupling mechanism between the bending and torsional vibrationsof the cracked, nonrotating shaft. By applying an external lateralforce …

An Energy Survey Of The Church Lane Building At Dit, Joseph Teehan

Other resources

Within the European Union, the collective governments have introduced broad energy policies in order to increase energy efficiency and improve energy performance in new and existing buildings, within each member state. The following dissertation considers energy and how energy is used within the context of global and local consumption in an extensive literature review. Where does the future lie for Ireland and its energy sources? Policies, standards and regulations associated with energy efficiency and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) are defined and briefly explained. The status of how well the response from the commercial building market to Building …

Acuta Enews September 2012 Vol. 41, No. 9

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Characterizing Physical Properties Of Gas-Phase Biofilter Media, Guilherme Del Nero Maia, G. Tatiana Sales, George B. Day V, Richard S. Gates, Joseph L. Taraba

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Gas-phase biofiltration is an effective technology for reduction of odors and trace-gas contaminants. Significant contributions to the technical literature regarding the characterization of biofilter media have been generated in the past two decades. Nevertheless, the information produced has not been systematically organized. The objective of this study is to demonstrate and document methods for physical characterization of gas-phase compost biofilters (GPCB). The inclusion of moisture content, compaction, and particle size effects in the determination of media bulk density and porosity, field capacity, drying rate analysis, water sorption isotherms, and resistance to airflow is demonstrated. Results indicated that: (1) higher moisture …

Developing Novel Prognostic Biomarkers For Multivariate Fracture Risk Prediction Algorithms, Ernest K. Poku, Mark R. Towler, Niamh M. Cummins, Jeff D. Newman

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multivariate prediction algorithms such as FRAX® and QFracture Scores provide an opportunity for new prognostic biomarkers to be developed and incorporated, potentially leading to better fracture prediction. As more research is conducted into these novel biomarkers, a number of factors need to be considered for their successful development for inclusion in these algorithms. In this review, we describe two well-known multivariate prediction algorithms for osteoporosis fracture risk applicable to the UK population, FRAX and QFracture Scores, and comment on the current prognostic tools available for fracture risk; dual X-ray assessment, quantitative ultrasonography, and genomic/biochemical markers. We also highlight the factors …

A Method To Generate Pressure Gradients For Molecular Simulation Of Pressure-Driven Flows In Nanochannels, Zhi Liang, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the Difficulties in Molecular Simulation of Pressure-Driven Fluid Flow in Nanochannels is to Find an Appropriate Pressure Control Method. When Periodic Boundary Conditions (PBCs) Are Applied, a Gravity-Like Field Has Been Widely Used to Replace Actual Pressure Gradients. the Gravity-Fed Method is Not Only Artificial, But Not Adequate for Studying Properties of Fluid Systems Which Are Essentially Inhomogeneous in the Flow Direction. in This Paper, a Method is Proposed Which Can Generate Any Desired Pressure Difference to Drive the Fluid Flow by Attaching a "Pump" to the Nanofluidic System, While the Model is Still Compatible with PBCs. the …

Fast Super-Resolution Using An Adaptive Wiener Filter With Robustness To Local Motion, Russell C. Hardie, Kenneth J. Barnard

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We present a new adaptive Wiener filter (AWF) super-resolution (SR) algorithm that employs a global background motion model but is also robust to limited local motion. The AWF relies on registration to populate a common high resolution (HR) grid with samples from several frames. A weighted sum of local samples is then used to perform nonuniform interpolation and image restoration simultaneously. To achieve accurate subpixel registration, we employ a global background motion model with relatively few parameters that can be estimated accurately. However, local motion may be present that includes moving objects, motion parallax, or other deviations from the background …

Mitigation Of Pore Generation In Laser Welding Of Magnesium Alloy Az31b In Lap Joint Configuration, Masoud Harooni, Fanrong Kong, Blair Carlson, Radovan Kovacevic

Mechanical Engineering Research

Magnesium, as the lightest structural metal, has been widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Porosity is the main issue in the welding of magnesium alloys and can be caused by surface coatings, hydrogen gas, pre-existing porosity, the collapse of an unstable keyhole and vaporization of alloying elements. In this study, the effect of the oxide layer on pore generation in the welding of AZ31B-H24 magnesium alloy is investigated. A fiber laser with a power of up to 4 kW is used to weld samples in a lap joint configuration. Two groups of samples are studied: as received (AR) …

Studying The Effect Of Laser Welding Parameters On The Quality Of Zek100 Magnesium Alloy Sheets In Lap Joint Configuration, Masoud Harooni, Fanrong Kong, Blair Carlson, Radovan Kovacevic

Mechanical Engineering Research

Magnesium, as the lightest structural metal, has been widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. Porosity is the main issue in the welding of magnesium alloys and can be caused by surface coatings, hydrogen gas, pre-existing porosity, the collapse of an unstable keyhole and vaporization of alloying elements. In this study, the effect of the oxide layer on pore generation in the welding of AZ31B-H24 magnesium alloy is investigated. A fiber laser with a power of up to 4 kW is used to weld samples in a lap joint configuration. Two groups of samples are studied: as received (AR) …

Hydrodynamic Focused Passive Separation Under Continuous Flow In A Microfluidic Chip, Jad Kanbar

Master's Theses

A continuous flow, passive separation device was designed using an equivalent circuit to create variable flow rates for hydrodynamic focusing to drain channels and collection outlets. By varying the diameter of the sample inlet connection into the reservoir, the particle position was influenced significantly, which enabled desired separations. Additionally it was noted that the relative, horizontal position of the inlet also had a significant influence on particle position within the device. A dimensionless number, the Characteristic Sample Inlet, was developed to relate geometric properties of the inlet reservoir to downstream particle distribution. It was found that a 2:1 ratio between …

Systems Engineering Applications For Small Business Innovative Research (Sbir) Projects, Phillip J. O'Connell

Theses and Dissertations

This research defined Systems Engineering applications for Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) projects and answered five research questions addressing the essential elements and application of SE processes within the SBIR community. The research identified that current DoD and Air Force SE Policy do not specifically address SBIR projects. This research identified the need to tailor a SE approach for SBIR projects as overarching policy is not applicable in all cases. The culmination of this effort defined the current SE tasks applicable for the SBIR community.

Freedrop Testing And Cfd Simulation Of Ice Models From A Cavity Into Supersonic Flow, Thomas J. Flora

Theses and Dissertations

Weapon release at supersonic speeds from an internal bay is highly advantageous. For this reason, both experimental and numerical methods were used to investigate store separation from a cavity (L=D=4.5) into Mach 2.94 flow. The experiment used a piezoresistive pressure transducer, Schlieren and high-speed photography for data acquisition. The computational solution used the OVERFLOW solver. A sphere and a Mk-82, scaled to 1:20, were formed using frozen tap water. The sphere model was freedrop tested experimentally and computationally, while the sub-scale store shaped model was freedrop tested experimentally. The total pressure was varied to alter the dynamic response of the …

Water Modeling Of Self-Braking Submerged Entry Nozzle Used For Steel Continuous Casting Mold, Yongfeng Chen, Lifeng Zhang, Shufeng Yang, Jingshe Li

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Slag entrainment in a continuous casting mold is one of the major causes of macro nonmetallic inclusions in continuous casting steel products. Stabilizing the level fluctuation is an important factor to improve steel quality. a new type of submerged entry nozzle (SEN) named self-braking SEN was designed. in the current study, water modeling experiments were performed to study the effect of self-braking SEN on level fluctuation in a continuous casting slab mold. the level position and the root mean square value of level fluctuation were analyzed through the online detection data. the results showed that the flow in the mold …

Floating Wetland Systems For Nutrient Removal In Stormwater Ponds, Ni-Bin Chang, Martin Wanielista, Manoj Chopra

BMP Trains Research and Publications

Wet detention ponds are frequently used in stormwater management systems as part of a treatment train for attenuation of flow and removal of pollutants. Wet detention ponds designed and operated according to commonly used standards and specifications remove nutrients but the removal of nitrogen has remained low, about 30-40% concentration reduction on a yearly basis. A Floating Treatment Wetland (FTW) composed of selected plants suspended in a wet detention pond was proposed in this research to improve the removal of nutrients before discharge from a pond.

An Experimental Study On Bond Strength Of Reinforcing Steel In Self-Consolidating Concrete, Trevor J. Looney, Mahdi Arezoumandi, Jeffery S. Volz, John J. Myers

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An experimental investigation was conducted to compare the bond strength of reinforcing steel in self-consolidating concrete (SCC) with conventional concrete (CC). This study investigated two different compressive strengths of SCC as well as CC. the experimental program consisted of 24 pull-out specimens as well as 12 full-scale beams (three for each concrete type and strength). the pull-out specimens were based on RILEM recommendations, and the beam specimens were tested under a simply supported four-point loading condition. the CC test results served as a control and were used to evaluate the results from the SCC pull-out and beam specimen tests. Furthermore, …