Engineering Commons^™

Characterization And Preliminary Demonstration Of Microcantilever Array Integrated Sensors, Ryan R. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

I characterize the behavior of microcantilever arrays which utilize the in-plane photonic transduction that I've previously developed and evaluate the performance of the microcantilever arrays in simple sensing scenarios with integrated microfluidics. First the thermal responses of microcantilevers with a variety of patterns of deposited gold films are compared. Using a scanning electron microscope, I observe the deflection thermal sensitivities of 300 µm long microcantilevers to be -170.82 nm/K for a full gold coating and -1.93 nm/K for no gold coating. Using the photonic transduction method I measure a thermal sensitivity of -1.46 nm/K for a microcantilever array with no …

Development And Initial Validation Of An Innovation Assessment, Jacob D. Wheadon

Theses and Dissertations

In the past two decades, there has been an increased demand for more innovative individuals and organizations. In response to this need, a number of groups have begun to teach innovation courses to improve people's innovation skills. While many of these groups report success in helping people become more innovative, there is no way to test the effectiveness of the innovation courses. This study describes the development and initial validation of an innovation test instrument. It demonstrates how the author identified the content domain of the test and created test items. Then it describes initial validation testing of the instrument. …

Analytical Thermal Model Of Friction Stir Welding With Spatially Distributed Heat Source, Gordon Scott Reese

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir welding (FSW) has been studied extensively for the past two decades. Thermal modeling has been of particular interest, as the quality of the weld is dependent upon the temperature history of the work piece during the process. Since direct temperature measurements of the welded zone are not possible, an analytical model was developed to predict the temperature in this area. This model requires parameters that cannot be easily experimentally determined, so a best fit for these parameters was acquired via regression analysis by comparing the model to experimental data acquired outside of the weld zone. The model was …

A Comparative Study Of User Preferences Of A Personalized Academic Website, Dipti U. Desai

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

ABSTRACT

There has been a growing concern over the enrollment by American students into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) fields of study. Following globalization there is a direct competition for jobs in the United States with lower-wage workers around the globe and the US, thereby, is on the verge of losing its global technological competitiveness (Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century: An Agenda for American Science and Technology, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, 2007). Governmental as well as non-profit organizations are constantly searching for ideas, programs and initiatives …

Measurement And Analysis Of Gas Composition In A Staged And Unstaged Oxy-Fired Pulverized Coal Reactor With Warm Flue Gas Recycle, Skyler Charles Chamberlain

Theses and Dissertations

Nearly half of the electrical power produced in the United States is generated with coal. Coal power is inexpensive and reliable, but coal combustion releases harmful pollutants including NOx and SOx into the atmosphere if not controlled. CO2, a greenhouse gas, is also released during coal combustion and may contribute to global warming. A promising technology enabling carbon capture is oxy-coal combustion. During oxy-combustion, coal is burned in an atmosphere of O2 and recycled flue gas to eliminate nitrogen which makes up the majority of air-combustion flue gas. Oxy-combustion flue gas is mainly composed of CO2 and H2O. H2O can …

Design And Polarimetric Calibration Of Dual-Polarized Phased Array Feeds For Radio Astronomy, Taylor D. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Research institutions around the globe are developing phased array feed (PAF) systems for wide-field L-band radio astronomical observations. PAFs offer faster survey speeds and larger fields of view than standard single-pixel feeds, which enable rapid sky surveys and significantly increased scientific capability. Because deep space astronomical signals are inherently weak, PAF systems must meet stringent noise and sensitivity requirements. Meeting these requirements requires detailed modeling of the phased array itself as well as the reflector it is mounted on. This thesis details a novel approach to dual-pol PAF design that models the array and reflector as a complete system in …

Modeling Of Complex Pentahedron Solar Still Covers To Optimize Distillate, Jeremy D. Lefevre

Theses and Dissertations

This work shows the results of modeling and optimizing pentahedron-shaped covers for application on a passive solar still. While modeling under the assumption of clear weather in Provo, Utah, United States of America, it was found that two main geometries resulted: A single slope still with fully vertical back and sidewalls and a south face tilted at 37.1°, absorbing a total of 8.98 megajoules of direct solar radiation. A half-pyramid shaped cover with vertical backwall, sidewalls tilted in at 60.6°, and a south face tilted in at 41.5°, absorbing 9.34 megajoules of direct solar radiation.With improved covers, solar radiation absorbed …

Liquid Dielectric Spectroscopy And Protein Simulation, Brett Lee Mellor

Theses and Dissertations

Protein electrical properties have been studied using dielectric relaxation measurements throughout the past century. These measurements have advanced both the theory and practice of liquid dielectric spectroscopy and have contributed to understanding of protein structure and function. In this dissertation, the relationship between permittivity measurements and underlying molecular mechanisms is explored. Also presented is a method to take molecular structures from the Protein Data Bank and subsequently estimate the charge distribution and dielectric relaxation properties of the proteins in solution. This process enables screening of target compounds for analysis by dielectric spectroscopy as well as better interpretation of protein relaxation …

Method For Producing Pressurelessly Sintered Zirconium Diboride/Silicon Carbide Composite Bodies, Shi C. Zhang, Greg Hilmas, William Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method of sintering a ZrB₂-SiC composite body at ambient pressures, including blending a first predetermined amount of ZrB₂ powder with a second predetermined amount of SiC powder, wherein both powders are characterized by the presence of surface oxide impurities. Next the blended powders are mixed to yield a substantially homogeneous powder mixture and a portion of the substantially homogeneous powder mixture is formed into a green body. The body is fired to a first temperature, wherein substantially all surface oxide impurities are reduced and/or volatilized to substantially eliminate oxides from the green body, and the body …

Three Dimensional Characterization Of Vocal Fold Fluid Structure Interactions, Joseph R. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Voice quality is strongly linked to quality of life; those who suffer from voice disorders are adversely affected in their social, family, and professional relationships. An effort has been made to more fully understand the physics behind how the voice is created, specifically the fluid structure interactions that occur during vocal fold vibration. Many techniques have been developed and implemented to study both the motion of the vocal folds and the airflow that creates the motion. Until recently these techniques have sought to understand a highly three-dimensional phenomenon with 1D or 2D perspectives.This research focuses on the development and implementation …

Investigation Of Internal Wave Spectra Due To Observed Interactions, Benjamin Lee Hillyard

Theses and Dissertations

Observational data are analyzed and decomposed to reveal internal ocean waves and their interactions with one another. Particularly, the interaction of small-scale internal waves with a large inertia wave packet is examined. Using the governing internal wave equations, an analysis is made of the energy propagation of a small scale internal wave with a large-scale inertia wave. With that, an assessment is made of the frequency of occurrence of various encounter types. Next, the possibility of energy transfer during an interaction is explored. The relative energy of the small wave before interacting with the large-scale inertia wave is calculated and …

Discrete-Time Implementation, Antenna Design, And Mimo For Near-Field Magnetic Induction Communications, Ronald Brett Gottula

Theses and Dissertations

Near-field magnetic induction (NFMI) is a short range wireless technology that uses loop antennas coupled by a magnetic field. NFMI antennas are electrically small and thus extremely inefficient and narrow band, making system design for multi-user and high-bitrate applications challenging. The goals of this thesis are to develop a test platform suitable for NFMI antenna testing, to model, design and test NFMI antennas that have high bandwidth-efficiency, and to explore the possibility of using MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) to increase the capacity of the NFMI channel. This thesis provides system implementations, test results, and channel modeling to aid in the design …

Efficient Airframe Management Using In-Situ Structural Health Monitoring, Mark M. Derriso, M. S. Leonard, Martin P. Desimio, Steven E. Olson

Student Publications

The United States Air Force utilizes the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program (ASIP) to service and maintain its airframes. This schedule-based maintenance approach works well for ensuring system integrity; however, it is very costly, labor-intensive, and it reduces system availability. As a result, the Air Force intends to transition to a process that services aircraft based on their actual condition instead of the presumptive schedule-based approach. Structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies are being investigated to enable such real-time state awareness and decision-making. This paper provides a brief review of ASIP and the required inspections to investigate structural fatigue. The current ASIP …

Potential Significance Of Photoexcited No2 On Global Air Quality With The Nmmb/Bsc Chemical Transport Model, O. Jorba, D. Dabdub, Christopher S. Blaszczak-Boxe, C. Pérez, Z. Janjic, J. M. Baldasano, M. Spada, A. Badia, M. Gonçalves

Publications and Research

Atmospheric chemists have recently focused on the relevance of the NO2* + H2O → OH + HONO reaction to local air quality. This chemistry has been considered not relevant for the troposphere from known reaction rates until nowadays. New experiments suggested a rate constant of 1.7 × 10−13 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, which is an order of magnitude faster than the previously estimated upper limit of 1.2 × 10−14 cm3 molecule−1 s−1, determined by Crowley and Carl (1997). Using the new global model, NMMB/BSC Chemical Transport Model (NMMB/BSC-CTM), simulations are presented that assess the potential significance of this chemistry on global …

Investigation Of A Planetary Differential For Use As A Continuously Variable Transmission, Austin B. Randall

Theses and Dissertations

With gas prices on the rise, the demand for high-mileage and low pollution vehicles has taken on an unprecedented role in our society. The production and implementation of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles has recently been a large focus of all major automobile manufacturers. Although these new vehicles have begun to solve much of the expensive fuel consumption and air pollution problems that our economy faces, the initial cost of these vehicles has proven to still be too expensive to capture a significant portion of the market. The further advancement of this technology must not only continue to focus on better …

Structural Damage Detection Using Artificial Neural Networks And Wavelet Transform, Arthur Shi, Xiao-Hua Yu

Electrical Engineering

With the ever-increasing demand for the safety and functionality of civil infrastructures, structure health monitoring (SHM) has now become more and more important.

Recent developments in computational intelligence and digital signal processing offer great potentials to develop a more efficient, reliable, and robust structure damage identification system. In this paper, the application of artificial neural networks and wavelet analysis is investigated to develop an intelligent and adaptive structural damage detection system. The proposed approach is tested on an IASC (International Association for Structural Control)-ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) SHM benchmark problem. Satisfactory computer simulation results are obtained.

Improving Core Mathematical Skills In Motor Apprentice Education In Ireland, Peter Kenny

Conference Papers

In order to enter into an apprenticeship in Ireland a qualification in mathematics is not essential. Throughout their apprenticeship many motor trade apprentices find that many past mathematical weakness resurface. In addition to this the level and standard of mathematics increases as apprentices progress through their training.

A maths diagnostic test has been developed and sat by a selection of Motor Mechanic apprentices attending off the job training at the Technological University Dublin during the 2011 to 2012 academic year.

The results of this test indicate that many students experience difficulty with mathematically related subjects. The test was then repeated …

Investigations Of The Dry Snow Zone Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Using Quikscat, Kevin Randall Moon

Theses and Dissertations

The Greenland ice sheet is an area of great interest to the scientific community due to its role as an important bellwether for the global climate. Satellite-borne scatterometers are particularly well-suited to studying temporal changes in the Greenland ice sheet because of their high spatial coverage, frequent sampling, and sensitivity to the presence of liquid water. The dry snow zone is the largest component of the Greenland ice sheet and is identified as the region that experiences negligible annual melt. Due to the lack of melt in the dry snow zone, backscatter was previously assumed to be relatively constant over …

Principal Components Analysis, Factor Analysis And Trend Correlations Of Twenty-Eight Years Of Water Quality Data Of Deer Creek Reservoir, Utah, Nicolas Alejandro Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

I evaluated twenty-eight years (1980-2007) of spatial-temporal water quality data from Deer Creek Reservoir in Utah. The data came from three sampling points representing the lotic, transitional and lentic zones. The data included measurements of climatological, hydrological and water quality conditions at four depths; Surface, Above Thermocline, Below Thermocline and Bottom. The time frame spanned dates before and after the completion of the Jordanelle Reservoir (1987-1992), approximately fourteen miles upstream of Deer Creek. I compared temporal groupings and found that a traditional month distribution following standard seasons was not effective in characterizing the measured conditions; I developed a more representative …

On Heterogeneous User Demands In Peer-To-Peer Video Streaming Systems, Zhipeng Ouyang

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A Peer-to-Peer (P2P) video streaming system usually consists of a large number of peers, which have heterogeneous physical properties. Orthogonal to the physical heterogeneity, there is another type of heterogeneity called demand heterogeneity. Namely, peers have their own demands on the quality and type of the streaming service. The problem of demand heterogeneity has received little attention and as a result current P2P video streaming systems cannot achieve satisfactory performance due to demand heterogeneity. In this dissertation, we study how to design efficient P2P video streaming systems with heterogeneous user demands.

First, we study the problem of heterogeneous user demands …

Summer 2012 Biomedical Engineering Newsletter, Department Of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Biomedical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• Dr. Jeremy Goldman wins a Fulbright Scholarship
• Research updates
• Hal Holmes named Goldwater Scholar
• Top honors at the Undergraduate Expo

Transparent Conducting Films Of Cdse(Zns) Core(Shell) Quantum Dot Xerogels, Lasantha Korala, Li Li, Stephanie L. Brock

Chemistry Faculty Research Publications

A method of fabricating sol–gel quantum dot (QD) films is demonstrated, and their optical, structural and electrical properties are evaluated. The CdSe(ZnS) xerogel films remain quantum confined, yet are highly conductive (10⁻³ S cm⁻¹). This approach provides a pathway for the exploitation of QD gels in optoelectronic applications.

Metodología Para La Aplicación De Un Plan De Mantenimiento Centrado En La Confiabilidad Con Criterios De Administración De Energía En Equipos De Aire Acondicionado Tipo Compacto, A. Zambrano, J. Zambrano, Nelson Fumo

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A través del tiempo han evolucionado filosofías con procedimientos muy diferentes con intereses que pueden llegar a ser comunes en cuanto a su objetivo terminal, es así como se presenta la administración de energía y el mantenimiento centrado en la confiabilidad. Estas teorías buscan en común el adecuado funcionamiento de los sistemas, lograr un uso sostenible con el ambiente a través de un estudio detallado de la causas y efectos de los problemas y averías presentadas. La propuesta presentada constituye un punto intermedio entre ambas filosofías donde se indica la afectación que puede presentar el mal funcionamiento de un equipo …

Side-By-Side Testing Of Water Heating Systems: Results From The 2010-2011 Evaluation, Florida Solar Energy Center, Carlos Colon

FSEC Energy Research Center®

REVISED MARCH 2013 The Building America (BAPIRC) team at FSEC has released a report containing results from a second testing rotation (Phase II) on seven hot water systems evaluated side-by side. Results show the seasonal performance variation and compares solar systems against electric resistance and the Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH). Standard and tankless natural gas were also evaluated, where the latter demonstrated a 24% natural gas reduction. The lowest averaged electric power consumptions were demonstrated by the HPWH (2.75 kWh/day) and the PV-pumped solar water heater (3.03 kWh/day). Other testing performed on the HPWH under conditioned and restricted air …

Reliability Models For Hpc Applications And A Cloud Economic Model, Thanadech Thanakornworakij

Doctoral Dissertations

With the enormous number of computing resources in HPC and Cloud systems, failures become a major concern. Therefore, failure behaviors such as reliability, failure rate, and mean time to failure need to be understood to manage such a large system efficiently.

This dissertation makes three major contributions in HPC and Cloud studies. First, a reliability model with correlated failures in a k-node system for HPC applications is studied. This model is extended to improve accuracy by accounting for failure correlation. Marshall-Olkin Multivariate Weibull distribution is improved by excess life, conditional Weibull, to better estimate system reliability. Also, the univariate …

Influence Of The Listening Context On The Perceived Realism Of Binaural Recordings, Davide Andrea Mauro, Francesco Vitale

Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering Faculty Research

Binaural recordings and audio are becoming an interesting resource for composers, live performances and augmented reality. This paper focuses on the acceptance and the perceived quality by the audience of such spatial recordings. We present the results of a preliminary study of psychoacoustic perception where N=26 listeners had to report on the realism and the quality of different couples of sounds taken from two different rooms with peculiar reverb. Sounds are recorded with a self-made dummy head. The stimuli are grouped into classes with respects to some characteristics highlighted as potentially important for the task. Listening condition is fixed with …

Case Study: The Optimization Of Information Flow & Organization In Software Development, Farshad Madani, Bing Wang, Xiaowen Wang, Corey White, Liying Wang

Engineering and Technology Management Student Projects

Trial and error are inevitable in the process of software development; the redesign is wasteful when unfocused communication occurs within the development process. To speed up this development process, we optimized the information flow and redesigned the development organization into chunks. First, we investigated the information flow between tasks and coupled tasks into phases utilizing the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) so that the information exchange among chunks of tasks is as few as possible. In this way, the redundant iterations of tasks are eliminated. Meanwhile, we also grouped the engineers into groups according to the tasks, in this; we eliminated …

Implementation Of Magnetic Meters For Irrigation Volumetric Measurement, Stuart Styles, Lynn Groundwater

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The irrigation industry is experiencing a growth in the use of magnetic meters for measuring the flow rate and volume in irrigation pipelines. Historically, propeller meters have been the device selected by users. New legislation in California (SB7x7) will require measurement devices at key locations for irrigation water delivery. Some users are very interested in the magnetic meter for making the measurement at the turnout or farm gate. The key feature of the new meter is the ability for the device to work in less than ideal flow conditions. Electromagnetic meters have been tested by the Irrigation Training and Research …

Recovery Of Sensitive Watersheds In The Northeastern United States From Chronic Acidification: The Role Of Soil Chemistry, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Laboratory Performance Of Highway Bridge Girder Anchorages Under Simulated Hurricane-Induced Wave Loading, Jora Lehrman, Christopher Higgins, Daniel Cox

TREC Final Reports

Many bridges along the Gulf Coast of the United States were damaged by recent hurricanes, and many more are susceptible to similar damage. This research examines the structural performance of common connection details used to anchor prestressed concrete girders to the substructure. Full-scale specimens were fabricated and tested under static and dynamic cyclic load histories. Dynamic load histories were developed from previously conducted hydraulic tests of a 1/5 scale model of a highway bridge under hurricane wave loads. The load effects considered included the pseudo-statically applied vertical uplift force, horizontal force, combined horizontal and vertical forces, and dynamically applied combined …