Engineering Commons^™

Shake Table Testing Of A Utility-Scale Wind Turbine, Ian Prowell, Chia Ming Uang, Ahmed Elgamal, J. Enrique Luco, Lanhui Guo

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Shake table tests were undertaken on a full-scale wind turbine (65-kW rated power, 22.6-m hub height, and 16-m rotor diameter) using the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table at the University of California, San Diego. Structural response characteristics and modal parameters are presented for base shaking imparted in two configurations, both parallel (configuration 1) and perpendicular (configuration 2) to the axis of rotation of the rotor. Results are summarized for a series of progressively stronger motions imparted in configuration 1, with analysis identifying damage sources leading to an overall loss in stiffness. Two sources of …

Cordyline Fruticosa Growth And Soil Microbial Quality With Topical Application Of Coal Combustion By-Products Aggregates, Sangchul Hwang, Isomar Latorre, Eileen Irizarry

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Coal combustion by-products aggregates (CCAs) are a solidified composite of fly and bottom ashes (2:1, by wt). Here, we assessed the feasibility of beneficial use of CCAs as a soil amendment or conditioner by conducting an outdoor experiment with Cordyline fruticosa (lucky plant) to determine its growth and soil microbial quality under the influence of topical CCA application (95 tons ha21). Enhanced growth of C. fruticosa with CCA application was noted, with respect to plant height, growth rate, leaf size, and leaf chlorophyll intensity. Soil dehydrogenase activity and total heterotrophic bacteria count were greater with topical CCA application, especially in …

Influence Of Activator Solution Formulation On Fresh And Hardened Properties Of Low-Calcium Fly Ash Geopolymer Concrete, Carlos Montes, Erez N. Allouche

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

The effect of the composition of activator solutions on fresh and hardened properties of geopolymer concrete was investigated. Research variables included liquid sodium silicate product (DH, NH, and StarH), sodium hydroxide molar concentration (6, 10, and 14), and sodium silicate–to–sodium hydroxide ratio (1, 2, and 3). Response variables were compressive strength, corrosion resistance expressed as remaining compressive strength and mass loss, and flowability. Results were analyzed using Minitab statistical software. Findings suggest that activator solution formulation has a significant effect on the properties of the resulting geopolymer binder. The experimental design used was found effective in establishing the optimum activator …

Mineralogical Transformations In Coal Feedstocks During Carbon Conversion, Based On Packed-Bed Combustor Tests: Part 2. Behavior Of Individual Particles, Ratale H. Matjie, Colin R. Ward, Zhongsheng Li

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Handpicked carbon-rich particles (coal or char), mineral-rich particles (heated stones), and bonded stone aggregates (clinkers) from the upper and lower parts of a pilot-scale packed-bed combustor bed, designed to simulate conversion or combustion processes, were subjected to mineralogical and inorganic geochemical studies, in order to evaluate the reactions that may occur during carbon conversion at a particle-by-particle scale. The mineral matter of the carbon-rich particles was found to have higher proportions of carbonate minerals and kaolinite than the mineral-rich (stone) particles in the coal feedstocks used in the study, and to form phases such as anorthite, gehlenite, pyrrhotite, troilite, and …

Mineralogical Transformations In Coal Feedstocks During Carbon Conversion, Based On Packed-Bed Combustor Tests: Part 1. Bulk Coal And Ash Studies, Ratale H. Matjie, Colin R. Ward, Zhongsheng Li

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Mineralogical and inorganic geochemical studies have been carried out on composite samples of six different coarse-crushed (,120 mm) feed coals tested in a pilot-scale packed-bed combustor designed to simulate conversion and some fixed-bed combustion processes, and also on composite samples of the ashes produced. The mineral matter of the coals consisted mainly of quartz, kaolinite, and Ca-bearing carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite, aragonite), with minor proportions of illite, pyrite, and several other phases, along with some Ca in an organically associated form. The base to acid ratio of the coal ashes ranged from 0.1 to 0.3, due mainly to variations in …

Potential Indoor Air Exposures And Health Risks From Mercury Off-Gassing Of Coal Combustion Products Used In Building Materials, Christopher M. Long, Sonja N. Sax, Ari S. Lewis

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Coal combustion products (CCPs), including coal fly ash (CFA) and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, have gained accepted use as substitutes for traditional substances in building materials. Because of the presence of mercury (Hg) in CCP materials, some concerns have been raised regarding the potential for Hg to off-gas from building materials into indoor air. Risk assessment offers a well-accepted, objective framework in which to determine whether such off-gassing could result in humanexposures of health concern. We thus conducted a screening-level human health risk assessment to estimate worst-case inhalation risks from indoor air exposures to Hg for multiple CCP utilization …

Quantifying The Benefits Of Using Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum In Sustainable Wallboard Production, Jin Cheol Lee, Sabrina L. Bradshaw, Tuncer B. Edil, Craig H. Benson

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Electric utilities produce more than 11.2 Mt of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum annually. Approximately 7.5 Mt is used in wallboard production. This article examines the environmental and cost benefits associated with replacement of natural gypsum in wallboard with FGD gypsum. A life-cycle analysis program was used to quantify the benefits of using FGD gypsum from electric power production in wallboard construction. Comparisons were made between energy consumption, water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with obtaining and processing virgin gypsum material and those with FGD gypsum. The added impact of disposing of the unused FGD gypsum in landfills …

Waste Classification Of Slag Generated In A Pilot-Scale Entrained-Flow Gasifier, Ashleigh Cousins, Robin W. Hughes, David J. Mccalden, Dennis Y. Lu, Edward J. Anthony

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Series of gasification tests have been completed in the pilot-scale entrained-flow slagging gasifier at CanmetENERGY using Canadian coals, oil-sand coke, and blends of these fuels to determine if the produced slags are nonhazardous in nature. Solid wastes generated during these tests were analyzed for their trace metals, crystallinity, and toxic constituent leaching tendency in an attempt to provide more insight into the possibility of disposal or by-product use of gasifier-produced solid waste. The gasification tests were performed at conditions representative of commercial gasifiers using a dry-fuel-feed configuration. The lower-volatility elements were found to partition between the slag and process-water solids …

Understanding Fracture, Allison Marsh

Section 3: Imaging the Fast Moving

No abstract provided.

Computational Investigation Of Ethanol And Bifuel Feasibility In Solstice Engine, Adam Michael Blake

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

A Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine enables an increased fuel efficiency and higher power output than a conventional Port Fuel Injection (PFI) system. By injecting pressurized fuel straight into each cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, the degree of fuel atomization is increased, as well as the fuel vaporization rate. In order to further harness the effects of direct injection, ethanol is implemented as a fuel. The cooling effect of ethanol fuel droplets changing to vapor inside the combustion chamber facilitates a higher compression ratio, thus increasing engine power and efficiency. Three dimensional computational simulation is used to investigate the feasibility …

Blind Cyclostationary Carrier Frequency And Symbol Rate Estimation For Underwater Acoustic Communication, Zhiqiang Wu, T. C. Yang

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we propose a new method for blind carrier frequency and symbol rate estimation based on second order cyclostationary features for underwater acoustic communication. Followed by a coarse carrier frequency and symbol rate estimation via spectral analysis, a cyclostationary based estimation algorithm is developed to provide high resolution estimation of both parameters. Specifically, a short time varying resolution spectrum correlation function and spectrum coherence function algorithm is developed to obtain spectral lines in cyclic frequency domain to accurately estimate (1) varying carrier frequency and Doppler shift caused by relative motion and (2) symbol rate for single carrier communication. …

An Evaluation Into The Cause Of Corrosive Failure In Autophoretic Coated Material, Sean M. Derrick, Matthew A. Johnson, Gary P. Nola, David Meade Phd, Margaret Joyce Phd

Green Manufacturing Research Journal

This paper documents a study of performance failures in Autophoretic® (A-coat or AP) coatings. As AP is a proprietary process and coating material, limited research has been published regarding the field performance of this coating technique. The specific failure under analysis in this study was corrosion. The study was performed at the request of a manufacturer that was experiencing pre-mature failures in the field on product coated using this process and material. Prepared samples were evaluated using several analysis techniques including, BET Gas Absorption Testing, Optical Microcroscopy, FE-SEM, and Corrosion-Rate Analysis. Samples were subjected to the Society of Automotive Engineers …

Study Of Human Activity In Video Data With An Emphasis On View-Invariance, Nazim Ashraf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The perception and understanding of human motion and action is an important area of research in computer vision that plays a crucial role in various applications such as surveillance, HCI, ergonomics, etc. In this thesis, we focus on the recognition of actions in the case of varying viewpoints and different and unknown camera intrinsic parameters. The challenges to be addressed include perspective distortions, differences in viewpoints, anthropometric variations, and the large degrees of freedom of articulated bodies. In addition, we are interested in methods that require little or no training. The current solutions to action recognition usually assume that there …

Evaluating Corrosion Control Alternatives For A Reverse Osmosis, Nanofiltration And Anion-Exchange Blended Water Supply, Rebecca J. Wilder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research reported herein describes the study activities performed by University of Central Florida (UCF) on behalf of the Town of Jupiter Water Utilities (Town). The Town recently changed its water treatment operations from a combination of reverse osmosis (RO), lime softening (LS) and anion-exchange (IX) to a combination of RO, IX and nanofiltration (NF). Although this treatment change provided enhanced water to the surrounding community in terms of better contaminant removal and reduced DBP formation potential, integration of the NF process altered finished water quality parameters including pH, alkalinity and hardness. There was concern that these changes could result …

Lyapunov-Based Control Design For Uncertain Mimo Systems, Zhao Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation. we document the progress in the control design for a class of MIMO nonlinear uncertain system from five papers. In the first part, we address the problem of adaptive control design for a class of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear systems. A Lypaunov based singularity free control law, which compensates for parametric uncertainty in both the drift vector and the input gain matrix, is proposed under the mild assumption that the signs of the leading minors of the control input gain matrix are known. Lyapunov analysis shows global uniform ultimate boundedness (GUUB) result for the tracking error under …

Simulation Study Of A Gpram System: Error Control Coding And Connectionism, Steven E. Schultz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new computing platform, the General Purpose Reprsentation and Association Machine is studied and simulated. GPRAM machines use vague measurements to do a quick and rough assessment on a task; then use approximated message-passing algorithms to improve assessment; and finally selects ways closer to a solution, eventually solving it. We illustrate concepts and structures using simple examples.

Understanding The Role Of Defects In The Radiation Response Of Nanoceria, Amit Kumar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanoscale cerium oxide (nanoceria) have shown to possess redox active property , and has been widely studied for potential use in catalysis, chemical-mechanical planarization, biomedical and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), etc. The redox state of nanoceria can be tuned by controlling the defects within the lattice and thus its physical and chemical properties. Perfect ceria lattice has fluorite structure and the research in last decade has shown that oxide and mixed oxide systems with pyrochlore and fluorite have better structural stability under high energy radiation. However, the current literature shows a limited number of studies on the effect of …

High Temperature Materials Characterization And Sensor Application, Xinhua Ren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents new solutions for turbine engines in need of wireless temperature sensors at temperatures up to 1300oC. Two important goals have been achieved in this dissertation. First, a novel method for precisely characterizing the dielectric properties of high temperature ceramic materials at high temperatures is presented for microwave frequencies. This technique is based on a high-quality (Q)-factor dielectrically-loaded cavity resonator, which allows for accurate characterization of both dielectric constant and loss tangent of the material. The dielectric properties of Silicon Carbonitride (SiCN) and Silicoboron Carbonitride (SiBCN) ceramics, developed at UCF Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPC) are …

Characterization Of Dynamic And Static Mechanical Behavior Of Polyetherimide, Nathan J. Mutter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymers are increasingly being used in engineering designs due to their favorable mechanical properties such as high specific strength, corrosive resistance, manufacturing flexibility. The understanding of the mechanical behavior of these polymers under both static and dynamic loading is critical for their optimal implementation in engineering applications. One such polymer utilized in a wide variety of applications from medical instrumentation to munitions is Polyetherimide, referred to as Ultem. This thesis characterizes both the static and dynamic mechanical behavior of Ultem 1000 through experimental methods and numerical simulations. Standard compression experiments were conducted on and MTS test frame to characterize the …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Visual Effects And Object Identification Using Eye-Tracking, Jonathan Rosch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The visual content represented on information displays used in training environments prescribe display attributes as brightness, color, contrast, and motion blur, but considerations regarding cognitive processes corresponding to these visual features require further attention in order to optimize the display for training applications. This dissertation describes an empirical study with which information display features, specifically color and motion blur reduction, were investigated to assess their impact in a training scenario involving visual search and threat detection. Presented in this document is a review of the theory and literature describing display technology, its applications to training, and how eye-tracking systems can …

Random Transformations Of Optical Fields And Applications, Thomas Kohlgraf-Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interaction of optical waves with material systems often results in complex, seemingly random fields. Because the fluctuations of such fields are typically difficult to analyze, they are regarded as noise to be suppressed. Nevertheless, in many cases the fluctuations of the field result from a linear and deterministic, albeit complicated, interaction between the optical field and the scattering system. As a result, linear systems theory (LST) can be used to frame the scattering problem and highlight situations in which useful information can be extracted from the fluctuations of the scattered field. Three fundamental problems can be posed in LST …

Fabrication Of Small Diameter Vascular Graft Using Stacked Collagen Films, Sandeep Shah

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Collagen I have been widely used in the field of vascular tissue engineering. They are characterized better for their interaction at the cellular level but are often limited as vascular graft due to their weak mechanical strength and thrombic property. The crosslinking chemicals or polymers support are used to overcome weak mechanical property. Crosslinking agents tend to have cytotoxic effects while blend with synthetic polymers have mismatch or compliancy issues inside the body. Here in this set of study, we used stacked collagen films and embedded drug delivery system within the film to construct small tubular conduits to meet the …

Self-Assmbled Lithography-Free Fabrication Of Microchannels And Microfluidics In Polymers, Wintana Tadesse Kahsai

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Rapid, reliable and easy to implement approaches are needed for fabrication of circular microchannels in polymeric microfluidics. PDMS has been a choice of material in microfluidics and it is being used as prototype due to its unique property such as flexibility and transparency. Traditional method of fabrication such as photolithography and soft lithography are complicated and time consuming. In this thesis, a non-lithography and bottom-up self-assembled approach is shown. The resulting devices can have uses in many applications such as assays, biosensing, separation of mixtures, micro-mixing and bioreactors. This thesis presents novel approaches of manufacturing self-assembled microchannels in polydimethyleneoxide (PDMS) …

Effective Construction Schedule Management: Construction Project Monitoring With Project Performance Indicators & The Project Status Report, Christopher Michael Totin

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

A thorough review of construction and engineering literature was conducted to discover and organize current best practices and standards for the purpose of monitoring a construction project. The status of a construction project is a measurement of its progress and performance in terms of time, cost, and scope. Awareness of a construction project's status improves decision-making on the part of owners, engineers, contractors, and other project stakeholders. Project Performance Indicators (PPI) are metrics generated by construction project schedules that define a project's status. Project personnel must monitor critical schedule and cost data, or PPI, in order to maintain control of …

Investigation Of Co-Pyrolysis Between Sargassum Macroalgae And Polystyrene, Ketwalee Kositkanawuth

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Biomass is one source of renewable energy which helps minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, specifically carbon dioxide (CO2), since biomass utilizes CO2 via photosynthesis. Various conversion processes are applied to utilize energy from biomass, including pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a thermal route of decomposing biomass at high temperature without the presence of oxygen. The process generates three main products including bio-oil, residue, and non-condensable gases; however, the most promising product is the biomass oil, which is in liquid form and convenient for handle and transport. Numerous studies on pyrolysis of terrestrial biomass reveal that the crude bio-oil cannot be directly used …

Modeling Leachate Bod And Cod Using Lab-Scale Reactor Landfills And Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, Said Altouqi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The increasing production of municipal solid waste is a direct consequence of the continuous growth of the world's population and economy. This fact makes protecting the environment against contamination by different kinds of waste a challenging job for engineers and decision makers. Conventional landfilling practices have sometimes failed to protect fresh water resources against leachate contamination as well as the atmosphere against greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Many developed countries have already taken serious steps toward moving to properly engineered, environmental friendly landfills.Landfill leachate contains organic and inorganic pollutants that have been extensively studied in the last …

Development And Validation Of Probabilistic Fatigue Models Containing Out-Life Suspensions, Noel S. Murray

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: In the area of reliability engineering it is necessary to be confident that a component or system of components will not fail under use for safety and cost reasons. One major mechanism of failure to a mechanical component is fatigue. This is the repetitious motion of loading and unloading of the material, typically below the ultimate tensile strength of the material, which ultimately leads to a catastrophic failure. To ensure this does not happen, engineers design components based on tests to determine the life of these components. These tests are typically conducted on a bench type tester in …

Channel Dimension Constraints For Miniature Low Humidity Pem Fuel Cells, Denise A. Mckahn, Xizhu Zhao

Engineering: Faculty Publications

Numerous applications exist requiring power for small loads (<5W) with minimal mass operating in extreme ambient conditions. Making progress toward reducing stack mass, we investigate the influence of flow field channel depth and endplate compression on cell performance. The best performance was found at endplate compressions of 139 psi, cathode channel depths of 0.032 in and anode channel depths of 0.032 in. The maximum power mass-density achieved with these 4.84 cm2 cells was 16.8 mW/g in a single cell stack. If deployed in a multicell stack, this same performance would translate to a power mass-density of 45.3 mW/g, nearing the performance of off-the-shelf lithiumion batteries (approximately 70 mW/g).

Thin Film Coatings For Solar And Thermal Radiation Control Prepared By Physical Vapour Deposition [Presentation], Yamna El Mouedden, Ramzy Alghamedi, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh

ECU Presentations

No abstract provided.

Road Networks Management In The Federal Cities (Entrance And Exits In Ajman), Mohammed Ahmed Abdulrazaq Yousuf Al Awadi

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to discuss the management of infrastructure in the federal union specially the road entrances between neighboring states. To understand how important is it on the social and economic development, to measure how easy to reach the deferent part of city within reasonable period. The hierarchy of the road networks in the city.

Second chapter describe the Arab Emirates before the union and the different scenarios till it's become United Arab Emirates, the relations between different emirates within union, political systems within emirate itself and In the federal level, social and economic systems. The care …