Engineering Commons^™

Cad Tools For Synthesis Of Sleep Convention Logic, Parviz Palangpour

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes an automated flow for the Sleep Convention Logic (SCL) asynchronous design style. The proposed flow synthesizes synchronous RTL into an SCL netlist. The flow utilizes commercial design tools, while supplementing missing functionality using custom tools. A method for determining the performance bottleneck in an SCL design is proposed. A constraint-driven method to increase the performance of linear SCL pipelines is proposed. Several enhancements to SCL are proposed, including techniques to reduce the number of registers and total sleep capacitance in an SCL design.

Synthesis Of Optimized Inp/Zns Core/Shell Nanocrystals And Tio2 Nanotubes For Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells, Seungyong Lee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Synthesis of InP/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals and TiO₂ nanotubes and the optimization study to couple them together were explored for quantum dot sensitized solar cells. Its intrinsic nontoxicity makes the direct band gap InP/ZnS core/shell be one of the most promising semiconductor nanocrystals for optoelectric applications, with the advantage of tuning the optical absorption range in the desired solar spectrum region. Highly luminescent and monodisperse InP/ZnS nanocrystals were synthesized in a non-coordinating solvent. By varying the synthesis scheme, different size InP/ZnS nanocrystals with emission peaks ranging from 520 nm to 620 nm were grown. For the purpose of ensuring air …

Device Characterization And Compact Modeling Of The Sige Hbt In Extreme Temperature Environments, Beth Olivia Woods

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The silicon germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor, SiGe HBT, has very high frequency response but limited voltage range. Commercial communication applications in wireless and system integration have driven the development of the SiGe HBT. However, the device's excellent electrical performance goes beyond the commercial environment. The SiGe HBT performs exceptionally at low temperatures. The device DC current gain and AC small-signal gain significantly increase in the cryogenic temperature range. Applications at low temperatures with expansive temperature range specifications need an HBT compact model to accurately represent the device's performance.

In this work, a compact model referenced at 300K was developed to …

A Cradle To Farm Gate Life Cycle Analysis Of Water Use In U.S. Pork Production, Eric Boles

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this study was to analyze water use across a range of regions, scales and practices of the U.S. pork industry. A Life Cycle Assessment of water use within the pork supply chain was performed. Cumulative water use was the environmental impact category used in the LCA to evaluate the impacts of pork production processes throughout the pork supply chain. The functional unit for the analysis was the volume of water required to produce one kilogram of swine (live weight) at the farm gate.

A comprehensive literature review was used to design and propagate algorithms for the National …

Expression, Production, And Purification Of Novel Therapeutic Proteins, Mckinzie Shea Fruchtl

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interest in the production of recombinant proteins consisting of collagen binding domain (CBD) fused to a bioactive material has increased due to the targeting/attachment capabilities of CBD. For example, CBD fusions can be applied to the reversing of bone density loss and the repair of the eardrum, specifically, by choosing an appropriate fusion partner (parathyroid hormone or epidermal growth factor). The production of CBD fusions was examined using batch and fed-batch culturing of Escherichia coli to express the fusion proteins, and affinity chromatography to isolate the final product.

Different medium formulations, feeding strategies, and induction methods were tested in order …

Quantum Criticality Analysis By Finite-Size Scaling And Exponential Basis Sets, Fahhad H. Alberbi, Sabre Kais

Birck and NCN Publications

We combine the finite-size scaling method with the mesh-free spectral method to calculate quantum critical parameters for a given Hamiltonian. The basic idea is to expand the exact wave function in a finite exponential basis set and extrapolate the information about system criticality from a finite basis to the infinite basis set limit. The used exponential basis set, though chosen intuitively, allows handling a very wide range of exponential decay rates and calculating multiple eigenvalues simultaneously. As a benchmark system to illustrate the combined approach, we choose the Hulthen potential. The results show that the method is very accurate and …

Delivering Consistent Network Performance In Multi-Tenant Data Centers, Mart Albert Haitjema

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Data centers are growing rapidly in size and have recently begun acquiring a new role as cloud hosting platforms, allowing outside developers to deploy their own applications on large scales. As a result, today's data centers are multi-tenant environments that host an increasingly diverse set of applications, many of which have very demanding networking requirements. This has prompted research into new data center architectures that offer increased capacity by using topologies that introduce multiple paths between servers. To achieve consistent network performance in these networks, traffic must be effectively load balanced among the available paths. In addition, some form of …

Evaluation Of Liquefaction Potential Of An Earth Dam Foundation Using In Situ Tests, Ikram Guettaya, Mohamed Ridha El Ouni

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents a case study of liquefaction potential assessment carried out under an earth dam foundation in Tunisia. An emphasis was made on the exploration of geotechnical conditions and the interpretation of field tests results collected before and after soil densification using the vibrocompaction technique. The assessment of soil liquefaction susceptibility was made using deterministic and probabilistic simplified procedures developed from several case histories. Conclusively, the obtained results show that before vibrocompaction the soil was prone to the liquefaction hazard. However, after vibrocompaction, a significant improvement of the soil resistance reduces the liquefaction potential of the sandy foundation. Indeed, …

An Investigation On The Stack Vibrations And Geotechnical Rehabilitation Solutions Case-Study: Khangiran Gas Refinery, Hadi Ghodrat, Abolfazl Yazdinejad, Javad Hosseini Masum, Mehdi Barjini Khabbaz, Arsalan Ghahramani

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The 75 (m) high stacks of the sulfur recovery units of Khangiran Gas Refinery in Iran exhibited significant levels of vibration in winds. Field observations reported that vibration occurred in the stacks 9 times during reel years. The longest vibration duration is 8 hours and maximum tip deflection is 1 (m). In most intensive vibration occurrence much amount of water exits from around of foundation and some crack is created in the structure. Stack diameter is 4.57 (m) at the bottom and 3.43 (m) at the top and its total weight is 182.3 (Ton). The octagonal foundation diameter is 14 …

Ground Improvement For The Smithland Hydroelectric Project, Thomas Andrews, Lin Zhao, Luling Yang, Abid Mirza

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

American Municipal Power is developing the Smithland Hydroelectric Project adjacent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ existing Smithland Locks and Dam on the Ohio River. The site geology is characterized by over 100 feet of variable alluvial deposits overlying karstic limestone. The investigation program revealed loose to medium dense sands and sandy gravels along with some interbedded clay. Large voids were encountered in rock and ground loss into solution features was believed to have created ‘chimneys’ of loosened soil. A project-specific seismic hazard evaluation determined that the maximum credible earthquake (MCE) is a 7.5M event associated with the New …

Estimation Of Site Effects In The Iranian Plateau Using The Quarter-Wavelength Method, Mohammad Ebrahim Fakhimnia, Hamid Zafarani, Shima Shams Rad

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The characteristics of strong ground motion at a given site depend upon the source mechanism, the transmission path together with the geological characteristics of source to the site, and the local soil conditions at the site, mostly known in the engineering and seismological literature as site effects. In the context of the stochastic simulation methods (e.g. Boore 1983), site effects play a significant rule in ground-motion studies. The objective of this paper is the assessment of site effects (both crustal amplification and near surface attenuation) in the Iran plateau. The effects in different parts of Iran were estimated based on …

Experimental Investigation Into Natural Base Isolation System For Earthquake Protection, Srijit Bandyopadhyay, Aniruddha Sengupta, G. R. Reddy

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents the results of experimental investigations into the performance of a well-designed layer of sand, and layer of sand mixed with shredded tire (rubber) as low cost base isolators. The building foundation is modeled by a 200 mm by 200 mm and 40 mm thick rigid plexi-glass block. The model footing is placed in the middle of a 1m by 1m tank filled with sand. The selected base isolator is placed between the footing and the sand foundation. The whole setup is mounted on the shake table and subjected to sinusoidal motion with varying amplitude and frequency. Acceleration …

Estimating Seismic Settlements From Liquefaction And Cyclic Softening And Their Impact To Design Of A School Building, James Wetenkamp, Jorge Meneses, Zia Zafir

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Estimation of static and seismic settlements is critical for the design of a structure to assess whether the structure can tolerate given levels of total and differential settlements and angular distortion. The design of a public school building required the estimation of both liquefaction-induced settlement due to the presence of a potentially liquefiable layer, and settlement from cyclic softening of soft clay layers. Tolerable levels of differential settlements for the proposed school building were not to exceed 2 inches across the building. The soft clay had a plasticity index of 12, a liquid limit of 32, and SPT blow counts …

Lessons From The Seismic Performance Of Pile-Supported Bridges Affected By Liquefaction During The M8.8 2010 Maule Chile Earthquake, Christian Ledezma

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Ground failure case studies have been the source of the most important advances in geotechnical earthquake engineering over the past 50 years. Documented case histories from the 2010 M8.8 Maule Chile earthquake will, if carefully studied, further advance this field. The 2010 M8.8 earthquake in Chile showed that liquefaction-induced soil-foundation-structure interaction problems are still far from being completely understood. The observed damage and partial collapse of pile-supported bridges like Juan Pablo II, Llacolén, Tubul, La Mochita, and Raqui, is most likely due to the effects of liquefaction-induced lateral and vertical ground displacement, which often causes large ground deformations that impose …

Performance Of Lightweight Structures During Liquefaction From Recent Earthquakes, Jorge F. Meneses, Yun Liao

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Several case histories of lightweight structures performance during liquefaction from recent earthquake are reviewed. The review is focused on performance of lightweight structures in terms of liquefaction-induced vertical settlement, tilting, lateral displacement and their effects on occupancy and functionality of the structures. These case histories were reported during the 1997 M_w 7.4 Caucete- Argentina, 2007 M_w 8.0 Pisco-Peru, 2010 M_w 8.8 Chile, 2010 M_w 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah, 2010-2011 New Zealand, and 2011 M_w 9.0 Great East Japan earthquakes. The review is performed to identify similarities, discuss conditions, and their effects on foundation and structures. Financial …

Seismic Hazard Assessment And Design Ground Motion: Lessons Learned From Recent Earthquakes, Zhenming Wang

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Recent earthquakes, the 2008 Wenchuan, 2009 L’Aquila, 2010 Haiti, and 2011 Christchurch and Japan in particular, have called attention to the probabilistic seismic hazard maps, particularly the ground motions with 10, 5, and 2 percent probabilities of exceedance in 50 years. As discussed in this paper, these ground motions are artifacts because they were produced from probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). PSHA is a mathematical formulation derived from a rigorous probability analysis of the distribution of earthquake magnitudes, locations, and ground-motion attenuation. Some of the assumptions and distributions that PSHA is based on have been found to be invalid in …

Variation Of Intrinsic And Scattering Attenuation Of Seismic Waves With Depth In The Bam Region, East-Central Iran, Majid Mahood

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The attenuation properties of the lithosphere in the Bam region, East-Central Iran, have been investigated. For this purpose, 42 local earthquakes (aftershocks of Bam earthquake, M_w 6.5, 2003) having focal depths less than 25 km have been used. The quality factor of coda waves (Q_c) has been estimated using the single backscattering model. The quality factors Q_p, Q_d (P and direct S-waves) have been estimated using the extended-coda normalization method. Q_i and Q_s (the intrinsic and scattering attenuation parameters) have been estimated for the region. The values of Q_p, Q …

Evaluation Of Site Amplification Of Erbaa, Tokat (Turkey), Muge K. Akin, Steven L. Kramer, Tamer Topal

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The study area, Erbaa, is one of the largest towns of Tokat with a population of 47000 in the northern part of Turkey. Erbaa is in North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) and partly located on the Kelkit river plain, also referred to as the Erbaa basin. After the disastrous 1942 earthquake (M_s=7.2), the settlement area was seriously damaged and moved farther southwards of its old place in 1944. Dynamic properties of Erbaa soils were determined and shear wave velocity profiles were prepared to be used in site response analyses as part of a microzonation study. During this process, …

Geotechnical And Geophysical Evaluation Of The Near Surface Faults And Cracks In Residential Area Underlain By Semi-Arid Shale, Khaled Al-Mutairi, Muawia Dafalla, Fouzan Al Fouzan, Mosleh Al-Shamrani

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This study was carried out following the development of abnormal faults and distresses that extend over more than two kilometers distance in an agricultural rural area to the North of Saudi Arabia. They appeared on the ground surface in the form of extended wide cracks and appeared across buildings, roads and green areas. Severe damages were inflicted to the existing structures and included cracks within the streets, the buildings and boundary walls. Geotechnical works carried out included advancing six boreholes to depths of 35 to 40 meters below grade. The subsurface soil profile was constructed and laboratory tests were carried …

Promotion Of Tunneling Performance In Locally Semi-Hard To Hard Conglomerate Lenses, Case Of Esfahan Historical City Subway Project, Amir Hossein Haghi, Ali Taheri, A. Ehsan Haghi

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The highly inhomogeneous nature of the river deposits in central Esfahan induced unforeseen problems for tunneling of 2×5 km long of middle section of the Esfahan Subway Project. A noticeable phenomenon in these course grained fluvial (river) deposits is the locally cementation of the soil particles by a calcium carbonate binder and formation of some semi-hard to hard conglomerate lenses. This unique phenomenon is named locally as “Sovord” rock and could be seen just in semi-aired regions as central Iran. Two 6.89 m diameter EPBTBM machines were employed to excavate shallow tunnels in the vicinity of fragile structures of the …

Support System Design Of Power House And Transformer Caverns In Dikchu Hydropower Project, Sikkim, Neelima Satyam

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The Dikchu hydropower project is 3 x 32 MW hydro power plant across river Dikchu in Sikkim, India. Dikchu is a tributary of River Teesta, a major river flowing right across Sikkim. The proposed hydro power project site is about 10 km upstream of the confluence of River Dikchu with River Teesta. Two more hydro power projects of NHPC, namely, Teesta Hydro Power Project Stage-IV and Teesta Hydro Power Project Stage-V on the River Teesta, are being commissioned upstream and downstream of the above mentioned confluence. Surface geological mapping indicated that quartzitic phyllite with bands of phyllites shear zones are …

Foundation And Structural Design Of Lock Walls Founded On A Fault Zone, Rachael Bisnett, Joseph Kovacich, Juan Quiroz

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The Panama Canal Third Set of Locks Project is being constructed within a geologically diverse setting. Of particular interest is the upper chamber of the Pacific Locks Complex, which is 400 meters long and founded on basalt bedrock but crosses a 90 m wide fault zone. After completing the excavation to foundation grade, the fault zone was mapped and drilling investigations, in-situ geomechanical testing, and laboratory testing were performed. The fault zone contains highly fractured, faulted, and brecciated rock types that were grouped into two geomechanical classes, Class I and Class II. Given the extent of the fault zone and …

Numerical And Rational Analysis Of Shotcrete Lining For Rock Tunnels Under Effect Of Explosion Loads, Adel M. Belal, Hazem A. Hassan

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Tunnels in rock media are considered one of the most important types of fortified structures that can be used to resist the progressive development of military destructive weapons. The geological formation of tunnel rock mass has a great influence on the degree of protection to human and weapons. This protection degree is based mainly on both the utilized system of tunnel lining and the type and quality of rock mass which reduces the effect of wave propagation generated by explosion. Shotcrete lining is one of the most commonly used support system used in tunnel lining. Understanding the dynamic response and …

Evaluation Of Timber Pile Supported Marine Piers, Ram D. Singh

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

River piers were constructed during the later part of 19th and early part of 20th centuries to handle increased marine freight traffic in the coastal regions of the United States. The sub-structure of these piers, commonly referred to as “finger-piers”, was usually constructed with a timber deck relieving- platform supported by timber piles. These platforms were used to support either earth-fill and/or concrete arch supports, which in turn provided structural support for the main floor. Most of the piers also had superstructures, usually truss-supported roof with columns, and a railroad siding. Many existing piers on the Delaware River in Philadelphia …

Case Of Ultimate Limit State Design And Eurocode 7-1, Petr Koudelka

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The history of the Limit State Design (LSD) in geotechnics is rather long. The first attempt to implement the semi-probabilistic design method in geotechnics was published probably by Brinch Hansen in 1953. This theory was implemented formally in Czech practice in 1966 but it was opposed by most professionals. The theory was contrary to the former successful Safety Factor Design and objections were targeted especially against the Ultimate Limit State Design (ULSD). The development of Eurocode (EC) 7-1 began at the end of 1970 and met with similar opposition. However, the same problem was solved in a different way with …

Forensic Geotechnical Distress Evaluation Of Damaged Buildings In Alluvial-Loessic Soils; A Case History, Sarfraz Ali, Abdul Qudoos Khan, Usman Zafar, Talha Haider Shehryar

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The city of Hyderabad is a part of lower Indus Basin with arid-tropical climatic conditions. Geologically, the soil deposits near Hyderabad are of alluvial-loessic nature underlain by limestone beds alternating with clay layers. Groundwater is present at shallow depth which fluctuates to even shallower depths during monsoon season in the months of July and August. In recent past, large number of buildings built over shallow foundations in the city suffered structural damages of varying scale in the form of cracks and settlements. Some of these buildings were declared dangerous from safety and stability view point and got vacated by local …

Behaviour Of Laterally Loaded Piles, Berrak Teymur, Zeynep Şekerer

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Pile foundations are often subject to lateral loads and axial loads. Although design methods for axial loading are well developed, lateral loading cases have attracted more attention recently following reported case histories of piles damaged during earthquakes. In this work, pile design due to lateral loading in tuff soils is considered. Pile deflections, bending moment and rotation were analyzed with OpenSeesPL program, a 3D finite element tool. OpenSeesPL is used to model the properties of the piles which are embedded in tuff and laterally load tested in Izmir. The displacement calculated by OpenSeesPL of 2.25mm is close to the measured …

The Evolution Of Deep Foundation Quality Management Techniques In The United States, Bernard H. Hertlein

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The development and acceptance of quality control and assurance techniques for deep foundations in the United States is a relatively recent phenomenon, and one whose progress can be attributed to a handful of key individuals who first recognized the early promise of these methods, and worked diligently to validate them. The judicious use of nondestructive testing combined with various methods of full-scale load testing has been a major factor in the growth of the drilled shaft and augered, cast-in-place pile industry, by simultaneously allowing engineers to assess and adjust design assumptions, and allowing contractors to improve construction techniques and equipment. …

The 1997 Clark Landfill Failure At Indiana Harbor Works Ltv Steel Company, East Chicago, Indiana, William H. Walton, Clyde N. Baker Jr.

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

A rapid failure of approximately 900,000 cubic yards of fill and lake bed foundation soil occurred sometime between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., on August 6, 1997. The 45-acre landfill was approximately 100 feet higher than Lake Michigan and slid on a layer of weak silty clay located 55 to 60 feet below the water surface of Lake Michigan. The horizontally-translating slide mass nearly blocked the operating intake flume to the No. 2 Intake Pump House for the steel mill cooling water. Figure 1 shows the plan location of the slide mass and scarp location. The slide mass extended approximately …

Tall Buildings And Their Foundations: Three Examples, William F. Baker, Christopher Brown, James J. Pawlikowski, Dane S. Rankin

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The influence of foundations on the design and behavior of tall buildings is explored by examining two built towers: Burj Khalifa, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and the partially built Plaza Rakyat, a 77 story tower in Malaysia. The paper reviews how foundation conditions were considered in the design of the buildings, and how the foundations were anticipated to influence the behavior of the towers.