Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Quality And Sustainability Incentives To Optimize The Indonesian To The United States Crude Oil Supply Chain, Restu Purwaningtyas Sunarto-Bussey

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The New York Times explained that the United States increased its dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia by more than 20 percent last year (Krauss 2012). The United States of Energy Information Administration (U.S. EIA) stated that oil from Saudi Arabia was accounted for 14 percent of the U.S. crude oil and petroleum products in 2012 ("Oil: Explained" 2012). This is problematic due to the fact that 14 percent of the U.S. net crude oil and petroleum products imports come from one country, Saudi Arabia. What happens to the U.S. economy when Saudi Arabia manipulates demand and possibly stops exporting …

Accelerated Data Delivery Architecture, Michael L. Grecol

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This paper introduces the Accelerated Data Delivery Architecture (ADDA). ADDA establishes a framework to distribute transactional data and control consistency to achieve fast access to data, distributed scalability and non-blocking concurrency control by using a clean declarative interface. It is designed to be used with web-based business applications. This framework uses a combination of traditional Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) combined with a distributed Not Only SQL (NoSQL) database and a browser-based database. It uses a single physical and conceptual database schema designed for a standard RDBMS driven application. The design allows the architect to assign consistency levels to entities …

Motor Carrier Tax Consolidation Study, Andrew Martin, Mark Bell, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study analyzed the tax and fee structure for Kentucky motor carriers and details a possible policy scenario for eliminating the weight-distance tax. The report starts out analyzing detailed revenue and rate information for the motor fuel tax, motor fuel surtax, weight distance tax, IRP registration fees, and intrastate registration fees. Consolidation policies in Idaho and Ohio were reviewed, as well as a previous consolidation proposal in Kentucky. A new consolidation framework was developed, where IRP and intrastate plate fees were increased by 129 percent and the weight-distance tax was eliminated. Projections for weight-distance tax and IRP fees (both current …

Investigation On The Mobile Robot Navigation In An Unknown Environment, Ahmed S. Khusheef

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Mobile robots could be used to search, find, and relocate objects in many types of manufacturing operations and environments. In this scenario, the target objects might reside with equal probability at any location in the environment and, therefore, the robot must navigate and search the whole area autonomously, and be equipped with specific sensors to detect objects. Novel challenges exist in developing a control system, which helps a mobile robot achieve such tasks, including constructing enhanced systems for navigation, and vision-based object recognition. The latter is important for undertaking the exploration task that requires an optimal object recognition technique.

In …

Uncertain Congestion Games With Assorted Human Agent Populations , Pradeep Reddy Varakantham, Asrar Ahmed, Shih-Fen Cheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Congestion games model a wide variety of real-world resource congestion problems, such as selfish network routing, traffic route guidance in congested areas, taxi fleet optimization and crowd movement in busy areas. However, existing research in congestion games assumes: (a) deterministic movement of agents between resources; and (b) perfect rationality (i.e. maximizing their own expected value) of all agents. Such assumptions are not reasonable in dynamic domains where decision support has to be provided to humans. For instance, in optimizing the performance of a taxi fleet serving a city, movement of taxis can be involuntary or nondeterministic (decided by the specific …

The Behaviour Of Connections In Segmental Precast Concrete Pile Systems, Evan Causer

Theses

Driven precast concrete segmental piles are a popular foundation solution. Segmental pile systems incorporate connections into the pile, therefore it is important to be confident that the strength of the pile joints is comparable to that of the pile cross-section.

The primary objective of the research was to examine the behaviour of connections in segmental precast concrete pile systems. This was achieved by undertaking a literature review, laboratory testing and Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

The uses of segmental concrete pile systems are described and a review of the available pile joints is given. A review of the relevant design codes …

An Investigation Of Transverse Load Distribution In Masonry Arch Bridges, Helen Dunne

Theses

Masonry arch bridges comprise a significant proportion of the bridge stock both nationally and internationally. They have proven to be enduring structures, far surpassing their design lives and with relatively low life-cycle costs, are environmentally friendly (Sustainable Bridges, 2007).

New masonry arch bridges are not generally constructed. However, their ageing materials paired with ever increasing traffic loads have led to the necessity for their periodic re-assessment. Masonry arch bridge design was predominantly by rule of thumb and their re-assessment has been subject to a number of simplified assumptions. One such simplification, the bridge “effective width” is studied in this thesis. …

An Investigation Into The Potential Of Increasing The Span Of Solid Slab Deck Bridges, Eamonn Kiernan

Theses

Solid slab deck bridges are a common type of structure employed for short to medium span bridges. They may be of rapid build nature if they are made up of prestressed precast sections with concrete infill deck.

The aim of this research was to investigate the potential to increase the span of solid slab deck bridges by the employment of high strength concrete (HSC), lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) and the use of a voided deck.

The analysis undertaken in the research was based on a bridge, which was recently constructed in Cork; the bridge was constructed using MY beam sections, …

Structural Behaviour Of Semi-Continuous Steel End Plate Connections, Niall Scollard

Theses

This report focuses on determining the joint stiffness and moment capacity values for semi-continuous (semi-rigid) connections in steel framed structures. When designing a beam to column connection, the assumption that the Joint is either fully continuous or fully pinned may not be entirely valid; it may be more realistic to classify the connection as intermediate between fully pinned and fully continuous.

The development of “the component method”, which is utilised in IS EN 1993-1-8 (EC3) to determine design values of the joint properties is described. A software solution was created using Microsoft Excel to carry out calculations in accordance with …

Investigation Into The Measure, Correlate And Predict Methodologies Used In Wind Farm Design Software, Brendan O'Sullivan

Theses

This paper is focused on the Measure Correlate and Predict (MCP) methodologies used to estimate long term wind resource at a prospective site. The first common step in all MCP methodologies is a successful wind measurement campaign at the prospective site. This campaign involves the erection of a wind measurement mast (ideally to the hub height of the proposed turbine) and careful selection of booms, mountings and anemometers. The wind measurement campaign is a vital part of the process as the correlation and prediction analysis is only as accurate as the measured wind data. Correlation is a measure of the …

Assessing Robustness In Systems Of Systems Meta-Architectures, Louis Pape, Cihan H. Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

New Systems of Systems (SoSs) are frequently created through partial participation from independent, existing systems with their own continuing missions. These systems' contribution to the SoS may be contingent on changing priorities and conditions. Therefore, when devising a SoS architecture, consideration should be given to the SoS robustness to occasional lack of availability of individual systems. Robustness is generally the ability to deliver capability in unknown future conditions. Not knowing which systems will be present would seem to fit this definition for a SoS. A fuzzy approach to defining SoS performance in terms of capabilities provided by each type of …

Model Based Systems Engineering For System Of Systems Using Agent-Based Modeling, Paulette Acheson, Cihan H. Dagli, Nil Kilicay-Ergin

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) follows a model centric approach in contrast to the traditional document centric approach. The complexity of SoS development lends itself nicely to a model centric approach, especially a model that can represent the independence of the systems that comprise the SoS. An agent-based model provides a framework where the SoS and each system are independent entities with individual dynamics and interactions. The System of Systems (SoS) development depends on contributions from the individual systems each having their own agenda and priorities. System-to-system interactions are often necessary to accomplish the overall objectives and capabilities of the …

A Fuzzy Evaluation Method For System Of Systems Meta-Architectures, Louis Pape, Kristin Giammarco, John Colombi, Cihan H. Dagli, Nil Kilicay-Ergin

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method is proposed for evaluating a range of System of Systems (SoS) meta-architecture alternatives. SoS are composed through combination of existing, fully functioning Systems, possibly with minor functional changes, but certainly by using the combined Systems to achieve a new capability, not available from the Systems alone. The meta-architecture describes how all possible subsets of Systems can be combined to create an SoS. The fitness of a realizable SoS architecture may be characterized by terms such as unacceptable, marginal, above average, or excellent. While these terms provide little information about the SoS when used alone and informally, they readily …

Large-Scale Electromagnetic Computation For Modeling And Applications, Qing Huo Liu, Lijun Jiang, Weng Cho Chew

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The papers in this special issue are devoted to the topic of large-scale electromagnetic computation methods for modeling and applicatoins. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

Extension Of Thickness-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown Law On Adiabatically Compressed Ferroelectric Materials, S. I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, E. F. Talantsev

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

It is experimentally found that the E_b(d) = γ  · d ^-ξ law describing the thickness-dependent breakdown electric field for solid dielectrics at ambient conditions can be extended for dielectrics in other thermodynamic states. It follows from the experimental results reported herein that the breakdown field, E_b(d), of Pb(Zr₀.₉₅Ti₀.₀₅)O₃ (PZT 95/5) and Pb(Zr₀.₅₂Ti₀.₄₈)O₃ (PZT 52/48) ferroelectrics subjected to explosive adiabatic compression obeys the above-mentioned law in a wide range of voltages, up to 150 kV.

Enhanced-Resolution Folded C-Section Phaser, S. Gupta, Lijun Jiang, C. Caloz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new C-section phasers based on folded coupled-line couplers has been proposed for high-resolution analog signal processing (ASP). The folded configuration of the coupled-line coupler provides a tight coupling in a planar configuration between the input and the coupled port, using sections of relatively small coupling values. It subsequently provides a larger group delay swing in the corresponding C-section phaser required for enhanced resolution ASP. The proposed phaser is demonstrated using full-wave simulations. © 2013 IEEE.

Pulsed Line Source Response Of A Thin Sheet With High-Contrast Dielectric And Conductive Properties - A Time-Domain Analysis, Adrianus T. De Hoop, Ling Ling Meng, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A methodology is presented for analytically modeling the reflection and transmission of line-source excited pulsed electromagnetic fields at a thin, planar layer with high-contrast dielectric and conductive properties. Closed-form analytic time-domain expressions are derived for the field components in a 2-D setting via an extension of the Cagniard-DeHoop method. The response to the power exponential source and the power exponential monocycle pulse were studied using the newly proposed method. © 2013 IEEE.

A New Efie Method Based On Coulomb Gauge For The Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Analysis, Xiaoyan Y.Z. Xiong, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Wei E.I. Sha, Yat Hei Lo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To solve the low-frequency breakdown inherent from the electric field integral equation (EFIE), an alternative new form of the EFIE is proposed by using the Coulomb-gauge Green's function of quasi-static approximation. Di®erent from the commonly adopted Lorentz-gauge EFIE, the Coulomb-gauge EFIE separates the solenoidal and irrotational surface currents explicitly, which captures inductive and capacitive responses through electrodynamic and electrostatic Green's functions, respectively. By applying existing techniques such as the loop-tree decomposition, frequency normalization, and basis rearrangement, the Coulomb-gauge EFIE also can remedy the low-frequency breakdown problem. Through comparative studies between the Lorentz-gauge and Coulomb-gauge EFIE approaches from mathematical, physical and …

Overview Of Large-Scale Computing: The Past, The Present, And The Future, Weng Cho Chew, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This is a brief review of the development of computational electromagnetics (CEM) to partially summarize its achievements, issues, and possibilities. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

Finite-Width Feed And Load Models, Yat Hei Lo, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Weng Cho Chew

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We demonstrate a new method of applying the feed model for the method of moments (MoM) formulation for the electric field integral equation (EFIE). The model is based around a previously reported magnetic ribbon current model which is accurate and allows for a finite width of the feed port. However, with proper approximations, one can reduce the formulation such that the magnetic field operator can be removed in order to simplify computations arising from the curl of the dyadic Green's function and its singularities. We show here that the new feed model can also be used to model a lumped …

A New Variable Step-Size Zero-Point Attracting Projection Algorithm, Jianming Liu, Steven L. Grant

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a new variable step-size (VSS) scheme for the recently introduced zero-point attracting projection (ZAP) algorithm. The proposed variable step-size ZAPs are based on the gradient of the estimated filter coefficients' sparseness that is approximated by the difference between the sparseness measure of current filter coefficients and an averaged sparseness measure. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach provides both faster convergence rate and better tracking ability than previous ones. © 2013 IEEE.

A Review Of Pharmaceuticals And Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds: Sources, Effects, Removal, And Detections, Jimoh O. Tijani, Ojo O. Fatoba, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

There are growing concerns about the increasing trends of emerging micropollutants in the environment due to their potential negative impacts on natural ecosystems and humans. This has attracted attention from both governmental and non-governmental organizations worldwide. Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and endocrine disruptors are continuously being released consciously or unconsciously into water sources due to poor regulatory frameworks especially in the developing countries. The effects of these contaminants are poorly known. They are not easily biodegradable and have become an environmental nuisance and public health issue. This has heightened the risk of exposure to their deleterious effects in such countries …

Effect Of Inhomogeneous Deformation On Anisotropy Of Az31 Magnesium Sheet, Jidong Kang, David S. Wilkinson, Raja K. Mishra, Wei Yuan, Rajiv S. Mishra

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Inhomogeneous plastic deformation in AZ31 magnesium sheet has been studied during uniaxial tensile testing using digital image correlation and electron backscatter diffraction techniques. Large strain gradients develop on the sheet surface parallel and perpendicular to the loading direction while very little deformation occurs in the thickness direction. This lack of thinning leads to an abrupt fracture following the development of a premature but extensive diffuse neck but without any localized neck. The strain distribution on the sheet surface evolves nonlinearly with strain, impacting the measured plastic strain ratio, r-value. The results show that r-value should be measured at "points" rather …

Thermal Characterization Of Glasses Prepared From Simulated Compositions Of Lunar Soil Jsc-1a, A. S. Pinheiro, Z. M. Da Costa, M. J.V. Bell, V. Anjos, Signo Tadeu Dos Reis

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The thermal conductivity (K), thermal diffusivity (α), and specific heat capacity (ρc) for a glass prepared from JSC-1A lunar soil simulant were measured using a combination of open photoacoustic cell (OPC) and thermal relaxation techniques. The values of K and α for the JSC-1A glass were (20 ± 3) mW/cmK and (14 ± 2) cm2/s, respectively, and are somewhat larger than those of the comparable silicate glasses. The specific heat capacity (ρc) for this glass was (1.44 ± 0.07) J/cm3K, which is a little smaller than the comparable silicate glasses. Materials with high values of K and α rapidly adjust …

Low Complexity Soft-Interference Cancellation Turbo Equalization For Mimo Systems With Multilevel Modulations, Jingxian Wu, Longbao Wang, Chengshan Xiao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a low complexity soft-interference cancellation equalizer (SICE) for the turbo detection of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems operating in time dispersive channels. The SICE contains three time-invariant linear filters: a feedforward filter, a causal feedback filter and an anti-causal feedback filter. The feedforward filter is designed to suppress the InterSymbol interference (ISI) due to time dispersive channels and the multiplexing interference from multiple transmit antennas. The causal (or anti-causal) feedback filter is developed to remove the residual interference caused by the symbols transmitted before (or after) the symbol under detection. The performance of the proposed SICE is verified …

Energy And Spectral Efficient Transmissions Of Coded Arq Systems, Jingxian Wu, Gang Wang, Yahong Rosa Zheng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Energy efficiency (EE) and spectral efficiency (SE) feature one of the most fundamental tradeoffs in communication systems. In this paper, we propose an optimum transmission scheme for coded Type-I automatic repeat request (ARQ) systems to balance the EE-SE tradeoff. The optimization is performed with respect to a new design metric, the normalized EE (NEE), which is defined as the energy per bit normalized by the SE. Minimizing NEE means either reducing the energy per bit or increasing the SE, it thus yields a balanced tradeoff between the two. The system design incorporates a wide range of practical system parameters, such …

Neural Network-Based Optimal Control Of Mobile Robot Formations With Reduced Information Exchange, Travis Dierks, Bryan Brenner, S. Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel formation control scheme for mobile robots is introduced in the context of leader-follower framework with reduced communication exchange. The dynamical controller inputs for the robots are approximated from nonlinear optimal control techniques in order to track the designed control velocities generated by the kinematic controller. The proposed nonlinear optimal control technique, referred to as adaptive dynamic programming, uses neural networks (NNs) to solve the optimal formation control problem in discrete time in the presence of unknown internal dynamics and a known control coefficient matrix. A modification to the follower's kinematic controller is used to allow the desired formation …

Harmonic Distortion Optimization Of Cascaded H-Bridge Inverters Considering Device Voltage Drops And Noninteger Dc Voltage Ratios, Bill Diong, Hossein Sepahvand, Keith Corzine

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper considers achieving the minimum total harmonic distortion (THD) or frequency-weighted THD (WTHD) of the staircase-modulated output voltage of single-phase multilevel inverters, with or without elimination of the lowest order harmonics. The minimal THD values, together with the corresponding step angles and dc voltage source ratios, have been obtained for the 5-, 7-, 9-, 11-, and 13-level cases; accounting for the device voltage drops when the load is resistive or is moderately inductive is described. Similarly, the minimal WTHD values, together with the corresponding step angles and dc source voltage ratios, have been obtained for the five-, seven-, and …

Effect Of Fly Ash On Growth Of Mustard And Corn, Cailie Carlile, Snehalata Nadiger, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fly Ash is Generated as a By-Product of Coal Combustion and Contains Many Nutrients, Such as Ca, K, Na, Mg, and S, as Well as Toxic Metals Such as As, B, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb. for This Project, the Goal is to Optimize a Phytoremediation Technique to Stabilize the Toxic Metals and Produce Biomass Which Could Have Benefit for Example as Biofuel. the Hypothesis Was that Different Amendments Would Improve the Water Holding Properties of the Ash and Reduce Metals Availability and Toxicity. Flyash Was Combined with Leaf Mulch (1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%), Wood Mulch (1%, 3%, 5%, …

Hydro-Nexrad-2: Real-Time Access To Customized Radar-Rainfall For Hydrologic Applications, Witold F. Krajewski, Anton Kruger, Satpreet Singh, Bong Chul Seo, James A. Smith

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydro-NEXRAD-2 (HNX2) is a prototype system that allows hydrologic users real-time access to NEXRAD radar data in support of a wide range of research. The system processes basic radar data (Level II) and delivers radar-rainfall products based on the user's custom selection of features such as spatial domain, rainfall product space and time resolution, and rainfall estimation algorithms. HNX2 collects real-time, unprocessed data from multiple NEXRAD radars as they become available, processes them through a user-configurable pipeline of data-processing modules, and publishes the processed data-products at regular intervals. Modules in the data-processing pipeline encapsulate algorithms such as non-meteorological echo detection, …