Engineering Commons^™

Nano-Ionic Redox Resistive Ram – Device Performance Enhancement Through Materials Engineering, Characterization And Electrical Testing, Muhammad Rizwan Latif

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, Redox Conductive Bridge Memory (RCBM), which falls in the Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) category, has gained considerable attention as one of the promising candidates for future generation non-volatile memory due to its advantages over Flash memory as it offers high density, low operating power, fast read/write operation, and compatibility with conventional CMOS process. Currently research is being conducted to improve the reliability of the RCBM devices, which are comprised of an insulating material, also known as active layer, sandwiched between two metal electrodes. The main working mechanism of these devices is based on the resistance change …

Dynamic Rating Of Transmission Lines For Improved Wind Energy Integration In Complex Terrain, Tyler Bennett Phillips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Transmission congestion is a growing concern that could limit integration on new renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Because construction of new transmission lines is a long and expensive process, transmission service providers are investigating dynamic line rating (DLR) mehtods that could potentially increase capacity of existing transmission lines. DLR is a smart-grid technology that enables rating of power lines based on real-time conductor temperature that is dependent on local weather conditions. whereas conventional practice relies on a static rating, which is based on conservative local weather assumptions to limit transmission line sag.

With todays improved wind and weather …

Phase Transformations In Calcium Substituted Lanthanum Ferrite, Patrick M. Price

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Increasing world energy demands are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. To meet these demands, crude oil is increasingly being extracted from remote locations where natural gas pipelines do not exist. It is not profitable for oil and gas companies to transport natural gas by ship or truck from these remote locations so it is combusted on site in the form of gas flares. Critics oppose this practice due to the environmental impact from pollution and carbon emissions created during the flaring process. Oil and gas companies are eager to find profitable ways to eliminate natural gas lines in order …

A Reliability Prediction Method For Phase-Change Devices Using Optimized Pulse Conditions, Martin Jared Barclay

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Owing to the outstanding device characteristics of Phase-Change Random Access Memory (PCRAM) such as high scalability, high speed, good cycling endurance, and compatibility with conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes, PCRAM has reached the point of volume production. However, due to the temperature dependent nature of the phase-change memory device material and the high electrical and thermal stresses applied during the programming operation, the standard methods of high-temperature (Temperature > 125 °C) accelerated retention testing may not be able to accurately predict bit sensing failures or determine slight pulse condition changes needed if the device were to be …

Numerical Study Of A Novel Fin Configuration Of A High Temperature Ceramic Plate Fin Heat Exchanger, Vijaisri Nagarajan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Compact heat exchangers are widely used in industries due to their compactness, reduced space, energy requirement and desired thermal performance. The proposed ceramic plate fin heat exchanger (PFHE) based on the offset strip fin design is used in applications which require extreme operating temperatures. It is well known that the compact heat exchanger requires small fins and channels to achieve high heat transfer rate and thermal performances. The fins in the ceramic heat exchanger ensure periodic restart of the boundary layer region which increases the thermal performance or heat transfer enhancement of the heat exchanger.

In this dissertation a novel …

An Energy-Efficient, Time-Constrained Scheduling Scheme In Local Mobile Cloud, Ting Shi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mobile devices have limited resource, such as computation performance and battery life. Mobile cloud computing is gaining popularity as a solution to overcome these resource limitations by sending heavy computation to resourceful servers and receiving the results from these servers. Local mobile clouds comprised of nearby mobile devices are proposed as a better solution to support real-time applications. Since network bandwidth and computational resource is shared among all the mobile devices, a scheduling scheme is needed to ensure that multiple mobile devices can efficiently offload tasks to local mobile clouds, satisfying the tasks' time constraint while keeping low-energy consumption. Two …

An Experimental Study Of Bio-Inspired Force Generation By Unsteady Flow Features, Wesley N. Fassmann

Theses and Dissertations

As the understanding of the workings of the biological world expands, biomimetic designs increasingly move into the focus of engineering research studies. For this thesis, two studiesinvolving leading edge vortex generation for lift production as observed in nature were explored intheir respective flow regimes. The first study focused on the steady state analysis of streamwise vortices generated byleading edge tubercles of an adult humpback whale flipper. A realistic scaled model of a humpbackflipper was fabricated based on the 3D reconstruction from a sequence of 18 images taken whilecircumscribing an excised flipper of a beached humpback whale. Two complementary modelswith smooth …

Analysis Of Full-Scale Mechanically Stabilized Earth (Mse) Wall Using Crimped Steel Wire Reinforcement, Joshua Aaron Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Utah State University partnered with Hilfiker Retaining Walls to study the behavior and feasibility of crimped steel wire mat reinforcements. Researchers from Utah State University organized the study and created design for a full-scale model. Construction efforts were completed in cooperation of laborers from Utah State University, Hilfiker Retaining Walls, and Circle C Construction. The purpose of the study was to analyze the behavior and feasibility of a full-scale MSE wall using crimped steel wire mat reinforcements.

The estimated cost of the project was $53,600. The cost included the material cost of the …

System Identification Of A Small Low-Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Using Flight Data From Low-Cost Sensors, Nathan V. Hoffer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Remote sensing has usually been done with satellites and manned aircraft. While they can be useful, satellites and manned aircraft have issues in how quickly you can get data, process it, and go back to get more data. Small low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overcome these issues. To collect precise data a precise model of the UAV is needed to develop the autopilot, make sure the aircraft flies well, and does not break. One method of making a model is system identification (system ID). In this thesis system ID of a small low-cost fixed-wing T-tail UAV is done. The equations …

A Survey Of Utah's Public Secondary Education Science Teachers To Determine Their Feelings Of Preparedness To Teach Engineering Design, Roland Tyler Ames

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Education is always changing and science education is no exception, with many influential publications passing through science education over the years. The latest wave in science standards is called the Next Generation Science Standards. The Next Generation Science Standards are anticipated to have a significant effect on state science standards around the entire country. One thing about these new standards is very different from all previous science standards—they include the principle of engineering design in them.

Asking science teachers to teach engineering design is asking them to teach a principle for which their teaching licensure would not have formally prepared …

Shear And Flexural Capacity Of Four 50-Year-Old Post-Tensioned Concrete Bridge Girders, Wing Hong Louis Lo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the fall of 2012, two separate Interstate 15 highway bridges over the 400 South roadway in Orem, Utah were demolished after 50 years of service. Four post-tensioned girders were salvaged from both the north-bound and south-bound bridge. A series of tests was performed with these girders in the System Material And Structural Health Laboratory (SMASH Lab). The girders were tested with different loading criteria to determine the strength and material properties of the girder. The experimental results were compared with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Load Resistance Factored Design (AASHTO LRFD) Bridge Design Specifications and …

The Analysis And Manufacturing Of The Personal Vacuum Assisted Climber Ii, Rhet B. Astle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Personal Vacuum Assisted Climber or PVAC for short (as shown in Fig 2) is a new means for climbing walls. Unlike ordinary climbing methods used today, the PVAC scales walls via suction. This suction is produced by three spinning impellers within each vacuum motor, which removes air from a sealed area. A climber pulls down on a vacuum pressure release mechanism to release the vacuum. Foot stirrups are used by the climber to climb to the next higher step. This allows the strength of the climber's legs to lift his/her body reducing arm fatigue, allowing rapid ascension of any …

Validation Of A Diffuse Reflectance Microendoscope With Polydimethylsiloxane Optical Phantoms And Monte Carlo Modeling, Gage Joseph Greening

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

We have introduced a method for creating thin-film PDMS optical phantoms that can be used to validate a bench-top optical device called a Diffuse Reflectance Microendoscope (DRME). The DRME is acquires data on cell surface morphology and sub-surface diffuse reflectance, which may provide clinicians with the tools to diagnose oral cancer at earlier stages. Phantoms were created with PDMS. Optical properties of the phantoms were controlled with the addition of nigrosin and titanium dioxide. Depth of phantoms was controlled by a spin coater. The DRME was built with a combination of filters and dichroic mirrors to separate electromagnetic radiation in …

Poly (Glycerol Sebacate) Nanofibers And Nanofilms For Tissue Engineering Application, Stephanie Grace Cone

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the field of tissue engineering, the development of biodegradable scaffolds that provide both structure and functionality is a major challenge. The use of biological implants, such as decellularized tissues, provides a complete matrix with full tissue functionality, however, problems with immunogenicity often arise when implants from other organisms are used in treatments. As such, there are many benefits to the use of polymeric constructs in tissue engineering. The ability to customize the material, design, and size of an implant provides opportunities for increased structural support and controlled rates of biodegradation. The selection of polymers for tissue engineering applications requires …

Beginning Of Malignant Tumor Cells, Emily K. Shields

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Despite advances in cancer treatments, cancer is still ranked the second leading cause of death. Cancers are started by cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs, also called tumor-initiating cells, are found in tumors and are responsible for the growth of tumors and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. CSCs are very resistant, and cannot be killed by chemotherapy or radiation treatments. These cells can come from healthy stem cells. The environment surrounding the healthy stem cells and mature cells can cause mutations in the cell’s genetics, resulting in development of CSCs. The environment can also increase tumor …

Modeling Of An Oxygenation-Aided 3d Culture For Functional Beta-Cell Expansion, John Lance Mcreynolds

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: Diabetes affects millions of people and its prevalence is increasing by 2-5% per year. A promising method for the control of diabetes is the transplant of pancreatic β-cell mass. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of the donor tissue that is needed to replace β-cell mass. A potential source of β-cells is the production of β-cells in vitro, but the proliferation rate of β-cells is very slow and elevating the proliferation rate can result in loss of cell function. We observed that β-cells benefit from being cultured in a 3D environment, but in the 3D culture the β-cells often die …

Flexible Slosh Diaphragm Modeling And Simulation In Propellant Tanks, Darren Vaughn Levine

Theses and Dissertations

iquid sloshing and propellant distribution is an important field of research for aerospace applications such as launch vehicles and spacecraft. The propellant mass behavior can greatly influence vehicle dynamics, altering trajectories and structural loading distributions. In order to combat these concerns some propellant tanks employ thin elastomeric diaphragms to separate the fuel from the gas volumes and restrict the fluid's motion. The diaphragm’s flexible behavior is generally highly nonlinear, and various propellant fill levels and acceleration conditions can cause large deflections resulting in complex buckling and folding patterns. When complex and non-uniform deformations occur, there is potential for diaphragm wear …

Analyzing Thermal And Mechanical Effects Of Pulsed Laser Irradiation On Tissues, Mohit Ganguly

Theses and Dissertations

Pulsed lasers are known for their spatial and temporal specificity in delivering heat energy to the tissues. This is useful in laser ablation treatment mechanism where damage to the healthy tissues is highly undesired. However, the efficacy of the process is limited by the damage caused by the pulsed laser. A pulsed laser has both photothermal and photomechanical interaction with tissues. Photothermal interaction is caused by the rise in temperature due to the laser irradiation. This includes the denaturation of proteins, increased mitochondrial membrane permeability and ultimately vaporization. Photomechanical interaction causes the generation of pressure waves produced as a result …

Resonant Coupling Of An Infrared Metasurface With Pmma, Michael Francis Finch

Theses and Dissertations

Resonance coupling between a metasurface or planar metamaterial and PMMA’s, polymethyl methacrylate, phonon resonance corresponding to the C=O molecular bond at 1733 cm-1 (52 THz) is investigated. Two metasurfaces, nano rod and nano slot, are modeled using ANSYS HFSS and measured material optical properties for gold and PMMA in inferred spectrum. Both metasurfaces exhibited normal mode splitting also known as avoidance crossing, quantum level repulsion, or vacuum Rabi splitting. Normal mode splitting is shown to be a result of coupling between the PMMA phonon resonance and the resonance of the metasurface. Analytical models, which are tied to physical descriptions, are …

Infrared Leaky Wave Antenna Coupled Bolometer, Navaneeth Premkumar

Theses and Dissertations

A four-element infrared leaky-wave antenna coupled bolometer was investigated with the goal of characterizing signal extraction as a long wave infrared (LWIR) detector. Simulations were carried out using Ansys HFSS. Various simple loading techniques were seen and their behavior characterized. A transmission line loaded antenna coupled bolometer was investigated using an incident-wave excitation and angle of sensing inaccuracies were observed. A position pertaining to the design criterion of angular scanning in frequency was then parametrically tuned for. The leaky-wave antenna was then simulated in the transmitting scenario. A waveport fed case was explored and far-field pattern generated. Transmission line losses …

Infrared Energy Harvesting For Optoplasmonics From Nanostructured Metamaterials, Gregory Thomas Forcherio

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metamaterials exhibit unique optical resonance characteristics which permit precise engineering of energy pathways within a device. The ability of plasmonic nanostructures to guide electromagnetism offers a platform to reduce global dependence on fossil fuels by harvesting waste heat, which comprises 60% of generated energy around the world. Plasmonic metamaterials were hypothesized to support an exchange of energy between resonance modes, enabling generation of higher energy photons from waste infrared energy. Infrared irradiation of a metamaterial at the Fano coupling lattice resonance was anticipated to re-emit as higher energy visible light at the plasmon resonance. Photonic signals from harvested thermal energy …

Overcoming Hard Problems In Software Testing With Testing As A Service, Brianna Floss

Theses and Dissertations

Software testing is a crucial phase of the software development lifecycle, responsible for assuring that the system under test meets quality standards, requirements, and consumer needs. Unfortunately, software testing is not without flaws. Some problems are timeless while others are brought on by new technologies and methodologies. As software systems grow in size and complexity, quality becomes significantly more difficult to ensure. With recent advancements in cloud computing, the internet’s vast and elastic resources are available for testing. Testing as a Service (TaaS) offers accessible services that handle testing activities to consumers on a pay-as-you-test basis in hopes of providing …

Properties Of Multiferroic Bifeo3 From First Principles, Dovran Rahmedov

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, a first-principle-based approach is developed to study magnetoelectric effect in multiferoic materials. Such approach has a significant predictive power and might serve as a guide to new experimental works. As we will discuss in the course of this work, it also gives an important insight to the underlying physics behind the experimentally observed phenomena.

We start by applying our method to investigate properties of a generic multiferroic material. We observe how magnetic susceptibility of such materials evolves with temperature and compare this evolution with the characteristic behavior of magnetic susceptibility for pure magnetic systems. Then we focus …

Identifying, Monitoring, Quantifying And Converting Algae To Bio-Fuels In Bio-Reactors, Alice C. Jernigan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing algae as a source for bio-fuels has become an area of interest due to concerns about global warming and the reliability and ecology of the production of fossil fuels. Dried algae harvested from a pilot water quality improvement technology at the Rockaway Wastewater Treatment Facility in New York were examined as a source of carbohydrates and lipids for the production of bio-fuels in bio-reactors. The length of storage time, storage conditions, sugar and lipid extraction processes, and fuel production were studied. The results show that if the algae is stored dry (0.015 g/g algae even after a year in …

Designing Customizable Network-On-Chip With Support For Embedded Private Memory For Multi-Processor System-On-Chips, Azad Fakhari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The computer industry's transition to multiprocessor systems on chip (MPSoC) architectures is increasing the need for new scalable high-bandwidth on-chip communication

backbones. Network-on-Chip (NoC) interconnects are gaining interest for serving as the on-chip communication infrastructure. The most important issues to be considered in designing a NoC are topology, routing algorithm, flow control, and buffering and also the trade-offs between performance, power, and area.

This research proposes a custom-designed NoC specifically for MPSoCs on FPGAs. The proposed design allows the communication infrastructure to seamlessly scale as the numbers of processors within the chip increases. The design adds a new level of …

The Design And Implementation Of A Multi-Chip Power Module Layout Synthesis Tool, Brett W. Shook

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the design and implementation of a software tool, referred to as PowerSynth, which is used to synthesize multi-chip power module (MCPM) layouts and also aids in the overall design process. MCPMs allow power electronics systems to achieve higher efficiencies and reduced size, weight, and cost through the compact integration of devices into a single package. MCPM design is highly multidisciplinary which involves electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance considerations. Conventionally, the design process may require several iterations and multiple software modeling tools to create high performance MCPMs. The layout of an MCPM consists of a pattern of metal …

Solid State Synthesis Of The Srtio3 Nano-Particle, Spencer S. Coonrod

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Recent studies have shown the ability to synthesize peroviskite materials through solid state chemical reaction. In previous work at the University Annamalai Naga, a specific peroviskite SrTiO3 (STO) was created through solid state reaction between strontium carbonate and, titanium dioxide powders that were homogenously mixed and then sintered until completion of the reaction. The sintered powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and shown to be a perovskite structure without evidence of additional phases. This work specifically reports on the reproducible solid state reaction procedure developed at the University of Arkansas for the production of STO powder, characterization of formed …

Ultrathin Ptfe Coating For Hypodermic Needles Enabled By Mussel-Inspired Pda Adhesive Layer, Spencer A. Foust

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, commonly known by its brand name Teflon®, which has many desirable properties such as a low coefficient of friction, high temperature resistance, anti-microbial properties, hydrophobicity, biocompatibility, and chemical resistance. One of the major challenges caused by the non-stick property of PTFE is its poor adhesion to substrates: PTFE coatings can be easily detached from surfaces under frictional forces and shear. The molecule polydopamine (PDA) was discovered as the key protein for adhesion between polytetrafluoroethylene and substrates of many materials, including steel, and thus has been used as a unique approach for coatings. …

Characterization Of Isotropic Surface Texture In The Boundary Lubrication Regime And The Frictional Response, Edwin H. Bird

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the dynamic nature of today’s engineering components the use of nanolubricants and the control of micron and sub-micron surface texture features can greatly aid in reducing frictional losses and thus reduce energy consumption. The primary purpose of this paper is to define texture and analyze the effects of an isotropic surface texture and lubrication on the frictional response of contacting surfaces in boundary lubrication. This experiment was carried out using a steel ball-on-disk tribometer set-up where the steel disk had a sandblasted surface texture using 40-60 grit glass beads to produce an average roughness, Sa, of 2.120 μm uniformly …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Decision Process In Social Groups Using Human Trajectories, Truc Viet Le, Siyuan Liu, Hoong Chuin Lau, Ramayya Krishnan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A group's collective action is an outcome of the group's decision-making process, which may be reached by either averaging of the individual preferences or following the choices of certain members in the group. Our problem here is to decide which decision process the group has adopted given the data of the collective actions. We propose a generic statistical framework to infer the group's decision process from the spatio-temporal data of group trajectories, where each "trajectory" is a sequence of group actions. This is achieved by systematically comparing each agent type's influence on the group actions based on an array of …