Engineering Commons^™

Double-Electrode Arc Welding Process: Principle, Variants, Control And Developments, Yi Lu, Shujun Chen, Yu Shi, Xiangrong Li, Jinsong Chen, Lee Kvidahl, Yu Ming Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Double-electrode gas metal arc welding (DE-GMAW) is a novel welding process in which a second electrode, non-consumable or consumable, is added to bypass part of the wire current. The bypass current reduces the heat input in non-consumable DE-GMAW or increases the deposition rate in consumable DE-GMAW. The fixed correlation of the heat input with the deposition in conventional GMAW and its variants is thus changed and becomes controllable. At the University of Kentucky, DE-GMAW has been tested/developed by adding a plasma arc welding torch, a GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding) torch, a pair of GTAW torches, and a GMAW torch. …

Analysis And Modeling Of Resilience For Networked Systems, Kamlesh Ashok Joshi

Masters Theses

"A cyber physical system (CPS) has two main subsystems; a physical infrastructure that is responsible for managing and implementing physical tasks, e.g., generation and distribution of a physical commodity, and a cyber infrastructure that is used to support and enhance these physical operations through computing, communication, and control. Imperfect cyber control can lower the efficacy and even reliability of existing physical infrastructures. As such, justifiable reliance on CPSs requires rigorous investigation of the effect of incorporating cyber infrastructure on functional and non-functional aspects of system performance. One non-functional metric of note is resilience, defined as the ability of a system …

Fair And Optimal Resource Allocation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Vinodhini Ravikumar

Masters Theses

"There is a large amount of research in wireless networks focuses on optimization of either network routing and power control alone. In contrast, this work aims at jointly optimizing the transmission power and routing path selection in order to optimize allocation of resources in interference constrained wireless environment. Moreover, we consider a multipath routing where multiple alternative paths are employed to transmit data between the end nodes. One of modern communication techniques that it applies to a network coding, though not explicitly implemented in this work. The proposed approach is first analyzed theoretically using Lagrangian optimization for a three-node scenario. …

A Comparative Study Of Reservoir Computing For Temporal Signal Processing, Alireza Goudarzi, Peter Banda, Matthew R. Lakin, Christof Teuscher, Darko Stefanovic

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reservoir computing (RC) is a novel approach to time series prediction using recurrent neural networks. In RC, an input signal perturbs the intrinsic dynamics of a medium called a reservoir. A readout layer is then trained to reconstruct a target output from the reservoir's state. The multitude of RC architectures and evaluation metrics poses a challenge to both practitioners and theorists who study the task-solving performance and computational power of RC. In addition, in contrast to traditional computation models, the reservoir is a dynamical system in which computation and memory are inseparable, and therefore hard to analyze. Here, we compare …

Rt-Dsp Using ”See Through”, Cameron H. G. Wright, Thad B. Welch, Michael G. Morrow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Engineering educators teaching digital signal processing (DSP) have found that using hands-on exercises for students can smooth the transition from theory to practical real-time DSP. However, before significant learning can begin using such exercises, students must build their confidence in the hardware and software platforms. When using audio signals, a “talk-through” project accomplishes this. For introducing more complicated signals such as video, the authors propose the use of a “see-through” project. This paper provides a description of a see-through project on a high-performance real-time DSP platform, discusses how such a project can lead to better follow-on learning using more advanced …

A Low-Cost Wireless Portable Particulate Matter Monitoring System, Sin Ming Loo, James A. Hall, Joshua Kiepert, Michael Pook, Nicholas Terrell

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes a portable sensor system design for environmental research. The designed system has been deployed in many environments and has been EMI/EMC approved for operation in commercial aircraft cabins. The sensor suite includes particulate matter, CO, CO2, temperature, humidity, pressure, light intensity, and sound sensors. Multiple sensor systems can be deployed at once to form a wireless sensor network. Each sensor node is powered either with six AA batteries or via a transformer and standard outlet. The data collected by a node can be stored locally on the device and/or sent through the integrated ZigBee mesh network to …

Timing And Carrier Synchronization With Channel Estimation In Af Two-Way Relaying Networks, Ali A. Nasir, Hani Mehrpouyan, Salman Durrani, Steven D. Bolstein, Rodney A. Kennedy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two-way relaying networks (TWRNs) allow for more bandwidth efficient use of the available spectrum since they allow for simultaneous information exchange between two users with the assistance of an intermediate relay node. However, due to superposition of signals at the relay node, the received signal at the user terminals is affected by multiple impairments, i.e., channel gains, timing offsets, and carrier frequency offsets, that need to be jointly estimated and compensated. This paper presents the system model for amplify-and-forward (AF) TWRNs in the presence of multiple impairments and proposes least squares and differential evolution based algorithms for joint estimation …

A Novel Injectable Borate Bioactive Glass Cement As An Antibiotic Delivery Vehicle For Treating Osteomyelitis, Hao Ding, Cunju Zhao, Xu Cui, Yifei Gu, Weitao Jia, M. N. Rahaman, Yang Wang, Wenhai Huang, Changqing Zhang

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: A novel injectable cement composed of chitosan-bonded borate bioactive glass (BG) particles was evaluated as a carrier for local delivery of vancomycin in the treatment of osteomyelitis in a rabbit tibial model. Materials and Methods: The setting time, injectability, and compressive strength of the borate BG cement, and the release profile of vancomycin from the cement were measured in vitro. The capacity of the vancomycin-loaded BG cement to eradicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced osteomyelitis in rabbit tibiae in vivo was evaluated and compared with that for a vancomycin-loaded calcium sulfate (CS) cement and for intravenous injection of vancomycin. Results: …

Fuzzy Optimization Of Acknowledged System Of Systems Meta-Architectures For Agent Based Modeling Of Development, Louis Pape, Siddhartha Agarwal, Kristin Giammarco, Cihan Dagli

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Acknowledged systems of systems (SoS) lie on a continuum between authoritarian central control and anarchy. The constituent systems are independent, with a life and purpose of their own. The systems require not only technical interfaces, but also social interactions, to create the SoS. A fuzzy optimization process may be used to select a desirable SoS configuration, but it may be unachievable due to the inability to persuade the systems to cooperate in the plan. Modeling the systems' internal decision processes could help understand how to design better SoS architectures. This research used generic, modular modeling processes to examine two proposed …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation Of United Launch Alliance Delta Iv Hydrogen Plume Mitigation Strategies, Stephen Guimond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the launch sequence of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV launch vehicle, large amounts of pure hydrogen are introduced into the launch table and ignited by Radial-Outward-Firing-Igniters (ROFIs). This ignition results in a significant flame, or plume, that rises upwards out of the launch table due to buoyancy. The presence of the plume causes increased and unwanted heat loads on the surface of the vehicle. A proposed solution is to add a series of fans and structures to the existing launch table configuration that are designed to inject ambient air in the immediate vicinity of the launch vehicle's nozzles …

Hidden Markov Model With Information Criteria Clustering And Extreme Learning Machine Regression For Wind Forecasting, Dao Lam, Shuhui Li, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a procedural pipeline for wind forecasting based on clustering and regression. First, the data are clustered into groups sharing similar dynamic properties. Then, data in the same cluster are used to train the neural network that predicts wind speed. For clustering, a hidden Markov model (HMM) and the modified Bayesian information criteria (BIC) are incorporated in a new method of clustering time series data. to forecast wind, a new method for wind time series data forecasting is developed based on the extreme learning machine (ELM). the clustering results improve the accuracy of the proposed method of wind …

Unveiling Magnetic Dipole Radiation In Phase-Reversal Leaky-Wave Antennas, Shulabh Gupta, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Christophe Caloz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The radiation principle of traveling-wave-type phase-reversal antennas is explained in detail, unveiling the presence of magnetic-dipole radiation in addition to well-known electric dipole radiation. It is pointed out that such magnetic-dipole radiation is specific to the case of traveling-wave phase-reversal antennas, whereas only electric-dipole radiation exists in resonant-type phase-reversal antennas. It is shown that a phase-reversal traveling-wave antenna alternately operates as an array of magnetic dipoles and an array of electric dipoles during a time-harmonic period. This radiation mechanism is confirmed through both full-wave and experimental results. © 2014 IEEE.

Innovative Rts Technology For Dry Beneficiation Of Phosphate, Ahmed Sobhy, Daniel Tao

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Crago double flotation process is widely used for upgrading raw phosphate in Florida. However, it is a water-based physicochemical process and consumes a huge amount of water and chemicals and is not efficient to remove dolomite from phosphate. In addition, the final phosphate flotation concentrate often has a grade of 30-31% P2O5, which is below the BPL content of 75% (or 34.3% P2O5) required for making the animal feed grade phosphate. This study is performed to evaluate the potential and feasibility of the innovative rotary triboelectrostatic separator (RTS) as a dry phosphate beneficiation process. The RTS technology is characterized …

Social Pervasive Systems: The Harmonization Between Social Networking And Pervasive Systems, Soumaia Al Ayyat

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The recent advancement in mobile device sensor technology, coupled with the wealth of structured accessible data of social networks, form a very data-wealthy ecosystem. Such an ecosystem is rich in bi-directional context that can flow between the mobile and social worlds enabling the creation of an elitist breed of pervasive services and applications. We label the breed resulting from the merger as Social Pervasive Systems (SPS).

Overwintering Biology And Tests Of Trap And Relocate As A Conservation Measure For Burying Beetles, W. Wyatt Hoback, Adrienne Conley

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Burying beetles are carrion beetles and utilize dead animal carcasses for feeding and reproductive efforts. They assist with decomposition, prevent the spread of disease, and reduce the number of pest species. The largest species of carrion beetle, the American burying beetle, is a federally endangered insect and its distribution has been reduced by 90%. The conservation of this species is important in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Overwintering biology and trap and relocation were studied to determine how this beetle survives freezing temperatures and to find whether trap and relocation could be a suitable conservation management measure.

Trap and relocation is …

Thermal Conductivity Of Alumina And Silica Nanofluids, Julian Bernal Castellanos

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis studies the effects of the base fluid, particle type/size, and volumetric concentration on the thermal conductivity of Alumina and Silica nanofluids. The effects of base fluid were observed by preparing samples using ethylene glycol (EG), water, and mixtures of EG/water as the base fluid and Al2O3 (10 nm) nanoparticles. The particles type/size and volumetric concentration effects were tested by preparing samples of nanofluids using Al2O3 (10nm), Al2O3 (150nm), SiO2 (15 nm), and SiO2 (80 nm) nanoparticles and ionized water as base fluid at different volumetric concentrations. All samples were mixed using a sonicator for 30 minutes and a …

The Use Of Digital Reverberation Projects To Teach Audio Signal Processing, Benjamin D. Mcpheron, Kelsey M. Cintorino, Nicholas J. Benoit, Abdulrahim S. Hasan, Kevin J. Oliveira, Andrew D. Senerchia, Daniel M. Wisniewski

Engineering, Computing & Construction Management Faculty Publications

Hands-on application is essential to the development of practicing engineers capable of designing and implementing digital signal processing methods. The application of digital signal processing to audio applications provides students with instantly gratifying results, and further develops future audio engineering professionals. In order to provide deeper understanding of audio processing techniques, students can be presented with projects that challenge them to create unique applications or methods in the field of audio processing. This work reports the project framework and outstanding student work resulting from implementing this method in a digital signal processing course, as well as the assessment strategy used …

Co-Occurrence Of The Cyanotoxins Bmaa, Daba And Anatoxin-A In Nebraska Reservoirs, Fish, And Aquatic Plants, Maitham Ahmed Al-Sammak, Kyle D. Hoagland, David A. Cassada, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

Several groups of microorganisms are capable of producing toxins in aquatic environments. Cyanobacteria are prevalent blue green algae in freshwater systems, and many species produce cyanotoxins which include a variety of chemical irritants, hepatotoxins and neurotoxins. Production and occurrence of potent neurotoxic cyanotoxins β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), 2,4-diaminobutyric acid dihydrochloride (DABA), and anatoxin-a are especially critical with environmental implications to public and animal health. Biomagnification, though not well understood in aquatic systems, is potentially relevant to both human and animal health effects. Because little is known regarding their presence in fresh water, we investigated the occurrence and potential for bioaccumulation of cyanotoxins …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Creka-Conjugated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles For Hyperthermia Applications, Anastasia M. Kruse, Samantha A. Meenach, Kimberly W. Anderson, J. Zach Hilt

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the current challenges in the systemic delivery of nanoparticles in cancer therapy applications is the lack of effective tumor localization. Iron oxide nanoparticles coated with crosslinked dextran were functionalized with the tumor homing peptide CREKA, which binds to fibrinogen complexes in the extracellular matrix of tumors. This allows for the homing of these nanoparticles to tumor tissue. The iron oxide nanoparticle core allows for particle heating upon exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) while the dextran coating stabilizes the particles in suspension and decreases the cytotoxicity of the system. Magnetically mediated hyperthermia (MMH) allows for the heating …

Ascending Higher: The Story Of Aviation At Western, Tom Thinnes Sr., Steve Jones, Gil Sinclair, Raymond Thompson

All Books and Monographs by WMU Authors

Western Michigan University College of Aviation celebrates 75 years of aviation education. From modest beginnings in 1939, our curriculum has expanded to offer degrees in aviation flight science, aviation management and operations, and aviation maintenance technology. We currently have a fleet of advanced training aircraft, modern facilities in Battle Creek and more than 740 undergraduate students in the program.

With this book, we take a look back. We celebrate the visionaries of the past who helped us realize our current successes. We commemorate the events and advancements in our storied aviation program. And we look to the bright future that …

Study On Surface Permeability Of Concrete Under Immersion, Jun Liu, Feng Xing, Biqin Dong, Hongyan Ma, Dong Pan

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, concrete specimens are immersed in ultrapure water, to study the evolutions of surface permeability, pore structure and paste microstructure following the prolonging of immersion period. According to the results, after 30-day immersion, the surface permeability of concrete becomes higher as compared with the value before immersion. However, further immersion makes the surface permeability decrease, so that the value measured after 150-day immersion is only half that measured after 30-day immersion. The early increase in surface permeability should be mainly attributed to the leaching of calcium hydroxide, while the later decrease to the refinement of pore structure due …

Development And Application Of Improved Shotctrete Refractory For Aluminum Rotary Furnace Applications, James G. Hemrick, Angela Rodrigues-Schroer, Dominick Colavito, Jeffrey D. Smith, Kelley O'Hara

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with refractory manufacturer Minteq International, Inc., academic partner Missouri University of Science and Technology and refractory end users have developed novel refractory systems and techniques to reduce energy consumption of refractory lined vessels. The objective of this U.S. DOE funded project was to address the need for innovative refractory compositions by developing novel gunnable refractory compositions for use in high temperature and high alkali environments. Developed materials utilized new aggregate materials, bond systems, protective coatings, and phase formation techniques. Under this project, materials were developed specifically for aluminum rotary dross furnace applications and a …

Financial Resources And Technology To Transition To 450mm Semiconductor Wafer Foundries, Thomas Earl Pastore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Future 450mm semiconductor wafer foundries are expected to produce billions of low cost, leading-edge processors, memories, and wireless sensors for Internet of Everything applications in smart cities, smart grids, and smart infrastructures. The problem has been a lack of wise investment decision making using traditional semiconductor industry models. The purpose of this study was to design decision-making models to conserve financial resources from conception to commercialization using real options to optimize production capacity, to defer an investment, and to abandon the project. The study consisted of 4 research questions that compared net present value from real option closed-form equations and …

Public Private Partnership Pitfalls In Toll Roads, Mahran Maher Zatar

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has been one of the most effective concepts in developing infrastructure projects. By bringing in creative skills and management efficiency from business practice, private companies can potentially improve efficiency and productivity in implementation of major capital projects and provide an effective approach to meet project objectives. The main idea behind the partnership in toll roads delivery is putting together the strengths of both public and private sectors in order to provide services in the most cost-effective manner, on time, and with the highest quality. However, the criteria on which governments judge the "success" of PPP projects is …

Development Of Linear Regression Model For Predicting Water Quality Parameters From Anaerobic Treatment Of Vinasse, Shammi Rahman

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

One of the most prominent biofuels today is ethanol. The production of ethanol from biomass, whether from sugar crops, starch crops, dairy products, or cellulosic materials, results in the production of a high-strength liquid waste called vinasse. Approximately 12 liters of vinasse are produced for every 1 liter of ethanol. Vinasse is high in solids and organic content, with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) ranging from 30 to 40 g/L, and a low pH, typically from 3-5. Traditionally, in countries such as India, Brazil, and other Latin American countries, vinasse has been disposed of by applying it as a fertilizer on …

Target Detection And Cognitive Radio Capacity Analysis Based On Sensor Networks, Ishrat Maherin

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In this dissertation we studied two topics which are focused on target detection through foliage and capacity analysis of cognitive radio. We propose a multi-step information theory based scheme for target detection through foliage, using ultra wide-band (UWB) radar sensor network (RSN). This method is motivated by the fact that echoes from the stationary target, obscured by foliage, are more random than the region without the target. This is resolved by three steps of information fusion. Information fusion and integration is the process of combining data from several radar sensors and can achieve results that are not possible by individual …

Identification Of The Interdependence Of Aging And Internal Pressure Evolution Of Commercial Li-Ion Cells, Anthony Matasso

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The demand for high power and energy coupled with long cycle life, low cost, and increased safety have become the driving factors in the development of lithium-ion batteries. This demand continues to expand with the sustained capability expansion of high power military applications, electric vehicles, grid-tie energy storage, and other renewable energy applications. Unlike the short innovation cycles that technologies like portable electronics experience, these applications are focused on an affordable long term product lifecycle that is safe. In order to achieve these long term goals, a better understanding of the chief degradation mechanisms as well as a more sophisticated …

Some Considerations Of Performance And Capacity Of Voice Over Ip High Bit Rate Wireless Reverse Links, Richard Framjee

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Evaluation of the performance and capacity of the wireless reverse links, that support concurrent voice over IP and packet data services, is important for spectral efficiency considerations. For a given traffic mix, this capacity is the maximum Erlangs and data throughput at a given packet error rate, voice packet expected wait time and probability of wait time outage. The voice packet wait times are traffic induced and due to retransmissions caused by high packet error rate. In this dissertation the error rate of high bit rate DS-SS BPSK RAKE receivers and traffic induced expected packet wait time for voice over …

Molecular And Textural Surface Engineering For Biological Sensing, Mohammed Arif Iftakher Mahmood

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research work was aimed at finding novel approaches for early cancer detection. In cancer diagnosis, the candidate molecules largely include free DNA, related proteins and tumor cells, listed in increasing order of size. The list is also commonly accepted as early precursor of the disease where DNA and proteins are available in patients' blood earlier and the cell starts to appear in relatively later stage. The ratio of these molecules to the background matter is extremely small. To make detection more difficult, these molecules, once dislodged from their primary location, get cleared fast. These factors call for extremely sensitive …

Fast Intra Mode Decision In High Efficiency Video Coding, Harshdeep Brahmasury Jain

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

In this thesis a CU early termination algorithm with a fast intra prediction algorithm is proposed that terminates complete full search prediction for the CU and replaced by CU early termination algorithm which determines the complexity of the CU block then on sent decision is made to further split or non-split the CU. This is followed by a PU mode decision to find the optimal modes prediction mode from 35 prediction modes. This includes a two-step process: firstly calculating the Sum of Absolute Differences (SAD) of all the modes by down sampling method and secondly applying a three step search …