Engineering Commons^™

Design And Build Of An Automated Animal Feed Dispenser, Soroush Sedigh

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, construction, and evaluation of automated animal feed dispenser on a small-scale level. The system consists of three main components with various sub-components. Those three components are the outer-casing, the hardware and circuitry, and lastly the code to make sure the hardware operates properly.

System tests have indicated that the feed dispenser is able to provide one week’s worth of feed to the end user with no human interference

Neutral Parametric Database, Server, Logic Layers, And Clients To Facilitate Multi-Engineersynchronous Heterogeneous Cad, Kelly Eric Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Engineering companies are sociotechnical systems in which engineers, designers, analysts, etc. use an array of software tools to follow prescribed product-development processes. The purpose of these amalgamated systems is to develop new products as quickly as possible while maintaining quality and meeting customer and market demands. Researchers at Brigham Young University have shortened engineering design cycle times through the development and use of multiengineer synchronous (MES) CAD tools. Other research teams have shortened design cycle-times by extending seamless interoperability across heterogeneous design tools and domains. Seamless multi-engineer synchronous heterogeneous (MESH) CAD environments is the focus of this dissertation. An architecture …

In Vitro Molecular Modification Of Human Cultured And Primary Cells Using Lance Array Nanoinjection, John W. Sessions

Theses and Dissertations

Fundamentally altering cellular function at a genetic level is a major area of interest in the biologic sciences and the medical community. By engineering transfectable constructs that can be inserted to dysfunctional cellular systems, scientists can mitigate aberrant genetic behavior to produce proper molecular function. While viral vectors have been a mainstay in the past, there are many limitations, particularly related to safety, that have changed the focus of genome editing to incorporate alternative methods for gene delivery. Lance Array Nanoinjection (LAN), a second-generation microfabricated transfection biotechnology, is one of these alternative technologies. LAN works by utilizing both simultaneous electrostatic …

Lateral Resistance Of Pipe Piles Behind A 20-Foot-Tall Mse Wall With Welded-Wire Reinforcements, Ryan Thomas Budd

Theses and Dissertations

Pile foundations for bridges must often resist lateral loads produced by earthquakes and thermal expansion and contraction of the superstructure. Right-of-way constraints near bridge abutments are leading to an increased use of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls below the abutment. Previous research has shown that lateral pile resistance can be greatly reduced when piles are placed close to MSE walls but design codes do not address this issue. A full-scale MSE wall was constructed and 24 lateral load tests were conducted on pipe, square and H piles spaced at distances of about 2 to 5 pile diameters from the back …

Extracellular Matrix From Whole Porcine Heart Decellularization For Cardiac Tissue Engineering, Nima Momtahan

Theses and Dissertations

Heart failure is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Every year in the United States, more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure and more than 375,000 people die from heart disease. Current therapies such as heart transplants and bioartificial hearts are helpful, but not optimal. Decellularization of porcine whole hearts followed by recellularization with patient-specific human cells may provide the ultimate solution for patients with heart failure. Great progress has been made in the development of efficient processes for decellularization, and the design of automated bioreactors. In this study, the decellularization of porcine …

An Automated Method For Optimizing Compressor Blade Tuning, Kurt Berlin Hinkle

Theses and Dissertations

Because blades in jet engine compressors are subject to dynamic loads based on the engine's speed, it is essential that the blades are properly "tuned" to avoid resonance at those frequencies to ensure safe operation of the engine. The tuning process can be time consuming for designers because there are many parameters controlling the geometry of the blade and, therefore, its resonance frequencies. Humans cannot easily optimize design spaces consisting of multiple variables, but optimization algorithms can effectively optimize a design space with any number of design variables. Automated blade tuning can reduce design time while increasing the fidelity and …

Maximizing Virtual Mucax Engineering Design Team Performance, Brett Randall Stone

Theses and Dissertations

Teams of design engineers are increasingly working as members of virtual teams, or teams whose members are distributed geographically and communicate mostly through electronic means. In addition, emerging multi-user (MU) applications engage complementary teams in synchronous design activities. These new MU tools are changing the way engineers work together. Together, these factors have created a new and interesting environment in which engineering design teams must function. The work presented here lays out two major themes that teams and their managers can effectively apply to organizing and managing MU teams: 1) teams can maximize their potential productivity by determining the optimal …

Understanding And Addressing Collaboration Challenges For The Effective Use Of Multi-User Cad, David James French

Theses and Dissertations

Multi-user computer-aided design (CAD) is an emerging technology that promises to facilitate collaboration, enhance product quality, and reduce product development lead times by allowing multiple engineers to work on the same design at the same time. The BYU site of the NSF Center for e-Design has developed advanced multi-user CAD prototypes that have demonstrated the feasibility and value of this technology. Despite the possibilities that this software opens up for enhanced collaboration, there are now a new variety of challenges and opportunities to understand and address. For multi-user CAD to be used effectively in a modern engineering environment, it is …

The Influence Of Pile Shape And Pile Sleeves On Lateral Load Resistance, Dalin Newell Russell

Theses and Dissertations

The lateral resistance of pile foundations is typically based on the performance of round piles even though other pile types are used. Due to lack of data there is a certain level of uncertainty when designing pile foundations other than round piles for lateral loading. Theoretical analyses have suggested that square sections will have more lateral resistance due to the increased side shear resistance, no test results have been available to substantiate the contention. Full-scale lateral load tests involving pile shapes such as circular, circular wrapped with high density polyethylene sheeting, square, H, and circular with a corrugated metal sleeve …

Decomposition Of Manufacturing Processes For Multi-User Tool Path Planning, Andrew Scherbel Priddis

Theses and Dissertations

Engineering activities by nature are collaborative endeavors. Single-user applications like CAD, CAE, and CAM force a strictly serial design process, which ultimately lengthens time to market. New multi-user applications such as NXConnect address the issue during the design stage of the product development process by enabling users to work in parallel. Multi-user collaborative tool path planning software addresses the same serial limitations in tool path planning, thereby decreasing cost and increasing the quality of manufacturing processes. As part complexity increases, lead times are magnified by serial workflows. Multi-user tool path planning can shorten the process planning time. But, to be …

A Comparison Of Instructional Strategies For Teaching Entry-Level Welding At The High School Level, Jared Paul Massic

Theses and Dissertations

The traditional method of teaching welding has remained unchanged for decades. In this model, an instructor gives demonstrations to a class of students and then helps them individually as they practice the techniques of welding. This traditional instructional method has been effective but is time consuming. Due to a significant increase in the demand for skilled welders within the United States, efforts have been made to develop more efficient methods of providing welding instruction. Various electronic welding guidance systems and virtual welding systems have recently been developed. In this study, the researcher addressed two questions 1) Does the use of …

Simple Models For Estimating The Rotational Stiffness Of Steel Column-To-Footing Connections, Joshua Edwin Tryon

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the crucial role they play in transferring loads from the superstructure to the foundation, steel column-to-footing connections have received little attention in research. Though shallow embedded connections are typically characterized as pinned, studies have shown that they exhibit significant rotational stiffness. The objective of this thesis is to quantify the rotational stiffness of such connections. A method named the continuum model is developed by which the rotational stiffness of embedded connections may be calculated. Outputs from this model are compared with experimental data on steel connections embedded in concrete. The continuum model is shown to be capable of reasonably …

Evaluation Of Passive Force On Skewed Bridge Abutments With Controlled Low-Strength Material Backfill, Kevin Bjorn Wagstaff

Theses and Dissertations

Although its use has become more widespread, controlled low-strength material, or CLSM, has fallen through the crack between geotechnical engineering and materials engineering research. The National Ready Mix Association states that CLSM is not a low strength concrete, and geotechnical engineers do not consider it as a conventional aggregate backfill. The use of CLSM as a bridge abutment backfill material brings up the need to understand the passive force versus backwall displacement relationship for this application. To safely account for forces generated due to seismic activity and thermal expansion in bridge design, it is important to understand the passive force …

Silk-Derived Graphene-Like Carbon With High Electrocatalytic Activity For Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Qingfa Wang, Ruoping Yanzhang, Yaqing Wu, Han Zhu, Junfeng Zhang, Mingliang Du, Ming Zhang, Li Wang, Xiangwen Zhang, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A facile method to prepare the nanoporous and graphene-like carbon material from a natural silk fiber was developed by a potassium intercalation and carbonization procedure. The as-synthesized graphene-like fiber was employed for oxygen reduction reaction and exhibited impressive electrocatalytic activity.

Strain Monitoring Of Bismaleimide Composites Using Embedded Microcavity Sensor, Amardeep Kaur, Sudharshan Anandan, Lei Yuan, Steve Eugene Watkins, K. Chandrashekhara, Hai Xiao, Nam Phan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A type of extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) fiber optic sensor, i.e., the microcavity strain sensor, is demonstrated for embedded, high-temperature applications. The sensor is fabricated using a femtosecond (fs) laser. The fs-laser-based fabrication makes the sensor thermally stable to sustain operating temperatures as high as 800 °C. The sensor has low sensitivity toward the temperature as compared to its response toward the applied strain. The performance of the EFPI sensor is tested in an embedded application. The host material is carbon fiber/bismaleimide (BMI) composite laminate that offer thermally stable characteristics at high ambient temperatures. The sensor exhibits highly linear response …

Analytical And Experimental Investigation Of Microstructural Alterations In Bearing Steel In Rolling Contact Fatigue, Sina Mobasher Moghaddam

Open Access Dissertations

Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) is one the most common failure modes in bearings. RCF is usually associated with particular microstructural alterations. Such alterations (i.e. white etching cracks, butterflies, etc.) which lead to RCF failure are known to be among the most concerning matters to bearing industry.

In the current work, an analytical as well as experimental approaches are used to investigate “butterfly wing” formation, crack initiation and propagation from inclusions. A new damage evolution equation coupled with a FE model is employed to account for the effect of mean stresses and alternating stresses simultaneously to investigate butterfly formation. The proposed …

Automated Vehicles: A Guide For Planners And Policymakers, Charlie Coles

Master's Theses

Automated vehicles are those which are capable of sensing their environments in order to perform at least some aspects of the safety-critical control (like steering, throttling, or braking) without direct human input. As a guide for planners and policymakers, the objective of this thesis is to develop a strong foundation for anticipating the potential impacts resulting from advancements in vehicle automation. To establish the foundation, this thesis uses a robust qualitative methodology, coupling a review of literature on the potential advantages and disadvantages of vehicle automation and lessons from past innovations in transportation, with recent trends of the Millennial Generation, …

Foot Strike Patterns And Body Alignment Effects On Muscle Activity During Running., Nicole Knapp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mechanics of the running stride was altered around the 1970s when shoes were released with an elevated heel (McDougall 2009). At this point in time a heel strike running style became increasingly common and has remained the popular pattern when running in traditional shoes. In fact, the exact same person has been seen to alter their stride when running in a traditional shoe where they heel strike verses barefoot where they take on a forefoot strike (Lieberman 2010).

When an individual heel strikes, the ground reaction force is greater and contains an initial peak which is void in a …

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

2016 (Spring) Ensi Informer Magazine, Morehead State University. Engineering Sciences Department

ENSI Informer Magazine Archive

The ENSI Informer Magazine published in the spring of 2016.

Thawing Out: The Role Of The Arctic Council Service In A Melting Arctic, Taylor J. Enos

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

With the changing natural and political climate of the Arctic, conflicts over resource extraction and navigation will become inevitable. Empowering an intergovernmental institution like the Arctic Council Service may be the only solution. This paper analyzes the importance and history of the Arctic as a political environment, which is prone to abuse in the very near future at the hands of Russia and the United States.

Exploring Transit Ridership Using Census, Routing & Scheduling, And Stop Characteristic Data, Douglas Harvey Moody

Master's Theses

This study develops, analyzes, and a­­­­­pplies transit-system-specific regression tree models that identify and prioritize transit system improvements through analysis and application of ridership, Census, routing and scheduling, and transit stop characteristic data. Regression trees identify and rank independent variables that split dependent variable datasets into meaningful subsets according to significant relationships with independent variable datasets, and regression tree models can be used to identify and prioritize transit system improvements. In this study, ridership datatypes are the dependent variables (i.e., boardings and alightings) and Census, routing and scheduling, and transit stop characteristic datatypes are the independent variables. Data associated with the …

Taylor Place- Fire Life Safety Report, Christopher Thomas

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This document is a Fire and Life Safety Report on the Taylor Place Dormitory located in Phoenix, Arizona as part of the Arizona State University (ASU) downtown campus. The building was evaluated on a prescriptive basis based on the current City of Phoenix building codes and further evaluated on using performance based methods from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Handbook and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code®.

These building features and systems were evaluated using prescriptive methods:

General construction, fire resistive construction and fire resistive separations Occupancy, Life safety features and building egress Smoke management …

Micro-Mechanics: Fire And Life Safety Evaluation, Michael Beam

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The purpose of this report is to perform a fire and life safety evaluation of an existing building, Micro-Mechanics. The current codes and standards are used to evaluate the following prescriptive fire protection systems including: Occupancy and Hazard Classification, Structural Fire Protection, Egress Analysis, Fire Detection, Alarm and Communication Systems, and Fire Suppression Systems. An evaluation of possible special hazards is discussed to determine if any extra precautions need to be taken to prevent uncontrollable fire or explosions. A performance based analysis is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the prescriptive building systems. Using a combination of computer models including …

Development Of High-Order PN Models For Radiative Heat Transfer In Special Geometries And Boundary Conditions, Wenjun Ge, Michael F. Modest, Somesh Roy

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The high-order spherical harmonics () method for 2-D Cartesian domains is extracted from the 3-D formulation. The number of equations and intensity coefficients reduces to (N+1)2/4 in the 2-D Cartesian formulation compared with N(N+1)/2 for the general 3-D formulation. The Marshak boundary conditions are extended to solve problems with nonblack and mixed diffuse-specular surfaces. Additional boundary conditions for specified radiative wall flux, for symmetry/specular reflection boundaries have also been developed. The mathematical details of the formulations and their implementation in the OpenFOAM finite volume based CFD software platform are presented. The accuracy and computational cost of the 2-D Cartesian are …

Evaluation Of The Accuracy Of Approach Volume Counts And Speeds Collected By Microwave Sensors, Gregory Hans Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the accuracy of approach volumes and free flow approach speeds collected by the Wavetronix SmartSensor Advance sensor using the field data collected by JAMAR counter boards for free flow approach volumes and a TruCam LiDAR gun for approach speeds. The Advance sensor is primarily designed for dilemma zone reduction. It does not have the capability to differentiate between lanes, but the Advance sensor currently used has a detection range of up to 600 ft. and has the capability to track vehicles approaching the intersection. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) wanted to use this capability to get …

Using Source-To-Source Transformations To Add Debug Observability To Hls-Synthesized Circuits, Joshua Scott Monson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a novel approach for exposing the internal, source-level expressions of circuits generated by high-level synthesis (HLS) for in-circuit debug. The approach uses source-to-source transformations to instrument specific source-level expressions with debug ports. These debug ports allow a user to connect a debugging instrument (e.g. an embedded logic analyzer) to record the activity of the expression corresponding to the debug port. This dissertation demonstrates that a debugging solution based on these source-to-source transformations is feasible and that individual debug ports can be added for a cost of a 1-2% increase in circuit area on average. It also introduces …

Measuring Soft Error Sensitivity Of Fpga Soft Processor Designs Using Fault Injection, Nathan Arthur Harward

Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly, soft processors are being considered for use within FPGA-based reliable computing systems. In an environment in which radiation is a concern, such as space, the logic and routing (configuration memory) of soft processors are sensitive to radiation effects, including single event upsets (SEUs). Thus, effective tools are needed to evaluate and estimate how sensitive the configuration memories of soft processors are in high-radiation environments. A high-speed FPGA fault injection system and methodology were created using the Xilinx Radiation Test Consortium's (XRTC's) Virtex-5 radiation test hardware to conduct exhaustive tests of the SEU sensitivity of a design within an FPGA's …

Predicted Stresses In Ball-Grid-Array (Bga) And Column-Grid-Array (Cga) Interconnections In A Mirror-Like Package Design, Ephraim Suhir, Reza Ghaffarian, Johann Nicolics

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is an obvious incentive for using bow-free (temperature change insensitive) assemblies in various areas of engineering, including electron device and electronic packaging fields. The induced stresses in a bow-free assembly could be, however, rather high, considerably higher than in an assembly, whose bow is not restricted. The simplest and trivial case of a bow-free assembly is a tri-component body, in which the inner component is sandwiched between two identical outer components (“mirror” structure), is addressed in our analysis, and a simple and physically meaningful analytical stress model is suggested. It is concluded that if acceptable stresses (below yield stress …

Dynamic Stall Of An Experimental Wind Turbine Blade, Matthew Scott Melius, Raúl Bayoán Cal, Karen Mulleners

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To understand the complex flow phenomena over wind turbine blades during stall development, a scaled three-dimensional non-rotating blade model is designed to be dynamically similar to a rotating full-scale NREL 5 MW wind turbine blade. A time-resolved particle imagevelocimetry(PIV) investigation of flowbehavior during the stall cycle examines the processes of stall development and flow reattachment. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and vortex detection techniques are applied to the PIV fields to quantify relevant flow characteristics such as vortex size, separation angle, and separation point throughout a dynamic pitching cycle. The behavior of the POD coefficients provides time scales for the transitional …