Engineering Commons^™

A Flexible Pet-Based Wearable Sensor For Arterial Pulse Waveform Measurement, Dan Wang, Dean Krusienski, Zhili Hao

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In light of the need of health monitoring, the paper presents a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based wearable sensor for arterial pulse waveform measurement. The sensor encompasses a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructure embedded with an electrolyte-enabled 5×1 transducer array, which spans 6mm and has a spatial resolution of 1.5mm. A pulse signal exerts a deflection on the microstructure and is recorded as a resistance change by a transducer at the site of the pulse. An untrained individual can easily align the sensor on a targeted artery with a negligible margin and then acquire the arterial pulse waveform continuously and non-invasively. This sensor …

Integrating Cobots In Engineering Technology Education, Ana M. Djuric, Vukica Jovanovic, Tatiana V. Goris, Otilia Popescu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Collaborative robots or CoBots, unlike traditional robots, are safe and flexible enough to work harmoniously with humans. Exploiting the efficiency of automated operations and the flexibility of manual operations in one process can improve productivity and worker job satisfaction. CoBots technology has been experiencing strong growth in different areas such as ground transportation, food-processing industry, car manufacturing, and naval or aeronautical engineering. Current CoBots education and training opportunities are rare or non-existent in university environments. In response to this need, we developed several CoBots modules which will be integrated in the current robotics and mechatronics courses. In this paper we …

Modeling Of Reliability And Performance Assessment Of A Dissimilar Redundancy Actuation System With Failure Monitoring, Wang Shaoping, Cui Xiaoyu, Shi Jian, Mileta M. Tomovic, Jiao Zongxia

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Actuation system is a vital system in an aircraft, providing the force necessary to move flight control surfaces. The system has a significant influence on the overall aircraft performance and its safety. In order to further increase already high reliability and safety, Airbus has implemented a dissimilar redundancy actuation system (DRAS) in its aircraft. The DRAS consists of a hydraulic actuation system (HAS) and an electro-hydrostatic actuation system (EHAS), in which the HAS utilizes a hydraulic source (HS) to move the control surface and the EHAS utilizes an electrical supply (ES) to provide the motion force. This paper focuses on …

Normalized Effect Of Condenser Fouling And Refrigerant Charge On Performance Of Vapor Compression Air Conditioning Systems, Mehdi Mehrabi, David Yuill

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Several laboratory experiments have studied the effect of faults on vapor compression cycle air-conditioning systems. There has been a particular focus on refrigerant charge variation, which is believed to be quite common in air conditioners, and a lesser focus on heat exchanger fouling. The majority of the published results evaluate the fault effects on particular system operating parameters in one unit. For example, the effect on capacity and efficiency are typically evaluated. The results differ from one study to the next. The current paper summarizes the effects for all of the results available in the literature for condenser fouling and …

Student Absenteeism And The Comparisons Of Two Sampling Procedures For Culturable Bioaerosol Measurement In Classrooms With And Without Upper Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Devices, Chunxiao Su, Josephine Lau, Shawn G. Gibbs

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Upper room ultraviolet germicidal irradiance (UVGI) has been shown to reduce the concentration of bioaerosols in controlled chambers. However, there is a lack of experimental results on the reduction of bioaerosol concentrations by UVGI devices in actual uncontrolled buildings. This study was carried out in an American elementary school in the Midwest. Two sampling procedures were carried out in six selected classrooms with similar dimensions that were separated into two groups: (1) UVGI exposure group and (2) non-UVGI control group. Two-stage Tisch culturable impactors were utilized to collect airborne culturable bacteria and fungi. Monthly samples were collected during unoccupied period …

Electricity Sector Reform: Sourcing And Cost Management Of Electricity For Steel Manufacturing In Nigeria, Christopher Ndubuisi Okonkwo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2014, Lazard levelized cost of energy analysis model priced diesel powered systems at $0.225 – $0.404/KWh and a range of $0.165 – $0.242/KWh for gas-powered systems. The model gave a range of $0.28 – $0.33/kWh for diesel and a range of $0.14/kWh – $0.16/kW for gas fired. Nigeria has an abundance of gas reserves, but heavy gas flaring by oil companies perpetuates power failure across Nigeria. What has resulted is an unreliable electricity infrastructure and a high cost of alternative energy. The Electricity Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 started the reform process. Guided by decision theory, the purpose …

Real-Time Beamformer Development And Analysis Of Weak Signal Detection With Interference Mitigation For Phased-Array Feed Radio Astronomy, James Michael Brady

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the Brigham Young University (BYU) Radio Astronomy Systems group has developed phased-array feeds and the data acquisition processing systems necessary to perform radio astronomy observations. This thesis describes the development and testing of a real-time digital beamforming system that reduces both the time required to process phased-array feed data and the disk space used to record this data compared to post-processing beamforming systems. A real-data experiment is also discussed in this thesis, which focuses on some of the data post-processing required for one of BYU's data acquisition systems.Radio-frequency interference mitigation techniques for phased-array feed radio astronomy have …

Analyses Of 476 Mhz And 952 Mhz Crab Cavities For Jlab Electron Ion Collider, Hyekyoung Park, A. Castilla, J. R. Delayen, S. U. De Silva, V. Morozov

Physics Faculty Publications

Center for Accelerator Science at ODU has designed, fabricated and successfully tested a crab cavity for MEIC at Jefferson Lab*. This proof of principle cavity was based on the earlier MEIC design which used 748.5 MHz RF system. The updated MEIC design** utilizes the components from PEP-II. It results in the change on the bunch repetition rate of stored beam to 476.3 MHz. The ion ring collider will eventually require 952.6 MHz crab cavity. This paper will present the analyses of crab cavities of both 476 MHz and 952 MHz options. It compares advantages and disadvantages of the options which …

Refractive Index And Thermo-Optic Coefficients Of Ge-As-Se Chalcogenide Glasses, Benn Gleason, Kathleen Richardson, Laura Sisken, Charmayne Smith (Lonergan)

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Seventeen glasses in the Ge-As-Se ternary glass-forming region have been fabricated and analyzed to provide input for optical design data and to establish composition- and structure-based relationships to aide development of novel chalcogenide glasses with tailored optical functionality. While known that Ge addition to binary As-Se glasses enhances the mean coordination number (MCN) of the network and results in increased Tg and decreased CTE, this work highlights the impact on optical properties, specifically mid-wave (λ = 4.515 μm) index and thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT). Trends in property changes were correlated with an excess or deficiency of chalcogen content in the glassy …

Post-Disaster Supply Chain Interdependent Critical Infrastructure System Restoration: A Review Of Data Necessary And Available For Modeling, Varun Ramachandran, Suzanna Long, Tom Shoberg, Steven Corns, Hector J. Carlo

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The majority of restoration strategies in the wake of large-scale disasters have focused on short-term emergency response solutions. Few consider medium- to long-term restoration strategies to reconnect urban areas to national supply chain interdependent critical infrastructure systems (SCICI). These SCICI promote the effective flow of goods, services, and information vital to the economic vitality of an urban environment. To re-establish the connectivity that has been broken during a disaster between the different SCICI, relationships between these systems must be identified, formulated, and added to a common framework to form a system-level restoration plan. To accomplish this goal, a considerable collection …

Structure And Corrosion Behavior Of Sputter Deposited Ce-Al-O Coating On Al 2024-T3 Alloy Substrates, Yuanyuan Liu, Jiamu Huang, James B. Claypool, Matthew J. O'Keefe

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Deposition of Ce-Al-O coatings on Al 2024-T3 alloy substrates was conducted by magnetron co-sputtering of CeO₂ and Al targets. The incorporation of Al into the CeO₂ film resulted in an amorphous or nanocrystalline structure with binding energy states different from Al, Al₂O₃, and CeO₂. Electrochemical measurements indicated that the amorphous or nanocrystalline Ce-Al-O coating increased the corrosion resistance of bare Al 2024-T3 substrates by more than three orders of magnitude and exhibited a very different cathodic and anodic protective mechanism compared to Al and CeO₂ coated and as-polished Al 2024-T3 samples. …

Coupled Crystal Orientation-Size Effects On The Strength Of Nano Crystals, Rui Yuan, Irene J. Beyerlein, Caizhi Zhou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We study the combined effects of grain size and texture on the strength of nanocrystalline copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) using a crystal-plasticity based mechanics model. Within the model, slip occurs in discrete slip events exclusively by individual dislocations emitted statistically from the grain boundaries. We show that a Hall-Petch relationship emerges in both initially texture and non-textured materials and our values are in agreement with experimental measurements from numerous studies. We find that the Hall-Petch slope increases with texture strength, indicating that preferred orientations intensify the enhancements in strength that accompany grain size reductions. These findings reveal that texture …

A Unit Design : Learning To Code With Finches, William V. Gruman

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to develop a coding unit for students in grades 5-8 as an introductory programming course using the programming language SNAP! with a Finch robotics platform. The robotics platform provides a means of student engagement that allows them to complete computer programming challenges that drive interest and motivation. A series of five major learning activities were created as part of a middle school technology exploratory course. The beta testers included the four course instructors and around 30 of middle school student volunteers.

The designed unit was implemented once as a pilot, and was being implemented …

Numerical Simulations Of Wind Effects On Wave Nonlinearity And Hurricane-Induced Sediment Transport On Louisiana Coast, Ke Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this study is to model wind effects on wave nonlinearity and the sediment suspension, transport and redistribution caused by hurricanes. The following questions are addressed through numerical simulations: (1) How do winds affect wave triad interactions and wave shape in the shallow water? (2) What is the role of hurricanes in coastal landscape evolution? Do they create more erosion or deposition? (3) Where does the observed post-hurricane deposition on coastal wetlands come from? First, wind effects were incorporated into a Boussinesq-type wave model, and evolution equations were derived for triad interactions with winds. Second, a coupled modeling …

Output Feedback Adaptive Control With Low-Frequency Learning And Fast Adaptation, Tanmay Rajpurohit, Wassim M. Haddad, Tansel Yucelen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although adaptive control has been used in numerous applications to achieve system performance without excessive reliance on system models, the necessity of high-gain learning rates for achieving fast adaptation can be a serious limitation of adaptive controllers. Specifically, in safety-critical systems involving large system uncertainties and abrupt changes in system dynamics, fast adaptation is required to achieve stringent tracking performance specifications. However, fast adaptation using high-gain learning rates can cause high-frequency oscillations in the control response, resulting in system instability. This paper develops an output feedback adaptive control framework for continuous-time minimum-phase multivariable dynamical systems for output stabilization and command …

The Effect Of Drying On The Release Of Small Hydrophilic Molecular Drugs From Polyelectrolyte Complex Beads, Dounsavanh Letdara

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The effects of bead composition and dryness on the release rate of small molecules, like a drug or dye, from polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) beads were studied. Release studies were performed on dried and not dried beads prepared using different PEC to drug ratios. The beads were dried for two hours, which allowed them to reach a constant weight. The beads were loaded with a dye, so their release could be detected through the visible light regime. A plate reader was used to determine the absorbance of a sample, and then the amount of dye released was determined. The data presented …

Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion: Rhamnolipid Effects, Andrea M. Wildroudt

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this experiment was to identify if a rhamnolipid could inhibit the growth of a biofilm on carbon steel coupons and result in less corrosion activity. This type of research impacts various industries (with one of the largest being the oil and gas industry). Multiple systems with varying concentrations of the rhamnolipid were created to determine, if any, the optimum concentration to inhibit biofilm growth. The systems were created and exposed to optimum physio-chemical environments to promote SRB induced corrosion. Coupons were immersed for 28 days. Seven systems were created with varying rhamnolipid concentrations; to ensure accurate results, …

Calcium Alginate Microbead Production Via An Air Assisted Shearing Process, Ryan Loftus

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project was to model the size of calcium alginate microbeads produced by extruding a solution of 1.5 wt.% alginate from a syringe and needle with air shear generated from a pneumatic line flowing in an annular tube around the extrusion needle. The air shear would create microdroplets that would fall into a solution of 2 wt.% calcium chloride in water, crosslinking the droplets into beads. These microbeads can be used in drug dispersion applications or in encapsulation of cells throughout the body due to their biocompatibility. The goal was to create uniform beads that ranged from …

Protein Sequence-Structure-Function Relationship: Testing Ke-50 Modification On Recombinant Green Fluorescent Protein (Acgfp), Anna E. Burkey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Protein modification shows promise for improving the effectiveness of protein therapy, including the use of Interferon-beta-1b for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The addition of a chain of 50 lysine and glutamic acid residues (also called a KE50 modification) was tested on green fluorescent protein (AcGFP) to determine its effect on the bioactivity of the protein. Standard transformation protocol was used to grow the normal and modified proteins in E.Coli, and the bioactivity of the protein was measured using quantum yield and extinction coefficients to determine the reduction in brightness from the native form to the modified form. The …

Separation Of Water From Ulsd Using Superhydrophobic Ps Nanofiber Mats, Alisa G. Webel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Superhydrophobic polystyrene nanofiber membranes have potential to separate micron scale water droplets from organic due to their hydrophobicity and small pore openings. Polystyrene nanofibers were electrospun into flat sheets and cylindrical filter membranes. The fibers were crosslinked to increase strength and reduce solubility in diesel fuel. The filters were tested and the filtration efficiency was compared to their non-crosslinked counterparts. The optimal electrospinning conditions to create superhydrophobic nanofibers were found to be 20 wt. % PS fibers at 1 mL/hr. under a current of 20kV and at a distance of 20 cm away from the ground. It was found that …

Compact Electric Personal Transport, James M. Maganja Mr.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project was to design a compact and powerful personal transport vehicle around the high performance electric power systems associated with large radio controlled aircraft. The relatively powerful and lightweight components associated with these models are the perfect candidate for this application. The selected electric motor for instance is rated at 3kW of continuous power with a mass of just 384 grams.

There were engineering challenges that arose from using these types of components for a vehicle application. At its designed operating voltage the motor will be spinning at around 25,000 rpm. This will require a novel …

Pothole Reporting System, Brian G. Simmons Mr., Alissa L. Mcgill Ms., Elizabeth J. Hammell Ms., Sean D. Querry Mr.

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to create a pothole detection device that can be attached to the underside of a commercial vehicle. Potholes cost motorists around 6.4 billion dollars annually, thus demonstrating the need for a system to aid with the detections and reporting of potholes. The four systems we needed to consider for the implementation of this project were the power system, the sensing system, the data processing system, and the reporting and logging system. Power pulled from the vehicle will enable the sensors and data processing module. The data processing module will analyze the readings from the …

Home Networking With Enterprise Equipment, Alex Lowers

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project tested various wired and wireless topologies and benchmarked download speeds and quality for various types of media. For music, topology had a negligible impact. High quality video streams were impacted by latency introduced in the wireless topologies. Likewise, video game streaming, especially games of high graphical fidelity, were negatively impacted when streamed over a wireless network. For all types of media, a fully wired topology is recommended.

Cogeneration System Comparison For The Akron Water Treatment Plant, Devin J. Pearcy, Madison R. Morgan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Cogeneration is a process of electrical power generation that simultaneously harnesses the heat produced from that electrical generation and uses it to supply heat to a space. The Akron Water Plant was identified as potentially benefitting from this technology for two main reasons. First, they have a large and relatively constant electrical load. Second, they have ownership of a significant amount of natural gas wells at the site.

This report analyzes the economic feasibility of installing a cogeneration plant at the Akron Water Plant (AWP). Data was collected for the plant and its operations, including electricity bills, gas bills, plant …

Titan Wireless Camera Control System, Matthew J. Trowbridge, Ian Drake, Samuel Davis, Ognjen Krco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Titan Camera Control System is an eletromechanical device that allows the user to wirelessly control a camera’s digital operations as well as physical orientation through the use of a mobile device application. The Titan system accepts input in the form of virtual user commands on the mobile app and performs system output in the form of sending photos/video from the camera back to the app as well as changing the orientation of the camera in accordance with the user’s commands.

Nfpa 2015/2016 Chainless Challenge Project Report, Andrew Tupta, Andrew Ball, Stefan Stamboldziev, Jordon Spence, Sean Catchpole

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Parker Hannifin has issued a challenge to student design teams of creating a Chainless bike using a hydraulic system. Each student design team will be assigned a technical advisor from the University. The project will be divided into two phases after the initial kickoff. The first phase will align with senior design course for motion control and hydraulics and will yield the student obtaining knowledge in hydraulics, including bio-degradable fluids, pneumatics, electromechanical systems, green technologies (sustainable energy) and controlling force and motion. Students will be provided data sheets, a list of in-stock Parker components and by the end of the …

The University Of Akron Nfpa 2015/2016 Chainless Challenge, Andrew Tupta, Andrew Ball, Stefan Stamboldziev, Jordon Spence, Sean Catchpole

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Parker Hannifin has issued a challenge to student design teams of creating a Chainless bike using a hydraulic system. Each student design team will be assigned a technical advisor from the University. The project will be divided into two phases after the initial kickoff. The first phase will align with senior design course for motion control and hydraulics and will yield the student obtaining knowledge in hydraulics, including bio-degradable fluids, pneumatics, electromechanical systems, green technologies (sustainable energy) and controlling force and motion. Students will be provided data sheets, a list of in-stock Parker components and by the end of the …

The Smart Hard Hat, Darcy Fyffe, Connor Langenderfer, Charlton Johns

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In a wide variety of manual labor industries, workers are often unaware that they are approaching dangerous vital thresholds until they have already overexerted themselves. According to a 2012 white paper by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), over 4,500 workers lose their lives, and more than 4 million are seriously injured each year. There is an immediate need to improve the safety and monitoring of manual workers to reduce the number of workplace injuries and fatalities. Millions of laborers around the globe go to work every day relying on basic safety devices, such as harnesses and steel toed …

Reducing Fretting Corrosion At The Femoral Neck To Taper Junction In Total Hip Arthroplasty, Andrea M. Carly, Nicholas S. Moyer, Abel S. Pietros

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Fretting corrosion due to micromotion between the femoral head and neck of hip implants is a growing concern of surgeons and patients. Debris from corrosion can lead to severe adverse effects for patients of total hip arthroplasty and reduce the lifespan of the product. Previous studies conducted by Zimmer Biomet show a connection between higher impaction force and reduced fretting corrosion and debris. This design project explored this issue and developed a training device using a current technology, a dynamic force sensor, and data analysis software for surgeons to obtain muscle memory of a 4kN strike on the head impactor, …

Human Health Risks From Tap Water Chlorine Disinfection Byproducts: An Ohio Study, Leann L. Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The use of chlorine in the disinfection process for drinking water has resulted in the creation of disinfection byproducts in the potable water. These carcinogenic disinfection byproducts (DBP’s) pose a risk to consumers. Traveling through the water distribution system, stagnation of water in plumbing pipes, and the heating of the water in a hot water tank are all responsible for increasing the concentration of DBP’s. In this report, the existing concentrations of trihalomethanes (THM’s) and haloacetic acids (HAA’s) were gathered from the consumer confidence reports (CCR’s) of eight water treatment plants in five Ohio cities. These values were given assumed …