Engineering Commons^™

Waterproofing Options For Bridge Decks, Danny Wells, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Due to the increasing use of deicing chemicals and the subsequent intrusion of chlorides into bridge decks, it is necessary to expand the use of available protective measures, including waterproofing materials. Waterproofing options that fall into three categories; 1) membranes (liquid and sheet systems), 2) friction polymers (laminates), and 3) polymer asphalts. This study assessed the waterproofing characteristics of these products. Prior to this study, no common test had been established to compare the performance of waterproofing products. A test method was developed that closely follows ASTM D5084, “Standard Test Methods for Measurement of Hydraulic Conductivity of Saturated Porous Materials …

Interference Mitigating Satellite Broadcast Receiver Using Reduced Complexity List-Based Detection In Correlated Noise, Zohair Abu-Shaban, Hani Mehrpouyan, Bhavani Shankar M.R., Björn Ottersten

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recent commercial trends towards using smaller dish antennas for satellite receivers, and the growing density of broadcasting satellites, necessitate the application of robust adjacent satellite interference (ASI) cancellation schemes. This orbital density growth along with the wider beamwidth of a smaller dish have imposed an overloaded scenario at the satellite receiver, where the number of transmitting satellites exceeds the number of receiving elements at the dish antenna. To ensure successful operation in this practical scenario, we propose a satellite receiver that enhances signal detection from the desired satellite by mitigating the interference from neighboring satellites. Towards this objective, we …

Data From: Market Segment Prediction Tool, Philip L. Winters, Amy Lester

TREC Datasets and Databases

Social marketing seeks to develop and integrate marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviors that benefit individuals and communities for the greater social good. Social marketing is a useful transportation demand management (TDM) planning approach to promote travel-behavior change, and combines at least seven distinguishing features that sets it apart from other popular, behavior-change planning approaches, such as education and mass media campaigns. These seven features include a focus on socially beneficial behavior change; a strong consumer orientation; the use of audience segmentation techniques and the selection of target audiences; the use of marketing’s conceptual framework (marketing mix and …

Capturing The Competing Influence Of Thermal And Mechanical Loads On The Strain Of Turbine Blade Coatings Via High Energy X-Rays, Albert Manero, Kevin Knipe, Janine Wischek, Carla Meid, John Okasinski, Jonathan Almer, Anette M. Karlsson, Marion Bartsch, Seetha Raghavan

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents findings of synchrotron diffraction measurements on tubular specimens with a thermal barrier coating (TBC) system applied by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD), having a thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer due to aging in hot air. The diffraction measurements were in situ while applying a thermal cycle with high temperature holds at 1000 °C and varying internal air cooling mass flow and mechanical load. It was observed that, during high temperature holds at 1000 °C, the TGO strain approached zero if no mechanical load or internal cooling was applied. When applying a mechanical load, the TGO in-plane …

Net Zero Energy Houses With Dispatchable Solar Pv Power Supported By Electric Water Heater And Battery Energy Storage, Huangjie Gong, Vandana Rallabandi, Dan M. Ionel, Donald G. Colliver, Shaun Duerr, Cristinel Ababei

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Over a year, net zero energy (NZE) houses produce and feed zero net metered electrical energy to the grid. Technical challenges, notably the `duck curve' arise due to the fact that peak solar generation and load demand are seldom coincident. Common approaches to mitigate this limitation include the curtailment of solar power, and the use of storage. Surplus solar energy may be stored in a battery, which can subsequently be discharged to supply the home electricity needs when demand is in excess. In addition to batteries, less expensive electric water heaters, which are ubiquitous, can be modified as energy storage …

What You Don’T See, Brent Sturlaugson

Architecture Faculty Publications

Follow the supply chains of architecture and you’ll find not just product manufacturers but also environmental polluters and elusive networks of financial power and political influence.

Përmirsimi I Performancës Së Energjisë Përmes Smart Sistemeve Me Demostrim Në Kampusin E Ubt-Së, Musa Rama

Theses and Dissertations

Qëllimi i punimit të kësaj teme të diplomës në nivelin bachelor, është krijimi i një sistemi smart (të mençur) për kontrollimin e pajisjeve elektrike në shtëpi dhe objekte afariste. Duke tentuar që përmes këtij sistemi të mundësohet ngritja e performances së energjisë, konkretisht zvogëlimi i shpenzimeve elektrike përmes kontrollimit nga sistemi smart.

Në fillim ky sistem do të ndërtohet duke u bazuar në tre senzorë të cilët do të komunikojnë me softwerin e instaluar në telefonat e mençur, duke i lënë hapësirë dhe mundësi të zgjerimit të më tutjeshëm në varësi të kërkesave që do të dalin gjatë fazës së …

Lidhja E Turbinave Me Erë Në Sistemin Fotovoltaik, Blinera Bërbatovci

Theses and Dissertations

Zhvillimi i burimeve të ripërtrishme të energjisë po bëhet gjithnjë e më tërheqës. Në vitet e fundit prodhimi i energjisë fotovoltaike dhe energjisë së erës është rritur ndjeshëm. Një sistem energjie hibride përbëhet nga dy ose më shumë burime të ripërtërishme të energjisë të përdorura së bashku për të siguruar një rritje të efikasitetit të sistemit si dhe një ekuliber më të madh në furnizim me energji. Në këtë projekt sistemi hybrid i energjisë është një grup fotovoltaik i shoqruar me turbinë me erë. Ndërlidhja e rrjetit konverton rrezultatet e frekuencës dhe magnitudes të ndryshueshme nga sistemi Wind/PV në frekuencën …

Ndikimi I Sistemeve Të Tokëzimt Në Mbrojtje, Nderim Dema

Theses and Dissertations

Një pjesë e madhe e dëmtimeve ndodhin për shkak të dëmtimit të izolimit e që nuk është e lidhur me prodhuesin e tij. Dëmtimi i izolimit ndodh për shkak të dëmtimit fizik nga ana e personelit apo paisjeve ,vjetërimi i përshpejtuar nga temperaturat,ambient i papërshtatshëm ,mbitensionet, dëmtimet nga uji, tërheqja e tepërt e kabllove, realizimi jo i mirë i lidhjeve etj. Në mbrojtje gjithashtu luan rol të madh edhe sistemi i tokëzimit, ku do të përshkruajmë mënyrën e realizimit të tokëzimit në nënstacione, pajisjet për tokëzim dhe të gjitha parametrat e tij. Këtu do të flasim edhe për sistemet e …

Sfidat E Trajtimit Të Ndërtimeve Pa Leje, Rasti I Komunës Së Mitrovicës Së Jugut, Migjen Abrashi

Theses and Dissertations

Me hyrjen në fuqi të Ligjit Nr.04/L-188 për trajtimin e ndërtimeve pa leje është krijuar mundësia për trajtimin e ndërtimeve pa leje në territorin e Republikës se Kosovës. Ky ligj ka përcaktuar një procedure unike për trajtimin e ndërtimeve pa leje në tërë territorin e Republikës se Kosovës. Ligji ka hyrë në fuqi me 5 Shkurt 2014 dhe ka qenë në fuqi për tri (3) vite. Ky Ligj ka legalizuar vetëm ndërtimet. NUK ka përcaktuar pronësinë ndaj ndërtimit ose pronësinë ndaj parcelës ku është ndërtuar.

Në Kosovë, procesi i trajtimit të ndërtimeve pa leje ka qenë si pjesë e punës …

Assembling Of Niox/Mwcnts-Gc Anodic Nanocatalyst For Water Electrolysis Applications, Yaser M. Asal Mr., Islam M. Al-Akraa Dr, Saher D. Khamis Eng

Chemical Engineering

Glassy carbon (GC) electrode is intended to be modified with nickel oxide (NiOx) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the anodic reaction of water electrolysis. NiOx deposition time is optimized and a 5 min was enough to attain the maximum activity. A further modification of the catalyst with MWCNTs could greatly enhance its stability during continuous electrolysis. As an outcome, an energy amount of 21.7 kWh/KgO₂ is minimized. Several electrochemical and materials characterization setups will be utilized to test the catalyst activity and to know its geometry and structure.

Determining The Respiratory State From A Seismocardiographic Signal - A Machine Learning Approach, Christian Ulrich, Martin Jensen, Rolf Oberlin, Kouhyar Tavakolian, Farzad Khosrow-Khavar, Andrew Blaber, Kasper Sørensen, Samuel Schmidt

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

Seismocardiography (SCG) is a non-invasive method for measurement of vibrations on the chest wall originating from the heart. Respiration changes the morphology of the SCG-signal and analyzing these changes could improve the diagnostic value of SCG. This study aimed to determine the nasal respiration signal amplitude at mitral closure (MC) and aortic opening (AO) using SCG features. The three proposed methods for this were multiple regression analysis (MRA), support vector regression (SVR), and a neural network (NN). SCG, Electrocardiography and nasal-catheter flow signals were acquired from 18 healthy subjects (age 29± 6). SCG-signal fiducial points were used as features and …

Advancing Bridge Technology, Task 10: Statistical Analysis And Modeling Of Us Concrete Highway Bridge Deck Performance -- Internal Final Report, Omar Ghonima, Thomas Schumacher, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Adam Fleischhacker

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Concrete highway bridge deck repairs represent the highest expense associated with bridge maintenance cost. In order to optimize such activities and use the available monies effectively, a solid understanding of the parameters that affect the performance of concrete bridge decks is critical. The National Bridge Inventory (NBI), perhaps the single-most comprehensive source of bridge information, gathers data on more than 600,000 bridges in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Focusing on concrete highway bridge deck performance, this research developed a nationwide database based on NBI data and other critical parameters that were computed …

Internal Gravity Waves And Meso/Submesoscale Currents In The Ocean Anticipating High-Resolution Observations From The Swot Swath Altimeter Mission, Edward D. Zaron, Cesar B. Rocha

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article offers information on the meeting “Interactions between Internal Gravity Waves and Meso/Submesoscale Currents in the Ocean," held in Portland, Oregon, on February 10-11, 2018. Topics discussed include the role played by geostationary satellites in atmospheric science, the result of interactions between high-frequency internal gravity waves and low-frequency mesoscale andsubmesoscale currents in the ocean, and kinetic energy spectrum of surface currents.

Development Of A Crash Risk-Scoring Tool For Pedestrian And Bicycle Projects In Oregon, Yi Wang, Christopher M. Monsere, Chen Chen, Haizhong Wang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Methods for identifying and prioritizing high-crash locations for safety improvements are generally crash-based. There are fewer reported crashes involving non-motorized users and, in most states, reported crashes must involve a motor vehicle. This means that minor, non-injury events are not reported and those crashes that are reported tend to be more severe. Selecting projects based only on crash performance is sometimes limiting for these crash types and predicting where these crashes will occur next is also a challenging task. An alternative to crash-based selection is to develop risk-based criteria and methods. This paper presents the results of a research effort …

Advanced Metal Oxides And Nitrides Thermoelectric Materials For Energy Harvesting, Yining Feng, Evan Witkoske, Elizabeth S. Bell, Yang Wang, Athanasios Tzempelikos, Ian T. Ferguson, Na Lu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Metal oxides and nitrides are widely used in many applications as a result of their high mechanical, chemical, and electrical properties. In high temperature thermoelectric applications, oxides and nitrides exhibit high thermopower and thermal stability. Moreover, most oxides and nitrides are consisted of earth abundant elements, which are non-toxic, cost effective and easy for large-scale synthesis. In this article, we reviewed the recent advances of metal oxides and nitrides and their applications in thermoelectric. The materials that are examined include both p-type semiconductors (e.g. NaxCoO₂, Ca₃Co₄O₉, GaN) and n-type semiconductors (e.g. ZnO-based, …

Ultrafast X-Ray Imaging Of Laser-Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes, Niranjan D. Parab, Cang Zhao, Ross Cunningham, Luis I. Escano, Kamel Fezzaa, Wes Everhart, Anthony D. Rollett, Lianyi Chen, Tao Sun

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging technique was synchronized with a custom-built laser-melting setup to capture the dynamics of laser powder-bed fusion processes in situ. Various significant phenomena, including vapor-depression and melt-pool dynamics and powder-spatter ejection, were captured with high spatial and temporal resolution. Imaging frame rates of up to 10 MHz were used to capture the rapid changes in these highly dynamic phenomena. At the same time, relatively slow frame rates were employed to capture large-scale changes during the process. This experimental platform will be vital in the further understanding of laser additive manufacturing processes and will be particularly …

Deformation Of A Ferrofluid Droplet In Simple Shear Flows Under Uniform Magnetic Fields, Md Rifat Hassan, Jie Zhang, Cheng Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We numerically investigate the deformation and orientation of a ferrofluid droplet in a simple shear flow under a uniform magnetic field. The numerical simulation is based on the finite element method and couples the magnetic and flow fields. A level set method is used to model the dynamic motion of the droplet interface. Systematic numerical simulations are used to assess the effects of the direction and the strength of the magnetic field. Focusing on low Reynolds number flows (Re ≲ 0.02), the numerical results indicate that at a small capillary number (Ca ≈ 0.02), the magnetic field dominates over the …

Locomotion Of A Cylindrical Rolling Robot With A Shape Changing Outer Surface, Michael G. Puopolo, Jamey D. Jacob, Emilio Gabino

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A cylindrical rolling robot is developed that generates roll torque by changing the shape of its flexible, elliptical outer surface whenever one of four elliptical axes rotates past an inclination called trigger angle. The robot is equipped with a sensing/control system by which it measures angular position and angular velocity, and computes error with respect to a desired step angular velocity profile. When shape change is triggered, the newly assumed shape of the outer surface is determined according to the computed error. A series of trial rolls is conducted using various trigger angles, and energy consumed by the actuation motor …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, September 2018, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

2018 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of the survey summarized in this report was to establish a statewide safety belt usage rate in Kentucky for 2018. This rate can be compared to those determined from previous surveys. The 2018 statewide survey documents the continued increase in usage associated with the change in the law to allow primary enforcement and related education and enforcement.

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2013-2017), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Paul A. Ross

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

This report documents an analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky for the years of 2013-2017. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Rates were calculated for various types of highways and for counties and cities. Difference criteria were used for exposure.

Average and critical numbers and rates of crashes were calculated for various types of highways in rural and urban areas. These rates used crashes identified on highways where traffic volumes were available. Improved methods of identifying crash locations have resulted in higher rates for the last couple of …

An Assessment Of The Greatest Impacts On Distribution Uniformity For Drip And Micro Irrigation, Brooke Ashley Worden

Master's Theses

Using the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Centers (ITRC) drip/micro evaluation program, global, or system, DU_lq is computed by combining the component DU_lq values of: pressure variation, uneven spacing between emitters, unequal drainage and “other” causes. “Other” causes include plugging, wear and manufacturing coefficient. The program also computes what percentage of the non-uniformity is due to each component. Burt (2004) showed that over 95% of the non-uniformity is due to “Other” causes and pressure differences. This thesis looks at what specifically in those components is driving the non-uniformity by analyzing various equipment and field practices and their …

Voltage Effects On Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Mediated Contractions Of Airway Smooth Muscle, Iurii Semenov, Robert Brenner

Bioelectrics Publications

Studies have shown that the activity of muscarinic receptors and their affinity to agonists are sensitive to membrane potential. It was reported that in airway smooth muscle (ASM) depolarization evoked by high K⁺ solution increases contractility through direct effects on M3 muscarinic receptors. In this study, we assessed the physiological relevance of voltage sensitivity of muscarinic receptors on ASM contractility. Our findings reveal that depolarization by high K⁺ solution induces contraction in intact mouse trachea predominantly through activation of acetylcholine release from embedded nerves, and to a lesser extent by direct effects on M3 receptors. We therefore devised …

Moderate Heat Application Enhances The Efficacy Of Nanosecond Pulse Stimulation For The Treatment Of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Chelsea M. Edelblute, Sigi Guo, Embo Yang, Chunqi Jiang, Karl Schoenbach, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Nanosecond pulse stimulation as a tumor ablation therapy has been studied for the treatment of various carcinomas in animal models and has shown a significant survival benefit. In the current study, we found that moderate heating at 43°C for 2 minutes significantly enhanced in vitro nanosecond pulse stimulation-induced cell death of KLN205 murine squamous cell carcinoma cells by 2.43-fold at 600 V and by 2.32-fold at 900 V, as evidenced by propidium iodide uptake. Furthermore, the ablation zone in KLN205 cells placed in a 3-dimensional cell-culture model and pulsed at a voltage of 900 V at 43°C was 3 times …

Torque Production Capability Of Axial Flux Machines With Single And Double Rotor Configurations, Narges Taran, Greg Heins, Vandana Rallabandi, Dean Patterson, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Axial flux PM (AFPM) machines are used particularly in applications requiring a compact structure. Their disc shape topology and axial air-gap have lead to a variety of configurations including two popular ones: the yokeless and segmented armature (YASA), and the single-stator single-rotor or single sided machine. In this study, a comprehensive comparative analysis of these configurations is conducted at different magnetic and electric loadings. It is found that at lower loadings, typically employed for air-cooled machines, the torque/ampere characteristics of the YASA machine are almost identical to those of a single sided machine constructed with half the magnet volume. On …

Transistor-Clamped Multilevel H-Bridge Inverter In Si And Sic Hybrid Configuration For High-Efficiency Photovoltaic Applications, Yibin Zhang, Jiangbiao He, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Using wide bandgap (WBG) devices has been a promising solution to improve the efficiency of power inverters for photovoltaic (PV) applications. However, for multilevel inverters, using WBG devices to improve the inverter efficiency can increase the system cost dramatically due to the high price of WBG devices in the present market as well as the large number of power devices typically required in multilevel inverter topologies. In this paper, a five-level transistor clamped H-bridge (TCHB) inverter will be further investigated. This inverter requires much lower number of semiconductor switches and fewer isolated dc sources than the conventional cascaded H-bridge inverter. …

Flightline Simulation Model Of A Squadron, Huseyin Mert

Theses and Dissertations

Military flight training is a long and costly process. Ensuring that the training aircraft are ready for flight is critical in processing pilots through training courses on schedule. Maintaining a high mission capable rate for training aircraft requires scheduled periodic maintenance and maintenance between sorties. Aircraft Ground Equipment (AGE) is used to service each aircraft to make it ready for the following flight. Having a sufficient amount of AGE available is critical, as cancelling or delaying sorties due to lack of AGE generally has a significant impact on the training schedule. This work analyzes the AGE support equipment used in …

Application Of Spectral Solution And Neural Network Techniques In Plasma Modeling For Electric Propulsion, Joseph R. Whitman

Theses and Dissertations

A solver for Poisson's equation was developed using the Radix-2 FFT method first invented by Carl Friedrich Gauss. Its performance was characterized using simulated data and identical boundary conditions to those found in a Hall Effect Thruster. The characterization showed errors below machine-zero with noise-free data, and above 20% noise-to-signal strength, the error increased linearly with the noise. This solver can be implemented into AFRL's plasma simulator, the Thermophysics Universal Research Framework (TURF) and used to quickly and accurately compute the electric field based on charge distributions. The validity of a machine learning approach and data-based complex system modeling approach …

Navigation With Artificial Neural Networks, Joseph A. Curro Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the applications for Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) in the field of Navigation. The state of the art for ANNs has improved significantly so now they can rival and even surpass humans in problems once thought impossible. We present different methods to augment, combine, or replace existing Navigation filters with ANN. The main focus of these methods is to use as much existing knowledge as possible then use ANNs to extend the current knowledge base. Next, improvements are made for a class of Artificial Neural Network (ANN)s which provide covariance called Mixture Density …