Engineering Commons^™

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2019, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Proactive Energy Optimization In Residential Buildings With Weather And Market Forecasts, Cody Simmons, Joshua Arment, Kody M. Powell, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

This work explores the development of a home energy management system (HEMS) that uses weather and market forecasts to optimize the usage of home appliances and to manage battery usage and solar power production. A Moving Horizon Estimation (MHE) application is used to find the unknown home model parameters. These parameters are then updated in a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) which optimizes and balances competing comfort and economic objectives. Combining MHE and MPC applications alleviates model complexity commonly seen in HEMS by using a lumped parameter model that is adapted to fit a high-fidelity model. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning …

Near-Coastal Ultrahigh Resolution Scatterometer Winds, Nolan Lawrence Hutchings

Theses and Dissertations

RapidScat 2.5 km ultrahigh resolution (UHR) wind estimation is introduced and validated it in near-coastal regions. In addition, this thesis applies direction interval retrieval techniques and develops a new wind processing method to enhance the performance of RapidScat UHR wind estimation in the nadir region. The new algorithm is validated with L2B wind estimates, Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) wind products, and buoy measurements. The wind processing improvements produce more spatially consistent UHR winds that compare well with the wind products mentioned above. Hawaii regional climate model (HRCM), QuikSCAT, and ASCAT wind estimates are compared in the lee of the Big …

An Exploration Of Neural Networks In Enhanced Resolution Remote Sensing Products, Jordan Paul Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Scatterometry and radiometry are used to obtain measurements of Earth properties with extensive spatial coverage at daily or near-daily temporal resolution. Their measurements are used in many climate studies and weather applications, such as iceberg tracking, ocean wind estimation, and volumetric soil moisture measurements. The spatial resolution of these data products ranges from a few kilometers to tens of kilometers. Techniques to enhance the spatial resolution of these products help reveal finer scale features, but come at the cost of increased noise. This thesis explores the application of neural networks as a possible method to handle the noise and uncertainty …

Numerical Simulations Of The Hall–Petch Relationship In Aluminium Using Gradient-Enhanced Plasticity Model, Yooseob Song, Jaeheum Yeon, Byoungjoon Na

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

+e Hall-Petch relation in aluminium is discussed based on the strain gradient plasticity framework. +e thermodynamically consistent gradient-enhanced flow rules for bulk and grain boundaries are developed using the concepts of thermal activation energy and dislocation interaction mechanisms. It is assumed that the thermodynamic microstresses for bulk and grain boundaries have dissipative and energetic contributions, and in turn, both dissipative and energetic material length scale parameters are existent. Accordingly, two-dimensional finite element simulations are performed to analyse characteristics of the Hall–Petch strengthening and the Hall–Petch constants. +e proposed flow rules for the grain boundary are validated using the existing experimental …

Hardware-Entangled Software Execution Using Dynamic Pufs, Wenjie Xiong

Yale Day of Data

Low-end computing devices are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, especially due to the widespread deployment of Internet-of-Things products. There is, however, much concern about sensitive data being processed on these low-end devices which have limited protection mechanisms in place. This paper proposes a Hardware-Entangled Software Protection (HESP) scheme that leverages hardware features to protect software code from malicious modification before or during run-time. It also enables implicit hardware authentication. Thus, the software will execute correctly only on an authorized device and if the timing of the software, e.g., control flow, was not changed through malicious modifications. The proposed ideas are based on …

Saving Software And Using Emulation To Reproduce Computationally Dependent Research Results, Euan Cochrane, Limor Peer, Ethan Gates, Seth Anderson

Yale Day of Data

Using digital data necessarily involves software. How do institutions think about software in the context of the long-term usability of their data assets? How do they address usability challenges uniquely posed by software such as, license restrictions, legacy software, code rot, and dependencies? These questions are germane to the agenda set forth by the FAIR principles. At Yale University, a team in the Library is looking into the application of a novel approach to emulation as a potential solution. In this presentation, we will outline the work of the Emulation as a Service Infrastructure (EaaSI) program, discuss our plans for …

Diffusion And Uniformity Of Recycled Asphalt In Pavements, Baoshan Huang

Abbett Distinguished Seminar Series

Asphalt pavements covers over 93 percent of the paved roads in the United States. The use of recycled asphalt into pavement maintenance and construction has been a common practice. However the lack of understanding of the interaction between recycled and virgin asphalt poses a change on the efficient use of recycled asphalt, and often causes pavement premature failures. The present study addressed some fundamental aspects associated with the beneficial use of recycled asphalt into asphalt paving mixtures: 1) how much recycled asphalt can be mobilized into a uniform asphalt coating in the mixture? and 2) will the mobilized old asphalt …

Simulation Training And Route Optimization For Bridge Inspection, Sushil Louis

INSPIRE Archived Webinars

Since the 1970s, simulation training has developed opera­tional trainers for a variety of complex systems from pilot flight simulations to cultural awareness training simulations. When connected to the real world, such simulation training interfaces can drive real vehicles and systems. We have been building a Simulation Training And Control System (STACS) for autonomous bridge inspection that uses a simulated world to train inspectors to control a heterogeneous group of robots. The objective is that, once trained, inspectors can use the same STACS interface used in training to control multiple real robots simultaneously during a bridge inspection task. We first built …

The Fog Development Kit: A Platform For The Development And Management Of Fog Systems, Colton Powell

Computer Science and Engineering Master's Theses

With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), fog computing has emerged to help traditional cloud computing in meeting scalability demands. Fog computing makes it possible to fulfill real-time requirements of applications by bringing more processing, storage, and control power geographically closer to end-devices. How- ever, since fog computing is a relatively new field, there is no standard platform for research and development in a realistic environment, and this dramatically inhibits innovation and development of fog-based applications. In response to these challenges, we propose the Fog Development Kit (FDK). By providing high-level interfaces for allocating computing and networking resources, …

2019 Fall Engr333 Seminar Presentation, Ivy Chipinda, Andrew Huston, Adam Marquardt, Lillie Spackman

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2019 class of ENGR333.

Aluminum/Carbon Composites Materials Fabricated By The Powder Metallurgy Process, Amélie Veillère, Hiroki Kurita, Akira Kawasaki, Yongfeng Lu, Jean-Marc Heintz, Jean-François Silvain

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Aluminum matrix composites reinforced with carbon fibers or diamond particles have been fabricated by a powder metallurgy process and characterized for thermal management applications. Al/C composite is a nonreactive system (absence of chemical reaction between the metallic matrix and the ceramic reinforcement) due to the presence of an alumina layer on the surface of the aluminum powder particles. In order to achieve fully dense materials and to enhance the thermo-mechanical properties of the Al/C composite materials, a semi-liquid method has been carried out with the addition of a small amount of Al-Si alloys in the Al matrix. Thermal conductivity and …

Chapman Ambassador Tour Robot, Alexandra Lewandowski, Yanni Parissis, Khiry Carter, Hilary Lee

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Being a student ambassador improves a student's confidence and leadership skills. With an increasing demand for technology skills, our project will display how the ambassador robot can assist student ambassadors while improving upon their efficiency, by discussing information during college campus tours and familiarizing students with robot applications and their technology. The ambassador robot can support students during tours by answering a question about specific knowledge that may have slipped an ambassador's mind. The robot will also be able to create a group-focused atmosphere that will allow ambassadors to have the opportunity to lean on a dependable teammate for specific …

How Degrees Of Freedom Affects Sense Of Agency, Akima Connelly, Jungsu Pak, Tian Lan, Uri Maoz

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Can the rubber-hand illusion be extended to a moving robotic arm in different degrees of freedom (DOF), inducing sense of ownership & agency over the arm? We hypothesize that DOF closer to what humans possess will result in a stronger sense of ownership and agency.

Sensor Emulation With Physiolocal Data In Immersive Virtual Reality Driving Simulator, Jungsu Pak, Oliver Mathias, Ariane Guirguis, Uri Maoz

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Can we enhance the safety and comfort of AVs by training AVs with physiological data of human drivers? We will train and compare AV algorithm with/without physiological data.

Image Restoration Using Automatic Damaged Regions Detection And Machine Learning-Based Inpainting Technique, Chloe Martin-King

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

In this dissertation we propose two novel image restoration schemes. The first pertains to automatic detection of damaged regions in old photographs and digital images of cracked paintings. In cases when inpainting mask generation cannot be completely automatic, our detection algorithm facilitates precise mask creation, particularly useful for images containing damage that is tedious to annotate or difficult to geometrically define. The main contribution of this dissertation is the development and utilization of a new inpainting technique, region hiding, to repair a single image by training a convolutional neural network on various transformations of that image. Region hiding is also …

Investigation Of A Neuro-Stimulator Retrieved Posthumously, Megan Markl, Rodney J. Gutherie, Tarun Goswami

Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering Faculty Publications

A neurostimulator was investigated in this paper posthumously. Device was presented to our anatomical gift program. Investigation was multi-fold and contained visual inspection, using an optical microscope, and mechanical and electrical testing of leads and its insulator. It was concluded that the device could have been damaged during implantation, in vivo, during removal, and/or during transportation to author’s laboratories. The damage observed on the lead insulation is similar to that which can occur due to anchoring of the lead and hardening due to oxidation. Insulation stiffness was determined to be 1/10 of new insulator. The results reported here on the …

The Trolley Problem In Virtual Reality, Jungsu Pak, Ariane Guirguis, Nicholas Mirchandani, Scott Cummings, Uri Maoz

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Would people react to the Trolley problem differently based on the medium? Immersive Virtual Reality Driving Simulator was used to examine participants respond to the trolley problem in a realistic and controlled simulated environment.

Modeling The Effects Of Distribution System Topology On Water Quality, Chun-Ying Chao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Inadequate treatment of drinking water causes the formation of disinfection by-products and the regrowth of harmful microbial species. Various studies have addressed the problem of water quality monitoring, but very few have employed topological analysis, a valuable mathematical tool widely applied in biological, business, and social research. This thesis examines the relationship between the topological properties of water distribution systems and water-quality models. In particular, the research proposes a novel framework for mapping network topological attributes to water-quality models. This research adopts topological metrics to assess the accuracy of the predictions of chlorine concentrations in dead ends. It examines four …

The Investigation Of Noise, Vibrations And Emissions Of Aero-Gas Turbine Combustion With Synthetic Kerosene Fuels, Margaret Kilpatrick

Honors College Theses

Climatic changes from aviation emissions are complex and include effects of greenhouse gases such as: CO2, NOx, and aerosols. For that reason, the objectives of this study were to investigate the noise, vibrations and emissions characteristics of synthetic kerosene combustion in an aerospace gas turbine to reduce the engine’s environmental impact. Sustainably produced synthetic kerosene is known for having low soot emissions due to little to no aromatics (compounds that create particle pollutants), and for being a sustainable alternative fuel source to imported oil. The noise and sound levels were collected using Bruel & Kjaer microphones to measure various mid …

Static Analysis Of Circular Plates Under Mechanical Loads, Harpreet Lalia

Publications and Research

In this research statics analysis of circular plates is performed using SolidWorks.

Circular plates with different material properties, thickness to radius ratios, and boundary conditions under mechanical loads are modeled and analyzed in SolidWorks.

The results are obtained for deflections of circular plates under uniform and point loads.

A three-dimensional (3D) model of circular plates is first created in SolidWorks. Then the material properties, mechanical loads and boundary conditions are defined for the plate.

It is found deflection of plates is depended on magnitude of mechanical loads, geometrical parameters, boundary conditions and material properties. Responses of SolidWorks for deflections of …

Advanced Security Analysis For Emergent Software Platforms, Mohannad Alhanahnah

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Emergent software ecosystems, boomed by the advent of smartphones and the Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, are perpetually sophisticated, deployed into highly dynamic environments, and facilitating interactions across heterogeneous domains. Accordingly, assessing the security thereof is a pressing need, yet requires high levels of scalability and reliability to handle the dynamism involved in such volatile ecosystems.

This dissertation seeks to enhance conventional security detection methods to cope with the emergent features of contemporary software ecosystems. In particular, it analyzes the security of Android and IoT ecosystems by developing rigorous vulnerability detection methods. A critical aspect of this work is the …

Voice Controlled Augmented Reality: A Comparison Of Speech-Recognition Tools For Ar Applications, Juan Estrella

Publications and Research

Augmented Reality (AR) refers to the technologies that enhance the version of the physical environment with computer-generated sensory input such as sound and graphics overlaid on top of the user’s view of the real world. Artificial Intelligence (AI) studies how to make computer programs and machines "smart" and take decisions. Our research project focuses on exploring the Integration of AI in AR applications. Specifically, on using Speech Recognition or Natural Language Processing for controlling virtual AR objects and enhancing the human-computer interaction. It is obvious that integration of AI and AR is of great value. However, for developers, it is …

Vertical Electrical Impedance Measurements Of Concrete Bridge Decks, Jared Scott Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the creation, validation, automation, and deployment of a nondestructive vertical electrical impedance (VEI) bridge deck assessment apparatus. A multichannel impedance analyzer with a moving platform is developed that can assess the deterioration state of a bridge deck without stationary traffic control. The multichannel apparatus is capable of taking over 500 impedance samples a second and can scan a bridge deck over 500 times faster than more traditional techniques. This research also shows VEI measurements are inversely proportional to the diffusivity of ions through concrete and that an impedance measurement frequency of 25 kHz is the most …

Cuo/Cu Core/Shell Nanostructured Photoconductive Devices By Hwt And Hips, Khalidah Hussein Habeeb Al-Mayalee

Theses and Dissertations

Over recent years, great efforts are being dedicated to developing low cost and high-efficiency nanostructured design for optoelectronic applications. Nanostructured semiconductor materials have demonstrated superior performance as compared to bulk materials. Core/shell nanostructured geometries have received a great deal of attention not only in the area of synthesis and characterization but also in their potential applications. These structures have been used in abundance in various areas such as electronics, sensors, catalysis, biomedical, and optical devices. Well-controlled core/shell nanostructured geometries can offer a significant improvement in the devices' performance. Therefore, the fabrication of complex 3D core/shell architectures with controlled morphology, homogeneous …

International Space Object Orbit Tracker, Nicole Navarro

Publications and Research

This software engineering project involves development of machine learning algorithms for embedded applications. High speed 32-bit hardware devices such as Raspberry Pi and ARM microcontrollers has become inexpensive and readily available. Machine learning algorithms for applications such as image processing and image recognition are computationally intensive. But with the availability of low cost 32-bit embedded computing devices, it is now feasible to implement then on embedded hardware. This project will explore embedded applications of machine learning algorithms by following a software engineering design and test approach.

Self-Driving Toy Car Using Deep Learning, Fahim Ahmed, Suleyman Turac, Mubtasem Ali

Publications and Research

Our research focuses on building a student affordable platform for scale model self-driving cars. The goal of this project is to explore current developments of Open Source hardware and software to build a low-cost platform consisting of the car chassis/framework, sensors, and software for the autopilot. Our research will allow other students with low budget to enter into the world of Deep Learning, self-driving cars, and autonomous cars racing competitions.

Fabrication And Imaging Characterization Of Poly (Dimethyl Siloxane)/Sic Nano-Fillers Samples As Model Biomaterials, Tetiana Soloviova, Viorica Gutu, Zoya Vinokur, Akm S. Rahman, Subhendra Sarkar

Publications and Research

Biopolymers are being developed with embedded nanostructures for in vivo drug delivery to treat various diseases including cancers. In the current project we developed fabrication steps to prepare two biopolymers, poly di-methoxy siloxane (PDMS) with 0-0.9 vol% of SiC nano whisker (fillers) followed by non- destructive characterization. Optical reflection microscopy (5-100X) was performed to ensure loading and distribution of increasing SiC content. Optical microscopy showed progressively higher SiC distribution as filler loading was increased from 0-0.9 vol%. X-ray imaging at low kV (kilovoltage) and low mAs (milliamperage per second) were optimized to allow distinction between filled PDMS with SiC concentration …

Static Taint Analysis Of Binary Executables Using Architecture-Neutral Intermediate Representation, Elaine Cole

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Ghidra, National Security Agency’s powerful reverse engineering framework, was recently released open-source in April 2019 and is capable of lifting instructions from a wide variety of processor architectures into its own register transfer language called p-code. In this project, we present a new tool which leverages Ghidra’s specific architecture-neutral intermediate representation to construct a control flow graph modeling all program executions of a given binary and apply static taint analysis. This technique is capable of identifying the information flow of malicious input from untrusted sources that may interact with key sinks or parts of the system without needing access to …

Lightweight Racing Suspension, Colin Haynes

Honors Theses

The purpose of this senior design project is to design and optimize the new suspension system for Western Michigan University’s 2020 solar car. The current solar car was 43% heavier than the average solar car, and was the heaviest single occupant vehicle competing in the American Solar Challenge. The scope of the project is to reduce the weight as much as possible from the old 2016 suspension. The new suspension weighed 34.91 lbs less than the 2016 suspension system while maintaining a minimum factor of safety greater than 1.5, compliant with American Solar Challenge regulations. The design consists of a …