Engineering Commons^™

Hydrological Drought Persistence And Recovery Over The Conus: A Multi-Stage Framework Considering Water Quantity And Quality, Behzad Ahmadi, Ali Ahmadalipour, Hamid Moradkhani

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hydrological droughts have considerable negative impacts on water quantity and quality, and understanding their regional characteristics is of crucial importance. This study presents a multi-stage framework to detect and characterize hydrological droughts considering both streamflow and water quality changes. Hydrological droughts are categorized into three stages of growth, persistence, retreat, and water quality variables (i.e., water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and turbidity) are utilized to further investigate drought recovery. The framework is applied to 400 streamflow gauges across the Contiguous United States (CONUS) over the study period of 1950–2016. The method is illustrated for the 2012 US drought, which affected …

3,7-Dinitro-1,3,5,7-Tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]Nonane (Dpt): An Important Intermediate In The Synthesis Route Of One Of The Most Powerful Energetic Materials (Rdx/Hmx), Hany A. Elazab, M. M. Seleet, Said M. A. Hassanein, M. A. Radwan, M. A. Sadek

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Synthesis of Cyclotetramethylene Tetramine through the action of nitrating mixture formed of ammonium nitrate and fuming nitric acid on hexamine in presence of acetic acid, acetic anhydride and p-formaldehyde has been proven. The pathway is relatively long and Hexamine Dinitrate and Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine (DPT) are two of the main intermediate compounds. The former was prepared, purified, and then characterized. Conversion of this compound into the latter has been followed up experimentally. Herein, we report the Preparation of Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine (DPT) from Hexamine Dinitrate - as an alternative synthetic route - which is an important intermediate appears through preparation …

Effect Of Bio-Augmentation Product Biowish® Septic Rescue On The Wastewater Treatment Performance Of Residential Septic Tanks, Kimberly Michelle Lamar Merilles

Master's Theses

Residential septic systems provide reliable wastewater treatment for over 26 million homes and facilities in the United States, and many more worldwide. When properly maintained, these systems are reliable, low-cost, and long-term treatments for residential wastewater. When neglected, septic systems can fail and lead to health concerns and ecological harm to soil and groundwater contamination through the improperly treated wastewater effluent.

This study tested the effect of the bio-augmentation product BiOWiSH® Septic Rescue of BiOWiSH® Technologies International, Inc. (hereafter referred to as BiOWiSH) on the biological treatment of residential septic tanks. BiOWiSH is meant to act as a bio-augmentation product …

A Pilot Study Identifying Brain-Targeting Adaptive Immunity In Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Patients With Acquired Brain Injury, Sterling B. Ortega, Poornima Pandiyan, Jana Windsor, Vanessa O. Torres, Uma M. Selvaraj, Amy Lee, Michael Morriss, Fenghua Tian, Lakshmi Raman, Ann M. Stowe

Neurology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation provides short-term cardiopulmonary life support, but is associated with peripheral innate inflammation, disruptions in cerebral autoregulation, and acquired brain injury. We tested the hypothesis that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation also induces CNS-directed adaptive immune responses which may exacerbate extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-associated brain injury.

DESIGN: A single center prospective observational study.

SETTING: Pediatric and cardiac ICUs at a single tertiary care, academic center.

PATIENTS: Twenty pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients (0-14 yr; 13 females, 7 males) and five nonextracorporeal membrane oxygenation Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction score matched patients.

INTERVENTIONS: None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Venous blood samples were …

Flexural Behavior Of Hybrid Composite Beam (Hcb) Bridges, Mohamed A. Aboelseoud, John J. Myers

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new hybrid composite beam (HCB) has recently been used in the construction of three bridges in Missouri, USA. HCB consists of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) that is poured into classical arch shape and tied at the ends by steel tendons. Both the concrete and the steel are tucked inside a durable fiberglass shell, and the voids are filled with polyiso foam. This paper aims to examine the flexural behavior of an in-service HCB, evaluate the current methodology and assumptions, and propose modifications to that methodology. To achieve these goals, the strains induced in HCB elements due to different loading stages …

Probabilistic Seismic Demand Analysis Of A Bridge With Unbonded, Post-Tensioned, Concrete-Filled, Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Tube Columns, Manisha Rai, Mohamed Elgawady, Adrian Rodriguez-Marek

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ground motions at sites close to a fault are sometimes affected by forward directivity, where the rupture energy arrives at the site in a form of a very short duration pulse. These pulses impose a heavy demand on structures located in the vicinity of the fault. In this research, a probabilistic seismic demand analysis (PSDA) for a self-centering bridge is carried out. The bridge columns consisted of unbonded, post-tensioned, concrete-filled, fiber-reinforced polymer tubes. A bridge model was developed and non-linear time history analyses were performed. Three different methodologies that used spectral accelerations to predict structural responses were used, and a …

A Compact Wideband Slot-Loop Directional Antenna For Marine Communication Applications, Lidong Chi, Yihong Qi, Zibin Weng, Wei Yu, Weihua Zhuang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A compact wideband high gain directional antenna is proposed in this paper for marine communications. The antenna consists of a back plane (reflector), a slot-loop antenna (driven element), and a director of rod. Based on the current distribution, the slot-loop antenna is equivalent to an array of three linear current dipoles. The dipole acts as an element of the director, which provides a highly efficient director for slot-loop antenna according to theoretical analysis. Both the impedance bandwidth and the 1 dB gain bandwidth are 45% covering 1.7-2.7 GHz in this design. A gain of 11.2 to 12.2 dBi is obtained …

Peerra: An Extensible And Structured Web Service For Peer-To-Peer Assistance, Drake Lambert

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Mine Main Fans Switchover System With Lower Air Flow Volatility Based On Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm, Hengqing Ge, Guang Xu, Jinxin Huang, Xiaoping Ma

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A reliable ventilation system is essential for maintaining a comfortable working environment and ensuring safety production in an underground coal mine. The automated fan switchover technique was developed for changing the main fan for maintenance with lower air flow volatility of underground mine in the switchover process. This article established the optimization model in the main fans switchover process, used the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm to solve the model, and achieved minimum air flow volatility in the fans switchover process. Compared to previous studies, computer simulations have shown that the proposed algorithm can effectively find the global optimal solution …

Plga Scaffold Device, Tyler D. Tackabery, Bryce Powada, Tate Morell

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Standardisation In Construction Cost Control (A Method Of Approach), Charles Mitchell

Other Resources

As construction projects became larger and more complex the need to control their costs became greater. As a result, cost control professions such as the cost manager and the quantity surveyor emerged. Cost control mechanisms have evolved with changes in the construction sectors. It is now apparent that the output of the construction sector plays an important part in the economic stability and growth of both national and international economies. Recently a coalition was formed to produce an international construction measurement standard (ICMS). All member organisations of the ICMS have pledged to mandate the standard amongst their membership and seek …

Standardisation In Construction Cost Control, Charles Mitchell

Other Resources

Poster presentation submitted as to the School of Surveying and Construction Management Research and Innovation Industry Evening, March 2019.

Process Analysis For Disposal Of Surplus Property, Bryan Gibson, Christopher Van Dyke, Candice Y. Wallace, Jeff Jasper, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) frequently acquires property to secure the right of way for transportation projects. Some property may eventually be declared excess and deemed surplus, enabling the Cabinet to dispose of it. Excess property can be declared surplus by an official order of the Secretary or Commissioner of the Department of Highways. Current law and policy require that KYTC undertake a 21-step process to dispose of surplus property, including reviews by the Governor, Finance and Administration Cabinet, and several KYTC personnel. The Cabinet lacks the personnel required to undertake the lengthy disposal process. This report provides background on …

Deformation Mechanisms In Mg–Al Nanocomposite, Soodabeh Azadehranjbar, Jian Wang, Jeffrey E. Shield

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Magnesium is the lightest engineering metal. Replacing steel with Mg based materials in automotive applications would lead to more than 40% weight reduction which significantly boost fuel efficiency. However, conventional Mg alloys typically suffer from low strength and poor deformability due to very few slip systems and easy twinning. Alloying Mg with other materials and microstructural engineering are promising approaches to increase ductility and strength of Mg According to Wang et al. interfaces with low energy and high coherency may effectively constrict the nucleation of twins in Mg In this work, the microstructure of Mg nano layers and nano rods …

End-To-End Development Of A High-Altitude Pressure Vessel, Matthew Haskell, Erik Korzon, Elena Pradhan

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.

Generation And Analysis Of Stop-Hole Geometries For Crack-Like Structures In Auxetic Materials, Max De Jesús Barillas Velásquez

Mechanical Engineering Master's Theses

In this investigation, the main interest was studying low porosity auxetic metamaterials generated out of linearly elastic materials, meaning bodies made out of linearly elastic materials (e.g., metals) that, due to alternating patterns of elongated voids perforated on them, exhibit a negative effective Poisson ratio (property commonly called auxeticity). This kind of metamaterials, often obtained by a pattern of elongated ellipsis, generally face the issue of presenting high stress concentration when loaded. The objective of this study is to solve this problem by adding rounded shapes (stop-holes) at the end of elongated grooves, as a replacement for the previously mentioned …

Simulation Study Of 4h-Sic Trench Mosfets With Various Gate Structures, Jheng Yi Jiang, Chih Fang Huang, Tian Li Wu, Feng Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we systematically study the effect of gate structures of a 4H-SiC UMOSFET on its performance, focusing on the fast-switching performance. Based on the simulation results, DC and AC characteristics of different gate structures are compared. It is found that a structure of UMOSFET, combining a grounded split-gate (SG), a trench bottom protection P+ shielding layer (PS) and a current spreading layer (CSL), yields the best compromise.

A Compact Dual-Frequency Base-Station Dipole Array With Amc Reflector, Min Li, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A compact dual-frequency dipole array is presented for use in base stations operating in the Digital Cellular System (DCS) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) bands. The size-miniaturization is realized by utilizing band notch dipole (BND) as array element and artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) as array reflector for reductions in array width and profile height, respectively. Simulation results show that good impedance matching, high antenna isolation, and good radiation performances are achieved simultaneously.

Sustainable Algorithms Of Adaptive Control Of Objects With Delay, Husan Zakirovich Igamberdiev, Davron Rakhmatovich Karimov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Stable algorithms of adaptive control of objects with a delay in control are given. It is shown that the problem of calculating a pseudoinverse matrix for control is, in the general case, unstable with respect to matrix perturbations. To solve the equation, the method of minimal pseudoinverse matrix and singular decomposition is used. The proposed computational schemes allow you to synthesize robust algorithms for adaptive management of objects with a delay in management and provide high quality control processes.

On The Feasibility Of Tailoring Copper-Nickel Functionally Graded Materials Fabricated Through Laser Metal Deposition, Sreekar Karnati, Yunlu Zhang, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, pulse‐width modulation of laser power was identified as a feasible means for varying the chemical gradient in copper—nickel‐graded materials. Graded material deposits of 70 wt. %. copper‐30 wt. %. nickel on 100 wt. %. nickel and vice versa were deposited and characterized. The 70/30 copper—nickel weight ratio in the feedstock powder was achieved through blending elemental copper and 96 wt. %. Ni—Delero‐22 alloy. At the dissimilar material interface over the course of four layers, the duty cycle of power was ramped down from a high value to optimized deposition conditions. This change was theorized to influence the …

Assessment Of Turbulence Models In A Hypersonic Cold-Wall Turbulent Boundary Layer, Junji Huang, Jorge-Valentino Bretzke, Lian Duan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, the ability of standard one- or two-equation turbulence models to predict mean and turbulence profiles, the Reynolds stress, and the turbulent heat flux in hypersonic cold-wall boundary-layer applications is investigated. The turbulence models under investigation include the one-equation model of Spalart-Allmaras, the baseline k-ω model by Menter, as well as the shear-stress transport k-ω model by Menter. Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations with the different turbulence models are conducted for a flat-plate, zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer with a nominal free-stream Mach number of 8 and wall-to-recovery temperature ratio of 0.48, and the RANS results are compared with those …

Quasi-Continuous Metasurfaces For Orbital Angular Momentum Generation, Menglin L.N. Chen, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Wei E.I. Sha

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A quasi-continuous composite perfect electric conductor-perfect magnetic conductor metasurface and a systematic metasurface design process are proposed for the orbital angular momentum (OAM) generation. The metasurfaces reflect the incident left circularly polarized (LCP)/right circularly polarized (RCP) plane wave to RCP/LCP vortex beams carrying OAM at normal or oblique direction. Unlike conventional metasurfaces that are composed of discrete scatterers, the scatterers on the proposed metasurface form a quasi-continuous pattern. The patterning of the metasurface is calculated through grating vectors, and no optimization of single scatterer is required. Furthermore, the distortions from local-response discontinuity of discrete scatterers are avoided. This letter provides …

Modern Yard Sale Application, Lauren Epling, Matthew Piasecki

Computer Science and Software Engineering

YardSail is a modern application that provides users a place to post and view local Yard Sales. There is an astounding need for a safe space where users can comfortably post their yard sale address and items for all locals to easily see (without needing to drive down a specific street to find out). Currently, there does not exist an application for users that accomplishes what we set out to accomplish. As a team, we truly believe YardSail could be a popular application that helps users sail through the experience of hosting or visiting a yard sale.

Space Defense: Creating A 2d Game With 3d Assets Using Unity Game Engine, Jeevan Vase

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The goal of this senior project was to learn and use the skills necessary for one person to make a complete game. The 3D assets that were used were downloaded from the Unity Store. I used Unity Game Engine to create the logic for the game. This document explains the technologies that I used, design choices I made, feedback from player-testing, and work that I want to complete for the project in the future. The final game demo features three levels, a start screen, and a combat system that allows players to gain additional ships to help defend their planet.

Esophageal Mapping And Temperature Regulation For Catheter Ablation, Madison J. Keith, Morgan A. Jawitz, Sarah L. Sanders

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to provide a development summary for a proposed esophageal temperature mapping device used during catheter ablation. Catheter ablation therapy is performed in the left atria with hot or cold materials to create scar tissue to treat atrial fibrillation. However, utilized temperatures and absorbed energies from the catheter can cause undesired esophageal damage. Therefore, this medical device is designed to monitor esophageal temperature and map its location during catheter ablation. If dangerous temperatures are reached, the device will alarm the surgeon.

This document provides an in-depth overview of the esophageal temperaturemapping device’s development and contains …

Concussion Indication Device, Taylor O'Donoghue, Isabel Jellen, Eric Shechter

Biomedical Engineering

In this document we summarize our intent to design and manufacture a device that will be used in conjunction with a football helmet, will detect impact forces to the head, and notify the user to seek out further medical attention when subjected to forces large enough to cause concussions. We describe the large market including all levels of football players and the need for improved technology that will not only be effective in elucidating risks but encouraging players to use the device over the alternatives. To design the device, we have researched the problem of concussions in football and have …

Fluid Delivery System For A Cell Culture On A Microfluidic Chip, Austin J. Roeder, Colleen A. Richards, Emily A. Matteson

Biomedical Engineering

This project report provides a description of the progress made in the development of a fluid delivery system for a microfluidic cell culture on a chip. The system is intended to be used in a humidified incubator in a university laboratory and the fluid delivery system is required to exist and operate within that incubator for extended periods of time. Therefore, the system will be gravity-driven and contain no electronic components. The key specification of the system is to provide fluid flow at a constant velocity.

After manufacturing and testing the device, all specifications were met except for the fluid …

Final Design Review: Wear Test Machine, Justin Ju-Han Hou, Abraham Jack Mitchell, Alexandra Denae Pavano, Jahyun Kaylla Son

Mechanical Engineering

A California Polytechnic State University Senior Project team has been tasked by Marvin Engineering Co. to design and build a friction wear test fixture; the fixture is to characterize the coefficient of friction and potential friction wear of various industry adopted metal pairings in an oxygen-free environment. This final design review serves to document project research, full design process, method of operation of final product, and a comprehensive testing procedure.

The R&D department at Marvin Engineering Co. proposed this investigation in order to explore the phenomenon of friction and adhesive wear, specifically the occurrence of galling between stainless steel surfaces. …

Indoor Air Monitoring Of Ethanol And Benzene In A Pilot Winery Using Active Sampling, Andrew I. Kaneda

Master's Theses

Acute indoor concentrations of benzene and ethanol were evaluated in the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo’s pilot winery workroom. Air samples were collected during four different wine-making activities: fermentation, fermentation with Brix content testing, post-alcoholic fermentation pressing, and storage/finishing. Average workroom benzene concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 0.12 mg/m³. Ethanol concentrations in the winery workroom varied with the activity, ranging from 0.9 to 12 mg/m³. Pressing and fermentation with Brix content testing both led to higher indoor ethanol concentrations than fermentation without Brix content testing and storage/finishing.

Tracer gas decay air exchange tests were …

Relevance Analysis For Document Retrieval, Eric Labouve

Master's Theses

Document retrieval systems recover documents from a dataset and order them according to their perceived relevance to a user’s search query. This is a difficult task for machines to accomplish because there exists a semantic gap between the meaning of the terms in a user’s literal query and a user’s true intentions. Even with this ambiguity that arises with a lack of context, users still expect that the set of documents returned by a search engine is both highly relevant to their query and properly ordered. The focus of this thesis is on document retrieval systems that explore methods of …