Engineering Commons^™

Synthesis Of Polyurethane From Sustainable Sources, Jovan Jevric

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The most common method of polyurethanes involves a reaction between various petroleum-based isocyanates and a polyol along with a catalyst; all of which have a negative impact on environmental and human health. The objective of this research project is to eliminate or mitigate the risks and hazards associated with the production and degradation of polyurethane. Hexamethylene diisocyanate isocyanurates (3HDI) are one of the most common isocyanates used in the polyurethane processing industry. 3HDI contains numerous toxins, and it has a negative impact on the environment and human health¹. It has been found that there are other compounds that …

Baja Rack And Pinion, Devin Jackson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our senior design team chose to team up with The University of Akron’s SAE Zips Baja Team. The Zips Baja Team races off-road vehicles that they build every year. The team is trying to optimize and improve several sub categories for the 2019 car such as steering, drivetrain and suspension. Our design team met with a couple of the captains on the Zips Baja Team and were given a few choices of what sub category we could focus on for our project. We decided to take on the task of improving the vehicle steering rack and pinion gear system. The …

Chronoamperometry Analysis Of Sweat Sensor Technology, Evan Fritz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to the demand for in-situ electrolyte sodium sensors, prototype sensors have been produced to create a product for athletes and marathoners to monitor hydration levels. These senors address a desire in the marketplace for athletic monitoring for overall athlete wellness and performance. Sweat sensor samples were created using Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes functionalized on a Nylon-6 fiber mat using cyclo-oligomeric Calixarene. This production process produces sensors capable of detecting sodium ion concentration present in human sweat in presence of an electric current. Chronoamperometry analysis is used in this manner to determine the functionality of the sensors. Much of the research …

Rocket Telemetry System, Monica Lacek, Clark Bryant Iii, David Dalvin, Nicholas Wolgamott

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this research project is to design a system for the Akronauts Rocket Design Team which will transmit flight data in real-time to a ground station. The data will be collected from various sensors (altitude, acceleration, GPS, etc). This data will be transmitted wirelessly and in real-time to a receiving station. Calculations and visualizations will be taken from the data, which will help the team improve their rocket designs. Additionally, GPS data will be useful to locate the rocket post-flight. Challenges will include the need for the system to transmit over the range of the rocket’s flight and …

Motorcycle Eyes, Patrick Nie, Alexander Ray

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As technology continues to advance the safety factor has increased for vehicles on the roads. However, not much has been done to help improve the safety of motorcyclist. To help to solve this problem a wireless blind spot indicator for a motorcycle helmet will be designed. It will be powered off the motorcycle and have indication zones for the left, right, and rear blind spots. The system will alert the rider if a vehicle is within 7 meters of the back of the motorcycle in any of the mentioned blind spots. The radar sensors will detect the vehicle and send …

Pick-And-Place Robot For The 2019 Asme Student Design Competition, Riniah A. Foor, Megan Schmit, Aaron Urban, Jeanetta Davidsaver, Daniel Mugongo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project was undertaken as an opportunity to participate in a holistic experience of designing, building, and competing as an engineering design team. In the ASME Student Design Competition, undergraduate students are able to experientially learn the process of design inception, manufacture, and product performance in addition to the development of critical project management skills. This is done through a creative design challenge to build a device capable of accomplishing a “pick-and-place” task in a fast and efficient manner.

The Production And Characterization Of Chitosan Based Microgels Using A Novel Microfluidic Device To Promote Cell Survival, Kaileen Shevchuk

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to synthesize and characterize perfluorocarbon modified methacrylamide chitosan (MACF) microgels produced with the use of a capillary-based microfluidic device. Since cell survival and development is highly related to particles physical properties, analysis of microgels set out to determine the particle’s physical properties. I hypothesize that the viscosity of the MACF polymer as well as the amount of photo initiator influence the physical properties of synthesized particles and as a result can generate particles with various features for cell culture in terms of shape, size, charge and swelling abilities. This hypothesis was validated through the …

Controlled Release Of Corrosion Inhibitors: Zinc And Magnesium Containing Sodium Chromate, Andrew Thomas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Corrosion can be combated by multiple methods, where the primary purpose is to minimize degradation of metal surfaces. Corrosion inhibitors are one of the most effective methods of corrosion protection. Inhibitors are substances that minimize corrosion in aggressive environments, with only a low concentration required. The inhibitors are chemically adsorbed on the surface of the metal and a protective thin film is formed . The mechanism of the inhibitors could be described as anodic, cathodic, or a mix of the two. Anodic inhibitors, also known as passivation inhibitors, alter an anode reaction. Corrosion potential of the metal is shifted to …

Laser Ablation Of Aluminum, Erika Nosal, Zachary Rahe, Arthur Pamboukis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The laser ablation of metal carries relevance in a variety of engineering industries. This includes, but is not limited to, processes such as micromachining, or implementation on aircraft weaponry. The latter application is the reasoning for why aluminum is the specific metal in consideration, as it is commonly used for the construction of aircraft components.

The scope of this project was to optimize the energy dispersed through laser ablation on aluminum by mathematical modeling. The transient conduction process in the aluminum was modeled using a 2-dimensional cylindrical coordinate system in both MATLAB and ANSYS/Fluent. These models were adopted to simulate …

Mixed Signal Detection, Estimation, And Modulation Classification, Yang Qu

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Signal detection, parameter estimation and modulation classification are widely applied to many areas and plays a very important role in civilian and military, such as bio-science, criminal psychology, communication engineering, radar system, electronic warfare and so on. In the civilian field, with the increasing number of wireless electronic devices and higher transmission data rate demand, the problem of spectrum congestion becomes more and more highlighted and urgent. In recent years, wireless industry has shown great interest in Cognitive Radio (CR) and Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) network, whose primary function is to use limited frequency bands to transmit own signals without …

Islands Of Fitness Compact Genetic Algorithm For Rapid In-Flight Control Learning In A Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicle: A Search Space Reduction Approach, Kayleigh E. Duncan

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On-going effective control of insect-scale Flapping-Wing Micro Air Vehicles could be significantly advantaged by active in-flight control adaptation. Previous work demonstrated that in simulated vehicles with wing membrane damage, in-flight recovery of effective vehicle attitude and vehicle position control precision via use of an in-flight adaptive learning oscillator was possible. Most recent approaches to this problem employ an island-of-fitness compact genetic algorithm (ICGA) for oscillator learning. The work presented provides the details of a domain specific search space reduction approach implemented with existing ICGA and its effect on the in-flight learning time. Further, it will be demonstrated that the proposed …

Immersive Rehearsal In A Simulated Environment (Irise), Cassandra Clouse

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Recent advancements in virtual environment (VE) technology and the growth of VE use in treating and training individuals are opening up new possibilities for rehearsal in safe and rich environments. Research has shown that VEs can be used to treat those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but very little research has been done to suggest good guidelines for creating an effective environment. This research was conducted to help inform the design of systems that let veterans rehearse potentially stressful experiences in a safe environment before having to physically step into that environment. We investigated responses to specific design components …

Blended Wing Design Considerations For A Next Generation Commercial Aircraft, Jay Abhilash Vora

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The current aircraft design has not changed significantly in the last few decades. Growing environmental concerns and fuel prices are driving manufacturers to develop unconventional but efficient aircraft configurations. The blended wing body (BWB) configuration provides an alternate and more efficient means of subsonic travel. The BWB aircraft replaces the traditional wings and fuselage with hybrid wing shape where the fuselage and wings have integrated. Major aircraft manufacturers are researching the BWB concept incorporating electric propulsion for civil transport use. In this research a 300 passenger BWB aircraft aerodynamic shape is designed. This aircraft is used to assess the aerodynamic …

Differential Microrna Expression In Barrett's Esophagus Correlates With Regulation Of Posterior Homeotic Genes, Reilly June Clark

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Barrett’s Esophagus (BE) is characterized by the appearance of an intestinal-like epithelium in the distal esophagus. The molecular mechanisms behind BE development are unknown. BE is often preceded by Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and predisposes patients to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Due to the high mortality rate associated with EAC, BE patients are continuously monitored through upper endoscopy with biopsy for progression to low grade dysplasia (LGD), high grade dysplasia, and EAC. This monitoring technique poses numerous risks, so alternative surveillance and diagnostic techniques for BE pathogenesis are continually studied. microRNA biomarkers in BE pathogenesis may provide alternative means of diagnosis …

Power/Thermal Interaction Within An Adaptive Turbine Engine, Andrew K. Desomma

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Usually power take off (PTO) with a two-spool turbofan engine has been accomplished via the high pressure (HP) shaft and bleed air from the high-pressure compressor (HPC). The PTO is used to run various aircraft components such as generators and hydraulic pumps, which also produce waste heat. To better understand the coupled transient nature of balancing engine thrust, power take off and thermal management, a transient variable cycle three stream turbofan engine model has been developed to investigate the integrated behavior. The model incorporates many dynamic features including a third-stream heat exchanger as a heat sink for thermal management and …

Towards Data And Model Confidentiality In Outsourced Machine Learning, Sagar Sharma

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With massive data collections and needs for building powerful predictive models, data owners may choose to outsource storage and expensive machine learning computations to public cloud providers (Cloud). Data owners may choose cloud outsourcing due to the lack of in-house storage and computation resources or the expertise of building models. Similarly, users, who subscribe to specialized services such as movie streaming and social networking, voluntarily upload their data to the service providers' site for storage, analytics, and better services. The service provider, in turn, may also choose to benefit from ubiquitous cloud computing. However, outsourcing to a public cloud provider …

Hierarchical Carbon Structures With Vertically- Aligned Nanotube Carpets For Oil-Water Separation Under Different Conditions, Kimia Kiaei

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The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the role of surface nano-structuring in fluid separation. It is hypothesized that hierarchical carbon structures consisting of aligned carbon nanotube arrays strongly adhered to the surface of porous carbon solids such as fabric and foam, can be used for separation of polar and non-polar fluids by selective wettability of one fluid and rejection of another. The vertically-aligned carbon nanotube arrays, as synthesized, possess super hydrophobicity demonstrated by high water contact angle on their surfaces. On the other hand, they are incredibly oleophilic, showing a high affinity to adsorb oil. These properties …

Abusive And Hate Speech Tweets Detection With Text Generation, Abhishek Nalamothu

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According to a Pew Research study, 41% of Americans have personally experienced online harassment and two-thirds of Americans have witnessed harassment in 2017. Hence, online harassment detection is vital for securing and sustaining the popularity and viability of online social networks. Machine learning techniques play a crucial role in automatic harassment detection. One of the challenges of using supervised approaches is training data imbalance. Existing text generation techniques can help augment the training data, but they are still inadequate and ineffective. This research explores the role of domain-specific knowledge to complement the limited training data available for training a text …

Stability Analysis Of Leg Configurations For Bipedal Running, Nitin Jaiswal

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A legged robot with three-segmented limbs is used to study the effects of leg compliance originating from the joint level on the stability of hopping in place and running. The three-segments allow each leg to be kinematically configured an infinite number ways that satisfy the desired landing condition parameters, total leg length and angle. These two parameters along with the amount of energy thrust during stance determine the motion of the system during a single stride. The goal of this work is to explore the potential values for the leg parameters of three-segment leg, that provide additional stability when compared …

Configurable Frequency And Voltage Three Phase Power Supply, Donald Danko

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The student's employer is in need of a three phase power supply which can supply a 400Hz signal at +/- 28V at 2A. The input to the power supply is +24VDC at an unspecified current. The student's solution is a configurable frequency and voltage power supply. The student chose to utilize a full bridge DC to DC converter topology. A microcontroller was used for supplying pulse width modulated waveforms, performing analog to digital conversions, and controlling a digital to analog converter. The circuit was modeled using Matlab and tested after being manufactured to confirm proper functionality. The configurable three phase …

Llvm-Ir Based Decompilation, Ilsoo Jeon

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Decompilation is a process of transforming an executable program into a source-like high-level language code, which plays an important role in malware analysis, and vulnerability detection. In this thesis, we design and implement the middle end of a decompiler framework, focusing on Low Level Language properties reduction using the optimization techniques, propagation and elimination. An open-source software tool, dagger, is used to translate binary code to LLVM (Low Level Virtual Machine) Intermediate Representation code. We perform data flow analysis and control flow analysis on the LLVM format code to generate high-level code using a Functional Programming Langauge (FPL), Haskell. The …

Multi-Sensor Approach To Determine The Effect Of Geometry On Microstructure In Additive Manufacturing, Joseph R. Walker

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Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing technique used for making complex parts through a layer-by-layer process with fine feature resolution. However, the layer-by-layer process, with complex scanning patterns within each layer, introduces variability in thermal behavior leading to inconsistent microstructure and defects. The in- situ process monitoring approach in this work uses sensors including a high-speed visible camera, thermal camera, and spectrometer to evaluate each location in the LPBF process. Each sensor focuses on a different process phenomenon such as the melt pool or thermal behavior. An experimental study, using metallographic analysis and collection of sensor data, …

Swat Operations Unmanned Vehicle, John K. Zelina, Tyler Meadows, Ryan Cook, Mathew Fellows

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

During SWAT operations, it is common to have a barricaded suspect who may be armed and a serious threat to SWAT team personnel. In these cases, sending a robot into harm's way to assess the situation as opposed to an operator has become the standard. The purpose of this of this research was to design and develop an unmanned system for the City of Akron's SWAT Team that can be injected into these scenarios to improve outcomes and mitigate risk to SWAT operators.

Limitations Of Zt As A Figure Of Merit For Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials, Xufeng Wang, Mark Lundstrom

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Thermoelectric properties of nanocomposites are numerically studied as a function of average grain size or nanoparticle density by simulating the measurements as they would be done experimentally. In accordance with previous theoretical and experimental results, we find that the Seebeck coefficient, power factor and figure of merit, zT, can be increased by nanostructuring when energy barriers exist around the grain boundaries or embedded nanoparticles. When we simulate the performance of a thermoelectric cooler with the same material, however, we find that the maximum temperature difference is much less than expected from the given zT. This occurs because the …

Recognizing Engineering Students’ Funds Of Knowledge: Creating And Validating Survey Measures, Dina Verdín, Jessica M. Smith, Juan Lucena

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

This research base paper examines students who are the first in their families to attend college. Our research seeks to understand the role students’ funds of knowledge makes in first-generation college students’ undergraduate experience. Funds of knowledge are the set of formal/informal knowledge and skills that students learn through family, friends, and communities outside of academic institutions. This paper reports funds of knowledge themes relevant to first-generation college students in engineering and the process of gathering validity evidence to support the funds of knowledge themes.

Using ethnographic and interview data, six themes emerged: connecting experiences, community networks, tinkering knowledge, perspective …

Internet Of Things In Smart Agriculture: Enabling Technologies, Abdul Salam, Syed Shah

Faculty Publications

In this paper, an IoT technology research and innovation roadmap for the field of precision agriculture (PA) is presented. Many recent practical trends and the challenges have been highlighted. Some important objectives for integrated technology research and education in precision agriculture are described. Effective IoT based communications and sensing approaches to mitigate challenges in the area of precision agriculture are presented.

Board 51: An Initial Step Towards Measuring First-Generation College Students’ Personal Agency: A Scale Validation, Dina Verdín, Allison Godwin

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

This research paper describes the development of a scale to measure how first-generation college students use engineering as a tool for making a difference in their community and world or personal agency. Personal agency is a capability that every individual holds; it is described by Bandura as an individual’s beliefs about their capabilities to exercise control over events that affect their lives through purposeful and reflective actions. Agentic actions allow students to explore, maneuver and impact their environment for the achievement of a goal or set of goals. This study identifies how cognitive processes of forethought, intention, reactivity, and reflection …

Eager: Broadening Participation Of First-Generation College Student, Jessica M. Smith, Dina Verdín, Juan C. Lucena

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Multirobot Confidence And Behavior Modeling: An Evaluation Of Telerobotic Performance And Efficiency, Nathan Lucas

Wayne State University Dissertations

There is considerable interest in multirobot systems capable of performing spatially distributed, hazardous, and complex tasks as a team. There is also growing interest in manned-unmanned teams leveraging the unique abilities of humans and automated machines working alongside each other. The limitations of human perception and cognition affect the ability of operators to integrate information from multiple mobile robots, switch between their spatial frames of reference, and divide attention among many sensory inputs and command outputs. Automation is necessary to help the operator manage increasing demands as the number of robots scales up. However, more automation does not necessarily equate …

Design And Practical Implementation Of Harmonic-Transponder Sensors, Nasser Alkhaldi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Harmonic radar is a nonlinear detection technology that transmits and receives

radio-frequency (RF) signals at orthogonal frequencies, so as to suppress the undesired

clutters, echoes and electromagnetic interreferences due to multipath scattering.

Its implementation generally comprises a nonlinear tag (i.e, a harmonic transponder),

which picks the interrogation signal at specific fundamental frequency (f0) and converts

it into a high/sub-harmonic signal (nf0). Such a technology has been successfully

applied to tracking small insects and detection of electrically-small objects in

the rich-scattering environment. Similarly, a harmonic sensor is used to interrogate

electrically-small and passive sensors, of which the magnitude and peak frequency …