Engineering Commons^™

Potential Effect Of Cable Median Barriers On Commercial Vehicle Crossover Crashes, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Shraddha Sagar, Samantha Wright, Eric R. Green, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Michael A. Fields, Teng Alex Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In 2016, commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) were involved in 4,079 fatal crashes in the U.S., representing 11.8 percent of all fatal crashes. State of Kentucky crash data for 2015-2016 show that per capita crash rates and increases in crash-related fatalities exceeded the national average. Crossover crashes occur when a vehicle leaves its intended path and veers into the path of oncoming traffic, typically resulting in head-on or sideswipe opposite direction crashes. Cable median barriers are a countermeasure which can potentially be used to mitigate crossover crashes. This research investigated the potential effectiveness of cable median barriers on CMV crashes. Analysis …

Evaluation Of Alternative Rumble Strip Designs, William Nicholas Staats, Kenneth R. Agent, Brian K. Howell

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Since Kentucky’s initial rumble strip designs were adopted, there has been additional research and experimentation in other states with alternative designs as a response to complaints from the public about noise pollution caused by rumble strips. The new research indicates that other rumble strip designs might provide increased interior noise/vibration with decreased exterior noise. Application of these alternative designs in Kentucky could result in improved rumble performance, reduced damage to new pavement, decreased noise pollution, installation on roadways with lower speed limits, and allow reinstallation of rumbles on thin overlays/microsurfacing.

The research team reviewed national and state guidelines for conventional …

Traffic Incident Management Dashboard, Xu Zhang, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Alex Wang, Paul Ross, Eric R. Green, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traffic incidents remain all-too-common events on Kentucky’s roadways. They negatively impact the safety of the traveling public and emergency responders and cause significant traffic delays. Congestion associated with incidents can instigate secondary crashes, exacerbating safety risks and economic costs. Traffic incident management (TIM) provides an effective approach for managing highway incidents and reducing their occurrence and impacts. This report discusses the establishment of and methods of calculation for five TIM performance measures that can be used by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to improve incident response. The measures are: Roadway Clearance Time, Incident Clearance Time, Secondary Crashes, First Responder Vehicle …

Rf Power Amplifier, Angel De Jesus Delgado, Rachanon Wajanakunakorn, Andrew John Ferguson

Electrical Engineering

Wireless devices are part of everyday life, cellphones and radio receivers impact more people than any piece of technology. Thus, the respective building blocks continue to advance and achieve better performance. A primary component of all wireless communication systems is the power amplifier that drives the antenna. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) holds the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) every year where teams compete internationally for the most efficient RF Power Amplifier (PA). Power amplifier technologies strive to maximize efficiency and linearity. Topologies to consider are D, E, F, F-1 and Doherty since they have a maximum theoretical …

A Real-Time Attendance System Using Deep-Learning Face Recognition, Weidong Kuang, Abhijit Baul

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A real-time attendance system using deep learning face recognition abstract: Attendance check plays an important role in classroom management. Checking attendance by calling names or passing around a sign-in sheet is time-consuming, and especially the latter is open to easy fraud. This paper presents the detailed implementation of a real-time attendance check system based on face recognition and its results. To recognize a student’s face, the system must first take and save a picture of the student as a reference in a database. During the attendance check, the web camera takes face pictures for a student to be recognized, and …

New Robust Lpc-Based Method For Time-Resolved Morphology Of High-Noise Multiple Frequency Signals, Jin Xu, Ruairí De Fréin, Mark Davis

Conference papers

This paper introduces a new time-resolved spectral analysis method based on the Linear Prediction Coding (LPC) method that is particularly suited to the study of the dynamics of low Signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR) signals comprising multiple frequency components. One of the challenges of the time-resolved spectral method is that they are limited by the Heisenberg-Gabor uncertainty principle. Consequently, there is a trade-off between the temporal and spectral resolution. Most of the previous studies are time-averaged methods. The proposed method is a parameterisation method which can directly extract the dominant formants. The method is based on a z-plane analysis of the poles …

Remedying Sound Source Separation Via Azimuth Discrimination And Re-Synthesis, Ruairí De Fréin

Conference papers

Commercially recorded music since the 1950s has been mixed down from many input sound sources to a two-channel reproduction of these sources. The effect of this approach is to assign sources to locations in a stereo field using a pan-position for each source. The Adress algorithm is a popular way of extracting individual music sound sources from a stereo mixture. A drawback of the Adress algorithm is that when time-frequency components in the stereo mixture are shared between two or more sources, calculating the inter-aural intensity scaling parameter for each source for that time-frequency component is challenging. We show how …

Tribological Properties Of Polymeric Composites: A Review, Yusuf Şahin, Hakan Şahin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Tribology deals with interacting surfaces in sliding, rolling or any others types of motions, which is much importance in designing for machine components to improve their durability's of mechanical engineering systems. This study overviews the most recent studies on the tribological behavior of polymeric based materials containing different fillers. Some microstructural and mechanical properties of the epoxy composite are introduced. In addition, mechanisms of increasing wear resistance and reducing friction coefficient for polymeric composites are reviewed. An overview is also covered the process optimization for the dry wear results of polymeric composites using Taguchi Method (TM) and Response Surface Method …

Ceramic And Glass-Ceramic Fillers In Dental Composites: A Review, Sumana Ghosh

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Dental composite fillings are most popular fillings wherein various fillers have been suitably dispersed in a polymerizable resin. Major challenges are to make choice of suitable filler and their distribution in the resin matrix in the development of the dental fillings. Apart from traditional fillers ceramic whiskers, glass fibres, branched fibres and nanoporous powders have also been investigated as fillers in dental composites. Recently, ceramic, and glass-ceramic fillers are attracting attention of the researchers due to their suitable combination of material properties. In the current paper, the prospect of ceramic and glass-ceramics as fillers in fabricating dental composites has been …

Insearchfornear-Room-Temperaturesuperconductingcriticaltemperatureofmetalsuperhydridesunderhighpressure: A Review, Udomsilp Pinsook

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

An overview and the latest status of the superconductivity of metal superhydrides under high pressure are discussed in this review article. The searching for near-room-temperature superconductors have been one of the most enthusiastic fields in physics. This is because of several key factors in both theoretical and experimental sides. By advanced experiment innovation, pressure exceeded that of the earth's core can be generated in laboratories. This allows scientists to explore new physics of materials under high pressure. In the synergy form, the theoretical calculation gives accountable predictions on the structural and electronic properties which can be served as a practical …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Ball-Milled Eggshell And Al2o3 Reinforced Hybrid Green Composite Material, Shrawan Kumar, Shashi Prakash Dwivedi, Vijay Kumar Dwived

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Eggshell is a by-product (a secondary product derived from a production process) which produces lots of environment pollution. However, some environment pollution can be reduced by utilizing this waste. In the present investigation, an attempt was made to utilize eggshell as the reinforcement material with alumina (Al2O3) in the development of composite material. Carbonized eggshell particles and Al2O3 ceramic particles were ball-milled up to 100 hours to obtain a uniform particle size of reinforcement particles. Results showed that by using Al2O3 with eggshell in the development of aluminium based composite material after the ball-milling, mechanical properties were significantly improved. However, …

Production Of Silica-Based Ceramics Sintered Under Nitrogen Atmosphere From Rice Husk And Sugarcane Bagasse Ash, Wiphawan Khopthong, Benya Cherdhirunkorn

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Nitride silica-based ceramics were prepared by sintering under nitrogen atmosphere using rice husk ash and bagasse ash as raw materials. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and X-ray Diffractometor (XRD) studies revealed that the main phase of rice husk ash (after calcined at 600C for 6 h.) was amorphous silica, whereas the sugarcane bagasse ash contained quartz and CaCO3. Thus, both ashes would be a good source for silica. Two batches of the 100 wt% rice husk ash (RHA100) and the mixture of 50 wt% rice husk ash and 50 wt% bagasse ash (RHA50BA50) were wet milled using planetary ball milling machine, …

Green-Based Corrosion Protection For Mild Steel In 3.5% Nacl And Distilled Water Medias: Jatropha Curcas And Roselle Extracts, Muhammad A. Afandi, Safaa N. Saud, Esah Hamzah

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this study, the natural sources of Jatropha curcas and Hibiscus Sabdariffa calynx (Roselle) extracts as green corrosion inhibitors were employed to improve the corrosion resistance of mild steel in simulated (3.5% NaCl) and distilled water medias. The inhibiting performance of two types of extracts was studied by visual inspection, microscope analysis, and various electrochemical measurements and the data of corrosion rate were statistically analyzed. The main phenolic compounds of Jatropha and Roselle extracts were confirmed via a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, the functional groups of active phytochemical compounds were characterized via attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (ATR). The results of …

Properties Of Wood-Plastic Composites Based On Pvc/Pla/Pbat Ternary Blend, Laksamon Raksaksri, Phasawat Chaiwutthinan, Amnouy Larpkasemsuk, Saowaroj Chuayjuljit, Anyaporn Boonmahitthisud

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The objective of this work was to improve mechanical properties, thermal resistance, and biodegradability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) by the addition of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and wood flour (WF). The samples made from a mixture of PVC/PBAT exhibited the highest impact and tensile properties, while properties of the samples made from PVC/PLA had the highest flexural and thermal properties, PVC/PLA/PBAT mixed samples exhibited average mechanical properties. The addition of WF to all the blends increased impact strength, flexural properties, Young's modulus, thermal resistance, and biodegradability of the samples in comparison to those of the neat PVC and …

Synthesis Of Hydroxyapatite From Cuttlebone Under Various Ph Conditions: An Approach For Medical Materials, Sineenart Kangkan, Premjit Arpornmaeklong, Sarute Ummartyotin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

To support the bio-based economy, development on hydroxyapatite from cuttlebone was investigated. Cuttlebone is naturally occurring source of calcium. We calcined it at 700°C for 4 h to form a calcium oxide powder. Hydroxyapatite was coprecipitated with calcium oxide powder and phosphoric acid. The effect of the pH ranging from 6 - 10 was controlled by adding ammonium hydroxide. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction were employed to characterize the structural properties of the hydroxyapatite. Changes in pH did not affect the structural properties of the hydroxyapatite. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the hydroxyapatite was thermally stable up to 700°C. At …

Upgrading Of A Data Communication And Computer Networks Course In Engineering Technology Program, Murat Kuzlu, Otilia Popescu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Data network communications is traditionally a course offered by computer engineering technology curricula, with the primary objective to introduce to the fundamental concepts in data communication and computer networks, as well as some level of hands-on component related to this area. Typical topics in such courses are the layered model of data communication, specifically the OSI seven-layered model, Internet routing, communication standards, protocols and technologies, and learning methods used to design the network and send data over the network in a secure manner. In the last decades, the data communication and applications have grown and become ubiquitous in both industry …

High Speed, High Current Monitoring System, Nicolette Lila Ray

Electrical Engineering

Electronics testing requires lengthy data collection and analysis. Streamlining at least part of this process allows resource reallocation, and faster data processing. Verifying a signal’s efficiency is key specification for a component’s datasheet. This project focuses on streamlining data collection when measuring a device’s output current. It combines amplifier design and digital interfacing to perform monitor a device’s output current. A computer-enable interface displays a graphical output current representation. It ensures accurate, high speed, high current measurements while removing a person’s need to manually plot data after testing. A new testing method provides room for company and product growth with …

Expanding Engineering And Technology Opportunities To Students In The Border Region Through International Collaboration, Jesus A. Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Immanuel Edinbarough, Adriana Rios-Santiago, Anabel Pineda-Briseno

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Expanding Engineering and Technology Opportunities to Students in the Border Region through International Collaboration

For some years now, our Department of Engineering Technology of the XXXX, has collaborated with Universities across the southern border to carry out different activities such as undergraduate research, collaborative course-based projects, and senior design projects. We have observed how students benefit from being exposed to work in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

We now expand this form of work to a higher-level research collaboration where students and faculty from four different institutions participate. Two institutions of higher education in Mexico and a University and a Community …

Smart Environments For Assisted Living: A Multidisciplinary Collaboration In Engineering And Architecture Education, Adriana Rios-Santiago, Anabel Pineda-Briseno, Jesus A. Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Uriel Saul Huerta

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a description of a collaborative project based on the integration of technology development in the built environment for assisted living. The multidisciplinary collaboration is developed as a cooperative commitment to provide support for cross-border, collective projects. It was initiated as a project-based learning setting between undergraduate engineering students, and four years later the program shifted to include undergraduate architecture students and engineering master’s students. The learning experience opens the gate to a completely new collaborative setting, yet to be established, independent from its predecessor setting of project-based learning, focusing now towards an interdisciplinarity setting in cross-border collaboration. …

Towards Distributed Node Similarity Search On Graphs, Tianming Zhang, Yunjun Gao, Baihua Zheng, Lu Chen, Shiting Wen, Wei Guo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Node similarity search on graphs has wide applications in recommendation, link prediction, to name just a few. However, existing studies are insufficient due to two reasons: (i) the scale of the real-world graph is growing rapidly, and (ii) vertices are always associated with complex attributes. In this paper, we propose an efficiently distributed framework to support node similarity search on massive graphs, which considers both graph structure correlation and node attribute similarity in metric spaces. The framework consists of preprocessing stage and query stage. In the preprocessing stage, a parallel KD-tree construction (KDC) algorithm is developed to form a newly …

Editorial: Water Environmental Research, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Spectroscopic Measurements Of Dissolved O3, H2o2 And Oh Radicals In Double Cylindrical Dielectric Barrier Discharge Technology: Treatment Of Methylene Blue Dye Simulated Wastewater, Emile Salomon Massima Mouele, Jimoh O. Tijani, Milua Masikini, Ojo O. Fatoba, Chuks P. Eze, Chionydua T. Onwordi, Myo Tay Zar Myint, Htet Htet Kyaw, Jamal Al-Sabahi, Mohammed Al-Abri, Sergey Dobretsov, Katri Laatikainen, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) focusing on nonthermal plasma induced by dielectric barrier discharge are adequate sources of diverse reactive oxygen species (ROS) beneficial for water and wastewater treatment. In this study, indigo, peroxytitanyl sulphate and terephthalic acid methods were used to approximate the concentrations of O₃, H₂O₂ and OH produced in a double cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge (DCDBD) plasma configuration. The effect of pH and scavengers as well as the amount of chemical probes on the generation of oxidants was investigated. The efficiency of the DCDBD reactor was further evaluated using methylene blue (MB) as …

A General And Systematic Method To Design Neutralization Lines For Isolation Enhancement In Mimo Antenna Arrays, Min Li, Lijun Jiang, Kwan Lawrence Yeung

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A general and systematic approach is the first time proposed in this paper to design the neutralization line (NL) for isolation enhancement in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna arrays. Each NL consists of a metal strip and a reactive component attached at its middle position. It is connected with every two antenna radiators to generate an additional coupling path against the original antenna coupling for isolation enhancement. A general network model that leads to a systematic design procedure is developed to meet the required isolation criteria. Three practical examples are presented and used to verify the proposed NL-based decoupling technique (DT). …

Fuzz Distortion Guitar Stompbox, James Dennis Cleary

Electrical Engineering

My Fuzz Distortion Pedal offers guitar players a full-fledged fuzz distortion pedal with gain, frequency cutoff and volume controls. The pedal offers a true bypass when inactive which allows the signal to pass through the effect with no coloration. The distortion pedal offers hard clipping of the input signal by amplifying it by a high amount, and then clipping the voltage of the signal through the use of diodes.

Stability Analysis Of Systems With Time Delay Simulation Program, Matthew Carroll, Brandon Replogle

Electrical Engineering

A small company wants to develop a CAD tool, ideally as part of the MATLAB suite of tools, for system stability analysis of nonlinear control systems with time-delay. The program must allow the designer to input the system block diagram graphically, then using symbolic expansion, automatically generate the Laplace domain stability boundary and disturbance settling time. The stable regions are then to be graphically plotted as a set of 2- or 3-dimensional parametric stability boundaries. The designer can then input performance constraints on the system through the MATLAB console and a Simulink environment will automatically be generated.

This program is …

Distribution Line Multi-Tool, Michael Andrew Garcia, Drew Miller, Sukhdeep Singh, Ritwik Kesavath

Electrical Engineering

Power companies are always interested in the best possible monitoring equipment for their grid. The power line multi-tool developed would aid in the monitoring of the power system’s distribution network. This device assesses the current conditions of distribution power lines. The device is able to measure current, detect downed power lines, as well as recognize fire starting conditions, and have wireless communication for ease of access and installation. Overall this device greatly aids in helping utilities monitor their grid in more detail.

With the increase of dry climates yearly, several utility companies are taking measures to aid in the prevention …

Hvac Fan Control Using Modicon M580, Anthony Tyler, Kevin Shipp

Electrical Engineering

This project is the start of a lab experiment for the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Electrical Engineering department’s new lab focusing on Programmable Logic Controller's (PLCs). The primary focus is to create a lab where students control a Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning (HVAC) system controlled by the Modicon M580 PLC, donated by Schneider Electric. The experiment contains a heat source, which the PLC monitors with a temperature sensor, and a cooling source with multiple fans. Students will learn to use function block diagrams to program the PLC, controlling fan output and regulating the system temperature. The experiment specifications …

Neutrino Detection Antenna, Samuel D. Keechler

Electrical Engineering

Neutrinos carry valuable information about deep space events that researchers can utilize to study the early universe. Since the first neutrino was detected in 1956, it is a relatively new physics research topic. A new state-of-the-art research facility, the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G), was developed to detect Ultra-High Energy (UHE) neutrinos, ones with energy greater than 100 PeV (1015 electronvolts). For reference, this amount of energy lifts an apple 5 cm, or drives a neutrino, a particle 1034 times smaller by mass, near the speed of light [1]. UHE neutrino events typically occur less than five times a …

Kytc Maintenance Field Operations Guide Supplement, Bryan Gibson, Candice Y. Wallace, Nancy Albright, Christopher W. Van Dyke, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is tasked with managing an asset portfolio that includes over 27,500 miles of roadway and 9,000 bridges. Keeping these assets in sound condition demands significant effort from KYTC’s Division of Maintenance, which includes activities ranging from mowing and litter pickup to cleaning out culverts and performing emergency roadway work. Despite the immense responsibilities shouldered by Maintenance personnel, until this project the Cabinet’s 12 districts lacked a systematic method for capturing and recording maintenance activities. Through a series of workshops held in each KYTC’s district with Section Engineer and Maintenance Supervisors, researchers at the Kentucky Transportation …

Crash Modification Factor Recommendation List, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Riana Tanzen, Eric R. Green, William Nicholas Staats, Federico Valentin Lause Iii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Practitioners use Crash Modification Factors/Functions (CMFs) to calculate the number of crashes expected once a countermeasure has been implemented. When evaluating design alternatives, CMFs can be used in conjunction with safety performance functions (SPFs) to derive crash predictions. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) maintains the CMF Clearinghouse as a repository for CMFs. Contributions are submitted by researchers across the U.S., Canada, and throughout the world. Typically, multiple CMFs are associated with a single countermeasure. Some CMFs only apply to specific facility or crash types. Furthermore, CMF quality varies, and some only apply to specific facility and/or crash types, regions, or …