Engineering Commons^™

Understanding Transport Of An Elastic, Spherical Particle Through A Confining Channel, Shuaijun Li, Honghui Yu, Tai-De Li, Zi Chen, Wen Deng, Alimohammad Anbari, Jing Fan

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The transport of soft particles through narrow channels or pores is ubiquitous in biological systems and industrial processes. On many occasions, the particles deform and temporarily block the channel, inducing a built-up pressure. This pressure buildup often has a profound effect on the behavior of the respective system; yet, it is difficult to be characterized. In this work, we establish a quantitative correlation between the built-up pressure and the material and geometry properties through experiments and mechanics analysis. We fabricate microgels with a controlled diameter and elastic modulus by microfluidics. We then force them to individually pass through a constrictive …

On Controlling Interfacial Heterogeneity To Trigger Bridging In Secondary Bonded Composite Joints: An Efficient Strategy To Introduce Crack-Arrest Features, Ran Tao, Xiaole Li, Arief Yudhanto, Marco Alfano, Gilles Lubineau

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Secondary adhesive bonding of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer laminates is of great interest for the aerospace and automotive industries. However, joint reliability is still a major concern because of fabrication-induced or service-related cracks that are difficult to monitor and can lead to catastrophic failure. In this work, we propose a patterning strategy where the careful design of spatially varying interface properties enables the formation of an adhesive ligament that acts as a crack-arrest feature. Bi-dimensional finite element models of adhesively bonded double cantilever beams were employed to investigate the role of the main parameters of the pattern (i.e., geometrical parameters and …

New Constraint-Driven Mission Construct For Small Satellites And Constrained Missions, Lee Jasper, Barbara Braun, Lauren Hunt

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Small satellites, though increasingly prevalent in the industry today, tend to not follow traditional development paths, technically or programmatically. In contrast to traditional requirements-driven missions, where meeting requirements is the primary metric of success, small satellite missions tend to be constraints-driven, where mission scope is tradable to maintain cost and schedule constraints.

Biomimetic Metal-Organic Nanoparticles Prepared With A 3d-Printed Microfluidic Device As A Novel Formulation For Disulfiram-Based Therapy Against Breast Cancer, Ya Chang, Jizong Jiang, Wu Chen, Wen Yang, Lili Chen, Pengyu Chen, Jianzhong Shen, Shizhi Qian, Teng Zhou, Linfeng Wu, Liang Hong, Yongzhuo Huang, Feng Li

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Disulfiram (DSF) is currently tested in several clinical trials for cancer treatment in combination with cop-per (Cu) ions. Usually, DSF and Cu are administered in two separate formulations. In the body, DSF andCu ions form diethyldithiocarbamate copper complex [Cu(DDC)₂] which has potent antitumor activities.However, the “two formulation” approach often achieved low Cu(DDC)₂ concentration at tumor regions and resulted in compromised anticancer efficacy. Therefore, preformed Cu(DDC)₂ complex administered in a single formulation will have better anticancer efficacy. However, the poor aqueous solubility of Cu(DDC)₂ is a significant challenge for its clinical use. In this work, a …

Guidelines For Using Streetlight Data For Planning Tasks, Hong Yang, Mecit Cetin, Qingyu Ma

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has purchased a subscription to the StreetLight (SL) Data products that mainly offer origin-destination (OD) related metrics through crowdsourcing data. Users can manipulate a data source like this to quickly estimate origin-destination trip tables. Nonetheless, the SL metrics heavily rely on the data points sampled from smartphone applications and global positioning services (GPS) devices, which may be subject to potential bias and coverage issues. In particular, the quality of the SL metrics in relation to meeting the needs of various VDOT work tasks is not clear. Guidelines on the use of the SL metrics …

Evaluation Of Diode Laser Application On Chemical Analysis And Surface Microhardness Of White Spots Enamel Lesions With Two Remineralizing Agents, Lamiaa Mahmoud Moharam, Doaa Mohamed Sadony, Shaymaa Mohamed Nagi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: To investigate the effect of diode laser application and two commercial remineralizing agents on the remineralization and surface microhardness of white spot enamel lesions. Material and Methods: Sixty specimens were prepared then equally divided into six groups (n=10/group), according to the diode laser and the two commercial remineralizing agents applied to demineralized enamel surfaces (APF gel and sodium fluoride NaF mousse) with or without diode Laser application as follows; Group A; control, Group B; diode Laser application, Group C; APF gel application, Group D; NaF mousse application, Group E; APF gel application + diode Laser, Group F; NaF mousse …

Rapid Self-Assembly Of Polymer Nanoparticles For Synergistic Codelivery Of Paclitaxel And Lapatinib Via Flash Nanoprecipitation, Shani L. Levit, Hu Yang, Christina Tang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Taxol, a formulation of paclitaxel (PTX), is one of the most widely used anticancer drugs, particularly for treating recurring ovarian carcinomas following surgery. Clinically, PTX is used in combination with other drugs such as lapatinib (LAP) to increase treatment efficacy. Delivering drug combinations with nanoparticles has the potential to improve chemotherapy outcomes. In this study, we use Flash NanoPrecipitation, a rapid, scalable process to encapsulate weakly hydrophobic drugs (logP < 6) PTX and LAP into polymer nanoparticles with a coordination complex of tannic acid and iron formed during the mixing process. We determine the formulation parameters required to achieve uniform nanoparticles and evaluate the drug release in vitro. The size of the resulting nanoparticles was stable at pH 7.4, facilitating sustained drug release via first-order Fickian diffusion. Encapsulating either PTX or LAP into nanoparticles increases drug potency (as indicated by the decrease in IC-50 concentration); we observe a 1500-fold increase in PTX potency and a six-fold increase in LAP potency. When PTX and LAP are co-loaded in the same nanoparticle, they have a synergistic effect that is greater than treating with two single-drug-loaded nanoparticles as the combination index is 0.23 compared to 0.40, respectively.

Dynamic Procedural Music Generation From Npc Attributes, Megan E. Washburn

Master's Theses

Procedural content generation for video games (PCGG) has seen a steep increase in the past decade, aiming to foster emergent gameplay as well as to address the challenge of producing large amounts of engaging content quickly. Most work in PCGG has been focused on generating art and assets such as levels, textures, and models, or on narrative design to generate storylines and progression paths. Given the difficulty of generating harmonically pleasing and interesting music, procedural music generation for games (PMGG) has not seen as much attention during this time.

Music in video games is essential for establishing developers' intended mood …

Solostand, Hau Nhat Doan, Sydney Gray, Celina Dioso

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this scope of work is to highlight the progress and development of SoloStand sponsored by Derek Herrera, chief technical officer and founder of SpinalSingularity. SoloStand is an attachment to a wheelchair that will benefit paraplegics that use wheelchairs. A portable and customizable attachment to a wheelchair will allow the user to do everyday tasks without transferring into a separate standing wheelchair and travel more easily. This document outlines everything that has been done in fulfillment of our senior project requirements.

Total Knee Arthroplasty Gap Balancer, Christina Grigorian, Andrew Beckley, Alexandra Rockett

Biomedical Engineering

California Polytechnic State University’s Biomedical Engineering Department worked in conjunction with local San Luis Obispo orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dimitri Delagrammaticas. The goal of the project was to create a surgical tool that assists a surgeon in measuring knee gap distance and balancing collateral ligament tension during a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery. The final product of this project was completed in five months and initially began with understanding our sponsor’s expectations for the device. A portion of time was devoted to conducting research to understand the process of a knee replacement surgery, the requirements of the device, and the limitations …

Room Management Web Application And Movement And Temperature Sensors, Visalbotr Chan, Huy Anh Duong

Computer Engineering

There are three main parts of this system: micro-controller, database, and website. Micro-controller detects motion of people walking in and out and It also measures room temperature and humidity in a confined space then updates collected data to the database. Our system’s database contains 6 main columns: room number, room capacity, number of students, temperature in Celsius, humidity in percent and date created. Finally, this database is queried by the website to display the information on the webpage. Users could also navigate on our site to check the most and least occupy rooms, and they can also search for a …

Finding Patterns In Subsurface Using Bayesian Machine Learning Approach, Wang Hui

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Stochastic simulation approaches and uncertainty quantification are usually adopted for gaining insight into variability in soil stratigraphy configurations. Previous investigations at geotechnical site characterization and interpretation can be broadly categorized into geostatistics- and process-based methods. On the other hand, modern site exploration techniques provide high-quality, dense datasets in physical spaces with high resolution, either directly from sensors (for example, cone penetration testing data) or indirectly from geophysical inversion (such as seismic inversion, electromagnetic induction inversion, and ground penetrating radar). In this work, anisotropy and heterogeneity are considered as possible patterns that inherently exist in the observations, and these are inferred …

Numerical Study Of 4h-Sic Umosfets With Split-Gate And P+ Shielding, Jheng Yi Jiang, Tian Li Wu, Feng Zhao, Chih Fang Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, performances of a 4H-SiC UMOSFET with split gate and P+ shielding in different configurations are simulated and compared, with an emphasis on the switching characteristics and short circuit capability. A novel structure with the split gate in touch with the P+ shielding is proposed. The key design issues for 4H-SiC UMOSFETs are trench gate dielectric protection and reverse transfer capacitance Crss reduction. Based on simulation results, it is concluded that a UMOSFET with a gate structure combining split gate grounded to the trench bottom protection P+ shielding layer and a current spreading layer is achieved to yield …

Insights Into The Applications Of Waste Materials In The Oil And Gas Industry: State Of The Art Review, Availability, Cost Analysis, And Classification, Abo Taleb T. Al-Hameedi, Husam H. Alkinani, Hussein W. Albazzaz, Shari Dunn-Norman, Mohammed M. Alkhamis

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates different types of waste materials and their applicability in the oil and gas industry as well as analyzing various applications of these waste materials in the petroleum industry. This study also explores the availability of these waste materials by performing a statistical analysis in a good number of countries worldwide. The statistical study was performed starting with a study on which countries generate waste the most overall, followed by examining multiple countries and investigating their top three most available waste. The results showed that the USA is the leading country in terms of municipal solid waste generation …

Theoretical And Computational Analyses On Transition And Turbulence In Purely Oscillating Pipe Flow, Ali Ahmed Abdulrasool

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hydrodynamic instability of purely oscillating pipe flows is investigated in terms of the quasi-steady formulation assuming the temporal changes of the laminar base flow relative to disturbances are slow. A simple model equation is introduced to compare the exact solution of the current approach with those of the major theories dedicated for unsteady flows. The results of the analysis show that the quasi-steady assumption and the multiple scales method are more efficient and accurate than the formal Floquet theory in predicting the transient instabilities within a period in addition to the long-term growth or decay of disturbances. The most …

Pilot Acceptance Of Personal, Wearable Fatigue Monitoring Technology: An Application Of The Extended Technology Acceptance Model, Rachelle Lynne Strong

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The research problem of pilot fatigue has been referenced as a causal factor for aircraft accidents in many United States National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports; however, the United States Code of Federal Regulations 14 CFR Part 117, Flight and Duty Limitations and Rest Requirements for Flight Crew Members, does not provide a tangible means of measuring fatigue for aircraft crew members. This problem is relevant to the airline industry and the travelling public because pilot fatigue is preventable as a causal factor in aviation accidents, and pilots need an accurate way to measure it. Adoption of a …

Organizational Design Of Secondary Aviation/Aerospace/Engineering Career Education Programs, Susan Kelly Archer

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Modern nations operate within a global economy, relying heavily on the aviation industry for efficient and effective transportation of passengers and goods. The Boeing 2018 Pilot and Technical Outlook Report indicated that over the next 20 years, the aviation industry will need almost two and a half million new aircrew and maintenance employees to meet anticipated global demand. The industry will also need engineers, aviation managers, and workers in other aviation and aerospace disciplines. Aviation and aerospace jobs require solid backgrounds in mathematics, science, and technology; the development of pre-college aviation / aerospace / engineering career education programs would presumably …

Nuclear Data Covariance Analysis In Radiation-Transport Simulations Utilizing Scale Sampler And The Irdff Nuclear Data Library, Nicholas J. Quartemont, Abigail A. Bickley, James E. Bevins

Faculty Publications

This article describes the nuclear data covariance analysis of an experimental design for a neutron energy-tuning assembly (ETA) created to shape a 14-MeV neutron point source to an objective spectrum. Underlying nuclear data uncertainties play a large role in the radiation transport and reaction rates for the range of responses to be expected from an experiment. The methodology leveraged the Standardized Computer Analysis for Licensing Evaluation (SCALE) Sampler module to determine the uncertainty in the neutron transport. The reaction uncertainty was perturbed with the International Reactor Dosimetry and Fusion File v.1.05 uncertainty, correlation matrix, and reaction cross section through multivariate …

Synthesizing General Electromagnetic Partially Coherent Sources From Random, Correlated Complex Screens, Milo W. Hyde Iv

Faculty Publications

We present a method to generate any genuine electromagnetic partially coherent source (PCS) from correlated, stochastic complex screens. The method described here can be directly implemented on existing spatial-light-modulator-based vector beam generators and can be used in any application which utilizes electromagnetic PCSs. Our method is based on the genuine cross-spectral density matrix criterion. Applying that criterion, we show that stochastic vector field realizations (corresponding to a desired electromagnetic PCS) can be generated by passing correlated Gaussian random numbers through “filters” with space-variant transfer functions. We include step-by-step instructions on how to generate the electromagnetic PCS field realizations. As an …

Internal Combustion Engine, Philippe D. Habets, Sam S. Flood, Paing Htet Lin, Jason Wu, Ricardo Cuevas

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this project is to modify a Honda GX35 engine to improve its fuel efficiency and maximize its competitiveness in the Shell Eco-marathon competitions. This competition has tight restrictions on the type of fuel used to power the engine, but otherwise has very few rules limiting the type of modifications which may be made. Our primary goals are to maximize volumetric efficiency and maintain an efficient operating temperature. Future work might pursue more advanced technologies such as pseudo-atkinson cycle operation.

Simulation And Design Tool For Supermileage Vehicle (Smv) Club Final Design Report, Kimberly Kodama, Sung Ho An, Justice Aragon

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this project is to create a sensitivities tool and start an optimization tool to assist the Cal Poly SMV Team in designing their vehicle, developing a driving strategy for competition, and becoming a contender in endurance events. The development of a user-friendly vehicle simulation and design tool was proposed by Professor Joseph Mello who is the club’s advisor. The SMV Team competes in endurance events such as the Supermileage competition or the Shell Eco-marathon with the goal of achieving the best mileage possible.

This report will present the research that has been conducted to understand and define …

Improvement Of Low Traffic Volume Gravel Roads In Nebraska, Richard L. Wood, Yong-Rak Kim, Yijun Liao, Mohammad E. Mohammadi

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

In the state of Nebraska, over one-third of roadways are unpaved, and consequently require a significant amount of financial and operational resources to maintain their operation. Undesired behavior of surface gravel aggregates and the road surfaces can include rutting, corrugation, and ponding that may lead to reduced driving safety, speed or network efficiency, and fuel economy. This study evaluates the parameters that characterize the performance and condition of gravel roads overtime period related to various aggregate mix designs. The parameters, including width, slope, and crown profiles, are examples of performance criteria. As remote sensing technologies have advanced in the recent …

Synthesis Of Repair Practices Of Damaged Precast/Prestressed Concrete Girders, George Morcous, Richard L. Wood, Antony Mohsen Kamal Masoud Kodsy

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Bridge girders are constantly subjected to various types of damage during their service life. There is currently limited knowledge or guidelines provided by the NDOT Bridge Office Policies and Procedures (BOPP) regarding the assessment and repair procedures of damaged precast/prestressed concrete girders. This report aims to develop a comprehensive repair manual for precast/prestressed concrete girders subjected to damage caused by over-height vehicular collision and damage located at the girder ends. Over-height vehicular collision damage typically occurs at the middle portion of the exterior girders and the primary concerns are focused on flexural deficiencies. Girder end damage can occur due to …

Development Of Sr/Cao Catalyst Derived From Cuttlebone (Sepia Officinalis) For Biodiesel Production, Napat Tomano, Apisit Prokaew, Supakorn Boonyuen, Sarute Ummartyotin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Cuttlebone (Sepia officinalis) was used as a source of calcium oxide for biodiesel catalyst. The objective of this work is to present the bio-based catalyst prepared from cuttlebone. 1, 3, 5 and 10 %wt of strontium was loaded into calcium oxide powder derived from cuttlebone. Structural properties of Sr/CaO catalyst were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction, respectively. There is no change on morphological properties of catalyst between Sr/CaO and pristine CaO. The homogeneous distribution of strontium was confirmed by EDX mapping technique. The specific surface area of powder was estimated to be 10-30 m2 ·g-1. The thermal …

Investigation Of Crosslink Structure Of Natural Rubber During Vulcanization Using X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy, Kanoktip Boonkerd, Wanwisa Limphirat

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy technique (XANES) has been applied to determine the crosslinking structure of natural rubber (NR) during sulfur vulcanization process. The NR samples were prepared using DCBS as an accelerator at different sulfur to DCBS ratios (from 0.26 to 6.67). The results showed that with increasing cure time from tc50 to tc70, tc90 and tc100 the position of sulfur peak shifted to higher energy. This implied that the amount of polysulfidic crosslink gradually decreased with increasing cure time. This result supported the crosslinking mechanism proposed in the literature at which the polysulfidic crosslink is dominating at …

Influence Of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) And Wollastonite On Properties Of Recycled Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Preforms, Phasawat Chaiwutthinan, Thaksaporn Riyaphan, Athapon Simpraditpan, Amnouy Larpkasemsuk

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Influence of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and wollastonite (WLN) on properties of recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (RPET) was investigated. RPET was first melt-mixed with PBT at five loadings (10-50 wt%) on a twin screw extruder, and then injection molded. Scanning electron micrographs showed the immiscible blends. The blends at 10-40 wt% PBT displayed droplet-matrix morphology, while the blend at 50 wt% PBT showed a matrix inversion. All blends showed a PBT-dosedependent increase in impact strength and Young's modulus with an expense of tensile strength and elongation at break. Among five RPET/PBT blends, the one at 40 wt% PBT exhibited the good balanced …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, March 2020, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Improving Aeromagnetic Calibration Using Artificial Neural Networks, Mitchell C. Hezel

Theses and Dissertations

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has proven itself to be the single most accurate positioning system available, and no navigation suite is found without a GPS receiver. Even basic GPS receivers found in most smartphones can easily provide high quality positioning information at any time. Even with its superb performance, GPS is prone to jamming and spoofing, and many platforms requiring accurate positioning information are in dire need of other navigation solutions to compensate in the event of an outage, be the cause hostile or natural. Indeed, there has been a large push to achieve an alternative navigation capability which …

An Analytic Study Of Pursuit Strategies, Mark E. Vlassakis

Theses and Dissertations

The Two-on-One pursuit-evasion differential game is revisited where the holonomic players have equal speed, and the two pursuers are endowed with a circular capture range ℓ > 0. Then, the case where the pursuers' capture ranges are unequal, ℓ₁ > ℓ₂ ≥ 0, is analyzed. In both cases, the state space region where capture is guaranteed is delineated and the optimal feedback strategies are synthesized. Next, pure pursuit is considered whereupon the terminal separation between a pursuer and an equal-speed evader less than the pursuer's capture range ℓ > 0. The case with two pursuers employing pure pursuit is considered, and …

Semantic Segmentation Of Aerial Imagery Using U-Nets, Terence J. Yi

Theses and Dissertations

In situations where global positioning systems are unavailable, alternative methods of localization must be implemented. A potential step to achieving this is semantic segmentation, or the ability for a model to output class labels by pixel. This research aims to utilize datasets of varying spatial resolutions and locations to train a fully convolutional neural network architecture called the U-Net to perform segmentations of aerial images. Variations of the U-Net architecture are implemented and compared to other existing models in order to determine the best in detecting buildings and roads. A final dataset will also be created combining two datasets to …