Engineering Commons^™

Determination Of Lithium Isotope Concentration By Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Using Chemometrics, Jason C. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The role of enriched 6Li in nuclear applications makes the ability to detect and monitor lithium enrichment activity imperative. Detecting levels of enrichment of this isotope currently requires sensitive, complex equipment operated by highly-trained technicians, which is prohibitive to rapid detection of enrichment activity. While commercial companies market portable laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with the ability to detect elements on the order or parts per million concentrations, they have not yet been demonstrated to possess the ability to quantitatively determine isotopic concentrations of lithium. This research performs single-pulse LIBS experiments under laboratory conditions to determine concentrations of 7Li and …

Examining Healthy Community Design Characteristics And Its Influence On Physical Health, Alvin T. Yip

Theses and Dissertations

Current trends in obesity rates associated with the community layout constitutes research towards understanding the interaction between the two in order to improve the public's physical health. Successes in healthy community planning studies for the public can be harnessed and implemented within the microcosm of military bases to yield similar results. Four factors were recognized through an in-depth academic literature review that showed positive influence on physical health and physical activity. They are access to green space, highly connected pedestrian and bicycle networks, access to public transportation, and integrated mixed land use. The four healthy planning strategies formed the necessary …

Detection Of Reconnection Signatures In Solar Flares, Taylor R. Whitney

Theses and Dissertations

Solar flare forecasting is limited by the current understanding of mechanisms that govern magnetic reconnection, the main physical phenomenon associated with these events. As a result, forecasting relies mainly on climatological correlations to historical events rather than the underlying physics principles. Solar physics models place the neutral point of the reconnection event in the solar corona. Correspondingly, studies of photospheric magnetic fields indicate changes during solar flares -- particularly in relation to the field helicity -- on the solar surface as a result of the associated magnetic reconnection. This study utilizes data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Helioseismic and …

Conduction Mapping For Quality Control Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing, Chance M. Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

A process was developed to identify potential defects in previous layers of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) 3D printed metal parts using a mid-IR thermal camera to track infrared 3.8-4 m band emission over time as the part cooled to ambient temperature. Efforts focused on identifying anomalies in thermal conduction. To simplify the approach and reduce the need for significant computation, no attempts were made to calibrate measured intensity, extract surface temperature, apply machine learning, or compare measured cool-down behavior to computer model predictions. Raw intensity cool-down curves were fit to a simplified functional form designed to …

Effects Of Long-Term Evolution Waveform On Synthetic Aperture Radar Image Quality Metrics, Blake M. Colson

Theses and Dissertations

As a greater demand by the private sector for bandwidth drives spectrum allocations away from defense, new methods for coexistence in the spectrum are being explored. One of the prominent areas in defense for this coexistence is passive radar. This mode of radar system allows for data collection by referencing signals already established in the environment of interest. Some of the most prolific signals currently available are those used for mobile communication networks. In particular, Long- Term Evolution (LTE) is a common waveform that could be leveraged for discrete collection of image intelligence. Seeking to build a base of knowledge, …

Meta Learning Recommendation System For Classification, Clarence O. Williams Iii

Theses and Dissertations

A data driven approach is an emerging paradigm for the handling of analytic problems. In this paradigm the mantra is to let the data speak freely. However, when using machine learning algorithms, the data does not naturally reveal the best or even a good approach for algorithm choice. One method to let the algorithm reveal itself is through the use of Meta Learning, which uses the features of a dataset to determine a useful model to represent the entire dataset. This research proposes an improvement on the meta-model recommendation system by adding classification problems to the candidate problem space with …

Neutron Energy Effects On Asteroid Deflection, Lansing S. Horan Iv

Theses and Dissertations

In the future, a hazardous asteroid will find itself on a collision course with Earth. It is an inevitability; the question is not if, but when. For asteroids of moderate size or larger, a nuclear device is one of humanity's only technologies capable of mitigating this threat via deflection on a timescale of less than a decade. This work examined how changing the output neutron energy from a nuclear device detonation affects asteroid deflection. The notional asteroid target was 300 meters in diameter and composed of silicon dioxide at a bulk density of 1.855 g/cm³. To calculate the …

Experimental Characterization Of The Electrostatic Levitation Force In Mems Transducers, Meysam Daeichin, Ronald Miles, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

In this study, a two-step experimental procedure is described to determine the electrostatic levitation force in MEMS transducers. In these two steps, the microstructure is excited quasi-statically and dynamically and its response is used to derive the electrostatic force. The experimental results are obtained for a 1 by 1 plate that employs 112 levitation units. The experimentally obtained force is used in a lumped parameter model to find the microstructure response when it is subjected to different dynamical loads. The natural frequency and the damping ratios in the model are identified from the experimental results. The results show this procedure …

Decentralized, Noncooperative Multirobot Path Planning With Sample-Basedplanners, William Le

Master's Theses

In this thesis, the viability of decentralized, noncooperative multi-robot path planning algorithms is tested. Three algorithms based on the Batch Informed Trees (BIT*) algorithm are presented. The first of these algorithms combines Optimal Reciprocal Collision Avoidance (ORCA) with BIT*. The second of these algorithms uses BIT* to create a path which the robots then follow using an artificial potential field (APF) method. The final algorithm is a version of BIT* that supports replanning. While none of these algorithms take advantage of sharing information between the robots, the algorithms are able to guide the robots to their desired goals, with the …

Mixed Culture Polyhydroxyalkanaotes (Pha) Production Using Crude Glycerol As Carbon Source, Mohamad Fauzi Ainil Hawa

Student Works (2020-2029)

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is a biopolymer that has the prospect of becoming a preferred renewable and environmentally friendly resource with various applications including in manufacturing and medicine. Intensive studies have been carried out to find the most practical and economical method for PHA production because current commercial production of PHA is stringent and extremely costly. The aim of this study is to enrich PHA-accumulators with high PHA production capabilities by evaluating the stability of the enrichment process and by observing the effect of organic loading rate (OLR) on the production potential. In this study, PHA-accumulators were cultivated using activated sludge with …

An Integrated Computational Materials Engineering-Anchored Closed-Loop Method For Design Of Aluminum Alloys For Additive Manufacturing, Saket Thapliyal, Mageshwari Komarasamy, Shivakant Shukla, Le Zhou, Holden Hyer, Sharon Park, Yongho Sohn, Rajiv S. Mishra

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A closed-loop approach based on integrated computational material engineering was used to design, fabricate and characterize an Al–1.5Cu–0.8Sc–0.4Zr (wt%) alloy for laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (AM). Finalization of composition and prediction of solidification behavior and mechanical properties were done using calculation of phase diagrams (CALPHAD) and analytical tools. The microstructure of the printed alloy in as-built condition consisted of crack-free regions with fine-equiaxed grains which was consistent with CALPHAD results. Yield strength (YS) of ~349 ± 8 MPa was also in more than 90% agreement with predicted YS. The findings demonstrate an efficient methodology for application-based alloy design …

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Suspension System For A Half Car Model: Analytical And Experimental Study, Doaa Ali Nasser Al-Yafeai

Mechanical Engineering Theses

One of the essential techniques for energy harvesting is the clean energy collection from ambient vibration. Recently, piezoelectric energy harvesting systems became a hot topic and attracted many researchers. This is due to their simple structure, relatively high output power among the other mechanisms (electromagnetic and electrostatic), compatibility with MEMS, and operation in a wide frequency range. The main objective of the current work is to develop a mathematical model to evaluate the potential of harvesting power from the car suspension system. Quarter and half car models with a built-in piezoelectric stack were modeled mathematically using Laplace transformation and simulated …

Bayesian Calibration At The Urban Scale: A Case Study On A Large Residential Heating Demand Application In Amsterdam, Cheng-Kai Wang, Simon Tindemans, Clayton Miller, Giorgio Agugiaro, Jantien Stoter

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

A bottom-up building energy modelling at the urban scale based on Geographic Information System and semantic 3D city models can provide quantitative insights to tackle critical urban energy challenges. Nevertheless, incomplete information is a common obstacle to produce reliable modelling results. The residential building heating demand simulation performance gap caused by input uncertainties is discussed in this study. We present a data-driven urban scale energy modelling framework from open-source data harmonization, sensitivity analysis, heating demand simulation at the postcode level to Bayesian calibration with six years of training data and two years of validation data. Comparing the baseline and the …

Ten Questions Concerning The Implications Of Carpet On Indoor Chemistry And Microbiology, Sarah R, Haines, Rachel I. Adams, Brandon E. Boor, Thomas A. Bruton, John Downey, Andrea R. Ferro, Elliott T. Gall, Multiple Additional Authors

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Carpet and rugs currently represent about half of the United States flooring market and offer many benefits as a flooring type. How carpets influence our exposure to both microorganisms and chemicals in indoor environments has important health implications but is not well understood. The goal of this manuscript is to consolidate what is known about how carpet impacts indoor chemistry and microbiology, as well as to identify the important research gaps that remain. After describing the current use of carpet indoors, questions focus on five specific areas: 1) indoor chemistry, 2) indoor microbiology, 3) resuspension and exposure, 4) current practices …

Identifying And Positively Addressing Real And Perceived Barriers To Inclusion In Construction, Lisa Breitenfield

The Professional Constructor

The construction industry is facing difficulties in recruiting and training new skilled workers. My essay will identify some methods companies and the AGC can use to attract new employees. Some potential solutions involve encouraging schools to expose students to the construction industry, recognizing and assisting working parents with childcare issues, companies offering employees personalized career advancement schedules, and recruiting students focused on the arts and history for detail oriented roles in the industry. The Associated General Contractors can help by advising individual companies on attracting employees and facilitate greater mentorship programs between companies and educational institutions.

Current State Of The Employee Assessment Process In The Construction Industry For Southeast United States, Dhaval Gajjar, Shima Clarke, Cayla Anderson

The Professional Constructor

The employee assessment process (EAP) is a formal evaluation system used by an employer to evaluate employee’s performance and behavior within a company. The objective of this paper is to determine the current state of the most common used practices for EAP in the construction industry; specifically in Southeast United States. Existing literature was reviewed to understand the historical context and the current documentation of existing EAP processes in other industries and within the construction industry. Literature revealed that there is no formal standardized process documented for EAP practice within the United States construction industry. Based on the literature findings …

State Department Of Transportation Suas Program Development And Operational Deployment, Dennis Bausman, Joseph Burgett, Ajay Jadhav, Scott Shaffer, Eric Stuckey

The Professional Constructor

Over the past several years small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have gained popularity in the private sector. Recent studies have shown an increasing interest from state DOTs in the U.S. for the use of drone technology. However, most of the studies did not fully investigate the depth of program integration or application. This study combines the findings of recent studies to identify state DOTs with the most extensive sUAS operational experience. The drone champions for the six states identified, were interviewed to gain substantive insight regarding program initiation and organization, the spectrum of agency use, perceived benefits, and the DOT’s …

Increasing Diversity And Inclusion Through Mentoring Underrepresented Groups, Corban Williams

The Professional Constructor

The Construction Industry historically has struggled to gain traction with underrepresented groups, such as women, African-Americans, and the Hispanic/ Latinx community. To combat this, industry-wide action is necessary to increase diversity and inclusion. Underrepresented communities have misconceptions about the construction industry including a lack of knowledge about the wide range of possible careers. By the AGC establishing a mentoring program with career goals and psychological attributes for grades 6-12 and college students, a positive dialog about the industry would be established. Visibility and promotion of the program would encourage students of underrepresented communities to consider a career in the construction …

Perspectives On Diversity And Inclusion In Construction, Anna A. Pasha

The Professional Constructor

The construction industry is rapidly growing and contractors are optimistic about the immediate and long-term growth of the industry. As demand increases, the construction industry faces a projected labor shortage crisis. As the construction industry grows, it must rise to meet the challenge of solving this labor shortage by diversifying and widening its labor pool and strategically attracting new talent. This essay offers a detailed solution that includes a redefinition of approaches to diversity, ideas for short-term policies and creative long-term policies, and a lasting vision for the industry that will guide us to continue growing progressively and avoiding crises …

Examining The Pre-Construction Professional: Career Evolution, Responsibilities And Skilles, Aaron D. Sauer, Hariharan Naganathan, Kevin M. Hubbard

The Professional Constructor

The construction industry is constantly evolving to meet the needs of clients in light of significant technological and regulatory change. The Pre-Construction Professional is one example of a new career path that has emerged in response to changing market conditions. This study investigated the Pre-Construction Professional in an effort to define when the career path emerged and why it was needed. The researchers also sought to describe the role of the Pre-Construction Professional and document their requisite knowledge and skills. The research design was based on extensive interviews with working Pre-Construction Professionals and supported by available literature. The findings of …

Assessing The Equity Gap In Construction Education, Jared M. Burgoon, John Killingsworth, Jonathan W. Elliott, Molly M. Weisshaar

The Professional Constructor

There is a documented demand for an educated construction management workforce. To help meet this demand, construction education programs at numerous post-secondary institutions have established objectives and goals to recruit, train, and graduate high-quality students; and, many of these programs are charged with providing educational opportunities to students who have been traditionally underserved in higher education (e.g., female, minority, first generation students, etc.). This study compared the enrollment and retention rates, interdepartmental migration patterns, and student satisfaction and graduation success outcomes of undergraduate students enrolled in a CM program at a public university as a means of identifying trends and …

Methods To Increase Algae Biomass Productivity In Raceway Pond Monocultures, Ryan S. Anderson

Master's Theses

The economics of algae biofuels and bioproducts would be improved by increased biomass productivity. Two studies on this potential are described in this thesis – one on a locally isolated filamentous yellow-green alga and the other on a planktonic strain genetically improved via selective enrichment.

Polycultures have been viewed as productive, stable, and, in some cases, harvestable by natural bioflocculation. Local native strains might have higher productivity than culture collection strains because they are already adapted to local outdoor conditions. In this study, the filamentous yellow-green alga Tribonema minus was isolated from a local volunteer polyculture. Its productivity as a …

Skier's Edge: Biomechanical Analysis, Benjamin T. Johannes

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Skier’s Edge: Biomechanical Analysis

Benjamin T. Johannes

The Skier’s Edge trainer can be used by novice or expert skiers. Testing was performed to analyze if the use of the Skier’s Edge could reduce in shear forces of the valgus moment on the knee joint and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) due to lesser fatigue of muscle and a higher hamstring to quadricep (H/Q) ratio activity. This leads to a reduction of improper form and an increase in balance. Experiments performed observed the change in muscle activity with the use of the Skier’s Edge over time when compared to other forms …

Use Of Body Composition Imaging To Calculate 3-D Inertial Parameters For Inverse Dynamic Analysis Of Youth Pitching Arm Kinetics, Dalton James Jennings

Master's Theses

The objectives of this study were to 1) calculate participant-specific segment inertial parameters using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) data (referred to as full DXA-driven parameters) and compare the pitching arm kinetic predictions using full DXA-driven inverse dynamics vs scaled, DXA mass-driven (using DXA masses but scaled centers of mass and radii of gyration), and DXA scaled inverse dynamics(ID) (using the full DXA-driven inertial parameters averaged across all participants), 2) examine associations between full DXA-driven kinetics and body mass index (BMI) and 3) examine associations between full DXA-driven kinetics and segment mass index (SMI). Eighteen 10- to 11- year-olds pitched …

Insulative (Direct Current) Dielectrophoretic Foul-Less Filtration In Microfuidic Systems, Matthew A A Whitman

Master's Theses

Filtration is a technology that is used almost ubiquitously in society from uses raging from filtration of macroparticles from water to pharmaceutical grade filtration products to remove anything larger than a protein. However, with such a wide range of uses, most filtration products have the same issue; membrane clogging (fouling) that prevents continuous use and requires frequent maintenance. This thesis hypothesizes that by applying a direct current (DC) to an insulating array of posts, they will create a foul-less insulative dielectrophoretic filter (iDEP) that does not clog since particles will levitate above the insulating array.

This thesis tested an inherited …

Electricity Price Forecasting Using A Convolutional Neural Network, Elliott Winicki

Master's Theses

Many methods have been used to forecast real-time electricity prices in various regions around the world. The problem is difficult because of market volatility affected by a wide range of exogenous variables from weather to natural gas prices, and accurate price forecasting could help both suppliers and consumers plan effective business strategies. Statistical analysis with autoregressive moving average methods and computational intelligence approaches using artificial neural networks dominate the landscape. With the rise in popularity of convolutional neural networks to handle problems with large numbers of inputs, and convolutional neural networks conspicuously lacking from current literature in this field, convolutional …

A System Architecture For Phased Development Of Remote Suas Operation, Eric Ashley

Master's Theses

Current airspace regulations require the remote pilot-in-command of an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to maintain visual line of sight with the vehicle for situational awareness. The future of UAS will not have these constraints as technology improves and regulations are changed. An operational model for the future of UAS is proposed where a remote operator will monitor remote vehicles with the capability to intervene if needed. One challenge facing this future operational concept is the ability for a flight data system to effectively communicate flight status to the remote operator. A system architecture has been developed to facilitate the implementation …

Web Application For Movie Performance Prediction, Devalkumar Patel

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This is an amazing and unique idea for the web application. The purpose of this application is to address those movie lover people who is always in a hurry to visit the theatre to watch upcoming movies irrespective of which star cast is in it. This system is a mixture of desktop applications, python libraries, and simple math arithmetic. The application can be used by anyone which is ultimately helping them to decide, either they should watch the movie or not. The user just submits the name of the movie. This application is developed in Visual Studio 2019 for functioning …

Integrated Resource Management For Terrestrial-Satellite Systems, Shu Fu, Jie Gao, Lian Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

As data traffic in terrestrial-satellite systems surges, the integration of power allocation for caching, computing, and communication (3C) has attracted much research attention. However, previous works on 3C power allocation in terrestrial-satellite systems mostly focus on maximizing the overall system throughput. In this paper, we aim to guarantee both throughput fairness and data security in terrestrial-satellite systems. Specifically, we first divide the system implementation into three steps, i.e., data accumulation, blockchain computing, and wireless transmission. Then, we model and analyze the delay and power consumption in each step by proposing several theorems and lemmas regarding 3C power allocation. Based on …

Partially-Coupled D–Q–0 Components Of Magnetically-Isolated Fscw Ipm Machines With Open-End-Winding Drives, Fan Wu, Hao Ge, Ayman M. El-Refaie, Mohammad Farshadnia, Alireza Pouramin, Rukmi Dutta

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Fractional-slot concentrated winding interior permanent magnet (FSCW-IPM) machines have been designed with very low winding mutual inductance for magnetic isolation features required for improving their fault-tolerant capabilities. These magnetically-isolated FSCW-IPM machines no longer adhere to the preconditions required for a conventional abc-to-dq0 transformation. As a result, it is found in this article that d-, q-axes could couple with 0-axis in magnetically-isolated FSCW-IPM machines. Considering the second-order reluctance component, this phenomenon leads to third-harmonic injection in phase voltages during normal operation, which can be cancelled out in terms of line-to-line voltage for Y-connected three-phase system. However, for open-end-winding machine drives without …