Engineering Commons^™

Poster Awards Ceremony, Hongyan Ma

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

• 1st Place: Dongbin Kim, Missouri S&T, A Human-Embodied Drone for Dexterous Aerial Manipulation
• 2nd Place: Yu Otsuki, Georgia Tech, Autonomous ultrasonic thickness measurement using Martlet wireless sensing system integrated with a steel climbing mobile robot
• 3rd Place: Pu Jiao, Missouri S&T, INSPIRE UTC Bridge Inspection Field Campaign Update, 2021

Closing Remarks And Winners Announced, Hongyan Ma

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Closing Remarks and Winners Announced by INSPIRE UTC Graduate Student Poster Session Chair Dr. Hongyan Ma, Assistant Professor, Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, Missouri S&T

Improving 3d Metric Gpr Imaging Using Robotic Data Collection And Dnn Based Processing, Jinglun Feng

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

GPR is one of the most important NDE devices to detect subsurface objects and reconstruct the underground scene. There are two challenges for GPR- based inspection, which are GPR data collection and subsurface object imaging. To address these challenges, we propose a robotic solution that automates the GPR data collection process with a free motion pattern. It facilitates the 3D metric GPR imaging by tagging the pose information with GPR measurement in real-time. We also introduce a DNN based GPR data analysis method which includes a noise removal segmentation module to clear the noise in GPR raw data and a …

Encoding Time-Series Ground Motions As Images For Convolutional Neural Networks-Based Seismic Damage Evaluation, Xinzhe Yuan

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Earthquake records can be encoded as images to classify their resulting damage states to structures based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Different encoding techniques such as Recurrence Plot (RP) and Wavelet Transform (WT) can be used to transfer earthquake records to images. Presently, no consensus has been reached on the understanding of the most suitable encoding technique for CNN-based seismic damage classification. In this study, we develop a new encoding technique based on Time-series Segmentation (TS) and compare it to state-of-the-art RP and WT techniques. These techniques are mainly compared based on their classification accuracy and computation efficiency.

Reveal Underground Defects Through Impact Sounding (Is) And Impact Echo (Ie), Ejup Hoxha

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Impact Echo (IE) and Impact Sounding (IS) are well-developed non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods that are widely used for inspection of concrete structures to ensure safety and sustainability. However, it is a tedious work to collect IE and IS data along grid lines covering large target area for characterization of subsurface defects. On the other hand, data processing is very complicated and requires domain experts to interpret the results. To address the above problems, we present a robotic inspection system, to automate the data collection process and introduce data analytics software to visualize the inspection results allowing non-professionals to easily understand …

Autonomous Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Using Martlet Wireless Sensing System Integrated With A Steel Climbing Mobile Robot, Yu Otsuki

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

The objective of this research is to develop an autonomous ultrasonic thickness measurement system for steel bridge members through the integration of wireless sensing and robotics. The ultrasonic thickness measurement is achieved using a transducer that requires access to only one side of a steel bridge member. Building upon the Martlet wireless sensing platform, this project first develops pulser and ultrasonic daughter boards to generate a pulse excitation and to filter and amplify the received ultrasonic signal. The developed Martlet wireless ultrasonic device is next integrated with a steel climbing mobile robot developed by University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The …

Drone Vision-Based Clamping Strategy For Bridge Inspection, Bo Shang

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Most bridges in the United States are near their designed lifetime. So, policy needs bridges to be inspected every two years. Currently, most of those inspections are done by human which needs to block the traffic and can cause injury. MST INSPIRE-UTC’s project Bridge Inspection Robot Deployment Systems (BIRDS) tries to develop a flying and climbing platform that has the following benefit:

• Capturing high quality data for inspection without vibration;
• Free of blocking traffic;
• Operator and inspector are safe.

Ronald E. Mcnair Scholars Program Profiles And Abstracts 2021, Mcnair Scholars Program

McNair Symposium

This is the complete event program and provides presentation abstracts and biographies of McNair scholars and their mentors.

A Ranking Method To Prioritize Vfr Airports To Be Provided Instrument Approach Procedures, Marcelo Soares Leão, Fábio Rodrigues Paukoski Fernandes, Gustavo Ortegal Leal, Leila Halawi

Publications

The primary purpose of this work is to investigate the necessity of a more comprehensive and systematic method to prioritize airports to be provided with instrument approaches and landing procedures in the Brazilian air transportation landscape. First, an overview of the main contributors to risks associated with the approach and landing phases is provided, covering the most critical aspects of unstable approaches and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) events. Second, considering the emergence of Terrain Awareness and Alerting Systems (TAWS), the role of its contribution to safety is discussed and the certification context related to the design, installation, and operation …

Analysis Of The Effects Of Spatiotemporal Demand Data Aggregation Methods On Distance And Volume Errors, Zachary Hornberger, Bruce A. Cox, Raymond R. Hill

Faculty Publications

Purpose — Large/stochastic spatiotemporal demand data sets can prove intractable for location optimization problems, motivating the need for aggregation. However, demand aggregation induces errors. Significant theoretical research has been performed related to the modifiable areal unit problem and the zone definition problem. Minimal research has been accomplished related to the specific issues inherent to spatiotemporal demand data, such as search and rescue (SAR) data. This study provides a quantitative comparison of various aggregation methodologies and their relation to distance and volume based aggregation errors. Design/methodology/approach — This paper introduces and applies a framework for comparing both deterministic and stochastic aggregation …

Augmenting The Space Domain Awareness Ground Architecture Via Decision Analysis And Multi-Objective Optimization, Albert R. Vasso, Richard G. Cobb, John M. Colombi, Bryan D. Little, David R. Meyer

Faculty Publications

Purpose — The US Government is challenged to maintain pace as the world’s de facto provider of space object cataloging data. Augmenting capabilities with nontraditional sensors present an expeditious and low-cost improvement. However, the large tradespace and unexplored system of systems performance requirements pose a challenge to successful capitalization. This paper aims to better define and assess the utility of augmentation via a multi-disiplinary study. Design/methodology/approach — Hypothetical telescope architectures are modeled and simulated on two separate days, then evaluated against performance measures and constraints using multi-objective optimization in a heuristic algorithm. Decision analysis and Pareto optimality identifies a set …

Gas Leakage Detection With Hyperspectral Imagery-Based Vegetation Stress Indices, Pengfei Ma

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

The objective of this research is to provide a basis for gas leakage detection with hyperspectral cameras. The gas leakage attacks vegetations, which yields some spectral signature changes. As the vegetation under different stressors may induce similar effect. The spectral signature changes can be similar. A lab test was arranged to test three kinds of plants under four common natural stressors with a reference. All plants are routinely scanned with hyperspectral cameras every three days to obtain every developmental stage. Linear discriminant analysis (LDR) was applied in the data analysis to discriminate the plant with gas leakage treatment from the …

A Human-Embodied Drone For Dexterous Aerial Manipulation, Dongbin Kim

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Current drones passively surveil. Drones equipped with robotic arms shift this paradigm: the drone is actively interacting with the environment rather than simply sensing it. This would be needed to robotically enhance bridge-related work, called dexterous aerial manipulation: drones could hose decks; drilling on surfaces; and epoxy cracks. Such research is important to advancing bridge maintenance and repair.

Recently, the worker’s experience was integrated in aerial manipulation using haptic technology. The net effect is such system could enable the worker to leverage drones to collaborative perform haptic assessments of the objects and complete tasks on the bridge remotely. However, the …

Probability Of Detection In Corrosion Monitoring With Fe-C Coated Lpfg Sensors, Ying Zhuo

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

This project aims to develop two statistical methods for determining the probability of detection in corrosion monitoring using long period fiber gratings (LPFG) sensors with thin Fe-C coating, validate these methods from independent laboratory tests, and determine the steel mass loss at 90% probability of detection and the largest steel mass loss that may miss from a corrosion inspection at 95% upper confidence bounds. LPFG sensors could reflect the corrosion process by the wavelength shift in the transmission spectrum due to the change of the refractive index of the Fe-C coating. POD is a method used to determine the capability …

Smart Sounding System For Autonomous Evaluation Of Concrete Structures, Deepak Kumar

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Impact sounding has been used successfully to detect defects in concrete structures. Recent research has shown that the sounding, such as chirp signal, can be generated by electronic speakers, and can be designed with controlled frequency characteristics to excite defects in concrete decks. The bottom of a deck cannot be conventionally sounded, and precise location of the damaged area is a challenge. The focus of this research is on development of a “Smart Sounding System” that can be used to inspect the underdeck and pier surfaces effectively and autonomously.

Inspire Utc Bridge Inspection Field Campaign Update, 2021, Pu Jiao

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Bridge inspection activities using robotic sensing system are surging in the recent years due to the increasing demand of infrastructure maintenance and development of commercial drones and open-source robotic platforms. On the other hand, the data acquired through bridge inspection is also booming, which stimulated the application of machine learning in infrastructure.

At INSPIRE UTC of Missouri University of Science and Technology, bridge inspection equipment’s are being developed and tested for comprehensive data collection using multiple sensing technologies. This paper presents and evaluates the drone-carried sensors’ abilities and applications after 3 bridge inspections in Missouri in 2021 and sketches the …

Multi-Directional Bicycle Robot For Steel Bridge Inspection, Son Thanh Nguyen

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

In contrast to the current climbing robots, this research presents a new design and implementation of a roller chain-based climbing robot to provide a practical solution for steel structure inspection (bridges, poles, pipes, etc.)

The proposed roller chain-like robot has 12 joints for moving and 3 pairs of joints for turning, which makes the robot very flexible. This setup allows the robot to traverse areas of complex geometry on steel bridges. The robot utilizes permanent magnets to be able to well adhere on steel structures while moving.

Inspire Utc Bridge Inspection Field Campaign Update, 2021, Pu Jiao

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Bridge inspection activities using robotic sensing system are surging in the recent years due to the increasing demand of infrastructure maintenance and development of commercial drones and open-source robotic platforms. On the other hand, the data acquired through bridge inspection is also booming, which stimulated the application of machine learning in infrastructure.

At INSPIRE UTC of Missouri University of Science and Technology, bridge inspection equipment’s are being developed and tested for comprehensive data collection using multiple sensing technologies. This paper presents and evaluates the drone-carried sensors’ abilities and applications after 3 bridge inspections in Missouri in 2021 and sketches the …

2021 Technical Program, Inspire - University Transportation Center

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

INSPIRE University Transportation Center 2020 Annual Meeting
August 10-11, 2021

Sound Trapping In An Open Resonator, Lujun Huang, Yan Kei Chiang, Sibo Huang, Chen Shen, Fu Deng, Yi Cheng, Bin Jia, Yong Li, David A. Powell, Andrey E. Miroshnichenko

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

The ability of sound energy confinement with high-quality factor resonance is of vital importance for acoustic devices requiring high intensity and hypersensitivity in biological ultrasonics, enhanced collimated sound emission (i.e. sound laser) and high-resolution sensing. However, structures reported so far have been experimentally demonstrated with a limited quality factor of acoustic resonances, up to several tens in an open resonator. The emergence of bound states in the continuum makes it possible to realize high quality factor acoustic modes. Here, we report the theoretical design and experimental demonstration of acoustic bound states in the continuum supported by a single open resonator. …

An Intelligent Approach To High Impedance Fault Detection, Iniobong Abasi-Obot

International Programs

In this poster, High Impedance Fault (HIF) is detected in Primary Distribution Network (PDN) using an Adaptive-Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model. The detection of HIF in PDN is quite challenging because of its characteristic features (low fault current magnitude amongst others) and its delayed or non-detection causes devastating scenarios such as electric shock, wildfire, electrocution, system malfunctioning and power outages. This poster proposes an Intelligent approach in a simulated study. Simulink toolbox in MATLAB software was used to model a typical 33kV distribution network (DN) in Nigeria and accurate detection of HIF in the DN was achieved using fault …

Evaluating Prediction Models Of Creep And Drying Shrinkage Of Self-Consolidating Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementitious Materials/Fillers, Micheal Asaad, George Morcous

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and fillers play an important role in enhancing the mechanical properties and durability of concrete. SCMs and fillers are commonly used in self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mixtures to also enhance their rheological properties. However, these additives could have significant effects on the viscoelastic properties of concrete. Existing models for predicting creep and drying shrinkage of concrete do not consider the effect of SCM/filler on the predicted values. This study evaluates existing creep and drying shrinkage models, including AASHTO LRFD, ACI209, CEB-FIP MC90-99, B3, and GL2000, for SCC mixtures with different SCMs/fillers. Forty SCC mixtures were proportioned for …

A Single Cell Pair Mechanical Interrogation Platform To Study Cell–Cell Adhesion Mechanics, Amir Monemianesfahani

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

Cell-cell adhesion complexes are macromolecular adhesive organelles that integrate cells into tissues. Perturbations of the cell-cell adhesion structure or relatedmechanotransduction pathways lead to pathological conditions such as skin and heart diseases, arthritis, and cancer. Mechanical stretching has been used to stimulate the mechanotransduction process originating from the cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) complexes. The current techniques, however, have limitations on their ability to measure the cell-cell adhesion force directly and quantitatively. These methods use a monolayer of cells, which makes it impossible to quantify the forces within a single cell-cell adhesion complex. Other methods using single cells or cell …

An Automated Method To Enrich Consumer Health Vocabularies Using Glove Word Embeddings And An Auxiliary Lexical Resource, Mohammed Ibrahim, Susan Gauch, Omar Salman, Mohammed Alqahtani

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Clear language makes communication easier between any two parties. A layman may have difficulty communicating with a professional due to not understanding the specialized terms common to the domain. In healthcare, it is rare to find a layman knowledgeable in medical terminology which can lead to poor understanding of their condition and/or treatment. To bridge this gap, several professional vocabularies and ontologies have been created to map laymen medical terms to professional medical terms and vice versa.

Objective

Many of the presented vocabularies are built manually or semi-automatically requiring large investments of time and human effort and consequently the …

Structural Characteristics And Thermophysical Properties Of Molten Salts From Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Austin David Clark

Theses and Dissertations

This work 1) draws insights on molten salt structure and properties directly from ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, 2) demonstrates the advantageous symbiosis of computational and experimental collaborations on molten salt research, and 3) simultaneously generates ab initio data sets for fitting an interatomic potential model for classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. This work discusses the motivations for AIMD simulations of molten salts, thermophysical properties and structural characteristics of interest, advanced methodologies for AIMD simulations, and several completed AIMD studies on molten salts. Of import are the methodological contributions of this work to AIMD simulations, primarily the radical increase …

Approaches For Sustainable Aviation, Muhammad Muneeb Safdar

International Programs

The ecological condition is worsening worldwide. The harmful emissions produced by aircraft are significant pollutants. Millions of gallons of fuel are burnt everyday during combustion in aircraft engines thus contributing to noxious emissions. These emissions are not only toxic and a respiratory health hazards but are increasing. It is a grave concern for which remedial measures need to be taken by all the stakeholders before the problem become intractable. So, what needs to be done to make aviation environmentally stable. A balanced and integrated policy encompassing the operational improvements, improvements in aircraft and engine technology, and use of sustainable aviation …

Geoindicators For Assessing Illegal Gold Mining Environmental Impacts In Choco, Colombia, Jennifer Angel-Amaya

International Programs

In Choco artisanal gold mining has been made for centuries. However, since 2009, with the rise in gold prices, alluvial mining has been mechanized causing social and environmental devastation.

Colombia´s T-622 (2016) ruling calls for the restoration of affected areas. Geoindicators could be used to assess the environmental impacts prior restoration.

Quantum Grover's Oracles With Symmetry Boolean Functions, Peng Gao

Dissertations and Theses

Quantum computing has become an important research field of computer science and engineering. Among many quantum algorithms, Grover's algorithm is one of the most famous ones. Designing an effective quantum oracle poses a challenging conundrum in circuit and system-level design for practical application realization of Grover's algorithm.

In this dissertation, we present a new method to build quantum oracles for Grover's algorithm to solve graph theory problems. We explore generalized Boolean symmetric functions with lattice diagrams to develop a low quantum cost and area efficient quantum oracle. We study two graph theory problems: cycle detection of undirected graphs and generalized …

Lightning Arc Channel Effects On Surface Damage Development On A Prseus Composite Panel: An Experimental Study, Dounia Boushab, Pedram Gharghabi, Juhyeong Lee, Thomas E. Lacy Jr., Charles U. Pittman Jr., Michael S. Mazzola, Alexander Velicki

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Composite aircraft structures are vulnerable to lightning strike damage due to their relatively low electrical and thermal conductivities. A preceding work has investigated the lightning damage resistance of a carbon-epoxy Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS) panel. The damage includes intense local damage (i.e., matrix decomposition/sublimation, fiber rupture, delamination) accompanied by widespread surface damage (i.e., distributed fiber rupture and tow splitting) further from the lightning attachment point. This study focuses on investigating the cause of the widespread surface damage. Two possible driving mechanisms are explored: i) magnetically-induced currents and ii) lightning arc-root/channel expansion. …

The Abacus: A New Approach To Authorization, Jacob Aaron Jess Siebach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the implementation of digital authorization for computer systems, specifically how to implement an efficient and secure authorization engine that uses policies and attributes to calculate authorization. The architecture for the authorization engine is discussed, the efficiency of the engine is characterized by various tests, and the security model is reviewed against other presently existing models. The resulting efforts showed an increase in efficiency of almost two orders of magnitude, along with a reduction in the amount of processing power required to run the engine. The main focus of the work is how …