Engineering Commons^™

Statistical Study Of The Effect Of Implementing An Airveyor System On The Warpage Of Injection Molded Closures, Charles Wesley Bozarth

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Berry Global in Bowling Green, Kentucky produces predominantly polypropylene container closures. One variant, the 83mm lined jar closure, is produced by first being injection molded, placed in work-in-progress (WIP) hold for 24 hours to cool, and then finished through the auxiliary liner operation into a final product. While this process is an effective method to produce a quality large-diameter closure and allows the polypropylene adequate time to cool without warping out of shape, the 24-hour WIP time and the manpower needed to accomplish this can negatively impact several business metrics as well as employee safety.

The purpose of this thesis …

Distributionally Robust Optimization Utilizing Facility Location Problems, Elijah Kling

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Facility location problems are used in widespread application in transportation, freight, supply chain, and logistics problems. Models can be developed as deterministic, where all parameters are known, or robust, where a parameter has uncertainty. This thesis explores a new method for developing robust formulation and compares the implications of assuming values for this uncertain parameter. Two models are solved, and both are compared against their deterministic counterparts using numerical analysis. By manipulating the input parameters and considering real world implications of the solutions, either the robust or deterministic can show better performance.

The Critical Energy Infrastructure (Cei) Hub: A Look Into The Seismic Fragility Of Oregon’S Fuel, Annecy Bal

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research evaluates the seismic vulnerability of the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub and the associated fuel repercussions for the expected 9.0 magnitude earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The tanks in the CEI hub are analyzed based on size and content. The owners and secondary containment areas are discussed using the same parameters. Various analysis techniques are reviewed to determine the most appropriate seismic fragility estimate for the site. The seismic vulnerability is analyzed using fragility curves by Hazus, American Lifeline Alliance, and D'Amico. The fragility curves are applied to the CEI Hub to determine expected damage and the …

Changes In Consumer Market Preference And Purchase Frequency In Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sean Thomas Dial

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research literature throughout 2020 indicate consumer behavioral changes in response to the systemic effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but these studies investigate transient adaptations in consumer behaviors during the early quarantine period of the pandemic. This study intends to investigate lasting or permanent changes in consumer market preference and purchase frequency between BAM and online retail due to the effects of the pandemic. The principal investigator designed a survey for participants to estimate purchase frequencies and market preferences for apparel, electronics, groceries, and general purchases before and after the pervasive effects of the pandemic (N = 1195; n = …

Visual Management In Engineering Can Improve Resource Utilization And Reduce Administrative Non-Value Added Time, Brian Kirby Trent

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research has demonstrated how Visual Management (VM) can be used in an engineering environment to improve engineering resource utilization. Furthermore, it reduces the administrative time associated with unclear project scope, schedule, budget, and task alignment amongst engineers and project leadership. The research references a case study in which low engineering utilization was directly impacting overall project success. Inconsistent visibility of scheduled engineering activities, changes in tasking, and project metrics created uncertainty and resulted in greater than appropriate administrative time. The methodology used was to implement visual project management tools and track engineer utilization over two years. Quarterly utilization results …

Classification Of Breast Cancer Using Deep Learning And Mammogram Images, Travis Kay, Derrick Dang Nguyen, Lashan Wijayawickrama

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among US women. Thus, it is important for doctors to detect and diagnose breast cancer as early as possible. Mammography has been used for about 30 years, but there have been rapid developments using digital mammography technology and computer aided systems to help improve breast imaging. Deep learning techniques are being developed to provide a more effective tool for the classification of breast cancer. We adopt a transfer learning approach and fine-tune a pre-trained convolutional neural network model for accurate classification of breast masses based on screening mammograms. The model …

An Overview On Deficit And Requirements Of The Irish National Soil Phosphorus Balance, Ciarán O'Donnell, Aoife Egan, Joseph R. Harrington, Denise Barnett, Patrick Forrestal, Niamh Power

Publications

Phosphorus (P) is an essential life-supporting nutrient for which there is no substitute. Modern farming practice and food production are supported by the application of mineral P fertiliser derived from finite mined phosphate rock. The European Union does not have indigenous mineral phosphate reserves, which poses a significant issue to food security. This research paper assesses the potential of indigenous recycled P sources to replace imported P fertiliser within the Republic of Ireland. The research is undertaken at NUTS 3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) regional level, the nutrient soil P requirement is established, and the extent to which the …

Seedling Irrigation Design For Valley Verde, Sarah Dao, Sally Ferguson, Hope Laborin

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

A new irrigation and drainage system was designed and implemented for the non-profit organization Valley Verde located in downtown San Jose. The design incorporated an existing irrigation piping system installed by Valley Verde in winter 2020 and included new structural and electrical components to make the system automated and recirculating. The new structural components were easily replicable Douglas fir tables with reflective film that mitigate heat transfer to plants situated on top. The recirculating component consisted of a submersible pump, PVC tubing, a reservoir, and an underhanging attached PVC pipe that redirects water to reservoirs. The electrical components included humidity …

Addressing Water Inequality In Rural California: East Orosi Clean Water Initiative, Julia Carroll, Peter Naughton, Trey Novara

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

The California water crisis has left over one-million residents without potable water. This crisis is due to a multitude of issues: climate change, drought, groundwater overdraft and groundwater contamination. This technical report reviews solutions to the implications of groundwater well contamination. Pollutants contaminate aquifers, affecting small rural communities; one such location is East Orosi, Tulare County, California, a community of 700 people. The community’s only water source is a nitrate-contaminated well. Contamination can be lethal, and a solution to provide the region with potable water is necessary. This technical report summarizes a broad scope of solutions that East Orosi can …

G-Map: Gastrointestinal Myoelectric Activity Phantom, Kei Castleberry, Sarah King, Edie O’Connor

Bioengineering Senior Theses

In the biowearable industry, there is a need for benchtop testing methods that present cost-effective, consistent, and ethical alternatives to current preclinical testing. Artificial phantoms serve to meet this need by mimicking the clinically relevant elements that biowearables monitor. They act as a tool for demonstrating a medical device’s safety and efficacy. The objective of this project is to create a gastrointestinal (GI) phantom that emulates the electrical and material properties of the stomach, small intestine, and colon in order to test diagnostic GI biowearables. Our team also aimed to create a computer-simulated model of the phantom in order to …

The Integral Of Education Technology In The Society, Prof. Iwasan D. Kejawa Ed.D

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Abstract

Are there ways people can better utilize technology to suit their needs in the society of ours? It has been inferred that without technology, our lives would be miserable. The societal factors of using technology are an important area of the technical education system in the world. Are we really learning and using technologies to our advantage? Does technology provide the necessary ingredients or proper ways for the education of all in the society? A look into what constitutes the means and how technology education can be improved and be implemented is explored and emphasized in this work. The …

Small Gas Engines Interactive Notebook, P. Troy White

STEM & Agricultural Education Curriculum Resources

A Small Gas Engines interactive notebook to help prepare students for the Briggs & Stratton Master Service Technician Exam 1.

Modeling Fate And Transport Of Volatile Organic Compounds (Vocs) Inside Sewer Systems, Mohammadyousef Roghani, Ying Li, Nader Rezaei, Ariel Robinson, Elham Shirazi, Kelly G. Pennell

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Hazardous waste site investigations have shown that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be transported via sewer pipes and migrate into indoor spaces. Despite field data confirming the presence of this exposure pathway, there is lack of context-based numerical models that provide guidance to characterize and predict VOCs concentration in sewer gas at vapor intrusion sites. Particularly, this poses a challenge when assessing and mitigating risks associated with these exposure pathways. Therefore, a numerical model has been developed to simulate the concentration of VOCs in sewer gas in different stages throughout the sewer lines. The developed model considers various input parameters, …

Space Exploration: Nasa Investment Into The Private Space Sector And Public Opinion, Brooke Ziegenhagen

Senior Theses

The space exploration industry has entered a new era with companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin leading the way to the privatization of space. This paper examines public opinion regarding the source of space exploration funding and proposes possible motivations for these sentiments. This is followed by an assessment on NASA’s investment trends into the commercial space industry. Both probes review the past decade, to reveal the public-private relationship in this new era and finally, conclude whether or not public opinion plays a role in the degree of NASA investment and what that role may be.

Vector Field Control Methods For Discretely Variable Passive Robotic Devices, Emma Treadway, R. Brent Gillespie

Engineering Faculty Research

Passive transmission-based robotic devices are capable of providing motion guidance while ensuring user safety and engagement. To circumvent some of the drawbacks associated with steering continuously variable transmissions based on rolling contacts, we are exploring a class of discretely variable devices, based on brakes and hydrostatic transmissions. Previously available control methods for discretely variable devices were built on velocity fields and only developed to stabilize a 1D target manifold. For n -DOF devices, methods to stabilize target manifolds of dimension 1 to n—1 are of interest. In this paper we contribute constraint field methods that stabilize n — 1 …

Impulse, Spring 2021, Matt Schmidt, Emily Weber, Christine Delfanian, Dave Graves, Micayla Standish

Impulse (Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Publication)

2 | Tonkoski Receives Hohbach Honor
4 | College And Faculty News
8 | Trendsetter Keys Hall Steps Away
10 | Bassett Retiring
12 | Retirements
14 | Donations Key To Crothers' Renovations
16 | Extension Making South Dakota Safer
17 | Ltap's Valuable Guidance
18 | Nasa Competition A First For Robotics
20 | Recent Grads Fund Senior Project
22 | Vital Stats
24 | How To Melt Ice On Mars
26 | SDSU Nabs 5 Power And Energy Scholarships
27 | Sjurseth Named Student Of Year
28 | Dean's Club
30 | Distinguished Engineer
32 | The Result …

Cei Hub Failure Following A Cascadia Earthquake Event: Preliminary Modeling Of A Liquid Fuel Spill In The Lower Willamette And Columbia Rivers, Mike Du Bose

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub in Northwest Portland, OR spans a six-mile stretch of the Lower Willamette River and stores 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuel supply and 100% of the jet fuel for PDX. The CEI Hub is also built entirely on liquefiable soils which are likely to fail during a Cascadia earthquake event. The purpose of this project was to model a liquid fuel spill in the Lower Willamette and Columbia Rivers using the CE-QUAL-W2 model. Several scenarios were developed to account for different environmental conditions, (e.g., high and low discharge years) and varying spill durations (e.g., rapid …

Usgs 104b Grant Program: Kentucky’S Annual Report Fy 2019, Emily Koyagi, Steve Evans, Lindell Ormsbee

KWRRI Annual Technical Reports (USGS’s 104b Grant Program)

The Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute (KWRRI) is one of 54 Water Resource Research Institutes or Centers located throughout the United States and its territories. The state water resources research institutes are authorized by the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-379 codified at 42 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.) through the Water Resources Research Institutes Program administered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and organized as the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). NIWR cooperates with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to support, coordinate and facilitate research.

The KWRRI administers several state-level USGS grant programs for water research …

Analysis Of Denial Of Service Attacks In Emerging Software Defined Network Infrastructures, Andrea P. Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Software defined networking (SDN) improves upon traditional networking protocol technologies by decoupling the data and control planes and moving all control provisioning decisions to a centralized SDN controller entity. This concept has matured over the last decade, having gained strong industry traction, and is now being widely deployed within enterprise and carrier networks to streamline network services provisioning and reduce costs. Overall, centralized control delivers much more cost-effective and flexible networking setups that can support a wide range of customized user-driven network management applications, e.g., traffic engineering, security, survivability, admission control, policy control, etc.

However, the separation of the data …

Tissue Engineering Pre-Reads, Ryan M. Williams

Open Educational Resources

This material provides an introduction to a tissue engineering module in an experimental methods in biomedical engineering course. Students are expected to be familiar with this material prior to a pre-assessment taken at the beginning of class as we have condense lecture time this semester.

Shtëpit E Mençura, Teknologjia, Implementimi Dhe Zgjerimi I Saj Sot, Blendi Robaj

Theses and Dissertations

Sistemet e shtëpive të mençura arritën popullaritet të madh në dekadat e fundit ashtu si edhe ato rrisin komoditetin dhe cilësinë e jetës. Shumica e sistemeve të shtëpive të mençura kontrollohen nga smartphone dhe mikrokontrollues. Një aplikacion smartphone përdoret për të kontrolluar dhe monitoroni funksionet e shtëpisë duke përdorur teknikat e komunikimit pa kabllo. Në këtë punim përmes metodës së analizës do ta trajtojmë në mënyrë me specifike rendësin e shtëpive të mençura (smart home).

Shtëpia e zgjuar është zgjerimi rezidencial i automatizimit të ndërtesës dhe përfshin kontrollin dhe automatizimin e të gjithë teknologjisë së saj të ngulitur. Ajo përcakton …

Dobesite Ne Infrastruktuen E Web-It, Alba Kelmendi

Theses and Dissertations

Siguria në aplikacionet e bazuara në UEB është shume komplekse dhe esenciale. Në këtë punim ne do të shtjellojmë aplikimin e sigurisë gjatë përdorimit të infrastrukturës të internetit. Meqë gjithmonë gjatë përdorimit të kompjuterëve jemi të lidhur me internet ky bëhet shkas që të bëhemi target kryesor i sulmeve të ndryshme. Në pjesën e parë të projektit i kemi shtjelluar sulmet që ndodhin në UEB-server (DoS, MITM, Injektimet SQL.). Në pjesën e dytë kemi dhëne instruksione praktike se si bëhet depërtimi jo-legjitim i UEB-aplikacioneve përmes sulmeve të ndryshme. Në pjesën e fundit kemi specifikuar hakimin e koncepteve të ndryshme të …

E-Ditari, Enis Halimi

Theses and Dissertations

Pasi bota u godit nga një pandemi e cila bëri që të mbyllen shkollat, mësimi nëpër shkolla u vendos të vijonte online. Kjo bëri që shumë gjëra tradicionale të shkollave si ditarët e shumë gjëra tjera të mos përdoren më. Synimi i këtij punimi është zhvillimi i një ditari elektronik ose E-Ditari. E-Ditari është një web aplikacion i cili bën zgjidhjen e këtyre problemeve duke zëvendësuar ditarët e shkollave të ndryshme. Programi ndahet në dy pjesë, atë të nxënësit/prindërit si dhe mësimdhënësit/stafit të shkollës. Qasjen në program mund të bëhet përmes internetit duke përdorur shfletuesit si dhe qasje do të …

The Influence Of Channel Deepening On Tides, River Discharge Effects, And Storm Surge, Stefan A. Talke, Ramin Familkhalili, David A. Jay

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We combine archival research, semi-analytical models, and numerical simulations to address the following question: how do changes to channel geometry alter tidal properties and flood dynamics in a hyposynchronous, strongly frictional estuary with a landward decay in tidal amplitudes? Records in the Saint Johns River Estuary since the 1890s show that tidal range has doubled in Jacksonville, Florida. Near the estuary inlet, tidal discharge approximately doubled but tidal amplitudes increased only ~6%. Modeling shows that increased shipping channel depths from 5-6 to ~13m drove the observed changes, with other factors like channel shortening and width reduction producing comparatively minor effects. …

Guest Editorial: Edge Intelligence For Beyond 5g Networks, Yan Zhang, Zhiyong Feng, Hassnaa Moustafa, Feng Ye, Usman Javaid, Chunfen Cui

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Beyond fifth-generation (B5G) networks, or so-called "6G", is the next-generation wireless communications systems that will radically change how Society evolves. Edge intelligence is emerging as a new concept and has extremely high potential in addressing the new challenges in B5G networks by providing mobile edge computing and edge caching capabilities together with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the proximity of end users. In edge intelligence empowered B5G networks, edge resources are managed by AI systems for offering powerful computational processing and massive data acquisition locally at edge networks. AI helps to obtain efficient resource scheduling strategies in a complex environment with …

Characterization Of Uranium, Lead, And Rare Earth Element Pollution In Natural Soils And Sediments, Hope Rasmussen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metals in the environment add to the global burden of pollution, negatively impacting public health and ecosystem resilience. This study included projects regarding uranium (U), lead (Pb), and rare earth elements (REE) in natural samples, due to their known toxicity, ubiquity, and relevance in context to recent pollution trends. The first project focused on testing the potential of using a hydroxyapatite product as a remediation solution for U-contaminated groundwater and soil at an EPA Superfund site. The results showed that the U was sequestered in a highly crystalline mineral form within the solids, guiding the EPA to specify the …

Damage Evolution And High-Rate Response Of High-Strength Concrete Under Triaxial Loading, Brett Williams

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this study focuses on understanding fundamental mechanisms that drive material response under dynamic loading conditions. The objectives of the research were to: (1) to understand damage initiation and propagation in the bulk geomaterial under a variety of loading conditions and (2) to systematically investigate the strain rate effects on the triaxial compressive response of cementitious materials through the development of an innovative, first of its kind large-diameter (50 mm) triaxial Kolsky bar system.

The triaxial compressive response of high-strength concrete is needed to understand pressure-dependent material behavior, which is important for modeling extreme loading events. However, …

Study Of Fragility Functions For Assessing Damage To Water Pipe Networks Caused By Earthquake Loading, Dylan Joseph Merlo

Master's Theses

The performance of water lifelines during seismic events is an area of ongoing research. In this study we evaluate eight (8) different seismic events and the impact that ground shaking and ground deformations had on water pipeline systems. The overall goal of this work is to provide municipalities and utility providers with tools for mitigating the consequences of seismic hazards on water lifeline systems by analyzing the accuracy of damage estimation models. Three (3) different repair rate models are evaluated using data collected from the seismic events and compared to observed repair rate data. Results are analyzed to examine the …

Louver And Effusion Cooling Heat Transfer For A Double Wall Effusion Plate With Impingement Jet Array Coolant Supply, Sneha Reddy Vanga, Phillip M. Ligrani, Joseph Knox, Federico Liberatore, Rajeshriben Patel, Ying-Hsiang Ho

PRC-Affiliated Research

Louver slot cooling is employed, which consists of an aligned collection of film cooling holes, contained within a specially-designed device which concentrates, and directs the coolant from a slot, so that cooling air then advects as a layer downstream along the test surface. This louver-supplied coolant is then supplemented by coolant which emerges from different rows of downstream film cooling holes. Coolant for both cooling arrangements is supplied using an array of impingement jets. Experimental data are provided for a mainstream Reynolds number Rems range of 168,000–181,000. Full-coverage film cooling initial blowing ratio values are 2.5, 3.2, 4.4, and 5.2, …

Determination Of The Feature Resolution Of Processed Image Data Via Statistical Analysis, Joseph S. Indeck, Jesus O. Mares Jr., James P. Vitarelli, Kavan Hazeli

PRC-Affiliated Research

A method is presented to determine the feature resolution of physically relevant metrics of data obtained from segmented image sets. The presented method determines the best-fit distribution curve of a dataset by analyzing a truncated portion of the data. An effective resolvable size for the metric of interest is established when including parts of the truncated dataset results in exceeding a specified error tolerance. As such, this method allows for the determination of the feature resolution regardless of the processing parameters or imaging instrumentation. Additionally, the number of missing objects that exist below the resolution of the instrumentation may be …