Engineering Commons^™

Lignin-Zein Composite: Synthesis, Three-Dimensional Printing, And Microbial Degradation, Jin Gyun Lee, Yusheng Guo, Jorge A. Belgodere, Ahmed Al Harraq, Aubry A. Hymel, Amber J. Pete, Kalliat T. Valsaraj, Michael G. Benton, Mary G. Miller, Jangwook P. Jung, Bhuvnesh Bharti

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Worldwide use and disposal of plastics have reached a dramatic saturation point, polluting lands, oceans, and air across the globe. Responding to such a challenge requires, among other environmental remediation measures, the manufacture of alternative sustainable plastics. Recent studies in the area have enabled the development of degradable plastics; however, the rate and conditions required for the degradation of such materials remains under scrutiny. Here, we introduce a new class of fully plant-based, rapidly degradable lignin and zein composite blend that can be transformed into macroscopic structures using extrusion three-dimensional (3D) printing. Corn-derived zein forms the polymeric solution, while insoluble …

Mixed Matrix Membranes For Sustainable Electrical Energy-Saving Applications, Hossein Riasat Harami, Farid Amirkhani, Hossein Abedsoltan, Mohammad Younas, Mashallah Rezakazemi, Mahdi Sheikh, Saeed Shirazian

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work presents a technical investigation and review of the development of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) employed in different applications to save electrical energy. The MMMs design has been recently adjusted and improved to restore more energy bulks. The important factors to control the performance of the MMMs are the penetrant type, membrane matrix, and polymer-filler interface interactions. This study reviews the current methods to deal with dielectric MMMs and smart nanomembranes for energy saving. These methods include ferroelectric membrane fabrication, dielectric permittivity, conductive dopants, construction of nanocomposites with modified surfaces, and the usage of combined effects. Most chemists and …

Absorption Of Nitrogen During Pulsed Wave L-Pbf Of 17-4 Ph Steel, Ben Brown, Joseph William Newkirk, Frank W. Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the fabrication of 17-4 PH by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) the well-documented occurrence of large amounts of retained austenite can be attributed to an elevated concentration of nitrogen present in the material. While the effects of continuous wave (CW) laser processing on in-situ nitrogen absorption characteristics have been evaluated, power modulated pulsed wave (PW) laser processing effects have not. In this study the effects of PW L-PBF processing of 17-4 PH on nitrogen absorption, phase composition, and mechanical performance are explored using commercially available PW L-PBF equipment and compared to samples produced by CW L-PBF. PW L-PBF samples …

Water Quality Engineering And Wastewater Treatment, Yung Tse Hung, Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Issam A. Al-Khatib, Rehab O. Abdel Rahman, Mario G.R. Cora-Hernandez

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Microstructural Development In As Built And Heat Treated In625 Component Additively Manufactured By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Holden Hyer, Ryan Newell, Dan Matejczyk, Sinsar Hsie, Mason Anthony, Le Zhou, Cathy Kammerer, Yongho Sohn

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The RL10 engine program is exploring the use of IN625 Ni-base superalloy components that are additively manufactured using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). IN625 alloy powders are commercially available for LPBF to produce dense, complex parts/components. In this study, IN625 components, with both simple and complex geometries with overhangs, were manufactured via LPBF, and subjected to a heat-treatment consisting of a stress relief, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and a solution anneal. The microstructure was examined with optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy. Changes in phase constituents and microstructure were documented as a function of heat treatment and component geometry …

Development, Implementation, And Tracking Of Preventative Safety Metrics, Zamaan Al-Shabbani, Ashtarout Ammar, Hala Nassereddine, Gabriel B. Dadi

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

What gets measured, gets improved. With respect to the safety and health of Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) employees, the primary metric used has been the OSHA recordable incident rate. This incident rate measures how often a Cabinet employee sustains an injury that demands more than basic first aid. This metric is important for understanding injury frequencies, but it does not assist with management of the safety, health, and overall well-being of KYTC personnel. Based on a review of leading safety indicators adopted by various industries, this study devised a comprehensive list of safety metrics the Cabinet will benefit from tracking. …

Irrigation Management In Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) Production: A Review, Koffi Djaman, Suat Irkmak, Komlan Koudahe, Samuel Allen

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Limited water resources coupled with the increase of the human population calls for more efficient use of water in irrigated agriculture. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most widely grown crops worldwide and is very sensitive to water stress due to its shallow rooting system. With the dilemma of potato sensitivity to drought and limited available water resources restricting crop production, researchers and crop growers have been investigating different approaches for optimizing potato yield and improving crop water use efficiency under different irrigation methods. While potato response to water is affected by other management practices such as fertilizer …

Ultrasonic Mapping Of Hybrid Additively Manufactured 420 Stainless Steel, Luz D. Sotelo, Haitham Hadidi, Cody S. Pratt, Michael P. Sealy, Joseph A. Turner

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Metal hybrid additive manufacturing (AM) processes are suitable to create complex structures that advance engineering performance. Hybrid AM can be used to create functionally graded materials for which the variation in microstructure and material properties across the domain is created through a synergized combination of fully coupled manufacturing processes and/or energy sources. This expansion in the engineering design and manufacturing spaces presents challenges for nondestructive evaluation, including the assessment of the sensitivity of nondestructive measurements to functional gradients. To address this problem, linear ultrasound measurements are used to interrogate 420 stainless steel coupons from three manufacturing methods: wrought, AM, and …

Investigation Of The Load-Induced Cracking And Rutting Performance Of Specialty Hot Mix Asphalt Overlay Mixtures, Andrae Anthony Francois

Theses and Dissertations

This study was initiated with the aim of investigating the cracking performance, rutting performance, and cost effectiveness of specialty and composite HMA mixtures utilized in New Jersey to rehabilitate deteriorated rigid pavements. As such, four, plant-produced, specialty HMA overlay mixtures currently used in New Jersey were evaluated in this study. These overlay mixtures included: a dense-graded, 9.5-SP mixture, a gap-graded, 12.5-SMA mixture, a dense graded, 4.75-HPTO mixture, and a uniformly graded, 4.75-BRIC mixture. The 9.5-SP, 12.5-SMA, and 4.75-HPTO mixtures were produced using PG 76-22 binder while the 4.75-BRIC was contained a PG 70-28 binder. The laboratory cracking and rutting performance …

Impact Of Grain Orientation And Phase On Volta Potential Differences In An Additively Manufactured Titanium Alloy, Jake T. Benzing, Olivia O. Maryon, Nik Hrabe, Paul H. Davis, Michael F. Hurley, Frank W. Delrio

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This work introduces a method for co-localized multi-modal imaging of sub-μm features in an additively manufactured (AM) titanium alloy. Ti-6Al-4V parts manufactured by electron beam melting powder bed fusion were subjected to hot isostatic pressing to seal internal porosity and machined to remove contour–hatch interfaces. Electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy-based techniques (electron backscatter diffraction and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy) were used to measure and categorize the effects of crystallographic texture, misorientation, and phase content on the relative differences in the Volta potential of α-Ti and β-Ti phases. Given the tunability of additive manufacturing processes, …

Improving Writing Quality Of Capstone Reports, Fred Berry, Margaret Phillips, James Condron, Phillip Sanger

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Abstract-Contributions: The main contribution is to share a series of practical methods that improve the writing quality of capstone reports. Background: The ability to write well is critical to the success of an engineering technology graduate. However, the evidence points to the fact that industries are disappointed with the quality of writing skills graduates demonstrate. Intended Outcomes: A faculty review of capstone reports showed little improvement in writing quality from the first course to the second in a two-semester capstone sequence. Therefore, the instructors explored what actions were needed to improve the writing quality of the capstone reports. Application Design: …

Computational Modelling Enables Robust Multidimensional Nanoscopy, Matthew D. Lew

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

The following sections are included:

• Present State of Computational Modelling in Fluorescence Nanoscopy

• Recent Contributions to Computational Modelling in Fluorescence Nanoscopy

• Outlook on Computational Modelling in Fluorescence Nanoscopy

• Acknowledgments

• References

Non-Prehensile Manipulation Of A Devil-Stick: Planar Symmetric Juggling Using Impulsive Forces, Nilay Kant, Ranjan Mukherjee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Juggling a devil-stick can be described as a problem of non-prehensile manipulation. Assuming that the devil-stick remains confined to the vertical plane, the problem of juggling the stick between two symmetric configurations is considered. Impulsive forces are applied to the stick intermittently and the impulse of the force and its point of application are modeled as control inputs to the system. The dynamics of the devil-stick due to the impulsive forces and gravity is described by half-return maps between two Poincaré sections; the symmetric configurations are fixed points of these sections. A coordinate transformation is used to convert the juggling …

Decoupling Of Antennas With Adjacent Frequency Bands Using Cascaded Decoupling Network, Min Li, Min Wang, Lijun Jiang, Lawrence Kwan Yeung

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This communication presents a novel decoupling device called a cascaded power dividing decoupling network (C-PDDN). It is cascaded with two antennas operating in adjacent or even contiguous frequency bands to reduce the mutual coupling. To achieve high isolations at n desired frequency points, an n -order C-PDDN can be accordingly designed. Each order PDDN consists of two power dividers (PDs), two sections of transmission lines, and one reactive component. Explicit design formulas are presented to calculate the design parameters of the C-PDDN to meet the required isolation criteria. To validate the decoupling concept, a two-order C-PDDN is designed and applied …

Behavior And Modeling Of Circular Large Rupture Strain Frp-Confined Ice Under Axial Compression, Yanlei Wang, Guipeng Chen, Baolin Wan, Gaochuang Cai, Baoguo Han

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The application of concrete is severely limited in construction in cold areas. However, the local ice has functioned as a potential substitute for concrete for a long time. In order to make efficient use of ice to overcome its weaknesses of low strength and poor ductility, an innovative type of ice-filled large rupture strain (LRS) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) tube column was developed. The system consists of external LRS FRP tubes filled with plain ice or sawdust-reinforced ice. This paper presents an experimental investigation into the axial compressive behavior of such composite stub columns with circular sections. The test results confirmed …

An Investigation Of Factors That Influence Passengers’ Intentions To Use Biometric Technologies At Airports, Kabir Olaseni Kasim

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Biometric technologies use the characteristics and measurements from humans to establish or verify their identity. Within an airport setting, biometric technologies can be used to hasten passenger processes such as airport check-in, baggage drop-off or pick-up, and aircraft boarding, thus enhancing the overall passenger experience.

This research investigated the factors that influence passengers’ intentions to choose the use of biometrics over other methods of identification. The current study utilized a quantitative research method via an online survey of 689 persons from Amazon ® Mechanical Turk ® (MTurk) and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques for data analysis. The study utilized …

An Assessment Of The Spatial Variation Of Isotopic Ratios In A Candu Reactor For Nuclear Treaty Monitoring, Aaron W. Burkhardt, James E. Bevins, Stephen H. Baxter

Faculty Publications

A 3-D Quarter-Core CANDU-6 is modeled using Serpent 2 for nuclear treaty monitoring. The spatial variation of flux spectra and isotopic concentrations is analyzed to determine the potential isotopic distribution of key radionuclides from standard reactor operations relevant to non-proliferation. The initial results of the model show a 46% difference in overall flux magnitude throughout the core as well as a 2-30% difference in discrete energy flux. The coupled production rate (magnitude) and spectral differences can contribute to significant spatial variations in isotope ratios throughout the core. Initial results indicate 239 Pu/ 240 Pu ratios vary by as much as …

Zynq System-On-Chip Dma Messaging For Processor Monitoring, Daniel F. Koranek, Douglas D. Hodson, Scott R. Graham

Faculty Publications

Xilinx Zynq-7000 System-on-Chip architectures combine an ARM Cortex-A9 core with an FPGA fabric. One benefit of this hybrid architecture is that it allows fast prototyping of designs where the security of either the processing system (PS) is monitored by the programmable logic (PL) or vice versa. The choice of implementing a design in the PS or PL is driven by cost-to-benefit analysis across many factors. This effort examines the design process required to construct security monitoring designs that use both the PS and PL. For background, this effort reviews similar security monitoring projects. For the effort, a PL peripheral was …

Sparc: Statistical Performance Analysis With Relevance Conclusions, Justin C. Tullos, Scott R. Graham, Jeremy D. Jordan, Pranav R. Patel

Faculty Publications

The performance of one computer relative to another is traditionally characterized through benchmarking, a practice occasionally deficient in statistical rigor. The performance is often trivialized through simplified measures, such as the approach of central tendency, but doing so risks a loss of perspective of the variability and non-determinism of modern computer systems. Authentic performance evaluations are derived from statistical methods that accurately interpret and assess data. Methods that currently exist within performance comparison frameworks are limited in efficacy, statistical inference is either overtly simplified or altogether avoided. A prevalent criticism from computer performance literature suggests that the results from difference …

Numerical Study Of The Phase Behavior Of Rod-Like Colloidal Particles With Attractive Tips, Justin T. Jack, Paul C. Millett

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Suspensions of anisometric particles are known to self-assemble into various liquid crystal (LC) phases, namely, the nematic, smectic (A or B or both), and in some cases, columnar phases, due to the effects of excluded volume. For some applications, LC phases with higher degrees of order are desired, but due to the fact that these phases generally exist at larger volume fractions, they can be difficult to handle experimentally. Here, we explore the effect of a weak attractive interaction localized at the tips of rod-like particles on the phase behavior of these suspensions. We perform large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of …

Teaching Learning Newsletter Vol 1 Issue 2, Sastra Deemed To Be University

TLC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Virus Isoelectric Point Estimation: Theories And Methods, Joe Heffron, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Much of virus fate, both in the environment and in physical/chemical treatment, is dependent on electrostatic interactions. Developing an accurate means of predicting virion isoelectric point (pI) would help to understand and anticipate virus fate and transport, especially for viruses that are not readily propagated in the lab. One simple approach to predicting pI estimates the pH at which the sum of charges from ionizable amino acids in capsid proteins approaches zero. However, predicted pIs based on capsid charges frequently deviate by several pH units from empirically measured pIs. Recently, the discrepancy between empirical and predicted pI was attributed to …

Multiscale Legacy Responses Of Soil Gas Concentrations To Soil Moisture And Temperature Fluctuations, Anthony J. Parolari, Joseph Sizemore, Gabriel Katul

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The sensitivity of soil carbon dynamics to climate change is a major uncertainty in carbon cycle models. Of particular interest is the response of soil biogeochemical cycles to variability in hydroclimatic states and the related quantification of soil memory. Toward this goal, the power spectra of soil hydrologic and biogeochemical states were analyzed using measurements of soil temperature, moisture, oxygen, and carbon dioxide at two sites. Power spectra indicated multiscale power law scaling across subhourly to annual timescales. Precipitation fluctuations were most strongly expressed in the soil biogeochemical signals at monthly to annual timescales. Soil moisture and temperature fluctuations were …

Somatosensory Deafferentation Reveals Lateralized Roles Of Proprioception In Feedback And Adaptive Feedforward Control Of Movement And Posture, S.A.L. Jayasinghe, F. R. Sarlegna, Robert A. Scheidt, R. L. Sainburg

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Proprioception provides crucial information necessary for determining limb position and movement, and plausibly also for updating internal models that might underlie the control of movement and posture. Seminal studies of upper-limb movements in individuals living with chronic, large fiber deafferentation have provided evidence for the role of proprioceptive information in the hypothetical formation and maintenance of internal models to produce accurate motor commands. Vision also contributes to sensorimotor functions but cannot fully compensate for proprioceptive deficits. More recent work has shown that posture and movement control processes are lateralized in the brain, and that proprioception plays a fundamental role in …

Commercial Driver’S License Prosecution, Adjudication, And Data Transmission, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Center research team examined law enforcement and adjudication of traffic offenses committed by commercial driver’s license holders. The objectives were to identify states that would provide the data, collect information about their court systems, analyze enforcement and/or adjudication data, and make some general observations about trends. Many state agencies were not able to provide their traffic offense data and therefore, the team focused primarily on data from Kentucky and Washington State.

The study focused on enforcement trends and adjudication of safety-related offenses. Overall, conviction rates remain higher than dismissal and amended rates. In recent years, dismissal and …

Characterization And Oil Recovery Enhancement By A Polymeric Nanogel Combined With Surfactant For Sandstone Reservoirs, Mustafa Mohammed Almahfood, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The characterization and enhanced oil recovery mechanisms of a nanosized polymeric cross-linked gel are presented herein. A negatively charged nanogel was synthesized using a typical free radical suspension polymerization process by employing 2-acrylamido 2-methyl propane sulfonic acid monomer. The synthesized nanogel showed a narrow size distribution with one peak pointing to a predominant homogeneous droplet size. The charged nanogels were also able to adsorb at the oil-water interfaces to reduce interfacial tension and stabilize oil-in-water emulsions, which ultimately improved the recovered oil from hydrocarbon reservoirs. In addition, a fixed concentration of negatively charged surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate or SDS) was …

Thermodynamic Prediction And Experimental Verification Of Multiphase Composition Of Scale Formed On Reheated Alloy Steels, Richard Osei, Semen Naumovich Lekakh, Ronald O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The structure, phase, and composition of scale formed on a continuously cast steel slab during reheating depend on intrinsic factors (steel chemistry, microstructure, and as-cast surface condition) and extrinsic parameters (temperature, time, composition, and velocity of combustion gas atmosphere). The scale that forms on a slab normally has several layers with differing compositions and phases and knowledge of this scale structure is important in subsequent descaling and hot rolling processing steps. Formation of multiphase scale structures on steel during high temperature oxidation in reheat furnace proceeds according to a local thermodynamic equilibrium, while thickness of layers depends on kinetic conditions …

2021 Final Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Phase I Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) Revision 3. February 2021, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Legacy Of Car-Share And Light-Rail Transit For Mobility And Accessibility Improvements In Economically Marginalized Neighborhoods In The New York Metro Area, Kyeongsu Kim

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the value of the car-share program and a new light rail system with respect to their impact on mobility and accessibility improvements in economically and transportation access-wise marginalized neighborhoods in NYC and its adjacent communities. It consists of three main essays that took deep dives into how each new service or system altered mobility or accessibility for those in need. The first essay (Chapter 2) investigates car-share vehicle utilization rates of the Zipcar across NYC. It assesses the utilization rates by vehicle type, service location, time period, and weekday usage compared to weekend activity. With a multivariate …

Plasmonic Waveguides To Enhance Quantum Electrodynamic Phenomena At The Nanoscale, Ying Li, Christos Argyropoulos

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The emerging field of plasmonics can lead to enhanced light-matter interactions at extremely nanoscale regions. Plasmonic (metallic) devices promise to efficiently control both classical and quantum properties of light. Plasmonic waveguides are usually used to excite confined electromagnetic modes at the nanoscale that can strongly interact with matter. The analysis of these nanowaveguides exhibits similarities with their low frequency microwave counterparts. In this article, we review ways to study plasmonic nanostructures coupled to quantum optical emitters from a classical electromagnetic perspective. These quantum emitters are mainly used to generate single-photon quantum light that can be employed as a quantum bit …