Engineering Commons^™

A Deep Understanding Of Structural And Functional Behavior Of Tabular And Graphical Modules In Technical Documents, Michail Alexiou

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The rapid increase of published research papers in recent years has escalated the need for automated ways to process and understand them. The successful recognition of the information that is contained in technical documents, depends on the understanding of the document’s individual modalities. These modalities include tables, graphics, diagrams and etc. as defined in Bourbakis’ pioneering work. However, the depth of understanding is correlated to the efficiency of detection and recognition. In this work, a novel methodology is proposed for automatic processing of and understanding of tables and graphics images in technical document. Previous attempts on tables and graphics understanding …

Big Data Analysis Of Nanoscience Bibliometrics, Patent, And Funding Data (2000-2019), Yuliang Zhao, Zhixiang Wei, Qing Dai, Hongwei Dong, Hongjun Xiao, Shuxian Wu, Xingxing He, Beverley Mitchell, Thomas A. Collins, Sarah Huggett, John Van Orden, Christiane Barranguet, Basak Candemir

Public Reports

Given the strategic significance of Nanoscience and nanotechnology, it is essential to evaluate and predict its developmental trends. This report is based on the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, Elsevier's Scopus, along with the research evaluation platform SciVal. The funding and patent analysis data for the report is from Funding Institutional and PatentSight, respectively. This report provides an evaluation of Nanoscience's scientific output, role, contribution, and impact through bibliometric analysis, combined with big data indicators of Nanoscience scientific results and patents from 2000 to 2019.

The North Sky And The Otherworld: Journeys Of The Dead In The Neolithic Considered, Frank Prendergast

Book/Book Chapter

The majority of Irish passage tombs (c. 230) predominantly date to the Middle Neolithic (c. 3600–3000 BC). A small number of summit cairns may also contain passage tombs because of their round form, proximity and intervisibility. The island’s passage tombs and related cairns share distinguishing characteristics – elevated siting, visibility and long-range views of distant horizons in varying directions of the compass. This chapter presents the findings of the first scenic analysis of the horizon and views at these sites recorded at an island scale. The method uses measured orientations of horizon sectors related to observed variation in horizon range. …

To What Extent Can Innovative International Project Delivery Strategies (Which Leverage Bim) Improve The Cost Certainty Of Large Complex Public Procurement Projects In The Context Of Irish Public Procurement?, Bim Tudublin, Roqaya Abouklaib

Capstone Reports

Cost overrun is one of the biggest issues in the construction sector, and cost certainty is one of the main aims of the public construction sector in Ireland. Studies have shown that multi-disciplinary collaboration will benefit a construction project throughout its lifecycle. BIM, Lean, and IPD are independent methodologies that encourage collaborative work, and there are existent effective synergies among these concepts. The synergetic innovative international strategies were utilised for delivering large complex projects successfully globally, and many authors have studied large complex public projects that have adopted innovative international project delivery strategies collaboratively and have shown that the cost …

Opportunities In The Irish Reinforced Concrete Industry For Lean And Bim Adoption, Bim Tudublin, Kieran Mcconnell

Capstone Reports

The Irish Reinforced Concrete (RC) sector has yet to realise the full potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean construction. The positive impacts and benefits of both BIM and Lean in the wider Architecture, Engineering and Construction sector are widely recognised; many of these are transferable to the RC sector, but there is limited research and knowledge on practical transference, uses and advantages. This research aims to fill some of the existing knowledge gaps by examining BIM and Lean adoption and awareness in the Irish RC sector across sub-sectors, professions, and organisational levels, and by exploring opportunities for increasing …

A Critical Examination Of Visual Programming And Generative Design For The Compliance Checking Of Open Plan Office Layouts Against Hse Guidelines Post Covid-19., Bim Tudublin, Ronan Byrne

Capstone Reports

The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of Visual Programming (VP) and Generative Design (GD) in assisting employers review open plan office layouts against Ireland’s HSE guidelines implemented in May 2020 in response to Covid-19. The pandemic has affected all areas of life with workplace standards requiring a complete overhaul. This study will attempt to ascertain compliance with natural ventilation and social distancing requirements through the completion of an experimental research study, utilising Computational Design (CD) tools. A GD study will be undertaken to provide the designer with numerous office layout design solutions to evaluate and evolve. …

To What Extent Can Lean Construction Processes And Principles Be Utilised In The Design Stage Of A Bim Project In The Irish Design And Construction Industry, Bim Tudublin, Barry Sheramn

Capstone Reports

Although different in many ways, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction are two processes that are having a significant impact on the Design & Construction Industry. In recent years, the Irish AECO industry has seen a tenfold increase across numerous construction disciplines with the adoption of new workflows and processes centred around both BIM and Lean methodologies. Existing literature identifies a strong synergistic relationship between the two processes and highlights the opportunity for Lean processes and principles to be implemented into the design stage workflow. This paper investigated existing literature relating to several lean processes currently implemented in the …

Should Acoustic Simulation Technology Be Utilised In Architectural Practice? Does It Have The Potential For Bim Integration?, Bim Tudublin, Keith Harvey

Capstone Reports

The research presented in this paper, firstly, aims to convey the importance of our acoustic environment through focusing on the effects of undesirable acoustic conditions on cognitive abilities in spaces where cognitive performance is of the utmost concern, our learning environments. Secondly, it aims to investigate current state-of-the-art acoustic simulation methods, available platforms, and their levels of interoperability with architectural BIM authoring software. Structured interviews were carried out with 7 Irish architects and architectural technologists to determine if a disconnection between architectural design and acoustic performance exists and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of current workflows for acoustic performance …

A Linear Predictive Coding Filtering Method For Time-Resolved Morphology Of Eeg Activity, Jin Xu, Mark Davis, Ruairí De Fréin

Conference papers

This paper introduces a new time-resolved spectral analysis method based on the Linear Prediction Coding (LPC) method that is particularly suited to the study of the dynamics of EEG (Electroencephalography) activity. The spectral dynamics of EEG signals can be challenging to analyse as they contain multiple frequency components and are often corrupted by noise. The LPC Filtering (LPCF) method described here processes the LPC poles to generate a series of reduced-order filter transform functions which can accurately estimate the dominant frequencies. The LPCF method is a parameterized time-frequency method that is suitable for identifying the dominant frequencies of multiple-component signals …

Optimisation Of Retrofit Wall Insulation: An Irish Case Study, Rakshit D. Muddu, D M. Gowda, Anthony James Robinson, Aimee Byrne

Articles

Ireland has one of the highest rates of emissions per capita in the world and its residential sector is responsible for approximately 10% of total national CO2 emissions. Therefore, reducing the CO2 emissions in this sector will play a decisive role in achieving EU targets of reducing emissions by 40% by 2030. To better inform decisions regarding retrofit of the existing building stock, this study proposes Optimum Insulation Thicknesses (OIT) for typical walls in 25 regions in Ireland. The calculation of OIT includes annual heat energy expenditure, CO2 emissions, and material payback period. The approach taken is based on Heating …

Deep Learning Methods For Fingerprint-Based Indoor And Outdoor Positioning, Fahad Alhomayani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Outdoor positioning systems based on the Global Navigation Satellite System have several shortcomings that have deemed their use for indoor positioning impractical. Location fingerprinting, which utilizes machine learning, has emerged as a viable method and solution for indoor positioning due to its simple concept and accurate performance. In the past, shallow learning algorithms were traditionally used in location fingerprinting. Recently, the research community started utilizing deep learning methods for fingerprinting after witnessing the great success and superiority these methods have over traditional/shallow machine learning algorithms. The contribution of this dissertation is fourfold:

First, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based method for …

Performance Of Non-Contact Flow Meters In Irrigation Canals And Surface Drains, Kyle Feist, Jack Evans, Zack Markow, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Flow measurement is an important component of modern irrigation delivery systems. As irrigation projects are modernized, flow measurement devices are being installed in more non-traditional applications. Some applications feature a combination of characteristics that eliminate traditional flow measurement structures. Furthermore, as regulations obligate more districts to report real time diversions, redundant flow measurement devices using different methods or technologies become necessary to reduce the potential for temporary gaps in diversion data. In these cases, non-contact type flow measurement devices may be of interest. Two non-contact flow meters were installed at different irrigation district canals. Data was collected from the non-contact …

Nebraska Summary 1218s: Fendt 724 Vario Gen6, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Development Of A Framework For Managing The Industry 4.0 Equipment Procurement Process For The Irish Life Sciences Sector, Shane Loughlin

Doctoral

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) brings unprecedented opportunities for Manufacturing Corporations poised to implement Digital Business models; DigitALIZAtion. Industry Standards have been developed for the core technologies of the I4.0 Digital Supply Chains. Manufacturing equipment must now be procured to integrate seamlessly at any point in these novel supply chains. The aim of this study is to determine if an I4.0 Equipment Procurement Process (I4.0-EPP) can be developed which reduces the risk of equipment integration issues. It asks; Can the form of the equipment be specified, so that it correctly fits into the I4.0 Digital Supply Chain, to facilitate the desired I4.0 …

Open Source Software Problems In Heat Transfer To Explore Assumptions And Models, Benjamin Pepper, Amir Behbahanian, Nick Roberts

Course Materials

Energy2D software can be downloaded here: http://energy.concord.org/energy2d/

After opening the application, choose File -> Open and select one of the .e2d files available for download here under additional files. Click the Run button to get started.

The main download has a document that provides a detailed description of the adaptation of a freely available software program, Energy2D, for problems focused on the exploration and limitations of assumptions made in models commonly used in an undergraduate heat transfer course. The motivation for creating homework problems that use Energy2D is to explore the accuracy and limitations of the models used in heat …

An Active Hybrid Modulation Strategy For A Si/Sic Hybrid Multilevel Converter, Fei Diao, Yufei Li, Xinyuan Du, Yue Zhao

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper proposes a hybrid modulation strategy for a medium-voltage hybrid seven-level (7-L) converter, which consists of a three-phase silicon (Si) IGBT-based active-neutral-point-clamped (ANPC) stage and a cascaded silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET-based H-bridge (HB) stage in each phase. Within the framework of the proposed modulation strategy, three floating HB converters are controlled using a high-frequency three-level (3-L) space-vector-modulation (SVM), while a low-frequency modulation is applied to the ANPC converter. To regulate the DC voltages across floating capacitors, a zero-sequence voltage (ZSV) injection method is adopted. The proposed method possesses three major advantages. First, it enables the simplification from a 7-L …

“Greener” Chemical Modification Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Via Oxa-Michael Addition With N-Benzylmaleimide, Mohammad Jahid Hasan, Ashley E. Johnson, Esteban E. Ureña-Benavides

Faculty and Student Publications

Surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was conducted by an oxa-Michael addition of primary hydroxyl groups on the CNC surface with N-Benzylmaleimide (BnM). Six principles of green chemistry were used to obtain the hydrophobized CNC. Two catalytic approaches were used, a self-catalyzed reaction where alkyl sulfuric acid on the surface of the CNC was the catalyst, and a base-catalyzed approach using triethylamine (TEA). DMSO was chosen as reaction solvent due to its low cost, low toxicity and ability to disperse native CNC compared to other polar diprotic solvents. NMR and FTIR studies confirmed the successful modification of CNCs in both …

Shopping For An Ir: The Search, Adoption, And Implementation Of The University Of Louisiana At Lafayette’S Institutional Repository Platform, Zachary G. Stein

Faculty Scholarship

Institutions wishing to disseminate their scholarship on a wide scale have influenced the need for institutional repositories (IR). These repositories provide institutions the opportunity to display and preserve what they have to offer in an open access environment. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) had attempted to adopt an IR for years and finally achieved this goal. Many issues impacted the adoption, including funding, deciding on the appropriate platform solutions, and marketing the need for contributions from faculty and university administration. There is much optimism for the IR, as it is also included in the university’s Quality Enhancement …

Creation Connections: Visualizing And Utilizing A Ravine, Bryce Bundens, Alex Newell, Hannah Smith

Student Papers and Reports

Creation Connections sought to provide access for students of all mobility levels at Grand Rapids Christian Middle School (GRCMS) to outdoor learning spaces through the design of a 20-year masterplan.

Recycling Of Fiber Polymer Matrix Composites In Cementitious Materials, Edward Patton Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recycling options for fiber polymer matrix composite waste materials are limited because they typically cannot be reused, reprocessed for down-cycling, and are generally environmentally unfriendly. The utility industry, specifically electrical distribution, has been increasingly using hybrid carbon, glass fiber, and epoxy resin composite rods for high-voltage (HV) conductor transmission lines. The high-voltage conductor core (HVCC) used in the transmission line can have an optimal in-service-life of roughly several decades, in which the material is then retired to a waste landfill. Currently, there is limited research and recycling methodology for these hybrid composite rods. In this research, powder carbon fiber, glass …

Pedagogical Considerations And Challenges For Sociotechnical Integration Within A Materials Science Class, Laura A. Gelles, Susan M. Lord

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

This paper describes the development and refinement of sociotechnical content within an introductory Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) course by incorporating principles of sustainability (i.e., social and environmental context), interdisciplinary collaboration, and best pedagogical practices. The study draws on student data from focus groups, interviews, final exam responses, and researcher and instructor reflections on the practical realities of teaching sociotechnical modules.

Our results show that students demonstrated greater awareness of social and environmental issues. However, they also expressed a need to engage beyond surface-level awareness to better understand the direct impact of engineering decisions on people and the environment. While …

An Experimental Study Investigating The Impact Of Miscible And Immiscible Nitrogen Injection On Asphaltene Instability In Nano Shale Pore Structure, Mukhtar Elturki, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Miscible gas injection has become the most used enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method in the oil and gas industry. The deposition and precipitation of asphaltene during the gas injection process is one of the problems during the oil production process. The asphaltene can deposit and plug the pores, which reduces the permeability in a reservoir; thus, decreasing the oil recovery and increasing the production costs. This research investigates the nitrogen (N2) miscible and immiscible pressure injections on asphaltene instability in shale pore structures. First, a slim tube was used to determine the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) of N2 to ensure …

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2021, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Compiled Tolle Lege bibliography of works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2021. Works include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference presentations and posters, and more.

Clustering Hypergraphs Via The Mapequation, Matthew Swan, Justin Zhan

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A hypergraph is a generalization of a graph in that the restriction of pairwise affinity scores is lifted in favor of affinity scores that can be evaluated between an arbitrary number of inputs. Hypergraphs clustering is the process of finding groups in which members of a given hypergraph exhibit a high similarity and dissimilarity with members outside their group. In this paper, we generalize the well-known MapEquation, an optimization equation used in the clustering of nonhypergraphs, for hypergraphs. We develop an agglomerative algorithm, Hypergraph Random Walks (HRW), to find an approximate solution to the generalized MapEquation. Our algorithm requires neither …

Multidimensional Demographic Profiles For Fair Paper Recommendation, Reem Alsaffar, Susan Gauch

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite double-blind peer review, bias affects which papers are selected for inclusion in conferences and journals. To address this, we present fair algorithms that explicitly incorporate author diversity in paper recommendation using multidimensional author profiles that include five demographic features, i.e., gender, ethnicity, career stage, university rank and geolocation. The Overall Diversity method ranks papers based on an overall diversity score whereas the Multifaceted Diversity method selects papers that fill the highest-priority demographic feature first. We evaluate these algorithms with Boolean and continuous-valued features by recommending papers for SIGCHI 2017 from a pool of SIGCHI 2017, DIS 2017 and IUI …

Optimal Sizing And Operation Of A Pumped Thermal Energy Storage System, Matthew Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current trends in the modern grid are leading to the integration of energy storage technologies (ESSs), such as pumped thermal energy storage to help incorporate more variable renewable energy sources into the grid. This paper analyzes the operation of a pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) system under the grid services of energy arbitrage, regulation services, spinning and non-spinning reserve, resource adequacy, and a combination of them all. Each revenue stream is setup into an optimization problem and solved to find which revenue generating technique would generate the most revenue. The combined revenue stream was found to produce the most revenue …

Thermal Performance Of Algan/Gan Based Power Switching Devices For Transformerless Inverters, Mahesh B. Manandhar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wide Bandgap (WBG) semiconductors like Silicon Carbide (SiC), Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) have superior material properties as compared to Silicon (Si) like higher electrical breakdown voltages and bandgap energies as well as lower leakage currents as compared to Si which make them ideal to operate at higher voltage with lower thermal losses. These properties make WBG materials ideal for power devices like Vertical Double-diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (VDMOSFETs). The use of digital prototyping through computer simulation increases the speed and flexibility of the design iterations while reducing the cost and time required for …

Wind Turbine Parameter Calibration Using Deep Learning Approaches, Rebecca Mccubbin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The inertia and damping coefficients are critical to understanding the workings of a wind turbine, especially when it is in a transient state. However, many manufacturers do not provide this information about their turbines, requiring people to estimate these values themselves. This research seeks to design a multilayer perceptron (MLP) that can accurately predict the inertia and damping coefficients using the power data from a turbine during a transient state. To do this, a model of a wind turbine was built in Matlab, and a simulation of a three-phase fault was used to collect realistic fault data to input into …

Design And Implementation Of A High-Fidelity Virtual Reality Manufacturing Planning Framework, Hamza Anwar Al-Jundi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Manufacturing applications of virtual reality (VR) technology are growing. The challenge is to design, implement, and integrate VR simulation for manufacturing systems that improves the effectiveness of the planning process. This dissertation provides the industry with the technical infrastructure necessary to design a high-fidelity, collaborative virtual manufacturing planning system. It introduces the VR setup, the VR planning process, and the use of integrated hardware and software to produce high-fidelity simulations. The dissertation also provides a framework and set of guidelines for the architecture of the VR system. The framework is demonstrated by a high-fidelity VR simulation of a stamping process. …

Small Scale Plasma Gasification Of Municipal Solid Waste, Keith Male

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

The goal of this project was to develop a prototype plasma gasification system to treat municipal solid waste (MSW) with minimal regulated emissions in a footprint small enough to be transported for a wide range of applicability. This project started with a review of current MSW treatment methods and of the emissions produced from thermal breakdown of MSW. A review of air quality regulations and emission control technologies was then used to select the emission control systems to be used for a small-scale plasma gasification system.

This plasma gasification system began with a plasma torch and cooling system being designed, …