Engineering Commons^™

Comparative Analysis And Dynamic Response Of Abs Under Uv Light Degradation Using Shock Tube, Greer Lauber

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the dynamic response of acrylonitrile-butadlene-styrene (ABS) when exposed to UV light. Impact-Resistant Easy-to-Form ABS sheets were tested using a Shock Tube. Three samples were tested at no UV light exposure and three were tested after 15 days of being exposed to rapid UV degradation rays. All samples were tested at a shock wave equivalent to 400 psi. The results showed that the UV damaged samples experienced a decrease in strength and energy absorption in comparison to the non-UV damaged samples. The average peak load for the non-UV degraded was 1261.89 Newtons and …

Optimization Of A Fluidized Bed Reactor For The Production Of Styrene From Ethylbenzene, Gregory Espenan

Honors Theses

In order to optimize Unit 500, a styrene production plant, the Net Present Value (NPV) was used as the objective function to ensure every optimization strategy had a positive economic effect. To optimize a chemical plant, it is important to note efficiency, economics, product specifications, and production requirements. The goal of this project was to make changes to the base case of Unit 500 to minimize the cost to produce styrene for an upstream unit. PRO/II was used to simulate various points in different unit operations throughout the process. The NPV was measured after each unit operation was simulated to …

Hinged Temperature-Immune Self-Referencing Fabry–Pérot Cavity Sensors, Jeremiah C. Williams, Hengky Chandrahalim

AFIT Patents

A passive microscopic Fabry-Pérot Interferometer (FPI) sensor includes a three-dimensional microscopic optical structure formed on a cleaved tip of the optical fighter using a two-photon polymerization process on a photosensitive polymer by a three-dimensional micromachining device. The three-dimensional microscopic optical structure having a hinged optical layer pivotally connected to a distal portion of a suspended structure. A reflective layer is deposited on a mirror surface of the hinged optical layer while in an open position. The hinged optical layer is subsequently positioned in the closed position to align the mirror surface to at least partially reflect a light signal back …

A Data-Based Framework For Monitoring And Controlling Particulate Systems, Vidhyadhar Manee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

One of the limitations of conventional monitoring tools in crystallization is the inability to deal with high solids concentration. Image-based monitoring, in which RGB images of the solution are captured and analyzed by an object detection software, has been a promising alternative. The software used in these tools primarily depends on hand-coded heuristics to distinguish between the signal and the noise. With the recent success of supervised deep learning, a newer paradigm has emerged in which the heuristics can be learnt from labeled images. This approach is founded on the idea that it is easier to develop labels for data …

Efficient Energy Harvesting With Applications In Vibration And Implantable Biosensors, Mohammad Atmeh

Mechanical Engineering Theses

The world has stepped into the fourth industrial revolution in many ways such as using the internet of things (IoT) in various applications, and removing the rechargeable power sources seeking for batteryless systems. Since energy is widely abundant around us and it is going to waste, numerous of recent studies have been conducted to propose sustainable solutions to harvest the free ambient power from the surrounding and convert it into electricity. Heat energy, kinetic energy, and radio waves are examples of these potentially harvestable energy sources. Mechanical vibrations represent one of the most plentiful forms of kinetic energy that can …

Offensive Cyber Operations And Future Littoral Operating Concepts, Jd Work

Military Cyber Affairs

Introduction of new ground-launch cruise missile options to hold adversary naval targets at risk in order to support conventional deterrence objectives through sea control and sea denial missions is the centerpiece of proposed reorganization of Marine Littoral forces, as part of new “Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations,” and “Littoral Operations in Contested Environments” concepts. Effective distributed sea control fires against pacing threat maritime formations requires defeat of integrated air defense systems. Offensive cyber operations capabilities may be considered as a means of altering the calculus of attrition in missile fires exchanges, but due to various sensitivities it has been difficult to …

Analysis Of Properties Of Asphalt Binder With The Addition Of Lignin, Frank A. Martin Junior

Honors College Theses

As asphalt ages, its resistance to shear diminishes due to a change in composition, resulting in the need for repaving of roads. Current additives to asphalt binder focus on increasing the strength of the binder, but do nothing to prevent the ageing of the asphalt binder. Lignin is a biological additive that is known for its resistance to ultraviolet radiation. This research aims to study Lignin as an asphalt additive, which exhibits properties that can increase the resistance of degradation due to aging, as well as increasing the strength of the asphalt binder. This was done through the comparison of …

Characterization Of Hydrogen Embrittlement Sensitivity In High Hardness Steels, David Ahlen Salley

Theses and Dissertations

High hardness steels can be affected by delayed brittle cracking often attributed to hydrogen embrittlement. Improved resistance to hydrogen embrittlement would be beneficial to many industries including military, automotive, and high-rise construction. While other prevention methods include coating, trapping, and barriers, design efforts in this study were focused on improving intrinsic properties to be more resistant to hydrogen embrittlement. Four alloys targeting 477 – 534 HB were designed and produced in-house and compared against a commercial grade 500 HB alloy. Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact toughness and tensile specimens were made according to ASTM E23 and ASTM E8 to characterize mechanical …

Leverage Topology Optimization To Maximize Structure Design Efficiency, Teng Li, Saad Aqerrout

ME 4233/6233 Fundamentals of FEA

This paper presents the topology optimization method to improve the efficiency of mechanical structure design.

Computational Mechanics Implementation Of Performance Based Testing In Massive Concrete Structures, Gabriel Y. Riveros

ME 4233/6233 Fundamentals of FEA

Most of the nation’s critical water resource infrastructures are near or have exceeded their design lives. Consequently, there is a huge need for the development of assessment procedures that will change the way dams are maintained and operated with the intent of extending the service life. This is crucial for ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s public services. The combination of advanced computational mechanics and performance based testing (PBT) methods can be used to investigate the existing conditions of large concrete structures.

Performance based testing (PBT) is a new and innovative non-destructive testing technique that we are implementing …

Comparison Of Johnson-Cook And Linear Elastic-Perfectly Plastic Material Models For Ballistic Impact Case, Logan J. Callahan, Marella Failla, Harrison Williams

ME 4233/6233 Fundamentals of FEA

In an effort to characterize the linear elastic-perfect plastic (J2) and Johnson-Cook (JC) Strengthening and Damage material models for an Aluminum target material being struck by a steel penetrator, finite element analysis (FEA) will be used to simulate the residual velocities from ballistic impacts, using various velocities of the penetrator. The object is to define the point at which the J2 material model is no longer accurate and therefore requires the use of the JC material models.

Numerical Analysis Of Taylor Impact With Various Nose Shapes, Jean C. Santiago Padilla, Erik M. Chappell

ME 4233/6233 Fundamentals of FEA

The Taylor impact test is an experimental technique used to determine dynamic material response and to validate constitutive models used in numerical simulations. It generally consists of shooting a cylinder rod of a select material against a rigid target at different velocities. After impact, the plastic deformation of the cylinder is recorded and is directly compared to numerical predictions. Another application for Taylor impact was proposed by Li et al. (2021) where the nose shape of the cylinder is modified to create different loading environments that can test electronic equipment in penetration weapons. FEA models where designed in ABAQUS/Explicit to …

Analysis Of Preload In Bolted Joints Under Impulse, Albert Dusseault

Thinking Matters Symposium

From transportation to storage to construction, bolted joints are utilized everywhere. Bolted joints in closures such as pressure vessels/tanks require a preload, or a specific amount of tightening of the bolts to seal the vessel when pressurized to avoid leaking. Low preload can result in joint loosening whereas high preload can result in yielding. Therefore, finding feasible and even better optimal values of preload is of great practical importance. In an earlier work in 1996, this problem was tackled with an exponentially decaying pressure applied on a pressure vessel closure. In the present analysis, however, the pressure variation is considered …

3d Printing Of Piezoelectric Materials And Devices, Dominic Polletta, Zack Myrtle

Thinking Matters Symposium

The design goal of the project is to use a stock 3D printer to 3D print materials with piezoelectric properties by adding Barium Titanate nanoparticles to the UV resin. The result of the printed material will be a device that will produce a charge when subjected to vibrations or stress. These printed devices can be used as microphones and other vibration sensors in a variety of applications. This process will be achieved by modifying the 3D printer by changing the film in the resin vat of the printer with a conductive film. This will allow for applied voltage to create …

Porous Scaffold-Hydrogel Composites Spatially Regulate 3d Cellular Mechanosensing., Matthew Dicerbo, Mohammed Mehdi Benmassaoud, Sebastián L Vega

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Cells encapsulated in 3D hydrogels exhibit differences in cellular mechanosensing based on their ability to remodel their surrounding hydrogel environment. Although cells in tissue interfaces feature a range of mechanosensitive states, it is challenging to recreate this in 3D biomaterials. Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) encapsulated in methacrylated gelatin (GelMe) hydrogels remodel their local hydrogel environment in a time-dependent manner, with a significant increase in cell volume and nuclear Yes-associated protein (YAP) localization between 3 and 5 days in culture. A finite element analysis model of compression showed spatial differences in hydrogel stress of compressed GelMe hydrogels, and MSC-laden GelMe …

Climate Justice In Engineering Education, Tyler J. Morgan, Donna Riley, Caroline M. Camfield

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

The goal of this research is to design a learning module for Purdue first-year engineering (FYE) students to learn climate fundamentals, and the role of engineers in responding to climate justice challenges. There is a lack of climate material within these classes currently, leading to a lack of climate conscious engineers in the future. The project entailed reviewing and synthesizing a wide variety of previous research on climate change education in engineering, including key learning objectives and their assessment. Because one of the key foci of the first-year engineering sequence relates to data analysis and management, we focused our work …

Design Of An Implanted Vascular Access Device With A Mechanical Septum, Mallory Ann Moffett, Katherine Rose O'Quinn

Honors Theses

As populations continue to age, their need for medical care continues to rise. This is seen by the large need for implanted vascular devices (IVADs). IVADs are essential for individuals with poor venous access and patients requiring long-term venous delivered drugs. This document will explore the existing IVADs, where they fall short, and where our device, the IrisPort system, works to solve the unmet needs of patients. The IrisPort system is a needle-less port system that allows for repeated venous access without the use of a non-coring needle. Prior art searches have shown that the IrisPort is a novel solution …

Investigation Of Skid Resistance On Asphalt Pavements In Utah, Aaron B. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Friction is one of the essential aspects of pavement performance and safety. Unfortunately, the rate at which the friction data are being collected exceeds the rate at which the data can be proficiently analyzed. Furthermore, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) lacks long-term trend analysis for the many years of locked-wheel skid trailer (LWST) data collected in Utah. In addition, UDOT is missing a statistically adequate correlation equation between friction-testing devices. Likewise, only one method is used in Utah to prequalify aggregates for use in pavements. Finally, there has not been an investigation of the potential use of lithium silicate …

A Dual-Band Filtering Structure For Highly Selective Reconfigurable Bandpass Filter And Filtering Balun, Jinqun Ge, Guoan Wang

Faculty Publications

This article proposes a filtering structure consisting of two half-wavelength resonators and two open-stub loaded resonators, which generates two third-order passbands. Multiple transmission zeros are introduced by the newly developed coupling scheme, resulting in extremely sharp roll-off desirable for highly selective filters. The proposed structure is applied to design a PIN-diodes switch-controlled reconfigurable dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) with four-state filtering responses: both passbands ON, both passbands OFF, high-frequency passband ON, and low-frequency passband ON. Stepped-impedance open stubs and one-end-grounded coupled lines are studied and employed in the design to suppress unwanted responses. In addition, two filtering structures are placed symmetrically …

Globule Masks-Exact.Zip, Ananad K. Nambisan, Norsang Lama, Jason Hagerty, Colin Smith, Ahmad Rajeh, Thanh Phan, Samantha Swinfard, R. Joe Stanley

Deep Learning-based Dot and Globule Segmentation with Pixel and Blob-based Metrics for Evaluation – Data

No abstract provided.

Structural Design For Fire Conditions Of A Prototype Metal Building Using The New Proposed Appendix To Aisi S100, Xia Yan, Thomas Gernay

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

Performance-based design for fire conditions has been increasingly adopted for different structural systems over the last decade. The objective of this project is to exemplify through a case study how the newly proposed Appendix 4 to AISI S100 [1] on ‘Structural Design for Fire Conditions’ could be used by the metal building industry. The scope of work on the project includes the following:

(1) Identification of a prototype metal building to serve as an exemplar case study for the structural fire design procedure.

(2) Definition of the performance objectives and design requirements for the building in the fire situation. This …

Optimization Of Orbital Trajectories Using Neuroevolution Of Augmenting Topologies, Nathan Wetherell

University Scholar Projects

This project aims to determine the feasibility of using NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT), an advanced neural network evolution scheme, to optimize orbital transfer trajectories. More specifically, this project compares a genetically evolved neural network to a standard Hohmann transfer between Earth and Mars. To test these two methods, an N-body simulation environment was created to accurately determine the result of gravitational interactions on a theoretical spacecraft when combined with planned engine burns. Once created, this simulation environment was used to train the neural networks created using the NEAT Python module. A genetic algorithm was used to modify the topology …

Human-Centered Explainable Artificial Intelligence For Anomaly Detection In Quality Inspection: A Collaborative Approach To Bridge The Gap Between Humans And Ai, Srikanth Vemula

Theses & Dissertations

In the quality inspection industry, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to advance to produce safer and faster autonomous systems that can perceive, learn, decide, and act independently. As observed by the researcher interacting with the local energy company over a one-year period, these AI systems’ performance is limited by the machine’s current inability to explain its decisions and actions to human users. Especially in energy companies, eXplainable-AI (XAI) is critical to achieve speed, reliability, and trustworthiness with human inspection workers. Placing humans alongside AI will establish a sense of trust that augments the individual’s capabilities at the workplace. …

Using An Ultrasonic Technique To Determine Burning Rate Law, Brennan Hatton Haralson

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Personalized Memory Transfer For Conversational Recommendation Systems, Naga Archana Godavarthy

Engineering Ph.D. Theses

Dialogue systems are becoming an increasingly common part of many users' daily routines. Natural language serves as a convenient interface to express our preferences with the underlying systems. In this work, we implement a full-fledged Conversational Recommendation System, mainly focusing on learning user preferences through online conversations. Compared to the traditional collaborative filtering setting where feedback is provided quantitatively, conversational users may only indicate their preferences at a high level with inexact item mentions in the form of natural language chit-chat. This makes it harder for the system to correctly interpret user intent and in turn provide useful recommendations to …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Melting Behavior Of Planar Stacked Ti–Al Core–Shell Nanoparticles, Huadian Zhang, Yu Chen Su, Yiwei Han, Shan Jiang

Faculty and Student Publications

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is one of the most commonly used methods in additive manufacturing, due to its high prototyping speed and applicability to various materials. In the present work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to study the thermodynamic behaviors of the planar stacked nanoparticles (NPs) model and explore the potential capability of the SLS process with nano-sized metal powders in the zero-gravity space environment. A multi-particle model of titanium–aluminum (Ti–Al) core–shell NP with a particle radius of 50 Å was constructed to investigate the characteristics of the melted pattern during sintering. Two patterns with different spatial densities were …

Investigating Polynominal-Fit Extrapolation For Iterative Gain Updating In A Controller, Malachi Landis

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Performance Variability In Solid Rocket Motors, Manvith Amara

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Globule Masks-Dilatedellipsekernel3.Zip, Ananad K. Nambisan, Norsang Lama, Jason Hagerty, Colin Smith, Ahmad Rajeh, Thanh Phan, Samantha Swinfard, R. Joe Stanley

Deep Learning-based Dot and Globule Segmentation with Pixel and Blob-based Metrics for Evaluation – Data

No abstract provided.

Monitoring The M-Dwarf Host Stars Of Tess Exoplanet Candidates: Stellar Flares And Habitability, Ashley Lieber

Physics Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the search for life beyond our solar system, the study of M-dwarfs has become increasingly important due to their unique characteristics including their small size, flaring capabilities, and long lifespans. Their small size allows for exoplanet detection due to observable gravitational interactions, and the stellar flares could potentially trigger prebiotic life on exoplanets in the system. Lastly, their long lifespans may provide the conditions necessary to foster prebiotic life and the development of more complex organisms over time. Flare rate is a critical factor in determining the habitability of the exoplanet due to its potential to damage or incubate …