Engineering Commons^™

2023 Fall Engr 333 Project Assignment: Calvin Carbon Neutrality Date Project, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

Description

The Fall 2023 ENGR333 project focused on the carbon neutrality date for Calvin University. In 2017, then-president Michael LeRoy committed Calvin to carbon neutrality by 2057, which seems rather too far into the future from the perspective of 2023. I asked the students “What earlier year should Calvin University choose for its carbon neutrality date?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Dr. Wiebe Boer, President of Calvin University.

Evaluating Frozen Soil Properties With Electrical Resistivity Measurement And Electro-Magnetic Induction Methods, Rui Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic induction was utilized in the past by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a method of detecting unexploded ordinance, while it has the potential to act as a novel method of investigating frozen soils in cold regions. In this study, we performed lab-scale 1D electrical resistivity measurements under freeze-thaw circumstances on frost-susceptible soils with varied soil properties. We implemented an empirical model from our experiments into a COMSOL finite element model at both laboratory and field scales to simulate soil electrical resistivity response under both short-term and long-term sub-freezing conditions. Dynamic temperature-dependent soil properties, most notably unfrozen …

Design And Implementation Of An Instrument Package For Measuring Process Conditions In An Expeller, Md Masud Rana

LSU Master's Theses

The expeller process variable has gained increasing attention in research to validate process flow models. The expeller process is a mechanical method used to extract oil and water from seeds, nuts and polymers. Various factors, such as the speed of the press, size, and shape of the expeller, temperature, pressure, and moisture content, impact the efficiency and quality of the oil and water extraction process. By understanding these variables, researchers can develop accurate process flow models to predict the efficiency and quality of the oil and water extraction process. In this research, A custom instrumentation package have designed and implemented …

Calculating The Difference In Stiffness Of Living T Cells Through Micropipette Aspiration, Minju Lee

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounted for 17.9 million deaths in 2019, with fibrosis contributing to nearly a quarter of these fatalities [1,2]. Fibrosis, characterized by excessive connective tissue formation, has been strongly linked to T cells, essential components of the immune system. This study explores the mechanisms of T cell activation and the subsequent changes in biophysical properties like diameter, stiffness, and elasticity, aiming to develop therapeutic strategies for fibrosis-related diseases, including CVD. Utilizing the micropipette aspiration technique, we accurately assessed T cell stiffness and observed a change in bulk cell stiffness upon activation. The results demonstrated increased fluid-like behavior in …

Thermoresponsive Polymers With Lcst Transition: Synthesis, Characterization, And Their Impact On Biomedical Frontiers, Yichun Yuan, Konpal Raheja, Nathalie B. Milbrandt, Sophia Beilharz, Steffy Tene, Solomon Oshabaheebwa, Umut A. Gurkan, Anna Cristina S. Samia, Metin Karayilan

Faculty Scholarship

Advances in thermoresponsive materials have significantly impacted many biomedical fields. The unique behavior of reversible phase transition close to the physiological temperatures makes these types of materials a great candidate for a wide variety of biomedical applications including bioimaging, biosensing, injectables, smart surfaces, adhesives, biomanufacturing, and tissue engineering. Thermoresponsive behavior, mainly lower critical solution temperature (LCST) can be easily tuned by shifting the balance between hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity (e.g., by using comonomers or changing end groups) and modifying the molecular weight and architecture of the polymer. Hence, synthetic and characterization tools are critical in tailoring and precisely determining these properties. …

Real-Time Length Sensing Of Braided Pneumatic Actuator Using Ir Time-Of-Flight Sensor, Luon B. Chung

Dissertations and Theses

Braided Pneumatic Actuators (BPAs) are used widely in robotics as artificial muscles because of their similar characteristics to biological muscles. When a BPA is pressurized, it expands in the radial direction and contracts in the longitudinal direction. The contraction generates a pulling force that is dependent on the input pressure and BPA length. Biological muscle also behaves in the same way where a pulling force is generated on a contraction. To control BPAs on a robot, the real-time pressure and length measurements are necessary. In this dissertation, I present a new method to measure length of BPAs in real-time using …

Reaction Pathways, Kinetic Modelling And Parameter Estimation Of Heterogeneous Catalytic Trans-Esterificationprocess, Owolabi,R. U, Aderinsola A. P

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The kinetics of heterogeneous catalyzed trans-esterification between castor oil and methanol was studied and modeled. Kinetic data was obtained from a perfectly mixed slurry batch reactor. The modeling was conducted via the modified-hattori mechanism to determine the exact rate controlling step for the reaction. A total of five rate expressions were formed, which were as a result of; methanol adsorption, Triglyceride adsorption, Formation of the complex, Surface reaction and Glycerol desorption. Evaluation of best fitting model and parameter estimation was done using the nealder simplex least square optimization algorithm with the aid MATLAB software. The result from the regression analysis …

Improving Square Skirted Foundations Behavior On Sand, Tamer Al-Shyoukhi, Ayman Altahrany, Mahmoud Elmeligy

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Shallow foundations' behavior is enhanced by using skirts to confine the soil beneath the foundation. The bearing capacity and settlement of skirted foundations resting on the sand are influenced by the size of the skirt cell and shear strength of sand. Experimental modelling was carried out on an axially square-skirted footing resting on sand in this study. Plaxis-3D software was used for numerical analysis to support the experimental results. The numerical analysis results validated the experimental results. The outcomes of the study demonstrated that skirts wider than the footing size increased the bearing capacity of skirted foundations. In the case …

Large-Scale Cascading Of First-Order Fbg Array In A Highly Multimode Coreless Fiber Using Femtosecond Laser For Distributed Thermal Sensing, Farhan Mumtaz, Bohong Zhang, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This research focuses on the performance analysis and characterization of a fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) array, consisting of 10 first order FBGs inscribed by a femtosecond (FS) laser in a highly multimode coreless fiber. The study evaluates the FBG array's ability to function as a distributed thermal sensing (DTS) platform, with the coreless fiber chosen as the sensing element due to its immunity to dopant migration at high temperatures. The design of a large cascaded first-order FBG array effectively eliminates unwanted harmonic peaks across a wide spectrum range. In contrast, higher-order FBGs introduce limitations due to the overlapping of Bragg …

A Framework And Approach For Leveraging Unsteady Response In Turbocompressor Flowfields, Eric M. Krivitzky

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Turbomachinery is an essential technology in the transfer of mechanical work to or from a fluid stream. Forming a cornerstone component in nearly all electrical energy production and air transportation propulsion systems, turbomachinery also accounts for significant en- ergy transfer due to its omnipresence in fluid handling, including water pumping and pro- cess machinery. As system designers look towards optimized arrangements that enhance system flexibility to highly variable conditions, increase the density of energy transfer, and reduce the amount of lost work, the performance and operability demands on turbomachin- ery components continue to increase. For turbocompressors, a turbomachinery subtype that …

Effects Of Traps On Photo-Induced Interfacial Charge Transfer Of Ag-Tio2: Photoelectrochemical, Electrochemical And Spectroscopic Characterizations, Zhi-Hao Liang, Jia-Zheng Wang, Dan Wang, Jian-Zhang Zhou, De-Yin Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

In the field of metal-semiconductor composites based plasmon-mediated chemical reactions, a clear and in-depth understanding of charge transfer and recombination mechanisms is crucial for improving plasmonic photocatalytic efficiency. However, the plasmonic photocatalytic reactions at the solid-liquid interface of the electrochemical systems involve complex processes with multiple elementary steps, multiple time scales, and multiple controlling factors. Herein, the combination of photoelectrochemical and electrochemical as well as spectroscopic characterizations has been successfully used to study the effects of traps on the photo-induced interfacial charge transfer of silver-titanium dioxide (Ag-TiO₂). The results show that the increase of surface hydroxyl groups may …

Bacterial Extraction And Concentration From Blood Through Filtration Processes, Ryan L. Wood, Rebecca Prymak, Evelyn Welling, Alayna Bedwell, Jordan T. Wood, Damian E. Teasley, Magdalena Crofts, Hope Callister Anderson, Clifton M. Anderson, W Cameron Beard, Jacob Stepan, Alexandra Carter, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Blood stream infections (BSIs) are challenging to rapidly and precisely diagnose. Current clinical diagnostic methods for BSI identification require culturing the blood sample for many hours prior to identifying the bacteria and possible antibiotic resistance. Removing the culturing step from the bacterial identification process of a BSI provides a significant reduction in the processing time, but shifts the rate-limiting step from the growth time to the concentration procedure, since CFU levels in clinical blood samples can be as low as 10 CFU/mL in blood. This study developed a novel whole blood filtration method to concentrate bacteria from a BSI without …

Pulse Electroplating Of Nanotwinned Copper Using Mps-Peg Two-Additive System For Damascene Via Filling Process, Yu-Xi Wang, Li-Yin Gao, Yong-Qiang Wan, Zhe Li, Zhi-Quan Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

High density nanotwinned copper films were pulse electroplated using an optimized electrolyte. In order to find out the influencing factors on the formation of nanotwins, series contents of MPS were added to the electrolyte during the pulse electroplating process. It was found that the copper films electroplated without MPS had large grains but a few nanotwins. And the grain size was about 0.9 μm on average, and the texture components of (110) and (111) crystal orientations were calculated as 49% and 27.8%, respectively. Differently, when 10 ppm MPS was added, the microstructure was changed to columnar grain with high density …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Organic Additives For Copper Electroplating Of Interconnects, Yue-Hui Zhai, Yi-Xiao Peng, Yan Hong, Yuan-Ming Chen, Guo-Yun Zhou, Wei He, Peng-Ju Wang, Xian-Ming Chen, Chong Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Copper interconnects are essential to the functionality, performance, power efficiency, reliability, and fabrication yield of electronic devices. They are widely found in chips, packaging substrates and printed circuit boards, and are often produced by copper electroplating in an acidic aqueous solution. Organic additives play a decisive role in regulating copper deposition to fill microgrooves, and micro-vias to form fine lines and interlayer interconnects. Generally, an additive package consists of three components (brightener, suppressor, and leveler), which have a synergistic effect of super-filling on electroplating copper when the concentration ratio is appropriate. Many works of literature have discussed the mechanism of …

Effect Of Amine Additives On Thermal Runaway Inhibition Of Sic||Ncm811 Batteries, Bo-Wen Hou, Long He, Xu-Ning Feng, Wei-Feng Zhang, Li Wang, Xiang-Ming He

Journal of Electrochemistry

The high energy density of NCM batteries with high nickel content is a key advantage in replacing fossil fuels and promoting clean energy development, at the same time, is also a fundamental cause of serious safety hazards in batteries. Primary and secondary amines can lead to ring-opening polymerization of common ethylene carbonate electrolytes, resulting in an isolation layer between the cathode and the anode, and improving the thermal safety of the battery. In this work, the safety of batteries is considered both at the material level and at the cell level, based on the chemical reactions between amines and the …

Plant Height Estimation Using Rtk-Gnss Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Photogrammetry, Pascal Izere

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing technology to provide high-throughput plant phenotypic traits has shown a great potential of eliminating manual measurements. For example, the use of UAV imaging to estimate plant height is of great interest to plant breeders and agronomists. Height is linked to a plant’s physical growth, light competition, health, biomass, and yield; thus, its accurate estimation is crucial in breeding. Conventionally, accurate height estimation by UAV platforms relies heavily on the use of ground control points (GCPs) for geometric calibration due to the relatively low positioning accuracy of regular differential global navigation satellite system …

Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes In Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review, Paul Kawak, Nour M Al Sawaftah, William G. Pitt, Ghaleb A. Husseini

Faculty Publications

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor, and its treatment is further complicated by the high selectivity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The scientific community is urgently seeking innovative and effective therapeutic solutions. Liposomes are a promising new tool that has shown potential in addressing the limitations of chemotherapy, such as poor bioavailability and toxicity to healthy cells. However, passive targeting strategies based solely on the physicochemical properties of liposomes have proven ineffective due to a lack of tissue specificity. Accordingly, the upregulation of transferrin receptors (TfRs) in brain tissue has led to the development of TfR-targeted anticancer therapeutics. …

Part 2: Proposed Buckling Factor For Columns In Braced And Unbraced Frames With Composite Girders, S.A. Eltawil, N.S. Mahmoud, S.M. Abdrabou

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The influence of composite girders on the modified buckling factor for columns was investigated in both braced and unbraced frames. The composite girders' end conditions were represented as rigid and hinged . Furthermore, based on the proposed stiffness parameter, the derived formulation follows the same assumptions as the standard effective length factor (K-factor). Moreover, the suggested buckling factor equations for composite girders in braced and unbraced frames were obtained using the slope-deflection method. Concerning the unbraced frame, the proposed buckling factor of columns restrained by the composite girder improves the effective length calculation and makes for a more accurate and …

Mining-Induced Shear Deformation And Permeability Evolution Law Of Crushed Rock Mass In Fault Zone, Li Qiang, Ma Dan, Zhang Jixiong, Liu Yong, Hou Wentao

Coal Geology & Exploration

To explore the mechanism of water inrush induced by fault activation under mining, experimental studies were conducted on the shear deformation and permeability evolution of crushed rock mass in fault zone. Specifically, a set of compression-shear-seepage test system for crushed rock mass was designed according to the principle of fluid-solid coupling, with the coupling process of shear deformation and seepage realized. On this basis, the shear-seepage coupling test was carried out for the crushed rock mass under the influence of multiple factors. Thus, the influence of particle size distribution and initial porosity of crushed rock mass on porosity and permeability …

Quantification And Reduction Of Uncertainty In Seismic Resilience Assessment For A Roadway Network, Vishnupriya Jonnalagadda, Ji Yun Lee, Seyed Hooman Ghasemi

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

The nation’s transportation systems are complex and are some of the highest valued and largest public assets in the United States. As a result of repeated natural hazards and their significant impact on transportation functionality and the socioeconomic health of communities, transportation resilience has gained increasing attention in recent years. Previous studies on transportation resilience have heavily emphasized network functionality during and/or following a scenario hazard event by implicitly assuming that sufficient knowledge of structural capacity and environmental/service conditions is available at the time of an extreme event. However, such assumptions often fail to consider uncertainties that arise when an …

Stimulation Effect Of Pulsed Ultrasonic Excitation On Coal Pores With Full-Scale Pore Sizes, Lin Haifei, Qiu Yue, Han Shuangze, Gao Haidong, Yang Erhao, Wang Ruizhe, Yan Min

Coal Geology & Exploration

This study aims to further investigate the stimulation effect of pulsed ultrasonic excitation on coal pore structures. Using an ultrasonic excitation test system for gas-containing coals, this study conducted ultrasonic excitation tests on coals under continuous and interactive pulses with ultrasonic power of 800 W and 1000 W. Through low-pressure CO₂ adsorption tests, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption tests, and the mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) tests, this study explored the evolutionary patterns of parameters of various coal pores with full-scale pore sizes, including macropores (> 50 nm), mesopores (2‒50 nm), and micropores (< 2 nm). The test results are as follows: (1) Pulsed ultrasonic waves can expand coal pores. The pore volume of coals was primarily provided by micropores and macropores, with mesopores representing a small proportion. The specific surface area of various coal pores was in the order of micropores > mesopores > macropores. (2) Compared with those having …

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

Short-Term Vehicle Speed Prediction With Spatiotemporal Convolution Fused With Variational Modal Decomposition, Kai Zhang, Haipeng Lu, Ying Han, Lingyun Zhang, Yujie Ding

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Accurate short-term vehicle speed prediction helps to resolve city traffic congestion problems. Focusing on the defect that CNN cannot process non-Euclidean geometric data, GCN and BiLSTM are combined to fully process the spatiotemporal characteristics of road network information, in which the advantages of GCN integrating global features and the ability of BiLSTM to extract temporal features are considered. In order to reduce the interference of noise to the data, variational modal decomposition (VMD) is introduced and short-term vehicle speed prediction model based on VMD-GCN-BiLSTM (VGBLSTM) is proposed . Simulation results show that the prediction accuracy of VGBLSTM model is …

Two New Maneuvering Target Simulation Methods, Yingxuan Li, Zhongxun Wang, Yunlong Dong

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To verify the performance of maneuvering target tracking algorithm, it's necessary to build a complex motion simulation model similar to the actual target motion situation. A simulation model of maneuvering target with controllable time correlation coefficient is constructed based on the idea of Singer model, and the suitability of Singer's maneuvering target tracking algorithm is verified when the time correlation coefficient does not match. Aiming at the problem that the traditional coordinated turning model only considers the change of normal acceleration, and the tangential acceleration is always assumed to be 0, which is not highly consistent with the actual …

Sealing Performance Analysis And Structure Optimization Of Pressure-Preserved Controller For Pressure-Preserved Coring In Deep Coal Mine, Wang Tianyu, Li Jianan, Zhang Yiwei, Li Ju, Xie Heping

Coal Geology & Exploration

As the pressure-preserved controller is a core component of the deep coal in-situ pressure-preserved coring device, its sealing design plays a decisive role in the effect of pressure-preserved coring. In order to obtain the optimal sealing structure, a two-dimensional axisymmetric nonlinear contact model was established for the sealing structure of the pressure-preserved controller. On this basis, the effects of different groove design, cone angle selection and friction coefficient on the sealing performance were analyzed by orthogonal test method. Meanwhile, the stress changes of the sealing ring under different closing stages and medium pressures were studied. The results show that: the …

Pressure Relief Mechanisms And Effects Of Liberation Seam Mining In 1000-M-Deep Coal Mines: A Case Study Of The Huafeng Coal Mine In Tai’An, China, Gao Yanan, Zhang Yao, Zhang Defei, Zhang Yudong, Zhao Weidong, Yu Liyuan

Coal Geology & Exploration

Liberation seam mining serves as an important approach to the prevention of deep dynamic disasters such as coal and gas outbursts, as well as rock bursts. Based on the Nos. 2613 and 2412 mining faces of a 1000-m-depth coal mine in the Huafeng Coal Mine in Tai’an, Shandong, this study investigated the engineering scientific issues such as the pressure relief mechanisms and effect evaluation of liberation seam mining through physical and numerical simulations. As a result, it determined the movement law of overburden strata and the characteristics of underground pressure after the mining of the liberation seam and ascertained the …

R&D And Experimental Research Of Pressure-Preserved Triggering Device For Horizontal Pressure-Preserved Coring In Coal Mines, Huang Wei, Chen Ling, Li Jianan, Fan Dong, Yang Mingqing, Liu Guikang, Xu Qing, Ma Changliang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Gas content is an important evaluation index of safe coal mining, as well as the exploitation and utilization of coalbed methane resources. Pressure-preserved coring is an effective way to improve the measurement accuracy of gas content in coal seams. Aiming at the special operating conditions of horizontal pressure-preserved coring in coal mines and based on the principle and technology of pressure- and gas-preserved coring in coal mines, this study developed a pressure-preserved triggering device and systematically designed the key components of the device, such as the sealing and pressure-preserved unit, the hydraulic drive module, and the salvager-unstuck mechanism between the …

Lidar Slam Mapping Method Adapted To Environmental Spatial Changes, Songming Jiao, Xin Yao, Hui Ding, Yufei Zhong

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In the environment with obvious changes in space size, aiming at the drift and other problems of the existing algorithm, Adp-lio-sam mapping method is proposed to adapt to the environment space changes, and improve the generality of lio-sam algorithm. Point cloud dewarping method is improved, and Kalman filter algorithm is used to carry out the motion compensation data by fusing lidar interframe pose interpolation and IMU interpolation. Fuzzy algorithm is used to adapt different points filtering thresholds for different spatial environments and the constraints of loop closure detection are optimized. Experimental results show that, compared with the existing …

Principle And Technology Of In-Situ Magnetically Controlled Multidirectional Pressure-Preserved Coring In The Coal Mine, Liu Guikang, Li Cong, You Zhenxi, Hu Yunqi, Huang Wei, Wang Ruize, Xu Meng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Obtaining the in-situ physical and mechanical parameters of coal-rock mass is the primary task for the development of deep coal resource. Accurate measurement of the in-situ parameters of gas is the basic guarantee to realize the safe mining of coal. In view of the technical challenges of inaccurate measurement of in-situ gas parameters in coal mine, the idea of multi-directional pressure-preserved coring technology based on magnetic force control was proposed with consideration to the technical characteristics of coring in underground coal mines. Specifically, a self-triggered magnetically controlled pressure-preserved controller was designed based on the characteristics of the composite magnetic field. …

Simulation Optimization And Applications Of Pressure-Preserved Triggering Device For Coring In Deep Coal Mines, Shi Xiaojun, Li Minghui, Liu Guikang, You Zhenxi, Guo Lihua, Hou Lele, Zhao Xiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

The pressure-preserved controller is the core component of pressure- and gas-preserved coring equipment used in deep coal mines. Its pressure-preserved capability and sealing performance are the key to pressure- and gas-preserved coring technology. Given that the existing pressure-preserved controller exhibits low initial sealing specific pressure and poor sealing performance when its initial sealing force is provided only by gravity, this study innovatively designed a pressure-preserved triggering device for coring, aiming to provide initial sealing specific pressure required for the sealing of the pressure-preserved controller. Then, this study conducted numerical simulations of the operating process of the triggering device using the …