Engineering Commons^™

Regenerative Power System Itech Itm-3633, Yang Naing Myint

Electrical Engineering

In EE295 classes, students have been using variable resistors and a 125V DC source from the wall. Both of them have weaknesses and therefore, the regenerative power system Itech IT-M3633 is used in this project. Moreover, two of the experiments, 7 and 8, have some problems with the EE295 lab manual. There is accuracy in experiment 7 and experiment 8 has been stopped for a while now by a few professors if not all. These experiments were conducted again with ITech IT-M3633 for better accuracy.

Magnetic Nanocomposites For The Remote Activation Of Sulfate Radicals For The Removal Of Rhodamine B, Pranto Paul, Marissa Nicholson, J. Zach Hilt

UK CARES Faculty Publications

The widespread presence of numerous organic contaminants in water poses a threat to the ecological environment and human health. Magnetic nanocomposites exposed to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) have a unique ability for magnetically mediated energy delivery (MagMED) resulting from the embedded magnetic nanoparticles; this localized energy delivery and associated chemical and thermal effects are a potential method for removing contaminants from water. This work developed a novel magnetic nanocomposite—a polyacrylamide-based hydrogel loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles. For this magnetic nanocomposite, persulfate activation and the contamination removal in water were investigated. Magnetic nanocomposites were exposed to AMF with a model …

Building Services Engineering March/April 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Application Of Connected Vehicle Data To Assess Safety On Roadways, Mandar Khanal, Nathaniel Edelmann

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using surrogate safety measures is a common method to assess safety on roadways. Surrogate safety measures allow for proactive safety analysis; the analysis is performed prior to crashes occurring. This allows for safety improvements to be implemented proactively to prevent crashes and the associated injuries and property damage. Existing surrogate safety measures primarily rely on data generated by microsimulations, but the advent of connected vehicles has allowed for the incorporation of data from actual cars into safety analysis with surrogate safety measures. In this study, commercially available connected vehicle data are used to develop crash prediction models for crashes at …

Incorporating Environmental Impacts Into Short-Term Mine Planning: A Literature Survey, Milad Rahnema, Bahar Amirmoeini, Ali Moradi Afrapoli

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper aims to address the significant financial, environmental, and social risks posed by climate change to the mining industry, which is responsible for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With 70% of mining projects for the six largest mining companies located in water-stressed regions, the industry is facing increasing pressure to reduce its impact. Our study investigates the applicability of multi-objective optimization to integrate environmental impact considerations into short-term planning for mining operations. To achieve this, we have reviewed similar studies in various industries and developed an integrated planning framework that incorporates environmental considerations into production planning for …

Physicochemical Technique In Municipal Solid Waste (Msw) Landfill Leachate Remediation: A Review, Hamidi Abdul Aziz, Siti Fatihah Ramli, Yung-Tse Hung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Leachate generation is among the main challenging issues that landfill operators must handle. Leachate is created when decomposed materials and rainwater pass through the waste. Leachate carries many harmful pollutants, with high concentrations of BOD, COD, colour, heavy metals, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), and other organic and inorganic pollutants. Among them, COD, colour, and NH3-N are difficult to be completely eliminated, especially with a single treatment. They should be handled by appropriate treatment facilities before being safely released into the environment. Leachate remediation varies based on its properties, the costs of operation and capital expenditures, as well as the rules and …

Particle Migration In Large Cross-Section Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Components, Austin J. Martin, Wenbin Li, Jeremy Lee Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming-Chuan Leu, Tieshu Huang

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) is a direct ink writing process which allows for the creation of near theoretically dense ceramic components with large cross-sections due to oil-assisted drying. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) colloidal pastes (∼d50 ≲ 1 µm) were used in CODE to produce dense (multi-road infill and ≳ 98% relative density), large continuous volume (> 1 cm3), and high fidelity (nozzle diameters ≲ 1 mm) structural ceramic components. However, many of these printed components underwent significant particle migration after forming. The reason for this particle migration defect was investigated using the coffee-ring effect for dilute solutions and rheological methods for …

Anisotropic Thermal Expansion In High-Entropy Multicomponent Alb2-Type Diboride Solid Solutions, Frédéric Monteverde, Mattia Gaboardi, Federico Saraga, Lun Feng, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory Hilmas

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy (HE) ultra-high temperature ceramics have the chance to pave the way for future applications propelling technology advantages in the fields of energy conversion and extreme environmental shielding. Among others, HE diborides stand out owing to their intrinsic anisotropic layered structure and ability to withstand ultra-high temperatures. Herein, we employed in-situ high-resolution synchrotron diffraction over a plethora of multicomponent compositions, with four to seven transition metals, with the intent of understanding the thermal lattice expansion following different composition or synthesis process. As a result, we were able to control the average thermal expansion (TE) from 1.3 x 10−6 to 6.9 …

Studies On The Enrichment Feasibility Of Rare Earth-Bearing Minerals In Mine Tailings, Jose L. Corchado-Albelo, Lana Z. Alagha

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Aimed to Investigate the Potential of Enrichment of Rare-Earth-Bearing Minerals in Historic Mine Tailing using the Froth Flotation Process. Characterization Studies Indicated that Tailings Contained 11,000 Ppm of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). the Major Mineral in the Tailings Was Apatite at ~84%, Which Was Associated with Iron Oxides (~16%). TESCAN's Integrated Mineral Analysis (TIMA) Showed that Monazite Was the Main REE Mineral, and 69% of Monazite Was Locked in Apatite Grains. Characterization Studies Suggested that the Separation of REEs-Bearing Apatite from Iron Oxides is Possible using Froth Flotation, Wherein Apatite Was Floated and Iron Oxides Were Depressed. Zeta …

Engineering Oxygen Vacancy-Rich Ceox Overcoating Onto Ni/Al2o3 By Atomic Layer Deposition For Bi-Reforming Of Methane, Baitang Jin, Kaiying Wang, Han Yu, Xiaoqing He, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Was Applied to Develop CeO_x-Overcoated Ni/Al₂O₃ Catalyst for Bi-Reforming of Methane (BRM), as the Combination of Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM) and Steam Reforming of Methane (SRM). Non-Stoichiometric CeO_x Thin Films Were Successfully Deposited on Ni/Al₂O₃ Particles by ALD, Which Constructed a Beneficial Ni-CeO_x Interface and Modified the Catalyst Property. Ascribed to the Unique ALD Growth Mode, a High Amount of Ce(III) and Oxygen Vacancies Existed in the ALD-Deposited CeO_x overcoating. a Reduction Process Before the BRM Reaction Contributed to the Further Reduction of Ce(IV) …

Dendrimer And Dendrimer Gel-Derived Drug Delivery Systems: Breaking Bottlenecks Of Topical Administration Of Glaucoma Medications, Juan Wang, Boxuan Li, Uday B. Kompella, Hu Yang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to high structural flexibility, multidrug carrying capability, and tunable size, dendrimers have been used as suitable carriers for ophthalmic drug delivery. Drug molecules can be either encapsulated or chemically coupled to dendrimers. the nanoscopic size, spheroidal shape, and cationic surface of Poly amidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers promote their interaction with the cornea and result in prolonged precorneal retention. Dendrimers could be further cross-linked to produce three-dimensional hydrogel networks or dendrimer hydrogels (DH). the properties of the DH can be readily adjusted to maintain both fluidity and adhesiveness, making them suitable for developing topical ocular drug formulations. Micro-/nano- sized DHs, that …

Synergistic Effect Of Hedp.4na And Different Induced Pouring Angles On Mechanical Properties Of Fiber-Reinforced Alkali-Activated Slag Composites, Jingjie Wei, Jianwei Liu, Kamal Khayat, Wu Jian Long

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Poor Flexural and Damping Properties of Building Materials Damages Concrete Structures and Affects their Service Life When Concrete Structures Are Subjected to Dynamic Loads. Three Different Dosages (I.e., 0%, 0.3%, and 0.6%) of Organic Phosphonates (HEDP.4Na) and Different Pouring Methods (I.e., Conventional Pouring Method, 90°-Induced Pouring Method, and 150°-Induced Pouring Method) Were Designed to Improve the Flexural and Damping Performance of Fiber-Reinforced Alkali-Activated Slag Composites (FR-AASC). the Enhanced Mechanism of HEDP.4Na Was Revealed by Phase Analysis (X-Ray Diffraction, XRD), Pore Structure Analysis (Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry, MIP), the Heat of Hydration, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Analysis. the Results Showed …

Finite Element Procedure To Simulate Sandwich Structure With An Auxetic Core Under Impact Loading Using Abaqus/Explicit, Valdo Pratama, Annisa Jusuf, Arief Yudhanto, Bambang Kismono Hadi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A sandwich structure with an auxetic core is promising in improving the performance of a sandwich structure by implying an auxetic core as its core to combine the advantages of the two structures, e.g., sandwich structure's superior ability in flexural and shear resistance, auxetic structure in localizing damage, and densification phenomena. This paper discusses a finite element modeling procedure to simulate a sandwich structure with a heterogeneous re-entrant auxetic core. The material of the face is a unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer (UD CFRP) and the core is polylactic acid (PLA). The model is subjected to a low-velocity impact loading …

Wind Effects On Dome Structures And Evaluation Of Cfd Simulations Through Wind Tunnel Testing, Tiantian Li, Hongya Qu, Yi Zhao, Ryan Honerkamp, Guirong Grace Yan, Arindam Chowdhury, Ioannis Zisis

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the Study, a Series of Wind Tunnel Tests Were Conducted to Investigate Wind Effects Acting on Dome Structures (1/60 Scale) Induced by Straight-Line Winds at a Reynolds Number in the Order of 106. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations Were Performed as Well, Including a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) Simulation, and their Performances Were Validated by a Comparison with the Wind Tunnel Testing Data. It is Concluded that Wind Loads Generally Increase with Upstream Wind Velocities, and They Are Reduced over Suburban Terrain Due to Ground Friction. the Maximum Positive Pressure Normally Occurs Near the Base …

Incoherency In Central American Hydroclimate Proxy Records Spanning The Last Millennium, Jonathan Obrist-Farner, Byron A. Steinman, Nathan D. Stansell, Jeremy Maurer

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Continued Global Warming is Expected to Result in Reduced Precipitation and a Drier Climate in Central America. Projections of Future Changes Are Highly Uncertain, However, Due to the Spatial Resolution Limitations of Models and Insufficient Observational Data Coverage Across Space and Time. Paleoclimate Proxy Data Are Therefore Critical for Understanding Regional Climate Responses during Times of Global Climate Reorganization. Here We Present Two Lake-Sediment based Records of Precipitation Variability in Guatemala Along with a Synthesis of Central American Hydroclimate Records Spanning the Last Millennium (800–2000 CE). the Synthesis Reveals that Regional Climate Changes Have Been Strikingly Heterogeneous, even over Relatively …

Solar Farm Utilizing A Battery Energy Storage System, Hannah Nicole Bonderov

Master's Theses

According to the US Energy and Information Administration, between 2022-2023 60% of planned new electricity generation consists of solar farms with a battery energy storage system [1]. The demand for these paired systems has increased since batteries can be charged during the day with the energy captured from the solar farm then released to the customer in the evening during peak energy demand. This achieves peak load shaving which reduces the cost of electricity for the customer and is ecologically friendly.

This thesis aims to create an efficient solar farm with a battery energy storage system for a farmer in …

Shelfaware: Accelerating Collaborative Awareness With Shelf Crdt, John C. Waidhofer

Master's Theses

Collaboration has become a key feature of modern software, allowing teams to work together effectively in real-time while in different locations. In order for a user to communicate their intention to several distributed peers, computing devices must exchange high-frequency updates with transient metadata like mouse position, text range highlights, and temporary comments. Current peer-to-peer awareness solutions have high time and space complexity due to the ever-expanding logs that each client must maintain in order to ensure robust collaboration in eventually consistent environments. This paper proposes an awareness Conflict-Free Replicated Data Type (CRDT) library that provides the tooling to support an …

Assessment Of Emergency Cooling Requirement For Nuclear Reactor Loss-Of-Coolant Accidents, Michael T. Lindsay

Theses and Dissertations

The 2022 Russia-Ukraine War marks the first time in modern history of conventional military forces targeting and seizing control of an operational nuclear power plant. Power supply and operational cooling systems are critical to avert reactor loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCA) in the event of emergency shutdown, or SCRAM. A wartime non-design based reactor accident causing loss of reactor power and coolant supply would require an emergency heat exchange via coolant to mitigate reactor core heat. At present, the military does not have a well-defined model which characterizes this requirement for operational planning should such an event occur. SCALE 6.2.4 is used …

Modeling Radiation Exposure On Flight Missions To Analyze Aircrew Risk, Camila V. Quintero Hilsaca

Theses and Dissertations

GCR and SPE comprise the majority of the ionizing radiation experienced in the upper atmosphere within flight-altitude environments. Although previous studies have analyzed radiation doses from single sources on civilian flight operations, there is a lack of research focused on dose received by military personnel during flight from both sources simultaneously. In-flight radiation environments are modeled through the MCNP6 for two separate aircraft, an Air Force A-10 and a Boeing 737. Particle fluence values for galactic cosmic rays and solar particle events for four separate flight paths are determined using the CARI-7A software and the SIRE2 toolkit, respectively. MCNP6 code …

Design Of A Miniaturized Cubesat Tt&C Patch Antenna, Thomas A. Butterick

Theses and Dissertations

This effort explored the design of miniaturized rectangular microstrip patch antennas for application as a telemetry, tracking, and control (TT&C) on a CubeSat. The motivation for this research was the Grissom-P CubeSat mission planned by AFIT. The TT&C antenna selected for the mission exceeded the allotted size by over a factor of two. The studies performed included analyses of simply reducing aperture size, altering substrate permittivity, and layered approaches to antenna miniaturization. The primary approach to miniaturization was based on a virtually shorted patch antenna. Other approaches included an edge-shorted, slotted patch and the use of corner truncations for improved …

Classification Tradeoffs In Multispectral Polarimetric Ladar Architectures, Connor B. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

An end-to-end LADAR system is modeled at the waveform level to perform material classification at a per-pixel basis. A K-Nearest Neighbors machine learning algorithm is chosen to make predictions using polarimetric material characteristics as features. A variable receiver design is modeled to allow for the use of multiple configurations of Polarization State Analyzers. This research investigates the inclusion of multiple wavelengths in the transmitted laser pulse to improve classification accuracy. Additionally, the effects of lowering the receiver’s detector bandwidth are investigated. Through the classification process, transmitting a multispectral laser pulse is shown to improve classification and may improve future LADAR …

Modeling The Effects Of Radiation On Microelectromechanical Resonators, David D. Lynes

Theses and Dissertations

As the use of MEMS becomes more prolific in air, space, defense, and power applications, they will be exposed to more extreme radiation environments. This dissertation explores the effects of ionizing and nonionizing radiation on MEMS. AlN-on-Si based piezoelectric bulk acoustic wave resonators were irradiated by gamma-rays and silicon ions while measuring S-parameters in situ. Changes to the resonator and equivalent circuit parameters are extracted. The resonators demonstrated resilience against the effects of radiation-induced charge trapping. However, radiation-induced atomic displacements caused shifts to resonant frequency. From these data, an atomistic model is derived to describe the relationship between radiation type …

Fast And Accurate 3d Object Reconstruction For Cargo Load Planning, Adam R. Nasi

Theses and Dissertations

Cargo load planning involves efficiently packing objects into aircraft subject to constraints such as space and weight distribution. Currently, this is performed manually by loadmasters. The United States Air Force is investigating ways to automate this process in order to improve airlift operational readiness while saving money. The first step in such a process would be generating 3D reconstructions of cargo objects to be used by a load planning algorithm. To that end, this thesis presents a novel method for fast, scaled, and accurate 3D reconstruction of cargo objects. This method can scan a 2.5m×3m×2m object in less than 10 …

Characterizing Location-Based Electromagnetic Leakage Of Computing Devices Using Convolutional Neural Networks To Increase The Effectiveness Of Side-Channel Analysis Attacks, Ian C. Heffron

Theses and Dissertations

SCA attacks aim to recover some sort of secret information, often in the form of a cipher key, from a target device. Some of these attacks focus on either power-based leakage, or EM-based leakage. Neural networks have recently gained in popularity as tools in SCA attacks. Near-field EM probes with high-spatial resolution enable attackers to isolate physical locations above a processor. This enables attackers to exploit the spatial dependencies of algorithms running on said processor. These spatial dependencies result in different physical locations above a chip emanating different signal strengths. The strengths of different locations can be mapped using the …

Robust Feature Matching For Visual-Based Aerial Navigation Using Registered Imagery, Luis Montenegro

Theses and Dissertations

This work leverages the SIFT detector along with known robust feature matching techniques for vision-aided sUAS navigation solutions. The proposed algorithm focuses on a sufficient number of features extracted, their quality and their distribution.

Classifying Open-Air Target Measurements Using Simulation-Trained Convolutional Neural Networks, Matthew M. Rofrano

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the development of machine learning networks that can identify and classify airborne targets using their radar cross section response. Simulation and measurement data for five targets was collected using Altair's CadFEKO software, and the Air Force Institute's Compact Radar Range. Three machine learning models were trained using simulation data, and evaluated using the collected measurement data. Variability is introduced to the training data by applying random gaussian noise to simulation results. Gaussian noise is added to the measurement data prior to evaluation in-order to model "hostile noise jamming." Network performance is measured against a baseline performance …

Protection Of Linear Assets In Arctic Regions Using Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (Polaar Bear), Christopher P. Lintz

Theses and Dissertations

In the 2018 United States National Defense Strategy, the Department of Defense mandated that forces are to be more dynamic and decentralized. The Arctic region was a key topic that was addressed. This means that in the future, it is possible that personnel will need to operate in the Arctic, away from the standard built up infrastructure, to enhance the capabilities of the Air Force and enable the power projection required for mission execution. When establishing a new location, water systems are one of the first requirements for setting up a temporary base infrastructure. However, the Air Force’s current expeditionary …

Using Embedded Systems And Augmented Reality For Automated Aerial Refueling, Nathaniel A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of automated aerial refueling (AAR) is to extend the range of unmanned aircraft. Control latency prevents a human from remotely controlling the receiving aircraft as it approaches a tanker. To conform with the size, weight, and power constraints of a small unmanned aircraft, an AAR system must execute in real-time on an embedded platform. This thesis explores the timing and computational performance of a NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin to a state-of-the-art general-purpose computer using existing AAR algorithms. It also constructs an augmented reality framework as an intermediate step for testing vision-based AAR algorithms between virtual testing and expensive …

Atmospheric Polarization And Solar Position As Kalman Updates To A Navigation Solution, Thomas J. Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

Simulation and physical testing of a sensor that measures relative position of the Sun and polarization of light in the atmosphere as a navigational aid in a Kalman filter.

Environmental Trade-Offs Of Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (Rowpus) And Bottled Water, Caleb A. Boone

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DoD) conducts many remote missions around the globe. As part of any remote basing strategy, potable water needs to be secured. Currently, there are three primary means of procuring potable water at remote locations: bottled water, on-site purification, or tie-in to existing, local infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to determine the environmental tradeoffs of bottled water and on-site treatment via a Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU), which uses multiple levels of filtration to make potable water from freshwater or saline water. A cradle-to- gate assessment was developed for both systems to create a …