Engineering Commons^™

Estimating The Effectiveness Of Incentives On The Adoption Of Electric Vehicles, Michelle O. Imarah

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

This study aims to estimate the effectiveness of incentives in increasing the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) among households in the near future. Five scenarios were tested using a vehicle type choice model estimated from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data: (1) increasing the number of EV chargers, (2) reducing the purchase price of EVs based on household income, (3) increasing the number of EV models and makes, (4) increasing the EV range, and (5) all scenarios at once. Results showed that all the scenarios were effective in increasing EV adoption amongst households. Some scenarios were more effective …

Digital Twins For Ancillary Transportation Asset Data Management, Ashtarout Ammar

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Transportation Asset Management (TAM) is a data-driven decision-making process to maintain and extend the serviceability of transportation assets throughout their lifecycle. TAM is an extensive data process requiring accurate, high-quality information for better decision-making. A significant challenge that state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) face is allocating limited funds to optimize their assets’ performance. The criticality of this challenge increases when state DOTs need to manage a wide variety of assets distributed along with a vast network; thus, they prioritize the management of high-value assets and visible ones such as bridges, and they pay less attention to ancillary assets even though …

Rollout Of A Digital Comprehensive Safety Management System In A Large Public Agency: A Case Study With Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Salena Pham

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

It’s understood that construction is extremely dangerous and highway construction has an added risk that comes from the presence of traffic. Many steps and prevention measures can be taken to reduce the risks to workers’ safety in highway work zones. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) realized they had room for improvement and wanted to have a database that would allow for analysis of the common causes of incidents. The new software KYTC wanted to implement is called Origami Risk. Origami Risk is a cloud-based safety management system (SMS) software that offers a huge range of customizable risk management, RMIS, environmental health …

Drop Wetting And Sliding On Soft, Swollen Elastomers, Zhuoyun Cai

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Soft, slippery surfaces have gained increasing attention due to their wide range of potential applications, for example in self-cleaning, anti-fouling, liquid collection, and more. One design approach in creating slippery surfaces is using a swollen elastomer, which is a polymer network swollen with a lubricant. This type of surface may be beneficial for longer-term use than standard lubricant-infused surfaces, and provides a versatile surface with tunable mechanical properties. Hence, understanding the physics of soft surface interactions is important for fundamental soft matter physics, biomaterials, adhesives, and coatings. This research experimentally investigates wetting on soft infused networks, with the aim of …

Effects Of Confinement On Ionic Liquids And Deep Eutectic Solvents For The Design Of Catalytic Systems, Electrochemical Devices, And Separations, Andrew Drake

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Confinement of ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) within mesoporous materials such as silica helps to control the local environment within the pores for applications such as catalysis, electrochemistry, and absorption. Silica thin films with 2.5 and 8 nm pores and micron-sized silica particles with pore diameters of 5.4 and 9 nm were synthesized to study the effect of nanoconfinement on ILs 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF₆]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]), and DESs reline and ethaline (choline chloride and urea or ethylene glycol). Silica thin films with vertically aligned, well ordered, and accessible pores were synthesized via the evaporation-induced …

Prediction Of Dynamic Subsidence In The Proximity Of Longwall Panel Boundaries, Jesus David Romero Benitez

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The development of mining subsidence has a dynamic character, and it is related to the mining rate and a time coefficient. Reliable prediction of dynamic deformations is important when planning to undermine important structures that cannot account for large relative deformations and or large horizontal strains. This thesis discusses subsidence development for a number of points over a retreating longwall panel in the eastern US. The prediction points are at different distances from the excavation rib and, therefore, present a different response in terms of dynamic movements. Final movements, i.e., measurements after the panel was fully extracted, were used to …

Assessment Of Air Overpressure From Blasting Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Cecilia Estefania Aramayo

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Air overpressure is a shock wave that occurs when explosives detonate and travel through the air. This can cause damage and annoyance in mining blasts, making it a significant concern for the surroundings of the operation. Currently, the cube root scale distance is used to predict air overpressure, but this method has limitations. To accurately determine air overpressure behavior, a new method is needed. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a reliable and advanced technique that can simulate and solve complex physical problems, including the behavior of air overpressure. In this thesis, two techniques, the bursting balloon, and total pressure boundary, …

Parallel Real Time Rrt*: An Rrt* Based Path Planning Process, David Yackzan

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This thesis presents a new parallelized real-time path planning process. This process is an extension of the Real-Time Rapidly Exploring Random Trees* (RT-RRT*) algorithm developed by Naderi et al in 2015 [1]. The RT-RRT* algorithm was demonstrated on a simulated two-dimensional dynamic environment while finding paths to a varying target state. We demonstrate that the original algorithm is incapable of running at a sufficient rate for control of a 7-degree-of-freedom (7-DoF) robotic arm while maintaining a path planning tree in 7 dimensions. This limitation is due to the complexity of maintaining a tree in a high-dimensional space and the network …

Attrition Study Of Copper-Supplemented Iron-Based Oxygen Carrier For Chemical Looping Combustion, Neng Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a promising technology that can mitigate the carbon emissions for power generation. The cost of oxygen carriers (OCs) impedes the scale up of CLC. Compared to synthetic iron-based OCs, red mud (RM), an abundant iron-based solid waste from industry, is a cost-effective choice due to its intrinsic inclusion of both inert and catalytic phases that are crucial for CLC. It was anticipated that the addition of copper oxide to RM using a mechanical mixing method that can be easily scaled up would enhance both reactivity and oxygen transport capacity (OTC), and the heat of reaction …

Utilization Of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Towards Investigating The Structure Of The Atmospheric Surface Layer, Loiy Al-Ghussain

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This study presents two approaches to investigate the surface-layer structure during the morning transition using uncrewed aircraft systems. The first approach employs three uncrewed aircraft systems- each equipped with a single multi-hole probe- simultaneously measuring horizontal transects were partnered with a fourth measuring vertical profiles during two consecutive mornings as part of the 2017 Collaboration Leading Operational Unmanned Aerial System Development for Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics (CLOUDMAP) measurement campaign near Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S.A. Data were analyzed to extract time-dependent single-point statistics of kinematic and thermodynamic variables from the uncrewed aircraft systems. In addition, an approach is presented by which multi-point …

Mechanical Energy Harvester For Powering Rfid Systems Components: Modeling, Analysis, Optimization And Design, Alireza Babaei

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Finding alternative power sources has been an important topic of study worldwide. It is vital to find substitutes for finite fossil fuels. Such substitutes may be termed renewable energy sources and infinite supplies. Such limitless sources are derived from ambient energy like wind energy, solar energy, sea waves energy; on the other hand, smart cities megaprojects have been receiving enormous amounts of funding to transition our lives into smart lives. Smart cities heavily rely on smart devices and electronics, which utilize small amounts of energy to run. Using batteries as the power source for such smart devices imposes environmental and …

Multiscale Modeling Of Cardiac Growth And Baroreflex Control, Hossein Sharifi

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The heart functions within a complex system that adapts its function to any alteration in loading via several mechanisms. For example, the baroreflex is a short-term feedback loop that modulates the heart's function on a beat-to-beat basis to control arterial pressure. On the other hand, cardiac growth is a long-term adaptive response that occurs over weeks or months in response to changes in left ventricular loading. Understanding the mechanisms that drive ventricular growth and biological remodeling is critical to improving patient care. Multiscale models of the cardiovascular system have emerged as effective tools for investigating G&R, offering the ability to …

Anisotropic Material Behavior Of 3d Printed Fiber Composites, Jordan Garcia

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Literature has shown that 3D printed composites may have highly anisotropic mechanical properties due to variation in microstructure as a result of filament deposition process. Laminate composite theory, which is already used for composite products, has been proposed as an effective method for quantifying these mechanical characteristics. Starting with the analysis of comparing the printing orientation of premanufactured carbon fiber reinforced filament, the mechanical properties of 3D printed objects were examined. The mechanical properties changed not only as a result of machine choice, but how the sample is oriented along the printing bed. The analysis continued with looking at the …

Machine Learning For Advancing Automation And Quality Control In Robotic Welding, Joseph Kershaw

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Welding is a vital manufacturing process across a diverse range of industries to permanently join metallic components into needed assemblies. Though widely used and studied, the process is not fully understood due to the myriad of interconnected physics that present themselves during the welding process. Electrical, thermal, structural, and fluidic mechanics are simultaneously at work influencing one another to achieve the bonding that manufacturers desire. In addition to general manufacturing issues, such as tool wear or misalignment, micro-level changes to the material structure and composition can have cascading impacts on the final weld. This complexity makes it difficult, if not …

A Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis Of Oxyacetylene Combustion Flow For Use In Material Response Boundary Conditions, Craig Meade

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Oxyacetylene torches are used in the aerospace industry and research to test thermal protection system materials (TPS) due to their high flame temperatures and high heat flux capabilities. The purpose of this work is to determine a combustion model to accurately simulate the high temperature flow of an oxyacetylene torch. The flow conditions around a sample material can then be used as boundary conditions when modeling TPS material response. Two separate combustion models with equilibrium chemistry were investigated using ANSYS Fluent™; the Eddy-Dissipation Model, and the Partially Premixed model.The results of this study are compared to existing experiments for validation.

Generalizable And Adaptable Data-Driven Methods For Overcoming Barriers To Practical Industrial Condition Monitoring, Matthew B. Russell

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The future of smart manufacturing relies on predictive maintenance systems that intelligently minimize expensive downtime through timely assessment of machine condition. Deep Learning (DL) has achieved excellent performance in industrial condition monitoring experiments, but the constraints of the manufacturing environment prevent many algorithms from being practically deployed on the factory floor. Ubiquitous sensing from online machines generates high velocity data streams that require new techniques for efficient transmission and storage. Despite these ever-increasing data lakes, many applications still lack the data needed for training DL fault diagnosis and wear tracking models since most data is unlabeled and only from nominal …

Stratospheric Glider Measurements Of Atmospheric Parameters, Anisa Haghighi

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

In June 2021 a series of high altitude flights were conducted in Spaceport America, NM, using a balloon launched Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) to assess its capability to conduct measurements of various atmospheric properties and study turbulence in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. This UAS descends using an automated flight trajectory. The instruments aboard included a NASA-developed infrasonic microphone to evaluate its remote turbulence detection capabilities and a five-hole probe capable of measuring the in situ wind vector. Also on board were temperature, humidity and wind profile sensors. This document focuses on the atmospheric properties measured at high altitudes, the …

Impact Of Spallation And Internal Radiation On Fibrous Ablative Materials, Raghava Sai Chaitanya Davuluri

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Space vehicles are equipped with Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) that encounter high heat rates and protect the payload while entering a planetary atmosphere. For most missions that interest NASA, ablative materials are used as TPS. These materials undergo several mass and energy transfer mechanisms to absorb intense heat. The size and construction of the TPS are based on the composition of the planetary atmosphere and the impact of various ablative mechanisms on the flow field and the material. Therefore, it is essential to quantify the rates of different ablative phenomena to model TPS accurately. In this work, the impact of …

Precision Meteorological Prediction Employing A Data-Driven, Adaptive, Real-Time (Dart) Approach, Sujit Sinha

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The objective of this research is to improve precision meteorological prediction, benefiting both uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) operations by avoiding hazardous flight conditions and tracking contaminant or toxic clouds caused by incidents, accidents, or fires. The operational concept is to collect meteorological observations from instruments mounted on a swarm of UAVs, telemeter the data to a weather simulation model, revise the predicted solution by adapting the flow field to the observations, and then transmit the updated forecast to appropriate personnel as well as to the guidance system of UAVs for repositioning to the next set of most beneficial measurements. While …

Nanopesticide Influence On Nitrogen Cycling In Soils, Jacob Richardson

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Nanotechnology has several applications in the agricultural industry, as the small size of nanoparticles and high reactivity enables targeted delivery of pesticides and fertilizers to the intended crop. Copper-based nanopesticides such as Kocide, are proposed as a more efficient method for targeted pest control. Despite the potential benefits of nanopesticides, little is known regarding the transport and implications of nanopesticides under long-term inundation conditions often found in downstream wetlands. Specifically, the impact of nanopesticides on microbial nitrogen processes in wetland environments remains unknown. Therefore, this thesis explores the impact of nanopesticides, specifically Kocide, on microbial nitrogen cycles in agricultural and …

Densification Of Hemp Floral Biomass Pre And Post-Extraction: Determination Of Pellet Physical Characteristics, Gary Lopez

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The production of cannabidiol (CBD) from the floral material of Cannabis sativa L.is of great interest to the hemp industry. The low bulk density oh hemp floral material presents challenges in terms of storage and handling. To improve handling and storage characteristics, both intact (pre-extraction) and supercritical CO₂ extracted hemp floral materials were pelletized. Intact floral material (BaOx) was passed through a hammer mill with a 5 mm screen; while, extracted floral material (Hawaiian Haze) was ball milled through a 60 mesh (250 microns) prior to extraction. Pelletization was conducted using a 3.7 kW pilot scale flat ring …

Impact Of Physicochemical Characteristics And Distillation Parameters On The Biomethane Potential Of Bourbon Stillage, Danielle Hockensmith

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Bourbon, or whiskey, production in Kentucky has been estimated to double within the next five years and an increase in the main by-product from bourbon distillation, stillage. Stillage is composed mostly of water along with the fermented grains after distillation. Stillage is expensive to dispose of and difficult to store due to the high biodegradability, posing a risk to the environment given the low pH and high chemical oxygen demand (COD). Anaerobic digestion has been identified as a potential solution for stillage valorization, but little research has been performed. Stillage from different mash bills has varying physicochemical properties, total solids …

Fate And Transport Of Emerging Contaminants Entering, Leaving, And Flowing Past Wastewater Treatment Plants In Central Kentucky, Kyra Sigler

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and neonicotinoid insecticides are two classes of emerging contaminants that have been recently detected in many environmental compartments. Both have been associated with negative impacts on humans and the environment. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as likely hotspots for introduction of these contaminants into the environment. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of PFAS and neonicotinoids in two WWTPs in Central Kentucky. Polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were deployed in WWTP influent and effluent and placed upstream and downstream of the effluent mixing zone (EMZ) for two …

Microalgae Immobilization With Filamentous Fungi: Process Development For Sustainable Food Systems, Suvro Talukdar

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Demand for sustainable food sources has increased because of the rapid growth of the world's population.  In this study, microalgae cells of Haematococcus pluvialis were immobilized using the edible fungal strain Aspergillus awamori for potential food applications. The study investigated the impact of fungal loading, pellet geometry, and initial microalgae cell concentration on the immobilization performance and product characteristics. It was found that higher fungal loading and larger fungal pellets contributed to increased immobilization performance while increased initial microalgae concentration inhibited the process. Larger fungal pellets had decreased biomass density, which led to decreased surface concentration of immobilized microalgae but …

Fate And Transport Of Nanopesticides In Agricultural Field Plots In Central Kentucky, William D. Rud

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Due to a growing world population, pesticide applications are necessary part to increasing agricultural production on the same arable land, but this has created environmental contamination, human toxicity, and endangerment to non-target species (i.e, honeybees, monarch butterflies) from bulk pesticide application. Nanoengineered particles or ENP are a potential solution with increased efficiency, longer duration, and enhanced stability of pesticides due to their unique formulations at smaller sizes. However, the potential long-term impact to agroecosystems is still unknown. Therefore, the goal of this project was to evaluate the fate, transport, impact, and persistence of two commercially available nanopesticides (copper hydroxide and …

Applying Hermetic Storage And Multiple Abiotic-Stressed Germinations To Actuate Desirable Effects In Wheat Phytochemistry, Food, And Biological Functionalities, Bababode Kehinde

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Wheat is one of the most widely consumed staple foods in the world, supplying both nutritional and caloric requirements for billions of people. The rising global population and increased food demand behooves all stakeholders across the wheat supply chain to significantly increase their output and efficiency. Beyond the target for increased farm yields, dietary, nutritional, and health requirements along with their continuous supply must be satisfied with improved storage and processing schemes. Post-harvest changes in wheat can result in a significant reduction in its quality. Such losses could be qualitative and/or quantitative, impacting its physical, physiological, organoleptic, and nutritional attributes. …

Improving Indoor Arenas For The Equine Industry, Staci Mcgill

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Equine indoor arenas are a unique infrastructure investment found at equine farms and facilities. They are semi-indoor structures for exercising horses, exhibiting skills during competitive events, and other equine related activities. These spaces do not always include mechanical ventilation or stirring fans and occupancy by horses and humans can be sporadic and inconsistent, which creates a challenging space for understanding and predicting airflow. Typically, indoor arenas have a sand-based footing over which the horse travels. The impact of the hooves can cause dust to become a concern within the facilities. Environmental concerns within these facilities (temperature, respirable dust, moisture, and …

Unmanned Aircraft Systems For Precision Meteorology: An Analysis Of Gnss Position Measurement Error And Embedded Sensor Development, Karla S. Ladino

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The overarching objective of this research was to enhance our comprehension of the three-dimensional precision of meteorological measurements obtained using small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Two complimentary experiments were conducted to achieve this objective.

The first experiment entailed the development and implementation of a system to determine the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) position accuracy on a UAS platform. This system was utilized to assess the static and dynamic accuracy of L1 and L1/L2 GNSS receivers in real-time kinematic (RTK) and non-RTK fix modes. Adjusted two-sample t-tests revealed significant differences in horizontal and vertical error between RTK and non-RTK receivers …

Development Of Interatomic Potential Of High Entropy Diborides With Artificial Intelligence Approach To Simulate The Thermo-Mechanical Properties, Nur Aziz Octoviawan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The interatomic potentials designed for binary/high entropy diborides and ultra-high temperature composites (UHTC) have been developed through the implementation of deep neural network (DNN) algorithms. These algorithms employed two different approaches and corresponding codes; 1) strictly local & invariant scalar-based descriptors as implemented in the DEEPMD code and 2) equivariant tensor-based descriptors as included in the ALLEGRO code. The samples for training and validation sets of the forces, energy, and virial data were obtained from the ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, including the simulation data from the ultra-high temperature region (> 2000K). The study …

Defect State Study And Surface Patching In Zno Nanoparticles Via Nano- Bio Interaction With Dna Bases, Ummay Honey

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

First, this thesis investigates the structural and optical properties of hydrothermally synthesized ZnO nanostructures, focusing on the effects of varying annealing temperatures on their properties. Structural characterizations using micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and morphological study called scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) show changes in crystallinity and intensity with different annealing temperatures. Optoelectronic characterization using photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals changes in luminescence properties near the ultraviolet region with temperature variation and in the visible emission area region. These results provide insights into how annealing temperature can affect the surface layer of ZnO nanostructures and can be applied to improve performance in electronic …