Engineering Commons^™

Enhancing Surface Texturing Of Zirconia Toughened Alumina Ceramic Through Optimized Electric Discharge Machining Utilizing The Assistive Electrode Method, Yazan Eyas Tuffaha

Theses and Dissertations

Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) is a durable and biocompatible ceramic material commonly used in prosthetic hip implants because of its excellent mechanical properties and wear/corrosion resistance. Surface texturing can improve the lubricity and longevity of hip implant bearing surfaces, but precision machining of ceramic materials such as ZTA is very difficult due to suboptimal surface integrity results of traditional machining techniques. This thesis explores the optimization of machining ZTA using electric discharge machining (EDM) - a process usually reserved for conductive metals - to machine holes into the ceramic to create surface textures. EDM is made possible through the assistive …

A Plug-And-Produce Connectivity Framework For Manufacturing Systems, Theodros Abraham Tarekegne

Theses and Dissertations

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) movement has birthed technologies that enable the fusing of physical and digital environments. However, the extensive number of available options for industrial communication and data formatting has remained a barrier to achieving digital knowledge synonymy in industry. There have been previous attempts to establish standards for industrial connectivity and communication, but legacy machines, as well as custom and non-proprietary devices, still face issues communicating data with other manufacturing equipment. To address these challenges, the Industrial Internet of Things initiative has led to the creation of the Plug and Produce (PnP) concept to facilitate the …

A Click Chemistry Amplified Nanopore Assay For High Performance Testing Of Protein Biomarkers In Diseases, Xiaoqin Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Nanopore detection technology enables nanometer-scale single-molecule detection, yielding valuable insights into analyte molecules' properties such as size, shape, charge, and concentration. Due to its label-free nature, high sensitivity, and real-time capabilities, it finds widespread application in genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, and environmental monitoring. Click chemistry, encompassing the attachment of a probe or substrate to a biomolecule, termed bioconjugation, features the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition as a quintessential reaction, forming a 5-membered heteroatom ring. This study harnesses this reaction to craft single-strand DNA probes for nanopore testing, leveraging copper's catalytic properties for signal amplification. Host-guest reaction, a noncovalent bond between molecules, specifically …

Extended Time, Elevated Expectations: The Unappreciated Downsides Of Pausing The Tenure Clock, Maria A. Holland, Katharina Maisel, Carolyn B. Ibberson, Laura K. Wiley, David C. Burnett, Emily M. Mace, Mary Williard Elting

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 1971, Stanford became the first university to introduce tenure clock extensions in academia for new mothers. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) began recommending such policies a few years later, and in 2001, modified their recommendation to include primary or coequal caregivers, following either the birth or adoption of a child (1). By 2004, 43% of 255 surveyed institutions had formal clock-stop policies...

On The Use Of Cfd Modeling And Analytic Methods To Describe Pressure Drop In Highly Dense Structured Adsorbents In Gas Separation Processes And Fundamentals Of Adsorption, Ryan Timothy Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

The scope of this work can be divided into two main thrusts on topics found within adsorption. The first, and primary, topic is the use of CFD and analytical modeling to describe the flow of gas through a parallel, structured adsorbent channel which is described in Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 establishes a non-experimental methodology based on using a 3D Navier-Stokes (NS) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model in lieu of experiments, for developing 1D axial pressure drop correlations for structured adsorbents with parallel channels. Chapter 2 utilizes the methodology established in Chapter 1 in order to develop a new …

Coastal And Inland Flooding - From Advanced Hydrodynamics And Data-Driven Modeling To Multi-Variate Coastal Vulnerability Assessment, Ahad Hasan Tanim

Theses and Dissertations

Flood risks in coastal and inland areas have historically been underestimated and underpredicted, resulting in increased flood damage and loss of human life. Flood risk under climate change and sea level rise will disproportionately impact low-wealth and marginalized communities, as they are often located in areas with less flood protection and have limited resources to adapt to the impacts of flooding. The systematic workflow of the life cycle of FRM is frequently disengaged in the current state of flood hazard assessment with system vulnerability assessment. This research aims to improve the life cycle of FRM by incorporating flood observation, monitoring, …

Field Implementation Of A Stereo Vision System For Rnt And Stress Measurements In Cwr, Brittany Stinson

Theses and Dissertations

The use of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) provides many advantages to the rail industry compared to the alternatively used jointed-track segments. However, one significant disadvantage is the development of thermal stresses longitudinally in the rail, which is not of concern when expansion joints are used. This is due to CWR’s inability to release thermal expansion in the absence of joints. The Rail Neutral Temperature (RNT) is the temperature at which the rail is in a stress-free state. A desired RNT is calculated based on local climate conditions and CWR installation practices are implemented to set the desired RNT at installation. …

Towards The Induction Welding Of Complex, Curved Thermoplastic Composite Structures, Andrew Cole Cromer

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in the aerospace industry, coupled with the anticipated future significance of air travel, have spurred research aimed at increasing manufacturing production and aircraft flying efficiency by implementing new materials and assembly methods. Advanced air mobility (AAM), a subset of the aerospace industry, is anticipated to become a crucial component of the transportation infrastructure in densely populated regions. To meet the expected demand, there is a need for investigations into novel manufacturing and joining methods. This industry necessitates materials that are lightweight, durable, and amenable to high-rate production. One potential avenue under exploration is the utilization of thermoplastic composites. …

Dynamic Response Evaluation Of Loose Gravelly Soils In Centrifuge Modeling Experiments, Siwadol Dejphumee

Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic behavior of gravelly soil has gained more attention in recent years as several case histories of liquefaction of gravelly soil have been reported. Liquefaction can cause failure of infrastructure, leading to economic damage and loss of life. Gravelly soil has unique characteristics and engineering benefits, providing a prevalent and versatile construction material for various infrastructure projects. Therefore, understanding of the gravelly soil behavior under seismic load is critical for assessing the resilience of infrastructure located in seismically active regions. To date, only a few experimental research studies have focused on the dynamic response of gravelly soil, and these studies …

State Estimation And Prediction Based On Simplified First Principle Model Of Lithium-Ion Batteries In Lebesgue Sampling Framework, Enhui Liu

Theses and Dissertations

State-of-charge (SOC) and remaining-dischargeable-time (RDT) are critical states of Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). SOC indicates the available charge stored in LIBs compared to the total charge capacity of LIBs, while RDT refers to the remaining dischargeable time that LIBs can support under given loading profiles. Accurate SOC estimation and RDT prediction play important roles in guaranteeing the safe and efficient operation of batteries in real applications.

Taking advantage of high fidelity of simplified first principle (SFP) model of LIBs, this research aims to accurately estimate SOC and predict RDT. Firstly, this research establishes an SFP model to describe the battery internal …

Application Of Machine Learning Techniques And The Unscented Kalman Filter To Real-Time Gas Turbine Clearance Prediction, Donald Earl Floyd

Theses and Dissertations

The growth in renewable energy sources and retirement of large baseload coal-fired power stations has led to an accompanying decrease in reliability and security of the electrical grid. Since renewable energy sources are typically non-dispatchable, this can lead to blackouts and/or brownouts for customers. Heavy duty gas turbine power plants (HDGT) offer a solution to this problem. HDGTs are dispatchable, clean, and offer flexibility in the fuel they consume, but operational limitations must be well understood to fully exploit their benefits.

One of the main operational limitations is the tip clearances in the gas turbine. In many cases, the gas …

The Study And Development Of Autonomous Scarf Repair For Composite Structures: A Focus On Advanced Air Mobility Vehicles, Stephen Hilton

Theses and Dissertations

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to truly give you a solution to thermoplastic repair” – Arnt. Director GKN Global Tech Center, 2023

The aerospace industry has a prevalence of composite materials due to their outstanding benefits to the mechanical properties of structures while serving to reduce the overall structure weight. With the development of the Advanced Air Mobility market, there is an anticipated growth in the number of composite structures. Also, with the manufacturing environment of the 21st century, these composite structures are more and more being made using thermoplastic composites that can be recycled at the end of …

A Study Of Direct Sensitivity Method Solving Optimal Control Problems With Single And Multiple Time Grids With An Application In An Experimental Hybrid System, Hainan Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Computational methods for optimal control are important for dealing with bottlenecks in industries. By implementing optimal operation strategies obtained from the computational methods into dynamic systems, objectives such as saving energy, reducing cost, exploiting potential, and improving efficiency can be achieved. Computational methods for optimal control have been used in a broad range of disciplines, including aeronautics and astronautics, oil and chemical engineering, power systems, clean energy, biomedical engineering, economics, and management. Due to the great application value of optimal control, its computational methods have drawn worldwide attention. Direct methods are most effective in computational methods for optimal control. Direct …

Enhanced Two-Phase Heat Spreading Enabled By Dropwise Condensation, Kai Luo

Theses and Dissertations

The rapidly increasing power density of electronic systems has raised challenges for thermal management. Efficient heat spreading plays an important role in distributing high-density heat to the large-area heat sink and maintaining the junction temperature below the temperature limit during operation. Vapor chambers, a type of flat heat pipe utilizing two-phase heat transfer and fast travel of vapor flow, can achieve far more efficient two-dimensional heat spreading than most conduction-based thermal ground plane materials. By promoting dropwise condensation in vapor chambers, the thermal performance and scalability can be further improved due to the enhanced condensation heat transfer and unique droplet …

Crystal Plasticity Modeling Of Heterogeneous Microstructure Of Additively Manufactured Metals, Md Mahabubur Rohoman

Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a promising technique in the manufacturing industry for producing complex metal components as it provides shape freedom and simplistic processing chain.

Powder bed fusion is the widely used AM technique that uses laser or electron beam as the energy source to melt the metal powder and deposit it in a layer-by-layer fashion. While doing so, the previously molten layers are constantly are in re-heating and re-cooling processes which end up creating an intricate solidification for the deposited layers. Due to the complexity involved in the thermal cycles for the solidification process, columnar grains develop. …

Experimental And Computational Understanding Of Solid Oxide Iron Air Battery Performance, Chaitali Morey

Theses and Dissertations

Long-duration energy storage (LDES) (10+ hours) is considered a key technical solution for a widespread penetration of renewable energy into the utility market. However, the currently available storage technologies are limited to less than 10 hours for cost reasons. The benchmark Li-ion battery technology would be economically prohibitive if the storage time goes beyond 4 hours. Therefore, developing new low-cost LDES-compatible battery technologies is highly desirable. A solid oxide iron air battery (SOIAB) has been developed which consists of a reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC) and energy storage unit (ESU) of an iron bed. This battery is considered a promising …

High-Rate Production Of Thermoplastic Composite Structures For Urban Air Mobility Vehicles Utilizing Fastener-Free Assembly Methods, Robert H. Shumpert

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to develop a manufacturing plan for a Thermoplastic fiber-reinforced propeller blade for urban air mobility applications. This propeller blade offer a few unique challenges including the complex geometries of the blade. Another important aspect of the blade is using fusion bonding methods to increase the strength of joints in the product while reducing weight from fasteners and adhesives. This manufacturing process will be validated by producing a physical demonstrator to ascertain the efficacy of the manufacturing techniques used. First, the techniques that will make up the manufacturing plan must be selected. To do this, a review of …

Dual-Phase Membrane Reactor And Calcium Oxide-Based Sorbents For High-Temperature Carbon Capture, Utilization And Storage, Kangkang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gases, especially CO2 emissions, are responsible for global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gases is vitally important for the sustainability of our modern society. Currently, the most mature CO₂ capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology relies on flue gas “amine washing”, a costly and energy intense process that can negatively impact on the efficiency of existing power plants and the cost of electricity produced. Therefore, developing more efficient and cost-effective CCUS technologies is highly imperative. With the increasing production of natural gas in recent years, direct natural gas conversion into valuable chemicals also becomes more attractive than …

A Holistic Quality Management Model For Optimization Of Quality Assurance In Manufacturing, Devon Blakeney Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Quality Management (QM) is essential in manufacturing to ensure products are consistent and functional every time. Consumers expect high quality products that last, and industries unable to accomplish this are destined to fail. Therefore, product quality has always been at the forefront of manufacturer decision making, though it is normally viewed as a given more than as a goal. This means that businesses want quality because it is needed for their survival, but there has not been consideration for how to incorporate innovation into this essential field. Quality needs to be viewed holistically with regards to all manufacturing factors that …

Internet Of Things And Ensemble Learning-Based Mental And Physical Fatigue Monitoring For Smart Construction Sites, Bubryur Kim, Sri Preethaa K. R., Sujeen Song, R R. Lukacs, Jinwoo An, Zengshun Chen, Euijung An, Sungho Kim

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The construction industry substantially contributes to the economic growth of a country. However, it records a large number of workplace injuries and fatalities annually due to its hesitant adoption of automated safety monitoring systems. To address this critical concern, this study presents a real-time monitoring approach that uses the Internet of Things and ensemble learning. This study leverages wearable sensor technology, such as photoplethysmography and electroencephalography sensors, to continuously track the physiological parameters of construction workers. The sensor data is processed using an ensemble learning approach called the ChronoEnsemble Fatigue Analysis System (CEFAS), comprising deep autoregressive and temporal fusion transformer …

Engineering Electronic Properties Of Random Alloys For Catalytic Applications, Andrew N. Okafor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Engineering catalytic materials is a key endeavor in the catalysis science to improve the catalytic activity of existing catalysts for specific applications and reduce the dependence on rare metals and minerals. While alloying, or mixing of metals, has been extensively studied, the focus has conventionally been placed on intermetallic phases or nanostructures such as core-shell particles, which are conceptually described by simple lattice models. This research focuses on understanding the catalytic properties of structurally ordered but compositionally disordered (or random) alloys, which have remained under-explored due to complexity at the atomic scale. Existing research focuses on synthesizing multicomponent alloys and …

In-House Polydimethylsiloxane Microfluidic Device On Single Cell Trapping And Culturing Of Leukemia Cell Line: Comparison Between Conventional And Conventional With Centrifugal Methods, Alongkorn Pimpin, Sudchaya Bhanpattanakul, Tepparit Wongpakham, Chomkwan Tawatcharaporn, Thanawit Siha-Umphai, Mookdapa Sinsiriphan, Atikan Chalermchuang, Tewan Tongmanee, Attawut Thanomsridetchai, Thammawit Suwannaphan, Witsaroot Sripumkhaie, Pattaraluck Pattamang, Mayuree Chanasakulniyom, Praprudee Piyaviriyakul, Wutthinun Jeamsaksiri, Achariya Sailasuta, Theerawat Tharasanit, Theerayuth Kaewamatawong

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

To develop a suitable model to study biological and characterization of Cancer stem cells (CSCs), single cell trapping and culturing using microfluidic techniques have become a high-through put system that can manage and control microenvironment and practical intracellular analysis. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a microfluidic device for single cell trapping and culturing using the leukemia cell line as a cell model. Comparison between conventional and conventional with centrifugal methods was also analyzed. To compare trapping efficacy between these 2 methods, leukemia cell concentration of 1.5×106 cells/ml was loaded with a flow rate of 0.25 …

Parallax-Tolerant Image Stitching With Geometric Structure Protection For Unmanned Ship Visual Perception, Zhilin Yang, Yong Yin, Rukai Zhang, Qianfeng Jing, Sen Jiang, Wenfeng Zhu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to address the artifacts caused by misalignment in maritime image stitch with low texture and large parallax, a geometric structure parallax-tolerant image stitch algorithm based on point-line feature registration and optimal seam fusion is proposed. Line segment features are introduced into the traditional homography transformation based on point features, and potential coplanar local line segments are merged into global line segments to provide accurate alignment conditions for seam line fusion. In the image fusion stage, the energy function of seam cutting method is designed by using the color difference and gradient difference of tanh measure and introducing …

An Improved Cat Swarm Optimization For Heterogeneous Multiple Mobile Robots, Liang Kang, Yi Du, Lihua Yin

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: At present, it is difficult to achieve the real homogeneity of the members of the multiple mobile robots. The existing swarm intelligence algorithm is also difficult to accommodate the heterogeneity of the team. Focusing on the heterogeneous cooperation of multiple mobile robots, the concept of mother and child robots is proposed. In order to realize the application of swarm intelligence algorithm in heterogeneous multiple mobile robots, the basic cat swarm algorithm is improved. The subdomain and neighborhood of cat swarm are defined, and eight improvements of cat swarm algorithm are proposed, including priority of search direction, extended trajectory tracking …

Fission Product Thermodynamics, Solubility, And Extraction In Molten Salts And Lead, Richard Lee Fitzhugh

Theses and Dissertations

Chemical behavior of fission products in systems relevant to two major advanced nuclear reactor systems, namely the lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) and molten-salt reactor (MSR), has been studied with a heavy emphasis on thermodynamics. The behavior of fission products in molten salts is examined from a theoretical perspective, with an emphasis on the standard state used to define the thermodynamic activity. A standard state extrapolated from infinite dilution behavior, which is fairly common practice in electrochemistry, is found to facilitate faster, easier, and simpler analysis while retaining much of the accuracy of the complex Modified Quasichemical Model. Inductively-coupled plasma mass …

Investigation Of The Cohesive Behavior Of Water-Intervened Rejuvenated Sbs-Modified Bitumen, Ke Shi, Feng Ma, Zhen Fu, Jenny Liu, Ruimeng Song, Dongdong Yuan, Yujie Tang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

When water interacts with bitumen, the diffusion and cohesion characteristics between the components of bitumen are negatively impacted. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to construct various bitumen models, including bitumen–bitumen (without water), water-containing single bitumen, water-containing bitumen–bitumen, and bitumen–water–bitumen models. The primary research objectives were as follows: comparing the changes in the densities of bitumen models with and without water, analyzing the interlayer cohesive energies of bitumen models interacting with water, evaluating the hydrogen bonds in water-containing bitumen models, and characterizing the diffusion behaviors of bitumen components. The results indicated that when water interacted with the bitumen, it filled internal …

Research On Path Optimization Algorithm In Dynamic Routing Environment, Xin Xie, Xiaobing Hu, Hang Zhou

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In a real dynamic routing environment, static path optimization (SPO) and traditional dynamic path optimization (DPO) tend to encounter issues such as detours, reversals and high computational complexity due to frequent real-time optimization calculation. To address these problems, a novel restart co-evolutionary path optimization (RCEPO) method based on the ripple-spreading algorithm (RSA) is proposed. This method integrates the path optimization process with the dynamic changes of the routing network environment to enhance the effectiveness of path optimization. Moreover, the path reoptimization calculation is performed only when the dynamic changes in the routing environment exceed the predicted range, thereby reducing …

Cybersecurity, Image-Based Control, And Process Design And Instrumentation Selection, Dominic Messina, Akkarakaran Francis Leonard, Ryan Hightower, Kip Nieman, Renee O'Neill, Paloma Beacham, Katie Tyrrell, Muhammad Adnan, Helen E. Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

Within an Industry 4.0 framework, a variety of new considerations are of increasing importance, such as securing processes against cyberattacks on the control systems or utilizing advances in image processing for image-based control. These new technologies impact relationships between process design and control. In this work, we discuss some of these potential relationships, beginning with a discussion of side channel attacks and what they suggest about ways of evaluating plant design and instrumentation selection, along with controller and security schemes, particularly as more data is collected and there is a move toward an industrial Internet of Things. Next, we highlight …

Synergizing Bim And Value Engineering In The Construction Of Residential Projects: A Novel Integration Framework, Mohamed Nabawy

Civil Engineering

This study explores integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Value Engineering (VE) to enhance cost management and project value optimization in residential construction. The primary aim is to develop a comprehensive framework that synergizes 5th Dimension Building Information Modeling (5D BIM) with VE processes to identify and evaluate the most cost-effective construction alternatives. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research includes an extensive review of existing practices, an integrated BIM-VE framework proposal, and the application of 5D BIM principles to improve visualization, cost estimation, and scheduling. The findings reveal that integrating BIM and VE significantly enhances project efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness. …

Hybrid Evolutionary Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm For Vehicle Routing Problem With Simultaneous Delivery And Pickup, Wenqiang Zhang, Xiaomeng Wang, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Guohui Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to provide reasonable and effective decision support for logistics enterprises in vehicle distribution route planning, a hybrid evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithm combining a multi-region mixed-sampling strategy for global search and a local search based on individual route sequence differences is proposed for the problem. A reasonable mathematical model is constructed and the global search strategy is used to make the population individuals to converge quickly to the Pareto front from multiple directions, and the local search strategy is employed to guide the poorly performing individuals in the population to evolve towards the direction of better performing individuals, …