Engineering Commons^™

Development And Optimization Of Object Detection Technology In Pavement Engineering: A Literature Review, Hui Yao, Yaning Fan, Yanhao Liu, Dandan Cao, Ning Chen, Tiancheng Luo, Jingyu Yang, Xueyi Hu, Jie Ji, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications

Due to the rapid advancement of the transportation industry and the continual increase in pavement infrastructure, it is difficult to keep up with the huge road maintenance task by relying only on the traditional manual detection method. Intelligent pavement detection technology with deep learning techniques is available for the research and industry areas by the gradual development of computer vision technology. Due to the different characteristics of pavement distress and the uncertainty of the external environment, this kind of object detection technology for distress classification and location still faces great challenges. This paper discusses the development of object detection technology …

Experimental Investigation Of Liquid Holdup In A Co-Current Gas–Liquid Upflow Moving Packed Bed Reactor With Porous Catalyst Using Gamma-Ray Densitometry, Ali Toukan, Ahmed Jasim, Vineet Alexander, Hamza Albazzaz, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study explores the dynamics of liquid holdup in a lab-scale co-current two-phase up flow moving packed bed reactor, specifically examining how superficial gas velocity influences the line average external liquid holdup at a fixed superficial liquid velocity. Utilizing gamma-ray densitometry (GRD) for precise measurements, this research extends to determining line average internal porosity within catalyst particles. Conducted with an air–water system within a bed packed with 3 mm porous particles, the study presents a novel methodology using Beer–Lambert's law to calculate liquid, gas, and solid holdups and catalyst porosity that is equivalent to the internal liquid holdup that fills …

Application Of Multidisciplinary Community Resilience Modeling To Reduce Disaster Risk: Building Back Better, Wanting "Lisa" Wang, John W. Van De Lindt, Blythe Johnston, P. Shane Crawford, Guirong Grace Yan, Thang Dao, Trung Do, Katie Skakel, Mojtaba Harati, Tu Nguyen, Robinson Umeike, Silvana Croope, Andre R. Barbosa

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

From december 10 to december 11, 2021, a deadly tornado outbreak struck across several states in the us, including arkansas, illinois, kentucky, and tennessee. This tornado outbreak resulted in at least $3.9 Billion in damage, more than 90 fatalities, and hundreds of injuries. Mayfield, kentucky, a small city in the eastern united states, was hit by a long-track tornado rated as an enhanced fujita 4 (ef4) scale and was one of the communities most heavily damaged during the tornado outbreak. Following the 2021 tornado event, an analysis was performed in the interdependent networked community resilience modeling environment (in-core) for the …

A New Design Strategy For Sizes Of Polymer Gel Treatments Derived From A Comprehensive Assessment Of Their Case Histories, Munqith Aldhaheri, Abdullah Almansour, Na Zhang, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The incentive to revive brownfield oil production extends the interest to apply polymer gel treatments in injection wells. Virtually, volumes of previous remediations implemented in similar reservoir types are used to size new jobs. Such an analogy-Based design procedure imposes a need to evaluate the most frequent designs for each reservoir type based on a comprehensive field survey. This survey provides a new treatment sizing strategy for polyacrylamide-polymer bulk gels by reviewing their field applications in 653 injection wells. the new strategy proposes using the average and most frequent gel volumes per reservoir type as an initial estimate of the …

Best Practices For Maintenance Of Traffic On Interstate Pavement Rehabilitation Projects, Catherine Keathley, Ryan Griffith, Rachel Catchings

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Across the United States, aging roadway infrastructure has led state departments of transportation (DOTs) to increase their focus on pavement rehabilitation projects. These projects upgrade existing infrastructure to meet the needs of current levels of vehicle use. On interstate rehabilitation projects, maintenance of traffic (MOT) is an especially important consideration. Having a good MOT plan for completing construction work is critical for maintaining facility capacity while ensuring the safety of the traveling public and roadway construction staff. This study explores on behalf of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) best practices for MOT on interstate pavement rehabilitation projects. Based on a …

Accommodating Innovative Uses Of Public Right Of Way, Travis Thompson, David Moses, Candice Wallace, Pam Clay-Young, Arlen Sandlin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State departments of transportation (DOTs) are embracing the use of clean energy and connectivity (CEC) applications along publicly owned right of way (ROW). Applications such as wind and solar power installations, broadband lines, small cell wireless equipment, electric vehicle charging stations, and technologies related to connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) hold considerable promise for conferring environmental benefits, energy savings, and generating much-needed revenue for DOTs. This report explores innovative uses of state-owned ROW that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) could implement. Although Kentucky may not be currently situated for all clean energy applications, opportunities in solar do currently exist and …

A Comparative Study Of The Npm, Pypi, Maven, And Rubygems Open-Source Communities, Saurav Gupta

Master's Theses

Open-source software (OSS) ecosystems, defined as environments composed of package managers and programming languages (e.g., NPM for JavaScript), are essential for software development and foster collaboration and innovation. Although their significance is acknowledged, understanding what makes OSS communities healthy and sustainable requires further exploration. This thesis quantitatively assesses the health of OSS projects and communities within the NPM, PyPI, Maven, and RubyGems ecosystems. We explore five research questions addressing project standards, community responsiveness, contribution distribution, contributor retention, and newcomer integration strategies. Our analysis shows varied documentation practices, insider engagement levels, and contribution patterns. Our findings highlight both strengths and different …

Design And Implementation Of A Vision-Based Deep-Learning Protocol For Kinematic Feature Extraction With Application To Stroke Rehabilitation, Juan Diego Luna Inga

Master's Theses

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, affecting thousands of individuals annually and significantly impairing their mobility, independence, and quality of life. Traditional methods for assessing motor impairments are often costly and invasive, creating substantial barriers to effective rehabilitation. This thesis explores the use of DeepLabCut (DLC), a deep-learning-based pose estimation tool, to extract clinically meaningful kinematic features from video data of stroke survivors with upper-extremity (UE) impairments.

To conduct this investigation, a specialized protocol was developed to tailor DLC for analyzing movements characteristic of UE impairments in stroke survivors. This protocol was validated through comparative analysis using peak …

The Effect Of Watts-Strogatz And Barabási-Albert Graphs On Memory Formation, Ethan Irick Wolfe

Master's Theses

Understanding higher level cognitive processes is a central problem in neuroscience. The Neuroidal model provides a useful framework for posing these problems in a computer science context. There has been significant recent work trying to understand memory capacity in the Neuroidal model but this work was done assuming that the network of neurons was an Erdos-Renyi random graph. However the network of neurons in the brain has been shown to exhibit small-world properties, which are not present in Erdos-Renyi graphs. In this research we explore replacing Erdos-Renyi graphs with Watts-Strogatz and Barabasi-Albert graphs in order to more accurately model the …

Filter: Framework For Integrated Legislative Transparency And Exploratory Research, Kenny Lau

Master's Theses

Digital Democracy, established at Cal Poly's Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy, initially provided users access to a distinctive dataset, including state legislative committee hearings, transcripts, videos, and more. However, the discontinuation of funding ended operations for the project and emphasized the need for a streamlined application independent of third-party dependencies and capable of offering real-time and organized access to the invaluable Digital Democracy dataset. We introduce FILTER, a cloud-hosted API designed for read access to the Digital Democracy dataset through twelve distinct endpoints. The system contains two databases: the Digital Democracy Database (DDDB) and the Digital Democracy Knowledge …

Automatic Mass Balancing Of A Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator With Six Sliding Masses, Amelia J. Gilman

Master's Theses

The goal of this thesis is to investigate automatic mass balancing methods for spacecraft attitude dynamics simulators, create a hardware design for a mass balancing system, and assemble the hardware on the Cal Poly Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator (SADS). Spacecraft attitude dynamics simulators replicate the torque-free environment of space with ground-based hardware. The SADS is mounted on a spherical air bearing, and includes a pyramid of four reaction wheels. The air bearing allows frictionless, unbounded rotation about the vertical axis, and 30 degrees about the horizontal axes. The torque-free configuration of the SADS can be used to test spacecraft attitude …

Improving Aerospace System Robustness Integration Of Singular Value Decomposition And Network Centrality, Ricardo S. Contreras

Master's Theses

This thesis presents an approach to understanding and enhancing the robustness of aerospace systems through the integration of network analysis, Design Structure Matrix (DSM), Singular Value Decomposition (SVD), and robustness simulation techniques. This methodology called the Importance Hierarchy method, provides a comprehensive framework for decomposing the interactions of aerospace systems, focusing on identifying and evaluating critical components and interactions.

The Importance Hierarchy method was used to study the Autonomous Flight Termination Unit (AFTU) by analyzing its components and interdependencies. The AFTU was selected because it recently completed a Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and its design and operational functions were well-known. …

Harmonic Flow Modeling And Analysis Of A Green Hybrid Ac/Dc Seaport Power System, Krishan Kaushal Ram, Taufik, Helen Yu, Siddharth Vyas

Master's Theses

This thesis aims to design and develop a model for a proposed Green Seaport power system and perform harmonic analysis. The model was developed using MATLAB Simulink and tests were performed by dividing the system into several Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) operating modes such as simultaneous charging and discharging, simultaneous charging, and simultaneous discharging. For each mode, BESS state of charge and other factors such as solar irradiance for the PV system, load levels and power factor were varied to observe the impact on system’s voltage Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) level and current Total Demand Distortion (TDD). 62 separate …

Forecasting Future Research Trends In The Construction Engineering And Management Domain Using Machine Learning And Social Network Analysis, Gasser G. Ali, Islam H. El-Adaway, Muaz O. Ahmed, Radwa Eissa, Mohamad Abdul Nabi, Tamima Elbashbishy, Ramy Khalef

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) is a broad domain with publications covering interrelated subdisciplines and considered a key source of knowledge sharing. Previous studies used scientometric methods to assess the current impact of CEM publications; however, there is a need to predict future citations of CEM publications to identify the expected high-impact trends in the future and guide new research efforts. To tackle this gap in the literature, the authors conducted a study using Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and Social Network Analysis (SNA) to predict CEM-related citation metrics. Using a dataset of 93,868 publications, the authors trained and tested two …

Smart Cushion Device For Elderly Aging In Place, Anna Dion, Nate Colley, Leonardo Bravo

Biomedical Engineering

Our task at hand is to develop a consumer-focused solution for improving elder care to provide additional peace of mind for seniors and caregivers using technology to extend independent living. We intend to create a device that will improve the quality of life of elderly individuals living alone by encouraging periodical movement throughout the day, along with monitoring pressure distribution and alerting when pressure concentration is potentially harmful. It will also alert users to the presence of moisture which can arise from spills or incontinence. The key stakeholders of this project include elderly adults over the age of 65 who …

Assessing Global Engagement Interventions To Advance Global Engineering Competence For Engineering Formation, Scott Schneider, Erick S. Vasquez-Guardado, Corinne Mowrey, Michael Moulton, Homero Murzi, Matthew A. Witenstein

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes the work performed during the first year of a collaborative Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) project focused on assessing the formation of a global learner mindset in engineering students through the use of different types of global engagement interventions without extended international travel. During this year the global engagement interventions have been developed, piloted, and assessed using the Global Engagement Survey (GES) and Global Engineering Competency Scale (GECS) instruments in a pre and post format. The assessment results helped the research team update the interventions and refine the assessment strategy, including the addition of new qualitative …

Valorization Of Spent Zn-C Battery And Construction And Demolition Waste (Cdw): Fabrication And Characterization Of Geopolymer Composites For Radiation Shielding Applications, Raul Florez, Carlos H. Castano Giraldo, Sandra M. Restrepo-Arcila, Henry A. Colorado

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

There is a Serious Threat of Pollution Due to the High Waste of Energy and Materials Worldwide that Needs to Be Decreased. One Way is to Reduce Waste or Use Them in Secondary Processes. New Eco-Friendly Geopolymer Binders Were Fabricated using Metakaolin, CDW, and Battery Waste (BW) Powders as Starting Materials and a Mixture of Potassium Silicate and Sodium Hydroxide as Activation Solutions. 5 Formulations with BW Powder Replacements Ranging from 5 to 40 Wt% Were Prepared and Subjected to Heat Curing at 80 °C for 24 H. the Effect of Zn-C Battery Waste Content on the Phase Composition, Densification, …

Masonry Column Analysis Through Python, Ali Sherief Saleh

Architectural Engineering

This project serves as a study of Masonry Column Analysis and Design through the lens of the TMS 402 (22) Code: mimicking in-firm tools without using finite-element analysis. Chapter 9 of the TMS 402 (22) code provides the outline of the process taken to analyze these columns.

Investigation compares columns using the Python program to hand-calculations designs as to show additional capability that is lost due to approximation. PM-interaction for the columns is computed by a stress-strain approach. This report expands on the python design and approach to User Interface and inputs that are needed to analyze multiple datatypes with …

Usability Analysis Of The Ronnie Baugh (Oggun Ii) Tractor Using The Single Usability Metric [Research Note], John Lester Remot, John Kenneth Punongbayan, Stephanie Caridad Landicho, Alan Marco Mercado, Josefa Angelie Revilla, Omar Zubia

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Agricultural mechanization is one of the policies created by the Philippine government to alleviate systemic problems facing the country. In 2020, a local company was licensed to manufacture the American-designed Ronnie Baugh tractor (RBT), which aims to enable smaller-scale production with low-cost and customizable features. This study assessed the usability of the RBT and evaluated the appropriateness of its design for Filipino tractor operators using the single usability metric (SUM). A total of 21 participants were classified according to their age and experience (A – young and experienced, B – old and experienced, and C – young and inexperienced) and …

Development Of A Sms Rollout Plan And Evaluation, Gabriel Dadi, Hala Nassereddine, Farshid Taherpour, Salena Pham

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many state transportation agencies have introduced safety management systems (SMSs) to improve employee safety and health programs. These systems let employees quickly access safety and health policies, procedures, training, responsibilities, resources, and incident reporting tools, often electronically. Instituting a SMS is a critical step in adopting a proactive, data-driven approach to organizational safety. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary’s Office of Safety (SOS) worked with Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) to acquire, adapt, and rollout the Boosting Occupational Outcomes in Transportation Safety (BOOTS) system, a new SMS. Researchers assisted KYTC by conducting pre-rollout focus groups, helping to bring the system online, providing …

Using Knowledge Of Human Factors To Strengthen Highway Design, Chris Van Dyke, Jeff Jasper, Jill Asher, Steve Waddle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Transportation practitioners recognize that leveraging knowledge of human factors in road design is critical for delivering safe mobility to the full spectrum of multimodal road users (motorists, pedestrians, micromobility users, transit users). Understanding how psychology, cognition, and behavioral tendencies shape the ways in which different road users interact with one another and the road environment itself is critical for creating design solutions that promote safe and efficient movement. NCHRP Report 600 (Human Factors Guidelines for Road Systems) provides guidance on integrating knowledge of human factors into design practice. While the report is a valuable resource, it appears to …

Cost Modeling Of Provision C.3 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Requirements For Residential Development In Concord, California, James Henry Mizutani

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To assist the city of Concord in achieving its housing goals as presented in its general plan, while still meeting the stormwater discharge requirements laid out in the city’s municipal discharge permit, I worked with local developers and consultants to create a spreadsheet modeling tool that allows housing developers to estimate the total cost of green stormwater infrastructure needed to comply with local regulations.

This report contains a summary of the conditions leading to the necessity of this tool, the steps the tool takes that go beyond existing models, a description of how the model operates, instructions on how to …

Aerobic Exercise Improves Depressive Symptoms In The Unilateral 6-Ohda-Lesioned Rat Model Of Parkinson's Disease, Hannah Loughlin, Jacob Jackson, Chloe Looman, Alayna Starll, Jeremy Goldman, Zhiying Shan, Chunxiu Yu

Michigan Tech Publications

Aerobic exercise has been shown to have established benefits on motor function in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the impact of exercise on depressive symptoms in PD remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of regular exercise, specifically using a forced running wheel, on both motor performance and the prevalence of depression in a unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rat model of PD. The behavioral outcomes of exercise were assessed through the rotarod test (RT), forelimb adjusting step test (FAST), sucrose consumption test (SCT), and novelty sucrose splash test (NSST). Our data revealed evident depressive symptoms in the PD animals, characterized by …

High-Power Microwave Antenna Design, Luke C. Chase

Electrical Engineering

High-power microwave antennas are essential for defense industry radar systems, cyber warfare, and power transmission. The US Department of Defense a SBIR proposal specifying the need for a high-power phased-array microwave antenna for the US Air Force.

Vivaldi antennas, invented in 1978 by Peter Gibson, have been widely adopted for radar applications due to their high bandwidth and gain performance. Considerable amounts of research exists on designing Vivaldis for different applications ranging from radar to communications. Using antenna theory and past research, a new Vivaldi antenna was designed to meet the requirements mandated by the DoD research contract.

This project …

Exploration Of Software Defined Radios To Increase Capabilities Of Affordable Mesh Networks, Liam K. Mccarthy

Electrical Engineering

Project OWL is developing a LoRa mesh network “DuckLinks” for emergency communications, and the current LoRa protocol the Clusterduck Protocol is based on is severely limited in data rate. OWL plans to use Raspberry Pi computers to develop the next phase of Duck radios, which greatly opens the computing potential and flexibility of the system the Ducks run on. Using LimeSDR and GNU Radio, an open source SDR programming environment, this project seeks to develop a simple SDR-based packet transmission system that allows for communication with Duck radios as well as the use of a different modulation scheme for higher …

Motor Controller Board For Cubesat Reaction Wheels, Tanner Ehlers

Electrical Engineering

Reaction wheels are crucial for CubeSats, providing precise attitude control and stability in the environment of space, enabling successful mission execution. The ‘Reaction Wheels’ project in the Cal Poly CubeSat Lab is in need of a new motor controller board due to the current board’s malfunction and inefficiencies in terms of size, complexity, power usage, and cost. Previously, other students have completed work on the mechanical design of the system, but little work has been done for the electrical components. The goal of this project is to design and test a new motor controller board that is compact, lightweight, power …

Prosthetic Forearm Controller, Claire Tylutki, Kevin Lopatka, Sofia Zaletel, Hardit Singh

Electrical Engineering

The EMG controlled prosthetic arm project represents a significant advancement in upper limb prosthetics, leveraging cutting-edge technology to address critical user needs. With over two million individuals in the United States living with limb loss, a substantial portion being upper limb amputees, the demand for accessible and functional prosthetic solutions is pressing. This project focuses largely on refining prosthetic limb control through the integration of electromyography (EMG) signal processing and control. Using surface electrodes, this project employs non-invasive means of data collection combined with modern digital signal processing methods to implement faster and more accurate control. The control system also …

Battery Energy Storage System, Alec C. Maclean, Kaylen H. Schwartz, Kyle A. Begley

Electrical Engineering

The project is a continuation of part 1 of the “Reliability Measurement for Grid-Connected Solar System” project. The goal is to continue where the previous design failed. This project will configure an ITECH IT-6000C and Tabuchi Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to the small-scale microgrid at the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo EE Department. Initially, a system was designed to connect an ITECH IT-M3633 as a PV solar source emulator to the Tabuchi BESS within a grid-connected microgrid system in Room 20-102 at Cal Poly. A Photovoltaic Thevenin equivalent model was developed for the ITECH IT-M3633, but this setup failed …

Prototyping Low-Cost Tribometer With Block On Ring Configuration For The Optimization Of Metal-Forming Applications, Immanuel A. Edinbarough, Jaime Taha-Tijerina

Informatics and Engineering Systems Faculty Publications

Applications in the metal-mechanic industry require the analysis and support of tribo-evaluations in their manufacturing processes. Experimentation with various metals and components could be performed under controlled conditions, including the ability to apply testing with a fluid or lubricant media or in dry conditions. The aim of this work is to design and fabricate a working block for a ring tribometer at low cost. Present and future stakeholders will have the ability to analyze material properties in friction, wear, and displacement while saving the university over 500% in costs of an industrial tribometer. The integrity of the machine must adhere …

Ross Dam Micro Hydro Project, Marirose Evenden, Tyler Reents, Elena Ryan, Tevan Kim

Mechanical Engineering

The Ross Dam and reservoir in Angels Camp needs a reliable power source for powering its SCADA system which monitors its water level and flow rate. Currently, the existing hydro power supply is very unreliable and needs to be replaced with a micro hydro generator system that can consistently produce power to charge the onsite batteries. This paper details the design and implementation of a micro hydro Pelton wheel replacement system designed by our senior project team.

Outlined in this report is our design overview of the system and how our project will redesign and optimize the use of the …