Engineering Commons^™

Simulating Electric Vehicle Short-Notice Wildfire Evacuation In California Rural Communities, Gudrun Derickson

Master's Theses

The transportation sector in California has begun a shift toward adopting Electric Vehicles (EVs) as a primary source of individual and corporate mobility. The US Government and the State of California are initiating public-sector financed charging station infrastructure to help in this change-over to EVs. Automobile companies and private enterprises are also heavily investing in Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) infrastructure going forward. The state of California is subject to natural disasters such as Fire, Earthquakes, and periodic flooding. Increasing numbers of BEVs may add new challenges to mass evacuations that are often associated with natural disasters. This work focuses on …

Optimizing Speed Profiles For Sustainable Train Operation With Wayside Energy Storage Systems, Leon A. Allen

Dissertations

Large hauling capability and low rolling resistance has put rail transit at the forefront of mass transportation mode sustainability in terms of congestion mitigation and energy conservation. As such, rail vehicles are one of the least energy-intensive modes of transportation and least environmentally polluting. Despite, these positives, improper driving habits and wastage of the braking energy through dissipation in braking resistors result in unnecessary consumption, extra costs to the operator and increased atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions.

This study presents an intelligent method for the optimization of the number and locations of wayside energy storage system (WESS) units that maximize the …

Design Of Variable Stiffness Energy Storage Walking Assist Hip Exoskeleton And Simulation Of Assistance Effect, Bingshan Hu, Ke Cheng, Sheng Lu, Hongliu Yu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Passive energy storage walking assist exoskeleton makes full use of the human’s own energy, reducing energy consumption when walking. Aiming at the present passive energy storage walking assist exoskeleton adopts fixed stiffness joint, a passive variable stiffness energy storage walking assist hip exoskeleton is designed, on the base of joint energy flow characteristics in the process of people walking and the change of stiffness characteristics. The human-exoskeletons coupling model is established, and the optimal stiffness that minimizes the power consumption of the human body walking on a flat surface, as well as the total metabolism and the main thigh …

Scandy: Simulating Realistic Human Scanpaths In Dynamic Real-World Scenes, Nicolas Roth, Martin Rolfs, Klaus Obermayer

MODVIS Workshop

No abstract provided.

Performance Projection Of A High-Temperature Co2 Transport Membrane Reactor For Combined Co2 Capture And Methane-To-Ethylene Conversion, Xin Li, Kevin Huang, Noah Van Dam, Xinfang Jin

Faculty Publications

Direct conversion of methane into ethylene through the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is a technically important reaction. However, conventional co-fed fixed-bed OCM reactors still face serious challenges in conversion and selectivity. In this paper, we apply a finite element model to simulate OCM reaction in a plug-flow CO₂ /O₂ transport membrane (CTM) reactor with a directly captured CO₂ and O₂ mixture as a soft oxidizer. The CTM is made of three phases: molten carbonate, 20% Sm-doped CeO₂ , and LiNiO₂ . The membrane parameters are first validated by CO₂ /O₂ flux …

Optimization Of Orbital Trajectories Using Neuroevolution Of Augmenting Topologies, Nathan Wetherell

University Scholar Projects

This project aims to determine the feasibility of using NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT), an advanced neural network evolution scheme, to optimize orbital transfer trajectories. More specifically, this project compares a genetically evolved neural network to a standard Hohmann transfer between Earth and Mars. To test these two methods, an N-body simulation environment was created to accurately determine the result of gravitational interactions on a theoretical spacecraft when combined with planned engine burns. Once created, this simulation environment was used to train the neural networks created using the NEAT Python module. A genetic algorithm was used to modify the topology …

A Versatile Python Package For Simulating Dna Nanostructures With Oxdna, Kira Threlfall

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The ability to synthesize custom DNA molecules has led to the feasibility of DNA nanotechnology. Synthesis is time-consuming and expensive, so simulations of proposed DNA designs are necessary. Open-source simulators, such as oxDNA, are available but often difficult to configure and interface with. Packages such as oxdna-tile-binding pro- vide an interface for oxDNA which allows for the ability to create scripts that automate the configuration process. This project works to improve the scripts in oxdna-tile-binding to improve integration with job scheduling systems commonly used in high-performance computing environments, improve ease-of-use and consistency within the scripts compos- ing oxdna-tile-binding, and move …

Modeling Damage Spread, Assessment, And Recovery Of Critical Systems, Justin Burns

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Critical infrastructure systems have recently become more vulnerable to attacks on their data systems through internet connectivity. If an attacker is successful in breaching a system’s defenses, it is imperative that operations are restored to the system as quickly as possible. This thesis focuses on damage assessment and recovery following an attack. A literature review is first conducted on work done in both database protection and critical infrastructure protection, then the thesis defines how damage affects the relationships between data and software. Then, the thesis proposes a model using a graph construction to show the cascading affects within a system …

Resource Allocation For Heterogeneous Wireless Networks Of Devices With Multi-Connectivity, Monika Prakash

Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to designing an effective resource allocation scheme for multi-connectivity (MC) networks. MC is a feature that allows devices to utilize the radio resources from more than one base station simultaneously. With MC anticipated to play a key role in satisfying the stringent QoS requirements of the next-generation networks (5G/6G), it is crucial to efficiently allocate the resources across multiple connections of one or more radio access technologies (RATs).
/="/">Currently, there is a huge demand on the availability of radio spectrum resources with a large volume of different types of data traffic (Internet-of-things, human-based, machine-machine) traversing the …

Formation Of Permafrost And Its Influence On Natural Gas Hydrate Accumulation In Muli Region, Qinghai Province, Wang Liping, Zhu Yinghao, Li Ning, Xu Shuanhai, Tian Yanzhe, Liu Naifei, Wang Wenli

Coal Geology & Exploration

The characteristics of the existing permafrost and natural gas hydrates were summarized and analyzed by studying the natural gas hydrate formation in Muli Region, Qinghai Province. On the basis of the evidence of the Quaternary climate survey and the available geological exploration data on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, FLAC^3D was used to simulate and calculate the formation of permafrost. The calculation results show that the existing permafrost probably formed during the late Holocene Neoglacial(4 000-3 000 to 1 000 a BP), and a stable boundary at bottom of the permafrost layer formed after about 170 a of cooling at a …

Synthesizing Maritime Interaction Scenarios For Testing Autonomy, Benjamin E. Hargis, Yiannis E. Papelis

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This paper presents a method to deterministically synthesize maritime traffic interactions that can be presented to a system under test regardless of the state of the system under test. A background to the problem is given and the method is briefly outlined. Results indicate that the approach can enable more robust evaluation of maritime autonomous algorithms.

Engaging Human-In-The-Loop For Autonomous Vehicle Simulation, John Di Battista, Christian Johnston, Valerie Randall, Jackson Shanahan

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Many autonomous vehicles are still in the development phase due to limited research and testing and will take a considerable amount of time to further develop before they are ready for public release. The main objective of this study is to introduce a human-in-the-loop simulation framework for supporting autonomous vehicle research. Our proposed simulation framework aims to facilitate AV assessment by providing a safer and more efficient way. Functionally, it is focused on the understanding of AVs’ operations in the presence of pedestrian users. The developed simulation framework allows a human pedestrian avatar to be integrated into the high-fidelity 3D …

Risk-And-Resiliency-Intelligent Supply Chain (Rrisc), Ahmad A. Abdelnabi, Ahmed M. Abdelmagid, Ghaith Rabadi, Andres Sousa-Poza, C. Ariel Pinto

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This work proposes a risk-and-resiliency-intelligent supply chain (RRiSC) tool which is an SC risk management framework that leverages cutting-edge technologies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics (BDA), and Digital Twins (DT) to develop specific capabilities for SC risk management. RRiSC is a convergence of mature tools and techniques embedded in three modules: Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization – all together integrate the optimization, simulation, and data analytics to test the performance of the whole supply network under different scenarios through measuring the vital KPIs, identifying the vulnerabilities, and setting proactive plans to diminish risks consequences.

Implementing Virtual Reality Technology For Supporting Autonomous Vehicle-Pedestrian Behavioral And Interaction Research, Zizheng Yan

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been expected to significantly reshape traffic safety on roads. However, there is still a relatively long journey to achieve high-level autonomy and the safety level of interaction between AVs and vulnerable road users (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, or passengers) is still unclear due to very limited data and field tests. The main objective of this paper is to propose a high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulation that is capable of supporting AV-pedestrian interactions by coupling an advanced AV simulator with virtual reality technology. The prototype of the extended simulation framework has been developed and demonstrated with experimental …

Developing An Optimized Policy Tree-Based Reservoir Operation Model For High Aswan Dam Reservoir, Nile River, Erfan Goharian, Mohamed Shaltout, Mahdi Erfani, Ahmed Eladawy

Faculty Publications

The impacts of climate change on the Nile River and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) along with the increased water demand downstream suggest an urgent need for more efficient management of the reservoir system that is well-informed by accurate modeling and optimization of the reservoir operation. This study provides an updated water balance model for Aswan High Dam Reservoir, which was validated using combined heterogeneous sources of information, including in situ gauge data, bias-corrected reanalyzed data, and remote sensing information. To investigate the future challenges, the spatial distribution of the annual/seasonal Aswan High Dam Reservoir surface air temperature trends over …

An Interactive Game With Virtual Reality Immersion To Improve Cultural Sensitivity In Healthcare, Paul J. Hershberger, Yong Pei, Timothy N. Crawford, Sabrina M. Neeley, Thomas Wischgoll, Dixit B. Patel, Miteshkumar M. Vasoya, Angie Castle, Sankalp Mishra, Lahari Surapaneni, Aman A. Pogaku, Aishwarya Bositty, Todd Pavlack

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose: Biased perceptions of individuals who are not part of one’s in-groups tend to be negative and habitual. Because health care professionals are no less susceptible to biases than are others, the adverse impact of biases on marginalized populations in health care warrants continued attention and amelioration. Method: Two characters, a Syrian refugee with limited English proficiency and a black pregnant woman with a history of opioid use disorder, were developed for an online training simulation that includes an interactive life course experience focused on social determinants of health, and a clinical encounter in a community health center utilizing virtual …

Evaluating The Military Medical Evacuation Dispatching And Delivery Problem Via Simulation And Self-Exciting Hawkes Process, Virbon B. Frial

Theses and Dissertations

The location, allocation, and utilization of military medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) resources significantly impact the quality and timeliness of medical care to injured troops. In 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates introduced the Golden Hour mandate that entails the evacuation of critically-injured troops to military treatment facilities (MTFs) within an hour to prevent further complications. To develop high-quality policies that improve MEDEVAC system performance, several papers in the current literature assume that MTFs have both the capacity and capability of treating any patient, regardless of the type of injury. However, these assumptions are unrealistic when conducting high-intensity operations. While acknowledging MTF …

A Decision Support Simulation To Analyze Scheduling Alternatives For Applicant Processing At Military Entrance Processing Stations (Meps), Jonathan M. Escamilla

Theses and Dissertations

Applicant processing at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) is conducted via a batch arrival process by which all applicants arrive at the beginning of the processing day. Pursuit of alternate processing scenarios has never progressed beyond the pilot stage, possibly because the Command lacks a general decision support model to evaluate the impacts of proposed policies on applicant processing operations. This research creates a discrete event simulation of MEPS applicant processing operations and applies the model to three alternative applicant processing scenarios: split-shift, appointment- based, and express-lane. Results are examined and compared to benchmarks using multiple performance measurements.

Interactive Virtual Scanning Electron Microscope Inspired By 3d Game-Design, Pnina Ari-Gur, Igor Lapsker, Tyler Bayne, Eric Allen Pietrowicz, Peter Thannhauser, Spencer Hoin, Hermanu Joko Nugroho

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has evolved to become an indispensable tool for research and education in engineering, physics, nanotechnology, geosciences, materials science, biological sciences and other fields. However, training on a physical SEM is costly, time consuming, and often unavailable in economically disadvantaged areas. Advances in computer technology have made interactive three-dimensional (3D) virtual laboratory an effective tool for training in medicine and many engineering and technology fields. In the current work, in order to provide cost-effective hands-on training, a virtual 3D SEM was developed using the game development engine Unity 3D. It contains realistic 3D models of the …

Component Design And Simulation Of Netted Radar Fusion Processing, Jing Wu, Zhiming Xu, Xiaofeng Ai, Feng Zhao, Shunping Xiao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Data fusion processing technology is the core of netted radars. Taking the air-defense radar network as the reference, this paper builds a component-based and reconfigurable data fusion algorithm library. With the component design method, the process of data fusion is divided into different components, such as data validity check, error match, time-space match, plot association, plot fusion, track initiation, track filtering, track association, track fusion, and track management. Each component involves different algorithms with a unified external interface, and algorithms can be chosen by parameter setting to meet different fusion requirements. Then, the complete processing template forplot fusion and …

Cellular Service With Settlement-Free Peering, Shahzeb Mustafa, Sayanta Seth, Murat Yuksel, Mostafizur Rahman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite several iconic innovations in wireless networks, cellular service still remains largely unreliable with regards to non-urban network coverage. Cellular providers often need to make roaming agreements among each other for serving their customers with basic connectivity in areas where they do not have coverage. Considering all the technical limitations of domestic roaming, we present a “wireless peering” model for settlement-free spectrum sharing. It allows providers to extend their coverage to “off-network” regions without any hardware modifications. Its software-defined nature makes the model highly scalable, easy to deploy and cost-effective. Simulation results show a significant improvement in off-network wireless speed, …

Kinematics Analysis And Simulation Of Automatically Tracking Dental Surgery Lamp, Zerui Jiang, Lijun Yang, Li Jun, Xiaolong Jiao, Zheng Hang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to solve the problem that the oral surgical lamp cannot automatically adjust the irradiation posture of the surgical lamp according to the face direction and oral cavity position, a six-degree-of-freedom automatic tracking visual manipulator solution is proposed. Coordinate conversion is achieved through binocular vision to obtain three-dimensional information of oral cavity position and face normal vector. The geometric method is introduced into the kinematics calculation, and the closed solution of the inverse kinematics is obtained. The correctness is verified by the Maltab programming and the introduction of numerical values. Five-degree polynomial motion planning is performed …

Thermal Testing And Simulation Of Lunar And Martian Isru-Based Materials, Andres Campbell

All Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Upon the eventual return of humans to the lunar surface, leveraging local resources to construct landing pads and other infrastructure is an essential component to minimize cost and risk. The inability to accurately model landing and launch scenarios to predict damage to lunar structures poses risks to astronaut and equipment safety. The following experiment is an investigation of using simulation software and temperature sensors to model lunar and Martian regolith simulant-based concrete exposed to thermal loads. The basis of this experiment is built upon standards defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials, the fundamental axioms of structural health …

Exploring Blockchain Adoption Supply Chains: Opportunities And Challenges, Adrian V. Gheorghe, Omer F. Keskin, Farinaz Sabz Ali Pour

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In modern supply chains, acquisition often occurs with the involvement of a network of organizations. The resilience, efficiency, and effectiveness of supply networks are crucial for the viability of acquisition. Disruptions in the supply chain require adequate communication infrastructure to ensure resilience. However, supply networks do not have a shared information technology infrastructure that ensures effective communication. Therefore decision-makers seek new methodologies for supply chain management resilience. Blockchain technology offers new decentralization and service delegation methods that can transform supply chains and result in a more flexible, efficient, and effective supply chain. This report presents a framework for the application …

Castor Oil Conversion To Biodiesel: A Process Simulation Study, Yaser M. Asal Mr, Islam M. Al-Akraa, Ahmad M. Mohammad, Razan Aymen

Chemical Engineering

The aim of this study is to highlights the importance to shift from the use of traditional fossil fuels to biodiesel as a clean energy source. A simulation study has been conducted using ASPEN HYSIS software for the biodiesel production form castor oil. The simulation was run and the properties of the produced biodiesel were highlighted. The optimum conditions resulted in 88 % conversion.

Development Of A Framework To Support Informed Shipbuilding Based On Supply Chain Disruptions, Katherine Smith, Rafael Diaz, Yuzhong Shen

VMASC Publications

In addition to stresses induced by the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chains worldwide have been growing more complex while facing a continuous onslaught of disruptions. This paper presents an analysis and extension of a graph based model for modeling and simulating the effects of such disruptions. The graph based model combines a Bayesian network approach for simulating risks with a network dependency analysis approach for simulating the propagation of disruptions through the network over time. The initial analysis provides evidence supporting extension to for using a multi-layered approach allowing for the inclusion of cyclic features in supply chain models. Initial results …

Human Ergonomic Simulation To Support The Design Of An Exoskeleton For Lashing/De-Lashing Operations Of Containers Cargo, Francesco Longo, Antonio Padovano, Vittorio Solina, Virginia D' Augusta, Stefan Venzl, Roberto Calbi, Michele Bartuni, Ornella Anastasi, Rafael Diaz

VMASC Publications

Lashing and de-lashing operations of containers cargo on board containerships are considered as quite strenuous activities in which operators are required to work continuously over a 6 or 8 hours shift with very limited break. This is mostly because containerships need to leave the port as soon as possible and containers loading and unloading operations must be executed with very high productivity (stay moored in a port is a totally unproductive time for a ship and a loss-making business for a shipping company). Operators performing lashing and de-lashing operations are subjected to intense ergonomic stress and uncomfortable working postures. To …

Combining Green Metrics And Digital Twins For Sustainability Planning And Governance Of Smart Buildings And Cities, Casey R. Corrado, Suzanne M. Delong, Emily G. Holt, Edward Y. Hua, Andreas Tolk

VMASC Publications

Creating a more sustainable world will require a coordinated effort to address the rise of social, economic, and environmental concerns resulting from the continuous growth of cities. Supporting planners with tools to address them is pivotal, and sustainability is one of the main objectives. Modeling and simulation augmenting digital twins can play an important role to implement these tools. Although various green best practices have been utilized over time and there are related attempts at measuring green success, works in the published literature tend to focus on addressing a single problem (e.g., energy efficiency), and a comprehensive approach that takes …

Off Road Autonomous Vehicle Modeling And Repeatability Using Real World Telemetry Via Simulation, Matthew Paul Spencer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

One approach to autonomous control of high mobility ground vehicle platforms operating on challenging terrain is with the use of predictive simulation. Using a simulated or virtual world, an autonomous system can optimize use of its control systems by predicting interaction between the vehicle and ground as well as the vehicle actuator state. Such a simulation allows the platform to assess multiple possible scenarios before attempting to execute a path. Physically realistic simulations covering all of these domains are currently computationally expensive, and are unable to provide fast execution times when assessing each individual scenario due to the use of …

Parametric Average-Value Modeling, Simulation, And Characterization Of Machine-Rectifier Systems, Isuje Ojo

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

There are many techniques for modeling and simulation of synchronous machine-rectifier systems. The more common approaches are the detailed and average-value modeling techniques. The detailed simulation technique takes into account the details of the diode switching and is both very accurate and very expensive in terms of computational resources. To alleviate this disadvantage, the average-value modeling technique is often utilized. In this approach, the details of diode switching are neglected or averaged. In that light, the work presented herein proposes a unique saliency-sensitive parametric average-value model (SSPAVM) of the synchronous machine-rectifier system. This model extends existing parametric average-value models to …