Engineering Commons^™

Interlaboratory Study Of The Operational Stability Of Automated Sorption Balances, Samuel L. Zelinka, Samuel V. Glass, Eleanor Q. D. Lazarcik, Emil E. Thybring, Michael Altgen, Lauri Rautkari, Simon Curling, Jinzhen Cao, Yujiao Wang, Tina Kunniger, Gustav Nystrom, Christopher Hubert Dreimol, Ingo Burgert, Mohd Khairun Anwar Uyup, Tumirah Khadiran, Mark G. Roper, Darren P. Broom, Matthew Schwarzkopf, Arief Yudhanto, Mohammad Subah, Gilles Lubineau, Maria Fredriksson, Marcin Strojecki, Wieslaw Olek, Jerzy Majka, Nanna Bjerregaard Pedersen, Daniel J. Burnett, Armando R. Garcia, Els Verdonck, Frieder Dreisbach, Louis Waguespack, Jennifer Schott, Luis G. Esteban, Alberto Garcia-Iruela, Thibaut Colinart, Romain Remond, Brahim Mazian, Patrick Perre, Lukas Emmerich, Ling Li

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automated sorption balances are widely used for characterizing the interaction of water vapor with hygroscopic materials. These instruments provide an efficient way to collect sorption isotherm data and kinetic data. A typical method for defining equilibrium after a step change in relative humidity (RH) is using a particular threshold value for the rate of change in mass with time. Recent studies indicate that commonly used threshold values yield substantial errors and that further measurements are needed at extended hold times as a basis to assess the accuracy of abbreviated equilibration criteria. However, the mass measurement accuracy at extended times depends …

Iterative Correction Of Robotic Grinding Using Spatial Feedback For Precision Applications, Philip A. Olubodun, Joseph D. Fischer, Douglas A. Bristow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Since the advent of robots, many tasks that were originally performed by humans have now been tasked to industrial robots. From a manufacturing standpoint, robots have primarily been used in pick-and-place or other non-machining operations that require high repeatability. However, with the increasing availability of CAD/CAM software and the development of high-precision metrology, comes the opportunity to integrate robots into a wider variety of manufacturing processes through the use of feedback control. One such machining operation that is being explored is precision grinding of metal parts. Most other work in this area has focused on force regulation to improve grind …

Wind Shear Induced Tornados With Full Thermodynamic Effects, Kakkattukuzhy M. Isaac

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wind shear-induced Tornado behavior under full thermodynamic formulation using the ideal gas equation is investigated. The computational fluid dynamics model that includes the energy equation is used to obtain solutions of a natural-scale tornado under pressure and temperature boundary conditions that account for their variations vs. altitude in the atmosphere. The present results show significant differences from previous isothermal simulations and those using the Boussinesq model for buoyancy under small temperature differences. Results show that the downdraft observed in tornados originating from supercells, often accompanied by rain and hail can be captured using the present model that simulates the genesis, …

Promoting Synergies To Improve Manufacturing Efficiency In Industrial Material Processing: A Systematic Review Of Industry 4.0 And Ai, Md Sazol Ahmmed, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Frank Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The manufacturing industry continues to suffer from inefficiency, excessively high prices, and uncertainty over product quality. This statement remains accurate despite the increasing use of automation and the significant influence of Industry 4.0 and AI on industrial operations. This review details an extensive analysis of a substantial body of literature on artificial intelligence (AI) and Industry 4.0 to improve the efficiency of material processing in manufacturing. This document includes a summary of key information (i.e., various input tools, contributions, and application domains) on the current production system, as well as an in-depth study of relevant achievements made thus far. The …

Evaluation Of Kentucky’S Driver Focus Camera System, David Leddy, Brian Beaven, Xiaobing Li, Andrew Martin, Jennifer Walton, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who engage in federally prohibited activities such as not wearing safety belts, using hand-held mobile phones, or texting while driving endanger themselves and imperil the well-being of everyone who occupies the surrounding roadway environment. Unfortunately, conventional CMV inspection routines fail to detect many of these violations because inspectors have difficulty obtaining a clear view of truck cab interiors from inspection facilities. Recognizing it is critical to improve enforcement of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, this project evaluated the performance of a Driver Focus Camera System (DFCS) at an inspection facility on Interstate 75 northbound in …

Gaze Tracking Embedded Collaborative Robots For Automated Metrology And Reverse Engineering, Sachithra H. Karunathilake, Md Shahriar Forhad, Zhaohui Geng

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional geometric metrology, or three-dimensional (3D) scanning, and reverse engineering heavily rely on the experience of the operators. With an increasing need for automation, robot arms have been adopted for this task. However, due to the large variety of parts and designs, automated path planning could provide a scanning solution that may overlook the critical area, which could potentially deteriorate the scan results. This article explores the integration of collaborative robotics (cobots) with eye-tracking technology to improve the autonomous 3D scanning process. The primary objective of this study is to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of cobots in 3D scanning, …

Data-Driven Roughness Estimation Of Additively Manufactured Samples Using Build Angles, Jose Galarza, Jose Barron Jr., Farid Ahmed, Jianzhi Li

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Achieving control of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) over the quality of the print is the main motivation for finding an optimum set of parameters in the process. Surface roughness is one of the characteristics of the print that impacts the performance of the desired functionality. This research focus is to relate the build angle with the surface roughness on the L-PBF printed specimens and utilize machine learning methods for roughness estimation of geometric features with varying build angles. The EOS M290 L-PBF printer was used to print Inconel-718 coupons using standard process parameters while varying build angles from 20 …

Enhancing Resilience In Complex Energy Systems Through Real-Time Anomaly Detection: A Systematic Literature Review, Ali Aghazadeh Ardebili, Oussama Hasidi, Ahmed Bendaouia, Adem Khalil, Sabri Khalil, Dalila Luceri, El Hassan Abdelwahed, Sara Qassimi, Antonio Ficarella

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

As real-time data sources expand, the need for detecting anomalies in streaming data becomes increasingly critical for cutting edge data-driven applications. Real-time anomaly detection faces various challenges, requiring automated systems that adapt continuously to evolving data patterns due to the impracticality of human intervention. This study focuses on energy systems (ES), critical infrastructures vulnerable to disruptions from natural disasters, cyber attacks, equipment failures, or human errors, leading to power outages, financial losses, and risks to other sectors. Early anomaly detection ensures energy supply continuity, minimizing disruption impacts, an enhancing system resilience against cyber threats. A systematic literature review (SLR) is …

Roles Of The His-Purkinje System In Long Qt Syndrome Mediated Arrhythmias, Anthony Owusu-Mensah

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic or drug-induced electrophysiological disorder in the heart that prolongs the QT interval on the electrocardiogram. LQTS is present in considerable proportions (1:3000 to 1:5000) of the general population. LQTS has a high incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias during physical and emotional stress and is a significant cause of sudden death in younger subjects. This poses a substantial medical burden on the healthcare system in terms of morbidity, mortality, and finances. Despite extensive genetic research into LQTS, the mechanisms underlying spontaneous initiation and maintenance of arrhythmias are not fully understood. Beta-blockers are the standard …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Complex System Governance Diagnostics, Satya N. Moorthy

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct an initial diagnosis of the state of Complex System Governance (CSG) using a case study research design. The field of Complex System Governance (CSG), rooted in systems theory and management cybernetics, is the “design, execution, and evolution of the metasystem functions necessary to provide control, communication, coordination, and integration of a complex system.” This research explored literature in the fields of CSG, Organizational Diagnostics, and Performance Measurement as contributing literature streams for CSG Diagnostics and identified a gaps in the literature. This research addresses those gaps by exploring what results from applying …

An Agent-Based Approach For Designing A Sustainable Supplier Selection In Stochastic Environment: A Simulation Study, Sheida Etemadidavan

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the 21st century, businesses are constantly striving for competitive advancement and increasing their economic performance in the rapidly changing market. Collaboration with other businesses and partnerships with them are becoming more common. As such, businesses are starting to invest in finding the right partners to stay competitive in an ever-changing business landscape. Suppliers play a crucial role in businesses' decision-making as they provide the materials, goods, and services necessary for a company to operate and succeed. Therefore, their selection, management, and relationship must be carefully considered to ensure optimal performance and profitability. A sustainable framework in a business's relationship …

Machine Learning And Simulation Techniques For Detecting Buoys From Lidar Data, Christopher Adolphi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Maritime autonomy, specifically the use of autonomous and semi-autonomous maritime vessels, is a key enabling technology supporting a set of diverse and critical research areas, including coastal and environmental resilience, assessment of waterway health, ecosystem/asset monitoring and maritime port security. Critical to the safe, efficient and reliable operation of an autonomous maritime vessel is its ability to perceive the external environment through onboard sensors. The main sensor utilized in this research is a LiDAR sensor. This sensor is able to generate point clouds of the surrounding environment, of which a machine learning model is used to label each point in …

An Integrated Theoretical Socio-Technical Framework For Implementing Service Robots’ Integration In Healthcare, Sujatha Alla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Healthcare workers, either clinical or non-clinical, are obligated to serve patients. However, lack of a sufficient number of professionals leads to burnout, severe stress, and, consequently, decreased quality of services. In this context, very few countries have been successful in employing service robots to perform dull, dirty, and/or dangerous tasks related to patient wellbeing/healthcare, while most countries are still skeptical about it. As robotics advances, there is an opportunity for healthcare to take advantage of this technology to reduce personnel workload and to reduce the possibility of exposure to contagious pathogens. However, healthcare is a vulnerable environment and requires critical …

Analysis And Design Of Synchronous Machines With Reluctance Rotor And Pm Stator Combined Excitation, Oluwaseun A. Badewa, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

This paper studies motors that are part of a general class of synchronous machines with stator-only excitation including those that may be referred to in recent literature as of the flux switching, variable flux reluctance, or hybrid excitation type. In the studied example machine, the active stator has circumferentially magnetized spoke-type PMs and concentrated toroidal coils for improved slot fill and shortened end turns. A systematic analysis of the mmf produced by the toroidal coils in the stator and open-circuit airgap flux is developed to define feasible polarities of this synchronous motor and to establish that the dominant pole pair …

Remote Operated Amateur Radio Using Raspberry Pi And Limesdr, Esteban I. Perez

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This project presents the design and implementation of a portable, remotely programmable amateur radio system operating on the 2-meter and 70-cm bands. The system utilizes Raspberry Pi 5 and LimeSDR hardware to facilitate communication between aerial and ground units, allowing for efficient transmission and reception of synchronization and calibration waveforms. A custom communication protocol incorporating BPSK modulation and a two-tone signaling mechanism enables time-of-flight measurements for calculating distances between nodes. This low-cost solution has potential applications in civilian sectors, such as search and rescue operations, where accurate direction finding and target localization are critical. Full-duplex operation enhances the system's capability …

Optimizing Resume Authenticity And Ats Compatibility With Llm Feedback Integration, Katie He, Justin Lau

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Resume generation using Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT is becoming increasingly popular for automating the creation of customized resumes, but significant user modification is often required before submission. Common issues include poor alignment with job descriptions, inflated qualifications, and lack of authenticity, which undermine the effectiveness of LLM-generated resumes. This project addresses these challenges by integrating feedback from Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to guide LLMs in producing resumes that accurately reflect an applicant’s qualifications and better align with job-specific requirements. By optimizing the model's output through ATS feedback, the project aims to create more authentic, tailored, and ATS-compatible resumes, …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts Calendar Year 2023 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Chris Blackden, Kenneth R. Agent, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2019-2023, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Chris Blackden, Christopher Van Dyke, Teng Wang, Mohammad Majidi

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

‭ Configuraciones De Redes Eléctricas Híbridas Eólico-Nuclear En Tierra Del Fuego:‬ ‭ Evaluación De La Viabilidad Técnica Y Las Principales Barreras Para El Despliegue‬ ‭ Remoto De Reactores Nucleares Modulares Pequeños Y Micro Modulares‬ ‭, Madeline P. O'Keefe

Argentina: People, Environment, and Climate Change in Patagonia and Antarctica

‭ Resumen‬ ‭

Este papel evalúa la viabilidad técnica de desplegar reactores modulares remotos para‬ ‭ complementar un proyecto de parque eólico existente en la red eléctrica aislada de Tierra del‬ ‭ Fuego, Argentina. Una transición rápida hacia tecnologías de energía limpia es crucial para‬ ‭ mitigar las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero causadas por humanos, siendo la‬ ‭ producción y el consumo de energía los principales contribuyentes al cambio climático. Dentro‬ ‭ de estas tecnologías, la energía nuclear ofrece una solución confiable, escalable y de bajas‬ ‭ emisiones de carbono. En el campo de la energía nuclear, este …

New Loads And Service Factors For Distribution Transformers Following The Transition To High-Efficiency Heat Pumps, Solar Pv, And Ev Charging, Steven B. Poore, Rosemary E. Alden, Timothy Rooney, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Replacement of conventional high-power appliances including heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and resistive electric water heaters (EWHs) with heat pumps is expected to be implemented long-term to increase energy efficiency. Even with efficiency upgrades, future residential power demand may rise due to increasing electric vehicle (EV) penetration. Extensive experimental data from field demonstrators and regional utilities as well as thousands of synthetically generated loads are utilized to investigate the effect of heat pumps, EV charging, and distributed solar PV on residential power demand and distribution transformers. Values are established for typical rating distribution and connection to multiple houses to study …

Solar Pv And Ev Controls For Reactive Power Support On Large Distribution Systems Modeled With Experimental And Synthetic Loads, Rosemary E. Alden, Malcolm Mcculloch, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Changes to electric power distribution equipment may be needed to adapt to distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Within this paper, an optimization methodology for reactive power support (RPS) controls managed by utilities for EV bi-directional charger power factor and improve substation power quality and voltage across the system is proposed. An IEEE benchmark distribution system, the 123 node test feeder, is modified to include 1,765 experimental residential profiles at typical, high resolution of 15min from smart meters, solar PV generation calculated from weather data, and EV modules based on driver …

Prediction Of Tool Wear And Surface Finish Using Anfis Modelling During Turning Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (Cfrp) Composites, Anil K. Srivastava, Md. Mofakkirul Islam

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are widely used in various industries due to their high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, durability, and excellent thermo-mechanical properties. The machining of CFRP composites has always been a challenge for the manufacturers. In this study, CNC turning operation with coated carbide tool is used to machine a specific CFRP and the relationship between the cutting parameters (Speed, Feed, Depth of Cut) and response parameters (Vibration, Surface Finish, Cutting Force and Tool Wear) are investigated. An adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model with two multi-input–single-output (MISO) system has been developed to predict the tool wear …

A Feedforward Kinematic Error Controller With An Angular Positioning Deviations Model For Backlash Compensation Of Industrial Robots, Mitchell R. Woodside, Tian Hao Cui, John Emelko, Soichi Ibaraki, Robert G. Landers, Douglas A. Bristow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The accuracy of industrial robots, typically on the order of several millimeters, has inhibited their adoption in advanced aerospace manufacturing applications, such as robotic machining. For this reason, extensive investigations have been conducted to develop solutions to improve their accuracy. These solutions can be categorized into offline and online compensation strategies, both of which have advantages and limitations. Offline compensation has been shown to improve the accuracy of industrial robots by two to three orders of magnitude; however, the sensitivity of these solutions to environmental changes and external disturbances can degrade their performance. In contrast, online compensation, which utilizes real-time …

Impact-Free Gaits For Planar Bipeds: Changing Walking Speed And Gait, Aakash Khandelwal, Nilay Kant, Ranjan Mukherjee

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The problems of changing the walking speed and stride length of impact-free gaits for point-foot planar bipeds are addressed. The impact-free gaits are designed using an approach developed in prior work. It is shown that the impulse controlled Poincaré map (ICPM) approach can be modified to transition between orbits defining gaits with different walking speeds, and the continuous controller can be changed during the swing phase to transition between gaits that have distinct stride lengths. The effectiveness of the approaches is demonstrated using simulations carried out on a five-link biped.

Green Defense: Evaluating Potentials And Limitations In Transitioning Military Vehicles To Clean Energy, Aurora M. V. Bellingeri, Danielle M. Drumm, Zoe S. Koutsokostas

Student Publications

Army operations rely on fuel-intensive vehicles and aircraft, which contribute substantially to global emissions and the looming threat of global warming. This study evaluates the potential of transitioning five key U.S. Army vehicles, the M1301 ISV, HMMWV M1165, JLTV M1280, LMTV M1078, and M3A3 Bradley, from traditional diesel and JP8 powertrains to electric vehicle (EV) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) technologies. Vehicle specifications including engine power, fuel efficiency, weight, and payload were gathered for each vehicle and compared. Efficiency was estimated for EV and FCV powertrains using linear regressions with data from the AFLEET Online tool, which provided national …

Costumes, Ashley S. Mcguire

Patent Coloring Books

Patent coloring book

Solubility Characterization Of Organic Molecules For Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries, Anthony W. Ferrell, Harkeerith K. Vij, Seamus D. Jones

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The major obstacle to renewable energy sources is a lack of long-term energy storage capabilities. Energy produced during the day dissipates, leaving insufficient electricity for at night. The goal of the project is to design an Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Battery (AORFB) to act as long-term energy storage. Work has been done using machine learning to identify suitable compounds for the batteries. In this work there was no indication as to the aqueous solubility of the molecules; this controls the device’s energy storage capabilities. We used a machine learning model to determine the aqueous solubility of slightly more than 3000 …

Enhancing Semantic Search With Human-Crafted Knowledge In Sentence Embeddings, Zachary Weinfeld

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Semantic search plays a critical role in many domains, with numerous algorithms developed to address it. A common approach involves using sentence transformers to generate embeddings for both search queries and documents, allowing for the comparison of their vectors. While many different embedding models are widely used, our approach integrates these models with human-crafted knowledge in a novel way, resulting in an improvement in the Mean Average Precision (MAP) scores. Traditional embeddings often rely heavily on the specific words used in a query or document. Our technique mitigates this dependency by refining the vectors to capture the overall semantic meaning, …

Advanced Grasping Sensor Technologies For Autonomous Robotic Apple Harvesting Using Tactile Data And Cnns, Chris Bae

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This research investigates how to achieve an optimal grasp of an apple using a four-finger soft robotic grasper equipped with force-resistive sensors. Specifically, we sought to determine whether a convolutional neural network (CNN) could accurately classify the grasper's state and recommend adjustments ("in," "out," or "good" grasp) based on tactile data from the sensors. Spatiotemporal tactile images were developed from the sensors and fed into our CNN, achieving near 100% accuracy on unseen test data. This work suggests that CNN-based processing of tactile images can be a powerful tool for real-time control of soft robotic grippers.

Cryogenic Fuel Applications To Sustainable Commercial Aircraft, Jack R. Kisling, Lillian Panning

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Finding a source of clean and renewable energy is one of the greatest challenges humanity will face in the 21st century. With populations expanding, developing countries increasing their use of resources, and the rapid and alarming effects of climate change, a shift to a sustainable future is an existential prospect.

The goal of our project is to take the first steps toward getting safety procedures and lab space established, so mechanical engineering senior projects can quickly begin to experiment with cryogenic fuels. They will explore the application of cryogenic fuels to commercial aviation.