Engineering Commons^™

Impact Of Tib2 Source On The Microstructure And Properties Of Tib2–Sic–B4c Ceramics, Steven M. Smith, Suzana Filipovic, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Carlo Baldisserri, Laura Silvestroni

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To date, the thermal and electrical properties of three-phase ceramics containing a boride phase, silicon carbide, and boron carbide have not been studied in detail. Further, the effect of the source of the boride powder has also not been investigated. This study produced three-phase ceramics containing titanium diboride, silicon carbide, and boron carbide using three different TiB₂ sources: commercial powder, TiB₂ synthesized by boro/carbothermal reduction, or (Ti,Cr)B₂ synthesized by boro/carbothermal reduction to address the effect of the TiB₂ source. Ceramics containing synthesized TiB₂ or (Ti,Cr)B₂ reached >99% relative density, while the ceramic produced from …

Development Of Robust Steel Alloys For Laser-Directed Energy Deposition Via Analysis Of Mechanical Property Sensitivities †, Jonathan Kelley, Joseph W. Newkirk, Laura N. Bartlett, Sriram Praneeth Isanaka, Todd Sparks, Saeid Alipour, Frank Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To ensure consistent performance of additively manufactured metal parts, it is advantageous to identify alloys that are robust to process variations. This paper investigates the effect of steel alloy composition on mechanical property robustness in laser-directed energy deposition (L-DED). In situ blending of ultra-high-strength low-alloy steel (UHSLA) and pure iron powders produced 10 compositions containing 10–100 wt.% UHSLA. Samples were deposited using a novel configuration that enabled rapid collection of hardness data. The Vickers hardness sensitivity of each alloy was evaluated with respect to laser power and interlayer delay time. Yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) sensitivities of …

In Situ Assembly Enabling Adhesive-Free Bonding Of Large Area Electronic Sensors To Concrete For Structural Health Monitoring, Emmanuel Ogunniyi, Han Liu, Austin Downey, Simon Laflamme, Caroline Bennett, William Collins, Hongki Jo, Paul Ziehl

Faculty Publications

Cracks developed in concrete infrastructure are one of the primary mechanisms that degrade their structural integrity, which may result in structural failures. Previous research on soft elastomeric capacitors (SEC) has shown their viability for structural health monitoring of structural materials, including concrete, steel, and fiberglass composites. The SEC, or its derivative version with a corrugated geometry termed corrugated SEC or cSEC, is a parallel plate capacitor. Prior work demonstrated that it was possible to directly paint the electrode interfacing with the structural material onto the structure and adhere the rest of the pre-fabricated sensor onto the wet interface, thereby eliminating …

A Comprehensive Ml And Ai Framework For Intersection Safety: Assessing Contributing Factors, Surrogate Safety Measures, Non-Compliance Behaviors, And Cost-Inclusive Methodology, Deep Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Intersection safety, particularly in traffic management, has emerged as a pressing concern due to its substantial contribution to road crashes and fatalities. In recent years, understanding road users' behavior and conflicts at intersections has become essential for evaluating traffic safety. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in 2020, over 50% of fatal and injury crashes occurred at or near intersections, necessitating further investigation. This study addresses this issue through an innovative blend of comprehensive literature review, advanced machine learning algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, surrogate safety measures (SSMs), non-compliance behavior, and emphasizing the economic aspects of traffic incidents. First, …

Talar And Calcaneal Coordinate Axes Definitions Across Foot Pathologies, Kassidy Knutson, Erika P. Muhlrad, Andrew C. Peterson, Thomas Leonard, Abigail M. Anderson, Katelyn C. Aragon, Zachary J. Eatough, Bruce A. Macwilliams, Karen M. Kruger, Amy L. Lenz

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The understanding of foot and ankle biomechanics is improving as new technology provides more detailed information about the motion of foot and ankle bones with biplane fluoroscopy, as well as the ability to analyze the hindfoot under weightbearing conditions with weightbearing computed tomography. Three-dimensional anatomical coordinate systems are necessary to describe the 3D alignment and kinematics of the foot and ankle. The lack of standard coordinate systems across research study sites can significantly alter experimental data analyses used for pre-surgical evaluation and post-operative outcome assessments. Clinical treatment paradigms are changing based on the expanding knowledge of complex pes planovalgus morphologies …

Lumbar Spine Orientation Affects Compressive Fracture Outcome, Rachel Cutlan, Muhammaed Khokhar, Nader Shammout, Alok Shah, Lance Frazer, Narayan Yoganandan, Barry S. Shender, James Sheehy, Glenn Paskoff, Daniel Nicolella, Timothy B. Bentley, Saman Shabani, Brian D. Stemper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Understanding how spinal orientation affects injury outcome is essential to understand lumbar injury biomechanics associated with high-rate vertical loading.

Methods

Whole-column human lumbar spines (T12–L5) were dynamically loaded using a drop tower to simulate peak axial forces associated with high-speed aircraft ejections and helicopter crashes. Spines were allowed to maintain natural lordotic curvature for loading, resulting in a range of orientations. Pre-test X-rays were used to quantify specimen orientation at the time of loading. Primary fracture types were identified (wedge, n = 6; burst, n = 4; hyperextension, n = 4) and compared for loading parameters and lumbar orientation. …

Simultaneous Modulation Of Pulse Charge And Burst Period Elicits Two Differentiable Referred Sensations, T. R. Benigni, A. E. Pena, S. S. Kuntaegowdanahalli, J. J. Abbas, R. Jung

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective. To investigate the feasibility of delivering multidimensional feedback using a single channel of peripheral nerve stimulation by complementing intensity percepts with flutter frequency percepts controlled by burst period modulation. Approach. Two dimensions of a distally referred sensation were provided simultaneously: intensity was conveyed by the modulation of the pulse charge rate inside short discrete periods of stimulation referred to as bursts and frequency was conveyed by the modulation of the period between bursts. For this approach to be feasible, intensity percepts must be perceived independently of frequency percepts. Two experiments investigated these interactions. A series of two alternative forced …

An Overview Of Additively Manufactured Metal Matrix Composites: Preparation, Performance, And Challenge, Liang Yu Chen, Peng Qin, Lina Zhang, Lai Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Highlight Recent progresses in additive manufacturing on metal matrix composites are reviewed. Additive manufacturing technologies for metal matrix composites are summarized. The characteristics of feedstocks and reinforcements are introduced. Mechanical property of additively manufactured metal matrix composites is reviewed. Challenges of additively manufactured metal matrix composites are discussed.

Phenotypes Of Velopharyngeal Tube Law In Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Devesh Kumar, B. Tucker Woodson, Guilherme J.M. Garcia

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

The biomechanics of upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains poorly understood. The goal of this study is to compare the area-pressure relationship (tube law) of the velopharynx at peak inspiration and peak expiration.

Study Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Academic tertiary medical center.

Methods

The velopharyngeal tube law was quantified in a convenience sample of 20 OSA patients via step reductions in nasal mask pressure during drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). The velopharyngeal airspace cross-sectional area was estimated from endoscopy while luminal pressure was recorded with a catheter. The tube law was quantified for nasal mask pressures from …

Morphology Of The Normative Human Cone Photoreceptor Mosaic And A Publicly Available Adaptive Optics Montage Repository, Robert F. Cooper, Snega Kalaparambath, Geoffrey K. Aguirre, Jessica I. W. Morgan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy has enabled visualization of the in vivo human photoreceptor mosaic in health, disease and its treatment. Despite this, the clinical utility of the imaging technology has been limited by a lack of automated analysis techniques capable of accurately quantifying photoreceptor structure and a lack of an available normative image database. Here, we present a fully automated algorithm for estimating cone spacing and density over a complete adaptive optics montage along with a database of normative images and cone densities. We imaged the cone mosaics surrounding the fovea and along the horizontal and vertical meridians of fifty normal-sighted …

A Sophisticated Model Of Human Atherosclerosis On A Chip, Brandon J. Tefft

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Novel Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods For Diagnosis, Monitoring, Prediction, And Personalized Treatment For Cardiovascular Disease And Cancer Metastasis, Zahra Keshavarz Motamed, Nima Maftoon, Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, John F. Ladisa Jr.

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Concrete Design: Underwater Concrete Forms In A Saltwater Environment, Noah Z. Lau

Construction Management

This following project investigated the effects of salt on the concrete curing process. Concrete possesses numerous strengths, making it extremely versatile. This makes it one of the most utilized construction materials. New improved methods are constantly being developed for concrete’s application as a construction material. While concrete is a flexible material with many strengths, it is not without its flaws. Concrete, while strong in compression is weak in tension. It has long cure times and doesn’t generally handle moisture well. This paper evaluates concrete’s change in strength from letting concrete cure in a salt-based underwater environment. To determine the full …

California Polytechnic Architecture Graveyard Safety And Locational Signage Project, Luke C. Vanderkooij

Construction Management

Hiking along Poly Canyon Road, towards Cal Poly’s Architecture Graveyard, limited information can be located on the actual trail, with current signage only describing prohibited activities. This project aimed to provide needed safety and locational signage for pedestrians, bikers, and vehicles, clearly outlining maps, safety tips, and emergency contacts. These criteria were led by the desire to proactively limit the risk of traveling along Poly Canyon Road and provide reactive assistance for those in potential danger. These added informational improvements were decided to be included in a bulletin style enclosure with a roof and metal plaque anchored into a reinforced …

Analysis Of Shock Absorption By Spring-Assisted Crutch Tips, Noah Hirschegger, Daegan Caime, Mohamed Atta

Senior Theses

Angel Consulting was originally created to address the problem of excessive wear and tear on the joints of individuals who use crutches for long periods of time. This company has sought to alleviate these issues with a proprietary spring-assisted crutch tip, which reduces the impact of crutch use and will hopefully be able to assist people in alleviating joint damage and discomfort. The team's main purpose is to determine an optimal metric for both marketability and effectiveness and to test the prototype design to ensure the validity of assistance for people who require chronic crutch use. To do this, we …

Radiopaque Femnn-Mo Composite Drawn Filled Tubing Wires For Braided Absorbable Neurovascular Devices, Adam J. Griebel, Petra Maier, Henry D. Summers, Benjamin Clausius, Isabella Kanasty, Weilue He, Nicholas Peterson, Carolyn Czerniak, Alexander A. Oliver, David F. Kallmes, Ramanathan Kadirvel, Jeremy E. Schaffer, Roger J. Guillory

Michigan Tech Publications

Flow diverter devices are small stents used to divert blood flow away from aneurysms in the brain, stagnating flow and inducing intra-aneurysmal thrombosis which in time will prevent aneurysm rupture. Current devices are formed from thin (∼25 μm) wires which will remain in place long after the aneurysm has been mitigated. As their continued presence could lead to secondary complications, an absorbable flow diverter which dissolves into the body after aneurysm occlusion is desirable. The absorbable metals investigated to date struggle to achieve the necessary combination of strength, elasticity, corrosion rate, fragmentation resistance, radiopacity, and biocompatibility. This work proposes and …

Augmented Reality Based Maintenance Operations And Training, Victor Scott Gadow

Theses and Dissertations

Augmented Reality (AR) is the process of superimposing virtual information on top of objects or other structures in the real-world environment. It is considered one of many paradigms included in the idea of smart manufacturing and can enable a mixture of the other technologies involved. A large increase in research on AR has been seen in the past decade as technologies have begun to evolve to become more robust and reliable. It has been implemented into several key areas of manufacturing such as maintenance, assembly, training, and quality control. The rise of industry 4.0 is changing how data is used …

Effects Of Low-Cycle Fatigue Fracture Of Longitudinal Reinforcing Steel Bars On The Seismic Performance Of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers, Yu-Fu Ko, Jessica Gonzalez

Mineta Transportation Institute

Earthquakes, which can cause tremendous local stress and strain on infrastructure, can cause reinforced concrete (RC) bridges to collapse due to the concrete cracking and fracture of the steel reinforcement rebars. The fracture of longitudinal reinforcing steel due to low-cycle fatigue is one of the main causes of failure in RC structures under earthquake loading. The purpose of this research is to include the effects of low-cycle fatigue fracture of longitudinal reinforcing steel bars on the seismic performance of reinforced concrete bridge piers. To obtain a greater understanding of low-cycle fatigue failure of steel reinforcement of RC bridge piers subjected …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Delivery Of Tgfβ3 From Magnetically Responsive Coaxial Fibers Reduces Spinal Cord Astrocyte Reactivity In Vitro, Jessica L. Funnell, Jasper Fougere, Diana Zahn, Silvio Dutz, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A spinal cord injury (SCI) compresses the spinal cord, killing neurons and glia at the injury site and resulting in prolonged inflammation and scarring that prevents regeneration. Astrocytes, the main glia in the spinal cord, become reactive following SCI and contribute to adverse outcomes. The anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFβ3) has been shown to mitigate astrocyte reactivity; however, the effects of prolonged TGFβ3 exposure on reactive astrocyte phenotype have not yet been explored. This study investigates whether magnetic core-shell electro spun fibers can be used to alter the release rate of TGFβ3 using externally applied magnetic fields, …

Assessing Safety Culture: Lessons From The Aviation Industry, Mirrette Gendi, Cheri L. Marcham, Michael O'Toole

Publications

SAFETY CULTURE has been a topic of debate in academia as much as it has been in the practice of various industries (Zohar, 2010). Although the concept and definition of safety culture and what it entails have consumed much of the debate, the assessment of safety culture has been the most controversial. Yet, on the academic level, the topic of monitoring and measuring safety culture has seen limited research that offers reliable and valid assessment tools (Goodheart & Smith, 2014), especially when compared to the importance of safety culture as a component of a safety management system (SMS).

Constrained Assortment Optimization Under The Cross-Nested Logit Model, Cuong Le, Tien Mai

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We study the assortment optimization problem under general linear constraints, where the customer choice behavior is captured by the cross-nested logit model. In this problem, there is a set of products organized into multiple subsets (or nests), where each product can belong to more than one nest. The aim is to find an assortment to offer to customers so that the expected revenue is maximized. We show that, under the cross-nested logit model, the unconstrained assortment problem is NP-hard even when there are only two nests, and the problem is generally NP-hard to approximate to any constant factors. To tackle …

Ridds: Removal Of Irregular Debris Using Double Nets, Kayann Coote

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The quantity of debris in Earth’s orbit is increasing at an alarming rate, and without a sustainable solution, this will detriment the space environment, impacting the future of space travel and space traffic management. While numerous debris removal concepts and designs have been proposed, very few have made it to actual flight tests, and none can remove debris at a fast enough rate to stop debris growth. For debris currently in orbit, most proposed systems are costly on a large scale and cannot adapt to the wide variety of debris shape and geometry and tumbling. The purpose of the proposed …

Durability Assessment And Service Life Prediction Of Concrete In Extreme Aggressive Environment, Mohamed Ismail

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The objective of this research is to enhance the durability of newly constructed structural elements by assessing the performance of various concrete mixes for chloride resistance. The study focuses on establishing and developing correlations between chloride diffusion rates and concrete resistivity. By identifying these correlations and based on the target service life, the research aims to set appropriate thresholds for Surface Resistivity (SR) and Bulk Resistivity (BR) tests, which will be used to qualify concrete mixes used in in extremely aggressive chloride environments. To achieve these objectives, the research uses a systematic approach that combines experimental testing with analytical modeling. …

Sub-Surface Geospatial Intelligence In Carbon Capture, Utilization And Storage: A Machine Learning Approach For Offshore Storage Site Selection, Mehdi Nassabeh, Zhenjiang You, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study introduces an innovative data-driven and machine-learning framework designed to accurately predict site scores in the site screening study for specific offshore CO2 storage sites. The framework seamlessly integrates diverse sub-surface geospatial data sources with human aided expert-weighted criteria, thereby providing a high-resolution screening tool. Tailored to accommodate varying data accessibility and the significance of criteria, this approach considers both technical and non-technical factors. Its purpose is to facilitate the identification of priority locations for projects associated with Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). Through aggregating and analyzing geospatial datasets, the study employs machine learning algorithms and an expert-weighted …

Data Provenance Via Differential Auditing, Xin Mu, Ming Pang, Feida Zhu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With the rising awareness of data assets, data governance, which is to understand where data comes from, how it is collected, and how it is used, has been assuming evergrowing importance. One critical component of data governance gaining increasing attention is auditing machine learning models to determine if specific data has been used for training. Existing auditing techniques, like shadow auditing methods, have shown feasibility under specific conditions such as having access to label information and knowledge of training protocols. However, these conditions are often not met in most real-world applications. In this paper, we introduce a practical framework for …