Engineering Commons^™

Report Of The 12th F.V. Hunt Postdoctoral Fellow (1989-1990), E. Carr Everbach

Engineering Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Energy Use In Attached And Detached Residential Developments: Survey Results, Florida Solar Energy Center, Robin Vieira

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The relationship between land use, density, dwelling types and energy use in Florida has never been comprehensively examined. Few people consider both energy used in housing and energy used for local transportation. Florida state officials and some land planners have called for compact urban growth to reduce traffic congestion and travel distances. However, energy is rarely mentioned in these arguments. Local governments are trying to respond to the state's concern for compact growth. Developers, on the other hand, are concerned with meeting the local regulations. Unfortunately, energy use is seldom considered and there is little data available to guide decision …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Network Model Investigation Of Gas Transport In Bidisperse Porous Adsorbents, John H. Petropoulos, John K. Petrou, Athanasios I. Liapis

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A capillary network model consisting of a micropore network permeated by one of macropores of randomly varying size has been constructed. Although simplified (to keep computer space and time requirements low) in relation to a real bidisperse porous adsorbent or catalyst, it embodies the salient pore structural features likely to determine the gas-transport behavior of such porous solids. Suitable model calculations of Knudsen gas-phase and surface diffusion enabled us to (i) validate useful approximate methods for the more economical evaluation of network permeability and (ii) demonstrate certain important characteristic effects of nonrandom bidisperse pore structure on transport behavior and their …

1-Nitronaphthalene Causes Ultrastructural Changes Primarily In Nonciliated Bronchiolar Epithelium Followed By Ciliated Epithelium In The Rat, John-Michael Sauer

Masters Theses

This study describes morphological changes in the lung at several time intervals following a single injection of 1-Nitronaphthalene (100 mg/kg intraperitoneal) in male Sprague-Dawley rats using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Dilation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial distension in the nonciliated bronchiolar (Clara) cells was apparent as early as 1 hour after injection, while adjacent ciliated cell showed minimal changes. At 6 hours, when respiratory distress was apparent in the animals, Clara and ciliated cells exhibited chromatin clumping, loss of mitochondrial cristae and cytoplasmic vacuolization. Also at 6 hours, the interstitial area around the terminal bronchioles was infiltrated …

High Frequency Scattering Code In A Distributed Processing Environment, Scott Suhr

Theses and Dissertations

Government agencies and academic institutions are very interested programming for concurrent processing to cut computer processing time. However, many of the world's problems have already been coded for conventional serial computers. This research demonstrates the feasibility of modifying existing serial codes for execution in a concurrent processing environment. A electromagnetic scattering prediction code known as NECBSC is incrementally modified to incorporated various levels of concurrent computing. The data processed by the code are completely independent, providing an avenue for data decomposition of the process. Portions of the data set are processed on each mode and the results combined for final …

A Multiple Model Adaptive Estimator Using First And Second-Order Acceleration Models For Use In A Forward-Looking Infrared Tracker, Barbara J. Niblett

Theses and Dissertations

The performance of a multiple model adaptive estimator (MMAE) for an enhanced correlator/forward-looking-infrared tracker for airborne targets is analyzed in order to improve its performance. Performance evaluation is based on elemental filter selection and MMAE estimation error sizes and trends. The elemental filters are based on either first or second-order acceleration models. Improved filter selection is achieved by using acceleration models that separate the frequency content of acceleration power spectral densities into non- overlapping regions with second-order models versus the more traditional overlapping regions with first-order models. A revised tuning method is presented. The maximum a posteriori (MAP) versus the …

An Alternative Algorithm For Discrete-Time Filtering, Frederick H. Zeitz Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The discrete-time Kalman filter is a conditional mean estimator of the states of a linear stochastic process, conditioned on the previous state and current measurements. It assumes that the states and noise inputs can be represented as jointly Gaussian random variables. The influence diagram is a decision analysis tool. Under certain conditions, it can represent continuous, jointly Gaussian random variables. The conditioning order of the random variables may be changed (using Bayes' rule) so that any random variable can be conditioned on any other subset of random variables in the diagram. Under these conditions, an influence diagram can represent the …

Development Of A Personal Computer Simulation Program Of The Ln-94 Inertial Navigation System, Thomas E. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a simulation that emulates a Litton LN-94 INS. Real time simulation is achieved for a stationary navigation case and a straight-and-level flight trajectory are provided to exercise the simulation dynamics. The user interface is simple and requires little previous knowledge to operate. The communication link with the MILSTD 1553B bus provide a realistic environment in which to collect and analyze data. The simulation is processed on an 80386 IBM compatible personal computer. A 23-state INS error model is implemented and integration is performed by a fifth-order Kutta-Merson routine. The simulation is interfaced to a plotting routine and …

Operations Research In A New Spanish Air Force Planning System, Antonio Valderrabano

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research effort was to determine a new Spanish Air Force Planning System. Today's highly technological weapon systems are very expensive, and resources are very scarce. So its selection has to be done very carefully. This process can allow high flexibility, be helpful facing the budgetary problems for all the Air Forces, and also can be easily integrated in a joint defense system. The path defined in this thesis is able to be adapted for different situations. It can be useful for other Services or countries, when their own peculiarities have been set up on the defined …

A Vision System Model, Erik J. Fretheim

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides four major contributions to the field of vision research. The first contribution is a general vision system model. The model, which blends biological as well as technological methods into a coherent approach to vision, will provide a basis for implementing vision systems. The second contribution of this dissertation is to demonstrate particular implementations of portions of the model. These implementations will include methods for using Gabor wavelets in edge detection, in preprocessing images for use as feature vectors in backpropagation neural networks, and as basis functions in a recognition/reconstruction network, as well as methods for integrating color …

Experimental Evaluation Of Design Variables For Two-Dimensional Confined Jet Thrust Vector Control Nozzles, Timothy M. Hawkes

Theses and Dissertations

An experimental study of the axial and vectoring performance of two - dimensional (2-D) confined jet thrust vector control (CJTVC) nozzles was performed. The effects of adding secondary injection ports and changing exit height and secondary injection port location were studied on several 2-D CJTVC nozzles. The axial and vectoring performance results for these nozzles were measured over a range of pressure ratios. An analytical method for predicting flow separation was found to be applicable to these nozzles. Guidelines for designing 2-D CJTVC nozzles, that can be vectored using secondary injection, were established.

Investigation Of Adaptive Controllers For Puma Trajectory Tracking, Daniel J. Sims

Theses and Dissertations

Two robust model-based controllers and two decentralized adaptive controllers are experimentally evaluated. Algorithm evaluation is motivated by the need for controllers with good high speed tracking under varying payload conditions. The test case is a PUMA-560 robotic manipulator operating over the standard test suite. The model-based controllers are made robust by the addition of either an auxiliary input term or an adaptive feedforward compensator based on Lyapunov Theory. The model-based auxiliary input controller (MBAIC) adapts the gain matrices used in computing an additional torque to be combined with model-based feedforward and PD feedback torques. The adaptive model-based controllers adapt the …

Bearing Capacity Analysis Of Pavements, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A multilayered, mathematical model for analyzing the ultimate bearing capacity of soil subgrades and asphalt pavements is presented. Theoretical considerations and mathematical derivations of limit equilibrium equations, based on plasticity principles, for analyzing the ultimate bearing capacity of soil subgrades and partially completed asphalt pavements, and the extension of these equations to the analyses of asphalt pavements composed of multiple layers, are presented. The model is unique since shear strength parameters, Φ and c, (the angle of internal friction and cohesion, respectively) are used to describe each layer of material of the pavement structure and a factor of safety against …

Evaluation Of Modified Asphalt Mixtures, Kamyar C. Mahboub, Amy Simpson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The primary objective of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis on various modified asphalt mixture systems in order to determine their suitability for conditions that are commonly encountered in Kentucky.

Several modified asphalt mixture systems were selected for laboratory and field testing (one-mile long field test section on KY 80, Pulaski County). These systems included the following asphalt mixtures: Control, Vestoplast, Polypropylene Fiber, Gilsonite, PMAC #1, Polyester Fiber, and PMAC #2. Laboratory testing included: Marshall stability and flow, mixture air voids and density, indirect tensile strength, moisture damage susceptibility, freeze-thaw damage susceptibility, resilient modulus, and repeated load permanent …

Tensile Strength Of Welded Connections, Wei-Wen Yu, Roger A. Laboube

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

PREFACE The tensile strength of an arc spot weld is given only limited attention in the current edition of the AISI Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members. To broaden the design engineer's understanding of the behavior of arc spot welds, and to expand the specification's application for arc spot welds, the American Iron and Steel Institute, in 1989, initiated a research study at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The UMR research consisted of a comprehensive literature review, and experimental study which comprised of over 260 individual connection test specimens. The test specimen selection enabled the investigation of the …

Flexural Behavior Of Web Elements With Openings, Roger A. Laboube, Wei-Wen Yu, K. D. Batson

CCFSS Library (1939 - present)

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this phase of the research has been to investigate the flexural behavior of C-shaped members with web openings. Three common industry standard C-sections were tested as outlined in the first progress report. The web openings were located at 24 inches on center as illustrated in Fig. 1. Each test specimen was subjected to two point loads until the ultimate flexural strength of the member was obtained. This report summarizes the test procedure and results of the research to date.

Reactivities Of Some Aromatic Compounds At Supercritical Water Conditions, Chun-Cheng Tsao

Masters Theses

The goals of this study are the removal of nitrogen from the extraction products of coal by Supercritical Water and the development of an understanding of the reactions leading to this removal. Six model compounds with structures similar to the intermediates of the coal liquefaction processes were studied. Benzylamine generated toluene through hydrogen abstraction after the C-N bond rupture. To a lesser extent, the oxidation of the benzylic carbon took place leading to benzene formation. Both reaction pathways occurred with equal probability for benzylidenebenzylamine, producing comparable yields of benzene and toluene. Benzaldehyde generated benzene through the oxidation/decarboxylation sequence. Benzyl alcohol …

Mathematical Modeling Of Mass Transfer In Microvascular Wall And Interstitial Space, Daekyung Kim

Dissertations

The dynamics of macromolecular transport across the microvascular wall and into the adjoining interstitial space was studied in the hamster cheek pouch using intravital fluorescence microscopy in combination with digital image processing. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labe led dextrans (FITC-Dx) of 70,000 and 150,000 daltons were used as tracers. In each experiment, the time-dependent extravasation of FITC-Dx from a leakage site in a blood vessel was videotaped for about 2 hours. The macromolecular transport from individual microvessels was quantified by digital video-image processing. Histograms of the light intensity distributions for selected fields at various times were obtained and then converted to the interstitial …

The Theory Of Bootstrapped Algorithms And Their Applications To Cross Polarization Interference Cancelation, Abdulkadir Dinc

Dissertations

Dual-polarized transmission has become an important method for frequency re-use, particularly in satellite and microwave radio communication. Nevertheless, cross-polarization interference, which is inherent to this method, may cause degradation in system performance.

Different canceler [sic] structures have been proposed to mitigate the effect of cross-polarization. Among these are the diagonalizer, the least mean square (LMS) canceler [sic] and the bootstrapped cancelers [sic]. Bootstrapped canceler [sic] schemes have been proposed and implemented in different applications, such as satellites, tactical communications, and quadrature amplitude madulation [sic] (QAM) dual polarized microwave radio. Nevertheless, no attempt was made in the past to quantify the …

Mathematical Modeling Of Chemical Vapor Deposition Processes And Its Application To Thin Film Technology, Norman W. Loney

Dissertations

A number of workers in the field of Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have presented mathematical models in the literature. Some workers were able to produce analytical expressions for the interwafer concentration profile. These analytical expressions were based entirely on zero or first order chemical reaction rates. Until now, it appears that a chemical reaction rate expression that is not zero or first order directly, must be handled by a numerical scheme.

Presented herein is a mathematical model with an analytical interwafer concentration profile. This concentration profile is neither zero nor first order but shifts from zero to first order as …

Investigation Of Stagnation Flow Heat Transfer For A Heated Horizontal Round Plate, Ching-Hua Wei

Dissertations

The heat transfer characteristics in stagnation flow are investigated through three cases in this study. The first is forced convection by an array of air jets; the second is free convection of a downward-facing heated round plate; the third is free convection of an upward-facing heated round plate.

The first case is investigated by systematic experiments which examine the heat transfer characteristics mainly by five air jets impinging normally to a flat plate, with varying nozzle diameters, and Reynolds numbers, at different distances between the nozzles and the plate. The empirical formulas of heat transfer around the stagnation point and …

Kinetic Studies On Pyrolytic And Oxidative Decomposition Of Chlorocarbons In A Tubular Flow Reactor, Yang Soo Won

Dissertations

Chloroform decay and product distributions were distinctly different in the absence and presence of added O₂ and/or CH₄. Increases in O₂ concentration were observed to speed reagent loss, with a slower decay of chloroform observed for the CHCl₃/CH4/Ar pyrolysis system. In CHCl₃/CH₄/O₂, the major products were C₂Cl4, CH2CCl₂, C₂HCl₃, CO and CO₂ over a wide temperature range. Minor products included CH₂Cl₂, CH₃Cl, and C2H₃Cl. When CH₄ reactant was not present, …

Analysis Of The Influence Of Natural Wear And Tear In Gates And Runners On The Filling Of A Balanced Multi-Cavity Injection Mold, Ranga Reddy V. Adavelly

Theses

Design of injection molds is outmost important in the manufacture of parts. Its components runners and gates significantly influence the mold filling. Using a simulation package for injection molding a balanced multi-cavity mold was designed. Wear in the gates of runner was simulated by varying the cross-sectional area of the components. Influence of wear of tear in gates of runners on mold filling was measured in terms of flow rate of time of fill. Detailed analysis is done on four different models using four different materials Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, Nylon6 and Polybutylene terephthalate. Graphical display of result is presented and analyzed …

The Design And Testing Of A Personal Computer Controlled Scanning Acoustic Microscope For Orthopaedic Surgical Applications, Hubert Heinrich Berndt

Theses

This thesis describes scanning acoustic microscopy and ultrasonic image processing to characterize and evaluate materials of known properties, as well as novel materials. This work describes the assembly and testing of a PC based device for nondestructive evaluation of bone materials for usage in orthopaedics research. It includes the identification of some hardware problems and their solution, and it also describes different image processing techniques that have been developed and applied in this work. In a growing number of disciplines it has been discovered that an acoustic microscope can provide new information, especially about the elastic properties of specimens and …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Lpcvd Silicon Carbide Thin Films For X-Ray Lithography, Mahalingam Bhaskaran

Theses

Amorphous silicon carbide thin films were fabricated using low pressure chemical deposition method with a single liquid precursor, di tertiary butyl silane. The films were deposited for a temperature range of 500-850°C and at different pressures ranging from 0.05 to 1 torr. The growth rate of the films deposited at constant pressure of 0.2 torr with a flow rate of 60 sccm, was found to follow an Arrehenius Behavior in the temperature range of 600 - 675°C, yielding an activation energy of 32.5 k cal mol^-1 . IR spectroscopic study showed an absorption peak centered at 780 cm^{-1 …}

Development Of An Adaptive Fuzzy Shell Clustering Algorithm And Validity Measures, Kurra Bhaswan

Theses

In objective functional based fuzzy clustering algorithms the weighted sum of the distances of the feature vectors from cluster prototype are minimized. The fuzzy memberships are utilized as weighing factors. The cluster prototype can be a point or a line or a plane, etc. This work extends the recent concept of using curved prototypes by utilizing the Adaptive Norm Theorem proposed by Dave¹ to develop an algorithm for the detection of fuzzy hyper-ellipsoidal shell prototypes. The Objective functional associates a norm for each cluster in which to measure the proximity of the shell prototype adaptively. The resulting implementation necessitates …

Electroretinogram Modeling : Parameter Identification And Intensity-Response Function Fits, Juan J. Castro

Theses

Electroretinography testing provides many useful techniques for clinical diagnosis of the visual system. However, the interpretation of the electroretinogram data involves a great amount of subjectivity. The use of mathematical models and parameter estimation techniques to fit the electroretinogram data supply a non-subjective and more standard way for analysis of the electroretinogram data. Mathematical models provide a way of summarizing the information enclosed in the raw electroretinogram response into a small set of parameters that define the response.

This thesis presents a mathematical model for the electroretinogram response due to light stimuli. It also provides a non-subjective method for obtaining …

A Mouse-Driven Interface For Androx Ics-400, Chin-Tien Chen

Theses

A mouse-driven interface is extremely useful for software performing image processing tasks. This thesis describes an implementation of a mouse-driven interface for the Androx ICS-400 image processing board. The Androx board is housed in a Sun 4/330 running a UNIX-based operating system. The main goal of this interface is to provide a consistent and friendly user interface for image processing tasks and integrating the Sun window libraries with the Androx libraries. Various image processing tasks, such as gray scale and binary morphological operations, histogram, thresholding, filtering, spot, logical operations, arithmetic operations, zooming, scrolling, rank and image acquisition are implemented in …

The Bandwidth Allocation Of Atm Control By Neural Networks, Jin-Syan Chou

Theses

In this thesis, we develop a neural network method based on Adaptive Resonance Theory to train and control the optimum bandwidth allocation of ATM network. In Broadband Integrated Service Digital Network (BISDN), the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is already adopted as the transfer facility by CCITT. ATM is a high-bandwidth, low- delay, fast-packet switching and multiplexing technique. Using ATM technique, we can flexibly rearrange the network and reassign the bandwidth to meet the requirement of all types of services. As an effective optimization method, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is applied to implement the bandwidth allocation of ATM. Then, we use Adaptive …