Engineering Commons^™

Small Modular Reactor And Advanced Reactor Feasibility Study Interim Report, Purdue University Administrative Operations, Purdue University School Of Nuclear Engineering, Duke Energy

Administrative Operations Reports

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Equitable Practices For Stem Education To Prepare All Students For The 21st Century, Elizabeth Simpson

Dissertations

We are almost a quarter of the way through the 21st Century, yet most education institutions do not provide STEM education for all students. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have been a special focus of both industry and federal education initiatives in recent years. STEM is a proven way of building student skills needed for the workforce of tomorrow. The purpose of this study is to determine why education decision-makers resist implementing STEM programs equitably for all students. The context of this inquiry is district and school-based leaders throughout the United States, from elementary to high school, who have …

Multifunctional Nanomaterial Analysis Using Inexpensive Techniques, Casey Jordan , '24

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

Designing methods to comprehensively understand nanomaterial interactions is of paramount importance as nanomaterials gain widespread use and their environmental impact becomes a concern. While current characterization methods are suitable for initial assessments, there is a need for comprehensive techniques to evaluate end-of-use scenarios and environmental effects. This report emphasizes the potential of electrochemistry as a versatile measurement tool for nanomaterial analysis. Two projects are presented, showcasing innovative analytical architectures to overcome the limitations of existing techniques. Project 1 integrates linear sweep stripping voltammetry (LSSV) and particle impact voltammetry (PIV) to achieve kinetic resolution and size analysis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) …

Segregation And Heat Treatment Response Of Cast Quench And Partition Steels, Mujeeb Hussain Shaik

Masters Theses

Quench and partition (Q&P) steels have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional quenching and tempering methods, offering a superior balance of strength and ductility due to their unique microstructure of martensite, and retained austenite. This literature review examines the development and optimization of Q&P steels, focusing on their mechanical properties, heat treatment processes, and applications in various industries. This study explores the application and effectiveness of the Quench and Partition (Q&P) heat treatment process on cast steels and examines segregation phenomena in cast medium Mn steels. Medium Mn steels were employed for various Q&P cycles on cast specimens to investigate …

Finger Contracture Relief Sensorized Splint, Katia Campos, Alfonso Gonzalez, Olivia Rojas

Posters - 2024

Hand traumas may result from an accident, a burn, or even something far more common like a jammed finger. Due to the pain, the hand is immobilized and this lack of movement, in addition to the healing processes, can lead to a deformity. The specific deformity addressed in this project is a Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Flexion Contracture, which is when the middle knuckles of the fingers are stuck in a flexed position. Contractions can occur after trauma or certain illnesses. It is the shortening of muscles, tendons, skin, and nearby soft tissues that causes the joints to become very stiff. …

2024 (Spring) Ensi Informer Magazine, Morehead State University. Engineering Sciences Department

ENSI Informer Magazine Archive

The ENSI Informer Magazine published in the spring of 2024.

Material Modeling Of An Ultraviolet Sensitive Resin At High Pressures And Rates, Truman Miller Russell

Master's Theses (2009 -)

A full understanding of the behavior of binder materials under shock loading is required for effective simulation of heterogeneous polymer-binder-explosives (PBX) and polymer-binder-surrogate (PBS) systems. An accurate simulation is critical for the ultimate goal of designing meso-scale heterogeneous PBS systems. The binder materials studied here is an ultraviolet sensitive resin (UV resin). The UV resin is manufactured by AnyCubic. It is a glassy thermoset polymer and is known to be similar to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) both in mechanical properties and in chemical makeup. This material was chosen as it can be additively manufactured, and it will present a lower impedance …

Investigating The Impacts Of Bin Variability On Particle Size Distributions In Multiphase Eulerian-Eulerian Simulations, Wilbert Alexander Cruz

Master's Theses (2009 -)

In this study, a 3D steady-state Eulerian-Eulerian simulation was developed to investigate flow performance in a dilute pneumatic conveying system. The investigation focused on two main objectives: (1) assessing the influence of bin selection on solution accuracy for representing the polydisperse mixture, and (2) exploring methods to simplify the modeling of polydisperse particles in the simulation by utilizing a mean diameter derived from the mixture’s particle size distribution. The system's geometry and initial boundary conditions featured a 10.6 m long, 150 mm diameter horizontal pipe with both gaseous and solid phases initially moving at 27 m/s . The steady-state simulation …

Insight Into Uniform Filming Of Lif-Rich Interphase Via Synergistic Adsorption For High-Performance Lithium Metal Anode, Yufang He, Li Wang, Aiping Wang, Bo Zhang, Hiep Pham, Jonghyun Park, Xiangming He

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-scale simulation is an important basis for constructing digital batteries to improve battery design and application. Lif-rich solid electrolyte interphase (sei) is experimentally proven to be crucial for the electrochemical performance of lithium metal batteries. However, the lif-rich sei is sensitive to various electrolyte formulas and the fundamental mechanism is still unclear. Herein, the structure and formation mechanism of lif-rich sei in different electrolyte formulas have been reviewed. On this basis, it further discussed the possible filming mechanism of lif-rich sei determined by the initial adsorption of the electrolyte-derived species on the lithium metal anode (lma). It proposed that individual …

Antibiotic Resistance In Urban Stormwater Runoff And Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Kassidy N. O'Malley

Dissertations (1934 -)

Antibiotic resistance in the environment poses significant risks to human health, especially through the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) via pathways like food and water. Urban stormwater runoff has been identified as a significant contributor to the release and transport of ARGs in the environment but has remained under-researched. This dissertation aimed to address this gap by investigating the fate of ARGs in urban stormwater runoff to guide future stormwater management decisions. Two phases were completed; the first sought to investigate extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) in stormwater runoff, and the second focused on quantifying …

Accommodating Spatio-Temporal Dependency In Airline Demand Modeling, Sudipta Dey Tirtha, Tanmoy Bhowmik, Naveen Eluru

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of the current study is to examine monthly air passenger departures at the airport level considering spatial interactions between airports. In this study, we develop a novel spatial grouped generalized ordered probit (SGGOP) model system of monthly air passenger departures at the airport level. Specifically, we estimate two variants of spatial models including spatial lag model and spatial error model. In the presence of repeated demand measures for the airports, we also consider temporal variations of spatial correlation effects among proximally located airports by employing space and time-based weight matrix. The proposed model is estimated using monthly air …

Electric Vehicle Adoption Behavior And Vehicle Transaction Decision: Estimating An Integrated Choice Model With Latent Variables On A Retrospective Vehicle Survey, Fatemeh Nazari, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, Abolfazl (Kouros) Mohammadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Electric vehicles (EVs) promise a sustainable solution to mitigating negative emission externalities of transportation systems caused by fossil-fueled conventional vehicles (CVs). While recent developments in battery technology and charging infrastructure can help evolve the niche market of EVs into the mass market, EVs are yet to be widely adopted by the public. This calls for an in-depth understanding of public adoption behavior of EVs as one dimension of vehicle decision making, which itself may be intertwined with other vehicle decision-making dimensions, especially vehicle transaction. This study presents an integrated choice model with latent variables (ICLV) to investigate households’—as a decision-making …

Nonparametric Identification Of A Mems Resonator Actuated By Levitation Forces, Mohammed Abdel Razzaq, Rodrigo T. Rocha, Yu Tian, Shahrzad Towfighian, Sami F. Masri, Mohammad I. Younis

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

This work presents nonparametric identification of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) beam subjected to a non-classical nonlinear electrostatic (levitation) force. The approach is based on the Restoring Force Surface method and the Chebyshev polynomials. The study examines the main challenges associated with the used approach as applied to small-scale systems, such as the inability to measure the restoring force and acceleration. In this work, we use a mix of analytical techniques, experimental data, and Lagrange polynomial interpolation to estimate the restoring forces of the system and its nonlinearities. The extracted results are compared with the measurements, which show excellent agreement. Results …

Analysis Of Fast-Cured Plastic Scintillator Variations, Andrew K. Nesbitt, John W. Mcclory, Juan J. Manfredi, Andrew W. Decker

Faculty Publications

Organic plastic scintillators are widely used in a variety of homeland security applications, most commonly as detectors for radiation portal monitors due to their relative low cost, physical robustness, and fast-timing properties. However, plastic scintillators also typically provide lower light yields and photon sensitivity compared to other detector material alternatives, so many studies over the past two decades have sought ways to overcome these shortfalls. Research recently conducted at the Air Force Institute of Technology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrated that photocuring novel plastics offered a viable method for producing fast-curing plastic scintillators (FCPSs). These formulations included an acrylic …

Analysis And Improvement Of Efficient Charge Recovery Logic Adiabatic Circuits, William Morell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Power consumption has been an ever-present concern since the dawn of electronic computing. Every operation that a device performs consumes some amount of energy and as the demand for computation increases, both in scale and ubiquity, reducing this energy loss becomes more important. While modern devices are orders of magnitude more efficient than their ancestors on a per-operation basis, they are increasingly used in more resource constrained applications. Tiny, Internet of Things (IoT) machines are prevalent these days and demanded to perform data collection and analysis at all hours of the day for days at a time on small battery. …

Voxart: Handcrafting Vocal Audio Effects, Samuel Stephen, Anthony Ryan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Musicians, specifically vocalists, need new ways to integrate artistic expression into their craft. VoxArt is a system utilizing hand movements to control digital audio effects. Giving artistic expression into the hands of the vocalist as a conductor is to an orchestra emphasizing vocals with hand movements will have new meaning for vocalists. The development of the project aimed to use simple, easy to use off the shelf hardware such as a sensor on a glove to measure hand angle positions and in effect, alter audio effect parameters using a closed loop control system. Research and development has led to the …

Enhanced Carbohydrate-Based Plastic Performance By Incorporating Cerium-Based Metal-Organic Framework For Food Packaging Application, Shima Jafarzadeh, Mitra Golgoli, Maryam Azizi-Lalabadi, Javad Farahbakhsh, Mehrdad Forough, Navid Rabiee, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The development of biodegradable active packaging films with hydrophobic characteristics is vital for extending the shelf life of food and reducing the reliance on petroleum-based plastics. In this study, novel hydrophobic cerium-based metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. The Ce-MOF nanoparticles were then incorporated into the cassava starch matrix at varying concentrations (0.5 %, 1.5 %, 3 %, and 4 % w/w of total solid) to fabricate cassava-based active packaging films via the solution casting technique. The influence of Ce-MOF on the morphology, thermal attributes, and physicochemical properties of the cassava film was subsequently determined through further analyses. Biomedical …

Investigation Of Drying Shrinkage Characteristics In Lightweight Engineered Cementitious Composites, Agnel Mathew, Farhad Aslani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Lightweight engineered cementitious composites (LW-ECCs) not only offer comparable mechanical strengths compared with conventional concrete, but also increase the tensile strain of the composite and exhibit strain-hardening behavior, and can be utilized in weight-critical structures such as buildings in seismically active areas. Hollow glass microsphere is a type of ultra-lightweight inorganic non-metallic hollow sphere and it has been deemed as one of the potential sustainable fillers of cement composites. This study aims to investigate the drying shrinkage behavior of LW-ECCs mix designs incorporating different types of hollow glass microspheres (HGMs). Eight types of HGMs with different densities (0.2–0.6 g/cm3) and …

Probabilistic Alternate Path Analysis Of Steel Moment-Resisting Frames, Esmaeil M. Dehcheshmeh, Vahid Broujerdian, Farhad Aslani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research presents a probabilistic assessment of progressive collapse in intermediate Steel Moment-Resisting Frames (SMRFs) subjected to different levels of column damage. Damage levels were represented by gradual reductions in column stiffness to the extent that tensile forces are created in columns sustaining large deformations, and columns were allowed to enter completely plastic zone. To this aim, low- to mid-rise structures with 4, 8, and 12 stories were examined. The effect of composite slabs on the vertical displacement response of SMRFs was taken as a variable. A number of 11 column damage scenarios were defined with either one or two …

Influence Of Side Dilution Jets On Swirling And Non-Swirling Pulverised Biomass Turbulent Annular Flows, Syed E. Gillani, Yasir M. Al-Abdeli, Zhao F. Tian

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The use of pulverised biomass in non-premixed combustion systems, featuring turbulent annular flows (swirling, non-swirling) with downstream air dilution jets, is of immense practical importance. The overall combustion performance and emissions heavily rely on the underlying flow dynamics, turbulence and dispersion behaviour of the pulverised biomass particles. Despite the practical significance of side dilution jets in aiding complete combustion and controlling pollutants, the fundamental understanding of side dilution jets influence on the biomass particle velocity field, turbulence, and dispersion characteristics is still lacking. However, the presence of a multi-phase (solid-gas) flow field, highly turbulent annular flows, swirl, and cross-wise turbulent …

Community College Engineering Degree Partnerships With 4-Year Universities, Jeffrey Mark Stear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing the number of STEM professionals and reducing inequities in STEM are national priorities. Community colleges are important to address these concerns because they represent a higher percentage of underrepresented minority (URM) and women students. However, students starting 4-year STEM degrees in community college have had a lower completion rate. Partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities have the potential to improve success for community college students, but more research is necessary. The purpose of this ex post facto, quantitative, correlational study was to determine the relationships among participation in different types of partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities, …

Towards A Wearable Device For Measuring Impedance Plethysmography Of The Radial Artery, Pritom Chowdhury

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Recent advancements in bioimpedance technology have demonstrated significant promise in the application of cardiac health monitoring. This research explores the design and development of a forearm-based wearable bioimpedance device for non-invasive measurement of heart rate and respiratory rate at an accuracy level comparable to medical-grade monitors. It utilizes a tetrapolar electrode configuration to analyze bioimpedance changes in the radial artery due to blood flow.

An ongoing aspect of this work involves the preliminary development of an embedded framework intended to integrate signal generation, acquisition, and processing within the device to achieve compact and efficient system design, anticipated to contribute to …

Effects Of Confinement On Opposed-Flow Flame Spread Over Cellulose And Polymeric Solids In Microgravity, Ankit Sharma, Yanjun Li, Ya-Ting T. Liao

Student Scholarship

Opposed-flow flame spread over solid materials has been investigated in the past few decades owing to its importance in the fundamental understanding of fires. These studies provided insights into the behavior of opposed-flow flames in different environmental conditions (e.g., flow speed, oxygen concentration). However, the effect of confinement on opposed-flow flames remains under-explored. It is known that confinement plays a critical role in concurrent-flow flame spread in normal and microgravity conditions. Hence, for a complete understanding, it becomes important to understand the effects of confinement for opposed-flow flames. In this study, microgravity experiments are conducted aboard the International Space Station …

Surgical Navigation In Image-Guided Transoral Robotic Surgery, Yuan Shi

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is a minimally invasive approach in treating head and neck cancers and has demonstrated improved surgical outcomes with reduced morbidity when compared to traditional open surgery. However, the lack of haptic feedback makes it more difficult to assess the tumor extent and locate critical structures (e.g., artery and nerves). In standard-of-care TORS, preoperative imaging is used as guidance; however, it becomes inaccurate intraoperatively: the patient’s neck is hyper-extended, surgical instruments are introduced, and soft tissues deform significantly. As a result, the surgeon is required to mentally predict intraoperative deformation, which can lead to bleeding complications and …

Risk–Reward Share Allocation Under Different Integrated Project Delivery Relational Structures: A Monte-Carlo Simulation And Cooperative Game Theoretic Solutions Approach, Radwa Eissa, Mohamad Abdul Nabi, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Sharing of risks and rewards is considered to be one of the key benefits and principles of integrated project delivery (IPD). Despite its importance, risk–reward strategies are not implemented widely in IPD construction projects due to the lack of a well-defined basis for establishing adequate allocation plans. This paper fills this knowledge gap. This research followed a multistep methodology. First, the authors calculated the risk control valuations of all potential combinations of coalitions for IPD stakeholders. This was performed using interrelated steps of risk identification and quantification, risk assignment based on associated contractual analysis, establishment of a coordination network, and …

Guidebook For Project Management, Jill Asher, Keith Caudill, Travis Thompson, Jeff Jasper, Chris Van Dyke, Samantha Wright, Bryan Gibson, Pam Clay-Young, Candice Wallace

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

For the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Department of Highways, project development encompasses all the work activities needed to move a transportation project from concept and project initiation to construction letting. Developing projects efficiently requires the adoption of sound project management practices. Although KYTC has a long track record of executing complex projects, doing so is increasingly challenging due to staff attrition and the attendant loss of institutional knowledge. Today’s entry- and mid-level project managers have more responsibilities than ever but lack a trusted source of guidance to help them manage projects from development through completion. The objective of this study …

Graphene 2d Heterostructures For Thz Applications, Omnia Samy Shaaban

Dissertations

THz technology is a promising field that has various applications in communication, medical imaging and diseases’ detection, scanning, and the food industry. Since THz technology is still in its early stages, there is a lot of work to be done to obtain devices that work efficiently in the THz range. One of these devices is THz absorbers that are the basic building blocks for the next generation THz systems whether in communication systems, imaging or shielding. THz absorbers are structures that can absorb electromagnetic waves in the THz range (0.1-10 THz). THz absorbers can be wideband (absorb a wide range …

Optimizing Malaria Control: Granular And Cost-Effective Mosquito Habitat Index In Endemic Areas Through Satellite Imagery, Nur Ainun Daulay, Salwa Rizqina Putri, Arie Wahyu Wijayanto, Ika Yuni Wulansari

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

Malaria, classified as a tropical disease under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator 3.3, remains a significant global health challenge. In this study, by taking advantage of multiple spectral composite indexes of multisource satellite imagery to capture various geospatial features relevant to the suitability of marsh mosquito habitat, we introduced the Mosquito Habitat Suitability Index (MHSI) to assess potential Anopheles mosquito breeding sites in terms of the vegetation density, water bodies, environment temperature, and humidity in any particular areas. The MHSI integrates the publicly accessible granular level of the normalized difference vegetation index, water index, land surface temperature, and moisture …

Optimising The Fashion E-Commerce Journey: A Data-Driven Approach To Customer Retention, Hasna Luthfiana Fadhila, Vynska Amalia Permadi, Sylvert Prian Tahalea

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

A fashion e-commerce company offers a wide range of products from domestic and international brands that are popular with young people. However, there has been an increase in non-organically acquired customers, many of whom do not return to make repeat purchases. This has led to a higher customer churn rate, with a significant proportion of non-organically sourced customers failing to become repeat purchasers. Consequently, a churn analysis and prediction model were developed to address this issue. This paper employs the Recency, Frequency, and Monetary (RFM) framework for churn analysis and prediction. The framework is underpinned by three key dimensions: last …

Random Forest Algorithm To Measure The Air Pollution Standard Index, Ariyono Setiawan, Untung Lestari Wibowo, Ahmad Mubarok, Khoirunnisa Larasati

Knowledge Engineering and Data Science

This study uses the Random Forest algorithm to measure and predict the Air Pollution Standard Index (APSI) at Blimbing Banyuwangi Airport. Air pollution data, including concentrations of O3, CO, NO2, SO2, PM2.5, and PM10, were collected from air monitoring stations at the airport from April 15-30, 2024. APSI measurement followed established formulas by relevant authorities. Data analysis utilized statistical approaches and computational algorithms. The findings reveal that air quality at the airport is generally "Moderate," with occasional "Good" days. The Random Forest algorithm effectively predicts APSI based on existing pollution data. These results provide insights for improving air pollution management …