Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Graphene Oxide/Carbon Nanofiber Hybrid Structure, Greta Liu Bo Wilkins

Senior Honors Theses

Graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanofibers have unique individual properties that could be combined complimentarily to be utilized in a variety of fields. Combining these two materials together into self-standing structures would enable them to maximize their high surface area and electrically conductive properties into applications from lithium batteries to biosensors. This thesis aims to use a two-step process to develop a self-standing carbon nanofiber/GO structure. The first process is the electroless deposition process, and it is used to coat the GO with a metal catalyst. In the second step, a chemical vapor deposition technique is used to deposit carbon …

Application Of Image Processing In Soil Mechanics, Luke Knodel

Senior Honors Theses

Whenever someone digs a hole in the ground or takes a relaxing walk on the beach, they directly interact with the soil. In its basic form, soil consists of solid, water, and air phases. Unlike water and metals, soil is a particulate media, and the relative proportion of the individual phases significantly influences its physical properties. Various studies have analyzed soil using image processing to determine its morphological properties. Research involving the digital processing of X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) images of soil to retrieve physically meaningful information is gaining recognition. This study investigates two-dimensional X-ray CT images of unsaturated …

Serviceability Analysis And Feasibility Study Of Rooftop Pv System On Commercial Buildings In New York City, Daniel A. Shedo

Master's Theses

Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) blocks (Ballasts) to counterbalance an uplift wind pressure on Photovoltaic (PV) panels have been used widely. In contrast to mechanically attaching PV panels through penetration of a roof slab, the use of CMU blocks is preferred by many building owners, as penetrating and attaching the panels to a roof slab will pose a serious threat to the warranty of roof membranes, which typically last for 30 years. On the other hand, placing CMU blocks along with PV panels and other system components on a rooftop slab adds additional dead load, which may raise a concern regarding …

On Hydrophobic Deep Eutectic Solvents: Thermo-Physical Properties And Applications In Gas Solubility, Shan Khai Liew

Masters Theses

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been widely recognized as one of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. GHGs cause global warming, which will bring a lot of problems and irreversible changes. To curb CO2 emissions, much effort has been done. There are many technologies available for CO2 capture, such as amine scrubbing, pressure or temperature swing adsorption, membrane separation, and many solvents and absorbents that have been proposed for CO2 capture (e.g., zeolite, silica materials, graphene, activated carbon, etc.) at every stage (pre-combustion, post-combustion, oxy-combustion). However, these materials have their own drawbacks. Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (HDES) is a green …

Towards An Evolved Immersive Experience: Exploring 5g-And Beyond-Enabled Ultra-Low-Latency Communications For Augmented And Virtual Reality, Ananya Hazarika, Mehdi Rahmati

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Augmented reality and virtual reality technologies are witnessing an evolutionary change in the 5G and Beyond (5GB) network due to their promising ability to enable an immersive and interactive environment by coupling the virtual world with the real one. However, the requirement of low-latency connectivity, which is defined as the end-to-end delay between the action and the reaction, is very crucial to leverage these technologies for a high-quality immersive experience. This paper provides a comprehensive survey and detailed insight into various advantageous approaches from the hardware and software perspectives, as well as the integration of 5G technology, towards 5GB, in …

Work-In-Progress: Transformation Of A School Of Engineering Technology Gateway Experience, Rustin Webster, Matthew Turner, Brittany Newell

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This work-in-progress (WIP) paper begins to 1) describe the transformation of a School of Engineering Technology (SoET) gateway experience and 2) explore students’ outcomes and perceptions in the general areas of preparedness for success, satisfaction, learning preference, and competency development. In the Fall of 2022, the SoET gateway experience was transformed from two unintegrated/decoupled courses to a single course, based in part on observational problems with course design, curriculum, instructional methods, grading, assessments, integration, and documentation. Overall course objectives aimed to introduce students to foundational engineering technology (ET) knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed for success in future SoET courses …

A Review And Reflection On Open Datasets Of City-Level Building Energy Use And Their Applications, Xiaoyu Jin, Chong Zhang, Fu Xiao, Ao Li, Clayton Miller

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Data related to building energy use fuels the research and applications on building energy efficiency, which is an essential measure to address global energy and environmental challenges. However, in most cities, there is a lack of comprehensive and publicly accessible building energy use datasets with necessary temporal and spatial granularities to support urban building energy modeling, regional energy planning, city-level building performance benchmarking, and policymaking on building energy efficiency. Data owners and governments are facing challenges in determining which and how building energy use data should be disclosed at the city level and how to protect data privacy. This review …

Nftdisk: Visual Detection Of Wash Trading In Nft Markets, Xiaolin Wen, Yong Wang, Xuanwu Yue, Feida Zhu, Min Zhu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With the growing popularity of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT), a new type of digital assets, various fraudulent activities have appeared in NFT markets. Among them, wash trading has become one of the most common frauds in NFT markets, which attempts to mislead investors by creating fake trading volumes. Due to the sophisticated patterns of wash trading, only a subset of them can be detected by automatic algorithms, and manual inspection is usually required. We propose NFTDisk, a novel visualization for investors to identify wash trading activities in NFT markets, where two linked visualization modules are presented: a radial visualization module with …

Extracting A Body Of Knowledge As A First Step Towards Defining A United Software Engineering Curriculum Guideline, Anton Kiselev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In general, the computing field is a rapidly changing environment, and as such, software engineering education must be able to adjust quickly to new needs. Industry adapts to technologies as fast as it can, but the critical issue is a need for recent graduates with the necessary expertise and knowledge of new trends, technologies, and practical experience. The industries that employ graduates of computing degree programs aim to hire those who are familiar with the latest technical traits, tools, and methodologies to meet these needs, and the software engineering curriculum needs to respond quickly to these needs. Still, unfortunately, software …

Para Cima Y Pa’ Abajo: Building Bridges Between Hci Research In Latin America And In The Global North, Pedro Reynolds-Cuéllar, Marisol Wong-Villacres, Karla A. Badillo-Urquiola, Mayra Donaji Barrera-Machuca, Franceli L. Cibrian, Marianela Ciolfi Felice, Carolina Fuentes, Laura Sanely Gaytán-Lugo, Vivian Genaro Motti, Monica Perusquía-Hernández, Oscar A. Lemus

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

The Human-computer Interaction (HCI) community has the opportunity to foster the integration of research practices across the Global South and North to begin overcoming colonial relationships. In this paper, we focus on the case of Latin America (LATAM), where initiatives to increase the representation of HCI practitioners lack a consolidated understanding of the practices they employ, the factors that influence them, and the challenges that practitioners face. To address this knowledge gap, we employ a mixed-methods approach, comprising a survey (66 respondents) and in-depth interviews (19 interviewees). Our analyses characterize a set of research perspectives on how HCI is practiced …

Leveraging Automated Fiber Placement Computer Aided Process Planning Framework For Defect Validation And Dynamic Layup Strategies, Joshua Allen Halbritter

Theses and Dissertations

Process planning represents an essential stage of the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) workflow. It develops useful and efficient machine processes based upon the working material, composite design, and manufacturing resources. The current state of process planning requires a high degree of interaction from the process planner and could greatly benefit from increased automation. Therefore, a list of key steps and functions are created to identify the more difficult and time-consuming phases of process planning. Additionally, a set of metrics must exist by which to evaluate the effectiveness of the manufactured laminate from the machine code created during the Process Planning …

Development Of System Pressure Drop Calculation Methods For Dilute Phase Pneumatic Conveying, Ross Daniel Gorman

Theses and Dissertations

This work is focused on dilute and dense phase pneumatic conveying of bulk solids. The motivation of this work is to use industrial data to scale up existing models for pressure drop in pneumatic conveying systems, determine which models best predict pressure drop in full conveying systems, and find the empirical coefficients that go with these models.

Several major research objectives were accomplished by this work. First, system pressure drop methods were evaluated in this research. Other researchers have focused on single pipe section type pressure drops. Second, the data used in this research both for the machine learning evaluations …

Investigating The Detriment Of Development Assistance: A Geopolitical Analysis Of Sino-Djibouti Relations Through The Lens Of China’S Belt And Road Initiative, Elizabeth Elenwo-Roger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research paper will evaluate Africa’s past with debt accumulation, focusing on the role of the Washington Consensus spearheaded by the Bretton Woods Institutions in its failed attempts to relieve the continent’s debt distresses and further aggravate Africa’s already fractured relationship with the West. It will highlight the goals of the Belt and Road Initiative, assessing China’s South-South cooperation approach to its relations with Djibouti and the Horn of Africa. Specifically, it will investigate claims of China engaging in debt-trap diplomacy and the extent to which this term infringes upon the agency of African leaders. The general research question investigates …

Entre Punzones Y Percutores Reconstrucción De Tecnología Ósea De Los Selk'nam (Tierra Del Fuego), Rachel Dietz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación se enfoca en el estudio, reconstrucción y uso de la tecnología ósea empleada por las sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras-pedestres que ocuparon el litoral Atlántico de Tierra del Fuego, durante el Holoceno, específicamente se enfoca en la tecnología utilizada por los Selk´nam del Norte de Tierra del Fuego. La tecnología ósea fue una parte importante de su cultura y dos tipos fueron elegidos para investigar: percutores blandos y punzones huecos. Los percutores blandos fueron confeccionados sobre huesos de guanaco, un recurso importante para las sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras.

Los percutores blandos fueron usados para la formatización de artefactos líticos a través de la …

Feasibility Analysis Of A Wave Powered Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Yingchen Yang, Erick Martinez

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) powered by renewable energy would enable it to extend endurance and forward presence with no logistics tail for fuel. A wave powered concept AUV is proposed and analyzed for this purpose. The AUV is in a torpedo shape and employs a fully hull-encapsulated mass-spring-damper system as its power take-off (PTO) unit. While in the recharging mode, the AUV surfaces and converts wave energy for electricity. Considering the AUV of a common size, our analysis indicates that resonance of the AUV and/or its PTO, to be excited by ocean waves, becomes impossible in typical ocean conditions. …

Trust Model System For The Energy Grid Of Things Network Communications, Narmada Sonali Fernando, Zhongkai Zheng, John M. Acken, Robert B. Bass

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Network communication is crucial in the Energy Grid of Things (EGoT). Without a network connection, the energy grid becomes just a power grid where the energy resources are available to the customer uni-directionally. A mechanism to analyze and optimize the energy usage of the grid can only happen through a medium, a communications network, that enables information exchange between the grid participants and the service provider. Security implementers of EGoT network communication take extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of the energy grid, a critical infrastructure, as well as the safety and privacy of the grid participants. With the dynamic …

Gluten Free Diet Ameliorates Si Enteropathy In Iga Deficient Mice, Ryan Albert William Ball

Theses and Dissertations

Secretory IgA is the most abundant antibody in the intestinal mucosal and functions as the first line of defense against pathogens and micro-organisms in the gut. Selective IgA deficiency is the most common form of antibody deficiency. Clinically, IgA deficient patients are largely asymptomatic, they are however at a higher risk of developing certain inflammatory conditions like Celiac disease; an SI-specific enteropathy triggered by exposure to dietary gluten. Interestingly, celiac patients are 10-15 times more likely to have an IgA deficiency. Recent studies have shown that IgA^-/- mice develop enteropathy specifically in the ileum. We confirmed this phenotype in …

Design Of A Tvsa Cycle For Co2 Removal From Spacecraft Cabins Using A Structured Adsorbent, Pravin Bosco Charles Antony Amalraj

Theses and Dissertations

Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) and Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) are some of the most used cyclic adsorption technologies that is used for separating gas components from its mixture. Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) in the International Space Station (ISS) facilitates the continuous removal of CO2 by the cyclic adsorption process. The use of structured adsorbents has drawn attention due its several advantages over traditional beaded adsorbents. This work evaluates the role of different design variables on the effective thermal conductivity of a structured adsorbent bed for its possible application in a temperature swing adsorption (TVSA) process for space applications. The …

The Impact Of Using Tanks For The Equalization Step On The Performance Of A Psa Process, Behnam Fakhari Kisomi

Theses and Dissertations

The pressure equalization step between two adsorption beds is a key cycle step in many pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes. It involves connecting two beds together, or two beds and a tank as a medium. The utilization of tanks for equalization in a bed-to-tank-to-bed (BTB) configuration could be advantageous to reduce the number of beds in PSA cycle. In this study, a binary gas mixture A and B, with A more strongly adsorbed than B, was used for the investigation of Stafstrom-type PSA cycles with bed-to-bed (BB) and bed-to-tank-to-bed (BTB) equalization steps using linear isotherm and isothermal equilibrium theory. For …

Neurodevelopmental And Transient Impacts Of Brain Kynurenic Acid Elevation And Sleep-Wake Behavior, Katherine Rentschler

Theses and Dissertations

Sleep is vital for healthy cognition and mood. Sleep dysregulation is implicated in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Sex differences in sleep and arousal dysregulation are prominent in patients with psychotic disorders. Elevated levels of the neuroactive tryptophan metabolite, kynurenic acid (KYNA), have been found in cerebrospinal fluid and postmortem brain tissue samples from patients with psychotic disorders. KYNA is an astrocyte derived antagonist at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine (α7nACh) receptors. KYNA is synthesized in the brain from its biological precursor, kynurenine, via the enzyme kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT II), a potential therapeutic …

Role Of Sediment Type, Concentration, And Salinity On Clay Flocs, Ryan Michael Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Experiments were performed to study floc formation in water bodies. In particular, the study aimed to systematically identify effects of water depth, time, salinity, initial clay concentration, and clay type on floc formation and settling. Three sediment types were chosen for this research are Three sediment types were chosen for this research: silica powder, with particle sizes comparable to clay flocs, kaolin clay and bentonite clay. Silica was chosen as a control because it did not form flocs. Kaolin represented low activity clay; bentonite was chosen as the high activity clay. Experiments lasted up to 48 hours. Graduated cylinders were …

Timing Deterministic Structural Model Updating Considering Impact And Fatigue Damage, Jason Michael Smith Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Naval ship structures such as support trusses, hull sections, driving machinery, and load-bearing beams are subjected to various damage states that develop on short-term (i.e. impact) and long-term (i.e. fatigue) timescales. Naval structures fitted with a structural health monitoring system with damage detection abilities will enable appropriate real-time adjustments to the ships’ posture and control policies and thus have increased survivability and lethality. A digital twin can provide real-time condition assessment of naval structures when conjoined with a decision-making framework will increase naval ship survivability through informed response management. A fundamental challenge for the development of digital twins is reliable …

Vision Controlled Autonomous Stakebot For Driving Stakes And Its Digital-Twin, Corey Lee Leydig

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis a novel vision-based AI driven autonomous ‘StakeBot’ is proposed to serve the agricultural 4.0 industries of the future. In recent years supply, demand and production of vegetables that are harvested from plants with weak stems like bell pepper, tomato, eggplant has been significantly up by several fold. With growing demand and new green-house establishments across the country production of vegetables will require a tremendous number of labors which will be hard to supply soon. To overcome the issues in addition to the labor shortages, automation through robotics will be the only viable solution. Plants like bell peppers …

An Artificial Intelligence Approach To Fatigue Crack Length Estimation From Acoustic Emission Signals, Shane T. Ennis

Theses and Dissertations

As in service aircraft begin to age and fatigue, a method for evaluating the operational life they are currently operating under and have remaining comes into question. Structural health monitoring is (SHM) is a popular method of structural analysis with growing interest in the aerospace industry. SHM is capable of damage assessment and structural life estimations.

The ultimate goal of the research presented in this thesis is to develop a methodology of classifying the length of a fatigue crack though the use of machine learning. The thesis has three major chapters as described below.

The first chapter deals with the …

An Autonomous Aerial Drone System For Water Fluorescence Mapping And Targeted Sampling, Kazi Ragib Ishraq Sanim

Theses and Dissertations

At present, aerial drones, also known as Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), are increasingly used in time and effort-heavy scientific exploration applications. One such application is inspecting the physical, chemical, and biological state of water bodies. This thesis presents a novel autonomous system capable of sensing water properties and collecting up to three 250 mL water samples from multiple sampling locations. The system features a customized aerial drone with an in-house built fluorescence sensor and pumping mechanism. It can also map the gradient of fluorescent content across the body of water to determine the best sampling …

Nondestructive Damage Detection And Stress Corrosion Crack Mitigation In Stainless Steel Plates, Andrew Philip Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to inspect and detect damage within a structure without permanent damage has broad appeal in a range of engineering applications from aerospace structures to nuclear facilities. Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) using guided ultrasonic Lamb waves has growing potential and popularity in these fields. Lamb waves are known for being sensitive to material properties and various defects across the thickness such as cracks in metallic structures and delamination or debonding in composite structures. Research has also been done on the development of fully non-contact system that generates and detects Lamb waves, particularly focused on the use of pulsed laser for …

Actuation And Sensing Applications Of Piezoelectric Transducers, Connor Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

Piezoelectric materials, defined by their ability to display a charge across their surface in response to mechanical strain, are great for use in actuation and sensing applications. Actuation applications include acoustic devices, motors and vibration damping while sensing applications include pressure sensors, medical devices, energy harvesting and structural health monitoring (SHM). The use of piezoelectric actuation and sensing across the lifecycle of aerospace metals is currently an expanding field with use cases beginning with the manufacturing process and ending with SHM.

The research presented in this thesis had three goals: (i) to develop methods for implementation of piezoelectric actuation in …

Comprehensive Process Planning Optimization Framework For Automated Fiber Placement, Alex Ryan Brasington

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced composite materials came about in 1966 and have since been widely used due to the possibility of superior structural performance while also achieving weight reductions. Such opportunities have led to composite materials being used to fabricate complex components, often in the aerospace sector. Most components, especially in aviation, are on a large scale and are outside the capabilities of traditional composite manufacturing techniques. Traditional manufacturing methods are also labor intensive, time consuming, have a high level of material scrap, and are prone to human error. This has led to the need for innovative manufacturing solutions to withstand the ever-increasing …

New Perspectives And Insights Into Direct Epoxidation Of C3H6 Using O2 And Ag Based Catalysts And Measurement Of Active Ag Site Concentration Of Promoted Ag Catalyst For C2H4 Epoxidation By H2 Pulse Titration Over Oxygen Pre-Covered Surface, Md Masudur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Direct epoxidation of C₃H₆ using molecular O₂ and Ag catalysts to produce propylene oxide (PO) selectively is a long-sought goal in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. In the early 1990’s Scientists at ARCO reported promising results of 58 – 59% selectivity to PO at 3.2% conversion of C₃H₆ over an unusual composition of 54.0 wt% Ag, 2.0 wt% K⁺, 0.5 wt% Mo and balance CaCO₃. Feed additives of ethyl chloride (EtCl), nitric oxide (NO) and CO₂ were stated necessary to achieve the claimed high PO selectivities. The roles …

Physics-Based And Behavioral Models For Fuel Cells, Charles Chima Anyim

Theses and Dissertations

In recent times there has been renewed interest in fuel cells for electricity production, especially for transportation applications. Fuel cells are attractive because the electricity production process from chemical energy does not cause pollution, and no carbon emissions occur. In this work, we will focus on Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells that use hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, producing only electricity, heat and water. If hydrogen can be produced in a green, non-polluting way, fuel cells can truly be an environmentally benign energy source.

In this work, we will look at the modeling of a fuel cell system. …