Engineering Commons^™

Rapidly Deployable Structures For Disaster Relief And Military Use, Jayson Leonard

All Theses

Rapidly deployable structures currently play a vital role in the recovery aspect of disaster-stricken areas and the safety of military personnel in hostile zones. More recently there has also been a need for the structures to deal with unforeseen disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic, such as COVID testing centers or backyard pop-up offices. These structures could be used in different environments and serve many other purposes. Along with the structural performance of these shelters, they need to integrate into systems set in place effortlessly. For that reason, four key factors were taken into consideration, namely (1) deployability (how difficult …

Data-Driven Distributed Modeling, Operation, And Control Of Electric Power Distribution Systems, Hasala Dharmawardena

All Dissertations

The power distribution system is disorderly in design and implementation, chaotic in operation, large in scale, and complex in every way possible. Therefore, modeling, operating, and controlling the distribution system is incredibly challenging. It is required to find solutions to the multitude of challenges facing the distribution grid to transition towards a just and sustainable energy future for our society. The key to addressing distribution system challenges lies in unlocking the full potential of the distribution grid. The work in this dissertation is focused on finding methods to operate the distribution system in a reliable, cost-effective, and just manner.

In …

Impact Of Spray Coating On The Performance Of Hydrophobic Membranes, Dominick J. Maiorano, Hamid Fattahijuybari, David Warsinger

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Membrane distillation (MD) is a rapidly emerging water treatment technology used to combat the global water crisis. Membrane pore wetting is a primary barrier to widespread industrial use of MD. The primary causes of membrane wetting are membrane fouling and an exceedance of liquid entry pressure. The development of different types of polymer membranes and the use of pretreatment have led to significant movement towards the prevention of wetting in MD. We sought to take a new approach to combat membrane wetting that involves coating these membranes with hydrophilic chemical compounds, which consequently would decrease their air permeability. Pulling data …

Restoring An Iso:5840-Compliant Pulse Duplicator Device For Hydrodynamic Performance Characterization Of Artificial Cardiac Valves, Denver Eagar

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I was employed as an intern at Dynatek Labs, an implantable prosthetics testing company located in southern Missouri. My primary project was to modernize an abandoned pulse duplicator device and protocol to allow the company to re-enter a market area which they left nearly 15 years prior: heart valve testing. The company halted this initiative due to changes in international testing standards in previous years. The International Standards Organization Cardiac Valves Working Group released the latest version of standards concerning artificial heart valve testing (ISO 5840) in January of 2021. Accordingly, my project required that …

A Hybrid Systems Model For Emergency Department Boarding Management, Eniola Oluwasola Suley

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine methods for minimizing the influence of boarding on emergency department (ED) crowding outcomes. To accomplish this purpose, this research uses a hybrid systems model framework by combining agent-based simulation, predictive and optimization models to improve ED outcomes such as length-of-stay and left-without-being-seen rates. For the research, different types of simulation models were examined (discrete event and agent-based/discrete event combination) to identify the most parsimonious for studying ED boarding. Predictive models using simulation output were developed to understand the factors that influence future boarding levels as well as generate predictions. Research has previously …

System Identification Of Linear And Non-Linear Dynamical Systems Using Semi-Definite Programming Via Penalized Parabolic Relaxation Method, Adnan Nasir

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This document is prepared to highlight the difference between two very important fields in the realm of Convex Optimization, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and many such sprouting advance fields currently impacting the whole world. The main aim of the recent SDP algorithms is to relax the NP-Hard Convex optimization problems and transform them into amenable jobs without strong theoretical guarantees, but these algorithms tends to approximate the practical in demand applications in many of the aforementioned fields. Moreover, The lack of theoretical guarantee makes the SDP relaxation in-exact and unoptimizable in finite duration. The actual world applications most of the …

Coupled Effect Of Fiber And Granular Skeleton Characteristics On Packing Density Of Fiber-Aggregate Mixtures, Naimeh Nouri, Masoud Hosseinpoor, Ammar Yahia, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The addition of fiber to cementitious materials enhances mechanical performance but can reduce workability of the fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) mixtures. This can be due to the negative effect of fibers on packing density (PD) of the fiber-coarse aggregate (F-A) combination. The performance of FRC, as a diphasic suspension, is dependent on the characteristics of both F-A (suspended-solid skeleton) and mortar (suspending liquid) phases. PD can reflect the voids within the F-A skeleton to be filled with mortar. An adequate optimization of the characteristics of the F-A skeleton can modify the performance of FRC in fresh and hardened states. The F-A …

Embedding A Grid Of Load Cells Into A Dining Table For Automatic Monitoring And Detection Of Eating Events, Mohammad Mayyan

All Dissertations

This dissertation describes a “smart dining table” that can detect and measure consumption events. This work is motivated by the growing problem of obesity, which is a global problem and an epidemic in the United States and Europe. Chapter 1 gives a background on the economic burden of obesity and its comorbidities. For the assessment of obesity, we briefly describe the classic dietary assessment tools and discuss their drawback and the necessity of using more objective, accurate, low-cost, and in-situ automatic dietary assessment tools. We explain in short various technologies used for automatic dietary assessment such as acoustic-, motion-, or …

Replication Data For: Investigating Detection Probability Of Mobile Survey Solutions For Natural Gas Pipeline Leaks Under Different Atmospheric Conditions, Shanru Tian, Stuart Riddick, Younki Cho, Clay Bell, Daniel Zimmerle, Kathleen Smits

Earth & Environmental Sciences Datasets - Archive

The 2015 Paris agreement aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep global temperature rise below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. Reducing CH4 emissions from leaking pipelines presents a relatively achievable objective. While walking and driving surveys are commonly used to detect leaks, the detection probability (DP) is poorly characterized. This study aims to investigate how leak rates, survey distance and speed, and atmospheric conditions affect the DP in controlled belowground conditions with release rates of 0.5–8.5 g min−1. Results show that DP is highly influenced by survey speed, atmospheric stability, and wind speed. The average DP in Pasquill–Gifford stability …

Thermal Properties Of Water Repellent Sands: Experimental And Theoretical Evaluation, Gang Lei

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Unsaturated hydrophobic soils, induced by the decomposition of plant roots or chemical or oil contamination et al., may have potentially negative effects on soil thermal behaviors and further influence the performance of shallowly buried energy systems, including ground heat exchangers, borehole energy geo-storage systems, and buried power cable systems, etc. This research focused on the fundamental understanding of soil thermal behaviors in relation to surface wettability. Surface wettability alteration was conducted in the laboratory by applying dimethyldichlorosilane (DMDCS) on dry sands, which generated a thin hydrophobic layer on the sand particle surface. Several surface characterizations using scanning electron microscopy …

A Sustainable And Equitable Transportation System Design Under Connected Vehicle And Big Data Driven Environment, Farzana Rahman Chowdhury

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

As the population increases day by day, several cities are having trouble dealing with the increasing demand for a sustainable and equitable transportation system. At the same time, application of newer technology is also increasing . By definition, a sustainable transportation system indicates a method that includes the needs of each individual road user and mode of transportation. A sustainable transportation system also supports the compatibility of the system with the change in demand, regional development, and available resources. In a sustainable and equitable transportation system, integrating the virtual world and the physical world is crucial since it makes the …

Model Development For User Behavior While Adopting Autonomous Vehicles As Their On-Demand Transportation Mode, Ronik Ketankumar Patel

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) are a new technology that allows passengers to skip hailing a cab using a smartphone app to summon an autonomous shuttle that does not require a human operator. SAVs are anticipated to improve the efficiency, mobility, safety, and affordability of transportation systems. However, consumers will determine the success of SAV technology. Researchers have studied the associations between individuals' attitudes, preferences, and adoption of self-driving services focusing mainly on potential riders with no actual ridership experience. However, the literature lacks empirical assessments of riders' adoption and acceptance of SAVs. Therefore, this study aims to develop two models …

Data Fusion For Non-Motorized Volume Estimation: A Machine Learning Approach, Md. Mintu Miah

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Despite increased awareness at the state and federal levels of the design and policy concerns associated with nonmotorized infrastructure, communities typically develop strategies to estimate network-wide nonmotorized traffic. However, past research fails to provide the same level of estimation sophistication as motor vehicles due to a lack of investment, which limits increased understanding and capability among communities in network-wide nonmotorized traffic volume estimation. Although previous studies introduce machine learning, Neural Networks, and feature engineering to motorized traffic volume estimation, nonmotorized traffic estimation experiences limited attempts to use these advanced techniques. This dissertation addresses this deficiency in bicycle volume estimation …

Physical And Mental Health Challenges Of Construction Workforce Active In Extreme Weather Conditions, Sanjgna Karthick

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Construction sites continue to operate despite inclement weather, exposing workers to unpleasant working circumstances that can lead to various physical and mental health challenges. A thorough literature review yielded 21 challenges for hot weather conditions such as heat stroke, kidney disease, heat cramps, anxiety, depression and 20 challenges for cold weather conditions like asthma, frostbite, Musculo-Skeletal disorders, hallucination. Workers vulnerable to hot and cold weather based on demographic characteristics were identified. The study also provides 27 strategies to address the challenges experienced in hot and cold weather conditions. Some of these include ensuring that workers stay hydrated, scheduling sufficient rest …

Performance Evaluation And Retrofitting Options Of A Precast Prestressed Concrete Bridge With Deck Panel Failure, Ahmed Abdullah Alateeq

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Bridges play a crucial role in the worldwide transportation infrastructure. According to the 2021 America’s Infrastructure Report Card, there are more than 617,000 bridges across the Nation, of which, 42% are at least 50 years old, and 7.5% are rated as structurally deficient. Repetitive loading from heavy trucks is one of the reasons that could compromise the structural integrity of bridges. The heavy trucks have a negative impact on the bridge deck as a bridge’s first line of defense is to resist the applied load. The Las Lomas Bridge [Eastbound (EB) and Westbound (WB)] carrying IH-20 over Las Lomas Pkwy, …

Hierarchical And Distributed Architecture For Large-Scale Residential Demand Response Management, Pramod Herath Mudiyanselage

All Dissertations

The implementation of smart grid brings several challenges to the power system. The ‘prosumer’ concept, proposed by the smart grid, allows small-scale ‘nano-grids’ to buy or sell electric power at their own discretion. One major problem in integrating prosumers is that they tend to follow the same pattern of generation and consumption, which is un-optimal for grid operations. One tool to optimize grid operations is demand response (DR). DR attempts to optimize by altering the power consumption patterns. DR is an integrated tool of the smart grid. FERC Order No. 2222 caters for distributed energy resources, including demand response resources, …

Disposable Puff Bar Electronic Cigarettes: Chemical Composition And Toxicity Of E-Liquids And A Synthetic Coolant, Esther E. Omaiye, Wentai Luo, Kevin J. Mcwhirter, James F. Pankow, Prue Talbot

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The popularity of disposable fourth-generation electronic cigarettes (ECs) among young adults and adolescents has been increasing since the ban on flavored cartridge EC products such as JUUL. Although the constituents and toxicity of some cartridge-based fourth-generation ECs, such as JUUL, have been studied, limited data exist for other disposable ECs such as Puff. The purpose of this study was to determine flavor chemicals, synthetic coolants, and nicotine concentrations in 16 disposable Puff devices, evaluate the cytotoxicity of the different flavors from the Puff brand using in vitro assays, and investigate the health risks of synthetic coolants in EC products. Gas …

Measurement Of Enantiomer Percentages For Five Monoterpenes From Six Conifer Species By Cartridge-Tube-Based Passive Sampling Adsorption–Thermal Desorption (Ps-Atd), Ying Wang, Wentai Luo, Todd Rosenstiel, James F. Pankow

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many monoterpenes have at least two different stereochemical forms, and many biosynthetic pathways are known to favor one product over the other(s). A rapid method was developed and used in the determination of the (-/+" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-radius: 0px; display: inline; line-height: normal; word-spacing: normal; overflow-wrap: normal; white-space: nowrap; float: none; direction: ltr; max-width: none; max-height: none; min-width: 0px; min-height: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative;">)-enantiomeric distributions for α-pinene, β-pinene, camphene, limonene, and β-phellandrene as emitted by plant material from six conifer species. The six species included the two pine species Pseudotsuga …

Combining Passive And Active Ultrasonic Stress Wave Monitoring Techniques: Opportunities For Condition Evaluation Of Concrete Structures, Thomas Schumacher, Ernst Niederleithinger

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Concrete structures are invaluable assets to a society and managing them efficiently and effectively can be supported by information gathered through structural health monitoring (SHM). In this paper, a combined approach based on passive, i.e., acoustic emission (AE), and active, i.e., ultrasonic stress wave (USW) monitoring techniques for application to concrete structures is proposed and evaluated. While AE and USW are based on the same underlying physics, i.e., wave motion in solids, they differ fundamentally with respect to the nature of the source. For the former, external stimuli such as mechanical loads or temperature cause the rapid release of energy …

A Heuristic For The Two-Echelon Multi-Period Multi-Product Location–Inventory Problem With Partial Facility Closing And Reopening, Puntipa Punyim, Ampol Karoonsoontawong, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Vatanavongs Ratanavaraha

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, the two-echelon multi-period multi-product location–inventory problem with partial facility closing and reopening is studied. For each product and period, plants serve warehouses, which serve consolidation hubs, which service customers with independent, normally distributed demands. The schedule of construction, temporary partial closing, and reopening of modular capacities of facilities, the continuous-review inventory control policies at warehouses, the allocation of customer demands to hubs, and the allocation of hubs to warehouses are determined. The service levels for stockout at warehouses during lead time and the violation of warehouse and hub capacities are explicitly considered. The proposed mixed-integer non-linear program …

Cuo Nanoparticles Solubility As Influenced By Soil Pore Water, Native Microorganisms, And Wheat Rhizosphere Chemistry In A Sand Matrix, Dakota Sparks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nanoparticles (NPs) are particles less than 100 nm (~4 millionths of an inch) in a direction. NPs, due to their small size, are used in a variety of products, such as silver (Ag) NPs as an antimicrobial in clothes. Copper Oxide (CuO) NPs are used in electronics as semiconductors and other fields as antimicrobials and purposefully or accidentally end up in the environment. Copper (Cu) is a necessary nutrient for plants, but at higher amounts is toxic to plants and beneficial soil microbes.

In order to understand how the CuO NPs interacts with plants, wheat seedlings were grown in sand …

Pedestrian Behavior At Signalized Intersections Throughout Utah, Sadie Boyer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pedestrians and vehicles interact with each other all over the world. Pedestrian-vehicle interactions are most likely to occur at intersections. One way to streamline these interactions and reduce the number of potential conflicts is by using traffic signals. Signalized intersections were developed to increase the overall safety and efficiency of movements involving motorists and, later, pedestrians (Clark, 2022). The number of signalized intersections is increasing across the country as vehicle volumes increase. This means that pedestrian-vehicle conflicts are also increasing. Pedestrian-vehicle conflicts can have serious, even fatal, consequences if not appropriately managed.

This study was a sponsored project by the …

Analysis Of Optically Transparent Antennas Designed From Different Transparent Conductors, Rakib Hasan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This master’s thesis work presents an investigative study about the performance of transparent antennas. The antennas have been fabricated using two advanced transparent conductive films (TCF) namely Nano-C Hybrid and Silver-Nanowire (AgNW). Nano-C Hybrid is a new transparent conductive film which combines thin conductors like Carbon Nanotube and Silver Nanowire. The antennas made from Nano-C Hybrid and AgNW are of monopole types and are mounted on a ground plane made out of a printed circuit board and the antennas are excited using an SMA connector through that printed circuit board. Simulation works have been performed to find out the optimum …

Novel Patterning Techniques To Improve Digital Image Correlation In Challenging Environments, Weston Craig

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A camera-based measurement technique called digital image correlation (DIC) is beneficial to measure displacement and strain in challenging environments (such as post-irradiation evaluation and high temperature environments) due to its non-contacting nature and ability to obtain measurements over multiple length scales. This technique requires a surface pattern which influences the measurement resolution and accuracy of the measurements. This thesis explores two novel patterning techniques to allow the use of DIC in more challenging environments:

The first is to determine if a pattern created from printed text can be used as a pattern in DIC. Native patterns are patterns already present …

Optimization Of High-Speed Channel For Signal Integrity With Deep Genetic Algorithm, Huan Huan Zhang, Zhao Sheng Xue, Xin Yi Liu, Ping Li, Lijun Jiang, Guang Ming Shi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A deep genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to optimize the high-speed channel for signal integrity. In the traditional genetic algorithm-based high-speed channel optimization method, the eye height and eye width of the eye diagram are obtained by eye diagram simulation based on the full-wave algorithm, which is computationally expensive. In this letter, a deep neural network (DNN) is trained to predict the eye diagram information corresponding to a set of given design parameters of the high-speed channel. This DNN is embedded into the genetic algorithm to carry out the evaluation operation, which can greatly accelerate the evaluation process. A high-speed …

Estimation Of Coal Density Using A 3d Imaging System: Rhovol, F. Nakhaei, Q. P. Campbell, M. Le Roux, S. Botlhoko

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The results of coal sink and float tests are plotted as washability curves. Analysis of these curves indicates the most effective method by which the coal can be cleaned. Sink and float experiments are sampling-dependent, destructive, and use toxic chemicals. The present research introduces an alternative method based on a 3D imaging system called RhoVol, in which the density of individual particles is determined from mass and volume measurements. A quantitative error analysis was conducted on coal sample density measurements obtained by RhoVol, and the main factors influencing the errors identified and investigated. The results show that the drawback of …

Advances In Energy Hybridization For Resilient Supply: A Sustainable Approach To The Growing World Demand, Haider Al-Rubaye, Joseph D. Smith, Mohammed H.S. Zangana, Prashant Nagapurkar, Yishu Zhou, Gregory M. Gelles

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Energy poverty, defined as a lack of access to reliable electricity and reliance on traditional biomass resources for cooking, affects over a billion people daily. The World Health Organization estimates that household air pollution from inefficient stoves causes more premature deaths than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. Increasing demand for energy has led to dramatic increases in emissions. The need for reliable electricity and limiting emissions drives research on Resilient Hybrid Energy Systems (RHESs), which provide cleaner energy through combining wind, solar, and biomass energy with traditional fossil energy, increasing production efficiency and reliability and reducing generating costs and emissions. Microgrids …

Biodegradable Microneedle Patch For Delivery Of Meloxicam For Managing Pain In Cattle, David A. Castilla-Casadiego, Katherine A. Miranda-Munoz, Jesse L. Roberts, Anne D. Crowell, David Gonzalez-Nino, Dipankar Choudhury, Frank O. Aparicio-Solis, Shannon L. Servoss, Adrianne M. Rosales, Gary Prinz, Min Zou, Yuntao Zhang, Johann F. Coetzee, Lauren F. Greenlee, Jeremy Powell, Jorge Almodovar

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microneedle patches are a promising source for transdermal diffusion of macromolecules and are designed to painlessly penetrate the skin. In this study, a biodegradable chitosan microneedle patch to deliver meloxicam for managing pain in cattle was tested. The potential of reuse of the polymeric solution to fabricate the patches, optimization of fabrication, morphological analysis of the microneedle patch and analysis of preservation of the chemical composition after sterilization were evaluated. In-vitro analysis consisted of studying in-vitro penetration mechanical properties, compression testing analysis of microneedle patch, and in-vitro drug release analysis. In-vivo studies were performed to analyze the dissolution capability of …

Elevated Temperature Thermal Properties Of Zrb2-B4c Ceramics, Eric W. Neuman, Matthew Thompson, William Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The elevated temperature thermal properties of zirconium diboride ceramics containing boron carbide additions of up to 15 vol% were investigated using a combined experimental and modeling approach. The addition of B4C led to a decrease in the ZrB2 grain size from 22 µm for nominally pure ZrB2 to 5.4 µm for ZrB2 containing 15 vol% B4C. The measured room temperature thermal conductivity decreased from 93 W/m·K for nominally pure ZrB2 to 80 W/m·K for ZrB2 containing 15 vol% B4C. The thermal conductivity also decreased as temperature increased. For nominally pure ZrB2, the thermal conductivity was 67 W/m·K at 2000 °C …

Transient Response Of Esd Protection Devices For A High-Speed I/O Interface, Jianchi Zhou, Yang Xu, Sergej Bub, Steffen Holland, Javad Soleiman Meiguni, David Pommerenke, Daryl G. Beetner

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

System-efficient electrostatic discharge (ESD) design (SEED) models of a diode and transient voltage suppressor (TVS) were developed to study their transient response in a high-speed input/output interface. Previously reported SEED models were improved to strengthen their convergence stability and facilitate accurate predictions over a wide range of conditions. These improvements were required to accurately capture the race conditions between the TVS and on-chip diode, where the diode's turn on may prevent turn on of the TVS. Simulations and measurements were performed to demonstrate the impact of the ESD pulse's rise time on race conditions. During a race, results showed the …