Engineering Commons^™

A Comparative Assessment Of Co2 Emission Between Gasoline, Electric, And Hybrid Vehicles: A Well-To-Wheel Perspective Using Agent-Based Modeling, Mdmamunur Rahman

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Road transports in the U.S. are almost entirely dependent on the consumption of fossil fuel. This high dependency on fossil fuel is significantly contributing to carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, one of the leading Green House Gases (GHGs) responsible for global warming. Electrification of passenger vehicles could be an effective strategy to curb GHG emissions. Though Electric Vehicles (EVs) have zero tailpipe emissions, the power required to charge EV batteries may not necessarily come from carbon-free power plants. In this study, for a comprehensive comparison between EV and Gasoline Vehicle (GV), we developed an agent-based simulation model for the entire energy …

Allocation Of Public Resources: Bringing Order To Chaos, Lance Clifner

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Science Olympiad (SO) is a team-based academic competition involving multiple subject areas (Events) with arcane rules governing the team composition. Add to the mix parental contention over which student(s) get on the “All-Star” team, and you have a potentially explosive situation. This project brings order and logic to school-based SO programs and defuses tense milestones through the implementation of an institutional structure that: assigns students to Events based on solicited student preferences for the Events, collects objective student performance data, composes competitive teams based on student performance (aka “Moneyball”), and brings transparency to the Team Selection process through crowdsourcing. The …

A Biomechanical Approach To Investigate The Effects On The Lumbosacral Joint, Pelvis, And Knee Joint While Of Carrying Asymmetrical Loads, During Ground Walking., Tomal Das

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Spinal pain is reasonably considered among the expensive and impairing problems critically disturbing the health of individuals, especially the workforce, in industrially developed countries (Steele et al., 2003). The pain adversely affecting the lumbar region or pelvis is typically considered as low back pain. As per the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke, around 80 percent of grown-ups encounter spinal pain eventually in the course of their lifetime. The possible risk factors include age, fitness level, genetics, weight gain, occupational risk factors such as having a job that expects someone to do lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, distorting the spinal …

A Two-Stage Stochastic Programming Model For Enhancing Seismic Resilience Of Water Pipe Networks, Azam Boskabadi

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Earthquakes are sudden and inevitable disasters that can cause enormous losses and suffering, and having accessible water is critically important for earthquake victims. To address this challenge, utility managers do preventive procedures on water pipes periodically to withstand future earthquake damage. The existing seismic vulnerability models usually consider simple methods to find the pipes to rehabilitate with highest priority. In this research, we develop an optimization approach to determine which water pipes to rehabilitate subject to a limited budget to achieve highest network serviceability after a disaster. We propose a two-stage stochastic mixed integer nonlinear program (MINLP). The MINLP model …

A New Method To Estimate The Impact On The L5/Si Spinal Disc From Speed Lifting Of Unstable Loads, Asymmetrically, Suhaib Al-Lababidi

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Background: The most significant causes of lower back injuries at work are probably from manual lifting activities. Lifting unstable loads pose a significant strain to the lower back and can cause debilitating lumbar spine injuries. The primary function of the vertebral column is to support the upper body. The L5/S1 disc junction located between the lumbar and the sacral regions of the vertebral column is the most critical joint in spine with respect to lifting strain. Because of its position and the amount of upper body weight it handles, it is particularly vulnerable to misalignment, wear and tear, and injury.Lifting …

Krahasimi I Energjisë Fosile Dhe I Energjisë Së Ripërtëritshme Në Kosovë, Visar Bejta

Theses and Dissertations

Një ndër pyetjet thelbësore në rrafshin ekonomik bashkëkohor të shekullit XXI është edhe ajo përkitazi me metodën më efikase të prodhimit të energjisë në mbështetje të sferave të ndryshme jetësore dhe sociale. Burimet fosile të energjisë, në veçanti ato nga qymyrguri, shërbejnë për prodhimin e shumicës së energjisë elektrike në Kosovë, ndërsa një pjesë e vogël përftohet nga burimet e ripërtëritshme. Ndopak më saktësisht, rreth 90-95% e energjisë përftohet nga burimet fosile, teksa pjesa e mbetur gjen prejardhjen në burimet eripërtëritshme.

Kosova, tashmë, është në etapën e tranzicionit të energjisë, duke zbatuar dhe jetësuar direktivat dhe caqet e përcaktuara nga …

“Qëndrueshmëria E Prodhimit Të Energjisë Nga Lëndët Fosile Dhe Bre Në Kosove”, Djellza Prebreza

Theses and Dissertations

Zhvillimi i tregut energjetik dhe veqanërisht energjia e ripërtëritshme po zë një rol kyç në Kosovë, kjo mund të çoje njëkohësisht në stabilizimin e ekonomisë së re të vendit. Vetëm nga furnizimi i qëndrushëm, efikas dhe modern me energji mund të sigurohet zhvilliimi i shpejtë i industrive të reja.

Prodhimi i energjisë në Kosovë mbështetet nga lëndët fosile kryesisht qymyrguri, kurse një sasi e vogël e energjisë fitohet nga burimet e ripërtëritshme. Shfrytëzimi i lëndeve fosile ka ndikim të madh mjedisore e kjo na bën të mendojmë për një zgjidhje më të qëndrueshme dhe me më pak ndikim ambiental.

Në …

Minimising Induced Drag With Weight Distribution, Lift Distribution, Wingspan, And Wing-Structure Weight, Warren F. Phillips, Douglas F. Hunsaker, Jeffrey D. Taylor

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Because the wing-structure weight required to support the critical wing section bending moments is a function of wingspan, net weight, weight distribution, and lift distribution, there exists an optimum wingspan and wing-structure weight for any fixed net weight, weight distribution, and lift distribution, which minimises the induced drag in steady level flight. Analytic solutions for the optimum wingspan and wing-structure weight are presented for rectangular wings with four different sets of design constraints. These design constraints are fixed lift distribution and net weight combined with 1) fixed maximum stress and wing loading, 2) fixed maximum deflection and wing loading, 3) …

Transient Seepage And Slope Stability Analysis In Partially Saturated Earthen Dam, Puneet Bhaskar

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The problem of slope stability in earthen dams is a major concern to geotechnical engineers. Traditionally, the seepage through embankments and other geotechnical structures is estimated using hydraulic properties of saturated soil. In most of the cases, the soil is not fully saturated and use of saturated soil properties can lead to erroneous results. The reliable assessment of slope stability needs comprehensive characterization of both unsaturated and saturated hydraulic properties of soil. The coefficient of permeability is a key hydraulic property in solving any flow related problem in geotechnical engineering. The permeability coefficient of unsaturated soil is usually estimated using …

Development Of A Structural Design Methodology For Polymeric Spray Applied Pipe Linings, Zahra Kohankar Kouchesfehani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Buried culverts are important components of the highway infrastructure. Most large culverts are built decades ago from corrugated metal or reinforced concrete materials and now have reached their design lives. Trenchless renewal techniques can be utilized to enhance load carrying capacity of the existing deteriorated culverts and provide them a new design life. Spray applied pipe lining (SAPL) is a trenchless renewal methodology to renew damaged pipes and culverts by applying layers of liner on the interior surface of the deteriorated host culvert. The development of practical spray applied pipe linings could be of enormous benefit to the Departments of …

Development Of Reductive/Oxidative Treatment Strategy For The Removal Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Water, Akshay Parenky

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The detrimental health effects of halogenated compounds in humans has been well documented, and the frequent occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water environment is a recent global concern. Feasible and sensible treatment strategies are in dire need for environmental remediation and water treatment. Currently, efficient treatment is only obtained at a small scale and at a high energy cost. This research is presented in three subsections, where decomposition of selected PFAS was evaluated under advanced oxidation techniques. The first study involved decomposition of a polyfluoroalkyl substance, 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS), in which 2 carbons of …

Analysis Of Barriers Causing Delay In Post-Hurricane Recovery: Experts’ Vs. Public’S Perspectives, Behzad Rouhanizadeh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Destructive natural disasters such as hurricanes, affect countries around the world. To recover from a hurricane, the managers need to make various decisions; however, what makes the post-hurricane decision making unique is lack of time to make the optimum decision. A comprehensive understanding of barriers to recovery can lead to development of policies that help prevent delays in recovery process and consequently results in resiliency. Although several studies have been performed to identify the recovery barriers, they did not provide a comprehensive review of barriers and their classification. On the other hand, experts and the public commonly have different understandings …

Statistical Models Of Pipe Service Life Towards Artificial Intelligence Based Decision Support, Vahid Eghbalifarkoosh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In this dissertation, through utilizing various artificial intelligence-based as well as statistical models, an effort has been made to investigate the deterioration of sewer pipes. Once the deterioration rates of sewer pipes are estimated, by assuming failure criteria, as specified in the dissertation, the associated service lives for the sewer pipes can therefore be estimated. However, it should be noted that for different sewer pipes and based upon the availability of suitable data, and due to various failure modes that could transpire in various sewer pipes, the results will thus be subjected to uncertainties and variations. In other words, depending …

A Decision Support System For Success Of Post-Hurricane Reconstruction Of Transportation Infrastructures, Elnaz Safapour

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In the aftermath of hurricanes, when reliable transportation systems are vital, the chaotic and complex environment creates multiple uncertainties and risks in the reconstruction of transportation infrastructures. Damaged transport infrastructures decrease the timeliness of emergency responses and recovery procedures, and make it difficult for authorities, who are under excessive pressure and are struggling to find the financial resources to reconstruct them on time and within budget. The aim of this research was to develop a decision support system that would improve the cost and schedule performance, as well as reduce the number and extent of rework in post-hurricane reconstruction of …

An Aggregated And Equivalent Home Model For Power System Studies With Examples Of Building Insulation And Hvac Control Improvements, Huangjie Gong, Evan S. Jones, Dan M. Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Introducing new technologies into existing residences provides opportunities for the utility to enhance a community's power system performance. To validate the benefits of such technologies, an energy model is required in which their integration with a community's power system may be simulated. It can be difficult or impossible to properly model a power system without sufficient sample data. This paper proposes a method that uses Gaussian kernel density estimation (GKDE) to calculate the aggregated net power flow of a community's distribution system with only limited sample points at each time step. Example case studies that confirm the usefulness of the …

Light Reflection Loss Reduction By Nano-Structured Gratings For Highly Efficient Next-Generation Gaas Solar Cells, Narottam Das, Devanandh Chandrasekar, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, M. K.Masud Khan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This paper mainly focuses on increasing the conversion efficiency of GaAs solar cells by reducing the light reflection losses. The design of nano-structured gratings and their light trapping performance are modelled and optimised by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The sunlight directly impinges on the solar panel or cells, then a portion of the incident sunlight reflects back to the air from the surface of the panel, thus leading to a reduction in the light absorption capacity of the solar cells. In order to proliferate the light absorption capacity of …

Surface Functionalization Of Biomedical Ti-6al-7nb Alloy By Liquid Metal Dealloying, Ilya Vladimirovich Okulov, Soo Hyun Joo, Artem Vladimirovich Okulov, Alexey Sergeevich Volegov, Bérengère Luthringer, Regine Willumeit-Römer, Lai-Chang Zhang, Lutz Mädler, Jürgen Eckert, Hidemi Kato

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Surface functionalization is an effective approach to change the surface properties of a material to achieve a specific goal such as improving the biocompatibility of the material. Here, the surface of the commercial biomedical Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was functionalized through synthesizing of a porous surface layer by liquid metal dealloying (LMD). During LMD, the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy is immersed in liquid magnesium (Mg) and both materials react with each other. Particularly, aluminum (Al) is selectively dissolved from the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy into liquid Mg while titanium (Ti) and niobium (Nb) diffuse along the metal/liquid …

Residual-Based Multi-Filter Methodology For All-Source Fault Detection, Exclusion, And Performance Monitoring, Juan Jurado, John F. Raquet, Christine M. Schubert Kabban Air Force Institute Of Technology, Jonathon S. Gipson

Faculty Publications

All-source navigation has become increasingly relevant over the past decade with the development of viable alternative sensor technologies. However, as the number and type of sensors informing a system increases, so does the probability of corrupting the system with sensor modeling errors, signal interference, and undetected faults. Though the latter of these has been extensively researched, the majority of existing approaches have constrained faults to biases and designed algorithms centered around the assumption of simultaneously redundant, synchronous sensors with valid measurement models, none of which are guaranteed for all-source systems. As part of an overall all-source assured or resilient navigation …

Alternative Designs Of Molten Salt Storage Shells For Use In Solar Energy Storage, Samaan G. Ladkany, Nathan Loyd

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Molten salt (MS) storage systems in the 565°C range can store green solar energy from thermal solar power station, such as the Crescent Dunes solar plant in Nevada. Large containers can be used to store energy and generate electricity for eight hours or more to be used at night or during peak demand hours, depending on the container size. Energy storage can reduce the fluctuation due to weather conditions experienced at thermal solar power stations because stable diurnal energy supply is made available by MS energy storage. Supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the research presented discusses the …

Cooking Systems Using Aluminum Foam, Ryan Tetsuo Mizukami

Physics

In developing countries, the use of wood burning fires for cooking is cause for illness and death. With this in mind, research was conducted to develop a solar cooking device capable of cooking of soup within 15 mins in order to reduce the negative impacts of cooking with wood. Current methods of solar-based cooking, such as solar concentrators and solar tube ovens, are impractical. A small solar panel is a cost-effective way to produce energy but will not produce enough power to cook within a reasonable amount of time. Even if it is assumed that all of the energy produced …

Formula Sae Monocoque Chassis Development, Kc Egger, Brian Ford, Kyle Nagao, Neal Sharma, Donovan Zusalim

Mechanical Engineering

Formula SAE is a collegiate competition hosted by SAE International with the primary goal being to design, manufacture, and race an open wheel race car. The Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE team strives for improvement every race season and has remained competitive as a result. The 2019-2020 management team determined that further research and development towards the chassis would yield the greatest performance benefit for future seasons, as the previous chassis platform limited packaging and mounting options for vehicle subsystems which interfaced with the chassis.

A redesign of the Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE team’s carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque …

Nanoceria Distribution And Effects Are Mouse-Strain Dependent, Robert A. Yokel, Michael T. Tseng, D. Allan Butterfield, Matthew L. Hancock, Eric A. Grulke, Jason M. Unrine, Arnold J. Stromberg, Alan K. Dozier, Uschi M. Graham

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Prior studies showed nanoparticle clearance was different in C57BL/6 versus BALB/c mice, strains prone to Th1 and Th2 immune responses, respectively. Objective: Assess nanoceria (cerium oxide, CeO₂ nanoparticle) uptake time course and organ distribution, cellular and oxidative stress, and bioprocessing as a function of mouse strain. Methods: C57BL/6 and BALB/c female mice were i.p. injected with 10 mg/kg nanoceria or vehicle and terminated 0.5 to 24 h later. Organs were collected for cerium analysis; light and electron microscopy with elemental mapping; and protein carbonyl, IL-1β, and caspase-1 determination. Results: Peripheral organ cerium significantly increased, generally more …

High-Fidelity Modeling Of Multirotor Aerodynamic Interactions For Aircraft Design, Eduardo Alvarez, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Electric aircraft technology has enabled the use of multiple rotors in novel concepts for urban air mobility. However, multirotor configurations introduce strong aerodynamic and aeroacoustic interactions that are not captured through conventional aircraft design tools. In this paper we explore the capability of the viscous vortex particle method (VPM) to model multirotor aerodynamic interactions at a computational cost suitable for conceptual design. A VPM-based rotor model is introduced along with recommendations for numerical stability and computational efficiency. Validation of the individual rotor is presented in both hovering and forward-flight configurations at low, moderate, and high Reynolds numbers. Hovering multirotor predictions …

Fault Location In Distribution System Based On Voltage Sag Analysis, Ahmad Muhamad Firdaus

Student Works (2020-2029)

Fault in the distribution system is something that cannot be avoided. It is a recurring event that occurs due to various factors such as natural occurrence, mechanism failure, or human error. All this contributes to the phenomenon that will affect the stability of the system and result in the loss of power to the consumers. However, such a fault is something that happens unexpectedly, and it is difficult to be eliminated. Therefore, various research work has been done over the years to overcome the problem. All research is done to find the most effective method of finding the fault location …

Hybrid Microwave Power Amplifiers For Broadband Communication, Sangaran Pragash

Student Works (2020-2029)

The software-defined radio is the future of radio technology. The development of a broadband power amplifier is the most challenging radio component to design in achieving software-defined radio goals due to the PA gain-bandwidth limitation. The distributed power amplifier (DPA) overcomes the limitation by combining output power from several transistors in an additive fashion. Matrix Amplifier (MA) consists of two or more DPA stacked together in a multiplicative manner. In this project, a high power and high gain DPA for a two-way radio system is demonstrated. The DPA exhibits 10W output power and 32dB gain across the frequency range of …

Atomically Thin Heavy-Metal-Free Znte Nanoplatelets Formed From Magic-Size Nanoclusters, Fei Wang, Minyi Zhang, Wei Chen, Shaghraf Javaid, Heng Yang, Sheng Wang, Xuyong Yang, Lai-Chang Zhang, Mark A. Buntine, Chunsen Li, Guohua Jia

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© The Royal Society of Chemistry. Atomically thin colloidal quasi-two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) have attracted tremendous attention due to their excellent properties and stimulating applications. Although some advances have been achieved in Cd- and Pb-based semiconductor NPLs, research into heavy-metal-free NPLs has been reported less due to the difficulties in the synthesis and the knowledge gap in the understanding of the growth mechanism. Herein wurtzite ZnTe NPLs with an atomic thickness of about 1.5 nm have been successfully synthesized by using Superhydride (LiEt3BH) reduced tributylphosphine-Te (TBP-Te) as the tellurium precursor. Mechanistic studies, both experimentally and theoretically, elucidate the transformation …

Quantitative Assessment Of Alkali-Silica Reaction In Small And Large-Scale Concrete Specimens Utilizing Nonlinear Acoustic Techniques, Clayton Malone

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nonlinear resonance techniques have been shown to be sensitive to microcracking in materials, including alkali-silica reaction (ASR) damage in concrete. However, application of nonlinear resonance tests have been limited due to the difficulty of application to large-scale field structures and the inability to quantitatively relate material nonlinearity with damage development. In this study, the development of ASR in concrete prisms and large concrete beam specimens of varying aggregate types and specimen sizes was monitored using linear and nonlinear resonance techniques.

For the concrete prisms, although the linear resonance frequency test could detect initiation and development of ASR damage in specimens …

Interactions Between Control And Process Design Under Economic Model Predictive Control, Henrique Oyama, Helen Durand

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Faculty Research Publications

conomic model predictive control (EMPC) is a model-based control scheme that integrates process control and economic optimization, which can potentially allow for time-varying operating policies to maximize economic performance. The manner in which an EMPC operates a process to optimize economics depends on the process dynamics, which are fixed by the process design. This raises the question of how process and EMPC designs interact. Works which have addressed process and control design interactions for steady-state operation have sought to simultaneously develop process designs and control law parameters to find the most profitable way to operate a process that is able …

Electromagnetic Interference Reduction Of High-Speed Digital And Analog Circuits Using Engineered Electromagnetic Bandgap Structures, Brandon Ramos

Undergraduate Research Journal

In this paper, we will discuss the concerns of a microstrip two patch antenna system. Coupling of the two-port system can be miniaturized using Electromagnetic Bandgap Structures (EBG) or Defected Ground Structures (DGS) centered between the two patch antennas half a wavelength in size. Different miniaturization methods were used in the design of the antenna system to change the properties of the signal. Changing via locations that are not found on EBG strips themselves, rather found on interleaved ledges between EBG strips allowed for further change in shifting the signals frequency.

Sharing Is Caring: Assessing Willingness To Share Autonomous Vehicles For Evacuation And Disaster Relief, Thomas Alan Shirley

All Theses

Coastal areas in the southeastern United States face the threat of hurricanes each year. Some of the greatest danger associated with these storms is experienced by citizens without personal means to evacuate. Along with storms comes the inevitable post-disaster relief process of evaluating losses and delivering supplies. With the rapid development of autonomous vehicle technology, this study examines the potential use of autonomous vehicles, publicly or privately owned, to assist in these evacuation and disaster relief efforts. Examining this new field of study, the researchers hosted three focus groups and received 1050 responses to an online survey. Based on the …