Engineering Commons^™

Remedying Sound Source Separation Via Azimuth Discrimination And Re-Synthesis, Ruairí De Fréin

Conference papers

Commercially recorded music since the 1950s has been mixed down from many input sound sources to a two-channel reproduction of these sources. The effect of this approach is to assign sources to locations in a stereo field using a pan-position for each source. The Adress algorithm is a popular way of extracting individual music sound sources from a stereo mixture. A drawback of the Adress algorithm is that when time-frequency components in the stereo mixture are shared between two or more sources, calculating the inter-aural intensity scaling parameter for each source for that time-frequency component is challenging. We show how …

Tribological Properties Of Polymeric Composites: A Review, Yusuf Şahin, Hakan Şahin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Tribology deals with interacting surfaces in sliding, rolling or any others types of motions, which is much importance in designing for machine components to improve their durability's of mechanical engineering systems. This study overviews the most recent studies on the tribological behavior of polymeric based materials containing different fillers. Some microstructural and mechanical properties of the epoxy composite are introduced. In addition, mechanisms of increasing wear resistance and reducing friction coefficient for polymeric composites are reviewed. An overview is also covered the process optimization for the dry wear results of polymeric composites using Taguchi Method (TM) and Response Surface Method …

Ceramic And Glass-Ceramic Fillers In Dental Composites: A Review, Sumana Ghosh

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Dental composite fillings are most popular fillings wherein various fillers have been suitably dispersed in a polymerizable resin. Major challenges are to make choice of suitable filler and their distribution in the resin matrix in the development of the dental fillings. Apart from traditional fillers ceramic whiskers, glass fibres, branched fibres and nanoporous powders have also been investigated as fillers in dental composites. Recently, ceramic, and glass-ceramic fillers are attracting attention of the researchers due to their suitable combination of material properties. In the current paper, the prospect of ceramic and glass-ceramics as fillers in fabricating dental composites has been …

Insearchfornear-Room-Temperaturesuperconductingcriticaltemperatureofmetalsuperhydridesunderhighpressure: A Review, Udomsilp Pinsook

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

An overview and the latest status of the superconductivity of metal superhydrides under high pressure are discussed in this review article. The searching for near-room-temperature superconductors have been one of the most enthusiastic fields in physics. This is because of several key factors in both theoretical and experimental sides. By advanced experiment innovation, pressure exceeded that of the earth's core can be generated in laboratories. This allows scientists to explore new physics of materials under high pressure. In the synergy form, the theoretical calculation gives accountable predictions on the structural and electronic properties which can be served as a practical …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Ball-Milled Eggshell And Al2o3 Reinforced Hybrid Green Composite Material, Shrawan Kumar, Shashi Prakash Dwivedi, Vijay Kumar Dwived

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Eggshell is a by-product (a secondary product derived from a production process) which produces lots of environment pollution. However, some environment pollution can be reduced by utilizing this waste. In the present investigation, an attempt was made to utilize eggshell as the reinforcement material with alumina (Al2O3) in the development of composite material. Carbonized eggshell particles and Al2O3 ceramic particles were ball-milled up to 100 hours to obtain a uniform particle size of reinforcement particles. Results showed that by using Al2O3 with eggshell in the development of aluminium based composite material after the ball-milling, mechanical properties were significantly improved. However, …

Production Of Silica-Based Ceramics Sintered Under Nitrogen Atmosphere From Rice Husk And Sugarcane Bagasse Ash, Wiphawan Khopthong, Benya Cherdhirunkorn

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Nitride silica-based ceramics were prepared by sintering under nitrogen atmosphere using rice husk ash and bagasse ash as raw materials. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and X-ray Diffractometor (XRD) studies revealed that the main phase of rice husk ash (after calcined at 600C for 6 h.) was amorphous silica, whereas the sugarcane bagasse ash contained quartz and CaCO3. Thus, both ashes would be a good source for silica. Two batches of the 100 wt% rice husk ash (RHA100) and the mixture of 50 wt% rice husk ash and 50 wt% bagasse ash (RHA50BA50) were wet milled using planetary ball milling machine, …

Green-Based Corrosion Protection For Mild Steel In 3.5% Nacl And Distilled Water Medias: Jatropha Curcas And Roselle Extracts, Muhammad A. Afandi, Safaa N. Saud, Esah Hamzah

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this study, the natural sources of Jatropha curcas and Hibiscus Sabdariffa calynx (Roselle) extracts as green corrosion inhibitors were employed to improve the corrosion resistance of mild steel in simulated (3.5% NaCl) and distilled water medias. The inhibiting performance of two types of extracts was studied by visual inspection, microscope analysis, and various electrochemical measurements and the data of corrosion rate were statistically analyzed. The main phenolic compounds of Jatropha and Roselle extracts were confirmed via a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, the functional groups of active phytochemical compounds were characterized via attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (ATR). The results of …

Properties Of Wood-Plastic Composites Based On Pvc/Pla/Pbat Ternary Blend, Laksamon Raksaksri, Phasawat Chaiwutthinan, Amnouy Larpkasemsuk, Saowaroj Chuayjuljit, Anyaporn Boonmahitthisud

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The objective of this work was to improve mechanical properties, thermal resistance, and biodegradability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) by the addition of poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and wood flour (WF). The samples made from a mixture of PVC/PBAT exhibited the highest impact and tensile properties, while properties of the samples made from PVC/PLA had the highest flexural and thermal properties, PVC/PLA/PBAT mixed samples exhibited average mechanical properties. The addition of WF to all the blends increased impact strength, flexural properties, Young's modulus, thermal resistance, and biodegradability of the samples in comparison to those of the neat PVC and …

Synthesis Of Hydroxyapatite From Cuttlebone Under Various Ph Conditions: An Approach For Medical Materials, Sineenart Kangkan, Premjit Arpornmaeklong, Sarute Ummartyotin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

To support the bio-based economy, development on hydroxyapatite from cuttlebone was investigated. Cuttlebone is naturally occurring source of calcium. We calcined it at 700°C for 4 h to form a calcium oxide powder. Hydroxyapatite was coprecipitated with calcium oxide powder and phosphoric acid. The effect of the pH ranging from 6 - 10 was controlled by adding ammonium hydroxide. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction were employed to characterize the structural properties of the hydroxyapatite. Changes in pH did not affect the structural properties of the hydroxyapatite. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the hydroxyapatite was thermally stable up to 700°C. At …

Learning From Digital Failures? The Effectiveness Of Firms’ Divestiture And Management Turnover Responses To Data Breaches, Gui-Deng Say, Gurneeta Vasudeva

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine whether firms learn from digital technology failures in the form of data breach events, based on the effectiveness of their failure responses. We argue that firms experiencing such technological failures interpret them broadly as organizational problems, and undertake unrelated divestitures and top management turnover to achieve better standardization and to remove dysfunctional routines. We test our hypotheses on unrelated subsidiary divestitures and chief technology officer (CTO) turnovers undertaken by 8,760 publicly traded U.S. firms that were at risk of experiencing data breaches in- volving the loss of personally identifiable information during the period 2005–2016. We find that data …

Catalytic Esterification Of Palm-Based Lauric Acid Diethylene Glycol Via Microwave Heating, Abas Noor Azeerah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Diethylene glycol esters of fatty acids are mixtures of diethylene glycol mono- and di-esters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids derived from edible oils and fats. The products are produced either by direct esterification of diethylene glycol with fatty acids or by transesterification of diethylene glycol with oils or fats. This study involved in maximizing the conversion of lauric acid to glycol ester via esterification with diethylene glycol, aided by calcined Zn-Mg-Al catalyst in a 250-ml reactor using both conventional and microwave heating. Preliminary catalytic screening involving tin (II) oxalate, Amberlyst-15 and calcined Zn-Mg-Al catalysts in esterification of lauric acid …

High Speed, High Current Monitoring System, Nicolette Lila Ray

Electrical Engineering

Electronics testing requires lengthy data collection and analysis. Streamlining at least part of this process allows resource reallocation, and faster data processing. Verifying a signal’s efficiency is key specification for a component’s datasheet. This project focuses on streamlining data collection when measuring a device’s output current. It combines amplifier design and digital interfacing to perform monitor a device’s output current. A computer-enable interface displays a graphical output current representation. It ensures accurate, high speed, high current measurements while removing a person’s need to manually plot data after testing. A new testing method provides room for company and product growth with …

Distributed Manufacturing Of Open Source Medical Hardware For Pandemics, Joshua M. Pearce

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Distributed digital manufacturing offers a solution to medical supply and technology shortages during pandemics. To prepare for the next pandemic, this study reviews the state-of-the-art of open hardware designs needed in a COVID-19-like pandemic. It evaluates the readiness of the top twenty technologies requested by the Government of India. The results show that the majority of the actual medical products have some open source development, however, only 15% of the supporting technologies required to produce them are freely available. The results show there is still considerable research needed to provide open source paths for the development of all the medical …

Rainfall Manipulation Experiments As Simulated By Terrestrial Biosphere Models: Where Do We Stand?, Athanasios Paschalis, Simone Fatichi, Jakob Zscheischler, Philippe Ciais, Michael Bahn, Lena Boysen, Jinfeng Chang, Martin De Kauwe, Marc Estiarte, Daniel Goll, Paul J. Hanson, Anna B. Harper, Enqing Hou, Jaime Kigel, Alan K. Knapp, Klaus S. Larsen, Wei Li, Sebastian Lienert, Yiqi Luo, Patrick Meir, Julia E.M.S. Nabel, Romà Ogaya, Anthony J. Parolari, Changhui Peng, Josep Peñuelas, Julia Pongratz, Serge Rambal, Inger K. Schmidt, Hao Shi, Marcelo Sternberg, Hanqin Tian, Elisabeth Tschumi, Anna Ukkola, Sara Vicca, Nicolas Viovy, Ying-Ping Wang, Zhuonan Wang, Karina Williams, Donghai Wu, Qiuan Zhu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Changes in rainfall amounts and patterns have been observed and are expected to continue in the near future with potentially significant ecological and societal consequences. Modelling vegetation responses to changes in rainfall is thus crucial to project water and carbon cycles in the future. In this study, we present the results of a new model‐data intercomparison project, where we tested the ability of 10 terrestrial biosphere models to reproduce the observed sensitivity of ecosystem productivity to rainfall changes at 10 sites across the globe, in nine of which, rainfall exclusion and/or irrigation experiments had been performed. The key results are …

Editorial: Water Environmental Research, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Cell Surface-Expression Of The Phosphate-Binding Protein Psts: System Development, Characterization, And Evaluation For Phosphorus Removal And Recovery, Faten Hussein, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Simultaneous overabundance and scarcity of inorganic phosphate (P_i) is a critical issue driving the development of innovative water/wastewater treatment technologies that not only facilitate P_i removal to prevent eutrophication, but also recover P_i for agricultural reuse. Here, a cell-surface expressed high-affinity phosphate binding protein (PstS) system was developed, and its P_i capture and release potential was evaluated. E. coli was genetically modified to express PstS on its outer membrane using the ice nucleation protein (INP) as an anchoring motif. Verification of protein expression and localization were performed utilizing SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), western blot, and …

Fuzz Distortion Guitar Stompbox, James Dennis Cleary

Electrical Engineering

My Fuzz Distortion Pedal offers guitar players a full-fledged fuzz distortion pedal with gain, frequency cutoff and volume controls. The pedal offers a true bypass when inactive which allows the signal to pass through the effect with no coloration. The distortion pedal offers hard clipping of the input signal by amplifying it by a high amount, and then clipping the voltage of the signal through the use of diodes.

Stability Analysis Of Systems With Time Delay Simulation Program, Matthew Carroll, Brandon Replogle

Electrical Engineering

A small company wants to develop a CAD tool, ideally as part of the MATLAB suite of tools, for system stability analysis of nonlinear control systems with time-delay. The program must allow the designer to input the system block diagram graphically, then using symbolic expansion, automatically generate the Laplace domain stability boundary and disturbance settling time. The stable regions are then to be graphically plotted as a set of 2- or 3-dimensional parametric stability boundaries. The designer can then input performance constraints on the system through the MATLAB console and a Simulink environment will automatically be generated.

This program is …

Distribution Line Multi-Tool, Michael Andrew Garcia, Drew Miller, Sukhdeep Singh, Ritwik Kesavath

Electrical Engineering

Power companies are always interested in the best possible monitoring equipment for their grid. The power line multi-tool developed would aid in the monitoring of the power system’s distribution network. This device assesses the current conditions of distribution power lines. The device is able to measure current, detect downed power lines, as well as recognize fire starting conditions, and have wireless communication for ease of access and installation. Overall this device greatly aids in helping utilities monitor their grid in more detail.

With the increase of dry climates yearly, several utility companies are taking measures to aid in the prevention …

Hvac Fan Control Using Modicon M580, Anthony Tyler, Kevin Shipp

Electrical Engineering

This project is the start of a lab experiment for the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Electrical Engineering department’s new lab focusing on Programmable Logic Controller's (PLCs). The primary focus is to create a lab where students control a Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning (HVAC) system controlled by the Modicon M580 PLC, donated by Schneider Electric. The experiment contains a heat source, which the PLC monitors with a temperature sensor, and a cooling source with multiple fans. Students will learn to use function block diagrams to program the PLC, controlling fan output and regulating the system temperature. The experiment specifications …

Neutrino Detection Antenna, Samuel D. Keechler

Electrical Engineering

Neutrinos carry valuable information about deep space events that researchers can utilize to study the early universe. Since the first neutrino was detected in 1956, it is a relatively new physics research topic. A new state-of-the-art research facility, the Radio Neutrino Observatory in Greenland (RNO-G), was developed to detect Ultra-High Energy (UHE) neutrinos, ones with energy greater than 100 PeV (1015 electronvolts). For reference, this amount of energy lifts an apple 5 cm, or drives a neutrino, a particle 1034 times smaller by mass, near the speed of light [1]. UHE neutrino events typically occur less than five times a …

Design Of A 5 Degree Of Freedom Kinematic Stage For The Dual Crystal Backlighter Imager Diagnostic, Nicholas Nguyen

Master's Theses

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is home to the world’s most energetic laser. The facility is one of the leading centers in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments to research and understand sustainable fusion energy. To fully document and understand the physics occurring during experiments, precise diagnostics are used for a wide range of purposes. One diagnostic, the crystal backlighter imager (CBI), allows for X-ray imaging of the target at late stages of its implosion.

The aim of this project was to increase the current capabilities of the CBI diagnostic with the addition of a second crystal. This thesis focuses on …

Tmtt Chimera Valve Attachment Process, Paulina Nguyen, Devin Debouk, Tamar Kazazian, Noah Thompson

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Robust Drone Landing, Alvin Xuan Quan Chui

Computer Engineering

The growth of drone technology goes with the demands of computer vision. Computer vision provides opportunities for developers to design and create, giving rise to a new innovation. It is also a basis for a full autonomous system when implemented with an intelligent agent. Surveillance drones are installed with cameras, and cameras are the most common approach to computer vision. However, a high-resolution camera with great performance could be expensive, while other low-cost cameras might lack reading accuracy. To improve the performances and maximize a camera’s capability, many different object trackers come into play. This paper will investigate and study …

Wine Sampler, Lance L. Litten

Computer Engineering

Quality testing is an important part of the wine industry. Without proper quality control, thousands of dollars could be wasted on bottling and recalling hundreds of gallons of wine. Due to this, labs are set up that collect wine samples from the tanks in a wine production plant and test them. A big part of this testing is determining exactly what tanks need to be tested and what tanks are at risk. My project aims to help automate this task by collecting data from the tanks wirelessly and keeping track of simple indicators such as pH and temperature. Automating this …

Rchex: A Radio-Controlled Hexapod, Dominique Sayo

Computer Engineering

rcHex is a radio-controlled hexapod with 18 degrees of freedom, capable of positional and rotational body adjustment as well as omnidirectional travel at variable speeds using three common gaits. Its general-purpose design accessible to hobbyists makes rcHex an platform for further development, whether it be experimentation in advanced robotic movement or retrofitting sensors to utilize technologies such as computer vision and artificial intelligence. This report explores some of the design intricacies of hexapod movement, including gait sequencing and the application of inverse kinematics to multi-jointed limbs.

Wind/Hydro Power Generation Simulator, Justin Shaun Otus, Nicholas Joseph Steele, Patrick Daniel Murphy

Electrical Engineering

This project aims to design a wind or hydro power generation simulator. The original scope of this project was to construct a physical simulation apparatus in which wind/water speed data is fed to a microcontroller that adjusts the control voltage of a motor drive. The spinning DC motor would generate power via a coupled generator whose power output would be a scaled down version of wind/hydroelectric generator power output given the same wind/water speed input. Due to Covid-19, the project was altered to be entirely virtual and was made through Simulink in MATLAB. The virtual simulator attempts to mimic physical …

Biometric Identification With Ecg Signals, Connor Lindstrom, Jonathan Wood, Jacob Torchia, Jonathan Lee

Electrical Engineering

This project introduces a new form of biometric identification with an ECG signal with the use of machine learning concepts. The ECG signal makes a good candidate for identification because of its unique characteristics that make it easy to distinguish individuals from one another. A patient who has previously had ECG scans stored in a database before, can be verified using this program. This project has the capability of identifying a person or verifying a person solely using their ECG signal. Utilizing this biometric identification, hospitals would be able to add to the reliability of their identification process. Additionally, companies …

Controller Area Network (Can) Bus Simulator And Data-Logger For In-Vehicle Infotainment Testing, Sandra Roksic

Electrical Engineering

In the infotainment testing environment, various tools simulate a select range of Controller Area Network (CAN) bus signals onto the infotainment workbench. The integration of signal input devices and trace-gathering tools often results in a cluttered workspace and an inefficient testing environment. This project eliminates the need for multiple signal simulators and allows for a single system source for various input CAN-bus messages. This system enables the tester to store output CAN-bus data from the test vehicle for future reference and analysis through the same integrated system. It optimizes the time it takes the tester to complete testing catalogs and …

Single Axis Solar Panel Tracking Mount Using Stepper Motor And Accelerometer Positional Control, Ezra Pramono

Electrical Engineering

Optimal solar panel systems rotate to track the sun, as solar panels operate at their maximum potential when the panel plane is completely normal to the sun’s rays. These tracking systems often using two axes of movement. This project is to design a system that will allow a solar panel to track the sun using only one rotational axis, which saves energy and uses fewer parts. The system tracks the entire range of the sun's motion and has positional feedback to allow control of the solar panel's angle. The position of the tracking system is controllable via an external computer. …