Engineering Commons^™

Digital Forensics In The Next Five Years, Laoise Luciano, Ibrahim Baggili, Mateusz Topor, Peter Casey, Frank Breitinger

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cyber forensics has encountered major obstacles over the last decade and is at a crossroads. This paper presents data that was obtained during the National Workshop on Redefining Cyber Forensics (NWRCF) on May 23-24, 2017 supported by the National Science Foundation and organized by the University of New Haven. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed from twenty-four cyber forensics expert panel members. This work identified important themes that need to be addressed by the community, focusing on (1) where the domain currently is; (2) where it needs to go and; (3) steps needed to improve it. Furthermore, based on the …

Prediction Of Flood Hydrograph In Small River Catchments Using System Modelling Approach, Ahmed Nasr, Zeinab Bedri, Loreta Ramanauske

Conference papers

Floods remain to be one of the natural catastrophic disasters with serious adverse social and economic implications on individuals and communities all around the world. In Ireland, frequency of flood events have increased dramatically during the last forty years and is expected to continue to rise primarily due to changes in rainfall and temperature patterns as a result of the global climate change. Small river catchments are usually vulnerable to different types of flooding particularly those associated with “monster” rainfall events, which are characterised by short durations and high intensities. Therefore accurate prediction of flood hydrographs resulting from these rainfall …

Investigation Of Flow Mechanisms In Gas-Assisted Gravity Drainage Process, Iskandar Dzulkarnain

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this study we investigate displacement mechanism for oil recovered using Gas- Assisted Gravity Drainage (GAGD) method. For a typical oil recovery under gravity drainage, the recovery profile can be characterized by an initial bulk flow which occurs rapidly and a later film flow that extends for a longer duration. It is the latter period where film spreading, the ability of oil to spread above water in the presence of gas, is identified as the displacement mechanism responsible for recovering the remaining oil in gravity drainage process. Literature survey indicates that mathematical models for gravity drainage do not account for …

Evaluation Of Undrained Shear Strength And Soil Classification From Cone Penetration Test, Md Imran Hossain

LSU Master's Theses

The in-situ cone and piezocone penetration tests (CPT, PCPT) has been widely used by the geotechnical engineering community for subsurface soil characterization and classification, and for the evaluation of many engineering soil properties, such as undrained shear strength (s_u), unit weight (γ), constrained modulus (M), coefficient of consolidation (c_v), and stress history (OCR). The objective of this research study was to estimate the undrained shear strength of clayey soil using CPT/PCPT data in addition to some soil boring log data. At the same time, soil classification charts/methods based …

Development Of Long-Term Aging Factor For Asphalt Mixtures’ Cracking Resistance, Yucheng Shi

LSU Master's Theses

To characterize the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures, semi-circular bend (SCB) test has been developed and subsequently accepted as a routine test in mixture design in Louisiana. However, SCB test requires specimens to be aged for five days in laboratory, which makes it not implementable in quality control (QC)/quality assurance (QA).

The primary project objective was to develop an aging factor to transfer the unaged SCB Jc to the aged SCB Jc. Specific objectives were to: (1) investigate the effect of laboratory aging on asphalt mixtures’ cracking resistance and asphalt binders’ rheological and chemical properties, (2) develop an aging …

I Know What You Did Last Summer: Your Smart Home Internet Of Things And Your Iphone Forensically Ratting You Out, Gokila Dorai, Shiva Houshmand, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The adoption of smart home Internet of Things (IoT) devices continues to grow. What if your devices can snitch on you and let us know where you are at any given point in time? In this work we examined the forensic artifacts produced by Nest devices, and in specific, we examined the logical backup structure of an iPhone used to control a Nest thermostat, Nest Indoor Camera and a Nest Outdoor Camera. We also integrated the Google Home Mini as another method of controlling the studied Smart Home devices. Our work is the primary account for the examination of Nest …

Introducing A New Cement Hydration And Microstructure Model, Niall Holmes, Anselm Griffin, Bernard Enright, Denis Keliher

Conference papers

This paper presents a new cement hydration model to predict the microstructure evolution of hydrating tricalcium silicate (C3S). The model is written in MATLAB and employs the continuum approach and integrated particle kinetic relationships to show the change in C3S and the growth of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) and Calcium Hydroxide (CH) in the pore space over time.

Cement hydration is a highly complex process. While hydration models should never completely remove experimental analysis, they are an aid to better understand cement hydration and microstructure development by providing a method to analyse a large number of pastes with different cementitious …

Fluid Mechanics: There’S An App For That | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The U.S. Navy has awarded a major grant to a team of Utah State University engineering researchers who are developing a unique educational tool designed to inspire the next generation of naval and ocean engineers.

Geosynthetic Reinforcement For Unpaved Roads – Recent Experience, Ciaran Reilly, Keith Nell

Conference papers

Modern geosynthetic materials, including geotextiles and geogrids, are often used to generate savings in materials and time on construction projects. Geosynthetics are used as reinforcement and separation membranes for unpaved roads that are supported by low strength or unsuitable subgrades. When geosynthetics are used, unsuitable subgrades can be left in place and reduced thicknesses of road base are required. This paper reviews the design methods currently used to build geosynthetic reinforced unpaved roads and documents the validation of these design approaches. A number of recent case histories of projects in the UK and Ireland are outlined, showing the use of …

Overall Psd And Fractal Characteristics Of Tight Oil Reservoirs: A Case Study Of Lucaogou Formation In Junggar Basin, China, Xixin Wang, Jiagen Hou, Yuming Liu, Peiqiang Zhao, Ke Ma, Dongmei Wang, Xiaoxu Ren, Lin Yan

Geology and Geological Engineering Faculty Publications

Lucaogou tight oil reservoir, located in the Junggar Basin, Northwest of China, is one of the typical tight oil reservoirs. Complex lithology leads to a wide pore size distribution (PSD), ranging from several nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. To better understand PSD and fractal features of Lucaogou tight oil reservoir, the experiment methods including scanning electron microscope (SEM), rate-controlled mercury injection (RMI) and pressure-controlled mercury injection (PMI) were performed on the six samples with different lithology. The results indicate that four types of pores exist in Lucaogou tight oil reservoir, including dissolution pores, clay dominated pores, microfractures and inter-granular pores. …

Hybrid Pv-Wind, Micro-Grid Development Using Quasi-Z-Source Inverter Modeling And Control—Experimental Investigation, Neeraj Priyadarshi, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Dan M. Ionel, Lucian Mihet-Popa, Farooque Azam

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

This research work deals with the modeling and control of a hybrid photovoltaic (PV)-Wind micro-grid using Quasi Z-source inverter (QZsi). This inverter has major benefits as it provides better buck/boost characteristics, can regulate the phase angle output, has less harmonic contents, does not require the filter and has high power performance characteristics over the conventional inverter. A single ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) module used as DC-DC switched power apparatus is employed for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) functions which provide high voltage gain throughout the process. Moreover, a modified power ratio variable step (MPRVS) based perturb & observe (P&O) …

Modeling And Simulation Of Damage In The Brazilian Indirect Tension Test Using The Finite-Discrete Element Method, Jeremiah C. Leyba

Civil Engineering ETDs

The Brazilian indirect tension test is used to investigate possible correlations between progressive damage and associated permeability changes. The test offers ease of replicability with a damage behavior known to lead to fracture openings as a tool for interpreting the indirect tensile strength of concrete and rocks. This behavior can lend insight into the nature of tensile damage and fracture progression in association with changes in permeability. The nature of these brittle materials is known to exhibit rapid failures in the Brazilian indirect tension test and require a method to retard the progression of damage for the possibility of acquiring …

Presenting To Senior Decision Makers: Clear, Concise & Complete, Kirk Michealson

Operations Management Presentations

Your manager just assigned you to lead a new project for your Vice President. You have many questions! What are the details of the project? What does the VP want to see in briefings? Does the VP have an advocate for pre-briefs? What information is important to include in the presentation? How detailed should the information be? How should the information be presented? Are there any best practices in developing presentations? In this webinar, you will learn strategies for sharing important information with key stakeholders in your career – and how to actually get them to listen!

Visual Servoing For Multirotor Precision Landing In Varying Light Conditions, Jesse Wynn, Tim Mclain

Faculty Publications

The problem of performing a precision landing of an autonomous multirotor UAV in various lighting conditions is studied. A vision-based approach is proposed and consists of varying degree-of-freedom image-based visual servoing (VDOF-IBVS), and a specialized landing marker. The proposed approach is validated through extensive flight testing outdoors in both lighted and dark conditions, and is done using a standard off-the-shelf autopilot system.

Printed Dot Quality In Response To Doctor Blade Angle In Gravure Printing, Bilge N. Altay, Alexandra Pekarovicova, Paul D. Fleming

The Hilltop Review

Doctor blade is one of the critical machine part of the gravure printing press that controls the amount of ink transfer on the substrate. The angle of the blade can be varied; however, an improper angle may cause major problems. In this study, the doctor blade angle was positioned at three different level to address its effect on the printed dot quality. Print trials were made on a web-fed gravure press at the speed of 650 ft./min. A high-resolution overhead camera was used to analyze the key dot attributes. The results showed that measuring only the density of printed dot …

Regan Zane Named Inaugural David G. And Diann L. Sant Endowed Professor | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A new professorship in Utah State University’s College of Engineering honors longtime supporters David G. and Diann L. Sant and empowers a new generation of the most qualified engineering faculty.

Complex Coordination Silver Electrocrystallization Mechanism On Glassy Carbon Electrode Surface, Shuai-Shuai Huang, Cheng Liu, Lei Jin, Fang-Zu Yang, Zhong-Qun Tian, Shao-Min. Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Cyclic voltammetry and potential step methods were successfully used to study the electrochemical crystallization mechanism of silver deposition on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in the practical cyanide-free silver plating electrolyte containing composite complexing agents. Scharifker-Hill (SH) theory was used to fitting the experimental data. The results showed that the electrodeposition of silver is a diffusion controlled irreversible electrode process according to three-dimensional instantaneous nucleation mechanism. When the step potential shifted from -750 mV to -825 mV, the peak deposition current Im was increased, while the induced nucleation time tm shortened. The calculated kinetic parameters showed that the diffusion coefficient (D) …

Hybrid Battery-Capacitor System Based On Liti5O12 Anode And Ptpan Cathode, Xiu-Li Su, Xiao-Li Dong, Yao Liu, Yong-Gang Wang, Ai-Shui Yu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Owing to its high safe, high rate and long life characteristics, lithium titanate (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) anode material has attracted extensive attention in recent years, and many efforts are being made to develop the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ based high performance hybrid supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries. Herein, we prepared the organic cathode material polytriphenylamine (PTPAn) through chemical oxidation and polymerization of triphenylamine (TPAn), and investigated its charge storage mechanism and electrode kinetics withthe typical electrochemical methods in an organic electrolyte. It was demonstrated that the PTPAn exhibited the reversible capacity of 85 mA·g^{-1 …}

Preparations Of Nano-Manganite Loaded Titanium Electocatalytic Membrane Electrode For Phenolic Wastewater Treatment, Le Li, Hong Wang, Rong-Hua Ma, Hong-Sen Hui, Xiao-Ping Liang, Jian-Xin Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nano-manganese oxide loaded on titanium electrocatalytic membrane electrodes (nano-MnO_x/Ti) were synthesized bysol-gel method using porous Ti membrane as a substrate and the manganese acetate as a raw material without releasing NO_x. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were employed to characterize crystal form, valence state and surface morphology of nano-MnO_x, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry (CA) were used to investigate the electrochemical properties of nano-MnO_x electrode. The results indicated that the MnO_x catalysts consisted of γ-MnO₂ and Mn_{2 …}

Electrochemical Performances Of Neodymium Doped Lead Dioxide Composite Anode, Hong-Hui Wang, Ming-Jie Ma, Jie Feng, Huang-Ya Kang, Wen-Jie Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Neodymium (Nd) doped titanium (Ti)-based lead dioxide (PbO₂) composite anode was prepared by electrodeposition. The surface morphologies and crystal structures of the as-prepared anodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, respectively. The electrochemical performances of PbO₂-Nd anode were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. Additionally, the electrocatalytic activity and durability of PbO₂-Nd anode were investigated through the degradation of simulative refractory organic wastewater of phenol. The results showed that Nd doping made the PbO₂ anode surface structure dense and uniform with smaller …

Assemblies And Properties Of Asymmetric Supercapacitors Based On Wo3/Carbon Cloth, Wen-Ke Shao, Lei Zhao, Chao Liu, Yan-Ying Dong, Yuan-Jie Zhu, Qiu-Fan Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The demand for a new generation of flexible, portable, and high-capacity power sources increases rapidly with the development of advanced wearable electronic devices. One dimensional (1D) nanowires structures have been demonstrated as one of the most ideal electrode materials in energy storage systems due to their advantages in both micorstructures and their high surface areas. Here we report a simple process for large-scale fabrication of self-standing composite film electrodes composed of WO₃ nanorods on carbon cloth. In order to improve the energy density of supercapacitor, we assembled an asymmetric supercapacitor using WO₃ nanorods and activated carbon cloth as …

An Aqueous All-Metal Oxide Asymmetric Supercapacitor With High Gravimetric And Volumetric Energy Densities, Xin Jing, Xu Zhang, Wei Wang, Jun-Wei Lang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Only with both high gravimetric and high volumetric energy densities, can supercapacitors find more extensive applications.In this paper, by making good use of the interesting nanostructures and the high packing densities of RuO₂ (nanoshpheres,1.69 g·cm^-3) and Co-Ni oxide (nanoflakes, 2.14 g·cm^-3), the RuO₂//KOH//Co-Ni oxide all-metal oxide asymmetric supercapacitors with high performance were successfully fabricated, which led to the maximum specific capacitance of 217.5 F·g^-1 (412.3 F·cm^-3) and specific energy density of 61.8 Wh·kg^-1 (121 Wh·L^-1) in a cell voltage between 0 and 1.5 V in KOH electrolyte. …

Preparation And Characterization Of Self-Supporting Flexible Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Fabric Electrodes, Bo Yang, Zhi-Hang Jin, Ya-Ping Zhao, Zai-Sheng Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

With the wide applications of intelligent wearable devices in various fields, developing a new generation of flexible energy storage devices has become a major challenge for the current technology. As a wide application of wearable flexible substrate, cotton fabric has the advantages over low price, non-toxic and environmental friendly, but the poor conductivity becomes a major problem limiting its development. As a nitrogen-containing conducting polymer, polypyrrole is traditionally used as electrode materials, but poor mechanical performance and cycle stability severely limit its application in electrode materials. In this article, a self-supporting flexible nitrogen-doped carbon fabric electrode was prepared by in …

Highly Crystalline Nickel Borate Nanorods As Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts, Xi Xu, Juan Liu, Hua-Zong Wu, Wen-Jie Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hydrogen energy, a kind of clean and renewable energy, is considered to be the solution to the problems of energy crisis and environmental deterioration. Electrochemical water splitting is an efficient and promising technology for the production of high-purity hydrogen. However, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode of water electrolyzer limits the efficiency of water splitting due to the high overpotential. Therefore, the challenges still remain for the exploration of highly active, stable and low-cost catalysts with superior activity for OER. Herein, nickel borate nanorods with high crystallinity were prepared via high-temperature calcination. The as-obtained nickel borate nanorods with 2 …

Coupled Thermo Mechanical Modeling Of Friction Stir Welding And Fatigue Life Improvement Of Friction Stir Welding Structures, Saad Bin Aziz

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Friction- stir- welding (FSW) is comparatively a new welding process invented by The Welding Institute in 1991. Since no melting or fusion occurs during the welding process, FSW is free of high heat input and solidification defects. Two main objectives have been set forth in this work. The first object of this thesis is to develop thermomechanical models based on experimental knowledge and understanding the FSW process at a fundamental level. The quality of friction-stir-welding (FSW) joints depends on many critical weld process parameters. The main challenge for the FSW is in the selection of these critical process parameters that …

Safety Ramifications Of A Change In Pedestrian Crosswalk Law: A Case Study Of Oregon, Usa, Yue Ke, Konstantina Gkritza

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Pedestrians are some of the most vulnerable road users as they are not protected by safety devices, and must also share the road with vehicles traveling at dangerous speeds, particularly during road crossings. In 2011, the state of Oregon changed their traffic laws to be more accommodating to pedestrians by giving right of way to pedestrians using a crosswalk, regardless if whether the crosswalk is marked or unmarked. This paper estimates a panel logit model to evaluate the efficacy of the law in preventing pedestrian fatalities. Pedestrian fatalities are shown to decrease over time, with smaller likelihood of a fatality …

Influences Of Na-Mn Ratio On Electrochemical Performances And Intercalation-Deintercalation Processes Of Sodium Ion In NaXMno2, Yong-Chun Xie, Cheng Wang, Fang Jiang, Yang Yang, Jing Su, Yun-Fei Long, Yan-Xuan Wen

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, Na_xMnO₂ was synthesized by a solid-state reaction. The influences of Na:Mn ratio on the structure, morphology and electrochemical performance, and sodium ion intercalation/deintercalation processes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge-discharge test. The prepared Na_xMnO₂ was mainly composed of Na_0.7MnO₂ and Na_0.91MnO₂, and the content of Na_0.91MnO₂ increased with the increase of Na:Mn ratio. However, the activation energy values of surface membrane diffusion, interfacial electrochemical reaction and …

Electrochemical Preparation And Photo-Electro Catalytic Properties Of Flexible Znni/Al-Ldhs/Carbon Fibers Composite, Jing-Jing Tian, Tao Chen, Xing-Chen Bao, Meng-Xu Gao, Ye-Xiao Yu, Si-Yao Peng, Guan-Ping Jin

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this work, a promising flexible composite consisting of zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni) and aluminum (Al) layered double hydroxide coated carbon fibers (ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs) was prepared by electrochemical method with convenient recovery and separation. The structures, morphologies, and photo-electro catalytic properties of ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The excellent photo-electro bifunctional catalytic properties were obtained with the ZnNi/Al-LDHs/CFs composite as compared to that of Zn/Al-LDHs/CFs (photo catalyst) or Ni/Al-LDHs/CFs (electrocatalyst) alone, which could be used in the electro-catalytic oxidations of methanol and …

Rose Hu Named Usu College Of Engineering Associate Dean For Research | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The College of Engineering at Utah State University announced Monday that Rose Hu, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has accepted the position of associate dean for research.

College Of Engineering Welcomes New Academic Recruiter | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

USU’s College of Engineering welcomes Danielle Roth as the new academic recruiting specialist.