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Papers Of E. A. Seamands Arc1984-004 - Finding Aid, Ats Special Collections And Archives

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Proceedings Of The 18th Annual Early Career Technical Conference (Front Matter), Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the 18th Annual Early Career Technical Conference, November 3, 2018. School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; pp. i-xii

Section 3: Miscellaneous, Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the 18th Annual Early Career Technical Conference, November 3, 2018. School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; pp. 71-90

Effect Of Screen Layers And Orientations On Mesh Wicked Heat Pipes, K Kaddoura, O Y W Abotsi, John Kizito

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Section 1: Thermal Sciences; pp. 27-32

Numerical Predictions Of Hydrokinetic Turbine Wake And Freesurface Signatures, Oumina El Fajri, Simon Bushan, D Thompson

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Section 2: Numerical Methods; pp. 43-51

Application-Adaptable Chipless Rfid Tag, Katelyn Brinker, Reza Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Chipless RFID has gained prominence due to its application versatility and cost and complexity advantages over traditional RFID. However, chipless RFID tags are typically designed for a specific application instead of being deployable for a multitude of applications. In this paper, a new approach to adaptable chipless RFID tag is proposed that can be optimized for a variety of applications, including materials characterization with tags as embedded sensors. Additionally, the designed approach renders tags that can be interrogated with a linearly polarized probe and achieves bit densities up to 27.57 bits/cm 2,

Synchrotron Radiation X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy And Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Studies Of Insb Thin Films On Gaas Grown By Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition, Yingda Qian, Yuanlan Liang, Xuguang Luo, Kaiyan He, Wenhong Sun, Hao Hsiung Lin, Devki N. Talwar, Ting Shan Chan, Ian Ferguson, Lingyu Wan, Qingyi Yang, Zhe Chuan Feng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of ultrathin InSb films grown on GaAs by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition with different V/III ratios were investigated thoroughly using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), X-ray diffraction, and synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The results predicted that InSb films on GaAs grown under too high or too low V/III ratios are with poor quality, while those grown with proper V/III ratios of 4.20-4.78 possess the high crystalline quality. The temperature-dependent SE (20-300°C) and simulation showed smooth variations of SE spectra, optical constants (n, k, e1, and ϵ2), and critical energy points (E1, E1+Δ1, E′0, E2, and E′1) for InSb …

Design Optimization Of A Non-Axisymmetric Endwall Contour For A High-Lift Low Pressure Turbine Blade, Jacob Allen Dickel

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Various approaches have been used to shape the geometry at the junction of the endwall and the blade profile in high-lift low-pressure turbine passages in order to reduce the endwall losses. This thesis will detail the workflow to produce an optimized non-axisymmetric endwall contour design for a front-loaded high-lift research turbine profile. Validation of the workflow was performed and included a baseline planar and test contour case for a future optimization study. Endwall contours were defined using a series of Bezier curves across the passage to create a smooth surface. A parametric based approach was used to develop the test …

3d Visualization And Interactive Image Manipulation For Surgical Planning In Robot-Assisted Surgery, Mohammadreza Maddah

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Robot-assisted surgery, or "robotic" surgery, has been developed to address the difficulties with the traditional laparoscopic surgery. The da Vinci (Intuitive Surgical, CA and USA) is one of the FDA-approved surgical robotic system which is widely used in the case of abdominal surgeries like hysterectomy and cholecystectomy. The technology includes a system of master and slave tele-manipulators that enhances manipulation precision. However, inadequate guidelines and lack of a human-machine interface system for planning the ports on the abdomen surface are some of the main issues with robotic surgery. Unreachable target and mid-surgery collisions between robotic arms are the major problems …

Coupling Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis And Optimization Techniques For Scramjet Engine Design, Nathan T. Mcgillivray

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Various aspects of hypersonic vehicles are being rapidly explored for improved functionality. One of the main areas of consideration is the fueling of a Supersonic Combusting Ramjet (scramjet) engine. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), computer simulations can be performed to analyze the flow physics of a scramjet. In this research, an optimization code, Dakota, is integrated with the CFD to optimize a set of parameters to maximum thrust. In this study, the fuel injection and combustion is replaced with heat sources. This simplification greatly reduces the computational requirements. Additionally, the 3D geometry is reduced to an axisymmetric 2D geometry because …

Analysis Of Evolutionary Algorithms In The Control Of Path Planning Problems, Pavlos Androulakakis

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The purpose of this thesis is to examine the ability of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) to develop near optimal solutions to three different path planning control problems. First, we begin by examining the evolution of an open-loop controller for the turn-circle intercept problem. We then extend the evolutionary methodology to develop a solution to the closedloop Dubins Vehicle problem. Finally, we attempt to evolve a closed-loop solution to the turn constrained pursuit evasion problem. For each of the presented problems, a custom controller representation is used. The goal of using custom controller representations (as opposed to more standard techniques such as …

Leveraging 3d Models For Sar-Based Navigation In Gps-Denied Environments, Zachary A. Reid

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This thesis considers the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to provide absolute platform position information in scenarios where GPS signals may be degraded, jammed, or spoofed. Two algorithms are presented, and both leverage known 3D ground structure in an area of interest, e.g. provided by LIDAR data, to provide georeferenced position information to airborne SAR platforms. The first approach is based on the wide-aperture layover properties of elevated reflectors, while the second approach is based on correlating backprojected imagery with digital elevation imagery. Both of these approaches constitute the system we have designated: SARNAV. Building on 3D backprojection, localization …

Microstructural Characterization Of LensTm Ti-6al-4v: Investigating The Effects Of Process Variables Across Multiple Deposit Geometries, Laura Christine Davidson

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Laser based additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V components is under consideration for aerospace applications. The mechanical properties of the finished components depend on their microstructure. Process mapping compares process variables such as heat source power, heat source travel speed, material feed rate, part preheat temperature and feature geometry to process outcomes such as microstructure, melt pool geometry and residual stresses. In this work, the microstructure of two-dimensional pads, multilayer pads, thin walls, and structural components at the steady state location was observed. A method for measuring β grain widths that allows for the calculation of standard deviations, confidence intervals, and variances …

An Autonomous Intelligent Robotic Wheelchair To Assist People In Need: Standing-Up, Turning-Around And Sitting-Down, Iosif Papadakis Ktistakis

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The world’s ageing population has significantly increased over the last decades, which will result in one of the most significant transformations of the twenty-first century. As people age, they become more vulnerable to diseases and their health may need constant monitoring. At the same time, the number of people who have some kind of disability is also increasing. These people with disabilities may need daily assistance and monitoring of their health condition that is provided by specialists (health providers) at a high cost. A possible solution to the aforementioned problem comes from the assistive and intelligent robotics research area. The …

Interactive Visualization Of Search Results Of Large Document Sets, James D. Anderson

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When presented with many search results, finding information or patterns within the data poses a challenge. This thesis presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a visualization enabling users to browse through voluminous information and comprehend the data. Implemented with the JavaScript library Data Driven Documents (D3), the visualization represents the search as clusters of similar documents grouped into bubbles with the contents depicted as word-clouds. Highly interactive features such as touch gestures and intuitive menu actions allow for expeditious exploration of the search results. Other features include drag-and-drop functionality for articles among bubbles, merging nodes, and refining the search …

Switching Neural Network Systems For Nonlinear Tracking, Manoj Ghimire

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In this thesis, we consider the problem of tracking in complex nonlinear dynamical systems. While the Kalman filter is known to be the mean-squared error optimal tracker under linear dynamics and linear measurements, more sophisticated models and algorithms are required for complex dynamics. Here, we consider switching systems where the dynamical properties vary (''switch modes") over time. For example, the dynamics of a vehicle may switch as it transitions from interstate to urban conditions, human speech dynamics switch as speakers change, and stock market dynamics switch with discrete news events. In this work, we use mode-dependent neural networks to capture …

Overwhelming The Saa System Of Delivery Uavs By Drone Swarming, Barry Lynn Pfaff

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As the Internet continues to replace the brick-and-mortar store as the main place for purchasing goods, web-based companies are looking for ways to reduce the cost of delivering those goods. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, is one delivery method that is increasingly being used. These UAVs can be programmed with delivery routes and destinations and can complete the job while requiring limited intervention from human controllers. Sense and Avoidance (SAA) systems have recently been incorporated into these UAVs so that they can detect objects in their flight path, reroute the UAV accordingly and operate even more autonomously. …

Fully Transparent Computer Vision Framework For Ship Detection And Tracking In Satellite Imagery, Jason T. Gottweis

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Tracking of ships in satellite imagery is a challenging problem in remote sensing since it requires both object detection and object recognition. Most of the resources available only cover one of these problems and are often filled with machine learning techniques which are costly to train. Additionally, the techniques covered in these resources are often difficult to replicate or may be hard to combine with other solutions to get a full tracking algorithm. The proposed framework offers a transparent and efficient alternative to machine learning approaches and includes preprocessing, detection, and recognition needed for tracking. All components of the framework …

Augment The Multi-Modal Interaction Capabilities Of Hololens Through Networked Sensory Devices, Subhadra Tummalapally

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Augmented Reality (AR) places virtual contents along with real objects to enhance user perception in the physical environment. It is a technology that has shown great potential in many industries such as medicine, education and transportation. AR devices, such as Microsoft HoloLens, come with multi-modal interaction capabilities, such as voice, gesture and gaze, to support intuitive and reliable human-computer interactions. However, HoloLens gesture support is limited to simple gestures like tap, bloom and hold, it stops short to support meaningful interaction through full hand gesture and motion tracking, which may be critical in field operations of various industry practices in …

Wideband Doa And Parameter Estimation Of Chirp Sources Using Dcft And Compressive Sensing, Luay A. Al Irkhis

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Direction of Arrival (DoA) estimation of chirp sources has many applications in radar, sonar and medical imaging. This work considers DoA and parameter estimation of wide- band chirp sources by the use of Discrete Chirp Fourier Transform (DCFT), its Compres- sive Sensing formulation (CS-DCFT) and Distributed CS. DCFT is similar to traditional Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) but with chirp ba- sis and two-dimensional search over chirp rate and chirp frequency. For chirp parame- ters estimation, the proposed Compressive Sensing (CS) formulation uses the parametric DCFT basis to achieve superior estimator performance in polynomial time using Orthog- onal Matching Pursuit (OMP) …

Garbage Disposal, Madison Popa, Tyler Miller, Mitchell Wheeler, Johnathon Klebe

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this report is to outline a new design for a sink garbage disposal system. The goal of this design is to develop a garbage disposal that could be made for less money, which would turn into a cost savings for the consumer and would lead to an increase in the amount of garbage disposal systems being used throughout the world. This allows the garbage disposal system to be marketed to different parts of the world that currently can’t afford the systems available on the market.

The increased use of garbage disposals, help reduce the amount of organic …

Development Of Entubulation Strategies For Treating Central Nervous System Injuries, Ivy Brosch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

According to the McKnight Brain Institute, at least 10,000 people annually in the USA suffer from a central nervous system (CNS) injury. These injuries can cause serve disabilities including paralysis. Due to the complexity of the spinal cord, it is common that potential CNS treatments are first applied to an optic nerve crush (ONC) model in rats. Two proposed treatments were employed; one where nerve growth factor (NGF) was immobilized to a chitosan substrate to stimulate axonal regeneration, and the other using pentadecafluorooctanoyl chloride modified methacrylamide chitosan (MAC(Ali15)F) hydrogel to enhance local oxygenation. The two different treatments were formed into …

Evaluation Of Silane-Doped Epoxy Coatings For Resisting Aluminum Corrosion By Oxalic Acid, An A. Niger Metabolite, Alex Pica

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this study was to investigate whether silane-doped epoxy coatings are capable of preventing corrosion of aluminum alloy 2024-T3 by oxalic acid, one of the primary metabolites of the fungus Aspergillus Niger. Previous research suggested the success of these types of coatings at preventing AA 2024-T3 corrosion in saline solutions, and this study was meant to build on those findings by investigating the efficacy of the coating in an acidic environment.

Each coating was applied to an AA 2024-T3 coupon by dissolving the epoxy and varying amounts of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane in acetone and then dripping the solution onto …

Guardian Condor, Jake Stefanick, Matt Wallace, Dan Bologna, Kevin Bayonnet

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The group was tasked with designing a 3D printed glider. The scope of this assignment is to someday use the developed glider design and equip it with electronics and controls to deliver medical materials to remote areas in drone-like fashion. The glider was to be designed so that it could be printed using a lower-end, compact, and relatively portable 3D printer for optimal field efficiency. For this reason, the makerbot 3D printer was selected. The compact base plate of the makerbot printer left the team with strict size limitations, so the glider was printed in a series of nine parts …

Environmentally Friendly Alternates To Chemlok 233 Adhesive Cement, Madeline M. Busch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project was to determine and qualify suitable, environmentally friendly replacement(s) for the current Chemlok 233 adhesive cement used by UTC Aerospace. Chemlok 233 was discontinued by the manufacturer based on the availability of a hazardous solvent (Trichloroethylene – TCE). The Chemlok 233 Control and four Experimental alternates with similar properties were lab tested for adhesion strength in various UTC proprietary cement specifications. The specifications modeled Chemlok’s uses in the construction of pneumatic de-icers. Chemlok 2332 was selected for use in Cement A, and Chemlok 402 was chosen for use in Cement B based on their highest …

Battery Test Chamber, Olivia Cole, Noah Purdy, Jacob Happ

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A battery test chamber was designed for temperature-controlled experiments on batteries. The apparatus is a standalone desktop unit capable of testing a battery of maximum size 2.25” x 2.25” x 2”. There are two separate chambers divided by a rotating, 90° door. The chamber halves are used for heating and cooling the battery, respectively. An adjustable mount for the battery allows for variation in sample size and securely holds the battery throughout the experiment. The operator can twist a knob on top of the box to spin the battery between the hot and cold chambers. The hot side is equipped …

Impedance Tube Alternative Via The Transfer Function Method, Nathan Palella, Griffin J. Binkley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Typical industry-ready impedance tube systems for measuring sound absorption cost between $20,000 and $60,000. The scope of this project was to explore an industrial impedance tube and its functions as well as iteratively reduce the cost of each component of the system to its lowest possible conclusion without severely sacrificing quality of data acquisition. Replacement of the hardware and software with “off-the-shelf” alternatives and custom-made components can reduce the overall cost by as much as two orders of magnitude in order to be used in the education sector, mainly high schools. We find that the designed tube and driver replacements …

Guardian Condor, Kevin Bayonnet

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our group has teamed up with Dr. Williams from Discovery Lab Global to research the capabilities of 3D printed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The goal of our project is to deliver a 3D printed glider prototype which can later be fitted with electronics for controlled flight. The glider must also carry a payload of 2 to 3 pounds in addition to the electronics. These requirements must be met all while using a basic 3D printer with low cost plastic

Throughout the Fall 2017 semester, our group made a significant amount of progress by completing the conceptual design portion of the …

Human Powered Vehicle Design Team: Speed Variable Steering Stabilizer, Eric Miller, Matt Kraml

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Human Powered Vehicle Competition (HPVC) is held annually by ASME at a few locations. The University of Akron has competed in the ASME-East and ASME-West competitions over the past handful of years against universities from all over the world. Objectives of each team for the competition are three-fold: vehicle design, racing performance, and innovation. Our senior design project involved working on the innovation concept for ASME-East 2018 held at Penn State University during the weekend of 4/13. Speed variable steering was decided upon by the entire HPVC team early in the design process as the innovation choice for this …

Building Entry Flood Barrier, Richard Esker, Shannon Mccall, Andrew Udovich, Brian Foust

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a flood barrier that would resist flood water from entering through the doorways of a building. The goal is to mitigate extensive flooding within a structure. After the disastrous weather events that impacted American citizens late in the year of 2017, the team was inspired to develop a project to help disaster victims. Through extensive preliminary and market research, it was discovered that flooding is a serious issue that affects people all over the world. A product to stop flooding could benefit people in developed countries, but it could also help citizens …