Engineering Commons^™

Correlation Between Delay Time And Measured Concentration And Concentration Uncertainty By Neutron Activation Analysis, James Thomas Seman

Doctoral Dissertations

"For the last several decades, it has been apparent that new methods of identifying explosives can help investigators trace their origins. One way to identify an explosive is through the use of taggants: materials added to a product that encodes information about the product such as when it was manufactured.

This research investigates the survivability of a new identification taggant called the Nuclear Barcode that overcomes some of the downfalls that have been identified in prior taggants. The Nuclear Barcode encodes information as a unique combination of concentrations of rare earths (Ho, Eu, Sm, Lu, and Dy) and precious metals …

Discrete Element And Artificial Intelligence Modeling Of Rock Properties And Formation Failure In Advance Of Shovel Excavation, Muhammad Waqas

Doctoral Dissertations

"Rock tests are performed before the start of every mining or civil engineering project as part of a detailed feasibility study. The feasibility study is costly and it comprises drilling, sample collection, sample handling and laboratory testing. Numerical modeling techniques, such as Particle Flow Code (PFC), can be used to provide reliable estimates of rock strength values. The numerical models for unconfined compressive strength (UCS), direct tension, and Brazilian tests were developed in PFC, and validated using data from literature. A particle size range of 3-5 mm with D_max/D_min = 1.67 gave the best results. The numerical …

Signal Processing For Microwave Imaging Systems With Very Sparse Array, Xiahan Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation investigates image reconstruction algorithms for near-field, two dimensional (2D) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) using compressed sensing (CS) based methods. In conventional SAR imaging systems, acquiring higher-quality images requires longer measuring time and/or more elements in an antenna array. Millimeter wave imaging systems using evenly-spaced antenna arrays also have spatial resolution constraints due to the large size of the antennas. This dissertation applies the CS principle to a bistatic antenna array that consists of separate transmitter and receiver subarrays very sparsely and non-uniformly distributed on a 2D plane. One pair of transmitter and receiver elements is turned on at …

Dragline Excavation Simulation, Real-Time Terrain Recognition And Object Detection, Godfred Somua-Gyimah

Doctoral Dissertations

"The contribution of coal to global energy is expected to remain above 30% through 2030. Draglines are the preferred excavation equipment in most surface coal mines. Recently, studies toward dragline excavation efficiency have focused on two specific areas. The first area is dragline bucket studies, where the goal is to develop new designs which perform better than conventional buckets. Drawbacks in the current approach include operator inconsistencies and the inability to physically test every proposed design. Previous simulation models used Distinct Element Methods (DEM) but they over-predict excavation forces by 300% to 500%. In this study, a DEM-based simulation model …

Modeling And Simulation Of Viscoplasticity, Recrystallization, And Softening Of Alloyed Steel During Hot Rolling Process, Xin Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Hot rolling is one of the most important and complex deformation processes in steel manufacturing and is essential to final product quality. The objective of this study is to investigate viscoplasticity, dynamic recrystallization, and static softening of alloyed metal during hot rolling process. Gleeble hot compression tests were performed to provide experimental stress-strain curves at different temperatures and strain rates. An inverse finite element analysis was performed to calibrate the experimental curves. Viscoplastic models including a Johnson-Cook (JC) model, a Zerilli-Armstrong (ZA) model, and a combined JC and ZA model were developed. Dynamic recrystallization behavior was investigated and modeled based …

Design And Characterization Of Multi-Spectral Underwater Beam-Port For Pool-Type Research Reactors, Meshari Mesfer Alqahtani

Doctoral Dissertations

“The beam-port is a cardinal facility at research reactors necessary for dry irradiation, testing and measurement experiments. The Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR) is one such reactor with a beam-port. Installation of additional beam-port in such reactor facilities can be prohibitive. A novel remedy to this is an underwater beam-port for pool-type reactors. The design and characterization of a conceptual underwater multi-spectral beam-port for neutron and gamma fluxes were completed for the MSTR. The neutron spectra from the MSTR were simulated using the Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP). The determined neutron spectra were experimentally validated using SAND-II. The …

Quantitative Phase-Field Modeling Of Crack Propagation In Multi-Phase Materials, Arezoo Emdadi

Doctoral Dissertations

”Research presented in this dissertation is focused on developing and validating a computational framework for study of crack propagation in polycrystalline composite ceramics capable of designing micro-architectures of phases to improve fracture toughness and damage tolerance of ZrB₂-based ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). A quantitative phase-field model based on the regularized formulation of Griffith’s theory is presented for crack propagation in homogenous and heterogeneous brittle materials. This model utilizes correction parameters in the total free energy functional and mechanical equilibrium equation within the crack diffusive area to ensure that the maximum stress in front of the crack tip is …

Synthesis And Comprehensive Studies Of Nanogels For Enhanced Oil Recovery, Jiaming Geng

Doctoral Dissertations

“Nanomaterials have been developed and applied for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in oil industry. Among the developed nanomaterials, nano-sized crosslinked polymeric gel particles (nanogels) have shown the potential in improving both the macro- and micro-displacing efficiency. This dissertation focuses on the synthesis and the potential EOR mechanisms of nanogels. Nanogels with positive, negative, and neutral charges were synthesized through suspension polymerization. The morphology, size distribution, and zeta potential of nanogels were elucidated by corresponding technologies, such as scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The ability of nanogels in oil-water interfacial tension (IFT) reduction and oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion stabilization was …

Shear Performance And Behavior Of Long Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Benjamin Paul Gliha

Doctoral Dissertations

”In this study, a laboratory testing program was developed to investigate the shear performance of fiber reinforced concrete beams. Long carbon fibers, to be included with a traditional fresh concrete mix, were developed and their shear performance was evaluated and compared to the performance and behavior of unreinforced concrete, traditionally reinforced concrete, and fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) with other fiber types.

The experimental program consisted of 30 large-scale beams tested for shear performance under monotonic loading. In addition to the large-scale beams, small-scale specimens were constructed of the same materials to correlate large-scale performances to ASTM C1609 testing and to …

Enhancement Of Heat Transfer Coefficient Using Nanofluids For Multi-Stage Flash Desalination (Msf) Plant, Nasser Zouli

Doctoral Dissertations

“The enhancement of thermal conductivity and local heat transfer coefficient, under laminar and turbulent flow regimes, of water-based spherical Al₂O₃, CuO, and Fe₂O₃ nanofluids have been experimentally investigated for the improvement of the thermal desalination processes using a newly developed sophisticated noninvasive heat transfer coefficient probe that is flush mounted on the inner wall surface of the test section. The nanoparticles have been selected because of their superior thermal conductivity and low cost, as well as the magnetic characteristic of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticle since a magnet can collect it and reuse. …

Effects Of Milling Methods, Cooling Strategies And End-Mill Coatings On Machinability In High Speed End-Milling Of Inconel- 718 Using Carbide End-Mills, Paras Mohan Jasra

Doctoral Dissertations

“Inconel-718 superalloy is used extensively in aerospace and nuclear industries due to its excellent properties such as: high strength-to-weight ratio, ability to retain its properties at high temperature, high corrosion and creep resistance. However, Inconel-718 is characterized as a “difficult-to-cut metal”, because it poses severe problems during machining such as: high temperature at the cutting zone due to low thermal conductivity, hardening tendency at elevated temperature, high cutting forces, rapid tool wear and high chemical affinity with many cutting tools. Appropriate cooling strategies, milling methods, tool coatings and cutting speeds play important roles in addressing these problems. This research presents …

Cerebral Vasospasm Detection And Treatment Using Transcranial Doppler Signal Analysis And Adaptive Medication Pump Mechanism, Khaled Elzaafarany

All ETDs from UAB

In the United States, many patients pass away due to delayed detection of Cerebral Vasospasm (CV). Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is an efficient noninvasive, reliable device that can monitor the blood flow in various parts of the human brain like middle cerebral artery and basilar artery without any surgical intervention. It can help neurologists to diagnose many brain problems like edema, trauma, hemorrhage, and aneurysm. Unfortunately, continuous or even daily TCD monitoring is challenging due to the operator expertise and certification required in the form of a trained technologist, and certified physician to perform these studies. This barrier exists due to …

Characterization And Mechanical Evaluation Of Discontinuous Carbon Fiber Based Liquid Molded Nylon-6 Composites, Siddhartha Brahma

All ETDs from UAB

The Anionic Ring Opening Polymerization (AROP) of caprolactam to form polyamide-6 (PA6) or liquid molding for polyamide-6 (LMPA6) presents the opportunity for a new class of composite materials with excellent performance and wide applicability from automotive, energy, transportation, and aerospace. Despite the inherent advantages with the process, industrial adoption is virtually nonexistent. Additionally, the growing trend of reclaiming fibers can also be coupled with this process with relative ease. The following work will evaluate the liquid molding process, particularly for the use of recycled or reclaimed carbon fibers, in the following ways. First, the adaptability of the process to use …

Nanomedicine: Electrohydrodynamic Atomization (Ehda) To Engineer Next-Generation Biomimetic Microphysiological Systems (Mps) And Precision Drug Delivery Systems (Dds), Karim Ismail Budhwani

All ETDs from UAB

Cancer is poised to become the leading cause of death worldwide with lifetime probability of 1-in-2 men and 1-in-3 women developing cancer. Despite this, research and development of new treatment options remains expensive and slow, in part, due to inadequate disease models, therapy evaluation assays, and absence of delivery control in leading treatment options. These factors also impede patient-specific personalized medicine. Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) fabrication technologies, such as electrospinning (ESp) and electrospraying (ESy), offer promising nanomedicine pathways toward addressing these challenges. ESp has garnered much interest in tissue engineering but is dwarfed by softlithography in microphysiological systems (MPS), including lab-chip …

A Unified Method For The Design Of Circular Bolted Flange Plate Connections, Pratima Chitrakar

All ETDs from UAB

The use of steel tubular structures for transmission and distribution poles is increasing widely in the U.S as they are easy to construct and install, require less land space and has aesthetic benefits. In these steel tubular structures, the use of bolted flange plate connection is common. The bolted flange-plate connection is used to connect tubular element and transfer load from one element to the other and then to the foundation. The size and thickness of flange-plate connection depend on the applied loads, number of bolts and material type. For the industrial manufacturing purpose, the simplified and unified design method …

An Interdisciplinary Model For The Development Of Alabama Oil Sands, Daniel Edward Smith

All ETDs from UAB

In July 2013, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by the Governors of the states of Alabama and Mississippi to jointly conduct a comprehensive geologic, engineering, and legal assessment of oil sands resources associated with the Hartselle Sandstone formation including the identification of environmental best practices associated with developing these resources. Pursuant to the MOU, the Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) began a limited geological evaluation of the potential development of Alabama’s oil sand resources. This dissertation compliments those GSA efforts by identifying and assessing environmental and social sustainability risks associated with the potential development of Alabama’s oil sands …

Geometry- And Image-Based Methods For Analyzing Metal Casting Process Features, William Warriner

All ETDs from UAB

There are no known visual software tools relating metal casting geometry directly to features of the casting process. Solidification simulations do not explicitly disclose defect locations and do not generate rigging geometry. Having geometry-based process feature models would enable cast component designers to improve castability before production. Such models would also allow for a greater degree of workflow automation in casting process optimization. Three papers are written which develop geometry-based process feature models for analysis of metal castings. The first paper explores the relationship between component geometry and solidification order and demonstrates how to rapidly estimate hotspot locations using a …

Intergrading Connected Vehicle Data Into The Transportation Performance Measurement Process, Md Ahsanul Islam

All ETDs from UAB

Transportation system performance measurements are used to evaluate the operating conditions of local and regional transportation systems and determine if they meet national performance goals. Performance measurement is an integral part of the congestion management process and assists transportation agencies to set programmatic and funding priorities and make policy decisions. Transportation system performance measures are currently derived from various sources such as point sensors, automatic vehicle matching technologies, third party vendors, incident and work zone databases, weather databases, video analytics, high-resolution controller data, and management and control sources. Emerging vehicle technologies like connected vehicle (CV) technologies create new opportunities for …

Multimodal Imaging In Schizophrenia, Kristin Lottman

All ETDs from UAB

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population. Due to its heterogeneity, critical gaps in knowledge about the disorder persist as the underlying neural mechanisms and etiology remain poorly understood. In order to fill this gap in knowledge, identification of an imaging biomarker characteristic of schizophrenia’s pathophysiology is critical in not only furthering understanding of the disorder, but also improving patient prognosis and outcome. Attempts toward filling this critical gap in knowledge and thus uncovering the neurobiological basis of schizophrenia are continually being made with neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies. The primary objective of this dissertation …

Inception Of A Cellulose Nitrate-Layered Silicate Nanocomposite Coating: Study Of The Formulation Procedure, Degree Of Dispersion, Coating Properties, And Uv Stability, Precious Mitchell

All ETDs from UAB

Cellulose nitrate lacquer is a coating system that is used in the conservation of silver art pieces in museums. This coating degrades prematurely in the presence of extensive light exposure, which is prominent in display cases, thus comprising the surface of the art piece. When facing this fact, it is imperative to create a new polymer coating system with an in-crease in barrier properties so that the life expectancy of the coating increases. The synthesis of a cellulose nitrate-layered silicate nanocomposite coating stands to enhance the barrier properties of cellulose nitrate through proper dispersion of layered silicates. A proper formulation …

Bioprocess Development For Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies And High Value Biochemical, Jianfa Ou

All ETDs from UAB

Cancer treatment is one of the most daunting challenges of human health improvement. Bioprocess development, or biomanufacturing, is an important step in anti-cancer therapy developments. Novel surface receptors were revealed by integrating proteomics data and live-cell characterization, and were used for antibody design with improved specific targeting. A high titer (>2 g/L) of monoclonal antibody (mAb) was produced by Chinese hamster ovary cells from fed-batch cell culture. Live-cell confocal microscopy imaging and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated the strong and specific binding of the produced mAb to cancer cell lines. The cancer treatment effect of mAb was enhanced through the …

Thermal-Mechanical Precast Concrete Panels Comprised Of Hybrid-Polymerized Sandwich Interfaces For High-Impact Projectile Resistance, Hector R Orozco Avalos

All ETDs from UAB

In this study, the thermal resistance, flexural behavior, and impact resistance via hurricane impact loads of two-wythe precast concrete composite sandwich beams comprised of an intermediate carbon-fiber epoxy inter-facially bonded to a dual Hybrid Matrix Composite (HMC) were investigated as an affordable alternative for enhancing thermal and mechanical (debris-impact and flexural) properties. The study is a precursor to the design of Precast Concrete Sandwich Panels (PCSP). HMC is a chemical reaction between a thermosetting epoxy network and a fast-setting, yet highly reactive, isocyanate-amine system at a pre-polymerized stage. The interfacial reaction of HMC is a function of epoxy curing kinetics, …

Modeling And Analysis Of Iot Systems Using Shannon's Channel Model, Anthony G. Winchester

All ETDs from UAB

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a ubiquitous technology that can mark the evolution of modern world. Since the internet has become a common household resource like the land line was in the past, it is time to take technology to the next level. With the manipulation of signals, we now have the use of wireless devices that are connected to various devices (both wireless and wired). The idea is to not only engineer devices that connect to the web, but also make them smart using processors embedded in devices coupled with internet to provide an intelligent system. Our research …

Novel Anti-Cancer Therapy Development Using Omics Guided Rational Cell Process Engineering, Ningning Xu

All ETDs from UAB

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality globally, and multiple anti-cancer therapies have been developed and applied over last few decades. Antibody-based cancer therapies have been on one of the most exciting and promising therapeutic strategies. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can control the progression of cancers via targeted binding to the specific antigen of tumors to trigger an immune response, target and block the signaling pathway involved in cancer progression, or deliver cytotoxic agents into tumors. Two chimeric/humanized monoclonal antibodies (anti-HER2 mAb and anti-CD 20 mAb) with higher efficacy were successfully expressed in engineered Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells (CHO). …

Sleep Transistors Aided Side-Channel Analysis For Hardware Trojan Detection, Lin Yi

All ETDs from UAB

Modern integrated circuits (ICs) are vulnerable due to the emergence of Hardware Trojans (HTs). The semiconductor industry has been split into several sections caused by the market demand. This trend increased the risk that ICs could be embedded with Trojans for malicious purpose. Hardware Trojan (HT) is an extra circuity, which carried malicious functions. Hardware Trojan can be tiny-size and stealthy to detect, due to their sophisticated design and rare activation. Detecting methodologies are mainly focused on three directions: Supply chain phase detection, Run time phase detection and Design phase detection. Recently, most of the researchers trend to utilize logic …

Edge-Wave Formation During Multi-Stand Tube Mill Operation, Daniel Lerew

All ETDs from UAB

Cold-Formed (CF), High-Frequency (HF), Electric-Resistance-Welded (ERW) tubing is manufactured using a continuous roll forming process where a flat steel strip is progressively formed into a round which is then passed through an induction coil to be heated prior to having the heated edges forged to make a weld. A somewhat common issue, particularly as the thickness decreases and outside dimension increases, is an elastic edge wave that ultimately sets into a plastically deformed strip edge that cannot be successfully joined into a welded tube. Many variables can cause or exacerbate this effect including strip not centered in the mill, significant …

Diginol: A Joule-Heated Binary-Partitioned Nitinol Actuator, Martin Dawson Holland

All ETDs from UAB

New and innovative robotic designs are always needed in both research and commercial fields. To that end, new and innovative actuators are needed as well. In this paper, a digitally controlled Nitinol actuator, Diginol, is proposed. Diginol is a Nitinol actuator that uses Joule heating to individually activate partitions of a length of Nitinol. The lengths of the partitions follow a base-2 pattern, minimizing the number of partitions required for a given number of actuation lengths. Activating separate partitions instead of the entire length of Nitinol circumvents the need to account for the hysteresis and nonlinearities inherent in the transformation …

The Biomimetic Cardiac Tissue Model, Aaron Joseph Rogers

All ETDs from UAB

Every year about 735,000 Americans will suffer a heart attack and 1 in 4 will end up dying from heart disease. Study of this disease has been impacted by the limited availability of appropriate human cell types. The discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and development of protocols to differentiate these cells into cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) has enabled study into this disease free from ethical dilemma, and reliance on animal models. Unfortunately, hiPSC-CMs are immature in nature and closely resemble fetal or neonatal cardiomyocytes. We hypothesized that hemodynamic stimuli, missing from static cultures, would allow us to mature hiPSC-CMs …

The Automated Beehive, Lighten The Load Of Beekeeping, Usu Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Our system will be useful to new and experienced beekeepers alike. Our project will provide consistent information about the beehive to the beekeepers. The system will monitor the state of the beehive by examining each frame in the hive. If the system detects invasive species such as spiders or wax moths, the system will inform the beekeeper through email letting them know what actions need to be taken.

Automatic Guitar Tuner, Trent Smith, Courtney Adams

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Automatic Guitar Tuner is a mobile, compact device that mounts onto the head of a guitar and automatically tunes the guitar by rotating each peg. This device is designed to operate quickly and accurately, providing a convenient method of tuning for guitarists. Implemented as a real-time embedded system, the device processes the sound generated by a plucked guitar string and tunes it by using a mechanical arm to rotate the peg. Due to its efficiency, this device could especially benefit beginning guitarists who haven't built up the necessary ear training to tune their instrument correctly.