Engineering Commons^™

Multi-Scale Studies To Develop A Holistic Understanding Of Solid Fuel Combustion At Residential Scale, Sameer Patel

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Nearly 3 billion people rely on solid fuels for their cooking and heating needs, classifying them as “energy poor”. This poverty can be attributed to several factors, including a lack of resources (fuel), inefficient infrastructure (production and distribution), limited purchasing power (poverty), and ill-devised policies. Solid fuels, such as biomass, coal, and dung cakes, are burned in inefficient cookstoves. They generate products of incomplete combustion (PIC), such as CO, particulate matter (PM), and CH4, causing household air pollution (HAP) whose adverse impacts on both health and the environment have been well established.

HAP causes diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary …

The Inter-Laminar Shearing Effect On Wrinkle Development In Composite Forming Processes, David Sundquist

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Composite materials are becoming prevalent in aerospace industries as the uniqueness of the composite structure allows the composite to be tailored specifically for individual applications. Many fabrication techniques produce defects in composite parts such as wrinkles, fiber waviness, fiber misalignment, and porosity. The driving mechanisms behind these defects occurring during forming processes are not fully understood and, thus, characterization formation of these defects in a uncured state is beneficial to optimize composite processing. This work primarily investigated the influence of how uncured pre-impregnated carbon ply properties affect the wrinkling behavior of a composite laminates. Several factors affecting composite ply forming …

Abiotic- And Biotic-Formation Of Manganese Oxides And Their Fate In Environmental Systems, Haesung Jung

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Manganese (hydr)oxide (Mn (hydr)oxide) minerals are ubiquitous in aquatic and terrestrial environments. These minerals have high surface areas and are highly sorptive and redox active. From decades of accumulated knowledge about natural redox cycling, we have found that Mn (hydr)oxides play critical roles as electron donors and acceptors in elemental geochemical cycling and biological metabolisms in nature. Thus, Mn (hydr)oxides have garnered increasing interest to understand natural systems. Considering the variety of redox reactions with Mn (hydr)oxides in nature, it is also expected that there should be diverse pathways to form Mn (hydr)oxides through abiotic and biotic processes. Previous studies …

Two-Component Hydrogel As Biomimetic Vitreous Substitutes, Sruthi Santhanam

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The vitreous humor of the eye is a biological hydrogel principally composed of fibrillary collagen interspersed with semi-flexible polyelectrolyte, hyaluronic acid (HA). Certain pathological conditions necessitate its removal and replacement. Current vitreous substitutes, such as silicone oils and perfluorocarbons, are hydrophobic, do not resemble the properties of the vitreous, and have known complications. An ideal vitreous substitute should have properties of the natural vitreous, perform its functions, and be biocompatible in the eye. Inspired by the structure and composition of the natural vitreous, we used bio-mimicry to develop an injectable two-component hydrogel. The hydrogel is composed of a fibrillary gellan, …

Characterizing Anisotropy In Fibrous Soft Materials By Mr Elastography Of Slow And Fast Shear Waves, John Larson Schmidt

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The general objective of this work was to develop experimental methods based on magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to characterize fibrous soft materials. Mathematical models of tissue biomechanics capable of predicting injury, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), are of great interest and potential. However, the accuracy of predictions from such models depends on accuracy of the underlying material parameters. This dissertation describes work toward three aims. First, experimental methods were designed to characterize fibrous materials based on a transversely isotropic material model. Second, these methods are applied to characterize the anisotropic properties of white matter brain tissue ex vivo. Third, …

Functional Bio-Nano Hybrids Through A Precise Control Of Interfacial Interactions At The Nanoscale, Sirimuvva Tadepalli

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

During the course of evolution, proteins have evolved to perform exquisite functions including structural support, signal transduction, actuation, sensing, catalysis, trafficking, gating, light-harvesting, charge transfer, molecular recognition, self-assembly, self-organization, or combinations of two or more of these functions. A precise control and manipulation of the structure and function of proteins is conceivable with the advent of nanotechnology, which has facilitated the integration of nanomaterials with functional biomolecules to realize bio-nano hybrids with synergistically enhanced functionalities.

At the genesis of bionanotechnology, a paucity in the fundamental understanding of the bio-nano interfaces is a grave impediment to the progress of the field. …

Soft Foam Robot With Caterpillar-Inspired Gait Regimes For Terrestrial Locomotion, Cassandra M. Donatelli, Zachary T. Serlin, Piers Echols-Jones, Anthony E. Scibelli, Alexandra Cohen, Jeanne-Marie Musca, Shane Rozen-Levy, David Buckingham, Robert White, Barry A. Trimmer

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Caterpillars are the soft bodied larvae of lepidopteran insects. They have evolved to occupy an extremely diverse range of natural environments and to locomote in complex three-dimensional structures without articulated joint or hydrostatic control. These animals make excellent bio-inspiration for the field of soft robotics because of their diversity and adaptability. In this paper, we present SquMA Bot, a caterpillar-inspired soft robot. The robot's body is primarily composed of a soft viscoelastic foam, and it is actuated using a motor-tendon system. SquMA Bot is able to mimic the inching gait of a caterpillar and can use its flexible body to …

Load Balancing With Energy Storage Systems Based On Co-Simulation Of Multiple Smart Buildings And Distribution Networks, Shaun Duerr, Cristinel Ababei, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper, we present a co-simulation framework that combines two main simulation tools, one that provides detailed multiple building energy simulation ability with Energy-Plus being the core engine, and the other one that is a distribution level simulator, Matpower. Such a framework can be used to develop and study district level optimization techniques that exploit the interaction between a smart electric grid and buildings as well as the interaction between buildings themselves to achieve energy and cost savings and better energy management beyond what one can achieve through techniques applied at the building level only. We propose a heuristic …

Drone-Enabled Remote Sensing For Transportation Infrastructure Assessment, Colin Brooks

INSPIRE Archived Webinars

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS or “drones”) are a rapidly developing technology that can help meet the needs of transportation agencies for reliable, repeatable data that can save money and increase safety for the data collection process. By taking advantage of flexible platforms that can deploy a variety of sensors, transportation agencies and their information suppliers can help meet these data needs for operations, asset management, and other areas. Location-specific data on infrastructure condition and distresses can help with improved management of assets.

In this presentation, recent applied research led by a Michigan Technological University team is reviewed, with a focus …

Fifa: Exploring A Focally Induced Fault Attack Strategy In Near-Threshold Computing, Prabal Basu, Chidhambaranathan Rajamanikkam, Aatreyi Bal, Pramesh Pandey, Trevor Carter, Koushik Chakraborty, Sanghamitra Roy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this letter, we explore the emerging security threats of near-threshold computing (NTC). Researchers have shown that the delay sensitivity of a circuit to supply voltage variation tremendously increases, as the circuit's operating conditions shift from traditional super-threshold values to NTC values. As a result, NTC systems become extremely vulnerable to timing fault attacks, jeopardizing trustworthy computing. Inspired by the operation of a polymorphic virus, we propose a novel threat model for NTC, referred to as a focally induced fault attack (FIFA). FIFA employs a machine learning framework to ascertain the circuit vulnerabilities and generates targeted software modules to cause …

Factors Affecting The Evolution Of Inclusion Populations During Steelmaking And Casting Processes, Obinna Adaba, Laura Bartlett, Mingzhi Xu, Ronald J. O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Investigations into the evolution of inclusion populations during ladle processing and continuous casting are reviewed. Details of the steelmaking practices employed in BOP and EAF steelmaking have been observed to have a strong influence on the size distribution, quantity, composition, phases and morphology of the final inclusion population delivered to the caster. Examples of the effects of different processing paths on the evolution of inclusion populations are presented. The importance of preexisting inclusion populations on the formation and removal of new inclusion populations is also reviewed and discussed.

Multiphase Flow Modeling For Design And Optimization Of A Novel Down-Flow Bubble Column, Mutharasu Lalitha Chockalingam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The application of the Euler-Euler framework based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models for simulating the two-phase gas-liquid bubbly flow in down-flow bubble columns is discussed in detail. Emphasis is given towards the modelling and design optimization of a novel down-flow bubble column. The design features of this novel down-flow bubble column and its advantages over a conventional Plunging Jet down-flow bubble column are discussed briefly. Then, some of the present challenges in simulating a conventional Plunging Jet down-flow bubble column in the Euler-Euler framework is highlighted, and a sigmoid function based drag modification function is implemented to overcome those challenges. …

Combined Noncyclic Scheduling And Advanced Control For Continuous Chemical Processes, Damon Petersen, Logan D. R. Beal, Derek Prestwich, Sean Warnick, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

A novel formulation for combined scheduling and control of multi-product, continuous chemical processes is introduced in which nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) and noncyclic continuous-time scheduling are efficiently combined. A decomposition into nonlinear programming (NLP) dynamic optimization problems and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problems, without iterative alternation, allows for computationally light solution. An iterative method is introduced to determine the number of production slots for a noncyclic schedule during a prediction horizon. A filter method is introduced to reduce the number of MILP problems required. The formulation’s closed-loop performance with both process disturbances and updated market conditions is demonstrated through …

Layer-By-Layer Assembled Membranes With Immobilized Porins, Sebastián Hernández, Cassandra Porter, Xinyi Zhang, Yinan Wei, Dibakar Bhattacharyya

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

New and advanced opportunities are arising for the synthesis and functionalization of membranes with selective separation, reactivity, and stimuli-responsive behavior. One such advancement is the integration of bio-based channels in membrane technologies. By a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolytes, outer membrane protein F trimers (OmpF) or “porins” from Escherichia coli with central pores ∼2 nm in diameter at their opening and ∼0.7 × 1.1 nm at their constricted region are immobilized within the pores of poly(vinylidene fluoride) microfiltration membranes, in contrast to traditional ruptured lipid bilayer or vesicle processes. These OmpF-membranes demonstrate selective rejection of non-charged organics over ionic solutes, …

Sexual Recombination And Increased Mutation Rate Expedite Evolution Of Escherichia Coli In Varied Fitness Landscapes, George Peabody, Hao Li, Katy Kao

Faculty Publications

Sexual recombination and mutation rate are theorized to play different roles in adaptive evolution depending on the fitness landscape; however, direct experimental support is limited. Here we examine how these factors affect the rate of adaptation utilizing a “genderless” strain of Escherichia coli capable of continuous in situ sexual recombination. The results show that the populations with increased mutation rate, and capable of sexual recombination, outperform all the other populations. We further characterize two sexual and two asexual populations with increased mutation rate and observe maintenance of beneficial mutations in the sexual populations through mutational sweeps. Furthermore, we experimentally identify …

Context-Sensitive Human Activity Classification In Video Utilizing Object Recognition And Motion Estimation, Abigail R. Jacoby

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Classification of human activity in raw video presents a challenging problem that remains unsolved, and is of great interest for large datasets. Though there have been several attempts at applying image processing techniques to video to recognize human activity in controlled video segments, few have attained a significant degree of success in raw videos.

Raw video classification exhibits significant challenges that can be addressed through the use of geometric information. Current techniques employ a combination of temporal information of the feature space or a combination of Convolutional and Recurrent Neural Networks (CNN and RNNs). CNNs are used for frame feature …

Development Of The New Educational Content "Small Uas In Civil Engineering Application Scenarios", E. Levin, K. Vach, R. Shults

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The key point of this paper is presentation of the main idea and some results of the project "Small UAS in civil engineering application scenarios" (SUAS-CAS). This project was proposed by newly established in 2016 ISPRS WG V/7: "Innovative Technologies in Training Civil Engineers and Architects". Here we are presenting our experience in using low-cost UAS in training architects at Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, which was chosen as basic for this project. In the first part of paper, the project outline is presented. Then the first and possible follow project outcomes were described. In some details is …

Analysis And Calculation Of Electrostatic Force For Multiple Particles To Demonstrate Particles' Behavior Towards-Equilibrium, Nandine Mitra

Student Theses and Dissertations

Within the field of physics, mathematics & engineering, the aim of modern research is tending towards to depict the accurate model of particular phenomenon with proper explanation. With the help of established theories, it is possible to determine specific modeling for the desired physical observation, leading toward new discoveries. Within the field of theoretical physics, the term of electrostatic force is very common. By Coulomb’s Law, interaction between two charged particles can be described easily in terms of electrostatic force. But to outline interactions between multiple particles towards equilibrium is still a challenge. Here, in our work, we look into …

A Framework Towards Technology Creation In Africa: Focusing On Ghana, Martin Yao Donani, Hannatu Abue Kugblenu, Azindow Bawa Fuseini

International Journal of African Development

Underdevelopment in Africa has been historical and a global concern coupled with the quest for good governance. Several efforts have been made in academia, national governments, the international community, and other institutional arrangements to reverse the trend. These efforts however are yet to produce a lasting result as Africa is still characterized by low productivity output, poverty and a widening technology gap when compared to other developing regions of the world. Conventional approaches used to address the African problem have consistently been devoid of indigenous technology development. Technology is here seen as paramount to every form of production on which …

Synergistic Interactions Of H2 And N2 With Molten Gallium In The Presence Of Plasma, Maria L. Carreon, Daniel F. Jaramillo-Cabanzo, Indira Chaudhuri, Madhu Menon, Mahendra K. Sunkara

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The present study examines the interaction of hydrogen and nitrogen plasmas with gallium in an effort to gain insights into the mechanisms behind the synergetic effect of plasma and a catalytic metal. Absorption/desorption experiments were performed, accompanied by theoretical-computational calculations. Experiments were carried out in a plasma-enhanced, Ga-packed, batch reactor and entailed monitoring the change in pressure at different temperatures. The results indicated a rapid adsorption/dissolution of the gas into the molten metal when gallium was exposed to plasma, even at a low temperature of 100 °C. The experimental observations, when hydrogen was used, indicate that gallium acts as a …

Association Between Left Ventricular Mechanics And Diffuse Myocardial Fibrosis In Patients With Repaired Tetralogy Of Fallot: A Cross-Sectional Study, Christopher M. Haggerty, Jonathan D. Suever, Arichanah Pulenthiran, Abba Mejia-Spiegeler, Gregory J. Wehner, Linyuan Jing, Richard J. Charnigo, Brandon K. Fornwalt, Mark A. Fogel

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) have progressive, adverse biventricular remodeling, leading to abnormal contractile mechanics. Defining the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction, such as diffuse myocardial fibrosis, may provide insights into poor long-term outcomes. We hypothesized that left ventricular (LV) diffuse fibrosis is related to impaired LV mechanics.

Methods: Patients with TOF were evaluated with cardiac magnetic resonance in which modified Look-Locker (MOLLI) T1-mapping and spiral cine Displacement encoding (DENSE) sequences were acquired at three LV short-axis positions. Linear mixed modeling was used to define the association between regional LV mechanics from DENSE based on regional T1-derived diffuse …

Impacts Of Power System-Tied Distributed Generation On The Performance Of Protection Systems, Terver T. Maor

Electrical Engineering Theses

The dispersed integration of smaller power units in the existing utility grid is the new trend. This is largely due to changes in the power generation and distribution markets. The combination of rising cost of new construction, deregulations and improved newer power equipment technologies suitable for deferred expansions make the new trend very attractive to power companies and independent investors. Until recently, other contributions to power distribution systems from such sources as standby units were considered negligible and therefore unaccounted for during the design and operation of power systems. This view has drastically changed, largely due to the increasing penetration …

Nanostructured Apatite-Mullite Glass-Ceramics For Enhanced Primary Human Osteoblast Cell Response, Gordon Cooke, Conor Dunne, Sarah Keane, Daithi De Faoite, Seamas Donnelly, Kenneth Stanton

Articles

This work investigates the difference in viability of primary human foetal osteoblast cells on a glass-ceramic surface with nanoscale topography relative to viability on a smooth glass-ceramic surface containing a bioactive phase. Apatite-mullite glass-ceramics containing bioactive fluorapatite (Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆F₂) and bioinert mullite (Si₂Al₆O₁₃) were synthesised and subsequent heat-treatment was optimised to form nano-sized fluorapatite crystals. Etching was used to selectively remove the bioactive phase, producing a surface with disordered nanoscale topography. Cells were seeded onto a smooth polished glass-ceramic substrate with the bioactive phase intact, an etched …

Asme Soccer Robot- Group V, Gonzalo Berluzconi, Lyndon Zhao, Chan-Hwi Cho

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The ASME design challenge, featuring a soccer playing robot theme, was attempted and successfully completed. A robot was built that could move in all directions for translational motion, while a Foosball inspired kicking function completed the design.

Cloth Folding Machine, Yiwei Liu, Dung Tran, Kexin Wang

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

The project was designed to meet the needs of folding clothes for college students, housewives or anyone who has trouble folding clothes. Lots of college students are annoyed by spending time folding clothes based on our customer interviews. In addition, most of clothes folding machine in market are either for industry use or too expensive. We are trying to build a portable automatic clothes folding machine at a cheap cost to serve most people. It not only combined the metrics from existing products but also have two folding patterns, which is more convenient and efficient.

Tissue Stretcher Research Device, Taylor Vitunic, Zhang Liu, Edward Tiemann

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This senior design project resulted in a prototype of a tissue stretcher for a particular need in a lab at WashU. The prototype uses a stepper motor, micrometer, force transducer, linear slide, and manufactured couplings to precisely record the stress strain response of a bio-tissue through different protocols. This is a holistic report encompassing all parts of the design process from the initial goal to design creation and evaluation to assembly.

3d Printed Below-The-Knee Prosthetic Leg, Sam Jamison, Katelin Fournier, Isabelle Agostini

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

There are over 2 million amputees in the United States and more than 90 percent of amputations done today are for lower limbs. While there are highly advanced options on the market today, there are still several areas of improvement. For instance, there are not many options that are completely waterproof, and the more advanced ones are extremely expensive and heavy. Our project idea is to create a below-the-knee prosthetic leg that is water resistant, affordable, and promotes comfort. The leg will be designed to disperse the loads and stresses over the whole structure using 3D printing and supporting metal …

3d Printed Prosthetic Hand, Mark Sullivan, Bryan Oh, Ian Taylor

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

3D printed prosthetic hands are a common medical device for pediatric partial hand patients due to their manufacturability and cost-effectiveness. Current designs employ a single fist grip, but prosthetists agree that the most useful grip is the three-finger chuck. We aim to modify an existing 3D printed prosthetic hand to enable the user to switch between a single fist grip and three-finger chuck as well as lock the grip that is being used.

Bi-Axial Tissue Stretching Machine: Mems 411 Senior Design Project, Wending Zhu, Martin Valkov, Jordan Patterson

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

This report contains information on the development of a device to strain polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel samples. The device was made with the purpose of gathering data on the creation of anisotropy in brain tissue-like materials, such as PVA, by repeatedly subjecting materials to strain in low temperatures.

Threading Mechanism For A Home Warp Knitting Machine, Daniel Martin, Samuel Fortmann, Andrew O'Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

A home warp knitting machine has a huge disadvantage compared to weft knitting in that it is very difficult to start up. Though it can provide better quality garments, each needle requires a thread to be individually loaded. If this problem could be mechanically solved, a home warp knitting machine would be feasible. Our machine should be able to spool out the appropriate amount of thread onto smaller spools which can then be loaded into the various needles. However it is able to do this, it should not take up more space than reasonably allocated by thread volume itself, and …