Engineering Commons^™

Characterization Of A Beam Position Monitor For Linear Accelerators, Artem Kuskov

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Los Alamos National Laboratory is one of the leaders in the development of accelerator based Mo-99 radioisotope production, a key diagnostic for medical applications. In order to increase the efficiency of Mo-99 yield, a non-interfering Beam Position Monitor (BPM) system was developed that measures the time-dependent centering of the Bremsstrahlung producing electron beam. The Beam Positioning Monitor is comprised of 4 capacitive pickups positioned at 90 degrees to each other housed in a conflat 4.5” (63.5 mm) flange. This thesis develops, from first principles, analytical solutions for the transfer curve of this diagnostic based. Additionally, finite element time and frequency …

Getting To Know The Data: Understanding Assumptions, Sensitivities, Uncertainty, And Being "Conservative" While Using Ite's Trip Generation Data In The Land Development Process, Kristina Marie Currans

PSU Transportation Seminars

Many agencies rely on trip generation estimates to evaluate the transportation impacts of land development in urban and suburban areas alike. Over the past decade, substantial attention has been paid to one national set of guidelines—the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Handbook (2014) and corresponding Manual (2012)—focusing in particular to improve the use of these data and supplementary methods for urban contexts.

The purpose of this study is to explore the typical data provided in the Handbook, within the context of these new improved state-of-the-art methods. As ITE’s describes, “an example of poor professional judgment is to rely …

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2017, Lisa Appeddu, Cj Smith

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

Welcome to the Twenty-Fourth SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair! On display today are 158 poster presentations and 11 oral presentations, involving 314 student researchers, writers, presenters, and artists, and 47 faculty sponsors encompassing scholarly activity from the SWOSU Departments of Art, Communication, and Theatre; Biological Sciences; Business & Computer Science; Chemistry and Physics; Engineering Technology; Language & Literature; Music; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Psychology; and Social Sciences; and SWOSU School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. In addition, there are poster presentations from the Western Technology Center Biomedical Academy, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, El Reno Public Schools, and BlueSTEM AgriLearning …

Satellite Sequencing Optimization Using A Genetic Algorithm, Andrew Verstraete

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

The problem of mission design for a robotic servicing satellite in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) was investigated. A representative set of potential client satellites was selected, and operational needs were randomly assigned based on the average number of GEO retirements, anomalies, and repositioning maneuvers that currently occur each year. An objective function was developed to represent the value of servicing mission sequences, including client fees, time penalties, and operational risk. A genetic algorithm was then used to find sequences of operations on the potential client set that maximized the objective function’s value. Scenarios were analyzed with the database of satellites …

Computer Simulation Of Flexiblity And Inertial Effects On Self-Propelled Swimming Bodies, Ye Luo, Tai-Hsien Wu

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

In this research, a numerical simulation method is employed to simulate a flapping movement for a flexible slender swimmer in a fluid. Our objective is to study dynamic behaviors of the flapping movement. Fig. 1 shows a sketch of the simulation: the leading edge of the swimming body is swung in the vertical direction to generate a horizontal thrust force, which drives the body itself to cruise in the horizontal direction in a fluid. The simulation is based on a combination of three numerical methods: the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), Lattice Spring Model (LSM), and Immersed Boundary Method (IBM). The …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Clearview Font And Fluorescent Yellow Sheeting On Michigan’S Freeways, Lusanni Acosta Rodriguez

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Halation and irradiation make guide sign fonts hard to recognize. Drivers missing the needed information tend to be anxious and confused potentially causing fatal accidents. In order to avoid or mitigate the situation a newer font, Clearview, is installed to provide better readability in nighttime and from far distances. In a similar, context, the lack of brightness in sheeting material for warning signs leads to missing the cautionary information. Installation of fluorescent yellow sheeting provided signs with more noticeable and brighter materials. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Clearview fonts along with fluorescent yellow sheeting installed in Michigan freeways. …

Analysis Of Emergency Medical Services Response Continuum For Motor Vehicle Crashes In Michigan, Megan Kuk

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Timely response of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel at a crash site may help prevent loss of life and thereby impact the quality of life for an individual at risk. This study was conducted to review The Michigan Department of Community Health, Emergency Medical Services Section data collected over a 5-year period beginning in 2010. Specific intentions were to identify current EMS response, treatment, and transport trends.

A Statistical Model For Emergency Medical Services Response To Motor Vehicle Crashes In Michigan, Megan Kuk

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

The response time is a crucial element of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). However, there are neither federal nor state (specifically Michigan) laws in place to regulate EMS response times, and standards are being set by individual vendors or local organizations. Investigation into response time performance measures may lead to further discoveries, innovations, and potentially identify best practices to improve existing systems used by EMS. Leading to quicker access to care for the end users (crash victims) and potentially saving numerous human lives.

Turbulence Analysis For The Improvement Of Internal Combustion Engine Efficiency, James R. Macdonald, Claudia Fajardo-Hansford

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Developing a complete understanding of the structure and behavior of the near-wall region (NWR) in reciprocating, internal combustion (IC) engines and of its interaction with the core flow is needed to support the implementation of advanced combustion and operating strategies to improve engine efficiency. The NWR in IC engines is fundamentally different from the canonical steady-state turbulent boundary layers (BL), which have been extensively researched. Motivated by this need, this poster presents results from the analysis of two-component velocity data measured with particle image velocimetry near the head of a single-cylinder, optical engine. The interaction between the NWR and the …

An Interactive Web-Based Tool For Fatigue Analysis And Life Prediction, Daniel Kujawski

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award (FRACAA)

• Interactive web-based tool creates a modern approach to fatigue analysis and life prediction for use in engineering classrooms.
• Bridge the gap between theory and reality.
• The unique attributes of this software allows engineering students to learn and gain more insight to fatigue analysis in a given semester.

Usu Alumnus Makes Generous Contribution To College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University alumnus Bhupesh Parikh is sharing a gift that will impact future engineering students for many years to come.

Dna Directed Assembly Of Gold-Tipped Metallic Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Into Electrical Devices, Ronald D. Salesky

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Carbon nanotubes have rightfully been regarded as a wonder material since their discovery by Iijima in 1991 and the subsequent elucidation of their many material properties. Their extreme strength is 10-fold higher than any industrial fiber. Their current density carrying capability is orders of magnitude higher than copper without failure from electromigration. Their high thermal conductivity bests diamond, and their structural versatility leads to either semiconducting or metallic electronic character. These properties all make the integration of carbon nanotubes into functional devices of high value. However, they remain a material of largely unrealized potential due to several challenges that arise …

The Mathematical Theory Of Deformation Arrest In Large-Strain Dynamic Plasticity, Brendan A. Kullback

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Ductile structural components subjected to explosive loadings exhibit a large range of behaviors. The response of beams, walls, and blast doors is estimated using two methods. The engineering level approaches are highly simplified and neglect much of the relevant physics while the use of finite element or shock-code simulation is expensive and not suited to rapid problem solving and parameter studies. In this dissertation, a medium fidelity reduced order modeling approach has been derived to capture the most relevant physics governing rupture of ductile bodies dynamically deforming in tension.

Solution of the inertially stretching jet is used to reveal the …

Mechanical Engineering Students Win Big In Las Vegas | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Mechanical engineering students from Utah State University competed against 23 other teams and won 2^nd place overall in the 2017 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge.

Biological Engineering Students Showcase Research At Industry Meeting | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Biological engineering students from Utah State University helped welcome the world to Utah earlier this month at the Institute of Biological Engineering’s (IBE) annual meeting held in Salt Lake City.

Mechanical Engineering Students Sweep Technical Writing Contest | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering swept the Technical Writing Competition held in February.

Flying The Beam: Navigating The Early Us Airmail Airways, 1917-1941, Henry Lehrer

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

We tend to take for granted the infrastructure that makes modern air travel possible. However, the systems, technologies and regulations of civil aviation are in fact the product of decades of experimentation much of it connected to development of airmail as the first sustainable use of airplanes. Hear this fascinating tale from an author, historian, educator and pilot who spent part of his life flying the Transcontinental Airway that stretched from New York City across the nation all the way to San Francisco.

Opening Autonomous Airspace–A Prologue, Samuel M. Vance

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and in particular small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), has significant operational implications for the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system of the future. Integrating unmanned aircraft safely presents long-standing challenges, especially during the lengthy transition period when unmanned vehicles will be mixed with piloted vehicles. Integration of dissimilar systems is not an easy, straight-forward task and in this case is complicated by the difficulty to truly know what is present in the airspace. Additionally, there are significant technology, security and liability issues that will need resolution to ensure property and life are protected and …

The Relationship Between Motivation And Job Preferences In Commercial Aviation Graduates, Shayne A. Daku, Robert Stupnisky

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

The current demand for commercial pilots at regional airlines means that graduates of commercial aviation degree programs have the luxury of choosing a particular place of employment post-graduation. What do the majority of these graduates look for when choosing a place to work after they graduate and meet the minimum hiring requirements? The present research surveyed 134 recent commercial aviation degree students and graduates to determine what motivated their decision to work for a particular regional airline. Student’s and graduate’s motivation was measured using Vallerand et al.’s (1992) Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). Respondents who demonstrated extrinsic – identified motivation style …

Ceas Student Center Expansion, Turner Solterman

Honors Theses

Western Michigan University has had a long-standing tradition of engineering excellence. To keep up with the modern culture and to maintain that Western will be on the forefront of universities providing an excellent engineering education, an expansion to the current CEAS building on the Parkview campus is necessary. Aptly named the CEAS Student Center Expansion, this project will be a space exclusively for student engineering groups to work in a space where collaboration across different engineering disciplines will be as easy as walking across the floor to talk to someone else. Through the floor plans of the different alternatives …

Development Of A Flow Duration Curve To Determine Hydropower Feasibility, Susan Estep, Elise Estep, Dr. Jim Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to derive Flow Duration Curves (FDCs) by three separate methods in order to compare the accuracy of these methods. The FDCs would be used to estimate the amount of water that would be consistently available for hydropower.

Effect Of Thickness On Fatigue Life On Creased Thin Pla, Peter Schleede, Larry Howell

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Origami-based engineering creates products that solve problems inherent in other designs. For example, they can compress into smaller volumes, achieve new and unique motions, and lessen or mitigate numbers of welds, fasteners, or other joining methods. However, a weakness of these designs is the necessity of folding them and seams that result from that folding. If viable, 3D printing these designs would eliminate the need for complicated folding machinery or adhesives to close the seams. Since origami is, by its nature, dynamic, this research aims to help designers predict fatigue lives (number of cycles until failure) of thin, printed PLA …

Safety Of Tubular Nylon Webbing: The Effect Of Wet And Cold Environments, Caleb Duncan, Landon Wright, John Salmon

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tubular nylon webbing is an effective and relatively inexpensive anchoring solution for search and rescue groups, fire departments, canyoners, and rock climbers. As an anchoring solution nylon webbing is vital to the safety of anyone who uses it. Serious injury or death will often occur if an anchor fails.

All commercially available webbing is labeled with a breaking strength so that the end user is aware of its limits. This breaking strength value is obtained by the manufacture after running many tensile pull tests of dry webbing. While the dry breaking strength is reported by the manufacture no information, other …

Electrodynamic Wheel Magnetic Rolling Resistance, Wei Qin, Jonathan Z. Bird

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper the concept of magnetic rolling resistance (MRR) is introduced. The MRR is particularly useful when trying to characterize maglev devices that operate with a slip. Approaches to minimize the MRR for an electrodynamic wheel magnetic suspension device are discussed. MRR is calculated from the power losses and it is shown that by using MRR a direct performance comparison with existing modes of transportation can be made. The MRR for a number of different maglev designs is calculated.

Mechanical Characterization Of Coir Fiber And Cotton Fiber Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composites For Packaging Applications, Balaji V, Senthil Vadivu K.

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

The aim of this work is to develop a natural fiber composites that can become a substitute for plywood and medium density fiber boards used in packaging application. In this work, the composite was fabricated with randomly oriented chopped coir and cotton fiber reinforced with unsaturated polyester resin. The different types of composite materials were prepared with different quantity of coir fiber and cotton fiber reinforced with unsaturated polyester by using hand lay-up technique. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, impact and hardness strength are evaluated. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was conducted on the fabricated composite to analysis the interfacial …

Defining Engineering: Usu Researcher Tackles A Profession’S Identity Crisis | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Engineering education in the U.S. is not keeping up with the rapidly-evolving paradigm of today’s engineering profession, giving some students an incomplete perspective about what their future careers will actually be.

Aluminum Zinc Oxide (Azo) Optimization Process For Use In Optically Transparent Antennas, Maria Elizabeth Zamudio

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The importance of having an optimal material for fabricating Optically Transparent Antennas (OTAs) is crucial for designing highly efficient antennas that can be integrated with photovoltaics. Transparent Conductor Oxides (TCOs) are promising for OTA fabrication due to their capability of being simultaneously transparent at optical frequencies and conductive within the radio frequency (RF) range. In this work, a new material was developed and optimized to be used for fabricating an optically transparent antenna on a solar cell. Aluminum and Zinc Oxide were co-sputtered onto Si and onto a polycrystalline photovoltaic cell and then annealed between 350°C and 450°C for 24 …

Droplets Rolling On Superhydrophobic Inclines Simulating Real World Application Environments, Braquel Burnett, Julie Crockett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Superhydrophobic surfaces offer unique characteristics such as extreme water repellency, drag reduction and enhanced condensation rates. These effects are possible due to a combination of micro/nano-texturing and a hydrophobic chemical coating. With the advent of micro/nano-fabrication, research and development on superhydrophobic surfaces has sky-rocketed due to the potential advantages across multiple industries including lab-on-a-chip technology, micro-electronic cooling and anti-icing applications.

The Influence Of Crystallographic Constraints On Percolation, Jarrod Lund, Oliver Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Within polycrystalline materials (e.g. metals and ceramics), grain boundary networks (GBN) influence the effective properties such as diffusion, conductivity, and crack and creep propagation¹. In precision applications such as jet engine turbine blades and solid oxide fuel cells, understanding and characterizing GBN are essential for better design. Modeling GBN allow for better exploration of the complex space of possible networks (figure 1d)². By modeling grains in a honeycomb lattice (figure 1a), grain boundaries can be identified by their misorientation angle (figure 1b). This can be a key indicator of the grain boundary’s properties. By combining information …

A Frequency Domain Based Approach To Evaluating Manual Tracking Behavior In Parkinson’S Disease, Gabriel A. Parras

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized in part by its neurodegenerative effects, which include bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity, and many other symptoms. While treatments such as Levodopa and deep brain stimulation are available, they both have associated complications. Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a non-invasive method used to stimulate the vestibular nerves with electric current and it has shown promise as a possible treatment for patients with PD. In order to assess the efficacy of GVS, I examined data collected from a manual pursuit tracking experiment. The experiment involved ten patients with varying severities of PD who were asked to perform a …