Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Dowel Bar Inserter Practices In Pcc Pavements With Magnetic Tomography Technology, Farshad Fallah, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Dowel Bar Inserters (DBI) are automated mechanical equipment that position dowel bars in Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) after concrete is placed. Compared to the alternative approach, which is using dowel baskets, DBIs offer advantages in cost and speed of construction. However, as dowel bars are not anchored to the subgrade similar to dowel baskets, there is a concern about the quality of dowel placement using this equipment. Improper placement of dowel bars can lead to reduced load transfer between slabs, which results in pavement distresses such as faulting and spalling at joints. To determine the accuracy of dowel placement by …

Functional 3-D Cellulose And Nitrocellulose Paper-Based, Microfluidic Device Utilizing Elisa Technology For The Detection/Distinction Between Hemorrhagic And Ischemic Strokes, Alicia Leanne Holler

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to demonstrate and evaluate an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on a paper microfluidic device platform. The integration of ELISA technology onto paper microfluidic chips allows for a quantitative detection of stroke biomarkers, such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Dye experiments were performed to confirm fluid connectivity throughout the 3D chips. Several chip and housing designs were fabricated to determine an optimal design for the microfluidic device. Once this design was finalized, development time testing was performed. The results confirmed that the paper microfluidic device could successfully route fluid throughout its channels at …

Virginia Space Pocketqube Launch Opportunity, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Virginia Space PocketQube Launch Opportunity" from December 1, 2016.

Me-Em Enewsbrief, December 2016, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of Activity And Stability Of Physical Vapor Deposition (Pvd) Coated Crystal Surfaces, Anuradha Krishnan

Masters Theses

The overall objective of this research work is to investigate the hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces acting on organic crystal planes and understanding the interaction of functional groups with additive molecular nanolayers. Crystals of acetaminophen and lactose were made and the surface forces were tested on Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Uniformity of crystal surface was confirmed from the AFM study in the first stage. The growth factors of crystal planes as a function of time were studied. Adhesion forces on plain crystals were measured on both two different organic crystals made of acetaminophen and lactose. In the second stage, …

A General Code To Represent The Mathematical Life Cycle Cost Model Of Bridge, Bajel Mohammed Alshadeedi

Masters Theses

There are many factors that play a role in the overall cost of any bridge. The life cycle cost needs deep knowledge of bridge components to calculate its subcategories costs. The bridge life cycle cost is divided into; agency, user cost, and society costs. The agency cost includes the expected value of the final bridge construction cost, the inspection cost, better value of repainting cost, and replacing asphaltic deck cost. The user cost includes traffic delay cost and vehicle operation cost under different traffic conditions, accident cost, and failure cost. The society cost includes aesthetical and environmental impact. All costs …

Measuring Access To Employment To Guide And Evaluate Public Transit Service Planning In New Orleans, Kevin Harrison

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

New software and technology is making it easier than ever before for public transportation planners to evaluate how quickly residents can reach jobs and other destinations. Because in the past it was difficult to measure access to opportunities, these concepts remained primarily in the theoretical and academic realms of research. This thesis reviews methods that could be used to evaluate routine bus service improvements and performs a comparative analysis of different methods in the context of New Orleans. There are many different variables in how the analysis could be performed, but this thesis focuses on the role that time of …

Multipath And Rate Stability, Junjie Liu, Roch A. Guérin

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Originally Published In Proc. IEEE Globecom Conference - CQRM: Communication QoS, Reliability & Modeling Symposium

The Eco-Smart Can, Darack B. Nanto

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I noticed that maintenance workers had the same itinerary when emptying trashcans, meanwhile some trashcans needed to be emptied urgently. Traditionally, ETSU maintenance operate on daily routes to pick trash on designated time, regardless the level of the containers. The time, resources and labor invested in collecting the trash could be saved. Therefore, I decided to use the Internet of Things (IoT) to create a device that will optimize trash collection, to reduce costs and pollution.

Evolution And Rationale For United States Department Of Defense Electromagnetic Pulse Protection Standard, George H. Baker Iii

School of Integrated Sciences - Faculty Scholarship

The United States (US) Department of Defense (DoD) Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) protection standard offers a solid basis for protecting commercial communication, data, and control facilities. Because of the standard’s shielded barrier and test requirements, it is not surprising that there is a strong temptation within industry and government to dismiss the MIL-STD 188-125 approach in favor of less rigorous protection methods. It is important to understand that US DoD EMP protection standard for fixed facilities, MIL-STD-188-125, reflects an evolution by trial and error that spanned a period of decades beginning with the acquisition of the Minuteman Missile System in the …

Evaluation Of Smart Water Flooding In A Selected Uae Carbonate Oil Reservoir, Mohammad Jasem Khalifi

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Theses

Water flooding is by far the most common method of improved oil recovery applied in oil reservoirs. Water is the cheapest source of external energy that has been used over decades in water flooding schemes, provided that the damage does not adversely affect its injectivity. Displacement efficiency of water flooding can be significantly affected by crude oil/water/rock interactions. Historically, some consideration was given to such interactions in the practice of reservoir engineering. In recent years, extensive research in this area has documented that higher oil recoveries can be obtained when low-salinity water is injected in a formation with high salinity …

Coarse-Grained Simulations Of The Self-Assembly Of Dna-Linked Gold Nanoparticle Building Blocks, Charles Wrightsman Armistead

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The self-assembly of nanoparticles (NPs) of varying shape, size, and composition for the purpose of constructing useful nanoassemblies with tailored properties remains challenging. Although progress has been made to design anisotropic building blocks that exhibit the required control for the precise placement of various NPs within a defined arrangement, there still exists obstacles in the technology to maximize the programmability in the self-assembly of NP building blocks. Currently, the self-assembly of nanostructures involves much experimental trial and error. Computational modeling is a possible approach that could be utilized to facilitate the purposeful design of the self-assembly of NP building blocks …

Fiber Glass Mat Splice Automation, Max Weinstein, Charles Scott Forbes, Max Kilpatrick

Mechanical Engineering

Currently, GAF has two operators manually splice together each roll of fiberglass mat. To save money and resources, GAF wants to automate this splicing process. Our team is responsible for stage 3 of 5 in this automation process. We are responsible for ensuring that the system is able to move autonomously to the necessary positions required for splicing together the rolls of fiberglass mat. We have determined the best solution for accomplishing this movement is to use linear slide actuators. This document will describe the process by which we arrived at our solution, the details of our solution, and a …

Compression Molded Composite Component, Greg Hermansen, Larsson Johnson, Joanne Medrano, Kyle Hammell

Mechanical Engineering

The following final design report outlines the design and fabrication of a carbon fiber compression molded sunglasses case. It intends to guide the development of a future lab activity for a composites undergraduate course at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo. The activity aims to support an educational investigation in "out-of-autoclave" composites manufacturing methods, such as compression molding, which offer some key benefits over autoclave molding. The methodology behind the creation of a conceptual design, an initial prototype, and a final product is laid out in detail below.

Cal Poly Microgrid - Solar Panel Mounts, Dylan Mayer, Christian Odegard, Gregory Pellegrino, Connor Mckay

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Supervisor Training Program For Odot’S Ecodrive Program, Donald M. Truxillo, John Macarthur, Leslie B. Hammer, Talya N. Bauer

TREC Final Reports

Eco-driving consists of using energy-efficient approaches to driving aimed at reducing fuel consumption and, ultimately, CO2 emissions. A previous study found that an EcoDrive informational campaign was effective at increasing the use of eco-driving behaviors, but only when employees perceived that their supervisor supported the program and when they were personally motivated to perform the eco-driving behaviors. In order to build upon the findings of our previous study, the present study focused on increasing the use of eco-driving behaviors through an informational eco-driving campaign combined with supervisor training to support the use of eco-driving practices.

In this study we collected …

Deployment And Evaluation Of An Active Rfid Tracking System For Precision Animal Management, Brian Barnes

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A better understanding of animal space utilization in current livestock facilities could lead to improved facility design and animal health. This study was conducted to determine whether an active RFID tag tracking system could accurately provide animal locomotion data on an individual animal basis. The system is composed of four sensors, located in the corners of a swine pen, and compact tags, which attach to the animals and transmit a signal. The sensors use the tag signals to determine 3-D positions in real-time. A data acquisition system was developed to capture raw data from the system software into a database …

Managing Drip Filter Backflush Water, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The paper discusses the principles of backflushing different types of filters, as well as pressure and flow requirements for proper backflushing of various filters. Additionally, it discusses options for what to do with the backflush water. A prototype ITRC design for cleaning and recycling backflush water is presented.

Design And Synthesis Of Dynamic Covalent Polymer Scaffolds With Controlled Architectures, Emily Annette Hoff

Dissertations

The design and synthesis of functional, controlled polymer architectures is essential to the development of new materials with precise and tailorable properties or applications. The work described in this dissertation focuses on the development of controlled polymer architectures with dynamic linkages for the design of multifunctional materials and surfaces via robust, efficient, and stimuli-responsive strategies.

In Chapter III, a post-polymerization modification strategy based on ambient temperature nucleophilic chemical deblocking of polymer scaffolds bearing N-heterocycle blocked isocyanate moieties is reported. Room temperature RAFT polymerization of three azole-N-carboxamide methacrylates, including 3,5-dimethyl pyrazole, imidazole, and 1,2,4-triazole derivatives, afforded reactive polymer scaffolds …

Nanostructured Morphologies In Glassy Polymer Networks, Brian Greenhoe

Dissertations

The body of this work describes a novel approach for the dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a high T_g epoxy prepolymer matrix using a twin screw high-shear continuous reactor. The method demonstrated improves on previous dispersion methods in several ways. It offers increased efficiency through excellent heat transfer, while being solvent-less, scale-able, and tailorable to drive dispersion states to judiciously chosen dispersion states. Furthermore, it was shown that dispersion state and agglomerate morphology can be directed, in several ways, through processing conditions and also by controlling the matrix viscosity profile through cure. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy, optical hot-stage microscopy, …

Sugarcane Bagasse Hydrolysis Enhancement Using Bsa, Antonio Carlos Freitas Dos Santos

Open Access Theses

Lignocellulose is composed of polysaccharides linked to lignin and other aromatic compounds, making the sugars not readily available to fermentation. This entails that biomass must go through the unit operations of pretreatment and enzyme hydrolysis. Pretreatment opens the structure to allow the enzymes to act on and hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose to glucose and/or xylose which in turn are fermented to ethanol. Concomitantly, the enzymes interact with soluble phenols and insoluble solids derived from lignin that inhibit hydrolysis. This leads to high enzyme loadings and higher production costs. Soluble phenols can be eliminated through washing. Insoluble lignin, however, demands another …

Indiana Local Road And Bridge Conditions, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

In response to an appilcation requirement for the Community Matching Grant Fund Program, 354 asset management plans for roads and bridges were submitted in 2016 which contain the current conditions of local agency roads and bridges. This report describes these conditions and suggests the funding levels necessary to improve and maintain these assets at defined condition levels over a ten-year period. A ten-year horizon was used so as to correspond to previous LTAP studies performed in 2003 and 2009. The ten-year time period is also comparable to other Indiana studies.

Factors Affecting Social Sustainability In Highway Projects In Missouri, Mohamed Abdel-Raheem, Charles Ramsbottom

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Sustainability focuses on the interaction between a given project and the social, environmental, and the economic dimensions of the system enclosing it. The majority of the studies conducted focused mostly on the environmental aspects of sustainability rather than the economic ones, while very few studies discussed the social dimension. Social sustainability promotes the concepts of respect, awareness, diversity, vitality, and responsibility toward the workforce and the society by keeping them healthy and safe from harm during the different phases of a project. Highway projects are one of the most critical infrastructure projects in the construction industry. This is due to …

Uas Surveillance Criticality, Kyle Snyder, William Semke, Jim Gregory, Michael Wing, Mohammad Moallemi, J. W. Bruce

Aviation Faculty Publications

The integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system (NAS) poses considerable challenges. Maintaining human safety is perhaps chief among these challenges as UAS remote pilots will need to interact with other UAS, piloted aircraft, and other conditions associated with flight. A research team of 6 leading UAS research universities was formed to respond to a set of surveillance criticality research questions. Five analysis tools were selected following a literature review to evaluate airborne surveillance technology performance. The analysis tools included: Fault Trees, Monte Carlo Simulations, Hazard Analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), and Human-in-the-Loop Simulations. The Surveillance …

Electromagnetically Induced Alteration Of Hydraulic Conductivity Of Coarse-Grained Soils For Geotechnical Applications, Rakesh Acharya

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Electromagnetic (EM) waves of various power levels and frequencies can be used to alter the hydraulic conductivity of soil with minimal heat generation. The result can lead to a number of potential applications such as contamination remediation and liquefaction mitigation. In this research, the possibility of radio-frequency (RF) waves’ effect on the excess pore-water pressure (EPWP) generation and hydraulic conductivity of coarse-grained soils has been investigated.

Impact tests were performed on glass beads to examine the effect on the generation of EPWP due to RF waves. These tests were performed on a rigid box made of Plexiglas. The impacts were …

Nanomanufacturing Outside Of The Lab: An Academic-Industry Partnership Case Study, Ann E. Delaney

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In 2003, policy entrepreneur Dr. Mihail Roco wrote in Nature Biotechnology, “The key goals of nanotechnology are advances in molecular medicine, increased working productivity, extension of the limits of sustainable development and increased human potential.” From initial visions like Roco’s until now, there has been significant investment and research progress in the field of nanotechnology. According to the White House, over $20 billion has been invested in nanotechnology research and development by the United States government since 2000.¹ There is now a growing emphasis on transitioning from a focus on fundamental research towards a focus on overcoming …

Evaluating The Effects Of Major Assumptions In Layered Elastic Theory On Railroad Track Response Prediction Through The Development Of An Improved Track Analysis Software, Sadichchha Sharma

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Railway transportation has been recently gaining popularity due to its efficiency and environmental-friendly technology which has led to its increased usage for both passenger and freight transport. For railway transport to be a sustainable component of the transportation infrastructure in the United States, adequate structural and functional design of track components is essential. This is primarily dependent on thorough understanding of track mechanics and track structural response under loading, and can be accomplished through mechanistic analysis of railway track structure response under loading. Considering the need for a mechanistic track analysis program that can serve as a link between the …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Nanoscale Optical Devices Using Dna Directed Self-Assembly, William Peter Klein

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Near-field energy transfer has great potential for use in nanoscale communications, biosensing, and light harvesting photonic devices. However, the light collecting and energy transferring efficiency of current devices is poor, resulting in few commercially available applications. Current human-made light harvesting devices lack the benefits of natural selection. Natural systems are typically highly optimized and highly efficient. For example, transfer efficiency in photosynthesis is greater than 90%.

In this work, two classes of optical devices were designed, synthesized, and characterized: Plasmonic waveguides and FRET-based photonic devices. In the case of plasmonic waveguides, a multi-scaffold DNA origami synthesis method was developed to …

Bi-Directional Fatigue Life Behavior Of Bovine Meniscus, Jaremy Creechley

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Meniscal injuries due to tissue tearing are prevalent in the U.S. yet the failure behavior of the meniscus is poorly understood. Clinical studies indicate that fatigue failure causes many of these tears. The highly circumferentially aligned fibers result in transversely isotropic material properties. Tears preferentially align bi-directionally to the fiber orientation. The aim of this study is to present the bi-directional fatigue life behavior of meniscal fibrocartilage. A novel fatigue life approach was developed to achieve this aim. Forty-eight bovine specimens were subjected to cyclic sinusoidal tension-tension stress at 2 Hz until rupture. Normalized peak tensile stresses were determined at …

Empirical Models For Structural Effects Of A-Site Point Defects And Ordering In Perovskites, Kevin Ross Tolman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Composition-structure-property relationships are essential keys to unlocking the strength of predictive crystal chemistry. Awkwardly, the electroceramics industry largely relies on various time-consuming and expensive trial-and-error experiments to address new questions which often could otherwise be interpolated from published data. Indeed, predictive models, which can be derived from empirical evidence, can greatly aid the direction and support of future development in a meaningful, apt, and cost-effective way. Theory suggests that intrinsic properties on the scale of a unit cell may be estimated from the sizes and charges of the chemical constituents alone. Ultimately, researchers could be provided a compositional recipe for …