Engineering Commons^™

Bringing Electricity To Alafiarou: The Solar Microgrid Project, Nicolas Metais, Jacob Leatherberry

Electrical and Computer Engineering Senior Theses

Despite the great technological advancements and discoveries that have been made throughout the last century, 1.2 billion people still live without access to electricity, 95% of which live in Sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia.1 In this paper, we discuss how we designed and implemented a self-sustaining, affordable and highly replicable solar microgrid in order to accelerate the electrification of rural communities in the most environmentally conscious way possible. Our project focused on developing a microgrid for a small community of 10 households in rural Benin that previously had no access to electricity. We travelled to this village in December of …

24th National Timber Bridge Design Competition, Marie Mcnamara, Andrew D. Porter, Sarah Martina Sbicca

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

For the 2016 Senior Design project, our team elected to design and construct a short-span pedestrian bridge for the 24th National Timber Bridge Design Competition. The competition was sponsored by the Southwest Mississippi RC&D council (SMRCD) of the Forest Products Society in association with the American Society of Civil Engineers. There were a number of different design and testing requirements to abide by, including both competition regulations as well as AASHTO guidelines pertaining to the construction of pedestrian bridges. [1] A great deal of diligence was taken to assure that our team performed well in the competition; every rule and …

Rise Above The Flood: Bridge Building In Gambibgo, Ghana, Vanessa Diaz, Ariana Govan, Matthew Millsaps

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

This thesis focuses on the design of a steel girder bridge for a rural community in Ghana, Africa. While Santa Clara Civil Engineering Senior Design Teams have been working in this community since 2008, it was not until 2013 that a project team attempted to design a pedestrian footbridge. After the 20152016 project team decided to take on the project, it became clear from talking with the Ghanaian Municipal Engineers and local community members that the steel suspension bridge proposed by the 2013 team would not meet all the needs of the community. Therefore, the team redesigned the bridge, proposing …

Foundation Design For Multistory Building In Oakland, Sean Cain

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

This project focuses on the design of a foundation and garage-level retaining walls for a 25 story building in Oakland, California. The design was completed through the use of data from a 1988 soil investigation and provided structural loads. The site is composed of a thin sand layer above a clay layer about 400 feet thick. Analysis included soil and groundwater conditions and exploration of spread footings, mat footings, and pile foundations. The final selected foundation type is driven piles with the other options discarded due to lack of data and an unsuitability for the structure requirements. Piles are suitable …

Redesign Of Lawrence Expressway And Pruneridge Avenue, Matthew Wong, Tyler Isaac

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

In 2012, the segment of Pruneridge Avenue from Lawrence Expressway to Pomeroy Avenue saw a project called a Road Diet. A Road Diet refers to the replacement of vehicle lanes with bicycle lanes and a center turning lane, in order to create safe zones for cyclists and drivers on the same street. While the Road Diet sufficiently addressed the safety issues of the corridor, it severely worsened its traffic capacity, creating long queues along Pruneridge and on Lawrence Expressway during peak traffic hours as residents around the area commute to and from work. The queues are so long that many …

A Utility-Scale Deployment Project Of Behind-The-Meter Energy Storage For Use In Ancillary Services, Energy Resiliency, Grid Infrastructure Investment Deferment, And Demand-Response Integration, Joseph Nathanael Wilson

Dissertations and Theses

Electric utilities are increasingly incentivized to integrate new renewable energy generation resources to their systems; however, operations-related issues arise due to the non-dispatchable and stochastic nature of these renewable energy sources. These characteristics lead to a variety of issues for utilities, among which are voltage fluctuations, balancing dispatch against ramping events, short-duration power fluctuations, and the need to invest in peaking generation facilities just to accommodate the renewable energy. A traditional solution to these issues is to employ renewable generation-following techniques using either newly constructed gas peaking plants, or by shifting existing generation resources to this following responsibility. Unfortunately, use …

The Investigation And Optimization Of A Two-Heat-Pump System Incorporating Thermal Storage For Shaping Residential Heating Load, Emily Lord Barrett

Dissertations and Theses

Portland General Electric has proposed coupling one or more water tanks with two heat pumps in order to perform load-shifting in residential customer heating and cooling applications. By using the water tanks as a thermal storage unit, this project attempts to partially decouple energy consumption from generation to provide peak demand reduction and to better facilitate the integration of variable renewable energy resources. A scoping study was performed to evaluate the potential impact of this project if implemented in single family homes in Portland, Oregon. This study revealed that the system could provide meaningful savings in the cost of electricity …

Visualizing Mast Cell Activation: Single Molecule Dynamics Of Early Events In Fceri Signaling, Samantha Schwartz

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Healthy immune cell behavior requires sensitive and robust control over the processes that regulate signal transduction. In this work we employ single molecule fluorescence imaging techniques to quantify adapter protein recruitment, lateral mobility, receptor aggregation, and cytoskeletal organization to create a better understanding of many key processes in immune cell regulation. We focus on understanding the initiating events in FceRI signaling in mast cells. Mast cell signaling encompassing a wide array of cellular outcomes including calcium flux, release of pre-formed inflammatory mediators and the production of cytokines. Careful control over appropriate reactions to external antigens is necessary for mast cells …

Analysis Of Brazilian Split Cylinder Using The State Based Peridynamic Lattice Model, Shreya Vemuganti

Civil Engineering ETDs

Concrete members deform discontinuously in the form of cracks and fracture. Continuum mechanics, which has dominated the field of solid mechanics over the years, does not handle such discontinuities. A material, as defined by continuum mechanics is that which is continuous and fills the space it occupies. Although this is a reasonable assumption for metals, it is an unrealistic notion for concrete. Stewart Silling invented peridynamics, which involves nonlocal solid modelling upon a continuous material space. Walter Gerstle developed a practical application of the peridynamic model for solid mechanics called the state-based peridynamic lattice model (SPLM). This approach involves material …

Enhancing Student Usability Of 3d Bioprinting, Andrew Chang, Sabrina Cismas

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

3D bioprinting is an emerging technology that is changing the face of tissue engineering through the ability to print cells, scaffolding and matrix materials, and other bioactive reagents. 3D bioprinters are a culmination of various scientific and engineering disciplines with respect to their operation and bioprints, and as such, offer a prime case study on the convergence of the technical fields in research. In order to capitalize on this fact and make 3D bioprinting more accessible for interdisciplinary education applications, we sought to translate 3D bioprinting into the classroom environment as a tool for education. In collaboration with SE3D Education, …

Pcb Prototyping, Kasey Chun, Dylan Hack, Ilja Medan, Michael Rudolf, Ryan Sidley

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

In today’s world, Printed Circuit Boards, also known as PCBs, are part of our daily lives. However, it is currently difficult for students in university classes or hobbyists to quickly produce custom made PCBs since no system exists where every step in the production process is on one platform. There are four main steps that go into manufacturing a PCB once it is fully designed which are: milling, solder dispensing, component placement, and a reflow process. The goal will be to create various toolheads and place them onto a single platform allowing the user to perform the aforementioned production processes. …

On Cross-Anisotropy Of Flexible Pavement Layer Materials For Improved Pavement Responses, Mesbah Ahmed

Civil Engineering ETDs

Pavement layer materials are typically assumed to be isotropic in determining pavement responses, such as stress and strain. The main benefit of the isotropic assumption is that stiffness defined by modulus of elasticity (E-value) is equal in all directions. In reality, stiffness along vertical and horizontal (i.e., and ) may vary due to density gradients in compacted layer materials caused by vertical compaction during construction. Therefore, pavement layer materials with different vertical and horizontal modulus (i.e., \u2260 ) are cross-anisotropic. Past studies have reported that degree of cross-anisotropy, ( ) ranges from 0.2 to 0.85 in Asphalt Concrete (AC) layers. …

Intracranial Pressure Sensor, Matthew Murray, Jared Shimada

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) also known as Pseudotumor Cerebri is a condition resulting from an increase of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF), a fluid that helps to protect the brain and spinal cord, in the cranial cavity. Currently the only treatment method for this health condition is the draining of the fluid via implanted intracranial shunts that get clogged in approximately 50% of patients. Clogged shunts can only be detected when IIH symptoms begin to reappear. We propose to create an ultrasound-read intracranial pressure sensor used to supplement shunts implanted in patients who suffer from Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. This will provide immediate …

Vehicle Dashboard Traffic Light Systems At A 4-Way Intersection, Alejandro Flores

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In recent years, a wave of technological innovations have turned many of the gadgets we use into smart devices. However, some areas of industry remain somewhat isolated from modernization with little to no improvements in their overall functionality. Traffic lights at an intersection are a perfect example of a technology that has remained behind the times. While there is a lot of potential for reducing CO2 gas emissions, oil consumption, and commuting times, research in this area has resulted in minor changes. In this thesis, we improve on what others have learned to provide a solution in vehicle coordination that …

Risk Assessment Of Post-Fire Floods On Dams And Their Floodplains, Krishna Chaitanya Jagadeesh Simma

Civil Engineering ETDs

The rapidly changing global climate and the increased dependence on infrastructure networks make our society vulnerable to natural disasters. Decision makers need to understand the intensity of potential natural disasters to take necessary actions to minimize their impacts. In Southwest United States, wildfires are increasing in frequency and magnitude. The literature review shows limited studies in evaluating the impacts of post-wildfire floods on civil infrastructures and residential zones. Earth dams are vulnerable to post-wildfire floods. The increased post-wildfire runoff volumes due to changes in soil characteristics and reduced vegetation could result in overtopping failure of an earth dam (dam-break scenario), …

Catalyst Layer Design In Polymer Membrane Fuel Cells, Sarah Stariha

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

One of the biggest obstacles to commercializing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is the use of platinum as a catalyst. One way to overcome this obstacle is to replace platinum with non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) catalysts, particularly for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The most realistic method of estimating the performance of non-PGM catalysts is testing within membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). One key issue is that non-PGM catalysts are not as active as platinum. One way to increase their performance is to optimize the catalyst layer composition, specifically the components responsible for ionic …

Top-Down Cross-Section Controlled Iii-Nitride Nanowire Lasers, Changyi Li

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

III-nitride nanowire lasers have drawn significant attention as potential compact coherent light sources for a wide range of applications such as on-chip communication, optical sensing, and solid-state lighting. For practical applications, control over the lasing properties is needed. For example, a single mode lasing is beneficial for reducing the pulse broadening and the signal errors during the optical communications. An annular-shaped beam could be potentially used for the atom trapping or the stimulated emission depletion spectroscopy. The polarization-sensitive on-chip optical components also require linear polarization. However, due to the compact size of nanowire lasers and the cross-sectional symmetry of the …

Bio-Nano Interfaces: Enzyme Immobilization For Biomimetic Energy Harvesting, Rachel Hjelm

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

In the face of todays rapidly growing energy demands accompanied by limited, non-renewable supplies, development of novel energy alternatives that are both renewable and inexpensive has become more important than ever. Development of 3D structures exploring the properties of nano-materials and biological molecules has been shown through the years as an effective path forward for the design of advanced bio-nano architectures for enzymatic fuel cells (EFCs). Despite advantages over conventional fuel cells, EFCs still suffer from several problems including low efficiency and stability. Overcoming these limitations in order to make them more viable for real world application is an ongoing …

The Effect Of Relative Electrode Size On The Performance Of A Supercapacitive Microbial Fuel Cell Design, Jeremiah Houghton

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Supercapacitive microbial fuel cells with various anode and cathode dimensions were investigated in order to determine the effect on capacitance and delivered power quality. The cathode size was determined to be the limiting component of the system, while anode size showed little effect on the devices performance. By doubling the cathode area, peak power output was improved by roughly 120% for a 10 ms pulse discharge. Doubling the cathode area also had a positive effect on the internal resistance of the cell, lowering the equivalent series resistance by approximately 47%. Doubling the anode area increased peak power output slightly, with …

Detecting Delay Anomalies Introduced By Hardware Trojans Using Chip Averaging And An On-Chip High Resolution Embedded Test Structure, Dylan Ismari

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

A hardware Trojan (HT) detection method is presented that is based on measuring and detecting small systematic changes in path delays introduced by capacitive loading effects or series inserted gates of HTs. The path delays are measured using a high resolution on-chip embedded test structure called a time-to-digital converter (TDC) that provides approx. 25 ps of timing resolution. A calibration method for the TDC as well as a chip-averaging technique are demonstrated to nearly eliminate chip-to-chip and within-die process variation effects on the measured path delays across chips, which simplifies the process and enhances the effectiveness of a simulation-based golden …

Fast And Scalable Architectures And Algorithms For The Computation Of The Forward And Inverse Discrete Periodic Radon Transform With Applications To 2d Convolutions And Cross-Correlations, Cesar Carranza

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The Discrete Radon Transform (DRT) is an essential component of a wide range of applications in image processing, e.g. image denoising, image restoration, texture analysis, line detection, encryption, compressive sensing and reconstructing objects from projections in computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. A popular method to obtain the DRT, or its inverse, involves the use of the Fast Fourier Transform, with the inherent approximation/rounding errors and increased hardware complexity due the need for floating point arithmetic implementations. An alternative implementation of the DRT is through the use of the Discrete Periodic Radon Transform (DPRT). The DPRT also exhibits discrete properties …

Modeling Ambient Temperature Affected Photovoltaic Inverter Igbt Lifetimes With Rainflow Analysis, Richard A. Borders

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This manuscript details the modeling performed towards estimating lifetimes of IGBTs in PV inverters. Specifically, ambient temperature, solar irradiance, and load demand for a duration of a year were considered in modeling for a chosen integrated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) from International Rectifier. Two cases were considered in the modeling, yielding lifetimes of 29.1 years and 4.49 years. Mean time to failures (MTTF) were calculated for an H-bridge topology inverter with four IGBTs for both cases as 7.27 and 1.22 years, respectively.

Investigation Of Infrared Detectors Based On The Gallium-Free Superlattice, Theodore Schuler-Sandy

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Infrared detection has proven to be an essential capability in a variety of fields, primarily the medical and defense fields. The current industry standard material is HgCdTe, which has been developing since its inception in the late 1950s. SLS materials are created from very thin layers, on the order of several to several tens of atomic monolayers, of two different bulk materials. These layers are alternated periodically, which results in entirely new material properties. The most common variety of SLS is the InAs-GaSb SL. This material shows great promise, but has not yet exceeded the performance of MCT detectors. This …

Dynamics Of Turbulence And Flows In A Helicon Plasma Under Electrode Biasing, Tiffany Desjardins

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Experimental studies investigating turbulence, and sheared flow were carried out using the linear Helicon-Cathode (HelCat) device. Without any outside influence, such as biasing or momentum input, fluctuations were observed. The dynamics of these fluctuations was found to vary with magnetic field, varying in both frequency and mode number. At low-field, the fluctuations were observed to be coherent, while at high fields, they were found to have turbulent characteristics. The first goal of this work was to identify the drive of the fluctuations. This was completed by taking detailed radial measurements at two axial positions at five magnetic fields: 19.2 mT, …

How Engineering Standards Are Interpreted And Translated For Middle School, Eugene Judson, John Ernzen, Stephen Krause, James A. Middleton, Robert J. Culbertson

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In this exploratory study we examined the alignment of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) middle school engineering design standards with lesson ideas from middle school teachers, science education faculty, and engineering faculty (4–6 members per group). Respondents were prompted to provide plain language interpretations of two middle school Engineering Design performance expectations and to provide examples of how the performance expectations could be applied in middle school classrooms. Participants indicated the challenges and benefits of implementing these performance expectations and indicated personal experiences that helped them to interpret the performance expectations.

Quality of lessons differed depending on the performance expectation …

Well I'Ll Be Damned - Insights Into Predictive Value Of Pedigree Information In Horse Racing, Timothy Baker Mr, Ming-Chien Sung, Johnnie Johnson Professor, Tiejun Ma

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Fundamental form characteristics like how fast a horse ran at its last start, are widely used to help predict the outcome of horse racing events. The exception being in races where horses haven’t previously competed, such as Maiden races, where there is little or no publicly available past performance information. In these types of events bettors need only consider a simplified suite of factors however this is offset by a higher level of uncertainty. This paper examines the inherent information content embedded within a horse’s ancestry and the extent to which this information is discounted in the United Kingdom bookmaker …

Mobile Glaucoma Detection Application, Ryan Lowe, Samuel Holeman

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Glaucoma is a debilitating optical degeneration disease that can lead to vision loss and eventually blindness. Given its asymptomatic nature, most people with Glaucoma aren’t even aware that they have the disease. As a result, the disease is often left untreated until it is too late. Detecting the presence of Glaucoma is one of the most important steps in treating Glaucoma, but is unfortunately also the most difficult to enforce. The Mobile Glaucoma Detection application aims to reduce the growing number of individuals who are unaware that they have Glaucoma by providing a simple detection mechanism to notify users if …

Energy From Waste In A 2° World: Lca And Australian Carbon Policy, Mary Stewart

Life Cycle Assessment and Other Assessment Tools for Waste Management and Resource Optimization

No Abstract.

Please click PDF to see the presentation.

Torque Auditing Test Fixture For Hansen Medical’S Remote Catheter Manipulator Robot, Matt Mckay, Charles Reins, Scott Schneider

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

Current manufacturing test systems for motor control of Hansen's line of surgical robots are labor intensive, have room for operator error and do not supply sufficient information. Based upon an expected increase in production, the objective of this project was to replace their test protocol with a modular test fixture that improves test time, is intuitive to use, and enhances the user experience. We developed a modular design that works for both the Sensei and Magellan robots, and can be reconfigured easily for use on future robots. Using a control system and GUI made in LabVIEW, a magnetic particle as …

Socio-Eco-Efficiency Analysis Of Highways: A Data Envelopment Analysis, Omer Tatari, Gokhan Egilmez, Dhruva Kurmapu

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

To ensure the large network of highways is performing sustainably, there is a dire need to quantify sustainability for highways. In this paper, data envelopment analysis (DEA) based mathematical model is developed to evaluate sustainability in an attempt to aid these efforts. Sustainability goals pertaining to the three dimensions of sustainability, social, economic and environmental, were utilized. Utilizing the developed model, sustainability scores of thirty highway sections were calculated and ranked accordingly. Percent improvement analysis was carried out to gain more insight. In addition, sensitivity analysis was carried out to understand how different values of input parameters impacted the socio-eco-efficiency …