Engineering Commons^™

Exploring Agricultural Production Systems And Their Fundamental Components With System Dynamics Modelling, Jeffrey P. Walters, David W. Archer, Gretchen F. Sassenrath, John R. Hendrickson, Jon D. Hanson, John M. Halloran, Peter Vadas, Vladimir J. Alarcon

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Agricultural production in the United States is undergoing marked changes due to rapid shifts in consumer demands, input costs, and concerns for food safety and environmental impact. Agricultural production systems are comprised of multidimensional components and drivers that interact in complex ways to influence production sustainability. In a mixed-methods approach, we combine qualitative and quantitative data to develop and simulate a system dynamics model that explores the systemic interaction of these drivers on the economic, environmental and social sustainability of agricultural production. We then use this model to evaluate the role of each driver in determining the differences in sustainability …

Risk Attitudes And Global Infrastructure Technology Choices, Jessica Kaminsky, Jeffrey P. Walters

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Past research shows that Hofstede’s cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance explains variance in nations’ technology choice for sanitation and electricity infrastructure construction. The uncertainty avoidance dimension describes the way that nations deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. This paper is part of a larger project that links that previous national scale research to the project level that is most relevant to the construction practice. As such, this paper reviews methods from the literature that measure individual risk attitudes, including issues of measurement and risk determinants. For example, this paper discusses paid real-stakes lotteries, general risk questions, and context specific risk questions. …

Simulation Of A Doppler Lidar System For Autonomous Navigation And Hazard Avoidance During Planetary Landing, Scott E. Budge, David B. Chester

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The latest mission proposals for exploration of solar system bodies require accurate position and velocity data during the descent phase in order to ensure safe, soft landing at the pre-designated sites. During landing maneuvers, the accuracy of the on-board inertial measurement unit (IMU) may not be reliable due to drift over extended travel times to destinations. NASA has proposed an advanced Doppler lidar system with multiple beams that can be used to accurately determine attitude and position of the landing vehicle during descent, and to detect hazards that might exist in the landing area. In order to assess the effectiveness …

Ultra Light Split Board Bindings, Jared Van Putten

All Undergraduate Projects

A split board binding is used to link two halves of a theoretically cut in half snow board together and fasten an alpine touring boot used for both skiing and mountaineering in place. The binding is removable so that one can alpine tour uphill on skins and be assembled at the top so that the rider can link both halves of the board together and bind their alpine touring ski boot into place to the split board. The binding system is required to be ultra light for Alpine Touring purposes and still be strong enough to withstand the rigors of …

Conversion Casting: Adapter Hub, Joseph M. Coup

All Undergraduate Projects

The concept of conversion casting makes manufacturing major components much more efficient with regards to time and cost. The conversion cast of the adapter hub used in the Victair Mistifier is a major component that requires 8 hours to machine. The existing hub starts from steel stock and then that block of steel is placed into a CNC machine and coded in to create the adapter hub. The manufacturing method changes to a casting for the adapter hub will create a replicated part that requires 1.5 hours of post machining. The intricate design makes a conversion to casting more effective …

State-Of-The-Art Review Of Cathodic Protection For Reinforced Concrete Structures, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton

Articles

Cathodic protection (CP) limits the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. This can be achieved either by using a more active sacrificial anode to create a driving current, or by using inert anodes and impressing a current onto the cathode surface using an external direct current (DC) source. Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is preferred where widespread protection is required, particularly in reinforced concrete structures. ICCP needs a constant DC power supply that is usually provided through a grid connection or independent generators. This paper presents the currently available CP systems for …

Statistical Models To Infer Gas End-Use Efficiency In Individual Dwellings Using Smart Metered Data, Ronan Oliver, Aidan Duffy, Ian Kilgallon

Articles

Residential buildings can significantly contribute to the European Union's 2020 efficiency energy targets. For this reason, energy distributors and suppliers are required to provide assistance to householders to reduce energy end-use. This paper develops statistical modelling methods that can be used by suppliers to infer the gas fuel efficiency of buildings in their residential portfolio, in order to deliver improved energy management services to consumers. The study begins by estimating individual statistical building energy models for a sample of consumers and presents the resulting distribution of independent parameters. These parameter distributions are then characterised by regression models using descriptive household …

Identifying Market Indicators And Content Quality From A Financial Micro-Blog Platform, Siobhán Mcnamara

Dissertations

Investment platforms and discussion platforms have come to change the face of finance. The stock market is open to both professional and non-professional investors via online financial channels. Information too comes via a shared domain as both professionals and non-professionals log onto online communication platforms to share, search and discuss market trends. Due to their growing role in finance, understanding online communities has become the focus of much stock market research. Determining who is influential in a network, how information spreads and what translates to buy or sell decision is potentially very lucrative. In this research paper a dataset from …

Hazardous Waste Reduction: Hexamethyldisiloxane, William Keesee, Reuben Gol, Kennet Castillo

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Waste Reduction: (1) Engineering problem - The manufacturing of a Silicone intermediate creates a flammable waste stream that must be disposed of at cost to QSI (0.48$/lb.). This stream contains two phases, which are mainly hexamethydisiloxane (HMDS) and aqueous ammonium hydroxide in roughly 50/50 ratio by volume. The HMDS phase (upper) is flammable and is thus hazardous. The clean aqueous phase (lower) can be discarded via the sewer at no cost if the flash point is above hazardous classification (60 °C). (2) Project deliverables - The Engineering solution must reduce the yearly volume of waste to under 13 tons/year and …

Method Of Mold Release From Process Equipment, Craig Paris, Jason Marshall, Trae Fuller

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Once a process cycle has been completed, glass condom molds are removed from spindles that connect them to the process equipment. Currently, glass molds are removed by destroying the glass around the spindle, resulting in safety hazards from glass shards, monetary loss due to replacement cost, and also loss of money due to the labor cost associated with time spent cleaning up the glass shards and breaking the molds. To solve the dilemma, the sponsor demanded a safe, cost efficient method or addition that would not harm the process during the cycle nor damage the spindle and glass molds at …

Prediction Device To Reduce Falls In The Elderly, Keegan Zacharie, Aaron Corbin, Joseph Switzer

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Complications arising from accidental falls are one of the leading causes of death among the elderly, with over 25,000 fatalities annually in the U.S.; a third of the elder population falls each year and a fifth of falls cause serious injury. We intended to mitigate these risks by producing a device capable of anticipating falls using biostatistical data.

Deliverables for our design included: An integrated accelerometer and pulse monitor to assess changes in motion and the physiological state of the wearer, a programmed algorithm capable of processing this data, and a mount to attach components to the patient.

Our constraints …

Iv Pole For Cardiac Surgery, Sindhu Marampudi, Natalie Noll, Madison Nowak, Rachel Wilbur

Capstone Design Expo Posters

IV lines and pumps need to be transported from the operating room to patient recovery with the patient after cardiac procedures. During this process, the weight of the IV pumps and the small wheels on the IV pole can cause the IV pole to become unbalanced and fall or bend due to the load. Due to a decrease in slack in IV lines to minimize IV line tangling, when an IV pole falls, this can result in the IV lines being torn out of the patient that can lead to blood loss and other injuries. In addition, IV bags and …

An Injection And Mixing Element For Delivery And Monitoring Of Inhaled Nitric Oxide, Andrew R. Martin, Chris Jackson, Samuel Fromont, Chloe Pont, Ira M. Katz, Georges Caillobotte

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

Background

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator used primarily in the critical care setting for patients concurrently supported by invasive or noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. NO delivery devices interface with ventilator breathing circuits to inject NO in proportion with the flow of air/oxygen through the circuit, in order to maintain a constant, target concentration of inhaled NO.

Methods

In the present article, a NO injection and mixing element is presented. The device borrows from the design of static elements to promote rapid mixing of injected NO-containing gas with breathing circuit gases. Bench experiments are reported to demonstrate …

A Protocol For A Randomised Clinical Trial Of The Effect Of Providing Feedback On Inhaler Technique And Adherence From An Electronic Device In Patients With Poorly Controlled Severe Asthma, Imran Sulaiman, Martin Holmes, Shona D'Arcy, Viliam Rapčan, Desmond Michael Murphy, Gloria Crispino, Isabelle Killane, Rw Costello, Richard B Reilly, Jansen Seheult, Gregory Diette, Elaine Machale, Terence Taylor

Articles

ntroduction In clinical practice, it is difficult to distinguish between patients with refractory asthma from those with poorly controlled asthma, where symptoms persist due to poor adherence, inadequate inhaler technique or comorbid diseases. We designed an audio recording device which, when attached to an inhaler, objectively identifies the time and technique of inhaler use, thereby assessing both aspects of adherence. This study will test the hypothesis that feedback on these two aspects of adherence when passed on to patients improves adherence and helps clinicians distinguish refractory from difficult-to-control asthma. Methods This is a single, blind, prospective, randomised, clinical trial performed …

Predicting Intake Of Applications For First Registration In The Property Registration Authority, Orlaith Mernagh

Dissertations

The motivation for this dissertation is rooted in a real business need. The Property Registration Authority is the state organisation tasked with maintaining a register of land ownership on the island of Ireland. The PRA currently faces a series of challenges; a high level of staff retiring and the inherent loss of knowledge associated with this trend, a lack of recruitment in recent years and a large increase in lodgement of applications for first registration as a result of legislation. The organisation therefore requires a reliable system for predicting future intake. Prior to this project, there has also been a …

Multi-Use Fireline Handtool, Bruce W. Bernard Jr

All Undergraduate Projects

A wildland firefighter is a valuable resource to protecting public lands and managing fuels. The many hand tools used by firefighters aid in their ability to complete any required tasks effectively. Several of the tools available are specially purposed for individually grubbing, scraping, or liming. A small squad of firefighters could become a more effective resource if the tools they carried could perform several of these purposes as one single tool. To improve the effectiveness of an individual on the fireline a multi-use hand tool was designed to include an axe for liming and a heavy duty scraper for grubbing …

Bike Lock Combining Strength And Flexibility, Zachary Uhrich

All Undergraduate Projects

What can be done when someone is riding a bicycle in a large metropolitan area, and when they reach their destination they find that there either is no bike rack, or the rack is already full. For bikers who prefer the security of a standard U-lock, this means having to leave to find another rack elsewhere or leave your bike unlocked. This situation is the why there is a need for a bike lock which can combine the security of a U-lock, with the flexibility and size of a chain. This project solves the problem by using a hardened steel …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Kesterite Cu2znsns4 (Czts) Thin Films For Solar Cell Application, Mohamed M.A. Abusnina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The quaternary compound Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) gained considerable attention in the last decade due to its potential as an active-layer semiconductor for low-cost thin-film solar cells. The material is composed of nontoxic and Earth-abundant constituents, has optical properties suitable for photovoltaic application, and can be synthesized using a wide variety of methods.

Polycrystalline CZTS was grown in this work using vacuum-based deposition to first deposit metal films (precursors) of Cu, Zn, and Sn. In a subsequent step, the precursors underwent an annealing treatment in sulfur vapor environment (sulfurization) to form CZTS. Using sputtering, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) …

Cost-Effective Prosthetic Hand Controlled By Emg, Mohammad Yahya Almuhanna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A cost-effective five-finger prosthetic hand is designed from aluminum, modeled and controlled using surface Electromyography (EMG) signals, which are obtained from the human body. Force sensors are used to control required forces needed to grasp and pick objects. A prototype hand is developed and it is experimentally tested to reproduce a wide spectrum of human hand motions. The size of the five-finger hand is similar to an adult male human hand, and it is capable of reproducing most of movements. Each finger has the same number of links as the real/human hand. Each finger also has a force sensor used …

Integrated Phev Charging Loads Forecasting Model And Optimization Strategies, Yin Yao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, an integrated Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PHEV) charging loads forecasting model is developed for regular distribution level system and microgrid system. For regular distribution system, charging schedule optimization is followed up. The objectives are 1. Better cooperation with renewable energy sources (especially wind). 2. Relieving the pressure of current distribution transformers in condition of high penetration level PHEVs. As for microgrid, renewable energy power plants (wind, solar) plays a more important role than regular system. Due to the fluctuation of solar and wind plants' output, an empirical probabilistic model is developed to predict their hourly output. On the …

A Reserve-Based Method For Mitigating The Impact Of Renewable Energy, Ibrahim Krad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The fundamental operating paradigm of today's power systems is undergoing a significant shift. This is partially motivated by the increased desire for incorporating variable renewable energy resources into generation portfolios. While these generating technologies offer clean energy at zero marginal cost, i.e. no fuel costs, they also offer unique operating challenges for system operators. Perhaps the biggest operating challenge these resources introduce is accommodating their intermittent fuel source availability. For this reason, these generators increase the system-wide variability and uncertainty. As a result, system operators are revisiting traditional operating strategies to more efficiently incorporate these generation resources to maximize the …

Modeling And Simulation Of Optical Properties Of Noble Metals Triangular Nanoprisms, Soad Zahir Alsheheri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gold and silver has gained huge attention across the scientific community for its applications arising from its plasmonic properties. The optical properties achieved by these materials via excitation of plasmons is very unique to these materials and used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents in the field of medicine, and as sensors in a gamut of disciplines such as energy and environmental protection to name a few. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) properties of the gold and silver are size and shape dependent. Of the various shapes reported in literature, triangular nanoprisms has tunable optical properties in the visible and near IR …

Autonomous Collision Avoidance For A Teleoperated Uav Based On A Super-Ellipsoidal Potential Function, Mohammed Salim Qasim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the design of a super-ellipsoidal potential function (SEPF) that can be used, in a static and dynamic environment, for autonomous collision avoidance of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a 3-dimensional space. In the design of the SEPF, we have the full control over the shape and size of the potential function. In our proposed approach, a teleoperated UAV can not only autonomously avoid collision with surrounding objects but also track the operator' control input as closely as possible. As a result, an operator can always be in control of the UAV for his/her high-level guidance and …

Ex-Vivo Slaughterhouse Porcine Crystalloid-Perfused Beating Heart Via Langendorff Method, Rahiemin Talukder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to resuscitate isolated beating porcine hearts obtained from slaughterhouse swine for a minimum of 1 hour with a crystalloid buffer reperfusion instead of blood via an extracorporeal Langendorff apparatus. The isolated beating heart functions outside of the body under simulated physiologic conditions. Live functional anatomy was controlled under benchtop experimental settings. Porcine hearts (26 total) were topically cooled with saline. 300mL of 25°C cardioplegia with 20KU Streptokinase was preflushed via aortic root. WIT was less than 5 minutes. 1L 4°C cardioplegia was flushed antegrade with aortic cannula (Group 1) or coronary catheterization (Group 2). …

Aging Assessment Of High Voltage Single Component Room Temperature Vulcanized Silicone Rubber (Rtv-1) Subjected To Aqueous Salt, Monika Bleszynski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Single component room temperature vulcanized (RTV-1) silicone based caulk used in high voltage insulators and other applications is frequently subjected to environmental pollutants. Aging of RTV-1 silicone rubber is the result of various stressors, including environmental aging conditions such as UV, acid, and salt exposure from ocean mist. Loss of hydrophobicity due to damage of the hydrophobic methyl groups, as well as loss of mechanical strength due to depolymerization via hydrolysis as a result of aqueous salt exposure were the two main factors of material aging assessed in this work. Multiple RTV-1 formulations were initially assessed for resistance to aging …

Ultra-Wideband Antennas, Max Ammann, Matthias John, Giuseppe Ruvio

Books/Book chapters

The focus of UWB antenna research activity has matured in recent years and currently mainly concentrates on applications such as biomedicine and security. Early UWB antenna designs were driven by the FCC allocation of spectrum in 2002 and focussed on obtaining wide impedance bandwidths with reasonable group delay characteristics. Many of these were simple planar monopoles antennas with canonical geometries. The emergence of new applications channelled the emphasis towards miniaturisation and integration into devices. This required optimisation of the antenna geometries to ensure that good system performance is achieved from the integrated antenna. Many optimisation techniques are available including the …

Properties Of Partially Stabilized Zirconia Components Fabricated By The Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Process, Wenbin Li, Amir Ghazanfari, Devin Mcmillen, Ming Leu, Gregory Hilmas, Jeremy Watts

Faculty Publications, Mechanical Engineering

The Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) process is a novel additive manufacturing process for fabricating dense ceramic components from aqueous pastes of high solids loading. In this study, 3 mol% Y2O3 stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP) parts were fabricated using the CODE process. The parts were then dried in a humidity controlled environmental chamber and sintered under atmospheric pressure. Mechanical properties of the sintered parts were examined using ASTM standard test techniques, including density, Young’s modulus, flexural strength, Weibull modulus, fracture toughness and Vickers hardness. The microstructure was analyzed, and grain size was measured using scanning electron microscopy. The results compared …

Temporal Logic For System Safety Properties And Hazard Monitoring, Francesca Favaro, J. Saleh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Of Cloud-Based Uav Monitoring And Management System, Mason Itkin, Mihui Kim, Younghee Park

Faculty Publications

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are an emerging technology with the potential to revolutionize commercial industries and the public domain outside of the military. UAVs would be able to speed up rescue and recovery operations from natural disasters and can be used for autonomous delivery systems (e.g., Amazon Prime Air). An increase in the number of active UAV systems in dense urban areas is attributed to an influx of UAV hobbyists and commercial multi-UAV systems. As airspace for UAV flight becomes more limited, it is important to monitor and manage many UAV systems using modern collision avoidance techniques. In this paper, …

Aerodynamic Modeling Of Nrel 5-Mw Wind Turbine For Nonlinear Control System Design: A Case Study Based On Real-Time Nonlinear Receding Horizon Control, Pedro A. Galvani, Fei Sun, Kamran Turkoglu

Faculty Publications

The work presented in this paper has two major aspects: (i) investigation of a simple, yet efficient model of the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) 5-MW reference wind turbine; (ii) nonlinear control system development through a real-time nonlinear receding horizon control methodology with application to wind turbine control dynamics. In this paper, the results of our simple wind turbine model and a real-time nonlinear control system implementation are shown in comparison with conventional control methods. For this purpose, the wind turbine control problem is converted into an optimization problem and is directly solved by the nonlinear backwards sweep Riccati method …