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Articles 121 - 150 of 154
Full-Text Articles in Engineering Science and Materials
Ultra-Violet Lithography Of Thick Photoresist For The Applications In Biomems And Micro Optics, Ren Yang
Ultra-Violet Lithography Of Thick Photoresist For The Applications In Biomems And Micro Optics, Ren Yang
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
UV lithography of thick photoresist is widely used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-optoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS). SU-8 is a typical negative tone thick photoresist for micro systems, and can be used for both structural material and pattern transfer. This dissertation presents an effort to comprehensively study these important subjects. The first part, and the most fundamental part of this dissertation concentrated on the numerical analysis and experimental study of the wavelength dependent absorbance of SU-8 and the diffraction effects on the sidewall profiles of the microstructures made using UV lithography of SU-8. This study has laid the foundation for all …
Design And Fabrication Of Micro Transducers Using Cured Su-8 Polymer As Main Structural Material, Wen Dai
Design And Fabrication Of Micro Transducers Using Cured Su-8 Polymer As Main Structural Material, Wen Dai
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Polymer based micro-transducers have many advantages over the traditional silicon based micro-transducers, such as easy integration with metal structures, design flexibility, and low fabrication costs. The characteristics of micro-transducers include converting electrical signals to/from mechanical response, the ability to sustain loading, sensitivity to external excitation, and etc. Some of the difficulties in realizing these characteristics include: characterizing material mechanical properties, techniques for producing electrically conductive polymer structures, and reliable fabrication procedures. In this dissertation, research addressing these difficulties is presented. The developed techniques are demonstrated in the design and fabrication of a SU-8 polymer based comb-drive micro-actuator. The micro-actuator used …
A Micromechanical Approach For Predicting The Complex Shear Modulus And Accumulated Shear Strain Of Asphalt Mixtures From Binder And Mastics, Cristian Druta
A Micromechanical Approach For Predicting The Complex Shear Modulus And Accumulated Shear Strain Of Asphalt Mixtures From Binder And Mastics, Cristian Druta
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Asphalt mixtures are particulate composite materials consisting of uniformly distributed mineral aggregates, asphalt binder and air voids. Mixtures of asphalt binder and filler, also called mastics, are often assumed to behave as simple viscoelastic materials, where the binders are stiffened by the filler. Because the workability and performance of bituminous mixes are known to be affected by the filler-asphalt mixture (or mastic) properties, this study is intended for performing rheological tests on asphalt binder and mastics and use the results in order to estimate performance parameters of asphalt mixture. The present work uses the PG64-22 asphalt binder test data initially …
Loading And Recovery Behavior Of The Human Lumbar Spine Under Static Flexion, Guntulu Selen Hatipkarasulu
Loading And Recovery Behavior Of The Human Lumbar Spine Under Static Flexion, Guntulu Selen Hatipkarasulu
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Musculoskeletal disorders account for 32 percent of work related injuries and illnesses. Extensive studies have been conducted to understand and explore the factors that affect the development of musculoskeletal disorders to provide effective control strategies. One of the most important factors that allow effective control strategies is the biomechanical factors. Among the biomechanical risk factors, exposures to repetitive static and vibratory activities are known to result in musculoskeletal disorders. A ligamento–muscular reflex activity exists in humans and animals to stabilize the knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle joints, and spine. This reflex activity decreases over time when static loading is applied, which …
Towards A Generalized Team Task Complexity Model, Ashok Darisipudi
Towards A Generalized Team Task Complexity Model, Ashok Darisipudi
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The objective of this research was to develop and validate a generalized team task-complexity model and framework by drawing on the literature from various team and task factors grouped into three task-dimensions, which compose task-complexity space and how these affect the task-performance. A number of task typologies have been presented in the teams' literature to better define and understand the critical role of the tasks and the associated team processes. In addition, most of the research work has defined team measures as highly abstract concepts not capable of providing the quantitative comparison of team performances from various domains. This research …
A Project Improvement System For Effective Management Of Construction Projects, Shahriyar Mojahed
A Project Improvement System For Effective Management Of Construction Projects, Shahriyar Mojahed
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The concept of construction productivity began in the early 20th century with a series of time and motion studies to improve bricklaying operations. A substantial number of subsequent studies focused on repetitive tasks and automation of the manufacturing operations and subsequently benefited manufacturing more than the construction industry. There has been a lack of studies for productivity improvement in the construction industry. Building upon the available body of knowledge as it related to productivity of manufacturing and construction industries, this study focused on developing a project improvement system for effective management of construction projects. Development of the system included a …
A Tablet Pc Application For Construction Site Safety Inspection And Fatality Prevention, Prabhu Sunkara
A Tablet Pc Application For Construction Site Safety Inspection And Fatality Prevention, Prabhu Sunkara
LSU Master's Theses
Construction industry accounts for the largest number of occupational injuries and fatalities every year. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an organization responsible for regulating and enforcing standards for various occupations to ensure safe working conditions including construction industry. As an OSHA requirement, every construction employer should employ a safety program that involves both training of the employees and frequent site inspections. OSHA has provided an online ‘construction eTool’ as a training tool which also aids in the development of safety inspection procedures. Traditionally, safety inspections are paper based and usually designed to address a specific work area or …
Purification And Structural Characterization Of Caged Dna Oligonucleotides, Brendan Michael Mcadams
Purification And Structural Characterization Of Caged Dna Oligonucleotides, Brendan Michael Mcadams
LSU Master's Theses
“Cage” molecules reversibly block the bioactivity of a target substrate molecule by a photolyzable covalent bond formed at a functional site of the target molecule. The attachment of cage molecules to DNA oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) to transiently block bioactivity, and site-specific restoration of bioactivity using targeted light exposure, would enable a new method of control for use in gene therapy, molecular/DNA computing, molecular biology, and drug delivery. The reaction of the cage molecule 1-(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrophenyl)diazoethane (DMNPE) with DNA ODNs in an batch reaction yields a mixture of products with varying degrees of caging. Purification and verification of the hypothesized site of DMNPE …
The Electrodeposition And Property Study Of Nickel-Rhenium Alloy, Shirong Wen
The Electrodeposition And Property Study Of Nickel-Rhenium Alloy, Shirong Wen
LSU Master's Theses
The electrodeposition of nickel-rhenium alloys from Ni(II) and Re(VII) solution was studies in an aqueous acidic solution. Different plating current density and pH have been carried out, and the effect of them on the composition of the deposited Ni-Re alloy was studied. Wavelength-dispersive spectrometer (WDS) was used to measure the composition of Ni-Re alloy. The thermal stability of nickel-rhenium alloy system has been investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests have been conducted for the electroplated Ni-Re samples in order to find the possible heating initiated interactions at elevated temperatures. To investigate the thermal stability of Ni-Re alloys, the samples were …
Evidence Of Neotectonic Activity In Southwest Louisiana, Jordan Oliver Heltz
Evidence Of Neotectonic Activity In Southwest Louisiana, Jordan Oliver Heltz
LSU Master's Theses
A methodology that combines high-resolution topographic mapping, field observations, subsurface evaluation, and geodetic data analysis has successfully located several fault-related geomorphic steps in an area of southwestern Louisiana once thought to be relatively devoid of such features. Comparison of height differences of benchmarks straddling these suspected fault-related steps shows that vertical displacement rates on faults in the study area ranged from about 2 mm/yr to as much as 6 mm/yr during the 1960’s and 1970’s. However, leveling data obtained as recently as January 2005 reveals that the majority of these faults are currently moving at rates of less than 1 …
Transport And Kinetics Of Aromatic Hydrocarbons Into Micron-Sized Liquid Droplets: With Applications To Atmospheric Chemistry, Suresh Raja
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
In the natural process of wet deposition, gas-water interfaces play an important role in the transport of chemical contaminants in the atmosphere via fog, rain and cloud drops. Evidences from several other works point out deviations in gas-liquid partitioning as predicted by Henry’s law. Uptake and mass transfer of benzene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene was chosen to study in a falling droplet train apparatus. Higher droplet-to-vapor partition constant (KDV) was noted for diameters less than 200ìm and was attributed to surface adsorption and accumulation. Mass transfer of phenanthrene was dependent on gas-phase diffusion and mass accommodation at the interface, while the …
Development Of High Performance Hybrid Syntactic Foams: Structure And Material Property Characterization, Rahul R. Maharsia
Development Of High Performance Hybrid Syntactic Foams: Structure And Material Property Characterization, Rahul R. Maharsia
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Syntactic foams are light weight particulate composites that use hollow particles (microballoons) as reinforcement in a polymer resin matrix. High strength microballoons provide closed cell porosity which helps in reducing weight of the material. Due to their wide range of possible applications such as in aerospace and marine structures, it is desirable to modify the physical and mechanical properties of syntactic foams as per the requirements of an application. Various filler materials can be used to modify the foam microstructure to attain these desired properties. Compression tests have revealed that high density syntactic foams demonstrate poor damage tolerance and low …
Supercritical Fluid Extraction Of Rice Bran With Adsorption On Rice Hull Ash, Paresh Manilal Patel
Supercritical Fluid Extraction Of Rice Bran With Adsorption On Rice Hull Ash, Paresh Manilal Patel
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Rice bran oil was extracted using environmentally-friendly supercritical carbon dioxide at varying conditions. Experimental treatments included pressure (27.6, 41.4 and 55.2 MPa), temperature (40 and 60 oC) and flow rates (25, 45 and 65 g/min) of supercritical carbon dioxide. Extracts collected at different time intervals during 4-hour extraction runs in a 3-L extractor were analyzed for oil yield and antioxidants. Normal-phase HPLC was used for analyzing the extract for important antioxidant compounds of oryzanol, tocopherols, tocotrienols. Silica rich rice hull ash adsorbent was also incorporated in combined extraction-adsorption experiments under similar supercritical fluid conditions. Supercritical extraction yields of rice bran …
Design And Fabrication Of Electromagnetic Micro-Relays Using The Uv-Liga Technique, John Dalton Williams
Design And Fabrication Of Electromagnetic Micro-Relays Using The Uv-Liga Technique, John Dalton Williams
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation reports a research effort to microfabricate an electromagnetic relay for power applications using a multilayer UV-LIGA process. A mechanically wrapped coil was used and very simple design for the magnetic circuit was adopted to increase the design flexibility and performances. The broad material selection and the capability of making high aspect ratio microstructures of the UV-LIGA make the technology best suited for fabricating microelectromechanical power relays. Fabrication of the device required significant advances in the optical lithography of SU-8 negative photoresist. Research proved that aspect-ratios up to 40:1 in isolated open field structures of thickness between 1 and …
Processing, Microstructure And Mechanical Behavior Of Nanocomposite Multilayers, Zuqiang Qi
Processing, Microstructure And Mechanical Behavior Of Nanocomposite Multilayers, Zuqiang Qi
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Nanoscale multilayer coatings have high potential for numerous engineering applications because they can exhibit enhanced properties due to nanoscale effects and combine different properties from individual components. At present, scale effects on the mechanical behavior of multilayers are not well understood. Three multilayer nanocomposite systems, namely Al/Al2O3, Ti/TiN, and Cr/a-C, have been synthesized by using a dual-gun e-beam physical vapor deposition, to investigate the effect of layer thickness, the nature of components and their microstructures on the mechanical behavior. The deposited Al and Ti nanolayers were found to have polycrystalline fcc and hcp structure, respectively, the Cr and TiN layers …
Synthesis, Structure, And Tribological Behavior Of Nanocomposite Dlc Based Thin Films, Varshni Singh
Synthesis, Structure, And Tribological Behavior Of Nanocomposite Dlc Based Thin Films, Varshni Singh
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films possess a combination of attractive properties and have been largely employed to modify the tribological behavior of materials. Nanocomposite, metal-containing DLC films are the new generation of these coatings providing tremendous potential to modify and tailor their properties expanding their applications in the field of nanotechnology. The present study investigates nanoscale effects on the tribological behavior of composite nanostructured DLC-based films and functional coatings. Three aspects were studied: (i) effect of Cr interlayer on a functionally gradient substrate; (ii) nanoparticulate Cr-containing DLC (Cr-DLC) films; and (iii) nanocomposite multilayered Cr/DLC coatings. Intensified plasma assisted nitriding produced a …
Evolution Of Base Substitution Gradients In Primate Mitochondrial Genomes, Sameer Raina
Evolution Of Base Substitution Gradients In Primate Mitochondrial Genomes, Sameer Raina
LSU Master's Theses
The availability of large amounts of genetic data from the mitochondrial DNA of species has created an unprecedented opportunity for the study of evolutionary processes. Being our closest relatives on the evolutionary tree the primates are a prime candidate for the study of evolutionary processes. The availability of large amounts of genetic data from the primates allows us to study and compare results from different phylogenetic reconstruction methods and to study and trace rudimentary evolutionary processes within the primate lineage. The evolutionary process studied here is the response of the nucleotide frequency ratios to single-strandedness of sites during mitochondrial DNA …
Multifunctional Nanocomposite Co-Containing Diamondlike Carbon Thin Films, Fengli Wang
Multifunctional Nanocomposite Co-Containing Diamondlike Carbon Thin Films, Fengli Wang
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Metal-containing, hydrogenated carbon films (Me-a-C:H) is a special class of nanocomposite films of particular interest since they can be multifunctional through the synergistic interaction of their individual components. Thus, nanocomposite thin films possess high potential in a wide field of engineering applications, especially in small scale devices. A series of multifunctional nanocomposite Co-a-C:H thin films have been synthesized by a hybrid chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD) process to uncover the relationship between synthesis, microstructure and properties. The effects of deposition parameters on the microstructural evolution and properties have been systematically studied. The results showed that the …
Morphological Evolution And Instabilities Of Solid Thin Films And Wires, Wanxi Kan
Morphological Evolution And Instabilities Of Solid Thin Films And Wires, Wanxi Kan
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation can be divided into four parts. In part I (Chapter 2), the diffusion controlled growth of multiple compound phases is studied with the nonlinear Kirkendall effect included. This part analyzes the growth of N compound phases. The method of finding intrinsic diffusion coefficients from only the positions of interfaces is found for two layers. In addition, the asymptotic analysis valid for small concentration gradients is applied to the “multi-foil” method of measuring intrinsic diffusion coefficients and yields an analytic solution for the displacement curve. A bounded solid film on a substrate can breakup from the edge into islands …
Modeling The Effects Of Rainfall Intensity And Deep Chiseling On Infiltration And Runoff Within Drainmod For Alluvial Soils, Daniel Nyabiba Moriasi
Modeling The Effects Of Rainfall Intensity And Deep Chiseling On Infiltration And Runoff Within Drainmod For Alluvial Soils, Daniel Nyabiba Moriasi
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Accurate hydrologic models are needed to aid engineers and researchers design, install and evaluate efficient and cost-effective agricultural water management systems to reduce risks associated with food production, and to reduce soil erosion and water pollution. One model used for the alluvial soils of Louisiana is DRAINMOD. This model does not accurately predict infiltration and runoff for the crusting-prone alluvial soils of Louisiana. The main goal of this study was to modify the current DRAINMOD model to incorporate the effects of rainfall intensity and deep chiseling to improve its estimation of infiltration and surface runoff. The second goal was to …
Optimization Of A Skewed Logistic Distribution With Respect To The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, James Charles Finney
Optimization Of A Skewed Logistic Distribution With Respect To The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, James Charles Finney
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
The four-parameter kappa distribution (Hosking 1994) was analyzed with respect to the various possible shapes of the probability density function. The general form for the cumulative distribution function when both h and k are non-zero is: F(x) = { 1 - h [ 1 - k ( x - ξ ) / α ]1/k }1/h. The parameters h and k work together to define the function's shape, ξ affects location, and α is the scale parameter. A method of selecting parameters to minimize the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test statistic, D, was developed. The technique was first described for the …
Rotary Kiln Incineration Of Hazardous Wastes: Pilot-Scale Studies At Louisiana State University, John Sutherland Earle
Rotary Kiln Incineration Of Hazardous Wastes: Pilot-Scale Studies At Louisiana State University, John Sutherland Earle
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Studies of incineration of surrogates for hazardous wastes are conducted in the pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator (RKI) at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The purpose of the research is to investigate methods of treating and destroying hazardous wastes in a cost-effective and environmentally sound way. The objective is to provide process data that will contribute to increased knowledge for RKI design and operation. The LSU facility is a College of Engineering Combustion Laboratory that is unique in its large size as a university laboratory. It is equipped with individual instruments for analysis of O2, CO, …
Optimization And Automation Of A Thermal Oyster Shucking Process, Daniel Edgar Martin
Optimization And Automation Of A Thermal Oyster Shucking Process, Daniel Edgar Martin
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Louisiana Gulf Coast oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were subjected to thermal shucking treatments to effect adductor muscle release from both left and right valves. The oysters were instrumented with thermocouples to monitor and record process temperatures in the oysters and on the shell. Following treatment, the oysters were evaluated for relaxation and release of the adductor muscle, meat quality and texture, and for the effect of the treatments on the storage life of the oysters as measured by total microbial plate counts. The treatments of many oysters resulted in a complete release of the adductor muscle from the shell while maintaining …
Finite-Horizon Operations Planning For A Lean Supply Chain System, Ahmad Diponegoro
Finite-Horizon Operations Planning For A Lean Supply Chain System, Ahmad Diponegoro
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
This dissertation studies an operational policy for a lean supply chain system consisting of a manufacturer, multiple suppliers and multiple buyers. The manufacturer procures raw materials from the suppliers and converts them into finished products, which are then shipped in batches to the buyers at certain intervals of times. Three distinct but inseparable problems are addressed: single supplier and single buyer with fixed delivery size (FD), multiple suppliers and multiple buyers with individual delivery schedule (MD), and time dependent delivery quantity with trend demand (TD). The mathematical formulations of these supply systems are categorized as mixed-integer, nonlinear programming problems (MINLAP) …
Progressive Fatigue Effects On Manual Lifting Factors, Anthony D'Wayne Banks
Progressive Fatigue Effects On Manual Lifting Factors, Anthony D'Wayne Banks
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Much evidence suggests that the cause of lower back pain (LBP) and injury is frequently related to the posture of lifting, the load, muscle fatigue, and other factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of progressive fatigue on factors that have previously been associated with increased risk of LBP in various occupational settings, during a repetitive lifting task where freestyle lifting technique was utilized. A laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate several fatigue analysis, electromyography amplitude, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of repetitive freestyle lifting during a 2-hour lifting period. Each of ten (10) young adult male …
Freeway Accident Analysis Using Second Order Statistics, Khasim Khasimul Shaik
Freeway Accident Analysis Using Second Order Statistics, Khasim Khasimul Shaik
LSU Master's Theses
This research focuses on the use of historical freeway traffic data for comparison of the precursory traffic conditions to that accident occurrence by using 15-minute traffic speed contour maps. The second order statistics measures, namely angular second moment (ASM), contrast and entropy were used as the traffic performance measures in order to compare the two situations. The data used is from I-4 freeway traffic condition database, stored in a SQL server and 1999 year accident database for the same I-4 freeway. The study section is located in Orlando, Florida. The approach shows an approach to understand the performance of the …
Synthesis, Structure And Properties Of Nanolayered Dlc/Dlc Films, Pankaj Gupta
Synthesis, Structure And Properties Of Nanolayered Dlc/Dlc Films, Pankaj Gupta
LSU Master's Theses
Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films have been explored extensively in the past due to their highly attractive properties. However, the high level of internal stress developed during growth prevents deposition of thick films. Synthesis of DLC/DLC multilayers (DDM) presents a venue to overcome this drawback. In the present study, DLC films and DDM were deposited on Si substrate using dc plasma of CH4 and Ar gas mixture. FTIR was used to analyze the structure of the DLC films. Mechanical properties of the films were characterized by microhardness testing and nanoindentation. The tribological properties were studied by conducting pin-on-disc experiments in …
High Strain Rate Properties Of Polymer Matrix Composites, Amol Jadhav
High Strain Rate Properties Of Polymer Matrix Composites, Amol Jadhav
LSU Master's Theses
The vast differences in strength, ultimate strain and modulus during high strain rate (HSR) deformation of materials have been a very long-standing subject of engineering interest. This thesis deals with characterization of mechanical properties of two composite materials, balanced angle-ply graphite epoxy laminates (fibrous composite) and syntactic foams (particulate composite). The focus of this study is to compare the mechanical properties of these composite materials at high strain rates and quasi-static conditions and to find out the effects of failure modes on HSR mechanical properties of these materials. Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) apparatus is used for the HSR testing …
Tensile Strength And Bonding Characteristics Of Self-Compacting Concrete, Cristian Druta
Tensile Strength And Bonding Characteristics Of Self-Compacting Concrete, Cristian Druta
LSU Master's Theses
Self-compacting concrete, also referred to as self-consolidating concrete, is able to flow and consolidate under its own weight and is deaerated almost completely while flowing in the formwork. It is cohesive enough to fill the spaces of almost any size and shape without segregation or bleeding. This makes SCC particularly useful wherever placing is difficult, such as in heavily-reinforced concrete members or in complicated workforms. The objectives of this research were to compare the Splitting Tensile Strength and Compressive Strength values of self-compacting and normal concrete specimens and to examine the bonding between the coarse aggregate and the cement paste …
Characterization Of Syntactic Foams And Their Sandwich Composites: Modeling And Experimental Approaches, Nikhil Gupta
Characterization Of Syntactic Foams And Their Sandwich Composites: Modeling And Experimental Approaches, Nikhil Gupta
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Hollow particle filled polymers known as syntactic foams are lightweight and highly damage tolerant. Syntactic foams are used as core materials in sandwich composites. The use of such materials in aeronautical and space structures make it necessary to understand their characteristics for various environmental and loading conditions. The first part of the present work takes modeling and finite element analysis approach to understand and predict the deformation behavior of syntactic foams. Contact analysis is performed on single particle models by the finite element analysis approach. In the second part extensive experiments are carried out to characterize syntactic foams for hygrothermal …