Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Ascorbic Acid Degradation In Cut Lemon Packaged Using Oxygen Scavenging Active Film During Storage, Kurniawan Yuniarto, Setyo Purwanto, Bruce Ari Welt, Anang Lastriyanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Oxygen scavenging active film can be used to prevent diffusion of free oxygen due to the action of permeation mechanism. In this study, biodegradable oxygen scavenging plastic film was designed by incorporating an antioxidant agent into plasticized polylactic acid or PLA-PEG (PPLA). Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was added at different concentrations into the matrix of the PPLA film using a direct casting method to produce oxygen scavenging active film. The antiradical activity of the oxygen scavenging active film was observed, which could be applied for preventing vitamin C degradation in cut lemon during storage. The antiradical activity of the active film …

The Importance Of Usability Aspect In M-Commerce Application For Satisfaction And Continuance Intention, Yassierli Yassierli, Vinsensius Vinsensius, M. S. Syed Mohamed

Makara Journal of Technology

There has been a rapid growing of m-commerce application in recent years due to the development of mobile communication technology and e-commerce business. However, only about 30% of online users, who conduct online searching, make online purchases. The low conversion rate seems to be correlated with poor usability aspect of most m-commerce applications and poor satisfaction reported by users. Research has reported that satisfaction and continuance intention in using m-commerce applications have relationships with service quality and information quality. In this study, a new model of user satisfaction and continuance intention in the context of mobile application was proposed by …

Towards Environmentally Sustainable And Cost-Effective Food Distribution In The U.S., Jasmina Burek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distribution centers (DCs) and supermarkets have an important role in food sustainability, but no previous research has accounted for their environmental impact. The purpose of this research was to assess environmental sustainability of grocery, perishables, and general merchandise DCs; to estimate food storing and retailing impact; and to provide cost-effective strategies to reduce DCs’ environmental impacts. The importance and relevance of the research is threefold: improving sustainability of DCs, food storing, and food retailing. The main method used in this research was the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. An initial study calculated environmental impacts of the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. DCs, …

Evaluation Of Deformable Posts In The Zoi And Rigid Posts In Stiff Soil, Thomas Ammon

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Debris fences are commonly used by states, in conjunction with a concrete parapet, to protect railway tracks. Their use limits the intrusion of debris that could damage tracks or clutter rail lines. Due to a lack of previously crash-tested systems, the safety performance of such designs are largely unknown. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) desired that researchers at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) design a crashworthy debris fence mounted on top of a concrete parapet to meet the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) TL-3 crash test conditions. Part 1 of this thesis details the literature review and …

Toward Building Resilient, Sustainable, And Smart Infrastructure In The 21st Century, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

In recent years, as a result of significant climate change, stringent windstorms are becoming more frequent than before. Given the threat that windstorms bring to people and property, wind/structural engineering research is imperative to improve the resilience of existing and new infrastructure, for community safety and assets protection. The Windstorm Impact, Science and Engineering (WISE) research program at Louisiana State University (LSU) focuses on creating new knowledge applicable to the mitigation of existing and new infrastructure, to survive and perform optimally under natural hazards. To achieve our research goals, we address two imperious challenges: (i) characterization of realistic wind forces …

Experimental Tests And Numerical Simulations For Failure Investigation On Corrugated Boxes Used On Household Appliance Packaging, Diego Fernandes Rodrigues, José Carlos Pereira

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Packages made of corrugated paper are fundamental to the protection, transportation and handling of the appliance product market. During the storage and sales stages of a product, the package must resist compressive loads in different directions beyond moderate impacts. In this context, the objective of this work is to develop and implement a post-processor that allows the simultaneous analysis of two of the most common failure modes of packages made of corrugated paper: failure due to tensile or compressive stress limit, and failure due to local buckling, when the buckling of the faces of the corrugated paper between two peaks …

Internet Traffic Forecasting Model Using Self Organizing Map And Support Vector Regression Method, Enrico Laoh, Fakhrul Agustriwan, Chyntia Megawati, Isti Surjandari

Makara Journal of Technology

Internet traffic forecasting is one of important aspect in order to fulfill the customer demand. So, the service quality of internet service provider (ISP) can be maintained at the good level. In this study self-organizing map (SOM) and support vector regression (SVR) algorithm are used as forecasting method. SOM is first used to decompose the whole historical data of traffic internet into clusters, while SVR is used to build a forecasting model in each cluster. This method is used to forecast ISPs traffic internet in Jakarta and surrounding areas. The result of this study shows that SOM-SVR method gives more …

Effects Of The Preheating Temperature On The Crystal Structure And Texture Of Martensitic Stainless Steel, Tri Hardi Priyanto, Rifai Muslih, Herry Mugirahardjo, Bharoto Bharoto, Andon Insani, Muzzakiy Muzzakiy

Makara Journal of Technology

Theoretically, the preheating temperature refers to the start martensite temperature (Ms), and the martensite transformation can be considered as the conservation of the invariant habit-plane in the lattice structure. The habit-plane is the interface plane between austenite and martensite as measured on a macroscopic scale. From the calculation, Ms = 252 °C. The martensite formation can be affected by temperature or stress treatment. In this experiment, temperature treatment was conducted. The sample was treated at 250 °C ± 10 °C. Before and after the pre-heat treatment, the sample was characterized using the neutron diffraction method. BATAN’s Texture Diffractometer (DN2) with …

Investigation Of Ship Hull Girder Strength With Grounding Damage, Muhammad Zubair Muis Alie, Ristiyanto Adiputra

Makara Journal of Technology

The objective of the present study is to investigate ship hull girder strength as a result of grounding damage upon longitudinal bending. A bulk carrier and tanker are analyzed and Smith’s Method is adopted and implemented in the analysis program. An efficient solution procedure is performed by assuming the cross-section remains plane and the vertical bending moment is applied to the cross section. As a fundamental case, the damage is simply created by removing the elements from the cross section. Welding residual stress, initial imperfections, and crack extensions are not considered. The grounding damage is made by two conditions, namely …

Purdue Air Sense: A Methodology For Improving The Accuracy Of Ambient Aerosol Mass Concentration And Size Distribution Measurement With Low-Cost Optical Sensing Techniques, Rishabh Ramsisaria, Satya Sundar Patra, Brandon Emil Boor

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

There is a global lack of a means for monitoring air pollutant levels at a local level due to expensive and bulky instrument requirements. It is important to monitor toxic gas levels, as well as particulate matter levels, in the atmosphere to study their effects on human health and to further develop city- and community-level air pollution solutions. In this study, with the means of a Raspberry Pi, low-cost Alphasense Optical Particle Counter and gas sensors, and methodical calibration techniques, we built a portable 3-D printed module powered by clean electricity generated by an on-board Voltaic solar cell that measures …

Satellite-Based Monitoring Of Spatiotemporal Changes In Batudulang Forest In Sumbawa, Indonesia, Mohammad Muslim, Arief Budhi Witarto, Wahyu Indrajaya

Makara Journal of Technology

Space-based earth observation technology applicable to forest inventory and monitoring is well known in the scientific community. High-resolution satellite images form an important data source for forest mapping and change detection at regional and national scales. The value of forest change information derived from remote sensing data is significantly enhanced if this information is integrated into a spatially explicit geographic information system. Satellite-based rapid assessment was conducted to measure spatiotemporal changes in Batudulang forest over the years. The general approach to quantify change in the spatial aspect of the forest involved change detection using moderate-resolution imaging spectro-radiometer satellite-based normalized difference …

Strength Structure Analysis Of Main Gate Graving Dock Using Pontoons For Condition Repairs, Budianto Budianto

Makara Journal of Technology

Main gate graving dock with pontoon type can certainly suffered some level of damage after a long period of operation. Many employments within the graving dock can delay the process repair of main gate. The main gate may not be opened, because employees are still working to ship fabrication process under sea waterline. For accommodate these interrelated conditions, the best solution with repair one side of the main gate with type pontoon and employees can still work ship fabrication process in graving dock conducted simultaneously. The repair process conditions must be required main gate structure that consists of only one …

Microstructures And Hardness Of Tig Welded Experimental 57fe15cr25ni Steel, Parikin Parikin, Mohammad Dani, Abu Khalid Rivai, Agus Hadi Ismoyo, Riza Iskandar, Arbi Dimyati

Makara Journal of Technology

The microstructures and hardness of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded experimental 57Fe15Cr25Ni steel were investigated through optical–scanning electron microscopy analyses and with a hardness tester, respectively. The welding process restructured the constituent atoms into regular and irregular crystal lattices. Rapid cooling of the weld metal allowed the formation of a dendritic (columnar) structure, with porous grains. By contrast, slow cooling influenced HAZ and led to the formation of grain structures. The crystal lattice became more organized and larger than other zones. Meanwhile, the base metal formed circular nets that covered large area inside thick and thin grain boundaries. The diffraction …

Mapping Of Bruise Of Oil Palm Fresh Fruit Bunch During Loading And Transportation From Field To Mill, Andreas Wahyu Krisdiarto

Makara Journal of Technology

Fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) are used as raw materials for palm oil, and their transport from a field is a critical step to maintain their quality. Fruit integrity should be maintained so the mill can efficiently obtain palm oil with less than 5% free fatty acid content. Physical treatments for FFBs during loading to truck bins and transport may cause physical injuries. This research aimed to map fruit bruises. The map can be used as a basis in managing transport of FFBs. Physical injuries were assessed by bruise index (BI), which was calculated by measuring the bruise area and weight …

Benchmarking Product Service System Of Generator Set Distributors, Venny Violetta Tiurindah, Tanika Dewi Sofianti

Makara Journal of Technology

Power generation is an industry that is essential to sustain daily life and competes with generator set distributors. The product service system of distributors must be improved to survive the competition. This research aims to develop tools for benchmarking the product service system of generator set distributors. Benchmarking identifies gaps between a product and other competitors’ products. In this work, a product service system board is used to visualize the current product service system of a generator set distributor. A PPIAF framework and a SERVQUAL framework are adapted to assess product performance and service quality, respectively. AHP is used as …

Development Of Iowa Dot Combination Bridge Separation Barrier With Bicycle Railing, Chaz M. Ginger

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Iowa Department of Transportation typically builds separation barriers between vehicle and pedestrian/bicycle facilities when sidewalks or trails are present on vehicular bridges. Currently, Iowa DOT employs a combination bridge rail that utilizes a concrete parapet that previously had been successfully evaluated to National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 Test Level 4 (TL-4) criteria for these situations. While the parapet had been successfully evaluated, the combination bridge rail system as a whole had not been evaluated to any crash test standards. Iowa DOT desired that researchers at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) design and test a combination bridge …

Selecting The Most Effective Energy Modeling Tool Based On A Project Requirement, Sodiq Akande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building energy usage can be derived and controlled by performing building energy modeling. BEM can be performed using numerous software tools such as DesignBuilder, OpenStudio, EnergyPlus etc. These modeling tools can be sorted into three different modeling categories: Black-box, Gray-box and White-box. It is important for a modeler to be able to quickly select the proper tool from the proper category to meet the need of the project. To validate the method of categorizing tools, the three models generated using tools from each category and the modeling outputs required were compared. Each model was designed to estimate the amount of …

My Catalyst, Gabrielle Gambino Lyon

Celebration of Learning

Over the course of my internship and shadow program with Pepper Lawson Construction and Ziegler Cooper Architects, I was able to explore the various career paths involved in the design, construction, and civil engineering fields. My work on the construction site of a high-rise apartment building located in the heart of Houston, TX allowed me first-hand experience working and learning alongside project engineers, contractors, building developers, and the construction team.

This project was the perfect confluence of my main areas of interest: structural, mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering, as well as architecture. My daily work consisted of on-site walk throughs, …

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study On The Possible Factors Affecting Stability Of Ods Steel, M. Mustafa Azeem, Zhongyu Li, Qingyu Wang, Abid Hussian

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxide-dispersed-strengthened (ODS) steel has excellent mechanical, thermodynamic and radiation resistant properties, which makes it an important candidate material for high-Temperature reactors applications. Radiation stability of oxide is very important to study at the atomic level. In present case molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is used to study stabilities of Y₂O₃ particles in ODS steel as a function of particle sizes. The size dependence is obvious for particle sizes larger than 2.8 nm. Furthermore, the stabilities depend on charges of Y and O atoms.

Microstructural Characterization Of Shear Transformation Zones And Modeling Indentation Size Effect In Amorphous Polymers, Leila Malekmotiei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first aim of this work is developing a procedure for experimental and analytical characterization of nano-scale microstructures which mediate large scale deformation in amorphous polymers. Glassy polymers are extensively used as high impact resistant, low density, and clear materials in industries. Nevertheless, their response under severe loading conditions is yet to be appropriately unraveled. Due to the lack of long-range order in the microstructures of glassy solids, their plastic deformation is different from that in crystalline solids. Shear Transformation Zones (STZs) are believed to be the main plasticity carriers in amorphous solids and defined as the localized atomic or …

Efficient Adjacency Queries And Dynamic Refinement For Meshfree Methods With Applications To Explicit Fracture Modeling, James Olliff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Meshfree methods provide a more practical approach to solving problems involving large deformation and modeling fracture compared to the Finite Element Method (FEM). However meshfree methods are more computationally intensive compared to FEM, which can limit their practicality in engineering. Meshfree methods also lack a clear boundary definition, restricting available visualization techniques. Determining particle locations and attributes such that a consistent approximation is ensured can be challenging in meshfree methods, especially when employing h-refinement. The primary objective of this work is to address the limitations associated with computational efficiency, meshfree domain discretization, and h-refinement, including both placement of particles as …

Experimental, Analytical, And Numerical Evaluation Of The Mechanical Properties Of The Brain Tissue, Aref Samadidooki

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A true understanding of the mechanisms behind most of the brain diseases is still out of reach. For several years, the interest of scientists has been focused on the genetic and biological causes, however, recent studies unraveled the importance of the biomechanics of the brain growth, folding, impact resistance, and deformation on its pathological conditions. While, a wide range of different methods have been used for characterization of the mechanical properties of the brain at the tissue level, the obtained results from different studies are extremely scattered and sometimes in contrast to one another. Since the brain tissue is extremely …

Factors Influencing Household Solar Adoption In Santiago, Chile, Jeffrey P. Walters, Jessica Kaminsky, Claudio Huepe

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

In Santiago, Chile, the market conditions are seemingly excellent for the household adoption of photovoltaic (PV) technology, yet the uptake is negligible. To explore this paradox, the authors conducted a Delphi study to solicit the knowledge of a panel of Chilean PV experts. These efforts yielded 26 factors—both motivations and barriers—impacting the diffusion of PV in Santiago. Of the 26, experts were in consensus on the relative importance of 21. The literature suggests that diffusion of PV technologies is influenced by complex technical, economic, and social factors. Similarly, the experts saw influence from financial, environmental, and energy supply (e.g., electrical …

Preliminary Investigation Of Tensile Strength And Impact Characterization Of Cementitious Composite Incorporating Carbon Nanotubes, Robabeh Jazaei

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cement has been largely used in the construction industry, specifically as a matrix for concrete. Recently, a new generation of cement-based composite that greatly increases mechanical properties is replacing conventional concrete. With periodic advances in the field, researchers considered particles with high-aspect ratios such as Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) to reinforce cement matrices. Although there is not much literature to draw upon in research, some research on improving the tensile strength of cementitious composite incorporating with CNTs does exist. However, there had been no evidence of investigation into impact strength until this study.

Most papers presented examined the effect of multi-walled …

Effects Of Tension On Resonant Frequencies Of Strings, Blake Burnett

Senior Theses

This project tests and explores resonance of strings. Since all materials and mechanisms are affected by vibrations, it is important to know the frequencies at which resonance occurs. To explore this subject, strings were used as a model material to test the effect tension has on resonance. The fundamental frequencies and the corresponding modes of resonance were used to analyze the data. The results of this experiment show that increasing tension on a string increases its resonance frequency. Understanding the physics behind resonance frequency allows systems to be designed to take advantage of resonance properties, or to avoid resonance where …

Hawai'i Wildlife Fund V. County Of Maui, Lowell J. Chandler

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In Hawai’i Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui, the Ninth Circuit held that the plain language of the Clean Water Act provides jurisdiction over indirect discharges of pollutants from a point source into groundwater that is shown to be connected to navigable waters. The court found that studies confirmed pollutants entering the Pacific Ocean were fairly traceable to the County of Maui’s sewage disposal wells. In affirming the district court’s ruling, the Ninth Circuit held that Maui County violated the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into a navigable water without the required permit. The court also concluded the …

Structural And Photoluminescence Properties Of Zno Thin Films Deposited By Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis, Iwan Sugihartono, Erfan Handoko, Vivi Fauzia, Artoto Arkundato, Lara Permata Sari

Makara Journal of Technology

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on a silicon (Si) (111) substrate were grown herein using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at 450 °C with different Zn concentrations. The ZnO thin films had X-ray diffraction patterns of a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. The (002) and (101) peak intensities changed under different Zn concentrations. Furthermore, according to Scherer's and Stokes–Wilson equations, the crystallite size and the internal strain of the ZnO thin films in the (002) and (101) peaks changed with the Zn concentration. Optically, the photoluminescence spectra indicated that the ratio of the UV/GB emission of the ZnO thin films was the highest …

Simplified, Alternative Formulation Of Numerical Simulation Of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Russell L. Edwards

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Three-Dimensional proton exchange fuel cell (PEMFC) operation in steady-state is simulated with computational fluid dynamics / multiphysics software that is based upon the finite-element method. PEMFC operation involves the simultaneous simulation of multiple, interconnected physics involving fluid flows, heat transport, electrochemical reactions, and both protonic and electronic conduction. Modeling efforts have varied by how they treat the physics occurring within and adjacent to the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA). Several approaches treat the MEA as part of the computational domain, solving multiple, and coupled conservation equations via the CFD approach within the 3 regions of the MEA. The thickness dimensions of the …

An Exploratory Study Of Sukuk Utilisation For Transportation Infrastructure Development In Indonesia, Fiona Lamari, Ayomi Dita Rarasati, Meilia Evita

Makara Journal of Technology

Investment in infrastructure is one of the principal drivers of the growth of the economy. For that reason, the Indonesian government has proposed an investment budget in the railway and sea and air transport sectors over the next 10 years. In order to overcome the burden of direct outflows and for the future, a study was conducted to lay down the framework of Shariah-compliant payments for the development of infrastructure in Indonesia in the transport sector. This paper aims to explore the opportunity and implementation of sukuk utilisation to develop transportation infrastructure. Secondary data study and interviews were selected for …

Small-Signal-Stability Enhancement Using A Power-System Stabilizer Based On The Cuckoo-Search Algorithm Against Contingency N-1 In The Sulselrabar 150-Kv System, Muhammad Ruswandi Djalal, Muhammad Yusuf Yunus, Herlambang Setiadi, Awan Uji Krismanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Small-signal stability is one of the main factors limiting power transmission in conventional power systems. This concern is primarily handled by adding damper windings of a synchronous generator and power-system stabilizer (PSS). However, due to the impact of the N-1 contingency, damper windings and a conventional PSS are insufficient to overcome this problem. Proper placement and design of the PSS are crucial for improving stability. One approach to optimizing the placement and tuning of the PSS is to use an artificial-intelligence method. Here, the cuckoo-search algorithm (CSA) is proposed to optimize the PSS tuning and placement. Based on simulation, it …