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College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2009, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Investigation Of The Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Of Titanium Carbide Coated Nanoreinforced Liquid Crystalline Polymer, Karen Lozano, Lesly Espinoza, K. Hernandez, Ananta R. Adhikari, Gangaram Radhakrishnan, P. M. Adams

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The development and analysis of electrical and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of titanium carbide (TiC)-coated carbon nanofiber (CNF) reinforced liquid crystalline polymer composites are presented. The studied samples consisted of different weight percentages (5, 10, and 15 wt %) of CNFs distributed and dispersed homogeneously within the polymeric matrix. A titanium carbide layer was deposited using pulsed laser deposition, and was conducted at room temperature, which eliminated possible thermal degradation of the polymer matrix. The effect of the thickness of the TiC layer on the electrical properties of the polymeric composites was analyzed. A synergistic behavior between the TiC coating …

Modulated Nanopores Using Pulse Anodization On Thin Aluminum, Mahesh Babu Gunukula

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide has traditionally been made in one of two ways: "Mild Anodization (MA)" or "Hard Anodization (HA)". The former method produces self-ordered pore structures but it is slow and only works for a narrow range of processing conditions; the latter method, which is widely used in the aluminum industry, is faster but it produces films with disordered pore structures. Here we report a novel approach termed "pulse anodization" that combines the advantages of the MA and HA processes. By designing the pulse sequences it is possible to control both the composition and pore structure of the anodic …

An On-Sun Parametric Study Of Solar Hydrogen Production Using Wo3 Photoanodes, Christopher K. Halford

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The solar production of hydrogen using photoactive electrodes is a topic receiving much attention in recent years. The use of thin metal oxide films as photoanodes allows the water splitting reaction to occur at a much lower applied voltage than would be necessary with a straight electrolysis process. Researchers have reported up to 18% solar to hydrogen efficiencies over short periods. The University of Nevada Las Vegas in conjunction with the UK based firm Hydrogen Solar have developed a prototype of this type of cell using a WO3 photoanode. An on-sun test facility has been constructed by the UNLV Center …

Dynamics Simulation And Malfunction Diagnosis Of Heavy Machinery Using Msc Adams, Dewen Kong, Jim M. Meagher, Xi Wu

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Static And Dynamic Responsive Behavior Of Polyelectrolyte Brushes Under External Electrical Field, Hui Ouyang, Zhenhai Xia, Jiang Zhe

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

The static and dynamic behaviors of partially charged and end-grafted polyelectrolyte brushes in response to electric fields were investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that the polymer brushes can be partially or fully stretched by applying an external electric field. Moreover, the brushes can switch reversibly from collapsed to stretched states, fully responding to the AC electric stimuli, and the gating response frequency can reach a few hundred MHz. The effects of the grafting density, the charge fraction of the brushes and the strength of the electric field on the average height of the polymer brushes …

Integrating Adams Software Into An Upper Division Mechanical Design And Analysis Course, Xi Wu, Dewen Kong, Jim Meagher

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Cad-Centric Dynamic Workflow Generation, Travis L. Kenworthy

Theses and Dissertations

CAD systems are important design tools that enable the designer to conceptualize, visualize, analyze, and manufacture a design (Shahin 2008). Although high-end CAD systems provide several built-in design applications, the users of CAD often select various custom or proprietary non-CAD analyses that constrain, optimize, or evaluate their designs. An efficient method is needed to perform trade studies from within the CAD environment. Methods have been developed to meet the challenges associated with this need. The methods have been implemented in a program, called the Process Integrator, which resides in a CAD system and allows the user to perform trade studies …

A Numerical Model Of The Friction Stir Plunge, Stanford Wayne Mcbride

Theses and Dissertations

A Lagrangian finite-element model of the plunge phase of the friction stir welding process was developed to better understand the plunge. The effects of both modeling and experimental parameters were explored. Experimental friction stir plunges were made in AA 7075-T6 at a plunge rate of 0.724 mm/s with spindle speeds ranging from 400 to 800 rpm. Comparable plunges were modeled in Forge2005. Various simulation parameters were explored to assess the effect on temperature prediction. These included the heat transfer coefficient between the tool and workpiece (from 0 to 2000 W/m-K), mesh size (node counts from 1,200 to 8,000), and material …

Integrated Reliability And Sizing Optimization Of A Large Composite Structure, Christopher D. Eamon, Masoud Rais-Rohani

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

In this paper, we present the application of probabilistic design modeling and reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) methodology to the sizing optimization of a composite advanced submarine sail structure under parametric uncertainty. With the help of probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the influence of individual random variables on each structural failure mode is examined, and the critical modes are treated as probabilistic design constraints under consistent lower bounds on the corresponding reliability indices. Whereas the failure modes are applied to structural components in the solution of the RBDO problem, the overall system reliability is also evaluated as a post-optimization step. The results indicate …

Interim Report On Iso Tc163 Working Group 3, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip W. Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report covers the initial year efforts of the International Standards Organization (ISO) to develop international standards for rating the energy performance of buildings. The author of this report is a participant in this effort. This report summarizes the activities of the ISO Working Group charged with development of these standards and makes recommendations to the sponsors for future U.S. involvement in this ISO effort.

Ole Miss Engineer 2009

Ole Miss Engineer

No abstract provided.

A Real-Time, 3-D Musculoskeletal Model For Dynamic Simulation Of Arm Movements, Edward K. Chadwick, Dimitra Blana, Antonie J. Van Den Bogert, Robert F. Kirsch

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Neuroprostheses can be used to restore movement of the upper limb in individuals with high-level spinal cord injury. Development and evaluation of command and control schemes for such devices typically require real-time, ldquopatient-in-the-looprdquo experimentation. A real-time, 3-D, musculoskeletal model of the upper limb has been developed for use in a simulation environment to allow such testing to be carried out noninvasively. The model provides real-time feedback of human arm dynamics that can be displayed to the user in a virtual reality environment. The model has a 3-DOF glenohumeral joint as well as elbow flexion/extension and pronation/supination and contains 22 muscles …

2009 (Spring) Ensi Informer Magazine, Morehead State University. Engineering Sciences Department

ENSI Informer Magazine Archive

The ENSI Informer Magazine published in the spring of 2009.

Finite Element Model Of A Tennis Racket, Sayali Shashikant Kapatkar

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An explicit finite-element (FE) model of a tennis racket and string was produced in NASTRAN/PATRAN. MSC/NASTRAN is a general-purpose FEA program capable of solving a wide variety of engineering problems such as linear static analysis, static analysis with geometric and material with nonlinearities, transient analysis with geometric and material nonlinearities. A finite element racket model was used to study the engineering characteristics that affect the "sweet spot" of a te1mis racket. A similar model was simulated by creating a tennis racket, a tennis ball and a string-bed, and it was validated against MADYMO (Mathematical Dynamic Model) data.

The MADYMO validation …

Economic And Environmental Performance Analysis Of Pv Systems For Domestic Applications In Ireland, Lacour Ayompe, Aidan Duffy, Sarah Mccormack, Michael Conlon

Conference Papers

Long-term monthly average daily solar radiation values on horizontal surfaces at 20 locations in Ireland were used to model the performance of a 1.72 kWp grid-connected PV system. Global solar radiation on horizontal surfaces varied between 865.1 and 1,127.9 kWh/m2/yr with a mean of 947.9 kWh/m2/yr. Annual energy yields varied between 869 and 1,156 960 kWh/kWp with a mean of 960 kWh/kWp. The capacity factor for the PV system varied between 9.9 and 13.2% while the mean was 11.0%. System cost parameters, long-term annual average electricity domestic rate cost escalation were used to calculate the Net Present Value (NPV), cost …

Improved Predictive Power Control Of Cdma System In Rayleigh Fading Channel, Adit Kurniawan, Iskandar Iskandar, Sayid Machdar

Makara Journal of Technology

In this paper an improved prediction-based power control is proposed for code division multiple access (CDMA) systems in Rayleigh fading channel environments. One of the most serious problems which degrades the performance of power control algorithm is the effect of feedback delay. To overcome the effect of feedback delay, power control needs to employ prediction algorithm which utilises the correlation property of the past channel samples measurements to predict the future sample values. In CDMA power control, however, the correlation property of channel measurements is destroyed because the transmit power is continuously updated for each power control interval. The prediction …

On The Performance Of Svd-Dwt Based Digital Video Watermarking Technique With Semi-Blind Detector, Tarzan Basaruddin, Della Maulidiya

Makara Journal of Technology

On the Performance of SVD-DWT Based Digital Video Watermarking Technique with Semi-Blind Detector. This paper presents a watermarking technique for digital video. The proposed scheme is developed based on the work of Ganic and Chan which took the virtue of SVD and DWT. While the previous works of Chan has the blind detector property, our attempt is to develop a scheme with semi-blind detector, by using the merit of the DWT-SDV technique proposed by Ganic which was originally applied to still image. Overall, our experimental results show that our proposed scheme has a very good imperceptibility and is reasonably robust …

Lipid Production From Microalgae As A Promising Candidate For Biodiesel Production, Arief Widjaja

Makara Journal of Technology

Recently, several strains of microalgae have been studied as they contain high lipid content capable to be converted to biodiesel. Fresh water microalgae Chlorella vulgaris studied in this research was one of the proof as it contained high triacyl glyceride which made it a potential candidate for biodiesel production. Factors responsible for good growing of microalgae such as CO2 and nitrogen concentration were investigated. It was found that total lipid content was increased after exposing to media with not enough nitrogen concentration. However, under this nitrogen depletion media, the growth rate was very slow leading to lower lipid productivity. The …

Advanced Design And Performance Characterization Of A Micromachined Tuning-Fork Gyroscope With High Quality Factors, Shiva Krishna Durgam

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Over the past two decades, micromachined gyroscopes fabricated using MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technology have attracted a great deal of attention from various industrial and military sectors due to their significant advantages over traditional bulky gyroscopes, including small size, batch fabrication, low power consumption, and low cost. Among the various micromachined gyroscopes developed so far, tuning-fork gyroscopes with integrated electrostatic transducers have been extremely attractive because of their significant advantages over other structural forms and other types of transducers., including larger proof mass, large vibration amplitude in the drive-mode, and relative ease of fabrication.

This thesis presents the advanced design and …

Environmental Remediation Full-Scale Implementation: Back To Simple Microbial Massive Culture Approaches, Agung Dhamar Syakti, Mohamad Yani

Makara Journal of Technology

Using bioaugmentation and biostimulation approach for contaminated soil bioremediation were investigated and implemented on field scale. We combine those approaches by culturing massively the petrophilic indigenous microorganisms from chronically contaminated soil enriched by mixed manure. Through these methods, bioremediation performance revealed promising results in removing the petroleum hydrocarbons comparatively using metabolite by product such as biosurfactant, specific enzymes and other extra-cellular product which are considered as a difficult task and will impact on cost increase.

Preparation Of Radioactive Gold Nanoparticle By Neutron Activation, Rohadi Awaludin

Makara Journal of Technology

Preparation of Radioactive Gold Nanoparticle by Neutron Activation. It was reported that gold nanoparticle could be used for cancer therapy using thermal effect. It is possible to kill cancer cells using radiation of radioisotope. Study on preparation of radioactive gold by neutron activation at central irradiation position (CIP) of G.A. Siwabessy reactor with neutron flux 1.26 x 1014 neutron s-1cm-2 has been carried out. It was revealed that a radioisotop of gold (198Au) was produced by neutron activation from natural gold. Calculation results showed that 198Au with radioactivity of 0.366 Bq, 2.93 Bq, 9.90 Bq and 23.4 Bq was produced …

Implementation Of Web Cam As Motion Detector With Directshow Interfacing, Yonatan Santoso, Iwan Setiyawan, Victor N. Papilaya

Makara Journal of Technology

Implementation of Web Cam as Motion Detector with DirectShow Interfacing. One of many ways to take control a web cam is by using DirectShow which is integrated in DirectX. DirectShow acts like an API therefore it is easier to use. Afterwards, web cam will be implemented to detect object’s motion as well as camera surveillance. The method is by comparing a reference image with other image which is taken lately. If there are differences between those image it means motion has been detected.

Thermal Stability Of Clay's Galleries In Polypropylene - Clay (Montmorillonite) Nanocomposites Using Polypropylene-Gmaleic Anhydride As Compatibilizer, Sotya Astutiningsih, Pandu Lanang Kinasih, Arief Cahyo Wibowo

Makara Journal of Technology

Thermal Stability of Clay's Galleries in Polypropylene - Clay (montmorillonite) Nanocomposites using Polypropylene-g- Maleic Anhydride as Compatibilizer. Superior properties of food packaging can be achieved using nanocomposite technology. However, fabrication of this materials are complex and expensive. Long term objectives of this research is the synthesis of low cost polypropylene clay nanocomposites (PPCN) via a short-cut method known as ‘cascade engineering’. Cascade engineering principle in PPCN fabrication is performed by using compatibilizer (to enable the mixing of PP and clay) masterbatch, and PPCN in one pot process using melt mixer. This paper present the experimental results using small-angle x-ray diffraction …

Induction And Conduction Electromagnetic Waves Caused By Lightning Strike On The Low Voltage Network, Reynaldo Zoro

Makara Journal of Technology

Induction and Conduction Electromagnetic Waves Caused by Lightning Strike on the Low Voltage Network. Direct and indirect lightning strikes can disturb and induce low voltage overheadlines and it can produced overvoltage due to traveling waves along the lines. This overvoltage can damage the equipments connected to it. It was recorded that there were already a lot of damages of electronic equipments and arrestesr located inside the building of Lightning Measurement Station at Mnt. Tangkuban Perahu. Most of the overvoltage which was developed on the low voltage lines were coming from indirect lightning strike nearby due to the fact that most …

Muara Bekasi – Muara Tawar Offshore Transmission Pipeline Routing And Economic Analysis., Asep Handaya Saputra, Ardiansyah Ardiansyah

Makara Journal of Technology

Muara Bekasi – Muara Tawar Offshore Transmission Pipeline Routing and Economic Analysis. Power plant Muara Tawar will substitute the need of oil fuel to gas as form of economizing and energy conservation. The nearest supply point to fulfill natural gas needed on Muara Bekasi. So that Power Plant Company needed to develop gas pipeline infrastructure to joining the point.The purpose of this study is to create a system of gas transmission pipeline from gas supply point at Muara Bekasi to Power Plant Muara Tawar trough to offshore area. Design of gas transmission pipeline is started with technical data collection and …

Simulating The Growth Of Articular Cartilage Explants In A Permeation Bioreactor To Aid In Experimental Protocol Design, Timothy P. Ficklin, Andrew Davol, Stephen M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

Recently a cartilage growth finite element model (CGFEM) was developed to solve nonhomogeneous and time-dependent growth boundary-value problems (Davol et al., 2008, “A Nonlinear Finite Element Model of Cartilage Growth,” Biomech. Model. Mechanobiol., 7, pp. 295–307). The CGFEM allows distinct stress constitutive equations and growth laws for the major components of the solid matrix, collagens and proteoglycans. The objective of the current work was to simulate in vitro growth of articular cartilage explants in a steady-state permeation bioreactor in order to obtain results that aid experimental design. The steady-state permeation protocol induces different types of mechanical stimuli. When the specimen …

The 2005 Chios Ancient Shipwreck Survey: New Methods For Underwater Archaeology, Brendan P. Foley, Katerina Dellaporta, Dimitris Sakellariou, Brian S. Bingham, Richard Camilli, Ryan M. Eustice, Dionysis Evagelistis, Vicki Lynn Ferrini, Kostas Katsaros, Dimitris Kourkoumelis, Aggelos Mallios, Paraskevi Micha, David A. Mindell, Christopher Roman, Hanumant Singh, David S. Switzer, Theotokis Theodoulou

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

In 2005 a Greek and American interdisciplinary team investigated two ship wrecks off the coast of Chios dating to the 4th-century B.C. and the 2nd/lst century. The project pioneered archaeological methods of precision acoustic, digital image, and chemical survey using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and in-situ sensors, increasing the speed of data acquisition while decreasing costs. The AUV recorded data revealing the physical dimensions, age, cargo, and preservation of the wrecks. The earlier wreck contained more than 350 amphoras, predominantly of Chian type, while the Hellenistic wreck contained about 40 Dressel 1C amphoras. Molecular biological analysis of two amphoras …

Multiscale Modeling Of Impact On Heterogeneous Viscoelastic Solids With Evolving Microcracks, Flavio V. Souza

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

Multiscale computational techniques play a major role in solving problems related to viscoelastic composite materials due to the complexities inherent to these materials. In the present work, a numerical procedure for multiscale modeling of impact on heterogeneous viscoelastic solids containing evolving microcracks is proposed in which the (global scale) homogenized viscoelastic incremental constitutive equations have the same form as the local scale viscoelastic incremental constitutive equations, but the homogenized tangent constitutive tensor and the homogenized incremental history dependent stress tensor depend on the amount of damage accumulated at the local scale. Furthermore, the developed technique allows the computation of the …

Payload Directed Flight Of Miniature Air Vehicles, Randal W. Beard, Clark Taylor, Jeff Saunders, Ryan Holt, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

This paper describes three applications of payload directed flight using miniature air vehicles: vision-based road following, vision-based target tracking, and vision-based mapping. A general overview of each application is given, followed by simulation and flight-test results. Results demonstrate the viability of utilizing electo-optical video imagery to directly control the air vehicle flight path to enhance performance relative to the sensing objective.