Other Engineering Commons^™

Sustainable Valorization Of Woody And Herbaceous Biomass For Energy And Environmental Applications, Subramaniyasharma S

Theses and Dissertations

Pyrolysis is a thermochemical conversion method to produce gas and liquid fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. This process involves the thermal decomposition of organic compounds without oxygen. The vapors formed are rapidly condensed to yield a liquid product called bio-oil and a solid product called biochar.

In the present study, Sesame indicum (SI) (herbaceous agro residue) and Prosopis julifora (PJ) (woody biomass weed) were chosen as feedstocks for the pyrolysis process and the respective solid and liquid products were collected and characterized. The proportion of biomass pyrolysis products is significantly influenced by biomass composition and process conditions such as temperature, heating …

Phosphorene As A Chemical Nanosensor For Volatile Organic Compound Vapours - A Dft Outlook, Saravanan S

Theses and Dissertations

Based on the density functional theory framework, the structural stability of phosphorene allotropes and its various nanostructures are ensured. The various allotropes of phosphorene and its nanostructures such as nanosheets, nanoribbon and nanotubes are used as adsorbing materials for various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as alcohols, chloroform, amines and aldehydes. The results of adsorption energy are used to confirm physisorption or chemisorption of VOCs on phosphorene. In addition, the charge transfer outcome suggests whether phosphorene is acting as acceptor or donor of electrons upon interaction of target VOCs.

The electronic attributes such as band structure, projected density of states …

Mushroom Mycelium Foam Cushioning Properties In Protective Packaging Application, Xiaojing Liu

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms, has a unique biology that can be leveraged to grow materials that self-assemble into complex, fully-formed structures. Mycelium-based composite material has developed quickly to commercial applications for textiles, packaging, and food industry for its unique biodegradable feature. However, there is little deep research on mycelium-based material cushion properties in protective packaging. This research fills the gap and examines and evaluates mushroom mycelium foam cushion performance. The mycelium-based composites in this research came from Ecovative company. Several groups of foams with the desired size and shape were grown in the lab. Samples’ density and weight …

Design And Development Of A Clinical Decision Support System For The Diagnosis Of Parkinson’S Disease Using Artificial Intelligence, Saravanan S

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological condition marked by motor symptoms like tremors, bradykinesia, and stiffness. It is observed that early and precise diagnosis of this disease is crucial, as that will have a significant impact on effective disease management and intervention. This thesis explores the technical feasibility of applying AI techniques to recognize patterns from spiral and wave drawings, which are usually a unique signature type for PD patients.

The focus of the work is to diagnose the disease through novel deep transfer learning techniques, to diagnose the severity of the disease, and also to develop effective model …

Environmental Impacts Potential Of Natural Gas Production Through Life Cycle Assessment, Akmal Al Afghani, Mochamad Adhiraga Pratama, Astryd Viandila Dahlan

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to evaluate potential environmental impacts in various industry sectors, including the oil and gas industry to quantify the environmental impacts and determine the processes that have significant impacts along their production cycle. This environmental impact study adheres to ISO 14040:2016 and 14044:2017 standards, using the ReCiPe methodology within a gate-to-gate scope to analyze potential environmental impacts of 1 MMSCFD natural gas production. The impact categories analyzed in this study are Global Warming Potential (GWP), Particulate Matter Formation (PM), Ozone Formation (OF), and Terrestrial Acidification (TA). The results of this study identified several …

Implementation Of Machine Learning Using Deep Neural Networks To Estimate The Failure Risk Caused By Leakage In Pressure Relief Devices, Adi Yudho Wijayanto, Yossi Andreano, M. Ali Yafi Rizky, Dedi Priadi

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

The primary objective of deploying Pressure Relief Device (PRD) equipment is to ensure the safety of pressure vessels within a pressurized system. Over time, PRD equipment may degrade and fail to perform its intended function, which must be identified as a failure mode. To mitigate potential risks associated with this, it is recommended that an approach such as risk-based inspection (RBI) be implemented. Despite the widespread adoption of RBI, the method relies on qualitative techniques, leading to significant variations in equipment risk assessments. This study proposes a novel risk analysis method that uses deep learning-based machine learning to develop a …

Maintenance Notes To Improve The Reliability Of Wheel Flange Failure For Overhead Crane, Fakhri Burhanuddin, Akhmad Herman Yuwono

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Overhead traveling cranes in the industry have utility workload classifications and require high standards of safety and reliability by mobilizing lifting and transporting capacity variants of steel products, equipment, and other supports. The crane wheels are the main support in moving the end carriage so that the crane can work according to its function. Failures in the operation and maintenance cycle have occurred. Therefore, proper repair and maintenance methods are highly needed to restore the original design function to its working integrity. Logic tree analysis was used to breakdown all causes of failure; thus, mitigation was performed by carrying out …

Root Cause Analysis Of Leakage Tube Boiler: A Study Case, Lydia Kartika Basaria Sitompul, Dedi Priadi

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Oil and gas industry can have catastrophic implications for human life, the environment, and the economy. This paper investigated failure analysis using root cause analysis especially for boiler tube leakage of Heat Exchanger. Identify the issue using microscopic examination and energy dispersive x-ray analysis were conducted on the tube inside and outside surface to determine root cause of the failure. The formation of a protective film in the aluminum-brass tube during the starting stage is very important for ensuring adequate film protection throughout the service life of the heat exchanger. During this stage, exposure to unpolluted water is essential. The …

Lifetime Prediction Of Pan Feeder Based On 3d Laser Scanning For Wear Assessment, Nony Maulidya, Dedi Priadi, D. Rizal Asral

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Apron feeder is one of stages in crushing circuit to convey material in short distance. Pan flight is the main component of apron feeder that is severely exposed to wear mechanism due to its direct contact with open cut abrasive ore. With this operating environment of apron feeder, regular maintenance and inspection must be conducted to assess wear rate of pan’s surface to maintain equipment availability and provide information and sign before the equipment undergoes severe and sudden degradation. 3D laser scanning is method used in this study as Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) based inspection. The aim of using 3D scanning …

Safety And Risk Management Strategies For Achieving Regulatory Compliance In Construction Projects, Danny Rodriguez

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

The architectural and construction business places great importance on safety and regulatory compliance because of its inherent high-risk nature and strict legal obligations. The prevalence of accidents and infractions at construction sites underscores the imperative for enhanced safety management systems and compliance with rules, notwithstanding substantial endeavors. The main objective of this study is to examine the many elements that impact the effectiveness of safety management, adherence to regulations, and the development of a safety culture, with the ultimate purpose of improving safety outcomes on construction sites.

The issue statement pertains to the difficulties associated with safety management and compliance …

Organizational Reliability And Resilience As A Dynamic System: Knowledge Modeling With Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, Antonie J. Jetter, Ahmed A. Alibage, Nan Peter Liang

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Safety research in complex environments recommends that high-hazard industries improve reliability and increase their capacity for resilience by enacting principles for high-reliability organizing (HRO). This view has been highly influential in many industries, ranging from aviation to hospitals, and is at the core of many safety culture programs. However, even though HRO principles originated in business practice and were observed in diverse organizations, practitioners frequently struggle to enact them in the contexts of their work. This is likely caused by two limitations of current research: principles are insufficiently specified and the interdependencies between them, such as mutually reinforcing vs. tradeoff …

Impact Of Nitrogen Species On Algal Carbon Capture, Lauren J. Todd

All Theses

Increasing global carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion and the resulting detrimental effects of climate change have created a need for atmospheric carbon drawdown. Biological-based carbon capture not only sequesters carbon dioxide (CO₂) but also provides a sustainable source of biomass for biofuels and biomaterials. Thus, the aim of this research was to examine freshwater green algal growth with total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) sources at high pH for improving carbon capture potential. The following objectives were accomplished: nitrogen uptake was identified as simultaneous or sequential, the effect of TAN and NO_{3 …}

Fabrication And Characterization Of A Monolithic Photonic Integrated Circuit With High-Aspect Ratio Photonic Device Structures, Sami A. Nazib

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

The focus of this work was to create a process to fabricate an InP-based Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC). The design of the PIC required the photonic components of this device to be created by deep etching of an epitaxially-grown multilayer structure. Therefore, a novel dry etching process was developed to produce very high aspect- ratio (HAR) features. This process not only involved the development of dry etch chemistry but also the engineering of a metal mask structure. The next step of the challenge was to use a polymer-based material that would have two functions: cladding for the etched photonic components …

Optical Responses Of Hybrid Electromagnetic Nanostructures, Dominic Bosomtwi

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Fano resonances result from the interference between a broad background and a narrow state, producing asymmetric scattering profiles. Under specific conditions, destructive interference collapses the Fano resonance width, leading to bound states in the continuum (BICs) that localize light within a nanostructure while maintaining an infinitely high-quality factor (Q-factor).

This dissertation explores the design of nanostructures with multilayer hybrid plasmonic-dielectric metasurfaces using full-wave numerical simulations, facilitating multiple Fano resonances and BICs. By adjusting nanoantenna dimensions, multiple modes are excited at plasmonic-dielectric interfaces, leading to strong interactions and hybridization of energy levels, manifested as Rabi splitting.

These findings enable advancements in …

Investigating The Fatigue Life Of Asymmetric And Novel Helical Gear Drives, Rajesh S

Theses and Dissertations

The present research work investigates the contact and bending fatigue life of asymmetric helical gear and novel helical gear based on the finite element analysis. In the first phase, the contact and bending fatigue life of the asymmetric helical gear drives is estimated based on the strain life approach.

Further, a parametric study is carried out to investigate the influence of important helical gear parameters such as module, pressure angle, helix angle, gear ratio, teeth number and face width on contact and bending fatigue life of asymmetric helical gear drives. It is noted that the asymmetric helical gear shows a …

Skilled Labor Shortage In Construction: Deep Dive Of Impactful Factors And Influential People Of The Decision-Making Process, Nicholas B. Hardy

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The skilled labor shortage is well documented from a historical perspective via studies focusing on various construction trades such as carpentry, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and tile setters. Causes of such shortages such as industry image, college as a preferred choice after high school, and construction being a last resort have been investigated extensively. Consequently, possible solutions ranging from amplifying shop classes in high school to intensifying recruiting efforts for union training programs have all been addressed throughout the last 40 years. However, recent studies have focused on identifying the magnitude and reach of the skilled labor gap while limited attention …

Ultrasonic Flow Meter Calibration Via The Internet Using An Analog-To-Digital Converter, Aliev Ravshan, A.U. Djalilov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The purpose of scientific research work is remote control of improving the metrological properties of the water flow measuring device. Therefore, the Arduino platform with an additional ESP8266 NodeMcu v3 and analog-to-digital converter, module was installed in the scientific article for automatic calibration/checking of ultrasonic flow meters used in irrigation networks. The module is integrated into a 32-bit microcontroller with low power consumption. The ESP8266 NodeMcu v3 module operates at 80 and 160 MHz clock frequencies, supports real-time operating system (RTOS), built-in Wi-Fi, and has a microstrip antenna on board. Through this, the data exchange between the computing equipment and …

Academic Success In First-Year Engineering Students At Private Higher Education Institutions In Egypt: Key Factors, Wassim Alexan

Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to identify the key factors contributing to the success of first-year engineering students at private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Egypt. It specifically examined how various independent variables influence the success of these students, measured as the dependent variable. By analyzing these relationships, the study seeks to pinpoint key success factors (KSFs) for first year engineering students in this specific educational context. The research work employed a mixed methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative analysis involved collecting data through a survey administered to a sample of first year engineering students at private …

Sustainable Sensing With Paper Microfluidics: Applications In Health, Environment, And Food Safety, Sanjay Kumar, Jyoti B. Kaushal, Heow Pueh Lee

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This manuscript offers a concise overview of paper microfluidics, emphasizing its sustainable sensing applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and food safety. Researchers have developed innovative sensing platforms for detecting pathogens, pollutants, and contaminants by leveraging the paper’s unique properties, such as biodegradability and affordability. These portable, low-cost sensors facilitate rapid diagnostics and on-site analysis, making them invaluable tools for resource-limited settings. This review discusses the fabrication techniques, principles, and applications of paper microfluidics, showcasing its potential to address pressing challenges and enhance human health and environmental sustainability.

Fire Protection And Life Safety Analysis Of The Carlsbad Village Lofts, Nathaniel Cheung

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This culminating project has been submitted as part of the graduate program in Fire Protection Engineering at Cal Poly. The building is a 221,000 square feet mixed-use residential apartment building comprising of 106 units. The report is split into two sections. The prescriptive based analysis considers the building’s compliance with the requirements found in the 2016 California Building and Fire Codes. The performance based section evaluated design fires to verify that the final building design and operating procedures met the life safety needs of its occupants.

The prescriptive based analysis was split into four main parts. The four parts were …

Fire And Life Safety Evaluation Western School Of Science And Technology, Brian Mosberian

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This report evaluates the fire and life safety systems of the Western School of Science and Technology utilizing the prescriptive, and performance-based approach.

The Western School of Science and Technology is located in Phoenix, Arizona. The two- story building is 41,896 square feet and was designed and constructed with Type VB per a prescriptive based approach. The primary use of the building is for educational purposes for students grades 7 through 12 and classified as Educational (E) Occupancy.

The prescriptive based design evaluated the provisions of the building code and compliance with the egress, fire suppression, fire alarm, structural, and …

Fire Protection And Life Safety Analysis Report California State University Of Dominguez Hills, Jung Sub Kim

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This report provides detailed fire and life safety analysis of the California State University of Dominguez Hills, Innovation and Instruction Building. The building is 4 stories high, accommodating an auditorium, classrooms, labs, and office spaces. Type of construction for the building is II-A. The building will have an aggregate floor area of 83,539 square feet of across four floors.

First half of the report includes prescriptive fire and life safety analysis conducted in accordance with 2021 Edition International Building Code and the applicable Standards, such as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 2022 …

Project Buildings, Anthony Pamintuan

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This report analyzes the prescriptive based design of a government-use high-rise building whose primary use is a business office building in California utilizing the California Building Code 2022 Edition. For security purposes, the name of the project will be the “Project Building.” The project site consists of a common podium underground parking garage with two high-rise buildings and an auditorium built on the parking garage. The project buildings that were analyzed consisted of the underground parking garage, the auditorium, and one of the high-rise buildings.

The parking garage is approximately 135,000 square feet consisting of mixed occupancies throughout. The mixed …

Fire & Life Safety Evaluation Of The Goff Health Sciences And Technology Building, Philip Bond

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The purpose of this report is to practically apply the information conveyed in the Cal Poly Fire Protection Engineering Master of Science program by selecting a building and analyzing prescriptive and performance-based design features that accomplish the building’s life safety strategy. The selected building is the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building is a three-story educational facility with business, education, and assembly occupancies. The fire safety strategy of the building depends on a fire alarm communication system, wet pipe sprinkler system, structural fire protection components, and egress elements …

Office Building, Grant Iwamoto

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The purpose of this report is to conduct a prescriptive and performance-based fire and life safety analysis of a building. The chosen building is a five-story building with a basement and uses construction type IB, primarily with steel framing with concrete fill over metal deck. The use of the building is manufacturing, assembly area, open concept office space, and storage, and the total area is approximately 104,000 square feet.

The prescriptive analysis covers the building and fire code requirements such as allowable height, stories, and area and all the fire protection systems in the building including the fire sprinkler system, …

Community Multipurpose Center, Cristian Cohen

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This report is an analysis of fire protection and life safety features required for a Community Multipurpose Center (CMC).

Governing the construction of the building was the International Building Code (IBC). Throughout this report there are justifications for a call to redesign the CMC conceptual drawing.

The fire and life safety features were organized into five areas, otherwise known as the FPE core areas.

The first four core areas consist of (1) Structural Fire Protection, (2) Water-Based Fire Control and Suppression Systems, (3) Detection, Alarm and Notification Systems, and (4) Means of Egress System. These come straight out of codes …

Training Facility, Andrew Kuharski

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The Training Facility is a two-story, 142,500 sq. ft. building constructed in 1994 at the Savannah River Site DOE complex. The facility primarily contains training rooms, office space, and a cafeteria. Fire protection features of the Training Facility are detailed in this report, including key life safety, suppression, alarm, and structural features. The building has several deficiencies; the second floor has an occupant load of 911 occupants but is only provided with an exit capacity of 800, and occupancy size per floor exceeds what is allowed for assembly occupancies on the first floor. The travel distance from the records storage …

Usability Analysis Of The Ronnie Baugh (Oggun Ii) Tractor Using The Single Usability Metric [Research Note], John Lester Remot, John Kenneth Punongbayan, Stephanie Caridad Landicho, Alan Marco Mercado, Josefa Angelie Revilla, Omar Zubia

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

Agricultural mechanization is one of the policies created by the Philippine government to alleviate systemic problems facing the country. In 2020, a local company was licensed to manufacture the American-designed Ronnie Baugh tractor (RBT), which aims to enable smaller-scale production with low-cost and customizable features. This study assessed the usability of the RBT and evaluated the appropriateness of its design for Filipino tractor operators using the single usability metric (SUM). A total of 21 participants were classified according to their age and experience (A – young and experienced, B – old and experienced, and C – young and inexperienced) and …

Modeling And Design Parameter Optimization To Improve The Sensitivity Of A Bimorph Polysilicon-Based Mems Sensor For Helium Detection, Sulaiman Mohaidat, F. M. Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Helium is integral in several industries, including nuclear waste management and semiconductors. Thus, developing a sensing method for detecting helium is essential to ensure the proper operation of such facilities. Several approaches can be used for helium detection, including based on the high thermal conductivity of helium, which is several times higher than air. This work utilizes the high thermal conductivity of helium to design and analyze a bimorph MEMS sensor for helium sensing applications. COMSOL Multiphysics software (version 6.2) is used to carry out this investigation. The sensor is constructed from poly-silicon and SiO₂ materials with a trenched …

Ace Mentor Program - Central Coast Chapter, Brayden Samuel Groshart

Construction Management

For my senior project, I established a chapter of the ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) Mentor Program in San Luis Obispo, California. This program provides high school students with hands-on experience and exposure to careers in the architecture, construction, and engineering industries. The program spanned eight weeks, balancing theoretical knowledge and practical application. The curriculum began with sessions on the fundamentals of architecture, engineering, and construction. In order to expose the students to real world practices, we organized tours of an architecture firm, an engineering firm, and an active construction site. These visits allowed students to engage with professionals, observe …