This dissertation is a report of the synthesis of family of osmium clusters and ruthenium-osmium clusters supported on MgO, their characterization by complementary spectroscopic and high-resolution microscopic methods, and an investigation of initial steps involved in the formation of the supported ruthenium-osmium clusters as well as their testing as catalysts for ethylene hydrogenation. Supported metal …
Monthly Archive: February 2012
Feb
26
Composite propellant combustion with low aluminum agglomeration
Aluminum behavior—accumulation, agglomeration and ignition—is studied in a unique, wide-distribution, ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) propellant formulation that results in low Al agglomeration, even at low pressures (1–30 atm). Variations in formulation—such as fine-AP/binder ratio, Al particle size, Al loading, coarse-AP size—are also examined. A fuel-rich, oxygenated binder matrix highly loaded with fine (2-mum) AP (FAP) …
Feb
26
A graphical tool for the analysis of response surface experiments: A three-dimensional approach
General and statistical software with Design of Experiments (DOE) tools are limited in their capability of allowing the user a full control on independent factors representation. They are trustworthy on statistical analysis, but lack graphical interfaces that support DOE’s powerful capabilities. This project presents the development of a graphical user interface application that allows the …
Feb
26
Efficient and comprehensible visualization of complex three-dimensional scenes
The advancement of computer technology has brought about greater ability to model and render complex 3-D scenes. Highly complex structures in these scenes give rise to large amounts of information that can be hidden using conventional rendering and visibility techniques because of occlusion. In order to expose structural information in a complex model, non-photorealistic visibility …
Feb
26
The design and development of a gyro machine for industrial applications
Gyroscopes have generated considerable research interest leading to number of commercial applications. In the present investigation, a new approach to build the mechanical gyroscope with a hollow spherical container as a spinning mass is proposed for industrial applications such as washing machine, mixing ceramic powders or different granular materials, in mixing a variety of chemicals …
Feb
26
Fabrication of zinc oxide micro-nanostructures and their applications in gas sensing and nanocomposites
To date, one-dimensional ZnO micro/nanostructures have been attracting much attention for wide potential applications due to their unique electrical, piezoelectric, optoelectronic, and photochemical properties. The overall objective of this dissertation is to grow various ZnO micro and nanostructures using a novel microwave thermal evaporation-deposition approach, to explore the application of ZnO nanostructures in gas sensing, …
Feb
26
Three-scale modeling and numerical simulations of fabric materials
Based on the underlying structure of fabric materials, a three-scale model is constructed to describe the mechanical behavior of fabric materials. The current model assumes that fabric materials take on an overall behavior of anisotropic membranes, so membrane scale is taken as the macroscopic or continuum scale of the model. Following the membrane scale, yarn …
Feb
26
Model predictive formation control of helicopter systems
In this thesis, a robust formation control framework for formation control of a group of helicopters is proposed and designed. The dynamic model of the helicopter has been developed and verified through simulations. The control framework is constructed using two main control schemes for navigation of a helicopter group in three-dimensional (3D) environments. Two schemes …
Feb
26
Test case selection based on a spectrum of complexity metrics
Quality continues to be a significant issue for software, and testing is a key activity in ensuring the quality of software. Unfortunately, since testing usually is near the end of software development, it is often rushed and frequently not done well. Thus, this dissertation suggests an approach that can address some of these issues and …
Feb
26
Multi-objective Application-specific Instruction set Processor Design: Towards High Performance, Energy-efficient, and Secure Embedded Systems
Application-Specific Instruction set Processor ASIP) has become an increasingly popular platform for embedded systems because of its high performance, great flexibility, and short turn-around time. Multiple requirements on such processors have been imposed by the rapidly developing embedded application market. Such requirements include high performance, high energy efficiency, small circuit size and high security and …