Spot fires caused by lofted embers (i.e., firebrands) can be a significant factor in the spread of wildland fires. Embers can be especially dangerous near the wildland-urban interface (WUI) because of the potential for the fire to be spread near or on structures. Many studies have investigated the transport of...
The current knowledge on the microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties of selective laser melting (SLM) produced H13 tool steel components is limited. This research is focused on optimization of SLM processing parameters for H13 tool steel and investigation of microstructure and mechanical properties of H13 tool steel components after SLM...
The unsustainable use of fresh water sources and unavailability of fresh water in certain parts of the world have created a demand for water desalination systems. Desalination methods are effective at producing consumable water, but often require large scale setups, high energy consumption, and careful maintenance. A team of students...
Marching band activities consist of both physically and cognitively demanding tasks. The demands that this activity has on players has largely been unstudied. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of players’ experience level, role, and gender on the workload of marching band players via a field...
Legged robots, while advancing quickly, have far to go before they can recover from major disturbances safely and consistently. Reflected inertia, which affects how quickly the actuators can physically respond to an environmental disturbance, and delay, which describes the time necessary for the controller to sense, re-plan, and respond to...
To investigate the melting stage of indirect freeze desalination three numerical models were developed. A zeroth, first, and second order analyses modeled the melting of ice around the outside of a pipe as a function of time. The zeroth order analysis assumes the system to be steady state. The first...
In the event of a mid-flight flameout of a gas turbine engine, reignition is paramount to occupant safety. Ignition at high altitude can be challenging, due in part to the potentially lower ambient pressures. An understanding of the effects of sub-atmospheric pressures on the temperature evolution of spark kernels is...
An experimental setup has been partially developed to investigate the impact of an actively controlled trailing edge component upon the energy harvesting performance of an oscillating airfoil in a pitching and heaving regime. While previous and current efforts have and continue to
function to characterize the performance of such a...
Studying honey bee behavior is a very important aspect of horticulture, especially in recent years as honey bee colonies face population decline, or colony collapse. While studying honey bees, researchers often keep honey bees in captivity, where it can be challenging to meet nutritional and hydration requirements using existing liquid...
The forebody wake effect (FWE) is important to consider when designing parachute systems because it can affect parachute performance. Parachutes work by altering the aerodynamic properties of an attached forebody to control a descent. The FWE can reduce parachute drag, causing the system to descend faster than desired. This drag...