Space satellite technology is heading in the direction of ultra-large, lightweight structures deployable on orbit. Minimal structural mass translates into minimal launch costs, while increased satellite bus size translates into significant bandwidth improvement for both radar and optical applications. However, from a structural standpoint, these two goals are in direct conflict with one another, as large, flexible structures possess terrible dynamic properties and minimal effective bandwidth. Since the next level of research will require active dynamic analysis, vibration control, and shape morphing control of these satellites, a better-suited name for this technology is Super Precise Intelligent Deployables for Engineered Reconnaissance, or SPIDER. Unlike wisps of cobweb caught in the wind, SPIDER technology will dictate the functionality and versatility of the satellite much like an arachnid weaving its own web. In the present work, a rigorous mathematical framework based on distributed parameter system theory is presented in describing the dynamics of augmented membranous structures. In particular, Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and thin plate theory are used to describe the integration of piezoelectric material with membranes. In both the one and two dimensional problems, experimental validation is provided to support the developed models. Next, the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control problem is defined from a distributed parameter systems approach, and from this formulation, the functional gains of the respective system are gleaned. The functional gains provide an intelligent mapping when designing an observer-based control system as they pinpoint important sensory information (both type and spatial location) within the structure. Further, an experimental investigation into the dynamics of membranes stretched over shallow, air-filled cavities is presented. The presence of the air-filled cavity in close proximity to the membrane creates a distributed spring and damping effect, thus creating desirable system dynamics from an optical or radar application perspective. Finally, in conjunction with the use of a pressurized cavity with a membrane optic, a novel basis is presented for describing incoming wavefront aberrations. The new basis, coined the clamped Zernike polynomials, provides a mapping for distributed spatial actuation of a membrane mirror that is amiable to the clamped boundary conditions of the mechanical lens. Consequently, based on the work presented here and being carried out in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL / DE), it is envisioned that a 1 m adaptive membrane optic is on the verge of becoming a reality. / Ph. D.

Aircraft engine manufacturers strive for greater performance and efficiency by continually increasing the turbine inlet temperature. High turbine inlet temperatures significantly degrade the lifetime of components in the turbine. Modern gas turbines operate with turbine inlet temperatures well above the melting temperature of key turbine components. Without active cooling schemes, modern turbines would fail catastrophically. This study will evaluate a novel cooling scheme for turbine airfoils, called microcircuit cooling, in which small cooling channels are located extremely close to the surface of a turbine airfoil. Coolant bled from the compressor passes through the microcircuits and exits through film cooling slots. On further cooling benefit is that the microcircuit passages are filled with irregular pin fin features that serve to increase convective cooling through the channels. Results from this study indicate a strong interaction between the internal microcircuit features and the external film-cooling from the slot exit. Asymmetric cooling patterns downstream of the slot resulted from the asymmetric pin fin design within the microcircuit. Adiabatic effectiveness levels were found to be optimum for the slot design at a blowing ratio of 0.37. The pin fin arrangement along with the impingement cooling at the microcircuit entrance increased the area-averaged heat transfer by a factor of three, relative to an obstructed channel, over a Reynolds range of 5,000 to 15,000. / Master of Science

RANS models in CFD are used to predict the liner wall heat transfer characteristics of a gas turbine annular combustor with radial swirlers, over a Reynolds number range from 50,000 to 840,000. A three dimensional hybrid mesh of around twenty five million cells is created for a periodic section of an annular combustor with a single radial swirler. Different turbulence models are tested and it is found that the RNG k-e model with swirl correction gives the best comparisons with experiments. The Swirl number is shown to be an important factor in the behavior of the resulting flow field. The swirl flow entering the combustor expands and impinges on the combustor walls, resulting in a peak in heat transfer coefficient. The peak Nusselt number is found to be quite insensitive to the Reynolds number only increasing from 1850 at Re=50,000 to 2200 at Re=840,000, indicating a strong dependence on the Swirl number which remains constant at 0.8 on entry to the combustor. Thus the peak augmentation ratio calculated with respect to a turbulent pipe flow decreases with Reynolds number. As the Reynolds number increases from 50,000 to 840,000, not only does the peak augmentation ratio decrease but it also diffuses out, such that at Re=840,000, the augmentation profiles at the combustor walls are quite uniform once the swirl flow impinges on the walls. It is surmised with some evidence that as the Reynolds number increases, a high tangential velocity persists in the vicinity of the combustor walls downstream of impingement, maintaining a near constant value of the heat transfer coefficient. The computed and experimental heat transfer augmentation ratios at low Reynolds numbers are within 30-40% of each other. / Master of Science

Reliable and efficient utilization and operation of any engineering asset require carefully designed maintenance planning and maintenance related data in the form of failure times, repair times, Mean Time between Failure (MTBF) and conditioning data etc. play a pivotal role in maintenance decision support. With the advancement in data analytics sciences and industrial artificial intelligence, maintenance related data is being used for maintenance prognostics modeling to predict future maintenance requirements that form the basis of maintenance design and planning in any maintenance-conscious industry like railways. The lack of such available data creates a no. of different types of problems in data driven prognostics modelling. There have been a few methods, the researchers have employed to counter the problems due to lack of available data. The proposed methodology involves data augmentation technique using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Simulation to enhance maintenance data to be used in maintenance prognostics modeling that can serve as basis for better maintenance decision support and planning.

The heat transfer characteristics through arrays of pin fins were studied for the further development of internal cooling methods for turbine airfoils. Low aspect ratio pin fin arrays were tested through a range of Reynolds numbers between 5000 and 30,000 to determine the effects of pin spacing as well as aspect ratio on pin and endwall heat transfer. Experiments were also conducted to determine the independent effects of pin spacing and aspect ratio on arrays with different flow incidence angles. The pin Nusselt numbers showed almost no dependence on pin spacing or flow incidence angle. Using an infrared thermogaphy technique, spatially-resolved Nusselt numbers were measured along the endwalls of each array. The endwall results showed that streamwise spacing had a larger effect than spanwise spacing on array-averaged Nusselt numbers. Endwall heat transfer patterns showed that arrays with flow incidence angles experienced less wake interaction between pins than arrays with perpendicular flow, which caused a slight decrease in heat transfer in arrays with flow incidence angles. The effect of flow incidence angle on array-average Nusselt number was greater at tighter pin spacings. Even though the pin Nusselt number was independent of pin spacing, the ratio of pin-to-endwall Nusselt number was dependent on flow conditions as well as pin spacing. The pin aspect ratio had little effect on the array-average Nusselt number for arrays with perpendicular flow; however, the effect of flow incidence angle on array-average Nusselt number increased as aspect ratio decreased. / Master of Science

Vehicle platooning is an advanced vehicle maneuver that allows for the simultaneous control of several vehicles traveling on the roadway cite{al2010experimental}. Automated platoons, when activated in tractor trailer convoys, have a high potential of increasing the fuel efficiency and improving the utilization of roadways by allowing more vehicles to share the road at the same time. The increased fuel efficiency translates to lower cost on goods and motivates a more environmentally friendly and sustainable economy. In order to achieve the promised fuel savings from vehicle platooning, the vehicles need to follow each other at shorter headways than in typical driving scenarios. The reduced separation distance between the lead and follow vehicle reduces visibility and the reaction time available for the follow vehicle; this renders most modern Active Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) ineffective since they are not designed for operation in such short headway conditions. The focus of this work is related to understanding and improving the failures of Lane Keep Assist (LKA) systems in the follow vehicles of a platoon. In this work, the source of lane detection degradation when using a monocular forward facing camera in short headway platooning is identified. Furthermore, a novel lane augmentation algorithm is proposed to improve the lane detection capability of follow vehicles in a platoon. The lane augmentation process utilizes a longitudinal transformation of lane parameters from the lead to the follow vehicles. The transformation utilizes an accurate understanding of the relative spatial position and orientation of the two vehicles. The transformation also requires a reliable communication system between the two vehicles such as a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) module. The work presented in this thesis develops theory, simulation and verification using real world data of the proposed cooperative lane augmentation. The results of this work indicate that it is possible to improve vehicle platooning performance by distributing the required sensing across multiple agents of the platoon. / Master of Science / Vehicle platooning is an advanced vehicle maneuver that allows for the simultaneous control of several vehicles traveling on the roadway cite{al2010experimental}. Automated platoons, when activated in tractor trailer convoys, have a high potential of increasing the fuel efficiency and improving the utilization of our roadways by allowing more vehicles to share the road at the same time. The increased fuel efficiency translates to lower cost on goods and motivates a more environmentally friendly and sustainable economy. In order to achieve the promised fuel savings from vehicle platooning, the vehicles need to follow each other at closer distances (headway) than in typical driving scenarios. The reduced separation distance between the lead and follow vehicle reduces visibility and the reaction time available for the follow vehicle; this renders most modern Active Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) ineffective since they are not designed for operation in such short headway conditions. The focus of this work is related to understanding and improving the failures of Lane Keep Assist (LKA) systems - the automated system used to keep the vehicle in the center of the lane - in the follow vehicles of a platoon. In the proposed scenario, the LKA uses a single forward facing camera to detect the lane lines ahead of the vehicle. The detected lanes serve as inputs to the lateral position (steering) controller in order to keep the vehicle in the center of the lane. In this work, the source of lane detection degradation in a follow vehicle of a short headway platoon is identified. Furthermore, a novel cooperative lane detection algorithm is proposed to improve the lane detection capability of the follow vehicles. The proposed algorithm utilizes lane information transformed from the lead to follow vehicle frame. The transformation utilizes the relative spatial position and orientation of the two vehicles. Additionally, a reliable communication protocol between the vehicles is required to transport the lane information. The work presented in this thesis develops theory, simulation and verification using real world data of the proposed algorithm. The results of this work indicate that lane keeping performance in a platoon can be improved using cooperative lane detection.

The performance of many engineering devices from power electronics to gas turbines is limited by thermal management. Pin fins are commonly used to augment heat transfer by increasing surface area and increasing turbulence. The present research is focused on but not limited to internal cooling of turbine airfoils using pin fins. Although the pin fins are not limited to a single shape, circular cross-sections are most common. The present study examines heat transfer from a single row of circular pin fins with the row oriented perpendicular to the flow. The configurations studied have spanwise spacing to pin diameter ratios of two, four, and eight. Low aspect ratio pin fins were studied whereby the channel height to pin diameter was unity. The experiments are carried out for a Reynolds number range of 5000 to 30,000. Heat transfer measurements are taken on both the pin and on the endwall covering several pin diameters upstream and downstream of the pin row. The results show that the heat transfer augmentation relative to open channel flow is highest for the smallest spanwise spacing for the lowest Reynolds number flows. The results also indicate that the pin fin heat transfer is higher than on the endwall. / Master of Science

Recent advancements in computer vision have demonstrated remarkable success in image classification tasks, particularly when provided with an ample supply of accurately labeled images for training. These techniques have also exhibited significant potential in revolutionizing computer-aided medical diagnosis by enabling the segmentation and classification of medical images, leveraging Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and similar models. However, the integration of such technologies into clinical practice faces notable challenges. Chief among these is the obstacle of acquiring high-quality medical imaging data for training purposes. Patient privacy concerns often hinder researchers from accessing large datasets, while less common medical conditions pose additional hurdles due to scarcity of relevant data. This study aims to address the issue of insufficient data availability in medical imaging analysis. We present experiments employing Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks (DCGANs) to augment training datasets of chest X-ray images, specifically targeting the identification of pneumonia-affected lungs using CNNs. Our findings demonstrate that DCGAN-based generative data augmentation consistently enhances classification performance, even when training sets are severely limited in size.

Few and Far Between is a music composition for violoncello and live electronics. The project consists of software that uses video data from a webcam to control interactive audio in real time to manipulate audio processing and multichannel diffusion.

This study explored whether women who have breast augmentation are more vulnerable to negative stereotypes about their intelligence and abilities than women who do not elect to have breast augmentation. Furthermore, whether the motivation for seeking such surgery contributes to stereotypes was also explored. Participants in this study read experimentally manipulated biographies of a fictitious female author, followed by her short story. The only manipulation was one line in the author's biography which varied the reason for the plastic surgery across 4 conditions (for herself, for her significant other, for medical reconstructive reasons, or no surgery). The participants were asked to read and evaluate the author and her work. The results of this study suggest that women who elect to have plastic surgery for herself or her husband are perceived as being less deep. The results also suggest that women who have previously elected to have plastic surgery judged the authors' fictional work more critically when she had plastic surgery for herself or for her husband.