The primary purpose of this study was to determine if WebVR enhances the knowledge retention regarding mechanical components of high-risk moving machinery, specifically elevators. There were 23 participants divided into a treatment group and comparison group. The treatment group used WebVR to take a virtual elevator machine room tour while the comparison group studied printed images of the same elevator machine room. These alternative activities were conducted prior to a field trip to a real elevator machine room. Gains in knowledge pre to post were measured and compared between the treatment and comparison groups. The research findings showed an overall gain in knowledge for the participants in the elevator bootcamp. More in depth analysis showed the treatment group exhibited significant gains for six of the ten knowledge areas while the comparison group exhibited significant gains in three of the ten targeted knowledge areas. The treatment group gained more knowledge on components higher than eye-level while the comparison group scored better on components that were below eye-level or on the floor. Both groups were seen actively engaged in the field trips. The treatment group members exposed to the virtual reality elevator machine room frequently referred to what they saw in the WebVR while the comparison group did not refer to their printed images while on an actual tour of the elevator machine room. Virtual reality training of this type has the potential to improve basic knowledge and safety trainings. Added, it provides trainings to large numbers of people across the globe who would otherwise not receive such training. This type of training has the potential to save the lives of workers in high risk electro-mechanical spaces and similar settings in different industries.

The goal of this master’s thesis is design of belt bucket elevator for wheat transportation. The first part of this thesis is focused on drive’s design with slightly marked bond to surrounding facilitie and structure. The following part is focused on design solution of the head and bottom unit of bucket elevator and other constructive details like type of bucket pouring, belt tensioning, driving shaft mounting in head unit, connection of drum with shaft, the way of attaching buckets etc.

Subject of this work is a project of transport line for corn dressing. In the document component parts of the transport line are described. As the submitter asked, some existing devices were retained and supplied with missing parts. Some of the missing parts are bucket elevators which transport corn to the cleaner and dressing device. At the end of the transport line there is a frame for easing sack filling and a weighing device.

Elevators are used every day and that puts expectations on how fast an elevator can handle passenger requests. This report aims to describe different elevator assignment algorithms for Elevator Supervisory Group Control (ESGC) systems and compare them to each other, with an emphasis on the delay time. To research the field of ESGC systems four different algorithms were chosen and implemented: Simple control, Zone control, Collective control and Fuzzy control. The algorithms were also chosen in such a way that their strategies differentiated from each other to some degree. The algorithms were then tested under conditions similar to an office building with interfloor traffic. Five different test cases demonstrated the performance and behavior of the strategies in varying environments. While Collective control proved to have a consistent performance, the more calculated Fuzzy control had the best statistical results. Zone control was the most affected by challenging conditions such as high traffic in the building. Simple control divided the workload equally, but did not make suitable elevator assignments. / Hissar används varje dag och det skapar förväntningar på hur snabbt en hiss kan hantera passagerarresor. Den här rapporten ämnar beskriva olika hisstilldelnings-algoritmer för Elevator Supervisory Group Control (ESGC) system och även jämföra dessa med varandra, med tyngdpunkt på fördröjningstiden. För att undersöka ämnesområdet ESGC system valdes och implementerades fyra olika algoritmer: Simple control, Zone control, Collective control and Fuzzy control. Algoritmerna valdes ut på ett sätt, så att deras strategier skilde sig åt till en viss grad. De testades sedan i en miljö som efterliknar ett kontorshus med trafik mellan våningar. Fem olika testfall demonstrerade prestationer och beteenden hos strategierna i varierande miljöer. Collective control hade bevisligen konsekvent prestation, medan den kalkulerande Fuzzy control åstadkom de bästa statistiska resultaten. Zone control påverkades i högst grad av utmanande förhållanden, såsom hög trafik i byggnaden. Simple control delade upp arbetsmängden jämnt mellan hissarna, men lyckades inte med att göra lämpliga hisstilldelningar.

A fairly general model of the elevator system is presented. Coloured Petri Nets (CPN) and CPN tools are adopted as modeling tools. The model, which is independent of the number of floors and elevators, covers different stages of the elevator system in substantial detail. The model assists simulation-based analysis of different algorithms and rules which govern real elevator systems. The results prove the compatibility and applicability of this model in various situations and demonstrate the expressive power and convenience of CPN. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

This master thesis deals with the mechanical and electrical design of the drive of the inclined construction lift. Individual components are selected in the design. Furthermore, a theoretical research is carried out regarding wireless modules and logic controllers. The selection of sensors is made and the method of retrieving signals from sensors and converting them into iputs the control circuits is also outlined. A program is written in Arduino IDE that wirelessly controls the motion of a motor via variable frequency drive.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Mark E. Casada / Ronaldo G. Maghirang / The United States grain handling infrastructure is facing major challenges to meet worldwide customer demands for wholesome, quality, and safe grains and oilseeds for food and feed. Several challenges are maintaining grain quality during handling; reducing dust emissions for safety and health issues; growing shift from commodity-based to specialty (trait-specific) markets; proliferation of genetically modified crops for food, feed, fuel, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses; and threats from biological and chemical attacks. This study was conducted to characterize the quality of grain and feed during bucket elevator handling to meet customer demand for high quality and safe products. Specific objectives were to (1) determine the effect of repeated handling on the quality of feed pellets and corn; (2) characterize the dust generated during corn and wheat handling; (3) develop and evaluate particle models for simulating the flow of grain during elevator handling; and (4) accurately simulate grain commingling in elevator boots with discrete element method (DEM). Experiments were conducted at the research elevator of the USDA-ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research (CGAHR) to determine the effect of repeated handling on the quality of corn-based feed pellets and corn. Repeated handling did not significantly influence the durability indices of feed pellets and corn. The feed pellets, however, had significantly greater breakage (3.83% per transfer) than the corn (0.382% per transfer). The mass of particulate matter < 125 μm was less for feed pellets than for corn. These corn-based feed pellets can be an alternative to corn in view of their handling characteristics. Another series of experiments was conducted in the same elevator to characterize the dust generated during corn and wheat handling. Dust samples were collected from the lower and upper ducts upstream of the cyclones in the elevator. Handling corn produced more than twice as much total dust than handling wheat (185 g/t vs. 64.6 g/t). Analysis of dust samples with a laser diffraction analyzer showed that the corn samples produced smaller dust particles, and a greater proportion of small particles, than the wheat samples. Published data on material and interaction properties of selected grains and oilseeds that are relevant to DEM modeling were reviewed. Using these material and interaction properties and soybeans as the test material, the DEM fundamentals were validated by modeling the flow of soybean during handling with a commercial software package (EDEM). Soybean kernels were simulated with single- and multi-sphere particle shapes. A single-sphere particle model best simulated soybean kernels in the bulk property tests. The best particle model had a particle coefficient of restitution of 0.6; particle static friction of 0.45 for soybean-soybean contact (0.30 for soybean-steel interaction); particle rolling friction of 0.05; normal particle size distribution with standard deviation factor of 0.4; and particle shear modulus of 1.04 MPa. The single-sphere particle model for soybeans was implemented in EDEM to simulate grain commingling in a pilot-scale bucket elevator boot using 3D and quasi-2D models. Pilot-scale boot experiments of soybean commingling were performed to validate these models. Commingling was initially simulated with a full 3D model. Of the four quasi-2D boot models with reduced control volumes (4d, 5d, 6d, and 7d; i.e., control volume widths from 4 to 7 times the mean particle diameter) considered, the quasi-2D (6d) model predictions best matched those of the initial 3D model. Introduction of realistic vibration motion during the onset of clear soybeans improved the prediction capability of the quasi-2D (6d) model. The physics of the model was refined by accounting for the initial surge of particles and reducing the gap between the bucket cups and the boot wall. Inclusion of the particle surge flow and reduced gap gave the best predictions of commingling of all the tested models. This study showed that grain commingling in a bucket elevator boot system can be simulated in 3D and quasi-2D DEM models and gave results that generally agreed with experimental data. The quasi-2D (6d) models reduced simulation run time by 29% compared to the 3D model. Results of this study will be used to accurately predict impurity levels and improve grain handling, which can help farmers and grain handlers reduce costs during transport and export of grains and make the U.S. grain more competitive in the world market.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Mykel Taylor / The agricultural commodity market has been experiencing previously unseen high prices in recent years. This new era of prices brings with it new challenges within agriculture for farmers and grain buyers within agriculture. This research explores the basis values of hard red winter wheat in Kansas and the elevator characteristics that provide a competitive advantage for elevators buying wheat in Kansas. This research explores hard red winter wheat basis values from elevators located around Kansas from 2002 to 2013. Two hundred twenty eight locations from around Kansas were used in the research. These locations provided the price data that was used for this research. The elevator characteristics used in the research were collected from the Kansas Grain and Feed Directory and the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe and Union Pacific railway companies. Five elevator characteristics were researched that may have a significant impact on an elevators basis. These characteristics are thought to provide a competitive advantage to the location in the form of stronger or narrower basis bids to the farmer, giving the farmer a higher price for his grain. The characteristics researched included elevator capacity, transportation capabilities, elevator terminal status, shuttle loading status, and cooperative or investor-owned business structure. Each characteristic was compared against their counterpart. For example, a location is either a shuttle loader or it is not. The research provides grain companies and farmers some data that they may find useful in marketing grain and setting basis levels in the ever changing and volatile market place in today’s grain industry.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Mykel Taylor / Forward contracts are one of the main tools used by producers to manage price risk because forward contracts shift the risk from producers to the grain elevator offering the contract. The elevators protect themselves from this risk by hedging, leaving them susceptible to basis risk, which they offset by adding a risk premium to the forward contracts they offer producers. This risk premium is affected by increased volatility and by differences in elevator-specific characteristics at elevator locations across Kansas. This study replicates the results in Taylor, Tonsor, and Dhuyvetter (2013) and adds a set of elevator-specific characteristics to measure their effect on risk premiums. A random effects generalized least squares model is estimated due to the data gathered being panel data. The contribution of this study is to further examine the drivers of risk premiums in forward contracts for Kansas wheat. The results indicate that all of the elevator-specific characteristics in the data set have a statistically significant impact on the value of risk premiums on forward contracts for Kansas wheat. The results also confirm the findings in Mallory, Etienne, and Irwin (2012) and Taylor, Tonsor, and Dhuyvetter (2013) that increased volatility post 2007 caused increases in risk premiums. The risk premiums after the structural break in 2007 increased by $0.069695/bushel, as the average risk premium prior to 2008 was $0.158682/bushel, while the average risk premium after 2007 was $0.228378/bushel.