Development of a Medium Scale Apparatus for Testing & Teaching Dispersed Dust Flame Effects

Combustible dust explosions and flash fires are a leading cause of property damage, injuries, and death in industries around the world. An example of a disastrous dust explosion occurred at CTA Acoustics in Corbin, KY in 2003. This explosion cost the lives of seven workers and injured 37 more. A mobile inexpensive dust dispersion apparatus (DDA) was designed, built, and tested to reproduce medium scale dust flash fires. By using fuel amounts varying from 0.45kg to 4.54kg the DDA created dust clouds ranging from 2.5m to 7.5m in diameter. With these measurements, the characterization of dust hazards and validation of computer models is made possible. In addition to working as a testing platform, the DDA can be used to teach students and safety professionals about the dangers of combustible dusts

Development of Blast Risk Assessment Framework for Financial Loss and Casualty Estimation

The entire study can be divided into four main studies. Study I presents the development of probabilistic version of popular Kingery and Bulmash (KB) blast model. The probabilistic model was developed by considering the uncertainty in the model quantified using available experimental data. The model was then applied to generate fragility curves are developed for three types of glazing under three common bombing scenarios and study 1995 Oklahoma City damage. Study II discusses on development a blast loss estimation framework for buildings where demand loads are calculated using the probabilistic blast model and capacity form seismic design. Loss for archetypes buildings designed with three levels of seismic design category were estimated using the loss estimation framework. The objective was to see if there is potential benefit in terms of monetary value for three design categories. The results showed that as design level increased from ordinary, intermediate to special moment frame the blast performance was improved for some blast scenarios. In Study III concept of protection zones is presented which are zones in building with varying level of security, has been introduced based on the principle - as security increases the probable size of bomb should decrease. Probable bombs are uniformly placed at each protection zone to create many possible scenarios of terrorism event. The Brussels’ Airport attack of 2016 is studied using this framework and loss values are obtained to understand the associated risk. The results showed that the actual attack could have been worse. Strategies for improving security are employed in protection zones and its influence on threat reduction is studied. Study IV is about development of a probabilistic injury model to estimate the consequence of blast injuries to people. The blast parameters (pressure and impulse) are calculated using Kingery and Bulmash blast model. Monte Carlo simulation is used to randomly distribute people on each floor and estimate injury states for each blast scenario due to primary and secondary effects blast. An agent-based model (ABM) was developed to track movement of people in case of multiple blast scenario. The model was used to study three case studies – Brussels’ Airport bombing, Manchester Arena’s Bombing and Oklahoma City Bombing

Interdisciplinary Design and Analysis of a Warehouse

This project simulates the design and construction processes necessary to successfully repurpose an existing building. It compares the renovation of an existing warehouse into a school to the ground up construction of a similarly designed school. The comparison is based on the investigation of architectural, fire protection, structural, environmental, sustainability, and economical requirements. These factors guided recommendations on the opportunities provided in the renovation of existing buildings, the limitations, and the best practices used to overcome those constraints

Seabasing and joint expeditionary logistics

Student Integrated ProjectIncludes supplementary material. Executive Summary and Presentation.Recent conflicts such as Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom highlight the logistics difficulties the United States faces by relying on foreign access and infrastructure and large supply stockpiles ashore to support expeditionary operations. The Navy's transformational vision for the future, Sea Power 21, involves Seabasing as a way to address these difficulties by projecting and sustaining joint forces globally from the sea. This study analyzes logistics flow to, within and from a Sea Base to an objective, and the architectures and systems needed to rapidly deploy and sustain a brigade-size force. Utilizing the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS), this study incorporates a systems engineering framework to examine current systems, programs of record and proposed systems out to the year 2025. Several capability gaps that hamper a brigade-size force from seizing the initiative anywhere in the world within a 10-day period point to a need for dedicated lift assets, such as high-speed surface ships or lighter-than-air ships, to facilitate the rapid formation of the Sea Base. Additionally, the study identifies the need for large-payload/high-speed or load-once/direct-to- objective connector capabilities to minimize the number of at-sea transfers required to employ such a force from the Sea Base in 10 hrs. With these gaps addressed, the Joint Expeditionary Brigade is supportable from the Sea Base.http://archive.org/details/seabasingndjoint109456918N

Thermal And Cooling Systems Modeling Of Powertrain For A Plug -In Parallel-Through-The-Road Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Thermal modeling and control play an ever increasing role with hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) design and development for improving overall vehicle energy efficiency, and to account for additional thermal loading from electric powertrain components such as electric motor, motor controller and battery pack. This thesis presents a complete development process for an efficient modeling approach with integrated control strategy for the thermal management of plug-in HEV in a parallel-through-the road (PTTR) architecture, adopted by Wayne State University Hybrid Warriors for their Department of Energy\u27s EcoCAR2 Plugging in to the Future Competition. The frameworks of this project include simulating the thermal behavior of major HEV powertrain components using system oriented models suitable for real-time vehicle operation. A comprehensive control algorithm is established in a Thermal Manager, as part of vehicle supervisory controller. Finally, the proposed model is tested through realistic driving conditions to demonstrate reliability

Coexisting with volcanoes : the relationships between La Soufrière and the society of St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles

Human population growth has resulted in increased numbers of people living in areas prone to disasters. Exploring the historical and social context of how volcanoes and their eruptions influence society in different socioeconomic and cultural ways over time helps us to understand the present-day challenges faced by those living in an active volcanic environment. La Soufrière volcano, on the island of St. Vincent, has erupted frequently in the recorded history of the Lesser Antilles. The three eruptions investigated (1812, 1902- 1903 and 1979) occur at three distinct stages of societal development: during the slavery era, post-emancipation and on the eve of independence. These distinct stages enable the investigation of how eruptions of La Soufrière highlighted social issues relevant to each time period. A mixed methodologies approach was used to explore how the society of St. Vincent has come to coexist with the low-frequency, high impact events of La Soufrière through time. The impact of the eruptions was mainly dependent on magnitude and longevity. This study shows the differences between VEI 4 and VEI 3 eruptions on the island and the control of topography on PDCs and lahars. It presents the most detailed chronology of the 1812 event to date and reveals previously overlooked aspects of 1902 eruptive activity of inland- direct base surges and a volcanogenic landslide. The mismatch effect is explored in how people experienced and recollected the 1979 eruption. This study finds that the volcanic hazard impacts occurred in the same places for the three eruptions but, damage to the agricultural sector was not homogenous. The differences lay within the socioeconomic structure of the agricultural systems between each eruption and consequent recovery options available. Furthermore, the volcanic hazard impacts, St. Vincent’s smallness, social capital and opportunities influenced whether people returned to their homes, stayed in evacuated locations or migrated off island. The island also shares typical coping adaptive strategies of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as migration/resettlement within and off the island and, temporary and permanent abandonment, which evolved from the loss of indigenous knowledge. This study demonstrates the importance of combining physical and social science to understand the complex interactions between volcanoes and people that lead to coexistence

Spartan Daily, March 6, 2000

Volume 114, Issue 27https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/9524/thumbnail.jp

Design and Testing of a Novel Adhesion and Locomotion Method for Wall Climbing Vehicles

The objective of this project was to design, construct and test a wall climbing vehicle which uses a novel vacuum tread system for both adhesion and locomotion. The design and manufacturing of this proof of concept vehicle is detailed with particular emphasis on the design decisions that proved most impactful to the performance of both the vehicle and the tread system. Adhesion performance was characterized by a series of tests that validate the concept, but also identify improvements and design recommendations for future embodiments of the adhesion/locomotion system