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College of Engineering Faculty Research Summary
The following information is intended to cultivate cross-disciplinary research within the College of
Engineering. It also serves as a one-stop source for program managers at funding agencies, as well as
prospective graduate students who are interested in seeing a comprehensive list of research areas.
This is not the official research area for the College of Engineering, which can be found here.
The College of Engineering is home to four Centers of Excellence:
Center for Advanced Communications: Dr. Moeness Amin, Director
Center for Energy –Smart Electronic Devices: Dr. Amy Fleischer, Director
Center for Nonlinear Dynamics: Dr. Hashem Ashrafiuon, Director
Villanova Center for the Advancement of Sustainability in Engineering: Dr. Robert Traver, Director
And four departments:
Department of Chemical Engineering (ChE): Dr. Noelle Comolli, Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE): Dr. Shawn Gross, Chair
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE): Dr. Bijan Mobasseri, Chair
Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME): Dr. AmyFleischer, Chair
Centers of Excellence
Center for Advanced Communications (CAC) Dr. Moeness Amin, Director and ECE Professor Dr. Fauzia Ahmad, Research Professor and Director, Radar Imaging Lab Dr. Robert Caverly, ECE Professor Dr. Ahmad Hoorfar, ECE Professor; Director, Antenna Research Laboratory Dr. Bijan G. Mobasseri, ECE Chair and ProfessorDr. Sridhar Santhanam, ME Professor Dr. Rosalind Wynne, ECE Associate Professor
Center for Energy –Smart Electronic Devices (ES2) Dr. Amy Fleischer, Director, ME Chair and ProfessorDr. Aaron Wemhoff, Associate Director and ME ProfessorDr. Gerard F. “Jerry” Jones, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research; ME Professor Dr. Kamran Fouladi, ME Professor
Center for Nonlinear Dynamics (CENDAC) Dr. Hashem Ashrafiuon, Director and ME Professor Dr. Garrett Clayton, ME Associate Professor Dr. Zuyi “Jacky” Huang, ChE Assistant Professor Dr. Verica Radisavljevic-Gajic, ME Assistant Professor Dr. C. Nataraj, ME Chair and Professor Dr. Sergey G. Nersesov, ME Associate Professor Dr. James C. Peyton Jones, ECE Professor Dr. Ani Ural, ME Associate Professor
Villanova Center for the Advancement of Sustainability in Engineering (VCASE)
Dr. Robert Traver, Director and CEE Professor
Alternative and Renewable Energy Lead: Dr. Amy Fleischer, ME Chair and Professor Alt-Lead: Dr. Aaron Wemhoff, Associate Director ES2, ME Associate Professor Dr. Robert Caverly, ECE Professor Dr. Jerry Jones, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research; ME Professor Dr. Calvin Li, ME Assistant Professor Dr. Qianhong Wu, ME Associate Professor
Biomass Resources and Conversion Technologies Lead: Dr. Justinus Satrio, ChE Assistant Professor Alt-Lead: Michael Smith, ChE Associate Professor Dr. Charles Coe, ChE Research Associate Professor Dr. “Jacky” Zuyi Huang, ChE Assistant Professor Dr. William Kelly, ChE Professor Dr. Vito Punzi, ChE Professor Dr. Dorothy Skaf, ChE Associate Professor Dr. Randy Weinstein, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs; ChE Professor
Sustainable Structures Lead: Dr. Eric Musselman, CEE Assistant Professor Dr. David Dinehart, CEE Professor Dr. Shawn Gross, CEE Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Joseph Yost, CEE Professor
Environmental Engineering Lead: Dr. Metin Duran, CEE Professor Alt-Lead: Dr. Wenqing Xu, CEE Assistant Professor
Sustainable Infrastructure and Materials Lead: Dr. Leslie McCarthy, CEE Assistant Professor Alt-Lead: Dr. Seri Park, CEE Assistant Professor
Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP) Director: Dr. Robert Traver, Director and CEE Professor Lead: Dr. Andrea Welker, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering and CEE Professor Alt-Lead Dr. Bridget Wadzuk, CEE Associate Professor Dr. John Komlos, CEE Assistant Professor
Dr. Fauzia Ahmad, Radar Imaging Lab, Center for Advanced Communications
Website
Multi-Sensor and Sparse Reconstruction Techniques for Improved Imaging of
Building Interiors
The research aims at utilizing 1) a multiplicity of handheld radar units, and 2)
the sparsity of the scene, for enhancing system performance beyond its
current offering. The objective is to improve detection and localization of
indoor targets of interest, whether they are stationary or exhibit motions
during data acquisition time. In achieving this objective, we assume that data from all radar units are
transmitted to a central processing unit, which communicates the fusion result back to individual units.
Multipath Exploitation and Knowledge-Based Urban Radar Imaging Using Compressive Sensing
The objective of this research is to utilize the emerging Compressive Sensing (CS) techniques to achieve
fast data acquisition in wideband ground-based and airborne radar imaging systems for urban sensing
applications. The research will develop modeling of target multipath and algorithms for urban imaging
which will be both integrated with CS methods. This will lead to 1) Effective utilization of prior
information of the target frequency-dependent radar cross section (RCS) to guide the CS data selection
schemes; 2) Mitigation of clutter and stationary targets through conversion of populated scenes to
sparse scenes based on Moving Target Indication techniques; and 3) Exploitation of the rich multipath
nature of the indoor environment in conjunction with CS for improved target detection and localization
in sparse scene scenarios.
Additional Research
Comprehensive Sensing Based Approaches for Low-Signature Target Detection and Imaging
Dr. Moeness Amin, Center for Advanced Communications Website [email protected]
Advanced Signal Processing and Emerging Sensing Technologies for Assisted Living The use of through-the-wall radar technology is being examined to detect falls and monitor the elderly in their individual living spaces. A series of algorithms will identify the patterns and routines of an elderly person in their home. The radar, with the help of these algorithms, can detect when a person is sitting, standing, walking, etc., and when a person is at risk for injury.
Transient Signal Detection for Rolling Element Bearing Variable Load Problem Using the industry standard envelope spectrum based vibration analysis to detect faults in rolling element bearings becomes challenging with variable loads which lead to variable motor speeds. The focus of this project is to detect transients which define the start and end of periods associated with the load switching between two different levels. Determination of these periods enables diagnosis and faulty bearing detection and classification to proceed over each steady state period separately. Dr. Amin’s team is evaluating signal processing techniques suitable for transient signal detection, including time-scale analysis and wavelet transform.
Co-Prime Frequency and Aperture Design for HF Surveillance, Wideband Radar Imaging and Nonstationary Array Processing Employing co-prime sampling and arrays to improve radar sensing and surveillance in both narrowband and wideband signal platforms, objectives include: (1) Increased aperture and improved spatial resolution, enabling separation between individual targets and clutter in both active and passive HF radars; (2) Combating ambiguity and providing unique answers to target location coordinates in active and passive wideband radar sensing under forced coarse sampling in time, frequency, and space; (3) Improving direction finding of sources of nonstationary signals, as emitters or reflectors of EM waves, by integrating co-prime arrays with joint time-frequency signal representations.
Improved Target Detection in Urban Structures Using Distributed Sensing and Fast Data Acquisition Techniques New techniques applied in the data-domain and in the image-domain are shown to outperform conversional approaches for detection and parameter estimation. Our proposed image-domain protection does not assume any prior knowledge of target statistics or impulse response. Rather, we aim at developing a robust target detection approach that iteratively adapts to varying statistics of the target images.
Partnership for Innovation in Acoustic and Ultrasound Technologies for Medical and Industrial Applications Increasing acoustic system performance and enhancing ultrasound imaging is achieved through advances in signature analyses and feature extractions. Novel fusion modalities based on multiple and distributed sensors are examined for further system performance improvements.
Dr. Hashem Ashrafiuon, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Website [email protected]
Short-Time Discrete Control of Unstable Rigid Bodies with Limited Actuation The current environment for military operation requires intelligent, rapid and accurate defensive systems to respond to uncertain and hostile threats. When power and time response constraints are considered, such systems will require highly maneuverable inherently unstable intelligent vehicles capable of rapid course correction at very large speeds. Due to
slow time response of aerodynamic controls, one needs other means of control. Our research focuses on developing a practical, mathematically rigorous and computationally efficient robust integrated approach to attitude and guidance control of unstable rigid bodies through discrete short-duration actuation.
Real-Time Mission Planning and Coordinate Control of Heterogeneous Autonomous Vehicles This project addresses a research gap in coordinated mission planning and real-time control of heterogeneous multi-agent networks. In this research, we develop a mathematically rigorous and computationally efficient real-time robust mission planning and control algorithm that will ensure stable cooperative performance of a variety of unmanned ground, air, and sea vehicle systems while considering individual agent physical constraints, sensor deficiencies, non-holonomic motion constraints, and communication limitations. The algorithm will have a broad range of applications, including but not limited to cooperative surveillance, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue missions. The goal is to significantly advance collaborative mission planning and real-time control of heterogeneous autonomous robots.
Signal Processing and Discriminant Analysis of the Brain EEG Signal Since recording of the electroencephalography (EEG) signal is non-invasive and safe, its analysis is considered to be a potential tool that may aid in the diagnosis of brain disorders and injuries including Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and mild Traumatic Brain Injury. In this research, a variety of techniques including spectral analysis, discrete and continuous wavelet transform methods, and stochastic nonlinear dynamic analysis are employed to analyze EEG signals recorded from human brain. Past results include identification of a variety of EEG discriminants for Alzheimer’s disease using discrete and continuous wavelet transforms. In addition, we have developed distinct nonlinear stochastic oscillator models of EEG recording under different brain conditions for Alzheimer’s disease patients and healthy normal subjects. Current objective is to extent these approaches to monitor brain health and aid in the diagnosis of mild Traumatic Brain Injury or concussion. In particular, the focus will be on nonlinear stochastic oscillator model of the EEG signal based on multi-time scale analysis which can provide a unique tool for evaluation of concussion progression.
Dr. Robert Caverly, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Website
Dr. Caverly's research interests are focused on the characterization and modeling of semiconductor devices such as PIN diodes and field effect transistors (FET) in the microwave and RF control environment. Traditional applications of these devices are in communication systems and radar, but more recent applications are in the medical area in instruments such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
Besides microwave semiconductor electronics modeling, other interests include mixed-signal and RF CMOS VLSI design.
Danai Chasaki, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Website [email protected] Attacks and Defenses in the Data Plane of Networks Identification of new attack space targeting routers, which can be exploited through a single network packet. Proposed real time processor monitoring as a solution. Intrinsic Security for Wireless Networks
Proposed a credential-based method to verify the exchange of information in wireless networks. Adaptable Reconfigurable System for Embedded Systems Security Hardware support and real-time monitoring for multi-core and multi-threaded processors. Use of reconfigurable hardware, design for performance in resource-constrained environments. Control Systems Security Networked SCADA systems: develop methodology for malicious intent identification; distinguish between hardware faults and deliberate attacks. Cellphone/Smart device Security Investigate trade-offs between software protection techniques and battery life - Apply selective encryption algorithms without compromising on security strength. Develop hardware-software co-design method for malware detection.
Dr. Garrett Clayton, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected] Image-based Modeling, Control and Calibration for High Speed Scanning Probe Microscopy Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) are a key enabling tools for nanotechnology because of their ability to image, manipulate, and fabricate nano-scale objects. The primary impediment to the increased use of these devices is limited throughput (limited speed). In order to overcome this limitation, methods are being developed that use SPM images to
model, control and calibrate SPM devices. Current theoretical and experimental investigations are focused on the measurement and control of general two dimensional trajectories. 3D Sensors for Unmanned Vehicle Measurement Control and Modeling
To improve the performance of unmanned vehicles, the color and depth information from 3D sensors, like the Microsoft Kinect, a r e b e i n g u s e d to enhance computation efficiency of vision based measurement, modeling, and control algorithms. This work has initially focused on visual odometry. Portions of this work are in collaboration with Dr. James Peyton Jones from the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. Piezoelectric Actuator Vibration Suppression Piezoelectric actuators have been widely used for structural vibration suppression. This project involves developing control algorithms for these vibration controlling piezoelectric patches. Of specific interest are the theoretical development and experimental implementation of partial differential equation (PDE) control methods. Modeling and Control of PEM Fuel Cells To improve PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell performances under variable loads, different control techniques need to be developed. The first phase of this project deals with the development of an accurate nonlinear mathematical model of PEM that captures dynamic (transient) behavior of the fuel cell. That will enable a better understanding, and precise analysis of system characteristics and performances. The second part of the project focuses on the development of different control design techniques that will result in more reliable and more efficient PEM fuel cells. Sliding Mode Coordination Control for Multiagent Systems with Underactuated Agent Dynamics A new integrated coordinated control and obstacle avoidance approach is being developed for a general class of underactuated agents. We use graph theoretic notions to characterize communication topology in the network of underactuated agents as determined by the information flow directions and captured by the graph Laplacian matrix. Obstacle avoidance is achieved by surrounding the stationary as well as moving obstacles by elliptical or other convex shapes that serve as stable periodic solutions to planar systems of ordinary differential equations and using transient trajectories of those systems to navigate the agents around the obstacles. Decentralized controllers for individual agents are designed using sliding mode control approach and are only based on data communicated from the neighboring agents. Efficacy is demonstrated using an example of a system of wheeled mobile robots that reach and maintain a desired formation.
Dr. Charles Coe, Department of Chemical Engineering [email protected]
Two common themes for the research focus below are the development of selective surface interactions critical to preparing selective catalysts, and the optimization of selective gas adsorption on these surfaces. These projects are discovery-driven research based on a working knowledge of the field and insights from previous work carried out at Villanova.
Tailoring adsorbents for selective gas sorption This research involves the development of novel adsorbent materials for specific gas separations of interest to an industrial sponsor. The work involves the synthesis,
characterization, and adsorption measurements of gas isotherms as a function of temperature. Previous studies have shown a strong dependence for the selective sorption of one gas component while the other gas in limited in its uptake.
Developing hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) catalysts The use of biomass conversion to create high quality fuels is an emerging technology which is gaining support as the world moves toward alternative renewable fuels. A specific platform of alternative energy science and engineering being developed within the Department of Chemical Engineering is thermochemical transformations of biomass. At the heart of these long-term efforts is the development of liquid fuels and chemicals from renewable biomass. Thermal pyrolysis is being used to study the conversion of biomass to bio oils. The high oxygen content which is associated with organic acids, alcohols, ketones, sugars, and phenolic compounds arising from the partial decomposition of lignin-rich components in the woody biomass lowers the heating value and decreases storage stability of the bio oil.
For efficient oxygen removal under commercially viable conditions, one must use a catalyst. These catalysts must both adsorb and dissociate hydrogen to provide hydrogen atoms for the reaction (activation of hydrogen); and also activate C-O bonds to facilitate the addition of hydrogen. Thus the catalysts need to be bifunctional. Moreover, the catalysts must also be hydrothermally stable since bio oil contains up to 30% water and water is also a byproduct of the desired HDO reaction.
Green methanol or methane from captured carbon dioxide The quest for renewable energy carriers is one of the great challenges to catalytic chemists. Yes, this is green methane coming from the sorbed CO2 reaction with hydrogen rather than sequestering it by some means. We, at Villanova, are ideally suited to develop improved sorption-enhanced catalysts for this process. There are many common components of these materials with those that are being developed for Dr. Satrio’s project on producing green hydrogen from biomass reforming. Both of these reactions require the enhanced sorption of CO2 and a metal containing catalyst that operates in a reducing environment.
Dr. Noelle Comolli, Department of Chemical Engineering Website [email protected] Smart Particle Design for Tumor Targeting The current push in cancer research is to find methods to target highly toxic cancer drugs to the tumor only, therefore increasing efficacy, and decreasing side effects. Using avidin-biotin chemistry, we have developed a robust system for linking tumor-specific antibodies to drug loaded carriers (polymer microparticles).
Novel Combination Microparticles for Severe Asthmatics The challenge for severe asthmatics is they do not fully respond to the current therapy (albuterol). We propose that combing albuterol (and using it to target inflamed cells) with a local controlled delivery of high dosages of Vitamin D3 will allow for an effective treatment for these patients. This vehicle could also be used to deliver many drugs to inflamed lungs for other diseases such as COPD. Wound Healing Films for Post-Surgery Using renewable, natural polymer chitosan (derived from crab shells), a thin degradable “patch” can be place during surgery under the skin prior to suturing. The “patch” would contain anti-inflammatory, pain, and antibiotic medications to be released locally at the surgery site, allowing for fewer drugs required and decreased side effects post-surgery. New Projects Liposomes for Gene Delivery Harvesting Biopolymers from Biomass Waste
Dr. Venkatesh Deshmukh, Department of Mechanical Engineering [email protected] Simultaneous Stabilization and Observation Models of systems with parameter variations or inexactly known parameters encountered in robust and adaptive control are represented by a set of differential equations of arbitrary orders with constant coefficients. A single feedback controller gain or an observer gain matrix which is not parameterized in terms of the system parameters, and which stabilizes or estimates the state trajectories of all the plants in the set is termed as a simultaneous
controller or a simultaneous observer. Simultaneous stabilization, observation and observation-based stabilization for a set of time invariant multiple order dynamical systems is a key problem in robust and adaptive control theory which is largely unsolved. Constrained Control Problems Presence of control constraints in the control problems associated with dynamic system models described by ODEs, DDEs, PDEs and DPDEs in continuous time setting will be studied. A computational algorithm involving Chebyshev spectral collocation and optimization formulated in the past will be further explored in continuous and discrete-time settings to calculate the open loop control force that achieves stability using quadratic and linear convergence constraints. A formulation for simultaneous stabilization, observation and observation-based stabilization will also be studied using convergence constraints in continuous and discrete time settings. Time Domain Performance Specification for Nonlinear Dynamic Models The idea of performance specifications in the time domain for linear dynamic systems will be extended to nonlinear systems via a combination of open loop nonlinear control and parameter estimation algorithms developed previously using Chebyshev spectral collocation. Bifurcation Control Bifurcation analysis and unknown parameter estimation from previous research will be explored for its application to control of nonlinear ordinary, partial, delayed and differential algebraic equations found in the modeling of engineering systems. Practical numerical algorithms will be developed.
David W. Dinehart, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website [email protected] Experimental testing of large structural systems and assemblies Testing of precast slab systems with composite steel girders Steel moment frames Open web steel joists floor and roof systems FRP reinforced concrete beams
Woodframe shear walls Concrete anchorage assemblies Timber I-joists and LVLs Development of Design Aids Girder-slab technologies design aid AISC design guide for cellular and castellated beams Wood nailer design methodology for commercial metals company Ductile joist design methodology for new millennium building systems
Metin Duran, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website [email protected]
Anti-Fouling, Reactive Electrochemical Membranes (REM) for Water Treatment Investigating the feasibility of using conductive, porous Ti4O7 electrodes to oxidize inorganic and organic compounds, as well as to inactivate water borne pathogens by hydroxyl radical production from water.
Novel, High Temperature Anaerobic Digestion Process for Renewable Energy from Biosolids, Animal Manure, and Cellulosic Biomass Technical feasibility of a novel hyperthermophilic fermentation process is being investigated for conversion of renewable feedstocks –wastewater treatment plant biosolids, animal wastes, and lignocellulosic biomass– to hydrogen and possibly ethanol as alternative sources of energy.
Microbial Source Tracking by FAME Technology Using genotypic (DNA-based) and phenotypic (biochemical) methods, microbial water quality and tracing sources of pathogens in water environments were studied. A fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) database also was developed for state-wide use to predict sources of pathogens in surface waters.
Improving Anaerobic Digestion of Biosolids for Increased Yield of Methane as a Renewable Energy Source Novel quantitative methods were employed to improve anaerobic degradation of biosolids and other wastewater byproducts to increase methane yield.
Microarrays for Pathogen Detection Investigated the technical feasibility of using microarrays for rapid and accurate on-site identification of pathogens in naval emergencies.
Jacob Elmer, Department of Chemical Engineering [email protected]
Development of Effective Substitute for Donated Red Blood Cells Donated red blood cells are currently the most effective treatment for patients suffering severe blood loss or hemorrhagic shock. However, there are several situations in which donated blood may be unavailable or impractical (e.g. shortages of rare blood types, developing countries, and the battlefield). Donated blood also has a relatively short shelf life (6 weeks) and can only be transfused into specific patients with certain blood types. Our goal is to develop a safe and
effective alternative for donated blood that can be used in these situations. Most groups have used human hemoglobin to make their blood substitutes, since it is the main component of blood and it delivers oxygen. Unfortunately, most of those projects have failed clinical trials due to serious side effects. In contrast, we use invertebrate hemoglobins to design our blood substitutes. Since most invertebrates lack red blood cells, their hemoglobins are much more stable and lack the side effects seen with human hemoglobin, making them ideal candidates for blood substitute development. If our efforts are successful, they will yield a new alternative to donated blood that can be frozen indefinitely and serve as a universal donor (since it lacks the antigens found on red blood cells). Development of Effective Non-Viral Gene Therapy Techniques Gene therapy could potentially cure hundreds of genetic disorders (e.g. hemophilia, cancer, etc.). Effective techniques have been developed to deliver therapeutic genes into human cells, but expression levels of the therapeutic genes are usually low and only last for a short time (2-3 days). These low expression levels may be due to natural defenses (e.g. receptors and enzymes) within our cells that recognize and attack the bacterial plasmids that carry therapeutic genes. Our goal is to identify the proteins/pathways that are involved in the recognition and regulation of plasmid DNA and circumvent them to enhance and prolong the gene expression. For example, we are currently investigating the interactions between plasmid DNA and nuclear histone proteins that condense DNA and regulate gene expression through site-specific modifications on their tail domains. We are trying to manipulate these modifications to enhance the expression of therapeutic genes. If we are successful, our methods may be used to improve gene therapy techniques and treat many different diseases.
Dr. Gang Feng, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Website [email protected] Synthesis and Characterization of Nanoparticle Thin Film (NTF) Many nanoparticle thin films (NTFs) have a poor resistance to mechanical loading and abrasion, presenting a major bottleneck to their widespread use and commercialization. We are working on techniques to greatly increase the mechanical durability of NTFs, and have demonstrated that atomic layer deposition (ALD) at a relatively low temperature can improve
the mechanical durability of nanoparticle films on organic and inorganic substrates. Synthesis and Characterization of Energy Storage Materials with Nanostructures Phase change materials (PCMs) store energy through the utilization of the latent heat of fusion and have been implemented successfully at the small scale. However, the low thermal diffusivity of most standard PCMs prevents effective heat absorption in larger systems. A graphite nanofiber based (GNF) nano-enhanced PCM has been developed and shows both improved thermal conductivity and specific heat in the bulk material, leading to greater energy storage effectiveness. However, this work has also identified a thermal resistance which occurs at the interface of the nano-enhanced PCM and the heated base caused by the motion of the nanofibers away from the surface in the near-wall region after multiple thermal cycles. The objective is to develop a reliable and durable energy storage material with an enhanced near-wall energy transfer rate through establishing a well-controlled functionalized carbon-nanofiber network embedded in a PCM. Characterization of Individual Nanomaterials (Nanowires, Nanotubes, NanoShells and Nanoparticles) Nanomaterials have a wide range of potential applications, such as chemical and optical sensors, resonators and force sensors, high-resolution scanning probe microscope (SPM) tips, and reinforcements for nanocomposites. However, because of their extremely small dimensions, it has been very challenging to characterize and manipulate these nanomaterials. We are working on techniques to accurately and quickly characterize nanomaterials, so that we are able to evaluate different nanomaterials for designing high performance nano-systems. Nanomechanical Characterization and Modeling of Hard Tissues By studying the behavior of biomaterials at different hierarchical length-scale level, we hope to decode the design and optimization principles by Mother Nature. Then, the decoded principles can guide us to design materials and systems with optimized performance. In fact, nanoindentation is one of very few techniques which can be used to characterize biomaterials in their native environments, e.g., being immersed in liquid. Moreover, the fully understanding of the properties of bone at the nanoscales will provide important new knowledge for the development of target-specific therapeutic treatments on altering the bone microstructure to prevent bone fracture, which would have great impact on improving human health.
Dr. Amy S. Fleischer, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected]
Active Research Projects Effect of graphene folding on thermal conduction in nanocomposites Temperature dependent thermal properties of nano-enhanced energy storage materials Viscosity of nano-enhanced energy storage materials Heat flow at nanoparticle interfaces Thermal transport in nano-enhanced phase change materials
Engineering interfaces in carbon nanostructured mats Data center waste heat utilization Thermal property prediction and measurement of organic phase change materials in the liquid phase at the melting point
Development of Enhanced Performance Energy Storage Materials Using Tailorable Percolation Networks of Nanofibers The research will develop a potentially transformational technology that has application in large and small electronic systems, from cell phones to solar energy plants. This research project focuses on the use of phase change materials for large scale energy storage. Phase change materials store energy inside the material itself as it melts. As the material melts, energy is needed to release the bonds as the material transitions from solid to liquid. This energy is absorbed from the surroundings and is stored. When the material later solidifies, this stored energy is released from the material and can be used. The only down side to phase change material energy storage is that most existing phase change materials have characteristics that prevent a quick energy transfer response. Thus this project is focused on designing and creating improved phase change energy storage materials by improving the characteristics of the material to allow rapid storage of energy, and rapid release again upon demand. This will be done by embedding graphite nanofibers in the material and then controlling the motion of the nanofibers to provide a continuous path for the energy to penetrate into the material.
The NSF I/UCRC in Energy-Efficient Systems The goal of this research is to develop innovations that will make data centers, which consume three percent of all the electricity generated in the United States (enough energy to power a couple of good-sized cities for most of the year), efficient and sustainable. The research center’s holistic approach to energy efficiency development – linking the fields of information technology, telecommunications, electronic systems and cooling equipment – could translate into millions of dollars in savings and a much “greener” industry.
Shawn P. Gross, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website [email protected] Experimental testing of large structural systems and assemblies Testing of precast slab systems with composite steel girders Steel moment frames Open web steel joists floor and roof systems FRP reinforced concrete beams
Composite utility poles Concrete anchorage assemblies Aluminum weldments Steel connections Development of Design Aids
Girder-slab technologies design aid Wood nailer design methodology for commercial metals company Ductile joist design methodology for new millennium building systems
Dr. Ahmad Hoorfar, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Website [email protected] General Research Areas Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling Low profile, Fractals and Electrically Small Antennas Broadband, Multifunction and reconfigurable Antennas Metamaterials, Artificial Magnetic Conductors and Exotic Surfaces
Through-Wall Microwave Sensing and Imaging Ground Penetrating Radar Material Characterization and Microwave Non-destructive Testing Evolutionary Optimization Techniques Printed Wideband Metamaterial Antennas for Ballistic Panels The objective of the project is to develop the manufacturing processes and antenna designs needed to integrate a wideband metamaterial antenna within the composite materials of ballistic panels, maintaining antenna performance without degrading ballistic performance of the structures. To that end, we are developing different ferrite-based and metamaterial antenna concepts capable of operating over wideband frequency range extending from few hundred MHz to 8 GHz. We are also exploring the antenna designs that will allow it also to be tunable (reconfigurable) to one or more specific frequencies for communications. Additionally, we intended to model and study the performance of the integrated antenna when mounted onto a vehicular platform.
Dr. Zuyi (Jacky) Huang, Department of Chemical Engineering Website [email protected]
Modeling Biological and Environmental Systems • The metabolism of biofilm-associated pathogens• Optimizing process parameters in microbial fuel cell systems• Engineering microorganisms for advanced biofuel production• Developing advanced image analysis algorithms to monitor the signaling pathways
involved in the formation of brain cancer cells
It is challenging to eliminate pathogens once they form biofilms. Approaches have been developed in Dr. Huang’s group to evaluate the biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa upon the knockout of metabolic genes or the change in the availability of environmental nutrients. The results were validated by experimental data provided by Penn State. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can take advantage of microbial interaction with an electrode and produce electric energy directly from organic compounds in waste water. It may provide a sustainable way for water treatment. The performance of MFCs depends on the optimization of design parameters such as the metabolism of microorganisms used to form biofilms on the anode and produce electricity, the substrate loading patterns, the external electrical resistance, and the fuel cell configuration. A model for microbial desalination cell (MDC), one type of MFCs, has been developed in Dr. Huang’s group and validated by experimental data provided by Virginia Tech. On-going effort focuses on scaling up the developed lab-scale MDC system. Engineering microorganisms to produce biofuels from waste materials is a sustainable way to address the energy crisis and combat environment pollution. Dr. Huang’s group is developing metabolic modeling approaches to identify gene targets for engineering E.coli to produce hydrogen or 3-Hydroxyporipionic Acid (3-HP). Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a deadly brain cancer with a median survival of ~12 months and for which few treatment options exist. Each patient’s tumor has multiple subpopulations of cancer cells termed subclones which can vary in their genomic, epigenomic and biochemical makeup and thus sensitivity to drugs. Dr. Huang’s group is developing advanced image analysis to track the binding and dividing of individual fluorescent cells over a long time course. The analysis can provide quantitative data for modeling the signaling pathways that regulate cell metabolisms and thus lead to the heterogeneity of GBM cancer cells in their response to selected drugs.
Dr. David Jamison, Department of Mechanical Engineering [email protected] Current Research Projects Mechanical response of the lumbar intervertebral disc to non-acute transient shocks Injury mechanisms of the lumbar intervertebral disc due to impact loading Mechanical characterization of injectable polymers for intervertebral disc regeneration See also Ural (Biomechanics, Finite element analysis and modeling, Orthopedics)
Dr. Kei-Peng Jen, Department of Mechanical Engineering [email protected] Research interests Materials science Fracture mechanics Fatigue Dr. Jen is interested in characterizing different materials by using tensile universal testing machine, servo-hydraulic fatigue machine, scanning electron microscope, transmission
electron microscope, and atomic force microscope. Research projects
• Strengthening mechanisms of beryllium-copper alloys and austempered nodular cast irons by different heat treatments
• Determining how the heat treatment affects the fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rates for different types of materials
• Utilizing carbothermal reduction to produce silicon nitride nanofibers that might be used for high thermal insulator, high temperature reinforced fibers, and high temperature sensors
• Developing new techniques using the silicon nitride nanofibers to strengthen some specific polymers as well as ceramics
Dr. Gerard F. Jones, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected]
Heat Transfer in High-Power-Density Electronic Equipment: Compact Heat Sinks Developed from Constructal Theory We consider the general problem of convective cooling of high-power-density electronic equipment. We seek to answer the questions “what is the theoretical maximum thermal performance for an air-cooled compact heat sink” and “what is the general configuration of
this heat sink?” A follow-on question of equal importance addresses the optimization of this heat exchanger simultaneously considering thermal performance and pressure drop. We approach the solution to this problem using the Constructal theory of Bejan. Constructal theory attempts to explain the origin of structure in the nature by optimizing the solutions from the conservation laws governing the problem at hand. With it, a set of design formulas are developed by considering first lower, and then higher, orders of construction. The formulas may then be applied to design a device with improved performance. The objective function of the Constructal optimization is the heat transfer rate from the heat source and the constraints are those associated with geometry, the theory of heat conduction and convection, and pressure drop or its associated cost. Constructal theory is currently applied to a porous-metal-matrix heat sink. We find that optimal distribution of porosity follows a power-law function of distance measured from the base of the heat sink where the exponent in the power law varies from 1 (linear distribution of porosity) to about 2.5. “T”-cell and building-block models for simulating the thermal and fluid-flow performance of a porous-metal-matrix heat sink are being developed and tested to independently verify these results.
Capture and Re-use of Waste Heat from Data Centers Data centers consume nearly 3% of the all electrical power produced worldwide. Most of this power is used for cooling electronic components so they perform reliably. We are using computational models, and laboratory and full-scale experiments in this NSF-funded work (an I/UCRC) to investigate the performance of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and LiBr absorption refrigeration (AR) to produce electric power (ORC) or offset the cooling load (AR) for large data centers. The power production from the ORC and/or reduction in cooling load from the AR will improve data center energy efficiency and reduce global energy consumption.
Smart Passive Flow Control of Minimal-Cost Gravity Driven Water Networks Gravity-driven water networks, which draw water from a source at a high elevation, such as a natural spring or a stream, and deliver it through a branching pipe network to household taps or public tapstands, can reliably provide potable water to developing communities. For a demand-driven design, the central problem is to select proper diameters for the pipes to satisfy desired flow and pressure conditions. Passive flow controls must be used in these networks. For an existing network, where pipe diameters are known, improvements in performance will also rely on passive flow control. In this work, we consider the development and design of smart, inexpensive, passive controllers applied to networks designed for minimum cost, as well as the data needed and instrumentation required to access performance of these networks. Instrumentation includes in-line flow meters and pressure gages to measure fill levels of water tanks.
Dr. Jens O.M. Karlsson, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected] Preservation of Reproductive Cells There is a need for preservation of the genomes of animals that are important to biodiversity, agriculture, and as model systems for fundamental and applied biomedical research. As a solution, we are developing technology for long-term stabilization of oocytes, sperm and embryos of animals ranging from zebrafish to macaque monkeys. Various ongoing projects explore preservation techniques based on either cryogenic storage (cryopreservation), dry-state storage (desiccation), or combinations thereof.
As part of this research, we develop computer models of biophysical events that are responsible for cell injury associated with various preservation approaches, and couple such simulations with optimization algorithms to develop minimally damaging processing techniques for achieving so-called “suspended animation” (i.e., stable long-term storage). Cryopreservation of Tissue Engineered Constructs Because living cells degrade rapidly unless stored at cryogenic temperatures, the mass-production, distribution, and banking of tissue engineered constructs is not possible without effective cryopreservation technology. Our research aims to elucidate the mechanisms of cryoinjury during freezing (and thawing) of tissue engineered constructs, towards the goal of optimizing viability and function of cryopreserved tissues. A current focus of investigation is the interaction between cells and ice crystals. We have pioneered several novel approaches to study these phenomena, including cell micropatterning techniques, high-speed video cryomicroscopy, and stochastic mathematical modeling. Cryopreservation of Mammalian Cells for Biotechnological Applications Recent and emergent advances in the biopharmaceuticals industry are based on the use of mammalian cells in manufacturing. Because all cells used in such biotechnological applications must be cryogenically stored to ensure that a high-quality supply is available for manufacturing, we are investigating the potential for adverse effects caused by the cryopreservation process itself. Our research leverages high-speed video cryomicroscopy to accurately measure the kinetics and probability of intracellular ice formation in mammalian fibroblasts used for manufacturing of biological drugs, as well as stem cells used for cell therapy. Such measurements allow us to run computer simulations based on classical nucleation theory to make predictions that can be used to optimize freeze-thaw processes. In addition, multiphysics finite-element modeling is used to investigate and ameliorate inefficiencies caused by heat- and mass-transfer limitations in large-scale commercial cryopreservation operations. Non-Equilibrium Crystallization Physics During cryopreservation, ice crystals form rapidly under conditions far from equilibrium, for which crystallization physics can differ significantly from the slower solidification processes observed in the vicinity of the equilibrium freezing point. Non-equilibrium crystallization is also an important phenomenon in materials processing, because solidification conditions give rise to the microstructure that determines the properties of materials. Thus, we investigate these processes using microfluidics to generate droplets that can be supercooled to the homogeneous nucleation temperature, and high-speed imaging to visualize crystal growth under non-equilibrium conditions. Such studies can reveal fundamental physical properties of water.
Dr. William J. Kelly, Department of Chemical Engineering Website [email protected] Fermentation/Isolation of DNA Plasmids for Gene Therapy and DNA Vaccine Applications Use of DNA plasmids in future gene therapy or DNA vaccine products is currently cost-prohibitive, mainly due to the expensive chromatography steps necessary for final product purification. The goal of this work is to explore a novel and less expensive approach to traditional chromatography. Small DNA sequences have been designed for insertion into the plasmids, that the potential to adsorb to inexpensive powders.
Expanded Bed Chromatography for Isolation and Purification of Medicinal Proteins Expanded bed adsorption is attractive in the recovery of bio-pharmaceuticals, because this single step can achieve purification without the need/cost of a cell removal (i.e. filtration) step. Experiments with yeast cells determined conditions that minimize interaction between the cells and resin, while maximizing the selective adsorption of the protein bio-product on the resin. Optimization of Mammalian Cell Culture (CHO, PER.C6) and Harvest for Production of Monoclonal Antibodies (Mabs) and Vaccines Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells and PER.C6 cells are popular mammalian cell lines used in the biopharmaceutical industry to make monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. These cells are damaged by chemical and physical stresses during cell culture and harvesting. The goal of this research is to understand the degree to which bioreactor and filter design and operating conditions affect the degree to which these cells are damaged and product is recovered. CFD Modeling to Improve the Bioreactor and Cell Collection by Continuous Centrifugation Fluent is CFD software that is windows based, and computes/displays flow in 3D geometries. The results of our CFD model of oxygen transfer in a bioreactor are being compared to actual experimental data from our laboratory. The CFD model can then be used to determine the optimum bioreactor configuration (i.e. sparger location etc…) for given operating conditions (RPM, type cell line). A CFD model of the Ksep continuous centrifuge is being developed to predict the efficiency of cell collection as a function of operating conditions.
Dr. John Komlos, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [email protected]
My current research examines water quality issues relating to the sustainability of the built environment. This includes:
• Quantifying the pollutant removal capability of urban stormwater control measures (SCMs)
• Exploring ways to improve SCMs’ performance through chemical, physical and biological treatment processes that control the removal of pollutants such as metals, nitrogen and phosphorus from stormwater
• Exploring sustainability issues pertaining to stormwater runoff • Exploring use of water treatment plant residuals (WTRs) as an amendment to SCMs to enhance the water
quality improvement processes of SCMs
Dr. Nisha Kondrath, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering [email protected] Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Control of PWM DC-DC Converters Pulse-width modulated (PWM) DC-DC converter is an integral part in most regulated power supplies primarily due to its high efficiency. Demand for new topologies and control methods for power electronic converters with high efficiency and stability increases as portable devices and alternative energy sources become more and more popular. Modeling is necessary to predict the dynamic behavior of the power stage and to design stable feedback control systems for a regulated output. Current projects include design and analysis of synchronous
bidirectional dc-dc converters, power-stage modeling of conventional and bidirectional dc-dc converters, and modeling of peak current-mode controlled PWM dc-dc converters. Application of SiC Devices in Electric/Hybrid Vehicles The electric motor drives in the electric/hybrid vehicles (EVs/HEVs) are usually a multi-stage processor comprising of a dc-dc converter and a dc-ac inverter. These converters should be able to perform with very high efficiency and withstand extreme operating conditions, such as high temperature. Power devices using wide-band gap materials such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) are being developed and investigated due to their superior performance compared to conventional Silicon (Si) devices. However, SiC technology is still in its infant stage and has to be proved superior and cost effective to that of Si. In the lab, the performance of dc-dc converters and dc-ac inverters using SiC switches is compared to those using Si switches using Cadence PSpice simulation and hardware, to determine the effectiveness of SiC in EV/HEV applications. Additional Projects
• Digital implementation of peak-current mode control of dc-dc converters using microcontrollers • High-frequency magnetics
Stephen Konyk, Jr., Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Website [email protected]
Satellite Communications
Space satellites have evolved into the mainstay of modern information, communications, navigation and sensing, thereby increasing demand in both service volume and capability. In
such satellite systems, performance is enhanced by properly accommodating rf-antenna characteristics, communication channel bandwidth and Doppler signal effects associated with the satellite instantaneous orbit—the latter requiring the integration of Keplerian elements in concert with antenna beam formation. Meeting future needs necessitates the development and deployment of more capable earth-satellite communication links, and entails improved signal based satellite localization, atmospheric propagation characteristics, real-time signal characteristics and antenna agility.
Signal Processing Radar
In applications where the installation of radar antenna elements is limited in number, the problem of estimating bearing and target trajectory intersection with the array line becomes one of implementing and optimizing the performance of arrays with few elements in the detection and estimation of desired signals. To overcome the limitations imposed by an array structure with few elements, an approach employing the projection of received signals onto a presumed signal and array processor weight model structure may be considered. The process of estimating the desired signal and signal properties becomes one of parametric estimation projected on to a translational and rotational model of the antenna array structure. The least-squares estimates of this process may be employed to refine the stochastic conditional probability associated with the confidence interval of the predicted intersection of the target with the array structure. Acoustic and Sonar Processing Acoustic sensing may employ threshold detection to determine the presence of sources and to estimate propagation delay along an acoustic sensor configuration. The sensor-to-sensor delay may be used to estimate source range in the cases where both shock waves and pressure waves are present in the propagation medium. If the sensors are mobile or mounted on a structure, a parametric model of the array in time may be developed. Given this scenario, the objective is to perform source detection and localization with the aim of detecting fixed and moving sources which have the potential of impacting the array. Additional data may be obtained by analyzing post-impact data gleaned by the array. The pre-impact projection may be enhanced by the post-impact data to enhance the conditional probabilistic estimate of the point of impact. Sensor Signal Processing The problem addressed regards the fusion of environmental data with position, radar and acoustic sensing. A novel vector integration to endpoint model modification is proposed as a means of efficiently fusing this information into a model in real-time. The model may incorporate an arbitrarily large number of fixed and moving sensors. In addition, the distribution of moving sensors may be directed to avoid excessive concentrations in a particular area, i.e. misanthropic weighting constraint, or to converge to a particular geometric configuration to enhance the sensing aperture. The key to realizing this capability is the modification of adaptation mechanism of the vector to integration model with nonlinear offset feedback. The feedback provides the means of maintaining accuracy while allowing the interaction of the sensor with the environment and with other sensors.
Sarvesh Kulkarni, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
[email protected] Active Measurement of Performance Metrics of IPv6 Networks We make detailed measurements of the latency, latency-jitter, packet drops, Domain Name Service (DNS) resolution times, and bandwidth availability from every end-point on the nationwide IPv6 network. The raw measurements and other related data are processed to first prune the massive data sets, and then utilized in heuristically estimating customers' satisfaction with their Internet service. The processed data is also used to provide early
warnings of network node failures and the failure locations. Single Scheduler Operation in Two-Tier Networks As Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPON) gain acceptance, they need to coexist with legacy coaxial cable plants of cable-Internet service providers in metropolitan areas. In such two-tier architecture, the bandwidth capacities of the PHY-layer media on different network segments vary significantly. Therefore, in order to optimize the PHY-layer utilization of both the optical and coaxial-cable media, a single adaptive scheduler is desirable. Our scheduler aims to both estimate the bandwidth demand continuously and to provide protocol interactions to provision bandwidth for the ISP's customers. Rapidly Healing Local Area Networks for Shipboard Distributed Control Systems Shipboard control systems use local area networks (LANs) to move data to/from sensors, actuators, and monitoring workstations. Although the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) on modern LANs manages to reconfigure a "broken" LAN topology much faster than the traditional STP can, down-times are often measured in seconds or tens of seconds, depending on the point of failure and the size of the network. This project aims to pre-compute alternate routing paths for bridges in order to enable fast failover in the event of failure of a link, bridge or a root bridge in the LAN's spanning tree.
Dr. Calvin Hong Li, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected] Nano to Centimeter Multiscale Hierarchical Structures for Two-phase Change Heat Transfer Two-phase change heat transfer takes the advantage of latent heat as the most effective heat transfer mode available and is employed in a broad spectrum from cooking, computer thermal management through nuclear power generation. This research thrust aims at developing new two-phase change heat transfer concepts (evaporation and boiling) based on nano-to-centimeter hierarchical structures, and extending fundamental knowledge of vapor-
liquid phase change into real world applications. Specific examples include experimental studies of pool boiling on specially designed surface structures for enhanced heat transfer, and analytical/experimental studies of thermal and hydraulic performance of hierarchical heat sinks with water and dielectric fluids. Macroscale parameters including two-phase heat transfer coefficient, critical heat flux, contact angle, porosity and hydraulic pressure, as well as microscale parameters including surface roughness, cavity size and distribution, surface/volume ratio, and surface morphology, are the focus of this research thrust to identify predominating heat transfer mechanisms, understanding bubble nucleation process (water replenishment, hydrodynamic instability, bubble inception, growth and detachment) during nucleate boiling and surface effect on boiling inception, heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux. Nano-Enabled Thermomagnetic Energy Conversion Magnetic nanoparticles have been widely adopted to produce ultra-thin film materials for heads and media in ultra-high density recording storage applications, and also have great potential as heating elements for hyperthermia in cancer treatment. In order to understand the source of energy loss in hyperthermia, magnetic anisotropy and applied field have been studied for iron based nanocrystalline particles. This research thrust aims at synthesizing different sizes of FexOy nanoparticles and different coatings, developing new ex-situ and in-situ measurement techniques for characterizing the macro, micro, and nano-scale physical and magnetic properties, and limiting mechanisms for high-speed switching and high-frequency magnetic thermomagnetic conversion.
Dr. Leslie M. McCarthy, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [email protected]
US DOT MAP-21 Comprehensive Truck Size & Weight Limits National Study Congressionally mandated study will evaluate and compare differences between trucks loaded at or below current Federal truck size and weight limits to those operating in excess. Developing a Performance-Related Specification Program for Rhode Island To develop pay adjustment factors for typical RI DOT asphalt concrete mixtures. The pay adjustment factors will be based on pavement life differences predicted using measured
asphalt material properties and distress models from performance-related analytical software. Field Performance of Corrugated Pipe Manufactured with Recycled Polyethylene Evaluating corrugated high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes made with recycled content. Flooded Pavement Assessments Develop analytical procedures and guidance on the optimum time to reopen flooded pavements to vehicles with various weights and axle loads. Develop assessment procedures for the long term effects of flooding on pavement performance. Tasks will include running the AASHTO Pavement ME Design and CalME software tools to do pavement analyses and to assist in preparing the technology transition plan and final guidance to FHWA. Viscoelastic Mechanical Properties of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA)-Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Mixes under High Stresses in Airfield Flexible Pavements and Its Impact on Design Life Enhance the understanding of WMA-RAP mixtures in airfield flexible pavements to support the aviation sector’s use of energy-saving and recycled materials in construction. Tasks include determining the properties of the high percentage of WMA-RAP and predicting stresses and strains in the airfield pavement layer. These findings will help make conclusions about the appropriate WMA-RAP mixture design and appropriate recommendations to the Federal Aviation Admin. and asphalt paving industry. Use of Spectral Analysis Surface Wave (SASW) Equipment for Determining the Properties (Stiffness & Thickness) of Existing Roadway and Railway Infrastructure Investigating and testing the feasibility of SASW equipment for use in conducting in-place infrastructure assessments. Beta testing has been underway with Radnor and Upper Darby townships on pavement condition and structural assessments and with SEPTA on railroad foundation and structural assessments. Validation of FHWA PaveSpec 4.0 Analysis Tool In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, research is using concrete mixture data collected from state DOTs to validate the capabilities of the PaveSpec 4.0 analysis tool for use in developing performance-related specifications for concrete pavements. Impacts of Variability in CTE on Predicted Concrete Pavement Performance In partnership with the FHWA, this research aims to define the impact limits of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) sensitivity on concrete pavement performance. In defining the limits, it will be assessed how much variability in the CTE values is tolerable before impacting the design thickness by a specified amount (e.g., increasing the pavement thickness by more than 0.5 inch). Another objective is to use the findings to develop guidance for DOTs to use in deciding which level of inputs is necessary.
Bijan G. Mobasseri, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering [email protected]
Sonar and Radar Signal Processing for Underwater Acoustic Channel Modeling Mobasseri developed a patented capability for the US Navy to authenticate sonar transmissions. The algorithm securely embeds low power digital signatures in sonar waveforms that can be used to trace sonar pings back to their source. The modeling and understanding of the underwater acoustic channel is crucial to the success of the algorithm. This channel is time-varying and heavily dispersive. He has done extensive modeling and simulations of deep water
channels and has participated in several sea trials conducted by the Navy.
Sonar and Radar Signal Processing for Estimation and Subspace Methods in Signal Classification and Pattern Recognition Mobasseri has developed a novel subspace method using the Eigen structures of radar backscatter data. The structure is used for building of a minimum distance classifier. The model is used in a Bayes classifier. This work was subsequently enhanced to use multipath as additional source of information for object classification. Multipath is often treated as undesirable and suppressed or removed from data. Results indicate that classification accuracy improved as a result. A related subspace method has been successfully used for human gait recognition using backscatter data. This technique has proved to be exceptionally accurate for establishing gait from a distance.
Eric S. Musselman, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Experimental Testing of Post Tensioned Systems Testing of durability of post tensioned grouting systems, focused on critical chloride levels Testing of monostrand and multistrand post tensioned systems under short duration high intensity cyclical load to determine behavior of system under earthquakes
Experimental Testing of Concrete Exposed to Blast and Impact Loading Development and testing of long carbon fiber reinforced concrete, including impact testing as well as blast testing conducted at Fort Leonard Wood. Evaluation of filled concrete box sections under impact loading.
Dr. C. Nataraj, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected]
Diagnostics of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems Diagnostics is the art and science of determining the presence and severity of faults in a system. My team’s research focuses exclusively on nonlinear dynamic systems. Invariably, all engineering systems are nonlinear and exhibit phenomena that can only be predicted by nonlinear models. The prevailing assumption is that the nonlinear regime of operation is potentially harmful and should be avoided. However, although operating in the nonlinear
region could indeed be catastrophic if one did not have sufficient knowledge, we have found that optimal operations is often in the nonlinear regime and should be explored. Further, our thesis is that the nonlinear dynamic response of practical nonlinear systems contains valuable information about the system including knowledge that should be used for diagnostics. We are employing an optimal combination of nonlinear physics, computational intelligence, careful lab experiments and field data to arrive at algorithms that are robust and reliable. Our work has involved complex machinery to find bearing faults, servo-actuators, pendulum systems to explore strong nonlinearities with a systematic approach, and multi-degree-of-freedom electrical and mechanical systems.
Biomedical Diagnostics Medical diagnostics has largely been heuristic and has relied on experiential learning. In collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia we are exploring several diagnostics problems using techniques that involve nonlinear physical modeling as well as computational intelligence algorithms such as machine learning. A pressing problem we are investigating is prediction of Periventricular Leukomalacia, a form of neurological damage that occurs in neonates; we are also investigating optimization of CPR, especially for pediatric patients.
Unmanned Surface Vehicles Control and Autonomy We have developed advanced control algorithms for fast tracking of nonlinear unmanned systems. The research has involved both theory and experiment with a 4-foot boat in realistic outdoor conditions. This research has led to many publications and has also led us to participate in research competitions. For instance, I have mentored student teams in the Roboboat competition for the past seven years. My team was also one of three US teams selected for the premiere international maritime robotics competition, RobotX (http://robotx.org), held in Singapore in October 2014.
Dr. Sergey G. Nersesov, Department of Mechanical Engineering [email protected]
My research interests are in the general area of dynamical system analysis and control which includes nonlinear robust and adaptive control design, nonlinear dynamical systems theory, large-scale systems, cooperative control for multiagent systems, hybrid and impulsive control for nonlinear systems, system thermodynamics, thermodynamic modeling of mechanical and aerospace systems, and nonlinear analysis and control of biological and physiological systems.
Cooperative control design for multiagent systems Multiagent systems are complex systems that consist of several subsystems that are coupled either dynamically through the real physical interactions or coupled through common objectives that individual subsystems have to accomplish in order for the entire multiagent system to achieve the desired state or property. Examples of those include consensus states in telecommunication networks, formation moving of unmanned vehicles (formation flying), distributed sensor networks, etc. This research has been heavily motivated by the potential application of multiagent systems to a variety of critical missions pertaining to civilian and military operations, for example, search and rescue, reconnaissance, space exploration.
Mathematics of online social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc) Although social networks is a mature field that has been studied by diverse scientific communities such as physicists, mathematicians, sociologists, cognitive scientists and psychologists, taking the social relations into the cyber-world entails the breakage of several fundamental principles that previous studies have been built on. For example, the population of OSN is growing continuously with the continuous growth of social connections among their members (“followers”, “likes”, “subscribers”) while previously there has been assumed a fixed size of the population with a limited number of acquaintances that an individual can have. Another assumption that conventional social network models utilize is that the probability of a person developing a new acquaintance should drop sharply once the person’s number of friends reaches a certain level. This is in vivid contrast with what is happening in OSN when the probability of acquiring new “followers” and “likes” grows as the number of current “followers” and “likes” becomes larger. A quick Facebook reference suggests that an entity with over a million followers acquires thousands of new followers daily while someone with only a few followers can stay at this number for a long time. The natural question then becomes: what is the threshold number of the followers (or a ballpark figure) that one needs in order for the network of followers to grow by itself? In this research, I intend not only to answer the above question, but also to develop the models of social interactions in the cyber-world in order to predict the network evolution and to see if there is any way of controlling this evolution through the synthesized robotic users that mimic human behavior in the online world.
Dr. Seri Park, PTP, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [email protected]
Traffic Safety Dr. Park’s safety research areas include exploring the relationships among the infrastructure design features, infrastructure performance, roadway users and overall traffic safety. Local calibration of Highway Safety Manual (HSM) is her recently completed research topic. Currently, Dr. Park is conducting a study of inter-relationship between the pavement performance reliability and rumble-strips, commonly used safety measures. The results of this
study will help guide the process of determining optimum rumble strip dimensions for maintaining pavement performance and its integrity while enhancing traffic safety.
Investigation on roundabouts design consistency impacts on traffic safety is another example of Dr. Park’s research area. Results of this research will provide transportation engineers and practitioners with empirical evidence in support of a consistent standard for roundabout design which will improve safety.
Network Flow
Dr. Park has ample experience in running microscopic simulation models such as PARAMICS, which enables to perform a comprehensive analysis of various traffic control and management strategies. Active Transportation and Demand Management (ATDM) is a new approach in addressing on-going traffic congestion. Dr. Park’s research topics include real-time traffic control and management, core elements of ATDM, as well as traffic sensor technology and its application. Her study on congestion factor identification in the context of time and space formed a basis for framing ATDM evaluation layout. To further extend ATDM effectiveness evaluation, a simulation-based before and after study is planned to evaluate various mitigation schemes. Furthermore, network flow analysis based on the special events, such as baseball games, integrated travel demand model is another focal research area.
Dr. Richard Perry, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering [email protected]
Control System Data Authentication and Verification Using Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm
Batch Spreadsheet for C Programmers - an open source project Oriented towards scientific numerical methods; includes least squares, Nelder Mead simplex for non-linear multivariable function minimization, other iterative methods.
Web-based Programming Environment - an open source project Ongoing development with associated programming courses. Enhancements made this year: WAV audio (in addition to ulaw), GNU Scientific Library project, PPM image processing.
Gforth Interfaces for Raspberry Pi C Libraries
James C. Peyton Jones, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Website [email protected] Exhaust Aftertreatment Systems Modeling Sensors and Diagnostics. In order to reduce automotive emissions it is necessary to model and control the dynamics of the catalytic exhaust aftertreatment system. It is also important to characterize the behavior of low-cost on-board exhaust gas sensors, and possibly to exploit their non-ideal cross sensitivity to different gas components in order to extract multiple signals from a single
sensor. We have also developed a variety of On Board Diagnostic strategies to detect the health of the aftertreatment system and components – which is an important legal requirement. Stochastic Control: Knock, Misfire, Cyclic Variations Combustion varies randomly from one engine cycle to the next even under nominally fixed operating conditions, resulting in degradation of fuel economy and emissions as well as damaging 'knock' and misfile at the extremes. The process is statistically independent, so direct control of the forthcoming cycle is not possible. Our recent work has therefore developed new algorithms for characterizing and controlling the probability distributions of these processes, with results that show considerable improvement over traditional methods. Automated Computation & Solution of Describing Function / Harmonic Balance Methods Harmonic balance methods offer a powerful way to compute the frequency response of nonlinear systems subject to some known periodic input. However, the complexity of the algebra generally limits application to low-order nonlinearities subject to single-sinusoidal inputs. In our recent work, new algorithms have been developed to enable high-order, poly-sinusoidal harmonic balance equations to be automatically generated and solved for a broad class of nonlinear systems. Automated Computation & Interpretation of Multi-Dimensional Volterra Transfer Functions A more general, though multi-dimensional, way to characterize nonlinear frequency response behavior is using higher order Volterra transfer functions. Again, our work has enabled these functions to be computed easily from the coefficients of the time-domain governing equations. Rapid prototyping / Automatic Code Generation from MATLAB/Simulink to Low-Cost Hardware Moore's law has resulted in the availability of increasingly powerful, remarkably low-cost embedded computational platforms, - such as mobile phones, LEGO NXT devices, Rasberry Pi, PandaBoard, Arduino and others. However, this power is also associated with increased programming complexity. The aim of this work is to allow simple programming of these devices using automatic code generation from MATLAB/Simulink in order to enable students to undertake high level, challenging designs, without the burden of low level bit / register operations. This builds on our recently completed NSF TUES project.
Dr. Vito Punzi, Department of Chemical Engineering [email protected] Adsorption-Related Research Ongoing research has been studying the theoretical and applied aspects of the adsorption of heavy metal contaminants (such as cadmium, copper and lead)) from simulated industrial wastewater onto various solid adsorbents, such as activated carbon, synthetic polymeric adsorbents, and biopolymers such as chitosan, using either a batch (slurry) adsorption process, or a packed bed adsorption column process.
More recently, experimental research investigations have focused on the use of chitosan, a biopolymer derived from naturally occurring chitin, for the removal copper from a simulated wastewater. Generally, chitosan is available in a flaked form. However, removal of heavy metals using flaked chitosan does not seem to be as efficient as the removal using chitosan powder, chitosan beads or chitosan film. Recent research projects performed at Villanova have studied different small-scale processing methods that can be used to produce chitosan powder, beads and film; and, how the chitosan flakes, chitosan powder, chitosan beads and chitosan film can be used to remove copper from simulated wastewater, in various batch- and fixed-bed process orientations. Sustainable Industrial Wastewater and Stormwater Remediation Technology In collaboration with various other VCASE researchers, ongoing investigations are being performed in which materials generally considered to be “by-products” are studied for possible use in stormwater remediation applications. To date this research has investigated the use of water treatment plant residuals as a sorbent for stormwater remediation for the removal of a wide range of inorganic contaminants. Future research will investigate the use of biochar produced in biofuels production processes as a sorbent for the removal of various inorganic and organic contaminants, both for industrial wastewater treatment and stormwater remediation applications. Nanoparticle Removal by Coagulation and Flocculation As the use of nanoparticles in commercial processes has increased, there is some concern regarding the potential health and environmental impacts associated with the release of these compounds into the environment. This research studies the extent to which wastewater treatment technologies that have historically been used for conventional suspended solids removal (i.e., coagulation and flocculation) can provide appropriate levels of treatment to remove nanoparticles that may be present in a wastewater stream. Although a number of specific types of nanoparticles will eventually be studied, early investigations have focused on carbon and various metal oxide nanoparticles are the most logical materials to investigate at first. The experimental aspects of this research will consist of the development of an experimental plan, and then laboratory experiments that will determine whether coagulation and flocculation are viable wastewater treatment technologies for the removal of nanoparticles.
Dr. T. Radhakrishnan, Department of Mechanical Engineering [email protected] Manufacturing Processes (Machining):
• Process monitoring • Cutting tool geometry • Machined surface quality
Manufacturing Automation:
• CNC applications • Industrial-robot applications
PC Board Assembly:
• Analysis of errors in component fetching/placement
Dr. Verica Radisavljevic-Gajic, Department of Mechanical Engineering [email protected] Fuel Cell Modeling and Control Research involves the design of full-order and reduced-order observer driven controllers for fuel cells (proton exchange membrane (PEMFC), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and hydrogen gas reformers (fuel processing system, which produce hydrogen from natural gas or in general from hydrogen rich fuels). The design will require multiple feedback control loops and feed-forward controllers to cope with the impact of the disturbance caused by the produced fuel cell current (that changes at random times as a piecewise constant), and to provide proper
anode and cathode pressures, and the desired fuel cell performance from the optimality point of view. Heat Equation Focus is on sliding-mode boundary control of an uncertain heat system with spatially dependent coefficients. This system is modeled as a partial differential equation subject to both an exogenous disturbance at the control end and parameter variations within the interior domain. The objective is to design a sliding mode controller and an infinite-dimensional sliding surface that ensures system stability in the sliding mode and forces the system states to move toward and remain on the sliding surface. Also being studied is sliding mode control for output-feedback boundary stabilization of the unstable heat equation with matched disturbances using noncollocated sliding mode observers. The system model describes conduction of a thin rod using a parabolic partial differential equation with a Dirichlet type boundary actuator and sensing at the opposite end. Beam Vibrations My research group studies stability and control of an Euler-Bernoulli beam with various boundary conditions. The controller is expected to be given in terms of applied displacement and bending moment and should account for bounded exogenous disturbances, representing a number of possible practical issues such as model parameter uncertainties or unknown external forces. The sliding mode controller should be designed to effectively drive the system states to an exponentially stable infinite-dimensional sliding surface which then eliminates the system vibration with arbitrary damping. Modeling and Control of HIV Dynamics Work involves developing new mathematical models of HIV-virus dynamics and new efficient control strategies to keep the number of HIV virions under a pre-specified level and to reduce the total amount of medications that HIV/AIDS patients receive. The goal also i s to model dynamics of reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors drugs and couple them with the HIV dynamics in a single mathematical model, using the theory of multiple time scales. Multi-time scale modeling also will be used to capture slow decay of the patient’s immune system and slow dynamics of the corresponding model parameters coupled with the fast dynamics representing healthy and infected white blood cells. Multi-Stage Multi-Time Scale Feedback Controllers Focus is on how to design and amplify multi-stage full-state or output feedback controllers with individual controllers operating on particular dynamic parts (subsystems) of the system. The goal is to design independent and different types of partial-state or partial-output feedback controllers for different subsystems. The overall full-state feedback controller will be designed as a combination of the individual subsystem controllers hopefully in a proportional full-state or output feedback form.
Dr. Rees B. Rankin, Department of Chemical Engineering Website [email protected]
Rational Materials Design VIA Computational Modeling Tools We seek to turn ‘Edisonian’ design on its head and develop predictive structure-property relationships for materials in an application-specific and societally-optimal fashion (lowered cost, increased sustainability, lowered carbon footprints). Our primary computational design tool is quantum-mechanics-based application of Density Functional Theory (DFT) via commercial flagship code ‘VASP’. DFT calculations are used (at the atomic and electronic-structure level) and their interfaces for applications in the following areas:
Transition Metal Surfaces • Catalysis related:
Less-platinated catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) chemistry; functional electrochemical green water remediation in deNOX chemistry; advanced and next-generation battery cathodes (Lithium-Air); electrochemically enhanced CO2 reduction; electrochemically enhanced NH3 synthesis; and more
• Other applications: Templates for assembly of biomolecules with respect to separation of biomolecules and pharmaceuticals; assembly of organic molecules for semiconductor and superconductor films at the nanoscale; directed assembly to form organic quantum dot films on transition metal surfaces
Metal Oxide & Metal Nitride Surfaces • Supports/Catalysts in practical industrial applications
Adsorbent surfaces to selectively scrub gas emissions in plants; silica structure-catalyst effects for supported Vanadium-oxide (Vanadia) selective oxidation catalysis; spillover effects in hydrogenation reactions in supported base-metal catalysts
Metal-oxide and nitride photocatalysts with selectively designed bandgaps; catalytically selective Metal-oxide and surfaces with stability under high temperature environments (Solid Oxide Fuel Cells)
Impurity Mediated Graphene Catalysis • Catalysis related:
First efforts to understand role of doping and defect sites to utilize graphene as a low-cost catalyst
Dr. Sridhar Santhanam, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected] Structural Health Monitoring Mechanical and aerospace structures can develop debilitating defects such as cracks during their service lifetime. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) represent a collection of strategies and techniques for the timely detection of these and other defects. Guided wave imaging of defects is emerging as a very promising approach for certain critical structures. A framework based on Compressive Sensing and Sparse
Reconstruction is being developed for flexible sensing and robust defect imaging using ultrasonic guided waves. This research is being conducted in collaboration with the Center of Advanced Communications. Ultra High Temperature Refractory Materials The goal of this project is to develop high temperature refractory materials suitable for use in launch and propulsion test facilities to withstand thermomechanical loading from rocket exhaust plumes. A suitable aggregate-binder material system is being developed with micro and nano scale features that will result in a refractory material with superior thermo-mechanical behavior at elevated temperatures as well as a low porosity. This work is being conducted in collaboration with Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing and is funded through a NASA STTR grant. Engineered Biomimetic Ceramics This project aims to develop damage tolerant ceramics that mimic the architecture of sea shells. A new process called SHELL (Sequential Hierarchical Engineered Layered Lamination) has been developed to manufacture biomimetic multi-scaled and multi-layered ceramic materials. Damage tolerance of these biomimetic ceramics is excellent and superior to that of monolithic ceramics. Applications of these biomimetic ceramics in armor and as high temperature structural materials are currently being explored. Viscous Energy Dissipation for Blast-Protection Structures Enhanced energy dissipation in blast protection systems is considered in this work. Our approach is to consider materials and structures historically used in lightweight blast-protection systems, such as in armored vehicles, and improve the energy dissipation ability by using viscous dissipation. Analytical and numerical models are used to estimate the energy dissipated by viscous mechanisms in metal sandwich plates. Numerical models use a Coupled Lagrangian-Eulerian finite element simulation. Physical testing using drop-weight impact testing is performed to corroborate results from the analytical and numerical models. An instrumented drop-weight apparatus was custom built for this testing. Liquid loaded structures have been shown to improve the damage resistance of structures both from low velocity impacts and from high velocity blasts.
Dr. Justinus Satrio, Department of Chemical Engineering
Website [email protected] Selective Pyrolysis for Producing High Quality Bio-Oil from Low Cost Biomass Feedstocks This project aims to explore the potentials of low-cost biomass feedstock, such as paper mill sludge (PMS), spent mushroom substrates (PMS), and wetland plants (algae and common reeds or phragmites), as feedstocks for the production of bio-oil and bio-char via fast pyrolysis process. By subjecting the biomass to a combination of pre-treatment processes, prior to pyrolysis, it is possible to control the selectivity of the chemical product distribution
in the bio-oil product. Research on the utilization of the wetland plants is a collaborative work with researchers from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Villanova. A Sustainable Process System for Producing Biofuels from Biomass Grown for Remediating Soils In this project, researchers from the Chemical Engineering Department and the Biology Department at Villanova are combining their respective expertise to develop a sustainable processing system for producing biofuels from grassy plants that can be grown on heavy-metal contaminated soils. It has been demonstrated that certain types of perennial grasses, such as switchgrass, have great potential improving the quality of heavy metal contaminated soil by taking up the heavy metal contaminant from the soil, in addition to their potential as biorenewable feedstock for the production of bioenergy and biofuels.
Combined Engineering /Chemistry Approach to Increasing the Stability and Yields of Bio-oils from Biomass Pyrolysis Researchers from the Chemical Engineering Department at Villanova University are combining their respective expertise to develop a sustainable processing system, based on a novel non-catalytic/catalytic fast pyrolysis system, which will allow the biomass feedstock to be converted to intermediate liquid products with the desired physicochemical properties based on the composition and properties of the biomass feedstock used. This work is performed in conjunction with an on-going DOE-supported project on the development of novel solid catalysts for upgrading bio-oils in vapor- and condensed-phases in collaboration with Prof. Charles Coe in the ChE Department. Production of Sustainable Hydrogen from Biomass A potential source for renewable hydrogen is the bio-oil resulting from fast pyrolysis low cost biomass feedstocks. The conventional steam reforming process for producing hydrogen requires high temperatures and is energy intensive. This project aims to develop novel sorption enhanced catalyst/sorbent composites to produce hydrogen in excess of its equilibrium amounts allowing higher hydrogen yields at much milder conditions.
Dr. Pritpal Singh, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering [email protected] High Efficiency, Low Cost, Thin Film Solar Cells Conventional solar cells employ crystalline or polycrystalline silicon materials and are usually over 200 μm in thickness. The cost of silicon solar modules has dropped substantially over the last few years but is still relatively high (~$1/Wp in large scale retail purchase). The efficiency of these solar cells is typically about 15%. More recently, second generation thin film solar cells have been developed and commercialized. The main technology that is now in large scale production is cadmium
telluride solar cells. Their cost is competitive with the lowest cost silicon modules and their efficiency is a about 10%. Third generation solar cells aim to drive down the cost further and increase the efficiency substantially. We are developing a new technology based on electrodeposition of nanostructured thin films of cadmium telluride and lead telluride. The films are deposited a single atomic layer at a time. We have demonstrated deposition of these films on both gold-coated glass substrates and glass coated with a transparent conducting oxide. We have demonstrated that we can change the bandgap of our semiconductor materials and make stoichiometric, polycrystalline films. The next step is to improve film quality and to determine the electrical conduction through the films. We have made some initial solar cells and will be developing this further. Microgrids Incorporating Renewable Energy Sources The traditional electrical grid has comprised large central power plants transmitting the generated power across transmission lines to distribution systems for meeting customer loads. More recently, the growth of renewable energy systems has led to local power generation contributing to the mix of power generating sources. Another recent innovation in power system architecture employs renewable energy sources powering local communities, e.g. university campuses or corporate campuses, to provide independent, local power generation. These so-called microgrids offer a new paradigm for local power systems. In order to ensure that these grids maintain voltage and frequency stability, local control systems and power electronics are required. When renewable energy sources are also integrated into these systems, the variability and intermittency of these sources must also be handled. Our research is focused on developing models for control of microgrid systems incorporating renewable energy sources.
Dr. Dorothy Skaf, Department of Chemical Engineering [email protected]
Photocatalysis for Waste Treatment or Value-Recovery from Waste Streams Photocatalysis uses semiconducting solids and sunlight to drive oxidation and reduction reactions. Under anaerobic conditions this can produce hydrogen or other small molecules from aqueous waste streams. Under aerobic conditions this can destruction dilutes contaminants in water or converts these components to desirable compounds. Ongoing projects address the influence of solution conditions on yield and selectivity and studying catalyst and co-catalyst effects.
Recovering Value from Process Waste Streams
Process wastes can contain chemicals with the potential for energy recovery or conversion into useful products. This line of research addresses identifying these streams, reviewing the process and waste characteristics, and developing strategies for improvements. These might include more cost-effective purification, conversion to valuable products, or upstream process modifications to reduce the waste and/or improve processability. Recent projects have addressed the glycerol byproduct from biodiesel manufacture and dairy waste.
Dr. Michael A. Smith, Department of Chemical Engineering [email protected] Our research objective is to create a deeper understanding of catalytic processes. Our work is primarily experimental: we synthesize catalysts, characterize them using an array of analytical methods such as nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy, and then test our materials in appropriate chemical reactions. The goal is to use our improved understanding of the relationship between structure and effectiveness to develop better catalysts for alternative energy applications. Specific projects are discussed in greater detail below.
Support texture effects on monolayer vanadium catalysts for partial oxidation: A typical solid catalyst consists of a catalytically active metal on the surface of an inert, porous substrate (typically alumina or silica). The effects of catalyst type, particle size, shape, etc. on different reactions have been extensively studied; however, much less is known about how the structure of the support effects a reaction. Recently, we show that the surface roughness of SBA-15 – a self-assembled nanostructured silica - effects the behavior of vanadium oxide supported on the silica (Smith et al J Catalysis
(2014) 312 p 170-178). Our next goal is to determine if our earlier findings are unique to vanadia on SBA-15 silica, or more broadly applicable to other solid supports.
Surface texture effects on support and catalyst acidity: Important classes of catalysts function by virtue of their acidity. We recently observed that alumina and zirconia deposited on SBA-15 lead to very high Brønsted activity; an unexpected result as zirconia and alumina are normally Lewis acids. We also observed that the surface roughness of SBA-15 affects the strength of the acid sites, which creates opportunities to tune the acid strength in subtle yet important ways. Bifunctional catalysts and support effects of catalysts for bio-oil upgrading: To be useful as fuel, solid biomass must be converted into combustible liquids with high energy density. One route to accomplish this is by fast pyrolysis to create bio-oil. However, bio-oils contain significant quantities of chemically-bound oxygen that reduce energy density, and render them too unstable for practical use. The challenge is to develop catalytic processes that upgrade the oil by removing oxygen to yield upgraded pyrolysis oils that can be easily integrated into traditional petroleum refineries. Zeolites and catalysts for synthesis of methane or methanol from carbon oxides: An alternative to the continued use of petroleum is to develop technologies to transform syn-gas into methane and higher hydrocarbons. Traditionally syn-gas is made from coal or natural gas by steam reforming; here we propose to dissociate the hydrogen generation from the COx source. We wish to combine a zeolite capable of adsorbing carbon dioxide from flue gas with a hydrogenation catalyst, with the goal to develop a truly sustainable source of methane, the primary component of natural gas.
Dr. Robert Traver, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website [email protected] Next Generation Volume Reduction Green Infrastructure Stormwater Control Measures in Support of Philadelphia’s Green City Clean Waters Initiative The Environmental Protection Agency awarded a grant to Villanova University to study the performance and effectiveness of green infrastructure to control and manage stormwater in urban areas, using Philadelphia as the pilot area. The research team will work closely the Philadelphia Water Department to assess the effectiveness of various green infrastructure
installations, like rain gardens, green roofs and so-called “treatment trains.”
Optimal Balance of Infiltration-Evapotranspiration for Vegetated SCMs The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded Drs. Traver, Wadzuk and Welker more than $225,000 to conduct stormwater facility research, which is a high priority research need for VUSP partners. This grant award is part of the DEP’s nearly $21 million endeavor to advance the science behind watershed protection in the Commonwealth. The project will assess the relative effectiveness of rain gardens and their capacity to improve both water quality and quantity. Some other research projects by Drs. Traver, Welker and Wadzuk include:
• Implementation and evaluation of a stormwater best management practices series, which is exploring the performance of green infrastructure in larger storms
• Rain garden configuration to maximize hydrologic performance, which will compare performance of different bio- infiltration and bio-retention rain gardens
• Analysis and prediction of evapotranspiration benefits from SCMs • PA 319 non-point source pollution grant for monitoring the bio-infiltration and stormwater wetland SCMs • Evapotranspiration analysis of the St. Joseph's University green roof
Dr. Ani Ural, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected]
The Computational Biomechanics and Solid Mechanics laboratory led by Dr. Ani Ural investigates the mechanical response of biological and engineering structures using finite element modeling. The focus of the group is the application of solid mechanics and fracture mechanics concepts to solving challenging engineering problems using computational tools. The application areas include biological materials such as bone, bio-inspired innovative new materials as well as traditional engineering applications.
Currently, the main focus of the group is to develop a mechanistic understanding of bone fracture using computational modeling with an ultimate goal of addressing skeletal diseases such as osteoporosis. The current research projects in the laboratory address the mechanical behavior of bone at different hierarchical levels using computational modeling. Finite element modeling is a powerful tool that has the potential to improve the understanding of fracture processes in bone that cannot be evaluated by experimental studies. The interdisciplinary nature of these research projects combine the fundamentals of solid and fracture mechanics with biology and medicine.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:
Noninvasive patient-specific fracture risk assessment: The diagnosis of fracture risk and osteoporosis has been traditionally done based on bone mass measurements. However, recent studies show that fracture incidence cannot be predicted by bone mass alone and factors such as bone geometry, microstructure, and bone’s material properties affect an individual’s fracture risk. Therefore, new fracture assessment tools that include other factors in addition to bone mass are needed. The overall goal of this research project is to develop a new approach for bone fracture risk assessment based on large scale, fracture mechanics-based finite element modeling that combines bone geometry, microstructure, and material properties.
Evaluation of micro- and nanoscale fracture mechanisms in bone: One of the keys to developing effective treatments against bone fracture is to elucidate the influence of micro- and nanoscale components of bone on mechanical properties of bone. The objective of this research project is to investigate the effects of structure, distribution, and material properties of micro- and nanostructural components of bone on its fracture behavior using fracture mechanics-based finite element modeling
Assessment of the influence of reduced bone turnover on fracture mechanisms in bone: Recent studies have highlighted the significance of changes in the bone tissue material composition and organization on the fracture resistance of bone. The organic matrix and mineral amount, distribution, and characteristics in bone change with age, disease, and treatment. These changes may lead to alterations in the mechanical properties of bone including its fracture resistance. The overall goal of this project is to advance the understanding of the changes in cortical bone material composition, organization, and fracture resistance due to suppressed bone turnover via multiscale computational modeling.
Development of biomimetic nanocomposites for bone implants: Hydroxyapatite has emerged as a strong candidate material for bone implants due to its bioactivity and its resemblance to the inorganic constituent of the natural bone material. The goal of this project is to assess the mechanical properties of HA nanocomposites to assess the elastic and fracture properties of this new material.
Dr. Bridget Wadzuk, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website
Next Generation Volume Reduction Green Infrastructure Stormwater Control Measures in Support of Philadelphia’s Green City Clean Waters Initiative In September 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $1 million grant to Villanova University to study the performance and effectiveness of green infrastructure to control and manage stormwater in urban areas, using Philadelphia as the pilot area. The research team will work closely the Philadelphia Water Department to assess the effectiveness
of various green infrastructure installations, like rain gardens, green roofs and so-called “treatment trains.”
Optimal Balance of Infiltration-Evapotranspiration for Vegetated SCMs The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded Drs. Traver, Wadzuk and Welker more than $225,000 to conduct stormwater facility research, which is a high priority research need for VUSP partners. This grant award is part of the DEP’s nearly $21 million endeavor to advance the science behind watershed protection in the Commonwealth. The project will assess the relative effectiveness of rain gardens and their capacity to improve both water quality and quantity.
Additional Projects
• Smart Stormwater Green Infrastructure Services• An Integrated Vegetated Roof People Hub• Implementation and Evaluation of a Stormwater Best Management Practices in Series• Analysis and Prediction of Evapotranspiration Benefits from Stormwater Control Measures
Dr. Xiaofang “Maggie” Wang, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering [email protected]
On-Chip Interconnection Networks for Many-Core Processors With the rapid growth in the number of computing cores on a single chip, an efficient on-chip communication network that matches the needs of the target application becomes more and more critical to the overall performance of chip multiprocessors. Aggressive exploitation for high performance has resulted in fairly complex and resource-expensive networks. We argue that computation is still the primary task of chip multiprocessors and more resources should be allocated for the computing fabric rather than the communication network. Therefore, our
research explores innovative on-chip communication networks from various dimensions, including topology, router architecture and microarchitecture, routing, hardware reconfiguration, that require less resources, consume less power, and provide high performance for future on-chip many-core processors.
Securing Intellectual Property (IP) Cores in Systems on Chip (SoCs) and Reconfigurable Systems The security and trust of the hardware itself has been largely neglected, but is expected to become a paramount issue as embedded systems are being increasingly integrated into personal and commercial infrastructures, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks. The physical accessibility of such devices imposes a wider range of attacks compared to workstations and servers. The volatile and reconfigurable nature of reconfigurable systems presents unique security challenges to system designers, but also offers advantages to building secure designs. We are focusing on investigating system- and architecture-level solutions to secure computing hardware through digital signatures and live monitoring.
Power/Performance Modeling and Automatic System Synthesis for Reconfigurable Many-Core Processors High-performance reconfigurable computing is a recently emerged area in reconfigurable computing as a result of significant advances in FPGA technologies and serious design and implementation challenges with ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). The HERA system that we developed was the first 64-core single-chip processor which seamlessly integrated the two most popular parallel and complementary computing modes, i.e. SIMD and MIMD, on a single chip and has demonstrated superior performance with real experimental measurements with matrices of up to 14,508 X 14,508. By using our design methodology and automatic system generator, average system designers without hardware expertise can take full advantage of the capabilities of reconfigurable logic to quickly customize an application-specific, dynamic, and software-programmable multi-core processor which matches the specific time-varying and unpredictable energy-performance needs of a given application.
Dr. Randy Weinstein, Department of Chemical Engineering Website (Nanomaterials and Surface Science Laboratory) Website (Supercritical Fluids Laboratory) [email protected]
Materials Processing in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide are solvents that have many potential advantages in the field of material processing. In these solvents we are exploring the formation of self-assembled monolayers, the creation of drug-delivery devices, the creation of new and improved chewing gum, and the synthesizing of nanomaterials. Carbon dioxide is
inexpensive, relatively benign, and easy to recycle with a drop in pressure which converts it to the gaseous state and separates it from liquids and solids being processed. In the supercritical state, high diffusivities, low viscosities, and tunable densities are also accessible. Furthermore, carbon dioxide does not have a strong affinity for many metal surfaces and most adsorbates. We have found monolayers formed in carbon dioxide have higher crystallinity, improved packing densities, and fewer defects than those produced in traditional liquid organic solvents. We have also used carbon dioxide to dissolve antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs and then implant these materials in biodegradable polymer matrices. Carbon dioxide was found to be an excellent swelling agent for many of the polymer matrices and easily without contamination increased the loading of drugs and other agents into the polymer. We were also able to swell a variety of standard gum base polymers in carbon dioxide and implant flavors as well as pharmaceuticals into the gum. Carbon dioxide has also been use to create nanomaterials of a variety of materials.
Graphite Nanofibers (GNFs) as Catalysts and for Thermal Enhancement Graphitic based structures have always garnered special attention for their electronic, mechanical, and physical properties.Graphite nanofibers especially have drawn much interest due to their similarity to fullrene and carbon nanotube structures. Past studies have evaluated a variety of potential uses of graphite nanofibers such as polymer additives, gas storage materials, heterogeneous catalyst supports, electrodes for fuel cell applications, and thermal management applications in electronics. With reported surface areas up to 200 m2/g, their use as heterogeneous catalyst supports is especially intriguing, and much work as already been accomplished evaluating them as supports for traditional transition metal catalysts such as nickel, rhodium, and platinum. We study the use of GNFs as catalysts for several chemical reactions and alter their chemical surfaces to achieve higher conversions and selectivities. Furthermore, these fibers have been imbedded in a variety of materials, including phase change materials, to enhance the overall effective thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity.
Dr. Andrea Welker, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website [email protected]
Next Generation Volume Reduction Green Infrastructure Stormwater Control Measures in Support of Philadelphia’s Green City Clean Waters Initiative The Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $1 million grant to Villanova University to study the performance and effectiveness of green infrastructure to control and manage stormwater in urban areas, using Philadelphia as the pilot area. The research team will work closely the Philadelphia Water Department to assess the effectiveness of various green
infrastructure installations, like rain gardens, green roofs and so-called “treatment trains.”
Watershed Protection Application: Target Sub-Watershed Cluster Implementation Dr. Welker received a three-year grant from the William Penn Foundation to develop a Watershed Protection Strategy for portions of the Delaware River. The project will monitor the effectiveness of individual stormwater control measures (SCMs) in three targeted micro-watersheds: The Pennypack Headwaters, Sandy Run and Tookany Main Stem. The monitoring results will inform the design of new mathematical models that will be used to assess the current and future performance of these and similar SCMs.
Optimal Balance of Infiltration-Evapotranspiration for Vegetated SCMs The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded Drs. Traver, Wadzuk and Welker more than $225,000 to conduct stormwater facility research, which is a high priority research need for members of the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP). The project will assess the relative effectiveness of rain gardens and their capacity to improve both water quality and quantity.
Additional research projects:
• Implementation and evaluation of a stormwater best management practices series, which is exploring theperformance of green infrastructure in larger storms
• Rain garden configuration to maximize hydrologic performance, which will compare performance of differentbio- infiltration and bio-retention rain gardens
• Analysis and prediction of evapotranspiration benefits from SCMs• PA 319 non-point source pollution grant for monitoring the bio-infiltration and stormwater wetland SCMs• Evapotranspiration analysis of the St. Joseph's University green roof• Field performance of corrugated pipe manufactured with recycled polyethylene
Dr. Aaron Wemhoff, Department of Mechanical Engineering Website [email protected] Development & Application of Molecular Dynamics (MD) Modeling toward Analysis of Nanosystems MD simulations deterministically model a system of interacting molecules in order to ascertain thermophysical properties through statistical analysis. The following projects have been focus areas for the group through the application of the in-house code Molecular Dynamics in Arbitrary Geometries (MDAG)
a. MD simulations to model nanodroplet impingement on a heated surface. b. Determined and implemented the appropriate mathematical formulation for energy fluctuations in an
isothermal domain to ensure an accurate assessment of the thermal conductivity in graphene sheets. c. Applied equilibrium MD simulations to examine the role of graphite stacking arrangement on its thermal
conductivity tensor. d. Applied both equilibrium and nonequilibrium MD towards the development of the axial thermal conductivity of
the various styles of graphite nanofibers (GNFs). Development and Application of Data Center Thermodynamic Analysis Models We have been developing the Villanova Thermodynamic Analysis of Systems (VTAS), a lumped parameter flow network modeling code for data center cooling systems. VTAS is unique in that it employs both energetic and exergetic (available work) analysis to pinpoint both first-law and second-law efficiencies of individual components and the entire system. This enables more efficient data center design, the ability to model system responses to equipment failure, and novel control systems. It also allows for the appropriate integration and comparison of novel cooling strategies such as rear door heat exchangers, overhead coolers, in-row coolers, direct liquid cooling, and airside economization. Finally, VTAS contains the capability to integrate modeling of the influence of waste energy recovery such as in absorption refrigeration and Organic Rankine cycles. Theoretical Models for Thermal-Fluid Mechanics and Properties We developed a theory that enables the predictions of the thermal conductivity of a composite material containing percolated networks of highly-conducting cylindrical inclusions inside a poorly-conducting background matrix. The theory, motivated by the enhancement of phase change materials (PCMs) by the addition of carbon nanotubes or graphite nanofibers, enables the estimation of nanoscale parameters such as the inclusion thermal conductivity, inclusion-inclusion thermal boundary resistance, and the inclusion-matrix thermal boundary resistance from macroscale measurements of composites. We have also applied multiscale modeling to estimate the thermophysical properties of liquids using molecular group theory calculations. These predictions are used in device-level modeling to determine the influence of thermal properties on the overall performance of the PCM in a concentrated solar power generation application. The end goal is to show how molecular tailoring can improve the overall performance of a device.
Dr. Qianhong Wu, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Website [email protected]
Fundamental Fluid Dynamics in Cellular Biomechanics In the cellular biomechanics research area, the team is dedicated to examine the pivotal role of the endothelial glycocalyx in microcirculation. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and illness in developed countries and imposes a huge economic burden to our society. The endothelial glycocalyx layer (EGL) is a soft porous structure that covers the surface of the
endothelium. In the past decade, there has been an explosion in the EGL research. Data so far indicate that an intact EGL contributes to the protection of endothelial functions throughout the vasculature, and that many cardiovascular diseases are associated with the perturbations of the EGL. From the biophysical point of view, the structural integrity and the lift generation in this soft porous structure make it possible for the frictionless motion of the red blood cells. The team has developed a systematic experimental and theoretical framework to examine the physical mechanisms that determine the lift generation inside the EGL, its structural integrity, as well as the critical role of the EGL in sensing the mechanical signals outside the endothelium to help the protection of endothelial functions.
Bio-mimicry of Endothelial Glycocalyx Layer (EGL) The exquisite structure and properties of the EGL have made it possible for the frictionless motion of the red cell squeezing through our blood vessels. This is a beautiful example of the design of nature which has led to a new research area in bio-mimicry. Two research topics have been initiated in CBMSS. First, the team has developed a comprehensive bio-mimetic approach to implement the super lubrication concept, using both macro-scale synthetic fibers and functionalized nano porous media. This project, aiming to reduce friction which is the major component in the total energy required for operation, will have significant impact on the energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction; secondly, the team applied the lessons learned from the frictionless motion of red cells over the EGL to the lift mechanics of skiing or snowboarding. The immediate objective of this research direction is to explain why a 70 kg human can glide over a soft snow layer without sinking to the base as would occur if the motion is arrested, while the ultimate objective is to provide theoretical guidelines for the optimization of skis/snowboards. More significantly, the skiing mechanics theory can be readily expanded to the soft/super lubrication applications.
Dr. Rosalind Wynne, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Website [email protected]
Research focuses on the investigation and development of optical fiber sensors with an emphasis on photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), the nature of which has immediate relevancy to a broad range of areas including: Ecological/biological system monitoring Nondestructive evaluation Optical communications
Dr. Wenqing Xu, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [email protected]
Dr. Xu’s research interests build upon the fundamental understanding of environmental interfacial chemistry, with the goal of applying them to both natural and engineered systems to address today’s environmental challenges. Dr. Xu and her students, The Environmental Interfacial Chemistry (EIC) Group, are actively engaged in research and education, with the ultimate goal of transforming fundamental environmental interfacial chemistry knowledge into providing solutions for safe drinking water, nutrient recovery, and mitigating climate change. Below is a list of ongoing projects:
Engineering sorbent surfaces for contaminant destruction The immense use of chemicals in agriculture, industry, and by the military over the past century has resulted in significant harmful impact to the environment, especially in estuarine and coastal waters where the population is most dense. Sorption to black carbons is an important sink for these contaminants in soil and sediment. Previous research has suggested that black carbons mediate the degradation of contaminants by sulfides via reduction or nucleophilic substitution. However, the involvement of other environmental reagents is not evaluated and the reactive surface sites
Mitigating climate change using biochars Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the most potent greenhouse gases, which has a global-warming potential 300 times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2). To date, agriculture accounts for about 69% of N2O emission in the US. The role of biochar in mitigating global warming and reducing N2O emission has been investigated in many studies and a consistent decrease in N2O emission has been observed. However, due to the complex nature of biochar, the mechanism for the observed N2O reduction upon biochar application is unclear. We hypothesized that the conductivity of biochar is related to the observed reduction in N2O, where denitrification bacteria are using biochar as an electron source or shuttle. We will evaluate the impact of biochar’s
are still unclear. Therefore, the objective of this work is two folds: a) to evaluate the applicability of black carbon-mediated reactions to a wider variety of environmental reagents; b) to identify the reactive surface sites and further engineer the sorbents to enhance specific contaminants removal.
conductivity and various nutrient substrate
Evaluate N-DBPs (Disinfectio By-Products) formation potential from impaired water sources As a result of our rapid population growth and limited pristine water supply, utilities are unavoidably using impaired freshwater supplies. Waters impacted by algal blooms and wastewater effluents feature high organic nitrogen concentrations that might serve as N-DBP precursors, which are more toxic than traditional C-DBPs. However, the nature of DBP precursors is still unclear at this point. This work aims to evaluate N-DBP formation potential from four emerging impaired water sources that feature different precursor prevalence: 1) drinking water sources that’s impacted by fracking water discharges; 2) drinking water sources that’s impacted by stormwater runoffs; 3) drinking water sources that’s impacted by agriculture runoffs; and 4) swimming pool waters. The overall objective of this work is to evaluate N-DBP formation potential from these emerging impaired water sources and to develop effective prevention strategies.
on N2O emission.
Dr. Joseph Robert Yost, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Website [email protected]
Experimental testing of large structural systems and assemblies Testing of full-scale bridge decks Testing of precast slab systems with composite steel girders Steel moment frames Open web steel joists floor and roof systems FRP reinforced concrete beams
Steel connections
Development of Design Aids Girder-Slab technologies design aid Wood nailer design methodology for commercial metals company Ductile joist design methodology for new millennium building systems
