Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Materials Science and Engineering

Recent increases in computational power have led to growing enthusiasm about the volume of data that can be collected and analyzed for many applications. However, the amount of data some physical/virtual systems generate is so great that an increased reliance on mathematical, statistical, and algorithmic based approaches to analyze and make decisions from the data is required. Application of these computational tools can lead to sharper decision making and vast amounts of knowledge discovered. The abstraction of the scientific decision-making process has led many researchers to consider observing systems with more tunable experimental parameters. This makes traditional experimentation, which is based on human researchers conducting the experiment and using their intuition to drive the next set of experiments, intractable for these applications. Autonomous experimentation (AE) systems, which are also a byproduct of the computational explosion, are able to address this issue and have found use across the fields of biology, chemistry, and materials science. AE systems are typically capable of conducting certain types of experiments with lower and more reliable turnaround times as opposed to their human counterparts. The automated execution of experiments naturally leads one to think about how those experiments can be parallelized and otherwise completed faster due to the lack of human presence in the experimentation environment. Therefore, AE systems are considered when designing many high-throughput experimentation (HTE) efforts. This thesis presents an overview of the current state-of-the-art for AE systems in Chapter 1, a framework developed to increase the independence of AE systems from human assistance in Chapter 2, and a machine-learning (ML) data processing pipeline that automates the image post-processing phase of the analysis of backscattered-electron scanning electron microscope images in Chapter 3.

Committee: Stephen Niezgoda (Advisor); Joerg Jinschek (Advisor); Sriram Vijayan (Other); Gopal Viswanathan (Committee Member); Oksana Chkrebtii (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Computer Science; Engineering; Experiments; Industrial Engineering; Information Science; Information Systems; Information Technology; Metallurgy; Operations Research; Robotics; Statistics

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Chemical Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

The objective of this research is to continue development of the flowtube, a new type of test equipment developed at the ICMT. Baseline testing is commonly used to validate models and ensure understanding of the electrochemical system. Baseline mass transfer experiments were performed using a rotating cylinder electrode (RCE). Baseline corrosion experiments were completed using an RCE as well as a rotating disk electrode (RDE). Mass transfer within the RDE system was also successfully modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software Ansys Fluent. Experimental and simulated results were validated using well known and accepted correlations. Validation of the CFD simulations is vital because no physical prototype for the flowtube currently exists to compare with the CFD results. The RDE simulations will serve as a baseline to prove that Fluent is capable of performing accurate mass transfer calculations and potentially future corrosion simulations. Current testing apparatuses for flowing environments tend to be large and/or difficult to use in a small-scale lab. To combat this, the flowtube cell can create a controlled single phase flow regime in a glass cell or autoclave and can test 3 samples at one time in its most recent revision. A new revision is currently being created, so the flowtube was modeled using CFD in order to determine how design alterations will affect the flowing environment within the glass cell. The flowtube hydrodynamics have been successfully modeled using Ansys Fluent. This model can illustrate fluid flow in the glass cell around the flowtube apparatus in both steady state and transient conditions. This model will continue to be expanded upon in the future to reflect the design considerations for the next prototype version. Design considerations and their impact on the hydrodynamics of the flowtube system were analyzed through this research.

Committee: Srdjan Nesic (Advisor); Marc Singer (Committee Member); Bruce Brown (Committee Member); Rebecca Barlag (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemical Engineering; Engineering; Fluid Dynamics

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Electrical and Computer Engineering

This thesis presents the design, simulation and experimental validation of a novel approach to robust Adaptive Feedforward Control (AFC) of uncertain linear systems affected by harmonic disturbance. This thesis advances the AFC concept from theoretical proofs to a demonstration that the developed algorithm can be executed not only in simulation but compiled into open-sourced code and used in a “real world” example of a harmonic disturbance rejection in an acoustic chamber. This thesis includes detailed methodology on the design, simulation, code generation and execution of these experiments. A feature that sets the proposed method apart from existing approaches is that knowledge of the frequency response of the plant at a known frequency of excitation is not needed, as the controller tunes adaptively its parameters to accommodate for model uncertainty. An extension to the case where the frequency of excitation is not known precisely is also proposed. The methodology presented in this thesis builds upon recent results on Adaptive Feedforward Control as well as on classic tools in adaptive control. A noticeable drawback of the proposed controller -at this stage- is the large attenuation times when a disturbance frequency is changed in closed loop, which is due to the fact that – at present – the combined actions of stabilization, parameter adaptation and frequency estimation are not optimized.

Committee: Lee Potter Dr. (Committee Member); Andrea Serrani Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, 2020, EMC - Mechanical Engineering

A comparative analysis has been performed for vertical-axis wind turbines, including the straight, troposkien, and helical-bladed Darrieus configurations, to assess their aerodynamic efficiency and real-power performance. The experimentation process included numerical modeling, CAD design, 3D printing-fabrication, and wind tunnel testing of lab-scale prototypes with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control scheme under different wind velocities. Implementing a double multiple streamtube (DMST) model, aided in the delimitation of non-dimensional parameters, where the local Reynolds numbers are between Re_b = 32,000 and 190,000, finding the ideal solidity value to be ς < 1.7 for low tip-speed ratio conditions, λ < 2.5. The optimum rotor swept areas are S = 0.048 m2 and 0.093 m2 with a maximum rotational speed around ω ≅ 1100 RPMs. At the designed conditions, the best wind tunnel results are obtained from the troposkien configuration (T-v1), with a Cp_opt = 0.218 at λ_opt = 2.25, followed by the straight-bladed (SB-v2) with a Cp_opt = 0.118 at λ_opt = 1.31 and helical-bladed (H45-v3) with Cp_opt = 0.082 at λ_opt = 0.99. The implementation of a free-vortex wake (LLFVW) method demonstrated the artificial increases in Cp (13-17%) and TSR (4-6%) due to wind tunnel blockage ratios between BR = 18% and 26% with turbine curvature ratios c/R > 0.5. Nonetheless, the power predictions for the vortex model are not consistent with real experimental data varying around |∆Cp| ≥ 30%, while the DMST deviates on average by |∆Cp| ≥ 25%. As such, the best strategy for small-scale wind turbine experimentation resides on wind tunnel tests, whereas basic aerodynamic models are mainly taken as tools for parameter selection and wake-flow visualization in the downstream region.

Committee: Mario Garcia-Sanz Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Paul Barnhart Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Gao Ph.D. (Committee Member); Brian Maxwell Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Engineering; Energy; Engineering; Fluid Dynamics; Mechanical Engineering

BA, Oberlin College, 2017, Music

With a career spanning almost forty years, Canadian composer Howard Shore has become one of the most respected and sought after film composers working in the industry today. Much of his work, in particular his scores for the Lord of the Rings films, have received much academic attention; his longstanding working relationship with Canadian horror filmmaker David Cronenberg, however, has not yet benefited from such academic inquiry. Using the films The Brood, Videodrome, The Fly, and Naked Lunch as case studies, this thesis examines the way that Shore uses the arena of Cronenberg's films as a laboratory for personal musical experimentation. Examples include Shore's use of electronic synthesizer sounds alongside a string orchestra for Videodrome, implementations of against-the-grain writing for The Fly, and the incorporation of free-jazz aesthetics in Naked Lunch. Using as sources Howard Shore's words and what academic inquiry exists in this field, but more often utilizing my own analysis and observations of the music and films, I argue that Shore's scores incorporate such musical experimentation to work in tandem with Cronenberg's own experimental art. As such, Shore's scores for Cronenberg's films are a prime illustration of the practical value of experimental composition, showing that there is room for experimental composition in music outside of the realm of academia and indeed that such music can have commercial potential.

Committee: Stephen Hartke (Advisor); Charles Edward McGuire (Committee Chair); Rebecca Fülöp (Committee Member); Jesse Jones (Committee Member) Subjects: Film Studies; Music

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2017, Mechanical Engineering

Modern plasticity models contain numerous parameters that no longer correlate directly to measurements, leading to a lack of uniqueness during parameter identification. This problem is exacerbated when using only uniaxial test data to populate a three-dimensional model. Parameter identification typically is performed after all experiments are completed, and experiments using different loading conditions are seldom conducted for validation. Experimental techniques and computational methods for parameter identification are sufficiently advanced to permit real-time integration of these processes. This work develops a methodology for integrating multiaxial experimentation with constitutive parameter calibration and validation. The integrated strategy provides a closed-loop autonomous experimental approach to parameter identification. A continuous identification process guides the experiment to improve correlation across the entire axial-torsional test domain. Upon completion of the interactive test, constitutive parameters are available immediately for use in finite element simulations of more complex geometries. The autonomous methodology is demonstrated through both analytical and physical experiments on Ti-6Al-4V. The proposed approach defines a framework for parameter identification based on complete coverage of the stress and strain spaces of interest, thereby providing greater model fidelity for simulations involving multiaxial stress states and cyclic loading.

Committee: Robert Brockman (Advisor); Steven Donaldson (Committee Member); Thomas Whitney (Committee Member); Andrew Rosenberger (Committee Member); Reji John (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1977, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1977, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1962, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1962, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, Psychology

Experimentation is the fundamental tool of scientific inquiries to understand the laws governing the nature and human behaviors. Many complex real-world experimental scenarios, particularly in quest of prediction accuracy, often encounter difficulties to conduct experiments using an existing experimental procedure for the following two reasons. First, the existing experimental procedures require a parametric model to serve as the proxy of the latent data structure or data-generating mechanism at the beginning of an experiment. However, for those experimental scenarios of concern, a sound model is often unavailable before an experiment. Second, those experimental scenarios usually contain a large number of design variables, which potentially leads to a lengthy and costly data collection cycle. Incompetently, the existing experimental procedures are unable to optimize large-scale experiments so as to minimize the experimental length and cost. Facing the two challenges in those experimental scenarios, the aim of the present study is to develop a new experimental procedure that allows an experiment to be conducted without the assumption of a parametric model while still achieving satisfactory prediction, and performs optimization of experimental designs to improve the efficiency of an experiment. The new experimental procedure developed in the present study is named robust adaptive autonomous system (RAAS). RAAS is a procedure for sequential experiments composed of multiple experimental trials, which performs function estimation, variable selection, reverse prediction and design optimization on each trial. Directly addressing the challenges in those experimental scenarios of concern, function estimation and variable selection are performed by data-driven modeling methods to generate a predictive model from data collected during the course of an experiment, thus exempting the requirement of a parametric model at the beginning of an experiment; design optimization is pe (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jay Myung (Advisor); Mark Pitt (Committee Member); Paul de Boeck (Committee Member); Trisha Van Zandt (Committee Member) Subjects: Experimental Psychology; Experiments; Quantitative Psychology

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Art

This thesis intends to outline the development of my studio practice during my MFA candidacy at The Ohio State University. I entered graduate school as a potter but through the process of maquette-making my training as a craftsperson started to unravel. Setting aside pottery making, I experimented with form, made performances, and have now returned to the object. I intend to activate the objects I make with the same energy of my previous performances and to demonstrate my interests in: experimentation, physicality, the body, and space.

Committee: Steven Thurston (Advisor); Amanda Gluibizzi (Committee Member); George Rush (Committee Member) Subjects: Architectural; Fine Arts; Gender

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2014, Elementary Education-Literacy

The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to investigate the oral language of early language learners as they participate in “collaborative talk” experiences (Wells & Wells, 1996) during journal writing experiences in a first grade classroom. Specifically, this study analyzed the conversations of young learners, with particular attention given to the questions they pose and answer as they use oral language during the composition process. Participants included three students whose literacy development was at, above, or below district achievement levels for first grade. Three research questions guided data collection and analysis: 1) What patterns, if any, emerge in the collaborative conversations (Wells & Wells, 1996) of first grade students during their construction of an journal writing entry; 2) What patterns, if any, emerge in the questions these students generate and/or respond to during their construction of an journal writing entry and; 3) What patterns, if any, emerge in the student's journal writing which gives evidence of their questions and/or participation in these conversations? Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method (Merriam, 2009) with the goal of developing emergent core categories ground in the data. Data analysis revealed that most of the oral language students used was in the form of utterances that were either generic comments or self-talk through which they constructed meaning. Students also asked questions of others, although most of their questions focused on the mechanics of writing. When responding to others, participants primarily offered either direct support or prompts to further peers' thinking. Ultimately, the study found that although all of the participants engaged in collaborative conversations with their peers and the teacher, meaningful self-talk had the greatest impact on their writing. Furthermore, the complexity and quality of the meaningful self-talk which was produced varied according to the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Evangeline Newton Dr. (Advisor); Ruth Oswald Dr. (Committee Member); Harold Foster Dr. (Committee Member); Nidaa Makki Dr. (Committee Member); Cynthia Reynolds Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Linguistics

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Engineering : Industrial Engineering

In October 2001, the mail distribution system of the United States Postal Service was used to distribute envelopes containing Bacillus anthracis spores by unknown terrorist(s), resulting in 22 cases of anthrax, as well as the closing of the Brentwood Mail Facility in Washington, DC and the Hamilton Township Facility in New Jersey. The development and installation of local exhaust ventilation onto mail and/or package processing machinery is intended to reduce future operator and customer exposure to potentially hazardous contaminants, like anthrax, emitted from letter mail. This document presents the development of a model to be used as a basis for testing local exhaust ventilation for any organization that processes large quantities of mail; the recommended model focuses on a combination of tracer gas testing, smoke release observations and air velocity measurements. Additionally, the model is validated by results from field testing.

Committee: Dr. Richard Shell (Advisor) Subjects: Engineering, Industrial

Master of Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2009, EMC - Mechanical Engineering

The foot is the part of the body which interacts with the environment more than any other part. Foot pathologies are common; therefore, knowledge of the mechanical properties of the human foot is essential for treatment and prevention. Although existing experimental procedures are useful in measuring material properties associated with the foot, they are not complete because of their one dimensional nature. To understand the multi-dimensional nature of the foot, complex loading procedures were implemented on the foot including compression and shear loads. Results from these tests were used to create a multi-dimensional elaborate data set. This elaborate data set was then used along with the inverse finite element technique to estimate the material properties of the heel pad and the passive joint stiffness of the foot. Inverse finite element was found to be an efficient tool for an elaborate data set. However certain material properties obtained may be incorrect because of the limitations of the study that were identified. The complete data set along with the simulation methods and results for the property identification are provided.

Committee: Joseph Mansour M (Committee Chair); Antonie van den Bogert J (Committee Member); Christopher Hernandez J (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2013, Management

This dissertation employs a mixed methods approach to explore cognitive and social dimensions of entrepreneurial creativity and innovation. I interviewed 32 technology entrepreneurs to generate a grounded theory about how technology entrepreneurs use social behaviors, techniques and cognitive processes to attain, develop, refine, validate and filter (for usefulness) creative ideas for successful new products, processes or services. The results reveal a complex, cyclical and recursive multi-level social process with emphasis on iterative active and social experimentation. Successful entrepreneurs use experimentation to facilitate and accelerate learning, preferring to succeed or fail quickly. Greatest ideational productivity occurs when strong social ties interactively solve problems in an environment of trust – in particular, when “Trusted Partners” exchange and refine ideas through a form of shared cognition. In the second study, I surveyed 172 technology entrepreneurs to determine the effects of learning style and learning flexibility on iterative decision methods and innovation decision speed, behavioral mediators hypothesized to produce entrepreneurial innovation and success. The Kolb learning style preference for active experimentation predicted the entrepreneur's use of iterative methods to innovate and achieve success. The anticipated positive indirect influence of learning flexibility on innovation surprisingly occurred via a chain of two consecutive negative effects. Entrepreneurs with high learning flexibility move less swiftly to make key strategic innovation decisions; however, in doing so they are more innovative. The final study explores the traits and interactions of “Trusted Partners” and their impact upon entrepreneurial learning capacity, innovativeness and firm performance. I surveyed 153 technology entrepreneurs, all of whom report having a Trusted Partner, and discovered that effective partnerships more likely develop between two individuals (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David A. Kolb Dr. (Committee Chair); Richard J. Boland Dr. (Committee Member); Ronald Frye Dr. (Committee Member); Antoinette M. Somers Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Management