Projects

Abstract 

Renewable energy is revolutionizing electricity production, with wind turbines playing a crucial role. The transmission, a vital component, connects the rotating blades to the generator, converting mechanical energy to electrical power. Traditional gearboxes, while efficient, suffer from a high failure rate due to wear and tear caused by moving parts. To address this, a magnetic gearbox was designed to reduce failure and maintenance, thanks to non-contact operation. This innovative approach enhances the reliability and sustainability of wind energy systems, marking a significant step forward in the realm of renewable power generation.

Authors: Dr. Jinseok Kim, Jesse Larsen, Arun Singh

Abstract

Wind turbine technology is pivotal for sustainable power generation, emphasizing the need for advancements. These turbines convert wind kinetic energy into electricity through blade rotation, adjusting to varying wind speeds via variable pitch. Traditionally, variable pitch systems are active, drawing power from the turbine. This innovation introduces a passive control mechanism, using springs for angle adjustment. The prototype was developed in Autodesk Inventor and tested in the WMU wind tunnel. This passive system offers cost-effectiveness, quicker maintenance, and resilience, making it superior to complex active systems prone to breakdowns in turbines.

Authors: Dr. Jinseok Kim, Morgan McEvoy, Megan Thorp, Patrick West

Abstract 

Noise pollution is a major issue in the implementation of wind turbines in populated areas and wind farms because of its health complications, limiting economic growth. With the usage of Autodesk Inventor, a 3D design modeling software, and an Anechoic chamber, three noise reduction techniques were analyzed and tested to determine the model with the maximum noise reduction level in correlation to its efficiency. The application is conducted directly to a generic wind turbine blade, establishing an aid and improvement to the industry.

Authors: Dr. David Moussa Salazar, Dr. Tianshu Liu, Sandra Muhoza, Franchesca Marie Santana Tavera, Jenna Wahrman 

Abstract

WMU’s Wind Energy Team was in need of a unique and effective blade design for their Department of Energy’s (DOE) Collegiate Wind Competition (CWC) wind turbine. Research was done to determine a novel idea that could still be competitive. A toroidal blade design was modeled in Autodesk Inventor and a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis of the aerodynamic efficiencies was done in CFD Ultimate. Finally, an experiment in WMU’s Advanced Design Wind Tunnel (ADWT) was done to gather results to compare to simulated data.

Authors: Dr. David Salazar, Dr. Tianshu Liu, Lucas Cannizzaro, Patrick Leny, Sam Oja

Abstract

Wind shrouds are a newer device that surrounds a wind turbine to increase the total power generation. A wind shroud was developed from scratch, using geometric designs that would result in both higher wind speeds and better efficiency. Computational fluid dynamics and structural analysis are performed to understand how the design should perform and verified through physical testing. This design will not only succeed in increasing turbine power generation, but also be a starting point for upcoming groups to improve upon.

Authors: Dr. David Moussa Salazar, Dr. Tianshu Liu, Christopher Jackson, Andrew Reid, Devon Tomlin

Abstract

Aerodynamic performance is crucial for wind turbine blade improvement. A testing methodology was implemented on wind turbine blades using optical flow and global luminescent oil film (GLOF), which are image-based experimental techniques. The optical flow method utilizes recorded image sequences to determine the global characteristics of the recorded fluid as it behaves dynamically using mathematical algorithms. The GLOF method involves the application of a luminescent oil film on the test surface to visualize flow patterns and determine the skin friction distribution. These techniques provide a large data pool for analysis and high accuracy in global flow diagnosis, allowing for improvements in wind blade aerodynamic performance.

Authors: Dr. David Moussa Salazar, Dr. Tianshu Liu, Fernando Miguel Gonzalez Cruz, Juan Julio, Gonzalez Frias, Oliver Augusto Martinez Castellanos

Abstract

The use of mechanical fasteners such as nails and hurricane ties in buildings may be a poor choice for protection against hurricanes and natural phenomena. The objective of this study is to develop an efficient, non-intrusive, and inexpensive top-plate rafter connection for wood-frame structures by using high-performance construction adhesives and fiber-reinforced polymer composites to minimize the intrusive design, the methods of application, the cost of these procedures, and a viable alternative to the existing mechanical fasteners for new and existing structures.

Authors: Dr. Daniel Kujawski, Israel Jose Medrano-Almonte, Juan Miguel Lajara Hallal

Abstract

The objective of the research is to study the state-of-the-art modelling methods for wooden frame building construction. These modeling methods are at different levels of variations and complexities. The numerical modelling tools are categorized into academic tools and commercial tools and the modeling methods are classified based on the structural systems (i.e., shear walls and the whole building structures) and applied loads (i.e., wind loading and seismic loading). The academic tools were mainly developed for seismic research purpose with specific objectives such as defining the behavior of wooden frame shear walls, hysteretic behavior of connections between the sheathing and framing members under seismic loading. Models created using commercial tools, on the other hands, are generally used to predict structural responses under seismic and wind loadings and are usually validated using experimental results. Two of the commercial tools widely used for creating wood structural numerical models are ABAQUS/CAE and SAP2000. The simplified modelling method including inbuilt SAP functions was studied from the literature and the detailed modelling process was developed and presented. Both linear and nonlinear analysis of wooden frame structure was carried out considering wind and seismic loading conditions. Lastly, recommendations for future research are provided.

Author: Dr. Xiaoyun Shao, PI

Abstract

Computer use is pervasive in our daily life and the increasing demand for computer applications has penetrated various domains. Construction industry has become one of the domains which is more reliable on the application of computers to implement regulatory compliance checking. Like many safety critical domains, the construction domain has its own set of international building codes on construction projects which must be complied. With the increasing complexity of construction projects, many manual compliance checking techniques have shown some serious issues. First, the manual techniques are error-prone due to human errors. Second, the complexity of a construction project exceeds the human limit to deal with. Third, the evolution of a construction project is inevitable, and the human maintenance of a construction project is almost impossible because either the memory of the original project design has faked away, or some development team members are gone. So, it has become a new trend to employ computers to support automatic regulatory compliance checking in construction industry. In this project, we propose a novel framework to support compliance checking with the emphasis on the foundation of automatic regulatory compliance checking to certify whether a construction project complies with some international building codes.

Author: Wuwei Shen

Abstract

Roofing system failures are most commonly observed during post hurricane and tornado disaster investigations.  Such failures allow water penetration leading to significant damages/losses to a building’s interior and possible structural failure.  The magnitude of such disasters and expected unfavorable conditions, potentially being developed due to climate change, prompted us to study the means and methods of improving the resilience of structures, including roofing systems.  This study was initiated to (i) synthesize the state-of-the-art and practice for improving roofing system performance under damaging wind conditions, (ii) develop an experimental facility and necessary instrumentation to study monitoring system performance, wind loading and structural response under various exposure conditions, and (iii) develop the necessary workforce and resources to perform wind-structure interaction simulations.  The scope of this study is limited to flat roof systems in low-rise buildings.  Typically, high negative pressure (suction) is observed at roof corners and edges due to wind.  The pressure magnitude depends on the wind, building, and roofing system characteristics as well as the terrain and surrounding environment.  Geometric modifications of the existing roof by rounding and chamfering the edges and installing wind suction mitigation features/devices at the roof corners and edges are the two approaches implemented to control pressure magnitudes.  Such techniques and approaches were documented through a comprehensive review of literature.  An experimental facility that includes the experimental building, meteorological measurement system, roof response (displacement, force, and pressure) measurement system, and the data acquisition system was designed with a cost estimate.  Also, wind-structure interaction simulation and model validation using published data are discussed.  The wind-structure interaction simulation capabilities demonstrated during this project can be extended to investigate wind-structure interaction for the design of experiments and evaluation of various options for mitigating roof damage under high wind loads. 

Authors: Dr. Upul Attanayake, Dr. William Liou, Kanchani Basnayake

Abstract

The modern smart building technologies offer new opportunities to significantly reduce loses due to fire. With the sensor rich environment and computer-controlled management system in smart building, fire safety could be enhanced by utilizing the available sensory data and digitized building information. The thesis of the project is that by fusing data from sensors and computational simulations, projections of likely growth of a real fire can be made using Big Data analytics with deep learning artificial intelligence (AI). The research proposed here utilizes the specialties in computational fire dynamics acquired in a related 2017 work toward the goal of datadriven fire dynamic prediction for smart building. The work initiates the design of a pilot, artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm Big Data analytics for fire safety for smart buildings.  

Authors: Dr. William Liou, Dr. Ting-Yu (Kevin) Mu, Dr. Yang Yang

Abstract

While the static and dynamic response of many components of wood-frame buildings is well documented, there is a lack of the performance data of roof-to-wall connections assembled with construction adhesives. Investigations buildings damage in recent hurricanes and tornadoes indicate that failure of roof-to-wall connections was primarily responsible for initiating buildings collapse due to their critical role in the load path continuation. Thus, increasing the uplift capacity of wood connections is essential goal to withstand during high wind events.  For achieving the goal; an experimental study performed to obtain the maximum capacity of uplift load and energy absorption in roof-to-wall connections by applying modern construction adhesives in a proposed practical way. Two types of commercially available adhesive materials, namely polyether and polyurethane, were adopted in this research. Monotonic uplift tests were performed on 40 rafter-to-double top plates connections with eight configurations; among them, six configurations were applied with adhesives whereas half of them were reinforced with a hurricane tie. Experimental results contributed essential data on the failure modes and capacities of connection specimens. Comparison of the test results of connections with and without adhesives revealed that the addition of adhesives significantly increased the uplift capacity and absorbed energy, allowing the tied and untied configurations (with hurricane tie) to provide higher loads (200 ~ 460%) and considerably increased the strain energy by 200~750%. The failure modes of the nails, adhesives, and wood materials were inspected to provide a reasonable explanation of the observed increased capacities.

Author: Dr. Xiaoyun Shao

Abstract

Nearly half-a-million structure fires were reported annually in the United States. The fires caused around 17,000 injuries and death, and approximately $10 billion in property loses. For future smart building, loses due to unwanted fire could be significantly reduced. With the sensor rich environment and computer-controlled management system in smart building, fire safety could be enhanced by utilizing the available sensory data and digitized building information. The proposed project builds a predictive simulation capability for the dynamic spreading of fire and smoke in smart building by using a computational fluid dynamics software supported by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). The outcomes of the proposed fire dynamic prediction research can be combined with the building information data and sensory data to reliably project the location and the likely growth of fire and smoke in smart building. The research will utilize this big data to develop smart algorithms to assess the impacts of fire on human, properties, and environment, with the objective of optimizing fire protection decision making in real time. The goals of the work proposed here are (1) to establish the computational fire dynamics (CFD) simulation tool at Western Michigan University (WMU) to simulate incidents of unwanted fire and smoke events, and (2) to validate the tool for Floyd Hall at WMU. 

Authors: Brian Erhart, Maha Reda Abdelgani Alkasisbeh, Dr. Yang Yang, Dr. William W. Liou

Abstract

Roof covering failure is one of the most prominent failures observed during post hurricane and tornado disaster investigations.  Roof covering failure allows water penetration leading to significant damages/losses to buildings’ interiors; in most cases this leads to structural failure.  The damages caused by such disasters are significant.  Understanding the impact of such disasters on human lives, nature, and economies, Mr. Phil Georgeau provided funding to establish the Georgeau Construction Research Center (GCRC) at Western Michigan University to study the means and methods of improving the resilience of structures, including roofing systems.  The research team was initially tasked to evaluate the means of improving the performance of flat roof systems by using adhesives and fasteners (a hybrid system).  However, the team was more interested in learning state-of-the-art and practice to identify the knowledge gap and research needs for improving structural system resilience under damaging wind loads; of primary interest is the flat roof system.  Hence, a thorough review of literature and industry practice was performed to document roofing systems, load path within the roof system and from roof to the building structural system, typical failures observed during past events, roofing construction industry practices/ experience/ perspective, recommendations for improving building envelope integrity and performance, available innovative materials and methods, construction quality assurance methods, maintenance requirements, etc.  As a result, this report presents a comprehensive plan of research needs that highlights testing of components and assemblies of roofing systems, simulation needs for evaluating design loads by incorporating structural system response, and performance evaluation as part of construction quality control and asset management.  This plan can be used for developing future research projects and implementation plans for project deliverables. 

Authors: Dr. Upul Attanayake, Kanchani Basnayake

Abstract

Despite increasing efforts to address safety concerns in the construction industry, construction sites still have high accident rates. Integrating information technologies with construction activities and environments can provide opportunities for real-time monitoring of resources, access to data on workers’ behavior, and prediction of construction accidents. Dr. Abiola Akanmu’s research will evaluate the performance of a commercially available real-time location sensing system that provides access to the location of workers, materials and equipment, enabling the design and development of an unmanned location tracking system that can self-navigate indoor construction environments.

Author: Dr. Abiola Akanmu, PI