Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / This thesis describes the exploration and the development of computational means to investigate the behaviour of design objects before they are available for investigation in the physical world. The motivation is to inform the design process about the design object’s performance in order to achieve better – more performance-oriented – design outcomes in the sense of energy efficiency and comfort performance than can be achieved by conventional design techniques. The research is structured into five successive parts. - Concept Development – A review of the objective domains comfort assessment and energy efficiency assessment is conducted and the design process, human design activity and the application of simulation in the architectural domain is discussed in order to identify requirements for the development of computational means for design analysis. Requirements regarding model content, model features and model integration are developed. The main requirements are that a highly integrated, three-dimensional and dynamic representation of physical processes is needed and that a universal and integrated representation is required. - Concept Formulation – Based on the identified requirements, the concept for a model is formulated. In order to achieve a universal and integrated representation of physical processes the concept uses the approach of a constructive language. Space is represented with autonomous spatial elements, called congeneric cells. Interaction between the cells is represented by near- and remote-conjunctions. Physical and geometric self-contained formulations of the model reduce the model input requirements, so that geometric information and simple property specification (material, activity) is sufficient to describe the design object in the model. - Model Development – The concept is formulated in mathematical physical terms based on well known physical laws and building physical models (first-principle approach). Heat and moisture conduction, diffusion of various components and a flow model is formulated as near-conjunction processes. Heat radiation, light and sound are modelled with a radiosity approach as remote-conjunctions. The simulation algorithm, which governs the interaction between the cells in order to represent the behaviour of space, is explained. - Computational Implementation – The concept and the model is tested by implementation of a prototype using C++ and OpenGL on a conventional Pentium 4 notebook. The prototype consists of three parts: user-interface, model translator and simulation engine. The user interface functions as model-input and result-output device. The implementation of the concept and of further model parts is described in detail. - Assessment and Testing – The developed concept and the model, as implemented in the prototype, are tested and assessed against the initially developed requirements. The physical model is assessed in regard to plausibility and accuracy of the representation of the physical phenomena. At the end of the thesis the project is summarized, the achievements of the project’s objectives are discussed critically and issues for future research are suggested. Possible applications of the developed model are listed, and the contributions to the application of computational simulation in the architectural domain, developed in this research, are named. At the current stage the required processing time and high memory requirements prevent implementation of a design assessment system, following the suggested concept, at a useful scale. Also the developed physical models require further refinement and testing. Although the general feasibility of the concept and the model was successfully demonstrated, its implementation in a fully applicable design assessment system based on the universal and integrated representation of physical processes was not achieved at this stage. While detailed description and analysis is given in the body of the thesis, detailed formulations of the work and the developed model are given in the appendix. The body and the appendix together provide a complete picture of the research presented.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on February 29, 2008) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Social Inquiry, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-87).

Thesis (D.Phil (Sociology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

[pt] Talhas são dispositivos mecânicos muito usados para carregar e descarregar objetos e/ou transportá-los em indústrias e em armazéns. O movimento da talha é controlado por um operador ou é programado e controlado automaticamente. Nos dois casos, o movimento da talha causa balanços indesejáveis da carga e da garra, levando a um tempo ocioso antes do agarramento e do posicionamento da carga, bem como podendo ocasionar o escape dos cabos das ranhuras das polias, sendo pois um problema de segurança. Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de modelos matemáticos que representam um sistema tipo pêndulo embarcado em um veículo que suporta uma carga suspensa por um ou mais cabos. A estrutura na qual se prende o ponto de fixação do cabo de sustentação, chamada de trolley, movimenta-se nas direções horizontal e vertical em função de excitações que são oriundas do movimento sofrido pelo veículo. Este veículo é representado por um outro modelo que está acoplado ao sistema do pêndulo. São projetadas leis de controle para cada um dos modelos criados para que sejam minimizadas as acelerações da carga suspensa. Um dos modelos criados representa uma maca com paciente, suspensos por cabo numa ambulância. A lei de controle deve dar conforto a este paciente ao ser transportado. Para avaliar e validar os modelos dinâmicos e os projetos de controle são realizadas várias simulações e análises experimentais. / [en] Cranes are very used mechanical devices to load and to unload objects and/or to carry them in industries and warehouses. The movement of the crane is controlled by an operator or is programmed and controlled automatically. In the two cases, the movement of the crane cause undesirable swings of the load and claw, leading to an idle time before the grasping and the positioning of the load, as well as being able to cause to the escape of the ropes of the grooves of the pulleys. This can cause a security problem. This work presents the development of mathematical models that represent a system like a pendulum, where the load is suspended by one or more ropes. The structure in which the point of attachment of the rope of sustentation, called trolley, have motion in the horizontal and vertical directions. These excitements are deriving of the movement suffered from another model that represents a vehicle that is coupled to the system of the pendulum. Laws of control are projected for each model created so that the accelerations of the suspended load are minimized. One of the models created represents a stretcher with patient suspended by rope in an ambulance. The control law must give comfort to this patient in the transport. To evaluate and to validate the dynamic models and the designs of control created some simulations and experimental analyses are carried through.

Due to the current practices of street design in countries with hot and humid climates that prioritise air-conditioned cars as the favoured mode of transport, the physical and spatial characteristics of the street space have failed to retain much or any user-friendliness for walking or for sustaining street life. Moreover, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the increasingly sedentary lifestyle is leading to significant health problems and prevalence of lifestyle diseases. However, there has been limited research conducted on the use of urban streets under hot and humid conditions, and even less is known about the impact of certain sociocultural aspects in, for example, Muslim countries, on the design of streets for walking. Such a situation poses challenges to the urban space researcher and designer interested in gaining a better understanding of how walking can be restored into the street space. This thesis contributes to the advancement of knowledge in this area by integrating three influential factors connected to walking in a single study; an approach which has not been elaborated previously. This thesis aimed to broaden the understanding of pedestrians’ requirements, attitudes and preferences in order to identify ways in which the neglected street space can be reclaimed for walking under hot-humid climatic conditions and to inform decision-making into improved street design. The scope of this research centred on combining an understanding of pedestrians’ thermal comfort in a hot and humid urban environment, that of the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, where the problem is particularly acute, coupled with exploration into the socio-cultural aspects through which behaviour such as undertaking increased physical activity is governed. The research postulated an interactive relationship between the existing conditions of the street space and these two factors. Owing to the multifaceted nature of the factors affecting an individual’s choice to walk, there are few accepted theoretical frameworks, hence studying the cause-and-effect relationship between street design and walking is challenging. Following the literature review and analysis of existing street characteristics; the strategy of mixed-method data collection combining participant observation with interviews and a questionnaire was conducted. The findings revealed the dual impact of key street characteristics on pedestrians’ reluctance to walk on streets and this led to two levels of simultaneous interventions being suggested: physical and spatial. The analytical process (1) identified the upper thermal comfort limit for pedestrians by application of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature index, ‘PET’, through use of the RayMan Software; (2) revealed that physical proximity to other people while on the street is the most sensitive socio-cultural issue in the outdoor spaces of Saudi, particularly between the opposite sexes, and that the existing pavements are generally too narrow to accommodate the preferred personal distance; (3) identified appropriate design interventions at the microscale of the street space to introduce improved shading and create air movement to reduce the impact of solar radiation and humidity and thus to contribute towards encouraging more use of streets for walking; and (4) marking the pavement to indicate distance walked along with high quality streetscape elements was shown to attract pedestrians effectively. Such findings have significant implications for restoring the place of walking on streets in hot and humid cities and the research concludes by emphasising: (1) it is the design of the street space in climatically responsive and socio-culturally compatible ways, rather than the configuration of the urban form that is most associated with increasing physical activity; (2) there is a crucial need to redistribute the street space away from cars and towards pedestrians by widening the existing pavements both for satisfying the average personal comfort distance between pedestrians and for incorporating appropriate streetscape elements.

O iminente esgotamento de recursos naturais exige a revisão dos processos e métodos da construção civil. Uma técnica de baixo impacto ambiental e com benefícios para a edificação e o seu entorno é a pele-verde – trepadeiras recobrindo as fachadas de uma edificação, muro ou outro elemento vertical. O objetivo deste trabalho é, portanto, analisar as peles-verdes encontradas em edifícios residenciais em Porto Alegre, como forma de gerar um registro da utilização desta técnica e dos seus principais problemas e potencialidades. A pesquisa foi dividida entre o estudo piloto de uma edificação multifamiliar como primeira abordagem do tema, seguido da pesquisa estendida, onde outras 38 edificações (unifamiliares e multifamiliares) foram analisadas. A metodologia de pesquisa valeu-se de entrevistas em profundidade estruturadas por questionários aplicadas junto aos moradores. Estes resultados foram transcritos, tabulados e analisados. As peles-verdes analisadas são do tipo autoaderentes, utilizando-se das espécies Ficus pumila e Parthenocissus tricuspidata. Apesar de a Ficus pumila ter sido a espécie mais recorrente, a dificuldade no controle de seu desenvolvimento e sua intensa manutenção desestimulam sua utilização. Já a espécie Parthenocissus tricuspidata mostrou-se mais vantajosa devido ao seu crescimento moderado e às variações visuais ao longo do ano. A maioria dos moradores relacionou a pele-verde a elementos positivos, tais como beleza, contato com a natureza e bem-estar, reforçando, assim, as pesquisas sobre a biofilia, as quais afirmam que o ser humano possui uma predisposição genética para responder positivamente à vegetação. Ao contrário da crença popular, a relação entre a teoria da biofobia e a pele-verde é uma associação pouco freqüente entre os respondentes. Os eventos em que animais prejudiciais ao homem foram encontrados na peleverde foram pouco citados e ainda, assim, não ficou comprovada uma relação entre ambos, existindo características do entorno destas edificações que podem explicar esta presença. Segundo os moradores, as principais vantagens da técnica são o embelezamento da paisagem, a integração do ambiente urbano e da natureza, bem como efeitos positivos para o bem-estar do homem e sobre a temperatura interna das edificações. A principal desvantagem citada foi a manutenção, ainda que outros moradores tenham apontando este item como uma vantagem. Além disso, verificou-se que uma manutenção adequada da pele-verde é condição essencial para que o revestimento seja bem sucedido. Embora diversos pesquisadores afirmem que a vegetação em fachada age como uma barreira para a umidade e como uma proteção das alvenarias, estas propriedades não foram totalmente confirmadas pelos moradores, pois alguns acreditam haver uma influência negativa desta vegetação. As análises desta pesquisa demonstram, portanto, que a pele-verde é uma técnica capaz de propiciar vantagens para o ambiente urbano. Seu uso é indicado para edificações que comportem diferentes atividades e para usuários de diferentes classes sociais. / The imminent exhaustion of natural resources requires the review of processes and methods of construction. A technique with low environmental impact and with benefits for the building and surroundings is the green wall – climbing plants that cover facades of a building, wall or any other vertical element. The aim of this master thesis is, therefore, to analyze the green walls founded in residential buildings in Porto Alegre, as a manner of generating a record of the use of this technique as well as its main problems and potentialities. The study was divided between the pilot study of a multi-family building as a first approach to the subject, followed by a expanded research, in which other 38 buildings (with one or more housing units) were analyzed. The research methodology used was a series of in-depth interviews, in which a structured questionnaire was applied with this dwellers. The results of these questionnaires were transcribed, tabulated and analyzed. The analyzed green walls are selfclinging climbers, using the species Ficus pumila and Parthenocissus tricuspidata. In spite of the fact that Ficus pumila is the most recurrent species, the difficulty of its development and its intense demand for maintainance makes its usage more difficult. However, the Parthenocissus tricuspidata species seems to be more advantageous due to its moderate growing as well as the visual variations along the year. The majority of the dwellers related the green wall to positive elements, such as beauty, contact with nature and well-being, supporting the researches on biophilia, which claims that the human being have a genetic predisposition to answer positively to vegetation. Contrary to popular belief, the relation between biophobia and the green wall is an association rarely frequent among who answered. The events in which animals that are harmful to human beings were found in green walls were rarely cited and there was no confirmation of a relation among both, it is worth mentioning that in the surroundings of some buildings, there were characteristics of the site that made easier the presence of animals. According to the dwellers, the main advantages of the technique are the aesthetic improvements of the landscape, the integration of urban environment and nature, as well as positive effects to humans’ well-being and on internal temperatures of the building. The main disadvantage cited was the maintenance; however, other dwellers pointed this item as an advantage. Besides that, it was also verified that the correct maintainance of the green wall is an essential condition to the covering to be successful. Although the fact that many researchers affirm that the vegetation in facades acts like a barrier to humidity and as a protection to masonry, these proprieties were not fully confirmed by the dwellers, because some believe that it exerts a negative influence. The analyses of this research indicate, therefore, that the green wall is a technique of great advantages and an excellent potential for the qualification of the urban environment. This covering is indicated to buildings that comprises different activities as well as for users of different social classes.

Este trabalho de dissertação de Mestrado em Design da UFRGS (2008-2011) visou a atender algumas exigências das mulheres em relação ao conforto no uso de sutiãs. O processo de design de sutiãs deve compreender não somente as características físicas do sutiã e do corpo humano, mas também as interações entre os sutiãs e as mulheres que os vestem. O ato de vestir sutiãs afeta a fisiologia e a psicologia humana, as quais, por sua vez, influenciam a sensação de conforto e até a saúde das mulheres. Sutiãs brasileiros e japoneses têm distintos aspectos, devido às diferenças nas características culturais, psicológicas e físicas de suas usuárias. Neste trabalho, uma investigação foi conduzida sobre a percepção do próprio corpo e da roupa íntima por jovens universitárias brasileiras e japonesas na faixa etária entre 17 e 29 anos. Questionários online foram aplicados e seus resultados tratados por análises estatísticas para extrair percepções fundamentais das brasileiras e das japonesas. Além disso, medidas foram realizadas nos laboratórios da Kyoto Women’s University no Japão. Seis sutiãs comerciais fabricados no Brasil e no Japão com conceito de conforto foram utilizados como amostras. Dados tridimensionais dos corpos das participantes vestindo sutiãs foram obtidos através de 3D scanners. A pressão exercida pelos sutiãs no corpo foi medida através de sensores de pressão. Estas variáveis foram empregadas para verificar a influência dos materiais e da estrutura dos sutiãs no desempenho geral deles. Um teste sensorial também foi aplicado em forma de um questionário baseado no método do diferencial semântico adaptado para levantar os fatores mais importantes em relação às sensações ao se vestir sutiãs. Todos os resultados das investigações foram considerados para a análise da relação entre desempenho dos sutiãs e a sensação ao vesti-los. Foi observado que as percepções e as sensações das usuárias brasileiras e japonesas são diferentes e devem ser levadas em consideração no processo de design de sutiãs bem sucedidos. Parâmetros-chave foram recomendados para melhorar o desenvolvimento do design de sutiãs com foco no conforto que buscam se adequar às características apontadas pelo público alvo deste trabalho. / This study of dissertation of Master’s degree in Design at UFRGS (2008-2011) aimed at attending some demands of women related to comfort when wearing brassieres. The design process of brassieres must grasp not solely physical characteristics of brassieres and human body, but also interactions between brassieres and women who wear them. Wearing brassieres affects the human physiology and psychology, which in turn influence the sensation of comfort and even women’s health. Brazilian and Japanese brassieres hold different features due to differences in cultural, psychological and physical characteristics of their users. In this work, an investigation was conducted about perception on own body and underwear of young undergraduate Brazilian and Japanese women, in the age group from 17- to- 29-year-old. Online questionnaires were applied and results were treated by statistical analysis in order to extract fundamental perceptions of Brazilians and Japanese. Measurements were carried out at the laboratories of Kyoto Women’s University in Japan. Six commercial brassieres produced in Brazil and Japan with concept of comfort were used as samples. 3D data of participants’ body wearing brassieres were obtained by means of 3D scanners. Clothing pressures exerted by brassieres on body were measured by pressure sensors. These variables were utilized to verify the influence of materials and structure of brassieres on the general performance of brassieres. Sensory test was also applied in form of a questionnaire based on an adapted semantic differential method to find the most important factors related to the sensations felt when wearing brassieres. All results of investigations were considered to analyze the relationship between performance of brassieres and sensation felt. It was found that perception and sensations of Brazilians and Japanese are different and should be taken into account in the design process of successful brassieres. Key parameters were recommended for improving the development of brassieres design with focus on comfort seeking to match the characteristics stressed by the target audience of this study.

With the development of the vehicle industry and the innovation of technology, driving experience is improving in all aspects. Volvo is more and more focusing on improving the comfort of driving. Part of this is to minimize squeaks and rattle (S&R) from vehicle seats. A physical measurement method was studied from component level in this thesis. The communication with the supplier has helped to better understand the definition and measurement method of play. Based on the previous work from Volvo and the supplier, a new improved algorithm has been developed to suit current production demands in this thesis work. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been finished for general engineers. The Study and exploration of a FEM simulation method make it possible to measure play in an economical way in the future.