Dynamics of a beam-based micro-electromechanical resonator is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The resonant structure comprises a micro-beam and two electrostatic comb-drives, one for exciting the vibration, and the other for detecting the response. Two identical resonators of this type can form a double-ended tuning fork. An analytical linear model of these resonators is developed by assuming the beam to obey the thin beam theory subjected to an axial force. The comb-drives are initially treated as a point mass. The point mass is free to be placed anywhere along the beam span. The exact natural frequencies and mode shapes of vibration are obtained. Further, the mass is considered to have rotary inertia. The influence of the rotary inertia on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of vibration are investigated. Subsequently, the model of a beam with a guided mass is studied to determine the upper limit of the natural frequencies of the resonator. The advantage of this model over the previous ones is in providing detailed insight into the dynamics of the resonator, particularly when the comb-drives are placed at locations other than the mid-point of the beam. It has been shown that the mode shapes of vibration of these resonators are not orthogonal to each other under its classic definition. The orthogonality condition of the mode shapes of the beam-lumped mass system is introduced, and used for studying the forced vibration response. The nonlinear vibration of the system due to stretching is considered for the case of free vibration and the primary resonance. The nonlinear model is used to investigate the effect of damping on the resonator response. The interaction of the electrostatic governing equations and the mechanical model is studied. This model is employed for designing the experiment circuits for testing fabricated resonators. The fabrication processes used are explained, and the design parameters of each resonator are provided. The experimental results are reported, and used to find the axial force and stress of the resonant beams. The model and results of this dissertation can be used in the design of beam-based micromachined resonators for different applications.

A spark ignition engine was retrofitted to operate on biogas fuel. Biogas was synthetically generated through the mixing of various pure gases. The air-fuel ratio was accurately controlled using a closed feedback system consisting of flow controllers and a wide range oxygen sensor. A natural gas catalytic converter was implemented with the use of biogas fuel. To achieve full NOx and CO reduction the engine was required to run at a slightly rich equivalence ratio. Methane emissions posed to be the hardest to reduce across the catalyst. The biogas fuel composition had no effect on the catalyst performance. The catalyst performance was only affected by exhaust temperature and equivalence ratio. The catalyst requires tight A/F ratio control for optimal performance. A Catalytic converter can be used to reach low emissions but requires the knowledge of the biogas fuel composition.

Polymeric fibres influence our everyday life in numerous aspects; the area of applications ranges from industrial to everyday commodities, textile and non-textile. As the global demand for the polymeric fibres increases rapidly, new innovative classes of fibres and the manufacturing processes are sought after. This thesis develops an approach to produce fine cell structure and low void fraction foams, which is then used in the manufacturing of lightweight, biodegradable foam fibres. Poly (lactic) acid-clay nanocomposite have been foamed with nitrogen and drawn to different melt draw ratio to produce foam fibres. The foam fibres are then characterized for crystallinity, Young’s modulus and the yield stress. While the drawability of foam has been demonstrated, the crystallinity as well as the mechanical properties of the foam fibres are not drastically enhanced by drawing, as would be expected. Further drawing processes of the as-spun foam fibres are recommended.

Dynamics of a beam-based micro-electromechanical resonator is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The resonant structure comprises a micro-beam and two electrostatic comb-drives, one for exciting the vibration, and the other for detecting the response. Two identical resonators of this type can form a double-ended tuning fork. An analytical linear model of these resonators is developed by assuming the beam to obey the thin beam theory subjected to an axial force. The comb-drives are initially treated as a point mass. The point mass is free to be placed anywhere along the beam span. The exact natural frequencies and mode shapes of vibration are obtained. Further, the mass is considered to have rotary inertia. The influence of the rotary inertia on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of vibration are investigated. Subsequently, the model of a beam with a guided mass is studied to determine the upper limit of the natural frequencies of the resonator. The advantage of this model over the previous ones is in providing detailed insight into the dynamics of the resonator, particularly when the comb-drives are placed at locations other than the mid-point of the beam. It has been shown that the mode shapes of vibration of these resonators are not orthogonal to each other under its classic definition. The orthogonality condition of the mode shapes of the beam-lumped mass system is introduced, and used for studying the forced vibration response. The nonlinear vibration of the system due to stretching is considered for the case of free vibration and the primary resonance. The nonlinear model is used to investigate the effect of damping on the resonator response. The interaction of the electrostatic governing equations and the mechanical model is studied. This model is employed for designing the experiment circuits for testing fabricated resonators. The fabrication processes used are explained, and the design parameters of each resonator are provided. The experimental results are reported, and used to find the axial force and stress of the resonant beams. The model and results of this dissertation can be used in the design of beam-based micromachined resonators for different applications.

A spark ignition engine was retrofitted to operate on biogas fuel. Biogas was synthetically generated through the mixing of various pure gases. The air-fuel ratio was accurately controlled using a closed feedback system consisting of flow controllers and a wide range oxygen sensor. A natural gas catalytic converter was implemented with the use of biogas fuel. To achieve full NOx and CO reduction the engine was required to run at a slightly rich equivalence ratio. Methane emissions posed to be the hardest to reduce across the catalyst. The biogas fuel composition had no effect on the catalyst performance. The catalyst performance was only affected by exhaust temperature and equivalence ratio. The catalyst requires tight A/F ratio control for optimal performance. A Catalytic converter can be used to reach low emissions but requires the knowledge of the biogas fuel composition.

Polymeric fibres influence our everyday life in numerous aspects; the area of applications ranges from industrial to everyday commodities, textile and non-textile. As the global demand for the polymeric fibres increases rapidly, new innovative classes of fibres and the manufacturing processes are sought after. This thesis develops an approach to produce fine cell structure and low void fraction foams, which is then used in the manufacturing of lightweight, biodegradable foam fibres. Poly (lactic) acid-clay nanocomposite have been foamed with nitrogen and drawn to different melt draw ratio to produce foam fibres. The foam fibres are then characterized for crystallinity, Young’s modulus and the yield stress. While the drawability of foam has been demonstrated, the crystallinity as well as the mechanical properties of the foam fibres are not drastically enhanced by drawing, as would be expected. Further drawing processes of the as-spun foam fibres are recommended.

This thesis presents a method for optimizing cable configuration inside a large magnetic cylindrical steel casing, from the total ampacity point of view. The method is comprised of two main parts, namely: 1) analytically calculating the electromagnetic losses in the steel casing and sheathed cables, for an arbitrary cables configuration, and 2) implementing an algorithm for determining the optimal cables configuration to obtain the best total ampacity. The first part involves approximating the eddy current and hysteresis losses in the casing and cables. The calculation is based on the theory of images, which this thesis expands to apply to casings having both high magnetic permeability and high electric conductivity at the same time. The method of images, in combination with approximating the cable conductors and sheaths as multiple physical filaments, is used to compute the final current distributions in the cables and pipe and thus the associated losses. The accuracy of this computation is assessed against numerical solutions obtained using the Maxwell finite element program by Ansoft. Next, the optimal cable configuration is determined by applying a proposed two-level optimization algorithm. At the outer level, a combinatorial optimization based on a genetic algorithm explores the different possible configurations. The performance of every configuration is evaluated according to its total ampacity, which is calculated using a convex optimization algorithm. The convex optimization algorithm, which forms the inner level of the overall optimization procedure, is based on the barrier method. This proposed optimization procedure is tested for a duct bank installation containing twelve cables and fifteen ducts, comprising two circuits and two cables per phase, and compared with a brute force method of considering all possible configurations. The optimization process is also applied to an installation consisting of a single circuit inside a large magnetic steel casing.

In this thesis I present a microfluidic platform developed to control dissolved gases and monitor dissolved oxygen concentrations within the microenvironment of isolated small blood vessels. Dissolved gas concentrations are controlled via permeation through the device substrate material using a 3D network of gas and liquid channels. Dissolved oxygen concentrations are measured on-chip via fluorescence quenching of an oxygen sensitive probe embedded in the device. Dissolved oxygen control was validated using the on-chip sensors as well as a 3D computational model. The platform was used in a series of preliminary experiments using olfactory resistance arteries from the mouse cerebral vascular bed. The presented platform provides the unique opportunity to control dissolved oxygen concentrations at high temporal resolutions (<1 min) and monitor dissolved oxygen concentrations in the microenvironment surrounding isolated blood vessels.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Mohammad H. Hosni / Each year millions of people travel by commercial aircrafts. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicates that about 600 million passengers fly each year in the United States and, of those, roughly 350,000 are international travelers. This number of travelers leaves commercial airliners potentially vulnerable to biological contamination and makes the transmission of diseases a serious threat. The spread of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and H1N1 (swine flu) are examples of documented cases. Consequently, considerable research has been and continues to be conducted to study and understand particulate transport mechanisms and dispersion behavior inside aircraft cabins to develop means for detecting, controlling, and removing contaminants from aircraft cabins and to find methods for preventing the aircraft from being used for intentional contaminant deployment. In order to develop means to monitor and control air quality, infectious disease transmission, and particulate transport inside aircraft cabins, an experimental study was conducted to determine the best sensor placement locations for detection and to identify the number of sensors needed to accurately track air quality incidents within a cabin. An 11-row mockup, intended to be representative of a typical wide-body aircraft, was used for the research. The mockup interior is based on the actual dimensions of the Boeing 767 aircraft cabin. Inside the mockup cabin, actual aircraft equipment including seats and air diffusers were used. Each row has seven passenger seats. Particulates were released from different locations in the second row of the mockup cabin. The transported particles were then collected at six different locations in the lateral direction. The best location to place a sensor was defined as the location having the strongest signal (maximum number of particles collected) or the fastest detection time. After determining the best location in the lateral direction, particles were collected at the same location, but in different rows to estimate the differences between the signal strength and the delay time in detecting the signal from row to row. For the later investigation, the particulates were released in Row 2 and in Row 6 as well. For the six locations examined, it was found that the best location for the placement of a sensor in the 11-row mockup in the lateral direction is on the centerline near the cabin floor. Longitudinally, it was found that a sensor may be used for detecting particulates in the same row as the release and a row in front and in back of the release location. For the mockup cabin, a total of 4 sensors was recommended to monitor particulate releases in the 11 row mockup cabin, each of these sensors separated by two rows.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Steve Eckels / A new human thermal model was developed to predict the thermal responses of human body in various environments. The new model was based on Smith's model, which employed finite element method to discretize the human body. The body parts in our new model were not limited to the cylindrical shape as in Smith's model, but subjected to arbitrary shapes. Therefore, the new model is capable of dealing with more complicated shapes of the human body. Steady-state and transient temperatures of fifteen body parts were calculated for three environments: cold, neutral, and warm. Our results were compared with the data from Zhang's experimental research on the human subjects. For all three conditions, our results showed better agreement with experimental data than Smith's results did. The maximal deviation is 1ºC for neutral and warm condition; for cold condition, a maximal deviation of 3.5ºC is reported at hand. The comparison indicated that our new model could provide a more accurate prediction on the body temperatures. Follow-up experiments were conducted to investigate the local and overall heat transfer from a moving cylinder in air flow. This study was expected to provide the local convective heat transfer coefficients of the human body to our new human thermal model to simulate moving humans. An experiment of a stationary cylinder in cross flow was performed to verify the accuracy and consistency of our system. Then, the experiment of a transverse oscillating cylinder in cross flow was conducted, with a oscillation frequency of 0.15 and Strouhal number of 0.3 to 1.5, depending on wind velocity. The overall Nusselt number (Nu) of the oscillating cylinder remained unaffected, compared to the stationary cylinder. This observation showed agreement with previous studies. The pivot experiment was performed to investigate swinging movement of human arms. The cylinder was positioned axially in cross flow, and reciprocated on a fixed point between horizontal and vertical positions under three wind speeds and two oscillating frequencies. The results showed that the overall Nu was between the Nu at horizontal and vertical positions in stationary state. A correlation was presented to predict the Nu of pivotal moving cylinder by using stationary Nu at horizontal and vertical positions. The correlation was proved to be valid ( error less than 5%) within the range of conditions in our experiment.