It is well established that a vast majority of the Earth's surface is inaccessible to conventional vehicles. Furthernore, projects alluding to the exploration of Mar's conclude that its surface is too rough for conventional wheeled vehicles. Man and cursorial animals, however, are capable of traversing virtually all types of terrain. These reasons, among others, have focused almost all development on walking vehicles having fixed torsos and articulated legs which emulate the locomotion of man and animals. Insects such as the caterpillar move with fixed legs and an articulated torso. They too can traverse rough terrain but do so with greater stability than bipeds or quadrupeds. This thesis presents a design for a caterpillar-like crawling vehicle. An overview of the effort to develop walking vehicles is included to show the depth of interest in developing a vehicle capable of traversing rough terrain. A general overview of crawling vehicle objectives and the control problems hampering the realization of a crawling vehicle are then described. Finally, this thesis provides a detailed mechanical design with the kinematic and mechanical considerations governing that design. / Master of Science

The purpose of the study was to describe the usefulness of 24-hour dietary information obtained from 42 children between the ages of 9 and 11 using a workbook type of recall method by comparing selected aspects to parental reported intakes and researcher's observations. The results indicated no significant differences between means of the parents' reports and the children's recalls for the 24-hour period for selected nutrients and cholesterol. However, the mean number of items recalled by the children in the breads, non-dairy beverages, condiments and fats/oils groups were significantly lower than the parent's reports indicating potential underreporting of these types of food items. For the lunch period, children reported significantly lower mean intakes for vitamin A and calcium than the researcher. Parents reported significantly higher mean calories for breads and fats/oils than the researcher while children reported significantly lower mean calories for condiments than the researcher. There were significantly lower mean number of items reported by the parents for entrees, vegetables and snacks/desserts when compared to the researcher's records. Children's recalls of the mean number of items for entrees, breads, dairy foods/beverages and condiments were significantly lower than the researcher's records. The meals and snacks in the study were not all observed by the parents. Analysis of school lunch, brown bag lunch, the before dinner snack and breakfast indicated differences for selected nutrients and cholesterol and the number of items by food group when comparing the parents' observed and unobserved reports to the children's recalls and researcher's records. There was a limited number of respondents reporting in various food groups. The results indicate the need for further research into the factors which affect parental reporting when observing or not observing children' s intake. / Master of Science

Interlaminar stresses are estimated from plate theories by equilibrium. The elasticity equations of equilibrium are integrated with respect to the thickness coordinate z using the linear distribution in z of the in-plane stresses. This procedure, for example, requires fourth order derivatives of the out-of-plane displacement w with respect to the in-plane coordinates x and y to compute the interlaminar normal stress. Since compatible elements for the plate bending problem at most require the displacement and its first derivatives to be continuous across element boundaries, low degree interpolation polynomials are used. Thus, fourth order derivatives of the finite element polynomials are either meaningless, or at least inaccurate. In order to compute high order derivatives, an approximate polynomial solution of high degree to the governing partial differential equation for w(x,y) is determined using the finite element solution as a first approximation. A rectangular subdomain that may consist of several elements is selected from the finite element model. The displacement w(,y) over the subdomain is expanded in a Chebyshev series. Then collocation is used to determine the unknown Chebyshev coefficients such that the Chebyshev series matches displacement w and its normal derivative from the finite element solution at discrete points on the boundary of the subdomain, and the partial differential equation is enforced at discrete points within the subdomain. Interlaminar shear and normal stresses are computed from the third and fourth derivatives, respectively, of the Chebyshev series at the collocation points. / Master of Science

Findings made through the indentation testing of composites are presented in this thesis. The concept was developed as an attempt to evaluate the interfacial shear strength at a mesolevel, possibly overcoming the deficiencies of present techniques. Vickers Microhardness Testing and Continuous Ball Indentation Testing (CBIT) of composite materials provided data for assessing the sensitivity of indentation techniques to interfacial characteristics and engineering properties. Both methods proved capable of discerning the level of fiber-matrix adhesion. The CBIT presented the greatest potential for making quantitative measures of interfacial shear strength. A unique micromechanics model of the contact situation predicted failure events and trends consistent with the observed data from the CBIT. The present elastic model predicted an interfacial shear strength slightly higher than those reported in the literature. However, the interface strength obtained through the CBIT provides more of an engineering assessment of the interfacial quality when compared to other techniques. Both experimental and analytical results suggest that indentation testing of composites is most sensitive to shearing characteristics of the system. Vickers and ball penetration results displayed some correlation to global laminate properties. Vickers hardness shows a close relationship to IITRI compression strength only when fiber compressive failure is observed in the laminate test. The CBIT provides the best opportunity for exploring fiber composite stress-strain information. / Master of Science

A study of the literature pertaining to test methods for advanced composite materials has been carried out. Several test methods were discussed and compared for each of three areas of interest. These areas were uniaxial tension, uniaxial compression and in-plane shear. Test methods were selected for tension, compression and shear and guidelines set for the entry of material property data into a comprehensive mechanical property database being undertaken by Virginia Tech's Center for Composite Materials and Structures (CCMS). According to the findings, recommendations for future work were made. / Master of Science

A diagrammatic method of recording static human postures was developed. Criteria established for the recording method were speed of completion, accuracy, reliability, ease of use, and universal applicability. Design of the recording method was based on cognitive, perceptual, and anthropometric considerations related to these criteria, and a review of existing posture recording methods. A validation study was carried out to assess the recording method against the established criteria. The study entailed having several subjects use the recording method to record various postures and a comparison of their results. The recording method proved to be moderately accurate for the postures studied. The recording method should prove useful in providing a record of the general posture being recorded. However, time required to complete the posture recordings was extensive. Recommendations are given for improving the posture recording method. Among these is a recommendation for more extensive training and practice than was afforded the subjects in this study. Other recommendations have been incorporated into a modified set of recording diagrams. Whether these modifications will improve the recording method remains to be determined. / Master of Science

The Washington Alexandria Center for Architecture exists as a bridge between the abstract and real world. My continued studies at the center have afforded me the opportunity to participate in a number of real projects. These projects have been invaluable in the journey toward becoming an architect. / Master of Architecture

My thesis explores four categories through a student housing project. These categories are balance, strength, structural engineering, and architecture giving rise to references. The thesis is divided into theory, exploration and conclusion. / Master of Architecture

Through an analogical process, this thesis explores the concept of transformation as it affords opportunities for order and structure in architecture. Beginning with the square as the seed from which the projects develop, orthogonal grids are employed as a means for developing ordering geometries as form-giving structures. A historical reference, deriving structure and form from a square grid instantiates development of the theme. Having examined some conditions of transformation in architecture, the work turns to a consideration of some personal explorations of transformation that may be of use in future architectural undertakings. The consequent forms are not intended to justify the particular transformational grammars; rather they are to be taken as models for future development. / Master of Architecture

Architecture is a way of making that enables man to present his world. This making allows him to find his relationship to architecture and himself. The history of architecture is a part of the history of man and demands our attention if we are to make a contribution to the life of man. Nietzsche states that history is necessary above all to the man of action...who needs examples, teachers, and comforters he cannot find among his contemporaries.¹ “We would serve history only so far as it serves life.”² He also feels that the imitation of the past will only lead to a stagnant and degenerate life. There is a contradiction between these statements concerning imitation. In philosophy imitation has been defined as having two forms positive and negative. Negative imitation would be making an image of an original that reveals all that is immanent in the original. The act is redundant and therefore unnecessary. Positive imitation involves an understanding of things or ideas inherent in the original and lets us present our understanding which may expand beyond the original or lead to a new shift in the original paradigm. We must observe the history of man’s making and gather things that inform us about the world of architecture. History becomes a tool to facilitate architecture. We gather that which for us carries some essential meaning.³ This meaning may be manifested in our understanding of types, elements, or conditions of a particular culture as well as a personal desire to understand them in relationship to ourselves. For example, the elements and conditions that compose the house in some African tribes are considered as metaphors to parts of the human body i.e. door as mouth, window as eye, etcetera. When a family member loses a body part the corresponding element is removed or altered. Throughout history typologies have contained the models and archetypes of man’s ideas and ways of thinking, which are revealed through making. These remain with us and contain elements and conditions that change depending upon our focus. In the scale of the city there exists other types such as houses, churches, and libraries that become elemental when discussing the city as a whole. The conditions occur when analyzing the relationship of the elements with each other and the results that their organization produce. If we translate the scale to building types the wall, column, and stair become the elements and conditions become the mediation between these elements. Desire urges memory and imagination in our making of a re-presentation of that desire and a transformation of our observation. Imagination transforms our observation of what we find essential in history. We understand our relationship to things when we make them and through the revealing of things we come to understand ourselves. Memory recalls things or events that carry some meaning to us, but it also contains the more complete knowledge of things that we may come to know through making. Art is the imaginative appropriation of the essential strivings of historical man.⁴ The actuation of the idea is through the made object. We do this by painting, drawing, sculpture, and poetry. The object is two fold. It contains within it the idea of the reality of the thing and the drawing itself as a thing. An idea of a thing contains some elements common to all the other realities of the thing which makes them thinkable.⁵ When we speak of these things we bring to them some of its history that is known to us. Making allows us to re-present a thing which best actuates our idea and understanding of the thing, and enables us to redefine our world. 1 Nietzche, Friedrich Use and Abuse of History, The p. 12 2 Ibid., p. 3 3 Desmond, William Art and the Absolute: A Study of Hegel’s Aesthetics p. 61 4 Ibid., p. 61 5 Aristotle On the Soul. bk. 1, ch. 4 / Master of Architecture