<p>QC 20160428</p>

<p>The number of electric powered sub-systems in road-vehicles is increasing fast. This development is primarily driven by the new and improved functionality that can be implemented with electro-mechanical sub-systems, but it is also necessary for the transition to electric and hybrid-electric drive trains.</p><p>An electromechanical sub-system can be implemented as a physically integrated mechatronic module: controller, power electronics, electric motor, transmission and sensors, all integrated into one component. A mechatronic module, spans, as all mechatronic systems, over several closely coupled engineering disciplines: mechanics, electronics, electro-mechanics, control theory and computer science. In order to design and optimize a mechatronic system it is therefore desirable to design the system within all domains concurrently. Optimizing each domain or component separately will not result in the optimal system design. Furthermore, the very large production volumes of automotive sub-systems increase the freedom in the mechatronics design process. Instead of being limited to the selection from off-the shelf components, application specific components may be designed.</p><p>The research presented in this thesis aims at development of an integrated design and optimization methodology for mechatronic modules. The target of the methodology is the conceptual design phase, where the number of design parameters is relatively small. So far, the focus has been on design methods for the electric motor and gearhead, two of the most important components in an actuation module. The thesis presents two methods for design and optimization of motor and gearhead in mechatronic applications. One discrete method, intended for the selection of off-the-shelf components, and one method mainly intended for high volume applications where new application specific components may be designed. Both methods can handle any type of load combination, which is important in mechatronic systems, where the load seldom can be classified as pure inertial or constant speed.</p><p>Furthermore, design models relating spur gear weight, size and inertia to output torque and gear ratio are presented. It is shown that a gearhead has significantly lower inertia and weight than a motor. The results indicate that it almost always is favorable from a weight and size perspective to use a gearhead. A direct drive configuration may only be lighter for very high speed applications. The main contribution of this thesis is however the motor/gear ratio sizing methods that can be applied to any electromechanical actuation system that requires rotational motion.</p>

L'électrolyse de la vapeur d'eau à haute température et sous pression avec des électrolytes à conduction protonique est un moyen envisagé pour produire massivement de l'hydrogène à un coût compétitif. Pour être fonctionnelle, une cellule d'électrolyse doit être hermétique vis-à-vis de l'extérieur et entre le compartiment anodique (O2 et H2O) et le compartiment cathodique (H2). Ainsi, la réalisation de liaisons céramique-métal est nécessaire, soit pour l'intégration de l'électrolyte (liaison perovskite-métal), soit pour l'intégration d'alimentations électriques (liaison alumine-métal). Compte-tenu des conditions de fonctionnement de la cellule (600°C, 50 bars, vapeur d'eau), seul un procédé de brasage est envisageable pour réaliser des jonctions résistantes mécaniquement et hermétiques. L'expertise des processus de corrosion sous vapeur d'eau a permis de définir la partie métallique et la brasure pour cette application et a montré que des alliages spécifiques étaient requis. L'étude de métallisation des céramiques par PVD pour permettre le mouillage de la brasure au moment du brasage a montré que la présence d'une barrière de diffusion était nécessaire, pour éviter la dissolution du dépôt lors du passage à l'état liquide de la brasure. Après une étude de mouillabilité à chaud de la brasure sélectionnée sur les céramiques métallisées et les substrats métalliques, les liaisons ont été optimisées en appliquant la méthodologie des plans d'expériences sur des éprouvettes normalisées. L'ensemble des résultats a ainsi conduit au développement de liaisons céramique-métal possédant de bonnes propriétés mécaniques (Rm = 60 MPa à 20°C) et hermétiques. / Steam electrolysis at high temperature and under pressure with protonic conduction electrolyte is a way to produce hydrogen massively at low cost. To operate, an electrolysis cell must be hermetic especially between the anodic compartment (O2 and H2O) and the cathodic one (H2). Thus, ceramic to metal assemblies are needed, either to insert the electrolyte (perovskite-metal junction) or to realize power supply (alumina-metal junction).Considering the operating conditions (873°K, 725 PSI, steam), only a brazing process is possible to realize strong and hermetic junctions.The evaluation of corrosion process under steam pressure has enabled to select a metallic component and a brazing alloy for this application, and has shown that specific alloys are needed.The studies of ceramics metallization by PVD to assure the brazing alloy wetting throughout the brazing process have shown that a barrier diffusion was necessary to avoid the dissolution of coatings when the brazing alloy become liquid.After wetting experimentations of the chosen brazing alloy over the metalized ceramics and the metallic substrate, ceramic to metal assemblies have been optimized in applying the experimental design methodology on standard samples (ASTM).The whole results have enabled to develop hermetic ceramic to metal assemblies having good mechanical properties (Rm = 8700 PSI at 300°K).

O trabalho trata do estudo do processo de impressão tridimensional e desenvolvimento de uma impressora para a produção de corpos-de-prova cerâmicos. A técnica de impressão tridimensional pertence ao grupo de prototipagem rápida e consiste na obtenção de um corpo sólido a partir de um modelo digital de três dimensões, através do fatiamento do modelo tridimensional e da impressão seqüencial de suas respectivas fatias. Durante o processo de impressão, deposita-se um ligante sobre camadas sucessivas de pó e em cada camada, o ligante consolida o pó no formato bidimensional da fatia, que por fim soma-se as outras fatias subseqüentes, consolidando assim o formato tridimensional do modelo. Os equipamentos convencionais de impressão 3D utilizam pós a base de gesso e acrílico, onde o ligante, a base de água, fornece a primeira adesão química; posteriormente é infiltrada uma resina para fornecer uma ligação com o pó de acrílico. Na impressão de cerâmica a base de alumina ou zircônia, o desenvolvimento de ligantes tem de ser realizado visando à adesão química e orgânica combinadas antes da sinterização. Neste projeto, uma mini impressora 3D para corpos de prova foi desenvolvida e com ela foram produzidos corpos de geometria simples e seção constante, cujo projeto, custo, manutenção simplificada e econômica possibilita também o emprego de materiais agressivos nos ligantes, com risco de danificação de componentes, a exemplo de ácido fosfórico, porém com baixo custo de recuperação. Foram analisados diversos tipos pelo dimensionamento de seus aglomerados, fluidez e densidade. Obteve-se pó a base de gesso por R$15,00 o kilograma. Corpos de prova foram analisados com relação à resistência mecânica por flexão de três pontos, densidade, porosidade aparente e imagens por microscopia ótica e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Um protótipo de uma mini-impressora foi idealizado, projetado e fabricado, soluções originais e econômicas foram propostas e na sua validação alguns conceitos necessitam de melhorias, ainda assim foram obtidos resultados promissores. Foi desenvolvida uma formulação de pó baseado em gesso que teve o custo de aproximadamente 5% do produto importado. / The work studies the three-dimensional printing process and the development of a 3D printer to produce ceramic specimen. The 3D printing technique belongs to the rapid prototype group and consists in obtaining a solid body from a three-dimensions digital model, through the slicing of the three-dimensional model and the sequential printing of their respective slices. During the printing process, a binder is deposited upon successive powder layers, and in each layer, the binder consolidates the powder into the bi-dimensional shape of the slice, which ultimately adds to the other slices that followed, consolidating the three-dimensional shape model. The conventional 3D printing equipments uses powder based in gypsum and acrylic, where the water-based binder, provides the first chemical bind; subsequently is infiltrated a resin to provide a binding with the acrylic powder. In the ceramic printing based on alumina or zirconia, the development of binders must be accomplished looking for a organic and chemical bind before sintering. In this project, a mini 3D printer for ceramic specimens was developed and built, with it were be produced bodies of simple geometry and constant section, which design, cost and simplified maintenance and cost also enable the use of aggressive materials in binders, with the risk of components damage, such as phosphoric acid, but with low cost to recovery. Were analyzed several types of powders by the sizing of its clusters, fluidity and density. Were obtained gypsum powder for $ 7.00 a kilogram. The specimen were analyzed in relation to the mechanical strength by three-point bending, density, apparent porosity and images by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A prototype of a mini 3D printer was designed, engineered and manufactured, unique and economical solutions have been proposed and in its validation some concepts need of improvement, yet promising results were obtained. It was developed a powder formulation based on gypsum that has cost about 5% of the imported product.

As próteses de membros superiores atualmente disponíveis no mercado não atendem a muitos dos requisitos dos seus usuários, em especial devido à funcionalidade insuficiente e a seu alto peso e custo. Este fato, aliado à importância do assunto, foi a motivação deste trabalho, que utiliza a Análise do Valor no projeto deste tipo de próteses. Para isto, propõe uma metodologia de projeto, que utiliza a mencionada Análise, e aplica a mesma às próteses de membros superiores com o objetivo de obter configurações das mesmas que contenham vantagens comparando-se com as disponíveis atualmente. A Análise do Valor trabalha com funções, e por isto, as próteses, neste trabalho, foram vistas através das funções que deveriam executar. Para a obtenção destas funções e das suas especificações, foram consultados usuários de próteses, de quem as opiniões foram consideradas as mais importantes. Após estas consultas, foi executado um brainstorming com voluntários para a obtenção de idéias de novos componentes e novos tipos de próteses. A partir do resultado das entrevistas com usuários e do brainstorming, e com base nas pesquisas realizadas, foram propostas novas configurações de próteses que procurassem atender ao máximo possível das especificações que tinham sido obtidas. Em suma, esta dissertação pretende fornecer mais subsídios para se entender o que é necessário para que as próteses de membros superiores tenham uma aceitação maior e auxiliem mais seus usuários. A metodologia proposta, por sua vez, mostrou que tem potencial para ser útil na obtenção de produtos cada vez melhores, visto que ela pode ser aplicada a produtos em geral, não somente às próteses. / The available upper limb prosthesis in the market at this moment don’t correspond to many of the users’ requirements, mainly because of the insufficient functionality and the high weight and cost. This fact, allied to the importance of the subject, was the motivation of this work, which uses the Value Analysis in this kind of prosthesis design. For this purpose, it proposes a design method, which uses the mentioned Analysis, and applies it to the upper limb prosthesis aiming to obtain this product configurations with advantages, comparing to the available prosthesis at this moment. The Value Analysis works with functions, and, because of that, the prosthesis, in this work, were seen through the functions they should execute. To obtain these functions and its specifications, prosthesis users were consulted – their opinions were considered the most important. After these consultations, it was executed a brainstorming with volunteers to obtain new prosthesis’ kinds and components ideas. With the interviews and brainstorming results, and supported by the research made, they were proposed new prosthesis configurations, which had the goal to correspond to the maximum possible of the obtained specifications. In short, this dissertation intend to provide more subsidies to comprehend what is necessary to the upper limb prosthesis to have a bigger acceptance and help more its users. The proposed design method, at its side, showed that has potential to be useful in the more and more better products obtaining, because it can be applied to the products in general, not only to the prosthesis.

A mudança nas relações funcionais entre os agentes da indústria da construção civil, a velocidade dos avanços tecnológicos e a intensa competitividade entre os escritórios de arquitetura evidenciam uma necessidade crescente de organização do processo de projeto, cujo aprimoramento pode ser alcançado através do uso de metodologias sistemáticas. Entretanto, a ininteligibilidade e a falta de domínio do processo criativo do arquiteto resultam, muitas vezes, em sistemas metodológicos ineficazes, devido à deficiência de ferramentas que suportem a criatividade do projetista, na fase de concepção das idéias. A Teoria da Solução Inventiva de Problemas (TRIZ) é uma metodologia que direciona o processo criativo, através da proposição de Princípios Inventivos (PIs) e identificação de padrões na evolução dos sistemas. Conceituando a contradição como um elemento chave para a criação, é baseada em pesquisas de patentes mundiais de vários campos do conhecimento. Estudos preliminares, identificando diversos princípios da TRIZ em soluções arquitetônicas existentes, incentivaram-nos à exploração da metodologia na área da arquitetura, objetivo deste trabalho. Na tentativa de uma primeira validação do modelo, realizou-se um estudo de caso no Conjunto Residencial da USP (CRUSP), no qual a teoria foi utilizada para solucionar o problema de adequação da acessibilidade dos edifícios às pessoas portadoras de deficiência física. O estudo de caso demonstrou que a TRIZ é uma alternativa metodológica para a fase inicial do processo de projeto arquitetônico, à medida em que possui ferramentas para sistematizar o conhecimento do problema, delimitar o espaço de busca por soluções e sinalizar as idéias potencialmente relevantes. / The modification in the functional relationships among the project players of the building construction industry, the speed of technological advances and the strong competitiveness among the architectural offices are indications of a growing need for organization of the design process, whose improvement has been achieved through systematic methodologies. However, the unintelligibility and lack of management of the architect's creative process result, a lot of times, in ineffective methodological systems, caused by a deficiency of tools that support the designer's creativity in the phase of conceptual design. The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) is a methodology that improves the creative process through the propositions of Inventive Principles (IPs) and identification of some patterns in the evolution of the systems. The theory considers the contradiction as the key element for innovation and it is based on researches about worldwide patents of several fields of knowledge. Preliminary studies identified several TRIZ Principles in existent architectural solutions and motivated us to the exploration of the methodology in this field, which was the goal of this work. In the attempt of a first validation of the model, a case study was accomplished in the Residential Building of Universidade de São Paulo (CRUSP), using TRIZ to solve the problem of adaptation of the buildings for accessibility by disabled people. The case study demonstrated that TRIZ is a methodological alternative for the early phases of architectural design process, because it includes tools to systematize the problem knowledge, to delimit the search space for solutions and to signal the ideas potentially relevant.

Atualmente, vários pesquisadores da arquitetura, investiga as possibilidades de absorção da tecnologia digital na arquitetura. Dentre as diversas posturas, destaca a do grupo de arquitetos holandeses Nox cujo método de concepção que utiliza técnicas digitais e analógicas, assim como acolhe o conhecimento de outras disciplinas e enfatizam a topologia como um dos eixos norteador, a obra do grupo indica as questões para o debate. Dialogando com outros autores, este tema reflete sobre as modificações pelas quais passa a arquitetura. / Nowadays, different groups of architects search for the possibilities of digital Technology contribution to architecture. Among the various stances, this paper particularly highlights the Dutch architects group called Nox, which develops a design method that uses both digital and analogical techniques, as well as incorporates knowledge from other disciplines. The Dutch group’s work serves as a guideline, as it indicates the subjects to be examined. Also based on the studies of other authors, the present research analyses the modifications contemporary architecture is going through, such as matters related to form, design method and conceiving of space, time and reality.

Le but de cette thèse est de proposer une méthodologie de conception pour la réalisation depièces en fabrication additive (FA). Par rapport aux familles de procédés de fabrication standard que sontl'enlèvement de matière, la déformation plastique et la fusion, les procédés de FA présentent descaractéristiques nouvelles permettant la fabrication de pièces en multimatériaux, d'assemblagesindémontables ou encore de formes complexes. L’arrivée de cette nouvelle technologie implique unchangement de paradigme nécessitant l’accompagnement des concepteurs dans leurs missions dedéveloppement de produits de qualité. De plus les caractéristiques mécaniques et l'état de surfaces despièces obtenues en FA dépendent de leur orientation au moment de la réalisation. Par ailleurs, en fonctiondu procédé, de la géométrie souhaitée et de cette orientation, il peut être nécessaire d'intégrer du supportafin d'assurer la fabricabilité de la pièce. Nous avons donc défini une méthodologie de conception, quirespecte l’intégrité de la chaine numérique et dont la finalité est la production d'un modèle numériquetranché prêt à être fabriqué sur une machine de FA. Pour ceci, notre méthodologie se base sur lesdonnées du cahier des charges fonctionnel (CDCF) et les connaissances métier du procédé renseignéespar le concepteur afin de lui proposer automatiquement un premier solide dont la géométrie satisfait toutesces contraintes. Une étape d'optimisation topologique vient ensuite restreindre le volume de matière utilede la pièce afin de limiter son poids, son coût et le temps de fabrication. Enfin, si nécessaire, un supportoptimisé assurant la fabricabilité de la pièce est généré selon ces mêmes critères. Cette méthodologies'accompagne d'un cas d'étude industriel ainsi que de deux expérimentations visant à observer lapossibilité d'un parachèvement à l'acétone sur des pièces réalisée en ABS. La première expérimentationest un plan d'expérience mesurant l'état de surface obtenu en s'appuyant sur la température de l'acétone,le temps d'opération, l'inclinaison des surfaces de la pièce et son épaisseur. La seconde expérimentationest un test de traction visant à observer une modification de la tenue mécanique de pièces soumises à cetraitement. Indépendamment du type de machine et du procédé de FA, la méthodologie que nousproposons est un premier pas concret vers l’obtention de pièces directement conformes, que ce soit pourdes besoins industriels ou domestiques. / The aim of this thesis is to propose a design methodology to produce parts using additivemanufacturing (AM). Compared to standard manufacturing processes, as machining, forming, casting ormolding, AM processes have new features for manufacturing multi-material parts, nondetachableassemblies or complex shapes. The arrival of this new technology involves a paradigm shift that requiressupport to designers to develop quality products. Also the mechanical and finishing specifications of theparts obtained by AM depend on their orientation during the manufacturing. Furthermore, depending onthe process, the desired geometry and the orientation, it could be necessary to integrate a support in orderto ensure manufacturability of the part. We define a design methodology that respects the integrity of thedigital channel and whose purpose is to produce a sliced numerical model ready to be manufactured on anAM machine. For this, our methodology is based on data from functional specification and businessknowledge of the process indicated by the designer, to automatically propose a first solid geometry whichsatisfies all these requirements. After this first step, a step of topological optimization restricts the volumeof the part in order to reduce its weight, cost and manufacturing time. Finally, if necessary, optimizedsupport ensuring the manufacturability of the part is generated according to the same criteria. Thismethodology is accompanied by an industrial case study as well as of two experiments to observe thepossibility to finish parts made of ABS with acetone. The first experiment is an experimental design whichmeasures the obtained surface finish based on the temperature of the acetone, the operating time, theinclination of the surfaces of the piece and its thickness. The second experiment is a tensile stress testdesigned to observe a change in the mechanical resistance of the part. Regardless of the type of machineand the AM process, the methodology we propose is a first concrete step towards obtaining directlycompliant parts, whether for industrial or domestic use.

This dissertation reports a high-speed wideband wireless transmission solution for the tight power constraints of cortical interface application. The proposed system deploysImpulse Radio Ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) technique to achieve very high-rate communication. However, impulse radio signals suffer from significant attenuation within the body,and power limitations force the use of very low-power receiver circuits which introduce additional noise and jitter. Moreover, the coils’ self-resonance has to be suppressed to minimize the pulse distortion and inter-symbol interference, adding significant attenuation. To compensate these losses, an Error correction code (ECC) layer is added for functioning reliably to the system. The performance evaluation is made by modeling a pair of physically fabricated coils, and the results show that the ECC is essential to obtain the system’s reliability. Furthermore, the gm/ID methodology, which is based on the complete exploration ofall inversion regions that the transistors are biased, is studied and explored for optimizingthe system at the circuit-level. Specific focuses are on the RF blocks: the low noise am-plifier (LNA) and the injection-locked voltage controlled oscillator (IL-VCO). Through the analytical deduction of the circuit’s features as the function of the gm/ID for each transistor, it is possible to select the optimum operating region for the circuit to achieve the target specification. Other circuit blocks, including the phase shifter, frequency divider,mixer, etc. are also described and analyzed. The prototype is fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS(Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) process.

La conception concourante de produits matériels centrée sur l’homme est basée sur une collaboration entre le concepteur mécanicien, l’ergonome et le designer industriel. Cette collaboration souvent difficile peut être facilitée par l’utilisation d’objets intermédiaires de conception, tels que la Réalité Virtuelle (RV). Néanmoins, bien que largement utilisée dans l’industrie, la RV souffre d’un déficit d’acceptation de la part des concepteurs de produits. Dans le cadre de ces travaux, nous proposons d’utiliser la RV sous la forme d’outils immersifs d’assistance à la convergence multidisciplinaire développés selon une démarche anthropocentrée en fonction des besoins spécifiques à chaque projet de conception de produits. Afin d’optimiser les délais de développement, nous proposons une méthodologie de conception d’applications immersive dédiée : la méthodologie ASAP(As Soon As Possible). Une première série expérimentale a été conduite dans le cadre de contrats industriels d’études et de recherche afin de valider la faisabilité de la méthodologie et l’efficacité des outils développés.Une deuxième série expérimentale a été effectuée sur plus de 50 sujets dans le cadre de projets, cette fois, pédagogiques qui ont nécessité le développement de 12 applications. Elle a permis de valider quantitativement l’influence des outils immersifs sur l’efficacité perçue des phases de convergence interdisciplinaires ainsi que l’influence de l’approche proposée sur l’acceptation de la RV par les concepteurs de produits. Ces travaux de thèse présentent une première approche qui, selon nous, permettra à terme, de faire évoluer l’usage de la RV vers une intégration plus forte au sein des processus de conception de produits avec, par exemple, une plus large utilisation des applications immersives de modélisation 3D, réelles sources d’innovation. / Human centered and concurring product design is based on the collaboration between mechanical engineers, human factor experts and industrial designers. This collaboration is often difficult and can be eased through the use of intermediary objects such as Virtual Reality (VR). Nevertheless, even though VR is widely used in the industry, it suffers from a lack of acceptance by product designers. In the context of this research work, we suggest to use VR in the form of immersive multidisciplinary convergence support tools. These tools are developed in accordance with an anthropocentered approach, as a function of each specific product design project’s needs. In order to optimize development times, we propose a dedicated immersive software design methodology : the ASAP methodology (As Soon As Possible). A first experiment, aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of the ASAP methodology and the effectiveness of the implemented immersive tools, has been conducted in the context of industrial product design projects. A second experiment, involving more than 50 participants, has been conducted in the context of educational product design projects and led to the development of 12 immersivetools. It demonstrated quantitatively the contribution of immersive tools to the perceived effectiveness of interdisciplinary convergence phases and the contribution of the ASAP methodology on the acceptation of VR by product designers. This research work describes a first approach that could, according to us, allow abetter integration of VR within product design processes.