This Diploma thesis deals with the design of facilities for measuring characteristics of the cars shock absorbers. It describes damped vibration, construction design of shock absorbers and their diagnostics methods followed by description of shock absorbers characteristics and the design of linear motor driven device.

The environmental challenges are increasing, and so is the need for renewable energy. For photovoltaic applications, thin film Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) and CuIn(S,Se)2 (CIS) solar cells are attractive with conversion efficiencies of more than 20%. However, the high-efficiency cells are fabricated using vacuum technologies such as sputtering or thermal co-evaporation, which are very costly and unfeasible at industrial level. The fabrication involves the uses of highly toxic gases such as H2Se, adding complexity to the fabrication process. The work described here focused on non-vacuum deposition methods such as printing. Special attention has been given to printing designed in a moving Roll-to-Roll (R2R) fashion. The results show potential of such technology to replace the vacuum processes. Conversion efficiencies for such non-vacuum deposition of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells have exceeded 15% using hazardous chemicals such as hydrazine, which is unsuitable for industrial scale up. In an effort to simplify the process, non-toxic suspensions of Cu(In,Ga)S2 molecular-based precursors achieved efficiencies of ~7-15%. Attempts to further simplify the selenization step, deposition of CuIn(S,Se)2 particulate solutions without the Ga doping and non-toxic suspensions of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 quaternary precursors achieved efficiencies (~1-8%). The contribution of this research was to provide a new method to monitor printed structures through spectral-domain optical coherence tomography SD-OCT in a moving fashion simulating R2R process design at speeds up to 1.05 m/min. The research clarified morphological and compositional impacts of Nd:YAG laser heat-treatment on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 absorber layer to simplify the annealing step in non-vacuum environment compatible to R2R. Finally, the research further simplified development methods for CIGS solar cells based on suspensions of quaternary Cu(In,Ga)Se2 precursors and ternary CuInS2 precursors. The methods consisted of post deposition reactive annealing for performance enhancement up to 2.0% solar cell conversion efficiency. Chemical treatment using metal salt solutions and Na2Se4 for Na and Se incorporation provided efficiencies up to 1.1%.

This paper presents and evaluates a new terahertz metamaterial absorber (MMA) for sensing applications. Because of its unique properties, metamaterial-based sensors are widely employed in a variety of applications. The reported structure comprises of two identical metallic patches, a dielectric spacer and a ground metal plane. The finite element approach has been utilized to simulate and analyse the design. It is found that the MMA offered a prominent resonant peak with near 100% absorbance at frequency 4.5 THz due to the resultant effect of coupling between the two identical patches. In addition, surface current distribution, absorption mechanism and structural parametric analysis has also been investigated. The peak is designated as 'A', with a line width of 0.02 THz and a quality factor (Q-factor) of 225, which is sensitive to the refractive index of the environment (RI). As a result of its highly sensitive sensing capabilities, the proposed design can be employed as a sensor for refractive index, having 1.6 THz per refractive index unit (RIU) sensitivity and figure of merit (FoM) of 80 in terms of change in RI of the environment. The majority of biomedical samples have RI of 1.3 to 1.36, which is worth highlighting. Thus, biomedical applications may be possible with the suggested sensor.

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<p>An investigation of the steady state response of a non-linear system provided with an impact vibration absorber is made. The term non-linear in the present case refers to a system in which the spring restoring force is bi-linear./p><p> The effect of two main parameters viz. clearance d o (i.e. the free path of travel of the mass particle) and mass ratio μ = m/M (i.e. mass ratio between the mass particle and the primary system) on amplitude of vibration of the system has been investigated experimentally over a range of frequency.</p> <p>A numerical analysis of the problem is made with the aid of a digital computer to supplement the experimental results.</p> <p> It has been found that with proper choice of parameters an impact vibration absorber is effective in reducing vibration level of a nonlinear system undergoing sinusoidal excitation.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

The steady state and dynamic behaviour of a demethanizer-absorber have been studied using the IBM 7040 computer. The model considers as many as 10 components and 30 ideal trays, and three feeds to the column are permitted; this allows comparison with a real column in the Polymer Corporation plant in Sarnia. The steady state solution is obtained using the Thiele-Geddes calculational procedure and the θ-method of inducing convergence. In addition other means of ensuring convergence have been extended and tested. The transient model was studied using a third-order Runge-Kutta process. Although successful, this method was extremely slow. Equilibrium constant data in numerical form based on the Braun charts have been presented and tested. The enthalpy correlations of Yen and Alexander have also been examined and used. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

DAVAs are distributed active and passive devices that can be numerically modelled to provide optimum control of low frequency (< 1000 Hz) mean square velocity and sound power radiation. A numerical model of a multi-DAVA system was developed using the Rayleigh-Ritz method coupled to a hierarchical finite element set (p-method). The numerical model was validated and used to optimize DAVA configurations using lightweight treatments (< 10 % the weight of the base plate weight). The optimizations were performed using genetic algorithms implemented in parallel. They were used to minimize, either passively or actively, the mean square velocity and sound power radiation of different plates having arbitrary boundary conditions (free, simply supported or clamped). Some optimization were also used to determine the optimum number of DAVAs needed, as well as to compare DAVA attenuations with attenuations obtained from optimum Active Constraining Layer Damping (ACLD) treatments. Preliminary results on the passive minimization of the mean square velocity of a simply supported plate with three devices showed that DAVA treatments produce better attenuations than ACLD treatments in the frequency range of interest [2-1000 Hz], and these increased attenuations were due in part to the better capabilities of DAVA treatments to tackle the plate first bending modes. Apart from the free plate, which showed anyway a very low baseline sound transmission, excellent attenuations were obtained both passively and actively for minimizing the mean square velocity and sound power radiation of the simply supported and clamped plates. Following, numerical studies of a DAVA treatment around the optimum solution showed that changing the DAVA top plate stiffness resulted in decreased attenuation, while increasing the DAVA foam layer loss factor increased the attenuation, and decreasing the foam loss factor resulted in decreased attenuation. Finally, by varying the area of the single optimum DAVA that passively minimizes the sound power of the plate, it has been shown that both smaller/lighter and larger/heavier DAVA treatments lead to decreased passive attenuation upon the optimum single DAVA passive solution. Finally, experimental results have further validated the DAVA numerical model, and DAVA treatments have shown excellent passive and active experimental attenuations over various flexible plate structures. / Ph. D.

Magnetorheolgical (MR) fluid dampers have the capability of changing their effective damping force depending on the current input to the damper. A number of factors in the construction of the damper, as well as the properties of the fluid and the electromagnet, create a dynamic response of the damper that cannot be fully described with a static model dependent on current and velocity. This study will compare different techniques for modeling the force response of the damper in the current-velocity space. To ensure that all the dynamic response characteristics of the damper are captured in data collection, random input signals were used for velocity and current inputs. By providing a normally distributed random signal for velocity to a shock dynamometer and a uniformly distributed random signal for current to a Lord rheonetic seat damper, the force response could be measured. The data from this test is analyzed as a two dimensional signal, a three dimensional force plot in the current velocity plane, and as a probability density function. Four models are created to fit the data. The first is a linear model dependent solely on current. The second is a nonlinear model dependent on both current and velocity. The third model takes the nonlinear model and includes a filter that affects the force response of the model with time. Each of these three approaches are compared based on the total error in the force response and the models? ability to match the PDF of the data. Finally, a fourth model is created for the damper that improves the nonlinear model by making one parameter a probability parameter defined by a PDF calculated from the data. However, because it is a probability model, the error cannot be found through comparison to the data. / Master of Science

This work investigates the use of multi-degree of freedom (MDOF) passive and active vibration absorbers for the control of structural vibration as an improvement to conventional single degree of freedom (SDOF) vibration absorbers. An analytical model is first used to compare passive two degree of freedom (2DOF) absorbers to SDOF absorbers using point impedance as the performance criterion. The results show that one 2DOF absorber can provide the same impedance at two resonance frequencies as two SDOF absorbers for equal amounts of total mass. Experimental testing on a composite cylindrical shell supports the assertion that a 2DOF absorber can attenuate two resonance frequencies. Further modeling shows that MDOF absorbers can utilize the multiple mode shapes that correspond to their multiple resonance frequencies to couple into modes of a distributed primary system to improve the attenuation of structural resonance. By choosing the coupling positions of the MDOF absorber such that its mode shape mirrors that of the primary system, the mass of the absorber can be utilized at multiple resonance frequencies. For limited ranges of targeted resonance frequencies, this technique can result in MDOF absorbers providing attenuation equivalent to SDOF absorbers while using less mass. The advantage gained with the MDOF absorbers is dependent on the primary system. This work compares the advantage gained using the MDOF absorbers for three primary systems: MDOF lumped parameter systems, a pinned-pinned plate, and a cylindrical shell. The active vibration absorber study in this work is highly motivated by the desire to reduce structural vibration in a rocket payload fairing. Since the efficiency of acoustic foam is very poor at low frequencies, the target bandwidth was 50 to 200 Hz. A 2DOF active vibration absorber was desired to exhibit broad resonance characteristics over this frequency band. An analytical model was developed to facilitate the design of the mechanical and electrical properties of the 2DOF active vibration absorber, and is supported by experimental data. Eight active vibration absorbers were then constructed and used in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) feed-forward control system on a mock payload fairing under high level acoustic excitation. The results show significant levels of global attenuation within the targeted frequency band. / Master of Science

The materials Fe���(Si,Ge)(S,Se)���, Cu���PS[subscript 4-x]Se[subscript x] (0 ��� x ��� 4), and Cu���PxAs[subscript 1-x]S��� (0 ��� x ��� 1) have been synthesized and studied as new earth-abundant absorbers for single and multijunction photovoltaic cells as well as solar fuel generation. The synthesis, single-crystal growth, and optical and electrical properties of these materials are described and discussed in Chapter 2, 3, and 4. Inspired by the photovoltaic absorber Cu���ZnSnS���, the new compound CuZnPS��� has been discovered; its structure and properties are discussed in Chapter 5, including a comparative analysis to Cu���PS���. The compound YZrF��� (Chapter 6) has been synthesized and evaluated for the first time as a new optical host for green up-conversion. / Graduation date: 2013