This study investigates energy harvesting characteristics from a spinning device that consists of a proof mass that is supported by two orthogonal elastic structures with the piezoelectric material. Deformation in the piezoelectric structures due to vibration of the proof mass generates voltages to power electrical loads. The governing equations for this electromechanically coupled device are derived using Newtonian mechanics and Kirchhoff's voltage law. The case where the device rotates at a constant speed and is subjected to sinusoidal base excitation is examined in detail. The energy harvesting behavior is investigated for devices with identical piezoelectric support structures (called tuned devices). Closed-form expressions are derived for the steady state response and power harvested. For nonzero rotation speeds, these devices have multifrequency dynamic response and power harvested due to the combined vibration and rotation of the host system. The average power harvested for one oscillation cycle is calculated for a wide range of operating conditions to quantify the devices' performance. Resonances do not occur for cases when the base excitation frequency is fixed and the rotation speed varies. For cases of fixed rotation speed and varying base excitation frequency, however, resonances do occur. The number and location of these resonances depend on the electrical circuit resistances and rotation speed. Resonances do not occur at speeds or frequencies predicted by resonance diagrams, which are commonly used in the study of rotating system vibration. These devices have broadband speed energy harvesting ability. They perform equally well at high and low speeds; high speeds are not necessary for their optimal performance. The impact of the chosen damping model on energy harvesting characteristics for tuned devices is investigated. Two common damping models are considered: viscous damping and structural (hysteretic) damping. Closed-form expressions for steady state dynamic response and power harvested are derived for models with viscous and structural damping. The average power harvested using the model with structural damping behaves similarly at high speeds and low speeds, and at high resistances and low resistances. For the viscous damping model, however, the average power harvested is meaningfully different at high speeds compared to low speeds, and at high resistances compared to low resistances. The characteristics of devices with nonidentical piezoelectric support structures (called mistuned devices) are investigated numerically. Similar to spinning tuned devices, mistuned devices have multifrequency dynamic response and power harvested. In contrast to tuned devices, high amplitude average power harvested occurs near speeds and base excitation frequencies predicted by resonance diagram.

High levels of vibration are essential for the proper operation of vibrating screens. However, this motion imparts high dynamic loads on their support structures leading to premature failure or costly construction. Various methods exist for the attenuation of these forces, but they require undesirable addition of weight to the screen assembly, which can be as much as 130% of the screen mass. More appropriate methods are pendulum, hydraulic and liquid inertia vibration absorbers. These devices can provide similar isolation at only a fraction of the weight increase of current screen isolation methods. The liquid inertia vibration absorber's unique properties make it ideal for the attenuation of screen forces, as this study will show. A mathematical model describing the motion for the vibration absorber was derived. This led to an equation describing the force transmissibility, which was used to show which parameters influence the absorber's performance. The model was extended to take into account the effect of conical port inlets/outlets, which were used to reduce the viscous damping. The effect of viscous damping was quantified using computational fluid dynamics. The mathematical model was used to show how an optimal set of parameters could be found. Two design procedures were developed for the vibration absorber and were then used to design an experimental absorber. The experimental absorber was used to validate the mathematical model. Several practical considerations for the design were discussed and solutions suggested. The stiffness of the absorber was estimated using finite element modelling. Two elastomeric springs of different hardnesses were fitted to the absorber. The softer spring achieved a transmissibility of 16% by 42 Hz. The main stumbling block in reducing the transmissibility even further is the reduction of the damping. The experience gained from the experimental absorber was used to suggest how an absorber could be applied to a screen. An absorber isolating at 12.5 Hz was designed for this purpose. A theoretical design study investigated two possible configurations of absorber fitment. When the absorber was fitted directly to the screen the force transmitted was reduced 7.2 times. Fitting the absorber to the sub-frame gave similar transmissibility results to that of a screen fitted with a sub-frame only, but the mass ratio was only 15%. The outcome of this study is a thorough understanding of liquid inertia vibration absorbers as well as a procedure for their optimal design. / Dissertation (M Eng (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

Parabolic trough systems are one of the most commercially and technically developed technologies for concentrated solar power. With the current research and development efforts, the cost of electricity from these systems is approaching the cost of electricity from medium-sized coal-fired power plants. Some of the cost-cutting options for parabolic trough systems include: (i) increasing the sizes of the concentrators to improve the system’s concentration ratio and to reduce the number of drives and controls and (ii) improving the system’s optical efficiency. However, the increase in the concentration ratios of these systems requires improved performance of receiver tubes to minimise the absorber tube circumferential temperature difference, receiver thermal loss and entropy generation rates in the receiver. As such, the prediction of the absorber tube’s circumferential temperature difference, receiver thermal performance and entropy generation rates in parabolic trough receivers therefore, becomes very important as concentration ratios increase. In this study, the thermal and thermodynamic performance of parabolic trough receivers at different Reynolds numbers, inlet temperatures and rim angles as concentration ratios increase are investigated. The potential for improved receiver thermal and thermodynamic performance with heat transfer enhancement using wall-detached twisted tape inserts, perforated plate inserts and perforated conical inserts is also evaluated. In this work, the heat transfer, fluid flow and thermodynamic performance of a parabolic trough receiver were analysed numerically by solving the governing equations using a general purpose computational fluid dynamics code. SolTrace, an optical modelling tool that uses Monte-Carlo ray tracing techniques was used to obtain the heat flux profiles on the receiver’s absorber tube. These heat flux profiles were then coupled to the CFD code by means of user-defined functions for the subsequent analysis of the thermal and thermodynamic performance of the receiver. With this approach, actual non-uniform heat flux profiles and actual non-uniform temperature distribution in the receiver different from constant heat flux profiles and constant temperature distribution often used in other studies were obtained. Both thermodynamic and multi-objective optimisation approaches were used to obtain optimal configurations of the proposed heat transfer enhancement techniques. For thermodynamic optimisation, the entropy generation minimisation method was used. Whereas, the multi-objective optimisation approach was implemented in ANSYS DesignXplorer to obtain Pareto solutions for maximum heat transfer and minimum fluid friction for each of the heat transfer enhancement techniques. Results showed that rim angles lower than 60o gave high absorber tube circumferential temperature differences, higher receiver thermal loss and higher entropy generation rates, especially for flow rates lower than 43 m3/h. The entropy generation rates reduced as the inlet temperature increased, increased as the rim angles reduced and as concentration ratios increased. Existence of an optimal Reynolds number at which entropy generation is a minimum for any given inlet temperature, rim angle and concentration ratio is demonstrated. In addition, for the heat transfer enhancement techniques considered, correlations for the Nusselt number and fluid friction were obtained and presented. With heat transfer enhancement, the thermal efficiency of the receiver increased in the range 5% – 10%, 3% – 8% and 1.2% – 8% with twisted tape inserts, perforated conical inserts and perforated plate inserts respectively. Results also show that with heat transfer enhancement, the absorber tube’s circumferential temperature differences reduce in the range 4% – 68%, 3.4 – 56% and up to 67% with twisted tape inserts, perforated conical inserts and perforated plate inserts respectively. Furthermore, the entropy generation rates were reduced by up to 59%, 45% and 53% with twisted tape inserts, perforated conical inserts and perforated plate inserts respectively. Moreover, using multi-objective optimisation, Pareto optimal solutions were obtained and presented for each heat transfer enhancement technique. In summary, results from this study demonstrate that for a parabolic trough system, rim angles, concentration ratios, flow rates and inlet temperatures have a strong influence on the thermal and thermodynamic performance of the parabolic trough receiver. The potential for improved receiver thermal and thermodynamic performance with heat transfer enhancement has also been demonstrated. Overall, this study provides useful knowledge for improved design and efficient operation of parabolic trough systems. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / PhD / Unrestricted

This diploma thesis deals with the landing gear design of the small two-seat aircraft. The introduction focuses on the conceptual gear design and shock absorber computational dynamic characteristic model. The practical part is focused on the landing gear construction according to the selected parameters based on the conceptual and computational model. The diploma thesis ends with strength calculations and production documentation.

No description available.

Efficient absorption of light is required for a large number of applications such as thermo-photovoltaics,thermal imaging, bio-sensing, thermal emitters, astronomy, and stealth technology. Strong light absorbers found in nature with high intrinsic losses such as carbon black, metal-black, and carbon nano-tubes etc. are bulky, not design-tunable and are hard to pattern for micro- and nano- devices. We developed thin-film, high performance absorbers in the visible, near-, mid-, long-wave - and far-IR region based on a 3 layer metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) structure. We fabricated a 3-layerMDMabsorber with large band-widths in the visible and near IR spectral range without any lithographic patterning. This was the first demonstration in the optical range of the Salisbury Screen, which was originally invented for radar absorption. A Fabry-Perot cavity model depending on the thickness of the dielectric, but also the effective permittivity of the semi-transparent top metal gives calculated spectra that agree well with experiment. Secondly, we fabricated long-wave IR and far-IR MDM absorbers comprising surface patterns of periodic metal squares on the dielectric layer. Strong absorption in multiple bands were obtained, and these depended weakly on polarization and angle of incidence. Though such absorbers had been extensively studied by electrodynamic simulations and experiment in the visible to far- R regions, there existed no analytic model that could accurately predict the wavelengths of the multiple resonances. We developed a theoretical model for these absorbers based on standingwave resonances, which accurately predicts resonance wavelengths for experiment and simulation for the first time. Unlike metamaterial theories our model does not depend on the periodicity of the squares but only on their lateral dimension and the thickness of the dielectric. This feature is confirmed by synchrotron-based IR spectral imaging microscopy of single isolated squares.

The use of a tuned absorber to control the vibration amplitudes of a secondary system subjected to base excitation via a primary system is investigated computationally. A second investigation considers the use of an impact damper mounted on the tuned absorber to control vibration amplitudes of secondary system subjected to base excitation via the same primary system. A series of spreadsheet programs have been written to assist in the investigation of the two vibration control problems. Techniques for solving both closed form and numerical integration problems using spreadsheet macros are presented. The graphics capabilities of spreadsheets are used to present the results of batch case runs of different system parameters. User manuals for both series of programs have been written, fully explaining the programs and how they can be used as a basis for continued investigations of these and similar situations. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME) / This thesis has been partially OCRed.

One of the untapped energy sources is the thermal energy available either from solar irradiance which is still not fully utilized or from the ambient heat temperature. Both resources share the nature of infrared (IR) radiation but with different range of wavelengths. The rectenna (rectifying antenna) concept is presented to harvest these IR radiations. The rectenna is simply an antenna connected to a diode. The diode has to be able to follow and rectify the ultra-fast received AC signal. This condition promotes the use of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) diodes due to their ultra-fast tunneling mechanism. The impedance matching between the diode an antenna is to be considered. The resistance practical ranges of both nano-antenna and MIM diode are generally far. The diode responsivity determines the MIM rectification capability. By building MIM diodes with multiple insulator layers the trade-off between the resistance and responsivity can be resolved. An optimization algorithm to select the qualified materials to build an MIIM diode with high responsivity and low resistance is introduced. A Ti-TiO2/ZnO-Al MIIM diode with ultra-thin oxide layers is fabricated. Also, a global optimization approach is carried out to maximize the impedance matching between the diode and the nano-antenna while improving the capacitance effect on the device’s cut-off frequency. The optimal results reveal a maximum coupling efficiency of 5.5%, a responsivity of 6.4 A/W, and a cut-off frequency of ~34 THz. A symmetric MIM metamaterial perfect absorber is introduced. The design has larger resistance than conventional nano-antennas. The near unity absorptivity is achieved through an optimization approach. A novel Chand-Bali nano-antenna that supports dual polarization and wide angle of reception is presented. The rectenna based on this nano-antenna is expected to achieve more than one magnitude of efficiency higher than ones fabricated in literature. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A new passive treatment to reduce sound transmission into payload fairing at low frequency is investigated. This new solution is composed of optimally damped vibration absorbers (DVA) and optimally damped Helmholtz resonators (HR). A fully coupled structural-acoustic model of a composite cylinder excited by an external plane wave is developed as a first approximation of the system. A modal expansion method is used to describe the behavior of the cylindrical shell and the acoustic cavity; the noise reduction devices are modeled as surface impedances. All the elements are then fully coupled using an impedance matching method. This model is then refined using the digitized mode shapes and natural frequencies obtained from a fairing finite element model. For both models, the noise transmission mechanisms are highlighted and the noise reduction mechanisms are explained. Procedures to design the structural and acoustic absorbers based on single degree of freedom system are modified for the multi-mode framework. The optimization of the overall treatment parameters namely location, tuning frequency, and damping of each device is also investigated using genetic algorithm. Noise reduction of up to 9dB from 50Hz to 160Hz using 4% of the cylinder mass for the DVA and 5% of the cavity volume for the HR can be achieved. The robustness of the treatment performance to changes in the excitation, system and devices characteristics is also addressed. The model is validated by experiments done outdoors on a 10-foot long, 8-foot diameter composite cylinder. The excitation level reached 136dB at the cylinder surface comparable to real launch acoustic environment. With HRs representing 2% of the cylinder volume, the noise transmission from 50Hz to160Hz is reduced by 3dB and the addition of DVAs representing 6.5% of the cylinder mass enhances this performance to 4.3dB. Using the fairing model, a HR+DVA treatment is designed under flight constraints and is implemented in a real Boeing fairing. The treatment is composed of 220 HRs and 60 DVAs representing 1.1% and 2.5% of the fairing volume and mass respectively. Noise reduction of 3.2dB from 30Hz to 90Hz is obtained experimentally. As a natural extension, a new type of adaptive Helmholtz resonator is developed. A tuning law commonly used to track single frequency disturbance is newly applied to track modes driven by broadband excitation. This tuning law only requires information local to the resonator simplifying greatly its implementation in a fairing where it can adapt to shifts in acoustic natural frequencies caused by varying payload fills. A time domain model of adaptive resonators coupled to a cylinder is developed. Simulations demonstrate that multiple adaptive HRs lead to broadband noise reductions similar to the ones obtained with genetic optimization. Experiments conducted on the cylinder confirmed the ability of adaptive HRs to converge to a near optimal solution in a frequency band including multiple resonances. / Ph. D.

This thesis presents a new active-passive treatment developed to reduce structural vibrations and their associated radiated sound. It is a contribution to the research of efficient and low cost devices that implement the advantages of active and passive noise control techniques. A theoretical model has been developed to investigate the potential of this new "active-passive distributed absorber". The model integrates new functions that make it extremely stable numerically. Using this model, a genetic algorithm has been used to optimize the shape of the active-passive distributed absorber. Prototypes have been designed and their potential investigated. The device subsequently developed can be described as a skin that can be mechanically and electrically tuned to reduce unwanted vibration and/or sound. It is constructed from the piezoelectric material polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and thin layers of lead. The tested device is designed to weight less than 10% of the main structure and has a resonance frequency around 1000 Hz. Experiments have been conducted on a simply supported steal beam (24"x2"x1/4"). Preliminary results show that the new treatment out-performs active-passive point absorbers and conventional constrained layer damping material. The compact design and its efficiency make it suitable for many applications especially in the transportation industry. This new type of distributed absorber is totally original and represent a potential breakthrough in the field of acoustics and vibration control. / Master of Science