This thesis presents decentralized model reference adaptive control techniques for systems with full-state feedback and systems with output feedback. The controllers are strictly decentralized, that is, each local controller uses feedback from only local subsystems and no information is shared between local controllers. The full-state feedback decentralized controller is effective for multi-input systems, where the dynamics matrix and control-input matrix are unknown. The decentralized controller achieves asymptotic stabilization and command following in the presence of sinusoidal disturbances with known spectrum. We present a construction technique of the reference-model dynamics such that the decentralized controller is effective for systems with arbitrarily large subsystem interconnections. The output-feedback decentralized controller is effective for single-input single-output subsystems that are minimum phase and relative degree one. The decentralized controller achieves asymptotic stabilization and disturbance rejection in the presence of an unknown disturbance, which is generated by an unknown Lyapunov-stable linear system.

RFID has been characterized as a “disruptive technology” that has the potential to revolutionize numerous key sectors. A key advantage of passive RFID applications is the ability to wirelessly transmit automatic identification and related information using very little power. This paper presents an experimental investigation to inform the optimal configuration for programming passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID media in dynamic applications. Dynamic programming solutions must be designed around the tag’s functionality, the physical programming configuration and environment. In this investigation, we present a methodology to determine an optimal configuration to maximize the systems programming efficiency for dynamic applications.

The work and results presented in this dissertation concern two complimentary studies that are rooted in surface acoustic waves and transducer study. Surface acoustic wave devices are utilized in a variety of fields that span biomedical applications to radio wave transmitters and receivers. Of interest in this dissertation is the study of surface acoustic wave interaction with polydimethylsiloxane. This material, commonly known as PDMS, is widely used in the microfluidic field applications in order to create channels for fluid flow on the surface of a piezoelectric substrate. The size, and type of PDMS that is created and ultimately etched on the surface of the substrate, plays a significant role in its operation, chiefly in the insertion loss levels experienced. Here, through finite element analysis, via ANSYS® 15 Finite Element Modeling software, the insertion loss levels of varying PDMS sidewall channel dimensions, from two to eight millimeters is investigated. The simulation is modeled after previously published experimental data, and the results demonstrate a clear increase in insertion loss levels with an increase in channel sidewall dimensions. Analysis of the results further show that due to the viscoelastic nature of PDMS, there is a non -linear increase of insertion loss as the sidewall dimensions thicken. There is a calculated variation of 8.31 decibels between the insertion loss created in a microfluidic device with a PDMS channel sidewall thickness of eight millimeters verse a thickness of two millimeters. Finally, examination of the results show that insertion loss levels in a device are optimized when the PDMS sidewall channels are between two and four millimeters. The second portion of this dissertation concerns the calibration of an ultrasonic transducer. This work is inspired by the need to properly quantify the signal generated by an ultrasonic transducer, placed under a static loading condition, that will be used in measuring ultrasonic bone conducted frequency perception of human subjects. Ultrasonic perception, classified as perception beyond the typical hearing limit of approximately 20 kHz, is a subject of great interest in audiology. Among other reasons, ultrasonic signal perception in humans is of interest because the mechanism by which either the brain or the ear interprets these signals is not entirely understood. Previous studies have utilized ultrasonic transducers in order to study this ultrasonic perception; however, the calibration methods taken, were either incomplete or did not properly account for the operation conditions of the transducers. A novel transducer calibration method is detailed in this dissertation that resolves this issue and provides a reliable means by which the signal that is being created can be compared to the perception of human subjects.

Rotational falls, or somersault falls, have led to serious and fatal injuries during the cross-country phase of Eventing competitions. Research to improve the safety of the sport began in 2000 after five fatal injuries occurred in the 1999 Eventing season. These efforts led to safety devices such as air jackets, improved helmets, and frangible/deformable fences. The focus of this thesis is to develop a more complete understanding of the horse-fence interaction as the approach motion transitions to a rotational fall. To achieve this, a large distribution of inertial properties was compiled through the development of a cylinder-based inertia approximation and a citizen science effort to gather equine geometrical measurements through a survey distributed by the United States Eventing Association (USEA). Furthermore, fundamental kinematic properties of the horse and rider were gathered from the literature. These distributions were used to conduct a Monte Carlo analysis to examine if the approach conditions of the horse and rider would result in a transition to a rotational fall upon horse-fence contact. Through the analysis the sensitivity of the main control parameters was explored to determine the dominant variables in the transition.

To be able to harness more power from the wind, wind turbine blades are getting longer. As they get longer, they get more flexible. This creates issues that have until recently not been of concern. Long flexible wind turbine blades can lose their stability to flow induced instabilities such as coupled-mode flutter. This type of flutter occurs when increasing wind speed causes a coupling of a bending and a torsional mode, which create limit cycle oscillations that can lead to blade failure. To be able to make the design of larger blades possible, it is important to be able to predict the critical flutter and post critical flutter behaviors of wind turbine blades. Most numerical research concerning coupled-mode wind turbine is focused on predicting the critical flutter point, and less focused on the post critical behavior. This is because of the mathematical complexities associated with the coupled, nonlinear wind turbine blade systems. Here, a numerical model is presented that predicts the critical flutter velocity and post critical flutter behavior for 3D airfoils with third order structural nonlinearities. The numerical model can account for the attached flow and separated flow region by using the ONERA dynamic stall model. By retaining higher-order structural nonlinearities, lateral and torsional displacements can be predicted, which makes it possible to use this model in the future to control wind turbine blade flutter. Furthermore, by using a dynamic stall model to simulate the flow, the solver is able to predict accurate limit cycle oscillations when the effective angle of attack is larger than the stall angle. The coupled, nonlinear equations of motion are two coupled nonlinear PDEs and are determined using Hamilton’s principle. In order to solve the equations of motion, they are discretized using the Galerkin technique into a set of ODEs. The motion of the airfoil is used as an input to ONERA. The airfoil is sectioned with the lateral position and angle of attack known as well as the velocity and acceleration of the section at an instance of time. This information is used by ONERA to calculate lift and moment coefficients for each section which are then used to calculate the total lift and moment forces of the airfoil. Then, a Fortran code solves the system by using Houbolt’s finite difference method. A theoretical NACA 0012 airfoil has been designed to define the parameters used by the equations of motion. Third bending and first torsional coupling occurs after the critical flutter point and dynamic lift and moment coefficients were observed. Dynamic stall was also observed at wind velocities farther away from the bifurcation point. Bifurcation diagrams, time histories, and phase planes have been created that represent the flutter behavior.

The problem of calculating iso-surface statistics in turbulent flows is interesting for a number of reasons, some of them being combustion modeling, entrainment through turbulent/non-turbulent interfaces, calculating mass flux through iso-scalar surfaces and mapping of scalar fields. A fundamental effect of fuid turbulence is to wrinkle scalar iso-surfaces. A review of the literature shows that iso-surface calculations have primarily been done with geometric methods, which have challenges when used to calculate surfaces that have high complexity, such as in turbulent flows. In this thesis, we propose an alternative integral method and test it against analytical solutions. We present a parallelized algorithm and code to enable in-simulation calculation of isosurface area. We then use this code to calculate area statistics for data obtained from Direct Numerical Simulations and make predictions about the variation of the iso-scalar surface area with Taylor Peclet numbers between 9.8 and 4429 and Taylor Reynolds numbers between 98 and 633.

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are becoming an accepted method for generating electricity. The environmental conditions of offshore locations often impose high wind and wave forces on OWTs making them susceptible to intense loading and undesirable vibrations. One method to reduce system vibrations is through the use of structural control devices typically utilized in civil structures. Tuned liquid column dampers (TLCDs) show great promise in the application to OWTs due to their high performance and low cost. This thesis examines the use of TLCDs in OWTs. Equations of motion for limited degree-of-freedom TLCD-turbine models are presented. A baseline analysis of each OWT is performed to generate a quantitative comparison to show how a TLCD would affect the overall dynamics of the system. The models are then subjected to two methods of testing. Optimal TLCD dimensions are derived for the models using a deterministic sweep method. The TLCD configurations examined include those with a uniform and non-uniform column cross-sectional area. The TLCD is shown to successfully reduce overall tower top displacement of each of the OWTs as well as the platform pitch when applicable. In some cases, use of the TLCD actually increases overall tower and platform motion. This thesis also examines the use of idealized tuned mass dampers (TMDs) in OWTs. Comparisons between the optimized TLCD and the idealized TMD are made with regards to motion reduction and parameter values.

It is often desirable to study simulated turbulent flows at steady state even if the flow has no inherent source of turbulence kinetic energy. Doing so requires a numerical forcing scheme and various methods have been studied extensively for turbulence that is isotropic and homogeneous in three dimensions. A review of these existing schemes is used to form a framework for more general forcing methods. In this framework, the problem of developing a forcing scheme in Fourier space is abstracted into the two problems of (1) prescribing the spectrum of the input power and (2) specifying a force that has the desired characteristics and that adds energy to the flow with the correct spectrum. The framework is used to construct three forcing schemes for horizontally homogeneous and isotropic, vertically stratified turbulence. These schemes are implemented in large-eddy simulations and their characteristics analyzed. Which method is “best” depends on the purpose of the simulations, but the framework for specifying forcing schemes enables a systematic approach for identifying a method appropriate for a particular application.

Offshore wind turbines have the potential to be an important part of the United States' energy production profile in the coming years. In order to accomplish this wind integration, offshore wind turbines need to be made more reliable and cost efficient to be competitive with other sources of energy. To capitalize on high speed and high quality winds over deep water, floating platforms for offshore wind turbines have been developed, but they suffer from greatly increased loading. One method to reduce loads in offshore wind turbines is the application of structural control techniques usually used in skyscrapers and bridges. Tuned mass dampers are one structural control system that have been used to reduce loads in simulations of offshore wind turbines. This thesis adds to the state of the art of offshore wind energy by developing a set of optimum passive tuned mass dampers for four offshore wind turbine platforms and by quantifying the effects of actuator dynamics on an active tuned mass damper design. The set of optimum tuned mass dampers are developed by creating a limited degree-of-freedom model for each of the four offshore wind platforms. These models are then integrated into an optimization function utilizing a genetic algorithm to find a globally optimum design for the tuned mass damper. The tuned mass damper parameters determined by the optimization are integrated into a series of wind turbine design code simulations using FAST. From these simulations, tower fatigue damage reductions of between 5 and 20% are achieved for the various TMD configurations. A previous study developed a set of active tuned mass damper controllers for an offshore wind turbine mounted on a barge. The design of the controller used an ideal actuator in which the commanded force equaled the applied force with no time lag. This thesis develops an actuator model and conducts a frequency analysis on a limited degree-of-freedom model of the barge including this actuator model. Simulations of the barge with the active controller and the actuator model are conducted with FAST, and the results are compared with the ideal actuator case. The realistic actuator model causes the active mass damper power requirements to increase drastically, by as much as 1000%, which confirms the importance of considering an actuator model in controller design.

Football is a much loved sport in the United States. Unfortunately, it is also hard on the players and puts them at very high risk of concussion. To combat this an inventor in Santa Barbara brought a new design to Cal Poly to be tested. The design was tested in small scale first in order to make some preliminary conclusions about the design. In order to fully test the helmet design; however, full scale testing was required. In order to carry out this testing a drop tower was built based on National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, NOCSAE, specification. The drop tower designed for Cal Poly is a lower cost and highly portable version of the standard NOCSAE design. Using this drop tower and a 3D printed prototype the new design was tested in full scale.