Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This thesis provides an approach to incorporate natural composites like Flax Fiber using a resin with 30% bio-content to enhance the packaging boxes made of corrugated cardboard. The objective of introducing natural composite skins is to reduce/eliminate the compressive loading subjected to the boxes while stacking in warehouses.

Small-scale wind turbines were not considered viable in the past due to their poor efficiencies, mainly because of their aerodynamic effects around the irfoil shape. Recently researchers have renewed interest in enhancing the aerodynamic performances of the blades’ designs inspired by the aerodynamic pattern of biological characteristics of insects and marine mammals such as locusts, dragonflies, damselflies, Humpback Whales etc. Bioinspired wing designs have advantages compared to conventional smooth irfoil blades as they can counter the bending forces that the wings experience during flapping. Bio-inspired corrugated airfoil based on dragonfly wing geometries have been reported to perform well compared to conventional airfoil at low Reynolds numbers. Corrugated airfoils reduce flow separation and enhance aerodynamic performance by trapping vortices in the corrugations thus drawing flow towards the airfoil’s surface. This results in the higher lift whilst incurring only marginally higher drag. Such airfoils also have an advantage when it comes to span-wise structural stiffness due to the corrugated cross-sections. Replacing conventional turbine blades by tubercles or corrugated blades could enhance turbine performance by reducing the pressure gradient along the leading edge; however, the aerodynamic effects at the leading edge will depend on the variations of wavelength and amplitude. In this study, two types of computational studies were investigated: Optimising a corrugated airfoil and investigating the aerodynamic effects of a sinusoidal shape at the leading edge of a blade. Previous studies used an idealized geometry based on the dragonfly wing cross-section profile but did not attempt to optimize the geometry. In the present study: a two-dimensional CFD model is constructed using ANSYS Fluent Workbench-Design Explorer to determine the optimal corrugated blade profile for four angles of attack (AOA) from 5° to 20° corresponding to typical AOA of small-scale wind turbine blades. Two modified blades with variations of wavelength and amplitude at the leading edge were studied to investigate the aerodynamic effects. Three-dimensional models were constructed using Qblade software and 3D points were exported to AutoCAD Inventor to generate the CAD model. The governing equations used are continuity and Navier-Stokes equations written in a frame reference rotating with the blade. The CFD package used is ANSYS FLUENT 19.0. The simulation was run under steady-state, using SST-k omega turbulence model. The modifications have improved the aerodynamic performance. The optimised corrugated blade produced a maximum increase of CL and L/D. Both modified blades (1 and 2) had their performances measured separately and compared to that of baseline blade SG6042 (Conventional blade). Modified blade 1 had a lower wavelength and amplitude at the leading edge of 14.3 % and 4 % respectively of the chord. It was noted that the aerodynamic performance decreased by 6%. Modified model 2, on the other hand had a higher wavelength and amplitude at the leading edge. of 40.4 % and 11.9 % respectively of the chord. It was also noted the aerodynamic performance increased by 6%. From the empirical evidence highlighted above, it can be observed that there is a direct correlation between wavelength, amplitude, and aerodynamic performance of the blade. / Electrical and Mining Engineering / M. Tech. (Engineering)

This master thesis covers the dynamic soil structure interaction of soil-steel culverts applyinga methodology based on the frequency domain response. At the first stage of this masterthesis, field tests were performed on one bridge using controlled excitation. Then, themethodology followed uses previous research, the field tests, finite element models (FEM)and perfectly matched layer (PML) elements.Firstly, a 2D model of the analysed bridge, Hårestorp, was made to compare the frequencyresponse functions (FRF) with the ones obtained from the field tests. Simultaneously, a 3Dmodel of the bridge is created for the following purposes: compare it against the 2D modeland the field tests, and to implement a model updating procedure with the particle swarmalgorithm to calibrate the model parameters. Both models use PML elements, which areverified against previous solution from the literature. The verification concludes that thePML behave correctly except for extreme parameter values.In the course of this master thesis, relatively advanced computation techniques were requiredto ensure the computational feasibility of the problem with the resources available.To do that, a literature review of theoretical aspects of parallel computing was performed, aswell as the practical aspects in Comsol. Then, in collaboration with Comsol Support and thehelp given by PDC at KTH it was possible to reduce the computational time to a feasiblepoint of around two weeks for the model updating of the 3D model.The results are inconclusive, in terms of searching for a perfectly fitting model. Therefore,further research is required to adequately face the problem. Nevertheless, there are some accelerometerswhich show a considerable level of agreement. This thesis concludes to discardthe 2D models due to their incapability of facing the reality correctly, and establishes a modeloptimisation methodology using Comsol in connection with Matlab.

The appearance and design of a package are key properties to attract and to focus the attention of a customer. Print quality contributes to a great degree to achieve these requirements. Most critical perceived in terms of quality are print defects like mottling, gloss and stripiness, which all appear in the printing of corrugated board. Stripiness is especially critical because it is a defect directly caused by the corrugated board construction. A further cause can be generated by the production process of corrugated board. Pre-studies by Odeberg Glasenapp (2004) revealed a difference in surface micro-roughness between the regions on the peak line of the liner and the regions in the valley between two peaks of the corrugation. This knowledge was the basis for the work described in this thesis. In a first stage, laboratory trials were conducted with sets of coated and uncoated samples of various grammages. The trial was set-up in order to simulate the conditions in the corrugator as closely as possible. In the evaluations, it was found out that the settings were too high. For that reason, the coated samples were influenced to a too high degree and needed to be excluded from further evaluations. With the uncoated samples, on the other hand, a change in micro surface roughness was detectable. The roughness is decreased on the peaks and the gloss appearance was the conclusion. The analysis of the printed samples focused on shifts in colour and print density. It is unclear if both are affected only surface roughness changes and/or by the typical corrugated board effect of washboarding. A full-scale test was performed in order to confirm the results of the laboratory test. A test series was chosen with coated and uncoated outer liners. Contrary to the lab-test results, the uncoated grades showed no surface roughness changes. Instead, the coated samples were affected to a great extent. The changes in surface roughness and gloss appearance were similar to the lab-test. This confirms that the lab-test samples were exposed to heat, pressure and shear to a too high degree. The print analysis of the full-scale test did not agree with the laboratory test. Gloss lines were visually detectable, but they were difficult to measure. A reason could be that the ink is capable on forming an ink film layer on top of the surface of the paper. This would cover the micro roughness of the matt parts thereby creating an almost homogeneous glossy appearance. / QC 20101116

In this thesis, parametric studies have been performed for a soil-steel compositebridge to determine and investigate the most influential parameters on the dynamicresponse.High-speed railways are currently being planned in Sweden by the Swedish TransportAdministration with train speeds up to 320 km/h. According to the European designcodes, bridges must be verified with respect to dynamic resonance behaviour for trainspeeds exceeding 200 km/h. However, there are no guidelines or design criterion forperforming dynamic verifications of soil-steel composite bridges. The aim of thisthesis has therefore been to investigate the influence of the geometry and materialproperties of soil-steel composite bridges on their dynamic response.This thesis is based upon the frequency domain approach for dynamic analysis ofa soil-steel composite bridge using finite element software. In 2018, field measurementswere performed on a soil-steel composite bridge in Hårestorp, Sweden. Areference finite element model was developed based on previous research and wasverified against these field measurements. Parametric studies where performed byextrapolating the geometry of the reference model, focusing primarily on the crownheight, culvert span width and the location of the bedrock. Sensitivity analyses ofthe density- and stiffness of the soil was also performed.The parametric studies showed that the crown height was the most influential parameterwith respect to the amplitude of the resonance peak. Increasing it from 1 mto 3 m reduced the amplitude by approximately 70 %. An increased span width ofthe culvert was found to reduce the frequency and amplitude of the resonance peak,however increasing the stiffness of the culvert increased the resonance frequency.The position of the rock layer also reduced the amplitude of the resonance peak iflowered, likely because of lessened wave reflection. The lowest rock level investigatedshowed a significant decrease of more than 70 % in amplitude. However, the modelused to calculate this response was heavily extrapolated and thus difficult to verify.The sensitivity analyses showed that the soil density- and stiffness was negativelyand positively correlated with the resonance frequency, respectively. Additionally,the soil density lowered the amplitude of the resonance peak if increased.

The rapid development of plastic production the last couple of decades has led to extensive use of plastic products and vast problems with littering, waste management and exploitation of natural resources. Due to the cheap and easy production of plastics, the world’s population has extended the limit of acceptable usage. The world’s oceans are filled with plastic debris and waste is landfilled, which have had large impacts on the ecosystem, animal and human life (World Environment Day Outlook, 2018). One of the industries that have been revolutionised by the development of plastic advancement is the packaging industry, where products can be protected and quality can be kept, helping globalisation and developing the modern economy (UNEP, 2018). However, due to the lack of waste management systems and recycling facilities for plastics, the world’s population is demanding change. The United Nations have developed the Sustainability Goals and issued The New Plastics Economy, where governments, citizens and regulatory institutions are to work towards a circular economy (The New Plastics Economy, 2019). The demands are addressed towards whole value chains, from production to end-use, and include waste minimising, material optimisation, increase of recyclability, and the development of sustainable alternatives. The fish industry has historically been limited to a few packaging options and expanded polystyrene (EPS) has been the least inferior one when packaging fresh fish for transportation and keeping the quality of the fish. EPS has great material properties for this purpose, however, with the sustainability transition and increasing demands from consumers, the material is regarded as unsustainable with limited availability and profitability to recycle (Hansen et al., 2012). This master thesis aims to investigate if there are sustainable packaging solutions for fresh fish and how these could be adopted by the fish industry. This was done by conducting a qualitative case study on an alternative packaging solution made from corrugated cardboard. Stakeholders from the whole fish value chain were interviewed in order to understand the value perception of existing and alternative packaging solutions for fresh fish. The findings have been analysed using innovation adoption theory together with a sustainability framework. This in order to understand the adoption behaviour of innovative sustainable packaging solutions, and the sustainability impact of these with regards to environmental, social and economic aspects. The study has identified two packaging solutions, develop recycling systems for EPS and fish boxes made from corrugated cardboard, that the fish industry should consider adopting. The two identified packaging solutions have different diffusion possibilities, where the corrugated cardboard fish box is considered as the most sustainable solution. / Den snabba utvecklingen av plastproduktion de senaste decennierna har lett till en omfattande användning av plastprodukter, vilket har medfört problem som nedskräpning, ökad avfallshantering och överdriven användning av naturresurser. På grund av billig och enkel tillverkning av plast har världens befolkning överskridit gränsen för acceptabel användning. Världens hav är fyllda med spillror av plast och avfall deponeras, vilket har haft stora effekter på ekosystemet och djur- och människoliv (World Environment Day Outlook, 2018). En av branscherna som har revolutionerats av utvecklingen av plast är förpackningsindustrin, där plasten bidrar till att produkter kan skyddas och kvalitet kan bevaras, vilket har hjälpt globaliseringen och utvecklat den moderna ekonomin (UNEP, 2018). På grund av bristen på avfallshanteringssystem och återvinningsanläggningar för plast kräver dock världens befolkning förändring. FN har utvecklat hållbarhetsmål och utfärdat The New Plastics Economy, där regeringar, människor och tillsynsinstitutioner ska arbeta för en cirkulär ekonomi (The New Plastics Economy, 2019). Kraven riktas mot hela värdekedjor, från produktion till slutanvändning, och inkluderar avfallsminimering, materialoptimering, ökad återvinningsbarhet och utveckling av hållbara alternativ. Fiskindustrin har historiskt sett varit begränsad till att använda materialet expanderad polystyren (EPS) vid förpackning av färsk fisk för transport och för att behålla fiskens kvalitet. Detta material har bra materialegenskaper för dessa ändamål, men med hållbarhetsövergången och ökade krav från konsumenter anses materialet vara ohållbart med begränsad tillgänglighet och lönsamhet att återvinna (Hansen et al., 2012). Denna masteruppsats syftar till att undersöka om det finns hållbara förpackningslösningar för färsk fisk och hur dessa bör anammas av fiskindustrin. Detta gjordes genom att genomföra en kvalitativ fallstudie av en alternativ förpackningslösning gjord av wellpapp. Intressenter från fiskens hela värdekedja intervjuades för att förstå värdesynen på befintliga och alternativa förpackningslösningar för färsk fisk. Resultaten har analyserats med hjälp av innovations teori, tillsammans med ett hållbarhetsramverk. Detta för att förstå adoptionsbeteendet för innovativa hållbara förpackningslösningar och hållbarhetspåverkan av dessa när det gäller miljö, samt sociala och ekonomiska aspekter. Studien har identifierat två förpackningslösningar; ett utvecklat återvinningssystem för EPS och fisklådor tillverkade av wellpapp, som fiskindustrin bör överväga att anamma. De två identifierade lösningarna har olika diffusionsmöjligheter, där wellpappfisklåda betraktas som den mest hållbara lösningen.

The high complexity of vehicle front-end design, arising from considerations of aerodynamics, safety and styling, causes the airflow velocity profile at the radiator face to be highly distorted, leading to potentially reduced airflow volume for heat dissipation. A flow visualisation study showed that the bumper bar significantly influenced the cooling airflow, leading to three-dimensional vortices in its wake and generating an area of relatively low velocity across at least one third of the radiator core. Since repeatability and accuracy of on-road testing are prejudiced by weather conditions, wind-tunnel testing is often preferred to solve cooling airflow problems. However, there are constraints that limit the accuracy of reproducing on-road cooling performance from wind-tunnel simulations. These constraints included inability to simulate atmospheric conditions, limited tunnel test section sizes (blockage effects) and lack of ground effect simulations. The work presented in this thesis involved use of on-road and wind-tunnel tests to investigate the effects of most common constraints present in wind tunnels on accuracy of the simulations of engine cooling performance and radiator airflow profiles. To aid this investigation, an experimental technique for quantifying radiator airflow velocity distribution and an analytical model for predicting the heat dissipation rate of a radiator were developed. A four-hole dynamic pressure probe (TFI Cobra probe) was also used to document flow fields in proximity to a section of radiator core in a wind tunnel in order to investigate the effect of airflow maldistribution on radiator heat-transfer performance. In order to cope with the inability to simulate ambient temperature, the technique of Specific Dissipation (SD) was used, which had previously been shown to overcome this problem.

Artificial magnetic materials (AMMs) are a type of metamaterials which are engineered to exhibit desirable magnetic properties not found in nature. AMMs are realized by embedding electrically small metallic resonators aligned in parallel planes in a host dielectric medium. In the presence of a magnetic field, an electric current is induced on the inclusions leading to the emergence of an enhanced magnetic response inside the medium at the resonance frequency of the inclusions. AMMs with negative permeability are used to develop single negative, or double negative metamaterials. AMMs with enhanced positive permeability are used to provide magneto-dielectric materials at microwave or optical frequencies where the natural magnetic materials fail to work efficiently. Artificial magnetic materials have proliferating applications in microwave and optical frequency region. Such applications include inversely refracting the light beam, invisibility cloaking, ultra miniaturizing and frequency bandwidth enhancing low profile antennas, planar superlensing, super-sensitive sensing, decoupling proximal high profile antennas, and enhancing solar cells efficiency, among others. AMMs have unique enabling features that allow for these important applications. Fundamental limitations on the performance of artificial magnetic materials have been derived. The first limitation which depends on the generic model of permeability functions expresses that the frequency dispersion in an AMM is limited by the desired operational bandwidth. The other constraints are derived based on the geometrical limitations of inclusions. These limitations are calculated based on a circuit model. Therefore, a formulation for permeability and magnetic susceptibility of the media based on a circuit model is developed. The formulation is in terms of a geometrical parameter that represents the geometrical characteristics of the inclusions such as area, perimeter and curvature, and a physical parameter that represents the physical, structural and fabrication characteristics of the medium. The effect of the newly introduced parameters on the effective permeability of the medium and the magnetic loss tangent are studied. In addition, the constraints and relations are used to methodically design artificial magnetic material meeting specific operational requirements. A novel design methodology based on an introduced analytical formulation for artificial magnetic material with desired properties is implemented. The synthesis methodology is performed in an iterative four-step algorithm. In the first step, the feasibility of the design is tested to meet the fundamental constraints. In consecutive steps, the geometrical and physical factors which are attributed to the area and perimeter of the inclusion are synthesized and calculated. An updated range of the inclusion's area and perimeter is obtained through consecutive iterations. Finally, the outcome of the iterative procedure is checked for geometrical realizability. The strategy behind the design methodology is generic and can be applied to any adopted circuit based model for AMMs. Several generic geometries are introduced to realize any combination of geometrically realizable area and perimeter (s,l) pairs. A realizable geometry is referred to a contour that satisfies Dido's inequality. The generic geometries introduced here can be used to fabricate feasible AMMs. The novel generic geometries not only can be used to enhance magnetic properties, but also they can be configured to provide specific permeability with desired dispersion function over a certain frequency bandwidth with a maximum magnetic loss tangent. The proposed generic geometries are parametric contours with uncorrelated perimeter and area function. Geometries are configured by tuning parameters in order to possess specified perimeter and surface area. The produced contour is considered as the inclusion's shape. The inclusions are accordingly termed Rose curve resonators (RCRs), Corrugated rectangular resonators (CRRs) and Sine oval resonators (SORs). Moreover, the detailed characteristics of the RCR are studied. The RCRs are used as complementary resonators in design of the ground plane in a microstrip stop-band filter, and as the substrate in design of a miniaturized patch antenna. The performance of new designs is compared with the counterpart devices, and the advantages are discussed.

Artificial magnetic materials (AMMs) are a type of metamaterials which are engineered to exhibit desirable magnetic properties not found in nature. AMMs are realized by embedding electrically small metallic resonators aligned in parallel planes in a host dielectric medium. In the presence of a magnetic field, an electric current is induced on the inclusions leading to the emergence of an enhanced magnetic response inside the medium at the resonance frequency of the inclusions. AMMs with negative permeability are used to develop single negative, or double negative metamaterials. AMMs with enhanced positive permeability are used to provide magneto-dielectric materials at microwave or optical frequencies where the natural magnetic materials fail to work efficiently. Artificial magnetic materials have proliferating applications in microwave and optical frequency region. Such applications include inversely refracting the light beam, invisibility cloaking, ultra miniaturizing and frequency bandwidth enhancing low profile antennas, planar superlensing, super-sensitive sensing, decoupling proximal high profile antennas, and enhancing solar cells efficiency, among others. AMMs have unique enabling features that allow for these important applications. Fundamental limitations on the performance of artificial magnetic materials have been derived. The first limitation which depends on the generic model of permeability functions expresses that the frequency dispersion in an AMM is limited by the desired operational bandwidth. The other constraints are derived based on the geometrical limitations of inclusions. These limitations are calculated based on a circuit model. Therefore, a formulation for permeability and magnetic susceptibility of the media based on a circuit model is developed. The formulation is in terms of a geometrical parameter that represents the geometrical characteristics of the inclusions such as area, perimeter and curvature, and a physical parameter that represents the physical, structural and fabrication characteristics of the medium. The effect of the newly introduced parameters on the effective permeability of the medium and the magnetic loss tangent are studied. In addition, the constraints and relations are used to methodically design artificial magnetic material meeting specific operational requirements. A novel design methodology based on an introduced analytical formulation for artificial magnetic material with desired properties is implemented. The synthesis methodology is performed in an iterative four-step algorithm. In the first step, the feasibility of the design is tested to meet the fundamental constraints. In consecutive steps, the geometrical and physical factors which are attributed to the area and perimeter of the inclusion are synthesized and calculated. An updated range of the inclusion's area and perimeter is obtained through consecutive iterations. Finally, the outcome of the iterative procedure is checked for geometrical realizability. The strategy behind the design methodology is generic and can be applied to any adopted circuit based model for AMMs. Several generic geometries are introduced to realize any combination of geometrically realizable area and perimeter (s,l) pairs. A realizable geometry is referred to a contour that satisfies Dido's inequality. The generic geometries introduced here can be used to fabricate feasible AMMs. The novel generic geometries not only can be used to enhance magnetic properties, but also they can be configured to provide specific permeability with desired dispersion function over a certain frequency bandwidth with a maximum magnetic loss tangent. The proposed generic geometries are parametric contours with uncorrelated perimeter and area function. Geometries are configured by tuning parameters in order to possess specified perimeter and surface area. The produced contour is considered as the inclusion's shape. The inclusions are accordingly termed Rose curve resonators (RCRs), Corrugated rectangular resonators (CRRs) and Sine oval resonators (SORs). Moreover, the detailed characteristics of the RCR are studied. The RCRs are used as complementary resonators in design of the ground plane in a microstrip stop-band filter, and as the substrate in design of a miniaturized patch antenna. The performance of new designs is compared with the counterpart devices, and the advantages are discussed.

El presente proyecto de mejora, se enfoca básicamente en reducir los tiempos de parada producción presentadas en la Zona de Acabados del proceso de Laminación de barras corrugadas de la corporación Aceros Arequipa. Las paradas de producción, se presentaban principalmente por fallas en el mantenimiento de máquinas y/o equipos, y por el trabamiento de barras corrugadas (varillas). Por tal motivo, se realizan propuestas de mejoras teniendo como referencia la metodología del Lean Manufacturing, de la cual se aplicaron las herramientas del TPM, Controles visuales y 5S. Para la herramienta del TPM, se utiliza los 5 pilares los cuales se relacionan con el mantenimiento de máquinas y/o equipos utilizados en el proceso; la herramienta de Controles Visuales se utiliza para reducir los tiempos perdidos en la coordinación entre operador de cabina y de campo ,y también para reducir las probabilidades de incidentes en la zona; y la herramientas de las 5S se utiliza para mejorar la limpieza en la zona, sobre todo para eliminar la cantidad de despuntes (varillas pequeñas) tiradas por la zona de trabajo. Luego de ejecutar las propuestas de mejoras a lo largo de un año, se reduce los tiempo de parada; generando un aumento de la producción diaria en 6 paquetes de varillas (15 toneladas) en el sub-proceso Zona de Acabados. Con los resultados obtenidos, se genera beneficios mensuales de 210.000 soles; además de mejoras en los Indicadores de Productividad en la empresa. / This improvement project is basically focused on reducing the production downtime presented in the Finishing Zone of the corrugated bar rolling process of the Aceros Arequipa corporation. The production stoppages were mainly due to machine and / or equipment maintenance failures, and to the locking of corrugated bars (rods). For this reason, proposals for improvements are made having as a reference the Lean Manufacturing methodology, from which the TPM, Visual Controls and 5S tools were applied. For the TPM tool, the 5 pillars are used, which are related to the maintenance of machines and / or equipment used in the process; The Visual Controls tool is used to reduce the time lost in the coordination between the cabin and field operators, and also to reduce the probability of incidents in the area; and the 5S tools are used to improve cleaning in the area, especially to eliminate the amount of spikes (small rods) thrown around the work area. After executing the improvement proposals over a year, the downtime is reduced; generating an increase in daily production in 6 packages of rods (15 tons) in the Finishing Zone sub-process. With the results obtained, monthly benefits of 210,000 soles are generated; in addition to improvements in the Productivity Indicators in the company. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional