No description available.

This dissertation addresses optimization of cubic polynomial problems. Heuristics for finding good quality feasible solutions and for improving on existing feasible solutions for a complex industrial problem, involving cubic and pooling constraints among other complicating constraints, have been developed. The heuristics for finding feasible solutions are developed based on linear approximations to the original problem that enforce a subset of the original problem constraints while it tries to provide good approximations for the remaining constraints, obtaining in this way nearly feasible solutions. The performance of these heuristics has been tested by using industrial case studies that are of appropriate size, scale and structure. Furthermore, the quality of the solutions can be quantified by comparing the obtained feasible solutions against upper bounds on the value of the problem. In order to obtain these upper bounds we have extended efficient existing techniques for bilinear problems for this class of cubic polynomial problems. Despite the efficiency of the upper bound techniques good upper bounds for the industrial case problem could not be computed efficiently within a reasonable time limit (one hour). We have applied the same techniques to subproblems with the same structure but about one fifth of the size and in this case, on average, the gap between the obtained solutions and the computed upper bounds is about 3%. In the remaining part of the thesis we look at global optimization of cubic polynomial problems with non-negative bounded variables via branch and bound. A theoretical study on the properties of convex underestimators for non-linear terms which are quadratic in one of the variables and linear on the other variable is presented. A new underestimator is introduced for this class of terms. The final part of the thesis describes the numerical testing of the previously mentioned underestimators together with approximations obtained by considering lifted approximations of the convex hull of the (x x y) terms. Two sets of instances are generated for this test and the descriptions of the procedures to generate the instances are detailed here. By analyzing the numerical results we can conclude that our proposed underestimator has the best behavior in the family of instances where the only non-linear terms present are of the form (x x y). Problems originating from least squares are much harder to solve than the other class of problems. In this class of problems the efficiency of linear programming solvers plays a big role and on average the methods that use these solvers perform better than the others.

In this dissertation, a new cubic-spline interpolation (CSI) for both one-dimensional and two-dimensional signals is developed to sub-sample signal, image and video compression data. This new interpolation scheme that is based on the least-squares method with a cubic-spline function can be implemented by the fast Fourier transform (FFT). The result is a simpler and faster interpolation scheme than can be obtained by other conventional means. It is shown by computer simulation that such a new CSI yields a very accurate algorithm for smoothing. Linear interpolation, linear-spline interpolation, cubic-convolution interpolation and cubic B-spline interpolation tend to be inferior in performance. In addition it is shown in this dissertation that the CSI scheme can be performed by a fast and efficient computation. The proposed method uses a simpler technique in the decimation process. It requires substantially fewer additions and multiplications than the original CSI algorithm. Moreover, a new type of overlap-save scheme is utilized to solve the boundary-condition problems that occur between two neighboring subimages in the actual image. It is also shown in this dissertation that a very efficient 9-point Winograd discrete Fourier transform (Winograd DFT) can be used to replace the FFT needed to implement the CSI scheme. Furthermore, the proposed fast new CSI scheme is used along with the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) standard to design a modified JPEG encoder- decoder for image data compression. As a consequence, for higher compression ratios the proposed modified JPEG encoder-decoder obtains a better quality of reconstructed image and also requires less computational time than both the conventional JPEG method and the America on Line (AOL) algorithm. Finally, the new fast CSI scheme is applied to the JPEG 2000, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 algorithms, respectively. A computer simulation shows that in the encoding and decoding, the proposed modified JPEG 2000 encoder-decoder speeds up the JPEG 2000 standard, respectively, and still obtains a good quality of reconstructed image that is similar to JPEG 2000 standard for high compression ratios. Additionally, the reconstructed video using the modified MPEG encoder-decoder indicates a better quality than the conventional MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 algorithms for high compression ratios or low-bit rates.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, December 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-151).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-170). Also available in print.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis describes the processing and testing of homogeneous nickel and fully yttria stabilized cubic zirconia interpenetrating phase composites. This work was part of a research program investigating step graded Functionally Gradient Materials. This work was focused on understanding the deformation behaviour of the interpenetrating composites near the percolation threshold of the ceramic phase. The composite grades selected for this study included the pure materials, nickel and zirconia, as well as composites with volume fractions of zirconia of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. These compositions were selected to provide data near the zirconia percolation threshold. Processing of the composites involved tape casting, lamination, organic removal, reduction, and hot pressing. All composites except the 5% volume fraction achieved densities greater than 98% of theoretical. Tensile testing was performed on composite grades up to and including the 20% zirconia material, and flexural testing was carried out on the 25% material and pure zirconia. The maximum tensile strength of 530 MPa was obtained in the 10% material resulting from load transfer to the zirconia phase. Ductility decreased as the volume fraction of zirconia increased, with no macroscopic plasticity above 15% volume fraction zirconia. Hardness tests and compression tests were carried out on all composite grades and the yield stress was determined.The compressive yield stress was found to be related to the hardness by the equation: H=6σy This relationship is a result of the constraint imposed on the nickel phase by the zirconia network. Measurements of damage in one pure nickel sample were also performed. The area fraction of voids as a function of local strain was found to follow an exponential relationship. The Young’s modulus of each material was determined ultrasonically and found to be uniform as expected. Modeling of the tensile specimens indicated that materials above the zirconia percolation threshold work harden more rapidly than those below it. This is not accounted for in the model by Ravichandran. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

In this thesis the cubic spline guidance law and its variants are derived. A detailed analysis is carried out to find the initial conditions for successful interception. The results are applied to three dimensional guidance design and for solving waypoint following problems. The basic cubic spline guidance law is derived for intercepting a stationary target at a desired impact angle in a surface-to-surface engagement scenario. The guidance law is obtained using an inverse method, from a cubic spline curve based trajectory. For overcoming the drawbacks of the basic cubic spline guidance law, it is modified by introducing an additional parameter. This modification has an interesting feature that the guidance command can be obtained using a single cubic spline polynomial even for impact angles greater than π/2, while resulting in substantial improvement in the guidance performance in terms of lateral acceleration demand and length of the trajectory. For imparting robustness to the cubic spline guidance law, in the presence of uncertainties and acceleration saturation, an explicit guidance expression is also derived. A comprehensive capturability study of the proposed guidance law is carried out. The capturability for the cubic spline guidance law is defined in terms of the set of all feasible initial conditions for successful interception. This set is analytically derived and its dependence on various factors, such as initial engagement geometry and interceptor capability, are also established. The basic cubic spline guidance and its variants are also derived for a three dimen- sional scenario. The novelty of the present work lies in the particular representation of the three dimensional cubic spline curve and the adoption of the analytical results available for two dimensional cubic spline guidance law. This enables selection of the boundary condition at launch for given terminal boundary condition and also in avoiding the singularities associated with the inverse method based guidance laws. For establishing the feasibility of the guidance laws in the real world, the rigid body dynamics of the interceptor is presented as a 6 degrees-of-freedom model. Further, using a simplified model, elementary autopilots are also designed. The successful interception of the target in the presence of the rigid body dynamics proves practical applicability of the cubic spline based guidance laws. Finally, the theory developed in the first part of the thesis is applied to solve the waypoint following problem. A smooth path is designed for transition of vehicle velocity from incoming to outgoing direction. The approach developed is similar to Dubins’ path, as it comprises line–cubic spline–line segments. The important feature of this method is that the cubic spline segments are fitted such that the path curvature is bounded by a pre-specified constrained value and the acceleration demand for following the smooth path obtained by this method, gradually increases to the maximum value and then decreases. This property is advantageous from a practical point of view. All the results obtained are verified with the help of numerical simulations which are included in the thesis. The proposed cubic spline guidance law is conceptually simple, does not use linearised kinematic equations, is independent of time-to-go es- timates, and is also computationally inexpensive.