Micro-cylinders with the diameters spanning the 1-20 μm range are growing in importance, for realizing devices with new functionalities. For custom functionalities, their device-designs impose, tolerance-related constraints on their critical dimension. To meet the challenges for the associated online micro-metrology, new methods for the micro-cylinder diameter measurement, are currently receiving considerable attention. „Optical diffraction under Fraunhofer Approximation‟ is one of the most viable experimental techniques for cylinder diameter measurement, in the laboratory as well as Industrial environment. In 1-20 μm diameter range, however, the cylinder-diffraction is not well understood. The reliability of the current models/formulations for this range is far from satisfactory in respect of speed, accuracy, resolution etc., and need a re-examination. The present thesis concerns with a few investigations on the „Optical Diffraction by Micro-Cylinder‟. It highlights both the theoretical and the experimental aspects of the investigations on micro-cylinders with diameters in the range of 1-50 μm. The results of the investigation are organized into two categories. The first of them details a pair of new analytical models obtained from the principles of „Geometrical Theory of Micro-Cylinder Diffraction‟ while the second category highlights another pair of new analytical models obtained from the principles of the „Customary Fraunhofer Theory of Micro-Cylinder Diffraction‟. The model from the „geometrical theory‟ is based on the hypothesis that the ‘ray-paths relevant to the location of ‘diffraction minima’, facilitate to construct, a geometrically-equivalent triangle’. The solution of such a triangle provides the new formulation for the micro-cylinder diffraction. The model from the „customary Fraunhofer theory‟, instead, relies on the on the fact that „the diffraction pattern for a micro-cylinder is essentially, a chirped-interference pattern modulated by a diffraction envelope’. The functional form of the formulation depends upon, the type of triangle constructed for geometrical theory and the type of illumination used in the customary Fraunhofer theory. The thesis highlights, four new formulations (two from each of the approaches) to describe the micro-cylinder diffraction. The principal conclusions of the investigations are as under. - All the new formulations for the micro-cylinder diffraction facilitate, enhanced diameter inversion accuracy, in the hitherto esoteric diameter range of 1-20 μm. For the reported experimental data on 3 μm diameter micro-cylinder, the models proposed in the present investigation improve the accuracy of diameter-estimation from 16.5% known from earlier models to less than 1%. - The investigation also brings out for the first time, the hitherto unnoticed difference between slit-diffraction and the micro-cylinder diffraction: When the micro-cylinder diameter approaches the wavelength of the illumination, the first order diffraction angle approaches nearly 200. It may be noted that for a slit of same width, the corresponding diffraction angle approaches 900. When the critical dimension of the cylinder and the slit decreases from λ to 5λ, the difference in the corresponding diffraction angles reduce from nearly 700 to nearly 1.50. - The investigation also highlights that in the micro-cylinder diffraction for the said range of interest, the absolute intensity at the zero-order interference- maximum provides a new signature for the distance of separation between the diffraction minima. The consequence of this new finding is a considerable simplification in the apparatus and algorithm for diameter inversion from a diffraction experiment. The function of an array detector can be replaced by a point detector at a fixed point for all the diameters in the range of interest. - The two formulations proposed from the geometrical theory are suited for diffraction- minima search based algorithm, while those from customary Fraunhofer theory are well suited for intensity minima search based method for diameter inversion.

This diploma thesis deals with the design of test equipment for selected types of pneumatic cylinders. In the first, theoretical, part of the work is an analysis of the current state of knowledge in the field of pneumatic cylinders. Furthermore, the problems in the field of measurement and testing of pneumatic components are described here, selected linear position sensors are also described herein too. The second, practical, part deals with the choice of a suitable design variant and the actual solution of the test equipment design. A pneumatic circuit is also designed here. Part of the work is a 3D model of the test equipment and drawing documentation. The conclusion of the work is devoted to the overall evaluation of the work and recommendations for practice.

This thesis presents three different approaches to model corrosion-induced crack propagation in reinforced concrete structures. The first approach is solved numerically using finite differences to model the softening behaviour of concrete in tension. The second approach idealizes the concrete cover as either a brittle elastic or an elastoplastic material so that it may be solved using a closed-form solution. Both approaches are based on a thick-walled cylinder (TWC) analogy and consider rust compressibility and rust diffusion into cracks. The third approach uses finite element modelling to validate the application of the TWC and perform a parametric study. The results obtained using each approach are compared against each other as well as against experimental results. The TWC was found to be an appropriate analogy for the geometries and reinforcement configurations considered. Analytical models were found to provide upper and lower limits to the results based on the numerical model. The experimental data found in the literature showed reasonable agreement with predictions from the numerical and elastoplastic models.

O fenômeno de vibrações induzidas pelo escoamento em pipelines e dutos próximos ao leito oceânico é de grande importância para a Engenharia Naval e Oceânica. O caso prático do vão livre de duto pode ser considerado um assunto ainda pouco discutido. A presente dissertação encontra motivação na compreensão do fenômeno fluidodinâmico através da abordagem experimental. O sistema físico estudado inclui um longo cilindro, de baixa razão de massa (m*) e de natureza flexível (L/D = 131; 45), disposto próximo à uma placa plana. O comportamento assimétrico do escoamento ao redor de um corpo que se encontra próximo à uma placa plana não é governado apenas pelo número de Reynolds, sendo a distância adimensional, e/D, entre o cilindro e a placa de grande impacto no fenômeno. O objetivo principal desta dissertação é caracterizar o comportamento dinâmico de cilindros flexíveis horizontais na presença de uma placa plana sob os efeitos do fenômeno da vibração induzida por vórtices, bem como a interferência na distância entre as duas estruturas na resposta dinâmica do cilindro. A revisão bibliográfica foi pautada na compreensão do problema e no fornecimento de subsídios teóricos para realização do experimento e posterior análise dos dados. O efeito da proximidade da placa foi analisado para quatro diferentes arranjos, e/D = 0, 0.5, 1.0 e 2.0 e variadas condições de escoamento foram testadas, todas contidas no regime sub-crítico (103 < Re < 104). Adicionalmente, a condição do cilindro isolado, ou seja sem a presença da placa, foi investigada. Obteve-se o deslocamento do cilindro, no tempo e espaço, possibilitando grande diversidade na demonstração dos resultados, destaca-se a análise no domínio da frequência e do tempo e a recuperação da trajetória em todos os instantes ao longo do comprimento do cilindro. Os resultados apresentados evidenciam uma magnitude de oscilação maior para as condições em que o cilindro está distante ou isolado da placa. Para todas as condições a natureza flexível do modelo pode ser identificada e discutida pela análise no domínio da frequência e da trajetória descrita pelo cilindro. Na maior parte dos casos, a amplitude transversal cresceu de maneira pronunciada a partir de VR > 3:50 e alcançou amplitudes nominais da ordem de 0.8D. A resposta na direção horizontal apresentou uma dependência linear com a velocidade do escoamento, atingindo valores próximos a 0.65D. Tal magnitude releva a importância do movimento na direção in-line, diferente dos clássicos casos de VIV, onde a amplitude em X é de pouca significância. / The present work aims at improving the understanding of flow induced vibrations on pipelines near the seabed triggered by the current. The present work aims at improving the understanding of flow induced vibrations on pipelines near the seabed triggered by the current, it is of great importance for Naval and Oceanic Engineering. The physical system includes a long cylinder, with low mass ratio (m*) and flexible (L=D = 131; 45), near a at plate. When a cylindrical body is laying close to a at plate, the asymmetric ow behavior around it is no longer solely dominated by the Reynolds number, but the adimensional distance e/D, between the cylinder and the at plate, play an important role in the phenomenon. The main objective of the research conducted is to characterize the behavior of exible horizontal cylinders under the efect of vortex induced vibrations, highlighting the in fluence of the distance between the two structures in the cylinder dynamic response. The experimental data was collected in a towing tank with a model scaled for e/D= 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and >> 2:0 and Reynolds number ranging from 103 to 104. The cylinder\'s response is presented in terms of its amplitude and frequency. The results shown a high magnitude of oscillation for the conditions in which the cylinder is distant or isolated from the plate. For all conditions the exible behavior was identified and discussed through the analysis in the frequency domain and the trajectory described by the cylinder. In most cases, the transverse amplitude grew steeply from VR > 3:50 and reached nominal amplitudes of the order of 0.8D. The response in horizontal direction showed a linear dependence with the flow velocity, reaching values close to 0.65D. Such magnitude highlights the importance of movement in the in-line direction, different from the classical cases of VIV.

Three different topics of turbulence research that cover modeling, theory and model computation categories are selected and studied in depth. In the first topic, "velocity gradient dynamics in turbulence" (modeling), the Lagrangian linear diffusion model that accounts for the viscous-effect is proposed to make the existing restricted-Euler velocity gradient dynamics model quantitatively useful. Results show good agreement with DNS data. In the second topic, "pressure-strain correlation in homogeneous anisotropic turbulence subject to rapid strain-dominated distortion" (theory), extensive rapid distortion calculation is performed for various anisotropic initial turbulence conditions in strain-dominated mean flows. The behavior of the rapid pressure-strain correlation is investigated and constraining criteria for the rapid pressure-strain correlation models are developed. In the last topic, "unsteady computation of turbulent flow past a square cylinder using partially-averaged Navier-Stokes method" (model computation), the basic philosophy of the PANS method is reviewed and a practical problem of flow past a square cylinder is computed for various levels of physical resolution. It is revealed that the PANS method can capture many important unsteady flow features at an affordable computational effort.

Three different topics of turbulence research that cover modeling, theory and model computation categories are selected and studied in depth. In the first topic, "velocity gradient dynamics in turbulence" (modeling), the Lagrangian linear diffusion model that accounts for the viscous-effect is proposed to make the existing restricted-Euler velocity gradient dynamics model quantitatively useful. Results show good agreement with DNS data. In the second topic, "pressure-strain correlation in homogeneous anisotropic turbulence subject to rapid strain-dominated distortion" (theory), extensive rapid distortion calculation is performed for various anisotropic initial turbulence conditions in strain-dominated mean flows. The behavior of the rapid pressure-strain correlation is investigated and constraining criteria for the rapid pressure-strain correlation models are developed. In the last topic, "unsteady computation of turbulent flow past a square cylinder using partially-averaged Navier-Stokes method" (model computation), the basic philosophy of the PANS method is reviewed and a practical problem of flow past a square cylinder is computed for various levels of physical resolution. It is revealed that the PANS method can capture many important unsteady flow features at an affordable computational effort.

This thesis focuses on a technology called cylinder deactivation. The technology helps reducing emissions and fuel consumption. The first part summarizes the possibilities of application of the cylinder deactivation technology as well as advantages resulting from combination with other technologies. The thesis also consists of two design options for valvetrain in inline four-cylinder engine and the results of simulations of dynamics of its cranktrain.

This thesis deals with comparison of straight four-cylinder petrol engine with a displacement of 1,5 litres and its three-cylinder alternative, which is based on a four-cylinder. The thesis starts with a research, where are examples of some currently manufactured engines. The research is followed by design of both engines, where the design of the crank mechanisms is made more in detail. After that, both crank mechanisms are subjected to dynamic analysis using FEM and MBS methods. The thesis ends with comparison of both engines in terms of crankshaft load, mass and dimensions.

The diploma thesis deals with the structure design of steel frame of a storeyed building housing a shopping and administration centre in the area near Rokycany. The building consists of a truss cylinder tower structure with 11.165 m in diameter, nine storeys and the height of 33.3 m, connected to a rectangle part by means of a steel bridge structure 3.6 m long. The frame of the rectangular part, 26.8 m wide and 45 metres long, has three altitude levels with flat roofs, suitable and non-suitable for walking. The interior of the building is divided into two parts, connected at the outskirts, by a covered atrium. The design height is 3.7 m. The structure is designed of steel S235. The thesis contains the technical report, static calculation, outputs of a program, the record of the material and design documentation. Two versions were considered; the more convenient one is further processed.

Overall losses in swash plate type axial piston machines are mainly defined by three tribological interfaces. These are swash plate/slipper, piston/cylinder and cylinder block/valve plate. Within a research project, funded by the German Research Foundation, a combined approach of experimental research and simulation is chosen to acquire further knowledge on the cylinder block/valve plate contact. The experimental investigations focus on the friction torque within the contact and the measurement of the cylinder block movement in all six degrees of freedom. Simultaneously a simulation model is created focusing on the main physical effects. By considering the results of the experimental investigations significant physical effects for the simulation model are assessed. Within this paper a first comparison between experimental results and the simulation is presented, showing that for a qualitative match the implemented effects (mainly the fluid film, solid body movement, solid body contact, surface deformation) are sufficient to model the general behaviour of theinvestigated pump.