Detecting abnormal operating conditions, which will lead to faults developing later, has important economic implications for industries trying to meet their performance and production goals. It is unacceptable to wait for failures that have potential safety, environmental and financial consequences. Moving from a “reactive” strategy to a “proactive” strategy can improve critical equipment reliability and availability while constraining maintenance costs, reducing production deferrals, decreasing the need for spare parts. Once the fault initiates, predicting its progression and deterioration can enable timely interventions without risk to personnel safety or to equipment integrity. This work presents an online-integrated condition monitoring and prognostics framework that addresses the above issues holistically. The proposed framework aligns fully with ISO 17359:2011 and derives from the I-P and P-F curve. Depending upon the running state of machine with respect to its I-P and P-F curve an algorithm will do one of the following: (1) Predict the ideal behaviour and any departure from the normal operating envelope using a combination of Evolving Clustering Method (ECM), a normalised fuzzy weighted distance and tracking signal method. (2) Identify the cause of the departure through an automated diagnostics system using a modified version of ECM for classification. (3) Predict the short-term progression of fault using a modified version of the Dynamic Evolving Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (DENFIS), called here MDENFIS and a tracking signal method. (4) Predict the long term progression of fault (Prognostics) using a combination of Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA)- Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) for predicting the future input values and MDENFIS for predicting the long term progression of fault (output). The proposed model was tested and compared against other models in the literature using benchmarks and field data. This work demonstrates four noticeable improvements over previous methods: (1) Enhanced testing prediction accuracy, (2) comparable processing time if not better, (3) the ability to detect sudden changes in the process and finally (4) the ability to identify and isolate the problem source with high accuracy.

Concrete has proven to be, by far, one of the most reliable materials for the construction of critical infrastructure. However, despite its structural capacity, concrete members are susceptible to damage mechanisms that may decrease its performance and durability throughout its service life. One such mechanism is alkali-silica reaction (ASR), which takes place when unstable siliceous phases present in coarse or fine aggregates react with the alkali hydroxides from the concrete pore solution, generating a secondary product (i.e., ASR gel); this product swells upon moisture uptake from the surrounding environment, leading to cracking and expansion of the affected concrete. In severe cases of ASR-affected infrastructure, structural safety could become a problem, and thus requiring the demolition of affected members. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt effective protocols for the diagnosis and prognosis of aging infrastructure, to ensure its performance over time along with properly planning for rehabilitation strategies, whether required. This work presents a two-stage case study of the S.I.T.E. building at the University of Ottawa for the diagnosis and prognosis of ASR-affected members (i.e., columns) after nearly 20 years in service. The diagnosis phase was conducted with the aim of evaluating the cause and extent of distress and interpreting its impact on the performance of the affected structure. First, a visual inspection was conducted to evaluate potentially damaged members, in order to select the best location for core-drilling. Once ASR was confirmed through petrographic examination, specimens were evaluated through the multi-level assessment (i.e., coupling of microscopic and mechanical assessment). A range of damage was discovered among the examined columns (i.e., 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.08% expansion). Moreover, evidence of developing freeze and thaw (FT) damage was discovered in columns with greater levels of expansion, raising future concerns regarding the durability and serviceability of members affected by this coupling of damage (i.e., ASR+FT). For the second stage of this project (i.e., prognosis), a novel ASR semi-empirical model was developed with the aim of predicting future ASR-induced expansion and damage in the S.I.T.E. building. The above model was developed and validated (using ASR exposure site data) through the coupling of existing chemo-mechanical macro-models, which were used to predict material behaviour on the structural scale, and novel mathematical relationships for the prediction of anisotropy in the columns. Moreover, the use of the multi-level assessment to predict the mechanical implications of predicted distress was found to enhance the model’s capacity for prognosis and demonstrated important potential for the accurate prediction of multi-level damage in the S.I.T.E. columns.

This work deals with the comparison of photovoltaic technologies and optimization of Photovoltaic power plants using empirical models. The primary purpose of this work is to analyse current status of selected photovoltaic power plants in the Czech republic and to suggest possible means to increase their productivity. This analysis uses data measured by systems for direct management of these parks, and these data are compared with theoretical data calculated from measurement system Czech weather stations and PVGIS.

Sjöfarten står för 3 % av världens totala växthusgaser och är idag högst beroende av fossila bränslen. Ett alternativ för att gå över till en fossilfri flotta är användning av bränsleceller och vätgas som drivmedel. Om vätgasen produceras från elektrolys med förnyelsebara energikällor så är driften utsläppsfri och koldioxidneutral. Bränsleceller kan användas i många olika sammanhang, men har ännu inte slagit igenom med full kraft. En anledning till detta är livslängden som är för kort. För att sjöfarten ska kunna implementera bränslecellsdrift behöver nedbrytningen av bränslecellen bli vidare utforskad och motverkad. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att hitta de mest signifikanta nedbrytningsmekanismerna för sjöfarten samt att bygga en modell för att förutspå livslängden utifrån lastprofiler från fartyg.  Rapportens avgränsningar var att enbart studera PEM-bränsleceller tack vare dess höga energitäthet och att teknologin är närmast marknaden för mobila applikationer. En litteraturstudie genomfördes för att fastställa de viktigaste nedbrytningsmekanismerna samt de faktorer som begränsar livslängden. Dessa bestämdes till start/stop cykler samt lastcykler vilka försämrar konduktiviteten i membranet samt minskar den elektrokemiska ytarean. En empirisk modell från experiment från litteraturen etablerades för att hitta relationen mellan parametrarna konduktivitet och elektrokemisk ytarea som funktion av start/stop cykler respektive lastcykler. En Comsol-modell användes för att utvärdera bränslecellens prestanda med dessa försämrade parametrar. Två lastprofiler analyserades och tolkades som antal start/stop cykler samt lastcykler för att utvärdera prestandan som funktion av antal år i drift. Båda fallen var i drift till dess att prestandan minskat med 20 % utvärderat vid strömtätheten 0.6 A/cm2. Båda lastprofilerna var utvärdera med olika körstrategier för att jämföra den modellerade livslängden beroende på ingångsvärden. Den första lastprofilen delades in i Case 1a och Case 1b där antalet start/stop cykler och lastcykler varierade. Resultatet visade att antalet timmar i drift mer än tredubblades i Case 1b där båda ingående indata hade minskats.   Case 2 delades upp i tre olika körstrategier där Case 2a var en referens som jämfördes mot Case 2b respektive Case 2c. Skillnaden mot Case 2b var att antalet start/stop cykler per dag multiplicerades med faktor 4. Resultatet från modellen var att livstiden minskade från 6 till 4 år. Vidare utvärderades Case 2c där istället antalet lastcykler dividerades med faktor 4, allt annat identiskt med Case 2a. Utfallet var en ökad livslängd från 6 år till 11 år, med totalt 32 032 timmar i drift. Denna livslängd kan jämföras med kommersialiserade marina produkter från Ballard och Powercell, där livslängden är 30 000 respektive 20 000 timmar i drift.  Sammanfattningsvis kan det konstateras att både start/stop cykler och lastcykler bryter ner bränslecellen och därmed minskar dess prestanda. Lastcykler var den faktor som var mest förödande gällande livslängden. Den modellerade livslängden på 32 032 timmar indikerar att den empirisk modellen tillsammans med Comsol-modellen genererade realistiska resultat. Slutligen kan sägas att ett område för framtida forskning inom ämnet innefattar lastcykler eftersom denna hade störst påverkan på modellen. Att särskilja olika typer av lastcykler och koppla till olika degradering skulle skapa än mer förståelse för livslängden. Då denna studie genomfördes på bränslecellsnivå skulle framtida studier kunna inkludera att analysera degradering på systemnivå för att få mer insikt i dessa processer. / The shipping industry emits 3 % of the global GHG-emissions and is highly dependent on fossil fuels. One alternative to decarbonise the sector is by utilising hydrogen in fuel cells. The propulsion is free from emissions if hydrogen is produced from renewables. The fuel cell technology can be applied in various applications but have not been fully commercialised. One of the biggest bottlenecks for fuel cell technology is the durability that needs to be improved. In order for marine vessels to implement hydrogen propulsion, the degradation need to be further understood and mitigated. The purpose of this thesis was to assess the most significant degradation mechanisms for marine applications and to build a model to evaluate the lifetime depending on load profiles. The scope of the thesis was to include PEMFCs since they have the highest power density and are closest to commercialisation for transport applications. A literature review was conducted to assess the most important degradation mechanisms and operating conditions that limits the lifetime, which concluded in start/stop cycling and load cycling. These conditions deteriorate the membrane conductivity and the electrochemical surface area. An empirical model based on experimental data from the literature was conducted to find relationships for conductivity and ECSA as function of start/stop cycling and load cycling, respectively. A Comsol model was established to evaluate performance reduction with degraded parameters. Two different load cycles were interpreted as number of start/stop cycles and load cycles in order to simulate the degradation. The output was polarization curves as function of operating years. Each case was operated until a performance reduction of 20 % was obtained at the current density of 0.6 A/cm2.  Both load profiles were analysed with different operation strategies to compare the resulting lifetime. The first load curve was divided into Case 1a and Case 1b where start/stop cycles and load cycles were altered. The results showed that the lifetime in operation hours was more than three-folded in Case 1b when the number of start/stop cycles and load cycles was reduced.  Case 2 was divided into three operating strategies. For comparison with Case 2a, the number of start/stop cycles per day in Case 2b was increased by a factor of 4. The result was that the lifetime declined from 6 to 4 years. Furthermore, Case 2c evaluated the lifetime if the number of load cycles per day decreased by a factor of 4, all else being equal to Case 2a. The outcome was an increment in lifetime from 6 to 11 years, with a total of 32 032 hours of operation. This lifetime can be compared to commercialised products from Ballard and Powercell with lifetimes of 30 000 and 20 000 operating hours, respectively. Conclusively, the simulations showed that both start/stop cycling and load cycling deteriorates the fuel cell performance. Load cycling is the operating condition that cause the most severe degradation. Moreover, the modelled lifetime of 32 032 hours indicates that the empirical model in combination with the Comsol model generate realistic lifetimes. Finally, since load cycling had the most vital impact on the lifetime, one of the topics for future research would be to distinguish different types of load cycles and connect to separate degradation outcomes. Since the model was on fuel cell level, future work could also include systems effects such as ripple current or distributions within fuel cell stacks.

Companies have taken the initiative to be socially responsible over the years. In the past, the focus for companies has been on maximizing wealth. With the growth of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there has been many debates regarding its benefits. More companies are beginning to realize the value of being socially responsible and how critical it is to business function. This paper researches past studies on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance. This relationship is then tested using a reliable source of data on corporate social responsibility performance. This study uniquely looks at the accounting and market-based measurements of financial performance. The dataset includes most of the S&P 500 firms and covers years 2005-2014. An empirical model is constructed which includes factors that were found significant in the works of Capon, Farley, and Hoenig (1990). The relationships are tested using cross-sector/panel data time-series regressions. Results indicate that CSR and the accounting measurements of financial performance are positively related. CSR and the market-based measurements of financial performance are negatively related. This suggests that CSR positively affects a company’s profits and negatively affects future stock returns. One interpretation of this result is that socially responsible stocks have a lower required rates of return. The results indicate that since investors are more willing to invest in CSR stocks, these firms end up experiencing lower future stock returns. The results are consistent with past studies and support the hypotheses.

No description available.

Lubricated friction issues are central to all hydraulic actuation systems undergoing motion and any in-depth understanding of the nature of lubricated friction will advance future component design. The classic friction models of hydraulic actuation systems under steady state conditions and their dependency on velocity and temperature have been studied extensively over the past years. A model which is commonly employed to represent the characteristics of friction is that of Stribeck in which the dependency of the friction force is based on velocity alone. However, experimentally, it has been found that lubricated friction is dependent on acceleration. Thus, the Stribeck model can be considered as a subset of a dynamic friction model in which acceleration is zero. Thus, it can be concluded that the Stribeck model is best applied to cases when the change rate of the velocities is very small. This thesis considers the dependency of lubricated friction on acceleration when pressure and temperature changes are relatively constant. As such, the basic hypothesis for this study was proposed as follows: “Lubricated friction in hydraulic actuation systems is not only a function of velocity, but is also a function of both velocity and acceleration”. In this thesis several terms are defined which facilitate the description under which friction models are developed. For example, the term non-steady state friction is used to account for the effect of acceleration on lubricated friction force while in motion. Further, the lubricated friction models are divided into two groups: steady state friction models and non-steady state friction models. Nonlinear friction modeling and measuring methods are reviewed in this dissertation. This review also includes nonlinear lubricated friction modeling in hydraulic actuation systems. A conclusion from this review was that limited research has been done in documenting and explicitly demonstrating the role of acceleration on lubricated friction. The research first introduced a methodology to experimentally measure friction as a function of acceleration and to demonstrate this dependency in the form of a three dimensional graph. A novel technique to experimentally obtain data for the lubricated friction model was introduced. This allowed the lubricated friction forces to be measured as a function of velocity in a continuous manner, but with acceleration being held constant as a family parameter. Two different valve controlled hydraulic actuation systems (VCHAS) were studied under a wide variety of accelerations at constant temperature and pressure. To enable repeatable data collection for the different friction conditions and to accommodate for the effect of hysteresis, a periodic parabolic displacement waveform was chosen which enabled the acceleration to be a family parameter. The second phase of the research introduced a method of representing the data (lubricated friction model) in a lookup table form. The relationship of lubricated friction (in this work, pressure differential, ΔP across the actuator) as a function of velocity and acceleration was presented in a unique semi-empirical 2D lookup table (2D LUT). Limitations of this experimental approach were identified, but the dependency on acceleration was clearly established. The last phase of the study implemented this 2D LUT model into a practical software model of an actuator and demonstrated its accuracy when compared to its experimental counterpart. The semi-empirical model (2D LUT) was experimentally verified by implementing the semi-empirical and Stribeck models into a real time simulation of an actuator and by comparing the experimental outputs against simulated outputs for a common sinusoidal input. A sinusoidal actuator displacement input was chosen to test the simulations as it was not used in the collection of the original data. The output of the simulation was compared to the experimental results and it was evident that for the range in which data could be collected in developing the model, the proposed 2D LUT model predicted an output that was superior to a model which used a standard Stribeck model. It was concluded that the semi-empirical model could be integrated into a simulation environment and predict outputs in a superior fashion when compared to the Stribeck friction model. Thus it was concluded that the stated hypothesis is consistent with the experimental evidence shown by all hydraulic actuators considered. Further, it was also observed that the traditional Stribeck form (steady state dynamic friction) does change with increasing acceleration to the point that the standard breakaway friction almost disappears. It is evident that the 2D LUT is a viable tool for modeling the non-steady state friction of hydraulic actuation systems. The semi-empirical 2D LUT model so developed is a more global representation of hydraulic actuator lubricated friction. In this research, only linear hydraulic actuators were considered; however, the novel nonlinear semi-empirical 2D LUT lubricated friction model can be applied to any actuator (linear and rotary) and provides a new way in which the dynamic friction can be viewed and modeled.

The thesis is focused on testing of the cutting tools for machining on five axis machine tools and possibility of implementation of designed experiments in this area. The theoretical section focuses attention on analysis of specific features during five axis machining, including chip cross section and particularity of tool testing under high speed cutting conditions with consideration of dynamic stability of cutting tools. In the thesis force loading of the tool is discussed as well as its measurement process, considering force development caused by tool wear and data analysis. Description of designed experiment and its application to the area of tool testing is included as well. All theoretical predictions are followed by experimental verifying by extensive number of experimental tests, including evaluation of cutting tool condition, influence of hard coatings on cutting power of the tools, etc. For each of testing conditions are designed specific methods of processing of gathered data as well as evaluation of power of the cutting tools. Gathered data were processed by means of statistical evaluation and by statistical methods of designed experiments. The thesis contains also the extensive number of records and analysis, documented by means of light microscopy as well as electron microscopy.

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences that the principals encounter when managing curriculum change at the secondary schools in the Maseru district. The study is qualitative in nature and employed a case study to investigate principals’ experiences with the LGCSE curriculum change. This study used Kotter’s theory of change management as a theoretical foundation for the analysis of the data. Semi-structured in-depth –interviews and non-participant observations were used to collect data. A total of six principals from urban and rural secondary schools were interviewed and observed. Content analysis was employed to analyse data in this study. The findings revealed that the secondary school principals in the Maseru district lack skills and knowledge to manage the LGCSE curriculum change. The findings showed that the majority of the principals were not thoroughly trained on how to manage and implement the LGCSE. The principals needed continuous support from the Ministry of Education and Training. There was also a need for relevant and adequate resources to support curriculum changes. This study revealed that most principals delegated the instructional roles to the Head of Departments and the deputy principals to manage lesson plans, selection of teaching and learning materials as well as monitoring lesson presentations. This study found that most principals concentrated on administrative roles. Team work and school based workshops were found to be the strategies that principals used to manage the LGCSE curriculum change. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)

The thesis is focused on testing of the cutting tools for machining on five axis machine tools and possibility of implementation of designed experiments in this area. The theoretical section focuses attention on analysis of specific features during five axis machining, including chip cross section and particularity of tool testing under high speed cutting conditions with consideration of dynamic stability of cutting tools. In the thesis force loading of the tool is discussed as well as its measurement process, considering force development caused by tool wear and data analysis. Description of designed experiment and its application to the area of tool testing is included as well. All theoretical predictions are followed by experimental verifying by extensive number of experimental tests, including evaluation of cutting tool condition, influence of hard coatings on cutting power of the tools, etc. For each of testing conditions are designed specific methods of processing of gathered data as well as evaluation of power of the cutting tools. Gathered data were processed by means of statistical evaluation and by statistical methods of designed experiments. The thesis contains also the extensive number of records and analysis, documented by means of light microscopy as well as electron microscopy.