L'un des challenges le plus important pour les opérateurs des réseaux mobiles est de dimensionner le réseau de la manière la plus efficace possible, c'est-à-dire, bien planifier les ressources pour fournir une bonne couverture et une meilleure capacité. Afin de mieux gérer le trafic généré dans le réseau, les opérateurs déploient des petites cellules pour aider les macro-cellules à délester les zones de la cellule où le trafic de données est significativement supérieur au trafic moyen dans la cellule. Cependant, le problème majeur de ces réseaux hétérogènes consiste à bien localiser ces hotspots et puis de mettre en place la meilleure solution pour les absorber. Dans cette thèse, on traite le sujet de localisation de hotspot et on étudie l'impact de son imperfection sur les performances des déploiements des réseaux hétérogènes. Dans une première étape, on propose une nouvelle méthode de localisation de hotspot. Puis, on propose d'évaluer l'impact d'une mauvaise localisation de trafic sur le déploiement des petites cellules à travers une analyse de performances au niveau statique et dynamique. Sachant qu'une grande quantité de trafic de données dans le réseau mobile est générée par des utilisateurs qui sont en mouvement, on propose d'évaluer les performances des petites cellules mobiles. Enfin, la quatrième étape consiste à améliorer encore la solution de déploiement de petites cellules en utilisant les drones. On propose un mécanisme de décongestion du réseau et on discute les avantages et les points à explorer. Une analyse de performance est aussi réalisée pour comparer cette solution avec les solutions classiques de macro cellules et de petites cellules / The continuous increasing traffic in cellular networks has forced the mobile operators to look for efficient and viable options to manage their networks so as to ensure more efficiency over the network life cycle while also evolving with the implementation of new technologies. Traffic hotspot localization can help operators to identify the areas where deploying small cells can reduce the congestion. We firstly propose and assess a new traffic hotspot localization method based on the projection of O&M KPIs on the coverage map. Compared to probing methods, the computational costs and the equipment expenditures are reduced. Moreover, the localization accuracy is improved. Next, in order to evaluate the impact of the limited accuracy of traffic localization tools on small cell deployment, we study the performances of three different scenarios. The first one considers a network of macrocells only and represents a benchmark to decide about the usefulness of small cells. The second one is based on a network of macrocells with a perfectly deployed small cell allowing to identify the limitations of small cell deployment and the last one is with an imperfectly deployed small cell. Realizing that a significant amount of cellular demand is generated on the go and suffers deteriorating quality, we investigate the potential performance gains of using moving small cells. The major outcome is to understand if moving cells leverage the relative operators' investments. Finally, we propose a new mobile data offloading mechanism which capitalizes on drone small cells to alleviate the data traffic load. We realize a performance evaluation and comparison with classic small cell deployment

Les dispositifs thermoélectriques, basés sur la conversion d'énergie thermique, offrent des perspectives intéressantes pour le développement de systèmes autonomes. Les principaux défis pour le développement de telles technologies reposent sur l'obtention de dispositifs flexibles, écologiquement et économiquement viables pouvant alimenter des appareils électroniques à faible consommation d'énergie. Le but de cette thèse a donc été de proposer une méthodologie pour l'analyse globale de dispositifs thermoélectriques pour des applications à température ambiante. Dans un premier temps, une approche multi-échelle pour la modélisation de dispositifs thermoélectriques a été développée. A cet effet, trois niveaux d'abstraction ont été considérés. A l'échelle du système, un modèle compact a été développé afin d'évaluer les performances du dispositif dans son environnement. A l'échelle du dispositif, des prototypes virtuels de TEG ont été évalués par le biais de la simulation numérique. A l'échelle des matériaux, la DFT combinée à une approche semi-classique basée sur l'équation de transport de Boltzmann ont été utilisées afin de calculer les propriétés électroniques. La tétraédrite et la famatinite ont été sélectionnées en raison de leurs propriétés prometteuses à température ambiante ainsi que de leur abondance et faible coût. Dans un second temps, des travaux expérimentaux sur la synthèse de nanoparticules de Cu-Sb-S ont été menés. Des nanoparticules quasi-monodisperses avec des tailles inférieures à 50 nm ont été obtenues grâce à la mise au point d'un procédé basé sur la synthèse solvothermale avec surfactant, une méthode faible coût et facilement adaptable à grande échelle. / Thermoelectric devices, capitalizing on waste heat conversion, offer good prospects for the development of autonomous systems. The main challenges for technology development are to obtain flexible, environmentally friendly and low-cost thermoelectric devices with performances sufficient enough to power small electronic devices. The aim of this thesis was thus to propose a methodology for the global analysis of thermoelectric devices for ambient temperature applications. The developed methodology enables the evaluation of key parameters impact on the global system. First, a multiscale approach for thermoelectric devices modelling is developed. In this scope, three parallel levels of modeling are addressed. At the system level, a compact model is developed in order to evaluate overall system efficiency as a function of the thermal environment. At the device level, virtual prototypes of printed devices are built and their performances are evaluated via a finite-element simulation tool. Low temperature gradient has to be dealt with by appropriate architecture design. At the material level, quantum DFT is used in conjunction with semi-classical approach using Boltzmann transport theory to calculate electronic properties. Tetrahedrite and famatinite compounds are chosen due to their promising thermoelectric properties at room temperature and their relative abundance and low cost. Secondly, an experimental work has been conducted on the synthesis of sulphide nanoparticles. Quasi-monodisperse nanoparticles with a size not exceeding 50 nm have successfully been fabricated via a low cost and easily scalable surfactant assisted solvothermal technique.

<p dir="ltr">Fire is an extreme event that can lead to failure of structural components and potentially collapse of the structural system or sub-systems. Currently, there are no comprehensive, research-based methodologies for performance-based fire structural design (PBFSD) of composite wall-to-floor connections subjected to gravity loads and realistic fire scenarios. The existing studies primarily focus on the performance of simple shear connections to steel columns, and lack approaches for structural design of floor systems and their connections to walls (wall-to-floor connections) at elevated temperatures. This study addresses the need for evaluating the performance of composite floor systems and composite wall-to-floor connections under fire loading and developing research-based approaches to conduct performance-based structural design of these systems at elevated temperatures.</p><p dir="ltr">This study aims to give a simpler design method for shear tab and single angle shear connections at elevated temperatures by specifying retention factors for steel yield strength, ultimate strength, bolt material strength, and weld metal strength at elevated temperatures. The connection limit state equations specified in AISC Specifications are modified to incorporate these factors for higher temperatures. Additionally, an archetype building is designed and one floor system is evaluated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to assess the robustness of the structure and its resistance to collapse using PBFSD.</p><p dir="ltr">It also discusses the application of fire protection materials for steel members to resist fire scenarios for specified durations. Various fire scenarios, including ventilation-controlled and fuel-controlled fires were evaluated to assess localized behavior at the connection points and the overall behavior of the structural compartment. The FE analyses included various fire scenarios, compartment locations (interior, edge, or middle), and fire protection scenarios (2-hour rating fire protection, or no fire protection on interior beams). The composite floor system is evaluated for a combination of these scenarios under fire and gravity loading.</p><p dir="ltr">Through this study, a comprehensive analysis of the behavior of composite floors systems and associated connections in SpeedCore Wall Systems (C-PSW/CF) under fire loading is achieved.</p>

Die Dissertation untersucht die bislang wenig beachtete wechselseitige Beziehung von Erwerbsarbeit und Wohnen unter den Bedingungen von Prekarisierungen. Forschungsleitend ist dabei die Frage, wie sich Entsicherungsprozesse aus dem Bereich der Erwerbsarbeit in das Wohnen fortsetzen und welchen Einfluss die auf diese Weise prekarisierten Wohnverhältnisse wiederum auf die Erwerbsarbeitsverhältnisse der Betroffenen ausüben. Die Dissertation arbeitet mit einem von der kritischen Theorie herkommenden und aus feministisch-materialistischer Perspektive entwickelten praxeologischen Zugang. Erwerbsarbeit und Wohnen werden demnach als sozialräumliche Praxen verstanden, die sich auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen manifestieren: auf der Ebene der subjektiven Konstruktionen, der symbolischen Repräsentationen und der Strukturen. Basierend auf diesem Verständnis wertet die Dissertation die empirischen Daten mit Hilfe einer praxeologischen Mehrebenenuntersuchung aus. Herzstück der Analyse sind offene Leitfadeninterviews mit narrativen Elementen, die in den Jahren 2020 und 2021 mit fünf Haushalten an ihrem Wohnort durchgeführt wurden. Zur Kontextualisierung der Ergebnisse wurden zudem verschiedene Dokumente wie etwa Statistiken, Fachliteratur oder Artikel in Lokalzeitungen herangezogen. Die Daten wurden mit Methoden der qualitativen Sozialforschung und im Stil der grounded theory erhoben, ausgewertet und reflektiert. Im Ergebnisteil bereitet die Dissertation zunächst prekäre Alltagspraktiken von fünf Leipziger Haushalten systematisch in Fallanalysen auf. Diese zeugen davon, dass Prekarisierungen der Erwerbsarbeit weit über ein niedriges Einkommen hinausragen. Auch die Bandbreite unsicherer Wohnpraktiken wird deutlich. Von den detaillierten Fallanalysen ausgehend werden die zentralen Wechselbeziehungen zwischen entsicherten Wohn- und Erwerbsarbeitspraktiken untersucht. Die Dissertation gruppiert die Wechselwirkungen in drei Cluster: einkommensbedingte Vulnerabilität des Wohnens, Prekarität im Kontext von in der eigenen Wohnung ausgeführten Erwerbsarbeiten (working from home) sowie prekäre Erwerbsarbeits- und Wohnpraktiken, die in Verbindung mit der Nachbarschaft stehen. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich auch, dass die zentralen Wechselwirkungen verknüpft sein können, sodass clusterüberschreitende Entsicherungsketten entstehen: Prekäre Erwerbsarbeitspraktiken setzen sich in Form von einkommensbedingten Vulnerabilisierungen in Praktiken des Wohnens fort. Eine Rück- beziehungsweise Wechselwirkung auf die Erwerbsarbeitspraxis vollzieht sich durch working from home, wenn die Arbeitsbedingungen durch ein vulnerabilisiertes Wohnverhältnis entsichert sind. Eine weitere Interdependenz besteht dann, wenn entsicherte Erwerbsarbeits- und Wohnpraktiken die räumlichen, zeitlichen, finanziellen und sozialen Grenzen produktiver und reproduktiver Sphären auflösen. Die herausgearbeiteten Nachbarschaftspraktiken können die in den Fallbeispielen untersuchten Prekarisierungen nur bedingt abwehren. Die Dissertation schlussfolgert aus den Ergebnissen, dass die Wechselwirkungen zu einer Verfestigung prekärer Lebenslagen und in zwei der untersuchten Fälle auch zu einer Zuspitzung zu Armutslagen führen. Die sozialräumlichen Prekarisierungen sind neben Fortsetzungen aus dem Bereich der Erwerbsarbeit in das Wohnen und vice versa auch deutlich von Normalisierungs- und Subjektivierungsprozessen gekennzeichnet. Diese gilt es in einem Zusammenhang mit dem Forschungsrahmen ostdeutscher Entwicklungen und der Corona-Pandemie zu diskutieren. Die Dissertation hat einen explorativen Charakter und ist zugleich ein Zeitzeugnis, da sie unter den Sonderbedingungen der Corona-Pandemie entstanden ist. Mit der praxeologischen Mehrebenenanalyse der Wechselbeziehung zwischen Erwerbsarbeits- und Wohnverhältnissen im Alltag von Leipziger Haushalten leistet sie theoretische, methodische und empirische Anknüpfungspunkte für zukünftige Forschungsarbeiten. Indem sie die bisher für sich stehenden Themen Arbeit und Wohnen sowie die Disziplinen Humangeographie und Soziologie verbindet, nimmt die Dissertation eine doppelte Brückenkopffunktion ein. / The doctoral thesis examines the interdependent relationship between labour and housing under the conditions of precarisation, which has received little attention to date. The research is guided by the question of how processes of casualisation extend from the sphere of labour to that of housing and what effect these precarious housing conditions in turn have on the working conditions of those affected. The thesis uses a praxeological approach based on critical theory and derived from a feminist-materialist perspective. Accordingly, labour and housing are understood as socio-spatial practices that occur on different levels: on the level of subjective constructions, symbolic representations and structures. Based on this understanding, the doctoral thesis analyses the empirical data with the help of a praxeological multi-level analysis. At the heart of the research programme are semi-structured interviews with narrative elements which were conducted with the members of five households at their homes in 2020 and 2021. Various documents such as statistics, academic literature and articles in local newspapers were also utilised to contextualise the results. The data was collected, analysed and reflected on using methods of qualitative social research and inspired by grounded theory. In the results sections, the thesis first systematically analyses the precarious everyday-practices of five Leipzig households in case studies. These reveal that precarious labour conditions extend far beyond a low wage. The wide range of insecure housing practices also becomes apparent. Based on the detailed case analyses, the central interrelations between insecure housing and labour practices are examined. The doctoral thesis groups the interdependencies into three clusters: income-related housing vulnerability, insecurity in the context of working from home, and precarious employment and housing practices that are linked to the neighbourhood. The results also show that the central interdependencies can be interlinked, leading to the emergence of precarisation chains that transcend clusters: Insecure labour practices persist in the form of income-related vulnerability in housing practices. Working from home has a two-way interaction on labour practices if the working conditions are exacerbated by a vulnerable housing situation. There is a further interdependency when precarious labour and housing practices dissolve the spatial, temporal, financial and social boundaries of productive and reproductive spheres. The neighbourhood practices identified can only partially ward off the precarisation examined in the case studies. Based on these results the thesis concludes that the interdependencies lead to a consolidation of precarious living conditions and, in two of the analysed cases, to an escalation into poverty. In addition to the extension of the sphere of labour into that of housing and vice versa, these socio-spatial precarisations are characterised by normalisation and subjectivation processes. These need to be discussed in the light of the research framework of East German developments and the Covid pandemic. The doctoral thesis has an explorative character and is at the same time a historical testimony, as it was written under the special conditions of the Covid pandemic. With the praxeological multi-level analysis of the interrelationship between employment and housing conditions in the everyday-lives of Leipzig households, it provides theoretical, methodological and empirical reference points for future research. By combining the previously separate topics of labour and housing and the disciplines of human geography and sociology, the thesis takes on a dual bridging function.

時至中國崛起的今日，世界上任何一國都無法忽略中國的存在。中國在改革開放後，憑著眾多的人口及豐富的資源，逐漸加強在國際上的影響力。各國遂加強與中國的關係，德國政府也不例外，在冷戰結束統一後，科爾總理即發表亞洲政策，宣佈加強與亞洲國家特別是中國的關係。繼任的德國總理施洛德則在對外政策上更加親中，曾三度訪問中國，經貿合作尤為其重點。2005年上任的梅克爾卻採取疏遠中國的作法，視中國為競爭對手。不但在新的亞洲戰略決議上建議加強亞洲國家如日本、澳洲以及印度的關係以圍堵中國，更以人權外交的名義持續給中國施加壓力。 而本論文就是以層次分析來研究梅克爾的對中外交政策，期望能以國際、國內以及個人因素來分析梅克爾政府與前任政府相比，來找出影響對中政策上轉變的原因。另外德國有著基本的外交政策，即基本保護德國的利益不會改變變，筆者也希望能找出其中變與不變之處，並分析這些基本外交政策對於中國政策的影響。 / “China rising” now is a hot topic in International affairs. By most population around the world and vast territory, China is gradually increasing its influence toward the international society. Many nations have seen this and tried to intensify bilateral relationship with China. Germany did so too. Following end of the Cold War, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl issued a file called “Asian policy” to strengthen the relation between the asian partner especially China. The Successor of Kohl, Gerhard Schröder, was following the rules even much closer toward China. In his term of chancellor, he has visited China as much as three times with a lot of business. Angela Merkel replaced Schröder in 2005 to be the new german Chancellor. Her party issued “Asia as strategic challenge and chance for Germany and Europe” to regard China as competitor of trade and tactic. Merkel also gave a lot of pressure with “Human Rights” to China. This Article is for Merkel’s foreign policy toward China with “Level-Analysis”. Author expects to find the shift of the foreign policy toward China from Schröder to Merkel. In another part, Germany has its framework of the basic foreign policy. We should know that the german vital interest with protecting business can’t be changed. But there are still slight differences between each german government. That’s why author wants to find it in this thesis.

La thèse porte sur les processus de transition énergétique urbaine et leur caractère multi-niveaux. Sachant que les processus de transition ne peuvent être pensés indépendamment du contexte local dans lequel ils évoluent et qu’ils se construisent en interaction avec les autres niveaux d’action, leur compréhension appelle une analyse multi-niveaux, mettant en lumière les articulations en jeu entre les échelles de décision et d'action. La première partie montre que le caractère systémique et transversal des enjeux climat-énergie complexifie les processus de gouvernance et participe à leur reconfiguration à toutes les échelles d’action, remettant en question les cadres conceptuels et les champs disciplinaires conventionnels. Les deuxième et troisième parties mobilisent des études de cas contrastées, Munich et Bristol. Cette analyse révèle un choc des modèles de transition, entre Bristol, privilégiant une stratégie de décentralisation et de résilience énergétique, portée par la municipalité, les communautés énergétiques et les acteurs industriels, et Munich, adoptant une stratégie de délocalisation de la production d’électricité et d’internationalisation des activités de la régie municipale d’énergie (SWM) – 7ème géant allemand. On observe à l’échelle locale et non sans paradoxe une inversion des dynamiques et des modèles énergétiques nationaux. Le centralisme britannique agit comme une contrainte structurante sur la stratégie décentralisée de Bristol ; tandis qu'à Munich, l’Energiewende est un catalyseur pour la stratégie industrielle délocalisée de la SWM, qui devient en retour un acteur majeur de la transition fédérale au vu de son envergure. / The PhD addresses the processes of urban energy transition and their multi-level dimension. Given that these processes cannot be considered independently from the local context in which they apply and that they are built in interaction with the other levels of action, understanding them calls for a multi-level analysis to shed light the articulations between the different scales of decision and action. The first part shows that the systemic and cross-cutting nature of the climate-energy issues makes governance processes more complex and contributes to their reorganization at all scales of action by questioning the standard conceptual frameworks and disciplinary fields. The second and third parts develop mixed case studies, Munich and Bristol. This analysis reveals a contrast in the transition models, between Bristol, which favors a strategy of decentralization and energy resilience supported by the municipality, the energy communities and the industrial actors, and Munich, which adopts a strategy organized around the relocation of electricity generation and the internationalization of activities of the municipal energy company (SWM) – 7th largest German producer. A reversal of the dynamics and national models of energy is paradoxically observed between the national and the local scales. The UK centralism acts as a structural constraint for the decentralized strategy of Bristol, in Munich, the EnergieWende is a driver for the industrial and delocalized strategy of the SWM, which becomes a major player in the federal transition given its scale.

No description available.

The estimation of the worst-case execution time (WCET) of a task is a problem that concerns the field of embedded systems and, especially, real-time systems. Estimating a safe WCET for single-core architectures without speculative mechanisms is a challenging task and an active research topic. However, the advent of advanced hardware mechanisms, which often lack predictability, complicates the current WCET analysis methods. The field of Embedded Systems has high safety considerations and is, therefore, conservative with speculative mechanisms. However, nowadays, even safety-critical applications move to the direction of multiprocessor systems. In a multiprocessor system, each task that runs on a processing unit might affect the execution time of the tasks running on different processing units. In shared-memory symmetric multiprocessor systems, this interference occurs through the shared memory and the common bus. The presence of private caches introduces cachecoherence issues that result in further dependencies between the tasks. The purpose of this thesis is twofold: (1) to evaluate the feasibility of an existing one-pass WCET analysis method with an integrated cache analysis and (2) to design and implement a cachebased multiprocessor WCET analysis by extending the singlecore method. The single-core analysis is part of the KTH’s Timing Analysis (KTA) tool. The WCET analysis of KTA uses Abstract Search-based WCET Analysis, an one-pass technique that is based on abstract interpretation. The evaluation of the feasibility of this analysis includes the integration of microarchitecture features, such as cache and pipeline, into KTA. These features are necessary for extending the analysis for hardware models of modern embedded systems. The multiprocessor analysis of this work uses the single-core analysis in two stages to estimate the WCET of a task running under the presence of temporally and spatially interfering tasks. The first phase records the memory accesses of all the temporally interfering tasks, and the second phase uses this information to perform the multiprocessor WCET analysis. The multiprocessor analysis assumes the presence of private caches and a shared communication bus and implements the MESI protocol to maintain cache coherence. / Uppskattning av längsta exekveringstid (eng. worst-case execution time eller WCET) är ett problem som angår inbyggda system och i synnerhet realtidssystem. Att uppskatta en säker WCET för enkelkärniga system utan spekulativa mekanismer är en utmanande uppgift och ett aktuellt forskningsämne. Tillkomsten av avancerade hårdvarumekanismer, som ofta saknar förutsägbarhet, komplicerar ytterligare de nuvarande analysmetoderna för WCET. Inom fältet för inbyggda system ställs höga säkerhetskrav. Således antas en konservativ inställning till nya spekulativa mekanismer. Trotts detta går säkerhetskritiska system mer och mer i riktning mot multiprocessorsystem. I multiprocessorsystem påverkas en process som exekveras på en processorenhet av processer som exekveras på andra processorenheter. I symmetriska multiprocessorsystem med delade minnen påträffas denna interferens i det delade minnet och den gemensamma bussen. Privata minnen introducerar cache-koherens problem som resulterar i ytterligare beroende mellan processerna. Syftet med detta examensarbete är tvåfaldigt: (1) att utvärdera en befintlig analysmetod för WCET efter integrering av en lågnivå analys och (2) att designa och implementera en cache-baserad flerkärnig WCET-analys genom att utvidga denna enkelkärniga metod. Den enkelkärniga metoden är implementerad i KTH’s Timing Analysis (KTA), ett verktyg för tidsanalys. KTA genomför en så-kallad Abstrakt Sök-baserad Metod som är baserad på Abstrakt Interpretation. Utvärderingen av denna analys innefattar integrering av mikroarkitektur mekanismer, såsom cache-minne och pipeline, i KTA. Dessa mekanismer är nödvändiga för att utvidga analysen till att omfatta de hårdvarumodeller som används idag inom fältet för inbyggda system. Den flerkärniga WCET-analysen genomförs i två steg och uppskattar WCET av en process som körs i närvaron av olika tids och rumsligt störande processer. Första steget registrerar minnesåtkomst för alla tids störande processer, medans andra steget använder sig av första stegets information för att utföra den flerkärniga WCET-analysen. Den flerkärniga analysen förutsätter ett system med privata cache-minnen och en gemensamm buss som implementerar MESI protokolen för att upprätthålla cache-koherens.

<p dir="ltr">Composite Plate Shear Wall/ Concrete Filled (C-PSW/CF), also referred to as SpeedCore walls, are being used as innovative shear wall commercial high-rise buildings. These walls offer advantages such as modularity and construction schedule contraction. The cross-section of C- PSWs/CF consists of concrete infill sandwiched between the steel faceplates, where the steel plates are tied together by steel tie bars. Elevated temperatures will result in a deterioration in the mechanical properties of steel and concrete during a fire event in buildings. Such degradation can lead to stability-related failure of structural components. Composite floors are connected to these walls through simple shear connections. The floor-to-wall connections will be exposed to elevated temperatures, which may result in connection failure and progressive collapse of structures.</p><p dir="ltr">Designing SpeedCore walls without fire protection raises concerns regarding the performance of other structural components connected to SpeedCore walls under fire loading including composite floor systems and wall-to-floor connections. Numerical studies conducted on the connections and the floor systems indicated that these structural components undergo thermal compression forces during heating and tensile forces during the cooling phases of a fire event. The goal of this research was to develop an approach for performance-based fire resistance design of complete floor systems consisting of SpeedCore walls, composite floor slabs, and wall-to-floor connections.</p><p dir="ltr">This research includes experimental and numerical analyses to gain insight into the behavior of the floor-to-SpeedCore wall connections under fire and gravity loading. The specimens included steel beams connected to SpeedCore walls through simple shear connections. Three types of floor-to-wall connections were tested including connections with through-plate, reinforcing plate, and unreinforced plate. The parameters considered in the test matrix included: connection type, temperature, loading angle, and loading direction. These parameters in the test matrix were based on results obtained from previous numerical and experimental studies in the literature. The experimental results can fill the existing knowledge gap on floor-to-wall connections for steel-concrete composite members, develop design recommendations, and benchmark numerical models.</p><p dir="ltr">Numerical models were developed to simulate the behavior of the connections (member level) and whole structures (structure level) at ambient and elevated temperatures. Finite Element (FE) analysis and Component-based Models (CB) were utilized to develop the numerical models. The developed models were benchmarked by comparing the obtained numerical results with experimental data reported in the literature. FE models have been validated at two different levels, namely member level, and system level. The performance of the designed connection for the archetype structures was studied using benchmarked FE and CB models. The behavior of various wall-to-floor connections with different steel plate (C-PSW/CF) detailing was investigated.</p><p dir="ltr">Benchmarked numerical models were used to perform a parametric study to evaluate the performance of these connections. UP connection detail was used to perform the study due to its promising experimental performance, which does not need any special detail or plate reinforcement. The study was performed by evaluating the effects of critical parameters on the connection behavior namely, bolt size, target temperature, loading angles, and loading direction</p>

This study centered on a novel thermoelectric generator (TEG) integrated into the built environment. Designed by Watts Thermoelectric LLC, the TEG is essentially a novel assembly of thermoelectric modules whose required temperature differential is supplied by hot and cold streams of water flowing through the TEG. Per its recommended operating conditions, the TEG nominally generates 83 Watts of electrical power. In its default configuration in the built environment, solar-thermal energy serves as the TEG’s hot stream source and geothermal energy serves as its cold stream source. Two systems-level, thermodynamic analyses were performed, which were based on the TEG’s upcoming characterization testing, scheduled to occur later in 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. The first analysis considered the TEG coupled with a solar collector system. A numerical model of the coupled system was constructed in order to estimate the system’s annual energetic performance. It was determined numerically that over the course of a sample year, the solar collector system could deliver 39.73 megawatt-hours (MWh) of thermal energy to the TEG. The TEG converted that thermal energy into a net of 266.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity in that year. The second analysis focused on the TEG itself during operation with the purpose of providing a preliminary thermodynamic characterization of the TEG. Using experimental data, this analysis found the TEG’s operating efficiency to be 1.72%. Next, the annual emissions that would be avoided by implementing the zero-emission TEG were considered. The emission factor of Michigan’s electric grid, RFCM, was calculated to be 0.830 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) per MWh, and with the TEG’s annual energy output, it was concluded that 0.221 tons CO2e would be avoided each year with the TEG. It is important to note that the TEG can be linearly scaled up by including additional modules. Thus, these benefits can be multiplied through the incorporation of more TEG units. Finally, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the TEG integrated into the built environment with the solar-thermal hot source and passive ground-based cold source was considered. The LCOE of the system was estimated to be approximately $8,404/MWh, which is substantially greater than current generation technologies. Note that this calculation was based on one particular configuration with a particular and narrow set of assumptions, and is not intended to be a general conclusion about TEG systems overall. It was concluded that while solar-thermal energy systems can sustain the TEG, they are capital-intensive and therefore not economically suitable for the TEG given the assumptions of this analysis. In the end, because of the large costs associated with the solar-thermal system, waste heat recovery is proposed as a potentially more cost-effective provider of the TEG’s hot stream source. / text