Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Nowadays FE-simulations for sheet metal forming process are used to reduce the tryout phase in automotive industries. But the complex forming simulation processes are very challenging. One of the challenges is to create an FE-model which can be used to analyze the effects of cushion motion on the forming process. This thesis is focused on creating an FE model for two dies single cushion sheet metal forming press which can be used to analyze the effects of cushion motion on the contact pressure between the stamping tools and blanks. Using LS-PrePost a model with rigid stamping tools and cushion was created where the two blanks were of different thicknesses. After the model creation LS-DYNA was used for the simulations. The results showed that the cushion is moving in all DOFs and due to this movements, uneven contact pressure distribution is seen on the blanks and stamping tools.

If X is a simply connected CW complex, then it has a unique (up to isomorphism) minimal Sullivan model. There is an important rational homotopy invariant, called the rational Lusternik–Schnirelmann of X, denoted cat0(X), which has an algebraic formulation in terms of the minimal Sullivan model of X. We study another such numerical invariant called the rational retraction index of X, denoted r0(X), which is defined in terms of the minimal Sullivan model of X and satisfies 0 ≤ r0(X) ≤ cat0(X). It was introduced by Cuvilliez et al. as a tool to estimate the rational Lusternik–Schnirelmann category of the total space of a fibration. In this thesis we compute the rational retraction index on a range of rationally elliptic spaces, including for example spheres, complex projective space, the biquotient Sp(1) \ Sp(3) / Sp(1) × Sp(1), the homogeneous space Sp(3)/U(3) and products of these. In particular, we focus on formal spaces and formulate a conjecture to answer a question posed in the original article of Cuvilliez et al., “If X is formal, what invariant of the algebra H∗(X;Q) is r0(X)?”

A numerical simulation is conducted using LS-DYNA to simulate hard projectile impact on a friction stir welded (FSW) plate. As the hard projectile has a wide range of velocity, mass and shape, when referring to AMC 25.963(e) of CS-25, ―Fuel Tank Access Cover‖, the hard projectile can be defined as 9.5 mm cubic-shaped steel engine debris with an initial impact velocity of 213.4 m/s (700 ft/s). This preliminary study was to evaluate whether the fuel tank adjacent skin panel joined by FSW would pass the regulation. First, the geometry and Johnson-Cook material model of the FSW joint were developed based on previous experimental research and validated by comparison with the tensile test on the FSW specimen. Then the impact on an Aluminium Alloy 2024 (AA 2024) plate without FSW was modelled. The minimum thickness of a homogeneous AA 2024 plate which could withstand the impact from engine debris is 3 mm. Finally the impact on 3 mm thick AA 2024 FSW plate was simulated. The welding induced residual stress was implemented in the plate model. The impact centre was changed from the nugget zone to the thermo-mechanically affected zone, heat-affected zone and base material zone of the FSW joint. Penetration only occurred in the model with impact centre on the nugget zone. Additional simulation indicated that increasing the thickness of the FSW plate to 3.6 mm could prevent the penetration.

The bump at the end of the railway bridge is a result of differential movement between the bridge deck and the approach embankment. The movement can have the form of a bump or a dip. Either defect in the track geometry can cause significant problems in track performance. The current state of practice was evaluated by conducting a literature review and an industry survey. According to the survey, approximately half of all railway bridges are affected by the bump/dip. The total annual cost for repairing these bridge transition problems is estimated at $26 million. This does not take into account the considerable cost resulting from speed reductions that railroads must place on trains at these locations. In addition to the increased maintenance costs, the bump/dip leads to higher impact loads, uncomfortable rides and possible safety hazards. The track response due to the bump at the end of the bridge was evaluated by creating a 4-D finite element model of the train, track structure and track substructure. The motion of the train model across a bridge/approach transition, with and without a bump/dip, was then simulated using LS-DYNA. It was found that a track modulus differential alone (no bump/dip) at a bridge/approach location leads to impact forces as well as increased ballast and subgrade pressures on the approach. This instigates the formation of a bump or dip in the track. The track response is increased when a bump/dip is present in the track profile. A parametric study looking at the influence of train direction, train speed, bump/dip size, approach embankment soil modulus, approach tie material, bridge tie material, bridge deck type, ballast thickness and approach tie length on the magnitude of impact forces, track deflection, ballast and subgrade pressures was also performed with the model. Finally, a design solution to minimize the bump at the end of the bridge is proposed. The solution involves installing varying length steel bars into a soft subgrade approach embankment. The solution addresses both the settlement and track modulus differential between the bridge and the embankment. A full-scale field test of this prototype solution is underway.

Metamodeling is a very popular approach for the approximation of complex systems. Metamodeling techniques can be categorized according to the type of regression method employed as linear and nonlinear models. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is an example of linear regression. In classical RSM metamodels, parameters are estimated using the Least Squares (LS) Method. Robust regression techniques, such as Least Absolute Deviation (LAD) and M-regression, are also considered in this study due to the outliers existing in data sets. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) are examples for non-linear regression technique. In this thesis these two nonlinear metamodeling techniques are constructed and their performances are compared with the performances of linear models.

In this thesis large deformation behavior of shell structures under high intensity transient loading conditions is investigated by means of finite element method. For this purpose an explicit finite element program is developed with interactive user interface. The developed program deals with geometric and material nonlinearities which stem from large deformation elastic - plastic behavior. Results of the developed code are compared with the experimental data taken from the literature and simulation results of the commercial finite element program Ls-Dyna. Moreover, sensitivity study is carried out for mesh size, element type and material model parameters. After the comparison and verification of the obtained results, it is concluded that converged and reasonable results are achieved.

One of the major problems encountered in wireless location is the effect caused by non-line of sight (NLOS) propagation. When the direct path from the mobile station (MS) to base stations (BSs) is blocked by obstacles or buildings, the signal arrival times will delay. That will make the signal measurements include an error due to the excess path propagation. If we use the NLOS signal measurements for localization, that will make the system localization performance reduce greatly. In the thesis, a time-of-arrival (TOA) based location system with NLOS mitigation algorithm is proposed. The proposed method uses least squares-support vector machine (LS-SVM) with optimal parameters selection by particle swarm optimization (PSO) for establishing regression model, which is used in the estimation of propagation distances and reduction of the NLOS propagation errors. By using a weighted objective function, the estimation results of the distances are combined with suitable weight factors, which are derived from the differences between the estimated measurements and the measured measurements. By applying the optimality of the weighted objection function, the method is capable of mitigating the NLOS effects and reducing the propagation range errors. Computer simulation results in ultra-wideband (UWB) environments show that the proposed NLOS mitigation algorithm can reduce the mean and variance of the NLOS measurements efficiently. The proposed method outperforms other methods in improving localization accuracy under different NLOS conditions.

Les protocoles hydrométriques en rivière ne répondent pas aux besoins des hydrologues et des hydrauliciens. L'appareillage traditionnel de jaugeage (moulinet, ADCP) est limité par son aspect intrusif, particulièrement en crue et en étiage. Cette thèse étudie la technique Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) qui consiste à identifier, par analyse d'images, un champ de vitesses en surface. L'ajout d'un modèle hydraulique permet le calcul du débit.<br /><br />Une station LSPIV de mesure en continu et temps réel a été mise en place sur la rivière Iowa à Iowa City (USA). Les premières années de fonctionnement ont montré des estimations LSPIV de débit en bonne concordance avec la courbe de tarage du site et avec des mesures classiques réalisées au moulinet. L'établissement d'une importante base de données a permis une étude de sensibilité de la technique. Les sources d'erreur affectant la mesure ont été identifiées et quantifiées. L'étude de sensibilité a été affinée grâce à un simulateur numérique de la mesure LSPIV en rivière, outils capitalisant notre connaissance de la mesure et permettant d'évaluer l'importance relative de différentes sources d'erreur pour une situation donnée. <br /><br />Une unité LSPIV motorisée (camionnette équipée d'un bras télescopique et d'une caméra) a été développée pour permettre l'application de la méthode en sites difficiles d'accès. Cette unité s'est montrée efficace, donnant des résultats d'excellentes qualités sur les différents sites testés. Des mesures LSPIV de champ de vitesse de surface ont été utilisées par ailleurs pour la validation de la modélisation hydraulique d'une zone d'écoulement complexe (la lône de Port-Galand sur l'Ain) et pour une étude de reconstitution de formes de fond de chenal en laboratoire.

The demand for artificial heart valve replacements is increasing as a result of birth defects, ageing and disease. Collaboration between engineers, biologists and mathematicians is necessary to handle problems related to biocompatibility and fluid dynamics. As a result of the increased demand for artificial heart valves, many new designs have been developed recently. A method to test those designs is to use mathematical modeling. This method has a relatively low-cost and can be used as a preliminary tool before expensive prototypes are created. This research analyzes the use of the numerical modeling software LS-DYNA for large-displacement fluid-structure interaction. It is a preliminary study aimed at the analysis of heart valve dynamics. In particular, a channel with flap model is created in LS-DYNA. The model's physics, convergence and ability to handle large deformations is investigated.