Fibrous air filters are commonly used to capture airborne particles due to their potential for a relatively high capture efficiency and low airflow resistance. Their performance characteristics make them ideal candidates in many instances, spanning a wide range from residential to sensitive industrial applications. However, as more particles are captured, the performance of the filter will evolve. This evolution of performance typically manifests as a higher capture efficiency and higher airflow resistance resulting from the additional particulate deposits. The prediction of fibrous filter performance has been the focus of research for many decades, resulting in numerous analytical, numerical, and empirical models. This work seeks to improve upon the state of aerosol filtration by investigating the process through which these models are developed and validated. To meet this objective, three major efforts are implemented: 1) a comprehensive literature review, 2) an aerosol and media measurement analysis focusing on instrumentation and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) imagery, and 3) the creation of a process to analyze and develop fibrous air filter models. A conceptual foundation is provided by the literature review, establishing the current state of fibrous filtration modeling of solid particles and identifying candidate models for implementation. The influence of data collection and reduction methodology for particle mass loading experiments is explored with an emphasis on the resulting effects towards filtration model development. Furthermore, an automated methodology to measure the physical characteristics of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration media is investigated, completing the set of variables necessary to predict filtration performance. Finally, an algorithm is proposed to optimize and correlate model variables to collected empirical data, allowing for the improvement of model predictions by investigating model functionality and identifying limitations. Altogether, the three efforts provide a framework through which fibrous aerosol filtration models of solid particles may be developed, validated, and systematically analyzed.

Spillways are hydraulic structures that allow dams to release and convey surplus water or flood from the reservoir to the downstream channel. The spillway is a safety structure that prevents the overtopping of the dam. Many dam failure disasters were due to the inadequate capacity of the spillway, which fully illustrates the prominence of spillway design. According to the control structure, spillways can be divided into gated and ungated type. The gated spillway provides better control of the managed water level and reduces the elevation of the top of the dam. Researchers have mostly used experimental models to investigate these two types of spillways in previous literature. In the past few years, following the rapid development of numerical simulation technology, there have been more studies on the numerical modeling of spillways. However, most of the literature was about ungated spillways and most of it considered the case of low head ratios, while the case with gates, especially the case of vertical plane gates, was less investigated. In this study, the hydraulic characteristics, such as velocity, pressure, and discharge coefficient, of the ungated and gated ogee spillways are investigated by means of physical and numerical models for the case of low and high head ratios. The study covered head ratios varying from 1.4 to 4.6 and the relative gate-openings varying from 0.5 to 2. The second main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the numerical model to simulate gated and ungated spillways. It mainly employed 2DV OpenFOAM to simulate three turbulence models (realizable k-ε, RNG k-ε, k-ω SST), and the results were compared and calibrated with the experimental results from the physical model tests performed by the author to verify the performance of the numerical model. This study aims to demonstrate that the numerical model can be used as a complementary tool to the physical model to measure the hydraulic performance of ogee spillways.

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[pt] Os depósitos de solo próximos à superfície podem influenciar significativamente a amplitude, duração e conteúdo de frequências do movimento causado por terremotos. A avaliação de danos causados pelos terremotos indica que os menores níveis de dano se produzem em edificações com fundação em solo rijo, enquanto que os maiores níveis de dano se produzem, em geral, em estruturas fundadas em solo mole. O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar a resposta sísmica de três sítios conformados por solo mole de alta plasticidade não susceptíveis à liquefação, classificados como sítios tipo E ou F segundo a norma de construção International Building Code, cuja classificação é baseada na velocidade da onda cisalhante nos 30 primeiros metros do perfil de solo. Este estudo focou em realizar simulações numéricas, chamadas análises de resposta de sítio com terremotos de projeto em rocha determinados em função do estudo de ameaça sísmica local. Foram usados os programas de análise de propagação de ondas 1D SHAKE2000 e D-MOD2000. O primeiro incorpora o modelo de análise linear equivalente. O segundo é um programa de análise não linear baseado no modelo constitutivo hiperbólico MKZ, com capacidade de realizar análises em termos de tensões totais e em termos de tensões efetivas mediante modelos de degradação cíclica e geração e redistribuição de poropressão. Este estudo verificou que movimentos de alta intensidade propagados verticalmente através de um perfil de solo mole induz altos níveis de deformação cisalhante resultando em um maior amortecimento do solo o que produz a atenuação das acelerações. Na análise das histórias de deslocamento relativo, observou-se vários ciclos com deslocamentos máximos entre 12 e 24 cm, o que sugere que o deslocamento poderia ser um parâmetro mais representativo do potencial de dano do movimento, observando-se que o deslocamento, em oposição à aceleração, é amplificado à medida que a intensidade do movimento aumenta. / [en] Near surface soils can greatly influence the amplitude, duration, and frequency content of ground motions. The survey of damage caused by earthquakes indicates that the lowest levels of damage occur in structures founded on rock or hard soil, while most of the damage occurs usually in structures founded in soft soil sites. The scope of this research is to analyze the seismic response of three sites with high plasticity soft soil deposits not susceptible to liquefaction, classified as sites E or F according to the building code International Building Code, whose classification is defined by the time averaged shear wave velocity over the top 30 meters of the soil deposit. This study focused on generating data from numerical simulations, called site response analyses. To this end, design earthquakes on rock are determined considering the local seismic hazard. For this study the programs of one-dimensional wave propagation analysis SHAKE2000 and D-MOD2000 were used. The first one is a well known code for the equivalent linear method. The second, is a nonlinear analysis code based on the hyperbolic constitutive model MKZ, capable of performing analyses in terms of total stresses and in terms of effective stresses incorporating models of cyclic degradation and, generation and redistribution of pore pressure for sands and clays. This study verified that high intensity motions vertically propagated through a soft soil profile induce high levels of shear strain resulting in greater soil damping which produces the attenuation of the acceleration. From the analysis of the relative displacement histories of the ground, which shown many cycles with a maximum displacement between 12 and 24 cm, it is suggested that the displacement could be a more representative parameter of the potential of damage of strong motions, showing that the displacement, as opposed to the acceleration, is amplified as the intensity of the motion increases.

A large and increasing number of cancer interventions, including both diagnosis and therapy, involve precise placement of needles, which is extremely difficult. This challenge is due to lack of proper actuation of the needle (i.e., actuated from the proximal end, which is far away from the needle tip). To overcome this challenge, we propose to bend the needle using a smart actuator that applies bending forces on the needle body; thereby, improving the navigation of the needle. The smart actuator is designed with shape memory alloy (SMA) wires, namely Nitinol, due to their unique properties such as super-elasticity, shape memory effect, and biocompatibility. For accurate steering of the smart needle, there is a need to understand Nitinol thermo-mechanical behaviors. Various existing SMA constitutive models were investigated and compared. Since SMA is used as an actuator in this project, only one dimensional constitutive models are considered. Two distinct models with different phase transformation kinetic approaches were chosen. The first model was proposed by Terriault and Brailovski (J. Intell. Mat. Systems Structures, 2011) using a modified one dimensional Likhachev formulation. The second model was developed by Brinson (J. Intell. Mat. Systems Structures , 1993). Since all SMA constitutive models are empirically based, several important materials' constants such as Phase Transformation Temperatures are needed. The four Transformation Temperatures are: Martensite start (Ms), Martensite finish (Mf), Austenite start (As), Austenite finish (Af). Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to obtain these constants. These temperatures are also influenced by stress, defined by the Clausius-Clayperon coefficients. The coefficients were obtained by measuring Nitinol temperature and displacement response under various constant stress conditions. In order to study its actuation behavior, Nitinol wires under constant strain configuration and resistance heating were tested for their force response. The thermo-mechanical responses were then compared with numerical simulations. While Terriault and Brailovski resistance heating formulation agrees strongly with temperature responses, the model cannot be used to simulate the actuator mechanical responses. Brinson model simulations of the force responses were found to agree well with experimental results. In conclusion, Terriault and Brailovski resistance heating formulation should be coupled with Brinson model to accurately simulate Nitinol actuation behavior for the smart needle. / Mechanical Engineering

A computational study of sonic light-gas jet injection into a supersonic cross flow was conducted. The scope of the numerical analysis encompassed many studies that affect how the flow-field is numerically modeled and the behavior, specifically mixing, of the flow-field itself. A single, round injector was used for the Baseline design. Simulated conditions involved sonic injection of helium heated to 313 K into a Mach 4 air cross-stream with average Reynolds number 5.77 e+7 per meter and a freestream momentum flux ratio of 2.1. Experiments at these conditions were available for comparison. The primary numerical flow solver employed was GASP v. 4.2. The Menter Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model was used, since the algorithm has good capability of solving both wall-bounded and free-shear flows. The SST model was able to capture the mixing behavior of the complex flow-field. Important numerical parameters that affect the capabilities of the numerical solver were studied for the Baseline injector. These sensitivity studies varied the choice of turbulent Prandtl number, Schmidt number, freestream turbulence intensity, boundary layer size, steady and unsteady approaches and computational software packages. A decrease in the turbulent Prandtl number resulted in better mixing behavior of the prediction and better agreement with the experiment. An increase in the turbulent Schmidt number had a small adverse effect on the predictions. The mixing characteristics remained constant with an increase in freestream turbulence intensity. The best Baseline prediction was then compared to three different injector configurations: an aerodynamic ramp consisting of four injectors in an array, a diamond injector both aligned and yawed 15° to the oncoming flow. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools were more accurate compared to experiment in the prediction of the aeroramp injector than the diamond-shaped injectors. The aeroramp injector slightly improved mixing efficiency over the Baseline injector at these conditions. Both of the diamond-shaped injectors had similar mixing as the Baseline injector but did not predict significant improvement in penetration for the analyzed conditions. Additional studies involving the interaction of transverse injection with impinging oblique shock waves were performed. The impingement of a shock upon light gas jet injection increased mixing. The closer the shock is to the injection point, the larger the effect on mixing and vorticity. The last analyses involved a numerical comparison of a non-reacting model to a reacting hydrogen-air model. The reacting analysis prediction had an improved spreading rate and larger counter-rotating vortex pair with downstream distance over the non-reacting analysis. The mixing was not significantly altered by the addition of hydrogen-air reactions to the numerical equations. The numerical tools used are capable of reasonable accuracy in predicting the complex flow-field of jet injection into a supersonic freestream with proper choice of models and parameters. Numerical modeling offers a way to study the entire flow-field thoroughly in a cost and time efficient manner. / Ph. D.

Wireless sensor networks and data fusion has received increasing attention in recent years, due to the ever increasing computational power, battery and wireless technology, and proliferation of sensor modalities. Notably, the application of acoustic sensors and arrays of sensors has expanded to encompass surveillance, teleconferencing, and sound source localization in adverse environments. The ability to passively locate and track acoustic sources, be they gunfire, animals, or geological events, is crucial to a wide range of applications. The challenge addressed herein is how to best utilize the massive amount of data collected from spatially distributed sensors. Localization in two acoustic propagation scenarios is addressed: the free-field assumption and the general case. In both cases, it is found that performance is highly dependent on the array-source geometry which in turn drives the design of localization strategies. First, the general surveillance problem including signal detection, classification, data association, localization and tracking is studied. Signal detectors are designed with a focus on robustness and capacity for real time implementation. Specifics of the data association problem relevant to acoustic measurements are addressed. Assuming free-field propagation, a localization algorithm is developed to harness some of the vast potential and robust nature of a sensor networks. In addition, a prototypical sensor network has been constructed to accompany the theoretical development, address real world situations, and demonstrate applicability. Experimental results obtained confirm the practicality of theoretical models, support numerical results, and illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies and the system as a whole. In many situations of interest, obstacles to wave propagation such as terrain or buildings exist that provide unique challenges to localization. These obstacles introduce multiple paths, diffraction, and scattering into the propagation. The second part of this dissertation investigates localization in the general propagation scenario of a multi-wave, semi-reverberant environment characteristic of urban areas. Matched field processing is introduced as a feasible method and found to offer superior performance and flexibility over time reversal techniques. The effects of uncertainty in model parameters are studied in an urban setting. Multiarray processing methods are developed and strategies to mitigate the effects of model mismatch are established. / Ph. D.

The use of concrete-filled tubular composite members and composite beams has been implemented in many structural systems due to their robust structural performance, constructability, and inherent synergy when the steel and concrete components are properly designed and detailed together. While extensive research has been conducted on concrete-filled steel structural members, relatively little has been done regarding similar composite connections. Understanding how composite connections behave in structures and how they should be modeled during the design process is crucial to predict the actual structural behavior of these types of elements when subjected to different loading conditions. The goal of this research is to numerically evaluate CFTs or SRCs members and their connections subjected to axial, shear, and flexural load. Predicting composite connection behavior is exceptionally challenging due to the coupled behavior of the steel and concrete, the residual stresses in the steel, local buckling of the connection, and the sensitivity of the stress-strain response to the steel-concrete contact and confinement performance. To address these issues, a thorough literature search has been carried out and a state-of-the-art report on experimental and numerical models for composite connections is presented. The selected tests represent a range of geometries, materials, and governing failure modes. Initially, a generic connection modeling process was developed and calibrated against a classical test, then three more connections were modeled. To further the understanding of composite behavior, shear studs in steel-concrete composite beams were modeled next, taking as reference a recent experimental program that resulted in an unusual failure. Results indicate that the model can reproduce the most important behavioral aspects observed in the tests, tracking well the strength and stiffness of the samples up to ultimate. The load-deformation curves of the experimental specimens and the analytical models show very good agreement in their transitions and indicate that the behavior of the composite joints is controlled mainly by both the strength of the concrete and the confining effect of the steel tube in the joint. A data appendix containing 135 tests is described and the main characteristics of these tests are summarized in the text. / Doctor of Philosophy / Every day the population increase is more evident, and the main cities of the world are densifying. This implies the accelerated construction of all types of structures, especially tall residential buildings. For the design of these structures, architects design increasingly slender structures, which must be resilient under all types of forces. The foregoing is exerting pressure on structural engineers to design structures that have the capacity to be built in the shortest possible time without losing their functionality and safety. This is where steel and concrete composite construction plays an important role. The main advantage of composite construction is the synergy of both materials. Concrete is inexpensive and provides high stiffness, mass, and fire resistance. Structural steel has high strength, ductility, lightweight, and ease of construction. Composite construction has been used for a long time in tall buildings, and experimental and numerical research has been carried out, especially on the beam and column elements. However, comparatively little research has been done on composite connection behavior and design. This dissertation proposes a numerical evaluation of the composite connections in beams and columns under different types of loads in order to establish modeling parameters that facilitate the analysis and structural design of these elements. The important numerical models are validated with experimental investigations. The results show that the numerical models are capable of simulating the structural behavior of the tests, especially the damage mechanisms and the modeling of local behavior. This study contributes to the development of simulations of composite connections, determining modeling parameters, such as the contact resistance between steel and concrete and the distribution of shear studs in composite beams, among others.

Hand transmitted vibration (HTV) is one of the most common hazards faced by workers in the construction industry. A major source of HTV is hand held percussion tools, such as pneumatically driven chipping hammers and rock drills. This thesis presents a new approach to measuring the vibration from these tools using an experimental hand arm model to which the tools are attached. The experimental hand-arm model has been designed to have similar dynamic characteristics to that of a human hand-arm system. This approach addresses the issue of repeatability as HTV measurements suffer from variability between cases. The measured acceleration of the hand-arm system is in range or close to range of the measured accelerations of the test subjects with superior repeatability. Further, the thesis presents a nonlinear numerical model of a pneumatic impact hammer. Fundamentally, the numerical model was made up of two different sub-models, 1) a fluid flow model and 2) a structural dynamic model. The fluid flow model was based on the equations for mass flow rate of air though a bleed orifice assuming an isentropic process. The second sub-model deals with modeling the structural components of the impact hammer consisting of the major hammer like the center body, handle, piston and chisel as well as the human hand and the ground. Time domain simulations of the hammer were carried out by using a state space formulation to get displacements, velocities and accelerations of the each component as well as the exhaust jet velocities. Experiments were carried out to measure the handle response and exhaust jet velocities as well as pressure profiles. The results obtained from the numerical model were then validated using these experimental results. Finally, a parametric study using the numerical model was carried out to explore different vibration control techniques. / Master of Science