In this study, we examined the effect of cool roofs on commercial and residential buildings in each climate zone, by looking at monitored case studies and DOE-2 simulations from various sources of literature; and using an online tool - the Cool Roof Calculator and a simple COP ratio model to validate the results of the case studies. It was found that the Cool Roof Calculator does not take building form into account, hence a sensitivity analysis was first conducted to rank the importance of various building parameters against one another. The analysis was conducted on the EPC normative building energy model. Results indicated that roof absorptance coefficient, aspect ratio and number of floors were the three parameters that either ranked highest or were important parameters, and were chosen for further parametric analysis to evaluate the impact of these building parameters on total building loads. A simple COP ratio model was also developed to validate the results from the literature review and Cool Roof Calculator, and it was found that in terms of cost, for a prototype medium-sized commercial building, it is always beneficial to use a white roof, but cities in northern climates may have little advantage, and insulation may be a better choice.

<p>Scania has a policy to attain a high crashworthiness standard and their trucks have to conform to Swedish cab safety standards. The main objective of this thesis is to clarify which parameter variations, present during the second part of the Swedish cab crashworthiness test on a Scania R-series cab, that have significance on the intrusion response. An LS-DYNA FE-model of the test case is analysed where parameter variations are introduced through the use of the probabilistic analysis tool LS-OPT.</p><p>Example of analysed variations are the sheet thickness variation as well as the material variations such as stress-strain curve of the structural components, but also variations in the test setup such as the pendulum velocity and angle of approach on impact are taken into account. The effect of including the component forming in the analysis is investigated, where the variations on the material parameters are implemented prior to the forming. An additional objective is to analyse the influence of simulation and model dependent variations and weigh their respective effect on intrusion with the above stated physical variations.</p><p>A submodel is created due to the necessity to speed up the simulations since the numerous parameter variations yield a large number of different designs, resulting in multiple analyses.</p><p>Important structural component sensitivities are taken from the results and should be used as a pointer where to focus the attention when trying to increase the robustness of the cab. Also, the results show that the placement of the pendulum in the y direction (sideways seen from the driver perspective) is the most significant physical parameter variation during the Swedish pendulum test. It is concluded that to be able to achieve a fair comparison of the structural performance from repeated crash testing, this pendulum variation must be kept to a minimum. </p><p>Simulation and model dependent parameters in general showed to have large effects on the intrusion. It is concluded that further investigations on individual simulation or model dependent parameters should be performed to establish which description to use. </p><p>Mapping material effects from the forming simulation into the crash model gave a slight stiffer response compared to the mean pre-stretch approximations currently used by Scania. This is still however a significant result considering that Scanias approximations also included bake hardening effects from the painting process. </p>

Scania has a policy to attain a high crashworthiness standard and their trucks have to conform to Swedish cab safety standards. The main objective of this thesis is to clarify which parameter variations, present during the second part of the Swedish cab crashworthiness test on a Scania R-series cab, that have significance on the intrusion response. An LS-DYNA FE-model of the test case is analysed where parameter variations are introduced through the use of the probabilistic analysis tool LS-OPT. Example of analysed variations are the sheet thickness variation as well as the material variations such as stress-strain curve of the structural components, but also variations in the test setup such as the pendulum velocity and angle of approach on impact are taken into account. The effect of including the component forming in the analysis is investigated, where the variations on the material parameters are implemented prior to the forming. An additional objective is to analyse the influence of simulation and model dependent variations and weigh their respective effect on intrusion with the above stated physical variations. A submodel is created due to the necessity to speed up the simulations since the numerous parameter variations yield a large number of different designs, resulting in multiple analyses. Important structural component sensitivities are taken from the results and should be used as a pointer where to focus the attention when trying to increase the robustness of the cab. Also, the results show that the placement of the pendulum in the y direction (sideways seen from the driver perspective) is the most significant physical parameter variation during the Swedish pendulum test. It is concluded that to be able to achieve a fair comparison of the structural performance from repeated crash testing, this pendulum variation must be kept to a minimum. Simulation and model dependent parameters in general showed to have large effects on the intrusion. It is concluded that further investigations on individual simulation or model dependent parameters should be performed to establish which description to use. Mapping material effects from the forming simulation into the crash model gave a slight stiffer response compared to the mean pre-stretch approximations currently used by Scania. This is still however a significant result considering that Scanias approximations also included bake hardening effects from the painting process.

In highway bridge construction, composite curved girder bridges are becoming more popular recently. Reduced construction time, long span coverage, economics and aesthetics make them more popular than the other structural systems. Although there exist some methods for the analysis of such systems, each have shortcomings. The use of Finite Element Method (FEM) among these methods is limited except in the academic environments. The use of commercial FEM software packages in the analysis of such systems is cumbersome as it takes too much time to form a model. Considering such problems a computational software was developed called UTRAP in 2002 which analyzes bridges for construction loads by taking into account the early age deck concrete. As the topic of this thesis work, this program was restructured and new features were added. In the following thesis work, the program structure, modeling considerations and recommendations are discussed together with the parametric studies.

This paper describes the 3-dimensional finite element modelling of composite connection with steel beams and precast hollow core slab. A finite element model to simulate the structural behaviour of the composite beam was described and was used to study the behaviour of a wide range of composite connections to gain a better understanding of the structural behaviour especially the moment¿rotation characteristic of the connections. Parametric studies were carried out to investigate the structural behaviour with variations in: size of the beam, thickness of the endplate, thickness of column web, depth of precast hollow cored slab and stud spacing. Through the parametric study, the structural behaviour of the composite connection has been discussed in detail, and recommendations for the design purpose has been made.

Liquid desiccant air conditioning (LDAC) has received much attention in recent years. This is mainly because LDAC systems are able to control latent loads in a more energy efficient way than conventional air conditioning systems. Although many research studies have been conducted on LDAC technologies, the following gaps in the scientific literature are addressed in this thesis: (1) carryover of desiccant droplets in air streams, (2) direct comparisons between different configurations of LDAC systems, (3) fundamentals of capacity matching in heat-pump LDAC systems, (4) optimal-control strategies for heat-pump LDAC systems, and (5) importance of transients in evaluating the performance of a LDAC system. Items (1) to (4) are addressed using TRNSYS simulations, and item (5) is addressed using data collected from a field test. The use of liquid-to-air membrane energy exchangers (LAMEEs) as dehumidifiers and regenerators in LDAC systems eliminate the desiccant droplets carryover problem in air streams. This is because LAMEE separate the air and solution streams using semi-permeable membranes, which allow the transfer of heat and moisture but do not allow the transfer of the liquid desiccant. A preliminary configuration for a membrane LDAC system, which uses LAMEEs as the dehumidifier and regenerator, is proposed and investigated under fixed operating conditions in this thesis. The influences of key design and operating parameters on the heat and mass transfer performances of the membrane LDAC system are evaluated. Results show that the membrane LDAC technology is able to effectively remove latent loads in applications that the humidity to be controlled. A comprehensive evaluation is conducted in this thesis for the thermal, economic and environmental performances of several configurations of membrane LDAC systems. The solution cooling load is covered using a cooling heat pump in all systems studied, while the solution heating load is covered using one of the following five different heating systems: (1) a gas boiler, (2) a heating heat pump, (3) a solar thermal system with gas boiler backup, (4) a solar thermal system with heat pump backup, and (5) the condenser of the solution cooling heating pump. Each of the membrane LDAC systems studied is evaluated with/without an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) installed in the air handling system. The influence of operating the ERV under balanced/unbalanced operating conditions is studied. It is found that the most economic membrane LDAC system is the one which uses the evaporator and condenser of the same heat pump to cover the solution cooling and heating loads, respectively (i.e. heat-pump membrane LDAC system). No clear guidance was found in the literature for sizing the evaporator and condenser in a heat-pump LDAC system to simultaneously meet the solution cooling and heating loads. When the heating and cooling provided by the heat pump exactly match the heating and cooling requirements of the solution, the system is “capacity matched”. A parametric study is conducted on a heat-pump membrane LDAC system to identify the influence of key operating and design parameters on achieving capacity matching. It is concluded that the solution inlet temperatures to the dehumidifier and regenerator are the most influential parameters on the moisture removal rate, capacity matching and coefficient of performance (COP). Three control strategies are developed for heat-pump membrane LDAC systems, where these strategies meet the latent loads and achieve one of the following three objectives: (1) meet the sensible loads, (2) achieve capacity matching, or (3) optimize the COP. Results show that the COP of a heat-pump LDAC system can be doubled by selecting the right combination of solution inlet temperatures to the regenerator and dehumidifier. The importance of transients in evaluating the performance of a LDAC system is addressed in the thesis using a data collected from a field test on a solar LDAC system. It is found that the sensible, latent and total cooling energy, and the total primary energy consumption of the LDAC system are changed by less than 10% during an entire test day when transients are considered. Thus, it can be concluded that steady-state models are reliable to evaluate the energy performances of LDAC systems.

Deformation of bridges that are induced by thermal loads can be accommodated by expansion joints and bearings. Integral Abutment Bridges have gained acceptance as a way to mitigate potential damage from thermal movements, eliminating the poor performance and maintenance costs associated with expansion joints and bearings. However, integral abutments significantly change the structural response of the bridges. Several researches including real time field monitoring and finite element analyses have been conducted on straight and skewed integral abutment bridges in order to improve an understanding on field performance of them. Some state transportation agencies have also developed guidelines for the design of straight and skewed integral abutment bridges in recent years. In contrast, very little information is available on the performance of curved integral abutment bridges. A detailed finite element model of Stockbridge Bridge, VT is used to evaluate the behavior of curved integral abutment bridges under self-weight and thermal loading. In addition, a parametric study is carried out to investigate the effects of bridge curvature and abutment backfill soil type. Finally, six additional finite element models are created to compare the responses of jointed (conventional) bridges and integral abutment bridges. Results reported include abutment displacements, rotations, moments in abutment piles, earth pressures and bridge superstructure moments. Suggestions for improvement of analytical modeling and recommendations for design of curved integral abutment bridges are made.

En France, en 2015 les motocyclistes représentent 43% des blessés graves victimes d'accidents de la circulation routière. Au même moment, même si les accidents de chocs de motocyclistes contre les dispositifs de retenue routiers ne représentent en moyenne que 10% des accidents de la circulation routière, les motocyclistes présentent un risque de décès 30 à 80 fois supérieur au risque de décès des usagers de véhicules impliqués dans le même type d'accidents.Pour renforcer la sécurité des motocyclistes, les dispositifs de retenue pour automobiles (dispositifs traditionnels) sont équipés à leur partie inférieure d'écran de protection motards. Les écrans motards ont pour but d'amortir de manière progressive les chocs des motocyclistes en les empêchant dans le même temps de passer à travers la partie inférieure des dispositifs de retenue pour automobiles, de percuter un poteau et d'être sévèrement blessés. Les écrans motards doivent subir des essais de chocs normatifs et répondre à certaines exigences afin de pouvoir être installés sur le bord des routes européennes et de garantir surtout la sécurité des motards. Cependant, il n'existe que des procédures normatives pour tester ces dispositifs, la procédure LIER dans le contexte Français et la procédure normative EN 1317-8 dans le contexte Européen. Afin d'évaluer ces deux procédures normatives et de proposer de nouvelles dispositions pouvant servir de procédure normative plus avancée sur le protocole d'essais d'évaluation de performances d'écrans motards, des simulations numériques ont été réalisées. Un modèle numérique complet de dispositif de retenue routier équipé d'écran motard en acier a été développé et corrélé sur un essai de choc réel sur un dispositif de même type. Une fois corrélé,le modèle a été utilisé afin d'évaluer l'influence des conditions d'essais et des caractéristiques mécaniques matériaux de l'écran sur les performances de l'écran motard. Enfin, une nouvelle démarche d'évaluation de performances d'écran de protection motard a été mise en place / In France, in 2015,motorcyclists represent 43% of seriously injured accident victims in road traffic. At the same time, even though motorcyclists impact crashes against the road restraint systems represent on average 10% of accidents in road traffic, motorcyclists present a risk of death from30 to 80 times upper than the risk of death for users of vehicles involved in the same type of accidents. To enhance the safety of motorcyclists, Vehicle Restraints Systems (VRS) arefitted to the lower part of restraint systems for motorcyclists. Motorcyclist’s Restraint Systems (MRS) are designed to absorb shocks gradually and to preventmotorcyclists to pass through the lower part of VRS, to hit a post and be severely injured. Before being installed on the roadsides, MRS have to be crash-tested according to standards in order to evaluate their safety and ensure motorcyclists safety. However, there are only normative procedures to testMRS, the LIER procedurein the French context and the procedure EN1317-8 in the European context. To assess both normative procedures and propose new provisions which can be used as normative procedure more advanced on the protocol of MRS performances evaluation tests, numerical simulations were performed. A numerical model of MRS was developed and correlated on one real impact test on other device of same type. Once correlated, the model was used to conduct a parametric study on the test conditions and thematerialsmechanical properties of the MRS. Finally, a new demarche of MRS performances evaluation was developed

In the continuous casting of steel, the Submerged Entry Nozzle (SEN), in particular the SEN geometry, has a primary influence on the flow pattern: the SEN controls the speed, direction and other characteristics of the jet entering the mould. The SEN is however relatively inexpensive to change (in comparison with other continuous casting equipment). Thus; there is a feasible incentive to exactly understand and predict the flow of molten steel through the SEN and into the mould, in order to maximise the quality of the steel by altering the design of the SEN. By changing the SEN geometry and SEN design, the flow pattern in the mould will also change: it is thus possible to obtain an optimum SEN design if (or when) the desired flow patterns and/or certain predetermined temperature distributions are achieved. Expensive and risky plant trials were traditionally utilised to “perfect” continuous casting processes. As opposed to the plant trials, this dissertation is concerned with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling of the SEN and mould, which, when used in conjunction with the Mathematical Optimiser LS-OPT, will enable the optimisation of the SEN design to achieve desired results. The CFD models are experimentally verified and validated using 40%-scaled (designed and built in-house) and full-scale water model tests. This dissertation proves that the CFD modelling of the SEN and mould can be quite useful for optimisation and parametric studies, especially when automated model generation (geometry, mesh and solution procedures) is utilised. The importance of obtaining reliable and physically correct CFD results is also emphasised; hence the need for CFD model verification using water modelling. / Dissertation (MEng (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

In this thesis, parametric studies have been performed for a soil-steel compositebridge to determine and investigate the most influential parameters on the dynamicresponse.High-speed railways are currently being planned in Sweden by the Swedish TransportAdministration with train speeds up to 320 km/h. According to the European designcodes, bridges must be verified with respect to dynamic resonance behaviour for trainspeeds exceeding 200 km/h. However, there are no guidelines or design criterion forperforming dynamic verifications of soil-steel composite bridges. The aim of thisthesis has therefore been to investigate the influence of the geometry and materialproperties of soil-steel composite bridges on their dynamic response.This thesis is based upon the frequency domain approach for dynamic analysis ofa soil-steel composite bridge using finite element software. In 2018, field measurementswere performed on a soil-steel composite bridge in Hårestorp, Sweden. Areference finite element model was developed based on previous research and wasverified against these field measurements. Parametric studies where performed byextrapolating the geometry of the reference model, focusing primarily on the crownheight, culvert span width and the location of the bedrock. Sensitivity analyses ofthe density- and stiffness of the soil was also performed.The parametric studies showed that the crown height was the most influential parameterwith respect to the amplitude of the resonance peak. Increasing it from 1 mto 3 m reduced the amplitude by approximately 70 %. An increased span width ofthe culvert was found to reduce the frequency and amplitude of the resonance peak,however increasing the stiffness of the culvert increased the resonance frequency.The position of the rock layer also reduced the amplitude of the resonance peak iflowered, likely because of lessened wave reflection. The lowest rock level investigatedshowed a significant decrease of more than 70 % in amplitude. However, the modelused to calculate this response was heavily extrapolated and thus difficult to verify.The sensitivity analyses showed that the soil density- and stiffness was negativelyand positively correlated with the resonance frequency, respectively. Additionally,the soil density lowered the amplitude of the resonance peak if increased.