Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-145). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Tummala, Rao; Committee Co-Chair: Wang, Zhong Lin; Committee Member: Brand, Oliver; Committee Member: Chang, Gee-Kung; Committee Member: Ghovanloo, Maysam; Committee Member: Wong, Ching-Ping. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 74 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-71).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-220).

No description available.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology: Mechanical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 2011. / The objective of the present study was to investigate if piezoelectric techniques or sensors can be used in monitoring structural degradation. The study considers experimental results and analytical modelling of a ductile structure under tensile and cyclic loading. Throughout the project the emphasis was placed on the effectiveness of strain measuring sensors. Conventional tensile testing was conducted using a Lloyds testing machine. The testing machine was calibrated to have a lateral movement of 2mm/min (tension force). Rectangular plates were pulled in tension until failure. From that experimental data was produced for a uni-axial loading system. Cyclic testing was carried out using an in-house designed and manufactured fatigue machine. It produced a reciprocating load (force) of 25rad/s on a rectangular plate. Two different sensor measuring instruments (strain gauge and piezoelectric) were used. The strain gauge sensor was attached to a specimen and connected to a Wheatstone bridge. The piezoelectric sensor was attached to the specimen and then linked directly to the capturing system. From these two sensors experimental results were obtained and compared. The mathematical relationships for the rectangular plates were formulated using effective stress-strain behaviour based on the elastic and plastic behaviour of the plates. The analytical and experimental results were compared. Results from this investigation show that piezoelectric sensors can be useful for measuring fatigue failure on a ductile material.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The objective of this research is to develop a wearable device that could harvest waste mechanical energy of the human hand movement and utilize this energy to suppress wrist tremors. Piezoelectric material is used to measure the hand movement signals, and the signal of wrist tremor is filtered to be utilized to suppress the tremor. In order to conduct the experiment of energy harvesting and tremor suppression, an experimental rig was fabricated. Two types of piezoelectric materials, PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) films and MFC (macro fiber composite) films, are used to harvest mechanical energy and used as actuators to suppress hand tremors. However, due to some shortages of the materials, these two types of materials are not used as actuators to suppress the wrist tremors. Thus, we use Matlab Simulink to simulate the tremor suppression with AVC (active vibration control) algorithm.

Orientador: João Antonio Pereira / Banca: Luiz de Paula do Nascimento / Banca: Roberto Gil Annes da Silva / Resumo: Esse trabalho discute o uso dos materiais piezelétricos, mais especificamente, o Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) e o Lead Zirconate Titatane (PZT) na análise modal experimental (AME) de estruturas mecânicas. Materiais piezelétricos, também chamados de materiais inteligentes, têm se consolidado como uma nova tecnologia que mostra um grande potencial de aplicação em diferentes áreas da engenharia. Esse tipo de material exibe um acoplamento entre multi-domínios físicos, como por exemplo o acoplamento eletro-mecânico, o térmo-magnético, etc. O acoplamento eletro-mecânico produz um deslocamento elétrico quando o material é sujeito a uma tensão mecânica (efeito direto) e um deformação mecânica quando esse material é submetido a um campo elétrico (efeito inverso). Assim, principalmente por conta desses efeitos, seu uso no campo da análise modal experimental torna-se uma interessante questão a ser investigada. A incorporação de novas tecnologias nos testes estruturais pode agregar novos conhecimentos e avanços tanto na análise modal baseada na relação entrada-saída da estrutura, quanto na mais recente técnica, a análise modal baseada apenas na resposta das mesmas. Os conceitos teóricos para o desenvolvimento são apresentados e discutidos neste trabalho, onde é mostrada a análise modal de uma viga utilizando tanto sensores e atuadores convencionais quanto os produzidos com materiais inteligentes. Os testes de análise modal da viga foram feitos utilizando diferentes combinações de sensores e atuadores e isso pode mostrar as diferenças da estimativa de modos utilizando materiais piezelétricos. Também é apresentada a formulação da relação entre os modos em deslocamento e os modos com diferença de inclinação obtidos com materiais piezelétricos e, finalmente, uma comparação dos resultados obtidos pelas diferentes técnicas. Os testes apresentados mostram... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This work discusses the use of piezoelectric materials, more specifically, Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) and Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) for experimental modal analysis (EMA) of mechanical structures. Piezoelectric materials also called smart materials have becoming a consolidated new technology that shows a large potential of application for different engineering areas. These materials exhibit a multi physics domain field coupling like mechanical and electrical coupling domains, thermal and magnetic coupling and etc. The electro-mechanical coupling domains of the material produces an electric displacement when the material is subject to a mechanical stress (direct-effect) and a mechanical strain when the material is submitted to an electric field (inverse effect). So, mainly due to these effects, the use in the experimental modal analysis field appears to be an interesting issue to be investigated. The incorporation of this new technology in the structural tests might aggregate new acknowledgments and advances in the well consolidated input-output based modal analysis techniques as well as in the more recent output only-based modal analysis. This work aims to present some contribution in this area by using piezoelectric sensors, instead of the conventional ones like accelerometers for modal analysis of mechanical structures. The theoretical concepts and background for the developing of the work are presented and discussed, it is also presented the modal analysis of a beam like structure using conventional sensors/actuators and piezoelectric materials. The modal analysis tests of the beam are conducted using different kinds of sensors/actuator and they give some insight of the difference of the estimated modes shapes by using piezoelectric materials. It is also presented a formulation that shows the relation between... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre