Cam follower systems are generally designed to operate at a fixed speed or a range of fixed speeds. However manufacturing defects, wear, or a change of design goals may require altering the camshaft speed to produce a follower trajectory which is not possible using a fixed speed. The follower trajectory may also be optimized for some performance criteria such as minimizing vibration and wear. Like most real world systems, the differential equations governing a cam follower system are nonlinear. A common approach for controlling a nonlinear system is to first linearize the system about a nominal operating point, then apply linear control laws. In many cases, such as the cam follower system, one can create a trajectory and numerically solve the nonlinear system for the inputs required to follow it. Linearizing about this solution creates a linear time varying system whose states are deviations from the desired solution. The speed trajectory in the cam follower system is periodic, which results in a linear system with periodic coefficients. Repetitive control creates control systems that aim to converge to zero tracking error following a periodic command, or aim to completely cancel the effects of a periodic disturbance. Using the inverse of the steady state frequency response as a compensator has been shown to be very effective for linear time invariant systems. That idea is applied here to linear time periodic systems. The periodic state matrices lend themselves well to frequency domain representations, which can be used to construct a matrix form of the steady state frequency response. The first law studied in this work analyzes a moving window implementation which monitors the output errors and previous commands to create an update to the change in the command for the current time step using the inverse of the steady state frequency response matrix. Asymptotic convergence conditions for zero tracking error are derived. When the number of samples in one period is not an integer number, the moving window method is not feasible without interpolation. Therefore a second method based on the projection algorithm from adaptive control is developed and analyzed. In linear constant coefficient systems, one generally needs to incorporate a frequency cutoff filter to robustify to high frequency model error. The additional intricacies of designing a cutoff filter for periodic systems is considered, aiming to handle the fact that for periodic coefficient systems, addressing error components below the intended cutoff can excite harmonics above the cutoff. The control laws developed in this work are applicable to any nonlinear system which may be linearized about a periodic trajectory. Development of these control laws is motivated by improving the performance of a cam follower system. Additional improvements in cam follower behavior can be done through parameter optimization. This includes optimizing a nonlinear follower spring such that it provides just sufficient force to maintain contact while reducing the load on the cam.

O crescente aumento na demanda de sistemas miniatuarizados, a criação e desenvolvimento de métodos simples e eficazes e com menor custo de fabricação de microcomponentes desafiam projetistas e pesquisadores. Dentro deste contexto, este trabalho visa o estudo do processo de replicação por laminação, com PMMA (polimetilmetacrilato) aquecido, para geração de microestruturas. O laminador utilizado é de precisão e a distância entre rolos possui controle milimétrico garantindo sua distância, mesmo quando em operação. Foi confeccionado um cilindro molde contendo microrranhuras que serão replicadas no PMMA. Utilizaram-se, como material do cilindro molde, o alumínio e a liga de alumínio 7075. O processo de aquecimento do PMMA consistiu de duas maneiras: condução através do contato com placa térmica, e convecção através do aquecimento em estufa. Para PMMA identificou-se a temperatura ótima para replicação a 105°C. O estudo demonstrou que, para replicar uma geometria com taxa de replicação elevada, devem-se levar em consideração fatores como a velocidade de laminação e a taxa de redução (distância entre cilindros). Este trabalho vai de encontro a pensamentos inovadores, demonstrando ser uma técnica que permite obter a replicação de determinadas geometrias com eficiência de produção. / The increasing demand for miniatuature systems, the creation and development of simple, effective and low cost manufacturing mehods of microcomponents challenge designers and researchers. Within this context, this work aims to study the replication process by rolling of heated PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) to generate microstructures. A precision mill roll is used so that the distance between rolls has millimeter adjustment ensuring the distance is kept constant, even while in operation. A cylinder mold containing microgrooves to be replicated in PMMA was fabricated. Aluminum and 7075 aluminum alloy were used for the cylinder mold. The process of heating the PMMA occurred in two manners: conduction through the contact thermal plate, and convection by heating in an oven. For PMMA, the temperature for replication of 105°C was identified as being optimum. The study showed that, to replicate a geometry with a high rate of replication, one should take into account factors such as the rolling speed and the rate (distance between cylinders). This work goes towards the innovative thinking, proving to be a technique that allows for the replication of certain geometries and production efficiency.

A laminação a frio de aços planos é um processo industrial de grande complexidade, executado num ambiente bastante agressivo e caracterizado por parâmetros incertos, grandes tempos de atraso, múltiplas entradas e múltiplas saídas e por forte interação entre as diversas variáveis (GUO, 2000). As referências necessárias para o controle de tal processo são obtidas por meio de um modelo matemático, responsável pela sua otimização. Dadas as particularidades do processo, o modelo deve ser do tipo adaptativo, ou seja, deve ter seus parâmetros continuamente ajustados com base nos resultados efetivamente obtidos durante a operação. A adaptação do modelo é essencial para a consecução dos requisitos de qualidade do produto e, em conseqüência, para a viabilidade da planta. Este trabalho primeiramente investiga as estratégias tradicionalmente empregadas no desenvolvimento de modelos adaptativos para o processo de laminação de aços, identificando os pontos fortes e deficiências de tais técnicas. Com o objetivo de minimizar essas deficiências e aperfeiçoar o desempenho do modelo, o trabalho propõe em seguida a utilização de ferramentas de Inteligência Computacional (mais especificamente, Redes Neurais Artificiais) para tornar mais eficiente a adaptação de dois importantes parâmetros: o limite de escoamento do material e o coeficiente de atrito entre a tira e os cilindros de trabalho. O texto apresenta os fundamentos teóricos, a metodologia de desenvolvimento e a implantação da solução, bem como os resultados preliminares obtidos com a aplicação da proposta num laminador real. Finalmente, discutem-se esses resultados, apresentam-se as conclusões, sumarizam-se as contribuições da pesquisa e se sugerem futuras linhas de pesquisa para extensão dos resultados. / Flat steel cold rolling is a complex industrial process, carried out into a very harsh environment, characterized by uncertain parameters, large delay times, multiple inputs and outputs, and having a strong interaction between the diverse variables (GUO, 2000). The control system of such a process obtains its setpoints from a mathematical model, responsible for process optimization. Given process peculiarity, the mathematical model must have adaptive features, that is, its parameters need to be continuously adjusted, on the basis of actual operational results. Adaptation is an essential characteristic for achieving product quality requirements and, as a consequence, for the plant feasibility itself. First of all, this work surveys the strategies commonly used in the development of cold rolling adaptive models, pointing out their strengths and deficiencies. Following to this, aiming at the minimization of such deficiencies and by this way improving the performance of the model, this work proposes the application of Computational Intelligence techniques (specifically Artificial Neural Networks) in order to bestow greater effectiveness to the adaptation of two important parameters, namely, the material flow stress and the friction coefficient between rolled strip and rolling cylinders. The text presents the theoretical foundations, the methodology and the implementation of the solution, as so the preliminary results after its application in a real steel mill plant. Finally, the text presents the conclusions, sums up the contributions of the research work and suggests further research to improve the results.

A otimização de processos e a redução de custos são os dois principais fatores que sustentam a competitividade das indústrias atualmente. Diante deste cenário, buscou-se otimizar o processo de fabricação de barras trefiladas de aço mola SAE 9254, através da eliminação do recozimento anterior ao processo de trefilação, por intermédio de um resfriamento controlado no cooling conveyor, na laminação.. Para isso, a taxa de resfriamento do fio-máquina após a laminação foi variada a fim de garantir a homogeneização da dureza ao longo das espiras, característica essa essencial para o processamento na trefila. Além da redução de custos com o recozimento, se o objetivo fosse alcançado, poder-se-ia otimizar o processo de reaquecimento deste aço na laminação. Como resultado, seria possível melhorar a qualidade superficial do fio-máquina e, por conseqüência, aumentar o rendimento metálico do produto, sem que a descarbonetação máxima e média fossem prejudicadas. Os experimentos foram desenvolvidos com base no resfriamento do fio-máquina no cooling conveyor. Durante o processamento na laminação, foi realizada uma amostragem especial a fim de mapear a variação das propriedades ao longo das espiras. Os resultados apontaram que é possível a otimização do processo de fabricação do aço mola SAE 9254, principalmente para a condição de resfriamento na laminação quando utilizado um escalonamento na velocidade de transporte do fio-máquina no cooling conveyor. Este incremento nas velocidades de deslocamento do material, feita através do escalonamento da velocidade, propicia uma alteração nos “pontos quentes” das espiras, gerando uma uniformidade maior em seu resfriamento, garantindo assim, uma homogeneidade nas propriedades mecânicas. / The process optimization and cost reduction are the two main factors that gives sustainability for today industries competitiveness. For this reason, it was attempted to optimize the manufacturing process of cold draw bars of SAE 9254 spring steel by eliminating pre-annealing of wire drawing, through a controlled cooling on the cooling conveyor, in the rolling mill process. For this, the cooling rate of wire rod after rolling process was varied to ensure the homogeneity of hardness along the coil, the essential feature for wire drawing process. In addition to reducing costs annealing, if the purpose was reached, the reheating process would be optimized in the rolling mill. As a result, it would be possible to improve the surface quality of wire rod and, consequently, increase the metallic yield of the product, without the decarburization maximum and average were damaged. The experiments were developed based on wire rod cooling thermograph in the cooling conveyor. During rolling mill processing, special sampling was performed to map the variation of properties along the coils. The results showed that it is possible to optimize the manufacturing process of the SAE 9254 spring steel, mainly for the cooling condition in the rolling process when scaling speeds in wire rod transportation was used on the cooling conveyor. This speed increase of the material transportation, through the scaling speed, provides a change in "hot spots" of the coils, generating a greater uniformity in their cooling, thus ensuring uniformity in mechanical properties.

Um dos possíveis modos de falha em engrenagens é relacionado com o carregamento cíclico e, por consequência, a ocorrência de fadiga. O início da falha por fadiga ocorre devido à intensificadores de tensão e é geralmente observado no pé do dente (fadiga de flexão) ou na região de contato na superfície do dente (fadiga de contato). Experimentos para avaliação da fadiga de contato em engrenagens são geralmente conduzidos em bancadas de teste e tem custos elevados. Um método alternativo de experimentação de fadiga de contato em engrenagens é avaliado neste trabalho, consistindo no rolamento de esferas sobre um plano (corpo de prova). Dois grupos de corpos de prova foram fabricados com características e propriedades superficiais semelhantes às da superfície do dente de engrenagens nas condições: a) sem shot-peening e b) com shot-peening. As diferentes características dos corpos de prova foram testadas utilizando um equipamento desenvolvido em trabalho anterior para avaliar a fadiga de contato de rolamento, que ocorre no diâmetro primitivo das engrenagens. Resultados indicaram a ocorrência de dois mecanismos de falha comumente encontrados em engrenagens: pitting e spalling, entretanto, o equipamento se mostrou incapaz de monitorar a ocorrência de pitting. Ademais, os corpos de prova com shot-peening apresentaram menor resistência à fadiga para as condições testadas, em desacordo com ensaios de bancada anteriores. Algumas hipóteses foram discutidas para prover justificativas relacionadas aos resultados obtidos. / One of the possible mechanisms of gear failure is related to the cyclic loading and, consequently, the fatigue occurrence. The onset of fatigue failure occurs due to stress intensifiers and it is generally observed on the fillet (bending fatigue) or on the tooth surface contact region (contact fatigue). Gear fatigue evaluation is usually carried out by test rigs, which are expensive. An alternative method of contact fatigue test of gears is evaluated in this work, which consists of balls rolling on a plane (specimen). Two groups of specimens were manufactured to obtain surface characteristics and properties like gears tooth\'s surface: a) without shot-peening and b) with shot-peening. The different features of specimens were tested by using an in house developed equipment to evaluate the rolling contact fatigue, which occurs on gears on its diametral pitch. Results indicate the occurrence of two failure modes: pitting and spalling, however, the equipment showed to be unable to monitor the occurrence of pitting. Also, the shot-peened group specimens presented lower fatigue life resistance for the analyzed conditions, which are not in agreement with previous rig tests. Some hypotheses were discussed to provide justifications related to the obtained results.

In this thesis, a hierarchical multiscale method was developed to predict rolling contact fatigue lives of mechanical systems. In the proposed multiscale method, the molecular modeling and simulation of lubricant was conducted to investigate the friction between rolling contact surfaces. The calculated friction coefficient was passed to the continuum model of rolling contact components to predict fatigue lives. Molecular dynamics modeling and simulation of thin film lubrication and lubricated contact surfaces were carried out to investigate mechanisms of hydrodynamic lubrication at nano-scale first. Although various lubricant alkane chains were considered in the molecular model, the chain length of eight united molecules were mainly employed in this thesis. In addition, the effects of temperature and nano-particles (debris) on the friction forces were discussed. It was found that the existing of nano-particles (debris) could increase the friction force between contact surfaces with hydrodynamic lubrication. In the continuum model of the developed multiscale method, finite element analysis was employed to predict rolling contact fatigue life of rolling contact components, including bearing and gear-tooth. Specifically, the fatigue crack initiation of bearing was studied, and then the fatigue crack initiation and propagation in gear-tooth. In addition, the enhancement of gear-tooth fatigue life by using composite patches was discussed as well. It should be noted that the friction coefficient used in the continuum model was calculated in the molecular model. It is one-way message passing in the developed multiscale method. Another continuum method was studied and developed in this thesis to provide alternate methods for the continuum model in the proposed multiscale framework. Peridynamics method has advantages in modeling and simulation of discontinuities, including cracks, over the conventional finite element methods. The applications of Peridynamics in predicting fatigue crack initiation and propagation lives were discussed in this thesis.

The present research develops a numerical fluid-structure interaction (FSI) code based on CFDShip-Iowa version 4, a general-purpose URANS/DES overset fluid solver. Linear and nonlinear FSI methods are developed to compute structural responses on surface ships or marine structures. The modal superposition transient analysis and the nonlinear FEM structure solver are used for small and large deformation FSI problems, respectively. The gluing method is applied to transfer the forces and displacements on non-matching grids for fluid and structure domains. The linear FEM solver is applied to deform the boundary layer grid with large deformation in the fluid domain, while the deformation is ignored in small deformation problems. Deformation of an interior point in the boundary layer grid is obtained using linear interpolation in both linear and nonlinear deformation problems. The S175 containership is studied in regular waves as an application example for the linear problem. Heave and pitch responses are compared with the experiments, showing good agreement. Time histories of vertical bending moment (VBM) are calculated using rigid model, one-way coupling, and two-way coupling approaches. The elastic models are able to capture the ringing of the VBM induced by slamming, while the rigid model shows a peak at the moment of slamming without further fluctuations. The two-way coupling method shows the effects of hull deformation on the amplitude and phase of VBM as well as the accelerations of heave and pitch. For the nonlinear deformation problem three sloshing tanks with an elastic bar clamped to its bottom or top are simulated and compared with the experiments and other numerical simulation results. The present simulation results show reasonable agreement with the experiments for bar deformation and free surface elevation. A secondary wave on the free surface is creadted by the vorticity generated from the free surface. The effect of the bar on the sloshing impact is studied comparing dynamic pressure acting on the tank wall without bar, with an elatic bar, and with a rigid bar.

Self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, anti-icing, dropwise-condensation, and drag-reduction are some applications in which superhydrophobic surfaces are implemented. To date, all the studies associated with superhydrophobic surfaces have been dedicated to understanding the liquid interaction with surfaces that are macroscopically smooth. The current study investigates the solid-liquid interaction of such surfaces which are fully decorated with macroscopic ridges (ribbed surfaces). In particular, the drop motion and impact on our newly designed non-wettable ribbed surface have been investigated in this work. Our experimental investigations have shown that liquid drops move faster on the ribbed surfaces due to lower friction induced by such a surface pattern. Moreover, an impacting droplet shows shorter contact time on ribbed surfaces. This concludes that ribbed surface pattern can be an efficient alternative design for the related applications. Besides the experimental studies, the theoretical analyses done in this work have led to, firstly a scaling model to predict descent velocity of a rolling viscous drops on an inclined non-wettable surface more accurately. Secondly, for curved superhydrophobic surfaces a scaling model which correlates the contact time of the impacting drop to its impact velocity has been developed. At the end, the knowledge obtained from this work has led to a special surface design which exhibits a contact time shorter than the inertial-capillary time scale, an unprecedented phenomenon.

The effect of initial microstructures of an 0.05 wt.% C low carbon steel, acicular ferrite (AF), Bainite (B), polygonal ferrite (PF), fine polygonal ferrite (FPF), and a microstructure produced by direct strip casting (DSC) (termed SC), on the deformation and recrystallization behaviour of cold rolled low carbon (LC) steel, was investigated. The initially prepared samples with the initial microstructures were cold rolled to 50, 70 and 90% reductions, then annealed isothermally in the temperature range 580 ??? 680 oC. The microstructures and textures produced by deformation and annealing were studied by optical microscopy, XRD, TEM, SEM and EBSD. The initial microstructures were characterized mainly by optical microscopy and EBSD. Using EBSD, the ferrite grain size of the AF, B and SC samples was considerably larger than that found by optical microscopy with a large fraction of low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) observed within prior austenite grains. All samples exhibited a very weak texture close to random. After cold rolling, the microstructures of AF and SC contained shear bands with PF and FPF generating deformation bands. For AF and SC, the pearlite phase was more extensively elongated in rolling direction compared with PF and FPF. After 90% cold rolling reduction, PF, FPF and SC consist mainly of the texture component and AF and B . It was found that FPF recrystallized most rapidly followed by B, PF and AF with SC recrystallizing orders of magnitude more slowly due to the solution drag caused by its uniformly distributed higher Mn content. Very strong (???-fibre) texture was generated in cold rolled PF followed by FPF, with AF, SC and B generating very weak textures. The texture evolution during annealing 90% reduction PF was examined in further detail. The behaviour of nucleation and grain growth provides strong evidence of orientated nucleation as the dominant factor for CRA texture development in this material.

Uncoated defects in hot dip metal-coated steel products result from non-wetting of the steel surface by the molten alloy. The occurrence of uncoated defects is highly detrimental to product quality and production efficiency; uncoated defects compromise the appearance and anti-corrosion performance of hot dip metal-coated steel products and causes time delays in the application of subsequent surface treatments. Although many studies have been directed towards evaluating the effect of steel pre-heat temperature and oxidation on the formation of uncoated defects, fewer investigations have analysed how oil-derived residues remaining on steel surface following the cold rolling and furnace cleaning processes impact upon hot dip metallic coating quality. Furthermore, although a considerable amount of research has focussed on the process of deposit formation in lubricants used in other applications, the composition of oily residues remaining after the continuous annealing process, and the origins of these residues in the original rolling oil formulation, are poorly understood. The primary focus of the present work has been to gain an improved understanding of relationships between cold rolling oil composition, oil residue-formation characteristics and the occurrence of uncoated defects in 55Al-43.4Zn-1.6Si hot dip metallic coatings. Several key classes of rolling oil ingredients which decompose to leave high levels of thermally-stable residue have been identified. The thermal decomposition processes undergone by a variety ingredients within these classes have been studied under both oxidising and reducing conditions using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Pressure Differential Scanning Calorimetry (PDSC) techniques, with chemical characterisation of the decomposition process and the resultant thermally-stable residue by infrared spectroscopy. Model blends of each ingredient in a typical cold rolling oil base ester have also been evaluated by TGA and PDSC to identify the impact of ingredient concentration and chemical structure on the amount of oily residue formed. The results of these investigations have been related to the impact of the ingredients on 55Al-43.4Zn-1.6Si hot dip metallic coating quality through the performance of industrial-scale hot dipping trials and hot dip simulation studies. In order to translate these results into a context more closely aligned with industrial conditions, the effect of processing variables, including furnace atmosphere and the availability/concentration of iron in contact with the rolling oil at the steel surface, on the decomposition process of a fully-formulated commercial cold rolling oil has also been investigated. The information gained can potentially be used to tailor operating conditions within the cold rolling/continuous hot dip metallic coating processes to enhance steel surface cleanliness. Finally, the deposit-forming tendencies of an array of different commercial cold rolling oils have been evaluated, leading to the development of a thermal analysis-based test for screening cold rolling oils with respect to their likely impact upon 55Al-43.4Zn-1.6Si hot dip metallic coating quality. This test, together with the understanding obtained on the effect of different rolling oil ingredients on hot dip metallic coating quality, can be used within the industry to formulate improved cold rolling oils.