Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) has become an increasingly popular geophysical method for characterizing subsurface properties. During MASW, a linear array of geophones is used to record the motion generated by Rayleigh waves (vertical motion) or Love waves (horizontal motion). The use of Rayleigh waves for MASW has been well-researched and documented. Although less work has been devoted to understanding the full potential of Love waves, previous research efforts have indicated that Love waves present several situational advantages over Rayleigh waves. Rayleigh and Love waves are dispersive, meaning the phase velocity of the waves is frequency-dependent in a vertically heterogeneous medium. Using the data collected from the generation of Rayleigh or Love waves, a dispersion image is created. Dispersion curves are extracted from this image and an inversion process converts the dispersion curve into a shear velocity (VS) profile that is used to estimate soil stiffness. This inversion process is fundamentally nonlinear and ill-posed, without a unique solution. In other words, there are more unknown than known values and multiple “correct” solutions exist. One way in which the issue of solution non-uniqueness can be mitigated is by collecting and analyzing data from both Rayleigh and Love waves. However, Rayleigh and Love waves are typically generated by different impacts on a source – vertical and horizontal strikes, respectively. Therefore, data acquisition time is significantly increased if both Rayleigh and Love wave data is collected. No studies have systematically examined the simultaneous generation of Rayleigh and Love waves for MASW using a single impact on a single source. An angled source capable of producing both Rayleigh and Love waves with a single strike could significantly improve acquisition times of Rayleigh and Love waves and encourage their joint use for MASW applications. This research effort aims to explore optimal techniques for the simultaneous generation of Rayleigh and Love waves and compare the results to traditional MASW techniques. / Civil Engineering

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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, 1980. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Bibliography: p. 142-149. / by Douglas Robert Nathan. / M.S.

A displacement-based Rayleigh-Ritz finite element model is developed to simulate the static and dynamic behavior of stiffened plates. By con1paring natural frequency, time-history, and power density predictions with experimental results, it is shown that the model can be used to predict the vibratory behavior of wood floor systems constructed With either solid-sawn joists, I-Joists, or parallel-chard-trusses. Furthermore. using the model. it is shown that appropriate structural modifications can be used to improve the performance of wood floor systems by increasing natural frequency and reducing peak time-history velocity. Using the techniques described. a design example is included that indicates ho,v floor acceptability can be achieved. / Ph. D.

Sensing has been essential for the investigation, understanding, exploitation, and utilization of physical phenomena. Traditional single-point sensing methods are being challenged by the multi-point or distributed sensing capabilities afforded by optical fiber sensors. A powerful technique available for distributed sensing involves the use of the Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR). This work focuses on using OFDR as a means of obtaining distributed vibration measurements using the Rayleigh scatter along a single-mode optical fiber. The effort begins by discussing various distributed measurement techniques currently in use before discussing the OFDR technique. Next, a thorough discussion on how high spatially resolved Rayleigh measurements are acquired and how such measurements can be used to make static strain measurements is presented. A new algorithm to resolve strain at regions of high spatial gradient is developed. This results in enhanced measurement performance of systems using the Rayleigh scatter to determine static strain or temperature measurements by improving measurement fidelity at the high gradient locations. Next, discussions on how dynamic strain (vibration) couples to optical fiber in a single point and in a distributed setting are presented. Lessons learned are then used to develop a new and unique distributed vibration measurement algorithm. Various consequential benefits are then reviewed before concluding remarks are stated. A simulation model was developed and used to supplement this investigation in every step of the discussion. The model was used to gain insight on how various physical phenomena interact with the optical fiber. The simulation was also used to develop and optimize the high gradient and vibration algorithms developed herein. Simple experiments were then used to validate the theory and the simulation models. / Ph. D.

yes / The coupling between natural convection and conduction within rectangular enclosure was investigated numerically. Three separate heat sources flush mounted on a vertical wall and an isoflux condition was applied at the back of heat sources. Continuity, momentum and energy conservation equations were solved by using control volume formulation and the coupling of velocity and pressure was treated by using the “SIMPLE” algorithm. The modified Rayleigh number and the substrate/fluid thermal conductivity ratio were used in the range 𝑹𝒂𝒍𝒛∗=𝟏𝟎^𝟒−𝟏𝟎^𝟕 and 𝑹𝒔=𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 respectively. The investigation was extended to compare results of FC-77 with Air and also for high values of 𝑹𝒔>𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎. The results illustrated that, when the modified Rayleigh number increases, dimensionless heat flux and local Nusselt number increases for both fluids. Opposite behaviour for the thermal spreading in the substrate and the dimensionless temperature 𝜽, they were decreased when 𝑹𝒂𝒍𝒛∗ is increased. Also with increasing the substrate/fluid thermal conductivity ratio for a given value of the modified Rayleigh number the thermal spreading in the substrate increased which is the reason of the decrease in the maximum temperature value. The present study concluded that, for high values of 𝑹𝒔>𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎, the effect of the substrate is negligible.

The onset of laminar Rayleigh-Bénard convection is investigated for a low-Prandtl number liquid metal in a cylindrical container. All surfaces are considered to be solid and no-slip. Two cases are considered for the thermal boundary conditions at the side wall: conducting and insulated surfaces. A Chebyshev Galerkin spectral model is used to reduce the governing Boussinesq system to a first-order system of ordinary differential equations. A local stability analysis using the linearized system determines the first critical Rayleigh number. The results are compared with experimental data and a numerical study. / Master of Science

This dissertation aims to use theory and numerical simulations to quantify the propagation of fronts, which consist of autocatalytic reaction fronts, fronts with feedback and pattern forming fronts in Rayleigh-Bénard convection. The velocity and geometry of fronts are quantified for fronts traveling through straight parallel convection rolls, spatiotemporally chaotic rolls, and weakly turbulent rolls. The front velocity is found to be dependent on the competing influence of the orientation of the convection rolls and the geometry of the wrinkled front interface which is quantified as a fractal having a non-integer box-counting dimension. Front induced solutal and thermal feedback to the convective flow field is then studied by solving an exothermic autocatalytic reaction where the products and the reactants can vary in density. A single self-organized fluid roll propagating with the front is created by the solutal feedback while a pair of propagating counterrotating convection rolls are formed due to heat release from the reaction. Depending on the relative change in density induced by the solutal and thermal feedback, cooperative and antagonistic feedback scenarios are quantified. It is found that front induced feedback enhances the front velocity and reactive mixing length and induces spatiotemporal oscillations in the front and fluid dynamics. Using perturbation expansions, a transition in symmetry and scaling behavior of the front and fluid dynamics for larger values of feedback is studied. The front velocity, flow structure, front geometry and reactive mixing length scales for a range of solutal and thermal feedback are quantified. Lastly, pattern forming fronts of convection rolls are studied and the wavelength and velocity selected by the front near the onset of convective instability are investigated. This research was partially supported by DARPA Grant No. HR0011-16-2-0033. The numerical computations were done using the resources of the Advanced Research Computing center at Virginia Tech. / Doctor of Philosophy / Quantification of transport of reacting species in the presence of a flow field is important in many problems of engineering and science. A front is described as a moving interface between two different states of a system such as between the products and reactants in a chemical reaction. An example is a line of wildfire which separates burnt and fresh vegetation and propagates until all the fresh vegetation is consumed. In this dissertation the propagation of reacting fronts in the presence of convective flow fields of varying complexity is studied. It is found that the spatial variations in a convective flow field affects the burning and propagation of fronts by reorienting the geometry of the front interface. The velocity of the propagating fronts and its dependence on the spatial variation of the flow field is quantified. In certain scenarios the propagating front feeds back to the flow by inducing a local flow that interacts with the background convection. The rich and emergent dynamics resulting from this front induced feedback is quantified and it is found that feedback enhances the burning and propagation of fronts. Finally, the properties of pattern forming fronts are studied for fronts which leave a trail of spatial structures behind as they propagate for example in dendritic solidification and crystal growth. Pattern forming fronts of convection rolls are studied and the velocity of the front and spatial distribution of the patterns left behind by the front is quantified. This research was partially supported by DARPA Grant No. HR0011-16-2-0033. The numerical computations were done using the resources of the Advanced Research Computing center at Virginia Tech.

Multiple antennas help in combating the destructive effects of fading as well as improve the spectral efficiency of a communication system. Receive diversity techniques like maximal ratio receive combining have been popular means of introducing multiple antennas into communication systems. Space-time block codes present a way of introducing transmit diversity into the communication system with similar complexity and performance as maximal ratio receive combining. In this thesis we study the performance of space-time block codes in Rayleigh fading channel. In particular, the quasi-static assumption on the fading channel is removed to study how the space-time block coded system behaves in fast fading. In this context, the complexity versus performance trade-off for a space-time block coded receiver is studied. As a means to improve the performance of space-time block coded systems concatenation by convolutional codes is introduced. The improvement in the diversity order by the introduction of convolutional codes into the space-time block coded system is discussed. A general analytic expression for the error performance of a space-time block coded system is derived. This expression is utilized to obtain general expressions for the error performance of convolutionally concatenated space-time block coded systems utilizing both hard and soft decision decoding. Simulation results are presented and are compared with the analytical results. / Master of Science

Desde su introducción, los motores de combustión interna alternativos han sido desarrollados con el fin de reducir el consumo y mejorar el rendimiento y facilidad de conducción. Con el tiempo, la contaminación se ha convertido en un factor crítico para los gobiernos y como consecuencia se han introducido regulaciones para reducir las emisiones contaminantes de los motores. Con el constante progreso tecnológico requerido por las normas contra la contaminación, la inyección directa se ha vuelto indispensable en cuanto a los motores Diesel. La introducción de combustible en la cámara de combustión permite un alto nivel de control sobre la liberación de energía del proceso de combustión. Con las novedosas estrategias de combustión empleadas, el proceso de inyección se ha convertido en el tema principal y el chorro es el factor principal. El trabajo realizado a lo largo de este estudio para analizar el proceso de mezcla aire-combustible se basa en el desarrollo de técnicas láser de diagnóstico. Inicialmente, la inyección de Diesel se ha estudiado en una atmósfera isoterma para evitar la evaporación del combustible (dodecano) a través del uso de una iluminación estructurada para medir la distribución de la mezcla mediante el control de la dispersión de Mie. La aplicación de la dispersión de Rayleigh en la parte evaporada del chorro inyectado en una cámara a alta temperatura ha permitido la obtención de la distribución de combustible en una situación equivalente a la existente en un motor real. El análisis y comparación de los distintos parámetros del chorro inyectado en condiciones de baja o alta temperatura da la posibilidad de entender mejor lo que es el proceso de mezcla en los motores Diesel. Por otra parte, según el estado del fluido inyectado, líquido o gaseoso, las condiciones experimentales tendrán diferentes efectos y la mezcla aire-combustible también tendrá un comportamiento distinto. / Manin ., JL. (2011). ANALYSIS OF MIXING PROCESSES IN LIQUID AND VAPORIZED DIESEL SPRAYS THROUGH LIF AND RAYLEIGH SCATTERING MEASUREMENTS [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/10189