Dans cette thèse on s'appuie sur la simulation numérique discrète pour étudier le comportement mécanique d'un milieux granulaire immergé dans un fluide visqueux. Le calcul de la dynamique du mélange est rendu possible grâce à un couplage fort entre méthodes des éléments discrets (DEM) pour les grains et Lattice Boltzmann (LBM) pour le fluide. Pour une large gamme de valeurs de vitesses de cisaillement, contraintes de confinement et viscosités, les résultats montrent que le coefficient de frottement interne et la compacité sont bien décrits par un unique paramètre adimensionnel "visco-inertiel" associant les nombres de Stokes et d'inertie. Le comportement frottant, obtenu à pression de confinement constante, est mis en correspondance avec le comportement visqueux obtenu sous conditions aux limites à volume controlé et qui conduit à une divergence des viscosités effectives normales et tangentielles en inverse du carré de la différence entre compacité et compacité critique de l'assemblage. Les résultats numériques montrent un excellant accord avec les données expérimentales de Boyer et al. (2011). L'évolution de la connectivité et de l'anisotropie du réseau de force en fonction du nombre visco-inertiel montrent que l'augmentation de la résistance au frottement est une conséquence directe d'une anisotropie de structure renforcée à la fois par les effets de la viscosité et de l'inertie des grains. En vue d'une contribution à l'évaluation des risques consécutifs à un accident nucléaire, nous nous sommes également intéressés à l'étude de la fragmentation et de l'écoulement d'agrégats poreux confinés et soumis à une surpression locale exercée par un fluide. L'étude de l'écoulement sous gravité d'un matériau granulaire immergé à travers une constriction a également fait l'objet d'une campagne d'essais numériques. / We investigate the behavior of granular materials immersed in a viscous fluid by means of extensive simulations based on the Discrete Element Method for particle dynamics coupled with the Lattice Boltzmann method for the fluid. We show that, for a broad range of parameters such as shear rate, confining stress and viscosity, the internal friction coefficient and packing fraction are well described by a single "visco-inertial" dimensionless parameter combining inertial and Stokes numbers. The frictional behavior under constant confining pressure is mapped into a viscous behavior under volume-controled conditions, leading to the divergence of the effective normal and shear viscosities in inverse square of the distance to the critical packing fraction. The results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data of Boyer et al. (2011). The evolution of the force network in terms of connectivity and anisotropy as a function of the visco-inertial number, indicates that the increase of frictional strength is a direct consequence of structural anisotropy enhanced by both fluid viscosity and grain inertia. In view of application to a potential nuclear accident, we also study the fragmentation and flow of confined porous aggregates in a fluid under the action of local overpressures and pressure gradients as well as gravity-driven flow of immersed particles in an hourglass.

Le ketchup, la moutarde, la mousse à raser, sont des fluides à seuil, ils s’écoulent uniquement lorsqu’on leur applique une contrainte supérieure à une valeur critique, appelée contrainte seuil. Sur des surfaces lisses, ces fluides peuvent s’écouler sous de petites contraintes : on a alors un phénomène de glissement. En étudiant par rhéométrie les écoulements de ces matériaux des séquences originales et une technique d’imagerie directe (vélocimétrie en IRM), on montre que le glissement ne se produit qu’au-delà d’une contrainte critique. Selon les cas, cette contrainte critique est due soit à un effet de bord, soit à un effet de surface. L’excès de contrainte par rapport à cette contrainte critique varie linéairement avec la vitesse de glissement. De ce fait le glissement peut être représenté comme le cisaillement d’une couche de liquide le long de la paroi, mais la réalité est plus complexe compte tenu de la structure du matériau au contact avec la paroi. Curieusement l’épaisseur de cette couche de liquide « équivalente » ne semble pas varier avec la concentration, la taille des gouttes, la force normale, etc. Ceci suggère que cette épaisseur est gouvernée par des forces plus élevées que la lubrification et la pression osmotique. Nous étudions également le glissement pour des écoulements plus complexes. Pour cela on impose une élongation au fluide à seuil par une expérience de traction avec des surfaces lisses. La force normale mesurée pour différents matériaux avec des structures différentes montre que la condition de transition solide-liquide en élongation est différente que ce que prédit la théorie standard, et l’épaisseur de la couche de glissement est de plusieurs ordres de grandeur supérieure à celle trouvée en cisaillement simple / Ketchup, mustard, shaving creams flow only when submitted to stresses greater than a critical stress – yield stress, these are yield stress fluids. On smooth surfaces, these fluids can flow under very small stresses; this phenomenon is the wall slip. Using gels, emulsions, clay suspensions, etc., and from rheometrical tests with original protocols and internal measurements (MRI velocimetry), we show that a minimal stress must be reached to initiate wall slip and, depending on cases, this value is either due to an edge effect or to an adhesion of the suspended elements to the wall. Above this critical value, the excess of stress is found to vary linearly with the slip velocity, except at the transition of the yield stress or using a microtextured surface: in that cases the relation becomes quadratic. The wall slip can be interpreted as the shear flow of a thin liquid layer between the yield stress fluid and the wall. However, given the complexity of the material structure in contact with the wall, the exact picture of the slip layer requires further investigations. The apparent thickness of the liquid layer seems to be independent of the concentration, the mean droplet size, the external normal forces, etc., suggesting that it depends on interactions between the suspended droplets and the surface which are much stronger than the lubricating and osmotic pressures. We also study wall slip under more complex flow conditions, by inducing an elongational flow during a traction test with smooth surfaces. The normal force measured for various materials with different microstructures shows that the yielding condition in an elongational flow is different from the standard theory, and the apparent thickness of the wall slip layer is several orders of magnitude larger than that found in shear flows

Les suspensions minérales de particules fines sont connues pour leur comportement non-Newtonien pendant l'écoulement. Les interactions particule-particule dans de tels systèmes (c’est-à-dire, suspensions minérales) ne sont pas limitées au contact physique, e.g. collision et frottement. La capacité des minéraux de développer une charge dans l'environnement aqueux justifie des comportements différents des systèmes similaires de première vue. C’est à dire qu’étant caractérisées avec la même fraction volumétrique, composition chimique et granulométrie des solides et densité de dispersant, deux suspensions peuvent montrer un comportement rhéologique différent en raison de la chimie de la solution. Dans ce cas, la composition ionique du dispersant définira la charge des particules, et donc le degré d'agglomération/dispersion dans la suspension. Les argiles phyllosilicates sont connues pour être particulièrement problématiques dans les processus de valorisation des minéraux. L’origine de ces minéraux phyllosilicates implique leur inhomogénéité chimique spatiale, ce qui signifie que le bord et la face de la particule montrent des propriétés chimiques et physiques différentes. La présence de tels minéraux dans les dispositifs d'agitation (réservoirs d'agitation, cellules de flottation) est souvent caractérisée par la coexistence de volumes de suspension stagnants et agités, ce qui a un impact négatif sur l'efficacité de l'agitation. Dans ce travail, les suspensions aqueuses diluées de Na-bentonite ont été examinées par vélocimétrie par imagerie par résonance magnétique afin d'étudier l'influence du pH et du type d'électrolyte monovalent sur leur comportement rhéologique local. Les résultats ont montré que les suspensions contenant 0,1% de solide en volume peuvent présenter une bande de cisaillement, une localisation de cisaillement ou aucun phénomène local en fonction de la chimie du milieu de suspension. Il a été suggéré que l’existence d’une «master curve» (ou courbe d’écoulement globale) pour les suspensions diluées dépendait de l’organisation des particules de bentonite dans la suspension, cette organisation est influencée par la chimie de solution et l’historique des contraintes précédentes. Dans l'étape suivante, une seconde et troisieme phases minérales (hématite et quartz) ont été ajoutées dans la matrice de bentonite. L’intérêt dans tels systèmes est lié au comportement sous écoulement des matrices formées avec des types de contacts différents entre particules. Les types de contacts établis dans les suspensions avec une chimie différente du milieu ont été discutés, ainsi que leurs propriétés d’écoulement / Fine particle mineral slurries are known to exhibit non-Newtonian behavior under the load. The particle-particle interactions in such suspensions go beyond physical contact due to the collision and friction. An ability of minerals to gain the charge in the aqueous environment justifies different behaviors of the similar systems. Being characterized with the same volumetric fraction, chemistry and particle size distribution of solids, and specific gravity of dispersing media, two suspensions can possess different rheological behavior due to the chemistry of the solution. In this case, the ionic composition of the media defines particle charging, and thus the degree of agglomeration/dispersion in the suspension. Phyllosilicate clays are known to be particularly problematic in the mineral beneficiation processes. Their nature leads spatial chemical inhomogeneity, meaning that the particle edge and face possess different chemical and physical properties. The presence of such minerals in the stirring devices (stirring tanks, flotation cells) is often characterized with coexistence of stagnant and agitated volumes of slurry, which negatively impacts the efficiency of stirring. In this work, the dilute aqueous Na-bentonite suspensions were examined via magnetic resonance imaging velocimetry to investigate the influence of pH and type of monovalent electrolyte on their local rheological behavior. The results indicated that suspensions with 0.1 vol.% solid can exhibit shear banding, shear localization or no local phenomenon as a function of chemistry of the suspending media. It was suggested that the existence of master curve (or global flow curve) for dilute suspensions was dependent on the bentonite particle organization in the suspension, which was influenced by the chemistry of the environment and the previous flow history. In the next step, second mineral phase (hematite or quartz) was added to the bentonite matrix. The interest in examination of such systems is related to the flow behavior of matrix formed with different kinds of inter-particle contacts. For example, at pH 4 the resulting electrostatic interaction between positively charged bentonite edge and negatively charged quartz is attractive, whereas at the same pH it is repulsive with the positively charged hematite. These electrostatic interactions result in different organization of matrix particles around another mineral phase. In the system with solely repulsive interactions between all sites of all mineral phases (e.g., quartz and bentonite, pH 10) the deviation from Newtonian behavior is justified by the shear-induced particle rearrangements, collision and friction. The difference in the arrangement of bentonite particle aggregates around the hematite or quartz particles was observed using SEM. As a next step the third mineral phase was added. The types of contacts established in the suspensions with different chemistry of the media were discussed along with their flow propperties

Nous avons cherché à comprendre le comportement sous écoulement de suspensions colloïdales d'argiles naturelles. Les particules constitutives de ces argiles ont comme particularité d'être extrêmement anisotropes puisqu'elles se présentent (en moyenne) sous la forme de disques de 200 nm de diamètre pour une épaisseur de 1 nm. Ces matériaux présentent des propriétés mécaniques remarquables parmi lesquelles une forte rhéofluidification ainsi que l'apparition de seuils d'écoulement et ce, pour de très faibles fractions volumiques en particules (environ 1%). Afin de comprendre l'origine de ces propriétés mécaniques, nous avons mis en place un dispositif expérimental permettant d'effectuer simultanément des mesures de viscosité (en cellule de Couette cylindrique) et des mesures de diffusion de rayons-X aux petits angles. Le champ orientationnel de particules 2D très anisotropes en écoulement cisaillé a ainsi été mesuré. En l'absence de cisaillement, et dans la phase de liquide isotrope, les particules s'orientent librement et occupent statistiquement un volume équivalent à celui de la sphère de volume exclu englobant la particule. En appliquant un cisaillement croissant on confine les particules discoïdales, faisant passer progressivement le volume de fluide piégé dans le mouvement moyen des particules de la sphère de volume exclu à un ellipsoïde à double anisotropie. Connaissant le champ orientationnel des particules on peut alors, par le biais d'une relation viscosité - fraction volumique de type Quemada, reconstruire la rhéofluidification de ces suspensions en prenant en compte, non pas la fraction volumique en disques mais celle en ellipsoïdes de confinement / We focussed our interest on the flow behaviour of colloidal suspensions of natural swelling clays. Such systems are strongly anisotropic since the disk-shaped particles in suspensions display an average diameter around 200 nm with a thickness close to 1 nm. Under flow, and for very low volume fractions (around 1%), these materials display remarkable mechanical properties going from quasi-Newtonian liquid to yield stress gel. In order to understand the mechanisms leading to such macroscopic behaviour, we have set up an experimental device that enables us to perform simultaneously viscosity (in a cylindrical Couette cell) and small angles x-ray scattering measurements. Thanks to this Rheo-SAXS device, we measured the orientational field of strongly anisotropic bi-dimensional particles in shear flow. When no shear is applied (and in the isotropic liquid phase), the particles are randomly oriented and occupy statistically a volume equivalent to that of the sphere of excluded volume encompassing the particle. The stronger is the applied shear stress, the more confined are the disk-like particles and consequently the small amount of fluid trapped in the statistical motion of the particles decreases from that of the sphere of excluded volume to that of an oblate ellipsoid with double anisotropy. Thus, knowing the orientational field of the particles (measured by SAXS) and applying an effective approach as the one suggested by Quemada for hard spheres, we tried to rebuild the shear-thinning behaviour of these suspensions by taking the volume fraction in statistical ellipsoid instead of that of disk-shaped particles

O sistema de suspensão de um veículo desempenha papel fundamental na isolação das vibrações provenientes da pista e de outras fontes de excitações e tem como alguns de seus objetivos: melhoria do conforto dos passageiros, manutenção da integridade das cargas e das vias (asfalto), aumento da segurança, proporcionando melhores condições de aderência pneu-piso, etc. A predição do desempenho de um sistema de suspensão veicular antes da construção de um protótipo físico, permite o dimensionamento prévio dos componentes que o integram com maior precisão, otimizando-se, desta forma, o custo final do produto bem como custos e prazos decorrentes de modificações para solucionar problemas que seriam detectados somente na experimentação do protótipo físico. Este trabalho apresenta um comparativo entre os resultados analíticos obtidos utilizando-se as funções transferências de um modelo simplificado (ou clássico) linear de uma suspensão automotiva de 1/4 de veículo (quarter-car); dos obtidos através da utilização de um protótipo virtual do mesmo modelo simplificado (ou clássico) de 1/4 de veículo e, por fim, dos obtidos utilizando-se um protótipo virtual de um sistema de suspensão do tipo MacPherson, sendo que os protótipos virtuais podem trabalhar com não-linearidades. São obtidas as respostas dinâmicas no domínio da frequência (0 a 30 Hz) e também no domínio do tempo, neste último caso utilizando-se como entrada um pulso no pneu, que simula a passagem do veículo sobre um obstáculo a 18 Km/h. Os resultados são comparados objetivamente e conclui-se sobre as limitações de utilização do modelo simplificado (ou clássico) de 1/4 de veículo. / The performance of the suspension system of a vehicle is fundamental to isolate the vibrations from road and from other sources and has the following objetives: improve the comfort of passengers (ride), protect the cargo and the road (asphalt), improve vehicle handling, etc. The prediction of the performance of a vehicle´s suspension system prior to the real prototype construction, allows the previous optimization of the design of the suspension´s components, obtaining a low cost product, in a shorter timming, with lower development costs, by solving problems that would be evident only during the tests with the real prototype. This study presents a comparison between analitycal results obtained by the use of transfers functions of a plain or classical linear model of a automotive suspension system named quarter-car; the results obtained from a virtual prototype of the same plain or classical model and, finally, the results obtained from a virtual prototype of a Macpherson suspension system, considering that the virtuals prototypes are be able to work with non-linearities. The dynamic response are obtained in the frequency domain (0 a 30 Hz) and in the time domain too, in this last case, with a pulse input in the tire, that simulates the car passing over a bump with a speed of 18 Km/h. Through the comparison of the results is possible to conclude about the limitations of the classical model.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg 2016 / This investigation considers the influence of a three spring and damper suspension system (SDS) on overall vehicle performance. Three SDS systems are used in high performance winged racing cars to manage the effects of the aerodynamic forces. The aim of the investigation was to quantify and compare the performance of a three SDS system to that of a conventional two SDS system. The investigation was carried out on the Bailey Cars LMP2 race car. Physical track testing was conducted on Zwartkops Raceway to measure the vehicle’s performance, with further testing conducted on the vehicle’s tyres. A software model of the vehicle and tyres was then created in ADAMS/Car, with models for the conventional two SDS system, as well as the three SDS system. The ADAMS/Car model was then validated against the test data. A Design of Experiments approach was used to investigate the influence of the parameters in both the suspension models. The optimal set of suspension parameters, that maximised vehicle performance on Zwartkops Raceway, was then identified. The performance of the optimal suspension systems was then compared to quantify the effect of the three SDS system. It was found that the optimised three SDS system travelled 4.38 m less than the optimal two SDS in a 60 second simulation on Zwartkops Raceway. However, the three SDS was effectively able to isolate the pitch and roll stiffness of the vehicle. The optimal three SDS had a greater pitch stiffness and less roll stiffness than the two SDS. This is significant for winged vehicles where aerodynamic forces are highly sensitive to vehicle pitch, such as the Bailey Cars LMP2 race car, allowing for a soft wheel rate without sacrificing the pitch stiffness of the vehicle. / MT2017

Les ultrasons de puissance, pierre angulaire de la sonochimie, constituent un domaine récurrent de la recherche en génie des procédés. Leurs effets mécaniques et chimiques permettent l’intensification de processus physiques (mélange, dissolution, émulsion, dégazage, attrition …) et l’activation de réactions (via la production de radicaux libres). Le phénomène sous-jacent est la cavitation acoustique inertielle (ou transitoire), qui correspond à l’implosion violente de bullescréées lors des phases de dépression de l’onde, conduisant localement à des conditions extrêmes de température et pression, et à la formation de micro-jets puissants vers les surfaces solides. Malgré ce fort potentiel, les applications industrielles des ultrasons de puissance sont rares. Ceci s’explique principalement par le fait que la cavitation transitoire est encore mal comprise et maîtrisée empêchant la conception de réacteurs sonochimiques efficaces à l’échelle pilote. Le verrou principal réside dans la prédiction et l’optimisation de la localisation des zones sonoactives. En effet, les ultrasons de puissance sont atténués de façon significative sur de courtes distances, en particulier dans les milieux polyphasiques, fréquemment rencontrés dans les procédés physico-chimiques. Dans ce contexte, cette thèse s’intéresse à évaluer localement les effets physiques des ultrasons (20 kHz) appliqués à une suspension liquide-solide. Il s'agit d’identifier les zones d’activité des ultrasons dans un réacteur à lit fluidisé et à sonde plongeante et de préciser l’influence de différents paramètres opératoires (puissance émise, vitesse du fluide, concentration et propriétés de la suspension). La première partie évalue l’atténuation de l’onde ultrasonore liée à la cavitation et la présence de solide, ainsi que l’évolution de son spectre de fréquences. En effet, les bulles de cavitation présentent une signature acoustique propre. Dans cet objectif, des mesures de pression acoustique sont réalisées axialement à l’aide d’un hydrophone piézoélectrique et interprétées par analyse spectrale. Le second volet quantifie les effets physiques des ultrasons via une mesure locale du coefficient de transfert liquide-solide par méthode électrochimique. Les cartographies du réacteur réalisées à l’aide de microélectrodes permettent d’identifier les zones d’intensification marquée. Mises en regard avec les mesures précédentes, elles font le lien entre l’accélération du transfert de matière local et les caractéristiques du signal acoustique mesuré à proximité. Enfin, l’étude expérimentale est complétée par des simulations numériques du réacteur réalisées avec COMSOL Multiphysics. Le modèle prend en compte la dissipation de l’énergie par les bulles, qui joue un rôle majeur dans l’atténuation des ultrasons. Via une étude paramétrique, ces simulations montrent aussi le rôle du design du réacteur sonochimique sur la localisation des zones actives. / Power ultrasound, the cornerstone of sonochemistry, is a recurring research area in process engineering. Their mechanical and chemical effects allow the enhancement of physical processes (mixing, dissolution, emulsion, degassing, attrition …) and the activation of chemical reactions (via free radicals production). The underlying phenomenon is the inertial (or transient) acoustic cavitation, which stands for the violent collapse of bubbles generated during the depression phases of the wave, leading locally to extreme conditions of pressure and temperature and to the formation of powerful micro-jets pointing towards solid surfaces. Despite this high potential, industrial applications of power ultrasound are scarce. This is mainly due to the fact that transient cavitation is still poorly understood and controlled, preventing the design of efficient sono-reactors on a pilot scale. The main obstacle lies in the prediction and optimization of the spatial distribution of sono-active zones. Indeed, power ultrasound is markedly attenuated over short distances, particularly in multiphase media, frequently encountered in physicochemical processes. In this context, this thesis aims at evaluating locally the physical effects of power ultrasound (at 20 kHz) applied to a liquid-solid suspension. The sono-active zones of a fluidized bed reactor equipped with an ultrasonic horn are identified and the influence of various experimental parameters (emitted power, fluid velocity, concentration and properties of the suspension) is explored. The first part evaluates the ultrasonic wave attenuation caused by both the cavitation and the solid particles, as well as the characteristics of its frequency spectrum. Indeed, acoustic bubbles have their own acoustic signature. For this purpose, acoustic pressure measurements are carried out along the reactor with a piezoelectric hydrophone and the signals are interpreted by a spectral analysis. The second part quantifies the physical effects of ultrasounds via a local measurement of liquid-solid mass transfer coefficient by an electrochemical method. The axial mapping of the reactor using microelectrodes can identify the zones of strong intensification. Compared with the previous measurements, they also reveal the link between the local mass transfer enhancement and the characteristics of the acoustic signal measured nearby. Finally, the experimental study is completed by numerical simulations of the reactor carried out by COMSOL Multiphysics. The model includes the energy dissipated by the bubbles, which is a key factor of ultrasound attenuation. Via a parametric study, those simulations also show the role of the sono-reactor design on the localization of active zones

Le sujet concerne l’étude de l’influence des suspensions de véhicules de tourisme sur le confort vibratoire, le comportement routier et les limites de fonctionnement. Une première partie présente le contexte et la problématique liés au sujet ainsi que les notions théoriques nécessaires à la bonne compréhension de ce mémoire : les Systèmes à Dérivée Non Entière(SDNE). Une seconde partie présente l’analyse de la suspension, d’une part dans le cadre du confort vibratoire et d’autre part dans le cadre du comportement routier. Enfin, une troisième et dernière partie propose deux chapitres dont l’un vise à montrer les résultats d’une étude de l’influence des butées de fin de course sur la dynamique verticale et l’autre propose une nouvelle génération de butée qui améliore les résultats présentés au chapitre précédent. / The subject deals with the study of the influence of passenger vehicle suspension on vibrational comfort, driving behaviour and operating limits. The first part exposes the context and the problems related to the subject and the theoretical concepts necessary for the understanding of this memory : fractionnal systems. The second part presents the analysis of the suspension, in one hand in the vibration comfort and on the other hand on the driving behaviour. A third and final part has two chapters, one aims to show the results of a study of the influence of limit stops on the vertical dynamics and the other offers a new generation of limit stop that improves results presented in the previous chapter.

Atualmente, a utilização de suspensão traseira do tipo twist beam é muito difundida em veículos de pequeno porte e alto volume de produção, por apresentar um bom compromisso entre custo e desempenho. No entanto este conceito possui limitações no que diz respeito à absorção de vibrações de ride (conforto) secundário e impactos, e possui um compromisso com as características de handling (estabilidade) do veículo. Este trabalho apresenta um estudo de influência da rigidez das buchas da suspensão twist beam nos eventos de impacto singular para ride e no regime permanente do handling. É utilizado no estudo um modelo de multicorpos com veículo completo construído no software ADAMS. Para o estudo de ride é utilizada uma abordagem semi-analítica, através dos dados de medição em pista utilizando transdutores de força nas rodas (WFT). A partir do uso de tais carregamentos é possível simular os fenômenos de ride sem necessitar de um modelo específico de pneu. Para o estudo de handling é utilizado modelo pneu correlacionado com medição de curva em uma bancada chamada Flat-Trac. Utilizando os modelos construídos para ride e handling, são apresentados os dados de correlação dos modelos com veículo protótipo e um estudo da influência da rigidez de bucha nas métricas de impacto singular para ride e gradiente de esterçamento para handling. / Currently, the use of rear suspension twist beam is widespread in small vehicles and high-volume production, because it presents a good compromise between cost and performance. However, this concept has limitations regards the absorption of secondary ride vibrations and impacts, and has a commitment with handling characteristics of the vehicle. This dissertation presents a study of the stiffness influence of the twist beam suspension bushings in impact singular events to the ride and the steady state handling behavior. A multibody model of vehicle complete built in ADAMS software has been used for the study. For the ride study is using a semi-analytical approach, through the track measurement data using wheel force transducers (WFT). From the use of such road loads is possible to simulate the ride phenomena without needing a specific model of tire. For the handling study a tire model used is correlated with measurement curve on a workbench called Flat-Trac. Using models built for ride and handling are shown the correlation data models with prototype vehicle and a study of the influence of the bushing stiffness for the singular impact event metrics for ride and the steering gradient metric for handling.

Mineral treatment processes generally produce wastewaters containing ultrafine and colloidal particles that cause pollution upon their discharge into environment. It is essential that they should be removed from the wastewater before discharge. This study was undertaken by using synthetic turbid systems containing kaolinite and quartz particles in water with the amount of 0.20 g/L and 0.32 g/L, respectively. Removal of the turbidity was tried in two ways / electrocoagulation with aluminum anode and conventional coagulation with aluminum sulfate. Several key parameters affecting the efficiency of electrocoagulation and coagulation were investigated with laboratory scale experiments in search of optimal parameter values. Optimal values of the parameters were determined on the basis of the efficiency of turbidity removal from ultrafine suspensions. The parameters investigated in the study were suspension pH, electrical potential, current density, electrocoagulation time, and aluminum dosage. This study was also performed to compare electrocoagulation and conventional coagulation regarding the pH ranges under investigation and coagulant dosages applied. A comparison between electrocoagulation and coagulation was made on the basis of total dissolved aluminum, revealing that electrocoagulation and coagulation were equally effective at the same aluminum dosage for the removal of ultrafine particles from suspensions. Coagulation was more effective in a wider pH range (pH 5-8) than electrocoagulation, which yielded optimum effectiveness in a relatively narrower pH range around 9. In both methods, these pH values corresponded to near-zero zeta potentials of coagulated kaolinite and quartz particles. The mechanism for both coagulation methods was aggregation through charge neutralization and/or enmeshment in aluminum hydroxide precipitates. Furthermore, the experimental results confirmed that electrocoagulation could display some pH buffering capacity. The kinetics of electrocoagulation was very fast (&lt / 10 min) in approaching a residual turbidity, which could be modeled with a second-order rate equation.