La tribologie et l'analyse non-linéaire du signal est le sujet de mon travail de thèse. Dans la nature, les phénomènes linéaires sont l'exception ; rares sont les systèmes réels qui obéissent exclusivement à des lois linéaires. A l'opposée, les non-linéarités sont impliquées dans tous les processus naturels (réactions chimiques, mécanique, économie, etc.). Les systèmes frottant en sont un des exemples les plus courants, avec des applications très variées. Dans les systèmes de freinage, le frottement se trouve être à l'origine de nombreux problèmes d'instabilités. Les types d'instabilités auxquelles on a affaire dans ce cas sont celles des vibrations induites par le frottement. C'est justement sur ces instabilités que repose le principe Modalsens; un capteur- une lamelle- vient frotter sur un échantillon et ce frottement génère la vibration de celui-ci : le post-traitement par analyse de Fourier du signal vibratoire permet de distinguer des composantes liées au relief, au frottement et à la compressibilité des aspérités. Dans le cas de la méthode Modalsens, l'analyse de Fourier, qui est un outil linéaire, agit comme des lunettes aux travers desquelles est observé le signal et qui filtrerait toutes les composantes non-linéaires. Notre contribution s'inscrit dans cette optique: mettre en place une méthode performante d'analyse non-linéaire pour permettre de mieux appréhender l'analyse du comportement dynamique de Modalsens et de dégager de nouveaux estimateurs pour la caractérisation des surfaces textiles. Partant de là, les résultats obtenus nous serviront à proposer une modélisation du contact sur matériaux fibreux. / Tribology and nonlinear time series analysis are the main subject of my thesis. In nature, the Iinear events are the exception; few real systems follow linear laws exclusively. At the opposite, nonlinearities are involved in all natural processes (chemical reactions, mechanical engineering, economies, etc.). Systems involving dry friction are one of the most common examples, with a variety of applications. In braking systems, friction is found to cause many problems of instability. Types of instabilities addressed in this case are those of friction induced vibrations. The Modalsens method is precisely based on the exploitation of those instabilities: a sensor- a thin blade- rubs on a sample and friction induces its vibrations. Post-processing by Fourier analysis of the vibration signal can separate several components of the sample related to the relief, friction and compressibility of asperities. However, in the case of Modalsens method, Fourier analysis, which is a linear tool, acts like eyeglasses through which the signal is observed and that filters out all non-linear components. Our contribution is in this perspective: the establishment of an efficient method of nonlinear signal analysis to better understand the dynamic behavior of Modalsens and also generate new estimators for the characterization of textile surfaces. Hence, a model of contact on fibrous surface is proposed based on the obtained results.

Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de uma plataforma para o estudo teórico e experimental de dispositivos amplificadores de micro-ondas do tipo válvula de ondas progressivas (TWT). A plataforma é composta por um modelo matemático e uma bancada de testes. O modelo matemático descreve a TWT como uma linha de transmissão acoplada a um feixe eletrônico unidimensional, onde as forças de carga espacial AC e DC são calculadas auto consistentemente, eliminando-se a necessidade de um cálculo separado para o fator de redução de carga espacial. O modelo matemático deu origem a dois códigos para a simulação da TWT. Ambos foram comparados com resultados experimentais e teóricos disponíveis na literatura especializada para uma pré-validação. O nível de concordância entre os presentes resultados e aqueles de referência foi acima de 90%, o que atendeu as expectativas de exatidão do modelo, tendo em vista que nem todos os parâmetros de entrada estavam disponíveis na referência. A bancada de testes construída é composta por uma TWT com banda de operação de 6,0 a 18 GHz e potência saturada máxima em torno de 55 dBm (316 W) em 13 GHz, um circuito de polarização para a mesma e a instrumentação necessária para a realização das medidas pertinentes aos amplificadores de potência. A TWT em questão foi caracterizada segundo seu comportamento mono-sinal e multi-sinal. As curvas de ganho e potência foram obtidas em função da frequência utilizando a voltagem de aceleração do feixe eletrônico e a potência de entrada como parâmetros. As curvas de transferência de potência, de fase e compressão de ganho foram obtidas para frequências escolhidas ao longo da banda, tendo novamente a voltagem de aceleração como parâmetro. Adicionalmente, a produção de produtos de intermodulação de terceira ordem foi caracterizada no ponto de 1 dB de compressão de ganho ao longo da banda analisada. Um teste de linearização por injeção de sinais, que estava previsto no plano de trabalho, não apresentou o desempenho esperado devido a problemas no funcionamento do circuito linearizador. Esses problemas foram analisados e listou-se uma série de passos para saná-los. / This work deals with the development of a platform for theoretical and experimental investigations of microwave amplifiers devices of the type traveling-wave tube (TWT). The platform consists of a mathematical model and a test bench. The mathematical model describes the TWT as a transmission line coupled to a onedimensional electron beam, in which the AC and DC space charge forces are calculated self-consistently, eliminating the need for a separate calculation for the space charge reduction factor. The mathematical model gave rise to two codes for the simulation of TWTs. Both codes were validated against experimental and theoretical results available in the literature. The overall level of agreement between the present results and those from the reference was above 90%, which was considered satisfactory since not all input parameters were available in the reference. The test bench consists of a wideband TWT operating from 6.0 to 18 GHz and maximum saturated power around 55 dBm (316 W) at 13 GHz, a biasing circuit, and the instrumentation needed to perform the relevant measurements to the power amplifier. The TWT in question was characterized according to its mono-signal and multi-signal behavior. The gain and power curves were obtained as a function of the frequency using the beam voltage and the input power as parameters. The curves of power transfer, phase transfer and gain compression were obtained for selected frequencies along the operating band, again, using the beam voltage as a parameter. Furthermore, the production of third-order intermodulation products was measured at the 1 dB gain compression point over the band analyzed. A linearization test applying the signal injection technique, which was part of the initial work plan, presented inadequate performance due to problems in the linearizer circuit operation. These problems were analyzed and a guide to solve them was provided.

Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de uma plataforma para o estudo teórico e experimental de dispositivos amplificadores de micro-ondas do tipo válvula de ondas progressivas (TWT). A plataforma é composta por um modelo matemático e uma bancada de testes. O modelo matemático descreve a TWT como uma linha de transmissão acoplada a um feixe eletrônico unidimensional, onde as forças de carga espacial AC e DC são calculadas auto consistentemente, eliminando-se a necessidade de um cálculo separado para o fator de redução de carga espacial. O modelo matemático deu origem a dois códigos para a simulação da TWT. Ambos foram comparados com resultados experimentais e teóricos disponíveis na literatura especializada para uma pré-validação. O nível de concordância entre os presentes resultados e aqueles de referência foi acima de 90%, o que atendeu as expectativas de exatidão do modelo, tendo em vista que nem todos os parâmetros de entrada estavam disponíveis na referência. A bancada de testes construída é composta por uma TWT com banda de operação de 6,0 a 18 GHz e potência saturada máxima em torno de 55 dBm (316 W) em 13 GHz, um circuito de polarização para a mesma e a instrumentação necessária para a realização das medidas pertinentes aos amplificadores de potência. A TWT em questão foi caracterizada segundo seu comportamento mono-sinal e multi-sinal. As curvas de ganho e potência foram obtidas em função da frequência utilizando a voltagem de aceleração do feixe eletrônico e a potência de entrada como parâmetros. As curvas de transferência de potência, de fase e compressão de ganho foram obtidas para frequências escolhidas ao longo da banda, tendo novamente a voltagem de aceleração como parâmetro. Adicionalmente, a produção de produtos de intermodulação de terceira ordem foi caracterizada no ponto de 1 dB de compressão de ganho ao longo da banda analisada. Um teste de linearização por injeção de sinais, que estava previsto no plano de trabalho, não apresentou o desempenho esperado devido a problemas no funcionamento do circuito linearizador. Esses problemas foram analisados e listou-se uma série de passos para saná-los. / This work deals with the development of a platform for theoretical and experimental investigations of microwave amplifiers devices of the type traveling-wave tube (TWT). The platform consists of a mathematical model and a test bench. The mathematical model describes the TWT as a transmission line coupled to a onedimensional electron beam, in which the AC and DC space charge forces are calculated self-consistently, eliminating the need for a separate calculation for the space charge reduction factor. The mathematical model gave rise to two codes for the simulation of TWTs. Both codes were validated against experimental and theoretical results available in the literature. The overall level of agreement between the present results and those from the reference was above 90%, which was considered satisfactory since not all input parameters were available in the reference. The test bench consists of a wideband TWT operating from 6.0 to 18 GHz and maximum saturated power around 55 dBm (316 W) at 13 GHz, a biasing circuit, and the instrumentation needed to perform the relevant measurements to the power amplifier. The TWT in question was characterized according to its mono-signal and multi-signal behavior. The gain and power curves were obtained as a function of the frequency using the beam voltage and the input power as parameters. The curves of power transfer, phase transfer and gain compression were obtained for selected frequencies along the operating band, again, using the beam voltage as a parameter. Furthermore, the production of third-order intermodulation products was measured at the 1 dB gain compression point over the band analyzed. A linearization test applying the signal injection technique, which was part of the initial work plan, presented inadequate performance due to problems in the linearizer circuit operation. These problems were analyzed and a guide to solve them was provided.

Neste trabalho simulou-se o escoamento do fluxo de ar em um tubo, com um anteparo de formato triangular com arestas cortantes, posicionado no centro do tubo. O objetivo do estudo é a análise do comportamento do número de Strouhal em função do número de Reynolds. Para isto, foi utilizada a técnica da análise tempo-freqüência, baseada na transformada de Fourier e na transformada de Gabor. Os ensaios foram realizados com o fluxo com velocidades médias de escoamento de 3 a 10 m/s, sendo utilizado um sensor de pressão tipo piezo-resistivo para a detecção da flutuação de pressão ocasionada pelo desprendimento e formação dos vórtices. Os ensaios foram realizados em cinco etapas com o objetivo de se verificar a influência dos seguintes parâmetros na coleta de sinais e no fenômeno: ruído da rede elétrica; influência do anteparo e do ruído proveniente do escoamento do fluxo de ar; número de pontos da amostragem na coleta dos dados; do comprimento da tubulação; e posicionamento do sensor. Pode-se observar, a sensibilidade do sistema de medição através do ensaio realizado sem o anteparo, sendo verificada a influência do ruído do escoamento de ar pelo tubo; pode-se observar também uma pequena interferência do ruído da rede elétrica predominantemente para velocidades abaixo de 3 m/s. Apesar das influências citadas, e utilizando a transformada de Gabor para análise dos sinais, observou-se um sinal mais intenso na freqüência dos vórtices para as velocidades de escoamento, podendo-se comprovar que o número de Strouhal permanece quase constante e é independente do número de Reynolds, devendo-se ressaltar que esta conclusão é valida para números de Reynolds compreendidos na faixa de 3000 a 100000. No experimento obteve-se um fator de sensibilidade (freqüência vórtices/velocidade média) de 8,2 Hz/m/s, e número de Strouhal médio de 0,196. / This work concerns the simulation of an air flux through a pipe with a triangular bluff body positioned inside it. In order to study the behavior of the Strouhal number in function of the Reynolds number. For this, the time-frequency analysis technique was used, based on Fourier transform and the Gabor transform. The experiments were carried out with an air flux velocity ranging from 3 to 10 m/s and using a piezoresistive pressure sensor to detect pressure fluctuations caused by the shedding and vortex formation. The experimental procedures were divided in five stages to make it possible to verify the influence of the following parameters in the signal data acquisition: electric network noise, the bluff body presence and the noise generated due to its presence, number of sampling data points, tubing length and sensor positioning. The sensitivity of the experiment could be observed testing the air flowing with no bluff body inside the pipe. Thus, it was possible to investigate the influence of the noise generated due to this flux limiting body. It could be also observed, mainly at 3 m/s or less, the noise generated due to the electric network. Despite the listed influences, and with the use of the Gabor transform, a more intense signal on the vortex frequency for the flow velocity was observed, showing that the Strouhal number remains almost constant and is independent of the Reynolds number. It is important to recall that this conclusion is valid for Reynolds numbers between 3000 and 100000. In the experiments the factor of sensitivity (vortex frequency/mean velocity) obtained was 8,2 Hz/m/s and the mean Strouhal number 0,196.

O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a identificação, classificação, localização e setorização de faltas em redes de distribuição radiais, verificar a maneira de aplicar e integrar diversas ferramentas numéricas convencionais, assim como ferramentas de sistemas inteligentes, visando identificar a ocorrência de uma falta, classificar as fases envolvidas com a mesma, e aplicar as diversas ferramentas existentes a fim de localizar em tempo real o eventual local onde houve a ocorrência da falta, permitindo que a mesma possa ser setorizada dentro do sistema da concessionária e informada ao centro de operações, usando uma nova abordagem inteligente baseada em análise espectral de sinais. / The aim of this work is study the identification, classification, location and sectorization of a fault in distribution radial networks, check how to implement and integrate various conventional numerical tools, as well as intelligent systems based tools, to identify the occurrence of a fault, classify the phases involved with it, and apply the various tools available to locate the place where a fault was occurred in real time, enabling it to be sectorized into the utility system and informed to operational center using a new intelligent approach based on spectral signals analysis.

O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a identificação, classificação, localização e setorização de faltas em redes de distribuição radiais, verificar a maneira de aplicar e integrar diversas ferramentas numéricas convencionais, assim como ferramentas de sistemas inteligentes, visando identificar a ocorrência de uma falta, classificar as fases envolvidas com a mesma, e aplicar as diversas ferramentas existentes a fim de localizar em tempo real o eventual local onde houve a ocorrência da falta, permitindo que a mesma possa ser setorizada dentro do sistema da concessionária e informada ao centro de operações, usando uma nova abordagem inteligente baseada em análise espectral de sinais. / The aim of this work is study the identification, classification, location and sectorization of a fault in distribution radial networks, check how to implement and integrate various conventional numerical tools, as well as intelligent systems based tools, to identify the occurrence of a fault, classify the phases involved with it, and apply the various tools available to locate the place where a fault was occurred in real time, enabling it to be sectorized into the utility system and informed to operational center using a new intelligent approach based on spectral signals analysis.

The aim of this thesis work has been to develop signal analysis methods for a computerized cardiac auscultation system, the intelligent stethoscope. In particular, the work focuses on classification and interpretation of features derived from the phonocardiographic (PCG) signal by using advanced signal processing techniques. The PCG signal is traditionally analyzed and characterized by morphological properties in the time domain, by spectral properties in the frequency domain or by nonstationary properties in a joint time-frequency domain. The main contribution of this thesis has been to introduce nonlinear analysis techniques based on dynamical systems theory to extract more information from the PCG signal. Especially, Takens' delay embedding theorem has been used to reconstruct the underlying system's state space based on the measured PCG signal. This processing step provides a geometrical interpretation of the dynamics of the signal, whose structure can be utilized for both system characterization and classification as well as for signal processing tasks such as detection and prediction. In this thesis, the PCG signal's structure in state space has been exploited in several applications. Change detection based on recurrence time statistics was used in combination with nonlinear prediction to remove obscuring heart sounds from lung sound recordings in healthy test subjects. Sample entropy and mutual information were used to assess the severity of aortic stenosis (AS) as well as mitral insufficiency (MI) in dogs. A large number of, partly nonlinear, features was extracted and used for distinguishing innocent murmurs from murmurs caused by AS or MI in patients with probable valve disease. Finally, novel work related to very accurate localization of the first heart sound by means of ECG-gated ensemble averaging was conducted. In general, the presented nonlinear processing techniques have shown considerably improved results in comparison with other PCG based techniques. In modern health care, auscultation has found its main role in primary or in home health care, when deciding if special care and more extensive examinations are required. Making a decision based on auscultation is however difficult, why a simple tool able to screen and assess murmurs would be both time- and cost-saving while relieving many patients from needless anxiety. In the emerging field of telemedicine and home care, an intelligent stethoscope with decision support abilities would be of great value.

Bei der Überführung eines wissenschaftlichen Laborsystems zur automatischen Spracherkennung in eine reale Anwendung ergeben sich verschiedene praktische Problemstellungen, von denen eine der Verlust an Erkennungsleistung durch umgebende akustische Störungen ist. Im Gegensatz zu additiven Störungen wie Lüfterrauschen o. ä. hat die Wissenschaft bislang die Störung des Raumhalls bei der Spracherkennung nahezu ignoriert. Dabei besitzen, wie in der vorliegenden Dissertation deutlich gezeigt wird, bereits geringfügig hallende Räume einen stark störenden Einfluss auf die Leistungsfähigkeit von Spracherkennern. Mit dem Ziel, die Erkennungsleistung wieder in einen praktisch benutzbaren Bereich zu bringen, nimmt sich die Arbeit dieser Problemstellung an und schlägt Lösungen vor. Der Hintergrund der wissenschaftlichen Aktivitäten ist die Erstellung von funktionsfähigen Sprachbenutzerinterfaces für Gerätesteuerungen im Wohn- und Büroumfeld, wie z.~B. bei der Hausautomation. Aus diesem Grund werden praktische Randbedingungen wie die Restriktionen von embedded Computerplattformen in die Lösungsfindung einbezogen. Die Argumentation beginnt bei der Beschreibung der raumakustischen Umgebung und der Ausbreitung von Schallfeldern in Räumen. Es wird theoretisch gezeigt, dass die Störung eines Sprachsignals durch Hall von zwei Parametern abhängig ist: der Sprecher-Mikrofon-Distanz (SMD) und der Nachhallzeit T60. Um die Abhängigkeit der Erkennungsleistung vom Grad der Hallstörung zu ermitteln, wird eine Anzahl von Erkennungsexperimenten durchgeführt, die den Einfluss von T60 und SMD nachweisen. Weitere Experimente zeigen, dass die Spracherkennung kaum durch hochfrequente Hallanteile beeinträchtigt wird, wohl aber durch tieffrequente. In einer Literaturrecherche wird ein Überblick über den Stand der Technik zu Maßnahmen gegeben, die den störenden Einfluss des Halls unterdrücken bzw. kompensieren können. Jedoch wird auch gezeigt, dass, obwohl bei einigen Maßnahmen von Verbesserungen berichtet wird, keiner der gefundenen Ansätze den o. a. praktischen Einsatzbedingungen genügt. In dieser Arbeit wird die Methode Harmonicity-based Feature Analysis (HFA) vorgeschlagen. Sie basiert auf drei Ideen, die aus den Betrachtungen der vorangehenden Kapitel abgeleitet werden. Experimentelle Ergebnisse weisen die Verbesserung der Erkennungsleistung in halligen Umgebungen nach. Es werden sogar praktisch relevante Erkennungsraten erzielt, wenn die Methode mit verhalltem Training kombiniert wird. Die HFA wird gegen Ansätze aus der Literatur evaluiert, die ebenfalls praktischen Implementierungskriterien genügen. Auch Kombinationen der HFA und einigen dieser Ansätze werden getestet. Im letzten Kapitel werden die beiden Basistechnologien Stimm\-haft-Stimmlos-Entscheidung und Grundfrequenzdetektion umfangreich unter Hallbedingungen getestet, da sie Voraussetzung für die Funktionsfähigkeit der HFA sind. Als Ergebnis wird dargestellt, dass derzeit für beide Technologien kein Verfahren existiert, das unter Hallbedingungen robust arbeitet. Es kann allerdings gezeigt werden, dass die HFA trotz der Unsicherheiten der Verfahren arbeitet und signifikante Steigerungen der Erkennungsleistung erreicht. / Automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems used in real-world indoor scenarios suffer from performance degradation if noise and reverberation conditions differ from the training conditions of the recognizer. This thesis deals with the problem of room reverberation as a cause of distortion in ASR systems. The background of this research is the design of practical command and control applications, such as a voice controlled light switch in rooms or similar applications. Therefore, the design aims to incorporate several restricting working conditions for the recognizer and still achieve a high level of robustness. One of those design restrictions is the minimisation of computational complexity to allow the practical implementation on an embedded processor. One chapter comprehensively describes the room acoustic environment, including the behavior of the sound field in rooms. It addresses the speaker room microphone (SRM) system which is expressed in the time domain as the room impulse response (RIR). The convolution of the RIR with the clean speech signal yields the reverberant signal at the microphone. A thorough analysis proposes that the degree of the distortion caused by reverberation is dependent on two parameters, the reverberation time T60 and the speaker-to-microphone distance (SMD). To evaluate the dependency of the recognition rate on the degree of distortion, a number of experiments has been successfully conducted, confirming the above mentioned dependency of the two parameters, T60 and SMD. Further experiments have shown that ASR is barely affected by high-frequency reverberation, whereas low frequency reverberation has a detrimental effect on the recognition rate. A literature survey concludes that, although several approaches exist which claim significant improvements, none of them fulfils the above mentioned practical implementation criteria. Within this thesis, a new approach entitled 'harmonicity-based feature analysis' (HFA) is proposed. It is based on three ideas that are derived in former chapters. Experimental results prove that HFA is able to enhance the recognition rate in reverberant environments. Even practical applicable results are achieved when HFA is combined with reverberant training. The method is further evaluated against three other approaches from the literature. Also combinations of methods are tested. In a last chapter the two base technologies fundamental frequency (F0) estimation and voiced unvoiced decision (VUD) are evaluated in reverberant environments, since they are necessary to run HFA. This evaluation aims to find one optimal method for each of these technologies. The results show that all F0 estimation methods and also the VUD methods have a strong decreasing performance in reverberant environments. Nevertheless it is shown that HFA is able to deal with uncertainties of these base technologies as such that the recognition performance still improves.

<p>Today’s bridge design work in many cases demands a trustworthy dynamic analysis instead of using the traditional dynamic amplification factors. In this thesis a reliable 3D Bernoulli-Euler beam finite element model of the New Årsta Railway Bridge was prepared for thorough dynamic analysis using in situ bridge monitoring for correlation. The bridge is of the concrete box girder type with a heavily reinforced and prestressed bridge deck. The monitoring system was designed for long term monitoring with strain transducers embedded in the concrete and accelerometers mounted inside the edge beams and at the lower edge of the track slab.</p><p>The global finite element model used the exact bridge geometry but was simplified regarding prestressing cables and the two railway tracks. The prestressing cables and the tracks were consequently not included and an equivalent pure concrete model was identified.</p><p>A static macadam train load was eccentrically placed on one of the bridge’s two tracks. By using Vlasov’s torsional theory and thereby including constrained warping a realistic modulus of elasticity for the concrete without prestressing cables and stiffness contribution from the railway tracks was found. This was allowed by comparing measured strain from strain transducers with the linear elastic finite element model’s axial stresses. Mainly three monitoring bridge sections were used, each of which was modelled with plane strain finite elements subjected to sectional forces/moments from a static macadam train load and a separately calculated torsional curvature.</p><p>From the identified modulus of elasticity the global finite element model was updated for Poisson’s ratio and material density (mass) to correspond with natural frequencies from the performed signal analysis of accelerometer signals. The influence of warping on the natural frequencies of the global finite element model was assumed small and the bridge’s torsional behaviour was modelled to follow Saint-Venant’s torsional theory.</p><p>A first preliminary estimation of modal damping ratios was included. The results indicated that natural frequencies were in accordance between modelling and signal analysis results, especially concerning high energy modes. Estimated damping ratios for the first vibration modes far exceeded the lower limit value specified in bridge design codes and railway bridge dynamic analysis recommendations.</p>

The oil and gas industry need for high performing and low cost multiphase meters is ever more justified given the rapid depletion of conventional oil reserves. This has led oil companies to develop smaller/marginal fields and reservoirs in remote locations and deep offshore, thereby placing great demands for compact and more cost effective soluti8ons of on-line continuous multiphase flow measurement. The pattern recognition approach for clamp-on multiphase measurement employed in this research study provides one means for meeting this need. Cont/d.